Summary:
Luffy and Komachiyo leave Hitetsu to take Tama to the doctor. In the wasteland, Zoro saves a woman from two beast pirates. Arriving in the wasteland, Luffy is reunited with Zoro. However, they are soon confronted by Hawkins.
As Luffy stands in the tree above Hitetsu’s house, he remembers Ace dying in his arms at Marineford two years ago. As Hitetsu comes out, Luffy asks him where he can find food, water and a doctor, he says he wants to take Tama there. Hitetsu says that the items could be found in a nearby town across the wasteland, but warns Luffy that it would be a dangerous journey with the Beasts Pirates roaming around. However, Luffy was undeterred and told Hitetsu that he was strong. Hitetsu says that his foreign clothes are too showy and puts a kimono, obi, and knot over him. Mečíř says that he cannot leave the city for undisclosed reasons, but he promised to reimburse the costs of a doctor’s visit later.
Luffy then sees a sword with a purple aura sitting on the wall and decides to take it on his journey. As he picks up Tama and prepares to leave, Hitetsu says that he can’t just take the sword, revealing it to be the Nidai Kitetsu that was forged by his ancestor Kotetsu and is one of Meito’s finest. Hitetsu begins to explain the signs to Meito, only to see Luffy running towards the city. He chases after Luffy to continue his quest to get the Nidai Kitetsu back, revealing that it is cursed. Luffy offers to take the sword to Hitetsu’s side instead, but Hitetsu says that’s Meito too. Luffy then grabs Hitetsu by the nose and throws him back. Hitetsu tries to yell at him to come back, but to no avail.
Komachiyo then runs after Luffy, allowing him and Tama to ride on his back towards the city. Tama then wakes up, but when she looks at Luffy, she immediately remembers how he told her about Ace’s death. She screams and starts beating Luffy, calling him a liar and saying that there’s no way Ace is dead because he promised her he’d come back. When he came to Wano three years ago, she asked him to join his crew, and he told her that he would return in the future when he grew up to become a charming kunoichi. Tama just can’t accept that this promise won’t come true and Luffy is just resigned to repeating the truth. They then reach the edge of a bamboo forest and Luffy is shocked to see a vast wasteland dotted with factories and wild animals.
Zoro remains at large in the Flower Capital and the public is still concerned and wondering why the police have not been able to catch him yet. Zoro is currently camping in the wasteland, cooking and eating large amounts of meat from several animals he has hunted. Elsewhere in the wasteland, Luffy wants to catch and eat one of the animals, but Tama tells him that their meat is poisoned from drinking the polluted river water. She reveals that the Shogun and Kaidou have a private, unpolluted farm that gives them plenty of food, and as her fever rises, she is overcome by hunger. Luffy then sees a woman in the distance being chased by two Beasts Pirates, but Zoro then walks in and quickly takes out the attackers. The woman wishes to pay Zoro back, but she has no sake as she demands. Luffy eventually recognizes Zoro and rushes to hug him as the two are happily reunited. Feeling the meat in Zoro’s possession, Luffy takes it from him and begins to eat it. He reveals that the meat is poisoned and Zoro realizes that is why his stomach hurts. Zoro then sees Tama lying on Komachiyo’s back and tells Luffy that he needs to go quickly. Suddenly, however, Hawkins and his crew arrive on the scene and confront them. Realizing that Luffy has a good chance of being an intruder on Kuri Beach, Hawkins draws his sword, saying that the only way to survive is to submit to the strong. Luffy and Zoro draw their swords and Zoro says that Kin’emon ordered them to lie down, but Luffy says that they will have to apologize to him later.