Arc 40Egghead and the God Realm

Vic and the Straw Hats battled the Five Elders and Imu on Egghead, discovering that Conqueror’s Haki could suppress the Elders’ immortality before Imu withdrew and the island’s victims were freed. After the Straw Hats departed, Vic brought Vegapunk to Baltigo and revealed the God Realm to Dragon, urging him to grow strong enough to challenge Imu.

  • The Five Elders arrived on Egghead, and Vic assigned allies to fight them while confronting Hoki Warcury himself.
  • Vic discovered that Conqueror’s Haki could suppress the Elders’ regeneration and used it to defeat Warcury, Nusjuro, and Ju Peter.
  • Imu took control through Saint Mars, revived the Elders, and transformed Rebecca and others into demons, but Vic fought back as Rebecca, Hancock, and Luffy resisted the control.
  • Imu withdrew after burning the Elders to ashes, and Luffy destroyed the pentagram arrays to free the transformed fighters before the Straw Hats celebrated and left Egghead.
  • Vic moved Vegapunk and his equipment to Baltigo, where he revealed his spatial ability and explained the God Realm and Imu’s hidden power to Dragon.
  • Vic urged Dragon to pursue the God Realm before the great war, demonstrated its power in an illusion, and left Dragon determined to challenge Imu.
Chapters 979–1003 Vol. 10 Read

Ch. 979The Four Saints Descend

Saturn summoned the other four Five Elders to Egghead, using teleportation coordinates and Imu’s borrowed spatial power. The four arrived to reinforce him against Luffy and the others, while Vic recognized their presence and wondered whether Imu would come himself.

  • Saturn contacted the other Five Elders, then sent Luffy flying and completed the summoning formations.
  • Four powerful figures appeared on Egghead amid black light, Conqueror’s Haki, and blood-red lightning.
  • The Marines, Vice Admirals, Straw Hat Pirates, and their allies stopped fighting and reacted to the newcomers’ overwhelming presence.
  • Luffy realized four more monsters had joined Saturn, while Aokiji, Zoro, Sanji, Jinbe, Rebecca, Hancock, and Kizaru assessed the threat.
  • Vic sensed the four familiar presences and concluded that all Five Elders had arrived, questioning whether Imu would come to kill them himself.

Ch. 980No Holds Barred

The Five Elders summoned four monstrous forms to join Saturn, and Nusjuro immediately attacked Nico Robin, only for Zoro to intercept him. A sudden unseen slash severed Nusjuro’s head, but it regenerated, leaving Zoro and the other Elders facing the revelation that the attack—and Nusjuro’s immortality—posed an unfamiliar threat.

  • Bakotsu, Hoki, Itsumade, and Sandworm emerged from the black light and joined Saturn’s Gyuki form.
  • Nusjuro charged at Robin to kill her, but Zoro reached her first and blocked his sword strike.
  • Nusjuro dismissed Zoro’s criticism of his dishonorable attack as the two swordsmen clashed.
  • An unexplained Flying Slash severed Nusjuro’s head, alarming Zoro and the other Elders.
  • Nusjuro’s body kept fighting as his head vanished and regenerated, and he asked Zoro whether he was a Devil Fruit user.

Ch. 981Host and Guest Take Their Places

Vic confronted the Five Elders to protect Vegapunk and the Straw Hat Pirates, then arranged fighters to hold off four Elders while he faced Hoki. He used spatial holes and purple lightning to pin Hoki down, beginning their fight.

  • Vic arrived and admitted that he had unleashed the silent slash, saying he had come because Vegapunk was his friend.
  • Nusjuro threatened Vic and questioned whether he could protect everyone and defeat all five Elders.
  • Vic assigned Rebecca to the giant bird, Kuzan to the giant worm, Luffy to the giant spider, and Zoro and Sanji to the swordsman.
  • Vic confronted Hoki, the giant boar, and reminded him of their earlier fight at Pangaea Castle.
  • Vic summoned eight spatial holes and used purple lightning strands to bind Hoki's legs, tail, tusks, and upper jaw.

Ch. 982Defeating the Enemy in One Move

Vic restrained Hoki with lightning, then warned the others to focus as Nusjuro forced Zoro away from the battlefield. Zoro prepared to fight Nusjuro as he was pushed back.

  • Vic pinned Hoki with lightning ropes, leaving the giant boar unable to escape even after covering himself with Armament Haki.
  • The Marines, agents, and Straw Hat Pirates reacted with shock to Vic's strength, while Rebecca resolved to help him and Olvia recognized one of the Five Elders as a culprit behind Ohara's destruction.
  • Vic struck Hoki's tusk with an ordinary iron hammer and shouted at the distracted fighters to deal with their enemies.
  • Nusjuro tried to sneak attack Zoro, but Vic noticed the attack with Future Sight and warned him in time.
  • Zoro dodged Nusjuro's slash and countered with both swords, but Nusjuro blocked him and drove him away from the battlefield.

Ch. 983Soul slaves

Aokiji rejected Saint Shepherd Ju Peter’s attempt to drive him away and fought the sandworm, while Rebecca faced a flying member of the Five Elders. The Five Elders tried to recruit Rebecca by promising her Celestial Dragon status, though their recruits ultimately became Lord Imu’s soul-contract servants.

  • Sanji chased after Zoro and Bakotsu after hearing Vic’s message, recognizing that the Straw Hat Pirates needed to work together.
  • Saint Shepherd Ju Peter ordered Aokiji to leave, but Aokiji refused and said he had found freedom and a cause worth fighting for.
  • Saint Shepherd Ju Peter attacked Aokiji with its devouring maw, but Aokiji froze its mouth, evaded its charge, and encased its body in ice with Ice Time Capsule.
  • Rebecca prepared to fight the giant bird, believing her Float-Float Fruit and flying swords gave her an advantage against an airborne opponent.
  • The Five Elders offered Rebecca Celestial Dragon status and a place among the Holy Knights, while the chapter explained that powerful recruits became Lord Imu’s soul-contract servants.

Ch. 984Playing Around and Annoyance

Rebecca rejected the Five Elders’ offers and fought Saint Mars, tearing him apart with flying swords before he regenerated. Meanwhile, Luffy kept flattening Saturn, but the immortal Elder repeatedly returned to normal.

  • Rebecca dismissed offers of extended lifespan, wealth, power, and rare treasures, then asked to become one of the Five Elders.
  • Saint Mars realized Rebecca was stalling and attacked her with black flames, which she blocked with a shield of flying swords.
  • Rebecca sent more than a hundred swords at Saint Mars, tearing him to pieces, but his immortal body soon reformed.
  • Rebecca searched for a way to stop Saint Mars from regenerating, while Luffy continued battling Saturn without being able to kill him.
  • Luffy flattened Saturn into a sheet of paper with Nika’s power, but Saturn quickly returned to his original form.

Ch. 985When a Locked Health Bar Meets a Cheat

Luffy struggled to defeat Saturn’s instantly regenerating body, then used his stretched, Haki-coated fingers to bind him. Vic killed Hoki with a powerful lightning laser, but Hoki revived, so Vic trapped him with lightning ropes.

  • Luffy repeatedly injured Saturn, but Saturn regenerated every wound and limb almost instantly.
  • Luffy wrapped Saturn in his stretched fingers and coated them with Armament Haki, preventing him from escaping.
  • Vic fired a lightning laser through Hoki, destroying his internal organs and killing him.
  • Hoki revived, and Vic bound him with lightning ropes before trying a different approach.

Ch. 986The Ultimate Conjecture About Haki

Vic repeatedly killed Saint Warcury, but the immortal boar revived each time, leading Vic to wonder whether Haki at its peak could overcome a perfected law. He decided to test that idea by pursuing Haki's limits while continuing to seek a way to defeat immortality.

  • Vic struck Warcury's boar head with a Ryuo-coated fist before Warcury could cover himself in Armament Haki, but Warcury revived.
  • Vic considered whether Haki needed to reach its ultimate level to counter a Devil Fruit ability developed to its utmost.
  • Vic concluded that Haki and laws could theoretically oppose each other and resolved to push his Haki to its peak.
  • Vic teleported before Warcury and drove a black lightning ball into his mouth, exploding his body, but Warcury revived again.
  • Vic recognized that lightning could kill Warcury repeatedly but could not counter the law of immortality, and that mastering another counter-law might take too long.

Ch. 987Magic Circles and Immortality

Vic suspected the Five Elders’ teleportation circles linked them to Imu’s power of immortality, so he tested whether destroying a circle would break that connection. He discovered the circle resisted both Haki and repeated strikes of powerful lightning, leaving him to consider using his strongest black lightning.

  • Vic studied the five teleportation circles and suspected they could transmit Imu’s power of law to the Five Elders.
  • Vic struck Saturn’s circle with an Armament Haki-coated punch, but the marked ground remained intact while the ground outside it shattered.
  • Vic summoned purple lightning and then crimson lightning to strike the circle, but it suffered no damage.
  • Nami, Robin, Sanji, and others realized Vic was targeting the circle because it might be linked to the Five Elders’ immortality.
  • Vic struck the circle with more than a dozen bolts of crimson lightning, then considered attacking with his strongest black lightning.

Ch. 988A Covert Reminder

Vic destroyed a teleportation array with Conqueror’s Haki after a mysterious man in black suggested it, then confirmed that Saturn’s immortality had ended. The Five Elders faced the threat of death as Vic and Luffy moved to finish Saturn.

  • The mysterious man in black told Vic to use Conqueror’s Haki, and Vic concluded it could destroy the teleportation arrays and end the Five Elders’ immortality.
  • Vic struck Saturn’s teleportation array with Conqueror’s Haki, shattering the array and the ground beneath it.
  • Vic told Luffy to kill Saturn again, but Luffy could not untangle his fingers from around the Elder.
  • Vic struck Saturn through Luffy’s grip with Ryuo, destroying Saturn’s body and freeing Luffy’s hand.

Ch. 989The Tide Turns

Vic realized that the teleportation array was unrelated to the Five Elders’ immortality and that powerful Conqueror’s Haki could stop them from regenerating. He wounded Saturn with Blood Wither while concealing his true strength, leaving the Elders afraid and Vic still unable to identify the mysterious black-robed figure.

  • After Saturn revived from Vic’s punch, Vic understood that destroying the teleportation array would not end the Elders’ immortality and could expose his hidden strength to Imu.
  • Vic realized that Conqueror’s Haki could counter the Elders’ immortality, and that Luffy’s weaker Haki had misled him into overlooking the possibility.
  • Vic coated Blood Wither in Conqueror’s Haki and severed Saturn’s spider legs, preventing them from regenerating.
  • Saturn recognized that Vic had found a way to overcome their immortality, and the other four Elders grew fearful and considered fleeing.
  • Vic searched for the mysterious black-robed figure but found no trace of him, then told Luffy that Conqueror’s Haki could counter the Elders and that he needed to get stronger.

Ch. 990Dying Struggle

Vic fought Saturn and confirmed that his Conqueror’s Haki suppressed Saturn’s regeneration without fully ending his immortality. As the other Five Elders struggled against the fighters around them, they agreed to wait rather than seek Lord Imu’s help.

  • Luffy failed to keep Saturn dead with Gear Fifth and Bajrang Gun, so Vic sent him to help the others while he focused on Saturn.
  • Saturn spat deadly venom at Vic, and Vic dodged it before warning nearby Marines and agents as the poison dissolved several people and scorched the ground.
  • Vic severed Saturn’s head and then cut his body into pieces, but Saturn remained alive and unable to regenerate the spider legs Vic had cut off.
  • Saturn told Saint Warcury that Vic’s Conqueror’s Haki was suppressing his immortality, and the other Elders reported that their opponents were keeping them occupied.
  • The Five Elders discussed asking Lord Imu for help but agreed to wait and see because Vic had not yet shown that he could truly kill them.

Ch. 991Soul Contract

Vic reasoned that Conqueror’s Haki disrupted the Five Elders’ souls and investigated how Imu’s soul contracts granted them immortality. By pretending to want immortality, Vic got Hoki Warcury to explain that full members of the Holy Knights gained it through contracts with Imu.

  • While Vic attacked Saturn, Saturn used his soul contract with Imu to secretly contact the other Five Elders, who discussed retaliating against the marines and agents who had witnessed their defeat.
  • Vic considered whether Imu had separated the Five Elders’ souls from their bodies and whether damaging their souls was what stopped Saturn from recovering.
  • Vic questioned the bound giant boar about the source of the Five Elders’ immortality, and Hoki Warcury warned him not to oppose Imu.
  • Vic pretended to long for immortality, and Hoki Warcury said Imu granted it through contracts with full Holy Knights, adding that they wanted to recruit Loki of Elbaf.
  • Vic used the Law of Lightning to impair Warcury’s vigilance and drew more information from him.

Ch. 992Humiliated and Enraged

Vic uncovered that Imu’s contract likely bound the souls of the Five Elders and the God's Knights, granting them immortality, but Warcury realized Vic had been probing him. Vic killed Warcury and moved on as the surviving Elders discussed his suspicions and their worsening position.

  • Vic questioned Warcury about the immortality contract, and Warcury broke free of Vic’s influence and accused him of fishing for secrets.
  • Vic concluded that Imu had enslaved the Five Elders’ and God's Knights’ souls through contracts, separating their souls from their bodies to grant immortality.
  • Warcury rejected Vic’s claim that he wanted to join the Holy Knights and warned that Imu would kill him, so Vic stopped pretending and attacked.
  • Vic used Allen and Conqueror’s Haki-infused sword strikes to kill Warcury, whose body could not regenerate under Vic’s lightning ropes.
  • Warcury told the other Elders that Vic seemed to have guessed the secret of their immortality, while Saint Nusjuro and Saint Mars urged them not to worry.
  • Saint Shepherd Ju Peter warned that two Elders were already down and asked whether they should keep waiting for Lord Imu.

Ch. 993Another Secret

Vic defeated Saint Nusjuro and questioned him about his origins and rise to power, then attacked him with Conqueror’s Haki. The battle left Vic considering how to weaken the World Government and how Haki might help defeat Imu.

  • Vic left Zoro and Sanji’s fight to confront Nusjuro, cutting the Five Elder in half with a distant slash from Allen.
  • Vic asked Nusjuro whether he came from Wano Country and suggested that he had joined the Holy Knights, made a soul contract with Imu, and risen to become one of the Five Elders.
  • Vic considered recruiting powerful figures such as Loki to his side so the World Government would have fewer strong allies.
  • When Nusjuro stayed silent, Vic struck him with more Conqueror’s Haki slashes, leaving him unable to resist.
  • Vic reflected that Conqueror’s Haki could counter immortal bodies and that Armament Haki might help defeat Imu.

Ch. 994Divine Descent

Vic defeated Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, but Saint Mars transformed under Imu’s possession and restored the Five Elders’ immortality. Imu trapped Rebecca and the others in mysterious pentagrams, leaving Vic to attack in a rage.

  • Vic cut Saint Shepherd Ju Peter apart while Aokiji kept him occupied.
  • Itsumade unleashed powerful Conqueror’s Haki, then transformed into Saint Mars possessed by Imu.
  • Imu dispersed Vic’s Haki from the Five Elders’ wounds, allowing them to resurrect.
  • Vic urged Rebecca to lead everyone away, but Imu prevented their escape and Vic flung Rebecca away from him.
  • Imu summoned pentagrams that swallowed Rebecca and the others, and Vic charged at Saint Mars with Allen.

Ch. 995The Demon Army

Vic fought the weakened Imu while Imu transformed Vic’s allies into demons, but Rebecca, Hancock, and Luffy broke free with their Conqueror’s Haki. Vic restrained the demon army and the Five Elders, then battled Imu, who escaped by vowing to descend in person next time.

  • Vic clashed with Imu as Zoro and the others emerged from the pentagram transformed into demons and surrounded him.
  • Rebecca, Hancock, and Luffy dispelled Imu’s influence with their Conqueror’s Haki and returned to normal.
  • Vic told Rebecca, Hancock, and Luffy to hold back the demons, then broke the clash of Haki and knocked out the Marines and CP Agents.
  • Imu summoned weapons from a book and shot Vic, but Vic avoided the shots by turning into his element and restrained the demons and Five Elders with lightning.
  • Vic attacked Imu at close range, but Imu used the book’s creations to block his attacks and declared that he would descend in person next time.

Ch. 996Life and Death Decided by a Word

Vic drove Imu to withdraw, but Imu killed Hoki Warcury and the other Five Elders before leaving. Vic urged Rebecca, Luffy, and Hancock to find a way to free the demonized fighters, then warned Vegapunk that the World Government would hunt him and told him to prepare to leave.

  • Vic held off Imu until Imu decided to withdraw from Saint Mars’s body.
  • Imu burned Hoki Warcury and the other three Five Elders to ashes, and Vic confirmed Warcury was dead.
  • Rebecca asked how to save the demonized fighters, and Vic told her, Luffy, and Hancock to find another way after their Conqueror’s Haki failed to free them.
  • Vic went to Vegapunk’s laboratory and told Vegapunk that Luffy had fought Kizaru and the Five Elders while Vic had left Imu’s possession secret.
  • Vegapunk realized the World Government was targeting him, and Vic warned him to prepare to leave before its agents and bounty hunters came after him.

Ch. 997Kizaru Wakes Up

Vic sent Kizaru and the Marines away from Egghead after the Five Elders’ defeat, then helped Rebecca, Luffy, and Hancock figure out how to reverse their demonic transformations. The three realized the pentagram patterns that transformed them had disappeared, and Luffy went to test whether destroying the remaining patterns would turn them back.

  • Vic stored Vegapunk’s giant head and its equipment in his alternate space, then found Kizaru on a warship and warned him to keep quiet about what had happened.
  • Kizaru agreed to leave with the Marines, and Vic let him go after warning him not to provoke him again.
  • Kizaru woke the unconscious Marines by slapping them, while Hancock restored the petrified Marines so they could leave with their comrades.
  • Vic urged Rebecca, Luffy, and Hancock to stop searching aimlessly and think about where they had stood before transforming.
  • Rebecca noticed that the pentagram patterns where they had transformed were gone, unlike the patterns beneath the other demons, and suggested destroying those patterns might reverse the transformation.
  • Luffy rushed off to test Rebecca’s idea.

Ch. 998The Postwar Banquet

Luffy destroyed Imu’s pentagram arrays and freed the people transformed into demons, allowing the Straw Hats and their allies to celebrate with a banquet prepared by Vic. The celebration ended with Vic drawing portraits of everyone’s demonic forms, which Rebecca questioned as an embarrassing memory rather than something worth commemorating.

  • Luffy became Giant Nika and destroyed the pentagram arrays, freeing the demons from their transformations.
  • The Straw Hats and their allies recovered their memories, confirmed that the battle was over, and learned that few of them had been injured.
  • Vic agreed to cook for a banquet, while Zoro, Sanji, Jinbe, Robin, Chopper, and Franky gathered meat and fruit.
  • Vic brewed fruit wine and prepared a feast as the Straw Hats and their allies ate, drank, and celebrated.
  • Rebecca found Vic drawing portraits of their demonic forms and asked why he wanted to commemorate their embarrassing past.

Ch. 999Parting

Vic saw the Straw Hat Pirates off after warning Luffy to protect and strengthen his crew, then discussed what to do with the traitorous York. Vegapunk chose to keep York for her indispensable work, so Vic agreed to have her imprisoned.

  • Rebecca found her demon portrait and asked Vic to draw Yamato, Kuina, and Ain in demon forms too, but Vic declined to promise.
  • Vic finished and signed demon portraits for the Straw Hat Pirates, while Aokiji studied his own portrait and worried about having been controlled by Imu.
  • Vic encouraged Aokiji to keep forming bonds with the Straw Hat Pirates, saying that fighting desperately for his companions could bring him close to awakening Conqueror's Haki.
  • The Straw Hat Pirates found their portraits the next morning and left Egghead aboard the Thousand Sunny after Vic warned Luffy that his companions would remain vulnerable unless they grew stronger.
  • After seeing the Straw Hat Pirates off, Vic asked Vegapunk what to do with York; Vegapunk wanted to keep her for her role in their work, and Vic agreed to lock her up.

Ch. 1000Urgent

Vic secretly brought Vegapunk and his equipment to Baltigo, then showed Dragon his alternate dimensional space and revealed that he wielded a spatial ability. He hoped Dragon would learn the truth about the God Realm and become a powerful ally as events accelerated.

  • Vic sent Olvia, Rebecca, and the third woman back on their own while he took Vegapunk somewhere hidden.
  • Five days later, Vic arrived on Baltigo with Vegapunk and several satellites, while York remained imprisoned in a sealed metal cell.
  • Vic asked Dragon to hide Vegapunk's equipment and establish a research institute for the Revolutionary Army.
  • Dragon wondered how Vic had brought the equipment into the guarded valley, and Vic took him into an alternate dimensional space.
  • Vic explained that the space existed in another dimension and revealed his spatial ability, leaving Dragon astonished because he thought Vic had the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

Ch. 1001Coming Clean

Vic told Dragon that Devil Fruit Awakening was not the ultimate level and revealed the God Realm, explaining how he had learned of it and warning that Imu was one of its powerful users. He also disclosed that he and Garp had reached the God Realm, leaving Dragon with the knowledge that he needed to become a fifth powerhouse of that level.

  • Vic revealed to Dragon that he possessed a second ability and explained that another realm existed above Devil Fruit Awakening: the God Realm.
  • Vic said he had learned Ancient Script from Nico Robin's biological mother, a survivor of Ohara, and discovered the God Realm's existence on a Poneglyph.
  • Vic explained that the World Government had suppressed knowledge of the God Realm and connected that secrecy to its ban on Ancient Script and the Buster Call on Ohara.
  • Vic told Dragon that he and Garp had become God Realm powerhouses, and Dragon realized why he had been unable to escape Garp before.
  • Vic identified Imu as the fourth God Realm powerhouse he knew and revealed that a mysterious black-robed man was on their side.
  • Vic told Dragon that their strength remained hidden and that he needed Dragon to become the fifth God Realm powerhouse.

Ch. 1002The Situation Is Urgent

Vic explained to Dragon that reaching the God Realm allowed a person to wield multiple Devil Fruit abilities as Powers of Law, and warned that Imu might be powerful enough to face several God Realm experts. He urged Dragon to delegate the Revolutionary Army to Sabo and focus on breaking through before the great war began.

  • Dragon admired the relentless ambition of a God Realm expert, while Vic speculated that the person had survived from an earlier era to help cultivate allies against the World Government.
  • Vic warned that Imu might be the Celestial Dragons’ only God Realm expert, but could wield multiple Powers of Law and overpower several opponents.
  • Vic explained that reaching the God Realm removed Devil Fruit side effects, allowing someone to eat more fruits and command their abilities as Powers of Law.
  • Dragon admitted he had not yet reached a bottleneck in developing his Wind-Wind Fruit and regretted becoming complacent, though he did not regret building the Revolutionary Army.
  • Vic urged Dragon to leave the Revolutionary Army’s affairs to Sabo and pursue a breakthrough before the great war, which he believed would begin when the One Piece was found.

Ch. 1003An Intoxicating View

Vic brought Dragon into his illusion world and demonstrated the destructive power of the God Realm, while avoiding revealing his full power where Imu might sense it. Dragon returned to reality shaken by the gap between their strength and determined to reach the summit and defeat Imu.

  • Vic refused to display his full God Realm power in the alternate space because Imu might detect its law fluctuations, and offered to demonstrate it in his illusion world instead.
  • Dragon relaxed his mind, and Vic drew his consciousness into the illusion, where Dragon marveled at how real the grassland felt.
  • Vic showed Dragon the God Realm’s power by destroying an island with a wave of his hand.
  • Dragon returned to reality dazed by Vic’s display, while Vic left Baltigo and Dragon resolved to reach the God Realm and push Imu from the peak.
Arc 40 of 49
Arc 40 of 49