The Egghead Arc (エッグヘッド編, Egguheddo-hen?),[1] also referred to as the Future Island Arc (未来島編, Mirai-jima-hen?), is the thirty-second story arc of the manga and anime One Piece, the first story arc of the Final Saga, and the ninth story arc of the second half of the series.
As the aftermaths of both the Levely and the Raid on Onigashima as well as the erasure of the Lulusia Kingdom, cause major shifts across the world, the Straw Hat Pirates arrive at the futuristic island Egghead where the super genius Dr. Vegapunk resides. Jewelry Bonney is intent on killing Vegapunk for what he did to Bartholomew Kuma, whose past and connection to Vegapunk are revealed. A CP0 team is dispatched to assassinate Vegapunk, leading to a Marine siege that escalates into an incident that will shock the world.
Summary[]
Shifting Balance: The World's New Great Powers[]
The Straw Hat Pirates after hearing their captain's outrageous dream.
After recovering from their dangerous descent down Wano's waterfall, Nami put Luffy in a cage to punish him. They then received the newspaper, learning of their new bounties and about the many massive events that had occurred during their time on Wano.[2] They were horrified at the news of Cobra's death and Vivi's disappearance. Luffy immediately wanted to go and rescue Vivi, but Zoro talked him out of it, saying they should allow Vivi to take care of herself until it becomes clear she was in imminent danger. Luffy refused to believe that Sabo would kill Cobra, recalling the time he declared his dream to Sabo and Ace and thus revealing it to his crew for the first time. They reacted with a mixture of disbelief, wonder and glee. Sanji laughed and said Luffy needed his brain examined. Usopp said that such a thing would be impossible, but Luffy replied that the Pirate King might be able to do it. Franky declared that they needed to find the last Road Poneglyph to help their captain become Pirate King and achieve the dream as soon as possible, but Robin adds that it would not be easy as its whereabouts had been unknown for a long period of time.[3]
The Red Hair Pirates dropped Marco off back at Sphinx, and as he bid farewell to them, Marco recalled his farewell with the Straw Hats on Wano. Yamato had informed the crew of his decision not to join them, as he believed that Wano would need his protection for the time being from threats like Ryokugyu. Marco then arrived to tell the crew he was about to leave, and he, Luffy, and Jinbe reminisced about their first meeting in the Summit War of Marineford. Marco said Ace would have certainly been delighted to see Luffy's growth.[4]
Crocodile and Mihawk confront Buggy over his accidental leadership of Cross Guild.
On Karai Bari Island, Crocodile and Mihawk confronted Buggy over why he was being advertised as the leader of Cross Guild, which in reality was created by the two of them. Some days ago, Crocodile contacted Mihawk as the now ex-Warlord was under attack by the Marines and proposed that the two of them team up to take on the Marines. Later, as Buggy was under attack by the Marines, Crocodile arrived at Karai Bari Island and ambushed the attacking fleet. Buggy's henchman believed that Crocodile was working for him, but in reality, Crocodile was after him to collect the money Buggy owed him. With no options left, Buggy offered to work as a servant for Crocodile's new company in order to pay off his debt. However, Buggy's subordinates put their captain front and center when creating a poster to spread word about the Cross Guild, and the World Government misinterpreted the poster as well as Crocodile's attack on the Marines to label Buggy as the company's leader and label him one of the Four Emperors. Because of the massive threat posed by Cross Guild, Crocodile's bounty was raised to 
1,965,000,000 while Buggy's was raised to 3,189,000,000 and Mihawk's raised to over 3,590,000,000. Although Crocodile was enraged by this development and proceeded to beat up Buggy in response, Mihawk stated that he had no desire to be an Emperor and that it might actually be advantageous for them if they were to keep Buggy as their figurehead leader, which Crocodile agreed to.[2]
On Amazon Lily, Gloriosa comments that the island had suffered great damage and that they had never experienced an invasion of this magnitude before, to which Boa Hancock replies that as long as she is there the Marines will not stop coming and adds that she should marry Luffy now, annoying Gloriosa who was already sick of her constantly bringing it up.
Blackbeard defeats and captures Hancock in front of Koby.
A few weeks ago, Koby, Yamakaji, and their fleet assaulted the island, bringing in the new line of Pacifista, Seraphim. The Kuja were left in shock as they came under attack by a cyborg resembling a young version of Hancock. The battle was then interrupted by the arrival of the Blackbeard Pirates, who came to take Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi power. Blackbeard was attacked by a Seraphim resembling a young Mihawk. Hancock used the opportunity to use her ability, turning the Marines and pirates except Koby and Blackbeard to stone. Blackbeard was able to grab hold of Hancock and nullify her ability. They arrived at a standstill as Hancock said that if she were killed, her victims would remain petrified, and Blackbeard would never be able to use her fruit to undo it. Blackbeard ultimately decided to kill her regardless but was stopped by the sudden arrival of Rayleigh, who told the Emperor to depart the island and in return Hancock would reverse the petrification of his crew.
In the present day, Rayleigh remained on Amazon Lily along with Shakky, who was the former Amazon Lily empress and Kuja Pirates captain two generations before Hancock. He remarked it was fortunate everything went the way it did, as he was not sure he would have been able to take on Blackbeard in a battle at this point.
Out at sea, a Marine ship reported via Den Den Mushi that they were setting course for Egghead and that Koby's status was unknown as he had been kidnapped by the Blackbeard Pirates.[4]
The Lulusia Kingdom is wiped off the map by Imu.
In the Kamabakka Kingdom, the Revolutionary Army officers expressed relief that Sabo was still alive, although Dragon was concerned about the report of King Cobra's assassination and said he and Sabo would have a reckoning if he was indeed the one responsible for the incident. Dragon then went up to the liberated Kuma and asked him what he had seen. Right then, the revolutionaries received a call from Sabo, which the Marines were able to intercept.[2] They traced the location of the call to the Lulusia Kingdom, which was one of the kingdoms that had revolted in the Eight-Nation Revolution; the Five Elders were made aware of this and remarked that Sabo was unlucky. In his call, Sabo told his comrades that he had not killed Cobra; in reality, he had seen something terrible. As he was saying this, the citizens of Lulusia looked up as a massive object appeared in the sky, shrouded by clouds. As Sabo began to tell the revolutionaries that the Empty Throne actually possessed an occupant, Imu, who unleashed a rain of lasers from the sky which instantly obliterated Lulusia and left nothing in its wake; it was declared during this attack that Lulusia had never existed to begin with.[3]
Arrival at Egghead: Meeting Dr. Vegapunk[]
A few days after their departure from Wano, the Straw Hats were in a brutally cold climate zone as they approached their next island. They came across a giant Warm Eddy, and spotted a person trapped inside it. Zoro cut through the eddy to free them, and Jewelry Bonney emerged in child form.[3] Luffy jumped in midair and stretched his arms to catch her as well as a blown-overboard Chopper, but the Sunny and crew then came under attack by Mecha-Shark, a giant shark made out of metal. As Luffy, Bonney, and Chopper fell into the ocean, Jinbe went to rescue them while Franky tried piloting the Sunny out of harm's way. However, Mecha-Shark fired homing torpedoes out of its mouth, causing the Sunny to capsize and sink. It then attacked Jinbe's group with cannon fire as the fish-man tried to save the Devil Fruit users, forcing him to dive underwater to escape. Mecha-Shark turned its attention back to the Sunny but was suddenly punched by a person inside a giant mecha.[5]
Meanwhile, at the nearby Marine Base, G-14, Helmeppo and several other Marine officers pleaded to Tashigi and Rear Admiral Prince Grus to let them go and rescue Koby from Hachinosu. Grus refused their request to deploy a Seraphim from Egghead, saying they were in no position to act as they had not been able to get a hold of X Drake.[5]
The Straw Hats' savior introduces herself as Dr. Vegapunk.
Jinbe brought Luffy, Chopper, and Bonney onto the nearby island, where they dried their clothes and got warm. Bonney revealed who she was to Luffy and told the three stranded Straw Hats that they were in Egghead, an island home to Dr. Vegapunk's research labs and said to be 500 years in the future. She revealed that she came alone as she had business with Vegapunk, though her ship was devoured by Mecha-Shark before she could reach the island.[5] The four then enter the island, where they were dazzled by the futuristic sights of aliens, giant robots and giant parfaits. However, upon interacting with them, they soon realized they were all holograms. Annoyed, Luffy punches a large robotic girl that talked to him, only to find out it was real when he was punched back. He was knocked into the Automatic Food Machine, which the pirates were very delighted to discover and started playing around with it. As they ate the food dispensed from the machine, the girl started explaining some of the technology around them, the Island A.C. that kept the island warm despite being a winter island, and her Light Pressure Gloves that allow her to interact with holograms. When enquired who she was, she claimed to be Dr. Vegapunk, though Bonney, who said she knew the real Vegapunk, immediately claimed she was lying.[6]
Meanwhile, the mecha that hit Mecha-Shark lifted the Sunny out of the ocean, along with the rest of the Straw Hats and a woman emerged from it, saying Mecha-Shark was a creation she built to guard the island but was acting awry due to its primal desires to eat ships. The woman then also introduced herself as Dr. Vegapunk, to the Straw Hats' great shock.[5] However, when Robin questioned this, knowing for a fact the Vegapunk should be an elderly man, the woman expanded on this by revealing that she was Punk-02, Lilith, not the original Stella, before demanding the Straw Hats to hand over their treasure and surrounding them with giant Sea Beast Weapons. However, Punk-01, Shaka contacted Lilith, scolding her for plundering and warning her of the danger she is in, particularly from Zoro and Robin. After she had realized this, Zoro then started to make demands, with Shaka, who was interested in the crew, obliging.[6] The giant mecha then flew with the Sunny to the top part of the island, the Labophase, as Lilith explained how the machine could currently only work in the vicinity of the island, and how the clouds around the top were Island Clouds and that the lower area was the residential Fabiriophase. The Straw Hats, except for Zoro and Brook, who remained on ship watch duty, then disembarked and obtained some new clothes.[7] While the two swordsmen had tea on the ship, they released Caribou and told him to disembark, despite his protests as the island was a government island.[8]
On Luffy's group's side, after they had eaten their fill, Atlas flew off to do her job of fighting holograms, while the four discovered a Trancos clothes dispenser, and picked out some new attire. However, as they wandered around, a policing Pacifista attacked them, for not paying for the clothes and food. When Luffy attempted to fight back, Bonney intervened, tearfully revealing how Bartholomew Kuma was her father.[9] They eventually managed to escape it thanks to Bonney's Devil Fruit ability altering Luffy and Chopper to their old age, while Jinbe and Bonney became children, fooling the cyborg's detection. Jinbe then revealed what he knew about he knew about Kuma, such as how he was the king of Sorbet Kingdom but was driven out due to his tyranny before becoming affiliated with the Revolutionary Army only to be captured and imprisoned for life. He revealed that thanks to Vegapunk taking interest in him, Kuma gained his freedom as a Warlord at the cost of donating his body to science. However, as Bonney salvaged through a scrap heap, discovering a beam saber in the process, she contradicted many of these "facts", and believed her father would not have willingly sacrificed himself for science as apparently Kuma was part of a certain race that is not known.[7]
CP0 Agents Lucci, Kaku and Stussy, alongside S-Bear, on a mission to kill Dr. Vegapunk.
At sea, a ship from the World Government headed towards Egghead. On board, Rob Lucci, Kaku and Stussy were going over their newest mission, the assassination of Vegapunk. As it turned out Dr. Vegapunk, somehow split himself amongst six more people, referred to as Satellites, as he had too much to do. In the process of delivering S-Bear, the three are to assassinate all the Vegapunks with as little damage to the lab as possible. When Lucci pondered whether this order is due to what happened to Lulusia, the other agents warned him against inquiring needlessly.[6] At around the same time Shaka, having foreseen his imminent death, contacted Dragon to tell him something.[7]
Meanwhile, in the seas of Winner Island, the Polar Tang was under attack, and the Heart Pirates suddenly caught a disease that started turning them into women. Forced to surface, they soon found their attackers, the Blackbeard Pirates, waiting for them. Law countered his feminization with a strong amount of Haki, with Doc Q, the one who spread the disease with his Shiku Shiku no Mi ability, commenting that by doing so, the cure would also spread out amongst the crew. Van Augur then used his Wapu Wapu no Mi ability to teleport Jesus Burgess to the island, who used his Riki Riki no Mi ability to throw a mountain at the Heart Pirates, though Law countered it with the Ope Ope no Mi. Teach himself appeared with Doc Q on top of Stronger, who now could fly thanks to the Uma Uma no Mi, Model: Pegasus. It is revealed that the Blackbeard captain launched this ambush in order to steal Law's copies of the Road Poneglyphs.[9] Law then used his awakened ability R-ROOM: Amputate on Stronger to make them fall, though not before Teach used Gurash to shake up the Heart Pirates and the island with it. Doc Q then threw a basket of explosive apples at his enemies, but Shachi countered it by spitting out a jet of water to intercept the bombs. Bepo then identified Augur's position and had Jean Bart intercept his shot targeted at Law. Law faced Blackbeard, using K-ROOM: Shock Willie against the Emperor.[7]
Blackbeard battles Law.
Augur saves Teach using his teleportation before placing him in front of Law, and just as the two clashed again, Teach used his Kurouzu. Meanwhile, the Heart Pirates display their aquatic fighting ability by attacking the Blackbeard Pirates ship from underwater. In the Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki expressed his frustration of his inability to do anything, as he received the news of the two crews fighting.[7]
In the Labophase of Egghead, as the Straw Hats entered the lab, they marveled at the technology, such as the escalator and the phase-through door, while Lilith explained the island's mechanisms are powered through fire. The crew soon lost sight of Lilith but were guided to a room by Edison over the speaker system, where they encountered S-Shark. Jinbe's Seraphim Pacifista. Though at first confused, after the cyborg had attacked them, the Straw Hats quickly fought back, though they were hampered by S-Shark's combination of lasers, Fish-Man Karate, his Lunarian/Fish-Man physique, cyborg modifications and an ability similar to the Sui Sui no Mi. The battle was quickly put to an end by Shaka, who ordered S-Shark to stand down whilst restraining the pirates by magnetizing the DOM Shoes they were wearing to the floor. As it turns out, the battle was an experiment set up by the three satellites Lilith, Edison and Pythagoras, to test out S-Shark in actual combat. Shaka then asked the four whether the island looked like the future to them, and though Franky gave an enthusiastic positive response, Shaka stated that this was an island of the past.
The Straw Hats are ambushed by S-Shark, a Seraphim-clone of Jinbe.
He goes on to state that the technology they used was mostly that which they recreated from an ancient kingdom from 900 years ago.[8] As he continued talking, Robin realized that he was referring to the Void Century, with Shaka expanding that he theorized that Ohara discovered the existence of the kingdom and that the Void Century was the history of the war between the Great Kingdom, and the 20 nations which later became known as the World Government, who won the war and erased its existence from history. The Straw Hats were shocked by this reveal, though Sanji then realized that this information would make them a target of erasure by the World Government if they knew that the pirates knew this, to which Shaka casually affirmed, causing some of the pirates to despair. Though the satellite stated it was but a theory, he questioned Robin that if Ohara were annihilated for simple conjecture, then this should probably mean that they were basically admitting it was true. However, Robin asked back of whether he really could get such information from being affiliated to the Government, to which he denied, and when she asked how he could have known this, Shaka stated that the "Will of Ohara" still exists.[10]
He then tells his story of how he once knew Professor Clover, who was an eccentric yet well-respected Archaeologist/adventurer in his youth, whose charisma helped make Ohara the "holy land of archaeology". A few months after the Ohara Incident, Vegapunk visited the remains of the island to pay his respects, where he came across the sight of a lake stuffed full to the brim with books, the final acts of the Oharan scholars. In doing so, they managed to safeguard their knowledge and legacy, and as such, secured Ohara's "victory". Hearing this, Robin recalled parting with her mother and fellow archaeologists, and realized what her mother and old friends intended, causing her to tear up. Robin then affirmed Vegapunk's theory of the Oharans discoveries before asking where the books were now. Shaka then elaborated on the story, stating how the lakes were being dredged of the books by giants of Elbaph, being led by a giant covered in bandages. Vegapunk learnt their identities from Dragon, who arrived earlier to also pay his respects, and found out who they were directly from them. As the two paid their respects, Dragon who was then a captain of the Freedom Fighters, expressed his disgust at not only what the World Government did to Ohara, but also at Vegapunk for turning his group down and working for them, though the scientist was practical stating that their poor group could not support his research.
Vegapunk and Dragon discussed the events of Ohara after the Ohara Incident.
Dragon then stated that he would create an army that could fight back against the World Government's injustices, which Vegapunk doubted due to Dragon's pacifistic nature. However, before the end of that year, Dragon, together with Kuma and Ivankov, established the Revolutionary Army. While the Straw Hats were shocked by all these revelations, Shaka continued to say how Vegapunk later visited Elbaph and read all the books from Ohara, with all that knowledge now stored in his brain. Robin however, wished to know if that bandage-wrapped giant leader was perhaps Saul, and though Shaka did not confirm this, he did say that the giant was in hiding, which brought happy tears to Robin's eyes.[10] He then dragged the Straw Hats to the monitor room using their DOM Shoes, allowing them to see their captain on the surveillance.[11]
Meanwhile, in the Fabiriophase, Luffy's group managed to get lost and stumble upon an Iron Giant in the Scrap Heap, with Luffy excitedly wishing to ride it.[8] However, all of a sudden, something impacted the machine, and the next moment they found a man half stuck to the Iron Giant, exclaiming how his warping experiment failed and that he was sinking into the machine. Luffy saved him, and the man happily recognized Luffy and Bonney, though Bonney was not happy to see him, realizing the man as the original Dr. Vegapunk. When Luffy exclaimed at his hovering, Vegapunk explained to them how they could use their DOM Shoes to do the same, with Luffy, Chopper and the doctor accidentally flying off too high in the process.[10] A bit later, Bonney demanded to know what happened to his head, to which Vegapunk casually replied that it grew too big, and he had to cut it, though he was shocked when Luffy asked if he was now stupid. Vegapunk then explained that, even though he was already a genius, he had eaten the Nomi Nomi no Mi, which allowed him to store an unlimited amount of knowledge but caused his brain to continuously grow to accommodate. But since it was too big, he turned his brain into Punk Records, the giant egg in which the Labophase is contained, and he can access all this information thanks to the apple top antenna he replaced his brain with. He then explained about his satellites, each containing an aspect of his personality, and how he divided his work amongst the six, with all of them updating their experiences and ideas to Punk Records daily. Vegapunk shared his intent to one day allow humanity to have access to it, essentially allowing humankind to share a brain, though Jinbe questioned whether there would have issues if dangerous ideologies were included, the doctor brushed it off, in favor for more knowledge.
Upon seeing Vegapunk again, Bonney threatens to kill him.
His statement however, angered Bonney who drew the beam saber on the doctor and demanded he turn her father back to normal. Despite being threatened, Vegapunk insisted that she turn off the saber as it was a failure, and though she refused, stating that it cuts well enough, the doctor elaborated by stating that the light of the beam attracts bugs, just as a huge swarm of insects surged toward her causing her to faint in fear. After she had fainted and the insect swarm left, Chopper attended to her, and Vegapunk became depressed, stating that he could not blame her for wanting to kill him. He then inquired about the second dragon in Wano, coming to the conclusion that it must have been his failed Artificial Devil Fruit, though Luffy claimed it was a success as Momonosuke was capable of doing nearly everything Kaidou was. Vegapunk then asked about its color, and Luffy stated it was pink, the scientist became more depressed insisting it was a failure, revealing that he was a perfectionist, and that the Artificial Devil Fruit was a failed product solely because of the color. When Luffy then asked about the Iron Giant, Vegapunk explained that they did not build it, and that it was made approximately 900 years ago, but 200 years ago it climbed up the Red Line and nearly attacked Mary Geoise, but suddenly stopped before it did any damage. It was supposed to be disposed of, but the scientists of that time preserved it instead. After stating how he felt bad for Bonney and that he needed to give her something, Vegapunk then requested Luffy to take him off Egghead.[11]
In the Labophase monitor room, the Straw Hats observe their captain talking to Vegapunk, and when the talk of the Iron Giant came up, Shaka explained how he built the Vegaforce-01 based on the older robot, but he was unable to replicate the machine's dynamic power source.[10] Soon after, CP0 started breaking through the Sea Beast Weapon defense line, with Pythagoras being notified and spreading the news to the other satellites and Straw Hats. Though Lilith suggested handing the pirates over, Shaka ordered that they tell the agents to drop the Seraphim and immediately leave while preparing them for battle much to everyone's surprise.[11]
On Momoiro Island, the Revolutionaries are in disarray when Kuma, who was undergoing repairs, suddenly gets up and starts running and falling over continuously as he heads to the coast, with no regards of his own safety or the voices of his old friends.[11] As they pursued him, Kuma ripped of the implements used to fix him, before using his Nikyu Nikyu no Mi ability to transport himself from the island.[12]
Vegapunk shares his ultimate goal of providing free energy.
Back on Egghead, in the Scrap Heap, Luffy questioned why Vegapunk wanted to leave, to which he explained how he wished to create endless, free energy for all mankind, though this did not impress the Straw Hat captain. When Jinbe stated that a lack of resources to create energy is one of the main causes of war, Vegapunk enthusiastically expanded on that, stating how energy was everywhere and that he wished to convert it into a form that can be seen and harnessed, though Luffy was still unimpressed. The scientist then revealed that his research into this led him to investigate the "ancient energy" which was the power source of the Iron Giant; both this and Professor Clover's death ultimately motivated him to further Clover's initial research into the Void Century. Their conversation is then interrupted by an explosion caused by CP0 landing on the island, prompting Vegapunk to wrap things up by stating that the Government has caught wind of his actions and now they want to get rid of him. After briefly explaining what the CP0 were to Luffy, he again requested for the Straw Hats to take him, which the captain approved of, on account that he found the scientist's head funny. Vegapunk then decided they should reconvene in the Labophase and requested they bring Bonney with them, and after Luffy had agreed, the scientist literally vanished before their eyes.[12]
CP0's Infiltration: Vegapunk is Targeted[]
In the Labophase, Pythagoras attempted to civilly ask the agents to have S-Bear return by itself, and for the rest of them to turn back. Lucci, suspecting that Vegapunk was onto them, asked if they knew about the Egghead Disappearances, how Government ships from CP5, CP7, and CP8, who had visited the island within the last two months, all disappeared. The Vegapunks seemed unaware of this, with Pythagoras claiming all three ships visited and left their port safely, and Lilith getting angry at their insinuation and even considering letting them in just to prove themselves, though in the end the satellites again requested they leave, before cutting communications. However, Pythagoras soon reported that the Sea Beast Weapons were consuming the Government ship, while the agents and S-Bear were spotted in the Fabiriophase. Coming to the conclusion that they used S-Bear's replicated Nikyu Nikyu no Mi ability to transport themselves onto the island, Shaka came to the conclusion that the agents were determined to fight, and started giving out orders, having the researchers and workers evacuate, to have Atlas return and to mobilize S-Shark, S-Snake and S-Hawk, while putting Sentomaru in charge of them.[11]
As the Government ship approached Egghead, they were attacked by the Sea Beast Weapons, with the CP0 agents fighting back. The agents then discussed reports of Jewelry Bonney heading to Egghead and contemplated killing her.[10] Pythagoras then contacted them, politely asking them to have S-Bear return by itself and for them to leave. Lucci then decided to abandon the ship to the Sea Beast Weapons and had S-Bear use its ability to transport them to the island.[11] Once they land in the Fabiriophase, Kaku excitedly attacks a space monster that seems to be trying to attack them, though just as he attacks, Stussy, who had been on the island before, mentions it was a hologram, which elicits an annoyed reaction that she should have mentioned that first. However, as he was already in the air, Kaku decided to try to enter the Labophase using Geppo, when Stussy casually mentioned to Lucci that the double lines running the circumference of Punk Records was actually a border known as the Frontier Dome and those who cross it gets shot down by laser fire, which Kaku unintentionally triggers, causing them to fall down all burnt.
Lucci attacks Atlas.
Just as a burnt up Kaku yells at Stussy for again mentioning things too late, Atlas charged at them and wound up for an attack, but Lucci quickly transformed into his hybrid leopard form and used Rokuogan on her, instantly knocking her out and badly damaging the large robot. At this point Jinbe, Chopper, Luffy and the still unconscious Bonney ran right in front of the agents, with Lucci and the rubber man instantly recognizing each other.[12] While temporarily surprised at each other's presence, Luffy quickly ran towards Atlas in concern, and seeing her condition, requested Chopper to take care of her. Kaku cautioned Lucci from engaging them, as Luffy was now considered an Emperor, and that they were not permitted to engage one without approval from their superiors, as it could potentially lead to an unwanted war, however a fight soon broke out regardless as the Straw Hats went to support their assassination target.
Meanwhile, at Marine HQ, Sakazuki learnt of the Straw Hats presence on Egghead, with the Marines assuming that Vegapunk recruited them after realizing CP0 was targeting him for assassination. After learning that Kizaru was already heading to Egghead on a different mission, the Fleet Admiral then ordered them to contact CP0 and demand that they wait for Marine reinforcement and to not engage the pirates.[13] Kizaru soon learnt of his new orders and promptly ordered all battleships they could mobilize to set course for Egghead.[14] However, at Marine Base G-14, Doll argued with Vice Admiral Garp over the Den Den Mushi, trying to stop him as the base mobilized their battleships to head for Egghead. However, Garp simply yelled for Helmeppo, who heard him, and told them that he was going to Blackbeard's base Hachinosu, to beat up the pirates and rescue Koby, while inviting him aboard.
In the meantime, Kuma, having used his ability to transport himself, ended up colliding into the Red Line, and falling into Red Port. He then attempted to climb up the continent, though was met with great resistance as the Marines fired mortars at him, causing him to fall of the wall.[15] They continued to attack him while calling for back up, as the former Warlord while single-mindedly attempting to ascend the continent.[16] Elsewhere, the Kid Pirates sighted Elbaph.[15]
Luffy and Lucci clashing.
Back on Egghead, as Luffy and Lucci engaged each other in their awakened forms, in the Labophase, the original Vegapunk appeared in the monitor room and asked the Straw Hats about their captain's new form, though they were also clueless, believing it to be an extension of his rubber powers. However, Vegapunk then revealed that none of the old books ever mentioned the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and instead he drew comparisons between Gear 5 and the legends of the Sun God, Nika. He then stated his shocking theory to the Straw Hats, that Devil Fruits themselves were manifestation of the possibility for human evolution, with all the different powers representing the many branches for humanity's future, brought into existence by human hope and desire, though this unnatural state ended up making them loathed by the sea. When Sentomaru entered the battlefield with the other Seraphim, thinking he was going to support CP0, he was shocked when Vegapunk informed him that the agents were there to kill the scientist. Vegapunk then guilt-tripped the Marine with the favors the scientist did for him in the past, forcing him to go against the agents.[13] As the Seraphim joined the battle, Franky started weeping, having recognized S-Shark's ability, and believing Senor Pink to be dead, though Vegapunk then revealed his research in Artificial Devil Fruits, with him having greater success with Zoan (though it was highly limited and expensive with Mythical Zoans), virtually no results with Logia, and his success with Paramecia, which he replicated using Lineage Factor to create Green Blood, which all the Seraphim possess, declaring the cyborgs to be the "strongest form of humanity".[14]
In the Fabiriophase, Luffy and Lucci both used awakening, though in spite doing so, the CP0 agent struggled to land a single blow on the pirate. When Sentomaru appeared with three more Seraphim, Kaku attempted to have S-Bear eliminate at least one of the cyborgs, before remembering that in terms of the Pacifista's authority hierarchy, they, who possessed the Authority Chips held less priority than the Marine. Sentomaru then ordered S-Bear to wipe out the agents, S-Snake to guide the pirates to the Vacuum Rocket and S-Shark and S-Hawk to hold back CP0. Lucci, having observed the situation after being knocked back by Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Mogura Pistol, attacked Sentomaru with Shugan in an attempt to usurp control over the cyborgs.[13] Though the Marine managed to defend himself in time, it was still penetrated, leaving him with a mortal wound. Luffy, shocked that the Marine he was just chatting with during the lull of battle was attacked, sent Lucci flying with a Gomu Gomu no Dawn Whip before he could finish the job, though the recoil of the attack sent him comedically drilling into the ground. In the meantime, the Seraphim demonstrated their replicated Devil Fruit abilities against the Cipher Pol minions, with S-Bear firing a small Ursus Shock and S-Snake using Mero Mero Mellow. Lucci reappeared and again ran at Sentomaru with Soru, though Luffy blocked his way by emerging from underground with a gigantified head and attempted to chomp him. The leopard-man dodged it, but the Sun God then spat the rubble in his mouth at him and used the opening to defeat Lucci with a Gomu Gomu no Dawn Rocket.
CP0 takes control of the Seraphim.
Luffy then quickly reunited with his friends at the Vacuum Rocket, but not before promising Sentomaru that he would take Vegapunk off the island. After boarding the Rocket, Luffy deactivated his awakening, quickly aging in appearance, whilst Bonney suddenly regained consciousness and expressed her confusion. They quickly reached the Labophase, where Bonney angrily started to look for Vegapunk, irrationally blaming him for the bugs attack, with the intent of forcing him to restore her father, or else. In the Labophase, the Straw Hats in the monitor room question Vegapunk joining them, as well as why the Government would want to eliminate their greatest scientific mind, though they quickly understood after the scientist questioned back what they would do if said mind were to turn on them. In the Fabiriophase, with Sentomaru finally unconscious, the CP0 now have control over the Seraphim, but were now met with the Frontier Dome's virtually impenetrable defense. They decide to cordon of the island to prevent escape.[14]
When Stussy questioned Lucci's decision to fight Luffy, the agent simply stated that he did not see Luffy as an Emperor. All of a sudden, the security seemed to knock off, and though Lucci wished to exercise caution, believing it to be a trap, when the three agents used Geppo to reach the Labophase and still did not receive a counterattack, Kaku believed that this was an opportunity. The three then spotted the Thousand Sunny, and at Lucci's order Kaku attacked it with Rankyaku "Amane Dachi". Thankfully Zoro, who was napping aboard the ship cancelled out the attack and engaged the agents. As it turns out Bonney had found Vegapunk and pursued him through the facility, demanding he restore her father, even though he could not and that he had a good reason.
The Vegapunks then assembled, with Stella packed up to depart. As they contemplated how to escape, since CP0 had cordoned off the island, Lilith opted to use force, which Shaka vetoed, and while Pythagoras mentioned that they had one more ally, Edison stated that supporting them would result in said ally being pursued by the Government. This did not stop Vegapunk requesting the mysterious ally for help, who easily obliged. Vegapunk then requested the Straw Hats for permission to board their ship for all seven, which was met with mixed reactions from the pirates. However, much to the scientists' surprise, the Frontier Dome was deactivated, despite seemingly no one being in the control room, allowing the agents as well as the Seraphim to infiltrate before they could reactivate their defenses. Meanwhile Luffy managed to reunite with the rest of his crew, and though he was disappointed in leaving early, he quickly realized he lost sight of Bonney.[15]
In the monitor room the Straw Hats and the satellites observed the situation outside, and though they thought Brook and Zoro might be able to hold on in a two vs. three match, Shaka revealed that the Seraphim followed the agents, most likely due to their limited personality judging they would be needed there. The satellites decided to take advantage of this, with Lilith and Edison heading towards the Seraphim to order them to fight CP0, with Franky and Sanji following to assist their crewmates. This left Nami and Usopp with Shaka who started panicking when CP0 ordered the Seraphim to destroy the lab.
Bonney discovers Kuma's memories.
At some point he managed to hide from her, though taking advantage of his naivete, she regressed her age into a child and started weeping crocodile tears, which drew him out. She then used Distortion Future to assume a muscular form, before using Toshi Tsuki to regress Vegapunk into a child. Having captured him, she demanded to know the reason for her father's lobotomy, though Vegapunk claimed that the truth would only hurt Bonney, and that he promised Kuma that he could never tell her, insisting that Kuma himself volunteered for this. Though she claimed he was lying, Vegapunk insisted that he loved Kuma as a dear friend and was proud of him, how doing what he did was so hard he wished to forget it, and that was why he could not tell her, though Bonney refused to accept this. At that moment a locked door started beeping, drawing Bonney's attention, and though the child-sized Vegapunk tried to stop her, Bonney eroded the lock with Oil Shock, and opened the door to reveal a large paw-shaped bubble. Vegapunk then recalled how he theorized together with Kuma that his abilities may work on other things, like memories, and requested that the Warlord try it out, though Kuma persistently refused. In the present, Vegapunk attempted to stop Bonney from touching it by claiming the bubble was pain, but Bonney knew that it was most likely memories as she slowly approached it.[16] Bonney saw a bit of Kuma's childhood when he was running away from something and beaten by assailants for trying to flee. Overwhelmed by the sight, Bonney fell out of the memory world but resolved to reenter so she could understand her father's motives.[17]
The Seraphim attack Vegapunk's laboratory.
As Zoro fought Kaku, the other two agents soon found that the Seraphim had followed them by their own discretion and realized that they could not send them back down as the defense system has reactivated. Meanwhile, Kaku entered his awakened form and fought Zoro though the swordsman repelled him. Knowing that they would lose control if a Vegapunk were to give the Seraphim a direct command, Lucci ordered the cyborgs to destroy the lab before the scientists could get their chance.
Stussy turns on CP0.
While Kaku looked at the destruction in satisfaction, the two male agents noticed too late that Stussy had approached the giraffe-man and knocked him out by sucking his blood. A clone of Buckingham Stussy of the Rocks Pirates,[16] she was secretly Vegapunk's ally. She dodged Lucci's attack before subduing him as well, using Seastone hidden within a lipstick tube to weaken him before biting him. Stussy then contacted Shaka to inform that she had taken care of the Cipher Pol agents, surprising the Straw Hats with him that he has a mole within the World Government. However, Stussy could not override Lucci's command to the Seraphim. Zoro and Brook defended the lab, as Lilith and Edison rushed outside. When Lilith tried to shout out an order, S-Hawk prepared to attack her, and although Zoro managed to block it, Lilith was too frightened to continue. Edison arrived shortly after and managed to order the Seraphim to stop, but Sanji had to save Edison from S-Shark's laser beam. This finally ceased the attack on the lab. After Stussy bound Lucci and Kaku with Seastone, Shaka invited her to join the Satellites on the Straw Hats' ship. Meanwhile, Luffy and Chopper began searching around for Vegapunk and Bonney.
Weevil forces Marines out of Sphinx.
On Sphinx, the residents informed Marco that the Marines had invaded looking for Whitebeard's treasure. The Marine captain, Ratel, had threatened to execute them one by one until they would admit where it was. However, Weevil had arrived to defend his father's hometown and fought off the Marines, forcing them to retreat and request backup. Ryokugyu was sent and had subdued and captured Weevil. After the story finished, Miss Buckin, formerly known as Buckingham Stussy, an ex-Rocks pirate and a former member of MADS as well, demanded that Marco rescue her son and tell her where Whitebeard's treasure was. Marco thanked her for protecting the island, but she assumed that he doubted her son's lineage and offered to have Vegapunk prove it. In a fleet of Marine and World Government ships making their way to Egghead, Kizaru served tea to Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the Five Elders.[18]
Vegapunk Search Operation: The Labophase Death Game[]
A Pacifista defending Egghead.
Back on Egghead, Sentomaru had awakened and ordered a Pacifista Mark III to detain the other Cipher Pol agents in the Fabiriophase. Still unable to contact Vegapunk or receive reports from the outside world, Sentomaru deployed all fifty Pacifistas Mark III and ordered them to aid in the Straw Hats' escape with Vegapunk.
In the Labophase, Luffy, Zoro, Brook, and Stussy regrouped with the others after Luffy was unable to find Vegapunk or Bonney. Checking the monitors, Shaka noted that Bonney was in Room Nikyu but could not see Vegapunk anywhere. Pythagoras was already on the lookout for main body, and seeing as they could not leave without Vegapunk, Nami suggested the crew go look as well. Luffy and Zoro stayed behind to look after the unconscious Lucci and Kaku. As Pythagoras was searching, someone approached him from behind, and an explosion went off in part of the lab.
In his news balloon, Morgans learned that the World Government was attempting to assassinate Vegapunk and that Luffy was also on Egghead. When he considered writing that Luffy was holding Vegapunk hostage and waging war with the World Government over it, Nefertari Vivi rebuked him for mischaracterizing Luffy. Wapol urged her to be quiet out of fear that the World Government could overhear, as well as reminding her that Morgans was hiding them both. Morgans dismissed Vivi's opinion, stating that his main concern was what sold as entertainment.[17]
Back at the lab, Shaka sees Pythagoras being attacked on the camera Den Den Mushi and tries to contact him, but suddenly notices a figure attack the camera and cut the feed. Luffy likewise notes he cannot hear the others over the radio anymore. When he goes to tell Shaka this, Shaka points out the cameras all over Egghead are being taken out. Meanwhile the Straw Hats and Stella units have formed into teams to explore the lab to look for Vegapunk. Nami, Brook and Edison search the third floor of Building A where Nami finds a machine that produces jewelry which she is ecstatic over and tries to take a few but is forced to leave them behind to continue the search (though insists on retrieving them later).
S-Snake petrifies York.
Robin, Chopper, and Atlas searched the second floor of Building A, a section which manufactured artificial organs to Chopper's amazement. On the second floor of the right side of Building B. Sanji, Stussy and Jinbe search the development floor. On the third floor on the left side of Building C are Usopp, Lilith, York, and Franky, the four arriving at the area where Pythagoras was attacked and finding his body. However, he survived by ejecting from his bigger body before he was hit. York then found S-Snake nearby, and Pythagoras yelled out to York to stay away from her. However, having Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi powers, S-Snake turned her to stone. When Lilith ordered her to stand down, S-Snake attacked the group and forced them to jump off the platform.
Lilith and Edison were confused as they should have the higher clearance to command the Seraphim, and then the group noted the communication devices had malfunctioned, and they cannot contract the main control room. Back in Building A, the lab was suddenly attacked by S-Bear and S-Hawk to the similar confusion of Shaka as Luffy and he arrived on the scene, finding Zoro trying to fend them off so they would not kill a still bound and helpless Lucci and Kaku. After the group had barely avoided an attack from the two Seraphim, Shaka noted that someone in the base was commanding them to kill everyone inside. Lucci requested the three untie him and Kaku to help with the situation, a suggestion that Luffy and Zoro did not take favorably.[19]
The Seraphim target CP0.
The Seraphim continue their attacks (at one point Zoro noticing that S-Hawk is wielding Mr. 1's Supa Supa no Mi power) forcing Luffy and Zoro to pull Lucci and Kaku out of danger. Kaku proposes once again Lucci, and he be freed, even promising to return to their cuffs once the threat is dealt with, but Zoro remains unconvinced. Shaka questions Lucci what their mission is to Egghead which Lucci bluntly answers that it was to kill Vegapunk and the Satellites. Also putting Stussy on his hitlist for her earlier betrayal. Seeing that they likely have no choice, Luffy agrees to free them, with one condition "After we've stopped all four of them, you better not go after my friends and the Vegapunks just because you can't beat me in a fight." But Lucci replies, saying that he would kill Luffy before going after his crew. the two CP0 agents are freed and work together with Luffy and Zoro to fight the Seraphim.
In the basement floor of the old Devil Fruit research lab, Cipher Pol agents from CP5, 7 and 8 were being kept prisoner, being held there for two months without almost no food or water. Vegapunk finds himself awakening there and surprised to find that Lucci's statement of agents disappearing near the island were truth as one of the agents reveal they were chased back to the island by his Sea Beast Weapons and captured, with the following agents investigating their disappearances meeting the same fate. Vegapunk worries about this occurrence as there should have been no way the World Government knows about him studying Poneglyphs.
The Red Hair and Giant Pirates prepare to face the Kid Pirates.
Meanwhile on the island of Elbaph, in a bar of one of the coastal villages, a young giant asks Shanks to take him with him but is refused for being too young. Rockstar then entered in to inform Shanks someone is fighting their crew near the island. Shanks chides himself for taking so long to leave but promises the residents he will not let the island become a warzone. The rest of the Red Hair Pirates follow after him, joined along with Dorry and Brogy at Shanks' request to fight the incoming threat, who turned out to be the Kid Pirates. Shanks tells Rockstar to give Kid a message: either fight there and now or leave their Road Poneglyphs and flee. Out at sea, Eustass Kid and Killer notice the ships they are fighting are crews allied with the Red Hair Pirates. Killer asks Kid if he truly wishes to continue as their last encounter with the crew ended with their defeat, not even seeing Shanks and the loss of Kid's left arm, with the added risk of the pirates killing him if he loses to them again. Kid confirms he is not backing down and proceeds onward to battle.[20]
Back at Egghead, in the city, the citizens ask Sentomaru why he deployed the Pacifista with the only answer Sentomaru can give being that the island is about to suffer the same fate of Ohara and hoped the Straw Hats can get Vegapunk off the island. Back in the Command Floor, Luffy, Zoro, Lucci and Kaku continue to battle the Seraphim, but their attacks did not seem to affect S-Hawk and S-Bear. Zoro noticed the two seem similar to King which Shaka surmises must have been the Lunarian, then named Alber, that had escaped with Kaidou in the past. Zoro informed the others about the flames on their back and their vulnerability once its off (humorously getting chided by them for not noticing the Lunarian features sooner during the fight). As the others re-engage the battle, Shaka heads off by himself, thinking he knew where Vegapunk was.
In 3F, Building A, Nami and Zeus battled S-Shark, who had defeated Brook and Edison. However, as with the other Seraphim, Nami attacks hardly affect him as she held back as the Seraphim were children. Just as S-Shark is about to ambush her with his Sui Sui no Mi, Sanji arrives and knocks S-Shark back. Over in Building C, Lilith tries to subdue S-Snake with her bubble gun which she reveals has the same properties of Seastone, citing since the green blood gives them their Devil Fruit powers, it likewise gives them their weaknesses. While S-Snake dodged her attack, Franky manages to briefly incapacitate her with one of the bubbles. However, he fell for S-Snake's crocodile tears and accidently released her, to which she uses her kicks to turn most of his body to stone and turns Lilith and Usopp to stone as well when they try to stop her, thanks to the two falling for her charms.
Shaka is shot in the head.
In the basement floor of the old Devil Fruit research lab, Shaka found where Vegapunk and the Cipher Pol agents are imprisoned. However, just as he was about to free them, Vegapunk noticed someone else in the room who proceeds to shoot Shaka with a pistol and destroy his helmet, much to Vegapunk's horror.[21]
In 2F of Building B. Stussy and Jinbe have continued with their search, the former contacting Sentomaru informing him of the World Government sending in the CP0 first then a Marine fleet to come destroy Egghead due to Vegapunk studying Poneglyph and the island having military weapons that could rival them. With his fears of a Buster Call confirmed, Sentomaru ordered the citizens of the island to evacuate.
Back in 3F of Building C, S-Snake stands unopposed as Franky is unable to do anything, due to being half petrified in stone. She proceeds to stomp on the helpless Pythagoras and destroy him before turning her attention to Franky. Robin's group hear the noise from building A and worry for their friends' safety, Atlas then remembers the abandoned research section and leads Robin and Chopper to the area of the lab. Meanwhile Sanji takes over the fight against S-Shark, the latter who cannot seem to harm him thanks to Sanji's new awakened Germa enhancements, while Nami and Brook tend to Edison.
Luffy's group find that the Seraphim will not let their flames go out to harm them. In addition, S-Hawk disappeared which Lucci presumed is to deal with the weaker targets first. Zoro took off to go find him, with Luffy ordering Kaku to follow after to make sure he does not get lost while Lucci and he continue to fight S-Bear. Elsewhere, Bonney continued to cry over Kuma's memories.
York reveals her true intentions.
In a flashback three months prior to the story's events, someone from Egghead had contacted the Five Elders to inform them of Vegapunk's research and weaponry development. This had prompted the Five Elders to send Cipher Pol agents to investigate. In the present day, the shooter of Shaka was revealed to be York, who had been unpetrified. When Vegapunk asked why she was doing this, York revealed her wish to become a Celestial Dragon, despite knowing how despicable they were, and intended to be the only Vegapunk left standing.[22] Another flashback showed that York had realized the World Government would not just kill Vegapunk, but all of the Satellites as well, including her. Therefore, she secretly had commanded the Seraphim to kill everyone except her, Vegapunk, and the Cipher Pol hostages. She had also specifically ordered S-Snake to turn her to stone in front of the others and then turn her back to normal when they were separated, as well as having S-Snake head off toward a secret area of the lab. In the present day, the citizens fled Egghead, but a ship bearing the Blackbeard Pirates' flag made its way to the island.
The Unstoppable Emperors: Turbulence in the New World[]
Shanks defeats Kid.
Near Elbaph, the Kid Pirates were confronted by Shanks' allies, but Shanks ordered them aside. After checking up on Kid's bounty and statistics, Shanks foresaw Kid using his Damned Punk to devastate the fleet, so he immediately rushed to the Victoria Punk and sliced the railgun in half before Kid had a chance to fire it. Shanks' strike and the resulting explosion knocked out both Kid and Killer, who had tried to defend his captain. The Kid Pirates who had withstood Shanks' Supreme King Haki burst quickly surrendered and offered the Road Poneglyph rubbings in exchange for sparing their lives. Shanks took the rubbings and left the Victoria Punk before Dorry and Brogy's Hakoku hit the ship, splitting it in half and sinking the Kid Pirates.[23]
Meanwhile on Hachinosu, Koby has managed to escape from captivity thanks to Perona, who in turn requested he free Gecko Moria for her assistance. His escape was soon noticed, with the pirate inhabitants after him for his Cross Guild bounty. In the process of his escape, he freed several captured Marines and rushed off to act as a decoy so that they may escape. Three of Blackbeard's commanders, Shiryu, Avalo Pizarro and Vasco Shot (the latter two now wielding the Shima Shima no Mi and Gabu Gabu no Mi respectively) discussed how to go about capturing him while Sanjuan Wolf (who wields the Deka Deka no Mi) slept nearby. In a flashback, after Koby was captured following the Rocky Port incident. Blackbeard planned to use him as leverage against the World Government to force them to turn Hachinosu into a legitimate kingdom with him as the king.
However, Koby revealed he was a member of SWORD which Kuzan elaborates are Marine personnel that resigned from the main branch and act as an independent group without having to follow any orders from the top. Though this likewise means the Marines will disavow any responsibility for their action. Thus, Koby will be useless as a bargaining chip. This does not deter Blackbeard who figured Koby's reputation will make them reconsider and had Koby chained and locked up, though he was later freed by Perona. Back in the present, as Koby continued to flee from the pirate horde, he noticed an explosion in another section of the town. This is revealed to be several Marines who have invaded the island. One of the pirates manages to behead a Marine only for him to find out he is made of clay. In another section of the island, the pirates meet a female Marine Rear Admiral named Kujaku, Tsuru's granddaughter, who wields the Muchi Muchi no Mi and was whipping the surrounding buildings to force them to move to form an enclosure. Koby soon found himself surrounded and the pirates made to shoot him, only for their bullets to turn into flowers. This is shown to be the work of Hibari using GP Flowers to stop their assault. She signals over to Prince Grus, who wields the Gunyo Gunyo no Mi and the creator of the artificial golem Marines, that Koby is okay.
Garp attacks Hachinosu.
Kujaku and Grus then cornered the pirates into a town square with his clay golems and her whip powers moving the buildings to create an enclosure. With the setup complete, Tashigi and Helmeppo yell to Garp that they are ready and have his Marine ship shoot into the air (similar to Franky's Coup de Burst) toward the square. Garp made himself known to the pirates, who were unable to run due to the buildings blocking their path, stating their mistake in capturing his protégé before striking the lot with Galaxy Impact which proceeded to demolish the area.[24] Grus used his clay power to cushion the landing of Garp's ship as Garp goes to confront the pirates, lamenting his strength not being as strong as it used to be. Koby and Hibari go to greet him, but the latter is suddenly frozen by an arriving Kuzan, much to the shock of the Marines, with Garp demanding to know what he is doing.
A flashback shows that a year after Akainu and Aokiji's battle at Punk Hazard, some of Blackbeard's crew confronted Kuzan at a bar not long after he had quit the Marines following his fight with Akainu. Kuzan easily froze them, forcing Blackbeard and the remainder of his crew to confront him personally. The two managed to cordially talk over drinks. Devon asked him about a man with a burn scar who holds one of the Road Poneglyphs, sailing on an all-black ship that forms whirlpools to ships that try to approach it. Shiryu speculates that said man might work for the World Government to keep pirates from reaching the One Piece, but Kuzan has no knowledge about any of it. A fight almost breaks out when Kuzan overheard Laffitte suggesting that Blackbeard steal Kuzan's Devil Fruit, but Blackbeard diffuses the situation by offering Kuzan to join his crew since he was not with the Marines anymore and pirates generally join together due to an alignment of interests, asking what Kuzan wished to do now. In the present, Kuzan reveals himself as the tenth captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, forcing Garp to engage him in a clash between former teacher and student. Kuzan attempted to freeze Garp with Ice Ball, though the Hero of the Marines quickly broke out and punched Kuzan through the ground with Blue Hole.
The Heart Pirates defeated.
Back on Winner Island, the Blackbeard Pirates emerged victorious against Law having defeated the Heart Pirates and destroyed their submarine, with Teach contemplating whether to take the Ope Ope no Mi for himself, sell it or have Law do the surgery to give him eternal life. Bepo then used a medicine given to him by Chopper at Wano to transform into his Sulong form, allowing him to knock Blackbeard back, grab Law and escape into the sea to prevent Blackbeard from following them. A weakened Law insists they cannot leave their crew behind, but Bepo stated they have survived this far and to have faith in them while ensuring Law survives in the meantime.[25]
At New Marineford HQ, Sengoku and Tsuru are reading a newspaper about T Bone's death and they show their concern about people turning on the Marines thanks to the new Cross Guild bounties. When Sengoku asks Hina where Garp is, she revealed to them Garp and Kujaku's mission to Hachinosu to the shock of Sengoku and Tsuru.
On Karai Bari Island, Buggy congratulates the man who killed T Bone, even though said man only did it to help his destitute family and is clearly distraught over his actions. Buggy assures him he is under his protection and that his family will be compensated via the bounty reward. As the crew celebrates, one of Buggy's shipwrights announced the completion of the Cross Guild flagship. But to Buggy's dismay, they designed it in his likeness, which did not please Crocodile and Mihawk who dismember and beat up Buggy in private for it. The two then discuss how to go about their operations in becoming a military-like power, but Buggy speaks out against them, finding their dreams to be too small-minded.
He reminisced his confrontation with Shanks at Loguetown, after Roger's execution, where he thought that Shanks would take up Roger's mantle of being the Pirate King after he died and was willing to go sail with him. However, to his shock, Shanks declined to do so, having other intentions in mind, though still wanted Buggy to join his crew. Buggy refused under the excuse of him being mad about losing the treasure map that resulted in him swallowing the Bara Bara no Mi, but in truth felt betrayed by Shanks' change in plans. Mihawk and Crocodile were not swayed and state they do not have any interest in going after the One Piece or in claiming the heads of Shanks, Blackbeard and Luffy. Buggy takes matters into his own hands by announcing over a Den Den Mushi that the Cross Guild was going after the One Piece, much to the ire of his two partners.
King Cobra Assassinated: The Truths of the Levely[]
On Momoiro Island, a few of the Revolutionaries (Ushiano, Ahiru, Gambo, and Jiron) spot a ship coming to the island which is revealed to be Sabo who survived the destruction of Lulusia Kingdom due to already being on a ship along with a few others who wanted to join the Revolutionaries and was calling while sailing away before Imu destroyed the island. He refrained from calling again after fearing the Marines were still listening in on his transmission, though he had sent a coded signal to indicate he was okay. Sabo went to meet with Ivankov and Dragon who discuss Kuma for a bit before going into what he saw at Mary Geoise.[26]
Sabo recounts that he managed to complete their main objectives of declaring war on the World Nobles by burning their symbol, destroying Mary Geoise's food storages and rescuing Kuma. Dragon and Ivankov praised him for it since it sparked a few kingdoms to rebel against the World Government (one of which was Lulusia). However, the two also lament the loss of Cobra, who was a loved and respected ruler. Plus, that the World Government will likely unleash the God's Knights against the Revolutionaries with Sabo as their number one target. Sabo accepts both outcomes if it can serve their cause before continuing the story.
Morley fights Ryokugyu in Mary Geoise.
During the Levely, back at Mary Geoise, Karasu (revealed to be the wielder of the Susu Susu no Mi), Lindbergh, and Morley freed as many slaves as they could and kept the Admirals, Fujitora and Ryokugyu busy, while Sabo, who went to retrieve the slave collar keys, spotted Kuma with Saint Charlos while doing so. As that was going on, Cobra went to go talk with the World Nobles leaving Vivi to be looked after by CP0, though she refused their service after seeing their inaction to step in to save Shirahoshi earlier from Saint Charlos. As Cobra proceeded to the Elders room, Pell and Chaka were refused to be allowed to come with him. Cobra dismissed them, telling the two to look after Vivi, as he was worried about what she would get into.[27]
Sabo made his way inside Pangaea Castle and dealt with a few guards before running into Jewelry Bonney whom he knew as Kuma's daughter. Seeing that they had a common interest to save Kuma the two briefly teamed up. Sabo handed off the keys to the slave collar to Karasu and ordered him and the others to retreat once they freed the slaves, promising to be right behind them once he took care of something. Sabo and Bonney narrowly avoid a few guards, overhearing them talk about a certain room no one can enter and all who see it disappear. Once they have passed, the pair separated due to different destinations (Bonney going to Egghead while Sabo was heading for Kamabakka) though Bonney entrusted Sabo to save Kuma.
In the Empty Throne Room, Cobra met with the Five Elders, where he recounted the creation of the Celestial Dragons, the First Twenty who moved to Mary Geoise and the vow to all rule the world equally, as well as the new royalty that took over their kingdoms in their place. However, Arabasta's ruler, Nefertari Lili, refrained from joining them and returned to her kingdom. However, Cobra noticed, when he was going over his kingdom's documents after the Void Century, that there was no mention of her name and that Lili never returned to Arabasta, with her younger brother ruling in her place. He questions the Elders if they knew anything of what became of her, but they state they do not since it is information from 800 years and any record since then was lost. Cobra then goes on to ask what the meaning of "D" is, as he found the name in an 800-year letter passed through Arabasta's kings.
Charlos is attacked by Sai and Leo for forcefully subduing Shirahoshi.
Meanwhile, Saint Charlos once more attempted to abduct Shirahoshi, this time with the help of Kuma backing him. Her brothers rush to her aid but are stymied by the former Warlord. Donquixote Mjosgard stops them, claiming if they attack him, that will put their kingdom in danger. Fortunately, Sai and Leo rush to Shirahoshi's rescue as, since they are not affiliated with any kingdom and are pirates, they do not have to worry about that stipulation. The two swiftly knocked out Charlos while Morley managed to grab Kuma and he and Karasu began their retreat. Back in the Empty Throne room, Imu decides to make their presence known, much to the Five Elders' shock that they revealed themselves and Cobra, who find them sitting on the supposed empty throne of the world.[28]
Imu reveals themself to Cobra.
Imu agrees to answer Cobra questions, but Cobra demands to know who they were, recognizing Imu's name in the letter as one of the first 20 kings, but Imu refuses to answer. Imu goes on to state that the people who carry the D. are those who oppose the World Government but believes those that bear the name in the modern day are unaware of the real meaning behind it. Furthermore, Lili made a mistake that resulted in the Poneglyphs being scattered across the world, causing the current pirate age.
The Elders suddenly pull out their weapons and point them at Cobra as Imu asks him the true name of the person who wrote the letter. Cobra resigns himself to his fate which he confirms when asking if would be allowed to leave if he lied but is told that his fate was seal once he saw Imu. He answers truthfully that her true name was Nefertari D. Lili. Upon hearing this, Imu sends out a dark arrow that skewers Cobra. Sabo, who was eavesdropping, suddenly attacks the Elders and Imu, but the latter manages to eat his fire. Imu and the Elders suddenly turned into monstrous forms as Sabo tries to protect Cobra, a camera Den Den Mushi catching him in the process. Sabo grabs Cobra and tries to run, with the king noting him as Luffy's brother and revealing that Luffy saved him back in Arabasta.
The Five Elders and Imu pursue Sabo with an injured Cobra.
As they fled, Cobra requests Sabo tell Luffy and Vivi that they bear the name of D. Sabo is shocked to hear this remembering Ace likewise had the name as well back in the past when they were kids. Imu attacks again with his arrow and pierces both, somehow managing to bypass Sabo's Logia power and forcing him to drop Cobra. Cobra gets to his feet and stands in front of the monsters to give Sabo time to escape, while reciting the final lines from the letter, though it was partially drowned out by the roars of Imu and the Elders. Sabo can only watch helplessly and call out to Cobra as he is murdered in front of his eyes before being forced to flee.
After killing Cobra, one of the Five Elders sensed someone else watching and turns to a hole in a wall where Wapol witnessed the whole transaction. Realizing he saw something taboo, Wapol ran for his life using his powers to make a path through the walls. Back in the council room, the other kings were told that Cobra and Wapol would not be joining them which some of the monarchs' thinking the former being satisfied with the abolishment of the Warlord system. However, King Riku and King Neptune sense something was wrong. Outside, Shirahoshi has been freed and she and her brothers head back to the port, although she wished to say goodbye to Vivi first.
Wapol and Vivi escape Pangaea Castle.
However, in the guest room of Pangaea Castle, Vivi has been tied up and captured by CP0. She demanded answers for this action but none of them are willing to divulge, only stating once she goes missing, and she would most likely become one of the World Noble's "pets". Though they do tell her Shirahoshi is alright when she asked about her, to Vivi's great relief, as well as Leo and Sai proclamation of being part of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet and as well as Fujitora and Ryokugyu fighting when the former helped a few freed slaves escape.
Just as Vivi started to think of a way to escape, Wapol bursts into the room in his bid to escape. Vivi seizes the chance and jumped into his mouth before CP0 realized what has happened. Realizing he is running for his life, she agrees to go with him, to the shock of Wapol's wife, Kinderella, who thought they were eloping.[29]
The Levely eventually came to an end; however, the delegation of Arabasta (Pell, Chaka and Igaram) found their king and princess missing and frantically tried to search for them, unaware of Cobra's fate and that Vivi, along with Wapol, stowing away aboard a ship's hold to leave the island discreetly. Wapol contacted Morgans who agreed to pick them up in exchange for a scoop. Vivi tries to ask Wapol what he saw but he refused to tell her at that moment. Likewise, Sabo and Bonney managed to hitch their own rides out of Mary Geoise and head for their respective destinations. It would not be until later that the news broke of Cobra's death with Sabo being framed for it.
Not long after, the Elder Stars (here finally named: Saints Jaygarcia Saturn – Godhead of Science & Defense, Marcus Mars - Godhead of Environment, Topman Warcury – Godhead of Justice, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro – Godhead of Finance, and Shepherd Ju Peter – Godhead of Agriculture) discuss what to do about Sabo, when Imu contacted them and orders them to use a weapon called the Mother Flame, picking the Lulusia Kingdom as a target simply because it was the closest island nearby. Imu also orders Vivi be recaptured as well. Meanwhile with rebellions began in other kingdoms and the Warlord system now abolished, Seraphims of Doflamingo, Gecko Moria and Crocodile were sent out by the Marines to quell them. In the present day, Sabo finished his story explaining that the Lulusia natives quickly overthrew their king once the ship arrived and hailed him as a hero, believing that he had killed Cobra deliberately, which inspirited them to do so. This, along with Betty's Kobu Kobu no Mi powers, prevented him from telling them the truth. He sailed away with the people who wished to join the Revolutionaries, making his call to Dragon and Ivankov earlier, bouncing the signal from the ship back to the island and it was there that he witnessed the island getting destroyed by a mysterious object in the sky but could not tell what it was outside of being a big shadow.
Mjosgard executed.
Ivankov recognizes the name, "Imu", as a monarch of the Nerona Dynasty and one of the First Twenty, theorizing that they somehow managed to find a way to extend their life. He also thought that what destroyed Lulusia could be a weapon Vegapunk created for the World Government, though Dragon suspected it may have been one of the Ancient Weapons that they learned about from Robin during her stay with them and wondered why they would use it now, all of a sudden. Back in Mary Geoise, the citizens find themselves starving with their food supply gone (save for cake), and one of their own being executed, Mjosgard, for striking a fellow Celestial Dragon and having supported and protected the Neptune Family, namely Shirahoshi, during the Levely. The one leading the sentence is revealed to be the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights, Saint Figarland Garling, a former occupant of God Valley.[30]
The Next Generation of Marines: Battle on Hachinosu[]
At a shipyard near the G-1 Marine Base, Brannew showed Fullbody and Jango the "Battleship Bag", old Marine ships that he explains to the two that Garp would use to perfect his punching power and would keep the practice for decades. When pointed out that there are two, he revealed the other was for Kuzan to use and would practice along with him, with Garp establishing a rule that they cannot use Haki or Devil Fruit powers while they did so, having earned their strength over time.
Garp grievously injured by Shiryu while protecting Koby.
Back at Hachinosu, Sanjuan Wolf was punched from the island into the ocean by Garp to the shock of the pirates that he managed to defeat him so easily. Vasco Shot attempted to use his liquor power to fire fireballs at Garp, but he blocked it by grabbing two pirates and using them as shields. The pirates realized that Garp's reputation precedes him, and that Blackbeard would kill them if Garp destroyed the island. Kujaku reported all the captives are onboard and they are set to leave. Garp ordered Koby, Grus, and Helmeppo to fall back, noting that there were indeed more pirates than they accounted for. Kuzan confronted Garp once again, stating he could not let them leave. Before they could do so, Koby heard a woman call for help, believing one of the hostages got left behind. However, Grus yelled out that it was a trap, and the "captive" was one of the female pirates. Something rushed at Koby, which Garp detected, and pushed Koby out of the way, getting stabbed in the stomach by Shiryu, who used his invisible power to sneak in close. Garp punched Shiryu point blank into the ground, but the damage had been done as he succeeded in wounding Garp.
Garp and Kuzan trade blows.
Seeing their chance, the pirates tried to rush Garp while he is weakened, stating he has a Cross Guild bounty of three crowns which is worth 3,000,000,000. Kuzan charged in, stating to the pirates that even if Garp's hands and legs were tied, they still would not be able to kill him. As he coated his fist with ice, Kuzan reflected on their training days when he asked Garp to take him in as an apprentice. Garp refused, not wanting to be tied down training him and to get his training from the Marine instructors. Kuzan stated he already learned all he could from them and wishes to move on to the next level. Garp once more refused, but Kuzan persisted, and Garp eventually allowed Kuzan to train with him. Over the years they would punch battleships together, Kuzan slowly gaining the strength to put dents in the ships. As they got older, Garp warmed up to him, enough to complain about his family woes of Dragon becoming a revolutionary and later Luffy becoming a pirate. Eventually Kuzan became an admiral, and Garp, ironically, would visit him and have snacks even though he would be busy. In the present day, the two men hit each other with Haki powered punches and knocked each other back. Avalo Pizarro made his move, stating just because this ship is off coast, it does not mean they are safe from his Shima Shima no Mi powers. He formed arms from the rock formation and prepared to crush the ship, claiming with all the attention Blackbeard gets, he should get some recognition himself from the news with this action. Koby pleaded for him to stop, but Garp assured him everything will be alright and that "justice will prevail".[31]
In a flashback to Koby's training days, Garp was a guest speaker in one of his classes and asks a hypothetical question about an old man and a baby who were stuck on an island full of ravenous beasts and who the cadets would save. Koby answers to just give the boat to the two and stay behind but Garp deems that wrong, saying the best answer is to just leave the old man to die and save the baby as they have a higher life expectancy. This gets him chewed out by the instructor, however, but Garp thinks the youth are full of potential. The story then goes to the present day and three weeks prior on Amazon Lily. Some of the Marines have been captured by Blackbeard and Vice Admiral Yamakaji was willing to sacrifice them to avoid any further battle with an Emperor. Koby however steps in and offers himself up in exchange for the officers which Blackbeard accepted.
In the present day, Pizarro is about to bring his island hand down on the ship. The Marines onboard are about to abandon ship to save the citizens. Back on the island, Koby asks Garp what they can do, to which Garp tells them they were going to stop the hand much to Grus, Helmeppo, and Koby's shock. He quickly lays out the plan: He would give them an opening, Helmeppo will cover Grus and Koby, Koby will destroy the hand, and Grus will catch the debris that follows. Before Koby can question it, Garp orders the three to go and the trio reluctantly do so. Grus ask Koby if he has a bomb on him, but Koby states he does not. Helmeppo manages to deflect some cannon shots at the two while Garp, though wounded, manages to get to his feet and, to Kuzan's surprise, suddenly zips at him, knocking him down. Then jumping from the buildings to the skull rock formation, hitting it with a Galaxy Divide. Since Pizarro's fruit is synchronized with him, his real body takes damage as well and he was stunned. Koby cites that as the signal for his role, Grus ask what he plans to do and Koby can only answer to live up to Garp's expectations.
Koby reveals his true power by destroying Pizarro's massive stone hand.
After doing his attack, Garp thinks back to two years ago and to Koby's training, questioning Helmeppo about Koby's injuries. Helmeppo reveals that, despite Garp's rigorous training, that Koby still does not feel strong enough and needs to put in more effort. So, every night he would sneak away and punch the battleship bags even at the expense of himself. Back in the present, Koby jumps to the hand as Pizarro starts to bring the island hand down on the Marine ship. With the Marines and civilians panicking and the pirates jeering and mocking him, Koby winds up and punches at the fist with his own Honesty Impact. This destroys the island hand and arm completely and severely injures Pizarro in the process much to the awe of everyone watching as Garp laughs in amusement. Helmeppo catches Koby while Grus uses his clay powers to shield the ship from the falling rocks, before all three lands on the ship. Tashigi calls for Garp to join them, but he tells them to go on without him. Assuring the Marines onboard that he would figure out a way on his own despite Koby wanting to turn back for him.
Garp is defeated and surrounded by the Blackbeard Pirates.
As he is surrounded by pirates, including the Blackbeard officers, and Kuzan freezes him with an ice spear (similar to what happened with Saul), Garp tells them that they all are the future of the Marines. The following day, headlines in the News Coo would tell of the safe return of Koby and the disappearance of Vice Admiral Garp on Hachinosu as well as an incident occurring on Egghead caused by Monkey D. Luffy, one of the new Emperors of the Sea, barricading himself at Egghead Island, as Kizaru's fleet have now arrived at the island.[32]
The Siege of Egghead: The World Government's Ultimate Forces[]
Meanwhile at Foosha Village, the news of Garp's capture has reached the island. Mayor Woop Slap is not concerned, figuring Garp will be alright. Makino's son seems to have taken a liking to Luffy just from his picture alone. While in the mountains, Dadan is worried for Garp and Luffy. Suddenly, a massive earthquake is felt around the seas as an after effect of Lulusia's destruction six days prior, a Marine ship sent out to check out the remains only finding a hole in the ocean the seas are pouring into. No one (save for Imu) are aware of this as the seas rise one meter as a result, with a few islands being sunk and forcing several residents to evacuate their homes while others look on worried as they see the seas become choppy.
Back on Egghead, a day has passed since Kizaru's fleet arrived and now wait outside the island with nine Vice Admirals on standby. The Admiral is forced to destroy one of the Sea Beasts that attacks them, much to Sentomaru's anger. He calls Kizaru, trying to disway him from carrying out his orders in the name of their friendship, but the Admiral refuses to budge since they were orders from the top, though cites he is not happy about it. As they argue, Jaygarcia Saturn talks with Doberman, ordering that his presence not be revealed. He was briefed on what the Marines know so far: The Straw Hats, Vegapunk, the Satellites, the Seraphim, and CP0 being in the lab; the other Cipher Pol agents being kept captive thinking that Sentomaru was guarding them with the Pacifistas; and the barrier keeping anyone from getting in or out. When informed that the residents evacuated, Saturn orders them to be hunted and their ships sunk for fear that they may know something about the Void Century. He likewise dismisses concern over Jewelry Bonney, apparently not seeing her as a threat.
A call is suddenly made to the Elder Stars which the Marines listen into via the Black Den Den Mushi Kizaru has on him. It is then revealed that York is the one who chastises the Elder Stars for coming to kill her along with the other targets despite the deal she made with them, citing if she knew about the Void Century, she would not have told them in the first place. When asked about the Straw Hats and CP0, York claims her calling should be proof she took care of them.
York is finally captured by the Straw Hats and their allies.
The Elder Stars get to business and ask if she can make another Mother Flame for them which she agrees to on the condition that they do not harm her, the lab (as it has the power plant needed to make the weapons) and to stick to their deal to make her a Celestial Dragon. They agree before she adds one more request: That they save her from the Straw Hats.
Inside, York has been defeated, chained down and surrounded by the Straw Hats, Bonney, Vegapunk and Lucci with Zoro holding her at blade point while Usopp holds up the Den Den Mushi for her to make the call. The entire group heard everything and now know the context of the situation as York whines for the Elder Stars to beat them for her.[33]
To the surprise of everyone, Luffy then picks up the call, introducing himself to the Five Elders while simultaneously confirming that he and his crew are allies of Dr. Vegapunk, and tells the Elders that if they care for York's safety, they should call off their fleet. Mars then asks Luffy who else is with him, but before he can reveal any more information, the call is ended by Robin, who angrily retorts at Luffy, telling him they cannot give their enemy too much information to which Luffy apologizes, asking if they will back down, but Usopp only tells him that this would be a dream.
Saturn, having followed the call, then reaffirmed the three main objectives which the fleet needs to save: York, Punk Records and the Power Source which could fuel the Mother Flame, deeming anything below that expendable, even concerns by his underlining Doberman, who pointed out that several of their Cipher Pol Agents were still on the island, but Saturn dismissed the concerns, stating their lives would not matter if they achieved their goals, as they could be simply replaced. While waiting outside, Saturn then received the information gathered by Rob Lucci, discussing what he had learned with Kizaru. Saturn asked Kizaru if he was able to bypass the Frontier Dome's Defense System with his Devil Fruit powers, which Kizaru confirmed but told Saturn that Sentomaru was guarding it. To Saturn's suggestion to ignore Sentomaru anyways, Kizaru replied he could not do that since it would go against his own ideals, in addition, Sentomaru would also deploy both the Sea Beast Weapons and Pacifista to attack the fleet should they start their assault. Saturn then asked about the Power Source for the Mother Flame and Kizaru confirmed Lucci was able to relay the information to them, which then led to the fleet getting into battle position, with the soldiers being told to engage the Sea Beast Weapons in combat and the Rokushiki users being put on standby.[34] Outside the island, the Marine fleet was then caught in heavy fights with both the Pacifista, which had just received their orders from Sentomaru, and the Sea Beast Weapons, which caused some of the Vice Admirals to spring into action and engage the Sea Beast Weapons directly.[35]
The Seraphim are trapped and concealed in Seastone-bubbles.
Inside the Labophase, York then told everybody any hurt to her would result in the destruction of Egghead similarly to Ohara, which only had her being smacked by Nami. Everybody was then recovering from the previous endurances, with Robin being tended to by Chopper and Kaku resting trying to recover as well. Luffy and Bonney were eating while Usopp tried to make contact to the underground basement but could not concentrate due to Lilith mourning Shaka's and Pythagoras's deaths at York's hand, with Lucci noting their demises as well as Edison, Atlas and Lilith being injured but simply stated he was talking to himself when asked by Kaku what he was doing. Usopp successfully made contact with the captured Cipher Pol agents, asking them if they were okay as they had been provided with food previously. When they asked to be freed, Usopp denied them that, but they then asked if they could be moved to a different place instead as they had been imprisoned alongside the Seraphim, who were successfully contained in bubbles, which had the same property as Seastone and which were also utilized by the Pacifista Mark III. Replying to the Agents' fears, S-Snake told them they had no orders to kill them, so they would have no reason to be afraid of them.
Franky then talked to S-Snake, thanking her for unpetrifying him, Lilith and Usopp earlier, with Dr. Vegapunk wondering if that was a side effect of the Lineage Factor. As it turned out, Luffy crossed path with S-Snake earlier, mistaking her for Boa Hancock and asking her to free his friends, which she did as she inherited Hancock's love and affection for Luffy, something Vegapunk did not know but made note of, with Luffy once again thanking her, though she mistook it for affection once again. Atlas then told Vegapunk that she still could not open the Frontier Dome, as York then revealed she had sealed the Frontier Dome and locked everything else with a special password only she knew and would not share with the rest of the Vegapunks. When Dr. Vegapunk was informed by Stussy that Egghead was completely surrounded, Vegapunk then told Nami they should head in one direction her Log Pose recorded in Wano, with one needle pointing northeast of Egghead, which Vegapunk confirmed was leading to Elbaph, which then sent Luffy and Usopp into joy. Vegapunk then devised a plan alongside Franky on how to escape from Egghead, as the island was completely surrounded by Marine Ships and the only way would be by using the Vegaforce-01 carrying the Thousand Sunny northeast of the island. However, due to the Vegaforce-01's limitations of having to be inside the airfield of Egghead, the Thousand Sunny would then have to escape on its own, which Franky confirmed was possible due to the Coup de Burst, intriguing Vegapunk.
Sentomaru engages Kizaru as the latter arrives on Egghead.
Atlas, however, admitted while the plan was good, they still had to crack the password for the Frontier Dome to be unsealed, as York assured them, she would not tell them the password under any circumstance, but Vegapunk, Atlas and Edison came up to the challenge of cracking it together. Lilith, meanwhile, was tasked by Vegapunk to bring the Vegaforce-01 in position, as she was joined by Luffy, Franky and Bonney who were all making their way towards the Thousand Sunny and Vegaforce-01. While Lilith got excited about leaving Egghead after having been stuck there for so long, Bonney then shared the sentiment, stating she would miss the food, but Luffy replied to Sanji could make some for them, to which Bonney reacted with joy. Upon Luffy's pondering as to why she was in such a happy mood out of the sudden, she replied she no longer held any grudge against Vegapunk, with Luffy saying he was glad she was not crying anymore, to which she angrily replied she did not cry. Luffy's group then reached the Vegaforce-01 and the Thousand Sunny just as Kizaru used Yata no Kagami to reach the island. Just as Sentomaru had anticipated Kizaru to come to the island, he engaged Kizaru in battle while Luffy sensed someone strong coming.[34]
Dr. Vegapunk, upon hearing the Pacifista attack, then wondered as to why they would attack, but the Straw Hats soon realized Kizaru had been sent to take Sentomaru out, which caused Vegapunk to apologize to Sentomaru for having to face someone so strong and it would be okay if Sentomaru wanted to flee. Sentomaru, though, was heavily engaged in a fight with Kizaru, in which Kizaru used Yasakani no Magatama to fire several light beams at Sentomaru, during which Kizaru tried to persuade Sentomaru to surrender but as he ran, Sentomaru once again strengthened his resolve to protect Vegapunk as he gave the Straw Hats his word. He then grabbed his axe, jumping into the air, slashing Kizaru vertically, but Kizaru only turned into light, evading the attack and upon Kizaru's inquiry as to when he became friends with pirates, he affirmed he would side with anyone who would protect Vegapunk. During the fight, both remembered their first meeting decades ago, back when Borsalino and Vegapunk met a young Sentomaru who had just beaten up some bears which the two were tasked of dealing with. Borsalino then realized Sentomaru was kicked out of his village, to which Sentomaru replied he would need a job which could pay him enough to buy as many Onigiri as he wanted, to which Vegapunk asked him if he wanted to be his bodyguard, which Sentomaru gleefully accepted.
After remembering their past, Kizaru commented on how cute Sentomaru was back then and that he taught him as much as he could so Sentomaru could fight, just as Sentomaru attacked him with Ashigara Palm, which was not very effective, as Kizaru simply blocked the attacked and blasted Sentomaru to the ground with a laser beam, defeating him. Kizaru then picked up the Command Chip Sentomaru carried and ordered the Pacifista to stand down their assault, instead to aim for the Sea Beast Weapons.
Zoro and Lucci fight each other.
On the Labophase, Sentomaru's defeat was witnessed by everyone present, but Atlas, Dr. Vegapunk and Edison were still focused on cracking the password to unseal the Frontier Dome. Dr. Vegapunk then revealed to the Straw Hats, that Kizaru would have no problems slipping past the Frontier Dome as his body was made out of light, just as Kizaru happened to appear inside the Labophase. His presence, however, caused the emergency system to react, alerting Luffy's group and just as the Straw Hats tried to warn Luffy to speed up, Lucci, out of a sudden, tried to stab Vegapunk, who was unaware of the attack, but Stussy instead throws herself between Lucci and Vegapunk, acting as human shield, taking the blow instead. As Stussy collapsed to the ground, Sanji grabbed a bubble gum, concealing Kaku inside a bubble just when Lucci's next attack was blocked by Zoro, who pushes Lucci and himself outside, stating Lucci should not underestimate his opponents.[35]
Sakazuki tries to stop Kuma from rampaging in Mary Geoise.
Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise, Bartholomew Kuma unleashed a rampage, as the soldiers were unable to contain him, and he caused severe damage to the environment with his Ursus Shock. This led to Sakazuki to step in and confront him, all while some World Nobles were complaining about the lack of food, demanding Sakazuki to execute Kuma for injuring them during his rampage. Sakazuki told Kuma he would have to kill him if he did not let the World Government control him anymore, attacking him with Meigo, destroying a portion of Kuma's face. Kuma then started running, but Sakazuki managed to blast off parts of Kuma's legs with his magma shots but was yet unable to prevent Kuma from escaping Mary Geoise. Sakazuki then remembered the time he captured Jewelry Bonney two years ago, telling her father willingly offered to become a weapon, but Bonney refused to believe it at that time. He continued to wonder where Kuma was headed, even when the World Nobles were yelling at him in the background, but he ignored it.[36]
As Kizaru landed on the Labophase, he spotted the Vegaforce-01 but was then immediately kicked by Luffy, blocking his attack. Luffy then confidently stated that both he and his crew were now a hundred times stronger than two years ago in Sabaody,[35] with Luffy then activating Gear 4: Snakeman, barraging Kizaru with a flurry of fist attacks who blocks every single one, though Kizaru admitted Luffy had become a formidable opponent since he defeated Kaidou in Wano. Kizaru then wanted to know from Luffy why he protected Dr. Vegapunk, but Luffy counter asked Kizaru why he wanted to kill Vegapunk, to which Kizaru only admitted that from a personal point, he did not want to kill Vegapunk because he had known him for a long time, but he did not have much of a choice. Kizaru then flew away to gain momentum for a kick attack, speeding back to Luffy with light speed, kicking him with extreme force, which was enough to send Luffy flying across the Labophase, destroying the Vegaforce-01 in the process and sending Luffy into the Frontier Dome's barrier.
Luffy in his Gear 5 form grabs Kizaru.
Due to this, the Thousand Sunny then fell out of the Vegaforce-01's robot hand, leading to Franky, Bonney and Lilith running away from the incoming explosion. Kizaru then turned his attention towards them, commenting on how much Bonney had grown, asking her why she was getting in his way of killing Dr. Vegapunk, who she was supposed to hate. Bonney only grabbed a tire, using Toshi Tsuki on Kizaru, declaring her target had shifted. Kizaru easily dodged her attack while asking her to not make him hurt any more of his associates, kicking her into the barrier as well, then disappearing just as Franky was about to charge up a Radical Beam. Franky then realized where Kizaru had to go and contacted Usopp to warn him, just as Dr. Vegapunk, Edison and Atlas managed to crack the password which sealed the Frontier Dome. Just as Dr. Vegapunk asked Franky if the Vegaforce-01 and Thousand Sunny had been brought to the side of the island, Kizaru appeared inside the lab, telling them their plan had been foiled, telling Vegapunk this mission was tough on Kizaru already so he did not want to drag it out, when suddenly Luffy reappeared, activating Gear 5 and using Gomu Gomu no Gigant to grab Kizaru with his hand, just as the sound of his heartbeat seemed to reached down to the Fabiriophase, activating the Iron Giant in response to Luffy's transformation.[36] Kizaru, who was still being held by Luffy, then got swung around by Luffy and eventually thrown away from the Control Tower. With this short moment, Atlas decided to go to the Fabiriophase to manually overwrite the Pacifista's command and she was aided by Dr. Vegapunk in her attempt under the protest of Usopp, but Vegapunk contacted Franky, asking if Bonney was safe with Franky confirming but that she landed on the Fabiriophase. Sanji then offered to join the two in their endeavor while Jinbe gathered luggage for Vegapunk.
On the Fabiriophase, a bruised Bonney was then using her Devil Fruit powers on several Marines, incapacitating them by changing their age. As she hid, she remembered how Sentomaru saved her when she was kicked off the Labophase by Kizaru. On the Labophase, Luffy observed Zoro still fighting Lucci, offering him to aid him, but Zoro rejected the offer, telling Luffy to concentrate on Kizaru while he took care of Lucci, mocking the latter that his power was certainly not enough to beat Luffy anymore to which Lucci only replied it would be enough to at least kill Luffy's "No. 2".
Luffy is fully engaged in his battle with Kizaru.
Outside Egghead, Kizaru managed to avoid falling into the sea by using Yasakani no Magatama, returning to the island at lightspeed. Once he caught up to Luffy, he turned the individual light parts into copies of himself, with every copy using Ama no Murakumo to create light swords with which they attempted to attack Luffy, though the damage was only minor cuts. He responded to the attack with Gomu Gomu no Dawn Whip, destroying a few before running. This, however, was a trick by Luffy, using this to make the copies getting into a row, using Gomu Gomu no Dawn Stamp to destroy them all out at once. Luffy realized though too late that Kizaru had used all the copies to distract Luffy long enough to subdue Usopp inside the Control Tower. Kizaru then realized that Vegapunk was no longer inside the Control Tower, with the latter being in a vehicle, called the Vegatank-08 together with Atlas, with both Franky and Sanji hanging onto the vehicle from the outside. Kizaru then spotted them, trying to blast them, but Luffy stepped in front, taking the laser beam.[37] Both Kizaru and Luffy then start fighting each other again when they, alongside Zoro, Lucci and Jinbe, get an uneasy feeling.[38]
Luffy ends his fight with Kizaru.
On the coast, the Marines were informed that Vegapunk had left the Labophase, as Edison partially disabled the Frontier Dome so Vegapunk could descend onto the Fabiriophase. Atlas then issued a new command to the Pacifista, ordering them to annihilate every Marine on the island,[37] which they immediately do just as Vegapunk's groups makes their way down towards the Fabiriophase just as Sanji detects Bonney's presence. Bonney, meanwhile, is being attacked by a Vice Admiral, just as she pulls a gun and uses NDE (Near Death Experience) on some Marines, who are then knocked out by the attack. Bonney then attempts to run just as her attempt was prevented by another Vice Admiral named Bluegrass, who used her Devil Fruit powers to control a Mark III. Pacifista, ordering it to shoot at Bonney. Bonney, however, is then saved by Sanji, with both dodging an incoming attack from a Vice Admiral and Sanji getting her to the Vegatank-08.
Saturn then orders the Pacifista to stop their attacks, just when a magic circle appears to be forming on the ground in the middle of the Fabiriophase, as all Marines are informed that Saturn has arrived on Egghead, leaving everyone in total shock of the presence of one of the Five Elders. An order is then given to all lower-ranking officers, commodores and below, to not directly look at Saturn as he appears out of the circle, having transformed into a large demonic spider hybrid: as one of the Marine soldiers accidentally looks at him, Saturn makes his head telekinetically exploding. Due to Saturn's arrival, Sanji's group got distracted, which then gave Kizaru an opening to destroy the cloud road they were riding on which causes them to fall. Luffy then catches up to Kizaru and uses Gomu Gomu no Star Gun, hitting him in the side of his head. However, Luffy also reached his form's limit, changing back to normal as he fell to the ground in a nearly unconscious state. In addition, the Vegatank-08 also falls on the ground, completely destroyed but everybody else not hurt.
Dr. Vegapunk and his allies are confronted by Saint Saturn.
Unfortunately, everyone is then confronted by Saturn, who recognized Vegapunk, stating his dissatisfaction with Vegapunk still being alive. Bonney then becomes extremely enraged, picking up a katana which is close by, as she remembers a conversation about her father, tearfully stabbing Saturn in the chest with the katana,[38] which leads to some Marine soldiers and Vice Admirals to be worried about Saturn potentially being seriously injured, however, he brushes that off, stating had the blown been fatal, he would have dodged it. Saturn then forces Bonney off him by emitting an aura from his eyes and grabbing her, which he then follows up by doing the same to Sanji who comes to Bonney's help but is hit hard by the attack and falls to the ground. Saturn then removes the blade out of his chest, with the wound healing immediately, causing shock and confusion by Franky. Due to the confusion, some Marines try to take advantage of the situation and capture Dr Vegapunk, but Saturn orders them to stand down, stating they would have nowhere to run while turning his attention towards Kizaru, who is lying on the ground due to Luffy's attack, stating he would not recover for a while. Saturn then turned his attention towards Luffy, trying to stab him with one of his legs, but Franky prevents that, using Strong Right to punch Luffy away and then grabs Luffy afterwards, proudly proclaiming Luffy has become troublesome enough for not even the highest authority to even ignore him anymore. Saturn then acknowledged that both Luffy's and Bonney's presence on Egghead was unforeseen, but that the island was surrounded by the Marines, and they could not escape, though he would like to see them try before telling Dr. Vegapunk he was disappointed about his "betrayal" but thanked him for all his contributions. After telling them he would like them to die in the most painful way, he tightened his grip on Bonney while simultaneously keeping Sanji, Vegapunk and Franky forced on the ground due to a mysterious aura, which Vegapunk suspects must come from a Devil Fruit power.
Saturn prepares to have Bonney executed.
Bonney angrily stares at Saturn, telling him he killed her father, to which Saturn reveals Kuma was born a slave, a remnant of the Buccaneer Tribe, who committed a grave crime in the past, which caused them to go extinct, making Kuma the sole survivor. He then holds up Bonney, ordering the Marines to aim for her head with Sanji and Vegapunk calling him to stop. Bonney then remembers the time when Kuma told her a long time ago, he wanted to be a hero who would save people from suffering, just like Nika, with Bonney asking him if Nika would set her free to, with Kuma confirming it.
Hands of Liberation: The Life and Times of Bartholomew Kuma[]
47 years ago, Kuma was born in the Sorbet Kingdom to a Buccaneer man, Clapp, and his human wife, but despite Clapp's wishes, Kuma's blood information got leaked to the World Government, who immediately captures the family and enslaves them to the World Nobles. Kuma then ended up as a slave to a World Noble, who had him work to the bone every day and physically beating him. One day, Kuma's father told Kuma that his mother had died, with Kuma suffering a complete breakdown, but his father tells him that he has to endure as the Warrior of Liberation, Nika, will one day save him, just as his father starts dancing and singing in the rhythm of Nika's heartbeat to cheer him up, but he is shot and killed by a World Noble for being too loud.
On God Valley, the World Nobles prepared to hold the Native Hunting Competition.
Fast forward, several years later in the West Blue, the World Nobles organize a tournament, the Native Hunting Competition, where they eradicate an entire population, and which also takes place every three years. The site of that year's tournament was God Valley, which was unaffiliated with the World Government and was resented by the World Nobles due to its name feeling blasphemous to the World Nobles. Their goal for the tournament was to kill all the people on the island, as well as some troublesome slaves and then claim the island and all its rich resources in the name of the World Government. When the king heard about the government, he objected but was quickly slain by a young Figarland Garling (who in return suffered a massive deduction but was not upset about it since it would give the other contestants a good handicap).
Saturn himself was present during the event on God Valley and was informed that Kuma was recaptured after having attempted to escape. The ones who did it, however, were other slaves who did not want him to run away as they would be killed for that as well. They were then stopped by two other slaves: a young Emporio Ivankov and Ginny. Ivankov spotted Kuma and said he heard the Buccaneers shared Giant blood, when he then proclaimed he would live on and asked Kuma if he wanted the same.[39]
With one hour before the start of the competition, the World Nobles began to prepare while the people started to run and hide. At Marine Headquarters, Kong contacted Garp, who was on vacation, and advised him to head to God Valley as the Rocks Pirates were going there to retrieve the "treasure" that the World Nobles stole from Hachinosu. Garp initially did not care, saying that the Nobles should have known better, but then he decided to go after hearing that Roger would be there, too.
The competition started, with the World Nobles taking down the civilians one by one. Ivankov started rallying the people by saying that nobody would be alive by the end of the competition, and that they would have to try escaping now. When someone said they would be freed in three weeks if they survived, Ivankov told him to stop dreaming and said that every previous competition ended with zero survivors. He revealed it is just a lie meant to motivate them into clinging onto their survival in order to make killing them more satisfying, and that they must escape the game itself to live. After Ivankov's chains were broken off by a shark fish-man, Ginny informed everyone of two of the competition's prizes: the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu and the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi. Ivankov noted that if they could get past the Marine blockade and steal those Devil Fruits, they could escape. Ginny assured the plan would succeed since two weeks ago, she leaked the event outside the island, hopeful that someone would hear it and arrive. Kuma then volunteered to be a decoy, as his strong physique would help him survive longer.
The Rocks Pirates arrive at God Valley.
Just then, multiple pirate ships of the Rocks Pirates made it to God Valley, catching the Marines off guard. Rocks then ordered his crew to follow him as they made landfall. Just as the Roger Pirates also arrived, Garling ordered the Marines to guard the World Nobles while the God's Knights fend off the pirates. The Marines led by Garp appeared as backup, resulting in an all-out conflict. In the midst of the chaos, Ivankov and Kuma managed to steal the Devil Fruits and prepared to eat them. Before Ivankov could eat his fruit, he was attacked by Charlotte Linlin, who stole it from him. She attempted to take Kuma's fruit as well, but he ate it just in time. Saturn confronted him, saying that as a buccaneer, Kuma was meant to be either enslaved or dead. Kuma questioned how someone could be born less important than others, and with his power, he wanted to liberate as many slaves as he could just like Nika, with Saturn saying that is why his people should be erased. At some point afterwards, Kuma used his ability to rescue over 500 people, including Ivankov and Ginny. The three then went to the Sorbet Kingdom.
In Sorbet, Ivankov read the news about the incident, in which it brought fame to Garp as a hero while most of the other events were covered up by Morgans. At Kuma's family's church, Kuma prayed for all the lives that were lost in the incident, but Ivankov and Ginny remarked that his actions have brought freedom and joy to many people, and he now has the "Hands of Liberation". Kuma and Ginny then chose to stay in Sorbet while Ivankov went out to sea. The two would then live together and chop wood to sell for money. They came across two boys who bullied Kuma as they thought he was lying about being nine years old. After they were beaten up by Ginny and Kuma took away their pain, they became friends. At the church, they ate together and expressed how happy they were now that they were free.[40]
Kuma and Ginny living together after escaping slavery.
Eight years later, Kuma worked as a pastor at the church transferring citizens' pain to himself every Sunday. While the citizens were happily grateful to him and Kuma was glad to help, Ginny grew irritated with them as they were asking for his services more frequently without paying in return. The citizens explained that since the new king Bekori had taken the throne, they could not afford to keep themselves healthy since they needed to pay the Heavenly Tribute, or they would be imprisoned. One night, Kuma absorbed a lot of pain, needing to be treated by Ginny. Ginny felt sorry for Kuma as the elders had no idea how much he was suffering for them, but Kuma said that the pain would return to them if he did not take it in, and he was pleased that he could help them. Five years later, Ginny proposed to Kuma, but he refused as he did not want his Buccaneer heritage to put her in danger like his mother. They also read about the actions of the Freedom Fighters, where Kuma said he would want to help others just like Dragon.
Three years later in the Castle Town, the royal army was enslaving citizens from the south region of Sorbet, per a new law established. Kuma raised a protest against this and attacked the army, being labeled as a traitor and imprisoned afterwards. Ginny and several others who demanded for his release were sent to prison as well. Bekori then declared that only the north region would be the actual Sorbet Kingdom while the south region with the citizens unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute would be cut off as a lawless area. In prison, Kuma grew worried that Sorbet was going into a dangerous direction, but Ginny informed him that Bekori was a servant of the World Nobles, and fighting against him would mean fighting against the World Government.
The Freedom Fighters become the Revolutionary Army.
Soon, the Freedom Fighters invaded Sorbet, prompting Bekori to redact the enslavement policy, to which the citizens rejoiced. Two of the Freedom Fighters came to the prison and freed everyone, who Kuma and Ginny recognized as Dragon and Ivankov. Afterwards, the two accepted their offer to join the Freedom Fighters, which evolved into the Revolutionary Army. While the army was low on funds, they went in as mercenaries aiding rebellions into overthrowing their rulers. Dragon also offered to teach anyone joining the army on how to wield weapons. Kuma asked how he learned to use weapons, and Dragon said he used to be a Marine but defected since he did not find any justice there. Once in a while, Kuma would also visit Sorbet to check on the south's citizens.
Eight years later, the Revolutionary Army's East Army and its commander Ginny had planned to meet up with Kuma's group the next day. However, they were then hit by a surprise attack and reported to Dragon that Ginny had been captured in the process.[41]
About two years later after the Revolutionary Army had rescued those from the Goa Kingdom, they were asked to send reinforcements for the rebellion in Tumi. Kuma offered to head there, but Ivankov suggested him not to as he had been acting more reckless than before. As the rebellion succeeded in taking down Tumi's armed forces, Kuma thought about when Ginny was captured, in which she was forcibly taken as a wife to a World Noble. Eventually, Ginny contacted the Revolutionaries and said she had gotten sick and been brought back to the lower world. Kuma asked where she was, but she told Kuma not to look for her as she was dying. She concluded the call by asking Dragon and Ivankov to take care of Kuma, and that she would always love him. Kuma knew where she would be and teleported to Sorbet but found her dead with a baby she brought along. The citizens said her skin grew blue, hard stones after being exposed to natural light, and she had made it safely with her daughter, Bonney. After mourning Ginny's death, Kuma swore he would raise her daughter.
Kuma raises Bonney.
Kuma and the elders would raise Bonney together. They noted Bonney had inherited her mother's appetite and soon she had come to accept Kuma as her father, much to his joy. Around this time, he would also join the Revolutionary Army on missions while taking care of her. One day, Kuma ordered for the church windows to be sealed, as Bonney started to develop the same stones on her skin as the ones that killed Ginny. Kuma tried calling the kingdom's doctors over to check what it was, but they had no knowledge of it. Kuma then informed the Revolutionary Army of the situation and resigned so he could look after Bonney, to which Dragon accepted and said they would ask every doctor they could find about the disease. Bonney would be bullied for the stones on her face, but Kuma cheered her up by saying they made her look beautiful. She also told him about how the various places she would like to travel to after her disease was cured.
One day, a doctor visited Kuma and told him Bonney had the rare, incurable disease Sapphire Scales. He said that even with all-natural light blocked off, Bonney had until age ten at the latest to live. Bonney had overheard this conversation but mistook "age ten" as when she would be better. Kuma chose to tell her so, horrified of what will actually happen.
Kuma becomes the king of Sorbet Kingdom in what becomes to be known as the "Solo Revolution".
One year later, the citizens had informed Kuma that Bekori returned causing trouble and planned to burn all of the deadweight people and their homes to the ground.[42] Bekori was hopeful that this plan would eradicate the kingdom's "filth" as it succeeded in the Goa Kingdom and received praise from the World Nobles. The people opposed this idea, but Bekori ordered to kill them as retribution. Kuma then confronted Bekori and used his Devil Fruit power to defeat his forces and destroy the palace despite the consequences of deposing him, ending in Bekori being dethroned in an incident known as the "Solo Revolution".
The citizens then wanted Kuma to succeed Bekori as king of Sorbet. But as he was hailed as the king, he posed as a figurehead to the real king Bulldog, who ruled Sorbet before Bekori and was well respected by the citizens. Suddenly, a girl ran around the church, and everyone was shocked that it was Bonney, having eaten a Devil Fruit at one point that changes her appearance by age. Shortly after, Bulldog and the queen dowager Conney visited the church to tell Kuma that the World Government has framed him as a dictator that seized the throne with violence, presumably as part of Bekori's attempt to take back his status as king. Kuma then decided to entrust Bonney and the throne to Bulldog before he left to drive Bekori's threat away from Sorbet.
At sea, Kuma encountered Bekori who led a Marine fleet to try and kill him, but Kuma managed to sink all the ships, resulting in him being assigned a bounty. Kuma would later visit many islands to ask the residents if they knew a cure for Sapphire Scales, to no success. He also came across the Revolutionary Army again, where he spoke with Dragon about what has happened since he left. Per Kuma's blessing, Belo Betty gained the role as commander of the East Army after Ginny's death left the position vacant for years. Dragon also told Kuma about the scientist Dr. Vegapunk and that he was transferring to a new lab after the incident at Punk Hazard, in which Kuma could ask him about curing Bonney's disease. Kuma thanked Dragon for this opportunity and said he would return to the Revolutionary Army after it is done.
Kuma and Bonney meet Vegapunk.
After Kuma returned to Sorbet for Bonney, they both traveled to the Marines Science Division: Lab 8, later known as Egghead, where they met Vegapunk. Vegapunk was amazed by his physique and assured him that Bonney would survive. Upon learning that Kuma was a Buccaneer, Vegapunk requested to use Kuma's blood to clone him into soldiers in return for covering the costs of Bonney's treatment. Kuma asked what the clones would be used for, to which Vegapunk convinced him that they would be used in the Marines to save people's lives. Even though Dragon would not approve of this arrangement, Kuma agreed to Vegapunk's terms, grateful that Bonney could be saved.
At Mary Geoise, Saturn voiced his disappointment with Vegapunk for not taking full advantage of the project. After saying soldiers are valuable by how many people that are capable of killing, he revealed he would put his own agenda in effect.[43] Just then, a group of Marines led by Kizaru had arrived at the lab as the Admiral revealed to Vegapunk that there was a Surveillance Den Den Mushi watching him and that there could not be any deals made with pirates in secret. Saturn contacted Vegapunk via Den Den Mushi to say it would be impractical to have a pirate like Kuma as the face of the Pacifista project, thus he asked some additional conditions of Kuma before Bonney's treatment would be approved.
Saturn gives Kuma demands in exchange for Bonney's treatment.
The first was for Kuma to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea, as the pirate Ace had defeated one of the members without anyone to be a replacement, and Kuma would represent the Seven Warlords well with his pirate status. The second condition was for Kuma himself to become modified into a human weapon to aid the Marines against other pirates, due to his previous history with the Revolutionary Army so he does not turn against the World Government. The last was for Kuma to be stripped of his free will and individuality. Vegapunk was angry with this request as he would essentially die and become a heartless robot, but Saturn said he was in no position to argue and that it was needed to compensate for the massive funds used just on a single girl's treatment. To Vegapunk's shock, Kuma tearfully agreed to Saturn's demands as the opportunity to have Bonney cured finally presented itself. Vegapunk then told Saturn that Kuma's modifications would take two years while Bonney's treatment would take six months in addition to another year before she could go outside, which had Kuma relieved that she would be better by age ten. Saturn had also said that until Kuma's augmentation was complete, the World Government would be keeping Bonney as a hostage to ensure he did not defy any orders, which had Vegapunk upset as it meant that Kuma and Bonney would not see each other again. Kuma accepted this but asked that after her treatment, Bonney would be held in the Sorbet Kingdom church where she grew up, while never being informed about her disease or her status as a hostage. Saturn was willing to grant this request as it did not matter where she stayed. For the next six months, Kuma and Bonney stayed at the lab together as they underwent their procedures and grew closer to Vegapunk, Sentomaru, and Kizaru. Around this time, construction of the lab also started advancing towards its future appearance as Egghead.
After six months had passed, Bonney's treatment was completed, and she went to Sorbet with Kuma where the citizens and Conney welcomed them back and said they would take care of her. Kuma then told Bonney that since he was a pirate, he could not stay in the country and would return next year, while in the meantime he would write many letters to her. Just then, they were greeted by a group of Cipher Pol agents posing as doctors. The leading CP8 agent as a nurse Alpha claimed they would watch over Bonney until she recovered from the disease. Though she acted nice towards Bonney, she set up protection around the church to prevent strangers without identification from entering, while she reminded Kuma that Bonney was now a captive of the government. Lastly, Kuma thanked Bonney for being born as he bid everyone farewell.
After Kuma had left, the news about his Warlord title had reached the other Warlords and the Revolutionary Army, the latter of which was shocked that Kuma became a subordinate of the government. At sea, Kuma wrote letters to Bonney as he travelled alone to find places for both of them to visit. He soon arrived near Foosha Village where he was given a new order from the government.[44]
Kuma watches Luffy train.
Kuma went to Mt. Colubo, where he saw Luffy training and thought back to a previous conversation he had with Dragon. Kuma noticed that Dragon was particularly familiar with Dawn Island and a boy that lived there at a distant village. However, Dragon said he may as well die if he kept talking with Kuma about it because he believes a child is their parent's weak spot. Kuma then understood what Dragon meant and decided to stop discussing it. While training, Luffy was amazed by his new attack and named it Gomu Gomu no Axe, to which he could use against a formidable enemy when he would become a pirate and have a crew to protect. Kuma's Den Den Mushi started ringing as he teleported away before Luffy could spot him.
The government had given Kuma an order to eliminate a group of pirates that had pillaged a merchant ship. Instead, Kuma chose to check on the merchants and escort those injured to a hospital before returning to have the pirates give back what they stole. He continued writing letters to Bonney.
At the church, Bonney continuously checked the mail for letters from her father, but none had arrived. Gyogyo thought that Kuma was busy, or the News Coos were delivering to the wrong places, while Conney was hopeful that the letters would soon arrive. The truth was that Alpha had been intercepting and ripping every letter before they made it inside the church. One day, Alpha came inside to give Bonney medicine and noticed that she briefly looked bigger than normal after she and Gyogyo fought but could not figure out why. She gave Bonney medicine (really just bitter syrup) as Conney told Gyogyo that Bonney's powers were to be kept secret just in case.
At Lab 08, construction had been completed and Vegapunk had his head removed with the last step left to lift the lab and brain above. Stussy was also there and noticed Kuma was going to have his free will removed and wondered if it was worse that she had free will as a clone or that a true person like Kuma had none, but Vegapunk said she was also a real person. Kuma asked what would happen to him once he had his free will removed, where Vegapunk answered that he would obey every order from above and lose his memories and personality. Vegapunk also ensured Kuma would maintain some free will until the procedure finished, which would be in one more year. Hearing this, Kuma chose to write letters to Bonney with as much thought as possible beforehand.
At the church, Conney and the citizens celebrated Bonney's ninth birthday. Around that time at night, Bonney checked the mail but once again found no letters and grew worried that Kuma had forgotten to write letters to her like he said. Six months later, Kuma continued aiding the Revolutionary Army during missions but leaving without saying anything, which Dragon suspected was for reasons that could not be told. Around this time, Bonney's Sapphire Scales disease had been fully cured and she wanted to go outside, but Alpha said she still had to be cared for until her tenth birthday, going against what Vegapunk had estimated.
Bonney defeats Alpha.
Bonney soon found out from Conney that Alpha and her group were secretly Cipher Pol agents, and they accidentally revealed that Bonney's disease was already cured while they had drinks. Based on this, Conney deduced that they would not let her go and that they must be why Kuma's letters never arrived. She then urged Bonney to set sail with Gyogyo and the others so she could find Kuma. Bonney used her Devil Fruit power to appear as Conney and sneak out of the church, avoiding Alpha's watch. She made her way to the port where Gyogyo and the others were, and they went to sea together. However, they saw themselves being pursued by Alpha, who found out about the plan and threatened to brutalize Bonney and have her crew killed. As Alpha used Geppo to fly towards them, Bonney thought back to a conversation with Kuma, where she learned that Nika had a rubber-like body, thus she used a variant of her Distortion Future technique to gain a physique like Nika and defeat Alpha in one punch, sending her into the ocean. Afterwards, the crew managed to set sail, and it was reported that Bonney had escaped the government's custody.[45]
The crew made it to an island where they knew Kuma would be and went to look for him while they were being chased by the Marines. However, Kuma noticed them and teleported away, as he knew he could not see her. As the crew was at sea, they suggested they could take their time searching for Kuma, with Bonney saying that they could also look for Nika. At this time, Luffy was given his first bounty, reaching those such as Jinbe and Kuma. This would also make Dragon plan on heading to Loguetown. Bonney also made herself look grown up and wanted to make a name for herself as a pirate, hopeful it would get Kuma's attention.
At Egghead, with the Pacifista project ongoing, Vegapunk told Kuma the incident at Enies Lobby about the boy who declared war on the government and learned from him that the boy was Dragon's son, Luffy. Both of them found it odd that someone like him with the power of rubber were to challenge the government, much like Nika. Later, Kuma arrived at Thriller Bark to capture Luffy after Moria's defeat but decided to spare them after seeing how much his crew cared about him. Near the Sabaody Archipelago, Kuma received a call from Marine Headquarters to report to Marineford for Ace's execution and a war with the Whitebeard Pirates. He went outside the restaurant where he saw Bonney and her crew inside, making it the last time he would see her before he lost his free will. On his way, he heard that a pirate attacked a World Noble at the Human Auctioning House. Kuma went to find out who it was as it is an act of treason that no one would dare to attempt, and was shocked to see that it was Luffy, who did it to protect Hatchan. Right as the Straw Hat Pirates were being targeted by Kizaru, Kuma chose to separate them as he believed Luffy would one day save the world and wanted him and his crew to get stronger in preparation for the New World.
Vegapunk removes Kuma's free will.
At Egghead, Saturn asked for Vegapunk to install a self-destruct switch on Kuma, fearing the possibility of Kuma disobeying orders after his free will was lost. Vegapunk tried reasoning with Saturn to have Kuma switch between personalities to maintain his free will in some way, but Saturn did not give in to this idea as Kuma must not have any at all. Kuma had overheard this conversation with his supersonic hearing and was happy that Vegapunk thought of him. As it was time for Vegapunk to remove Kuma's free will, Kuma requested to be programmed so that after the Summit War, he would protect the Straw Hats' ship until a member of the crew returned, as after witnessing Luffy's actions, he believed the young pirate was capable of changing the world for the better. Kuma also created a copy of his memories for Vegapunk to study as part of the deal, as he remembered those he knew throughout his life and asked if he was a nuisance to them. Vegapunk sorrowfully replied that his death would be unfortunate for the people who cared about him and that he was a hero to Bonney and everyone. Kuma had one last request for Vegapunk to wish Bonney a happy tenth birthday if he saw her again. Afterwards, Vegapunk pulled the switch and Kuma's free will was removed, with Egghead's citizens and Sentomaru watching in grief.
Returning to the present, the bubble containing Kuma's memories had disappeared as Bonney found it. She learned about everything that happened and broke down crying.[46] After she exited Room Nikyu, she told Vegapunk she saw Kuma's memories. While Vegapunk was displeased about breaking Kuma's promise, Bonney tearfully hugged him and apologized for her actions. Right as Vegapunk gave Bonney a gift from Kuma, the two started talking with each other about what had happened on Egghead. Vegapunk apologized for what he did as he was just a scientist for hire, but Bonney said it was not his fault and that the person truly responsible was Saturn.
The Elder Stars Descend: Vegapunk's Announcement to the World[]
Kuma saves his daughter from Saturn's wrath.
As the Marines prepared to execute Bonney, Saturn told her that Kuma was dead. Knowing she would die anyway, Bonney tried using Distortion Future: Nika Mitaina Mirai to take Saturn down with her, but her enlarged fist soon disappeared and she felt weaker. Saturn deduced that Bonney had not drawn the connection between Nika and Luffy's transformation. Meanwhile, the others were still immobile because of Saturn's power, but Luffy started eating food that appeared around him. After seeing this, Saturn demanded for him to be restrained with Seastone. Bonney tried changing Saturn's age, but it also failed, and Saturn revealed to her that she received the Toshi Toshi no Mi power because of him. Saturn conducted experiments on people to give them Devil Fruit powers without having to eat the actual fruit by taking extracts of it, thus Bonney was given a sample while in Mary Geoise. Additionally, Ginny was part of his experiments during slavery and developed Sapphire Scales like the other test subjects after a failure. Upon hearing this, Vegapunk became furious because this meant that Saturn was the one responsible for all of Kuma's suffering from start to finish, though Saturn was not concerned as he could not sympathize with humans. Furthermore, Saturn explained to Bonney that her Devil Fruit power lets her transform into any future she can think of, but as she learns more about the world, her future becomes more restricted. Thus, Bonney fell into despair as she began to doubt Nika's existence, so her Nika form became weaker. Bonney apologized to Kuma because she believed that she was going to die even though Kuma sacrificed himself for her sake. Just then, Kuma appeared on Egghead and powered through the Marines, with their Pacifista Authority Chips unable to control him. He wiped out the firing squad, prompting Saturn to kill her himself. Kuma went to protect Bonney from Saturn's attack, before grabbing his leg from his back and preparing to punch a shocked Saturn.[47] Saturn demanded Vegapunk for an explanation to this as Kuma was supposed to have self-destructed a few days after the Revolutionaries rescued him. Kuma's punch ended up heavily injuring Saturn, sending him crashing through several buildings and breaking off his arm and left horn. The Marines were shocked that one of Five Elders had been attacked and tried to rescue Saturn. Vegapunk thought about how Kuma could still be active as he was supposed to shut down rather than self-destruct, and supposed it was because he was a buccaneer.
Kuma took Bonney into his arms, and she thanked her father for saving her and considered him the kindest person ever, even if anyone else called him a tyrant. Saturn soon appeared out of the rubble and asked if Vegapunk was responsible, and Vegapunk responded that it could be either him or just the power of love. Saturn then regenerated his limbs and tried to attack Kuma again, but Sanji kicked Saturn's leg back, followed by Franky using Radical Beam. Kizaru swiftly appeared behind Franky and proceeded to blast him away. As Kuma could not move, Vegapunk told Atlas to carry him over to the Labophase. Kizaru considered that now with the presence of Kuma, the mission had to be wrapped up. Saturn then ordered for a Buster Call on Egghead, as an island with someone studying the Void Century, someone of a near-extinct race, and someone with the powers of an ancient god had to be eradicated.[48]
Vegapunk witnesses Egghead being destroyed.
With the rest of the Marines evacuating, Saturn and Kizaru chose to stay behind. Vegapunk tried asking Saturn to call off the Buster Call to preserve Egghead's research, but Saturn refused as it could be hiding something troublesome to the government and that such scientific progress was not needed. He also told Vegapunk that he previously ordered for the evacuation ship with Egghead's citizens to be sunk as someone could have had knowledge about the Void Century. Vegapunk was furious at Saturn for this, saying that none of them committed a crime, though Saturn countered that it was Vegapunk's selfish curiosity that let this happen. At the Labophase, Sanji contacted Nami to inform her and the others that a Buster Call was occurring. Nami also told Sanji that Jinbe was sent to help Zoro against Lucci, while Brook went to help Lilith move the Thousand Sunny. On the ship, Lilith and Brook managed to freeze the island clouds to help move the ship, although Brook did not have a plan to stop the ship once it reached the back entrance. The Marine ships and Pacifista began to fire and destroy Egghead, while Vegapunk watched as it happened right before him. Atlas' group attempted to use the Vacuum Rocket to get to the Labophase, but Kizaru used Ama no Murakumo to slice it open and send them falling downward. Saturn commanded the Pacifista to shoot at them, considering it rather fitting for Bonney to be killed by a clone of the person that sacrificed his life for her, which Vegapunk feared would possibly happen. Elsewhere, the Marines had found Luffy full from eating a lot of food at the Automatic Cooking Machine and prepared to arrest him. At sea, the Marine ship that was sent to sink the ship of evacuees had been destroyed by an unknown party, and the survivors tried contacting Kizaru to say that the group was sailing to Egghead.[49]
Right before the Pacifista were about to shoot Bonney, Vegapunk contacted Atlas to tell her to relay a message to Bonney. Hearing this, Bonney told the Pacifista to stop firing and to instead aid in their escape. To the Marines' shock, the Pacifista began targeting in their direction, attacking them and their ships. This was revealed by Vegapunk that he had secretly programmed all Pacifista clones of Kuma to obey Bonney above anyone else, even the Five Elders, as he could not imagine a situation where Bonney would be killed by her own father, and so if the world was against her, Kuma would be there for her. However, Vegapunk suspected there would be consequences for this action. Upon realizing this, Saturn angrily impaled Vegapunk with his leg for his treachery and demanded for Kizaru to kill them. Right as Kizaru could attack them, Luffy returned in his Gear 5 form and punched him away, while also using his power to turn the ground rubbery and save everyone from falling. Bonney tried to get Vegapunk to come with them, but soon heard Luffy's heartbeat and recognized it as the same rhythm given off by the Warrior Nika. Vegapunk revealed to Bonney that Luffy was Nika, the same figure Kuma admired and who the people had been waiting for to return for centuries.
At the northeast coast of Egghead, the Marines saw a large ship sailing towards them. They recognized the ones on board as the Giant Warrior Pirates, being confused by their arrival as they presumably fell apart 100 years ago. The members at the front revealed themselves to be Dorry and Brogy, who had come to rescue Luffy the "Sun God".[50]
The Giant Warrior Pirates arrive at Egghead.
The Giant Warrior Pirates soon made landfall at Egghead, being instructed by the two captains to take out any enemies they see. Nami and Chopper noticed Oimo and Kashii were also among them, Edison deduced out they came by after hearing the news story, and Usopp realized they had arrived to help them escape. At the Sunny, Brook contacted Nami to let her know the ship would be passing through, but Lilith said to listen to her as there was no plan to stop the ship from hitting the barrier and exploding. As Jinbe went to go break up Zoro and Lucci's fight, Zoro started feeling exhausted and wanted to wrap up the fight, though Lucci taunted him, saying that with him continuing to fight, the crew cannot escape. At sea, the Pacifista have destroyed thirty small and medium ships, with Vice Admiral Red King giving orders to deploy the battleships against the Pacifista while pulling the smaller ships back.
At the Fabiriophase, Luffy asked why Bonney was crying, and she said that he was Nika, the one she had been looking for, though Luffy did not know what she was talking about. He also asked about the punch she tried using against Saturn, and she said she was trying to use a rubber punch similar to him and asked him to show her how to do it by attacking Saturn. Luffy agreed, using Gomu Gomu no Dawn Gatling against Saturn and sending him flying back. Afterwards, Bonney tried getting Vegapunk to come with them, but he said that if he were to move, he would die. Kizaru appeared and tried targeting Vegapunk, but his laser beam was blocked by Sanji's kick, shocking both him and Franky. Bonney, Atlas, Franky, and Kuma proceeded to escape to the northeast coast while Sanji and Luffy dealt with Kizaru and Saturn. Kizaru considered the situation a pain and said that at least he would take back their heads.
Right where Saturn crashed, he was met with two of Blackbeard's officers, Van Augur and Catarina Devon. Devon found it bizarre that one of the Five Elders came down to the lower world, before she touched his leg and declared their mission a success. Saturn was surprised that a Level 6 prisoner like her became subordinate to someone else, though she said it was because Teach was someone special. Saturn also asked what they were really after, to which Augur revealed to be the world itself. Saturn tried attacking them, though Augur used his Devil Fruit ability to teleport himself and Devon away.
Caribou asks Augur and Devon to take him to Blackbeard.
The two ended up at a different place on the island, as Augur had not mastered his power yet. They were approached by Caribou, who stated that he always wanted to join the Blackbeard Pirates and asked them to take him to see Teach in person.[51] Augur recognized him but pointed his rifle, believing him to be an assassin after Teach's life. Caribou, however, begged to be spared, and offered that with him in the crew, he could tell Teach the whereabouts of the two ancient weapons Poseidon and Pluton.
At the coast of Egghead, the Pacifista continued dealing damage to the Marine fleet. With the Vice Admirals puzzled on how to stop the Pacifista without destroying them, they went on trying to kill Bonney so the Pacifista would be back on their side. Vice Admiral Tosa reported he was going after Bonney's group and tried to kill her, but he was taken down by Brogy. Brogy and Dorry introduced themselves to the group as allies of the Straw Hats and have come to save them and their friends. Bonney asked for them to help Luffy, Sanji, and Vegapunk, who were still at the center of the island, which they accepted while the rest of the Giant Warrior Pirates escorted the group to the northeast coast. The Vice Admirals noticed their communication with Tosa had stopped as he was defeated, and so they started going to the island to stop the giants, with Bluegrass and Doll riding a Sea Beast Weapon to get there. When asked by Bluegrass if she fought a giant before, Doll answered that she once served under a giant over 20 years ago, being Vice Admiral Saul.
The Vegapunks prepare to broadcast to the World.
At the Fabiriophase, Luffy and Sanji tried getting Vegapunk to come with them, but he said he was better off where he was and asked for them to protect Bonney. They were approached by Saturn in his Beast Form, who tried attacking them with venom on his legs. Luffy told Sanji to escort Vegapunk, but Kizaru kicked Sanji and caused further injury to Vegapunk with Ama no Murakumo. Luffy then told Sanji to get to the back of the island with Vegapunk while he stayed to deal with Kizaru and Saturn by himself. As Sanji went with him, he wondered why Vegapunk was smiling, right before a computer system broadcasted a recording of Vegapunk to the world, where he promised to reveal the shocking truth about it.[52]
In the announcement, Vegapunk wanted to begin the message right away, but Shaka argued that the audience should be given time to prepare and hear it. Vegapunk said the news would be spread around the world shortly after the message, and Shaka stated that the government could possibly manipulate the information in that case. The Marines heard the message coming from their Den Den Mushis but could not cut off the connection as the signal was being relayed at maximum strength throughout every Marine Base. With the time it took for audiences around the world to set up their Den Den Mushis, and to ensure not too much time would pass, the Vegapunks agreed to start the message in ten minutes.
The other Elders at Mary Geoise telepathically communicated with Saturn about the situation and asked about Vegapunk's status. Saturn responded he was sure that Kizaru had killed him, with the Elders suspecting that the message was set up to be broadcasted when he died, and that the source of the signal must be the Labophase on Egghead.
Many places from around the world began to prepare for Vegapunk's broadcast.
At Egghead, Luffy told Kizaru and Saturn that until all of his friends escaped safely, he would be dealing with them both. He proceeded to flatten them with Gomu Gomu no Dawn Cymbal and fling them away. Kizaru ended up crashing into a Marine ship and becoming immobilized again, while Saturn managed to turn right around and charge at Luffy. The Elders told Saturn that they were running out of time and had to act in order to stop Vegapunk from sharing the message. Saturn agreed and prepared to summon four Magic Circles to Egghead and allow for the other Elders to arrive.[53]
The Five Elders appear at Egghead.
With seven minutes left before the message, all Five Elders appeared before Luffy in their awakened Zoan transformations. Right away, Nusjuro dashed with fast speed to the coast of Egghead and used his sword to slash the Pacifista firing at the Marines. His slashes caused the Pacifista to be partially frozen and temporarily prevented from attacking, allowing the Marines to fight back. Sanji witnessed Mars in his itsumade form fly up to the Labophase and informed Nami's group that they had to get away. As Saturn continued attacking Luffy, Ju Peter in his sandworm form dug to attack from underground. Usopp told Sanji that the Thousand Sunny was ready to go with Brook and Lilith arriving, but they could not get moving until Zoro and Jinbe were back.
Zoro continued fighting Lucci, with one of his swords being knocked away by Lucci. Jinbe noticed they were still fighting, prompting Sanji to call Zoro a burden for taking too long. Hearing this, Zoro picked up his sword and prepared to take down Lucci. Lucci tried using Shugan: Madara, but Zoro managed to dodge and counterattacked with Three Sword Style: Kokoba Madara Gari to heavily injure Lucci.
As Luffy was against Saturn, Warcury, and Ju Peter, Ju Peter emerged from underground below Luffy and swallowed him. Dorry and Brogy witnessed this and together, they used Taiyo Noko to free Luffy by splitting open Ju Peter's body into three. Luffy was surprised that the giants came, with the two replying that it had been too long since they saw him.[54]
Mars locates York inside the Lab.
At the Labophase, Mars managed to penetrate the Frontier Dome and locate Jinbe, Zoro, and Lucci. Jinbe tried to get Zoro to go, but Zoro said that Lucci was still standing and able to keep fighting. Jinbe resorted to taking Zoro away by force, and using Gosenmaigawara Shuto, letting them escape. Mars then found Lucci and asked him where York was being held. Lucci told him York was in the Control Room, while also reporting the whereabouts of the Straw Hats and Vegapunks in the Labophase, the Cipher Pol agents and Seraphim in the basement floor, and that Vegapunk's message would start in six minutes. Before Mars went to the Control Room, Lucci also asked for him to spare Kaku, who was still inside and injured. Mars, however, stated he was unsure if he could do so while everyone else would be wiped out.
At the Fabiriophase, Luffy and the giants were happy to see each other again after so long. They were then confronted by Saturn and Warcury, as Luffy told the giants that they had to focus on escaping instead of fighting them. Dorry and Brogy said they saw Sanji earlier and were told to help Luffy, and they also saw the newspaper and came to Egghead with the Giant Warrior Pirates to assist the Straw Hats in escaping. Dorry proceeded to blow his horn to send a signal for the giants to escape back to the ship. Warcury attempted to stop the three from escaping by unleashing a powerful Supreme King Haki roar, which greatly disoriented the giants and blew off parts of Luffy's body. After Luffy returned to normal, Warcury jumped into the air and turned his tusks into blades to attack them.
Dorry and Brogy protect Luffy from Warcury.
Dorry and Brogy countered by using Svalinn with their shields to block his attack. Warcury questioned why the giants were helping Luffy and if they knew who he truly was, where they said that he was their friend and then knocked Warcury back with Skilja. Saturn stated that Luffy had to be erased from history before the truth about him was revealed, and afterwards fired venomous bullets at them. In response, Luffy grabbed a tree and used his power to shape it into a baseball bat, while also transforming his hair into a baseball helmet. He used the bat to deflect the bullets towards Saturn and Warcury, causing an explosion. The three received word from other giants that they had to move before the flames blocked off the forest. While Brogy was delighted that the explosion hit the Elders, Luffy said the Elders were immortal and that their regeneration powers made any attacks against them ineffective. The giants then agreed it would be best to run.
As the Straw Hats were getting the Thousand Sunny in position, Nami told Zoro and Jinbe to hurry. Bonney's group managed to get to the Giant Warrior Pirates' ship, but in front of the ship were Vice Admirals Guillotine, Red King, and Pomsky, who came to eliminate her. Mars managed to get in the Control Room and asked York where the room displayed on the monitor was, though she could not tell who he was and remained in fear. Elsewhere, Kizaru was being asked by the Marines on the ship to let them treat his wounds, but he said he just needed to rest. Later, the Marines reported that a large creature had emerged on Egghead which turned out to be the Iron Giant, who was unaffected by the flames and started apologizing to Joy Boy.[55]
Nusjuro prevents Bonney's group from escaping.
At the shore of Egghead, all of the Pacifista have been neutralized by Nusjuro. The Marines then gave orders to increase their bombardment on Egghead, while preventing Luffy, Bonney, and the giants from escaping. In front of the Giant Warrior Pirates' ship, Franky engaged in battle against Red King and took him down with Strong Right. After Bonney entrusted Kuma's safety to one of the giants, she turned Pomsky into a child and kicked him, with Guillotine watching in horror. Eventually, when Bonney's group prepared to get away, Nusjuro cut down the giant and stood in front of them to prevent their escape.
In the Labophase, Mars freed York and the two went to the same room shown on the monitor. He attempted to stop the broadcast by firing a beam to destroy the room, but the broadcast kept going on. York told him not to do anything crazy, and that the Den Den Mushi used to transmit the message must be hiding somewhere. Mars then suggested to destroy the entire lab, but York advised him not to as it would also destroy the buildings hosting the Power Plant and weapons development, and as a result, Punk Records itself. Mars demanded York to come up with a solution, in which she obliged as to not cause any more problems. Mars then sensed the voice of something coming from Punk Records, which York guessed was the hidden Den Den Mushi. After she told Mars how to find it, he asked her how to get inside.
At the Control Room, Stussy breathed a sigh of relief that Mars did not notice her. Kaku wondered who it was, which Stussy deduced was one of the Five Elders. Kaku thought the others had abandoned her and mocked her for it after her own betrayal, but she revealed it was her own decision to stay behind in order to carry out the final mission.
At the back entrance of the Labophase, Nami wondered why they were leaving Stussy behind, to which Edison responded that Stussy was willing to stay in the Control Room in order to deactivate the Frontier Dome and allow the crew to escape. Robin wondered how they would cover enough distance to avoid crashing, but Edison was also unsure. Usopp then told everyone that the Coup de Burst was ready, so when Zoro and Jinbe returned, they could take off. He also stated that if it failed, everyone's powers would have to compensate, to which Edison called the crew rowdy. Having been moved that the crew has the guts to make miracles happen, Edison jumped into the Frontier Dome to help the Thousand Sunny reach the water, confident he would not die. Soon, the Straw Hats noticed Jaygarcia Saturn was climbing up at their location to stop them.
Luffy stops Ju Peter.
At sea, the Marines were sensing a strong force pulling them away, which was Ju Peter sucking in everything to stop Luffy and the giants from moving forward. To counter this, Luffy rushed to a nearby building to rip it off and force it into Ju Peter's mouth, suppressing his sucking power and giving the three time to escape. However, Luffy had lost his strength as a result and reverted to his old, feeble appearance, leading to Brogy giving him some emergency hákarl to help him regain his vitality. Afterwards, they noticed Warcury charging at them, where Luffy proceeded to use Gomu Gomu no Red Roc on his head to stop him, but Warcury's very hard skin ended up causing Luffy's arm to hurt.
Inside the Labophase, Mars managed to infiltrate Punk Records and spotted the Den Den Mushi transmitting the signal. With one minute remaining, he prepared to stop the broadcast,[56] while noticing Vegapunk's severed brain in the lab and questioning if it was his true self. Mars tried to crush the Den Den Mushi to disrupt the broadcast, but this turned out to not be the one controlling the broadcast, allowing it to continue uninterrupted. Mars told the Elders there would be no way to stop the broadcast until they find its source, and that Vegapunk may intend to finish what Ohara started.
As Nusjuro advanced on Franky and Bonney, Sanji arrived to defend them; while he was able to deal a heavy blow to the Elder, Nusjuro quickly retaliated and bit Sanji's body hard enough for it to crackle. He, in turn, was rescued by the arrival of Oimo and Kashii. Bonney then used Distortion Future: Kyojin Mitaina Mirai to become gigantic and assist with the attack against Nusjuro. At the Labophase, Saturn recognized Robin among the Straw Hats and moved in to attack her, but the other Straw Hats quickly rushed to protect her. Elsewhere, Mars sensed there were many life forms inside the lab and questioned if it was better to destroy it entirely, but Saturn and Warcury argued against it as they would lose their military might and chance of recreating the Mother Flame.
Vegapunk began his message by confessing he had committed two grave sins that would have him executed, so he programmed the message to play after he died. He asked the audience not to assume the ones who killed him were evil, regardless of who they may be. He began his message with an audacious claim: that the entire world would soon sink into the ocean.[57] This revelation ended up causing major shock around the world, with a majority of the viewers in disbelief at Vegapunk's words. He also shared with the audience a prediction he made a few days prior to his recording that a worldwide earthquake would occur, causing the sea level to rise by one meter and make some islands uninhabitable, which turned out to be correct. However, Vegapunk added that it could not have happened naturally.
Eventually, Saturn managed to fight his way past the Straw Hats to get to the power station where the Mother Flame was contained. Once inside, he reverted to his Human form and tried to eradicate all nearby life forms to stop the broadcast. Vegapunk then explained in his message that he wanted to push the world towards a bigger future, but in his attempt to do so, he feared this ambition became his first grave sin. He also said that in order to help understand where the world would be heading, he should mention what happened between 900 to 800 years ago. This period of history was referred to as the Void Century as all records from that time have been erased and lost. Currently, the only way to learn about these events is by deciphering the messages on the Poneglyphs around the world. However, the World Government made this prohibited, and Vegapunk chose to defy the Government by deciphering the Poneglyphs himself, which was his second sin. He also mentioned he had deciphered a number of the stones thanks to the work of Ohara's archaeologists, without regret. Meanwhile, the Straw Hats noticed the clouds were stretching outward, which they realized was what Edison had done to help the Thousand Sunny reach the ocean. To where Edison landed, he wished for the Straw Hats to successfully escape without getting caught.
Vegapunk then turned his focus on telling the world what he knew about the Void Century, starting with the existence of Joy Boy. According to records, he was born 900 years ago in a highly advanced kingdom and fought with a rubbery body like the Sun God Nika of Elbaph. He was also the first man to set out to sea and be called a pirate.[58] From an amount of Poneglyphs Vegapunk deciphered, a great war took place between Joy Boy and the twenty kingdoms that created the World Government. At the time, the twenty kingdoms had no choice but to form an alliance in order to defeat Joy Boy and the civilization he hailed from. Vegapunk was unable to address where the conflict first started, or who was in the right, only that it was a clash of two competing ideologies. He also mentioned the kingdom Joy Boy came from was very advanced with weapons that are impossible to recreate in the present era, which was where the bigger problem had lied.
At the Labophase, Edison contacted Stussy to tell her to lower the barrier and allow the Straw Hats to escape. Stussy complied, but when Edison also wanted for her to escape with them, she felt she had no one to live for anymore now that Vegapunk was gone.
Nusjuro cuts the Labophase.
While Bonney's group continued to fight Nusjuro, he broke out of the giants' grip and targeted Bonney with a slash attack, but Franky managed to get her out of the way. When Vegapunk's broadcast continued by mentioning the Void Century ending with Joy Boy's defeat, Nusjuro left Bonney's group and jumped high in the air, using a powerful slash attack to cut the Labophase in half, which resulted in all of the imprisoned Cipher Pol agents and Seraphim units falling from the lab down to the Fabiriophase.
Vegapunk said in his explanation that the aftermath of the Void Century had created everlasting consequences for the world. He brought up that the world consists of many islands separated by the sea, but this was not the case a thousand years ago, because during the Void Century, a great cataclysm had caused the sea to rise once. Currently, the habitable parts of the world are only fragments of large areas that have existed back then but are now mostly submerged. By Vegapunk's word, the rise in sea level was 200 meters, which would not be possible naturally and was in fact a man-made disaster. He suspected that it was the work of the Ancient Weapons, which still exist in the present and have the potential to cause more destruction. In other words, the Great War from centuries ago is still going on.[59]
In the Labophase, Edison told Stussy he could not help the Straw Hats anymore and that she should leave to escape. Stussy insisted she free Kaku, not wanting him to suffer the consequences of the event. Edison allowed her to do so while telling her to live on and follow her heart, which she accepted.
Vegapunk revealed to the world his ambition to create a powerful energy source to benefit the world, which was the Mother Flame. However, someone had stolen a fragment of the flame, and he suspected it was used to activate an Ancient Weapon and annihilate Lulusia Kingdom. He apologized to the world for his role in developing the Mother Flame leading to this disaster. He also mentioned that there were three Ancient Weapons, and Joy Boy intended to preserve them for the future. His motive for doing so is unknown, but Vegapunk assured that everyone would have the answers soon. Additionally, while the Void Century has a lot of mystery, Vegapunk says that the Roger Pirates are among those who know about it, but never talked about it to anyone.
York was confused as to how Vegapunk knew about the Mother Flame's theft, as she cut off her synchronization to avoid being found out. She wondered how he could have known while observing data on Lulusia and if he possibly knew about the government's response as well. She then figured out where the Transmission Den Den Mushi would be located and gave the Five Elders the place: inside the Iron Giant.[60]
At the Marine GS General Hospital, the members of SWORD recovered from their injuries as they learned that X Drake was also present and recovering but wanted to be left alone.
Outside the Labophase, the barrier had been lowered for the Straw Hats to escape to the water, just as Zoro and Jinbe had arrived. However, Nusjuro was also heading toward the Thousand Sunny and prepared to attack them, but Zoro managed to get to him and his swords clashed with Nusjuro's own Kitetsu blade, causing them both to be repelled back.
At the northeast coast, Bonney told Luffy and the giants to hurry up while the Marines tried to fight against the Giant Warrior Pirates and sink their ship. Dorry gave Oimo and Kashii the order to set sail when they arrived, while the giants fought back and overwhelmed the Marines. They were approached by Doll and Bluegrass, who did their best to assist in taking down the giants.
Warcury attacks the Iron Giant.
As Luffy and the giants made their way back, Luffy noticed Warcury had disappeared which gave them the chance to escape. Elsewhere, the Elders targeted the Iron Giant, recognizing it as the same one that attacked Mary Geoise 200 years ago. While Vegapunk's message continued, he had one last message for anyone who carried the Will of D., but as he was about to say anything more, Warcury tackled the Iron Giant, disrupting the broadcast and causing this message to go unheard.[61] The Iron Giant afterwards fell deep into the water, and wondered where Joy Boy had gone. The citizens around the world grew confused as to why the message stopped and were questioning Vegapunk's fate. The Five Elders asked York how many Vegapunks were still alive, and she answered that Lilith and Atlas were left, so the Elders went to eliminate them.
Emet's Last Stand: The Straw Hats Flee Egghead[]
The Giant Warrior Pirates prepared to sail away from Egghead, with Luffy, Dorry, and Brogy arriving in time. Bonney managed to turn Doll and Bluegrass into children to prevent them from taking further action against them. The Straw Hat Pirates were also preparing to get from the Labophase to the water. Just then, Mars flew over the sea and attacked the giants' ship with a fire blast, declaring he would not let them leave.
Bonney gains a transformation like Nika.
Afterwards, Luffy had filled up on food and transformed back into Gear 5. He tried encouraging Bonney to help him in taking down Mars, but she was unsure if she could. Then she remembered Luffy saying his Gear 5 transformation was about having freedom, and so she used Distortion Future to change into a future of "being the most free", which became a transformation just like Luffy's. They both prepared to fight against Mars, while their presence was sensed by the other Elders, and the Iron Giant.[62]
Meanwhile, Stussy had freed Kaku from his bubble to let him go. He proceeded to warn her that although they were once colleagues, he will not be able to stop Lucci when he arrives. Before Stussy could say anything else, Kaku yelled at her to leave, and she obliged.
While Mars continued attacking the giants, Luffy came up with a plan to get Mars away from them. Luffy caught Mars in place, with Sanji, Franky, and Bonney using their attacks on Luffy from behind, which helped him create enough force to use Gomu Gomu no Dawn Balloon and repel Mars into the distance. When Sanji realized the Straw Hats' ship was taking longer to land, Atlas decided to go there and see, but because she knew Lilith was in danger.
The Iron Giant emerges and attacks Warcury.
Suddenly, Vegapunk's broadcast continued to be played after the signal was cut, and York suspected that the Elders needed to destroy the Transmission Den Den Mushi directly to stop it. At the northeast coast, Peter had rescued the Seraphim and Cipher Pol agents and tried to suck the giants' ship backwards to stop their escape, but Luffy stopped him from doing so. This prompted Warcury to charge toward the coast in an effort to destroy the ship, but the moment before he was about to, the Iron Giant remembered a conversation it had with Joy Boy, where its real name is revealed to be Emet. Emet was told by Joy Boy long ago "only when the time was right", and as it sensed Luffy's presence, it emerged from underwater and punched Warcury with strong force that broke off his tusk.[63]
In a flashback 26 years ago, Clover had visited Punk Hazard to ask Vegapunk about helping to uncover the secrets of the Void Century. Vegapunk refused to comply as he was now a government scientist, while expressing concern that Clover continued to defy the government after being caught multiple times until one day his friends would be killed alongside him. Clover revealed to Vegapunk that he carried the Will of D. just like his deceased brother, and his true name is Clou D. Clover. He argued it was unfair for someone to be killed just for their name and wanted to explore the secrets to why. Vegapunk again refused while wishing for Clover to be careful. Four years later, Vegapunk learned of the Buster Call on Ohara and Clover's preceding death and questioned why he risked dying to preserve his research.
Atlas intercepts Nusjuro.
At the top of the Labophase, Lilith stopped the Straw Hats from having the Sunny take off, as they needed to make sure Nusjuro did not interfere, or they would miss their target. To the crew's surprise, Atlas had arrived and knocked Lilith unconscious. She told them to take care of Lilith as she would go and deal with Nusjuro by herself. The crew prepared to launch the Coup de Burst and escape while Atlas had managed to get Nusjuro out of the Sunny's way.
Meanwhile, Emet greeted Luffy and felt happy to see Joy Boy again. It noticed Warcury and Peter in front of them and told Luffy to go ahead as it stayed to protect him. When it tried to fight Peter, its arm malfunctioned and was bitten off. Saturn then jumped onto the giants' ship to confront Luffy's group. As the Sunny fell to the sea, Atlas let herself explode to keep Nusjuro away. York rejoiced that she was the "last" Vegapunk, but the Elders said they still needed to eliminate Vegapunk on the broadcast.[64]
Luffy and Bonney attack Saturn.
While Luffy's group fought against Saturn, Bonney changed into her Nika form again and declared that she would stop Saturn for what he did to her parents. She stated that she only wanted to live together with them as a family and felt very sad when alone, but because of everything they did for her, she wanted to keep living on. She then prepared to attack alongside Luffy, using a barrage of powerful punches to knock down Saturn and send him away from the ship.
Vegapunk continued in his broadcast proclaiming that the entire truth of the Void Century will reach the world someday and mentioned that those with unique ancestry are being erased because of its mysteries. Ironically, those who have faced oppression from the government seem to be closest to the truth, and it is only a matter of time before Roger's treasure is found. Lastly, Vegapunk revealed that the ultimate fate of the world rests in whoever claims the One Piece.[65]
After hearing Vegapunk's words, the citizens and Marines became worried about the future, while numerous pirate groups became more eager to search for the One Piece and take over the world. At sea, Augur and Devon had brought Caribou to their ship and asked Teach what to do with him. Teach said to bring him but would dispose of him if his information failed to please him.
Emet unleashes Joy Boy's Haki.
Vegapunk mentioned in his broadcast something else concerning Joy Boy, but Warcury bashed Emet again, which caused the Transmission Den Den Mushi to be destroyed and the message to end for good. As Emet was heavily damaged and the Elders were pursuing them, it apologized to Luffy as it thought he was Joy Boy. It asked who Luffy was, and he shouted his name. In response, Emet thanked Luffy for letting him hear the Drums of Liberation again and wished for him to live, before untying a knot inside him. This released an incredibly powerful burst of Supreme King Haki that knocked out all of the Marines and forced the Elders out of their transformations and to retreat to Mary Geoise. Imu also felt this Haki and recognized it as belonging to Joy Boy.
Afterwards, the Sunny safely landed at sea, and everyone wondered how the Elders vanished. At Egghead, Saturn stood in front of Emet as it thought back to its conversation with Joy Boy. Joy Boy had tied a knot of his Haki inside Emet to be used when he would not be around to help Emet. Emet gleefully accepted this as it was like Joy Boy would always be with him. After untying the knot, Emet had powered down.[66]
With all of the Marines knocked out, the Straw Hats and Giant Warrior Pirates made their escape from Egghead and celebrated. Meanwhile, Sanji went to Vegapunk's body and wondered if he was planning to die all along based on everything he heard the scientist say before.
Two weeks ago, Vegapunk, Shaka, and Pythagoras first found out that someone had stolen a fragment of the Mother Flame, and based on the calculations, one of the other four satellites was responsible. One week later, they deduced that York was the culprit and was also trying to cover up her contacts with the government. The next day, they realized that York gave the government the fragment of the Mother Flame to destroy Lulusia. After realizing the situation, Vegapunk knew he did not have long to live and wanted to ensure his death would not be in vain.
The Vegapunks erase their memories.
Two days before the present, Vegapunk recorded a message to be transmitted upon his death, and he hid it inside Emet where he thought no one would guess. He, Shaka, and Pythagoras then erased their memories of the event to keep their plans a secret from York, only leaving behind a couple of details about the government's actions. Later during the Egghead siege, Vegapunk told Sanji he did not want to be rescued as his death would make "something" happen. He also said at the time that he wanted the Straw Hats to be the ones that claim the One Piece.[67]
At the WENP Headquarters, Morgans intended to spread a story of fear and chaos about Vegapunk's message, though Vivi detested this idea. Morgans questioned her if it was worth it for her to argue against him, but she did not care as the world would end anyway.
At Egghead, while Sentomaru escaped on a rowboat, the Marines received a call from Sakazuki. Kizaru picked up the call, and Sakazuki wanted to know what happened. Kizaru said he would make a report when everyone was awake, but Sakazuki assumed he was being lazy again. In response, Kizaru asked Sakazuki if he was forced to kill a close friend, and angrily scolded the Fleet Admiral for not understanding his pain.
The Straw Hats celebrate with their allies.
While the Straw Hats were sailing, they recalled Luffy being upset that they failed to save Vegapunk. Inside the giants' ship, Lilith regained consciousness and had learned that the other Vegapunks had died. When she went to eat some food, Luffy was sadly eating as he failed to keep his promise to Vegapunk. Lilith tried to cheer them all up by revealing that the Vegapunks are technically still alive within her, so their efforts did not fail in the end. Later, Luffy thanked the giants for coming to their rescue, and the crew held a feast with the giants, Bonney, and Lilith as they sailed to Elbaph, where a shadowed figure awaited someone's arrival.[68]
Returning to Egghead, the Marines were recovering from the battle, with Lucci and Kaku returning to them. The nine Vice Admirals met with Saturn to discuss their situation. While they had everything they came for, Saturn believed they made a critical mistake in letting Vegapunk's broadcast reach the world, as he suspected that the Iron Giant specifically became active to protect Luffy. Doberman asked if Vegapunk's message was the truth, but this only provoked Saturn into injuring him.
Imu punishes Saturn.
At Mary Geoise, Garling came to the Room of Authority, with the other Elders all confused by his presence. He revealed he had been given "special orders" to be there, as he claimed York would be his subordinate and that he would work alongside them as one of the Five Elders. Just then, Saturn started feeling pain as his body was suddenly decaying and burning, with the Vice Admirals concerned for him. This was revealed to be caused by Imu, who was displeased that Saturn had allowed Luffy to escape. Despite Saturn pleading for mercy, his body then exploded with only his skeleton remaining.
Suddenly in the lab, York noticed a bunch of Island Clouds were forming from the Cloud Plant. She deduced that Edison was responsible for this and tried shooting at the factory to stop it, though this meant that Punk Records was now separated in the sky and out of the World Government's reach. Edison communicated with the other satellites about the situation, and they concluded it would take time for Punk Records to be accessible to humanity. After they rebuilt themselves a new body, they contacted the scientists at Weatheria to help them continue their research.
Back at Momoiro Island, the Revolutionary Army discussed the important details revealed in Vegapunk's message. They realized that the world sinking into the sea must explain why the World Nobles live at the top of the Red Line, and why slaves were constructing gigantic structures like the Tequila Wolf for centuries. Dragon suspected that because of what Vegapunk said, the citizens of the world would likely be entering a large battle over habitable land, and the situation had to be resolved as soon as possible.[69]
Story Impact[]
- Many characters make their first appearances in the manga after the timeskip. The characters (in the order they were reintroduced) are: Daz Bonez,[2] Yamakaji, Vasco Shot,[4] Doc Q, Van Augur, Stronger,[9] Oimo, Kashii,[20] Sanjuan Wolf,[24] Usakkov, Jabra, Blueno, Kalifa, Fukurou, Kumadori,[27] Bogard,[31] Belladonna, Shalria,[58] Roshio, Foxy, Porche, Hamburg, Drophy, Marianne, Mikita,[59] Comil,[60] Krieg, Gin, Pearl,[61] Miss Catherina,[62] Jean Goen and An Zengaiina.[64]
- Doc Q, Augur, and Stronger were previously seen as silhouettes during the Levely Arc.[70]
- Vegapunk is fully seen for the first time.[10]
- The Five Elders are properly introduced and named.[30]
- Shiki is shown for the first time in the main series outside of Chapter 0.[40]
- Gin is confirmed to be alive after what previously happened during the Baratie Arc.[71]
- Every Straw Hat's bounty has been raised following the events on Wano Country. Zoro's bounty is
1,111,000,000, Jinbe's is 1,100,000,000, Sanji's is 1,032,000,000, Robin's is 930,000,000, Usopp's is 500,000,000, Franky's is 394,000,000, Brook's is 383,000,000, Nami's is 366,000,000, and Chopper's is 1,000.[2] - This arc depicts the Egghead Incident, in which the World Government moves to assassinate Vegapunk for researching the Void Century. They succeed in killing his main body, but Vegapunk had prepared for this and so recorded a broadcast to be aired around the world revealing what he knew about the Void Century. Additionally, some of Vegapunk's clone extensions known as "satellites" manage to survive and maintain access to Vegapunk's severed brain.[72]
- Vegapunk's murder triggers his broadcast message across the entire world.[52] As a result of this broadcast, the world is now aware of the existence of the Void Century, Joy Boy, the Ancient Weapons, and the future crisis that could sink all land underwater.[57] Dragon believes the world will soon enter in conflict over habitable land.[69] Vegapunk declares that the fate of the world will be decided by whoever claims the One Piece.[65]
- The world at large learns Gol D. Roger's true name, and Vegapunk reveals the Roger Pirates have known about the Void Century as well.[60]
- Sentomaru turns against the Marines.[13]
- Stussy turns against CP0. She is revealed to be a MADS-developed clone of Miss Buckin. She is also revealed to have been an undercover spy for Vegapunk for the last two decades.[15][16][18]
- Miss Buckin is revealed to have been part of the Rocks Pirates, and a former member of MADS. She claims that Vegapunk can prove Weevil is indeed Whitebeard's son.[18]
- The Straw Hats, Bonney, Kuma, and Lilith escape from Egghead and set sail to Elbaph with the aid of the Giant Warrior Pirates.[67]
- Edison steals away Punk Records from York through the use of Island Clouds from the Cloud Plant, but York manages to prevent the same thing from happening to the Labophase. Edison, Shaka, Pythagoras and Atlas' consciousness now inhabit the same body, composed of diverse parts from their original ones with Edison in the lead.[69]
- Vegapunk's murder triggers his broadcast message across the entire world.[52] As a result of this broadcast, the world is now aware of the existence of the Void Century, Joy Boy, the Ancient Weapons, and the future crisis that could sink all land underwater.[57] Dragon believes the world will soon enter in conflict over habitable land.[69] Vegapunk declares that the fate of the world will be decided by whoever claims the One Piece.[65]
- The Five Elders receive a portion of the newly developed Mother Flame from Vegapunk's traitorous satellite York and use it to test a mysterious weapon that successfully annihilates the Lulusia Kingdom. Ivankov speculates that this weapon is an Ancient Weapon,[30] and Vegapunk predicts that this is the case as well. Days after the attack, the level of the entire Blue Sea rises by one meter, appearing to confirm Vegapunk's prediction.[58]
- During the Egghead Incident, the Five Elders successfully preserve York and the necessary machines to ensure that more Mother Flame can be created, putting it under their full control.[69]
- The Five Elders and Imu are shown in action for the first time, displaying a wide array of powers. In addition to having awakened Mythical Zoan powers, the Elders also notably possess immortality and the ability to infinitely regenerate from any wounds.[54][55] Saturn is shown to have been in his role for over two centuries.[69] Imu also possesses a mysterious transformation greatly resembling the Elders' fruit powers.[29]
- Following the Egghead Incident, Imu kills Saturn from afar for his failure to stop Luffy, and has Figarland Garling replace him as one of the Five Elders.[69]
- More information about the Void Century is revealed, as well as Joy Boy's involvement in it.
- Joy Boy was the first ever pirate, as well as an inhabitant of the Great Kingdom who was the original user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.[58]
- The Twenty Kingdoms formed a temporary alliance for the purpose of countering Joy Boy and the faction he led at the time.[59] The Void Century ended with Joy Boy's defeat and the rising of sea levels by 200 meters. Before that event, the world consisted of several continents that were eventually swallowed by the rising sea, leading to the current island-based configuration that defines its modern geography. Vegapunk claims the Ancient Weapons were ultimately responsible for this marine rise.[59]
- According to Vegapunk, Joy Boy intended to preserve the Ancient Weapons beyond the Great War for inexplicable reasons.[60]
- The civilization that existed before the Void Century possessed extremely advanced technology and a mysterious abundant source of energy. Vegapunk's highly advanced inventions are an attempt to replicate the past.[8]
- Emet the Iron Giant was created before the Void Century and once attacked Mary Geoise 200 years ago, although it stopped working before it could cause any damage. According to Shaka, Emet requires an unknown power source that is currently impossible to recreate but was available in ancient times. Vegapunk noted that Emet's attack coincidentally occurred around the time fish-man discrimination first became a big issue in the world.[8][11]
- According to Vegapunk, the Great War from centuries ago has not yet ended due to the Ancient Weapons' continued use.[59]
- More information about Jewelry Bonney, Bartholomew Kuma, and their relationship is revealed.
- Bonney is the adopted daughter of Kuma.[9][42] This explains why she was crying while watching the Summit War of Marineford, witnessing the army of Kuma-like Pacifista.[73] This also explains why she was in Mary Geoise during the Levely, as she wanted to save her father.[74]
- She claimed to be looking for Vegapunk for an explanation regarding Kuma becoming a Pacifista.[6] This reveals that Vegapunk is the person she held a grudge against and sought after before entering the New World.[75]
- Kuma belongs to a special group of people[7] called the Buccaneers, a race that seemingly committed a major crime long ago and are currently near extinction as a result.[39]
- Bonney's bounty was raised to 320,000,000.[5]
- Kuma's past is shown, from his birth to his transformation into a Pacifista.[39]
- Kuma volunteered to be the test subject for Vegapunk's Pacifista experiment as payment for the scientist curing Bonney of her disease. However, in order to ensure Kuma would be a perfectly obedient living weapon, Saturn intervened and set the condition that he must give up his mind and free will.[44]
- When she learns about her father's past and why he became a Pacifista, Bonney loses her grudge against Vegapunk.[47]
- The God Valley Incident is shown in part for the first time. The World Nobles stole a certain treasure from Hachinosu for a competition on the island, which served as a motivation for the Rocks Pirates to attack them.[40]
- Kuma visited various islands to find a cure for Bonney's Sapphire Scales disease, including the ones that he later sent the Straw Hats to for their training during the timeskip, which enabled him to send them there in the first place.[43][76]
- Bonney became a pirate to set out and reunite with Kuma.[45]
- Kuma volunteered to be the test subject for Vegapunk's Pacifista experiment as payment for the scientist curing Bonney of her disease. However, in order to ensure Kuma would be a perfectly obedient living weapon, Saturn intervened and set the condition that he must give up his mind and free will.[44]
- A flashback of the invasion of Mary Geoise during the fourth day of the Levely by the Revolutionary Army commanders that was previously mentioned in the Wano Country Arc[77] is shown.
- Cobra is confirmed to have been killed by the Five Elders as a result of being in the presence of Imu during their meeting. Sabo's intervention in the affair allowed the government to frame the Revolutionary leader, but Sabo was able to escape with knowledge of Imu's existence,[29] which he relays to Dragon and Ivankov in the present day.[30]
- Ivankov believes Imu to be Nerona Imu, one of the First Twenty and speculates that he may have gained immortality thanks to the Ope Ope no Mi.[30] Cobra also recognizes the name "Imu", presumably for the same reason.[29]
- Wapol witnesses the Cobra affair and is forced to flee, inadvertently taking Vivi with him in the process.[30] The duo manage to escape and are in hiding with Morgans at the World Economy News Paper headquarters.[17] Imu orders for Vivi's capture.[30]
- The God's Knights, which were first mentioned in the Wano Country Arc, are officially introduced with the debut of their leader, Figarland Garling. Garling has Donquixote Mjosgard executed for protecting Shirahoshi from Charlos.[30]
- Jabra, Fukurou, and Kumadori are now part of CP0.[27]
- Cobra is confirmed to have been killed by the Five Elders as a result of being in the presence of Imu during their meeting. Sabo's intervention in the affair allowed the government to frame the Revolutionary leader, but Sabo was able to escape with knowledge of Imu's existence,[29] which he relays to Dragon and Ivankov in the present day.[30]
- The Red Hair Pirates continue to be on the move.
- Shanks destroys the Kid Pirates and claims their Road Poneglyphs after the two crews come into conflict on Elbaph; Eustass Kid and Killer are struck down in a single blow and sink into the sea, with the rest of their crew soon following them after the destruction of the Victoria Punk.[23]
- The Giant Warrior Pirates are allied with Shanks and his crew, and Dorry and Brogy assist in destroying the Kid Pirates.[20]
- In a flashback from Buggy, it is revealed that Shanks was meant to succeed their former captain Gol D. Roger, but Shanks decided he was not ready to head to Laugh Tale yet but is now determined to go there in the present for an unknown reason.[26]
- The Blackbeard Pirates find success in multiple missions across the New World.
- Blackbeard ambushes Trafalgar Law near Winner Island for his Road Poneglyph rubbings.[9] Blackbeard ends up victorious and takes the Poneglyphs, though Law and Bepo manage to escape.[25]
- Blackbeard confirms that all of his officers now have Devil Fruit powers, thus completing his quest of hunting down powerful Devil Fruits.[7]
- Blackbeard intends to turn Hachinosu into an official country under the World Government with himself as its king.[24]
- Kuzan is confirmed to have officially joined the Blackbeard Pirates and has kidnapped Charlotte Pudding alongside Augur. Pudding is held captive on one of the Blackbeard Pirates' ships.[9][7] Kuzan is also revealed to be the final Titanic Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, having joined when meeting the crew one year after his battle with Sakazuki.[25]
- Garp is overwhelmed and captured by Kuzan and many other Blackbeard Pirates while leading a mission to rescue Koby from Hachinosu, although his sacrifice allows Koby, the Marines, and other prisoners including Gecko Moria to escape. The news reports that he has gone missing in action.[32]
- Catarina Devon and Augur arrive at Egghead where Devon touches Saturn's leg and declares their mission to be a success.[23][51]
- Saturn and Devon both realize that the other is aware of Blackbeard's special lineage.[51] Devon and Augur both declare that the Blackbeard Pirates are after "the world".[51]
- Caribou approaches the Blackbeard Pirates to join them by offering Blackbeard information about Poseidon and Pluton.[51][52] Blackbeard intends to meet with Caribou and hear it for himself.[66]
- The true hierarchy of the Cross Guild takes shape and the company soon makes its mark on the world.
- The Guild was actually founded by Crocodile and Dracule Mihawk, and they came to Karai Bari Island to take over Buggy's Delivery due to the debts Buggy owed to Crocodile. Buggy offered to work for them, but due to Buggy's subordinates being tasked with promoting the Guild, they marketed their captain as its leader. Ultimately however, Crocodile and Mihawk elect to keep Buggy as their figurehead to attract any unwanted attention.[2]
- Buggy decides for the Cross Guild to also go after the One Piece, using his subordinates' fervor to force Crocodile and Mihawk to go along with it.[26]
- As a result of the Cross Guild posting bounties on Marines, T Bone is among the casualties. Sengoku and Tsuru note that this development is rapidly weakening Marine morale.[26]
- The Seraphim, upgrades to the Pacifista, are revealed as the new fighting force of the SSG to replace the Seven Warlords as part of the Three Great Powers,[4] being previously mentioned by Fujitora in the Levely Arc.[78]
- An updated type of Pacifista is introduced under Sentomaru's command, the Mark III, which weaponizes resin bubbles for combat.[17]
- Kuzan reveals that SWORD are Marines who have formally resigned themselves from the actual command structure of the organization, but still operate on its behalf.[24]
- Boa Hancock declares her intention of leaving Amazon Lily to protect her people and reunite with Luffy after its invasion by the Marines and Blackbeard Pirates.[4]
- Edward Weevil was captured by Ryokugyu after protecting Sphinx from the Marines who arrived to confiscate Whitebeard's treasure.[18]
- Information about the Will of D. is revealed.
- Imu reveals that D. was the moniker of ancient enemies of the World Government. However, those who carry it in the present day are unaware of its meaning.[29]
- Cobra, Vivi, and their First Twenty ancestor Nefertari D. Lili are revealed to possess the initial. According to Imu, Lili committed a "mistake" that allowed the Poneglyphs to be scattered around the world but is suspicious that this was actually intentional on her part. Cobra had sought an audience with the Five Elders to see if he could learn why Lili had disappeared before she could return to Arabasta 800 years ago. Before dying, he tells Sabo to inform Luffy and Vivi about the Nefertari Family possessing the moniker.[29]
- Professor Clover's real name is revealed to be Clou D. Clover, making him and his deceased brother carriers of the initial D.[64]
- Vegapunk had an important message for everyone with the initial "D." in their name during his posthumous broadcast but was left unheard due to the Five Elders briefly disrupting the Transmission Den Den Mushi signal.[61] He attempted to reveal the name of something during the transmission but was unable to due to a malfunction.[62]
- More information about the Ohara Incident is revealed.
- Jaguar D. Saul is revealed to be alive and had the giants recover what is left of Ohara's books. Vegapunk and Dragon witnessed this event; Vegapunk later visited Elbaph and memorized every book the giants recovered from Ohara.[10]
- It was the Ohara Incident that led Dragon to form the Revolutionary Army from the smaller band of Freedom Fighters he was leading at the time.[10] Dragon is also revealed to be a former member of the Marines when he was much younger.[41]
- More information about Devil Fruits is revealed.
- According to a theory by Vegapunk, Devil Fruits are all born out of the desires of humans. Because of this "unnatural evolution", nature itself (aka the sea) rejects them.[13]
- According to Shaka, awakened Zoans usually lose control of their minds. In some rare cases, though, Zoan users can retain their personality.[13]
- An awakened Zoan is characterized by flaming hair and what appears to be a sash of flaming smoke around the user.[13]
- Rob Lucci and Kaku have awakened their Devil Fruits.[13][16]
- More information about Artificial Devil Fruits is revealed.
- Vegapunk explains that only Zoan-type Devil Fruits can be completely reproduced successfully; he speculates that it is also possible with the Mythical sub-type, but it is unknown whether or not these artificial variants can be awakened by their consumers.[14]
- While it is very complicated to reproduce Logia-based fruits, Paramecia-type Devil Fruits can be reproduced by having the user's Lineage Factor and a transfusion of Green Blood which Vegapunk used for the Seraphim.[14]
- More information on Nika is revealed.
- As the Five Elders gave the Gomu Gomu no Mi its current name to hide its real identity, it did not exist in the ancient Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, as stated by Vegapunk.[13]
- The legend of Nika has been passed down in Buccaneer folklore for many generations as Nika is revered as a divine figure who will bring joy and freedom to the world as per Buccaneer beliefs.[39]
- Nika is revealed to be the sun god of Elbaph.[58]
- More information on Hinokizu, the "man with the burn scar", is revealed.
- The application of storing Supreme King Haki in a knot is first shown; Joy Boy left one for Emet during their time together which the robot uses against the Five Elders on Egghead eight centuries later.[66]
Trivia[]
- This is the first main story arc where the plot directly connects with the concurrent cover story and characters appearing in person in both simultaneously.[7]
- This arc is the third in the series (after the Fish-Man Island Arc and Wano Country Arc) to introduce something into the official Canon that was originally seen in a non-canon media. First, there is the first canonical use of an Earpiece version of a Den Den Mushi,[40] after the previous concept was used in the non-canon Silver Mine Arc[79] and live-action series,[80] the second being the Transmission Den Den Mushi first seen in One Piece Film: Red.
- This is the first arc to have an extended scheduled anime break of six months starting after Episode 1122 October 13, 2024 to April 2025, where One Piece Fan Letter and Special Edited Version - One Piece: Fish-Man Island Saga will take over the current timeslot on Sundays 9:30am Japan Time, the anime to resume with Episode 1123 in April 2025 on a new timeslot.
- This break is longer than the unscheduled break in Wano Country Arc between Episode 929 and Episode 930, April 19, 2020 to June 28, 2020, respectively, due to the early pandemic lockdown and Toei production shutdown.
References[]
- ↑ "The story is in the middle of the Egghead Arc!". One Piece Staff Official [@Eiichiro_Staff] on Twitter.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1058 and Episodes 1086–1088.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1060 and Episodes 1088–1089.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1059 and Episodes 1087–1088.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1061 and Episodes 1089–1090.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1062 and Episodes 1091–1093.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1064 and Episodes 1093–1094.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1065 and Episodes 1094–1095.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1063 and Episodes 1092–1093.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1066 and Episodes 1096–1097.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1067 and Episodes 1097–1098.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1068 and Episodes 1098–1099.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1069 and Episodes 1099–1100.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1070 and Episodes 1101–1102.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1071 and Episode 1103.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1072 and Episodes 1103–1104.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1074 and Episodes 1106–1107.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1073 and Episodes 1104–1114.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1075 and Episodes 1107–1108.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 106 Chapter 1076 and Episodes 1108–1109.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1077 and Episodes 1108–1110.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1078 and Episode 1111.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1079.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1080 and Episodes 1113–1114.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1081 and Episodes 1114–1115.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1082 and Episode 1116.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1083 and Episode 1117.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1084 and Episode 1118.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1085 and Episode 1119.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 30.5 30.6 30.7 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1086 and Episode 1120.
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1087 and Episode 1121.
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 107 Chapter 1088 and Episode 1122.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1089.
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1090.
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1091.
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1092.
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1093.
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1094.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1095.
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1096.
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1097.
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1098.
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1099.
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1100.
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1101.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1102.
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1103.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1104.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1105.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1106.
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 51.4 One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1107.
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1108.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1109.
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1110.
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1111.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1112.
- ↑ 57.0 57.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1113.
- ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 58.3 58.4 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1114.
- ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 59.3 59.4 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1115.
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 60.3 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1116.
- ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1117.
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 62.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1118.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1119.
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 64.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1120.
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 110 Chapter 1121.
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 One Piece Manga — Chapter 1122.
- ↑ 67.0 67.1 One Piece Manga — Chapter 1123.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Chapter 1124.
- ↑ 69.0 69.1 69.2 69.3 69.4 69.5 One Piece Manga — Chapter 1125.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 903 (p. 15) and Episode 879.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 8 Chapter 67 and Episode 29, Gin's last known appearance in the series when he left the Baratie while poisoned by MH5.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 108–TBA Chapters 1089–1125.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 58 Chapter 565 (p. 3) and Episode 474.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 908 (p. 4, 6-7) and Episode 888.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 59 Chapter 581 (p. 4) and Episode 490.
- ↑ SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 (p. 92), Can Kuma use the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi ability to fly only to places he's been to?
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 104 Chapter 1054 and Episode 1081.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 905 (p. 15) and Episode 882.
- ↑ One Piece Anime — Episode 748.
- ↑ One Piece Live-Action — Eat at Baratie!.
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