Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Linlin is embarrassed and angered by Oak’s visible disgust, while Kaido enjoys the spectacle. Their argument revives Linlin’s claim that Kaido owes her for taking a Devil Fruit at God Valley; Kaido rejects the debt.
• Shiki’s arrival interrupts the confrontation and greets Linlin warmly. Newgate joins them, and the group heads into the castle.
• On the way, Oak notices Reiju among Germa 66, then recognizes Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District. Newgate also notices her resemblance to Miss Buckin.
• Oak explains that Stussy is Miss Buckin’s perfect clone, created by Vegapunk from research Miss Buckin had worked on. He also knows that Stussy’s public and Cipher Pol identities conceal a deeper connection to Vegapunk.
• Oak’s interest in Stussy turns lecherous. Newgate dismisses his interest, but Oak counters by teasing Newgate about his private team of young nurses.

Character developments and interactions

• Linlin is sensitive to public humiliation and quick to anger, but Shiki’s friendly greeting helps her regain composure.
• Kaido remains contemptuous of Linlin’s claim and takes pleasure in Oak embarrassing her.
• Shiki acts as a social buffer, easing the tension between Linlin and the others.
• Newgate says his past closeness with Miss Buckin was practical rather than romantic: she sought protection on Hachinosu and left after God Valley. Seeing Stussy brings back memories, but he feels no attachment to her.
• Oak is observant, knowledgeable about Stussy’s origins and hidden affiliations, and openly opportunistic about her resemblance to Miss Buckin. His teasing also exposes a less respectable side of Newgate.

Significant themes

• Public image and embarrassment: Linlin’s anger stems partly from being insulted in front of an audience.
• Self-interest and loyalty: Newgate frames his former association with Miss Buckin as a matter of convenience, not affection.
• Identity and appearance: Stussy’s resemblance to Miss Buckin raises questions about the distinction between a person and her clone, while her layered identities deepen the theme of concealed selves.
• Hypocrisy and teasing: Oak mocks Newgate’s respectable image by revealing his private indulgences.

Key events

• Oak and the former Rocks Pirates arrive at Linlin’s castle on Whole Cake Island and receive a formal welcome from her children.
• They encounter Streusen, their former crewmate. Shiki ignores him, Newgate barely acknowledges him, and Kaido insults him, recalling how Streusen once bullied him before Kaido grew powerful. Oak is more civil, though surprised Streusen has lived nearly ninety years.
• Oak privately asks Streusen whether Linlin has changed. Streusen says she has grown increasingly brutal and unlike her former self.
• Oak suspects Linlin may be influenced by Mother Carmel—perhaps their souls merged, or Carmel’s influence is increasingly dominant.
• Wanting to speak with Linlin privately, Oak asks Katakuri to take his siblings outside and keep anyone from entering. Katakuri agrees without question.
• As Oak returns to the gathering, he notices a scarred, snot-nosed man with pale blue hair beside Linlin and senses an unusual blood connection to him.

Character developments and interactions

• Streusen remains cheerful despite being dismissed and insulted. He explains that he survived by avoiding fights and studying how to stay healthy so he could keep cooking for Linlin. His loyalty to her is enduring, though he recognizes how much she has changed.
• Kaido shows contempt for Streusen, whose past bullying and later submission left Kaido with lasting disdain.
• Oak is focused less on reunion than on understanding Linlin’s condition. He trusts Streusen’s knowledge, but his old intimidation of Streusen means that trust is not entirely comfortable. He also relies on Katakuri’s respect for him to secure privacy.
• Linlin is initially in good spirits at seeing her old friends and has set aside the earlier awkwardness, unaware of Oak’s suspicions.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: The Rocks Pirates’ old culture rewarded strength and punished weakness, shaping Streusen’s behavior and Kaido’s resentment.
• Identity and corruption: Linlin’s dream of uniting all races remains, but its compassionate purpose has faded; Oak fears Mother Carmel’s influence is replacing Linlin’s own character.
• Loyalty and dependence: Streusen has devoted his long life to staying beside and serving Linlin, while Katakuri’s obedience reflects his bond with Oak.

Key plot points and events

• Oak recognizes that the young man beside Linlin carries his blood, but the age difference and his history with Linlin make a naturally conceived child impossible.
• Shiki, Newgate, and Kaido reveal they had known about Linlin’s child and kept quiet to enjoy Oak’s reaction. Shiki also brings up a past “surprise” involving Miss Buckin that leaves Newgate embarrassed and angry.
• Oak deduces that Linlin and Miss Buckin used his and Linlin’s genes to create the child through cloning. Linlin confirms this proudly and urges Oak to accept responsibility, teach the boy, and help him become powerful.
• Linlin tells the child that Oak is his father. The boy eagerly calls Oak “Dad,” but Oak refuses to consider him his child.
• Oak recognizes the child’s resemblance to Whitebeard II and concludes that the clone has serious flaws, including limited intelligence and an underdeveloped personality.

Character developments and interactions

• Oak is furious that his friends concealed the truth, especially when they tease him about it. Though he rejects Linlin’s attempt to bind him to the child, he struggles with the fact that the boy is innocent and carries his blood.
• Linlin treats the child as her proudest creation and sees him as a way to forge a connection with Oak. Her language makes Oak feel she views the boy more as a project than as a person.
• Shiki, Newgate, and Kaido revel in teasing Oak. Kaido quickly tries to excuse himself, while Shiki needles Newgate by recalling his own history with Miss Buckin.
• The child is curious and affectionate toward Oak, unaware of the complicated circumstances of his creation.

Significant themes

• Nature, parenthood, and responsibility: The chapter questions whether shared genes alone make someone a parent, while showing Oak’s unease at abandoning an innocent child.
• The ethics of cloning: Oak condemns Miss Buckin and Linlin’s flawed experiments, particularly their disregard for the clones’ developing minds and individuality.
• Secrecy and humiliation among old friends: Oak’s anger at his companions’ silence is softened by the group’s joking camaraderie, though he privately vows to get even.

Key plot points and events

• Oak decides to investigate his suspicion that something is wrong with Linlin’s soul. He knocks her soul out of her body using the Paw-Paw Fruit, leaving her body limp and seemingly lifeless.
• Linlin’s child panics, attacks Oak, and is easily thrown aside. Newgate and the others restrain him so Oak can continue.
• Inside Linlin’s soul, Oak detects two distinct auras tangled together. When he tries to separate them, the soul swells and speaks in Linlin’s voice, causing intense pain throughout the Palace.
• Oak persists until a second, fainter figure emerges: Mother Carmel, the nun Linlin swallowed as a child.
• Carmel recognizes Oak from his time as an apprentice with the Rocks Pirates. She mocks Linlin’s failure to protect her soul and reveals her intention to leave Linlin and take over her body.

Character developments

• Oak acts decisively and skillfully, showing that his suspicions about Linlin were correct. He remains focused despite Linlin’s resistance and Carmel’s emergence.
• Linlin is revealed to share her soul with Mother Carmel, whose presence appears to have been hidden while Linlin’s soul remained in her body.
• Mother Carmel is exposed as a separate, malicious presence. She is eager to claim Linlin’s body for herself.
• Linlin’s child shows strong affection for his mother and surprising physical power, but his fear and anger make him a distraction.
• Newgate, Shiki, and the others trust Oak’s judgment and help him without knowing exactly what he is attempting.

Significant themes

• Identity and possession: Linlin’s soul contains another person, raising questions about where one identity ends and the other begins.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a formidable fighter like Linlin can be rendered helpless when her soul is removed.
• Trust and responsibility: Oak’s companions support his risky intervention because they trust him to handle the situation.

Character interactions

• Oak restrains Linlin, then fends off her child when he attacks in her defense.
• Newgate and the others restrain the child, and Newgate later knocks him unconscious to stop his pain.
• Carmel recognizes Oak and taunts Linlin, openly declaring her desire to take Linlin’s body.

Plot points

• Oak confronts a disembodied figure with Conqueror’s Haki until it identifies itself as Mother Carmel. Newgate and Shiki realize she has been inside Linlin since childhood.
• Carmel explains that Linlin’s Hunger Pangs erupted during a farewell feast in Elbaf, causing her to swallow everyone present—including Carmel. Linlin’s actions were witnessed by Streusen.
• Carmel escaped death by sending her soul from her crushed body. Her Soul-Soul Fruit power awakened, allowing her to attempt to take over Linlin’s body.
• Carmel attacked Linlin’s soul, but Linlin’s dormant Conqueror’s Haki wounded her. Linlin then began absorbing Carmel’s soul, so Carmel preserved part of her consciousness and merged with her to survive.
• Since then, Carmel has subtly influenced Linlin’s personality and only rarely taken control of her body. Their merged souls also explain why Linlin inherited Carmel’s Soul-Soul Fruit power.

Character developments and interactions

• Oak is revealed to have known about Carmel and uses his Haki to force her to speak. His questioning suggests he is trying to remove a hidden danger from Linlin.
• Mother Carmel admits that her apparent charity was a cover for trafficking children. She tried to steal Linlin’s powerful body for her own ambition and wealth, and later worked to shape Linlin into her image.
• Linlin is shown to have been both Carmel’s victim and the source of her downfall: her Hunger Pangs led to Carmel’s death, while her Conqueror’s Haki thwarted Carmel’s takeover.
• Newgate and Shiki watch as Carmel’s history is exposed, connecting Oak’s actions to Linlin’s past.

Significant themes

• Deception and exploitation: Carmel’s “saintly” image concealed the trafficking of children and her desire to use Linlin.
• Identity and influence: Linlin’s personality was partly shaped by Carmel, though Carmel never gained lasting control.
• Power and survival: Linlin’s latent Haki unexpectedly protected her, while Carmel’s Awakening let her persist in a fragile form.
• Hidden history: The scene reframes Linlin’s childhood and the origins of her abilities.

Plot points and events

• Mother Carmel explains that she failed to possess Linlin; instead, Linlin’s Conqueror’s Haki caused her to absorb Carmel’s soul. The Linlin everyone has known was formed through their merger.
• Carmel offers to return to Linlin and make her obedient to Oak, arguing that doing so would change little. Oak rejects the offer, distrusts her, and destroys her consciousness with Conqueror’s Haki.
• Oak restores Linlin’s original soul while preserving her memories from the years she and Carmel were merged. He expects her personality to change, but believes her bonds with the others will remain.
• Linlin awakens with the memories of what happened, including Carmel’s destruction. She cries out Carmel’s name in anguish.
• At the Tea Party, Linlin orders Carmel’s treasured photograph thrown away. She then thanks Katakuri for caring for his younger siblings.

Character developments and interactions

• Oak makes a decisive choice to protect Linlin from Carmel’s potential betrayal, despite the uncertainty of restoring her original self. He reassures the others that Linlin’s shared memories will preserve their relationships.
• Linlin becomes gentler and more childlike after Carmel’s consciousness is removed. Her rejection of the photograph signals that she no longer reveres Carmel.
• Katakuri, who has sensed something of what happened, keeps his siblings from entering the castle. He recognizes that their mother has changed, and her gratitude deeply moves him.
• The Charlotte children are startled by Linlin’s warmth and by her sudden disgust toward Carmel’s photograph.

Significant themes

• Identity and memory: The chapter asks what makes Linlin herself, suggesting that shared memories and relationships endure even as her personality changes.
• Trust and protection: Oak refuses Carmel’s bargain because control gained through a treacherous ally would endanger Linlin.
• Recognition and family bonds: Linlin’s simple thanks acknowledge Katakuri’s years of responsibility and offer him affection he had rarely received.

Plot points and events

• At Big Mom’s Tea Party, Oak announces a new alliance between himself, Whitebeard, Shiki, Big Mom, and Kaido—the most powerful pirate forces in the New World.
• Big News Morgans eagerly photographs the announcement, recognizing its world-shaking significance. Stussy realizes the World Government must be warned, while Vinsmoke Judge initially sees the alliance as an opportunity for Germa 66.
• Oak makes a second declaration: the alliance claims the entire New World and will allow no rival powers there—not even the Marines, World Government, or its affiliated nations. Existing powers must submit or be destroyed.
• The guests are stunned and largely assume Oak has recklessly provoked the World Government. Judge abandons his plan for a marriage alliance with Big Mom and prepares to leave.
• Oak welcomes the attention: his immediate goal is for the news to spread, not to persuade the guests that his ambition is achievable.

Character developments

• Katakuri reflects on how unusual it was for Big Mom to thank him, revealing how little recognition he has received for caring for his siblings.
• Oak shows himself to be calculating as well as domineering: he deliberately uses the Tea Party and Morgans’s presence to publicize his plans.
• Judge shifts from hopeful ambition to fear, deciding that association with the alliance could put Germa 66 in danger.
• Morgans is thrilled by the chance to report history; Stussy reacts with alarm and focuses on her duty to the World Government.

Themes

• Power and rule: Oak asserts that strength—not formal legitimacy—will determine who governs the New World.
• Ambition and intimidation: His ultimatum turns an alliance into a direct challenge to the World Government.
• Publicity as strategy: Oak uses the press to make his declaration impossible for the world to ignore.
• Recognition and family: Katakuri’s response to Big Mom’s rare thanks highlights the emotional cost of serving a demanding parent.

Character interactions

• Oak leads the announcement before the assembled guests and uses his authority to silence the room.
• Big Mom remains quiet, honoring her prior agreement with Oak.
• Morgans enthusiastically documents Oak, while Stussy considers how to alert the World Government.
• Judge’s hopes for cooperation with Big Mom are overturned by Oak’s threat, and he tells his children they will leave after the banquet.

Key plot points and events

• The Underworld emperors discuss Oak’s plan to unite the New World. They fear that submitting would cost them their independence and businesses.
• Du Feld proposes that they withdraw their operations from the New World, betting that the Four Emperors would need their shipping and commercial services too much to let them go.
• Giberson formally asks Oak for permission to leave, offering his established business channels in exchange.
• Oak appears to agree, then kills Giberson instantly. He declares that powers in the New World must either submit or die; fleeing with their resources will count as resistance.
• Oak gives all New World powers one month to travel to Hachinosu and pledge allegiance. He names it as the headquarters of his planned Pirate Alliance and warns that anyone who misses the deadline will face no mercy. He claims escape is possible only if they get past guards at every entrance and exit.

Character developments and interactions

• Oak is revealed as ruthless and uncompromising. He rejects negotiation, destroys the Underworld emperors’ presumed leverage, and treats the New World and its inhabitants as his property.
• Umit, Du Feld, and Giberson move from private strategizing to a direct attempt to negotiate an exit. Their confidence in the Underworld’s usefulness proves misplaced.
• The other Underworld figures are left terrified and silent after witnessing Giberson’s death. Oak’s threat turns their meeting into an ultimatum rather than a discussion.

Significant themes

• Power and coercion: Oak seeks unity through force, not consent.
• Economic interdependence: The Underworld provides vital shipping and services to the great pirates, but Oak refuses to treat that dependence as a source of bargaining power.
• Ownership and control: Oak claims authority over all people and resources in the New World, framing departure as theft.
• Fear as rule: Giberson’s execution serves as a warning that resistance or evasion will be met with death.

Chapter Summary: “Return to Hachinosu”

Key plot points and events

• Five days after Oak, Newgate, Shiki, Linlin, and Kaido formed the Pirate Alliance and declared their intent to unite the New World, the World Government remained conspicuously silent.
• The five leaders moved their headquarters to Hachinosu, where a huge building effort was underway.
• Oak’s former West Blue acquaintance A Shan—now the powerful pirate “Mountain Eater,” with an 870-million bounty—became Oak’s deputy and handled routine administration.
• Fifteen nearby Non-affiliated Countries had joined the alliance, offering their populations, resources, and wealth in exchange for protection.
• Oak ordered a fleet to clear pirates from their waters and make the alliance’s protection known. He intends to impose order across the New World, ban unaffiliated pirates from alliance territories, and replace plunder with taxes that can fund development.
• Newgate offered two of his commanders to help secure the countries, since Oak’s own forces were limited. Oak then asked for Katakuri, King, and Marco to be summoned, though the chapter ends before explaining why.

Character developments and interactions

• Oak shifts from functioning as a pirate who tolerated disorder to acting as a would-be ruler. He sees security and prosperity as necessary both for the people and for the alliance’s future tax revenue. He also shows loyalty to those who seek his protection.
• A Shan is established as Oak’s trusted deputy. His decades-long memory of Oak’s kindness has made him deeply devoted, and Oak recognizes both his strength and his reliability.
• Newgate supports Oak’s plan by volunteering manpower, showing that the alliance’s leaders are beginning to coordinate their resources.
• Kaido questions Oak’s plans, while Oak remains measured and focused on the next steps.

Significant themes

• Power and protection: Vulnerable countries seek a powerful patron because they have been abandoned or exploited by existing powers.
• Order replacing piracy: Oak’s alliance aims to suppress independent raiding, though its rule will still involve taxation and control.
• Pragmatic governance: Oak frames stability not only as a moral obligation but as essential to building prosperous territories and sustaining the alliance.
• Loyalty and remembered kindness: A Shan’s devotion reflects how a past act of help can shape a lasting bond.

Plot and key events

• Oak orders Katakuri, King, and Marco to destroy Gild Tesoro and Gran Tesoro, seize its wealth, and bring Tesoro’s employee Baccarat back alive for her Lucky-Lucky Fruit.
• Tesoro is a valuable target: he controls a vast fortune, works closely with the World Government and Celestial Dragons, and passes them intelligence about the New World.
• Kaido offers to join the attack, but Oak declines. Tesoro’s apparent Admiral-level strength comes largely from controlling Gran Tesoro’s gold; away from it, Oak believes he is much less formidable.
• Oak frames the mission as a test intended to help the three deputies grow stronger. He sends Rob Lucci along to provide intelligence and keep him informed through their Blood Servant connection.
• After the group departs, Shiki compares his lack of capable followers with the other leaders’ powerful deputies. Resenting the losses he suffered in his battle with Roger, he decides to recruit Trafalgar Law, the talented doctor Oak has left on the island.

Character developments and interactions

• Oak shows himself to be strategic and ambitious: he targets Tesoro for both political reasons and money, while using the mission to develop future top fighters. He also plans safeguards in case the team runs into trouble.
• Marco, Katakuri, and King accept the assignment; Marco is especially eager to attack Tesoro, whom he has long wanted to bring down.
• Newgate, Linlin, and Kaido support the plan. Newgate cautions the team to be careful, while Kaido’s offer to help is politely refused.
• Shiki feels insecure beside his allies, whose deputies and crews are far stronger than his own. His frustration turns into resolve to build a capable force, beginning with Law.

Significant themes

• Power and preparation: Oak seeks stronger allies for an eventual conflict with the World Government.
• Wealth and political influence: Tesoro’s fortune and government connections make him both a strategic threat and a tempting prize.
• Rivalry and ambition: Shiki’s comparison with his peers revives his desire to rebuild his strength.
• Growth through challenge: Oak believes powerful opponents are necessary to push his deputies beyond their current limits.

Key plot points and events

• Gran Tesoro, a vast golden city-ship commanded by Gild Tesoro, is secretly carrying Saint Saturn and Admiral Kizaru through the New World toward Egghead. Saturn plans to move Vegapunk and the Mother Flame project under cover.
• Saturn is anxious to avoid Oak, whose strength makes even the World Government cautious. Kizaru, still injured from the Sabaody battle, fears a direct encounter and privately considers resigning.
• Tesoro asks Saturn to help him leave the New World after the Egghead mission. Oak’s new pirate alliance has demanded that every power in the region submit or be destroyed, and Tesoro fears losing his city and fortune.
• Saturn agrees, believing he and Kizaru can break through the blockade around the New World when the time comes.
• Meanwhile, Katakuri, Marco, King, and Oak’s other agents use intelligence about Gran Tesoro’s movements to identify a likely interception point.

Character developments and interactions

• Saturn remains arrogant and calculating, but his secrecy and urgency reveal how seriously he takes Oak. He agrees to protect Tesoro partly because Tesoro is useful and wealthy.
• Kizaru appears unusually vulnerable: wounded, frightened of Oak, and weary of Marine service. He imagines retiring rather than risking his life on more dangerous missions.
• Tesoro shifts from confident master of a powerful floating city to a frightened figure seeking protection. He appeals to Saturn for help escaping the New World.
• Katakuri and the others act methodically, turning intelligence and navigation into a plan to intercept Tesoro’s ship.

Significant themes

• Fear and power: Oak’s growing influence intimidates even the World Government’s highest officials.
• Self-preservation and shifting loyalties: Tesoro seeks protection, while Kizaru considers abandoning his post to stay alive.
• False confidence: Saturn assumes the blockade will be easy to escape, while Oak’s forces are already tracking his route.
• Wealth as both strength and vulnerability: Tesoro’s fortune makes him influential, but also a prize Oak’s alliance might seize.

Shiki pushed Law through brutal endurance training, forcing him to keep his Operation Space active while attacking him with Haki-infused slashes. Law survived by repairing his severed limbs, and Oak judged that he had the potential to become a top-tier fighter in the coming era.

• Shiki criticized Law's stamina and made him maintain his Operation Space throughout their training.
• Shiki attacked Law with Haki-infused Flying Slashes, and Law struggled to move them with his ability.
• Shiki cut off Law's hand and then severed his legs, leaving him one arm to repair himself.
• Law retrieved and reattached his limbs before he bled to death.
• Oak compared Law's training with the harsher beatings he and Kaido had endured from Newgate.
• Oak told Shiki that Law was already an impressive newcomer who could grow into a top-tier fighter.

Shiki agreed to seek out promising Supernovas and move Alabasta and Water 7 to the New World for Oak. When Rob Lucci reported that Kizaru and Saturn had cornered Katakuri and the others at Gran Tesoro, Oak rushed to rescue them and suspected Vegapunk was also in danger.

• Shiki discussed recruiting Eustass Kid and other promising Supernovas, while Oak warned him about potential spies and allies among them.
• Oak asked Shiki to bring Alabasta and Water 7 from Paradise to the New World, and Shiki agreed despite complaining.
• Rob Lucci contacted Oak through their link and reported that Kizaru and Saturn were overwhelming Katakuri and the others at Gran Tesoro.
• Oak refused Shiki's offer to help and used the Paw-Paw Fruit's repulsion to race toward Gran Tesoro.
• Oak realized Gran Tesoro was near Vegapunk's research institute and suspected Kizaru and Saturn were targeting the scientist.

Marco, Katakuri, and King struggled against Kizaru, Saturn, and Tazono after their mission to intercept Gran Tesoro was interrupted. As the fight reached a stalemate, a Paw Bubble approached, bringing the help Marco had summoned from Oak.

• Marco, Katakuri, and King fought Saturn and Kizaru while Rob Lucci told them Oak would arrive soon.
• Katakuri used Future Sight to guide his allies, disrupted Saturn with mochi attacks, and helped King land a strike before warning him away from Tazono’s molten gold.
• Katakuri intercepted Kizaru’s attempt to kick Marco, but Kizaru and Saturn continued to outmatch the three deputies.
• Tazono joined Kizaru and Saturn, leaving the sides evenly matched until Marco spotted a Paw Bubble approaching and declared their opponents were finished.

Oak arrived to rescue Katakuri, Marco, and King, then destroyed Saturn with a Conqueror's Haki-infused attack as the Holy Land's reinforcements emerged. With Imu still absent, Oak prepared to force Imu to appear.

• Kizaru fled after Saturn ordered him to withdraw, while Tesoro recognized Oak and feared for his life.
• Saturn activated the Pentagram Teleportation Array to summon reinforcements and pleaded with Imu for help.
• Oak landed beside Katakuri, Marco, and King, mocked Saturn, and attacked the teleportation array with a Paw Bubble infused with Conqueror's Haki.
• Saturn was blown apart but began regenerating, while Oak ordered Katakuri, Marco, and King to finish Tesoro themselves.
• The other four members of the Five Elders, Garling, and Shamrock arrived through the array, but Imu did not appear.
• Oak resolved to force Imu to come out.

Oak fought the Five Elders and God's Knights without Imu, using his overwhelming strength to shatter Garling and cut Shamrock in two. He then turned on the Five Elders, driving off Saint Nusjuro and escaping Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's attempt to swallow him.

• Imu ignored Saturn's calls and decided that the Mother Flame was his best chance to destroy Oak without risking the foundations of his rule.
• Oak charged the seven immortals and used Karmic Retribution: Power Conversion to absorb their attacks and turn them into strength.
• Oak struck Garling with a forceful slash modeled on Rocks's technique, shattering his body, then cut Shamrock in two when he came to his father's aid.
• Oak exchanged blows with Saint Nusjuro and sent him flying with a single slash.
• Saint Shepherd Ju Peter swallowed Oak as a sandworm, but Oak unleashed Royal Demon Fire Slash and burned his way out.

Oak overwhelmed the Five Elders and God's Knights, repeatedly cutting them down despite their Immortal Bodies. As they neared death, Imu possessed Gunko and arrived on the battlefield, where his immense aura halted everyone.

• Oak fought the Five Elders and God's Knights, overcoming their attacks and resisting the strange bird's soul-targeting cries and black flames with his Conqueror's Haki.
• Oak repeatedly cut down his seven opponents and planned to wear away their Immortal Bodies by erasing their black flames with Conqueror's Haki.
• Imu sensed the power he had bestowed on his fighters disappearing and possessed Gunko to travel to the battlefield.
• Oak recognized Imu's arrival and withdrew from the fight as the wounded Five Elders and God's Knights welcomed their rescue.
• Imu appeared with an overwhelming aura that slowed everyone, briefly recognized King as a Lunarian, and focused his attention on Oak.

Oak and Imu fought over Vegapunk, and Oak’s allies eventually brought the scientist back to Hachinosu while the Five Elders escaped with the Mother Flame and its research. Imu ordered the Five Elders to advance the project and find a way to reclaim Vegapunk as Imu recovered from the strain of repeated possessions.

• Imu possessed Gunko to hold Oak back while the Five Elders, Garling, and Shamrock withdrew with Vegapunk and the Mother Flame project; Oak ordered Katakuri to mobilize Newgate, Linlin, and the others to intercept them.
• Oak and Imu clashed repeatedly as Imu switched hosts and pursued him, while Newgate and the others battled the fleeing group across the New World.
• Five days later, Newgate and the others returned to Hachinosu with Vegapunk, explaining that the Five Elders had escaped with some of his research materials.
• Vegapunk immediately questioned Oak about how he had survived eating three devil fruits and asked to study his blood.
• At Mary Geoise, the Five Elders presented Imu with the Mother Flame and its development research, and Imu ordered them to continue the project and bring Vegapunk back from Hachinosu.

Oak unified the New World, ended pirate plundering there, and began ruling from Hachinosu with his allies and companions. Empress Hancock arrived to find him, while Shiki secretly arranged for her to surprise him.

• Oak secured the New World’s allegiance, confiscated the wealth of nobles trying to flee, and established bases to protect civilians and suppress pirates.
• Shiki moved Alabasta and Water 7 near Hachinosu, and Vivi arrived with them; Rebecca and Violet had already brought Dressrosa under Oak’s rule.
• Hancock arrived at Hachinosu with Gloriosa and the Kuja crew, turning people to stone with her charm as she searched for Oak.
• Shiki directed Hancock to Oak’s room and urged her to go in without announcing herself, while keeping Gloriosa from warning her.
• After Hancock left, Shiki told Gloriosa he intended to give Oak a surprise, though the chapter left his plan’s outcome unknown.

Hancock caught Oak surrounded by his women and petrified them in jealous fury before Oak managed to calm her and persuade her to reverse the effects. Five days later, Oak learned Shiki had arranged the surprise and discovered that Shiki had already left Hachinosu to seek out Supernovas.

• Hancock arrived at Oak's room and found him with his women, then petrified all of them with her powers.
• Oak stopped Hancock from smashing the stone statues and later persuaded her to undo the petrification.
• After five days, Oak learned Shiki had sent Hancock to surprise him and roared in anger when he discovered Shiki was gone.
• Katakuri told Oak that Shiki had left five days earlier to test some of that year's Supernovas.
• Shiki laughed about fooling Oak, landed on an island, and headed inland after spotting a pirate ship.