Amigasa Village

When Luffy admits that he too knew Ace, then lets slip that the man is gone, Tama collapses in disbelief. The bladesmith caring for her, Tenguyama Hitetsu, scolds the pirate for his bluntness and explains his own long wait at this ruined spot. The place was once Amigasa Village, leveled by X Drake, a fighter risen to headliner rank among the Beasts Pirates, after he cut down its five guardian samurai. With Kaidou's rule choking the land, only the Flower Capital still thrives. Hitetsu recalls how, roughly four years prior, famine nearly killed everyone here until Ace and his crew drifted ashore. The starving villagers seized the newcomers and their supplies, yet Ace shrugged off the treatment and lingered for weeks, which is when he and Tama formed their bond.

Determined to repay the girl, Luffy sets out to find a doctor along with food and water, dressing in a kimono on Hitetsu's advice. Against the smith's wishes he grabs a sword to pass as a samurai, unaware it is the cursed Great Grade blade Nidai Kitetsu forged by Hitetsu's ancestor Kotetsu. He charges off with Tama aboard Komachiyo. She wakes still insisting Luffy is lying, recalling Ace's promise to bring her along once she grew strong.

Reaching a vast contaminated badland, Luffy eyes the roaming beasts as game, but Tama warns they are poisoned from the tainted river, adding that Kaidou and the shogun keep private clean farms. Luffy then hears a woman being chased and finds two scouts robbing her, only for the pair to be sliced apart. Recognizing the swordsman scrounging for liquor, he calls out and reunites joyfully with Zoro. Their reunion is cut short by Basil Hawkins, who identifies the wanted Zoro and the trespassing Luffy. Hawkins declares that survival in Wano means either bowing to the powerful or hiding, and the two friends ready themselves for a brawl, joking that they will apologize to Kin'emon later.

Tama's history with Ace is laid out, and Hitetsu admits he is also awaiting someone's return. X Drake is tied to the destruction of her home and confirmed as a Beasts Pirates headliner. The capital, seat of Kurozumi Orochi, is named the country's last prosperous corner. Luffy unknowingly takes the Nidai Kitetsu. Zoro has somehow reclaimed Shusui and now carries a nationwide reputation as a criminal under the Zorojuro alias. The chapter shipped alongside the debut installment of Shokugeki no Sanji.