Chapter 596

Over on Weatheria, Nami fools the scholars yet again and chooses to stay so she can study the savage skies of the New World, where one island endures a rain made of lightning. Haredas tells her that only a skilled navigator survives such conditions. Knowing Luffy fights recklessly and has no feel for direction, Nami concludes she must master the worst storms herself if she is to steer him toward the throne. She also pushes Haredas to explain how the Weather Balls are built, though he balks, wary of seeing his creation become a weapon, a hesitation that does not wipe the scheming smirk off her face.

Caged as a freak-show attraction on Kenzan Island, Brook frustrates his Longarm captors by sitting motionless with a newspaper, lost in the memory of being recruited by Luffy. Resolving to make himself more useful, he tips over at an angle, snaps upright, and treats the onlookers to a number he calls Bone to be Wild. Robin, meanwhile, departs with the Revolutionaries, a group that, unlike almost everyone in her past, holds no scorn for the so-called demon child. They sail for Baltigo because Dragon wishes to meet her; when she refuses the warm cabin out of habitual distrust, they bury her in blankets and carry their hot meals out on deck instead. To her own surprise, she realizes she wants strength not only for herself but for Luffy. Franky, mistaken by the Marines for a cyborg gorilla blamed for wrecking Vegapunk's lab, holes up in the lab's exposed half to mine the doctor's blueprints. Usopp, accepting that he must shed weight and toughen up, takes Heracles as his master.

The chapter settles a long-standing question: the struck-through letter on Ace's arm had been a quiet nod to Sabo. A grown Sabo also turns up on the cover. Franky drapes a tiger rug over his frightening face to spare the locals; it ignites near a flame, and he flees the lab screaming and ablaze, leaving the chasing Marines convinced they saw a fiery demon. The myth they spread, naming Baldimore's Sacred Burning Beast, follows from that sight. Heracles begins drilling Usopp in the Pop Greens of the Boin Archipelago, seeds that sprout instantly and serve countless purposes.

Brook's tune riffs on Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild while poking fun at his skeletal body. With Zoro the lone member not pictured, the rest of the crew is clearly shown taking Luffy's wordless call to grow stronger to heart. Usopp vows to become the genuine Sniper King so that his captain can one day claim the title of Pirate King.