Zou Arc

The Zou Arc, also referred to as the Zunesha Arc, is the twenty-eighth story arc of the manga and anime One Piece, the first story arc of the Whole Cake Island Saga, continuing from the Dressrosa Arc and saga, and the fifth story arc of the second half of the series.

After defeating Doflamingo, the Straw Hats, Trafalgar Law, Kin'emon, and Kanjuro arrive on Zou, in order to reunite with Sanji and the others. However, they discover that Sanji has been swept up in a set of personal and political entanglements and that Zou has been subjected to a siege by Jack of the Beasts Pirates. As the dust settles, the Straw Hats learn more startling revelations involving the location of their ultimate goal: the One Piece.

The Perilous Journey to Zou: The Island on an Elephant's Back
While the Going Luffy-senpai sailed toward Zou, the Straw Hat Pirates discovered that the Barto Club had little knowledge on how to navigate through the ocean's waters as a hailstorm was raging.



At Marine Headquarters, Kizaru received a report that the Warlord of the Sea, Edward Weevil, the self-proclaimed son of Whitebeard, had massacred the A O Pirates, making them the sixteenth subordinate crew of the Whitebeard Pirates that he had annihilated. Meanwhile, Weevil's mother, Bakkin, the self-proclaimed lover of Whitebeard, persuades Weevil to massacre all of Whitebeard's former subordinates to claim Whitebeard's treasure, as he is his only biological son. After learning of Donquixote Doflamingo's defeat, Weevil and Bakkin decided to go after Luffy to get information on Marco the Phoenix, Weevil's next target.

One week later, the Going Luffy-senpai reached Zou, which to everyone's shock is actually on the back of a giant, one thousand-year-old elephant. Kanjuro revealed that Zou is the home of the Mink Tribe, an isolated people which are said to hate humans. They docked at the elephant's leg alongside the Thousand Sunny, which the Barto Club was excited to see. As the Barto Club bid farewell to the Straw Hats, Kanjuro drew a dragon, Ryunosuke, to carry them up the elephant.



At the Revolutionary Army's base on Baltigo, Dragon received several reports of Revolutionary victories due to the chaos that ensued when Doflamingo fell. Koala reported that the weapons they took from Dressrosa contained a rare steel known as Liquor Iron Ore, and Dragon ordered her to summon the leaders of the Revolutionary Army. Meanwhile, Laffitte received a call from Jesus Burgess, who revealed that he found the Revolutionaries' base.

On Karai Bari Island, the pirate dispatch organization Buggy's Delivery celebrated their increase in business due to Doflamingo's downfall. However, Buggy received word that Hajrudin and the other four giants working for them had quit.



Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates continued the ride up the elephant's leg, and Luffy asked Kin'emon and Kanjuro why they wanted to go to Zou. They revealed that they were looking for their lost comrade, Raizo the ninja. Suddenly, Robin realized that something was flying towards Luffy.

The thing turned out to be a monkey, and everyone managed to get out of its way, except Kin'emon and Kanjuro. The samurai were fooling around and got knocked off the dragon's back onto the Thousand Sunny. The Straw Hats panicked, but Kin'emon assured them they were all right and told them to keep going as they would catch up later. The crew contemplated turning around to save the two but decided to go on without them.

The Mysterious Mink Tribe: Friends or Foes?


They eventually reached the top of the elephant's back and Ryunosuke became a drawing again. The Straw Hats and Law began exploring the island and Luffy separated from the group in search of their remaining crewmates. While exploring Zou, the Straw Hats and Law came across a place called Mokomo Dukedom, which appeared to be in ruins. As they explored, wondering what went through the city, a mink named Carrot spied on them and was shocked that they got inside. The Straw Hats heard her rustling around, and Carrot rushed at them, clashing with Zoro. However, a canine mink came and told Carrot to stop, as they had to deal with the intruders in the Whale Forest. Usopp then noticed with a shock that the mink was wearing Nami's clothes.

Carrot leaped high into the air to find the intruder, and she and the canine mink prepared to head to the Whale Forest. The canine mink told the Straw Hats where they could go to find the corpse of their crewmate, causing them to panic. As they rode, the canine mink revealed to Carrot that she believed that Luffy was the invader, and that they would show him no mercy despite him being the Straw Hats' Captain. Meanwhile, the Straw Hats and Law calmed down and decided to go to the city and find Law's crew. Law revealed that his navigator Bepo is a mink, although he had left Zou long ago and had no memories of it.



Meanwhile, Luffy was in the midst of a confrontation with two mink Guardians, Roddy and Blackback. The Heart Pirates were also present and attempted to convince the guardians that Luffy was a friend, to no avail. However, the canine mink and Carrot came and pacified the guardians before telling the other Guardians surrounding Luffy in the shadows to leave. The canine mink introduced herself as Wanda and told Luffy that they did not want to fight him. As the Straw Hats explored the ruined city, they saw signs of a recent attack, and Wanda revealed to Luffy when they reached the outskirts that Jack had laid waste to the city over the past couple of weeks. Wanda then offered to take Luffy to see his friends, which he was excited about.

The Eruption Rain began as the elephant, named Zunesha, raised its trunk and spouted water onto the island on its back. This caused the streets of Kurau City to become flooded, forcing the Straw Hats to climb up to higher ground. As Wany swam through the flood, Wanda explained to Luffy how Zunesha cleans itself twice a day with the Eruption Rain and how they benefited from it. Bepo was separated from the three and told Luffy to tell Law where he and the others were. Wanda then saw the crosses in town and remembered how Jack tortured someone on them during his invasion, as he was looking for someone. Luffy asked who ruined the town, and Wanda told him that it was Jack. However, she also revealed that his obituary came out after launching a failed attack on the Marine escort carrying Doflamingo. However, there was no body found, and Wanda believed that he may still be alive.



Usopp then spotted Luffy and the minks, and Law teleported the Straw Hats to them. Usopp confronted Wanda and Carrot and demanded that they hand over Luffy, and an exasperated Wanda explained that they meant no harm. The pirates and minks then reached the Right Belly Fortress, and the guards were shocked to hear that they were the Straw Hat Pirates. Inside, Chopper woke up Nami, telling her their crewmates had arrived. The Straw Hats were surprised to receive a warm welcome from the minks, who do not really hate humans as was commonly believed. Nami and Chopper then embraced their crewmates, but a tearful Nami had a message about Sanji.

Afterwards, the Straw Hats and the Mink Tribe had a feast, and Brook reunited with his crewmates, revealing Momonosuke was also in the fortress. The Straw Hats also found out that the "corpse" Wanda was referring to was just a nickname for Brook. When Luffy mentioned Kin'emon, however, Brook warned him to not mention samurai around the minks. Nami asked her crewmates what they should do about Sanji, but they reminded her that Sanji left a letter and that they still had no idea what was going on. Nami then decides to tell the story to them.



As the Thousand Sunny was escaping from the Big Mom Pirates' singing ship, which carried Tamago, Pekoms, and Capone Bege, the crew debated on how to escape or counterattack. They then fired cannonballs, which Brook froze, and Sanji used a Diable Jambe kick to send them toward the ship, causing a large explosion. In the midst of this, Nami created a raincloud to fog the area, making it impossible for the Big Mom Pirates to spot them. This action allowed the Thousand Sunny to escape their pursuers. Nami revealed they reached Zou a day later. Wanda then informed the Straw Hats that the invasion had already happened before they arrived, although Nami's group saved the minks from certain annihilation. A mink then popped in and announced that the prince had awoken, causing all the minks to cheer. Chopper, Miyagi, and Tristan then went to attend to him, as the announcing mink revealed to Wanda that the prince, Inuarashi, wanted to meet his benefactors, the Straw Hats. When Luffy asked who he was, Wanda revealed that he was one of the kings of Mokomo Dukedom alongside Nekomamushi. Inuarashi had fallen into a coma since the city was destroyed.

Meanwhile, Law reunited with his crew.

Seventeen Days Ago: Jack's Invasion


Wanda told the story of Jack's invasion as she led the Straw Hats to Inuarashi. She revealed that they had thought the Bell of Welcome had rung, but it was actually the Raid Bell as Zou was being invaded. Zunesha howled as a giant mammoth stepped foot into Mokomo Dukedom, ordering the people to surrender Raizo to him. The minks then realized that they were being invaded by the Beasts Pirates led by Kaidou's right-hand man, Jack. The latter once more demanded the minks give up Raizo, but the minks refused, mentioning Raizo was not on the island. Despite their refusal, Jack destroyed a large part of the city while ordering his subordinates, the Pleasures, to lay waste to the rest. The minks fought back, easily defeating the Pleasures, forcing Jack to bring in the Gifters, led by Sheepshead.

In the present, Wanda and the Straw Hats arrived at Inuarashi's sanatorium, where they received a warm welcome from Inuarashi and his guard Shishilian. While talking with the duke, Chopper revealed to Luffy that Jack used Caesar's poison gas weapon to destroy the Mokomo Dukedom. Inuarashi revealed that he once met Shanks as he fell asleep due to night falling. Wanda explained that the two rulers, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, were once inseparable friends, but were now antagonistic toward each other. The tension between them grew to a point where they split off their duties; Inuarashi rules during the day between 6:00 in the morning and 6:00 at night while Nekomamushi rules from 6:00 at night until 6:00 in the morning. Even Inuarashi's subjects fell asleep at 6:00 sharp as Nekomamushi's reign began.



Seventeen days ago, Inuarashi and the Musketeer Squad arrived to stop Jack and the Gifters. Inuarashi laid down his sword and begged Jack to see reason, saying the pirate could search for Raizo all he wanted if he stopped the destruction. However, Jack refused and attacked Inuarashi, but the duke easily blocked Jack's strike. The Musketeers then attacked the Beasts Pirates, but the battle was short-lived as night fell and Nekomamushi awoke. Inuarashi ordered the Musketeers to retreat as Nekomamushi and the Guardians arrived. Nekomamushi rushed at Jack, grabbed his trunk, and flipped the pirate onto his back. Jack then reverted to his human form and prepared to fight back.



The Mink Tribe and the Beasts Pirates fought for five days and five nights, with neither side managing to overwhelm the other. Eventually, the minks gained the upper hand, and Jack eventually decided to use Caesar's gas weapon. The weapon made the minks helpless, and Jack and his underlings slaughtered dozens of warriors while tying Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and several of the strongest warriors to crucifixes. The minks were tortured for Raizo's whereabouts, but they could only give the same answer.



The next day, Jack left Zou, leaving only some underlings behind, and Inuarashi later realized that he had gone to rescue Doflamingo, effectively making the Straw Hats who defeated Doflamingo their saviors. The same day, Sanji's group arrived and encountered Sheepshead chasing Tristan. After disrupting Sheepshead's attack, the Straw Hats chased after Tristan, but she was scared and ran away from them. They came to the ruins of Kurau City, where they saw the tortured minks on the crucifixes. One of them, Pedro, begged them to save Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, as they had lethal wounds and could not be allowed to die.



Caesar admitted that the gas, Koro, was his creation, and was forced by Sanji and Chopper to remove it from the air. Sanji defeated Sheepshead, who was attacking Nami's group, and the Beasts Pirates retreated. As the Curly Hats (Sanji, Nami, Chopper and Brook) entered the city, they were attacked by Wanda, who believed them to be with Jack. Wanda was weakened by the poison, and was easily subdued by Nami, but held up a bomb to blow them all up. However, Tristan and Pedro revealed to Wanda that the pirates were not affiliated with Jack and helped drive the Beasts Pirates away. The pirates then went to work curing the Mink Tribe of the gas.

Two Days Ago: The Curly Hat Caper
In the present, Chopper prepared to go check on Nekomamushi and the Guardians. He and the Straw Hats were accompanied by Wanda and Carrot as they rode into the Whale Forest. During their ride, Zoro asked what happened to Sanji and Caesar, and Brook revealed that Sanji was possibly unable to ever return to them. When they fought the Big Mom Pirates, they accidentally gave away that they were going to Zou, and Pekoms knew where it was as he was a native of the island. The Big Mom Pirates arrived on Zou two days ago, and Pekoms and Capone Bege entered the island. They discovered the ruins of Kurau City, and Pekoms flew into a rage at the sight of his birthplace destroyed.

Meanwhile, the Curly Hats celebrated with the minks. Nami swapped clothes with Wanda and received a treasured dress, and Sanji was very taken with the female minks. Momonosuke hid in his room, and Caesar disguised himself in order to avoid recognition. Meanwhile, Pekoms reunited with his tribesmen in tears, relieved that they had survived. Nami and Caesar saw Pekoms and Bege in shock, and Caesar begged them to help him. However, Sanji said he was worthless to them now that Doflamingo was defeated and asked what he did to Big Mom. Caesar revealed that he was commissioned to do research for Big Mom which led to nothing, but he lied and took payment anyways. Sanji said he deserved what was coming for him, but also realized they were enemies of Big Mom as well. Caesar offered to team up with Sanji to assassinate the Big Mom Pirates, but Sanji told Brook to accompany him as they confronted the two pirates.



Pekoms tearfully thanked Sanji for saving his people, and he revealed that their missions were to capture Caesar and do something that would tear the Straw Hats apart. However, Pekoms said he would leave the Straw Hats alone in exchange for Caesar as his thanks. Bege yelled at him to not put his emotions over his mission, but Pekoms ignored him, and Bege shot the mink in the back using his Devil Fruit powers. Bege unleashed his crewmates from inside his body, revealing that he ate the Shiro Shiro no Mi and became a castle man. The Fire Tank Pirates surrounded Sanji and Brook, and Vito brought Nami and Chopper in. Bege told Caesar, who was up in the trees, that he would be shot with Seastone bullets, causing Caesar to come down. Bege brought Caesar and the Straw Hats inside his body, chaining them all up except for Sanji, who sat at a table. Bege came to the table and revealed an invitation for a Tea Party and wedding ceremony. Sanji, the third son of the Vinsmoke Family, would marry Pudding, the 35th daughter of the Charlotte Family.



Sanji refused the invitation as Nami, Chopper, and Brook tried to think of what being from the Vinsmoke Family could mean. Bege told Sanji that he would come regardless of what he wanted as he manipulated the fortress, binding Sanji. Vito revealed a secret to Sanji, one which he was shocked that the Fire Tank Pirates knew. Sanji then requested to write a note for the rest of the crew, and told Nami, Chopper, and Brook to give the note to Luffy's group when they arrived, stashing it between the chains around Nami's waist. Suddenly, he threw them out of Bege's body, shocking the Fire Tank Pirates. He then held Caesar at gunpoint, saying that there was someone behind his "Only Alive" bounty and the marriage and that they would not allow him to be killed. He would come to the tea party with Caesar, but only if Bege spared his crewmates.

Suddenly, Bege was confronted by Nekomamushi, who asked why Pekoms was lying on the ground covered in blood. Bege attempted to bluff his way out by claiming one of Jack's men had remained behind and attacked them, as Nami asked Sanji why he was still in Bege's body. Sanji told her that this was his problem and promised to be back with a smile, despite the protests of his friends. He said his goodbyes as Bege converted his legs into tank treads and raced away. Wanda asked the Straw Hats if they should chase after them, but Brook, tearing up, said that Sanji had no intention of returning. Sanji had written that he had to see a woman and would be back soon.

The Minks and the Samurai: Unexpected Revelations
In the present, the Straw Hats continued riding to see Nekomamushi. Luffy was initially excited about the possibility of Sanji marrying, but was told that if he did, the Straw Hats would become subordinates of Big Mom. It was for this reason that led Brook to believe Sanji had cut himself off from the crew. However, Zoro reminded them that Sanji left of his own volition without apologizing, and that they had already angered Kaidou, making it unwise to directly challenge another Emperor. This led to an argument, and Luffy decided to go and ask Sanji himself, but was reminded that Big Mom is a powerful Emperor and they could not invade her domain without a strategy.



The Straw Hats reached the Guardians' residential district and were greeted by the Guardians, who revealed that Nekomamushi and Pekoms were recuperating inside. They found Nekomamushi taking a bath and eating lasagna, which infuriated Chopper as he instructed the ruler to do neither of those things. Nekomamushi accidentally reopened his wounds while playing with a ball, forcing him back in bed. Meanwhile, Luffy talked with Pekoms, who revealed that Sanji's father and Big Mom arranged the wedding and that the Vinsmoke Family is a family of killers. This shocked Luffy and Nami, and Pekoms revealed that the Vinsmoke Family are the leaders of a military organization called Germa 66. However, Luffy did not care about this, and only wished to avoid becoming Big Mom's subordinate. Pekoms assured him that he would not, as this was a family affair, but Sanji would never be a Straw Hat again after getting married. This angered Luffy, who ordered Pekoms to take him to the tea party and told Nami that he would go there alone, as it would increase his chances of infiltrating the party.



Luffy went outside, where he was met by Nekomamushi, who reopened his wounds while hugging him. As Nekomamushi was tended to, Luffy reunited with Law and his crew, and he told Law about Sanji's predicament. This shocked Law, who reminded Luffy that Kaidou would likely be coming after them and this would not be good for Zou. Touched by Law's compassion for them, the minks threw a party that lasted throughout the night. Meanwhile, Robin, Franky, and Brook sat guard at Zunesha's hip in order to prevent the samurai from entering Zou. However, they fell asleep, and the samurai arrived on the elephant the next day with the monkey mink. However, when Kin'emon asked the mink about Raizo, it ran off in distress to report the samurai's presence.



The three Straw Hat guards woke up and ran in distress in order to prevent the samurai from meeting the minks. The monkey mink, Bariete, rang the bell and shouted that samurai had arrived, and Kin'emon and Kanjuro reunited with Momonosuke in the forest. The Straw Hats raced through the Whale Forest in order to intercept the samurai, and Inuarashi and Nekomamushi both mobilized armies to search for the intruders. However, this led to the two rulers coming face to face, and they immediately began to squabble. This nearly led into a fight to the death, but as the two rulers began sparring, Kin'emon emerged to break up the fight. Despite the Straw Hats' pleas, the samurai introduced themselves to the minks and revealed that they were searching for Raizo. To the Straw Hats' shock, the minks kneeled down and said that Raizo was safe, revealing that they were friends with the Kozuki Family of Wano Country and that they would have let Jack kill them before turning Raizo over.

Kin'emon affirmed his position by showing the tattoo on his back, which Raizo had as well. When Inuarashi and Nekomamushi started talking to him, however, they began arguing again, causing Momonosuke to cry out for them to stop. Momonosuke said his father would be saddened to see this, and Kin'emon revealed that he is not Momonosuke's father; they merely acted as such in order to avoid drawing attention to the boy. Indeed, Momonosuke was the son of the daimyo of Kuri in Wano Country, Kozuki Oden. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi bowed before the young lord and reluctantly decided to truce, but the Straw Hats remained enraged as Momonosuke embraced Nami once more.



Later, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi led the Straw Hats, Law, and the samurai to the whale-shaped tree, and they trekked up toward its back. The rulers revealed a hidden door in the back of the tree leading inside a cave, and the pirates went inside while fantasizing about Raizo. They met Raizo, who was chained to a red Poneglyph, and the samurai freed their comrade. The male pirates tried to get Raizo to do ninja techniques, but he refused until they turned away in disappointment, causing him to use some techniques.

The Alliance Grows: Preparing to Take On the Emperor
The samurai and some of the Straw Hats went outside, where the samurai surveyed Zou's destruction and wept. They were called back inside by Nekomamushi, who said that Robin was nearly finished translating the Poneglyph. Inside, Robin and Nami realized that the Poneglyph's message more resembled a map, and Inuarashi revealed that this was a Road Poneglyph. There were four Road Poneglyphs that each led to an island. If all four islands were discovered, the location of Laugh Tale could be found. Of the other three, one was lost while the other two were kept by Big Mom and Kaidou. Luffy was excited to find this out, even though two of them were being kept by the Emperor, since he had always intended to take them down. Zoro inquired how the minks knew so much about Poneglyphs, and the two rulers revealed that the Kozuki Family was a family of stonemasons who invented the Poneglyph 800 years ago. However, the knowledge of how to read and write the language on Poneglyphs ended with Oden, who was executed by Kaidou and the shogun of Wano Country while sacrificing himself to save his son and retainers. Kaidou was pursuing Momonosuke and the retainers because Oden was a former member of the Roger Pirates, and he knew about a secret of Laugh Tale.



The Straw Hats were bewildered by this revelation, and Zoro realized that the secret of Laugh Tale is why Doflamingo and Kaidou's underlings were pursuing the samurai. However, they said that the secret was not passed down to them, but their only mission was to open Wano's borders and seek justice for Oden by killing Kaidou and the shogun. They had people of Wano as well as the Mink Tribe supporting them, but they were still outnumbered. Inuarashi stated that despite their loss to Jack, the minks still had a trump card in the upcoming war. Kin'emon then begged Luffy and Law to help them in the coming fight.

Luffy's crewmates were excited about the proposition, but Luffy refused, asking if Momonosuke was really the heir and leader over the samurai or if he was just a crybaby. His crewmates came to Momonosuke's defense, but the young heir walked up to Luffy, remembering how his parents were killed, and cried that he wants to fight Kaidou. Momonosuke said he wanted to avenge his parents and protect his retainers, but asked Luffy to help him in the fight. Luffy accepted, forming an alliance between pirates, samurai, and minks called the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance, but stated that he wanted to get Sanji back first.



Meanwhile, the minks begin to throw a party to celebrate the truce between Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, remembering when the two were once friends. Unbeknownst to them, however, Jack and his fleet sailed up to Zou, with Jack ready to finish his job. However, this time he would not rush onto Zou and instead would kill Zunesha.

The pirates, samurai, and minks exited the whale-shaped tree, and Inuarashi and Nekomamushi revealed that they sailed with Whitebeard and Roger as Oden's vassals, although they did not reach Laugh Tale. Oden's three samurai retainers did not go, as leaving Wano Country was a crime. Nami questions as to the correlation between the Log Pose and Road Poneglyphs, and Inuarashi says that the Log Pose routes do not lead to Laugh Tale, but to another location. The alliance then decided what they will do next, with the samurai to head to Wano Country along with Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, the Straw Hats, and Law. However, Nekomamushi revealed that he first wanted to find Marco the Phoenix in order to gain more allies; however, Marco had been missing since a year ago, when the Whitebeard Pirates were defeated by the Blackbeard Pirates in the Payback War. Right then, the rest of the minks found the alliance and cheered upon seeing Raizo; the ninja then thanked them for everything they did. The minks prepared a banquet to celebrate the turn of events, and Nami had to hold back Luffy, saying they needed to leave. Nami, Chopper, and Brook decided to go to Whole Cake Island with Luffy and Pekoms to rescue Sanji, and Robin told Luffy to copy the Road Poneglyph if he found one.



Suddenly, Zou began shaking as Nekomamushi heard Zunesha crying, and Luffy heard a mysterious voice. Momonosuke heard it as well as Jack's fleet weakened Zunesha by firing at its front left leg, and Jack ordered his men to bring it to its knees so he could attack its head. Zunesha begged Momonosuke and Luffy to command it, but the two struggled to withstand the voice and understand what was happening. Zunesha's eyes began growing as Momonosuke saw a vision of Jack's fleet outside Zou. Momonosuke revealed what he saw, and the minks prepared to head out and engage Jack in battle, when he realized that Zunesha was the one talking to him. Momonosuke learned that Zunesha was sentenced to walk the seas for an eternity after committing a crime in the ancient past, and it could only attack on command. Zunesha told him to command it and let it fight as it started to fall, and Luffy shouted at Momonosuke to scream the order to Zunesha. Momonosuke ordered Zunesha to attack Jack, and it complied, standing back up. The Beasts Pirates were shocked and fearful to see this, and Zunesha decimated their entire fleet with a single swing of its trunk. Bariete reported that Jack's fleet was gone, and the people on Zou struggled to make sense of what happened. Nekomamushi stated that until they figured out how Jack navigated here, Zou would no longer be safe for them, and Luffy prepared to head off.

On a certain island in the New World, Scratchmen Apoo contacted Kaidou, saying that they had lost contact with Jack's fleet.

Later, Chopper, Miyagi, and some other minks rappelled down Zunesha's injured leg to bandage it up. Meanwhile, Momonosuke revealed to his retainers that he wanted to stay behind on Zou in order to communicate further with the elephant. Inuarashi said that he would stay behind with Momonosuke in order to maintain a defense on Zou while avoiding having everyone rush into Wano Country at once.



Meanwhile, Luffy saw with a shock that Pekoms' house was destroyed in the battle, but Pekoms revealed that he was fine due to his Devil Fruit, the Kame Kame no Mi, giving him a hard tortoise shell. Luffy talked with Pekoms about their upcoming mission before carrying the mink on his back and rushing off, much to Pekoms' outrage. Meanwhile, Pedro asked Nekomamushi to accompany Luffy on the mission to rescue Sanji, and the ruler gave him permission. Wanda, Tristan, Blackback, Roddy, Yomo, and several canine minks attempted to join in as well, but Nekomamushi left the mission to Pedro alone, as he could control Pekoms. Elsewhere, Usopp gave Nami an upgraded Sorcery Clima-Tact with a greater mobility and range of abilities, but Nami skimped out on his fee. Finally, the newly-formed Sanji Retrieval Team prepared to head out, and Luffy grabbed everyone on the team and leaped off the elephant with them, ready to head to Whole Cake Island.

Meanwhile, an excited Nefertari Vivi prepared to head out to sea with her family.

The World Abuzz: Kings and Emperors on the Move


Nefertari Vivi and Cobra set out to sea with their guards and staff, and Vivi climbed all around the ship as she embraced the life, she had left behind two years ago, which scared Igaram. Cobra was in ailing health and it was questioned whether he should even make the voyage, but he was intent on doing so, determined to ask the World Government about the Poneglyphs when they reached their destination: Levely.

Other rulers across the world prepared to head to Levely as well. Sterry, the new king of Goa Kingdom, and his wife Sarie Nantokanette stayed in an inn in Loguetown on their way. The ruler of Kano Country lamented that the Chinjao Family was unavailable to accompany him to Levely, and Wapol headed there simply to find ways to make it hard for Dalton. On Drum Island, Dalton prepared to go as well, with Kureha accompanying him as his doctor. The Riku Family and Mansherry prepared to head to Levely, with Rebecca and Elizabello II accompanying them. On Fish-Man Island, Neptune and his sons begged a frightened Shirahoshi to accompany them, as they were prepared to present Queen Otohime's treaty to Levely.



Somewhere at sea, the members of the Sanji Retrieval Team could barely do their sailing work as they were still recovering from the jump off Zou. Suddenly, Carrot appeared in front of them, amazed by the big world around her. The Sanji Retrieval Team was less than enthusiastic about her, but she begged them to let her stay, and they relented. Right then, Pedro received a newspaper revealing that the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army on Baltigo had been discovered in a state of ruin.

Luffy was shocked to hear the news, though had not previously realized that the picture of the revolutionary leader Dragon was his father until his crew told him. However, Luffy was more worried for his brother Sabo. They read that the base had been destroyed by Blackbeard, who fled after briefly clashing with Cipher Pol. However, Pedro noted that if Dragon or Sabo were captured or killed it would have certainly been reported, which calmed Luffy. Suddenly, the Thousand Sunny caught on fire due to Luffy leaving the stove on, and the crew struggled to navigate a fierce storm.



At Zou, Wanda talked to Bariete about Carrot's departure before telling Inuarashi that he should rest, but the ruler was preoccupied with wondering how Jack and his men got to Zou twice. Meanwhile, Jack rested underwater, still conscious and waiting for rescue. On a certain island, Kaidou received the report of Jack's defeat and became very emotional. Drinking heavily, Kaidou lamented the loss of his SMILEs preventing him from creating a crew of all Devil Fruit users. His subordinates stated that they should not take Luffy and Law's alliance lightly, but Kaidou blew them away in anger, saying that they were nowhere near his level and that they were only playing little pirates' games, whilst indicating to the defeated Eustass Kid in a cell nearby.



Aboard the Thousand Sunny, calm returned as the crew sailed through a snowstorm. In Sanji's absence, Luffy cooked for the crew and presented them with his "random curry." However, it proved to be inedible, and the crew was outraged when they learned that he had used their entire rations to make it.

Story Impact

 * Many characters make their first appearances after the time skip. The characters (in the order they were reintroduced) are: Kizaru, A O, Monkey D. Dragon, Laffitte, Shiryu, Buggy, Mohji, Galdino, Alvida, Cabaji, Richie, Bepo, Jean Bart, Shachi, Penguin, Sterry, Hina, Jango, and Fullbody.
 * Hina has been promoted to rear admiral.
 * Edward Weevil is the final Warlord of the Sea of the timeskip line-up introduced and claims to be Whitebeard's son.
 * Weevil decides to go after Luffy in order to draw out Marco.
 * The Mink Tribe is formally introduced, after their existence having been revealed in the Sabaody Archipelago Arc.
 * Pekoms and Bepo are confirmed to be members of the Mink Tribe and natives of Zou.
 * Inuarashi and Nekomamushi reveal that the Mink Tribe has a secret ability that will be of use. This foreshadows the Sulong form, in which the minks will eventually fight in the Whole Cake Island and Wano Country Arc.
 * Law reunites with his crew for the first time since the time-skip.
 * All of the members of the Heart Pirates are shown for the first time.
 * The Straw Hats, with the exception of Sanji, reunite for the first time in 11 days.
 * Sanji and Caesar Clown have been kidnapped by Capone Bege, who is working for the Big Mom Pirates.
 * Caesar revealed that the Big Mom Pirates were chasing him because he swindled money from them.
 * Bege's bounty has been raised to 300,000,000.
 * Sanji is revealed to be the third son of the Vinsmoke Family.
 * Pekoms reveals that the family is active in the Underworld and leads a legendary army known as Germa 66.
 * The Beasts Pirates hierarchy is shown: the top three Disasters, the middle class known as the Gifters, and the lower class known as the Pleasures.
 * One of the Disasters, Jack, is revealed after previously being mentioned in the Punk Hazard Arc.
 * The Gifters are people who have eaten SMILE Devil Fruits. The capabilities of these fruits are shown for the first time.
 * The Straw Hat Pirates drove the remaining Beasts Pirates out of Zou, which was briefly seen in the Dressrosa Arc, and they healed the minks from the Koro poisoning, earning their eternal gratitude.
 * Kin'emon and Kanjuro make it onto Zou, which they had been trying to get to before they ended up in Dressrosa.
 * They reunite with Momonosuke, who had not seen Kanjuro since he was captured, and they also reunite with Raizo, their ninja comrade who had ended up on Zou after being separated from them at sea. Raizo was kept safe by the minks during the Beasts Pirates' assault.
 * It is revealed that Momonosuke is not Kin'emon's son, but is heir to the daimyo of Kuri Kozuki Oden. Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Raizo are the family's retainers.
 * The samurai and Momonosuke have been on the run from the Beasts Pirates, who have taken over Wano Country and killed Momonosuke's parents. Oden had sailed with Gol D. Roger to Laugh Tale, and Kaidou wanted to find out the secret he discovered there.
 * After hearing about this, the Straw Hats, Heart Pirates, and Mink Tribe agree to form an alliance with the samurai to take down Kaidou and liberate Wano, known as the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance, which lasted until the conclusion of the Wano Country Arc.
 * Inuarashi has suspected that there is a traitor among the group after Jack's second attack in Zou. It is revealed in the Wano Country arc that Kanjuro works as a spy and led Jack to Zou during this arc.
 * The four Road Poneglyph are established, which will give coordinates to four islands that will pinpoint the location of Laugh Tale.
 * By finding the road Poneglyph on Zou, the Straw Hats manage to read their first one.
 * The locations of the other three Road Poneglyphs are revealed: one is lost, one is in Kaidou's possession, and one is in Big Mom's possession.
 * Nekomamushi reveals that the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates disappeared after being defeated by the Blackbeard Pirates a year ago. This gave Blackbeard the title of Emperor.
 * Nekomamushi intends to find and recruit the Whitebeard Pirates in order to get them to join their alliance.
 * Before departing from Zou with the Sanji Retrieval Team, Nami receives an upgraded Sorcery Clima-Tact from Usopp.
 * The rulers of several countries begin journeying to the upcoming Levely.
 * Nefertari Cobra intends to ask the World Government about the Poneglyph located in Arabasta Kingdom.
 * The royal family of Fish-Man Island gains enough signatures on Queen Otohime's petition for humans and fish-men to coexist, and they convince Shirahoshi to come along so they can present the petition at Levely.
 * Sterry has become king of the Goa Kingdom.
 * Kaidou discovers that Doflamingo's SMILE supply has ended, though he still refuses to pay any mind to Luffy and Law.
 * Kaidou has beaten and imprisoned Eustass Kid, and Scratchmen Apoo is revealed as being subservient to him after his encounter with their alliance.
 * During the journey to Whole Cake Island, the Sanji Retrieval Team learns of the Blackbeard Pirates' raid on the Revolutionary Army's headquarters on Baltigo.
 * While reading, Luffy is able to see his father's face clearly for the first time in his life.

Trivia

 * This is the first arc in which Luffy does not interact with the main antagonist of the arc, in this case, Jack.
 * This is the second arc where Luffy does not fight with the main antagonist. The first was the Amazon Lily Arc.

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