Chapter 1081

Chapter 1081 is titled "Tenth Ship Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Kuzan".

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Short Summary
During the operation to rescue Koby, Garp's team comes under attack from their former comrade Kuzan, now one of the titanic captains of the Blackbeard Pirates, forcing Garp to engage him, as a flashback occurs to reveal how Kuzan joined their group. Meanwhile, the Heart Pirates have been defeated by Blackbeard himself, forcing Bepo to use a drug developed by Chopper to change into Sulong form to get Law to safety.

Long Summary
Garp lands on the island and Prince Grus uses his Devil Fruit powers to cushion Garp’s ship’s fall. He tells the pirates that if they so much as blink, he’ll hurt them bad, only to see that everyone was already unconscious. He comments that he feels he’s lost his touch, which leaves the other pirates incredulous after all the damage he caused. He sees Koby and Hibari run to him as Helmeppo cries tears of joy that Koby is okay. However, Hibari is suddenly frozen solid, courtesy of Kuzan, who is revealed to be the tenth Titanic Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates.

Koby begs for Kuzan to thaw out Hibari but he refuses, saying that it would look bad for them if Koby escaped while Blackbeard was away. As it turns out, roughly a year after Kuzan’s battle with Akainu for the position of Fleet Admiral, the Blackbeard Pirates crossed paths with Kuzan who was drinking in a bar. Blackbeard asks Kuzan why he froze his crew before demanding he undo it, but Kuzan tells him to calm down and that his crew were the ones who decided to pick a fight with him. Eventually, Kuzan does thaw everyone out and he ends up having a drink with Blackbeard and his crew as he talks about his battle with Akainu.

At one point, Catarina Devon asks Kuzan if he knows anything about “the man marked by flames”. When Kuzan inquires what she means, Jesus Burgess tells him about the Road Poneglyphs and how Kaidou and Big Mom are known to have one each, but they don’t know the location of the other two, though they heard a rumor that the man marked by flames has one. Kuzan jokingly says he’s the one they’re talking about (but of course, no one buys it) and Laffitte says that that man sails a pitch black ship and anyone who sails close to him gets swallowed up by a whirlpool. Shiryu believes the man works for the World Government, reasoning that they would want to hide one of the Road Poneglyphs to prevent other pirates from finding the One Piece.

Kuzan tells the Blackbeard Pirates that the Poneglyphs only give him bitter memories; though he says he didn’t see a red Poneglyph on Ohara, he mainly remembers his friend and Nico Robin, and how he chose to take fate into his own hands. The others aren’t moved by Kuzan’s sob story as Laffitte asks Blackbeard if they should kill him and take his Devil Fruit for themselves. Kuzan hears this and gets angry, but Blackbeard tells him that he has no intention of doing so. In fact, he wants Kuzan to join his crew. Kuzan refuses to join up at first, but Blackbeard points out that he considers his pirate crew a gang of people looking out for their own interests. Besides, he doesn’t work for the World Government anymore, so he can do whatever he wants.

In the present, Garp demands Kuzan thaw out Hibari, but he tells him that he has always admired how direct Garp is, and it’s because of that he wants to do things on his own terms. He asks if Garp can seriously kill his former number one protégé to save his new favorite as he freezes him with Ice Ball, but Garp breaks out and reminds Kuzan that he taught him to live in the now. He then tells Kuzan that only weaklings lose their way as he grabs him by the face and slams him through the ground in a move called Blue Hole.

Meanwhile, on Winner Island, Blackbeard has defeated Trafalgar Law and destroyed the Polar Tang. He tells him that the hearts he stole at Rocky Port are still on Hachinosu and he should probably kill him and bring his heart there for the others. As he debates on what to do with the Ope Ope no Mi, Bepo attacks him in his Sulong form, which he assumed thanks to a special drug Chopper gave him. He buys himself enough time to grab Law and jump into the ocean, but Law tells him to go back for the crew. Bepo tells him he can’t, but he has faith they will survive as he desperately begs his captain not to die.

The narration then declares that the Heart Pirates were soundly defeated on Winner Island.

Chapter Notes

 * Garp and SWORD reunite with Koby.
 * Hibari is frozen by Kuzan.
 * Kuzan is revealed to be the final Titanic Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates and begins to fight Garp.
 * One year after his battle against Sakazuki, Kuzan got into a scuffle with the Blackbeard Pirates, but eventually started getting friendly with them.
 * Blackbeard invited Kuzan into his crew following this event.
 * The Blackbeard Pirates ask Kuzan if he knows something about the "man with the burn scar" first mentioned by Kid in Chapter 1056.
 * Blackbeard believes this man might hold the fourth and last Road Poneglyph.
 * According to Lafitte, this man rides around the New World in a black ship and is capable of causing whirlpools that suck him any other approaching ships.
 * Blackbeard and Law have concluded their fight, ending in Blackbeard's victory.
 * The Polar Tang has been destroyed and sunk.
 * Blackbeard states that the one hundred pirates Law stole the hearts from during the Rocky Port Incident are still alive at Hachinosu.
 * At some point, Chopper developed a drug that allows Minks to turn into Sulong without the need of the full moon. He then gave some to Bepo.
 * Bepo utilizes the drug to turn into a Sulong and rescues Law from Blackbeard.
 * The narration announces the defeat of the Heart Pirates as Law and Bepo escape Winner Island.