Chapter Summaries

Sephiroth tested Luffy’s Gear Fourth and demonstrated Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, then left him to reunite with Sabo before setting sail. The next day, Sephiroth learned Luffy had departed and told Nico Robin to arrange adventures for him.

• Sephiroth criticized Luffy’s Haki and fighting skills, then explained how his pseudo-elementalization let him evade Luffy’s Snakeman attack.
• Sephiroth struck Luffy with Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, knocking him out of Gear Fourth and sending him crashing through the forest.
• Sabo arrived to visit Luffy, and the brothers recognized each other and reunited after ten years apart.
• Sephiroth left Mount Colubo through a Spatial Gate, saying he would not see Luffy off because Garp might blame him for Luffy becoming a pirate.
• The next day, Nico Robin told Sephiroth that Luffy had set sail, and Sephiroth asked her to arrange exciting adventures for him.

Teach stole the Dark-Dark Fruit after killing Thatch, then escaped from the Moby Dick. Ace pursued Teach despite Whitebeard’s warning, leaving Whitebeard increasingly uneasy.

• Thatch found the Dark-Dark Fruit among the spoils and planned to investigate its powers, while Teach recognized it and resolved to take it.
• Teach got Thatch drunk at the banquet, helped him back to his room, then stabbed him to death and stole the fruit from his safe.
• Teach ate the Dark-Dark Fruit, covered Thatch’s body, and escaped aboard a lifeboat.
• The Whitebeard Pirates discovered Thatch’s murder and concluded that Teach had killed him for the Devil Fruit.
• Ace vowed to kill Teach and chased after him in his speedboat despite Whitebeard telling him to let the matter end for now.

Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp learned that the Marines had issued bounty posters after the defeat of the Krieg Pirates. The crew set their sights on finding a cook for their next companion.

• Usopp bought a newspaper and argued with Luffy over who was captain and whether Usopp should be vice-captain.
• Luffy discovered his bounty was fifty million Belly, while Zoro's bounty was four hundred million Belly.
• Usopp explained that Zoro's fame as a Pirate Hunter might account for his enormous bounty, and Zoro recalled facing powerful enemies from the Grand Line.
• Luffy grew hungry and asked Usopp to cook, prompting Usopp to complain before heading to the kitchen.
• Luffy decided that the crew's next companion would be a cook.

Sephiroth invited Reiju on a private date to Baratie, where she hoped to see her long-separated younger brother Sanji. After booking the restaurant’s second floor, Sephiroth requested that Sanji prepare every dish on the menu, leaving Sanji to cook under Zeff’s watchful eye.

• Sephiroth surprised Reiju at her laboratory and invited her to dine at Baratie and visit Sanji.
• Sephiroth and Reiju arrived at Baratie, where they spotted the Going Merry and Zoro and Usopp aboard it.
• Sephiroth told Patty that he had reserved the second floor and asked Sanji to prepare every dish on the menu.
• Patty relayed the request to Sanji, and Zeff struck Sanji with his stick after Sanji claimed his cooking surpassed Zeff’s.
• Sanji vowed to satisfy the guests with his cooking and remained at Baratie because Zeff had lost his leg saving him.

Sephiroth and Reiju had lunch at Baratie, where they reunited with Sanji and Reiju gave him a Germa Stealth Black Battle Suit. The visit ended with Hawkeye arriving and confronting Zoro aboard the Going Merry.

• Sephiroth scolded Luffy for stealing half of his grilled fish and refused to lend him money to pay off his debt at Baratie.
• Sephiroth told Reiju that he had known Luffy for almost ten years and had ties to Luffy's father and grandfather.
• Sanji recognized Reiju, and she gave him a Germa Stealth Black Battle Suit as a reunion gift.
• Hawkeye arrived at Baratie looking for Roronoa Zoro and spotted him on the Going Merry.
• Hawkeye asked Zoro if he was Roronoa Zoro.

Zoro fought Hawkeye after Hawkeye mistook him for a swordsman who had stood him up seventeen years earlier. Zoro was badly wounded but insisted on continuing until he revealed that Hawkeye had the wrong person.

• Hawkeye mocked Zoro and challenged him, and Zoro drew his swords and prepared to fight.
• Hawkeye attacked with his cross-shaped dagger, overwhelming Zoro's 1080 Pound Phoenix and wounding him during their clash.
• Zoro refused to yield despite his severe injury and challenged Hawkeye to continue fighting.
• Hawkeye asked why Zoro had failed to appear for a duel seventeen years earlier, and Zoro explained that he was only two years old at the time.

At Baratie, Hawkeye realized he had mistaken Zoro for the pirate hunter he had fought seventeen years earlier and identified Sephiroth as his true opponent. Sephiroth and Hawkeye began a swordsmanship duel while Zoro watched from the Going Merry and recognized the gulf between his skill and theirs.

• Zoro told Hawkeye he was only nineteen and had been two years old seventeen years earlier, and Hawkeye's Observation Haki confirmed he was telling the truth.
• Hawkeye sensed the Butcher Blade's familiar aura from Sephiroth and declared him the real Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, while Sephiroth denied the claim and challenged Hawkeye.
• Sephiroth promised to pay double for any damage to Baratie, then warned Zoro to leave the fighting area; Zoro returned to the Going Merry with Luffy and Usopp.
• Hawkeye drew Black Blade Yoru, and he and Sephiroth began a close-range duel using basic sword techniques and Armament Haki.
• Zoro watched from the Going Merry as Usopp bandaged him and realized how far he still was from swordsmen like Sephiroth and Hawkeye.

Sephiroth defeated Hawkeye in a fierce duel at Baratie by exploiting the fog to block his Observation Haki, then spared him and promised to await his rematch. After compensating Zeff for Baratie’s destruction, Sephiroth left by speedboat with Reiju, who turned their interrupted date into an intimate encounter.

• Sephiroth transformed and fought Hawkeye with their blades and Conqueror’s Haki, while Zeff evacuated Baratie’s employees and the diners fled to nearby ships.
• Sephiroth used a crimson slash and water swords to create dense fog, then blocked Hawkeye’s Observation Haki and struck him in the chest.
• Sephiroth pinned Hawkeye with his blade and declared victory, but spared him and challenged him to grow stronger for a future rematch.
• Sephiroth offered Zeff one billion Beli to compensate for Baratie’s destruction, and Zeff accepted the payment.
• Sephiroth and Reiju left in a speedboat, and Reiju urged him to continue steering while she sat on his lap.

On New World, Shanks learned that Ace was hunting Blackbeard Teach and sent a warning to Whitebeard. Sephiroth encountered Ace in Lulusia Kingdom but failed to dissuade him, then left Ace to pursue Teach.

• Shanks teased Hawkeye Mihawk about losing to Sephiroth, then discussed Luffy’s bounty poster with him.
• Shanks learned that Ace was hunting Teach after Teach killed Thatch, and sent Rockstar with a letter to Whitebeard Newgate.
• Ace fled restaurant staff who chased him for skipping his bill, then asked a dockworker where to find Teach.
• Sephiroth warned Ace that Teach was too strong for him and urged him to return to the Whitebeard Pirates.
• Ace insisted he would deal with Teach himself and told Sephiroth not to interfere in the crew’s affairs.
• Sephiroth let Ace go, opened a Spatial Gate, and hoped Teach would throw the world into turmoil.

After the Straw Hat Pirates devastated Enies Lobby, Sengoku argued with Garp over the Five Elders’ order to capture Luffy, while Garp secretly planned to help his grandson escape. Sengoku then accepted Blackbeard Teach’s offer to hand over Ace in exchange for a Shichibukai position, after Teach claimed Ace was Gol D. Roger’s son.

• Sengoku confronted Garp about Luffy’s destruction of Enies Lobby and told him the Five Elders demanded Luffy’s capture.
• Garp agreed to handle Luffy but intended to drive him into the New World, prompting Sengoku to threaten to send Sakazuki instead.
• Sengoku worried about Shanks meeting Whitebeard and the Beast Pirates gaining thousands of SMILE users.
• Blackbeard Teach told Sengoku he had defeated Ace and would hand him over in exchange for becoming a Shichibukai.
• Teach claimed Ace was Gol D. Roger’s son, and Sengoku agreed that Teach could become a Shichibukai once he delivered Ace.

Doflamingo persuaded Kaido to use Ace’s upcoming execution as an opportunity to unite the Four Emperors and attack Marineford. While Kaido and Big Mom agreed to join the war, Doflamingo privately planned to use the resulting chaos to separate his forces from Kaido and claim territory of his own.

• Doflamingo described how Kaido’s rule had turned Wano’s population into factory slaves, with recruitment into the Beast Pirates offered as a way out.
• Doflamingo showed Kaido the news that the Marines would execute Ace at Marineford in one week and proposed that the Four Emperors attack the Marines together.
• Kaido enthusiastically agreed to start a world-class war, while Doflamingo intended to exploit the conflict to gain independence and territory.
• Kaido contacted Big Mom Charlotte Linlin without encryption, and she agreed to send troops to attack Marineford.

Whitebeard prepared to attack Marine Headquarters to rescue Ace as Doflamingo revealed that Kaido and Big Mom planned to join the war. Shanks refused Kaido’s invitation, while Sabo decided to rescue Ace with Dragon’s support.

• Marco told Whitebeard that the allied captains were gathering secretly and that Fish-Man Island had prepared sea beasts for the rescue.
• Doflamingo told Whitebeard that Kaido and Big Mom would attack Marine Headquarters during Ace’s execution, then clashed with Whitebeard before departing.
• X Drake invited Shanks to join Kaido’s war, but Shanks refused.
• Sabo learned that the Marines would execute Ace in one week and told Dragon he would rescue him without using Revolutionary Army forces.
• Dragon assigned Karasu to help Sabo and asked him to look after Luffy if Luffy also went to rescue Ace.

Sengoku sought World Government support as Kaido, Big Mom, and Whitebeard prepared to attack Marineford, but the Five Elders refused to send elite fighters and revealed Imu's plan to destroy Marineford if the Marines lost. Steel Bone Kong pledged to fight alongside Sengoku, who then considered asking Sephiroth to join the war through his woman.

• Sengoku and Rosinante discussed the threat posed by the three allied Four Emperors and the Marines' lack of combat power.
• Sengoku asked the Five Elders for reinforcements, but they refused to send the CP Organization or God's Knights and offered three hundred Pacifistas instead.
• After Sengoku left, the Five Elders spoke with Imu and considered destroying Marineford if the Marines were defeated.
• Steel Bone Kong learned that the three Four Emperor crews were involved and promised to fight alongside Sengoku.
• Sengoku assessed the limits of the Pacifistas and Steel Bone Kong's aging strength, then decided to seek Sephiroth's help through his woman.

Fish-Man Island's residents boarded Noah Ark and Sephiroth carried them toward Sky Island, while Sabo learned that Ace was set to be executed and encountered Luffy. The chapter ended with Luffy demanding that they hurry to rescue Ace as Sabo tried to stop him and plan carefully.

• Queen Otohime guided Fish-Man Island's residents as they boarded Noah Ark, and Shirahoshi showed her affection for Sephiroth.
• Sephiroth accepted Gion's invitation to meet that evening, then lifted Noah Ark from the sea and flew toward Sky Island with the Fish-Man residents aboard.
• Sabo told Karasu that the Whitebeard Pirates, Beast Pirates, and Big Mom Pirates planned to attack Marine Headquarters on Ace's execution day, so they should rescue Ace amid the chaos.
• Sabo encountered Luffy in Sabaody Archipelago and told him that Ace would be executed at Marine Headquarters.
• Luffy panicked and urged Sabo to hurry to rescue Ace, but Sabo held him back and tried to reason with him.

Gion, Hina, and Domino tricked Sephiroth with Aphrodite's Allure and staged an emotional appeal to persuade him to rejoin the Marines before the war against three Four Emperor crews. Sephiroth agreed to return as a Vice Admiral in Blades, but insisted Sengoku pay extra if he expected him to work hard.

• Gion, Hina, and Domino applied Aphrodite's Allure and tried to persuade Sephiroth by pretending they feared dying in the coming war.
• Sephiroth realized something was wrong with the medicine and demanded that the women tell him what they wanted.
• Gion explained that the Marines would fight the Whitebeard Pirates, Big Mom Pirates, and Beasts Pirates in four days, and Hina asked Sephiroth to help.
• Gion offered the terms Sengoku had arranged for Sephiroth to return as a Vice Admiral in the special unit Blades.
• When Sephiroth refused, Gion threatened to leave with Hina and Domino, so he agreed to return if Sengoku paid him more to work hard.

As the Marines prepared for a war against three Four Emperor crews, Sephiroth returned to Marine Headquarters with Gion and negotiated his role with Sengoku. Sengoku agreed to let Sephiroth kill Bondi Walde in Impel Down in exchange for his full effort in the battle three days later.

• Gion brought Sephiroth to Marine Headquarters after persuading him to return to the Marines, while he learned he could have chosen to become a Shichibukai instead.
• Sephiroth objected to the Sharp Blade Unit's poor protections and demanded better compensation for helping in the coming war.
• Sephiroth asked to personally kill Bondi Walde, intending to claim the power of his Double-Double Fruit.
• Steel Bone Kong questioned Sephiroth's motive, but Sephiroth refused to explain why he wanted Bondi Walde dead.
• Sengoku agreed to let Sephiroth kill Bondi Walde inside Impel Down, on the condition that Sephiroth give his all in the war three days later.

Sephiroth visited Impel Down with Akainu and Aokiji to kill Bondi Walde, stopping to speak with Jinbe and Ace along the way. He appeared to butcher Walde inside a cloud of Black Mist, concealing that he was extracting Walde’s Devil Fruit power from his blood.

• Sephiroth arrived at Impel Down with Akainu and Aokiji, and Magellan greeted them before rushing off to the restroom.
• Sephiroth asked to see Ace, then spoke with Jinbe and learned why the Marines had imprisoned him.
• Sephiroth asked Ace if he regretted pursuing Blackbeard and told him that three Four Emperors crews were gathering for the war surrounding his execution.
• Ace asked for a full meal before he died, but Domino refused to break Impel Down’s rules.
• Sephiroth entered Walde’s cage alone and covered it in Black Mist while Akainu and Aokiji waited outside.
• The mist cleared to reveal Walde’s dismembered corpse, while Sephiroth’s real purpose had been to extract Walde’s Devil Fruit power from his blood.

Sephiroth rejected Gild Tesoro’s suggestion to exploit the Marines’ war against the Four Emperors, then tested whether the Tiny-Tiny Fruit and Double-Double Fruit could work together and saw his clone explode. He gave Shirahoshi the Tiny-Tiny Fruit’s power so she could shrink to human size, then carried her upstairs.

• Sephiroth told Gild Tesoro that he would wait to challenge the World Government until he had developed Nuclear Bombs.
• Jim imbued the powers of the Double-Double Fruit and Tiny-Tiny Fruit into two silver rings for Sephiroth.
• Sephiroth’s bat clone doubled in size and then exploded when it tried to shrink, leading him to conclude the two fruit powers conflicted.
• Sephiroth gave Shirahoshi the Tiny-Tiny Fruit ring, and she used it to shrink from twelve meters to two meters.
• Shirahoshi kissed Sephiroth, accepted his advances, and he carried her to the villa’s second floor.

Sephiroth joined Sengoku and the Shichibukai at Pangea Castle for a briefing on the coming war against the Four Emperors, while secretly sending a bat to scout Mary Geoise. The next morning, Ace was transported from Impel Down to Marineford, despairing that the Whitebeard Pirates would risk their lives to rescue him.

• Sephiroth sensed powerful presences across Mary Geoise and released a Black Bat to investigate the outskirts of Pangea Castle.
• Yamato called Sephiroth to sit with the Shichibukai, but Hancock scolded her, and Sephiroth took a seat with the Marines.
• Sengoku briefed the Shichibukai on the major officers of the Whitebeard, Beasts, and Big Mom Pirates and planned to place them at the front of the battlefield.
• The next morning, Ace left Impel Down under guard and was locked in a Sea Stone cage aboard a warship bound for Marineford.
• Ace accepted that escape was impossible and worried that the Whitebeard Pirates would risk their lives to save him.

As Marineford prepared for an assault by three Four Emperors crews, Sephiroth reunited with fellow Marines and arranged for Ace to receive a final meal. Sengoku and the other senior officers committed to revealing Ace’s heritage during the execution, while Garp left in anger.

• At Oris Plaza, Tokikake teased Sephiroth about his girlfriends and marriage, and Sephiroth spotted CP0 agents observing the Marines’ preparations.
• Domino brought Ace a meal at Sephiroth’s request and fed him while he was restrained in the detention center.
• Garp objected to Ace’s public execution during a meeting with Sengoku, Steel Bone Kong, and Zephyr.
• Sengoku, Steel Bone Kong, and Zephyr defended the execution’s purpose, and Garp left the Fleet Admiral’s office in anger.