Return to Sabaody Arc

Also known by fans as the reunion chapter, this entry is the twenty-fourth in the series and launches both the Fish-Man Island Saga and the entire second half of the story. With only five chapters, it ranks among the shortest arcs in the manga.

The timeskip has reshaped the world: the Marine headquarters has relocated, Sabaody has slid into greater chaos, and rumors swirl that the long-dead Straw Hats are alive and recruiting. Scattered across the planet by Bartholomew Kuma, the nine crewmates have each spent two years training, and the archipelago becomes the agreed point where they will gather once more.

Luffy collects his hat and parts from the Kuja Pirates and Hancock, then slips onto the island in disguise. Meanwhile a gang of frauds led by a low-bounty crook named Demaro Black parades around posing as the famous crew, gathering recruits and bullying bystanders, with the brutal Caribou brothers among their followers. The real members trickle back one by one: Sanji returns from the okama kingdom, Zoro arrives by way of a wrong ship, Nami and Usopp reunite, Chopper is fooled by the fakes, and Brook performs a farewell concert as the superstar Soul King.

When the counterfeit Luffy tries to intimidate the genuine article, Luffy shrugs him off and flattens the impostors with a burst of Supreme King Haki. The Marines, tipped off and reinforced, close in with Sentomaru and his Pacifista units, exposing the fakes and igniting a brawl. The reunited Straw Hats display their growth in dazzling fashion: Luffy downs a Pacifista in a single blow, Zoro and Sanji shatter another together, and Rayleigh watches with quiet pride as Luffy declares he will become Pirate King.

Back aboard the freshly coated Thousand Sunny, the whole crew assembles at last. Boa Hancock's vessel blocks pursuing Marine ships, and the Straw Hats' many allies from their separation, including Heracles, the Weatheria scientists, Perona, and the okama, hold off the rest. Franky expands the coating into a protective bubble, and the ship sinks beneath the waves.

The arc reintroduces the entire crew after their two-year absence and confirms how dramatically the world has shifted, including Akainu's eventual promotion to Fleet Admiral and the relocation of Marine command. Luffy's bounty has climbed to four hundred million following the war, and the crew finally resumes the voyage toward Fish-Man Island they had planned since their Water 7 days.

Brook is now publicly recognized not only for his old Rumbar Pirates fame but as a wanted Straw Hat. The Caribou Pirates, secretly intending to murder the crew from within, trail them downward, setting up trouble for the next leg of the journey as the Sunny descends toward the seafloor kingdom.