Chapter Summaries

Kamon hosted Gawain’s crew for a long feast before they departed the island and resumed their voyage. When Zoro awoke aboard Gawain’s ship, Gawain offered him a wager that could win back his freedom and Johnny and Joseph, leaving Zoro intrigued by the chance to grow stronger beside him.

• Kamon welcomed Gawain and his companions with a feast that lasted several days, then Gawain left him a Den Den Mushi and sailed away with the crew.
• Zoro awoke and asked where Johnny and Joseph were, then learned Gawain had rescued him and claimed he owed three lives.
• Gawain wagered that Zoro could attack him until he made Gawain bleed; if Zoro succeeded, Gawain would free him and hand over Johnny and Joseph, but if he failed, Zoro would be the stake.
• Zoro attacked Gawain, who held off his three swords and then cut a leaping sea beast in two with a Flying Slash.
• Zoro became interested in joining Gawain’s crew so he could spar with him and grow stronger, while insisting he would become the strongest in his own way.

After Zoro recovered from his first defeat, he challenged Gawain again, while the crew watched and speculated about Gawain’s ability to recognize talent. The chapter ended as Zoro prepared to fight, with Akin suggesting that Zoro never intended to win.

• Gawain pushed Zoro overboard during their fight, and Zoro’s reopened wounds left him too weak to continue.
• Gawain told Zoro to recover before challenging him again, and Johnny and Joseph carried the exhausted swordsman to the cabin.
• Gawain praised Zoro’s potential, prompting Kuro to challenge Gawain’s judgment before heading to train with Akin.
• After three days of rest, Zoro challenged Gawain again and showed noticeable improvement, surprising Kuro.
• Akin suggested that Zoro might never have intended to win, while Kuro wondered whether Gawain could recognize people’s potential at a glance.

Zoro repeatedly challenged Gawain and was defeated until exhaustion, but his resolve and swordsmanship grew through the fight. He acknowledged Gawain as his mentor and joined his crew, while Joseph and Johnny also chose to join.

• Zoro charged Gawain again and again, and Gawain repeatedly disarmed or struck him into the sea while Nami tracked his defeats on a blackboard.
• Zoro continued fighting through the night, driven by his determination to become the World's Number One, while Gawain recognized his resolve and promised to keep waiting for him.
• Exhausted after nearly a thousand defeats, Zoro asked Gawain to guide him and acknowledged that he could not yet match the captain.
• Gawain accepted Zoro's request, and Zoro said he would surpass him; Joseph and Johnny then eagerly asked to join Zoro's crew.
• Kuro told Akin that Zoro's swordsmanship had improved dramatically, prompting both men to secretly train instead of going to sleep.

Kuro, Akin, and Zoro pushed themselves through an escalating contest in the training room after Zoro arrived eager to train. Nami continued her Navigation work and later covered the exhausted men with blankets, while the crew settled into the night.

• Kuro and Akin returned to the training room when Zoro began lifting heavy weights, unwilling to let the newcomer outdo them.
• Zoro added more weight and teased Kuro and Akin about being old, prompting them to double their loads and keep training.
• Nami dismissed the men’s reckless competition and focused on her Navigation duties, which she had taken charge of with the crew’s trust.
• After night fell, Kuro, Akin, and Zoro collapsed asleep in the training room, and Nami covered each of them with a blanket.

Gawain gained a huge amount of experience from Zoro, reached Swordsmanship LV-6, and trained through the night. At Raven Port, Gaza saw how the Devil Fruit had transformed her appearance and wondered whether Gawain might want the other fruit.

• Gawain discovered that Zoro’s Gold-tier potential had earned him substantial experience, then raised his Swordsmanship to LV-6.
• Gawain practiced his newly refined sword techniques on deck until dawn while Nami watched briefly and thought about Kuro.
• Gawain learned that Kuro and two others had overtrained and would be bedridden for several days, preventing him from gaining experience from them.
• At Raven Port, Gaza and Molly saw that Gaza had become strikingly beautiful after eating a Devil Fruit.
• Gaza looked at the other Devil Fruit and wondered whether Mr. Gawain would want it.

At Baratie, Gaza learned that Gawain’s bounty had risen to eighty-five million Berries, but Sanji accused him of abandoning Princess Guinevere before she was executed. Gaza left the restaurant upset, while Sanji questioned whether he deserved to be called a knight; the chapter ended with the Gawain Pirates watching a movie aboard their ship.

• Molly warned Gaza not to give Gawain the unknown Devil Fruit until they learned its ability, and Gaza agreed to wait.
• Gaza and Molly visited Baratie, where Sanji welcomed them and seated them on the observation deck.
• Gaza noticed Gawain’s eighty-five-million-Berry Wanted Poster, and Molly told her his bounty had risen more than a month earlier.
• Sanji accused Gawain of abandoning Princess Guinevere, and Gaza defended Gawain’s actions at Raven Port.
• Zeff kicked Sanji into the sea for speaking crudely to the women, then apologized to Gaza, who left with Molly and her guards.
• Sanji returned to Baratie after watching Gaza leave and muttered that he might not deserve the title of a knight, while the Gawain Pirates watched a movie aboard their ship.

After the crew watched a movie about Gawain and Queen Guinevere, Gawain explained her final order and her execution, and Nami promised the crew would stay by his side. On the voyage to Para Island, Zoro, Kuro, and Akin trained intensely, helping Gawain improve his swordsmanship, physique, and Shave.

• The crew teased Gawain while watching a movie about his past with Queen Guinevere, and he endured the embarrassment until it ended.
• Gawain told Nami that Guinevere had ordered him to survive, and that he later learned she had been executed.
• Nami cried for Guinevere and promised Gawain that she, Kuro, Akin, and Moss Head would stay with him; Gawain resolved to keep going until he found his treasure.
• After recovering from their overtraining, Zoro, Kuro, and Akin resumed training, with Zoro eager to reach Gawain's level and Akin pushing himself to keep pace.
• When the ship reached Para Island, Gawain's swordsmanship and physique reached LV-7 and LV-8, while his Shave advanced to LV-4.

Gawain returned to Para Island, planned his crew’s preparations for the Grand Line, and continued gaining experience from their training. After more than a month, his Shave skill reached Level 5 and unlocked Flash Step.

• Gawain returned to Para Island, where the pirates welcomed him and celebrated with a banquet alongside Zoro and Nami.
• Gawain planned to build a ship, search for Sanji, and strengthen himself before entering the Grand Line, while wondering how to awaken Armament Haki.
• Gawain watched Kuro, Zoro, and the others train, while Kuro privately hoped to take over as captain.
• Gaza contacted a shipyard and arranged blueprints for Gawain’s ship, while the Catman Brothers continued searching for Restaurant Baratie and Sanji.
• After more than a month of training, Gawain’s Shave reached Level 5 and unlocked the branch ability Flash Step.

Gawain tested Flash Step, whose immense burst speed pushed his Rating into Silver, and wondered how to surpass his potential limit. The next day, his crew trained on a beach after finding their harbor training ground wrecked, while the Catman Brothers received a report of a terrifying hawk-eyed man at Restaurant Baratie.

• Gawain tested Flash Step and found it could move him at nearly three times Shave's normal speed, though the strain left his legs trembling and shattered the harbor training ground.
• Gawain checked the System Panel and saw his Rating had risen to Silver, then considered seeking a Devil Fruit or going to the Grand Line to break through his potential limit.
• Kuro, Akin, and Zoro found the harbor training ground destroyed and wrongly concluded that Gawain had wrecked it to hinder their training.
• Kuro, Akin, and Zoro moved their training to a beach, where Akin had reached Bronze Rank and Zoro had become the ship's fourth strongest crew member.
• The Catman Brothers received a report that Restaurant Baratie had been found and that a terrifying hawk-eyed man was there.

Buchi and Sam investigated a possible sighting of Hawk Eyes Mihawk, who soon appeared at Restaurant Baratie after cutting the Catman Brothers’ ship in half. Mihawk forced Gawain to come meet him by threatening his captured subordinates, leaving Gawain facing a dangerous deadline.

• Buchi and Sam dismissed the report that Hawk Eyes Mihawk had reached the East Blue, then sailed toward Restaurant Baratie to investigate.
• Hawk Eyes Mihawk destroyed the Catman Brothers’ pirate ship with a single Sword Qi attack and confronted them at Restaurant Baratie.
• Mihawk held a sword to Sam’s neck and demanded that Buchi contact Gawain, while Sam refused to betray his captain.
• Buchi called Gawain, and Mihawk told him to come to Restaurant Baratie by sunset the next day or his subordinates would die.
• Gawain recognized Mihawk and realized he had little choice but to face him.

Gawain chose to face Hawk Eyes rather than abandon the Catman Brothers, and he left Para Island with Zoro to confront him. Meanwhile, Sanji fed the captured Catman Brothers and learned how much their crew trusted Gawain.

• Gawain decided he could not leave the Catman Brothers to die, despite knowing Hawk Eyes vastly outmatched him.
• Gawain and Zoro secretly sailed away from Para Island, but Zoro rowed them in the wrong direction until Gawain noticed.
• The Catman Brothers and their crew remained chained in a Baratie storage room, where Sam comforted a remorseful Buchi.
• Sanji brought the hungry pirates fried rice and gave Buchi a second helping.
• Sam told Sanji that Gawain was an unreliable pirate by ordinary standards but the most dependable comrade, and that he had given them another chance at life.

Sanji told Sam that Gawain might not come to rescue them, then revealed that Hawk Eyes had no intention of killing the imprisoned pirates. On Para Island, Kuro realized Gawain had gone with Zoro to face Hawk Eyes Mihawk, and he rallied the crew to find Restaurant Baratie and follow them.

• Sanji questioned whether Gawain would come for Sam, who hoped his captain would survive and lead the crew onward.
• Sam and the other pirates thanked Sanji for the fried rice, and Sanji told them Hawk Eyes probably would spare their lives.
• Kuro learned Gawain and Zoro had left Para Island, and inferred they were going after Hawk Eyes Mihawk to rescue the Catman Brothers.
• Kuro warned the crew that following Gawain could mean death, but no one left, so he ordered them to find Restaurant Baratie.

Hawk Eyes waited at Restaurant Baratie for Gawain, confident he would come, while Sanji doubted that Gawain would risk himself for anyone. Gawain and Zoro arrived, and Zoro began his long-awaited challenge to Hawk Eyes, who stopped his three-sword attack with a tiny dagger.

• Hawk Eyes told Zeff that Gawain would come, while Sanji insisted Gawain could not be trusted because he had abandoned the Princess.
• As the sun set, Gawain and Zoro rowed into view, prompting Zeff to praise their willingness to risk their lives for a comrade.
• Zoro drew his three swords and stepped forward to challenge Hawk Eyes before Gawain could react.
• Hawk Eyes drew a tiny blade from his cross and joked that he had no smaller knife, prompting Zoro to complain that great swordsmen kept using the same trick.
• Zoro launched a three-direction attack, but Hawk Eyes met the converging swords with the tip of his dagger and stopped them cold.

Zoro challenged Hawk Eyes and suffered a devastating defeat after refusing to retreat, earning the swordsman’s respect. Sanji questioned why Gawain had not intervened, and Zeff explained that some things mattered more than life, including a swordsman’s ambition.

• Zoro attacked Hawk Eyes with his Three-Sword Style, but Hawk Eyes calmly parried every strike with a tiny dagger.
• Zeff explained that Hawk Eyes had not yet drawn his true sword and was likely waiting to face Gawain, the strongest swordsman in the East Blue.
• Hawk Eyes stabbed Zoro, then praised him for refusing to retreat and slashed him across the chest with Black Sword Night.
• Sanji angrily asked Gawain why he had let Zoro be injured, and Gawain said intervening would have insulted Zoro.
• Zeff told Sanji that some things surpassed life and profit, including a swordsman’s determination to defeat Hawk Eyes.

Gawain faced Hawk Eyes after entrusting the wounded Zoro to Zeff, and prepared to fight despite the enormous gap in their strength. Their first clash shattered Baratie’s deck and left the onlookers struggling to follow their speed.

• Gawain asked Zeff to have the Ship Doctor treat Zoro and learned that his crew was safe in the storeroom.
• Gawain urged Sanji to join his ship if he survived, and Sanji warned him not to die.
• Gawain confronted Hawk Eyes, who praised his spirit and explained that swords could become black blades through a swordsman’s conviction and will.
• Gawain attacked Hawk Eyes with Tooth Thrust - Flash, but Hawk Eyes precisely met his thrust with his black blade.
• The collision split and sank Baratie’s deck, sending Gawain flying while Hawk Eyes remained calm.

Gawain fought Hawk Eyes at sea, hoping the overwhelming pressure would help him understand his swordsmanship and strengthen his conviction. Hawk Eyes judged Gawain’s potential, then unleashed a powerful Flying Slash that Gawain barely dodged, splitting the sea open to the seabed.

• Gawain wrapped his bloodied hand around Kansei Masamune and charged Hawk Eyes again, eager to test himself against the World's Number One.
• Gawain and Hawk Eyes exchanged powerful blows as Zeff ordered the cooks to detach the extended deck and retreat Restaurant Baratie from the battlefield.
• Gawain’s strongest thrust failed to wound Hawk Eyes, who compared him to impure gold and urged him to temper his conviction through battle.
• Hawk Eyes gripped Black Sword Night with both hands and sent a blue-green Flying Slash toward Gawain.
• Gawain’s Observation Haki warned him, and he barely dodged as Hawk Eyes’s slash split the sea and exposed the seabed.

Gawain awakened Armament Haki after Hawk Eyes taught him that Haki came from faith, then clashed with him and fell with a severe chest wound. Hawk Eyes spared him, but discovered Gawain had managed to cut his shoulder before losing consciousness.

• The chefs and onlookers fled after witnessing Gawain and Hawk Eyes fight, while Zoro realized Gawain had never expected to return alive.
• Gawain understood that Hawk Eyes was trying to kill him and asked what Haki was; Hawk Eyes explained that it came down to faith in one’s strength and purpose.
• Gawain awakened Armament Haki, coating Kansei Masamune in black, and declared that their second round had begun.
• Hawk Eyes attacked, and the two black blades clashed with enough force to shatter the deck; Gawain was struck in the chest and lost consciousness.
• Hawk Eyes chose not to kill the fallen Gawain, then noticed a fresh wound on his own shoulder from Gawain’s blade.

After surviving his battle with Hawk Eyes, Gawain discovered that his potential had risen to Gold-tier and reflected on the new path he could take to strengthen his Haki. Sanji then confronted him about abandoning Princess Guinevere, but Gawain answered by pointing out that she had lied to Sanji too.

• Hawk Eyes felt the wound on his shoulder and welcomed the prospect of fighting Gawain again.
• Gawain woke the next afternoon beside the recovering Zoro and recognized how far his strength fell short of Hawk Eyes's.
• Gawain checked his system and found that his rating reflected his understanding of his true heart and that his potential had become Gold-tier.
• Sanji brought Gawain food and asked why he had abandoned Princess Guinevere despite having the strength and will to protect his subordinates.
• Gawain recalled Sanji's cooking from years earlier and told him that Guinevere had lied to him as well.

At Baratie, Zeff recalled how Sanji first fell for Queen Guinevere after she kindly ate his terrible cooking, while Gawain rested and urged Sanji to join his crew. Gawain’s pirates arrived after Hawk Eyes left, and their reunion showed Gawain how much his crew relied on him.

• Zeff stopped Carné from inflating the damage bill, then told the chefs how Guinevere had eaten Sanji’s awful tomato consommé and kissed his cheek.
• Gawain enjoyed Sanji’s improved tomato consommé and asked him to join his crew, but Sanji said he still had reasons to stay with Zeff.
• After Gawain fell asleep, Zeff spotted two Gawain Pirates ships approaching Baratie.
• Kuro, Akin, and Nami arrived, learned Gawain was safe, and hurried to his room.
• Kuro scolded Gawain for facing danger alone, while Akin restrained him and Nami cried with relief.
• Gawain saw how his crew looked to him as their backbone and admitted he had been willful.

Zeff fired Sanji from the Baratie so he would pursue his dream of finding the All Blue with Gawain's crew. Sanji joined Gawain's ship, and it sailed away from the restaurant with Sanji watching the Baratie recede.

• Sanji overheard Gawain and Zeff discussing his dream and regretted refusing Gawain's invitation.
• Zeff and the Baratie's crew fired Sanji, knocked him down, and shut him out on the deck.
• Zeff explained that he wanted Sanji to pursue the All Blue, while Gawain agreed to take him aboard.
• Gawain freed his crew from the storeroom and offered Sanji a place on his ship.
• Sanji accepted after spotting Nami, then Nami slapped him and dragged him aboard.
• Gawain's ship set sail as Sanji watched the Baratie shrink in the distance.