Chapter 650: Two Changes to Be Aware Of

At the Ryugu Palace victory feast, King Neptune privately tells Nico Robin the world’s gravest secret: the three Ancient Weapons named for gods — Uranus, Pluton, and Poseidon — and that his own daughter Shirahoshi is Poseidon, a power that, if the world learned of it, would throw everything into chaos. An eavesdropper overhears. Meanwhile Jinbei tries to brief a food-obsessed Luffy on the two changes in the New World over the last two years: (1) after Sengoku resigned, Sakazuki/Akainu defeated Aokiji in a ten-day duel for the right to command the Navy and is the new Fleet Admiral — Aokiji left the Navy; and (2) Blackbeard, using the quake-power stolen from Whitebeard’s corpse, conquered Whitebeard’s territory and is now counted among the Four Emperors alongside Shanks, Kaido, and Big Mom, hunting devil-fruit users to loot their abilities. The treasure thief who has been hiding in the palace tries to abduct Shirahoshi to sell her; Luffy, wandering in for food, kicks him out — but the thief escapes with all of the castle’s treasure (which Neptune happily gifts to the Straw Hats). Down in the prison tower, Hody Jones and his executives have suddenly aged into decrepit old men: the minister reveals the Energy Steroids were the legendary, never-to-be-opened pills inside the Tamate Box, which Hody stole ten years ago — a power that ages the imbiber. Finally, Big Mom’s agents Pekoms and Baron Tamago are at the sweets factory, which Hody’s goons ransacked, leaving no tribute sweets for Big Mom this month — the rest having been served to the Straw Hats at the feast.

• The three Ancient Weapons are named together for the first time — “Uranus, Pluton… and Poseidon” — “three ancient weapons… bearing the names of gods” (p. 2). First on-page utterance of Uranus in the series.
• Shirahoshi is Poseidon. Neptune: “…and your own daughter… is one of them” (p. 2). The Poseidon Ancient-Weapon identity is tied to a living person on-page for the first time — the name “Poseidon” now spoken in connection with Shirahoshi (p. 2). If the world learned this, “everything would be thrown into chaos… both government and pirate alike would seek out the princess’s power” (p. 3).
• An unidentified eavesdropper overhears the Poseidon secret (p. 3): “The mermaid princess, eh?… Have I just overheard some amazing info?!” — the world-ending secret has leaked outside the royal inner circle.
• Change #1 — the Fleet Admiral succession. After the war two years ago, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stepped down. Aokiji opposed Akainu’s instatement; the two fought a one-on-one duel on an island for the right to command the Navy — “dead men tell no tales; the loser would have no quarrel with the outcome.” The battle raged ten whole days; Akainu (Sakazuki) emerged victorious and is the new Fleet Admiral. Both were grievously injured; Aokiji, unable to bear working for Akainu, left the Navy — whereabouts unknown (pp. 4-7).
• Change #2 — Blackbeard is now an Emperor. After Whitebeard’s death, Teach quickly spread out and conquered “that entire stretch of sea… using the tremor-tremor powers that he stole from Whitebeard’s body” (p. 7). The world now labels him one of the Four Emperors, “alongside Red-Hair Shanks, Kaido, and Big Mom” (p. 8).
• Blackbeard hunts power-users. “They’re now putting their weight into hunting those with powers… they possess the means to kill power-users and loot them of their abilities” (p. 8).
• The treasure thief / kidnapper (the long-faced “vagabond” hiding in the palace since the battle — Caribou, unnamed on-page) cut the right tower clean in two, made off with all the castle’s treasure, and tried to abduct Shirahoshi to sell her into the New World, citing “my brother… at the harbor” (pp. 10-12). Luffy kicks him out (p. 11); Neptune gifts the (now-stolen) treasure to the Straw Hats (p. 13).
• The Energy Steroids = the Tamate Box pills. Hody and his crew have aged into wrinkled old men. The minister: the Energy Steroids were “the legendary pills stored inside the Tamate Treasure Box,” whose contents vanished ten years ago — a too-dangerous drug labeled a “treasure” to keep it from the people; “some tales said it gave one the strength of a thousand… others said they aged the imbiber” (pp. 14-16). Hody stole them ten years ago, around when he left the royal guard.
• Big Mom’s tribute crisis. Her agents Pekoms and Baron Tamago are at the sweets factory (p. 17), which Hody’s goons ransacked — so there are no sweets to send Big Mom this month, and the sweets they did have “were all given to the Straw Hat Pirates… to be enjoyed at the feast.” “Big Mom of the Four Emperors is a monster… who would even destroy a nation for the sake of her sweets!!”

• Who overheard the Poseidon secret, and what will they do with it now that the world’s deadliest knowledge has leaked? (The thief Caribou, by appearance and his “brother at the harbor.”)
• How exactly do the Blackbeard Pirates “kill power-users and loot them of their abilities”? (Feeds Blackbeard Multiple Fruits.)
• Where is Aokiji now, no longer a sailor, and how does he feel?
• What is Uranus, the third Ancient Weapon now named but undescribed?
• What happens when Big Mom learns Fish-Man Island has no tribute this month — and that the Straw Hats ate it?