Chapter Summaries

Luffy and the escaped Impel Down prisoners crashed into Marineford to rescue Ace as Kaido arrived and clashed with Shanks. Kizaru and Aokiji moved to contain the Emperor confrontation, leaving Marineford in an even more volatile crisis.

• Garp remained silent when Sengoku asked whether he would act as Ace's execution approached.
• Luffy, Crocodile, Jinbe, Ivankov, Buggy, and other Impel Down escapees landed at Marineford, and Luffy declared he had come to save Ace.
• Kaido arrived with King, declaring that he had come to settle his debt to Whitebeard over Oden's death.
• Shanks struck Kaido with Divine Departure and intercepted him, while King and the Red Hair Pirates were drawn into the fighting.
• Kizaru and Aokiji left Marineford's main battlefield to confront Kaido and Shanks, creating a dangerous three-way standoff.

Enel returned from the New World and joined Bullet against the fighters surrounding him, while Lipo confronted Hancock for attacking both Marines and pirates. As the Marines’ defenses faltered, Doflamingo and Moria quietly decided to turn against them.

• Bullet struggled against Jozu, Vista, Crocodile, King, Marco, and Benn Beckman until Enel arrived in a massive lightning strike.
• Enel told Bullet that his fight with the Big Mom Pirates had reached a stalemate and declared himself invincible on the Marineford battlefield.
• Hancock fired Slave Arrows indiscriminately to clear a path for Luffy, and Lipo intervened to protect the Marine soldiers.
• Lipo challenged Hancock over her actions, and the two began fighting with Haki and martial arts against Lipo’s twin carrot-shaped blades.
• Doflamingo and Moria saw the Marines’ encirclement breaking down and discreetly agreed to switch sides if it suited their interests.

Edward Newgate returned to his prime and overwhelmed Gern in a clash that destroyed Tesoro’s golden empire. Marineford’s fighters were left wondering whether Gern could lose to the restored World’s Strongest Man.

• Edward Newgate unleashed overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki, shocking Sengoku, Golden Lion, Marco, Kaido, Shanks, and the battlefield.
• Bullet recognized that Gern’s plan had brought Whitebeard back and watched as Gern faced him.
• Newgate roared and struck with his full strength, shattering the sky and collapsing Tesoro’s golden empire.
• Gern was blasted backward as prime Whitebeard emerged from the collapse with Murakumogiri and his former fighting spirit.
• Bullet, Enel, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Calamity’s core members realized that Gern might be defeated, while Marineford fell silent in shock.

Gern and Whitebeard fought a devastating battle, trading powerful Haki-infused attacks across a shattered island. Whitebeard demanded Gern’s name, then declared him worthy of his full strength as their final slashes collided.

• Gern ripped a slab of seabed from the ocean, and Whitebeard answered with a mountain-cleaving slash that split the island in two when Gern blocked it.
• Gern attacked Whitebeard with Eight Extremes Jade, but Whitebeard’s shockwave detonated the spheres and his Observation Haki let him punch Gern in the chest.
• Gern endured Whitebeard’s blow and struck his abdomen with Godslayer Nail, but Whitebeard stayed on his feet and knocked Gern into the island’s ruins.
• Whitebeard pressed his attack with another overhead slash and asked Gern for his name, recalling their first encounter.
• Gern gave his full name, Gern Reginald Sigma, and Whitebeard introduced himself as Edward Newgate before declaring Gern worthy of his full strength.
• Gern and Whitebeard unleashed their slashes against each other.

Gern and Whitebeard fought an escalating battle, shattering the island and tearing open the sea as they traded powerful attacks. Whitebeard outmaneuvered Gern and smashed him into the exposed seabed, then watched the crater warily.

• Whitebeard challenged Gern to take the title of strongest, and Gern declared that the title already belonged to him.
• Gern used Observation Haki and tremor-powered attacks to strike Whitebeard, but Whitebeard countered with Murakumogiri and sent Gern hurtling away.
• Tesoro created a golden platform so Gern could land and block Whitebeard's thrust before the platform began crumbling beneath their clash.
• Whitebeard used Seaquake: Severance to tear the sea apart, while Gern tried to disintegrate everything around him with Heavenquake: Airspace Disintegration.
• Whitebeard anticipated Gern's attack, used a flying slash to force him to dodge, then struck him from behind with Rend: Sky Collapse.
• Gern crashed into the exposed seabed and blasted out a huge crater as Whitebeard descended cautiously above him.

Gern unleashed his controlled Domain Expansion against Whitebeard, claiming authority over vibration and using it to halt, freeze, and superheat the domain. He left Whitebeard’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit power stripped from his fist and under his control.

• Gern revealed his Domain Expansion, which dismantled matter and energy into pale mist as it spread across the seabed.
• Gern halted vibration throughout the domain, briefly preventing Whitebeard from using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
• Gern imposed absolute zero across the domain, freezing Whitebeard, then reversed the effect and turned the particles into an inferno of extreme heat.
• Gern released his suppression of Whitebeard’s fruit power, then made the vibration gathered around Whitebeard’s fist disintegrate into particles.
• Gern drew Whitebeard’s vibrational energy into his palm and declared that he controlled everything within the domain.

Whitebeard broke free of Gern’s awakened Devil Fruit laws with overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki, and the two continued their battle as equals. Gern and Whitebeard unleashed their ultimate attacks against each other, leaving their collision poised to shatter the heavens.

• Whitebeard used Conqueror’s Haki to negate Gern’s vibration-stripping effect and restore his Tremor-Tremor Fruit power.
• Whitebeard attacked with Murakumogiri, but Gern used his domain to perceive the strike, disperse into vibration particles, and reform behind him.
• Gern summoned thousands of Divine Arrows, which Whitebeard destroyed with a circular slash.
• Gern recalled Eight Desolations and compressed his domain into Ninefold Quake Rings around the blade.
• Whitebeard poured his Haki into Murakumogiri and challenged Gern to defeat him and earn his place in the era.
• Gern and Whitebeard launched their final attacks, and their collision shattered the heavens.

Gern's battle with Whitebeard ended with Whitebeard choosing not to exploit Gern's moment of despair, and he warned Gern about facing the world. After reuniting with Ace and hearing that he had been the best father, Whitebeard proclaimed that the One Piece was real and died standing.

• Whitebeard returned to his aged, exhausted state while Gern demanded to know why he could never win.
• Whitebeard told Gern he was already the strongest and warned him not to lose when facing the world, then asked him to give back the time he had left.
• Luffy and the others freed Ace, and Whitebeard asked Ace whether he had been a good father.
• Ace declared that Whitebeard was the best father anyone could ask for, and Whitebeard smiled in satisfaction.
• Whitebeard proclaimed that the One Piece was real, then died on the battlefield without falling.

After Whitebeard died, Kaido abandoned the battle and Shiki reacted with fury and grief. Shiki charged Gern, declaring that the age of legends was not over and that he was still there.

• Kaido threatened Shanks with a fight to the death, then left Marineford in his dragon form with King following him.
• Shiki saw Whitebeard dead and struggled to accept that the man who had returned to his prime had fallen to Gern.
• Akainu attacked Shiki while he was stunned, but Shiki countered with a Haki-infused slash and drove him back.
• Shiki flew toward Gern and unleashed a massive cross-shaped sword slash, shouting that he was still there.

After Whitebeard’s death, Gern abandoned his regret and confronted Golden Lion Shiki, declaring that he would bury the remnants of the old era. Gern overwhelmed Shiki’s attacks, but Shiki unleashed a final massive assault with the Float-Float Fruit.

• Remembering Whitebeard’s words, Gern recovered his resolve and blocked Golden Lion’s attack with Eight Desolations.
• Gern told Shiki he would bury the remnants of the legendary era and split Marineford apart with his blade.
• Shiki unleashed thousands of Flying Slashes, but Gern deflected them as he advanced.
• Shiki sent enormous chunks of wreckage crashing down, and Gern sliced them apart with Heavenquake: Instant Prison Kill.
• Gern used Tremor Flash to reach Shiki, shattered his Slash Wave, and wounded him with a blow that sent him crashing through floating boulders.
• Shiki refused to accept defeat and used Lion’s Might: Earth Roll to form gigantic stone lion heads that lunged at Gern.

Gern defeated Golden Lion Shiki with a devastating strike, but his injuries and exhaustion caught up with him. Blackbeard and his crew surrounded him to seize his power, only for Gern to immobilize them with his Conqueror’s Haki.

• Gern shattered Golden Lion’s attacks, seized Shiki, and hurled him into a vast crater with a powerful blow.
• Gern staggered and spat blood as the injuries and exhaustion from his battles with Whitebeard and Golden Lion took their toll.
• Blackbeard appeared beside Whitebeard’s body and confronted Gern, while the Blackbeard Pirates encircled him.
• Blackbeard declared that he intended to take Gern’s power, and Gern challenged the crew to attack him despite his weakened state.
• Gern unleashed targeted Conqueror’s Haki that forced weaker crew members to their knees and left the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates immobilized.

Blackbeard abandoned his attempt to take Gern’s power and instead covered Whitebeard’s body to steal the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Gern let him proceed and turned his thoughts to Whitebeard’s warning about a mysterious “World,” which he believed had defeated Rocks and might one day test whether he could control his own power.

• Blackbeard decided that confronting the wounded Gern was too risky and signaled Van Augur and Lafitte to cover Whitebeard’s body with a black cloth.
• Gern chose not to stop Blackbeard, judging that intervening would worsen his injuries without changing what had already happened to Whitebeard.
• Gern connected Whitebeard’s warning and Golden Lion’s revelations to the fall of the Rocks Pirates, suspecting that an ancient entity called the “World” had defeated Rocks.
• Gern understood that losing to the “World” could mean losing control of himself and leaving the world beyond salvation.
• Gern tightened his grip on Eight Desolations and resolved to investigate the secrets behind the “World.”

Ace and Marco tried to stop Blackbeard from desecrating Whitebeard’s body, while Akainu blocked the pirates’ retreat and revealed Ace and Luffy’s parentage. Ain revived Golden Lion Shiki for one attack, and after Blackbeard demonstrated that he wielded both the Dark-Dark and Tremor-Tremor Fruits, Shiki confronted him in fury.

• Ace attacked Blackbeard’s covered gathering with a Fire Fist, but Shiryu cut the flames apart, and Marco restrained Ace and urged the pirates to retreat.
• Akainu blocked the retreat and revealed that Ace and Luffy were the sworn brothers of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Dragon, then prepared to kill them.
• Ain revived Golden Lion Shiki and told him he could make one move before her ability’s effect ended; Shiki chose to target Gern.
• Blackbeard revealed that he had gained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit’s power in addition to the Dark-Dark Fruit’s, stunning everyone at Marineford.
• Golden Lion Shiki saw Blackbeard desecrating Whitebeard’s body and unleashed his Conqueror’s Haki as he demanded to know what Blackbeard was doing to his companion and rival.

Golden Lion Shiki unleashed his final attack on Blackbeard, condemning him for betraying Whitebeard and striking him unconscious. He then died beside Whitebeard, marking the fall of the last of the old era’s three legendary pillars.

• Golden Lion Shiki revived his strength with Conqueror’s Haki and accused Blackbeard of betraying Whitebeard, who had called him son.
• Blackbeard tried to stop Golden Lion Shiki with Dark Water, but Golden Lion Shiki’s final Lion’s Mighty Slash overwhelmed him and left his fate unknown.
• Golden Lion Shiki flew to Whitebeard’s body and leaned against him as he spoke about their rivalry, their shared era, and his regret at never finding a family.
• Golden Lion Shiki died beside Whitebeard, completing the collapse of the old era’s three legendary pillars.

The Blackbeard Pirates fled Marineford after Golden Lion Shiki’s final attack nearly killed Teach. Gern mourned Shiki alongside the fallen legends of the old era and faced the loneliness of being the last one left to shape the future.

• Doc Q and the Curse Doctor Kronos found Teach barely alive and used restorative fungi to treat his injuries.
• Lafitte ordered the Blackbeard Pirates to escape, and Avalo Pizarro dragged Teach toward their waiting ship as the crew fled.
• Gern saw Whitebeard and Shiki resting side by side and realized Shiki had made his final strike to defend the dignity of someone he respected.
• Gern reflected on Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki, concluding that the old era had ended and he was alone on the seas.
• Exhausted, Gern lay on the rubble and stared at the sky as he began adjusting to the burden of defining the path ahead.

As Akainu pursued the retreating Whitebeard Pirates, Sengoku discovered that Gern had secretly arranged another Den Den Mushi broadcast and was still manipulating events while feigning collapse. Akainu struck at Luffy, but Ace took the blow meant for his little brother, leaving Luffy shattered as Ace bled in his arms.

• Akainu relentlessly pursued Ace, Luffy, and the Whitebeard Pirates' remnants while Marco, Jozu, and the others tried to protect their retreat.
• Sengoku noticed Gern lying motionless and discovered a disguised Den Den Mushi that revealed Gern had arranged a secret broadcast.
• Akainu seized Luffy's opening and launched Hell Hound at his back.
• Ace shoved Jozu aside and threw himself in front of Luffy, taking Akainu's magma strike through his chest.
• Luffy saw Ace gravely wounded and broke down, screaming his brother's name as Ace bled onto his face.

Ace sacrificed himself to protect Luffy from Akainu’s second magma attack and cried out to Garp for help. Garp broke through his restraint and struck Akainu so hard that he flew across Marineford and crashed into an island, his fate uncertain.

• Akainu unleashed another explosion of magma through Ace’s chest and aimed to kill Luffy as well.
• Ace grabbed Akainu’s fist, then cried out to Garp as he tried to protect Luffy.
• Garp’s Conqueror’s Haki erupted, and he charged from the execution platform toward Akainu.
• Garp punched Akainu in the face, sending him hurtling into a mountainside on Marineford’s outer edge.

After Garp struck Akainu, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Bullet restrained him as he broke down over Ace’s death, and Sengoku let him grieve. On Supply Island, Aokiji stopped Akainu from returning to the battlefield and confronted him over his pursuit of absolute justice, deepening their enmity.

• Garp struck Akainu down, and Sengoku, Zephyr, and Bullet pinned him to the ground as he mourned Ace.
• Garp remembered Ace’s last plea and sobbed over failing to protect his grandson; Sengoku eased his grip and allowed him to grieve.
• Sakazuki rose from the crater on Supply Island and prepared to return to the battlefield, calling Garp’s actions a betrayal of justice.
• Aokiji froze Supply Island and the surrounding sea, then told Sakazuki that Garp had acted as a grieving grandfather and that absolute justice had limits.
• Sakazuki and Aokiji confronted each other over whether they would fight, leaving their grudge firmly established.

Red-Haired Shanks arrived at Marineford to end the war, but Gern challenged his motives and refused to let him decide the outcome. With Marineford’s strongest fighters assembled behind him, Gern demanded to know whether Shanks truly intended to fight the Marines to the bitter end.

• Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates arrived at the shattered harbor entrance as the surviving pirates began retreating.
• Shanks called on Sengoku to end the war, but Gern returned with Lipo, Enel, and Tesoro and declared that the Marines still held the initiative.
• Gern covered Ace’s body with Garp’s Justice Coat and privately questioned Shanks about Roger’s words, fate, and the cost of his mission.
• Shanks rejected Gern’s probing, spread his Conqueror’s Haki across the battlefield, and publicly asked everyone to stop fighting before challenging Gern.
• Kizaru, Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, Bullet, Lipo, Enel, Tesoro, and the Vice Admirals gathered behind Gern as he asked Shanks if he was sure he wanted to fight Marine Headquarters.

Koby’s plea for peace gave Shanks an opening to withdraw the Red Hair Pirates, but Gern turned on Koby for speaking on the pirates’ behalf without having fought or protected anyone. Gern publicly condemned him as the shame of the Marines.

• As the Red Hair Pirates faced the Marine forces alone, Koby woke and rushed between them and Gern, shouting for everyone to stop fighting.
• Shanks seized on Koby’s plea as an excuse to claim the Marines wanted peace and led his crew away.
• Koby congratulated himself for stopping the war and lectured Gern, who slapped him and demanded to know how many pirates he had killed.
• Gern rebuked Koby for speaking despite having neither faced the battle nor protected anyone, while the Marines’ leaders let him continue.
• Gern hauled Koby up before the assembled Marines and declared him the shame of the Marines.