Chapter 649: The Dance of Breams and Plaices

In the aftermath of Hody Jones’s defeat, King Neptune sentences the surviving New Fish-Man Pirates to penal labor in the Fish-Man District under military supervision, imprisons the officers and Vander Decken IX in the Prison Tower, and has the over-sized Wadatsumi banished by the Kraken Surume. Jinbei declines to join the Straw Hat Pirates for now — he has a duty still to discharge — but promises Luffy he will return. Fish-Man Island throws a grand victory feast at Ryugu Palace with the diva Maria Napole and the Mermaid Café Dancers. Amid the revelry, Nico Robin takes the drunken King aside and reveals she read the Poneglyph in the Forest of the Sea. Neptune, recognizing she can read the stones, tells her the truth: the Poneglyph is the apology of Joy Boy — a man who lived on the surface during the Void Century (~800 years ago) — for breaking a promise made with Fish-Man Island, a promise tied to the colossal ark Noah and the power to command the Neptunians. Robin connects this to the sky-island Poneglyph she read two years ago, and Neptune confirms that Shirahoshi, who has that same power, bears another name: Poseidon — the Ancient Weapon.

• POSEIDON is named on-page as Shirahoshi. Neptune confirms the Mermaid Princess is the once-a-few-centuries mermaid who can command the Neptunians (Sea Kings) — the sea-domain Ancient Weapon recorded on the Shandora Poneglyph (@0301). Her “other name… is, in fact… Poseidon, the Ancient Weapon” (p. 19).
• Robin can read Poneglyphs and reads the Forest-of-the-Sea stone. She tells Neptune “I read the Poneglyph in the Forest of the Sea” and “I am a survivor of Ohara,” and links it to a sky-island Poneglyph she read “two years ago” recording an Ancient Weapon’s location — “and that location was HERE.”
• Joy Boy was a person who lived on the surface during the 100-year void, at least ~800 years ago. The Forest-of-the-Sea Poneglyph is his apology to the Mermaid Princess of the time for breaking a promise made with Fish-Man Island; per royal legend someone will fulfill the promise “in Joy Boy’s stead.”
• Noah’s purpose. The ark Noah was meant to be used by Joy Boy and moved by the Neptunians; it was taken to the Forest of the Sea after the Void Century ended, and the Ryugu line has protected it for generations awaiting the day the promise comes about, when “Noah will fulfill its actual purpose.”
• Neptune speculates Joy Boy himself may have commanded the Neptunians — and that Shirahoshi’s latent power “came fully to the fore today.”
• Neptune sentences the New Fish-Man Pirates remnants to penal service in the Fish-Man District; officers + Vander Decken IX imprisoned; Wadatsumi banished by Surume.
• Jinbei declines to join the crew right now (a duty temporarily set aside) but promises to return and asks Luffy to invite him again.

King Neptune · Nico Robin · Shirahoshi · Luffy · Jinbei · Nami · Brook · Sanji · Zoro · Usopp · Tony Tony Chopper · Franky · Pappag · Surume · Wadatsumi · Vander Decken IX (imprisoned) · Hody Jones (referenced, defeated) · Otohime (referenced) · Joy Boy (referenced) · Maria Napole (first appearance) · Hatchan + Camie (named, off-page) · Straw Hat Pirates · New Fish-Man Pirates · Sun Pirates · Flying Pirates · Noah · Fish-Men · Sea Kings · Poneglyph · Fish-Man Island · Ryugu Kingdom · Fish-Man District · Coral Hill · Forest of the Sea

• Page 1 — Cover (Decks of the World, Vol. 32): “SKYPIEA — GOD IS PLEASED WITH THIS YEAR’S CROP.” Three Skypiea figures relaxing in a pumpkin patch; a giant bell tower and a Skypiean structure loom in the background. Cover-story series page (defer to cover-tracker).
• Page 4 — Recap/report boxes close out the Hody plot (“The pirate Hody Jones’s plot to take over Fish-Man Island… is entirely closed off!!!”; “And where is Straw Hat Luffy?” ”…He has escaped.”).
• Page 9 — Wadatsumi banished: the Kraken (Surume) hauls him away from the Fish-Man Island front entrance (“Thanks, Kraken!!”).
• Pages 11–13 — The Ryugu Palace feast splash: Maria Napole + the Swing Jazz Orchestra + the Mermaid Café Dancers; full-page “EAT, SING, DRINK, DANCE AND BE MERRY!!!!” spread.
• Pages 16–19 — Robin’s private interrogation of Neptune: the Joy Boy / Noah / Poseidon reveal. Page 19 lands the name “Poseidon.”
• Page 20 — SBS Question Corner (Hody’s dorsal-fin “Shark Slicer” is a fitted hollow weapon; Fish-Man emotion T-shirt list). Defer to SBS specialist.

• What exactly was Joy Boy’s promise to Fish-Man Island, and what is Noah’s “actual purpose”?
• If Joy Boy could command Neptunians, was he himself a Poseidon-type — or did he simply ally with the Mermaid Princess of his era?
• How does Robin’s two-years-ago Skypiea Poneglyph reading (an Ancient Weapon “located HERE”) square with Poseidon being a person rather than a place?
• Will Shirahoshi’s now-named Poseidon power be turned to raising/moving Noah?