Throughout their adventures at sea, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates have faced countless battles with dangerous enemies. Almost every time, the Straw Hats' strength and spirit let them emerge victorious, but there is one instance of a crushing defeat that still burns in the memory of the crew. After arriving at the Sabaody Archipelago, Luffy and his friends were confronted by the harsh reality of the New World, when iral Kizaru, his underling Sentomaru, and a troop of Pacifista cyborgs completely wiped out the Straw Hats. After they barely escaped thanks to the intervention of Bartholomew Kuma and Silvers Rayleigh, this humiliation spurred the group to train for two years so that they could face the dangers of the New World, but Kizaru remains the symbol of the Straw Hats' most crushing defeat.

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Currently, Luffy and his friends are on Egghead Island, the laboratory of the genius scientist Dr. Vegapunk. The World Government has dispatched the agents of 0 to kill Vegapunk, but they unexpectedly ran into the Straw Hats, which sparked a rematch between Luffy and Rob Lucci. This is a particularly tense situation, because Luffy is now one of the Yonko, the Four Emperors of the Sea, and even the Marines are wary of provoking. However, chapter #1069 of One Piece reveals that, unknown to both the Straw Hats and 0, iral Borsalino, aka Kizaru, is already on his way to Egghead Island, dispatched for a "prior operation".

Luffy And The Straw Hats Will Finally Get Their Revenge On Kizaru

Even if Luffy briefly crossed paths with Kizaru during the Summit War, this is the first time that the entire Straw Hat crew meets the iral after their humiliation in Sabaody. It's still unclear if an actual battle will ensue, because Lucci has grievously injured Sentomaru, who followed Vegapunk in his betrayal of the World Government. Kizaru and Sentomaru had a close relation when they first appeared, so the iral may not take lightly to Lucci's actions. However, Borsalino has always been faithful to the government, so it's more likely that he will simply 0, which will result in one of the harshest battles that the Straw Hats have ever fought.

However, things are pretty different now from what they were back in Sabaody. Besides Luffy, who has gained incredible strength from Vegapunk has the perfect counter for it: a technology that allows to touch and manipulate light, which could become an important asset in this battle. Most importantly One Piece is finally giving the Straw Hats the chance to avenge their worst defeat, something that fans have been waiting for a very long time.

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The latest chapter of One Piece is available from Viz Media.