Chapter Summaries

Dark King Rayleigh followed the Imperial Navy through its crackdown on Sabaody Archipelago and began questioning his beliefs as he witnessed the soldiers repeatedly risk their lives to rescue civilians and slaves. After the operation ended, Uchiha Retsuyō set out with Wada and Sosuke to meet the legendary figure the Empire had been seeking.

• Dark King Rayleigh followed the Imperial soldiers and watched them target criminal groups, slave-catching crews, and auction sites without harming civilians.
• The Imperial Navy rescued nearly thousands of slaves and repeatedly risked soldiers’ lives to save civilians, causing Dark King Rayleigh to question his judgment of the navy and the Great Pirate Era.
• The navy restored order across Sabaody Archipelago and escorted captured nobles, elites, and Mafia members to the harbor.
• Momousagi reported to Uchiha Retsuyō that the island had been purged and no one had escaped the operation.
• Uchiha Retsuyō left the flagship with Wada and Sosuke to meet the legendary figure, while Momousagi followed, hoping to witness their confrontation.

The Empire's guards confronted Dark King Rayleigh and used powerful illusions and time manipulation to overpower him. Rayleigh agreed to meet the Emperor and followed Uchiha Retsuyō, Uchiha Wada, and Sosuke toward the harbor.

• Uchiha Retsuyō, Uchiha Wada, and Sosuke found Rayleigh in an alley and ordered him to meet the Emperor, but Rayleigh challenged them to prove their strength.
• Uchiha Wada trapped Rayleigh in the Seven Layers of the Abyss, making him experience agonizing illusions until he broke free with his Haki.
• Rayleigh realized the illusions had inflicted real wounds and acknowledged the Empire's frightening abilities.
• Uchiha Retsuyō stopped Rayleigh's time and asked if he would come with them, leaving Rayleigh unable to resist.
• Rayleigh agreed to meet the Emperor and followed Retsuyō, Wada, and Sosuke toward the harbor.

Momousagi watched Rayleigh calmly accept capture and returned with him and Uchiha Retsuyō’s group to the Empire. As Rayleigh saw the prosperous island and learned how the Empire was replacing piracy with regulated adventuring, he realized its campaign could bring the pirate era to an end.

• Momousagi questioned Rayleigh about the coming end of the Great Pirate Era, and he told her he hoped her justice would not disappoint her.
• Uchiha Retsuyō explained that Rayleigh had chosen to come to the Empire and told Momousagi to arrange the return voyage and continue her training.
• Uchiha Sosuke and Uchiha Wada teased Retsuyō for discussing cultivation instead of romance, and he resumed practicing Hane’s modified Foundation-Building Method.
• The warship arrived at the Empire’s headquarters, where Rayleigh observed the island’s prosperity and learned that registered adventurers could explore legally and earn a living.
• Rayleigh considered how the Empire had disrupted pirate routes, destroyed the World Government, and promoted adventuring, and he concluded that the great pirates’ days were numbered.

Hane invited Rayleigh to explain the world’s hidden history to Robin, who learned that Joy Boy stole Sky Dragon and became the ruler now known as Imu. Hane rejected the idea of waiting for Nika’s successor and left to confront an intruder in the Empire’s airspace, while Rayleigh followed, still hoping to support the prophesied figure.

• Hane asked Rayleigh to answer Robin’s questions about the Poneglyphs and defended the Empire’s willingness to reveal history.
• Rayleigh explained that the Moon Tribe’s Sky Dragon drained the world’s energy, and that Joy Boy led an alliance against them before stealing the weapon and becoming Imu.
• Rayleigh said the Celestial Dragons’ divine lineage was fabricated and that the Ancient Weapons had been made by the Moon Tribe to resist Joy Boy.
• Hane declared that the Empire would cast the Celestial Dragons down and said it would rely on its own strength rather than Nika’s successor.
• Hane left to confront someone who had entered the Empire’s airspace, and Rayleigh followed him while still seeking to help the prophesied successor.

Golden Lion Shiki led his fleet to attack the Empire, but Hane annihilated the fleet with lightning and crushed Shiki beneath an enormous descending finger. The Empire’s defenders and residents watched in shock as the old-era pirate died in the sea.

• Golden Lion Shiki rallied more than twenty thousand pirates and declared that he would challenge the Empire from the sky.
• The Empire’s cannons destroyed hundreds of Shiki’s ships, so he used the Float-Float Fruit to raise the remaining fleet.
• Dark King Rayleigh identified Shiki to Hane, who unleashed a storm of lightning that destroyed the entire fleet.
• A charred Shiki survived in midair and angrily demanded his fleet back as Garp and Sengoku appeared before him.
• Hane pressed down with an enormous finger, pinning Shiki and crushing him to death beneath the sea.

Three years after the Empire’s arrival, its adventurers had pushed pirates into the New World, where Naruto and his classmates began a graduation voyage. After poisonous cherry blossoms weakened their crew, they spotted Captain John’s pirate ship, which moved to attack them before heading to Sakura Island to meet Whitebeard.

• The Empire consolidated its control across the West Blue, North Blue, and much of the first half of the Grand Line, driving pirates toward the New World as adventurers grew famous.
• Naruto and his classmates formed an adventurer group and sailed through the New World during their school leave.
• Sasuke and Hinata detected danger in the drifting cherry blossoms, and Naruto used antidote pills to help Choji and the others recover from their poison.
• Sasuke and Hinata spotted a pirate ship approaching, while Captain John ordered his crew to seize the adventurers’ ship before continuing toward Sakura Island to meet Whitebeard.

The Whitebeard Pirates watched as John’s crew attacked Naruto and the others’ A-rank adventurer ship near Sakura Island. After Hinata repelled a cannon barrage and Sasuke blocked John’s sword strike with Susanoo, Sasuke prepared to fight John.

• Marco spotted the Black Pearl and warned the Whitebeard Pirates that the John Pirates were approaching Sakura Island.
• Marco saw John’s ship pursuing Naruto and the others’ lone adventurer ship, and identified its crew as A-rank Adventurers.
• John ordered his crew to fire cannonballs at the adventurer ship, but it emerged nearly undamaged after the first barrage.
• Hinata used her Byakugan and repulsive force to deflect a second cannon barrage back toward the Black Pearl.
• John slashed at the adventurer ship with a sword aura, and Sasuke manifested Susanoo to block the attack.
• Sasuke opened his Four-Tomoe Sharingan and challenged John to face the power of the Uchiha.

Sasuke used Divine Authority to raise and crush two enormous walls of seawater, destroying the John Pirates’ Black Pearl. Whitebeard stopped the resulting waves from reaching Sakura Island, then saw that the Naruto Adventure Group remained unharmed.

• John and his crew realized Sasuke belonged to the Empire’s royal Uchiha family and feared provoking them.
• Sasuke used Divine Authority to lift the seas on both sides of the Black Pearl and crush the ship between them.
• The collapsing waves sent a massive surge toward Sakura Island, and Marco flew up to warn everyone to scatter.
• Whitebeard struck the approaching waves with his Tremor-Tremor Fruit and dispersed them before they reached the island.
• Whitebeard sensed strange auras offshore and saw that Sasuke’s group had annihilated the John Pirates while remaining unharmed.

Naruto defended Sasuke from John’s surprise attack and then took over the fight himself after John threatened the group. As Naruto unleashed a swarm of Rasenshuriken, Whitebeard watched and wondered whether the Empire was preparing to move against the New World.

• Naruto scolded Sasuke for risking Hinata’s ship, but Hinata reassured them she had enough Beli to replace it.
• John emerged from the sea and attacked Sasuke, and Naruto used Sage Mode and Kurama’s power to deflect the slash and strike back with a Wind Release Shuriken.
• John dodged Naruto’s attack, which shredded the wreckage of the Black Pearl, while Sasuke let Naruto take the next fight.
• Whitebeard watched Naruto and John prepare to battle and wondered if the Empire intended to make a move against the New World.
• Naruto and Kurama agreed to cooperate, and Naruto created countless shadow clones that launched Wind Release: Rasenshuriken at John.

Naruto fought and defeated the Great Pirate John with a series of powerful attacks, ending John's life with a Big Ball Rasengan. Whitebeard and the others watched as John's death left the sea facing the rise of another remarkable young fighter.

• John countered Naruto's Wind Release shurikens, but Naruto's Tailed Beast Ball caught him in an explosion that left him badly burned.
• John charged Naruto with Ten-Stab Starfall, but Naruto's golden defense stopped his sword from piercing him.
• Naruto transformed into the Nine-Tails and unleashed nine Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, which destroyed one of John's legs and sent him falling toward the sea.
• Naruto used Flying Thunder God to appear before John and struck him with a Big Ball Rasengan, killing him.
• Whitebeard, Marco, and the others watched Naruto's victory as enormous vortices still churned across the sea.

After defeating the John Pirates, Naruto and his companions killed the surviving pirates and set sail for Sakura Island. They encountered Whitebeard’s crew on the shore and recognized Edward Newgate, one of the most dangerous figures in the New World.

• Whitebeard and Marco’s crew wondered about the adventurers’ strange powers after witnessing Naruto defeat the John Pirates’ captain.
• Naruto asked his companions what to do with the surviving pirates, and Sasuke argued they should be killed because of their crimes.
• Sasuke used Amaterasu to burn the surviving John Pirates, then extinguished the flames before they could engulf the sea.
• Ino suggested visiting Sakura Island to see its cherry blossoms, and the Nine-Tails Adventurer Group set sail.
• Naruto and his companions spotted Whitebeard and his crew on the shore, while Whitebeard worried about provoking the Empire.
• Naruto recognized Whitebeard as Edward Newgate, the former strongest man in the world and a confirmed leader of the Four Emperors.

Whitebeard challenged Sasuke after the Tailed Beasts joined Naruto’s group, and Sasuke fought him using a copied sword technique and Susanoo. Whitebeard overwhelmed Sasuke with his power, but Sasuke’s big brother intervened just before the attack reached him.

• Five Tailed Beasts appeared beside Naruto and diluted Whitebeard’s Conqueror’s Haki.
• Sasuke argued with Whitebeard over his claim to the sea and summoned Susanoo to challenge him.
• Whitebeard sent Marco and the other pirates away before facing Sasuke alone.
• Sasuke copied John’s Voidless Combo with his Sharingan, but Whitebeard dispersed the attack and shattered Susanoo’s arm.
• Whitebeard’s spreading cracks nearly reached Sasuke inside Susanoo, but an unseen force repaired them and Sasuke’s big brother appeared.

Hane confronted Whitebeard over the future of pirates and persuaded him that the Empire could protect his family after his death. Whitebeard agreed to challenge Hane, staking the Whitebeard Pirates’ name and future on the outcome.

• Hane emerged from a spatial rift, scolded Sasuke for fighting carelessly, and told him to return to training.
• Hane challenged Whitebeard to consider whether pirates could bring peace and protect their families in a chaotic world.
• Whitebeard realized his sons might fall apart and suffer after his death, and asked Hane for a future for his family.
• Hane demanded that the Whitebeard Pirates submit to the Empire and become S-Class adventurers, showing other pirates that they could pursue freedom without evil.
• Whitebeard challenged Hane in the name of the world’s strongest and vowed that, if he lost, his crew would become the Whitebeard Adventurer Group.
• The Whitebeard Pirates reacted emotionally, while Blackbeard privately rejected submission and considered ways to overthrow the Empire.

Hane accepted Whitebeard’s challenge and effortlessly reversed the damage caused by the pirate’s strongest punch. Whitebeard admitted defeat, and Hane gave him a strand of hair that restored his youth and vitality.

• Hane accepted Whitebeard’s challenge, sent Sasuke back to the ship, and faced Whitebeard before the watching crews.
• Whitebeard gathered his Haki and resolve, then unleashed a world-shattering punch at Hane.
• Hane reassembled his shattered body and reversed the world’s damage, leaving Whitebeard’s attack unable to harm him.
• Whitebeard admitted defeat and collapsed to one knee, while Marco and Flower Sword Vista recognized Hane’s terrifying power.
• Hane gave Whitebeard a strand of hair that restored his youthful appearance, stamina, and strength.

Hane restored Whitebeard to youth and recruited the Whitebeard Pirates into the Imperial Adventurers Guild, while Blackbeard secretly plotted to steal that power. As a storm delayed Naruto and his companions on Sakura Island, Naruto told the pirates about the Empire’s history and ideals, leaving Whitebeard inspired by its vision of unity.

• Hane rejuvenated Whitebeard, who pledged his loyalty, and ordered the Whitebeard Pirates to announce their entry into the Imperial Adventurers Guild and depart for the Empire.
• Naruto and his companions chose to continue their study trip, while Blackbeard began plotting to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit and steal Whitebeard’s power and the strand of hair.
• A storm trapped Naruto and the others on Sakura Island, where the Whitebeard Pirates gathered aboard the Moby Dick and asked Naruto about the Empire.
• Naruto recounted the history of Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, the founding of Konoha, and the Empire’s goal of unifying the world.
• Whitebeard and the pirates listened in silence, and Whitebeard felt he had found a purpose beyond his family.

After the Whitebeard Pirates set out to join the Empire, news of their submission spread across the New World and alarmed the other emperors. Shanks headed to intercept Whitebeard, while Kaido went to seek an alliance with Charlotte Linlin.

• Naruto and Sasuke said goodbye to Whitebeard and set off with their companions on a new adventure.
• Whitebeard rallied his sons to begin their journey toward the Empire, while Blackbeard decided to put his plan into action early.
• Spies spread news that the Whitebeard Pirates had submitted to the Empire, throwing the New World into turmoil.
• Shanks learned of Whitebeard's submission and led his crew to stop him before the Great Pirate Era ended.
• Kaido ordered his men to Whole Cake Island to ask Charlotte Linlin to form an alliance against the Empire.

Whitebeard learned that Teach had betrayed him, then agreed to bring Fish-Man Island’s king and family to the Empire in search of protection. After Shanks intercepted the Whitebeard Pirates and failed to dissuade him from joining the Empire, Whitebeard agreed to take Shanks to the East Blue first, on the condition that he conceal his pirate identity once they reached the Empire.

• Marco told Whitebeard that Teach had injured the Fourth Division Commander, stolen the ship’s supplies, and fled with several followers.
• Whitebeard urged the king of Fish-Man Island to seek the Empire’s protection, and the king agreed to travel there with Queen Otohime and Princess Shirahoshi.
• The king brought Shirahoshi along to make the Empire recognize the Merfolk’s importance, while Queen Otohime calmed her when she became distressed.
• The Whitebeard Pirates set sail, but Marco spotted the Red Hair Pirates blocking their route, and Shanks told Whitebeard he wanted to stop him from going to the Empire.
• Shanks asked Whitebeard to take him to the East Blue to meet a young man who had inherited Roger’s will, and Whitebeard agreed while requiring Shanks to hide his pirate identity at the Empire.

Hane welcomed Whitebeard’s fleet to the Empire and used a public ceremony to define freedom as a right protected by the Empire rather than a license for crime. He then secured the Merfolk’s decision to join the Empire without their royal family, promising them equal rights and protection.

• Garp escorted Whitebeard’s fleet into the Empire and warned Shanks not to involve his grandson in whatever he was planning.
• At Sabaody Archipelago, Hane awarded Whitebeard and his companions S-Class Adventurer Group medals as Whitebeard pledged loyalty to the Empire.
• Hane told the gathered crowds that true freedom meant exploring the world without taking away others’ freedom, and the speech drew cheers from across the world.
• Hane explained to Princess Otohime and the King of the Merfolk that keeping a separate royal family would hinder the Merfolk’s integration into the Empire.
• The King of the Merfolk agreed to fully join the Empire, and Hane promised the Merfolk would receive equal protection and face no discrimination.

Dragon traveled through the Empire and decided to seek a role in its development before returning to Foosha Village to see his son. There, Garp, Shanks, and Dragon confronted one another over Ace’s plans to go to sea, while Hane prepared to accelerate the Empire’s expansion into the East Blue.

• Dragon saw how the Empire’s laws and public policies had undermined the Revolutionary Army’s cause, and he decided to seek an opportunity to serve the Empire.
• Dragon traveled toward Foosha Village, hoping to see his son and contact his father about joining the Empire’s development.
• In Foosha Village, Garp confronted Shanks for encouraging Ace, Luffy, and Sabo to become pirates, and Dragon agreed with Garp that Ace should not become one.
• Ace insisted he would go to sea and become the Pirate King, while Garp warned that pirates could not get through the Empire’s East Blue territory.
• After securing Whitebeard’s allegiance and gaining more than half of the world’s Fortune, Hane decided the Empire would accelerate its merger of the world.

Garp learned that the Empire had approved a plan to conquer the Four Blues, and he hurried to Naval Command with Dragon, who wanted to rejoin the Marines. At Dadan’s home, Ace, Luffy, and Sabo learned that the Empire’s arrival would end their hopes of becoming pirates, but Sabo suggested they become adventurers together instead.

• Sengoku told Garp that the Empire had issued the Four Blues Total Conquest Plan and ordered him to command the campaign.
• Dragon told Garp that the Revolutionary Army had disbanded and asked to return to the Marines, so Garp took him toward Naval Command.
• Garp left Ace, Luffy, and Sabo with Curly Dadan and ordered her to disband her bandit gang before the Empire’s invasion.
• Dadan told the boys that the Empire would wipe out pirates, destroy Trash Mountain, and bring down the Goa Kingdom.
• Sabo explained that the Empire’s arrival could free him from his noble identity and proposed that the three brothers become adventurers together.