Chapter 918: Luffytaro Returns the Favor

In the wreckage of Holdem’s mansion at Bakura Town, the disguised Luffy (“Luffytaro”) grabs the fleeing Headliner Speed — mistaking the half-horse SMILE user for a real horse — and has Otama feed her a cheek-dumpling; Speed eats it and is instantly tamed into absolute, fawning loyalty (“Yes, master! ♡”), letting Luffy, Otama, and Komachiyo ride her after the Food Treasure Barge. The group ponders that Otama’s taming worked because Speed is “half-horse.” Otama, watching Luffy, murmurs that he is “just like Ace.” Near Bakura Town’s entrance, Trafalgar Law — secretly living in Wano as a ronin of the Flower Capital — confronts and fights Basil Hawkins; Law uses ROOM/Chambres and bluffs a killing blow (“Murder isn’t my style. I am a doctor”), while Hawkins survives a cut by redirecting it onto a subordinate via his Straw-Straw power. Hawkins recognizes Law from Sabaody and reasons that a Straw-Hat/Law alliance has come to Wano. Luffy crashes the stolen treasure barge into Okobore Town, distributing food and rare clean water to the starving townsfolk under the name “Luffytaro,” declaring this a rebellion against Wano and promising Otama he’ll make the country a place where everyone can eat freely before the crew leaves. Law warns it’s gone too far now and leads the group up to the ruins of Oden Castle to meet “the ghosts of Wano” — a truth they cannot believe — as the final panel pans across grave markers reading Kozuki Oden, Kozuki Momonosuke, Kin’emon, and Raizo.

• Otama’s taming Devil Fruit works on SMILE-Zoan members. Speed, a Horse SMILE Headliner, eats Otama’s cheek-dumpling and becomes utterly loyal to Luffy, calling herself his servant; the group infers it works “because she’s half-horse” (pp. 4–6). First on-page use of the power against the Beasts Pirates.
• Trafalgar Law is in Wano — disguised as a ronin of the Flower Capital, embedded ahead of the crew; “Roronoa’s over there, and HE knows the plan!” (Hawkins, p. 7). First on-page appearance of Law since the crew split.
• Law vs Hawkins. Law uses ROOM, Chambres and a sword feint; he calls himself “a doctor” and his killing blow “just a bluff” (pp. 7–10). Hawkins survives by redirecting Law’s cut onto a subordinate (Straw-Straw power, p. 8).
• Hawkins infers the alliance. Recognizing Law’s tattoos and power from Sabaody, Hawkins concludes “they had an alliance, after all!!” (pp. 7, 10).
• Luffy feeds Okobore Town the entire stolen Food Treasure Barge — food and clean drinking water “with no poison” — under the name “Luffytaro,” framing it openly as “a rebellion against Wano” (pp. 11–15).
• Luffy’s promise to Otama: he’ll make Wano “a place where you can eat as much as you want, every single day” by the time the crew leaves (pp. 15–16) — his way of “repaying the favor to Tama” for feeding him.
• The “ghosts of Wano.” Law leads them to the ruins of Oden Castle; grave markers bear the names of living men — Kozuki Momonosuke, Kin’emon, Raizo — beside Kozuki Oden (p. 17).

• Appear: Luffy (as “Luffytaro”), Zoro (as “Zolojuro”), Otama, Okiku, Komachiyo, Speed (tamed; nicknamed “Horsebina”), Holdem (defeated; lion Kamijiro still conscious), Trafalgar Law, Basil Hawkins
• Mentioned only: Jack (the Beasts report to “Master Jack”), Ace
• On grave markers (named, not present): Kozuki Oden, Momonosuke (as “Kozuki Momonosuke”), Kin’emon, Raizo
• Groups: Animal Kingdom Pirates (Beasts Pirates)
• Locations: Wano Country, Kuri, Bakura Town, Okobore Town, Oden Castle (ruins)
• Cover: Sai (Happo Navy), Bartolomeo (Barto Club), Cavendish (Beautiful Pirates) — “The Saga of the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Fleet, Vol. 45, final chapter: ‘Pleased to Make Your Acquaintance (Part One)’.” (Vol. 45 — the anthology’s on-cover finale — of Limited-Cover-Series-No-23-The-Saga-of-the-Self-Proclaimed-Straw-Hat-Fleet.)

• Page 1 — Title page / cover-story panel. Triptych of three Grand Fleet captains: Don Sai above the Happosui Army flag (八宝, “eight treasures”), Bartolomeo above the Barto Club jolly roger, Cavendish of the Beautiful Pirates. Caption: “The Saga of the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Fleet, Vol. 45, final chapter: ‘Pleased to Make Your Acquaintance (Part One)’.” Vol. 45 of Limited-Cover-Series-No-23-The-Saga-of-the-Self-Proclaimed-Straw-Hat-Fleet — the anthology’s on-cover finale (first installment with an explicit “final chapter” marker), a triptych curtain-call of three earliest leads. (No color spread this chapter.)
• Page 2 — “BENG!!” Holdem’s mansion blown apart in the aftermath of Luffy’s Red Hawk; Otama’s “Whoa!”; Beasts pirates cry “Master Holdem!!!”
• Pages 4–5 — Luffy grabs Speed thinking she’s a horse; Otama’s dumpling tames her; Speed gallops off as Luffy’s devoted “servant” (“Yes, master! ♡”).
• Page 6 — Otama: “You were just like Ace…” — the Ace callback.
• Pages 7–10 — Law vs Hawkins at the Bakura Town entrance: ROOM, Chambres, the doctor’s bluff, the Sabaody recognition, Hawkins’ damage-redirect.
• Pages 14–15 — Luffy dumps the barge’s food and clean water on Okobore Town under the name “Luffytaro”; “This is a rebellion against Wano.”
• Page 17 — Closing pan over the Oden Castle graves (Kozuki Oden / Kozuki Momonosuke / Kin’emon / Raizo) and the “ghosts of Wano” tease. “BENG BENG BENG!!” “To be continued.”