Chapter 156

Almost a week out from Drum Island, the crew finds its supplies running thin. Steam vented by underwater volcanoes blankets the sea, and while passing through it Luffy and Usopp spot a flamboyant swan-costumed figure floundering in the water. They haul him aboard, and the rescued okama explains that he carries the power of a Devil Fruit. He delights Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper with a demonstration, copying the face of anyone he touches, and a fast bond forms between them. The reunion does not last. A pirate vessel pulls alongside to collect its captain, and as his crew salutes him the cheerful guest is named Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. The Straw Hats abruptly grasp that their new friend is a foe.

Luffy and his crewmates pull a drowning okama from the sea and quickly befriend him, only to learn moments later that he is Mr. 2 Bon Kurei of Baroque Works. His ability comes from the Mane Mane no Mi, which lets him store and wear the features of anyone he has touched. During his performance he absorbs the faces of every Straw Hat except Sanji, and the likeness of King Cobra also surfaces in the display. Realizing an enemy can now impersonate them, the crew resolves to prepare a defense.

The color spread opens the chapter with the boys of the crew, clad in scavenged scraps, readying for combat under the bones of a colossal beast in a desert. This entry belongs to the Arabasta arc and introduces the copying threat that will complicate the crew's landing on the desert kingdom. Cobra's face appearing during the imitation show foreshadows the political stakes ahead.