Chapter 49

Zeff knows of a man whose hawk-like eyes fit the figure Gin describes, and reasons that anyone able to wipe out an entire fleet must be the one he has in mind. The earlier confusion on Zoro's face is now explained: this is the swordsman he has been chasing, and a tip from Johnny had placed the man somewhere close. Sanji wonders aloud whether the attacker held a grudge, but Gin recalls none, saying the assault came without cause. Zeff shrugs that such oddities are routine on the Grand Line, a remark that only lights a fire under Luffy, who insists the crew must sail there, with Zoro agreeing that his own goal points the same way.

When Sanji writes them off as fools charging toward death, Zoro replies that he gave up every claim on his life the day he vowed to stand as the finest swordsman alive, so he alone holds the right to call himself a fool. The conviction plainly moves Sanji and draws a quiet smile from Zeff before Patty barges in with a reminder that the enemy fleet still sits just outside. Revived by the food Zeff gave them, Krieg's men cheer at having survived the Grand Line, only to be ordered straight back; their captain guns down a man who objects and announces they will take the Baratie, dismissing the chefs as no threat. As the assault begins, the pirates' galleon is suddenly carved in two. Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp dash outside in fear for the Going Merry and find Johnny and Yosaku flailing in the water with terrible news: Nami has made off with the ship and everything they owned. At the same moment, Zeff catches sight of a man drifting toward them aboard a tiny craft.

Zoro is confirmed to be after the same swordsman who destroyed Krieg's crew. Krieg sets his plan to steal the Baratie and head back to the Grand Line in motion. Nami pitches Johnny and Yosaku overboard and takes the Going Merry. The legendary swordsman, later named Dracule Mihawk, debuts here, drawn only as a shadowed silhouette. This chapter's cover art was later reworked for the credits montage of the first One Piece movie.