Recaps

Zesi accepted Kanjuro as his apostle and implanted him with Azure Emperor's Will, a vibration source that trained its host and could also self-destruct if they betrayed him. Kanjuro's new role began under a force field adjusted to his body's level.

• Kanjuro explained that he had served Shogun Orochi as an actor, felt guilty toward Lord Oden and his companions, and wanted to leave Wano Country.
• Zesi said Kanjuro could serve as his apostle, and Kanjuro vowed to obey him even unto death.
• Zesi created a sphere of light and named it Azure Emperor's Will, telling Kanjuro it held power comparable to a Divine Space Strike.
• Zesi told Kanjuro not to resist as the sphere enveloped him and merged into his body.
• Azure Emperor's Will scanned Kanjuro's body, detected body level five, and activated a matching vibrational force field.
• Zesi's system could strengthen Kanjuro through continuous vibration and was programmed to explode inside him if he betrayed Zesi.

Wenlai Zesi welcomed the recruits who passed the Azure Emperor Pirates’ selection and announced they had to survive Bullet’s training, with the top three becoming Azure Emperor Apostles. Meanwhile, Moria’s crew finally entered Wano Country, intending to attack Kaido’s base.

• Zesi warned Kanjuro that the One-Click Training System could detonate inside his body if he betrayed him, and Kanjuro vowed to obey.
• Three hundred and sixty-three candidates passed the Azure Emperor Pirates’ fighting and special-skills assessments.
• Zesi told the candidates that Bullet would train them before they could become full crew members.
• Zesi announced that the top three trainees would become Azure Emperor Apostles and represent his will.
• Bullet welcomed the recruits to what he called hellish training.
• Moria and his pirates reached Wano Country and vowed to destroy Kaido’s base in revenge for their fallen comrades.

Moria led his pirates into Wano Country to seek revenge on Kaido, only to learn that Kaido had already been defeated by the Azure Emperor and driven out. After his crew panicked at the thought of trespassing on the Azure Emperor’s territory, Moria decided to target the Emperor instead.

• Moria brought the Moria Pirates into Wano Country, believing Kaido still lived there, and shouted for him in Ringo.
• Moria attacked the samurai who tried to stop him and used Scatter Bat to overwhelm them.
• A samurai told Moria that the Azure Emperor had killed Orochi and defeated Kaido, who had fled Wano three months earlier.
• The Moria Pirates recognized the Azure Emperor’s fearsome reputation and panicked over being in his territory.
• Moria postponed his revenge on Kaido and told his crew to target the Azure Emperor instead.

Gecko Moria decided to challenge Zesi for his position as an Emperor of the Sea, believing Wano Country’s land would neutralize Zesi’s sea-changing power. Zesi arrived after stopping Moria from killing a samurai and invited Moria to test his strength.

• Moria’s crew warned him that attacking the Azure Emperor was dangerous, but Moria argued that fighting on land in Wano gave them an advantage.
• Moria’s crew regained confidence, and Moria threatened a samurai who mocked their ability to defeat Zesi.
• Moria summoned Doppelman, who grabbed the samurai by the throat, but a ball of light blasted Doppelman’s arm apart.
• Zesi revealed himself on a rooftop, and the samurai recognized him as the Azure Emperor.
• Zesi explained that he had followed the Moria Pirates after spotting their ship and challenged Moria to show how strong he was now.

Zesi confronted Moria in Wano and demonstrated the overwhelming gap between an Emperor of the Sea and even a powerful Supernova. Moria’s crew was crushed by Zesi’s Conqueror’s Haki, and Moria realized how far he had to go.

• Moria excitedly asked Zesi about Laugh Tale and declared he would defeat him to claim the title of Emperor of the Sea.
• Zesi released his Conqueror’s Haki, knocking many Wano residents, samurai, and Moria Pirates unconscious.
• Moria countered with his own Conqueror’s Haki, allowing some of his companions to withstand Zesi’s initial aura.
• Zesi intensified his Haki until it pressed Moria’s companions to the ground and forced Moria’s own Haki back into his body.
• Moria cried out for his fallen companions and understood the overwhelming power behind Zesi’s status as an Emperor of the Sea.

Zesi overwhelmed the Moria Pirates with his Conqueror's Haki and effortlessly countered Moria's shadow attacks. After Zesi dismissed the fight as a farce, Moria used Shadow's Asgard to switch places with Doppelman and slash at him.

• Zesi unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, knocking down everyone in the Moria Pirates except Moria.
• Moria sent Scatter Bat at Zesi, but Zesi destroyed the bats with a single vibration-filled tap.
• Moria's companions quietly dragged their unconscious crewmates away while Doppelman launched a series of rapid attacks against Zesi.
• Zesi dodged every attack and remarked that Moria was stronger than he remembered, but said the farce should end if that was all Moria had.
• Moria used Shadow's Asgard to switch places with Doppelman and slashed at Zesi with both blades.

Zesi invited Moria to join his planned Azure Emperor Palace Shichibukai, but Moria rejected him and claimed he would become Pirate King. Zesi overwhelmed Moria with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and left him smashed into the ground.

• Zesi caught Moria’s slash between two fingers and invited him to join the Azure Emperor Palace Shichibukai.
• Moria rejected Zesi’s offer and declared that he would become Pirate King.
• Zesi threatened Moria with his aura, but Moria escaped the first attack by swapping places with Doppelman.
• Zesi struck Moria with Air-Shattering Hammer, and Moria deflected its successive tremors into the sky.
• Zesi’s Finger-Flick Thunderclap knocked both of Moria’s blades from his hands.
• Zesi appeared before Moria and punched him into the ground with a tremor-wrapped fist.

Moria woke in a Wano Country iron-mine cell wearing Seastone Handcuffs and learned that his crew faced thirty years of forced labor unless they joined Zesi’s palace. At the shogun’s residence, Zesi received an extraordinary sword forged by Tenguyama Hitetsu and named it the Azure Emperor Sword.

• Moria regained consciousness in a cell with his crew and Seastone Handcuffs after Zesi knocked him out.
• Acai told Moria that his crew had to join the Azure Emperor Palace or mine for thirty years, and that escape would bring execution for everyone.
• A samurai ordered Moria and his crew to leave the cell and begin working in the iron mine.
• Tenguyama Hitetsu presented Zesi with a sword forged from rare metals and transformed by Zesi’s vibrations and other forces.
• Zesi infused the sword with his Tremor-Tremor Fruit power and Armament Haki, releasing dragon-shaped sword qi that scarred the hall.
• Zesi named the weapon the Azure Emperor Sword and declared that it would make its name across the seas with him.

Zesi used Moria’s Flying Shadow to bring the newly trained samurai and ninja to Pirate Hachinosu for their final test, ordering them to eliminate every pirate there. After they wiped out the island’s 50,000 to 60,000 pirates in an hour, the Marines realized the Azure Emperor Pirates had gained the forces to match their Emperor of the Sea reputation.

• Zesi welcomed the samurai and ninja as new members of the Azure Emperor Pirates and announced their final evaluation after six months of training under Bullet.
• Zesi ordered the recruits to infiltrate Pirate Hachinosu and wipe out all its pirates, with their performance to be judged on stealth, assassination, speed, and the enemies they defeated.
• The samurai and ninja killed every pirate on Pirate Hachinosu within an hour, without Zesi or the original members of the Azure Emperor Pirates taking part.
• Kong, Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and the other Marine officers learned of the raid and discussed how Zesi had defeated Kaido in Wano Country and recruited powerful samurai.
• Tsuru and the other Marines concluded that the Azure Emperor Pirates now had both an Emperor of the Sea’s strength and the forces to support it.

Zesi established Pirate Hachinosu as Azure Emperor territory and planned a free-trade island while Dragon Hall expanded worldwide. Back on the island, he organized the growing Azure Emperor Pirates into divisions, assigning Shanks to build an elite first division and Buggy to lead an artillery division, then named Easter Egg commander of the third division.

• Tsuru learned that pirate crews had accepted the Azure Emperor Pirates' claim over Pirate Hachinosu and heard how Dragon Hall had grown into a major worldwide organization.
• Zesi praised Bullet for training the samurai and appointed him vice-captain and chief instructor, which Bullet reluctantly accepted.
• Zesi made Spencer the crew's staff officer and tasked him with forming a staff department and planning strategy.
• Zesi challenged Shanks to build a small, powerful first division whose arrival could turn the tide of battle, and Shanks confidently agreed.
• Zesi appointed Buggy to lead a second division devoted to artillery and missiles, and Buggy eagerly accepted.
• Zesi designated the third, fourth, and fifth divisions as the crew's main combat forces, established the third division first, and named Easter Egg its commander.

After Zesi destroyed Pirate Hachinosu, Silver Axe angrily vowed to attack the island and challenge the Azure Emperor. Meanwhile, Zesi recognized Shinobu, Kiku, and Kirikage as the strongest trainees and presented them with Azure Emperor's Wills, leaving their effects unexplained.

• Whitebeard reflected that Zesi's arrival would make the seas more turbulent, while other great pirates reacted to the destruction of Pirate Hachinosu.
• Silver Axe, angered that Zesi had occupied what he considered his island, announced that his crew would attack Pirate Hachinosu and target Zesi's position as an Emperor of the Sea.
• Zesi identified Shinobu, Kiku, and Kirikage as the three best performers in the Azure Emperor Pirates' training.
• Zesi praised Kirikage, a young swordsman whose results surpassed those of Shinobu and Kiku and had earned Bullet's admiration.
• Zesi gave Shinobu, Kiku, and Kirikage an Azure Emperor's Will each, beginning to explain what the rewards would do.

The Silver Axe Pirates set out to attack Pirate Hachinosu, and Zesi organized the Azure Emperor Pirates to meet them. As the enemy warships appeared on the horizon, Zesi’s divisions prepared for their first battle together.

• Big Mom learned that the Silver Axe Pirates had mobilized, while Whitebeard said Silver Axe had chosen a dangerous target in Zesi.
• Zesi and Bullet agreed that Bullet would face Silver Axe, and Zesi led the assembled Azure Emperor Pirates out to meet the attack.
• Zesi assigned Buggy’s Second Division to open with cannon fire, Easter Egg’s Third Division to fight the enemy crew, and Shanks’s First Division to take on the officers with help from Kanjuro and the others.
• Zesi reassured his crew that he would back them up as Bullet spotted the Silver Axe Pirates’ warships approaching.

The Azure Emperor Pirates ambushed the Silver Axe Pirates’ fleet, and Buggy’s artillery destroyed several ships and killed more than a dozen officers with his powerful Buggy Cannonballs. Silver Axe then showed his strength by transforming a silver chair into an axe and sweeping away the incoming cannonballs, leaving the battle poised for a direct clash.

• Zesi admired the Silver Axe Pirates’ fleet and told Shinobu to warn Buggy not to damage their enormous flagship.
• Buggy ordered his artillery unit to bombard the fleet while sparing Silver Axe’s flagship, and their accurate fire sank several ships.
• Silver Axe sent his officers to clear the cannonballs, and Buggy switched to Buggy Balls, killing more than a dozen officers in the explosions.
• Silver Axe raged at the Azure Emperor Pirates, transformed a silver chair into a large axe, and swept away the cannonballs with a huge arc of axe light.

The Azure Emperor Pirates fought off the Silver Axe Pirates’ assault on Hachinosu, with their trained samurai overwhelming the enemy’s rank and file. Silver Axe joined the battle and attacked the crew with hidden silver blades, but Bullet intercepted him and began a clash that cleared the battlefield around them.

• Silver Axe rallied his pirates and led their ships toward Hachinosu, while Buggy’s cannons failed to stop them.
• Pandaman Easter Egg led the Third Division into battle, and Shanks, Kanjuro, and other fighters intercepted the Silver Axe Pirates’ officers.
• The Azure Emperor Pirates’ elite samurai used their training and coordination to inflict heavy losses on the larger Silver Axe Pirates.
• Silver Axe charged into the fight and used silver blades erupting from the ground to wound or kill more than a dozen Azure Emperor Pirates.
• Bullet confronted Silver Axe, and their Armament Haki attacks collided with enough force to drive nearby fighters away.

Zesi watched the Azure Emperor Pirates dominate the battle while Shanks fought the Silver Axe Pirates’ vice-captain, Solo. When Silver Axe poisoned Bullet with mercury, Zesi rushed in and blocked the captain’s finishing blow, facing Silver Axe himself.

• Silver Axe Pirates members were thrown back by the force of Silver Axe and Bullet’s clash, while Shanks identified himself as the Azure Emperor Pirates’ first division commander and continued fighting Solo.
• Zesi recalled Kirikage Saizo’s past, his Kilo-Kilo Fruit, and how he joined the Azure Emperor Pirates after Zesi killed Orochi and defeated Kaido.
• Silver Axe revealed that his Silver-Silver Fruit could turn scattered silver dust into poisonous mercury, which had left Bullet dizzy, weakened, and in pain.
• Zesi left Spencer in charge and crossed the battlefield to intervene as Silver Axe brought his great axe down on Bullet.
• Zesi blocked Silver Axe’s attack with his sword, forced him back, and drew his attention after cutting down Silver Axe Pirates members along the way.

Zesi arrived to rescue Bullet and used his vibrations to clear the battlefield of silver powder and mercury vapor, then faced Silver Axe. As Silver Axe gathered the poison around them, Zesi revealed his Devil Fruit awakening and formed a towering storm of vibrating sword blades.

• Zesi raced through the Silver Axe Pirates, killing the crew members in his path with invisible sword qi before reaching Bullet.
• Zesi blew the silver powder away with vibrations and told Bullet to recover by drinking seawater, while Bullet admitted he could no longer fight.
• A Silver Axe pirate tried to ambush Bullet, but Zesi cut him down before turning to confront Silver Axe.
• Silver Axe gathered the silver powder back around them, and Zesi transformed the surrounding air and particles into vibration waves, revealing his Devil Fruit awakening.
• Zesi drew the vibrations into the Azure Emperor Sword and created a towering storm of vibrating blades, stopping both pirate crews and astonishing Shanks.

Zesi used his awakened Tremor-Tremor Fruit and Azure Emperor Sword to defeat and kill Silver Axe in a devastating clash. He declared the war over and offered the surviving pirates a choice between forced labor and joining the Azure Emperor Pirates’ Death Camp.

• Zesi unleashed an awakened Shock a Hundred Li with the Azure Emperor Sword, while Silver Axe poured his life force into his Silver Fury Blade.
• Zesi’s blade storm overwhelmed Silver Axe’s attack, carving a canyon to the sea and leaving Silver Axe dead.
• The Silver Pirates celebrated their victory as the Silver Axe Pirates’ crew despaired and questioned whether to keep fighting.
• Zesi radiated his Divine Descent aura and warned the defeated pirates that he would be their opponent if they fought on.
• Zesi told the surviving pirates they could become laborers or enter the Death Camp and earn freedom or a place in his crew by surviving a hundred battles.

After the Azure Emperor Pirates crushed the Silver Axe Pirates, Marine leaders studied the battle report and debated the threat posed by Zesi. Tsuru concluded that Zesi sought to rule a territory and country as a true Emperor of the Sea, leaving the Marines to decide whether to strike before his power grew further.

• News spread through the New World that the Azure Emperor Pirates had killed Silver Axe, defeated his crew, and captured the survivors.
• Sengoku and Garp reviewed the Marines’ detailed report and photographs, and both feared the power of Zesi’s awakened sword strike.
• Tsuru argued that the Azure Emperor Pirates’ disciplined samurai and rigorous training showed that Zesi wanted more than to be a pirate.
• Tsuru explained that Zesi aimed to build a political power with territory and a country, with Pirate Hachinosu as his first step and Wano Country possibly within the Azure Emperor Territory.
• Sengoku described how Pirate Hachinosu could use Wano Country’s weapons and the Brunei Family’s liquor to attract pirates, money, and recruits.
• Tsuru asked the Marine leaders to choose between destroying the Azure Emperor Pirates at once and allowing their power to rise.

Kong and Sengoku learned that the World Government had been preparing a plan to eliminate the Azure Emperor and Whitebeard by turning them against each other. The S-Class Hunting Plan was ready to begin, and pirate captains under Whitebeard received the signal.

• Kong left the Marines' decision on whether to fight the Azure Emperor to the World Government and went there with Sengoku.
• The Five Elders explained that Wano Country's support made the Azure Emperor more powerful and that spies had reported on events there.
• A Five Elder showed Kong and Sengoku a plan to pit the Azure Emperor against Whitebeard and destroy both Emperors of the Sea.
• The Five Elders said the plan had been underway for half a year and was ready to draw in the net.
• Several pirate captains under Whitebeard received faxes marked with the letter S and recognized the start of the S-Class Hunting Plan.

As Zesi prepared Hachinosu for a grand auction, the Azure Emperor Emissaries returned with a Devil Fruit and news that they had killed Oren, a captain affiliated with the Whitebeard Pirates. Whitebeard suspected a conspiracy but ordered Marco to demand that the Azure Emperor Pirates hand over the killers, leaving the prospect of war unresolved.

• Zesi finished renovating Hachinosu and prepared an auction to draw New World forces, hoping to secure a Devil Fruit as its grand finale.
• After learning a pirate crew had obtained a Devil Fruit, Zesi sent Kirikage and the Azure Emperor Emissaries to retrieve it.
• Kirikage and the others returned with the Devil Fruit and word that they had killed Oren, a captain under Whitebeard.
• Whitebeard's captains demanded retaliation, while Whitebeard suspected the events might be part of a conspiracy.
• Whitebeard ordered Marco to contact the Azure Emperor Pirates and demand that they hand over the killers.

Zesi learned that Whitebeard had gained a powerful Devil Fruit and arranged to meet him, prompting the Marines to launch a plan to eliminate both pirate crews after their battle. On a deserted island, Zesi and Whitebeard immediately charged at each other, leaving their meeting to begin with a fight.

• Zesi decided not to hand over Silver Axe and contacted Whitebeard to arrange a meeting.
• Marine Headquarters lost track of Zesi and Whitebeard after their crews destroyed the surveillance ships following them.
• Kong assembled Marine elites and five CP0 agents, then announced a plan to attack the Azure Emperor and Whitebeard Pirates after they fought.
• Kong set out for the New World and left Marine Headquarters in Zephyr and Tsuru's hands.
• Zesi and Whitebeard met on a deserted island and charged at each other before speaking.

Zesi and Whitebeard clashed as their pirate crews began an all-out battle. Whitebeard revealed that his Devil Fruit was the Steam Fruit, whose Steam Burst multiplied his already monstrous strength, forcing Zesi to enter his Devil Fruit Awakening state.

• Zesi and Whitebeard exchanged powerful sword, naginata, and shock-wave attacks as spectators marveled at their strength.
• Marco, Jozu, Bullet, and Buggy led the Whitebeard Pirates and Azure Emperor Pirates into battle, surprising Whitebeard's scheming captains.
• Zesi asked Whitebeard about his Devil Fruit after recognizing that his air cannon came from striking the air with pure strength.
• Whitebeard unleashed Steam Burst, vastly increasing his strength and shattering Zesi's vibrations in a clash that devastated their surroundings.
• Zesi identified Whitebeard's ability as the Steam Fruit and entered his Devil Fruit Awakening state.

Whitebeard and Zesi fought with their full power as their crews withdrew and tended to the wounded. Despite recognizing the World Government’s possible scheme, Whitebeard refused to let his son’s death go unanswered, and the two prepared to continue their battle.

• Whitebeard and Zesi’s clash devastated the battlefield, forcing both crews to retreat from their fight.
• Zesi recalled how he had killed a previous Steam Fruit user and recognized that Whitebeard wielded the same power far more effectively.
• Zesi warned Whitebeard that the World Government had likely engineered the incident and that the Navy might be approaching.
• Whitebeard insisted that he would fight because his son had been killed and Zesi would not surrender those responsible.
• Zesi and Whitebeard gathered their power into their weapons, exchanged defiant remarks, and slashed at the same time, unleashing a massive explosion.

Zesi and Whitebeard unleashed attacks that devastated much of the island, forcing the nearby pirates to retreat or suffer injuries. After the blast, they continued fighting amid enormous sword-energy dragons, leaving both crews stunned by the scale of their battle.

• Bullet recognized the danger of Zesi and Whitebeard's attacks and led the Azure Emperor Pirates away from the battlefield.
• Marco warned Whitebeard's crew to retreat, and many pirates fled while some newly joined captains stayed behind.
• Zesi and Whitebeard's attacks collided, creating an explosion that swept across more than half the island and injured or killed pirates who had not escaped.
• The smoke cleared to reveal Zesi and Whitebeard fighting inside a massive crater as their blades clashed and Zesi's divine dragons attacked from every direction.
• Whitebeard shattered Zesi's sword-energy dragons while resisting their vibration domain, and Zesi's smaller flood dragons absorbed vibrations and scattered sword energy to grow stronger.

Zesi used his intricate Dragon Battles in the Wild against Whitebeard, astonishing both crews with swordsmanship unlike anything they had seen. As their fight continued, Whitebeard realized Zesi's strength might already surpass Roger's.

• The Whitebeard Pirates marveled at Zesi's flood dragons, and Jozu and Marco explained that he had combined swordsmanship, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and advanced Armament Haki.
• Kirikage recognized the complexity of Dragon Battles in the Wild and studied Zesi's sword movements for inspiration.
• Zesi grew increasingly grave as he realized Whitebeard's Steam Fruit granted him more strength, speed, and endurance than expected.
• Whitebeard reflected that he could burn stamina and Haki to multiply his power, and that he had used both to meet Zesi's earlier attack in a draw.
• Whitebeard became more shocked as Zesi's intricate swordsmanship pressed the fight, and he concluded that Zesi might have surpassed Roger.