Chapters · Dressrosa › Dressrosa

Chapter 787: Four Minutes Before

Arc: Dressrosa · Saga: Dressrosa · Released:

Summary

As the citizens recognize the three-star wanted man, Sabo squares off against Jesus Burgess of the Blackbeard Pirates, publicly declaring himself the Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff and Luffy’s brother. He recounts the ASL sworn-brotherhood, the Paramount War, and how Burgess’s crew took Ace prisoner after the duel at Banaro Island — telling Burgess “from now on, I’ve got Luffy’s back!!!” — and realizes Burgess was complicit in Ace’s downfall (“It was YOU!!”). The wounded, Gear-Fourth-spent Luffy is carried off by allies to recover while Sabo, now wielding Ace’s flame (the inherited Mera Mera no Mi), takes Burgess on so Luffy can save Doflamingo for himself (“Mingo’s mine!!!”); Sabo answers Burgess’s Galleon Lariat with Burning Dragon Claw Fist: Flame Dragon King!!!!, knocking “one of the Four Emperors’ crew” off his feet. Across town the Birdcage is closing and citizens are trapped between the lethal cage edge and the battle in the center. Zoro reframes the cage as “just the powers of one man” — and therefore resistible — using Armament Haki to hold/cut its strings and rallying the townsfolk to push the sea-prism-stone SMILE factory against it. Meanwhile Princess Mansherry’s healing power has restored the wounded coliseum gladiators — Bartolomeo, Hajrudin, Commander Kyros, and Don Chin Jao — who break the Donquixote loyalist remnant (declaring the kingdom “on death row”) and drive the citizens to climb the central plateau. To force Luffy out, Doflamingo accelerates the Birdcage, accepting genocide: a final-page countdown sets the cage to reach the center in three minutes, while Luffy’s exhausted Haki will not recover for four minutes.

New reveals

• Sabo formally takes up Ace’s role. Confronting Burgess, Sabo declares himself “the Revolutionary” / “Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff” and that “Straw Hat Luffy is my brother!” (p. 2), vowing “from now on, I’ve got Luffy’s back!!!” (p. 3).
• Banaro Island grudge. Sabo recalls the ASL trio, the “horrendous Paramount War,” and that “after the duel at Banaro Island, your crew took Ace prisoner” (p. 3); he then realizes Burgess’s personal complicity — “I see… It was YOU!!” (p. 4).
• Sabo’s flame Ryusoken expands. New named technique: Burning Dragon Claw Fist → Flame Dragon King!!!! (Ryusoken fused with the inherited Mera Mera no Mi) (p. 6). Burgess answers with Galleon Lariat (p. 5).
• Blackbeard = Yonko reinforced. Observers note Sabo “knocked one of the Four Emperors’ crew right off his feet!!” (p. 7); the Blackbeard crew’s reputation for hunting powerful Devil-Fruit users surfaces (“Then the rumors were correct…”, p. 7).
• The Birdcage is “just the powers of one man.” Zoro insists the cage is not a force of nature but Doflamingo’s power alone, hence resistible (p. 11), using Armament Haki on its strings and organizing the citizens to push the sea-prism-stone SMILE factory against the cage to slow it (pp. 11–12).
• Mansherry’s healing deployed. A dwarf reveals “this is the life-prolonging measure Princess Mansherry chose for Dressrosa” (p. 14) — the wounded gladiators are healed and rejoin the fight.
• Donquixote loyalist remnant guards the “new royal plateau,” declaring the entire kingdom “on death row” per “the young master’s decree” to wipe it “clean to start anew” (p. 13).
• Doflamingo accelerates the cage to force Luffy out (p. 16): the Birdcage reaches the center / genocide in three minutes (p. 16); Luffy’s Haki recovers in four minutes (p. 17) — the title beat.

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

Sabo · Jesus Burgess · Luffy · Doflamingo · Zoro · Bartolomeo · Hajrudin · Kyros · Chin Jao · Mansherry (referenced; healing deployed, not shown) · King Riku (referenced — “Save us, King Riku!!!”) · Ace (referenced) · Blackbeard (referenced — Burgess’s captain) · Blackbeard Pirates · Revolutionary Army · Donquixote Pirates · the Tontatta dwarves (carry the wounded Luffy) · Mera Mera no Mi · Birdcage · SMILE · Haki · Dressrosa (palace plateau; town center; outside the SMILE factory)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title splash “FOUR MINUTES BEFORE.” Reader-request illustration: “Zoro and bears wearing happi coats and headbands, beating taiko drums” (request by Masao from Gifu). Request-corner art, not a cover-story page (the Jinbei “Solitary Journey” cover series concluded Ch. 785).
• Page 2 — Sabo declares himself to Burgess: “I’m Sabo the Revolutionary!! …Straw Hat Luffy is my brother!”
• Page 3 — Sabo recounts the ASL trio, the Paramount War, and Banaro Island: “But from now on, I’ve got Luffy’s back!!!”
• Page 5–6 — Burgess’s Galleon Lariat vs Sabo’s flame Ryusoken: “Burning Dragon Claw Fist… Flame Dragon King!!!!”
• Page 7 — Observers: “He knocked one of the Four Emperors’ crew right off his feet!!”
• Page 11 — Zoro’s Armament Haki on the Birdcage; “This is all just the powers of one man… the idea that it’s unstoppable is absurd to me!!”
• Page 12 — The townsfolk push the sea-prism-stone SMILE factory against the cage (“The factory’s made of Sea Prism Stone!! It won’t get chopped up!!!”).
• Page 14 — Mansherry’s healing revealed: “…the life-prolonging measure Princess Mansherry chose for Dressrosa!!”
• Page 15 — The healed gladiators rally: “Bartolomeo!! Hajrudin!! …and Commander Kyros!!! Even Don Chin Jao!!”
• Page 16 — Doflamingo accelerates the cage; countdown box: “…the Birdcage reaches the center and causes genocide… THREE MINUTES!!!”
• Page 17 — Countdown box: “Time until Luffy’s Haki recovers… FOUR MINUTES!!!”
• Page 18 — Vol. 79 SBS Question Corner: the Donquixote-followers’ elevator-silence gag (comedic “perfect accident”); each Straw Hat’s signature dish (Luffy: raw meat on a plate; Robin: stew/paella; etc.) — Oda notes only Nami, Usopp, and Robin can really cook, and Nami charges even her crewmates for her food. technique/sbs-leak

Open questions raised

• Can the citizens and gladiators hold the Birdcage back the extra minute Luffy’s recovery needs?
• Will Sabo defeat Burgess — and what is the Blackbeard crew’s full interest in Dressrosa and in “power users”?
• What will Luffy do to Doflamingo once his Haki recovers?