Chapter 1080

News travels across Hachinosu that Koby has broken out of confinement, freed by Perona, who had crept onto the island unnoticed. A flashback uncovers Teach's reasoning for taking him captive in the first place: a plan to win the pirate haven recognition as a true nation from the World Government. The Blackbeard commanders set out to recapture the escapee, but SWORD arrives and turns the tide, displaying their Devil Fruit abilities alongside Garp's overpowering Haki.

Avalo Pizarro, whose power comes from the Shima Shima no Mi, has fused himself with the whole of Hachinosu and feels the fleeing slaves stirring. To divert the chase from his fellow prisoners, Koby offers himself as bait. The flashback clarifies that Teach wanted him as leverage to be crowned king of a sanctioned country, while Kuzan lays out what SWORD truly is: agents who relinquish their Marine codes to operate free of protocol, knowing the government may sever ties with them whenever it pleases. New crew powers come to light too, among them Vasco Shot's Gabu Gabu no Mi and Sanjuan Wolf's body-enlarging Deka Deka no Mi.

Perona's price for releasing Koby was that he free the imprisoned Gecko Moria. His Cross Guild bounty carries five stars, far outranking the single star of a typical Marine captain, the difference owing to the heroism he earned during the Rocky Port Incident. The SWORD members each reveal a power: Kujaku, Tsuru's granddaughter, wields the Muchi Muchi no Mi to dominate whatever her whip strikes, Prince Grus shapes clay with the Gunyo Gunyo no Mi, and Hibari fires GP Flower rounds. Garp hurls his ship into the sky and obliterates the pirates with Galaxy Impact, framing the blow as payback for the abduction of his cherished protege. This is an Egghead Arc chapter, with a cover by PN Aoi Akamine of Kawamatsu and Hiyori enjoying origami.