Queen

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Inside Udon's Prisoner Mine, in the executive tower, a new disturbance erupts. The guards shout, "Master Solitaire!! The keys were stolen!!" and "Somebody took the keys to the Seastone handcuffs!!" Solitaire, the vice warden and headliner with a Monkey Smile, is furious. She demands to know what they have been doing and whether any of them saw the culprit. The guards confess that it was a man with a gar-crabstuan face, who took advantage of the fact that one guard could only walk sideways. He left a fake set of keys in the safe, leaving them out-crabbed. Solitaire points all four arms in rage and snarls that the guard is unfit to be a guard.

Solitaire orders the entire tower searched: "Tear every inch of it apart!! Even the attic!! He must still be somewhere in the tower!!" But the thief has already escaped. Raizo of the Mist races through the corridors chanting "Nin-nin... nin-nin..." and finally reveals himself with pride. "It took a while, but... this is a ninja's true strength!! I stole the keys!!" He tells Luffytaro to hold on a little longer because the time to escape has come. All that remains is to make a stealthy escape with the keys to the Seastone handcuffs.

In the prisoner mine, the first rule is declared: "If you talk back to a guard, you will be punished." Luffy and Hyogoro have already violated it. The punishment for the first offense is dismemberment of both arms, the second offense is dismemberment of both legs, and the third offense is execution. Luffy still grins despite the danger, while Hyogoro lies battered. The rules are presented like law, but the scene makes clear that the prison is built on cruelty and arbitrary force.

Vice Warden Daifugo, a Scorpion Smile user, arrives over the fallen guard. The prisoners cry, "Master Daifugo!!!" and the guards declare that laying even a single hand on one of them means immediate execution. They shout for Luffy and Hyogoro to prepare to be executed. Daifugo says there were witnesses this time and Luffy will not be able to talk his way out of it. The guards remind everyone that Luffy kicked the vice warden, while the prisoners shout, "Execution!!" as Daifugo and his men close in.

The prisoners howl for execution, and Hyogoro says he is glad Luffy did what he did, but there is no way he can get out this time. He says he will never forget Luffytaro and guesses that Hyogoro will finally meet his end too. Luffy refuses to treat it like the end. He says, "We're getting out of here!!" and explains that he is training right now. All ability users in the prison are cuffed with Seastone handcuffs just weak enough to let them move around, and the guards note that Luffy's breathing is getting heavier, which means the Seastone is working as intended. Luffy only sees the opportunity: when the cuffs come off, he will be stronger, even if only by a little bit.

Warden Old Maid, an Elephant Smile user, steps forward and asks Luffy, "Why do you want to get stronger... when you won't even live to see tomorrow?" He attacks with "Elephant Sneeze!!!" blasting smoke and force through the prison. Luffy is knocked aside while Old Maid's elephant trunk blasts like a cannon. The page marks Old Maid as both warden and headliner, and the prison shakes as his attack scatters prisoners and debris.

The prison gate opens to Queen's performance. Prisoners shout, "Queen!! Queen!!" and Queen enters like a stage act, singing, "It's time to sing and dance!!" He declares, "I may seem round, but it's all muscle!!" and dances to the beat, "Funk!!" Queen calls himself exciting and says that if he lost weight he would be too popular, so that is why he stays big. He is introduced as Beasts Pirates All-Star Queen the Plague, with a bounty of 1.32 billion. He apologizes for keeping everyone waiting, calling them "you bunch of trashy scum!!" while Luffy, still in trouble nearby, mutters that if only he could use Haki right now.

Queen settles in and says, "Let's hear it, Old Maid." He tells the prisoners to go ahead and rank their problems, starting with number three on the list. Old Maid reports that Eustass Kid has escaped. Queen screams, "Whaaaaaaaaat!?" Then he reports number two: the keys for the Seastone handcuffs were stolen. Queen screams again. The worst news follows immediately: Straw Hat Luffy is trying to escape right now. Queen orders them, "Go catch him, you dimwits!!" as the prison erupts in panic around him.

In Ebisu Town, the villagers welcome the Straw Hat allies warmly. A man tells them, "Feel free to make use of this empty house, to your hearts' content!!" and asks if they are friends of young master Zorojuro. Tonoyasu laughs and tells them not to worry. But Zoro is gone; he bolted out of town all of a sudden to go somewhere else. Law immediately thinks of his missing ally and asks where Black-Leg-ya went. Tonoyasu explains that Zoro said his sword was stolen, made a big fuss, and went chasing after someone. Law thinks it is unlikely Zoro will be able to find his way back and tells them not to mention him.

At the Flower Capital bathhouse, Nami, Robin, and Shinobu soak in the public bath. Nami says she feels less fatigued, while Robin notes that the citizens prefer it this way. Nami wonders if the water is too hot, and Shinobu asks if it is risky for them to bathe in public, since their powers cannot be used when submerged in water. Robin answers that there are no enemies there, so it is fine to relax. Nami asks whether they should charge the men for being there, but Shinobu explains that the male bathhouse attendants scrub their backs and that, long ago, the yakuza were allies of the commercial district, though most youngsters do not know about those days.

The bathhouse is unisex, to Nami's disbelief. Men crowd around, excited, and Shinobu tells them to get out of the way. She launches "Ninja Arts: Ball Buster!!" while Nami tries to process that such a crowd is normal. Shinobu continues talking about the past, saying that there was a man named Hyogoro of the Flower, an outstanding yakuza boss. She says that now that their bodies are warmed, they should let the male attendants scrub their backs. Nami, more concerned about Kyoshiro, says he is scary and she cannot tell what he is thinking. Shinobu says it makes sense, since he is a yakuza boss after all.

Shinobu explains why Hyogoro matters. If Boss Hyogoro of the Flower were still around, all the samurai would already have joined their cause. Nami asks whether they are talking about the man Kanjuro mentioned, and Shinobu says that at their current rate it will be impossible to gather five thousand people by the end of next week; they may gather only five hundred at best. Twenty years ago, Hyogoro was the face of Wano's underworld, in charge of all underworld dealings in the Flower Capital, with influence over the five yakuza bosses of the other regions. He was kind to the people, possessed both power and popularity, and was the epitome of chivalry. Even Oden admired him in his younger days.

Shinobu continues the story: Hyogoro refused to bow to the Kurozumi family and was executed by Orochi. On the other hand, the leader of the Oniwabanshu, Fukurokuju, supported the Kozuki family alongside Boss Hyogoro but chose to serve under Orochi. Shinobu reveals that she herself was once a subordinate of Fukurokuju, but she could not forgive him for his treason and escaped to live as a fugitive from Orochi's army. Robin realizes that this is why Shinobu knew him. Their conversation is interrupted when people notice the male bathhouse attendants are actually a disguised group, and the names Hawkins and Drake surface from the commotion.

Back at Udon, Queen confronts Luffy and Hyogoro. He says that, just like before, if Luffy joins their crew, he will personally ask Kaido to pardon his crimes. Luffy refuses and yells at him to shut up because he does not want to. Raizo watches in distress, thinking, "What bad timing...!! Luffydono!! I have the key you need!!" Queen looks at Hyogoro and laughs that the legendary chivalrous man has become such a malnourished old geezer and will die a pitiful death. Hyogoro says he does not care what becomes of himself, but he begs Queen to spare the young man.

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