Recaps

Marine Vic confronted Dark Mantis, a former Rocks Pirates member who had lived in seclusion for nineteen years, after Zephyr recognized him on a small island. The chapter ended with Vic challenging Mantis to fight while Mantis’s followers worried about the outcome.

• Zephyr ordered the warship to prepare for battle after spotting a pirate ship, and the Marines found Dark Mantis holding a dying pirate captain near the pier.
• Zephyr identified Mantis as a former Rocks Pirates member whose bounty had been seven hundred million and warned Vic that his strength was unknown.
• Vic sensed no hostility from Mantis but welcomed the chance to test himself against a powerful pirate, and Zephyr told him to be careful.
• Vic approached Mantis, introduced himself as a Marine, and challenged him, while Mantis’s underlings discussed Vic’s swords and feared their boss might lose.

Vic and Mantis moved their fight to a grove, where Mantis revealed his Ancient Zoan Nether Mantis form and its immense blades. Mantis knocked Vic back in their opening clash, but Vic returned unharmed and realized his speed alone would not be enough.

• Mantis led Vic to a grove in the island's center to keep their battle away from the sea.
• Vic drew Blood Wither and Allen, while Mantis transformed into a giant Nether Mantis.
• Zephyr explained Mantis's Ancient Zoan abilities as Rebecca and the others watched anxiously.
• Vic used Soru to attack, but Mantis tracked him and knocked him more than a hundred meters away with a powerful strike.
• Vic returned with Geppo, uninjured, and recognized that Mantis could follow his top speed.

Vic fought Mantis, whose armored body resisted even Haki-coated swords, and used their duel to sharpen his swordsmanship. The fight continued in the air as Vic improved, but he had not yet broken through Mantis’s defense.

• Vic’s Sword Gang slashes failed to mark Mantis, so he switched to close combat with Haki-coated swords.
• Vic forced Mantis backward while conserving stamina and using him as a whetstone to improve his swordsmanship.
• Mantis spread his wings and took the fight into the air, where the two clashed at high speed.
• Vic flipped over Mantis and kicked him into a crater, but Mantis emerged unharmed.
• Vic’s changing sword strokes began landing more often, and Mantis realized Vic was breaking through during their fight.

Vic wounded Mantis by steadily breaking through his armor, prompting Mantis to reveal his Human-Beast Form and attack with a chill that threatened Vic’s soul. Vic remained locked against him as his body began to frost over, leaving his ability to endure the Underworld aura uncertain.

• Vic’s sword strikes pierced Mantis’s armor and opened several increasingly deep wounds.
• Mantis knocked Vic back, healed his injuries, and transformed into his Human-Beast Form.
• Mantis unleashed a powerful blow that Vic blocked, driving his feet into the ground and forming a crater.
• Mantis’s Underworld chill spread through their crossed blades and began freezing Vic’s soul and slowing his body.
• Zephyr explained the danger to Rebecca and stood ready to intervene, while Barnett and Ain trusted Vic to endure.
• Frost formed on Vic’s hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes as he recalled enduring harsh training beneath the sea.

Vic endured Mantis’s Underworld chill and then fought him with Ryuo-coated swords, gradually gaining the upper hand. As Mantis’s crew feared their boss would be captured, Vic continued pressing the attack, leaving Mantis’s defeat only a matter of time.

• Vic resisted Mantis’s escalating Underworld chill for half an hour, strengthening his willpower before Mantis kicked him away.
• Vic recovered from the chill, stopped holding back, and covered himself and his swords in Armament Haki and Ryuo.
• Mantis charged at Vic, and the two fought fiercely as their clashes tore up the surrounding battlefield.
• Vic learned Mantis’s repeated moves and used his sword combinations and Ryuo to injure him, gaining control of the fight.
• Mantis’s crew realized their boss was likely to lose and discussed risking their lives to protect him from capture.

Vic defeated Mantis but chose not to arrest him after the island’s civilians pleaded for his release, trusting that the former pirate had changed. Vic and Zephyr left the island with the Elite Camp while Mantis’s followers and the civilians gathered around him.

• Vic overwhelmed Mantis with his Two-Sword Style: White Tiger, leaving him badly wounded and unable to maintain his Zoan transformation.
• Vic stopped Mantis’s followers from attacking and threatened to treat them as accomplices if they fought.
• Mantis rejected his followers, calling them tools, and Vic challenged the claim by asking about Mantis’s conduct toward the island’s civilians.
• The civilians knelt and pleaded for Mantis, describing how he had protected them and refused their food; Mantis broke down in tears.
• Vic warned Mantis not to harm civilians, then sheathed his swords and returned to the Elite Camp without arresting him.
• Vic told Zephyr he believed Mantis had changed, and the two led the Elite Camp back to the warship.

After defeating Mantis, Vic recovered and consolidated his swordsmanship while the Elite Camp trainees discussed the battle. That night, Vic visited the injured Mantis, whose underlings initially thought he had returned to capture their boss.

• Vic returned to the warship and meditated while the Elite Camp trainees discussed his battle with Mantis.
• Rebecca stopped Ain from approaching Vic while his dense Sword Qi made it dangerous to get close.
• After waking at dusk, Vic reassured Ain and asked Rebecca to bring him two bottles of good liquor.
• Mantis reflected on why Vic had spared him and recognized that Vic had left him behind to protect the island's civilians.
• Vic appeared at Mantis's room, and his underlings formed a human wall before Mantis told them to step aside.

Vic visited the wounded Mantis, and the two discussed their earlier fight and Mantis's past as a member of the Rocks Pirates. Mantis explained why he left before the God Valley Incident, while Vic questioned him about his former crewmates and Big Mom.

• Vic brought rum to Mantis and revealed that he had realized Mantis held back during their fight to help him improve.
• Mantis said he had tested Vic and the islanders, and explained that he had left the Rocks Pirates to protect his hometown.
• Mantis described how Rocks gathered powerful pirates through force and how the crew fell apart when Rocks was defeated at God Valley.
• Mantis said he had admired Whitebeard and might have joined his crew if he had not been bound to his hometown.
• Vic asked whether Big Mom had ever asked Mantis to father one of her children, and Mantis awkwardly denied it.

Vic asked Mantis about Miss Bakkin, a former Rocks Pirates crew member, and learned she had gone to the first half of the Grand Line more than ten years earlier. He suspected she was still there with Weevil and planned to draw them out if necessary, then returned to the warship after urging Mantis to keep training for a coming storm.

• Vic teased Mantis about whether Big Mom had ever pursued him, and one of Mantis's underlings suggested his boss had been handsome in his youth.
• Vic asked Mantis where Miss Bakkin might be, explaining that he wanted to settle a score with her.
• Mantis said Bakkin had left for the first half of the Grand Line more than ten years ago and dismissed the idea that Whitebeard had been her backer.
• Vic reasoned that Bakkin and Weevil were probably still in Paradise and considered using rumors of treasure to lure them out.
• Vic warned Mantis that a storm would soon sweep across the world, prompting Mantis to resolve to train harder.
• Vic returned to the warship under the moonlight.

Vic began helping Rebecca awaken Armament Haki while Ain watched from the side. During the training, he discovered that his improved willpower had made his Haki easier to control and more destructive, though using it at full capacity could only give him a temporary advantage.

• Barnett told Vic that the supplies and Frodeku's new glasses were ready and that the warship could leave that night.
• Vic asked Rebecca to stay and train with him, and Ain persuaded him to let her watch from the side.
• Vic took Rebecca and Ain to his usual spot on deck and warned Ain not to touch their bodies during training.
• Vic hardened his body with Armament Haki and sent a ring of black-and-red Haki around Rebecca's hands to help activate her Haki.
• Vic realized that his stronger willpower had improved his Haki control, allowing him to draw on more Haki and make it flow more nimbly.

Vic trained Rebecca to awaken Haki and reflected on how willpower could help someone overcome stronger opponents. Two months later, Rebecca had learned all of the Six Powers, while Frodeku had mastered Future Sight but still lacked the speed and strength to use it fully.

• Vic used Ryuo to stimulate the Haki Particles in Rebecca's palm, helping her sense changes and encouraging her to learn the Six Powers and awaken Haki during Elite Camp.
• After Rebecca and Ain left for the dormitory, Vic resolved to keep training his willpower, including by tempering himself in the deep sea.
• Over two months, the Elite Camp recruits captured pirates along their Grand Line route, and Vic earned military merit by dealing with powerful Devil Fruit users.
• Wendy and Barnett praised Rebecca for learning all of the Six Powers in less than three months, and Rebecca urged them to train their bodies as well.
• Rebecca redirected attention to Frodeku, who had mastered Future Sight but admitted he could not yet match her speed; Vic had advised him to keep extending his Observation Haki.

After two months of training, the Elite Camp trainees made progress while Vic pushed his will to its limits in secret. When the ring on his finger stirred, Vic entered the alternate dimension inside it and discovered it could store objects, leaving him wondering how such artifacts were made.

• Rebecca learned all six of the Six Powers, while Barnett and Wendy each learned three.
• Frodeku gained control over his powerful Observation Haki and its far-reaching Future Sight under Zephyr's guidance.
• Vic trained in the deep sea until exhaustion, then slept to recover from the strain on his mental energy.
• Barnett and Rebecca watched Vic train on deck and complained that he never took a break or explored with them.
• Vic's consciousness entered the ring and discovered a separate, portable alternate dimension filled with gold.
• Vic wondered whether awakened Devil Fruit abilities had created the ring and the Divine Staff.

Vic found a Poneglyph and a vast hoard of gold inside the alternate dimension, leading him to suspect Joy Boy had left it for a future struggle against the World Government. He resolved to keep the treasure, pursue his plan to turn the Navy against the World Government, and spend more time with his companions, while Wendy's secret conversation remained unexplained.

• Vic discovered a Poneglyph behind the gold and recognized the Ancient Script word for “destiny,” which made him suspect Joy Boy had hidden the treasure for a future successor.
• Vic decided to keep the gold and the Poneglyph safe until Robin could translate it, while continuing to investigate the ring and its origins.
• Vic worried about the World Government's power and reaffirmed his plan to make the Navy oppose it, with Aokiji becoming Fleet Admiral.
• Vic returned his attention to his companions and decided to go sightseeing with them on the next island.
• Rebecca teased Wendy about speaking with a man at night and suggested it was Barnett, while Wendy stayed quiet and Barnett planned to ask her privately about it.
• Vic scolded Rebecca for her teasing, and Ain silently felt hostile toward her.

Vic planned a restorative stop at Florida’s hot springs while discussing his recent fight with Zephyr and explaining how the Six Powers could help the others develop Haki. The group agreed to keep his advice secret as they prepared to continue training.

• Vic asked where the next island was and what it was known for, and Barnett identified Florida and its healing hot springs.
• Vic said the group would rest at the springs before returning to training, then explained that he could only match Zephyr briefly and would lose in a serious fight.
• Barnett and Vic discussed Sakazuki’s arrogance and how Vic’s rapid growth might have surprised him.
• Vic told Frodeku to strengthen his body, learn the Six Powers, and balance his Observation Haki with efforts to awaken Armament Haki.
• Vic advised the others to learn useful skills and keep his guidance about the Six Powers and Haki to themselves, and they agreed.

Vic and his companions went ashore on an island while Zephyr stayed aboard the warship to see how they handled themselves. As the group headed toward town, Vic warned them to stay alert and noticed a strange mountain at the island’s center.

• Vic asked Zephyr to explore the island, but Zephyr stayed aboard and told the group to catch any pirates they found.
• Vic and the others left the warship in civilian clothes and saw a cruise ship bearing Umit’s name at the busy harbor.
• Rebecca asked Vic about bathing with him, and Wendy and Barnett teased him about taking responsibility for her.
• Ain asked Vic to carry her, and he picked her up as they followed cargo trucks toward town.
• Vic signaled Barnett to speak with the cargo haulers while Rebecca pointed out the island’s unusually shaped central mountain.

Vic warned his companions about the World Government’s ban on Void Century research and learned about the island’s hot springs and visiting pirates. Meanwhile, Zephyr told Garp that Vic had grown much stronger after fighting Dark Mantis, who had secretly protected his hometown for years.

• Vic used Secret Sound Transmission to warn his companions that the World Government might be hiding truths about the Void Century, while excluding Ain from the treasonous discussion.
• Ain asked Vic to bathe with her, but he directed her to join Rebecca and Wendy instead.
• Barnett reported that the island’s hot springs had several healing effects and that pirates frequently visited, with some robbing travelers and locals.
• Garp called Zephyr to ask about Vic and joke about wanting to spar with him, and Zephyr said Vic had recently defeated Dark Mantis.
• Zephyr explained that Dark Mantis had helped Vic improve his swordsmanship and will, and that Mantis had chosen to remain on his home island protecting civilians for nearly twenty years.

Zephyr learned of Mantis’s change of heart, spoke with Garp, and then moved his warship out of sight of an approaching pirate ship. In Mary Geoise, the authorities decided to consider recruiting pirates to maintain the balance of power, while Vic and his companions visited a hot spring bathhouse.

• Zephyr praised Mantis’s reform, argued with Garp over who deserved credit for Vic’s sense of justice, and agreed to tell Vic not to challenge Sakazuki again.
• After Garp ended the call, Zephyr ordered his warship to hide from an approaching pirate ship and watched with a knowing smile.
• The authorities in Mary Geoise discussed Sakazuki’s defeat and decided to explore making plundering legal for selected pirates who could help balance the seas.
• Vic, Barnett, and Frodeku arrived at the Scavenger bathhouse, while Rebecca took Ain to the women’s baths.
• Kurosawa introduced the colored hot springs and their claimed effects, and Vic joked about testing the red spring by beating him first.

Vic and his companions toured the hot springs, whose pools were said to affect emotions and physical health. After Vic discreetly hinted that Mrs. Kurosawa was lonely at home, Kurosawa accepted his explanation, and the group chose the multicolored pools to soak in.

• Kurosawa explained the claimed effects of the different hot springs, including a yellow pool that suppressed desire.
• Vic surprised Kurosawa by describing details of his home and wife, then tactfully urged him to bring her to the green hot spring.
• Rebecca and Wendy dismissed the waitress and chose the multicolored pool, bringing Ain along with them.
• Vic, Barnett, and Frodeku chose the multicolored pool, and Vic told Kurosawa he could return to work.

Vic sensed that the hot spring drained vital essence from bathers and flew off to investigate its source. While his companions relaxed and discussed their loyalty to him, pirates set fire to the town, prompting Barnett and Frodeku to rush out.

• Vic detected that the hot spring exchanged substances with bathers and drained their vital essence, so he suspected a plot.
• Vic told Barnett and Frodeku to handle any trouble and flew toward the mountain to investigate.
• Rebecca, Wendy, and Ain watched Vic leave, while Wendy worried about the possibility of a Logia user appearing.
• Frodeku thanked Vic for accepting him, and Barnett recalled how Vic had saved their crew on a dangerous voyage.
• A warning announced that pirates had set houses on fire, and Barnett and Frodeku hurried out to respond.

Rebecca and Barnett confronted the pirates who were burning the street and attacking its residents. Rebecca launched a rapid, deadly attack on the pirates, while Barnett focused on their captain, Desukurei.

• Barnett told Frodeku to use the hot springs to fight the fire and ran with Rebecca toward the pirates.
• The pirates set fires, rounded up fleeing residents, and ordered men to seize the ships at the docks.
• Rebecca and Barnett reached the pirates as one was about to kill an injured boy, and Desukurei ordered Kanbo to capture Rebecca.
• Rebecca used Soru to kick Desukurei in the face and sent him flying.
• Rebecca evaded and killed the attacking pirates, using Observation Haki to move through their attacks.

Rebecca defeated Desukurei’s remaining pirates while Kanbo prepared to fight her, and Wendy and Frodeku helped contain the fire. Vic investigated the mountain’s unusual hot springs and entered a hidden cavern, where an aged voice questioned him.

• Rebecca used her speed and swordsmanship to kill the pirates surrounding her and Barnett.
• Desukurei assigned Kanbo to fight Rebecca and chose Barnett as his own opponent.
• Wendy and Frodeku joined Elite Camp trainees and townspeople in fighting the fire while tourists stayed under the shipping company’s protection.
• Vic used Observation Haki to find an unusual hollow shaft in the mountain’s highest peak and entered it with Geppo.
• Vic sensed a fleeting presence in the dark cavern, then heard an aged voice ask why he had come as flames illuminated the underground space.

Vic explored a hidden chamber inside the mountain, where he discovered a mechanical giant and learned that Roger had visited with a man who could read Ancient Script. The chamber’s elderly master named Vic his successor and ordered him to guard its secrets, but Vic drew his sword and refused.

• Vic followed a stone path into the mountain chamber and spoke with an unseen elderly man who claimed to be its master.
• The master hinted at a hidden ruler of the world, and Vic suspected he knew about Imu and the Void Century.
• A steel giant scanned Vic with red beams, then the master told him that Roger had brought a man from a clan who could read Ancient Script to the chamber eight years earlier.
• The master said Vic had earned the approval of the chamber’s guardian and invited him onto the platform, where Vic saw the motionless mechanical giant.
• The master revealed that he had lived alone in the chamber for nearly two hundred years and declared Vic his successor, but Vic drew Blood Wither and refused to stay.

Vic discovered that the voice in the ruins belonged to a clay figure that claimed to be a human who had lived for nearly two hundred years, while Barnett was trapped inside Desukurei’s Devil Fruit tabletop world. Rebecca failed to break the round table, leaving Barnett to face the strange world alone.

• The old man told Vic he had lived for nearly two hundred years, met Roger, and spent most of his time hibernating in the ruins.
• Vic climbed to the platform and saw a cracked clay figure, two streams of water flowing into its palms, and a giant mechanical warrior beside a stone marked with strange characters.
• Rebecca fought Kanbo with their swords while Barnett used Soru to kick Desukurei and make him spit blood twice.
• Desukurei conjured a round table and threw it at Barnett, trapping him in a tabletop world where Desukurei claimed he made the rules.
• Barnett tried to run toward the edge of the tabletop while Rebecca struck at the round table, but an invisible force repelled her and kept the table intact.

Rebecca fought Desukurei’s crew while Barnett was trapped inside the world of a round table, where Desukurei controlled the rules. Meanwhile, Vic questioned the ancient guardian about the Poneglyph and the dormant mechanical soldier, learning how the guardians had survived for centuries.

• Rebecca realized Desukurei’s Devil Fruit power created an invisible barrier around the table and decided to attack him instead of trying to free Barnett.
• Kanbo blocked Rebecca’s attack, but she used Observation Haki to slip past him and force Desukurei to hide inside the round table’s world.
• Kanbo explained that Barnett could escape only by defeating Desukurei inside the table, while Rebecca prepared to fight Kanbo.
• The round table’s world turned into a desert, and Barnett headed toward the place where he had seen Rebecca point.
• Vic asked the guardian about his duty and the giant mechanical soldier, and the guardian said its eyes had once flashed red before it went dormant again.
• The guardian told Vic that generations of guardians lived longer through spring-fed vital essence and long periods of dormancy, at the cost of their freedom.

Vic learned why the old man guarded the Poneglyph but was sent away because he could not hear its voice and was not the chosen one. After memorizing the Poneglyph, Vic left the mountain and went to test his spatial ring while keeping watch on Rebecca's fight with Kanbo.

• Vic learned that the old man used the Swap-Swap Fruit to exchange sensations and healing for vitality, and that the Devil Fruit reincarnated inside the mountain space after each death.
• The old man asked whether Vic could hear the Poneglyph's voice, then declared that Vic was not the chosen one and refused to reveal his mission.
• Vic memorized the Poneglyph, ignored the old man's warning not to record its script, and flew out of the mountain.
• After Vic left, the old man hoped Vic would someday help the person he was waiting for.
• Vic went to another town to test his spatial ring while keeping his Observation Haki on Rebecca as she fought Kanbo.