Chapter Summaries

After learning that Ace would be executed in one week, Luffy decided to infiltrate Impel Down with Hancock. Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates awoke on islands where they could train, and Roy led Hachinosu’s forces toward Marineford to strike the Marines.

• Hancock told Luffy that Ace was in Impel Down and would be executed in one week, and Luffy insisted on going to save him.
• Hancock offered to take Luffy into Impel Down aboard a Marine supply ship in three days, and he agreed to sneak in with her.
• Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp woke on unfamiliar islands, while Chopper, Nami, Robin, Brook, and Franky landed on islands suited to their training.
• Roy assembled Hachinosu’s fighters, revealed his plan to kill as many Marine rear admirals and higher-ranking officers as possible, and ordered the combatants to move out.
• The crew boarded the Ark Maxim, and Roy stood at its bow as Tesoro raised the ship toward Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Luffy infiltrated Impel Down with Hancock to find Ace, unaware that Garp had already escorted Ace away to Marineford. Ace arrived at Marineford and was chained to the execution platform as the Marines prepared for war.

• Hancock brought Luffy into Impel Down beneath her cloak, and Luffy slipped into a ventilation duct to search for Ace.
• Luffy searched the prison but could not sense Ace, who had already departed six hours earlier aboard an escort ship with Garp.
• At Marineford, one hundred thousand Marines and the assembled Shichibukai prepared for Ace’s execution while the event was broadcast around the world.
• The escort ship delivered Ace to Marineford, where two officers led him to the execution platform and chained him in place.
• Sengoku and Garp stood beside the kneeling Ace as Garp silently gripped his crushed bag of rice crackers.

Sengoku revealed to the world that Ace was the son of Gol D. Roger, then Whitebeard arrived at Marineford with his fleet to rescue him. Whitebeard's attack shattered the atmosphere and raised enormous waves over the Marine forces.

• Ace silently hoped that Luffy and Whitebeard would not come to Marineford.
• Sengoku announced that Ace was Gol D. Roger's son and described the government's hunt for Roger's bloodline.
• People across the world reacted with shock, while Garp quietly asked Ace whether he hated him and Ace said he did not.
• A lookout reported forty-three Whitebeard pirate ships outside the bay, followed by three coated Moby Dick ships rising from underwater with Whitebeard aboard.
• Whitebeard greeted Sengoku and asked whether his son was all right, then used his Tremor-Tremor Fruit power to raise enormous waves around Marineford.

Whitebeard launched an assault on Marineford to rescue Ace, while Roy and Hachinosu’s fighters watched from the concealed Ark Maxim and planned to strike the Marines’ upper ranks after both sides were weakened. The battle began below as Roy waited for Whitebeard, Akainu, and Sengoku to commit their forces.

• Aokiji froze Whitebeard’s two tsunamis with Ice Age, and Whitebeard ordered his sons to rescue Ace.
• Whitebeard’s pirates charged across the ice as Marine forces responded with a cannon barrage.
• Roy and Hachinosu’s core fighters observed the battlefield from the hidden Ark Maxim above the clouds.
• Tesoro reported the battle’s casualties and the movements of the combatants, while Crocodile noted that Akainu was waiting for Whitebeard to act.
• Roy stopped Bullet from entering the battle early and set their target as Marine Rear Admirals and higher-ranking officers once both sides were exhausted.

The battle at Marine Headquarters intensified as Whitebeard's forces clashed with the Marines and their strongest fighters. Little Oars Jr. was gravely wounded while trying to reach Ace, and the fighting remained unresolved across the battlefield.

• Marco fought Kizaru in the sky while Jozu and Aokiji traded attacks, and Whitebeard extinguished Akainu's Magma Fist.
• Roy watched the rising casualties as the Ark Maxim remained hidden among the clouds.
• Little Oars Jr. charged toward Ace, but the Giant Vice Admirals wounded him before Weevil stabbed him and Doflamingo severed his right leg.
• Marco treated Oars's wounds with blue flames, then returned to his increasingly difficult fight against Kizaru.
• Jozu and Aokiji continued their evenly matched duel, while Vista and Momousagi exchanged sword strikes.
• Whitebeard's allied pirate crews broke through the Marines' first line and fought the Marine troops and giant unit across the ice.

Whitebeard killed Marine Giant Vice Admiral Ronse, but Sengoku sealed the harbor with the Encircling Wall and ordered a devastating bombardment against the trapped pirates. Watching his rescuers die, Ace begged them to stop.

• Whitebeard shattered Ronse's axe, killed the giant with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and threw his corpse into the Marine ranks.
• Zephyr committed more Marine reserves to the battle as Sengoku raised the Encircling Wall, trapping the pirates ashore and cutting off the forty-three ships outside.
• Sengoku ordered the Marines to fire on the pirates trapped inside the bay, while Whitebeard directed his crew toward a gap left by Oars's fallen body.
• Ace watched the pirates die, blamed himself for their suffering, and roared for them to stop fighting.

Luffy broke through the frozen tsunami with hundreds of Impel Down prisoners and landed at Marineford to save Ace, reviving the pirates’ flagging morale. As Luffy charged toward the Execution Platform, Moria and Hancock also began attacking Marines after receiving a message to make their move.

• Ace blamed himself as he watched the pirates fighting to save him fall on the ice.
• Luffy punched through the top of Aokiji’s frozen tsunami, and hundreds of Impel Down prisoners descended with him.
• Luffy called out to Ace and vowed to save him, while Garp was stunned and Sengoku blamed him for Luffy’s arrival.
• Ivankov urged the prisoners to follow Luffy, and the new arrivals helped the pirates regain their fighting spirit and counterattack.
• After hearing a message to make their move, Moria attacked Marines and pirates alike with shadow tentacles.
• Hancock petrified Marines with her attacks and cleared a path for Luffy toward the Execution Platform.

Jinbe, Moria, and Hancock opened a path for Luffy, who reached the top of the Encircling Wall and called out to Ace. Whitebeard ordered his pirates to protect Luffy, rallying the battlefield, but a figure silently approached Whitebeard.

• Jinbe used Fish-Man Karate to blast a hole through the Navy formation and declared he was making a battlefield that suited him.
• Luffy raced through the Navy’s defenses, climbed the Encircling Wall, and shouted to Ace that he was coming to save him.
• Ace broke down in tears at the sight of Luffy, while Garp struggled to hold back his own tears and Sengoku ordered the Navy to stop Luffy.
• Roy watched from the Ark Maxim as Bullet urged him to descend, but Roy said the real show had only just begun.
• Whitebeard recognized Luffy as Ace’s little brother and ordered his sons to cover him, rallying the pirates to attack the Navy again.
• A figure silently approached Whitebeard from the side of the Moby Dick’s bow.

Squard stabbed Whitebeard after Akainu convinced him the Marines had a deal to trade the allied pirate crews’ lives for Ace’s. Whitebeard forgave Squard, denied betraying his sons, and charged across the ice to confront Akainu.

• Squard stabbed Whitebeard and accused him of sacrificing the allied crews to save Ace, claiming Akainu had revealed the supposed deal.
• Marco restrained Squard, but Whitebeard stopped him and embraced Squard, calling him a fool and his beloved son.
• Whitebeard had Marco pull out the sword, then told the pirates he had never betrayed them and that Akainu had deceived Squard.
• Whitebeard took up his naginata, leaped onto the ice, and vowed to settle the score with Akainu.
• Whitebeard roared for Akainu and fought off Marines who tried to stop him as he advanced across the ice.

Whitebeard rallied the pirates by tearing through the Marine ranks and charging into their encirclement. He confronted Akainu over deceiving his son and began a devastating attack, leaving their fight poised to erupt.

• Whitebeard unleashed a shockwave that blasted a two-hundred-meter gap through the Marine front line, and the pirates surged forward.
• Whitebeard leapt over the Marine defenses and landed in the center of the encirclement, where he fought through the soldiers with Murakumogiri and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.
• Sengoku ordered Akainu to stop Whitebeard, and Akainu approached him with a magma fist.
• Whitebeard challenged Akainu over what he had said to his son, then formed a vibration sphere around his fist and struck at Akainu.

Luffy fought his way to the Execution Platform as Marco and the Whitebeard Pirates covered his advance, but Garp stopped Marco and Sengoku ordered Ace’s execution to begin immediately. As the executioners raised their swords, Luffy unleashed a massive burst of Conqueror’s Haki that felled thousands of Marines.

• Luffy charged toward the Execution Platform while Marine officers were repeatedly prevented from stopping him, and Marco, Vista, and Jozu helped clear his path.
• Luffy reached the platform and exchanged a look with Ace, but Marco flew ahead to rescue him.
• Garp struck Marco out of the air, and Onigumo pinned him to the ice with seastone chains.
• Sengoku ordered the executioners to kill Ace immediately, leaving Luffy frozen as they raised their swords.
• Luffy roared and unleashed Conqueror’s Haki, knocking thousands of Marine soldiers unconscious across the battlefield.

Luffy awakened Conqueror’s Haki and fought through the Marines to reach Ace on the Execution Platform. Garp let Luffy knock him aside, and Luffy charged onto the platform.

• Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki knocked out the nearby Marines, and Sengoku recognized it as the same power Roy had awakened years earlier.
• Sengoku ordered more executioners to carry out Ace’s execution, while Garp sat with his eyes closed and his hands trembling.
• Ivankov and Inazuma helped Luffy clear a path to the Execution Platform, with Inazuma cutting a stone bridge through the Marines.
• Garp blocked the bridge and told Luffy he could pass only over his dead body, but he closed his eyes and let Luffy punch him aside.
• Luffy raced past Garp and charged onto the Execution Platform.

Luffy reached Ace on the Execution Platform, but Sengoku’s attack caused the platform to collapse, sending the brothers falling together. Meanwhile, Whitebeard and Akainu clashed fiercely, and Whitebeard advanced on the Admiral after withstanding his attacks.

• Sengoku transformed into his Golden Great Buddha Form and struck Luffy, but Luffy clung to the Execution Platform and pulled himself back up before Ace.
• Sengoku brought his palm down again, but the Execution Platform collapsed, and Luffy shielded Ace as they fell toward the ground.
• Whitebeard and Akainu traded powerful punches, and Whitebeard remained standing after their collision while Akainu stepped back.
• Whitebeard challenged Akainu for insulting his sons and deflected Akainu’s Meteor Volcano with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
• Whitebeard charged at Akainu and swung Murakumogiri toward his neck.

Whitebeard and Akainu fought fiercely at Marineford, where Whitebeard initially overwhelmed Akainu but his age, wounds, and spreading poison weakened him. After Akainu burned Whitebeard’s chest, Whitebeard unleashed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit at full power, shaking Marineford and its defenses.

• Whitebeard battered Akainu with his naginata and Tremor-Tremor Fruit, while Roy sensed that Whitebeard’s stamina was rapidly draining.
• Whitebeard blasted Akainu through a warship and then struck him into a crater with a powerful uppercut.
• Whitebeard faltered as his chest wound reopened and the poison spread, allowing Akainu to hit him with Hell Hound and burn his chest.
• Whitebeard steadied himself and unleashed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit with both fists, shattering the atmosphere and violently shaking Marineford.

Whitebeard unleashed his full strength against Akainu as Luffy and Ace reached the ice, where Kizaru attacked them. Moria, Hancock, and Jinbe intervened to protect Luffy, leaving Kizaru to question whether the three Shichibukai had betrayed the Marines.

• Whitebeard shattered the ice beneath him and declared his true strength to Akainu.
• Ivankov and Scissorhands caught Luffy and Ace after they fell from the Execution Platform, and Luffy searched for the key to Ace's Seastone Handcuffs.
• Kizaru launched Yasakani no Magatama at Luffy and Ace, and Luffy shielded Ace from the barrage.
• Moria, Hancock, and Jinbe protected Luffy's group on Roy's order, with Moria blocking Kizaru's light bullets and attacking him with shadow spears.
• Hancock struck at Kizaru with Perfume Femur and Slave Arrow, while Jinbe hit him with Ocean Current Shoulder Throw.
• Kizaru recovered and asked Moria, Hancock, and Jinbe whether they intended to betray the Marines.

Moria, Jinbe, and Hancock openly sided with Luffy and Ace at Marineford, and Hancock’s key freed Ace from his Seastone cuffs. Sengoku ordered the Marines to kill Ace and Luffy, and Ace began fighting off the advancing forces as the battle intensified.

• Moria and Jinbe defended Luffy against the Marines, while Hancock joined them and tossed Ace the key to his cuffs.
• Luffy unlocked Ace’s Seastone handcuffs, allowing Ace to regain his strength and ignite his flames.
• Sengoku recognized the three Shichibukai’s ties to Hachinosu and suspected Roy was involved, but focused on the battle before him.
• Sengoku ordered all Marines to kill Ace and Luffy and prevent Roger’s bloodline from escaping Marineford.
• Ace unleashed a wall of fire against the charging Marines, but more soldiers and several Vice Admirals pressed forward through the flames.

Luffy, Ace, and the Whitebeard Pirates fought through the Marines as Marco returned to hold off Kizaru, while Whitebeard and Akainu’s battle grew more destructive. Roy kept his allies aboard the Ark Maxim, waiting for the right moment to strike after Ace and Luffy escaped and Whitebeard delivered his final blow.

• Moria, Jinbe, and Hancock fought to protect Luffy and Ace, but Jinbe warned that the group would be worn down by the Marines.
• Marco broke free of Onigumo’s Seastone chains and intercepted Kizaru, while Vista, Jozu, and the other Whitebeard Pirates’ commanders helped clear a path for Ace and Luffy.
• Whitebeard and Akainu continued exchanging blows as Whitebeard’s reopened chest wound worsened and Roy sensed his stamina rapidly fading.
• Roy stopped Bullet from entering the battle and explained that he, Tesoro, Mihawk, and Yamato would wait until Ace and Luffy escaped and Whitebeard made his final move.

The Marines gained ground at Marineford as Whitebeard, Luffy, Ace, and their allies weakened under the encirclement. Sengoku sensed something wrong in the sky, and Roy appeared above the battlefield aboard a lightning-wreathed ship.

• Whitebeard and Akainu continued their fierce fight as Whitebeard's wound worsened and his stamina faded.
• Sengoku directed the Marines' formations to tighten the encirclement around Luffy and Ace while their allies fought to hold the line.
• Zephyr stopped the Whitebeard Pirates' captains, while Marco struggled to keep Kizaru occupied and the pirates' position deteriorated.
• Sengoku grew uneasy, sensed an invisible barrier above the clouds, and watched the sky darken with lightning.
• A gap opened in the clouds, revealing Roy standing aboard an enormous ship wreathed in golden lightning.

Roy, Enel, and Tesoro unleashed a precisely controlled thunderstorm over Marineford, devastating the Marines while sparing the pirates. The attack opened a path for Jinbe, Ace, and Luffy to escape toward the harbor as Whitebeard welcomed Roy’s intervention.

• Enel spread thunderclouds over Marineford, and Tesoro merged with them to control their lightning.
• Roy ordered Tesoro to strike, and deep-purple lightning rained down on the Marine ranks while avoiding the pirates.
• The thunderstorm shattered the Marines’ formation, allowing the pirates to rally and charge forward.
• Jinbe led Luffy and Ace through the gap toward the harbor as Moria and Hancock covered their escape.
• Whitebeard laughed at Roy’s arrival while Akainu watched the battlefield fall into chaos.

Sengoku confronted Tesoro's thundercloud to protect the Marines as lightning devastated Marineford. With Kizaru and Aokiji supporting him, the Marines gained a chance to regroup, while Zephyr prepared to act.

• Tesoro's lightning bombardment devastated the Marine ranks, and Hachinosu's fighters joined the pirates against the Marines.
• Sengoku ordered everyone to protect the Marines' fighting forces and transformed into his Golden Buddha form to attack Tesoro's thundercloud.
• Sengoku's shockwave blasted a huge gap in the thundercloud, giving the surviving Marines a brief reprieve.
• Kizaru broke free of Marco and used Yasakani no Magatama to pepper the thundercloud with holes.
• Aokiji formed ice shields over the Marine soldiers, allowing officers to reorganize the troops and evacuate the wounded.
• Zephyr prepared to take a more direct approach.