Chapter 697

A flashback opens the chapter with Law cautioning Luffy against treating the Emperors lightly, recalling that each had once contested Whitebeard over turf. By his math, even their joined crews carry only about a thirty percent shot at toppling Kaidou, the creature he names the mightiest alive. Nami judges the odds far too poor and urges Luffy to refuse, yet he commits to the partnership anyway. Returning to the present, Law mentions to Smoker that Green Bit is his next stop and that the Straw Hats keep him plenty busy.

The rescued children prepare to sail off aboard the tanker with the G-5 unit. Doflamingo, gliding above the New World, spots a drifting raft bearing the severed heads of Baby 5 and Buffalo plus a Den Den Mushi. The pair confess they could not reclaim Kaesar, and their captain shrugs it off. The snail then carries Law's voice, opening negotiations that leave the Warlord rattled.

Smoker grants the Straw Hats their freedom a second time, letting Luffy, Law, Kin'emon, and Momonosuke depart while Tashigi escorts the children home. The G-5 troops loudly insult the pirates, a ruse they tearfully admit keeps the kids from idolizing outlaws. Tashigi calls the act shameful before the soldiers break down. Out at sea, Law severs Baby 5 and Buffalo's heads with his fruit, sending them adrift for Doflamingo to discover. The chapter confirms Doflamingo supplies the artificial fruits to Kaidou, his single most vital trade partner.

Through the snail, Law lays out his terms: surrender the Warlord rank or watch Kaidou turn on him once the Smile supply dries up. Should the next morning's paper announce the resignation, talks continue; otherwise the offer dissolves and Doflamingo faces Kaidou's wrath alone. The Warlord, exposed to the admirals by such a step, shows genuine frustration for the first time.

Law fixes the chance of beating Kaidou at roughly thirty percent and implies the Emperor may not even be human. The cover continues the Caribou serial, where the old woman who nursed him single-handedly drives off the strange soldiers. Vergo appears briefly within the flashback. Nami notes that Vegapunk intends to help reverse the side effects of the addictive candy fed to Chopper's young patients.