Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Werther discovers that his new Shadowless technique can block even advanced Observation Haki, making him far more difficult to track than he expected.
• Blackbeard uses a Dark Web to detect Werther’s movements, limiting Werther’s ability to attack while hidden. Because his Crimson Regalia drains stamina, Werther eventually deactivates it, leaving him exhausted.
• Although Blackbeard can now see him, he still cannot sense Werther with Observation Haki. The two clash directly: Werther’s Haki-coated sword meets Blackbeard’s Tremor-Tremor-powered fist.
• Werther holds his ground and concludes that Blackbeard’s use of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit lacks the overwhelming force Whitebeard once wielded.
• Werther strikes Blackbeard with Haki-coated lightning and detonates it, badly injuring his arm. Blackbeard survives the blast and is left writhing in pain.

Character developments and interactions

• Werther realizes he has become stronger than he thought. He balances boldness with caution, avoiding Blackbeard’s Dark Web and managing the stamina cost of his transformation.
• Blackbeard fights aggressively and uses both darkness and tremor powers, but his defenses and command of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit prove less formidable than Werther expected. His pain and distress contrast with his fearsome reputation.
• Their battle shifts from a contest of concealment and pursuit to a head-on test of strength, with Werther taunting Blackbeard and gaining the upper hand.

Significant themes

• Power is situational: strength, abilities, stamina, terrain, and matchups all affect a fight; a higher rank alone does not guarantee victory.
• Skill versus raw power: Werther’s perception-blocking technique and tactical choices help him counter Blackbeard’s abilities.
• Reputation versus reality: Werther sees that the Tremor-Tremor Fruit’s fearsome legacy came as much from Whitebeard himself as from the power.
• The cost of strength: Crimson Regalia gives Werther a major advantage but rapidly drains his stamina, forcing him to choose when to use it.

Plot points and events

• Werther questions Blackbeard’s decision to eat both the Dark-Dark and Tremor-Tremor Fruits, arguing that their drawbacks and the time needed to master them have made Blackbeard weaker.
• Blackbeard admits the Tremor-Tremor Fruit is taking a toll on his body. He also reveals he has struggled to endure its backlash.
• Werther presses the fight at close range, where Blackbeard’s preferred mid-range tactics are less effective. He uses Thunderballs to force Blackbeard to defend, then lands a three-part sword strike across his back.
• Blackbeard counters with a Tremor-Tremor Fruit punch that injures Werther, but Werther recovers and continues fighting.
• Their clash shakes the island. Werther’s swordsmanship has advanced dramatically since their previous battle, allowing him to drive Blackbeard backward.
• After a series of cuts, kicks, and electrical attacks, Werther traps Blackbeard in his rhythm. He forms a Lightning Treasure and drives it through Blackbeard’s chest and heart.

Character developments

• Werther shows confidence in his rapidly improving swordsmanship and tactical skill. Though injured by Blackbeard’s quake attack, he remains composed and keeps control of the fight.
• Blackbeard displays formidable strength and resourcefulness, but his fruit powers remain difficult to manage. His growing frustration and retreat reveal that Werther has gained the advantage.

Significant themes

• Power comes with a cost: Blackbeard’s Devil Fruits offer immense potential but bring severe drawbacks and physical strain.
• Mastery takes time: Powerful abilities are not automatically useful without years of development.
• Growth and ambition: Werther’s progress challenges Blackbeard’s assumptions about what a fighter can achieve.
• Tactical control: Werther wins the exchange not just through strength, but by forcing Blackbeard into unfavorable positions.

Character interactions

Werther taunts Blackbeard over his fruit choices and repeatedly exploits the limitations of his abilities. Blackbeard responds with force and ingenuity, but Werther’s pressure and close-range attacks gradually overwhelm him, ending with a seemingly fatal strike.

Key plot points and events

• Werther attacks Blackbeard relentlessly with Lightning Treasures, an electrically charged kick, and a Haki-coated sword strike, then detonates the explosives inside Blackbeard’s chest.
• Werther reasons that Blackbeard may have two hearts, allowing separate Devil Fruit powers to reside in each. He suspects Blackbeard gained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit’s power by drawing its “devil” into his body with the Dark-Dark Fruit, rather than eating it.
• Blackbeard survives the explosions and reveals two ruined hearts—one black and one silver-white—confirming Werther’s theory. He has lost both the Dark-Dark and Tremor-Tremor powers.
• Despite these catastrophic injuries, Blackbeard remains standing and begins healing. He says the two fruits had been weakening him and that he once feared the three devils inside him would clash.

Character developments

• Werther proves both ruthless and analytical: he presses his advantage in combat while using his knowledge of Devil Fruits to anticipate Blackbeard’s unusual biology. His confidence falters when Blackbeard survives.
• Blackbeard loses the powers he spent twenty years pursuing, but appears strangely liberated rather than devastated. His survival, multiple hearts, and rapid regeneration reveal that he is far more abnormal—and dangerous—than Werther expected.

Significant themes

• Power and its cost: Blackbeard’s coveted Devil Fruit abilities came at the price of steadily declining strength and constant fear.
• Limits and exceptions: The supposed rule that two Devil Fruits cannot coexist may depend on the body’s capacity to house their devils.
• The unknown: Even after Werther correctly explains Blackbeard’s two powers, Blackbeard’s survival and healing raise a more unsettling mystery.

Character interactions

• Werther dominates the exchange physically, while Blackbeard taunts him and reframes the loss of his powers as a relief.
• Blackbeard’s confession forces Werther to revise his understanding of the fight: destroying two hearts and removing two powers has not defeated his opponent.

Key plot points and events

• Two hours after losing both hearts, Werther confronts a badly injured Blackbeard, who reveals that he is trying to fuse the Dark-Dark, Tremor-Tremor, and a third Devil Fruit power to become the strongest.
• Werther warns that Devil Fruits contain destructive “devils” and that successful fusion may doom Blackbeard. Blackbeard admits the powers sometimes try to control his body, and Werther realizes this may explain Blackbeard’s sudden surges in strength.
• Their fight resumes inside Blackbeard’s persistent Darkness Walls. Blackbeard’s mysterious third power counters Werther’s lightning, and he gradually gains the advantage.
• Just as Blackbeard is about to strike, he suddenly freezes and begs Werther to kill him before a Devil Fruit takes control. Werther beheads him, ending their grudge—apparently.
• The Darkness Walls remain, and a voice from Blackbeard’s decapitated body warns that those who break the rules and offend “their majesty” will die.

Character developments

• Werther is gravely wounded and increasingly uncertain about winning, but stays focused and acts immediately when Blackbeard asks him to end his life.
• Blackbeard is revealed to be dangerously experimenting with Devil Fruit fusion. His ambition gives way to terror when he feels himself losing control, though he insists he will not be ruled by a fruit.

Significant themes

• Ambition and its cost: Blackbeard’s hunger for power may destroy him.
• The danger of powers beyond human control: Devil Fruits are presented as entities that may possess or overpower their users.
• Victory and uncertainty: Blackbeard’s apparent death does not resolve the threat; the lingering walls and final voice suggest a larger force remains.

Character interactions

• Werther challenges Blackbeard’s motives and warns him of the consequences of fusion; Blackbeard rejects the warning as a lie.
• Their exchange turns from taunting and combat to a desperate plea when Blackbeard asks Werther to kill him.
• Werther grants that request, but the voice after the beheading leaves him—and the reader—uncertain whether Blackbeard is truly gone.

Key plot points and events

• After defeating Blackbeard, Werther discovers that a gray mist has emerged from the pirate’s corpse. It speaks of Blackbeard’s forbidden experiments with Devil Fruits and tries to kill Werther to keep their secrets hidden.
• Werther’s Sword Flash cannot harm the mist, and a pebble touching it crumbles to dust. His Lightning Treasures pin Blackbeard’s body down, but Werther mysteriously loses control of them.
• With his strength nearly spent, Werther thrusts his sword, Intent Blood, into Blackbeard’s chest. The mist cries out and claims the sword is devouring it, while Intent Blood begins to dim.
• Werther attacks the mist with a sword made of lightning for hours, weakening it so Intent Blood can continue consuming it. Finally, he unleashes the powerful technique “One Sword, One Thought. Nothing stands uncut before my blade.”
• The strike knocks Werther unconscious. Intent Blood then swallows the gray mist. Werther’s swordsmanship status changes, though he does not see it.

Character developments

• Werther remains bold and resourceful despite severe injuries, limited energy, and the threat of an unknown supernatural force. His final technique signals a major advance in his swordsmanship.
• Blackbeard is revealed to have pursued forbidden knowledge about Devil Fruits, apparently breaking rules tied to the Royal Family. The mist suggests his experiments produced something ancient and dangerous.

Significant themes

• The cost of forbidden knowledge: Blackbeard’s taboo experiments lead to a bizarre, lethal consequence.
• Resolve under extreme pressure: Werther fights on despite exhaustion and injury, improvising when his usual abilities fail.
• Growth through conflict: The desperate battle culminates in a breakthrough in Werther’s swordsmanship.

Character interactions

• Werther and the mist confront each other through threats and attacks: the mist seeks to silence him, while Werther tries to destroy it and protect Intent Blood.
• The mist’s struggle with Intent Blood becomes central to the fight. Werther recognizes that he must weaken the mist so his sword can consume it.

Chapter summary: “Devourer”

Key plot points and events

• After his battle with Blackbeard, Werther wakes on a shattered, deserted island enclosed by Darkness Walls. He is badly injured and realizes the island may sink once the barriers disappear.
• He treats his injuries, using Observation Haki and Tuski’s Bone-Setting Device to set his broken arm. Despite his endurance, the procedure is extremely painful.
• Werther recalls that he and Blackbeard exchanged blows for twenty minutes after Blackbeard’s Two Hearts were pierced. Werther believes Blackbeard might have won if his Devil Fruit had not suddenly backlashed.
• Intent Blood, Werther’s cursed sword, has absorbed the gray mist surrounding it. Its status now lists a new ability: Devourer, which lets it consume the “Devil” inside a Devil Fruit and grow stronger, but does not grant it the fruit’s abilities.
• Werther concludes that Intent Blood’s new source of growth is what he calls Devil Power. To trigger the process, he must kill a Devil Fruit user and stab the sword into their heart.

Character development

• Werther survives a near-fatal fight but is left physically devastated. He remains practical, enduring the pain to stabilize himself, and reflects on how close he came to losing.
• Werther’s priorities as a swordsman are reaffirmed: he wants to perfect his Swordsmanship rather than collect Devil Fruit powers.
• Intent Blood has evolved. It is stronger and more vicious toward Werther’s enemies, and can now grow by devouring Devils.

Significant themes

• Survival and endurance: Werther’s recovery highlights both the cost of battle and his ability to keep going despite severe injuries.
• Power through sacrifice: Intent Blood can gain strength by consuming the Devils within Devil Fruits, but this destroys their abilities—and may prevent those fruits from ever appearing again.
• Discipline and identity: Werther rejects a collection of powers in favor of mastering his chosen path: cutting through anything with his sword.

Character interactions

• Werther and Intent Blood: The sword responds to Werther’s lightning and flies into his hand. Their bond is emphasized by the sword’s unchanged ownership and its hostility being aimed at his enemies.
• Werther and Tuski: Though Tuski is absent, Werther relies on Tuski’s bone-setting invention to treat his broken arm.
• Werther and Blackbeard: Their brief but brutal clash shapes Werther’s reflections on survival, Blackbeard’s strength, and the mysterious backlash that helped decide the fight.

Key plot points and events

• Werther wakes after being unconscious for twelve days, badly wounded, hungry, and with a fractured arm.
• He discovers that a single sword stroke can cut through the Darkness Wall surrounding the island. The wall collapses, and the island begins to sink.
• Werther sees the bodies of Blackbeard, Catarina, and Ferdinand below, then leaves without burying them, accepting the sea as their resting place.
• While flying away on the King of the Sky, he checks the Black Ring and discovers his Swordsmanship has reached level 20 and entered an “Awakened State.”
• He tests his new strength, finding his sword strikes dramatically faster, sharper, and more powerful, though he believes his skill can still improve.
• The King of the Sky finds an inhabited island. Werther goes to a bar and eats voraciously to recover.
• A group of bounty hunters considers attacking him while he is injured, but Werther’s mere glance terrifies their leader into withdrawing.

Character developments

• Werther has achieved a major breakthrough in swordsmanship. He is pleased by his newfound power but remains ambitious, imagining further growth at level 25. Despite his injuries, he is confident enough to deter potential attackers without fighting.
• The King of the Sky remains Werther’s loyal companion, helping him escape the sinking island and find somewhere to rest.
• The bounty hunters’ leader shows caution rather than reckless greed, recognizing the danger Werther poses even while injured.

Significant themes

• Growth through persistence: Werther’s level-20 breakthrough rewards years of effort and signals a new stage in his swordsmanship.
• Power and restraint: Though others see an opportunity to attack, Werther avoids violence while eating; his presence alone is enough to end the threat.
• Survival and the sea: The island’s destruction and the unburied bodies reinforce the harsh, transient nature of life at sea.
• Pragmatism: Werther prioritizes escape and recovery over investigating his new ability or seeking revenge.

Character interactions

• Werther asks Intent Blood how long he was unconscious and uses its answer to understand his condition.
• He commands the King of the Sky to carry him away and search for an inhabited island.
• At the bar, bounty hunters discuss attacking him for fame and rumored treasure, but Werther’s glance convinces their leader to abandon the plan.

Key plot points

• After recovering from his fight with Blackbeard, Werther contacts Doflamingo. He reveals that he had been unconscious for over ten days and confirms that he killed Blackbeard, who died after attempting to fuse Devil Fruits.
• Doflamingo explains that Chie was distraught during Werther’s disappearance and threatened to kill anyone who tried to stop her from searching. Once she hears Werther is alive, she calms down.
• Doflamingo reports that Vinsmoke Judge came to Dressrosa, apologized, and returned ten times the weapons his family had stolen. Chie nearly killed him before he escaped.
• Werther refuses to accept the apology. He tells Doflamingo to return the weapons and suggests the Vinsmokes seek Charlotte Linlin’s protection, making clear that the feud remains unresolved.
• After the call, Werther pays his bar bill in full and leaves a tip, despite the owner’s apparent expectation that he would take the meal for free.

Character developments and interactions

• Werther is recovering physically and remains confident, but he is moved by Chie’s fear of losing him. He also shows a deliberate sense of fairness by paying the bar owner.
• Chie reveals how deeply attached she is to Werther: his disappearance leaves her desperate and volatile, while his voice immediately reassures her.
• Doflamingo has kept Werther’s disappearance quiet while searching for him, showing concern and loyalty. He also shares his knowledge of Devil Fruit awakening.
• Judge attempts to make amends, but Werther sees the apology as insufficient, and Chie’s attack underscores the danger of the Vinsmokes’ past actions.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and fear of abandonment: Chie’s reaction shows the emotional cost of Werther’s disappearance.
• Consequences and revenge: Returning the stolen weapons does not erase the Vinsmokes’ decision to attack Werther’s ship.
• Power and its limits: Blackbeard’s failed attempt to fuse Devil Fruits illustrates the danger of forcing power without first mastering its “devil.”
• Unexpected decency: Werther’s ordinary, courteous payment contrasts with the fear his reputation inspires.

Key events

• Three days after his battle with Blackbeard, Werther returns to Dressrosa and rests on the King’s Plateau, still bandaged from his injuries.
• He reflects on Blackbeard’s final choice: rather than remain alive under the control of a Devil Fruit, Blackbeard asked Werther to kill him. Werther honored that request and respects him for choosing death with dignity.
• Nearby, Werther makes Chie train with increasingly heavy weights. When Sugar worries that Chie could be crushed, Werther insists that hardship is necessary to become strong.
• Werther reviews his abilities and plans how to improve. He decides to prioritize Armament Haki, Physical Strength, and Observation Haki, while setting aside the costly Thunder Core for now. Swordsmanship remains his foundation, though it cannot be increased through his Life Force system.

Character developments and interactions

• Werther reveals that, despite his enjoyment of combat and his ruthlessness in battle, he deeply respects opponents with firm convictions. He also takes a more deliberate approach to his growth, choosing focus over spreading his effort across too many abilities.
• Blackbeard is remembered as an ambitious, pragmatic dreamer who refused to surrender his freedom and identity to his Devil Fruit. His final act earns Werther’s admiration.
• Chie continues demanding physical training, struggling under a five-ton weight but following Werther’s orders.
• Sugar objects to the dangerous training and worries for Chie, but Werther dismisses her concern as part of the cost of becoming stronger.

Significant themes

• Dignity and freedom: Blackbeard chooses death over a life without control or purpose.
• Respect amid conflict: Werther’s willingness to kill does not prevent him from honoring an enemy’s convictions.
• Strength through hardship: Werther believes extreme effort is necessary for growth.
• Focused self-improvement: He recognizes that limited time and resources require prioritizing the abilities most useful in battle.

Key plot points and events

• Werther recognizes that his swordsmanship lacks a decisive, overwhelming technique. He plans to combine Tsubame Gaeshi and Ultimate Blade into a powerful, wide-area strike that also limits an opponent’s movement.
• His injured left arm prevents him from training, so he asks Sugar to have a doctor heal it within ten days.
• Werther learns that Vinsmoke Judge, Reiju, and Yonji have returned to Dressrosa seeking a meeting. He orders Chie and Pica to bring them to the King’s Plateau.
• The Vinsmokes arrive with the family’s weapons research and genetic studies, hoping to use the valuable material to win Werther’s favor and protect themselves. Reiju also hints at another possible bargaining chip.
• Chie and Pica surround and disarm them, then escort them to Werther’s villa.
• Werther and the Donquixote officers ignore the Vinsmokes while they eat. When Judge finally apologizes and invokes Big Mom’s message, Werther angrily orders the three killed and thrown into the sea.

Character developments and interactions

• Werther is focused on strengthening his swordsmanship but remains cautious about fighting while injured. His patience with the Vinsmokes is nonexistent, especially when Judge tries to use Big Mom’s name.
• Judge is desperate to save his family, bringing their research as an offering, but his attempts to negotiate fail.
• Reiju remains wary and prepared, while Yonji questions whether the cargo can truly persuade Werther.
• Chie and Pica enforce Werther’s orders efficiently, surrounding and disarming the Vinsmokes. The Donquixote officers show immediate loyalty when Werther gives his command.

Significant themes

• Power and preparation: Werther seeks a technique that combines force, reach, and control over an opponent.
• Failed bargaining and intimidation: The Vinsmokes’ valuable technology and appeals to Big Mom cannot overcome Werther’s authority.
• Loyalty and dominance: Werther’s crew responds instantly to his anger, while the captured family is left powerless.

Plot points and events

• Judge asks Werther for a chance to speak, but Werther limits him to three sentences while armed Donquixote guards keep him in check.
• Reiju protests Werther’s treatment of the Vinsmokes, arguing they have shown sincerity and should not be stripped of their dignity. Werther replies that the strong control the weak.
• Doflamingo threatens Reiju with razor-sharp threads, cutting a few strands of her hair. Werther stops him, and Doflamingo leaves to inspect the Vinsmokes’ offered technology.
• Judge offers the family’s advanced weapons designs, genetic templates, incubation chambers, and other research. Werther says this is not enough to spare them.
• Judge then offers a marriage alliance. Werther refuses marriage, but orders that the goods and Reiju remain with him. He allows Judge and Yonji to leave, warning that any repeat offense will cost Reiju her life and lead to the Vinsmoke Family’s destruction.

Character developments

• Werther demonstrates greater caution and strategic maturity than in the past: rather than let a potential enemy leave unrestrained, he keeps Reiju as leverage over Judge.
• Judge is reduced to bargaining for his family’s survival. He values his children but ultimately accepts Werther’s terms.
• Reiju shows courage by challenging Werther despite the danger, though she is left behind as part of the settlement.
• Yonji appears unaware of the full implications, mistaking the outcome for a straightforward success.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: Werther’s claim that strength determines who takes and who submits shapes the confrontation.
• Coercion disguised as negotiation: The Vinsmokes’ offers are made under threat, leaving them little real choice.
• Pragmatism and leverage: Werther prioritizes preventing future retaliation over accepting an alliance or simply taking the technology.
• Maturity through experience: Werther recognizes that letting a dangerous enemy walk away was a past mistake.

Character interactions

• Werther controls the meeting and sets the terms; Judge is forced to speak within strict limits.
• Reiju openly confronts Werther, while Doflamingo responds with violence until Werther intervenes.
• Judge negotiates first with technology and then with a marriage proposal, but Werther rejects the proposal and keeps Reiju as a hostage-like guarantee against future conflict.

Chapter 66 Summary

• Sanji’s childhood is explained: Judge’s genetic experiments strengthened most of his children, but Sanji remained physically ordinary because his mother resisted the modifications. Judge rejected him, and Sanji’s love of cooking—his attempt to comfort his sick mother—made Judge consider him disgraceful. Judge imprisoned him behind an iron mask. Reiju secretly freed him, allowing Sanji to escape and eventually meet Luffy at the Baratie.
• The Vinsmoke siblings’ differences are clarified: Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji gained great strength but were left emotionally deficient. Reiju retained her feelings alongside her enhanced physique; she hid her kindness by joining in the bullying of Sanji, then secretly tended his injuries. Sanji, in contrast, grew up gentle and compassionate.
• Werther reveals what he knows about Reiju: When she insists Yonji is Judge’s most successful experiment, Werther tells her that she is. Startled, Reiju questions how he learned the family’s secrets.
• Reiju agrees to work for Werther: He orders her to deliver weapons to the Beasts Pirates and later find a man named Tillman. He keeps her compliant by pointing to her concern for the Vinsmoke servants and threatening the family if she betrays him. Reiju asks whether she is his subordinate, lover, or plaything; Werther calls her his captive.
• Their relationship remains tense and transactional: After leaving to see a doctor about his injured arm, Werther spends the night with Reiju. Later, she shows curiosity about his sword, Intent Blood, but he warns her not to touch it.

Character developments and themes

Sanji’s origins highlight how empathy and care—not physical power—define his character. Reiju emerges as both exceptionally strong and quietly compassionate, forced to conceal her kindness to survive her family. Judge’s experiments reveal the danger of treating children as engineered successes or failures, while Werther’s leverage over Reiju underscores the chapter’s themes of coercion, control, and the complicated loyalties that persist within a cruel family.

Plot points and events

• Half a month after injuring his arm, Werther’s cast breaks apart as the arm proves fully healed. Before dawn, he returns to the Flower Field to develop a new sword technique.
• He plans to combine the trapping potential he once imagined for Sky-Splitting Sword: One Line, the speed of Tsubame Gaeshi, and the mixture of lightning, Armament Haki, and swordsmanship in Black Armament Sword: Ultimate Blade.
• After repeated failures leave him frustrated, Werther calms himself through meditation. He discovers that a focused, effortless swing produces a dazzling, crystal-like Sword Aura more than twice as powerful as his usual strikes.
• He recognizes this as the Awakening state: sword and heart moving as one. The insight builds on a powerful strike he briefly unleashed while fighting Blackbeard, which had raised his Swordsmanship to level twenty.
• Werther trains relentlessly. Five days later, a test of his developing technique sends twelve lightning blades from the sky and shakes Dressrosa. The Flower Field is devastated, and Werther’s blows have accidentally punched holes through the island to the sea.
• Doffy and Sugar rush to investigate. Werther emerges from a flooded hole, admits little, and awkwardly insists the damage can be repaired. Sugar points out that sea fish are swimming in the hole. Werther then stresses that the destruction was only a by-product: the falling blades were not meant to kill, and the technique’s true power remains undeveloped.

Character developments and interactions

• Werther grows more disciplined and self-aware. Instead of letting frustration control him, he uses meditation to regain focus and discovers a new level of swordsmanship. His excitement and ambition remain strong, even when his experiments endanger the island.
• Doffy reacts with alarm to the apparent threat to Dressrosa, then is stunned by the ruined Flower Field.
• Sugar confronts Werther over the damage, while he tries to downplay it and redirect attention to his progress.

Significant themes

• Discipline and composure: calm focus—not forceful effort—allows Werther to access his greatest power.
• Growth through experimentation: failure and even dangerous mistakes are part of forging a new technique.
• Power and responsibility: Werther’s progress is impressive, but it causes real damage that he must acknowledge and repair.

Key plot points and events

• After two years of training on Rusukaina, Luffy prepares to resume his journey. Hancock offers him food—and a marriage proposal—but he accepts only the food. The Kuja Pirates take him toward Sabaody.
• At Shakky’s bar, Zoro arrives first after his own two-year training. Rayleigh senses how much stronger he has become, and Zoro reveals that he spent six months learning swordsmanship from a “mad” great swordsman—Werther.
• Rayleigh and Shakky discuss the danger Werther poses to Luffy. Werther’s influence extends across a large stretch of the New World; he leads the Underworld, has Fish-Man Island under the Donquixote flag, and recently killed Blackbeard. Despite his growing power, Rayleigh believes Werther has no interest in becoming an Emperor.
• In the New World, Werther finishes more than a month of intense training and completes a new sword technique, testing it so forcefully that the deserted island beneath him begins to collapse. His Den Den Mushi rings just as he is about to leave.

Character developments and interactions

• Luffy is ready to leave his training behind and continue adventuring, still uninterested in Hancock’s romantic advances.
• Zoro has become markedly stronger and more self-assured. His boast that he arrived first contrasts with his notorious inability to navigate; he also remains tight-lipped about his training with Werther.
• Rayleigh recognizes Zoro’s progress and worries that Luffy may provoke Werther, but ultimately accepts that Luffy must choose his own path.
• Shakky supplies context about Werther’s power and influence, while sharing Rayleigh’s understanding that Werther’s ambitions differ from those of conventional rulers.
• Werther emerges as both a formidable teacher and a rapidly rising power. His relentless training culminates in a completed sword technique.

Significant themes

• Growth through hardship: Luffy, Zoro, and Werther have all spent the time since the previous adventure training and changing.
• Freedom and personal choice: Rayleigh accepts that Luffy must make his own decisions, even when they may bring danger.
• Power versus ambition: Werther commands enormous influence, yet appears uninterested in seeking the title or authority others expect him to pursue.
• Reputation and contrast: Zoro’s strength is impressive, but his claim to have arrived first is undercut by his comic navigational incompetence.

Plot points and events

• Perona calls Werther to report that Zoro has set sail for the Sabaody Archipelago, as Werther had asked her to do. Werther considers intercepting and killing the Straw Hat Pirates, believing he is strong enough to defeat Luffy, but admits that finding the crew would be difficult.
• Perona says she supports her brother, though Zoro is her friend. Her words remind Werther that his connection to her began with her real brother’s final wish: that Werther find and protect her.
• Werther asks whether Perona will come to the New World. She refuses, explaining that she wants to find Gecko Moria, who disappeared after the Summit War.
• Werther reveals that he killed Moria after the war and that the World Government took the body. Perona, already suspecting the truth, breaks down and struggles to reconcile her affection for Werther with her grief for Moria.
• Perona says she will return to the Florian Triangle to look for Thriller Bark and contact Werther once she understands her feelings. The call ends without resolution.
• Werther accepts that he cannot undo what happened and decides to let time take its course. He boards the King of the Sky and orders it to fly to Sabaody by crossing the forbidden airspace above Mary Geoise, using a device in his Pocket Watch to protect them.
• Meanwhile, Perona sits alone on Sabaody’s reef shore, crying and speaking of Werther’s childhood cruelty and his promise to protect her. She leaves her Den Den Mushi behind and walks away, humming sadly.

Character development and interactions

• Werther is confident in his power and considers eliminating the Straw Hats, but the call exposes a more complicated vulnerability: he is tied to Perona through her brother’s sacrifice, yet he has also killed someone she loved. He admits the truth rather than sustaining a lie, and ultimately recognizes that he cannot control Perona’s response.
• Perona remains loyal to Werther as her brother, but her bond with Moria makes his confession devastating. She is not ready to condemn or forgive Werther; she chooses distance while she sorts out her feelings.
• Their conversation contrasts familial loyalty with personal grief: Perona wants to believe in Werther, but cannot dismiss Moria’s death. Her solitude on the shore echoes the emotional separation created by the call.

Significant themes

• Family, identity, and inherited wishes: Werther’s bond with Perona stems from her real brother’s final plea, raising questions about whether a shared body and inherited purpose make him truly her brother.
• Loyalty and conflicting attachments: Perona cares for Werther while mourning Moria, showing that love for one person does not erase devotion to another.
• Truth and consequence: Werther’s confession prevents a web of lies but cannot spare Perona pain; honesty does not guarantee reconciliation.
• Fate and acceptance: Werther reflects that some events cannot be changed and leaves the outcome of their relationship to time.

Key plot points and events

• Werther flies toward the Red Line after more than a month on a deserted island. He meditates, changes into his Dragon Hide Coat, and ties back his overgrown hair.
• Above Mary Geoise, a wave of malice surrounds him. A special Den Den Mushi Anita gave him suppresses it, allowing him to avoid an attack.
• A powerful bald elder arrives aboard the King of the Sky, carrying the Supreme Grade Blade First Generation Kitetsu. Werther recognizes him as one of the Five Elders, though he does not say so aloud.
• The elder declines Werther’s invitation to fight. He warns him that the Antonio Family is hostile and that its Clan Leader may be beyond even the elder’s ability to defeat.
• The elder identifies Werther’s Black Ring as the Sacred Bull Ring, named by its former owner, and notes that Werther has used it well. He suggests Werther may soon grow strong enough to challenge the Clan Leader.
• After crossing the vast Red Line, Werther reaches Sabaody Archipelago. Rather than wait for enemies to act, he lands there, startling the civilians.

Character developments and interactions

• Werther remains eager to test himself against powerful opponents, but he is also cautious: he conceals that he recognizes the elder and takes precautions against threats near Mary Geoise.
• The elder’s praise and warning show that Werther’s strength is attracting attention at the highest level. His reference to Anita suggests she is preparing for major political action and may soon draw Werther into a shared conflict.
• Werther dismisses the ring’s formal name as tacky, preferring “Black Ring.”
• Werther’s care in tying back his hair—and his trust in Monet to trim it—offers a small glimpse of his personal habits and relationships.

Significant themes

• Rising power and looming conflict: Werther is becoming strong enough to be noticed by the Five Elders, yet formidable enemies still stand in his way.
• Preparation and caution: He uses Anita’s protective device and considers the danger of traveling openly over Mary Geoise.
• Hidden political forces: The elder’s mention of Anita and the mysterious scale of the Red Line hint at major developments beyond Werther’s immediate journey.

Key plot points and events

• Werther arrives at Sabaody Archipelago, intent on finding the Straw Hat Pirates. He reasons they will likely depart from Mangrove Zones 40–44, near the route to Fish-Man Island.
• Responding to a disturbance, he finds a group of okama harassing Marines. Their leader confirms they are blocking the piers on orders from the Okama King, to protect Sanji as he sets sail.
• Werther demands the Straw Hats’ location. When the okama refuse, he kills the group with a single sword strike.
• A frightened Marine tells him the Straw Hats are in Zone 42. Werther races there, uprooting a mangrove with the force of his leap.
• On the way, a shipyard attendant tries to lure Werther into the business, but a pirate recognizes him and warns the attendant away.
• The chapter closes by noting that Sabaody has become far more lawless than it was two years earlier, reflecting the wider world’s growing disorder.

Character developments and interactions

• Werther is calm and almost friendly while gathering information, but his smile and gentle manner conceal lethal intent. Once the okama block his path, he acts decisively and displays overwhelming speed and strength.
• The Okama Leader stands his ground despite fearing Werther, honoring the Okama King’s orders and protecting Sanji’s departure.
• The Marines are intimidated by both the okama and Werther; after witnessing the slaughter, one gives up the Straw Hats’ location.
• The shipyard attendant and pirate Jerome reveal how dangerous Sabaody has become: the attendant sees Werther as a potential mark, while Jerome recognizes the threat and prevents him from provoking Werther.

Significant themes

• Power and fear: Werther’s strength makes numbers and resistance meaningless, while his reputation alone is enough to frighten others.
• Loyalty and protection: The okama risk confronting a formidable opponent to carry out their duty to Sanji.
• Lawlessness and social decay: Sabaody’s shift from having one lawless zone to being lawless throughout mirrors the growing chaos of the world.

Plot and events

• Werther reaches Sabaody too late to stop the Straw Hat Pirates from diving beneath the sea. Rayleigh, watching them leave, recalls meeting Roger and setting out with him—a partnership that helped usher in a new era.
• Werther arrives beside Rayleigh without being detected by his Observation Haki. He learns the crew has only recently departed and decides to pursue them, convinced Luffy will eventually disrupt his plans in Dressrosa.
• Rayleigh considers stopping Werther, but Shakky restrains him to preserve their fragile friendship. Werther, relieved not to fight Rayleigh, heads out over the water.
• Rather than chase the coated ship directly, Werther uses a powerful sword technique to split the sea, opening a deep trench that will last only briefly. The resulting wave sweeps the Kuja ship away and injures or throws several of its crew overboard.
• Werther dives into the trench to catch the Straw Hats. Hancock, desperate to protect Luffy, jumps in after him despite being a Devil Fruit user and starts sinking.

Character developments and interactions

• Rayleigh is moved by the Straw Hats’ departure and his memories of Roger, but faces a painful choice when Werther sets off after them. His age and Shakky’s intervention keep him from confronting his old drinking companion.
• Werther shows some regard for Rayleigh, but his determination to eliminate the Straw Hats outweighs any reluctance to act. He believes Luffy’s recklessness will make a future clash unavoidable.
• Shakky understands that stopping Werther would destroy his friendship with Rayleigh, so she prevents Rayleigh from intervening.
• Hancock acts impulsively in defense of Luffy, ignoring her sisters’ warnings about the danger Werther poses to Amazon Lily. Her loyalty to Luffy drives her to pursue him into the sea.

Significant themes

• The pull of the past and the promise of a new era: Rayleigh’s memories of Roger echo the Straw Hats beginning another voyage.
• Friendship tested by divided loyalties: Werther and Rayleigh care for one another, but they are not allies.
• Recklessness and devotion: Werther’s resolve to pursue Luffy and Hancock’s desperate attempt to save him both carry serious risks.

Key plot points and events

• Franky reminds the crew that Kuma gave them the two years they needed to train, though they still do not know his full intentions. The crew discusses Kuma over Hancock’s packed food, while Sanji reacts jealously to learning that Luffy spent his training on Amazon Lily.
• Zoro senses danger and orders Franky to change course. A huge black-and-blue Sword Aura misses the Thousand Sunny but cuts a massive sea creature in half.
• Zoro identifies the attacker as Werther, the swordsman who taught him Haki and swordsmanship. He believes Werther now intends to attack them. The crew braces for a confrontation, though some panic.
• Werther has pursued the Sunny down to the 3,000-meter-deep trench, enduring immense pressure. Unable to descend farther, he launches a Sword Aura at the ship.
• Zoro leaves the protective coating bubble and counters Werther’s slash with his strongest technique. He successfully blocks the attack, but the pressure knocks him unconscious. Werther catches him before the current can carry him away.

Character developments and interactions

• Zoro shows how much he trusts his instincts and how fiercely he protects his crew. Despite knowing Werther’s strength, he stands his ground and risks his life to stop the attack.
• Werther is revealed as a former mentor to Zoro, making his pursuit both a physical threat and a personal betrayal. His cold stare suggests the danger is not over.
• Franky trusts Zoro’s judgment and immediately changes course. Luffy remains comparatively calm, while Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and Brook panic.
• Sanji wakes and angrily envies Luffy’s time on Amazon Lily, prompting humor and teasing from Brook.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and loyalty: Kuma’s past help is remembered, and Zoro puts himself in danger to protect the crew.
• Unanswered motives and betrayal: The crew still questions Kuma’s intentions, while Zoro must face a former teacher who now seems hostile.
• Courage under pressure: Zoro confronts both Werther’s attack and the crushing force of the deep sea.
• Humor amid danger: Sanji’s comic jealousy briefly lightens the mood before the sudden attack.

Key events

• Luffy drags the injured Zoro back into the ship’s protective bubble. Chopper finds that the deep-sea pressure has damaged Zoro’s organs and begins emergency treatment.
• Nami tries to stop Werther with a lightning attack, but it has no effect. Werther’s next sword strike is slowed by the seawater, giving Franky time to use the Coup de Burst and propel the Thousand Sunny away.
• Werther pursues the ship despite the crushing pressure, determined not to let the Straw Hats escape. The crew’s relief turns to panic when he catches up again.
• Luffy takes charge, assigning Brook to steer, Franky to operate the Coup de Burst, and Nami to guide them toward Fish-Man Island. Nami gives Luffy a small coating bubble so he can fight underwater without losing his strength.
• Luffy confronts Werther and asks why he attacked. Unable to speak underwater, Werther charges instead. Luffy blocks his sword with Haki, but is cut—and senses that Werther’s cursed blade is draining his life force.

Character developments and interactions

• Luffy shifts from giving orders to confronting Werther directly, showing resolve despite the danger. He seeks an explanation before resorting to a fight.
• Nami responds resourcefully: after her lightning fails, she provides the bubble that lets Luffy fight underwater.
• Franky uses the Coup de Burst to save the ship from Werther’s attack.
• Zoro is incapacitated by the pressure, emphasizing how dangerous the deep sea is even to a powerful fighter.
• Usopp and Nami are shaken by Werther’s relentless pursuit, while Sanji offers to face him in Luffy’s place.
• Werther is relentless but heavily weakened by the depth. He reveals through his intentions—not words—that Luffy is his real target, fearing that Luffy would eventually oppose his weapons trade and political power in the New World.

Significant themes

• Relentless pursuit and escalating danger: Werther refuses to stop, turning the escape into a desperate underwater chase.
• Adaptability and teamwork: The crew combines Nami’s ingenuity, Franky’s engineering, and Luffy’s resolve to respond to a threat that overwhelms them individually.
• Power has limits: Even a formidable fighter like Werther is weakened by the environment, while the sea itself threatens the Straw Hats.
• Inevitable conflict: Werther recognizes that his activities and Luffy’s sense of justice make them destined enemies.