The chapter opens with the title text, "Chapter 524: \"Nobody Can Stop This Anymore\"." The cover story continues as "CP9 Independent Action Report Vol. 30: \"This is your former subordinate, Rob Lucci.\"" Rob Lucci appears battered and bandaged but conscious, holding a Den Den Mushi as he contacts Spandam, who is still wrapped up in intensive care. The composition splits between Lucci's hard stare and Spandam's swollen, immobilized face, making the call feel threatening rather than friendly. Other CP9 members and medical details crowd the edges of the image. This is cover-story material attached to the chapter opening; the manga-hosting footer is unrelated boilerplate.
Rob LucciSpandamCP9
01
The first scattered Straw Hat vignette begins on the Boin Archipelago in the Grand Line, where islands bloom in the ocean like flowers. Usopp's cry comes from the greenery: "UWAA, HELP ME!" A giant plant snaps at him while a masked warrior intervenes, shouting, "Take this!!!" and driving a long weapon into the creature with heavy impact sounds. Usopp screams "GYAAAAAAA!!!" as the plant's mouth opens wide, making wet "KISH! KISH...!!" noises. The warrior tells him, "Are you gonna eat this'n?" while Usopp rejects the idea with "As if I would!!!" He still thanks the stranger for saving him, even though he has no idea who the man is. A note says the stranger ends sentences with "n" a lot.
UsoppHeracles'nman-eating plant
02
The masked warrior introduces himself: "My name is Heracles'n!!" Usopp asks if that is so and says, "Wow, that's a cool name," then politely introduces himself: "I'm Usopp, nice to meet you!" Heracles'n assures him, "It's all right, Usopp'n. And my name is... Heracles'n," while Usopp awkwardly replies that this is cool. The man-eating plant attacks again with a huge "KYOOOOOO!!!" and "PAAAN!!!" Heracles'n tells Usopp to try licking the fruit first, because it is a man-eating plant. Usopp panics when he realizes, "Eh? Eh? Was this thing trying to eat me!?" Heracles'n explains that this is the Forest of Thieves, Greenstone, and warns that if Usopp does not want to lose his things or his life, he should take care.
UsoppHeracles'nman-eating plant
03
The scene jumps to the Grand Line, Namakura Island, in the country of poverty, Harahettanya, a name noted as a pun on being hungry. A storm rages over a ritual site while villagers shout that a demon has appeared. They believe their black magic has summoned something fearsome and not of this world. The starving villagers kneel around the pentagram and cry, "Our wish... has been granted. We might have our revenge!!!" They beg the "Demon King, Lord Satan" to fulfill their wish: revenge on the Long-Arm Tribe that stole everything from them. They say they have nothing left and are prepared to offer their souls, pleading for him to strike the enemy with a warm bloodbeam. In the ritual smoke lies Brook, silent and confused.
BrookHarahettanya villagersLong-Arm Tribe
04
Brook wakes in the ritual smoke and wonders, "Just how far did I fly...?" He asks himself, "Did I fly...?" and quickly remembers that he must return because everyone else is in danger. The villagers panic, thinking the demon is about to return to the underworld, and ask if their tribute is lacking or whether he needs a sacrifice or blood. A young girl watches in stunned silence as Brook rises from the smoke. Then Brook's usual nature breaks through the ominous mood: he politely asks, "Excuse me, could you show me your panties?" The villagers misinterpret the request as a demonic command and shout, "Panties!!!" and "Quickly, show him some panties!!!" Brook has landed in desperation and poverty, but his first spoken request is still absurdly Brook.
BrookHarahettanya villagersyoung girl
05
The focus shifts to East Blue, the country on a bridge, Tequila Wolf. Robin observes the enormous bridge in a snowy sea and says, "This is a country of laborers..." A foreman points and orders the workers to "Pull!!" while hundreds of chained people haul materials through the snow with a collective "UWOOOOOH...!!!" Robin notes that the workers here are either criminals gathered from every country or citizens of countries that refused to join the World Government. The guards treat them brutally, shouting "You useless piece of...!!!" as they whip and beat exhausted laborers. Someone explains plainly, "Well... they really are slaves..." The page reveals that Robin has been dropped into a massive forced-labor project hidden inside the Government's world.
Nico RobinTequila Wolf laborersTequila Wolf guardsWorld Government
06
Robin asks what they are building, and the answer is a gigantic bridge that connects two islands. The structure is still a long way from completion, because people keep collapsing and the overseers must bring in new workers. A guard explains that the bridge has been under construction for seven hundred years. Robin reacts in disbelief: "700 years...!?" and asks what it is even for. The guard snaps that she does not need to know where she came from; now that she is a laborer, all she needs to worry about is building the bridge. Robin stands in chains, wrists bound and face bruised, while the sound "JYARR..." marks the restraints. The page emphasizes the scale of Tequila Wolf and the cruelty of a project that consumes generations.
Nico RobinTequila Wolf guardTequila Wolf laborers
07
In the South Blue, Chopper lands in a giant nest beneath enormous birds. He groans "Uh..." while massive beaks and claws crash around him with a huge impact sound. The birds' scale dwarfs him, and he screams, "UWAAAAAAA AAH!!!" The terrified reindeer sees them clearly and stammers, "A m... m... monster bird...!!!" He knows he has to escape, but his body will not move. One huge bird pecks at his body with repeated "tsun! tsun!" sounds while Chopper cries, "GYAAAA, please stop... please... stop!!!" The scene makes his landing immediately dangerous: unlike the islands where his friends at least met people first, Chopper wakes already trapped as prey among giant birds.
Tony Tony Choppergiant birds
08
Chopper falls from the nest as the birds fight and scatter debris, with sounds like "Gasa gasa," "Baki baki," "Boyon!!" and "Dosa!!" He lands below and weakly cries, "H... help...!" A local spots him and says a tanuki fell out of the nest. Chopper immediately corrects them: "Stop...!! I'm a reindeer!!" The people decide to make a hot pot out of him, then pause when Chopper realizes he just spoke. The page identifies the place as a treasure island where the birds control the people, the Torino Kingdom, and a note explains that Torino can mean both bird and taking. The huge tree towers above the sea with nests stacked up its trunk, showing Chopper caught between fearful humans below and ruling birds above.
Tony Tony ChopperTorino Kingdom residentsgiant birds
09
On the Grand Line, Kuraigana Island, the ruins of the Shikkearu Kingdom rise under curling, sinister shadows. Perona sits on the steps before a dark castle and complains that she wanted to go somewhere dark and damp near an old castle, swirling with malice, and that she would like to pass the days singing cursed songs. She admits that if she were to take a trip, this is what she would have wanted, but she is still furious because Kuma never told her she would not have any servants, a fluffy bed, bagels, sandwiches, and warm cocoa. She yells that Kuma also never said she would not have cute stuffed animals. When a figure crashes nearby, she wonders where she is and cries that she wants to go back to Thriller Bark and Lord Moria.
PeronaBartholomew KumaGecko Moria
10
Perona sees something else flying toward Kuraigana Island and says, "I knew it!! I knew someone else would come flying here!!" A body smashes into the ground with a long "SUUIII..." and a heavy impact, and Perona reacts with a startled "Geh..." When the dust clears, the injured person is Zoro, bloodied and unconscious on the ground. Perona recognizes him with horror: "H... he's... one of the Straw Hats!!!" The page links her own forced relocation by Kuma with the Straw Hats' scattering and confirms that Zoro landed on the same ruined island. Perona's panic also shows how threatening the Straw Hats still seem to her, even with Zoro beaten nearly to death and unable to move.
PeronaRoronoa Zoro
11
Perona tends to Zoro in the gloomy castle and laughs that he must have been beaten by Kuma, because he looks like he is about to die. Zoro wakes under bandages and thinks back to Kuma's offer: "If you were to take a trip, where would you like to go...?" He realizes, "I'm alive..." then asks, "Where... am I?" The shock of remembering Kuma hits him, and he screams. Perona asks what is wrong with him and why he is suddenly yelling. Zoro, still barely conscious, asks where his swords are. Perona snaps, "You think I'd give you a weapon!?" The page captures Zoro's priorities perfectly: after nearly dying and waking in an unknown castle beside an enemy, his first practical concern is still his blades.
Roronoa ZoroPeronaBartholomew Kuma
12
Back in the present, the captain Luffy steadily crosses the waves toward the great prison Impel Down in order to free his brother Ace. A route map shows the Red Line, Mariejoa, Marine Headquarters, the Calm Belt, Impel Down, Enies Lobby, and Amazon Lily, emphasizing the Government current that carries the ship forward. Hancock catches Luffy's attention and says, "Remember this well, you dummy!" while he cries out because Salome has him clamped in hiding. In Hancock's room, she warns him that her meals are supposed to be 100 kilograms each, and any less will not satisfy her. Luffy apologizes desperately to the frightened Marines, asking if they wish to be turned to stone again, while Hancock maintains the cover story and orders everyone to be more careful.
Monkey D. LuffyBoa HancockSalomeMarine crewPortgas D. Ace
13
A Marine at the door glimpses Luffy's hand or movement and asks, "I... is that...!?" Another warns him that anyone who tries to peek into Hancock's room ends up like the burned, battered intruder lying outside the door. Inside, Hancock invites Luffy, "Luffy... come now... take a bite." Luffy eats the sea king ham and says it is ridiculously good. Hancock blushes at the compliment, saying that when he feeds her anything, it becomes the sweetest food in the world. Luffy, stuffed with food and lounging on Salome, tells her to eat too because the sea king ham is good. Hancock, overcome by the intimacy, thinks that to be talking like that is wonderful, while Luffy says he is fine and just feels full rather than hungry.
Monkey D. LuffyBoa HancockSalomeMarine crew
14
Luffy groans that he is stuffed, with a huge belch sound, then declares, "Damn that was good!!!" Hancock reminds him not to forget that he is supposed to be hiding. A knock comes at the door, and Marines ask if someone else is in her room. Luffy panics behind her and blurts, "Bu...!! Buheeh, I'm stuffed!!" The Marines debate whether they really heard something and joke that if Hancock said that, one of them will get a mohawk. Hancock calmly pushes out dirty plates and orders them taken away, saying she needs a meal like this five times a day. The Marines shout that it does not leave anything for them, while Hancock says she does not care if they all die. Even the crew admits she is terrible but beautiful.
Monkey D. LuffyBoa HancockMarine crewSalome
15
Narration states that Portgas D. Ace's public execution is six days away. Since Whitebeard destroyed all the patrol boats around him, tensions are running high at Marine Headquarters. Luffy sits in silence aboard the Marine ship, holding food but staring ahead with the weight of Ace's situation on his face. At the port in Marineford, more and more famous and powerful Marines arrive every day. The page shows grim officers and armed forces gathering under the towering structures of the headquarters, turning the setting into a military fortress preparing for war. The quiet panels contrast Luffy's private urgency with the public escalation around Ace's execution and Whitebeard's expected response.
Monkey D. LuffyBoa HancockPortgas D. AceWhitebeardMarine officers
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The buildup at Marine Headquarters continues. Narration says that all of the military forces serving under the banner of "Justice" have assembled there. The montage shows high-ranking Marines, soldiers in coats marked with justice, and the admirals' presence among the gathering forces. Kizaru stands in his striped suit, and other severe Marine officers and commanders fill the plaza and buildings. At the same time, in the Holy Land Mariejoa, nervous Marines swallow and stand guard as another dangerous group gathers. The page frames the conflict as a world-scale mobilization: the Navy is not merely waiting for Whitebeard, but concentrating every available force under its ideology of justice before the execution.
KizaruMarine officersMarine soldiersAdmiralsWorld Government
17
In Impel Down, Garp sits across from Ace, who hangs in chains and breathes heavily. Ace asks if Garp wants to kill him, and Garp answers that Ace has gotten desperate. He says that soon it will not matter what they do: "Whitebeard won't stop now, even if you died... nobody can stop this anymore...!!" On the facing spread, the Shichibukai who have already gathered hold their own powwow in Mariejoa. Kuma, Moria, Doflamingo, Mihawk, Blackbeard, and others sit around a table, each introduced by narration as a villain with considerable power. The very thought of these men fighting together is said to be totally unthinkable, but one thing is absolutely clear: they have angered the King of the Seas.
Monkey D. GarpPortgas D. AceWhitebeardBartholomew KumaGecko MoriaDonquixote DoflamingoDracule MihawkBlackbeardShichibukai
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SBS question corner. A reader named Mizuiro Ribbon asks why Luffy does not have many thought bubbles from volume 1 onward. Oda explains that he made this a policy from the beginning: for Luffy, he wanted a straight-shooting man who says what he thinks, because action speaks louder than words. Oda says Luffy may have thought bubbles in the Sabaody Archipelago crisis, but from here on he will act before he thinks. Another reader, the School-Skipping Pirates, asks whether one of the Four Emperors is Wanze, and Oda comically worries about whether his fly is okay instead. A reader who loves Chopper asks why Marigold looks thinner in the Lady Hebihime flashback; Oda answers that she did not get thinner, she gained muscle by eating chanko.
Eiichiro OdaMonkey D. LuffyWanzeBoa MarigoldTony Tony Chopper
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End of chapter20 pages
Discussion
p6
Girl was previously unaware of her origins or the bridge purpose.
p7Scene takes place in South Blue.
p7Young boy in straw hat encounters large monster birds.
p7Boy is trapped in a nest and under attack.
p7Birds prevent the boy from escaping the area.
p8Scene takes place in dense forest on Torino Kingdom treasure island.
p8Raccoon-dog creatures and large tanuki-like figure are present together.
p8Pigtail-haired woman is mistaken for a reindeer by two men.
p9Location is ruins of Shikkearu Kingdom on Kuraigana Island in the Grand Line.
p9Perona wears a crown and frilly dress while expressing frustration.
p10Roronoa Zoro crashes onto Kuraigana Island ruins.
p10Perona recognizes Zoro as a Straw Hat crew member.
p11Zoro is heavily bandaged and recovering inside the castle on Kuraigana Island.
p11Perona watches over the injured Zoro from a castle window at night.
p12Luffy travels by Kuja ship to Impel Down to free Ace.
p12Scene transitions from past narration to present on the ship.
p13Luffy is hidden inside Hancock's room on the ship.
p13Hancock personally feeds Luffy sea king ham.
p14Marines outside hear Luffy's voice from Hancock's room.
p14Luffy is full from the meal and reacts loudly.
p15Portgas D. Ace's public execution is six days away.
p15Tensions are high at Marine Headquarters with many powerful marines arriving.
p15Luffy examines Ace's Vivre Card on the ship.
p16Marines assemble in force at Marine Headquarters.
p16Scene transitions to Holy Land Mariejoa at the same time.
p16Marines display '正義' on their coats.
p17Whitebeard remains chained and injured in a ruined chamber.
p17Blackbeard and other Shichibukai gather in a lavish hall.
p17Shichibukai discuss the situation regarding Whitebeard.
What is said, page by page
p0Caption states CP9 report identifying Rob Lucci as former subordinate with neutral report tone.
p1Usopp shouts defiant refusal while dodging plant attack with aggressive intent.
p1Small warrior expresses gratitude to unknown savior in surprised tone.
p2Heracles'n introduces himself loudly with heroic tone.
p2Usopp introduces self politely while engaged in combat.
p2Heracles'n questions edibility of strange fruit with curiosity.
p2Usopp calls out to Heracles'n during plant attack with urgency.
p3Villagers express terror at summoned demon while hoping for revenge.
p3Crowd pleads with demon king to grant wish using their souls.
p3Narrator introduces the Country of Poverty Harahettanya.
p4Unknown voice questions distance traveled after being thrown with confused tone.
p4Hooded girl reacts with shock at sudden flying skull event.
p4Cloaked figures panic asking if tribute or sacrifice is insufficient.
p4Cloaked figures plead for Lord Satan not to return to underworld.
p4Tall cloaked figure states intent to return to where everyone else is.
p4Large skull demands to see panties with direct and insistent tone.
p4Unknown voice urges quickly showing panties to the skull.
p5Young dark-haired girl remains silent while observing surroundings.
p5Narration states the location is a country of laborers.
p5Caption identifies East Blue location as Tequila Wolf.
p5Woman in dark dress shouts encouragement to pull with intense energy.
p5Narration notes workers here are slaves.
p5Top-hatted man remarks that the laborers are truly slaves.
p5Overseer yells at a worker calling them useless.
p6Voices explain the bridge connects two islands and remains far from completion.
p6Voices note that collapsing workers are replaced with new laborers.
p6Young dark-haired girl questions the purpose of the construction.
p6Bearded man exclaims shock at the 700-year construction duration.
p6Narration confirms the bridge has been built for 700 years.
p6Girl states she has no need to know bridge details as a laborer.
p6Girl admits she does not know where she came from.
p6Girl reacts with surprise at the revelation of the bridge's age.
p7Young boy screams in terror while being attacked by birds.
p7Birds emit low sounds while descending and striking.
p7Boy pleads for the birds to stop pecking him.
p7Boy identifies the attackers as monster birds.
p7Boy states he must escape but cannot move his body.
p8Pigtail-haired woman angrily insists she is a reindeer and demands they stop.
p8Man with X hat suggests making a reindeer hot pot then reacts with shock that it talked.
p8Large bearded man proposes turning the creature into hot pot during argument.
p8Voice notes a tanuki fell out of the nest amid the chaos.
p9Perona angrily complains she was not told she would lack cute stuffed animals and servants.
p9Perona expresses desire for a dark damp place near an old castle with malice.
p9Perona laments wanting to pass days singing cursed songs on Thriller Bark.
p10Perona realizes someone else is flying to the island and reacts with panic.
p10Perona identifies the fallen man as one of the Straw Hats.
p11Perona gleefully notes Zoro was beaten by Kuma and looks near death.
p11Zoro wakes asking where he is and realizes he is alive.
p11Perona asks where Zoro would like to go if taking a trip.
p11Zoro reacts with alarm demanding to know what is wrong and where his swords are.
p12Hancock warns Luffy with stern expression to remember her words well.
p12Unknown man screams in terror while grabbed.
p12Kuja crew begs Salome not to turn them to stone and promises to be careful.
p12Hancock states her meals must look each and any less will not satisfy her.
p13Marines warn that peeking into Hancock's room leads to punishment.
p13Hancock tells Luffy the food becomes sweetest when she feeds him.
p13Luffy responds positively to the taste with thumbs-up.
p13Luffy claims he is full and does not feel hungry.
p13Hancock asks what Luffy is doing in the corner.
p14Luffy knocks and asks if someone else is in Hancock's room.
p14Hancock warns Luffy he is supposed to be hiding.
p14Luffy yells he is stuffed after eating.
p14Marines question if an empress would say she is stuffed.
p14Luffy tells Hancock she is terrible but beautiful.
p14Hancock asks if Luffy really does not care if they all die.
p16Narration states all military forces have assembled at Marine Headquarters.
p16Narration emphasizes they serve under the banner of justice.
p16Nervous subordinate reacts with audible gulp sound effect near stern officer.
p17Voice declares Whitebeard will not stop even if killed and nobody can stop this anymore.
p17Retort accuses the speaker of desperation and states it will not matter what they do soon.
p17Narration notes each Shichibukai is a villain with considerable power and they have their own powwow.
p17Statement declares the very thought of these men fighting together is unthinkable.
p17Declaration states one thing is absolutely clear and names the figure the King of the Seas.