Chapter 644

Chapter 644 is called "To Zero".

Cover Page
From the Decks of the World Vol. 27 - "Jaya - South Bird ♥ North Bird → West Bird & East Bird".

Short Summary
Noah continues falling toward Fishman Island while a flashback of Hody's appears. In the Fishman District, Hody and the New Fishman Pirates officers were taught as kids that the humans are an inferior species and they should be punished by heaven. The flashback moves forward in time when Hody was a Neptune Army member and he and his crew commit crimes, celebrate the death of Otohime, and start producing Energy Steroids and the flashback ends. Fukaboshi gives an emotional speech to the whole island about the cause of this event and begs Luffy to create a new beginning. Luffy then tells Fukaboshi to leave everything to him and his crew. After the discussion ends, Hody catches up to Luffy and Shirahoshi and Luffy punches him with an exploding punch.

Long Summary
The whole island is in a panic as the evacuation continues and the impending arrival of Noah looms ever closer. People are confused by what Fukaboshi is saying about Hody. Outside the island, Hody is laughing hysterically as he chases Luffy and Shirahoshi, his muscles continuing to expand. Shirahoshi remarks he looks even scarier than before. Hody then has a flashback.

In the Fishman District, a fishman is preaching in the street about how humans are an inferior species that is running rampant and threatening fishmenkind. A very young Hody Jones listens to this and seems to take it to heart. The scene changes to a fishman talking about someone blowing up a slave shop on the surface. A memorial wreath is in front of a large picture of the fishman in question. People are standing around it, saying that he died, but took eight humans with him and caused widespread disaster on the surface. Hody comments that it serves the humans right, and Ikaros Much praises the man, saying he wants to be a hero too. The scene changes to another time in the Fishman District, where someone is saying Arlong sank a human pirate ship. Arlong is talking about how fishmen were chosen by heaven to get rid of the trash that is humanity. The humans feared this, so they decided to persecute the fishmen. In the end the humans won because of their superior numbers.

Later, Hatchan is telling Hody, Shirley, and some other children about a human friend he has on the surface, Silvers Rayleigh, and speaking highly of him. Hody turns and leaves, saying Hatchan's story makes him want to vomit. Hody then watches some fishmen at a rally of some kind, saying their day of vengeance will soon come. In the next scene someone is talking about the recent death of Fisher Tiger. Zeo comments that Tiger wasn't the chosen one either. The New Fishman Pirate officers are then seen wearing black leather masks, leading a group of people holding torches. They approach a man's home. The man had donated blood to a human, and that would not be tolerated. They burned his house to the ground and strangled the man in front of his children.

The scene changes to Hody, now a member of the army, talking to the officers. He was saying that everyone from the royal family on down has lost their minds and yielded to humans. Ikaros asks if Hody heard about Jinbe joining the Shichibukai. Hody says that Arlong is the only true pirate left. In the next scene, someone cries out that the main island is in a panic, people had discovered that Otohime's killer was a human. People became angry at the royal family for not doing anything. Hody and the officers are then seen toasting beer saying the shameless have been judged and that it is the natural order for those who yield to humans to die. Hody then puts a bag on the table, saying heaven has given them power. The officers are shocked at what they see. Hody asks Zeo if he can mass produce them, and Zeo says he will give it a try. They are next seen with the New Fishman Pirates jolly roger, saying they will dedicate their lives to killing humans.

The flashback ends. Hody tells Luffy he has given up his life this vengeance. In the air tank, the guards are taking aim at Noah through a crosshair. They fire the bubble. Fukaboshi is then seen realizing that he has failed. They have cast off the emotions of fishmen, exiling them to the Fishman District, ignoring the grudge that was slowly growing among them. They were focusing too much on progress. He then remembers his mother saying people should not pass on their hate to their children, but he realizes that has already happened. People must first fight within themselves. He then declares that Otohime was killed by Fishman Island's grudge. The regrets of the dead should stay with the dead. A grudge is something people make to feed on others, and the grudge of the Fishman District has been fed by their hatred for humanity. By the time anyone noticed, it had grown too big to contain. He then tells Luffy that they don't need the past, and asks him to bring everything back to zero, to purge the old ghosts living in the shadows. The guards in the air tank are celebrating, as the bubble has successfully surrounded Noah. He asks Luffy to bring the island back to zero.

Hody tells Fukaboshi he can talk all he wants, but hatred is eternal. Luffy tells Fukaboshi through the baby Den Den Mushi to let him take care of this, and he can take a seat and relax. He tells Fukaboshi, as well as everyone on the island through the intercom, that from the moment they entered the plaza they decided they wouldn't let anyone touch the island and to leave everything to them; adding that they are friends after all, which bring tears of happiness into Fukaboshi's eyes. The residents suddenly stop running. The Minister of the Right looks up and wonders if the Straw Hats are the kind of humans they had been doubting. Touched by Luffy's words, some of the residents decided to stay on the island until the end of the battle. The guards tell Luffy that Noah has air in it. Luffy tells Shirahoshi to stay by his side and he won't let her get hurt. Luffy pulls back his arm, hardening his fist with Busoshoku Haki as Hody charges at him. He then hits Hody with Gomu Gomu no Red Hawk, an incendiary attack so powerful it causes a fiery explosion to erupt from out of Hody's back.

Chapter Notes

 * There are north birds, east birds, and west birds in addition to south birds. Apparently the South Bird fell in love with a north bird and their kids are an east bird and a west bird.
 * More of the past of the New Fishman Pirates is revealed.
 * It is revealed that Zeo is a chemist, as he was the one who Hody asked to mass-produce the Energy Steroids.
 * Ikaros Much's friend Daidalos can be seen next to him when they are children.
 * A younger Shirley can be seen.
 * In one of the panels, the New Fishman Pirates are shown wearing black hoods and burning another fishman's house for helping a human. This is similar to how the Ku Klux Klan wore white hoods and burned downed other southerners' houses during and after the Civil War for helping people of African descent that were being discriminated against.
 * The air bubble is succesfully placed around Noah.
 * For the first time, Luffy uses a Gear Second attack without using "Jet" in its name. This is also Luffy's first fire based attack.
 * Pandaman appears on page 12, in the fifth panel where Fukaboshi preached about the signatures, directly underneath the speech bubble.