Chapter Summaries

Luffy, Zoro, and Nami defeated Buggy’s crew in Orange Town, and Nami joined them as their navigator before they sailed to Syrup Village. There, they helped Usopp stop Captain Kuro’s plot against Kaya, and Luffy defeated Kuro without being hindered by hypnotism.

• Garp prevented Morgan from harming him, captured the fleeing Marine, and took Koby and Helmeppo back to Marine Headquarters.
• Luffy, Nami, and Zoro joined forces to attack Buggy’s headquarters; Nami defeated the beast tamer, Zoro defeated Cabaji, and Luffy beat Buggy with Nami’s help.
• The Buggy Pirates were driven out of Orange Town, and Nami joined Luffy and Zoro as their navigator to pursue her goal of reaching the Grand Line.
• Luffy, Zoro, and Nami met Usopp on the way into Syrup Village and learned of Captain Kuro’s plan to kill Kaya and take her fortune.
• Luffy fought Kuro and defeated him despite being cut by Shakushi, while resisting Jango’s hypnotism.

After defeating the Black Cat Pirates, Luffy’s crew received the Going Merry and recruited Usopp before sailing to the Baratie. There, Vic and Kuina watched the reunited crew arrive, but Zoro and Nami failed to recognize them.

• Zoro, Nami, and Usopp helped defeat the Black Cat Pirates, and Kaya gave Luffy’s crew the Going Merry.
• Usopp decided to go to sea and joined Luffy, while Kaya made a decision of her own.
• Luffy’s crew sailed to the Baratie to find a professional cook, where Vic and Kuina watched them arrive.
• Luffy accidentally damaged the restaurant with a cannonball, and Zeff made him work to repay the damage.
• Zoro and Nami sat beside Vic and Kuina at the restaurant without recognizing them.

Vic and Kuina watched the events at Baratie unfold as Gin returned with the starving Krieg Pirates, whose attempt to seize the restaurant was interrupted by Dracule Mihawk. Zoro challenged Mihawk, driven by his promise to Kuina and his determination to defeat Vic.

• Gin arrived at Baratie starving, and Sanji gave him seafood fried rice.
• Gin returned with Don Krieg and the starving Krieg Pirates, and Don Krieg tricked Zeff into feeding his crew before trying to seize the restaurant.
• Dracule Mihawk arrived and cut the Krieg Pirates’ ship into three pieces.
• Zoro stepped forward and challenged Mihawk, while Vic and Kuina watched.
• Kuina recognized Zoro’s enduring determination, and Vic said he would be ready when Zoro came to challenge him.

Roronoa Zoro challenged Dracule Mihawk and suffered a decisive defeat, but his resolve earned Mihawk’s respect and a chance to grow stronger. Mihawk spared Zoro, then learned that Luffy aimed to become the Pirate King.

• Mihawk accepted Zoro’s challenge and overwhelmed him with a small knife, exposing the gap between their strength.
• Zoro focused on his ambition, endured Mihawk’s stab, and made Mihawk draw the Black Blade for their final clash.
• Zoro’s Three Thousand Worlds failed to defeat Mihawk, and two of his swords shattered; he accepted his defeat without turning his back.
• Mihawk scarred Zoro across the chest and told him to grow stronger and surpass him, while Johnny and Yosaku pulled Zoro from the sea.
• Luffy attacked Mihawk in alarm, then calmed down after Mihawk confirmed Zoro was alive.
• Mihawk asked Luffy about his goal, and Luffy declared that he would become the Pirate King.

The Straw Hats and Baratie's cooks fought Don Krieg's crew while Dracule Mihawk departed and Zeff judged Luffy's character. As Nami struggled against Pearl, Zoro broke through Pearl's shields at the cost of reopening his wounds.

• Dracule Mihawk left the Baratie after spotting a more interesting pirate crew, and Zoro pledged to Luffy that he would never lose again before defeating Mihawk.
• Don Krieg ordered his crew to attack the Baratie, and Luffy agreed to help Zeff drive them off in exchange for ending his chores.
• Luffy fought Don Krieg, Sanji faced Gin, Nami battled Pearl, and Usopp, Johnny, Yosaku, and the cooks took on the remaining pirates.
• Luffy adapted to Don Krieg's Mighty Battle Spear, and Zeff decided that Sanji should join the Straw Hats.
• Nami began to tire against Pearl, so Zoro ignored his injuries and used Lion Song to slice apart Pearl's shields, reopening his wounds.

After Luffy and his crew defeated Don Krieg at Baratie, Vic left a sword beside the unconscious Zoro and sailed away with Kuina. Sanji joined the Straw Hat Pirates, who then sailed toward Cocoyasi Village so Nami could say goodbye to her family and bring back a tangerine tree.

• Nami knocked Pearl down, and Sanji defeated Gin and Krieg’s other men with his kicks.
• Don Krieg unleashed a poison gas bomb, but Vic’s wind swept the gas away before it could spread.
• Luffy broke Krieg’s armor and sent him into the sea, then Sanji rescued Luffy from an iron net after Zeff prompted him.
• Vic left his former Marine sword beside the unconscious Zoro and sailed away with Kuina.
• Sanji joined Luffy’s crew after saying goodbye to Zeff, and Nami kicked him when he rushed toward her.
• The Straw Hat Pirates sailed toward Cocoyasi Village at Nami’s request, while Zoro later wondered who had left him a sword.

Vic brought Kuina to challenge Mihawk, whom the world still believed to be the World's Greatest Swordsman despite his secret defeat by Vic. Mihawk accepted and met Kuina on an uninhabited island, where they prepared to fight while Vic stood by to heal her.

• Vic and Kuina caught up with Mihawk at sea, and Vic explained that Kuina wanted to test her swordsmanship against him.
• Mihawk revealed that Vic had defeated him years earlier and was the true World's Greatest Swordsman, while Kuina questioned why Vic had brought her to challenge someone he had beaten.
• Vic urged Mihawk to fight Kuina without holding back, and Mihawk accepted her challenge.
• Vic, Kuina, and Mihawk reached an uninhabited island, where Vic promised to heal Kuina and encouraged her to give the battle everything she had.
• Mihawk noticed Kuina's Wado Ichimonji, and Vic explained that it was a Great Grade copy made for Roronoa Zoro; Mihawk then drew Black Blade Yoru as the duel was about to begin.

Kuina and Mihawk fought an intense sword duel across an island, trading close-range attacks and Flying Slashes until both were exhausted. Kuina was slightly injured, and Vic judged that Mihawk’s superior strength and Future Sight gave him the edge.

• Kuina attacked Mihawk with Wado Ichimonji, and their opening clash tore up the ground around them.
• Kuina and Mihawk exchanged rapid thrusts and slashes, with Mihawk driving her back before Kuina used Geppo’s recoil to force him into a tree.
• Kuina escaped Mihawk’s near-fatal thrust with Geppo and Soru, then countered his Flying Slashes with one of her own.
• Kuina and Mihawk traded successive Flying Slashes that devastated the forest and left only Vic’s small patch of ground untouched.
• The exhausted fighters stopped with Kuina bleeding slightly, while Vic recognized that Mihawk’s superior strength and Observation Haki had given him the advantage.

Kuina lost her duel with Mihawk but found a clearer path for her training, while Mihawk resolved to surpass Vic. Vic left Kuina to follow her own path and went to the Marine Base in Loguetown, where he found Smoker in his office.

• Kuina and Mihawk clashed with Conqueror's Haki coating, devastating the island as their fight continued.
• Mihawk disarmed Kuina and held Black Blade Yoru to her throat, and Kuina admitted defeat.
• Mihawk praised Kuina's strength and promised she could challenge him again, while Kuina retrieved Wado Ichimonji and joined Vic.
• Vic and Kuina departed, and Mihawk returned to his boat determined to challenge his limits and defeat Vic.
• Vic saw Kuina off, then entered the Marine Base in Loguetown without being stopped and walked to the commander's office.
• Vic pushed open the office door and recognized Smoker's irritated voice through the smoke.

Vic visited Smoker in Loguetown, where they discussed Smoker’s return to East Blue and Vic’s expulsion from the Marines. Vic urged Smoker to stop settling for safety, while explaining that his own strength had forced the World Government to make him a Shichibukai.

• Vic cleared the smoke from Smoker’s office and greeted him, and Smoker welcomed him despite his status as a pirate.
• Smoker explained that he had returned to East Blue by choice to protect his hometown and had brought Tashigi with him.
• Vic warned Smoker that staying in East Blue was holding back his strength, but Smoker said he was disillusioned with the Marines and content to protect his home.
• Smoker asked whether Vic could return to the Marines, and Vic explained that the Celestial Dragons would never allow it after he challenged their authority.
• Vic said the World Government had made him a Shichibukai because they feared his strength and lack of scruples.

Vic told Smoker that his convictions needed greater strength to overcome the Marines’ restrictions and pursue his own justice, prompting Smoker to recognize why he needed to grow stronger. Vic then watched Tashigi train as Smoker called her into his office and reflected on how lonely she had been.

• Vic argued that Smoker’s strength had to match his fearless sense of justice, using Garp and Smoker’s future defeats as examples.
• Smoker understood that his lack of strength had created obstacles and imagined becoming a Marine Admiral before reconsidering his thoughts about leaving the Marines.
• Vic watched Tashigi practice swordsmanship and noted how far her ability lagged behind Kuina’s.
• Smoker called Tashigi into his office, startling her so badly that she nearly fell before she ran inside.
• Smoker told Vic that Tashigi had become clumsy after spending much of her life alone, and he regretted not entrusting her to Vic.

Vic reunited with Tashigi in Loguetown and told her and Smoker about his clashes with the Four Emperors. Meanwhile, Buggy and Alvida arrived to ambush the Straw Hat Pirates, who were approaching the town.

• Smoker regretted neglecting Tashigi and reflected on how Vic had cared for her before leaving the Marines.
• Tashigi recognized Vic, embraced him in tears, and told him she had kept up with his news and waited for his return.
• Buggy and Alvida reached Loguetown and allied to seek revenge on Straw Hat Boy, expecting the Straw Hat Pirates to stop there before entering the Grand Line.
• Vic told Smoker and Tashigi that he had defeated Big Mom and described his fight with Kaido as a narrow victory, warning them about the Four Emperors.

The Straw Hat Pirates split up in Loguetown to make their final preparations before entering the Grand Line, and Zoro went looking for another sword. At the weapons shop, he learned more about Yubashiri and Wado Ichimonji before a sword in the cheapest barrel showed him a vision of corpses and blood.

• The Straw Hat Pirates arrived in Loguetown and split up, with Luffy heading toward the Pirate King's Execution Platform and the others shopping or gathering supplies.
• Luffy followed Smoker's directions to a tavern where he heard stories about Roger and drank a glass of milk.
• Zoro visited a weapons shop, where the bald owner questioned how he had gotten Yubashiri and Tashigi identified it from her Famous Sword catalog.
• The bald owner offered to buy Wado Ichimonji for five hundred thousand Beli, but Tashigi identified it as a Great Grade Sword worth more than ten million Beli.
• Zoro searched through the shop's cheaper swords, then froze when one sword showed him a vision of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Zoro acquired Sandai Kitetsu and learned that Vic had likely left Yubashiri for him, which left him feeling pressured to grow stronger. Meanwhile, Smoker realized he had let Straw Hat Luffy slip past him, and Vic teased him for acting without checking his target first.

• Tashigi identified Sandai Kitetsu as a Famous Sword, and Zoro recognized that it was cursed.
• Zoro tested the curse by dropping Sandai Kitetsu toward his arm, survived unharmed, and received the sword from the shopkeeper for free.
• The shopkeeper revealed that he had sold Yubashiri to Vic years earlier and suspected Vic had left it for Zoro.
• Zoro left the shop thinking about Vic's strength and resolved to lift weights aboard the Going Merry.
• Smoker told Vic that he had failed to recognize Straw Hat Luffy when Luffy asked him for directions.
• Vic criticized Smoker for pursuing Luffy without checking the wanted poster or gathering information.

Luffy reached the Execution Platform in Loguetown while Marines and Buggy’s crew searched for him, and Buggy’s group captured him there. Smoker believed Luffy was trapped, but Vic knew Dragon was nearby and was prepared to protect Luffy himself.

• Smoker and Vic failed to find Luffy, while Luffy met Zoro and ate with him; neither had money, so Luffy used a gold coin from Buggy’s pouch to pay the bill.
• Buggy recognized Luffy and ordered his crew to chase him, as Sanji reunited with Nami and Usopp, learned Marines were pursuing Luffy, and went to find Luffy and Zoro.
• Luffy reached the Execution Platform and struggled to climb it, while Smoker and Vic watched and Vic explained that Luffy was overwhelmed by the place’s significance.
• Alvida and Buggy distracted Luffy, then Cabaji trapped him in a wooden frame on the Execution Platform.
• Smoker assumed Luffy could not escape, but Vic revealed that he knew Dragon was nearby and would intervene if needed.

Buggy prepared to publicly execute Luffy at the platform where Pirate King Roger had died, while Zoro and Sanji rushed to rescue him and Nami headed for the ship ahead of the storm. As Buggy raised his blade, Zoro and Sanji arrived, and Smoker’s Marines waited nearby to capture the pirates.

• Buggy announced that he would execute Luffy publicly, and word of the execution reached Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp.
• Nami stopped Usopp from going back and hurried toward the ship, warning that a storm was coming and they needed to prepare to leave.
• Buggy kept Luffy on the platform while he boasted and recounted his grievances; Luffy shouted that he would become the Pirate King.
• Zoro and Sanji arrived at the square, and the watching residents fled when they recognized Pirate Hunter Zoro.
• Buggy raised his blade to execute Luffy, while Smoker ordered his Marines to move in after the execution and Tashigi recognized Zoro.

Luffy narrowly escaped execution in Loguetown when Dragon’s lightning destroyed the platform, allowing the Straw Hat Pirates to flee. Smoker swore to pursue Luffy, while Vic parted ways with Dragon and prepared to leave Loguetown.

• Buggy swung his blade at Luffy as Zoro and Sanji raced to stop him, and Luffy accepted his apparent death with a smile.
• Dragon’s lightning struck Buggy and destroyed the Execution Platform, leaving Luffy unharmed and Buggy unconscious.
• Smoker ordered the Marines to surround the pirates, suspected Vic had caused the lightning, and swore to keep Luffy from leaving Loguetown.
• Dragon helped the Straw Hat Pirates sail away toward Reverse Mountain, while Smoker and Tashigi pursued them without success.
• Vic and Dragon agreed that Vic would no longer intervene in Luffy’s adventures except in a life-or-death situation, and Dragon departed.
• Smoker told Vic he would take Tashigi to the Grand Line to pursue Luffy, while Vic declined to join them and said he would leave Loguetown himself.

Vic left Smoker and Tashigi to maintain the course of Luffy’s adventures, then trained in Alabasta while Crocodile secretly undermined the kingdom. Meanwhile, Vivi joined the Straw Hat Pirates, and their journey through Little Garden and Drum Island turned their practical alliance into a bond of companionship.

• Vic watched Smoker and Tashigi leave Loguetown, then went to Alabasta to train while Crocodile continued searching for Pluton and destabilizing the kingdom.
• Vivi and Igaram encountered the Straw Hat Pirates at Twin Cape, and Vivi joined their voyage after Nami learned her identity at Whiskey Peak.
• Nico Robin gave Luffy an Eternal Pose to Alabasta, but Luffy crushed it and chose to sail to Little Garden instead.
• On Little Garden, Usopp helped save Zoro, Nami, and Vivi from Galdino’s wax trap, while Sanji found an Eternal Pose to Alabasta.
• Nami fell ill from an ancient virus, so Vivi insisted that the crew find a doctor and led them to Drum Island.
• The Straw Hat Pirates persuaded Chopper to leave Drum Island, and Vivi and the crew came to regard one another as companions.

Aboard the Going Merry, Vivi explained Baroque Works and the crew examined the Shichibukai’s wanted posters, discovering that Orens Vic was one of them. The crew revealed their complicated ties to Vic, but decided to face Crocodile themselves as they continued toward Alabasta.

• Vivi described Baroque Works’ leaders and ranks, including Crocodile and Nico Robin, while Nami comforted her about Igaram.
• The crew discussed the Shichibukai and looked over the wanted posters Vivi had collected, comparing their bounties.
• Usopp read Orens Vic’s poster and was surprised when the others reacted as though they knew him well.
• Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Chopper, and Vivi explained their different histories and feelings about Vic, and all agreed he was a good guy.
• Usopp suggested asking Vic for help against Crocodile, but Zoro and Luffy insisted they would fight Crocodile themselves.

Vic and Robin rescued Luffy after Crocodile left him to die, then traveled to Alubarna as the Straw Hat Pirates fought Baroque Works. Luffy exploited Crocodile’s weakness and beat him badly, but Crocodile resolved to kill the Straw Hat Pirates by any means.

• Crocodile stabbed Luffy and left him sinking in quicksand, but Vic told Robin to save him because he was key to saving Alabasta.
• Robin pulled Luffy from the quicksand, and Vic repaired his internal injuries; Robin then entrusted Luffy to Pell and asked him to care for him.
• Vic and Robin reached Alubarna, where Robin parted ways with Vic to continue relying on Crocodile for access to the Poneglyph, while Vic watched the battles.
• Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper fought Baroque Works agents and won, though several were badly injured.
• Pell carried Luffy into the capital, where Luffy used water to exploit Crocodile’s weakness and beat him down.
• Crocodile grew furious at his defeat and vowed to kill the Straw Hat Pirates by the most brutal means.