Chapter 648

Chapter 648 is called "The Path Towards the Sun".

Cover Page
From the Decks of the World Vol. 31- "Skypiea - God's Guards".

Short Summary
The Sea Kings give a speech to Shirahoshi about her and their role as they carry Noah to the Sea Forest, surprising Hatchan, Den and Keimi. Shirahoshi then swims away to catch Luffy. The mermaids that have been kidnapped were found at Ryugu Palace and the treasury was emptied. At the Gyoncorde Plaza, close to the Thousand Sunny the Straw Hats wait. Chopper can't walk due to using his monster point and Robin is holding him. Neptune and the princes bring Hody Jones and Vander Decken IX to the plaza and tie them up. Then Shirahoshi arrives with Luffy crying for help. Luffy lost a large amount of blood and he needs a transfusion. Chopper asks out for one and Jinbe offers to donate. After Luffy regains consciousness, he asks Jinbe to join his crew.

Long Summary
The Sea Kings are talking to Shirahoshi. They tell her that they have been waiting for her for a long time. They explain that Noah was made to be pulled by Sea Kings, which they were told a long time ago. They have been waiting hundreds of years for a queen, and for some unknown reason, their queen just happened to take the form of a mermaid. The Ammo Knights in the air tank are watching what is happening and reporting it to the people on the island. They see that the Sea Kings are not harming Luffy and are supporting Noah. The guards speculate that maybe Noah is important to them. Fukaboshi and his brothers are watching and listening as well, amazed that their sister can talk to Sea Kings. Neptune then declares that the power which has the potential to destroy the world has been awakened.

The Sea Kings gently lower Noah so that the bubble around it gets absorbed into the island's bubble. One of them advises Shirahoshi to grab Luffy, as it is not safe for him to be on the seafloor. Shirahoshi quickly goes to grab him. The Sea Kings then begin to tow Noah away from the island. While they travel, one of them thought Luffy could hear their voices when they were communicating with Shirahoshi. At first the others doubt it, but then they remember back to when another human, Gol D. Roger, also heard them. There is a brief flashback to Roger asking Silvers Rayleigh if he heard a voice just then. Rayleigh says he couldn't hear anything. Roger then calls out, asking who is talking below the waves. The Sea Kings discuss whether or not Noah could be repaired as they place it down next to the Sea Forest, where Keimi, Den, and Hatchan are incredibly frightened to see them. They agree that it can be fixed, but they themselves cannot do it. They leave, saying they will return when the promised time comes.

At Ryugu Palace, the Minister of the Left is called by the soldiers. It turns out that all of the kidnapped mermaids have been found inside the castle and are perfectly fine, aside from still being a little dazed from what happened, reporting that they cannot clearly remember their kidnapper's appearance. On the flipside, all of the treasure stored in the palace is gone, including the Tamatebako. The Minister of the Left comments to Neptune that someone was trying to get the king out of the palace. Neptune tells him not to bother and to leave whoever stole the treasure alone, saying everything is fine if that is all they lost. He then tells the minister to inform the people that the mermaids are safe, the Straw Hat Pirates are innocent, and that they made a mistake. At Gyoncorde Plaza, everyone is happy to hear that the Straw Hats have been vindicated for a crime they did not commit.

The lower-subordinates of the New Fishman Pirates try to escape, only to have their path blocked by Jinbe. The fishman pirates argued that they followed Hody out of fear and the former human slaves state that they did not have anything to do with starting the civil war. Jinbe responds by saying that every last one of them is waiting on death row until Neptune decides otherwise and he will shoot down anyone who tries to escape. At the Thousand Sunny, someone asks Chopper if he is alright. He responds that he is fine, but using Monster Point leaves his body completely drained for two to three hours. He is now lying completely immobile, with his head resting in Robin's lap, much to Sanji's jealousy. Chopper says he can still treat people and asks if anyone has any wounds. Just then, the princes come down into the plaza, carrying the unconscious bodies of Hody Jones and Vander Decken IX. They bind the two pirates in chains, saying they will never be free again, and that the people of the island can relax.

Everyone is commenting on what a monster Hody is when they hear crying. Shirahoshi comes in carrying Luffy, in tears since she cannot stop Luffy's bleeding and asks for help. Chopper yells for someone to get a tourniquet out of his backpack, and Robin places him face down on the ground to do so. She then holds Chopper up by his cheeks saying she will move his body for him. As Shirahoshi watches, Chopper tells her that he stopped the bleeding, but Luffy needs a blood transfusion. He then asks if anyone in the crew has F-type blood. Franky tells him that Luffy is the only one in the crew with that blood type and suggests asking someone else in the plaza. Several of the spectators are hesitant to say their blood type and Chopper remembers the old law in place in the kingdom that forbids cross-species transfusions. Shirahoshi asks if her blood will work since even though it was a different type, it is still red. Chopper tells her he appreciates the thought. Everyone is surprised then when Jinbe steps forward, saying he has F-type blood and they can use as much as they need. When Chopper tries to bring up the law, Jinbe simply responds that he is a pirate. Everyone cheers, but the Minister of the Left is shocked by it. Neptune asks him what is wrong with it, saying that law is another "curse" the country has.

A narration takes over, saying that in spite of pain, and the pain that draws blood, the blood of prejudice will be cleansed with the blood of war. And in an instant, it is all washed away, revealing the path onward to the sun. After the transfusion, Luffy, with his eyes still closed, says Jinbe's name. Everyone is overjoyed to see he has regained consciousness. Fukaboshi tearfully tells his mother that they have gone back to zero. Luffy then asks Jinbe to join his crew.

Chapter Notes

 * Wiper, Kamakiri, Braham, and Genbo are shown for the first time after the timeskip and are seen to be God's royal guards.
 * It is revealed that Noah was made for the Sea Kings to pull. The Sea Kings place Noah in the Sea Forest and plan to fix the ship.
 * Luffy and Gol D. Roger are the only known humans that have heard the voices of Sea Kings.
 * The mermaids that Caribou kidnapped have been found in Ryugu Palace, but all the treasure including the national treasure, Tamatebako, has been stolen. The misunderstandings with the Straw Hats have been cleared, but the citizens still haven't learned the kidnapper's identity.
 * Hody Jones and Vander Decken IX are both arrested.
 * The formerly berserk transformation that Chopper undergoes is confirmed to be called Monster Point. If Chopper uses this Point, he is unable to walk for 2-3 hours.
 * Luffy's and Jinbe's blood types are revealed to both be type F. Jinbe donates his blood to Luffy although it is forbidden. Jinbe states that the laws mean nothing to him since he is a pirate.
 * Neptune acknowledges that the blood transfusion law on Fishman Island is another curse.
 * Franky reveals another one of his new hairstyles.
 * Luffy asks Jinbe to join his crew.