Chapter Summaries

Zephyr announced the six vice admirals’ internship fleets, and the recruits chose their assignments. Rayne stunned the crowd by selecting Sakazuki’s high-casualty fleet, and Zephyr approved his request.

• Zephyr introduced the internship fleets and warned that Sakazuki’s ship had the highest casualty rate.
• Hina chose Strawberry’s fleet, while Zephyr rejected Smoker’s request for Sakazuki’s ship and assigned him to Kuzan’s instead.
• Rosinante chose John Giant’s fleet, T Bone chose Momonga’s, and the other recruits filled the remaining assignments while Sakazuki’s fleet stayed empty.
• Rayne chose Sakazuki’s fleet, surprising the recruits and drawing an interested reaction from Gion.
• Zephyr questioned Rayne’s resolve, then approved his choice after Rayne declared that he wanted to witness justice on the front lines.

Rayne chose to sail with Vice Admiral Sakazuki, reassuring Smoker and Hina before telling Gion a fabricated story about his family being killed by pirates. After Gion gave him sword-maintenance tools, Rayne bought Clark Kent's Glasses from Dimensional Curiosities.

• Rayne ignored the recruits' criticism of his choice and returned to the dormitory, where Smoker and Hina urged him to reconsider sailing with Sakazuki.
• Rayne cooked a lavish dinner for Gion, who demanded to know why he had chosen Sakazuki's ship.
• Rayne told Gion that pirates had destroyed his East Blue hometown and that he had joined the Navy to make pirates pay.
• Gion warned Rayne that Sakazuki's justice and Rayne's hatred could consume him, then gave him a set of whetstones and maintenance oil.
• Rayne returned to Dorm 307, stopped Smoker's snoring with an Armament Haki-coated paper ball, and bought Clark Kent's Glasses for 10,000 Sin Points.

Rayne and Rosinante served aboard Sakazuki's warship, where Rosinante struggled with the harsh routine while Rayne waited for a chance to fight pirates. When the crew spotted the Broken Finger Pirates, Sakazuki ordered the two recruits to stay beside him as their first battle approached.

• Rayne boarded Sakazuki's warship and reunited with Rosinante, who explained that Sengoku had sent him there for tougher training.
• Sakazuki warned the recruits that his ship followed absolute justice and ordered the warship to set sail.
• During the voyage, Rosinante repeatedly blundered and became an object of contempt, while Rayne trained diligently and listened to his complaints.
• The lookout spotted the Broken Finger Pirates, a notorious crew with a 35 million Beli bounty, and Sakazuki ordered his men to prepare for combat.
• Sakazuki told Rayne and Rosinante to stay by his side for their first battle, while Captain One-Eye ordered his pirates to attack the Navy warship.

During his internship under Sakazuki, Rayne witnessed the vice admiral destroy a pirate ship without sparing the kidnapped civilians aboard. Rosinante questioned Sakazuki’s justice, and Rayne urged him to become strong enough to make his own ideals heard.

• Sakazuki blasted the approaching pirate ship with magma, killing the pirates and the civilians trapped in its hold.
• Rosinante vomited in horror while Rayne hid his rage over the innocent victims’ deaths.
• Sakazuki dismissed their reactions and said he would teach them his version of justice during their internship.
• That night, Rosinante asked Rayne whether Sakazuki’s actions were any different from a pirate’s.
• Rayne told Rosinante that strength gave Sakazuki the power to decide everything and urged him to become strong enough to make Sakazuki listen.
• Rayne kept the civilians’ presence aboard the ship secret, fearing Rosinante would confront Sakazuki and get himself killed.

Rayne joined Commander Dal’s night assault on the Blood Axe Pirates and proved an exceptional scout as the Marines approached the fortress. The squad was poised to make its final advance when Rosinante’s sudden sneeze threatened to expose them.

• Sakazuki ordered Dal’s squad to eliminate the Blood Axe Pirates and assigned Rayne and Rosinante to the landing team.
• Rayne caught Rosinante when he nearly fell into the sea as the Marines boarded their assault boats.
• Rayne led the vanguard up the cliffs and helped Dal’s squad silently approach the fortress.
• Rayne detected sentries and traps along the route, earning Dal’s approval for his scouting skills.
• As the squad prepared to sprint toward the fortress, Rosinante sneezed loudly.

Rosinante’s sneeze exposed the Marines’ stealthy approach, and the ensuing assault separated Rayne and Rosinante from the main force. The pair faced Blood Axe Pirates captain Barton as he approached with his men.

• Rosinante sneezed and knocked over makeshift alarms, alerting the fortress and exposing the Marine squad.
• Lieutenant Colonel Dal ordered the Marines to charge, and the battle erupted between the elite Marines and the Blood Axe Pirates.
• Rayne fought while posing as an elite recruit, acquired Jimmy’s Intermediate Fishing skill, and stopped a wounded pirate from stabbing Rosinante with a poisoned dagger.
• Pirates detonated explosives near the squad, separating Rayne and Rosinante from the main force and knocking nearby fighters unconscious.
• Rayne protected Rosinante from the blast, then saw Blood Axe Pirates captain Barton, an 80-million-Beli bounty holder, approach with several men.

Rayne confronted Blood Axe Barton and his four pirate officers in an alley, hiding his true strength until they attacked. He killed all five pirates with overwhelming speed and swordsmanship, leaving Rosinante out of sight around the corner.

• Barton spotted Rayne and Rosinante, then ordered his officers to capture and torture them.
• Rayne sent Rosinante around a corner and killed Iron Claw Hook and Swift Blade Simon with two quick slashes.
• Rayne cut through Iron Hammer Grom's hammer and killed him, then shattered Kasa's chain and struck him through the heart.
• Rayne split Barton's battle axe and body with a single vertical slash.

Rayne killed Blood Axe Barton and his officers, then claimed they had died in internal strife. Rosinante and Lieutenant Colonel Dal accepted the cover story, while Sakazuki noticed its flaws and grew suspicious.

• Rayne chose Body Inheritance for five system rewards, strengthening his physique, then smeared pirate blood over himself to disguise his role in their deaths.
• Rayne told Rosinante that the pirates had killed one another, and Rosinante chose not to question or report him.
• Rayne and Rosinante reached Lieutenant Colonel Dal and repeated the internal-strife story; soldiers found Barton and his officers dead in the alley.
• Sakazuki read the battle report and reviewed the gruesome footage, recognizing the cover story's holes and finding Rayne interesting.

Rayne and Rosinante settled into life aboard Sakazuki’s warship until a distress signal from the Misty Archipelago reported a ghost ship, an attack, and a spider. Sakazuki ordered the warship toward the danger zone and sent Lieutenant Colonel Dal, Rayne, Rosinante, and elite Marines ahead to investigate.

• Sakazuki visited Rayne and Rosinante in the infirmary, dismissed the need for Rayne to get up, and left without challenging his cover story.
• Rayne and Rosinante spent their shore leaves and training breaks together as Rosinante grew more accustomed to shipboard life.
• A communications officer reported that a distress signal from the Misty Archipelago had mentioned a ghost ship, an attack, and a spider before cutting off.
• Lieutenant Colonel Dal identified the endangered vessel as the Navy gunboat Seagull 3 and suspected that the Great Whirlpool Spider, Squard, had attacked it.
• Sakazuki ordered the warship to the Misty Archipelago and directed Dal to take a reconnaissance speedboat with ten elite Marines, including Rayne and Rosinante.

Rayne joined Lieutenant Colonel Dal, Rosinante, and a small Marine team on a nighttime reconnaissance mission into the fog to find the Maelstrom Spider Pirates. They discovered the wreckage of the Marine gunboat Seagull 3, and Rayne sensed an enemy attack approaching.

• Rayne recognized Squard's name and recalled that he would later become a Whitebeard captain who stabbed Whitebeard during the Summit War.
• Lieutenant Colonel Dal led Rayne, Rosinante, and eight elite soldiers into the fog aboard a reconnaissance speedboat, where the crew lost communication and navigation.
• The Marines found the wreckage of the Seagull 3, torn apart and covered in tough, white spider silk.
• Rayne secretly used his blade to slice through the spider silk and realized Gion's maintenance tools had made his weapon exceptionally sharp.
• Rayne sensed several fast-moving objects approaching through the fog and shouted a warning of an enemy attack.