Chapter Summaries

Gawain split his crew to attack Baroque Works’ bases and escort Vivi back to Alabasta, while Robin hesitated over his offer to join him. At Yuca Flower Port, Gawain’s group exposed MR3’s ambush and killed him, but the battle against the waiting assassins had only begun.

• Gawain dismissed Crocodile’s strength and Baroque Works’ threat, then divided his crew to target its bases while he escorted Vivi to Yuca Flower Port.
• Vivi realized Gawain had chosen to intervene in Alabasta and broke down in Igaram’s arms; Robin found Gawain’s invitation to join his crew but kept the note despite doubting his promise.
• Crocodile contacted Robin, ordered her back to Alabasta, and told her to accelerate their plan to decipher the Poneglyph.
• At Yuca Flower Port, MR3 posed as an Alabasta official and offered ransom for a hooded captive, but Gawain presented a disguised woman in Vivi’s place.
• MR3 ordered an ambush, but the disguised woman stabbed him, and Lucci and Kumadori attacked the hidden Baroque Works assassins.

Gawain and Crocodile clashed at Yuca Flower Port after Crocodile revealed he had never intended to let Vivi go. Their battle shook the port, and a sudden dragon roar followed as the fight’s outcome remained unclear.

• Gawain ordered Gabra, Kumadori, and Kalifa to withdraw before facing Crocodile, who showed no grief over MR3’s death.
• Crocodile offered Gawain a chance to join him, but Gawain refused and declared he could stand against the New World’s monsters alone.
• Gawain and Crocodile collided with sword and Haki-coated hook, unleashing a destructive battle at Yuca Flower Port.
• Vivi and Igaram watched from the pirate ship as Gabra and the others returned, warning that Crocodile was exceptionally strong.
• A silver-white slash swept past the ship, then the battle stopped and a powerful dragon roar cleared the sand and dust from the port.

Gawain defeated Crocodile, whose anger and despair flared when Golden Lion Shiki arrived with a fleet in the sky. As Golden Lion confronted Gawain, Kalifa and the others fled under cannon fire, leaving the two powerful fighters facing off.

• Gawain used his Mythical Zoan power and swordsmanship to overwhelm Crocodile and cut through his golden hook and chest.
• Gawain scorned Crocodile for giving up after his defeat by Whitebeard, provoking Crocodile to insist that Gawain could not understand the monsters of the old era.
• Golden Lion Shiki arrived with a fleet floating above Yuca Flower Port, and Crocodile became excited at the prospect of Gawain facing a legendary pirate.
• Golden Lion's Conqueror's Haki overwhelmed the people aboard the pirate ship, and Kalifa ordered the others to retreat while she worried whether Gawain could win.
• Gabra kicked incoming cannonballs into the sea as the ship came under attack, and Kalifa rallied the group to survive and trust Gawain.
• Golden Lion ignored the fleeing ship, looked at Crocodile with disappointment, and questioned whether he had only reached this level after twenty years.

Golden Lion tested Gawain’s strength and tried to recruit him, but Gawain refused and fought back. As the battle escalated, Crocodile confronted his despair over the gulf between ordinary pirates and legends, while Daz Bones stayed by his side.

• Golden Lion pressed Gawain with his Conqueror’s Haki and offered him a place as his right-hand man, but Gawain refused.
• Golden Lion attacked with Oto and Kogarashi, and Gawain’s Battle Armor withstood the strike before Gawain countered and cut Golden Lion’s haori.
• Gawain launched into battle with Golden Lion, while Crocodile questioned why Gawain would face a legend instead of fleeing.
• Daz Bones found Crocodile and urged him to retreat, but Crocodile stayed to watch the fight, and Daz Bones chose to remain with him.
• Crocodile declared that Gawain would win, but Golden Lion unleashed Lion Might—Thousand Slice Valley—Crisscross, plunging Crocodile back into despair over the power of legends.

Gawain fought Golden Lion at Yuca Flower Port, survived his strongest attack by escaping into the sea, and later discovered he had gained a huge amount of Conqueror’s Haki experience. Golden Lion left with his fleet, while Crocodile remained shaken by the battle.

• Gawain endured Golden Lion’s Conqueror’s Haki slash with the help of the Red Dragon Fruit and ley line energy, then rejected Golden Lion’s offer to become his right-hand man.
• Golden Lion used the Float-Float Fruit to hurl Haki-coated lion heads at Gawain, and the two began a destructive battle across Yuca Flower Port.
• Crocodile watched Gawain repeatedly rise after being defeated and questioned the point of fighting a battle he was destined to lose; Golden Lion told him that fear kept him from becoming Pirate King.
• Golden Lion’s strongest slash tore through Gawain’s armor and chest, but Gawain escaped into the sea while Golden Lion left for the clouds with his fleet.
• Half an hour later, Gawain emerged from the water and saw that the system had awarded him 6,403 Conqueror’s Haki experience.

After surviving his battle with Golden Lion, Gawain planned to recover while Golden Lion learned that the Op-Op Fruit might remove the ship's wheel embedded in his head. Gawain reunited with his worried crew at Yuca Flower Port and declared that he would take charge of Alabasta's situation.

• Gawain reflected on Golden Lion's declining condition, then flew away to find ley line energy and heal his wounds.
• Indigo warned Golden Lion that battle could worsen his head injury, and Golden Lion nearly tried to remove the ship's wheel himself.
• Spandine told Golden Lion that Trafalgar Law might be connected to the missing Op-Op Fruit, which could remove the wheel from his brain.
• Kalifa and the others returned to the ruined Yuca Flower Port, where they feared Gawain had died until he called to say he had escaped.
• Gawain arrived at Yuca Flower Port and told Vivi he was taking charge of Alabasta's situation.

Gawain ordered his crew to destroy Baroque Works’ bases at Whiskey Peak and Rain Dinners while Crocodile traveled toward Alabasta, still intent on finding Pluton. After learning his forces had been devastated, Crocodile abandoned his slow plan to take over the country and ordered Sara and Nico Robin to seize Cobra directly.

• Gawain ordered Akin and Kuro to attack Baroque Works after Crocodile’s moves against him at Yuca Flower Port.
• Akin, Lucci, and Zoro wiped out Baroque Works’ forces at Whiskey Peak.
• Kuro and Fan-Oka massacred the agents at Rain Dinners while Sanji guarded the crew, then headed toward Arubana.
• Crocodile and Daz Bones traveled toward Alabasta as Crocodile resolved to find the Poneglyph and pursue Pluton.
• Crocodile learned that the Gawain Pirates had destroyed the Whiskey Peak base and suspected Rainbase had fallen too.
• Crocodile ordered Sara and Nico Robin to take direct control of Cobra before Gawain’s forces reached Arubana.

At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku ordered Kizaru to go to Alabasta to confront Golden Lion while Zephyr challenged the Navy’s idea of justice and left with Aokiji. Zephyr urged Aokiji to seek the truth about the world, leaving Tsuru to fear that the Navy was entering a period of upheaval.

• Sengoku and the senior officers discussed Golden Lion, Gawain, and the threat posed by their gathering in Alabasta.
• Zephyr challenged Sengoku’s reliance on the World Government’s orders and left the meeting after Sengoku ordered him out.
• Aokiji followed Zephyr to the Naval Officer School rooftop, where Zephyr explained how Gawain had changed his understanding of pirates and justice.
• Zephyr urged Aokiji to open his eyes to the world and invited him to meet Gawain, and Aokiji agreed to follow his own conscience.
• Sengoku ordered Kizaru to go to Alabasta and use his Glint-Glint Fruit against Golden Lion.
• Tsuru warned Sengoku that he had hurt Zephyr, while Sengoku defended his choice to contain chaos and Tsuru sensed the Navy’s skies were about to change.

Gawain and his allies intervened in Alabasta’s spreading civil war while Crocodile seized the royal palace and tortured Cobra for the location of the Poneglyph. The chapter ended with Crocodile threatening Arubana’s people to force Cobra to choose between the Poneglyph and their lives.

• Gawain knocked out the rebels and guards fighting in a town with his Conqueror’s Haki, then split up with Vivi to head for Arubana while Igaram, Kalifa, Gabra, Fukurou, and Kumadori stayed behind to end the fighting.
• Igaram’s group subdued both sides and organized relief for the townspeople, while Gabra, Fukurou, and Kumadori found unexpected fulfillment in helping civilians and wondered whether they could ever escape the World Government’s control.
• A guard brought Igaram a strange Devil Fruit, and Igaram decided it could serve as a token of Alabasta’s gratitude to Gawain and help his crew on their voyage.
• Crocodile continued torturing Cobra in the palace basement for the Poneglyph’s location, but Cobra deduced that Gawain had defeated Crocodile and disrupted his plans.
• Crocodile admitted Vivi was not in his hands and threatened the people of Arubana, forcing Cobra to choose between revealing the Poneglyph and allowing the city’s people to die.

Crocodile forced Cobra to lead him to Alabasta’s hidden Poneglyph while Baroque Works fueled a battle between the royal guards and rebels in Arubana. Vivi and Gawain exposed Crocodile’s plot and halted the fighting, then Gawain flew north to confront Crocodile at the Sacrificial Temple.

• Crocodile brought Cobra and Robin to the Sacrificial Temple, where Cobra opened the hidden passage beneath a statue to the Poneglyph.
• Koza fought the royal guards and grew suspicious that someone had manipulated the rebellion and the kingdom into war.
• Vivi arrived on a Red Dragon with Gawain and announced that Crocodile and Baroque Works had engineered the conflict.
• Gawain found a Den Den Mushi spreading lies, intimidated the fighters into lowering their weapons, and Vivi persuaded Koza that Crocodile was behind the crisis.
• Chaka told Vivi that Crocodile had taken Cobra north toward the Sacrificial Temple and Poneglyph.
• Gawain left Vivi and Koza to restore order and flew north to confront Crocodile.

Robin discovered that the Alabasta Poneglyph recorded Pluton’s location in Wano Country, but Crocodile shot her after she concealed the truth. Gawain defeated Crocodile, whose renewed resolve brought back his strength, and pursued him after he escaped; a golden light then struck Crocodile from the sky.

• Robin lied that the Poneglyph recorded Alabasta’s ancient history, so Crocodile shot her and confirmed that he believed it contained Pluton’s location.
• Gawain arrived, revealed that Pluton was in Wano Country, and defeated Crocodile with a single slash.
• Gawain told Cobra that Vivi was safe and asked him to carry the wounded Robin out of the chamber.
• Crocodile regained his conviction, challenged Gawain, and attacked with Desert Diamond Blade, but Gawain shattered the sand blades and the collapsing chamber.
• Crocodile escaped into the desert, but Gawain tracked him with Observation Haki and gave chase.
• A golden beam struck near Crocodile, knocking him to the ground as Kizaru appeared and called him scary.

Kizaru arrived in Alabasta and knocked out the wounded Crocodile, then confronted Gawain over conflicting reports of their fight. Gawain refused to submit to an investigation and fought Kizaru, whose speed and strength overwhelmed him as their battle continued.

• Kizaru left his warships and raced to Alabasta after learning Crocodile had sparked a civil war.
• Kizaru intercepted Crocodile, evaded his sandstorm, and struck him unconscious with a light-speed kick.
• Gawain arrived and learned from Kizaru that the Navy’s intelligence accused him of capturing Princess Vivi and fighting Crocodile.
• Gawain attacked Kizaru, but his blade passed through the Admiral’s light-form and Kizaru formed a laser sword.
• Gawain refused to stay for an investigation and clashed with Kizaru, who matched his speed and repeatedly attacked through his Battle Armor.

Gawain fought Kizaru across the desert, using the battle to improve his Conqueror’s Haki while Kizaru tested him and considered whether he was too dangerous to leave alive. After Gawain’s Haki awakened more strongly, Kizaru agreed that he could meet Zephyr, and Gawain demanded daily fights until Zephyr arrived.

• Kizaru used his speed and light sword to break through Gawain’s defenses and suppress him in battle.
• Gawain kept attacking despite his wounds, gradually sensing how to control his Conqueror’s Haki without relying on a system ability.
• After fighting until night, Gawain gained Conqueror’s Haki experience and released a powerful burst of Haki that made Kizaru reconsider killing him.
• Kizaru said Zephyr wanted to see Gawain and warned him that he could report Gawain as the hidden controller of Baroque Works.
• Gawain agreed to meet Zephyr on the condition that Kizaru fight him once every day until Zephyr arrived.

Gawain defeated Crocodile and arranged to keep sparring with Kizaru while Alabasta recovered from Baroque Works’ rule. Robin considered joining the Gawain Pirates, but Cobra offered her a home in Alabasta, leaving her to reflect on where she belonged.

• Kizaru accepted Gawain’s request for repeated Conqueror’s Haki sparring, while Crocodile vowed to take Whitebeard’s head before losing consciousness and being taken away.
• Gawain ordered Akin and his group to withdraw from Alabasta; Zoro, Lucci, and Akin lamented how weak they were and obeyed.
• Cobra, Vivi, Koza, and the Marines helped suppress the unrest and dismantle Baroque Works, while Kizaru overlooked Cobra’s concealment of some details.
• Gawain challenged Kizaru to another battle, and Kizaru reluctantly agreed after realizing Gawain had recovered from his injuries overnight.
• Robin asked Cobra whether Gawain had called her his person, and Cobra urged her to join the Gawain Pirates while offering Alabasta as her home.
• Robin declined Cobra’s offer to become his daughter, fearing her presence could endanger Alabasta, but privately thought she had found a place where she could stay.

Robin agreed to join the Gawain Pirates after Baroque Works fell and Crocodile was captured. Gawain received a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit meant for Kuro, ordered ranking battles in seven days, and went to Alabasta's royal library, where Cobra gave him a worn history book.

• After sparring with Kizaru, Gawain told Robin that Crocodile had been captured and invited her to join his crew, and Robin agreed.
• Vivi gave Gawain a Devil Fruit discovered by Igaram, which Gawain and Robin recognized as a Mythical Zoan intended for Kuro.
• Gawain explained that the crew's rankings needed updating and ordered ranking battles, then left for Whiskey Peak while Robin teased him about Vivi.
• At Whiskey Peak, Zoro, Lucci, Akin, and Kuro looked forward to the battles scheduled in seven days, and Kuro set off for Arubana to collect the Devil Fruit.
• Nami knocked Sanji down after he excitedly repeated that a woman chef had joined, and the crew joked about Nami's frightening Haki before scattering.
• The next day, Gawain visited Alabasta's royal library, where Cobra handed him a worn history book.

Gawain learned that the Red Dragon Fruit was tied to Alabasta’s history and a legendary conflict with a White Dragon, then resolved to grow stronger rather than dwell on the fruit’s possible will. Kuro claimed the Mythical Zoan Kamaitachi Fruit, whose speed and whirlwind-like abilities surpassed his previous limits.

• Cobra showed Gawain an old Alabasta history book that described the Red Dragon’s power to draw endlessly on ley line energy and warned him to use it carefully.
• Gawain found an illustration of the Red Dragon battling a divine, six-winged White Dragon and wondered whether the Red Dragon Fruit had chosen him, but he reassured himself that the Captain System could not be overcome.
• Gawain focused on training his Haki and swordsmanship, then returned to the palace, where Kuro had arrived after racing from Whiskey Peak to claim the Devil Fruit awarded to the tournament’s first-place winner.
• Kuro opened Vivi’s chest and ate the Mythical Zoan Weasel-Weasel Fruit, revealing a Kamaitachi form that controlled airflow and unleashed invisible blades at tremendous speed.
• The system raised Kuro’s potential from Silver Rank to Gold-tier, and Gawain joined him in the desert to test the fruit’s abilities.
• Kuro explained that his high-speed movement made him an invisible whirlwind, giving him an ability similar to elementalization.

Kuro tested his new Weasel-Weasel Fruit against Gawain, but Gawain’s overwhelming strength reminded him how far he still had to go. Meanwhile, Zephyr and Aokiji sailed toward Alabasta, where Zephyr intended to confront the situation despite Sengoku’s orders.

• Kuro challenged Gawain with his new Weasel-Weasel Fruit, and Gawain told him to master the Six Powers and consider developing a Paper Arts Body.
• Kuro used a speed technique combining Soru and Spoon Stance, but Gawain stopped his attack and carved a vast fissure through the desert with Sword Qi.
• Kuro recognized the immense gap between himself and Gawain, while Gawain praised Kuro’s rapid growth and Kuro vowed to reach his level.
• Zephyr ignored Sengoku’s order to return and continued taking a warship toward Alabasta with Aokiji.
• Zephyr told Aokiji that the Navy knew he had helped Robin at Ohara, and he argued that a compassionate Fleet Admiral would be preferable to Sakazuki.

Gawain's Conqueror's Haki broke through to Level Four, and its eruption across Arubana led Cobra to consider bringing the Martial Arts Tournament—and Gawain's interests—to Alabasta. Gawain began trying to master Conqueror's Haki Infusion, but his efforts were interrupted at dawn by news that Nico Robin had been spotted.

• Kuro returned to Whiskey Peak ahead of the internal ranking match, while Gawain continued sparring with Kizaru to train his Conqueror's Haki.
• Gawain's Conqueror's Haki reached Level Four and erupted across more than half of Arubana, knocking out guards, civilians, and Marines.
• Cobra recognized Gawain's Conqueror's Haki and decided to invite the Martial Arts Tournament to Alabasta so the country could benefit from Gawain's protection and investment.
• Kizaru realized Gawain had found his own way to strengthen his Haki and worried that his training had helped a potential enemy.
• Gawain sensed the flow of his Conqueror's Haki but could not yet coat his attacks with it, so he kept practicing through the night.
• At dawn, Gawain heard people outside announce that they had found Nico Robin and ordered others not to let her escape.

As Marines closed in on the Alabasta palace to arrest Robin, Gawain refused to abandon her, and Cobra proposed making her his daughter to protect her. Kizaru entered the infirmary and found Cobra caring for Robin, but he still confronted the king over reports that she was there.

• Kizaru learned that Robin was in the palace and set out to capture her, while Robin saw the Marines gathering outside and decided to take responsibility alone.
• Gawain broke into the infirmary and ordered Robin to leave with him, but she refused to risk his Shichibukai status and Alabasta’s future.
• Gawain told Robin he would take her by force if necessary, and Cobra and Vivi arrived after hearing their argument.
• Cobra offered to protect Robin by declaring her his daughter, with Gawain prepared to take the blame if the plan failed.
• Kizaru and the Marines entered the infirmary, where Cobra was feeding Robin medicine, and Kizaru asked Cobra about the report that Robin was in the palace.

Gawain and Cobra prevented Kizaru from taking Robin by relying on Cobra’s authority and the support of Alabasta’s people. Kizaru withdrew, but Gawain agreed to handle several problems for him, and Robin was to remain in Alabasta as a real princess while they dealt with Gabra and the others.

• Cobra insisted that Robin was his ill daughter Nico, and challenged Kizaru over the Navy’s treatment of civilians.
• Kizaru accepted Cobra’s claim and ordered the Marines to leave after seeing Alabasta’s civilians defend the king.
• Kizaru revealed that he knew Gawain was outside the window and hinted that he would keep quiet if Gawain took care of Baroque Works officers and nearby pirate crews.
• Gawain accepted Kizaru’s demands, and the Marines withdrew from the palace as the royal guards calmed the crowd.
• Gawain told Vivi and the others that Robin should remain in Alabasta and pose as a real princess until Kizaru withdrew, then asked where Gabra and the others were.