Chapter Summaries

Sengoku summoned Gern to New Marineford to assess World Military Draft candidates Issho and Aramaki, forcing him to go by threatening to quit and take Garp fishing. As Gern and Kizaru headed to the drill grounds, Aramaki taunted Issho and insulted Gern and Momousagi, angering Zephyr’s students.

• Sengoku told Gern that Issho and Aramaki had defeated Momousagi and Chaton and needed his final assessment for the vacant Admiral positions.
• Gern agreed to go after Sengoku threatened to quit and take Garp fishing, then ordered Kizaru to come along and summon Mihawk and Bullet if their fight had ended.
• At New Marineford, Aramaki complained about waiting for Gern and boasted that he could defeat him and claim his position.
• Issho calmly warned Aramaki that Gern was strong, but Aramaki dismissed the warning and mocked Momousagi and her past relationship with Gern.
• Ain and Binz grew furious at Aramaki’s insults, while Zephyr remained composed nearby.

Zephyr compared Issho and Aramaki’s assessments and saw a compassionate sense of justice in Issho, but a ruthless, Celestial Dragon–worshipping outlook in Aramaki. As Aramaki talked about seeking a post in Mary Geoise, Issho sensed four formidable figures approaching, and Gern arrived with Kizaru, Dracule Mihawk, and Douglas Bullet.

• Zephyr read Issho and Aramaki’s assessments, praising Issho’s benevolent justice and condemning Aramaki’s faith in absolute power and the Celestial Dragons.
• Aramaki told Issho that he admired Sakazuki but wanted a safe, prestigious post protecting the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise.
• Issho sensed four powerful presences approaching, sprang up, and opened his blind eyes as Aramaki reacted in surprise.
• Kizaru appeared and teased Aramaki about wanting to serve in the Holy Land.
• Gern arrived with Dracule Mihawk and Douglas Bullet, and their presence swept pressure across the Training Ground.

Gern arrived at the training ground with Kizaru, Hawk-Eye, and Bullet to assess Issho and Aramaki, who both sought Marine Admiral positions. Issho began displaying his swordsmanship, but Hawk-Eye stepped forward to face him, leaving Issho honored to meet the World's Greatest Swordsman.

• Gern greeted Zephyr and spoke with Ain about taking Lipo on a mission before turning to the Admiral candidates.
• Issho respectfully confirmed that he wanted to become an Admiral, while Aramaki watched to gauge Gern's strength.
• Issho drew Gambler's Fireline and released a concentrated sword aura to invite Gern to test his ability.
• Hawk-Eye identified Issho as a Great Swordsman and drew part of Yoru before announcing his name as Dracule Mihawk.
• Issho recognized Mihawk as the World's Greatest Swordsman, sheathed his blade, and offered him a respectful swordsman's salute.

Hawk-Eye defeated Issho in a swordsmanship duel, then criticized his reliance on the Press-Press Fruit. When Gern asked whether that made him impure too, Hawk-Eye declared that Gern was not a swordsman at all.

• Issho attacked Hawk-Eye with Gravity Blade: Tiger, but Hawk-Eye blocked the gravity-charged strike with Yoru.
• Hawk-Eye overwhelmed Issho with precise basic slashes, found an opening, and knocked Gambler's Fireline from his hand.
• Hawk-Eye praised Issho's swordsmanship but said his reliance on gravity kept him from being a pure Great Swordsman.
• Gern joked that Hawk-Eye's standard made him impure too, but Hawk-Eye said Gern was not a swordsman because he threw his sword and fought with his fists.
• Gern fell silent under Hawk-Eye's rebuke as Zephyr, Ain, and Binz laughed.

Gern invited Issho to join the Marines as a New World Admiral, and Issho accepted after explaining how Gern’s protection of abandoned islands had inspired him. Gern placed the Justice Cloak on Issho and named him Marine Admiral Fujitora Issho.

• Hawk-Eye assessed Issho’s overall combat strength as just enough to qualify as General-Class.
• Gern urged Issho to fill the Marines’ vacant Admiral role and uphold compassionate justice in the New World.
• Issho said he had long wanted to meet Gern and described how the Calamity flag had brought peace to islands abandoned by the World Government.
• Issho accepted Gern’s invitation, saying he wanted to work alongside him to protect the weak.
• Gern declared that the Marines belonged to the people and draped the Justice Cloak over Issho’s shoulders.
• Gern welcomed Issho as Marine Admiral Fujitora Issho.

Aramaki challenged Gern for the Admiral position, but Bullet intercepted his opening attack and mocked his strength. Aramaki unleashed a furious barrage with his Woods-Woods Fruit, yet Bullet remained unmoved and dismissed him as weak.

• Aramaki challenged Gern and declared he would take his position if he won.
• Aramaki charged Gern with an Armament Haki-coated punch, but Bullet stepped in and blocked the attack with his chest.
• Bullet mocked Aramaki for barely reaching General-Class and ridiculed his Logia ability.
• Aramaki flew into a rage and attacked Bullet with a barrage of Armament Haki-coated wooden fists.
• Bullet endured the barrage without moving and taunted Aramaki for remaining weak even when angry.

Bullet defeated Aramaki, and Gern assigned the unconscious admiral the code name Ryokugyu and a nominal post under Sakazuki. Gern then ordered Kizaru to Egghead Island to oversee Vegapunk and secure the scientist’s research for the Marines.

• Aramaki transformed into a towering tree giant and attacked Bullet, but Bullet crushed his wooden palm and shattered his form with one punch.
• Bullet dragged the unconscious Aramaki to Gern, who ordered that he be called Ryokugyu and sent back to the Holy Land with Sakazuki controlling his deployments.
• Gern said the Marines did not need Ryokugyu in the New World because Fujitora was sufficient as their stationed admiral.
• Kizaru protested that Gern had given away his post in Mary Geoise, but Gern told him to report to Egghead Island and keep an eye on Vegapunk.
• Gern declared Vegapunk and his research to be the Marines’ most important assets, and Kizaru accused him of being too greedy.

Gern asked Zephyr what really happened during the God Valley Incident and whether Rocks D. Xebec had merely tried to seize the island’s treasure. Zephyr admitted he did not know the full truth and directed Gern to seek answers from Garp and Vegapunk.

• Zephyr praised Gern for appointing Aramaki as Ryokugyu, placing him under Sakazuki, and restricting him to Paradise.
• Zephyr revealed that he knew Gern had obtained a rubbing of Big Mom’s Road Poneglyph and asked what Gern truly wanted to learn.
• Gern explained that his memories of God Valley were incomplete and asked whether Rocks had simply been a pirate seeking the island’s treasure.
• Zephyr said he could not answer because he too had been kept in the dark, and urged Gern to speak with Garp and take the Road Poneglyph to Vegapunk.

Gern told Dracule Mihawk that challenging the World Government would be inevitable and admitted he feared what he might do if he lost. Mihawk and Douglas Bullet promised to stop him if that day came, while Bullet privately believed Gern would never lose.

• Dracule Mihawk confronted Gern outside Zephyr's office and asked whether he intended to challenge the world.
• Gern said that advancing further would bring him into conflict with the World Government, and that Whitebeard's warning had convinced him to prepare for every possibility.
• Mihawk and Douglas Bullet each promised to kill or stop Gern if he became a danger after losing.
• Gern thanked them, then lightened the mood by boasting that they might not be able to defeat him.
• Gern told Mihawk that one of the Five Elders wielded the First Generation Kitetsu, and Mihawk eagerly accepted the prospect of fighting its wielder.
• Bullet watched Gern and privately recalled his promise that Gern would never lose.

Gern visited Garp to learn what had truly happened at God Valley, and Garp revealed that an incomprehensible being had transformed Rocks into a crazed puppet. His account left Gern with a far darker version of the events behind the famous alliance between Garp and Roger.

• Gern interrupted Garp's lesson to Navy recruits, and Garp dragged him outside to talk.
• Gern offered Garp spicy senbei and asked how Rocks had been defeated at God Valley.
• Garp recalled that the island had been the site of World Government atrocities against civilians, and an unkillable being had arrived there.
• Garp said that he, Roger, Rocks, Linlin, Whitebeard, and Kaido had fought the being but could not harm it.
• Garp recounted that the being pierced Rocks without leaving a wound, erased his resistance, and made him grow enormous and attack his allies.
• Garp and Roger lured the uncontrollable Rocks away from the survivors and defeated him, while Gern connected the account to his own encounter with Rocks at God Valley.

Garp told Gern that Rocks’s grief at God Valley may have come from being forced to kill someone he loved, possibly by Imu’s power to control and twist people’s wills. He admitted that he and Sengoku had both misunderstood how to oppose the World Government, while Gern already combined strength and authority; Gern’s path grew clearer.

• Garp rejected the official explanation for why Rocks went to God Valley and recalled the grief and pleading in Rocks’s face.
• Garp suggested that Rocks may have been forced to kill a loved one or destroy something he had sworn to protect, and Gern suspected Imu had manipulated him.
• Garp told Gern that he and Sengoku had both failed by separating strength from authority in their attempts to uphold justice.
• Garp praised Gern for wielding both overwhelming strength and influence over the New World Navy, then left as Gern reflected on his path.

The Marines began a sweeping reform under Gern and Sengoku, declaring that they would protect all people rather than give World Government member states priority. The Five Elders condemned the move but, unable to rein in Gern directly, considered using unconventional methods against him.

• In 1522, Luffy reunited with his crew at Sabaody and set sail for Fish-Man Island, while Kaido crushed the alliance of Kid, Apoo, and Hawkins and imprisoned Kid and his officers in Wano.
• Gern and Sengoku issued Marine Reform Document No. 133, redefining the Marines’ mission, introducing systematic education, and launching an internal purge of corrupt officers such as Nezumi.
• The document’s rejection of privileged protection for member states spread worldwide, provoking protests from kingdoms that paid Heavenly Tribute.
• The Five Elders denounced Gern’s reform as a challenge to the World Government and recognized that Sengoku would not oppose him.
• The Five Elders struggled to find a way to stop Gern and ended by considering unconventional methods.

The Five Elders concluded that Gern could not be eliminated by force, given his strength and the allies who would defend him. Gern arrived at Egghead Island, where Sentomaru welcomed him and Kizaru quietly thanked him for carrying the burden of justice.

• Saint Topman Warcury and the other Elders debated how to kill Gern, but Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro warned that the Navy and Gern’s allies would make an attack disastrous.
• The Five Elders accepted that Gern had become too powerful and influential for them to control or eliminate directly.
• Gern returned to Egghead Island and saw how it had become a fortified hub of futuristic buildings, automated machines, and Pacifista prototypes.
• Sentomaru greeted Gern, saluted him as a Navy Vice Admiral, and offered to lead him to Vegapunk’s core laboratory.
• Kizaru thanked Gern, saying his presence made the burden of justice feel lighter.

Gern met Vegapunk in Egghead's main laboratory and learned that Vegapunk believed the path tied to the letter D had nothing to do with him. Gern rejected the idea that destiny or bloodline could limit him, leaving Vegapunk confronted by his claim that he could make even God fear him.

• Gern and Kizaru followed Sentomaru through Egghead's defenses and entered Vegapunk's main laboratory, where Gern saw Vegapunk's enormous brain and Apple Head Dome.
• Vegapunk greeted Gern and asked why he had come for a private meeting.
• Gern showed Vegapunk a Road Poneglyph rubbing, but Vegapunk stopped him and declared that Gern was not D or the natural enemy of God.
• Gern agreed that he was not D, then declared that God would fear him regardless of destiny.
• When Vegapunk tried to dissuade him, Gern unleashed his Haki and vibration power and claimed he could kill every D and destroy fate itself.

Gern confronted Vegapunk about the Ancient Script, then demanded to know about the Mother Flame and ordered him to hand it over to the Navy. Vegapunk refused, and Gern threatened to take it by force.

• Gern questioned Vegapunk about deciphering the Ancient Script, but Vegapunk said he could not read it and named Nico Robin and the Three-Eye Tribe as possible readers.
• Gern asked whether Vegapunk had succeeded in creating the Mother Flame, and Vegapunk explained that it was a powerful energy source for his artificial sun project.
• Gern asked whether the Mother Flame could power an Ancient Weapon, and Vegapunk said it was theoretically possible but untested and dangerously uncertain.
• Gern ordered Vegapunk to hand the Mother Flame over to the Navy, but Vegapunk refused and said he wanted its energy to benefit the world.
• Gern declared that he was giving Vegapunk an order and would take the Mother Flame by force if Vegapunk would not hand it over.

Gern demanded Vegapunk’s highest-level Authority Chip for the Seraphim, but Vegapunk refused, prompting Gern to attack inside the laboratory. Vegapunk’s defenses failed to stop him until Borsalino intervened, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Gern asked Vegapunk for the highest-level Seraphim Authority Chip, and Vegapunk refused to hand it over.
• Gern attacked Vegapunk, but the scientist’s lasers failed to stop him, and a Pacifista prototype blocked his first strike.
• Gern cut the prototype robot and its shield in half, then fought through Vegapunk’s Light-Binding Protocol beams.
• Gern prepared to strike the laboratory floor, but Borsalino intercepted his blade with a Light-Speed Kick and urged him not to damage Vegapunk’s brain.

Gern and Kizaru staged a fierce confrontation to pressure Vegapunk into handing over the authority chip and relocating the Mother Flame. After Kizaru departed, Gern discovered York hiding under optical camouflage and demanded to know what she wanted.

• Kizaru intercepted Gern with a light-speed kick, and the two clashed while arguing over whether Gern would stop pursuing Vegapunk's assets.
• Vegapunk ended the fight by agreeing to give Gern the authority chip and have the Mother Flame moved to Marine Headquarters or G-10.
• After Vegapunk left, Kizaru revealed that his confrontation with Gern had been an act and reminded Gern about his promised five-day vacation.
• Gern approved Kizaru's vacation, then noticed someone hiding in an apparently empty corner and forced York out of optical camouflage.
• York claimed she was on Gern's side, and Gern asked what she was hiding for and what she wanted.

Gern confronted York about his secret deal with the World Government, revealing that he knew York had traded away some of the Mother Flame. York admitted that he wanted to become a Celestial Dragon and defended his ambition as a desire Vegapunk had created in him.

• York argued that Vegapunk would never truly relinquish control over the Seraphim, but Gern said he only needed authority above the Five Elders and access to the Mother Flame.
• Gern revealed that he knew York had secretly made a deal with the World Government and shipped out some of the Mother Flame four days earlier.
• Gern guessed that York had traded the Mother Flame for the chance to become a Celestial Dragon, and York collapsed in terror at how much Gern knew.
• York confirmed his ambition by demanding to know why he could not become a Celestial Dragon.
• York condemned Vegapunk as a hypocrite and dictator, insisting that his desire to rise above others came from the nature Vegapunk had given him.

Gern spared York, deciding she could become a Navy-aligned Vegapunk, then ordered the Mother Flame moved to G-10 Base. After hearing about the Punk Hazard explosion and Doflamingo relinquishing his Shichibukai title, Gern set out for Dressrosa and summoned Enel.

• Gern told York that Celestial Dragons had no power over him and decided not to kill her, believing she might become a Vegapunk who belonged to the Navy.
• Gern ordered Bartholomew Kuma and Lipo to relocate the Mother Flame to G-10 Base, with Bullet escorting them and authority to eliminate obstacles.
• Tesoro reported that Trafalgar Luo and the Straw Hat Pirates were suspected of causing a massive explosion at a World Government laboratory on Punk Hazard.
• Tesoro told Gern that Donquixote Doflamingo had announced he would give up his Shichibukai title and privileges.
• Gern decided to go to Dressrosa and told Tesoro to summon Enel from the Artificial Sky Island.

At a tavern on Dalsk Island, Gern explained to Kuzan how Trafalgar Law planned to trap Doflamingo by turning the Marines, the Straw Hat Pirates, and Kaido against him. Kuzan left, hinting that he would avoid the conflict, while Gern urged him not to take a different path.

• Kuzan met Gern at a tavern on Dalsk Island after leaving the Marines, and they discussed Doflamingo giving up his Shichibukai position.
• Gern argued that Law's true target was Doflamingo, not Kaido, and explained how Law planned to use the Marines and Straw Hat Pirates to corner him.
• Gern said that he would serve as the Marine Admiral sent to confront Doflamingo, making him a key part of Law's trap.
• Kuzan said he was not interested in the conflict in Dressrosa, and Gern urged him not to take a different path.
• Kuzan left Gern with the bill for several crates of supplies, and Gern angrily realized what he had done.