Chapter Summaries

River arrived at the Vinsmoke Family’s territory and used his overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki to intimidate Judge and his children before proposing an alliance. He demanded that the family serve under him instead of working with the Big Mom Pirates, threatening to destroy them if they refused as he prepared to fight Big Mom.

• River’s Conqueror’s Haki shook the Vinsmoke Family’s ship, knocked out Germa soldiers, and left Judge and his children struggling under the pressure.
• River boarded the Ark Maxim and introduced himself to Judge, who welcomed him and led him to a banquet.
• At the banquet, River asked Judge about the Vinsmoke Family’s prospective deal with the Big Mom Pirates, and Judge said they had only been considering it.
• River urged Judge and his family to serve under him, promising to help fulfill their dream and offering his personal visit as proof of his regard.
• River told the Vinsmoke Family that refusal would mean their destruction, since he would eventually fight Big Mom.

River persuaded Vinsmoke Judge to join Dressrosa by offering him leadership of the scientific corps and promising him a future role ruling the North Blue. As Judge showed River Germa’s technology, River proposed studying Devil Fruits through lineage-factor research.

• River offered Judge control of the scientific corps alongside Caesar and a future position as ruler of the North Blue.
• Judge accepted River’s terms but asked him not to abandon the Vinsmoke Family if Big Mom pressured them, and River agreed.
• Judge led River on a tour of Germa and explained how lineage-factor technology created powerful clone soldiers.
• River praised Germa’s cloning technology and said lineage-factor research could be extended to study the special abilities of different races.
• River suggested that Devil Fruit powers might alter genes and lineage, and Judge said he could discuss research with Caesar.

River and Judge agreed to capture Marshall D. Teach so Judge and Caesar could study how Teach wielded two Devil Fruit powers. As Teach set out to kill Ace before his expected clash with Kaido, Rob Lucci reported that the New World was on the verge of chaos.

• River told Judge that Teach had two Devil Fruit abilities, darkness and tremors, and Judge proposed studying him to learn how Devil Fruits and the lineage factor were connected.
• River assigned Donquixote Doflamingo to locate Teach and arranged for his capture so Judge and Caesar could study him.
• Marshall D. Teach learned that Ace was heading toward a fight with Kaido and set out with his crew to kill Ace and take his power.
• Rob Lucci learned that someone had set off and ordered Kalifa to send the confirmed news to River, warning that the New World was about to descend into chaos.

The Kaido Pirates launched a massive assault on the Whitebeard Pirates, destroying a nearby pirate ship as their fleet advanced. Ace and Marco prepared to meet Kaido in battle, ending the chapter as the two forces came face to face.

• Kaido transformed into a dragon and destroyed a pirate ship, declaring that the Whitebeard Pirates would be finished.
• Marco told Ace that Kaido’s fleet was approaching with a huge force, and Ace confirmed that all 120 Whitebeard Pirates ships were ready.
• Ace said he had mastered the power he received from his uncle River and was ready to fight Kaido at full strength.
• A scout warned Marco that the Kaido Pirates had arrived, and Ace saw their fleet emerge through the storm.

The Whitebeard Pirates prepared to fight Kaido as Marshall D. Teach sailed toward the battle, intending to target Ace and seize his Devil Fruit. Teach met Aokiji at sea and tried to recruit him, but River appeared behind them.

• The Whitebeard Pirates rallied for their coming battle against Kaido, while Ace and Marco expressed confidence in their crew.
• Marshall D. Teach and his crew sailed toward the clash, and Teach declared that he planned to capture Ace and take his Devil Fruit power.
• Teach boasted that his Dark-Dark Fruit and Tremor-Tremor Fruit made him a natural enemy of ability users, though he feared River.
• Aokiji rode his bicycle across the sea and froze the waters around Teach's ship.
• Teach offered Aokiji a place in his crew, but Aokiji warned him to worry about his own safety as River arrived.

River confronted Marshall D. Teach after learning the Blackbeard Pirates planned to take Ace’s corpse, and the two clashed with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. As the battle threatened to resume, Fujitora summoned a meteor against Teach’s crew.

• River arrived aboard the Ark Maxim with Donquixote Doflamingo, Fujitora, Cavendish, and the Germa forces and demanded to know why Marshall D. Teach was there.
• Teach admitted he intended to collect Ace’s corpse while Ace fought Kaido, prompting River to vow to kill him.
• Teach and River unleashed opposing shock waves that shattered the surrounding air and sea, but both ships survived the clash.
• Reiju, Ichiji, and the others trembled at the destructive power of the two men.
• Fujitora condemned Teach for his crimes, swung his sword, and summoned a huge meteor from the sky.

River and Marshall D. Teach agreed to settle their long-running feud in a fight to the death on a deserted island. Teach’s crew faced River’s group, and Teach realized he might have no way to escape.

• Marshall D. Teach used the Dark-Dark Fruit to swallow River’s meteorite attack, then released it toward the Ark Maxim, where Fujitora shattered it with a slash.
• Teach challenged River to fight on a nearby deserted island, and River accepted.
• River assigned Fujitora, Donquixote Doflamingo, Cavendish, and the Vinsmoke youths to eliminate Teach’s crewmates while he captured Teach.
• Lafitte and Van Augur discussed their chances against River, noting that several of River’s strongest allies were absent.
• Teach realized he could not defeat River and, after seeing River’s ship reach the island, grimly concluded that he had no escape.

Marshall D. Teach confronted River on an island as the Blackbeard Pirates fought River’s allies, while Aokiji watched and reflected on Dressrosa’s transformation. River struck Teach with a fiery slash, and Teach unleashed darkness in response.

• Marshall D. Teach faced River and Donquixote Doflamingo, vowing to overcome his fear of River, as both sides prepared to fight on the island.
• Aokiji arrived by bicycle, watched the confrontation, and wondered whether River embodied Joy Boy and the smile of Sun God Nika.
• Donquixote Doflamingo blocked Van Augur’s bullet and pursued him, while Fujitora gravely wounded Doc Q and Lafitte with gravity.
• Cavendish, Reiju, and River’s other allies attacked the Blackbeard Pirates, whose larger crew was outmatched in strength.
• River summoned flames and struck Marshall D. Teach with a fiery slash, and Teach answered by spreading darkness into the sky.

River and Marshall D. Teach traded their Dark-Dark, Tremor-Tremor, flame, and Haki powers in a brutal battle. River seized Teach with his own darkness and prepared to strike while Teach’s abilities were sealed, leaving Teach convinced the fight was over.

• River unleashed the Sun God Ring, and its white-hot flames swept across the island and evaporated stretches of sea.
• Teach used Black Hole to swallow the flames, then clashed Tremor-Tremor punches with River, splitting the island and its mountain.
• River struck Teach in the abdomen with a golden, Haki-coated fist, but Teach grabbed River with darkness and punched him in return.
• River endured Teach’s blow with Iron Body and Armament Haki, while Teach’s pain forced him to absorb his injuries with darkness.
• River pulled Teach into his grasp with the Dark-Dark power, sealing Teach’s abilities as tremor power gathered in River’s other hand.

River overwhelmed Marshall D. Teach with his Flame Emperor attack, while Ace fought Kaido to a draw at sea. Kaido ordered his pirates to retreat, and Ace emerged with strength on the level of a Four Emperor.

• River suppressed Marshall D. Teach’s Devil Fruit power and battered him with powerful punches.
• River launched Flame Emperor at Marshall D. Teach, engulfing him in a massive golden blast.
• Ace and Kaido exchanged their strongest attacks, Flame Emperor and Roaring Thunder Bagua, in a clash that cleared the sky.
• Kaido appeared after the clash and ordered the Kaido Pirates to retreat.
• Ace told Kaido they would fight again, and the battle was recognized as a draw.

Ace fought Kaido to a draw, earning the Whitebeard Pirates’ retreat and recognition as a new Emperor. On a deserted island, River defeated Marshall D. Teach and captured him, then invited Aokiji aboard the Ark Maxim to see his justice.

• Ace fought Kaido to a standstill, and the Kaido Pirates withdrew as the Whitebeard Pirates celebrated their victory.
• River defeated Marshall D. Teach, who lost consciousness from his burns, while Donquixote Doflamingo and River’s allies finished off the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates.
• River ordered Reiju and the others to shackle Teach and take him back for Mr. Judge’s research.
• River and his companions boarded the Ark Maxim, and River invited Aokiji aboard after asking where he planned to go.
• River asked Aokiji to come see his justice, and Aokiji agreed that it could begin an entirely different journey.

River persuaded former Marine Admiral Aokiji to help build a freer and more equal world, and Aokiji agreed to join him. Aboard the Ark Maxim, Aokiji met River’s allies and recognized the strength of the force gathered around him.

• River explained to Aokiji that a better world required political systems that served commoners and united people’s interests.
• Aokiji agreed to work with River to change the world, hoping River’s ideal nation would have no Celestial Dragons.
• The Ark Maxim’s crew realized that Aokiji had joined them and welcomed the former admiral aboard.
• Aokiji introduced himself to Donquixote Doflamingo, Fujitora, Cavendish, Reiju, Yonji, Ichiji, and Niji.
• Aokiji remarked that River’s followers were as powerful as the top forces at Marine Headquarters.

River and his companions encountered the main force of the Kaido Pirates while sailing aboard the Ark Maxim. Kaido surrounded them and called out to River, setting the stage for a confrontation.

• Aokiji judged that River and Dressrosa still lacked the strength and forces needed for a large-scale war.
• River's group sailed toward Germa 66 with the charred, seastone-bound Marshall D. Teach aboard the Ark Maxim.
• Rob Lucci told River that Ace and Kaido had fought to a draw and that the Kaido Pirates were withdrawing along a route near them.
• River refused to change course when he saw the Kaido Pirates' fleet approaching and said he wanted to test their strength.
• The Kaido Pirates surrounded the Ark Maxim with over a hundred warships, and Cavendish identified Kaido, the All-Stars, and the Flying Six.
• Kaido recognized River, praised him for defeating Whitebeard, and declared that he had been waiting for him.

River confronted Kaido, and the two powerful fighters began their long-awaited battle. After Kaido transformed into an enormous dragon, he and River launched their first fiery attacks at the Ark Maxim.

• River met Kaido's challenge with a clash of Conqueror's Haki and agreed to fight him.
• Kaido transformed into a gigantic dragon, terrifying Cavendish, Reiju, Doflamingo, and Aokiji.
• Blackbeard woke while bound in handcuffs and laughed at the chance to witness the battle.
• Kaido attacked the Ark Maxim with Dragon Breath, and River countered with Fire Dragon's Roar.

After Ace learned that Kaido's fleet had engaged River, he and the Whitebeard Pirates set out to help his uncle. River blocked Kaido's Dragon Breath, then struck Kaido out of the sky as the battle began.

• Ace learned that Kaido's fleet had encountered River's ship and was preparing for a full-scale battle.
• Ace stopped the celebration and asked the Whitebeard Pirates to let him go help River.
• The Whitebeard Pirates chose to sail with Ace and redirected their fleet toward the clash.
• River blocked Kaido's Dragon Breath with pillars of fire above the Ark Maxim.
• River shot into the sky and punched Kaido's dragon head, knocking Kaido down toward his fleet.

River battled Kaido in the sky, overpowering him with immense strength and abilities associated with darkness and Whitebeard’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit. After rising from another devastating fall, Kaido ordered his crew to attack River’s allies, turning the fight into a war.

• Kaido recovered from River’s first blow and attacked him with Dragon Breath and a charging claw, but River stopped the claw with one hand.
• Kaido tried to overpower River and burn him, but River swallowed Dragon Breath with Black Hole and struck Kaido with a Tremor-Tremor Fruit-powered punch.
• Kaido crashed onto the ships below, while pirates recognized Whitebeard’s power in River’s attack and Marshall D. Teach angrily watched from the Ark Maxim.
• Kaido regained consciousness, transformed into human form, picked up his Kanabo, and ordered his crew to kill River’s allies instead of treating the battle as a one-on-one fight.
• Cavendish, Reiju, and the others aboard the Ark Maxim reacted with alarm to Kaido’s order.

Kaido’s fleet attacked the Ark Maxim, where Fujitora and Donquixote Doflamingo fought back while River resumed his battle with Kaido. Their clash wounded Kaido, and both fighters prepared to continue.

• Kaido’s fleet surrounded the Ark Maxim and opened fire, but Fujitora used Gravity Might: Raging Tiger to drag the cannonballs into the sea.
• Donquixote Doflamingo flew to the enemy ships and destroyed more than a dozen with his threads.
• River descended onto Kaido’s ship and attacked him with Iron Fist: Mountain Crusher as Kaido countered with Thunder Bagua.
• River and Kaido’s blows shattered the ship’s deck and sent nearby pirates flying in the shock waves.
• Kaido struck River’s incoming foot with his Kanabo, but River wounded Kaido’s face and grinned as Kaido vowed the fight had only begun.

River and Kaido fought across the sea, destroying pirate ships as they traded powerful blows. Kaido transformed into his dragon-like Zoan form after River provoked him about Kozuki Oden, and River’s sword strike barely marked his scales before Kaido counterattacked.

• River and Kaido clashed with Thunder Bagua and Divine Departure, splitting the sky and sea with their collision.
• The pair continued fighting across pirate ships, wrecking more than ten warships and endangering the Kaido Pirates.
• River taunted Kaido about Kozuki Oden’s death, prompting Kaido to transform into his dragon-like Zoan form.
• Kaido attacked River, but River evaded the Kanabo and ran up Kaido’s arm to slash his chest, leaving only a white mark on his scales.
• Kaido swung his Kanabo at River and unleashed Hakai.

Kaido blasted River away with Hakai, while Aokiji froze the sea to stop the Kaido Pirates from boarding the Ark Maxim. River returned by opening the Seventh Gate and launched a Daytime Tiger at Kaido, who prepared to meet him head-on.

• Kaido struck River with Hakai, tearing his clothes and badly injuring his arms before sending him flying.
• Fujitora volunteered to fight King, while Aokiji agreed to take on Queen as the Kaido Pirates closed in on the Ark Maxim.
• Aokiji used Ice Age to freeze the sea, trapping the approaching ships and swimming pirates in ice.
• Fujitora charged at King, and Aokiji faced Queen as the Ark Maxim's crew gathered to fight the pirates.
• River opened the Seventh Gate, raced across the ice, and leapt high into the air to unleash Daytime Tiger at Kaido.
• Kaido recognized River's attack and shouted for him to come at him.

River overwhelmed Kaido with a series of powerful attacks, then used Black Vortex to pull him close and strip away his Devil Fruit form. The chapter left Kaido battered and defeated on the ice as the Kaido Pirates stared in shock.

• River struck at Kaido with Daytime Tiger shockwaves, which Kaido knocked aside with his Kanabo.
• River and Kaido clashed again, and River shattered the space around Kaido with a powerful punch that blasted him away and wounded him.
• River used Black Vortex to pull Kaido toward him and pierced his chest, causing Kaido's Devil Fruit power to fade and his body to return to human form.
• River punched Kaido in the face, stopped his Kanabo with one hand, and kicked him across the ice.
• The Kaido Pirates watched in terror as Kaido lay battered after failing to withstand River's attacks.