One Piece Chapter 597

Cover

Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard stand side by side. Behind the two pirates fly the proud flags of their gangs.

Storyline

Grand Line, Kuraigana: Zoro asks Hawkeye on his knees to teach him swordsmanship. The latter, however, is not very enthusiastic about it. He thinks he has overestimated Zoro if he now asks him to apprentice with an enemy. He wants Zoro to get out of his sight, but the latter continues to ask him to learn from him, as he wants to become stronger. Hawkeye, however, doesn’t want to train someone who has been defeated by baboons and who can’t manage to set sail like he set out to do. However, when Zoro says that he has already defeated the baboons, Hawkeye is surprised. Zoro goes on to say that he’s not foolish enough to think that he could defeat Mihawk as well. The swordsman wants to know why Zoro even wants to learn from him. The straw hat pirate replies that he wants to surpass him. At this, Hawkeye has to laugh very hard, as he thinks it’s a foolish thing to train a swordsman who wants his head. He is sure that Zoro has found another impetus to ask him for training, as he certainly would not have committed the stupid previous actions otherwise. He orders Perona to doctor Zoro up. Once he is recovered, they will begin training, which makes Zoro very happy. In his mind, the best swordsman in the world thinks to himself that Zoro is putting his principles and dream on the back burner for only one reason: For someone else.

Zoro and Perona are talking about Luffy’s message. He has“3D2Y“tattooed on his left arm. Zoro explains to the ghost girl that the Straw Hat Pirates had split up at the Sabaody Archipelago and wanted to meet again three days later. These three days mean 3D (English: 3 Days). But this part has been crossed out and replaced by 2Y. The 2Y stands for two years. The Straw Hat Pirates will meet again in two years. The other actions Luffy took in Marine Ford were merely to confuse the Navy and World Government. Zoro realizes that if they all got together now, they wouldn’t stand a chance in the New World. They must all stay where they are and train at the Sabaody Archipelago until their reunion in two years.

A few days earlier, Calm Belt: Luffy and Jinbe say goodbye. The Fish Man will be waiting for him and his crew on Fish Man Island in two years, and is sure to be a great help to the pirates then.

Calm Belt, Rusukaina: Rusukaina is an island in the Calm Belt with a different season every week. In total, there are 48 climate changes on the island in a year. This is where Luffy is supposed to train for the two years. Hancock promises to come every day and bring food, which of course pleases the Straw Hat Boy. Rayleigh, however, forbids the women from entering the island during Luffy’s training, which of course infuriates Hancock and causes her to grab the vice of the Roger pirate gang by the nose. Rayleigh says that they’ll have plenty of food there and that Luffy will have to survive on his own. Hancock realizes this, but she warns of the dangers of the island. However, Rayleigh just says that it wouldn’t be training if the island wasn’t dangerous.

The training begins: Rayleigh enlightens Luffy about the history of the island: it was once populated, but the people were destroyed by nature, which created incredible beasts. Luffy is already looking forward to a great adventure. Rayleigh says that there are a lot of beasts on the island and among them are 500 that Luffy can’t defeat, which is a problem if he wants to sleep. Luffy is puzzled because Rayleigh knows so well how many dangerous animals there are on the island and where they are. Rayleigh says that Luffy needs to learn that skill too, the power of Haki. Suddenly, a huge, snarling elephant bursts out of the undergrowth. Luffy is shocked at this monster, but Rayleigh just keeps talking, enlightening him about Haki and incidentally taking out the dangerous elephant.

Rayleigh wants to teach Luffy all the forms of Haki, because otherwise he doesn’t stand a chance in the New World. Luffy is impressed that someone from the Pirate King’s crew can defeat a monster elephant so easily. Rayleigh is pleased that Luffy finally has some respect for him. Luffy wants to take up training, which will take two years to learn the basics of haki. For that time, he decides, the pirate “Straw Hat Luffy” will no longer exist. He discards his straw hat and the Vivre Card that would lead him to the Shakuyaku.

Miscellaneous

• After this chapter, One Piece went on a four-week hiatus in the Weekly Shōnen Jump. As Oda reported in volume 61 following this chapter, he took a week-long vacation in Hawaii, among other places. To bridge the four-week break in the Jump, a special called One Piece Grand Countdown was printed.