Chapters · Dressrosa › Dressrosa

Chapter 720: Prisoner-Gladiators

Arc: Dressrosa · Saga: Dressrosa · Released:

Summary

At the Corrida Colosseum, the announcer recaps the tournament’s standings — Block A went to Blackbeard Pirate Jesus Burgess, Block B to Captain Bartolomeo of the Barto Club, and Block C to “Lucy” (Luffy) — with Block D delayed fifteen minutes for ring repairs. Cavendish runs amok hunting “Straw Hat,” and when a noble gladiator mocks Luffy for failing to save his brother in the Paramount War, the Luffy-superfan Bartolomeo erupts, recounting how he witnessed Luffy’s lightning-spared execution at Loguetown and followed the Straw Hats ever since. Don Chin Jao tries to pledge his grandsons’ Happo Navy to Luffy as thanks for restoring his head; Luffy flees the chaos and is pulled aside by Rebecca. Burgess corners Luffy and declares he’ll take Ace’s reborn Flame-Flame Fruit for the Blackbeard crew; Luffy vows to stop him. Rebecca hides Luffy in the “Cells,” the gladiators’ lodging area, where starving prisoner-gladiators attack for his food. Luffy spares them, and they reveal the cruel truth: they are captives forced to fight to the death for crossing the Donquixote Family, promised freedom only after a thousand impossible wins. Rebecca resolves to win the tournament, seize the Flame-Flame Fruit, and destroy Doflamingo to protect the “toy soldier” who has always protected her.

New reveals

• Tournament standings: Block A → Jesus Burgess (Blackbeard Pirates), Block B → Bartolomeo (Barto Club), Block C → “Lucy”/Luffy; Block D pending after a 15-minute ring-repair delay (p. 2).
• Bartolomeo is a Straw Hat superfan — a former small-time East Blue kingpin who saw Luffy’s lightning-spared execution at Loguetown 2+ years ago and has followed the crew through Alabasta, Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and Marineford ever since (pp. 5–7).
• Chin Jao wants to place his grandsons’ Happo Navy under Luffy’s command as thanks for “returning the shape of my head” (p. 9).
• Burgess covets the reborn Mera Mera no Mi for the Blackbeard Pirates — “it’ll be like havin’ my very own Ace on the crew” — and notes Blackbeard originally offered “the original one” (Ace) a place, and Ace refused (p. 11).
• The Blackbeard Pirates are weighing whether to trust “Aokiji’s word” on something — “and doesn’t that go for Shiryu too?” (p. 10).
• The “Cells”: prisoner-gladiators are held beneath the Colosseum, forced to fight to the death for having crossed the Donquixote Family; escapees are shot; freedom is promised only after 1,000 wins (pp. 12, 18).
• A decade ago, before Doflamingo became king of Dressrosa, the arena battles were not to the death (p. 18).
• Rebecca’s plan: win the tournament, take the Flame-Flame Fruit, and use it to destroy Doflamingo — to protect the “toy soldier” who is leading “his army” against Doflamingo today and who has always protected her (p. 19).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Luffy (as “Lucy”), Cavendish, Bartolomeo, Jesus Burgess, Rebecca, Chin Jao, Sai, Boo · (mentioned, not shown:) Blackbeard, Aokiji, Shiryu, Ace, Garp, Doflamingo, Roger, Kyros (as the unnamed “toy soldier”)
• Cover: Caribou
• Crews/Groups: Barto Club Pirates, Blackbeard Pirates, Chin Jao Family (the “Happo Navy”), Donquixote Pirates (the “Donquixote Family”), Beautiful Pirates (Cavendish’s crew)
• Locations: Corrida Colosseum (and its underground “Cells”), Dressrosa, Loguetown (the execution scaffold, in flashback)
• Devil Fruits: Mera Mera no Mi (the “Flame-Flame Fruit,” the tournament prize)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page. Cover story: “Caribou’s New World Kee Hee Hee, Vol. 37: ‘Liberate the Proletariat!! Liberate the Old Hag!!’” — Caribou amid a toppling-statues uprising.
• Page 2 — Colosseum announcer recaps Block A/B/C winners (Burgess / Bartolomeo / Lucy); Block D delayed for ring demolition.
• Page 5 — Bartolomeo’s flashback to Luffy at the Loguetown execution scaffold, struck free by a bolt of lightning — composition mirrors Roger’s execution and Luffy’s own ch. 100 Loguetown moment.
• Page 6 — Bartolomeo’s “shrine” wall of collected enemy wanted posters / “thumbs.”
• Page 11 — Burgess vs. Luffy: the Blackbeard Pirate stakes his claim on Ace’s reborn fruit.
• Page 18 — The bandaged prisoner-gladiators explain the Donquixote prison system; “before Doflamingo became king” the battles weren’t to the death.
• Page 20 — Closing panel: Rebecca, sword raised, eyes wet with resolve.

Open questions raised

• What “word” has Aokiji given the Blackbeard Pirates, and what is the ex-Admiral’s relationship to Blackbeard now?
• Who is the “toy soldier” leading an army against Doflamingo, and why does he protect Rebecca? Why does Rebecca “never get hungry,” and what happened to her mother?
• Why is the whole prisoner-gladiator system tied to “looking at the Doflamingo Family the wrong way” — what is Dressrosa’s hidden history under Doflamingo’s decade of rule?
• Will Luffy accept Chin Jao’s pledge of the Happo Navy?