Episode 439

"Luffy's Treatment Begins - Iva-san's Miraculous Power!!" is the 439th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
Emporio Ivankov displays some of his powers, including stopping a vengeful pirate's cannon shot merely by winking and then turning him into a woman. Ivankov tells Bon Clay that he saved him because Luffy begged him to, and he is healing Luffy with his hormone-based powers, which only work on those with extraordinary will to live. Unfortunately, the treatment takes 10 years off of Luffy's lifespan, leaves him in agonizing pain, and will last over two days, with Ace's execution coming in only 16 hours.

Long Summary
While Ivankov is dancing around and joking with his followers, an intruder interrupts and declares that his father, once a king, one day paid a visit to Kamabakka Kingdom - and came back an okama! Because of this, the king's country and family were ruined, and his son was reduced from his princely state to a mere pirate. He fires his handheld cannon in vengeance, but Ivankov uses his Death Wink to repel the cannonball back at him, he then injects the burly man with female hormones and transforms him into a sexy female lady with huge female features. The intruder flees in embarrassment. After witnessing this "miracle", Bentham begs Ivankov to save Luffy. Ivankov leads Bentham down a deserted corridor and says the only reason he helped them was because Luffy, writhing in pain, begged them to save his friend earlier. He has been under treatment for 10 hours.

Meanwhile on Level 5, Buggy and Galdino are seen running away from wolves on stilts made from wax. Ivankov and Bentham arrive outside a door that has been chained shut, through which Luffy's screams of agony can be heard. Ivankov informs Bentham that Luffy still has 2 more days of treatment to endure. Meanwhile Luffy, chained down inside the chamber, recalls the memory of himself and Ace as children laughing and talking by a cliff overlooking the ocean. At the end it is declared that only 16 hours are left until Ace's execution.

Anime Notes

 * While Buggy and Galdino are running from the wolves on stilts, they break the 4th wall saying to camera, "for those of you born after the 90's, these are traditional bamboo stilts".
 * This episode contains the first flashback of Ace and Luffy together, back when they were growing up in East Blue.