Chapter 603

Chapter 603 is titled "Keep It In Your Heart".

Cover
"Sanji and some cute squirrels making pies together", requested by NSC Hayao-Scan.

Short Summary
The Straw Hat Pirates are finally on their way to Fishman Island! After Nami explains the properties of a coated ship, Franky reveals why Hatchan was not there to guide them. As it turns out, the Marines discovered the Thousand Sunny and tried to claim it, with Duval and Hatchi sustaining heavy injuries in the ensuing battles. Franky also reveals that before Bartholomew Kuma was fully converted into PX-0, he made a deal with Dr. Vegapunk to secretly program him to protect the ship until the return of one of the Straw Hats. As such, the Straw Hats are deeply indebted to Kuma for not only saving their lives but for protecting their ship as well. The chapter ends with the Caribou Pirates in pursuit of the unaware Straw Hats. It is also revealed, in a flashback of Rayleigh's, how the Roger Pirates started and that the straw hat that Luffy wears upon his head originally belonged to Gol D. Roger.

Long Summary
The chapter starts out in the "no man's land" on Sabaody Archipelago. Caribou, Coribou, and their crew somehow escaped the battle and are holding the Imposter Straw Hats (sans Black, Cocoa, and fake Chopper) captive. The fakes beg for their lives as Coribou and the Caribou pirates dig up holes, preparing to bury the imposters alive. Caribou reveals that he never intended on following the Straw Hats and planned to kill them from the inside and is very angry that he met fakes instead. The imposters continues to beg for mercy and Caribou then grabs fake Sanji and starts to suffocate him with his Devil Fruit powers. Fake Sogeking tries to stop Caribou with a bazooka but fails. The imposters are terrified, learning that Caribou is a logia. Caribou then orders his crew to bury the fakes and happily states that he managed to confirm the real Straw Hat Luffy.

Sentoumaru is then seen talking to an unknown mariene officer about the Straw Hat Crew's escape and newly acquired strength. Later, we see a flashback of Rayliegh's first meeting with Gol D. Roger, that tells us that the Sraw Hat once belonged to Roger. Rayliegh then states that Luffy is a man well fit to wear the Straw Hat and that he has grown up.

Later, Thousand Sunny is on its underwater journey. Luffy and Zoro are constantly trying to catch some of the fish in the ocean to eat and try to compete to see who can get more, only to be stopped each time by Usopp and Chopper.Sanji again gets a nosebleed, after asking Nami about how the coating works, this time propelling himself out into the ocean, to be then saved by Luffy. Nami then explains that a coated ship has all the same properties of the bubbles on the Sabaody Archipelago, where they will expand until a certain point then letting the object out of the coating and if it gets too many wholes it would pop. They go along while eating the special lunch boxes given to Luffy by Boa Hancock while discussing how Duval and his underlings, and Hachi protected the ship while the Straw Hat Crew was separated. It was then brought to light that Bartholomew Kuma had also helped protect the ship, as a final mission he secretly had Dr. Vegapunk program into his now PX-0 body. The Straw Hats agree they are indebted to Kuma. The chapter ends with the Straw Hats being unknowingly followed by the Caribou Pirates.

Chapter Notes

 * A young Roger is seen for the first time. In his youth he bore an uncanny, near-identical resemblence to Luffy.
 * It is revealed that Roger was a previous owner of Luffy's straw hat. If he was the original is still to be stated.
 * Roger may have given the hat to Shanks who gave it to Luffy. Since in all of his previous appearances he was seen without the hat, he may have given it to someone else before Shanks or had given it to Shanks long before his time as Pirate King.
 * Rayleigh sheds tears for the third time.
 * Caribou is revealed to have an unknown Logia ability.
 * It is revealed that Bartholomew Kuma made a deal with Dr. Vegapunk, in which he was secretly programed to protect the Thousand Sunny until the return of one of the Straw Hats.
 * The faces of Fake Sogeking and Fake Franky (who was wearing shades) are fully shown.
 * Apparently all the pirates recruited into the Impostor Straw Hats (except for Caribou, Coribou and their crew) were captured by the Marines.
 * For the first time, Chopper and Usopp are seen beating up Luffy and Zoro much like what Nami used to do.
 * The Caribou Pirates reveal that they were planning on killing the Strawhat Pirates from the start and that this was the only reason they considered joining the crew.
 * Ship coating is further explained.
 * Sanji's nosebleeds, while previously used for comedic effect, have been recognized by the crew as a serious problem due to how easily invokable they are now.