Cover Page: Hatchan's Sea-Floor Stroll, Vol. 23: "Takoyaki Punch!!"

Hatchan catches up to the Macro Pirates, and easily destroys their ship with a flurry of punches.

Pell sacrifices himself to save the city and takes the bomb in the sky, where it explodes.

As Vivi watches the ticking bomb, she remembers Crocodile's words, calling her idealism unbearable and sickening, and that no matter what she does she cannot save this country. The Straw Hats realize that the ticking bomb will still destroy most of Alubarna with 5 km blast diameter, and they begin to panic. Vivi, furious at Crocodile for constantly making people look like fools, starts to cry in anguish, as someone is seen standing behind her.

At the underground chamber, Luffy stands back up, claiming that Crocodile can't beat him. Crocodile remarks that Luffy is on the verge of death, and his words at this point are all bark and no bite. While Luffy yells out that he will become the Pirate King, Crocodile attacks him with his hook, which Luffy dodges and uses his leg to divert the attack to the ground, breaking the hook. Luffy then says he will surpass Crocodile.

The man standing behind Vivi is revealed to be Pell, who calmly remembers Vivi's childhood and the Sand-Sand Clan while Vivi desperately tries to tell him about the ticking bomb. In a flashback, Pell angrily slaps a young Vivi, asking her why she is in a dangerous place, also asking her what would he do if she had been seriously hurt. Vivi is then shown riding on top of Pell in his Falcon form, even though the king has forbidden this. Vivi asks why Pell trains, and Pell responds by needing to get stronger to protect what needs to be protected. Back in real time, Pell mentions to Vivi that protecting the Nefertari household is considered to be his proudest honor.

Pell then transforms into a falcon and uses his talons to grab the bomb, flying high in the air, much to the shock of Vivi and the Straw Hats watching him. As Pell says to himself that he is the guardian of Arabasta that vanquishes all enemies of the royal household, he flies higher and higher into the air, when the bomb finally explodes, letting off a tremendous explosion, however Alubarna remained unharmed.

Chapter Notes:
Pell takes the bomb into the sky where it explodes, sacrificing himself to save Alubarna.
Luffy states that he cannot be defeated by Crocodile because he will become the Pirate King.