Chapter Summaries

After Saint Nusjuro’s death shattered the Five Elders’ belief in their immortality, Gern exploited their reckless attack and killed Saint Saturn with a devastating punch. He challenged the remaining Elders to face him as he stood among the ruins of Egghead.

• Luffy and the three Five Elders fighting him froze when Saint Nusjuro died, while the Elders realized their immortality could be broken.
• Saint Warcury ordered the Elders to abandon Luffy and concentrate their attacks on Gern, and Saint Mars, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, and Saint Saturn charged him.
• Gern used Eight Extremes Jade to break Saint Saturn’s spider legs, then teleported in and impaled Saturn’s head with Eight Desolations.
• Gern pulled his blade free and struck Saint Saturn’s head with Tremor Annihilation: Black Meteor, annihilating it and leaving Saturn’s body headless.
• Saint Mars, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, and Saint Warcury slowed in fear as Gern taunted their immortality and declared he would make the gods bleed.

After Gern killed two of the Five Elders on Egghead, Imu abandoned its projection in the Flower Room and descended to stop him. Gunko then learned that the Revolutionary Army had launched a major attack on the Holy Land, leaving Saint Garling to defend it without help.

• Imu felt the deaths of two contract holders and realized Gern had become an urgent threat to the remaining Five Elders.
• Imu decided to intervene on Egghead and vanished from the Flower Room, sending its true will across the Red Line.
• Saint Garling contacted Gunko to report that Dragon and the Revolutionary Army were storming Pangaea Castle.
• Gunko told Saint Garling that Imu and the Five Elders could not assist and left the Holy Land's defense in his hands.

Luffy struck Warcury, Mars, and Ju Peter with one spinning punch, stunning all three and disrupting their attack on Gern. As Blackbeard again prepared to flee, Gern recognized the Five Elders’ momentary vulnerability and prepared to finish the fight.

• Luffy spun up centrifugal force and used his Observation Haki to send a single punch through Warcury, Mars, and Ju Peter, leaving all three dazed.
• Gern praised Luffy and prepared to take advantage of the stunned Five Elders.
• Blackbeard retreated from the battle instead of helping the Five Elders, prompting Ju Peter, Mars, and Warcury to curse him as a cowardly opportunist.
• The Five Elders’ anger and fear grew as they recognized Blackbeard’s repeated hesitation had helped ruin their plan to surround Gern.
• Gern judged Blackbeard an unstable factor and focused on the briefly immobilized Five Elders, ready to clear the field.

Gern unleashed a three-ring Hakai aimed at killing Saint Warcury, Saint Mars, and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, but Imu descended through Saint Warcury and neutralized the attack. Imu then struck Luffy, triggering Gear Fifth’s backlash and leaving him shriveled and unable to move.

• Gern infused Eight Desolations with three Star Rings and Conqueror’s Haki, then unleashed a solo Hakai aimed at Saint Warcury, Saint Mars, and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter.
• Imu’s aura erupted from Saint Warcury, whose body transformed as Imu descended and took control.
• Imu stopped Gern’s Hakai with a grasping motion, then recognized Luffy as Joy Boy and attacked him with a dark tentacle.
• The tentacle struck Luffy and hurled him into the dormant Ancient Giant Robot, causing his Gear Fifth form to collapse and leaving him aged and nearly motionless.

Gern used Spark to make Imu halt its attack on the weakened Luffy, then confronted it as he examined how its power and hosts might be connected. He suspected Imu was a collective consciousness that survived through contract-bound vessels, leaving him with a possible way to destroy it permanently.

• After Luffy fell out of Gear Fifth, Gern decided that drawing Imu’s attention was safer than rushing to rescue him.
• Gern ignited Spark on Eight Desolations, and Imu stopped its attack and demanded to know where Gern had obtained the power.
• Gern called Spark the Dragon-Slaying Technique, and the two held their positions in a wary standoff.
• Gern considered that Imu might be a collective consciousness without a fixed body, using the Five Elders and core Holy Knights as contract-bound vessels.
• Gern suspected that killing every high-level vessel could prevent Imu from transferring its consciousness, and that his past attacks had damaged Imu’s essence through the contracts.

Imu used the wounded Shiryu and Van Augur as raw material, transforming them into powerful demonic puppets under his control. Their conversion left Blackbeard facing his former crewmen as enemies while Imu taunted Gern about the fate of those who defied him.

• Imu sent black tentacles after the incapacitated Shiryu and Van Augur instead of attacking Gern or Luffy directly.
• The tentacles pierced Shiryu and Van Augur, and Imu activated a magic circle with the command “Black Turn Domination.”
• Shiryu and Van Augur were transformed into enormous winged demons, their wills erased and their strength greatly enhanced.
• The two demonic puppets turned on Blackbeard, who backed away and recognized them as dangerous enemies.
• Imu pointed out the transformed crewmen to Gern and declared that all who defied God would become his slaves.

Imu ordered four demonic puppets to attack Gern while threatening Blackbeard into joining the assault. Blackbeard unleashed his strongest quake attack at Gern’s exposed flank, bringing the coordinated strike to five directions.

• Gern let the Spark on Eight Desolations flicker and fade, convincing Imu that he had put it away.
• Imu sent Saint Mars, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, and the Shiryu and Van Augur demons to attack Gern from above, below, and both sides.
• Imu blocked Blackbeard’s escape and threatened to turn him into a puppet unless he fought Gern.
• Blackbeard overcame his fear of Gern, charged into the battle, and unleashed Quake: Shatter the Void at Gern’s rear flank.
• Gern faced a five-direction assault as Blackbeard joined the other four attackers.

Gern countered the coordinated attacks from Van Augur, Shiryu, Saint Mars, and Shepherd Ju Peter, then tore Saint Mars apart with his bare hands. He landed before Blackbeard, whose fear overwhelmed him and drove him to scream in despair.

• Gern kicked the Eight Desolations through Van Augur's chest, pinning him to an alloy pillar.
• Gern caught Shiryu's sword strike, overpowered him, and sent him crashing into rubble with a tremor-charged kick.
• Gern split Saint Mars's flames with a rising slash and stabbed Shepherd Ju Peter underground, suppressing him with tremor force and Conqueror's Haki.
• Gern used Star Ring energy and Conqueror's Haki to tear Saint Mars apart with his bare hands.
• Gern dropped Saint Mars's remains beside Blackbeard, and Blackbeard broke down screaming about coming to the island.

The Giant Warrior Pirates arrived at Egghead to rescue Luffy, but Hawk-Eye split their flagship with a Flying Slash before they could attack the Marine warship. Hawk-Eye faced Dorry and Brogy while the battered Straw Hat Pirates watched from the coast.

• The Marines spotted the Giant Warrior Pirates emerging from the fog and recognized Dorry and Brogy's legendary crew.
• Dorry and Brogy decided to sail straight to Egghead to rescue Luffy, ignoring the Marine warship unless it blocked their way.
• Hawk-Eye's Flying Slash split the Giant Warrior Pirates' flagship in two, forcing Dorry and Brogy to leap to nearby ships.
• Hawk-Eye stood on the coast with Yoru and warned Dorry and Brogy that his blade was faster, while Zoro and the other Straw Hat Pirates watched behind him.

After exhausting Gear Fifth, Luffy heard the dormant robot Emeth speak and learned that facing Imu would require Joy Boy, the true Sun, a key, and a vessel. Hoping to find something that could help him recover and fight, Luffy dragged himself toward Emeth’s lower-left chest.

• Luffy lay weakened against Emeth and worried about Gern’s battle and the ominous mutated Fengxi (Imu).
• Luffy heard Emeth faintly apologize to Joy Boy and questioned the robot about who was speaking.
• Luffy insisted that he was Monkey D. Luffy, and Emeth recognized him as a young pirate after asking his name.
• Emeth thanked Luffy for letting him hear the Drums of Liberation and warned that facing “it” required Joy Boy, the true Sun, a key, and a vessel.
• Luffy focused on Emeth’s lower-left chest and dragged himself toward it, hoping to find food or something that could help him fight.

Blackbeard abandoned his caution and launched a suicidal assault on Gern, forcing him into a dangerous close-range clash. Gern wounded Blackbeard with a counterattack, but the fight remained deadlocked as Saint Shepherd Ju Peter and Saint Mars supported Blackbeard.

• After fear and desperation overwhelmed him, Blackbeard decided he had to kill Gern to survive.
• Blackbeard combined the Dark-Dark Fruit, Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and Conqueror’s Haki in a reckless attack that disrupted Gern’s movement.
• Gern countered with Dragon Fist, but Blackbeard absorbed the attack and closed in with a point-blank spatial collapse.
• Gern retreated through the blast and suffered an injury, while Blackbeard took the worst of the explosion and vomited blood.
• Saint Shepherd Ju Peter and Saint Mars harried Gern, but their weakened attacks served mainly to support Blackbeard’s assault.

Imu watched Blackbeard fight Gern on Egghead, intending to let them weaken each other before taking control of Blackbeard as a vessel. Imu revealed that its plan was part of a long-running hunt for powerful members of the D. Clan, with Blackbeard destined to become its next sacrifice and tool.

• Imu judged Blackbeard’s Dark-Dark and Tremor-Tremor Fruits and Conqueror’s Haki to make him an ideal vessel.
• Imu let Blackbeard and Gern continue fighting, expecting Blackbeard to exhaust himself and Gern to be worn down.
• Imu recalled Davy D. Jones and Davy D. Xebec, treating them as earlier members of the D. Clan whose power had served its plans.
• Imu decided to take control of Blackbeard once he was weakest and use his power to improve its chances against Gern.
• Imu viewed the Egghead battle as part of its centuries-long hunt and Blackbeard as the intended sacrifice in its harvest ritual.

Battles across Egghead had stalled as Gern struggled to break through Blackbeard and the wounded Five Elders, leaving exhausted Luffy vulnerable to Imu. Dorry and Brogy saved Luffy from Imu’s tentacles and fed him, prompting Imu to recall Harald and Elbaf’s giants.

• Dorry and Brogy led part of the Giant Warrior Pirates toward Egghead’s center after learning Luffy was in trouble, while Hawk-Eye stayed to protect the Marine warship.
• Kizaru and Enel’s pursuit of Kuzan and Aramaki reached a stalemate as the four Logia users fought across the western side of the island.
• Gern’s stamina declined as Blackbeard and two wounded Five Elders repeatedly stopped him from reaching Imu.
• Imu sent dark tentacles toward exhausted Luffy, who could neither move nor defend himself.
• Dorry and Brogy shielded Luffy from the tentacles, severed them with their weapons, and gave him giant-sized meat to restore his strength.
• Imu recognized Dorry and Brogy and recalled Harald’s death, thinking that Elbaf’s giants could not become allies.

Luffy returned to Gear Fifth and joined Gern as Dorry and Brogy attacked the remaining Five Elders. Gern struck Imu with his Spark-burning blade, but Joy Boy’s Conqueror’s Haki suddenly erupted from where Emeth lay.

• Luffy regained his Gear Fifth Nika Form, and Dorry and Brogy recognized him as the Sun God and joined the battle.
• Dorry dragged Saint Shepherd Ju Peter from underground and smashed him into a mountainside, while Brogy slammed Saint Mars into the ground.
• Luffy distracted Blackbeard, helping Gern launch him into the air before Gern stabbed him and Luffy hurled him toward Imu.
• Gern reignited Spark on Eight Desolations and slashed through Imu’s Fengxi body, setting it ablaze.
• Joy Boy’s Conqueror’s Haki erupted from the direction of the fallen Emeth as Gern prepared to strike Imu again.

Emeth awakened and released Joy Boy’s stored Conqueror’s Haki, which dispelled the Five Elders’ contracted forms and forced Imu to retreat. The Egghead battle ended abruptly, with Blackbeard taken away through a transferred Abyssal Contract.

• Emeth reasoned that Luffy might be in danger and opened the hidden compartment in its armor.
• Emeth released Joy Boy’s stored Conqueror’s Haki across Egghead Island.
• The Haki forced Saint Shepherd Ju Peter and Saint Mars back to Mary Geoise and knocked Aramaki from the battlefield.
• Imu transferred its Abyssal Contract to Blackbeard, then vanished as its manifested body crumbled.
• Gern reflected on Joy Boy’s eight-hundred-year-old will as the battle ended with Imu retreating and Blackbeard teleported away.

After the battle of Egghead, Vegapunk warned the world that the planet was slowly disintegrating, while the Revolutionary Army breached Pangaea Castle. Gern then declared war on the World Government on behalf of the Independent Navy, beginning a worldwide conflict.

• Imu retreated to the Holy Land after being grievously wounded, while Blackbeard and several of his officers vanished, died, or were captured after the battle of Egghead.
• Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru attacked Hachinosu and rescued Garp, while the Blackbeard Pirates were wiped out.
• Luffy, Vegapunk, and several of Vegapunk's satellites sailed for Elbaf with Dorry and Brogy.
• Vegapunk's livestream warned that the world could sink because ancient interference and energy imbalance were causing the planet and Red Line's foundations to disintegrate.
• Dragon led the Revolutionary Army in an assault on Mary Geoise, breaching Pangaea Castle and occupying part of the Celestial Dragons' residential district.
• Gern declared war on the World Government on behalf of the Independent Navy.

Gern gathered the Navy’s top commanders to finalize their assault on Mary Geoise and Pangaea Castle, explaining that their true goal was to destroy the World Government’s contract system. He assigned teams to target the Five Elders, Saint Garling, the Holy Knights, and key facilities, then urged the assembled forces to reach the pinnacle.

• Gern explained that the World Government’s core power came from a contract system sustaining the Five Elders and Holy Knights, and said the Navy had to destroy its source and eliminate its contractors.
• Tsuru and Tesoro outlined a plan that used the Revolutionary Army’s foothold in Pangaea Castle to open the way for a rapid assault.
• Tesoro assigned Enel and Bullet to eliminate the two remaining Five Elders, while Sakazuki would engage Saint Figarland Saint Garling until Mihawk could assist.
• Tesoro assigned Kizaru to provide mobile support and Kuma to handle rapid deployment, extraction, and attacks on lesser God's Knights or key facilities.
• Mihawk took charge of a team with Lipo Hope, Gild Tesoro, Toritoma, and Perona to hunt down Holy Knights, while Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru would guard headquarters.
• Gern declared that the Navy would face the World Government’s eight-hundred-year system and proclaimed that they would reach the pinnacle.

Gern visited Kuzan and Shanks in the New Marineford prison, where Kuzan explained the upheavals reshaping the world. Gern freed Kuzan from his seastone restraints and said Garp would decide what happened to him.

• Kuzan told Shanks that three of the Five Elders were dead, Blackbeard's crew was nearly finished, Vegapunk had warned the world would sink, and the Revolutionary Army had entered Pangaea Castle.
• Gern arrived with liquor and ordered the guards to remove Kuzan's restraints, then cut through the seastone shackles himself.
• Kuzan complained about his injuries and told Gern that he had joined Blackbeard because he wanted to kill him; Gern said he believed him.
• Gern told Kuzan that Garp would deal with him, and Kuzan protested that Garp might beat him to death.

With Gern Reginald Sigma’s forces set to attack Mary Geoise in three days, the surviving leaders and defenders argued over who had allowed him to become so powerful. Gunko delivered Imu’s orders to defend Pangaea Castle at all costs, warning that everyone would die if Gern or his subordinates reached its forbidden domain.

• Saint Mars and Shepherd Ju Peter announced that Gern had declared war and killed Saint Nusjuro, Saint Saturn, and Saint Warcury at Egghead.
• Saint Figarland Saint Garling blamed the Five Elders for letting Gern grow stronger, and Saint Mars and Ju Peter retorted that Garling had failed to defeat him himself.
• Saint Sommers claimed he had fought Bullet evenly, but Shamrock revealed that Bullet had chased and badly injured him.
• Aramaki silently feared that the divided defenders could not withstand Gern and his powerful subordinates.
• Gunko relayed Imu’s order to defend Mary Geoise, especially Pangaea Castle and the Flower Room, and warned that all would die if the enemy reached the forbidden domain.

In Pangaea Castle’s Flower Room, Imu summoned Blackbeard after giving him immortality through the Abyssal Contract. Blackbeard realized the contract let Imu control him completely as Imu began examining him as a new vessel.

• Imu endured the lingering damage from Spark’s blow and Joy Boy’s Haki while maintaining a calm appearance in the Flower Room.
• Blackbeard celebrated his restored body and immortality, believing he could rebuild the Blackbeard Pirates and rise to power again.
• Imu ordered Blackbeard to approach, and Blackbeard recalled how Imu had sacrificed Saint Warcury before making him a contract bearer.
• Imu activated the Abyssal Contract mark, forcing Blackbeard to walk toward the shadow as he pleaded for his life and offered to serve.
• Imu ignored Blackbeard’s pleas and examined him as a new vessel, considering how much he could endure and when to proceed.