Chapter Summaries

Xun Yu stabilized Hua Country’s domestic affairs while Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Gan Ning destroyed Barton’s supply escort at Thunderstorm Gorge, collapsing the Saint Poplar blockade. Zhao Yun reached the hidden island of Water-Mirror Manor and prepared to seek Master Sleeping Dragon.

• Xun Yu dismissed corrupt officials, ordered compensation and policy offices, and petitioned Chen Yu for tax relief and grain distribution.
• Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Gan Ning ambushed Barton’s fleet at Thunderstorm Gorge; Guan Yu killed Barton, and the task force routed the escorts.
• News of Hua Country’s victory spread, breaking the allied blockade and establishing its military dominance in the West Blue.
• Zhao Yun followed a faint path through the Sea of Lost Souls and arrived at the island of Water-Mirror Manor.

Zhao Yun reached Water-Mirror Manor and persuaded Zhuge Liang to leave seclusion and join Hua Country after hearing his sweeping plans for domestic reform and world conquest. As the World Government intensified its attention on Hua Country, Zhuge Liang agreed to travel with Zhao Yun and aid Chen Yu.

• After Hua Country's victory at Thunderstorm Gorge, Zhao Yun navigated the Sea of Lost Souls and reached Water-Mirror Manor, where Zhuge Liang had been expecting a visitor.
• Zhao Yun presented Chen Yu's recruitment edict and Guo Jia's letter, then declared that Chen Yu intended to unite the world and bring peace.
• Zhuge Liang questioned Hua Country's ability to face the World Government and the Four Emperors, then shared strategies for strengthening Hua Country, forming alliances, and establishing lasting laws and institutions.
• Guo Jia's Wind-Listening Guard reported that the Five Elders were focusing on the West Blue as Marines and Cipher Pol agents increased their activity against Hua Country.
• After Zhao Yun praised his counsel and earnestly urged him to help, Zhuge Liang agreed to leave his seclusion and accompany him.

Zhuge Liang presented his plan for Hua Country to Chen Yu and was appointed Army Adviser General of the Household. After Chen Yu revealed the secret behind Hua Country’s extraordinary powers, he awakened Zhuge Liang’s Mythical Zoan Mewtwo Fruit, leaving Hua Country with a vastly empowered strategist.

• Zhuge Liang analyzed the World Government’s weaknesses and proposed short-, medium-, and long-term strategies for Hua Country.
• Chen Yu appointed Zhuge Liang Army Adviser General of the Household, responsible for long-term strategy, intelligence assessment, and major diplomacy.
• Chen Yu privately told Zhuge Liang and Hua Country’s inner circle that his primordial power had awakened the abilities of several trusted leaders.
• Chen Yu used Arceus’s power to grant Zhuge Liang the Mythical Zoan Mewtwo Fruit.
• Zhuge Liang emerged with immense psychic abilities and pledged to serve Chen Yu and help bring the world under Hua Country’s order.

Chen Yu revealed that the Paramount War would erupt at the end of Sea Circle Calendar year 1520 and asked Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia to plan Hua Country’s response. He approved a strategy of concealing Hua Country’s strength while preparing for war, leaving the kingdom poised to exploit the conflict when it came.

• Chen Yu told Hua Country’s leaders that the Paramount War would pit Marine Headquarters against Whitebeard and traced its cause to Blackbeard’s betrayal, Ace’s capture, and the planned execution at Marineford.
• Chen Yu asked Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia whether Hua Country should expand or bide its time before the war.
• Zhuge Liang recommended halting territorial expansion, defending existing borders, displaying weakness abroad, and keeping a low diplomatic profile while intensifying internal war preparations.
• Guo Jia proposed redirecting the Wind-Listening Guard toward monitoring the war, stabilizing nearby powers, and secretly contacting potential allies such as the Revolutionary Army.
• Chen Yu ordered Liu Bei and Xun Yu to oversee domestic preparations, Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia to handle planning and intelligence, and the generals to train without crossing the border without his written order.
• Chen Yu said Hua Country could seize the West Blue and expand into the other three seas during the Paramount War if its strength became sufficient.

Chen Yu adopted Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia’s counsel to halt expansion, conceal Hua Country’s strength, and focus on domestic reform and military training while awaiting the Summit War. He ordered officials to strengthen the country’s foundations and address resistance to reforms, shortages of scholars, and the demands of building Imperial Roads.

• Chen Yu announced Hua Country’s shift to strategic defense and the Soaring Dragon Plan, prompting Zhang Fei and other generals to question the order.
• Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, Xun Yu, and Liu Bei warned that an alliance against Hua Country was forming and that expansion risked war with the World Government before Hua Country was ready.
• Chen Yu forbade unauthorized attacks, assigned Liu Bei and Xun Yu to domestic affairs, and ordered Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the other generals to intensify military training.
• Xun Yu reported that powerful clans were obstructing the Imperial Examination, and Chen Yu ordered Liu Bei and Xun Yu to investigate and punish those defying the reforms.
• Chen Yu approved measures to recruit poor students and scholars for the Imperial Academy and directed Zhuge Liang to help attract learned talent.
• Mo Heng proposed paying displaced people and surrendered soldiers to build the Imperial Roads, and Chen Yu ordered him and Xun Yu to develop the plan and seek skilled builders.

Hua Country concealed its strength while preparing for a future war, using reciprocal diplomacy, misinformation, construction, military training, and intelligence gathering. As West Blue powers and the World Government assessed its apparent weakness, Hua Country continued building its capabilities and quietly awaited the coming conflict.

• Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia guided Hua Country’s campaign of apparent restraint, reciprocal countermeasures, and fabricated reports of internal weakness.
• The Ballywood Kingdom expanded its anti-Hua alliance, while other West Blue powers provoked, waited, or feared Hua Country’s intentions; the World Government advised continued observation.
• Xun Yu supervised construction of the Imperial Academy, officials held Imperial Examinations, and Mo Heng oversaw new Imperial Road routes.
• Hua Country’s Directorate of Works and Academy of Natural Philosophy advanced warship, artillery, and Seastone research as the army intensified specialized training.
• Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Gan Ning trained their forces and improved their combat abilities for possible battles against the World Government.
• Guo Jia’s Wind-Listening Guard and Zhuge Liang’s Heavenly Secrets Pavilion expanded intelligence operations, while Zhuge Liang modeled future battle scenarios and prepared contingency plans.

Chen Yu and his ministers planned to conceal Hua Country’s strength while preparing for the five-nation alliance and the coming upheavals at sea. As Hua Country advanced its internal development and military training, Chen Yu sensed that the gears of fate were turning faster.

• Xun Yu reported that Ballywood, Saint Poplar, Winsor, Mano, and Illusia were coordinating against Hua Country, while naval frictions increased.
• Guo Jia advised strengthening patrols, answering provocations cautiously, and spreading rumors that Hua Country’s navy was weak; Chen Yu assigned ministers to conceal the country’s strength and accelerate development and military training.
• Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Gan Ning trained under extreme gravity, each honing different combat skills as Zhang Fei and Guan Yu spoke of facing Marine Admirals.
• Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, Xun Yu, and Liu Bei briefed Chen Yu on the alliance’s internal rivalries, covert efforts to deepen its distrust, and Hua Country’s growing schools, roads, harvest preparations, army, and weapons.
• Chen Yu assigned responsibilities for internal affairs, intelligence, grand strategy, and the Soaring Dragon Plan, then watched the snowy night in Chang’an and sensed fate accelerating.

Xun Yu and Guo Jia’s plan to feign weakness drew Commodore Pablo’s Saint Poplar fleet into Hua Country’s training waters, where Gan Ning ambushed it with newly developed warships and weapons. Chen Yu learned of the victory and approved the strategy, while Guo Jia prepared to use the battle’s aftermath to buy time for the West Blue and Hua Country’s generals.

• Xun Yu reviewed the unexpectedly strong spring tax revenues with Guo Jia, who reported that Pablo planned to provoke Hua Country’s navy.
• Guan Yu and Zhang Fei visited Xun Yu and Guo Jia, eager for a chance to test their coordinated attacks in battle.
• Pablo led eight Saint Poplar warships into Hua Country’s training waters after hearing that Chasing the Wind was malfunctioning.
• Gan Ning sprang the trap, revealing Chasing the Wind’s upgraded propulsion and Wind Pressure Cannons, which destroyed three enemy ships in one volley and routed the fleet.
• Gan Ning spared survivors to carry a warning back to the West Blue, and Chen Yu received the victory report in Chang’an.
• Guo Jia said he had arranged to emphasize Hua Country’s naval strength in the released footage while concealing details, giving Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the others time to continue training.

Under the blazing sun, Hua Country’s generals and craftsmen advanced their training and military technology. Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong awakened Conqueror’s Haki, while Hua Country developed new warship components, cannon barrels, and Seastone-coated arrows.

• Guan Yu refined his control of Rayquaza’s power and Conqueror’s Haki, while Zhang Fei tempered his strength and Haki through destructive training.
• Zhao Yun awakened Conqueror’s Haki and performed a greatly enhanced True Dragon Break.
• Inspired by Zhao Yun’s breakthrough, Huang Zhong awakened Conqueror’s Haki and loosed an arrow of intent guided by Dialga’s power over time.
• Chen Yu, Liu Bei, and Xun Yu celebrated the generals’ breakthroughs, noting that all four had reached the threshold of Admiral level.
• Mo Heng’s workshop worked to improve the Dragon Soaring-class warship turbine, while the Ordnance Bureau refined cannon barrels using Huang Zhong’s recorded parameters.
• The Seastone laboratory successfully coated armor-piercing arrowheads with Seastone powder and ordered a secret small-scale production run for Huang Zhong’s Sharpshooter Battalion.

Chang'an held its first joint Imperial Examination and Military Examination, drawing candidates and warriors from across the realm as Emperor Chen Yu prepared to answer foreign spies probing the kingdom. Zhou Yu entered the written examination, while Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and Ma Chao arrived at the military grounds as hidden tensions gathered around the city.

• Xun Yu reported that all 3,600 written-examination candidates and 8,400 military candidates had been accommodated, and Guo Jia warned Chen Yu that Ballywood Kingdom spies had infiltrated the candidates.
• Chen Yu used Arceus's Power to sense the thoughts and concealed malice in Chang'an, then declared that the spies would witness the empire's might.
• Zhou Yu entered the Southern City Imperial Academy and took his place in an examination cubicle, looking toward the distant west.
• Lü Bu rode Red Hare to the Martial Arts Training Ground, where his arrival silenced the surrounding crowd.
• Dian Wei strode into the military grounds, followed by Ma Chao on a white warhorse, as heroes from across the realm gathered in Chang'an.

Zhou Yu wrote an essay on sea power and strategy that impressed Xun Yu and earned him first place in the written examination. Chen Yu appointed Zhou Yu Administrative Assistant, while the results ceremony hinted at the martial examination and Bara Wood’s spies watching Chang'an City.

• Zhou Yu answered the examination topic on sea power with a sweeping plan for naval strength and a strategy to turn an enemy fire-ship attack against them.
• Xun Yu praised Zhou Yu’s essay, awarded it the highest grade, and recommended him as a peerless statesman.
• Chang'an City gathered as the Imperial Academy announced Zhou Yu as first place, followed by Li Ze and Zhao Yi.
• Chen Yu appointed Zhou Yu Administrative Assistant and presented him with a Jade Tablet, Official Seal, and Ribbon.
• As the celebration continued, shouts from the Martial Arts Training Ground sounded in the distance, and Bara Wood’s spies watched the crowd.

The Military Examination began with arena combat, and Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and Ma Chao displayed their formidable abilities. Chen Yu sensed the three warriors’ immense potential as the tournament continued.

• Zhang Fei announced the Military Examination’s arena-combat rules.
• Lü Bu defeated a giant opponent with a single burst of force and called for his next challenger.
• Ma Chao and Dian Wei fought through three hundred exchanges before Ma Chao yielded and claimed a different arena.
• Guo Jia praised Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and Ma Chao to Chen Yu as likely champions.
• Chen Yu used Arceus's Power to sense the distinct strength and potential of the three warriors.

Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and Ma Chao defeated their opponents in the military examination, while a masked Guandao Swordsman also advanced. The final four were announced, setting up the semifinals for the next day.

• Lü Bu defeated the Sword Saint Meng Kedo Nali with a single overwhelming clash and forced him off the platform.
• Dian Wei endured Unico Lide’s punches and knocked him into the protective barrier with a halberd strike.
• Ma Chao used his Observation Haki and spear to turn A-Man’s chained iron balls against him, then forced him to concede.
• Guan Yu praised Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and Ma Chao’s Haki, while Zhang Fei voiced his eagerness to fight Lü Bu.
• Guan Yu noticed the ancient quality of the bronze-masked Guandao Swordsman’s technique after he defeated a foreign general with twin hammers.
• Zhang Fei announced Lü Bu, Dian Wei, Ma Chao, and the Guandao Swordsman as the final four, with the semifinals set for the next day.

Lü Bu defeated the Guandao Wielder in the first semifinal match, breaking his weapon with a devastating thrust. The Guandao Wielder left the arena after glancing at Guan Yu, while Lü Bu advanced toward the Military Examination finals.

• Zhang Fei announced Lü Bu and the Guandao Wielder as the first semifinal match.
• Lü Bu and the Guandao Wielder exchanged powerful blows, and the masked fighter held his ground against Lü Bu's initial attack.
• Lü Bu unleashed a fierce thrust that shattered the Guandao Wielder's weapon and left him too injured to continue.
• The Guandao Wielder dropped his broken weapon, glanced toward Guan Yu, and walked out of the arena.
• Zhang Fei declared Lü Bu the victor, and the spectators cheered his name.

Dian Wei defeated Ma Chao after their three-day battle pushed both warriors to their limits, and Ma Chao awakened a new spear technique before conceding. That night, Guo Jia provoked Lü Bu by claiming Guan Yu had called his courage that of a common brute, sending Lü Bu into a furious Haki outburst ahead of his championship match with Dian Wei.

• Dian Wei and Ma Chao fought through three days of relentless combat, damaging the arena and exhausting their Haki.
• Ma Chao awakened the Divine Might: Xiliang Blood Spear, while Dian Wei unleashed Evil Comes from Ancient Times: God-Slaying, and Dian Wei stopped his halberd above Ma Chao to claim victory.
• Ma Chao acknowledged that he would have lost a fight to the death and thanked Dian Wei for showing mercy.
• Guo Jia told the guests that Dian Wei and Ma Chao had the makings of true Admirals, while Lü Bu watched from the guesthouse with his Conqueror's Haki radiating around him.
• Guo Jia visited Lü Bu that night and claimed Guan Yu had called him a common brute, causing Lü Bu to crush his wine cup and erupt in fury.

Lü Bu and Dian Wei fought a fierce final battle in the Military Examination, their halberd strikes and Haki smashing the arena as Guo Jia watched the anger he had stirred in Lü Bu take hold. The duel continued with both men wounded but growing more powerful, leaving the winner undecided.

• Lü Bu entered the arena on foot, still enraged by Guo Jia calling him a brute, while Dian Wei waited eagerly with his twin halberds.
• Zhang Fei announced that Lü Bu and Dian Wei would fight for first place, and Dian Wei immediately attacked with both halberds.
• Lü Bu redirected Dian Wei’s blows with precise halberd work and counterattacked, while Dian Wei answered with forceful strikes of his own.
• Lü Bu and Dian Wei unleashed their Haki and exchanged increasingly powerful attacks as Chen Yu shielded the arena from the resulting blasts.
• After a thousand exchanges, both fighters had been wounded, but their auras continued to rise as Guo Jia, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Chen Yu watched.

Lü Bu defeated Dian Wei in the final bout of the martial arts competition and received the title of Martial Arts Champion from Chen Yu. Just as the ceremony seemed to end, Lü Bu challenged Guan Yu to face him.

• Dian Wei unleashed a devastating double-halberd strike, but Lü Bu met it with Sky Piercer and drove him into a crater.
• Dian Wei's halberds shattered, and he admitted defeat as Lü Bu stopped his halberd just before Dian Wei's forehead.
• Zhang Fei declared Lü Bu the victor, and the crowd cheered for him.
• Chen Yu awarded Lü Bu the Martial Arts Champion's Gold Seal and title.
• Lü Bu raised Sky Piercer toward Guan Yu and challenged him to a fight.

Chen Yu stopped Lü Bu and Guan Yu’s clash, then summoned Lü Bu, Dian Wei, Ma Chao, and Zhou Yu to the Forbidden Garden and bestowed Mythical Zoan fruits upon them. The four accepted their new powers and pledged undying loyalty to Chen Yu.

• Chen Yu suppressed Lü Bu and Guan Yu’s Conqueror’s Haki, declared Lü Bu the Military Examination champion, and ordered him to stand down.
• Chen Yu summoned Lü Bu, Dian Wei, Ma Chao, and Zhou Yu to the Forbidden Garden.
• Chen Yu awakened Arceus’s Power and bestowed four state treasures upon the warriors.
• Lü Bu ate the Giratina-Type Fruit and broke through to Admiral level, while Dian Wei gained Zamazenta’s power, Ma Chao gained Zekrom’s power, and Zhou Yu gained Ho-Oh’s power.
• Chen Yu warned the four to wield their fruits righteously, and they pledged undying loyalty to him.

Lü Bu challenged Guan Yu at the Martial Arts Training Ground, but Zhang Fei erupted into a battle with him first. Chen Yu stopped their clashing powers and ordered Guan Yu to grant Lü Bu’s wish, setting their duel up to begin.

• Lü Bu challenged Guan Yu and split the command banner with the Sky Piercer.
• Guan Yu refused to fight a nameless man, and Zhang Fei attacked Lü Bu with Groudon’s power, turning the arena into a lava inferno.
• Lü Bu countered Zhang Fei’s lava with the Distortion World’s power, and their forces collided.
• Chen Yu suppressed the lava with a single gesture, and Zhang Fei and Lü Bu both halted their attacks.
• Chen Yu ordered Guan Yu to grant Lü Bu’s wish, and Lü Bu and Guan Yu faced each other across the scorched arena.

Lü Bu and Guan Yu transformed and fought in the Martial Arts Training Ground, with Guan Yu’s Rayquaza power overwhelming Lü Bu’s shadow clones. Lü Bu unleashed the Distortion World’s power as Guan Yu began a decisive strike, and two strange suns appeared over Chang'an City.

• Lü Bu transformed into a Giratina-like demon god and challenged Guan Yu, who answered by awakening his Rayquaza-like dragon form.
• Lü Bu attacked with Sky Piercer, but Guan Yu ascended on azure clouds and deflected the halberd with his sheathed Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
• Lü Bu created seven shadow clones and attacked from all sides, while Guan Yu dodged and blocked until he drew his blade and erased the clones with dragon might.
• Lü Bu drew power from a Distortion World vortex and charged Guan Yu with his Netherworld sky-rending strike.
• Guan Yu answered with Green Dragon Crescent · Dragon Ascent, and an azure-gold sun and a dark-purple sun appeared together above Chang'an City.