Episode 650

"Luffy and the Gladiator of Fate - Rebecca" is the 650th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
As Luffy leaves the ring after winning Block C of the tournament, he is attacked by Cavendish. Bartolomeo reveals his connection to Luffy, and Chinjao attempts to thank Luffy for restoring his head. Luffy escapes and is found by Rebecca, who buys him food. As they hide, Luffy overhears Jesus Burgess talking to his captain, Blackbeard, and tells the Emperor that he will not let him have Ace's devil fruit. As Rebecca and Luffy talk, she reveals some of her past.

Long Summary
The winners from the previous blocks of the Corrida Colosseum: Jesus Burgess from Block A, Bartolomeo from Block B and Luffy still in the disguise of Lucy, are mentioned once again. Due to the repairs on the destroyed arena caused by the fight between Luffy and Chinjao, the start of the Block D competition is delayed by fifteen minutes.

As Luffy leaves the ring, Cavendish attacks him with Durandal, but Luffy dodges all the strikes.The fight catches the attention of Bartolomeo, who is annoyed with Cavendish for wanting to kill Luffy. A couple of competitors overheard Cavendish mentioning Luffy's epithet, and mock Luffy not being able to save Ace in the "War of the Best". Bartolomeo uses his devil fruit powers to crush the man against a wall, as the man threatens that he is a noble. Bartolomeo grabs the competitors tongue and says that Luffy will become the future Pirate King. He begins to explain his past with the pirate.

Two years ago, Bartolomeo was at Loguetown, when Luffy was about to be executed by Buggy on the same platform where Gol D. Roger was executed. At the last second, a lightning strike hit the sword, destroying the platform and saving Luffy's life. This amazed and inspired Bartolomeo, who started to read every news story about the Straw Hat's actions in the Grand Line. Eventually, after the events at Marineford, he set out to become a pirate, forming the Barto Club. Bartolomeo then threatens the noble's tongue with a knife, before beating him up.

Meanwhile, Luffy manages to grab Cavendish's sword, and the two struggle to overcome one another. Bartolomeo tries to get Cavendish's attention, but is too awestruck by Luffy to speak properly. Chinjao, Sai and Boo, leaving the ring, call to Luffy to thank him for returning Chinjao's drill-shaped head. The old pirate says that he will not hold any grudge against Garp anymore, and bows his head, accidentally splitting the floor. Luffy, not paying attention and assuming that Chinjao wants to fight him again, runs away amidst the confusion, with Cavendish, Bartolomeo and the Chinjao Family following him.

After escaping from them, Luffy is found by Rebecca, who leads him away. While he is running, Luffy spots Jesus Burgess talking to his captain, Blackbeard. Burgess tells Blackbeard that he cannot trust Aokiji, to which Blackbeard notes the same can be said of their crewmate, Shiryu. After Burgess notifies Blackbeard of Luffy's presence, the Emperor tells Luffy that Burgess will win the Mera Mera no Mi, and brags that it will be just like having Ace in his crew. As Rebecca leads Luffy away, he says to her that Burgess will not win the fruit. He passes by a stall and starts eating, asking if there are any more free samples. Rebecca buys some of them for him, and Luffy thanks her. When they stop to eat, Rebecca tells Luffy that they are in the quarters of the gladiators, and mentions that some of them call it a prison.

When Luffy asks Rebecca if she is hungry, Rebecca remembers some of her childhood. When she was a young girl, she said to her mother that she was hungry, and her mother replied that they have not had anything for two days. Rebecca remembers seeing her dead mother, and replies to Luffy that she does not get hungry. One of the convict gladiators grabs Luffy, and he asks Rebecca what is going on. Rebecca picks up her sword and attacks Luffy. He avoids the attacks and pins her down, without dropping his food. Rebecca tells Luffy that he can do what he wants and that her real intention is to kill him, but he says that she had no intention of killing him. Luffy is surprised by the convict gladiators, since they are all injured and covered with bandages. The convict gladiators tell Luffy that they fought in the Colosseum because they went against the Donquixote Family and according to the king, they will only be released when they win a thousand fights. After hearing this, Rebecca announces her desire to win the tournament and kill Donquixote Doflamingo.

Anime Notes

 * In the manga, Luffy caught Durandal the moment Cavendish attacked him. In the anime, Luffy dodged several of Cavendish's strikes before catching his sword.
 * In the manga, while Bartolomeo was gazing at the Straw Hats' bounty posters during his flashback, he told his subordinate to throw away an enemy's finger. In the anime, he told his subordinate to dump some defeated soldiers in the water instead.
 * In the manga, while Bartolomeo was expressing his anger at the man who mocked Luffy, he stabbed the man's tongue. In the anime, he threatened his tongue with the knife, but then beat him up.
 * In the manga, when Luffy asked Rebecca if she was hungry, a flashback only shows her telling her mother that she was hungry. The anime extends on this flashback, showing her mother's response, followed by Rebecca looking shocked at her mother's dead body.