One Piece 1000+

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Chapter 1000: Straw Hat Luffy
(read 12022-05-19)

The first thing that strikes me is how cool Luffy is, and in this chapter he really gets to show it. Casually bypassing two Emperors of the Sea like that. Whew. The series has always made it obvious Luffy is the man who will be the King of Pirates, and yet this chapter makes it clearer than ever. But what is at the end of Luffy's dream? It can't be becoming the King of Pirates, because why would Roger dream of becoming the King of Pirates, that's a title bestowed upon him by others (the Marines?).
Ace talking about his dad without animosity is also nice, in its own kind of way.

Chapter 1001: Battle of Monsters on Onigashima
(read 12022-05-21)

This is a build-up chapter I haven't got much to say about. The fireball gag is really funny.

Chapter 1002: Four Emperors vs. New Generation
(read 12022-05-23)

Poor what's-their-name, the dove of Rob Lucci.
And it is fair to say that short-term, this is what last chapter built up towards. Kaido's moveset is being flexed out more, I believe this chapter is the first one we get to see him using Air SlashDemolition Gust and FlailGetting Punched Around. All cool moves. But Kaido is not the only one with cool moves. Do I even have to mention Luffy here, I think not; Big Mom is still as terrifying, and Zoro, oh maaaan. Look at him deflecting that air slash, and then cutting the fire-laser! And then that final slash... that skull is big, like really big! That might be the second biggest slash we've seen in the series, after Mihawk's cutting-the-ice. He's just that cool.
I get the feeling this level of fannish excitement will be standard for the series. You'll have to bear with me, or just admit you think it is that cool too. There's no point in denying it.

Chapter 1003: Night on the Board
(read 12022-05-25)

The title page images the last chapters have been so cute, just look at that scorpion and those jellyfish earlier.
This is a battle of the highest level, faught by monsters on each side, and our side has a chance of winning. CP0 are obviously wrong, I look forward to seeing them disappointed further. "Night on the Board" has to refer to the black stones representing Kaido's forces; there's a lot more of them so it is still "night". Before the dawn, of course.

Chapter 1004: Millet Dumplings
(read 12022-05-27)

More animal interaction drawings on the title card. Not that I mind really, but I wonder when we are getting the next title card story.
Now we are back to the chapters where a lot happens, and I can't possibly comment on all of it. Well not back per-se, if you only look at the chapters since 1000, then we've only had single-battle focused ones. You know what I'm trying to get at.
That said: noooo, the samurai! Good thing they have someone to help them out, and we all know who it is by that sillouette: Enel!
Somewhere else in the castle Tama is mind-controlling all the gifters. Daifugo is still an asshole despite this, frig that guy. And finally, I must mention how great One Piece is for among the centaurs and cyborgs and "normal humans" who are 3 meters tall, there is a guy who is just a triceratops.

Chapter 1005: Demon Child
(read 12022-05-29)

I am so proud of Sanji, asking for help. Whole Cake Island payed out in terms of character development, and it is satisfying.
Are the human Marys also cyborgs?

Chapter 1006: The Honorable Hyogoro the Flower
(read 12022-05-31, written 12022-06-01)

I must admit I dungoofed here. The way I have it set up is that I read the chapters on Mangaplus' mobile app, since they provide all old chapters to read, in addition to the three latest ones (if you are from the future, or aren't familiar with Mangaplus, that's double exposition, sorry (?) for that). However, you may only read the chapter once; if you close it down for any reason that is the end of it unless you pay some amount of real-life money. And I am fiscally cheap poor too relaxed to set that up. Basically, I accidentally closed it down before, and then I procrastinated this comment writing to the day after. So maybe its duller because of that.

I like Perospero as a villain; he is gloating, cruel, and terrifyingly strong, all the while having decent motivations. He's the second to Big Mom, at least in his own eyes, and that crew is a long-time operation. If he takes out (or helps taking out) some other pirate top shots like Marco that's both one less nuisance ten years down the line, and possibly getting back for something from past decades. Plus his design and powers slaps.
Chopper is doing a good job too. I don't have much to say about Hyogoro (I claim, about to say a lot, lol). In a story 100% about Wano his past with Oden could have been fleshed out more, but One Piece has to be a story about the Straw Hats and Luffy, so here he is more of the frail-then-spunky old man Luffy met in prison. I might have actually liked it more if he was still a little man, the Hyogoro we've gotten used to, but just as much of a presence. It may be a failing of mine, or maybe I just haven't read the connecting chapters recently enough, between Luffy wrecking Udon and here, but I have a hard time connecting his two appearances as the same character... It is what it is (still cool).

Chapter 1007: Mr. Raccoon Dog
(read 12022-06-02)

The positive of me missing a day is of course that you get this next chapter as soon as one day after. Not that I think anyone is following these like that. Yet.

Ceasar and children is a bad combination, those penguins better get out of there fast, for their own sake.
Queen ranting to the pleasures and waiters for no good reason is fantastic. I hate that guy, wow, thanks for being horrible. It sinks in that there are no more smiles, that the lead up in the New World has already affected the Kaido crew. And as we are thinking of the smiles, tracking back to Punkhazard in our minds, we are reminded of the other artificial fruit: the one Momonosuke ate. The smiles were failures, but maybe it wasn't? (even with the continued, very funny, gag that even those most familiar with Kaido think the lesser dragon is an eel) Oh my, that's why Ceasar is on the cover page too, right? Or is that connecting too many dots?
In any case Chopper is a good boy and does not betray, unlike that brachiosaurus bastard, and neither is he a raccoon dog which is making this chapter title really awkward.
And then Oden on the last page - whaaaaaa?!

Chapter 1008: Leader of the Atamayama Thieves Brigade, Ashura Doji
(read 12022-06-04)

I'm going on a trip so you won't get any chapters for a few days, and then a bunch at once when I return.

KANJUROOO!!! So much do I loathe that you are right, you do make a good play at being a villain. It actually being Oden was not something I expected for narrative reasons (see, I could have told you this last chapter if I didn't know the conclusion. More genuine reactions to come...) but my heart still aches for the Scabbards. It has to be different for the group that traveled ahead and the group that stayed behind; for Kinemon and Okiku (and Kanjuro, of course), Oden only died a few months ago. That is less time to internalize it. Ashura, you did well, after 20 long years of waiting.
And of course Orochi is alive! It was even more expected due to his devil fruit being based on an "it's fine if just one head gets cut off" kind of beast, but yet, how dastardly! Burning the castle can only end badly.
Hybrid Kaido and Linlin are menacing. They are both final boss material, and they know it.

Chapter 1009: Naraku
(read 12022-06-10)

I'll preface with having heard something One Piece related the last few days. It is not too spoileriffic, I think, but it is meta. Click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

Orochi deserved that. The battle of the ninja will be continued in the next chapter of Naruto some following (the next?) chapter of One Piece!
Zoro really gets to show off in Wano, reflecting a giga-attack like that. Big Mom got to be the ultimate pirate lady though, after all of this she is barely fazed... until she is pushed off the island, heh.
I wonder what "naraku" is, it isn't mentioned anywhere in the chapter as far as I can tell. Some philosophy/Buddhism term? I know there has been those kinds of chapter titles before.

Chapter 1010: Color of the Supreme King
(read 12022-06-11)

Look, it's Pudding! And her homies!
This is a plain incredible chapter, with Ashura as well as the fabled San D. Als. No but really, not only is the action very cool in context of them having come so far, there is something mesmerizing about Kaido getting kicked around like that (figuratively and literally). Oda's art captures these action sequences perfectly, as a master of the craft. I'll let my other thoughts sizzle out over the coming chapter discussions.

Chapter 1011: The Code of Sweet Beans
(read 12022-06-11)

Big Mom is great as always. When I said last chapter I wanted to let my thoughts sizzle out in the coming ones, this is what I meant. Because I already knew of Hera, so I couldn't act all cryptic over what Prometheus said.
I honestly don't care much for Hawkins and Killer, but they make for good filler until we get to see more of the important side characters. Main characters. Side main characters. That is: Nami, Usopp, and Tama. These are doing their best on their own little quest to try to command all the Smile users affected by Tama's dumplings, while the dinosaur man Page One tries to stop them, recovering from seemingly all attacks. We also get the much-needed exposition that Tama's dumplings only work on Smile users. Which make sense, those are wonky in all kinds of ways, and iirc they were made using the lineage factors of regular animals. That they would be weak to a DF such as Tama's is only natural. And then Big Mom comes in and downs Page One in one punch.
Big Mom is great as always.

Chapter 1012: Itch
(read 12022-06-13)

Some stuff happened IRL resulting in me no longer having an ipad, but I can now read One Piece chapters again due to having a smartphone! Yeez, it's only a one day delay but it feels like much more to me. In any case I also encountered some meta/spoilers in the meanwhile, thanks to /r/curatedtumblr. Click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

I enjoy every interacting moment of the Scabbards, I really root for them. Momonosuke is getting a better grasp on what we can assume is "hearing the voice of all things" rather than normal haki, and... AHAHAHA IT'S SANJI D. WOLFWOOD! You know, because he's carrying Zoro like a cross, not unlike the Trigun character? What, you don't know Trigun in the year 12042, when this website is still up and you're reading this? Really, shame one you! You should still think this is hilarious though, along with Law sitting on his arm very casually.
Everyone are moving around, crossing each other's paths and being on the way somewhere. I know a person on /r/onepiece made maps of each chapter to show these movements/locations, but I obviously can't look at those now; any One Piece related community is a snake pit of spoilers.
Ulti is incredible for standing up against Big Mom, but doesn't that make Nami even more incredible for standing up against the person who is stood up against Big Mom?

Chapter 1013: Anarchy in the B.M. (Big Mom)
(read 12022-06-14)

(I accidentally kind of closed the chapter before getting to write and I am forgetful... I blame technology)
Oh a maser beam! Oh no Zeus!! OH NO LUFFY!!!!!!

Chapter 1014: The Ham
(read 12022-06-16)

I know various thing of possible lore importance happen here, with Kaido mentioning Joyboy (he hasn't before, right?), Momonosuke reading something in his father's log book, and Chopper learning whatever from Ceasar, but my heart is occupied elsewhere. It is broken, simply put, for Okiku and Kinemon, but also to a small part I didn't expect (despite this chapter being a re-read) for Kanjuro. Why couldn't he have turned, or not have turned, depending on your point of view? I feel really sad about it.
"The Ham" as in "ham actor", of course.

Volume 96: I Am Oden, and I Was Born to Boil
(read 12022-06-17)

If you are concerned with spoilers, this discussion should be read after the one on the chapters above. Not because volume 96 contains spoilers for chapters after it, of course, but because I discuss them here as well.

I finally got my hands on volume 96 of One Piece yesterday (or rather, had it gifted to me). As I try to only reread the chapters I own physically (outside of this project) it has been a while since I read the primary Wano flashback. It is a touching story, both in the emotional sense, and the more punny sense that it touches on many other story beats I have and have not discussed here. This makes it easier for me to write going forward, since I will be able to refer to scenes directly, instead of having to guess whether they lie in the past, or are hinted at in future chapters meaning I should not spoil them.
As for how it ties in with the recent chapters, I feel the Kanjuro part was easier to recieve a second time with future chapters in hindsight (i.e. the last ones discussed here). In a way his heel-turn felt contrived, and the contrived-ness has not changed, but I feel now that it was very much on purpose. It is contrived because Kanjuro is a hammy actor, and he ultimately has no reason to betray the Kozuki, other than his broken mind, and original trauma. While Orochi does have vengeance as his alleged motives, he also betrays himself by gaining otherwise by his plans; he did live a life of luxury and power while being the Shogun. Kanjuro acting only on his past makes the persecution of the Kurozami more imminent, as a part of the past the people of Wano/Kurozami failed to make up for, and that sweeping it under the mat is now coming back to bite them in the back. It is really quite sad. I have heard non-spoileriffic theories that Tama would be a Kurozami, and I agree it would be a good way of tying it together, by showing that the Kurozami are not by nature evil.
What I found a little lacking in the Wano flashback was focus on Okiku, but that may only be because she has been important in the last few chapters. The coming chapters will inevitably shift focus towards the other Scabbards, and then it will become clear that they all needed to share a limited backstory-space for the sake of the story as a whole. The only Scabbard who gets notably more focus than the others is Kinemon, and that is justified with him being a more central character on the whole. RIP.

Chapter 1015: Chains
(read 12022-06-18)

Obligatory "we have nothing to lose but our chains".
I'm glad everyone is fine. Wait, that isn't true. Like at all. Luffy, Zeus, and Momonosuke and Shinobu seem to be "fine", to some extent, at least.

Chapter 1016: It's Me, Otama!!
(read 12022-06-19, written 12022-06-20)

Mangaplus is getting dangerous now, I saw a One Piece ad. Meta/spoilers of course, possibly more than before. Click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

Onigashima is encroaching the Flower Capital, ominously. The small positive is that anyone who falls now will not go in the sea. Or maybe it's a negative? Depends on who falls, if they have devil fruit powers, and if they are the type to go "splat" when rejoining the ground. And of course, also what we wish for them.
FluffZeus is being cute in this chapter, and Ulti scary. Atta Otama!
Kaido's line about him being there because it's Wano seems important, is there something more in Wano other than the red poneglyph and the few people who can read it? And how does he know it?

Chapter 1017: The Order
(read 12022-06-22)

Otama declares herself in the last chapter, and then gives the order in this one. That's very descriptive, I'm not sure it's needed if you are following along and reading. It seems the advantage of a surprise attack while the Kaido crew was feasting and drunk only worked so far, as it is barely mentioned any more. Given that, I'm sure if they expected an attack of this size the Pirate-Samurai-Mink-Ninja alliance wouldn't have gotten to the island in the first place, and if they did then the battle wouldn't be spread out like this. Kaido's forces lost the advantage of fighting on home ground, and now they are losing the numbers (no, not the Numbers!) as well.
Briscola's design never fails to bring me to a smile, and neither does Hamlet's. Just look at that guy! With this chapter it is also made clear why none of the Flying Six are smile users. It would have made them susceptible to Tama's powers, and then they couldn't be set up as (pseudo-)individual foes for the Straw Hats. It is a shame though. Remembering how fun Kaku's battle against Zoro (or vice versa) was with a normal devil fruit, one can only imagine the battle style of someone like Hamlet, utilizing the giraffe's body and human limbs to their full potential.
But maybe foes like Queen will balance that out, with cyborg-ness. That his braid has a little grabber only makes it all the weirder and more wonderful. And of course that science team (with Ceasar and Vegapunk as well as Judge?) had a funny abbreviation, "MADS". The peoples behind SMILE and SAD just had to.
I remember first time reading this chapter being a little disappointed, since I had heard a theory about Chopper getting stuck in his giant form as the side effect mentioned from the "improved" rumble balls. I didn't really believe it since Chopper's cutesy charm makes him the kind of mascot Shueisha would never let go of (heck, I've fallen for it in the past, I own a bobble-head toy of Chopper dressed up as Vegeta), but baby geezer chopper is... eh. Zoro doubling that damage seems like a great idea, really.
Who's Who's monologue about his past is interesting, but I don't recall if he continues in the next chapter or if this is essentially it, and I don't bother reading into every line to make sure what I could or could not know, when I could simply wait two days.

Chapter 1018: Jimbei vs. Who's-who
(read 12022-06-29)

Did you notice I was gone? More summer, more irregular schedule, but it ought to be mostly over now.

Wow, Who's-who is really an asshole. And he talks a lot. Now, how much of his blabbering can be trusted? He's obviously wrong about the Fish-men, but at the same time he discloses information we haven't heard about at all before. Who was this "Nika" person? What's the point of guarding the gum-gum fruit? It should be totally normal as far as devil fruits go, so why would Who's-who be fired and jailed? That Shanks would plunder a government ship doesn't tell us much. Even if Shanks is kind of mysterious with what he seems to know, and his meetings with the World Government tops, he is also a pirate, and pirates plunder. And also, which of these are the classified info the CP0 wants him for, Nika or the gomu gomu no mi? Can I answer these questions? Not really, regardless of whether I know, or think I know, I run risk of saying something alluding to a line that is in, say, five chapters. Maybe. Maybe it's all fight-scenes from now on with no related talky-ness, who knows? Either way, I want to highlight the CP0 saying "That classified intelligence he ran off with was old." "And there's no real harm to the government.". Just so I can refer to it later.
I have theories, and, let's see, I will disclose them when I'm caught up with myself, with only "new" chapters in front of me. If you're bored of my tippy-toeing around it, either have patience or be in the future already. I'll mark the point where the chapters start to be truly "blind" for me.

Chapter 1019: Heliceratops
(read 12022-06-29)

The color spread is (as often is) very wholesome and cute. Just look at those fishies! Franky's shirt with "YOU GANGSTEER" and a steering wheel is also hilarious. As Jinbei can talk with whale sharks, I declare it canon.
AHAHAHAHA! "This is what a triceratops does!!!"! Why didn't we see this in Little Garden? Please, tell me Oda that this is a canon thing that triceratopses do in One Piece, give us the art in some SBS or on a title page!
I might as well also mention Luffy and Zoro being fine (?) and Yamato having zoan powers, because that happened.

Chapter 1020: Robin vs. Black Maria
(read 12022-06-29)

This chapter has a lot of relying. Sanji relying on Robin to save him, Luffy relying on Momonosuke's ability to both fly and overcome hid fear of heights, and Black Maria relying on that dude Wanyudo to be literally her weapon. What's up with that? I'm not even sure if it's wholesome, or very not.
Bonding over you traumatic pasts is wholesome, though, that I can assure.

Chapter 1021: Demonio
(read 12022-06-30)

Señor Pink... I cry every time... (genuinely)
Many of Kaido's crew have punny attack names, but Black Maria's are among the few that translate well into English (Black Coffee Beam being a brachiosaurus pun doesn't). They are snappy; Marianette, Mariapprehend, Maricade, Mariarson. She is otherwise terrible though, meaning villain-wise she makes a great member of Kaido's crew.
I also like the little flashback with Robin, Koala, Sabo and Hack. They make a cute dynamic. I think someone on /r/onepiece said they resembled kids who want to show off to a motherly figure. I can see what they mean.
And then wham! Demonio Fleur! It is immensly cool looking, no one can deny that. To add to it, it is Robin using joint locks after a long time of mostly giant limbs. Well, it's still giant limbs, but it doesn't make it any worse (except for Black Maria, heh heh). And she has her bangs down in Demonio as well. Actually, Robin hasn't had any proper solo battles since... Skypeia. I kind of forgot that due to having read these chapters before, but they really are wish fulfillment for Robin fans. Which I am to a degree, thanks Oda. :)
Caribou is a horrible person, but I can't deny I enjoy his reluctant helping out. He's comical, in some way.

...this is a heavy moment for Momonosuke. Gee.

Chapter 1022: The Stars Take the Stage
(read 12022-07-02, written 12022-07-03)

The problem with accidentally closing a chapter is that of pirating websites - they don't neccessarily have the chapter titles in a way I can avoid them. So as I was looking for "chapter 1022" I glanced, and read something that was probably a future chapter title. Spoilers/meta, of course; click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

Other than that, this is a chapter of transitioning from one set of battles (all of the Flying Six really are down!), to another. The stars (Zoro and Sanji) take the stage.
Hawkins also has a cool/ominous moment, and Fukorokuju has either the funniest Devil Fruit, or more likely, the funniest form of life return. Fight on, Raizo!

Chapter 1023: Spitting Image
(read 12022-07-04)

What do I talk about in this chapter? That Marco, White Beard, and Queen together imply that King is a descendant of a people that lived atop the Red Line, and that these people were the Lunarians, i.e. people from the moon (literally, compare to "luna")? In some sense I recall all Sky People, including the Shandarians, being from the moon in some sense, as told in Enel's cover story. Presumably Enel heard some of this story on Birka, as Fairy Vearth, but if those who lived on the Red Line are called Lunarians, that implies a stronger memory. But regardless of what they are, Sanji is not one of them. Why? Because he is part of the curly eyebrow tribe. But they are not cyborgs, are they? Judge's biological children, I mean. I believe they are "just" genetically modified. Hmm... both of these topics seem like ones I should shut up about for now, right? "The heat of my passion..." is a baller line, though.
The samurai are also spitting bars, and we feel the dawn is soon to come, but not without a cost. And some of those have already been paid. The reason these samurai are the ones speaking, is that others do not remain. And what Raizo claims will never be stolen, has already been.
Momonosuke is now a fully grown dragon, revealing himself in a gorgeous panel. Having forfeit his childhood, he is two of the spitting images referred to by the title, the other being Zoro to the Shimotsuki (yeah, people caught on to this before as well), for some reason. Momonosuke is a spitting image of... Kaido of all people, being a dragon, but as a human he also looks just like... whom? His father? His grandfather? His mom? You know, even if I knew I wouldn't tell you. It is a heavy forfeit either way, so I sincerely hope it will be worth it.

Chapter 1024: So-and-so
(read 12022-07-06)

Chaos is descending on the castle, mostly in the form of fire. In this chaos, Usopp is taking double credit for Big Mom's achievements. I'm so proud of him. Also, did the other BM (Black Maria) get burnt up by her own fire? That is kind of morbid, even if only implied.
Yamato is a precious child, in this flashback to presumably quite-soon-after Oden's death. The meeting with the samurai is equally cute. "So-and-so" is obviously Ushimaru Shimotsuki (was that his name? I can't look it up). The others? I reckon we might have seen their sillouettes before, as other daimyou. Or maybe they are just cool samurai, I dunno. In either case they ensure that Oden's will is carried on by saving Yamato, so it will remain in 20 years (i.e. in "present time") for a battle mentioned in Oden's log. This battle in 20 years is probably not meant to be the one currently waged on Onigashima, but a world-spanning one depending on Poseidon, the mermaid princess who was not born in Oden's and Roger's time. Still, as Wano is being freed in this war, in some sense it also is the prophetized one.
Kaido calls Yamato a naive child, but we all know he is an ass, both in general and as a father. Will we get more context in some coming flashback focusing on Kaido? Possibly. Am I sure he will still be in the wrong? Duh, yes.
...I wonder why Onigashima had a "sacred cave".

Chapter 1025: Twin Dragons
(read 12022-07-08)

I love how Momo's fear of heights initially won't let him lift his head. That is really funny. I mean, this chapter is all about the brave boy-now-dragon confusing everyone and wreaking havoc as he conquers his fears. Look at that panel with Luffy screaming as he passes by Big Mom! Look at that panel where Momonosuke is prancing in the background behind Yamato! Look at that panel where he hears Kaido is down there, and makes no pause to open his eyes! It's great, I do love this chapter. With it Luffy is back on the roof, back for round number three (remember, round one was him being one-shot on the Wano mainland, to then be sent to Udon prison). And then he promptly declares he will be the King of the Pirates. Man, is he cool!
I'm also happy for Yamato, with someone to join against a dad who is reminding you you have no friends. And what a dad, doing that when he has partially caused that. By killing them! Really Kaido, what's up with that? Abusing the Ogre Princess/your son, that just isn't cool. It is interesting that he is seemingly on the same page about Yamato's gender as Yamato. Yamato said "I'm Kaido's son" in the last chapter, and has said something like "Oden was a man; so am I" in the past (iirc), and in this chapter Yamato is "my son" to Kaido. It's like a small nugget of parent wholesomeness that makes the abuse even worse.
And what is the deal with "ogres" (obviously "oni" in Japanese)? What's the connection to Onigashima, the island named-so by Kaido, with a giant skull with the same kind of horns as he has? This is something that was discussed when this chapter was released, so no, I'm not spoilering you.

Oh right, but if you want some spoilers/meta, I did see some yesternight. Click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

Chapter 1026: The Pivotal Clash
(read 12022-07-10)

!!!!!!!!
He did it! Both the he who bit Kaido, "got nothing to fear", but also Luffy split the skies!!! And what wonderful setup with it revealing the moon, leading to victory for the Cat and Dog. There goes Perospero, it was fun while it lasted (and of course it is One Piece, so it will continue to be). I'm amazed by this chapter, even on this second read-through.
...Orochi has the resilience of a cockroach.

Chapter 1027: Danger Beyond Imagining
(read 12022-07-20, written 12022-07-21)

I'm not sure what to say here, Momo is being set up for a bigger task than just helping Luffy back up, because by now the unimaginable yet planned is happening: Kaido is beginning to fall. Yeah... that's pretty satisfying on its own. But alas, it also means the whole island is about to fall, dooming nigh everybody. Will our dragon boy succeed! That is up for future chapters to show.
What else to say? King's hybrid form (?) is cool-looking.

...And I got more spoiler/meta. It is what it is, click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

Chapter 1028: Brachiosnakeus
(read 12022-07-21)

This is it, the funniest chapter Oda has ever written. It was a long career, that all lead up to this moment. I am struck by the winds of laughter, I am having trouble breathing. But I'll return to that, as I write about this chapter chronologically with a smile on my face.
The title page is cute, them all emulating characters from Super Smash. I figure Oda must have played it, good for him, it's a good game. Some of our guys are more recognizable than the others. Jimbe is Mario, Franky is Donkey Kong, Chopper is Diddy Kong, Zoro is Link, and Luffy is Ryu, or maybe Ken considering he is blond. But what about Sanji, Brook, and Robin? Sanji a splatoon (kid squid kid) maybe, or Samus, maybe snake? Brook looks like he'd be dracula, who isn't playable in Smash. Robin looks like her demonio, but unshaded, and reminds me of Morrigan from Darkstalkers. That's another fighting game.
Back to the chapter itself, the World Government is making its move. We get to see Rob Lucci for the first time since the Levely, but also Kaku and... I should remember her name... and a guy with a crocohead for an arm. In the panel beneath Rob, isn't that great?
Fight on Momonosuke! And Yamato! I believe in you!
...And that brings us to the main stage, and AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH BRACHIOSNAKEUS!!!! ...I'm sorry One Piece is a very serious battle manga and Sanji's troubles are quite heavy and I love them for what they are but HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BRACHIOSNAKEUS!!! I want to see the dinosaurs on Little Garden do this, since it is apparently "pure dino terror", and not mechanisms. And to top that off with the Brachio Launchers... I can't even. No actually I can, I can emphatize with Sanji in this difficult battle, both emotionally towards his body being weird, and literally against the truly horrendous... brachiosnakeus. Oda thank you I love One Piece.

Chapter 1029: The Tower
(read 12022-07-22)

I have difficulties writing about Sanji here, because - and this should come as no spoiler - I have read a few more chapters and this conflict will not suddenly disappear in the narrative, so I know how it continues. I feel bad for him, I do, and Queen is really hitting him in the worst spots. What a jerk.
I still do not care for Kid or Killer, nor Hawkins, really. Why is this? A part of me says it is because they are not symphathetic characters I can root for, but I have already expressed my enjoyment of earlier villains, so that can't be the whole truth. Rather it is that I don't know anything about them, yes, there is their interaction with Kaido, but beyond that Kid is a somebody wanting to be the Pirate King for a reason not explained. A violent man who got a high bounty for harming civilians, and Killer is his underling. Hawkins is also a second-rate villain, and none of them have humorous traits that make their failings funny (unlike Caribou). In conclusion, I feel they are pretty bland rogues, though admittedly with cool character designs. One thing that lessens this matchup, is a general characteristic of shōnen manga - that battles are ideological in nature. The victor is so also by merit of their ideology and values, be it valuing friendship, freedom, effort, or a simple case of good triumphing over cartoonish evil. In this case between Killer/Kid and Hawkins, the battle is about subservience to big powers like Kaido, or continuing as a separate crew. As from what we know about Kid he might evolve to be the Kaido kind of big bad pirate, why should we care about this? Or am I failing to follow along with One Piece's central tenet of freedom, and overcoming hardships? Perhaps.

Chapter 1030: Echoing the Impermanence of All Things
(read 12022-07-23)

It would be a lie to say no one expected these characters to survive, Oda is known for being reluctant in that matter, but I for sure did not. Why? Because Kaido is a monster who got a clean hit on Kinemon? Because all three of Kinemon, Okiku, Kanjuro got to say their last words? Yeah, those are probably the reasons, they had narrative closure that would have allowed their deaths. But I am split on this (like Kinemon, ha ha ha...). One's heart should not ache when characters are alive, should it? Yet mine kind of does. It is funny that Kinemon's splitting got a throwback to punk hazard thrown in, so is his being able to poot-talk. Still, them being alive is ripping up that box of closure, and lowering the stakes. Should we care about that, in a shōnen manga where we know Luffy will stand as the pirate king? I do not know. Though for that matter, Kanjuro might have died again.
Here are the last numbers by-the-by, and with the fire, the soon-to-come fall (if Momonosuke doesn't stop it), and allegiances all over the place, they are only one cog in turning the war into chaos.
Though it is seemingly going well against Big Mom. I feel somehow strained discussing powers without having anyone to respond, but awakenings are cool. And Law's is impressive no doubt, I don't think we have seen Big Mom bleed since she scraped her knee at the tea party, when Mother Carmel's portrait was destroyed. That is to say, this is the first blood of Big Mom's we've seen that was inflicted by damage... What does "Kroom" mean? When this chapter came out, I heard people speculating it is for "Killing Room".

Chapter 1031: Warrior of Science
(read 12022-07-24)

The title illustration shows us the second-in-command's of various crews. To think Shiryu would be Blackbeard's. Well, that makes sense if we consider eventual matchups, and him going against Zoro. But wait...! Isn't Usopp the First Mate of the Strawhats?
There's a certain something to Drake wanting to stop Apoo, that means he expects the Strawhats to win. Wholesome? Is that the word for it.
Other than that... this is one of those chapters with as many as five parts to it, I can't comment on it all, and certainly saying things like "Big Mom is terrifying" is tiresome even when it continues to be true. I would like to point out though that Sanji has changed. What? His eyebrows? Yes! His eyebrows!! Or at least eyebrow, the one we can see now curls in the other direction, like his Brothers'. Zoro was right about that, his eyebrows being weird lately. Did you ever think Sanji's eyebrows was one of those topics that shouldn't be discussed if you want to avoid spoilers (in the way that a "oh it doesn't mean anything" is a spoiler too)? I didn't. We are luckily getting close to the last chapters I have already read, so soon I be free to speculate.

Chapter 1032: Oden's Beloved Blade
(read 12022-07-27)

More meta/spoilers... click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

The battle is somehow clearing out, or reaching another stage, as everyone is running to-and-fro whether trying to escape the castle, or to eliminate a certain threat. Only the Emperors, King, and Queen really remain as ones who need to be beaten according to the original plan, but will the chaos really subside when (if) they are down?
I'm a big fan of Apoo faking being down, he's a sneaky sneaky man.
And then we are back to one of those who need to be beaten, and King does not disappoint when he explains that "[t]he pteradons of the ancient past... hunted their prey just like this!"". If Oda does not revisit Little Garden in some capacity, I will be very sad. It is equally funny that Zoro of course does not know about pterosaurs in the way that we do, so he takes it at face value. Fair enough, One Piece does have its share of strange animals. And yet the flames are not a pterodon feature, hmm... what could it be...
Also, what is the "beloved blade of Oden"? Enma, yes, but I wonder if it is not meant to also refer to Komurasaki/Hiyori. To Oden, she was surely beloved, and with her mind set on ending Orochi's life (iirc she said this in a pre-1000 chapter) she is also his "blade".

Chapter 1033: Shimotsuki Kozaburo
(read 12022-07-27)

I'm tearing uuup... He's so cool... It's a flashback chapter, a Zoro flashback for the first time since East Blue... And the old man looks just like an older version of the humanized Wado Ichimonji shown in an SBS a while ago... and Zoro realizes it all... and he's got Emperor Haki!!! And he mentions his promises to Luffy, and to his best friend of the past, Kuina! But you can also read it as Luffy being his best friend! I love this kind of schmuck, it's just so great!!
Oh, and it was also confirmed King is a "lunarian". You know, those who lived on the Red Line, who were seen as gods and who were presumably from the moon. Those who Sanji were not one of. I bet that's no minor deal, but Zoro is also so COOOOL - I can't talk about dusty lore stuff in this discussion, that would be turning away from the cool!

Chapter 1034: Sanji vs. Queen
(read 12022-07-27)

"Now fly, sicko."
"BWUHEAAH!!!!"
Those are appropriate lines for this chapter. I mean, they are in the chapter so of course they are, I just... I thought they were good lines, okay. The dino man (it is insane how that doesn't actually narrow it down much in Kaido's top crew, it's just that only one of them is in this chapter) is a bad dino man, who doesn't even look to Sanji when they are battling. It's always "Judge", "Germa 66", "Judge", "Stealth Black", "Germa", "you brothers", "Stealth Black". He's such a ass, that despite his charisma, being a half-dinosaur cyborg, and Oda drawing invisibility in the coolest of ways, him getting kicked and tasting the heat of flames of hell (poetically, ifrit being a spirit of hell) is naught but deserved. Oh, and he even hurt that nice mouse-girl.
Let's see you fly far, Queen.

Chapter 1035: Zoro vs. King
(read 12022-07-28)

Oh, a cover story! I get to cover (heh) those as well, that's swell. It's about Germa. I'm surprised their ships are sailing at all. I honestly am, this is like the second-to-last chapter I've read before, I do not remember the details.
In the chapter proper we get it confirmed that Queen is gone for good, flying far off the island. Chuji is fine though, what joy! :)
But nevermind that, this chapter has got another main matchup. Though I've already gushed about Zoro, and for him this chapter is more of a conclusion than the climax. Rather, the focus of this chapter is on King unmasked. Puns about him being hot aside, this handsome (but evil, evil, bad!) fellow has got an unique design trait for one of Oda's characters: he has a screentone skin color. Oda uses screentones very sparingly, the only other character I can think of having it in their design is Shanks, for his hair. Otherwise they are restricted to shading and special effects. And no other character uses it for a skin tone. It's a nice way to make him stand out, breaking the usual habits of the artist.
Beyond this, King remains mostly a mystery unsolved. Why does a tip-off got a bounty on it that high? What is it about the Lunarians that made him a prized subject of a World Government research facility? I have doubts that it is just "endurance". And wait, what was Kaido doing there too, at a young age?
By-the-way, there was a theory mostly mocked in /r/onepiece, that of ZKK, or "Zoro kills Kaido". I suppose because Zoro aims to be the strongest swordsman being the savior of the samurai seemed fitting. With us knowing Kaido that seemed even less plausible than before his introduction proper, but in this chapter he at least got to cut down a "dragon", no doubt modeled by King after Kaido. Congrats!

Chapter 1036: Bushido Is the Way of Death
(read 12022-07-30)

At this point I barely remember reading this chapter before, way less than I did earlier memories. Is memory supposed to work that way? Apparently it does, even if logic would dictate the reverse. In any case I get touched, by this strangely nostalic whisp of a memory. And by Kaido giving up on his dream to be Joyboy, and by Momonosuke fighting hard, and by Usopp telling Kiku and Kinemon to live, and by the thought that Izo has no idea how funny "God Usopp" is as a moniker.
And see, here is that next chapter of Naruto featuring Raizo vs. Fukorokuju. Or did they already feature since I told the first part of this joke? ...They did, didn't they.
This chapter is extremely packed, jumping all over the place, even for One Piece. Of course this is intentional in the "oh, I want to have all these scenes in here" fashion, that loose threads need to be tied up, and the B and C and D plots need to make room for the main story. If any of you have read One Punch Man (the Murata version) you should know why we can't have a full battle shown for Drake vs. nameless CP0 member. Or why if Oda did that, Wano would end up as 30 volumes instead of... like 15, which is still a lot. I do not keep a count, could be more, could be less. But also! All this jumping, all this chaos, is lining up with the beats of the story. I wonder to what degree the story is woven so that we readers feel some of that stress, some of that anticipation.

Chapter 1037: Drunken Dragon Bagua
(read 12022-07-31)

Another Sunday, another Manga Plus meta/spoiler to add to the list. Click below only if you want to see it, etc. Meta/spoilers

So strange that even Judge survived, I wonder if we'll get an answer as to why. And of course they have covered his eyebrows up. Do they curl? Do they curl?!
And this is a gorgeous, gorgeous chapter. See how Kaido swings that club? See how Luffy does that kick? It is greatly enjoyable and artistic, but I don't have much to say about it.
That last page spread though, I have lots to say about it. I believe it may be the most cryptic spread in One Piece. Ever! Okay, maybe that is a little dramatic, but it really is a big question mark, and the /r/onepiece community was all over it when it was first published. And so, will I discuss it here? Of course, but let's play a painful game (for whom? me?). I'm almost certain the next chapter is the last one I have read before, and after that there will be some space where I take all my knowledge, or at least the interesting parts, and mush it up and present it to you. Basically I'll look back to these chapters and say what theories I've heard of, and what little I'm figuring myself; all that stuff I've been cryptic about before to avoid spoilers. And because there is yet one chapter left (I will be so embarrassed if there are more) I will put the discussion of this spread there. So I don't have to be cryptic here. I've even got a screenshot prepared. It'll be fun.

Chapter 1038: Kid & Law vs Big Mom
(read 12022-08-03)

Ah, this is it. In some small personal way, this is an end. It has been nice having you here - I say in a very rhetorical way, I have no idea if anyone is actually reading along with this. Let's get to the chapter already!
I find it very funny that Niji and Yonji are captive. I mean... I was about to say something sinister there, but now I am unsure how I feel about it. It is funny because they are unfeeling monsters, who both had it coming for them in some way, but also don't feel negatively for their own circumstances. But then again they are that way since birth, they can't be blamed for it. In this case I think it's fine to see past that and view them as "just" funny characters, or you can view it as a dark morbid chuckle, that's fine too. Oh, and there is pudding again, what a joy to see her.
The chapter itself, it is intense, and admittedly a little scary in the sense I do not know what is to come. Will Zoro be fine? Will Jinbe be fine? Will Raizo be fine?! I no longer know this, and this fear of the unknown is creeping up, despite knowing Oda is a benevolent creator. I know that in One Piece miracles happen, allies may come in to help, so can stupid (?) luck, and even the weather, or the characters can simply pull through more if needed. Yes, I know these things happen, but not that they will. I could find solace in the chapter of Kinemon's death, because I already knew what would happen, that he would be fine. Yes, I felt the kind of suspense in the chapters leading up to it, when Kaido descended, that a well-written story like One Piece grants you even on a re-read. But it wasn't... this. Perhaps I am being overdramatic, but I find myself oddly unprepared for this, despite the main point of this series was to read "new" chapters, and get up to speed. It's really strange how unprepared I was. I find myself in this burning castle, and I am scared.
And excited.

-End of Part One-

Chapter 1039: Top Billing
(read 12022-08-05)

After a we journey of two and a half months have arrived at the first chapter I'm going into "blind". Did you skip directly to this point? If yes, welcome to this series!
Who is calling out to Momonosuke? I think it's pretty safe to assume it is the elephant we saw at the end of chapter 1037. Why "the elephant" instead of just "Zou, that has walked its way to Wano"? Well, because sillouetted in that mist, the elephant drew a resemblance to the shadows in the florian triangle (pointed out by the people of /r/onepiece, way back when), so the chance of it being one of those is not nil. Geez, I should get to that theorizing corner already.
The rest of the chapter is a battle, in which Big Mom continues to be "just ridiculous", to quote Kid. She's a woman who can heal her own broken bones, use a MASER as a sword, and summon forth the misery of your mother visiting your home, judging your style of life in the years after you've moved out. That's what it is mean to be evocative of, right? But if Big Mom is ridiculous, then what does it make those bickering fools who has broken her bones, and forced her to bring out one final attack after another? Truly amazing, is the answer.
That hole is for Big Mom to fall through, right?

Chapter 1040: Wasted Words on Young Ears
(read 12022-08-07)

Big Mom goes out with a boom. Literally. I have expressed my liking of Big Mom as a character, but if this is the last we see of her, I couldn't be more satisfied with how it was done. There is a very thin line to balance, when it comes to actions as dramatic as killing off a character, especially with fannish sentiments around, which can and do warp all kinds of judgments. Oda manages to stay on that line, because he has a great grasp on believability.
All media have the trait believability, and this is not the "suspension of disbelief" you might think of, where the media is compared to the consumers' preconception of "reality", the realm that exists outside of media. Instead, it is about setting up rules for what is allowed, what can and should happen in a setting/story. In a fantasy story like One Piece, you don't really have to care for whether dragons existing clashes with them not existing in the real world (komodo dragons disregarded), but rather whether the consumer has gotten a feel from the text, that One Piece is the type of fantasy story where dragons could believably exist. Seeing One Piece as a battle shonen, there are rules set up dictating the believability of any character losing or winning a battle. These rules are about "power levels" (the idea of some characters being 1-dimensionally "stronger" than others, codified by Dragon Ball), but as well what kind of narrative and ideological notions can force the power levels to bend their knees, and cause a victory for characters who we are previously led to believe have lower power levels than their opponents.
As is this case with Big Mom. Oda has repeatedly shown that Big Mom is an absolute beast, a true monstrosity even for the One Piece world. In other words, she stands with a very high "power level". However, he has also set up frameworks where we expect (and thus accept) our heroic characters to ultimately win, and that teamwork, perseverance, boldness, and a strive for a new future (as opposed to the pro-status quo views of the old pirate) allow them to take that path. And yet this doesn't allow Law or Kid to beat Big Mom, by direct damage causes by "their own" techniques. No, Big Mom has to fall down a hundred-meter (or more) hole, have a bomb which could (and did) break off a large chunk of an island blow up at her face (again, literally), and finally be bombarded with either more bombs or rock chunks the size of buildings. That is a testament to her power level, that Oda created a character that the readers (especially fannish ones like me) would not accept losing except through such contrivances. But then, isn't it a deus ex machina, something that happened for no reason other than the narrative forcing it, when the bombs and distance from the ground allowing the hole to get deeper, were both circumstantial? Weren't Law and Kid just lucky? The answer to that is no. Not only did they act withing the bounds of believability to be as cool as they could (Did you see them resist Soul Pocus? Squee!), but One Piece denies the existence of "just" being lucky. Within the world of One Piece, luck does favor the bold. Not only is this shown through events like this one, we are quite literally told this in Jaya, when Luffy survives a potentially explosive apple given out by Doc X. I don't bother finding the quotes, but you are free to look it up. In any case, their luck can be said to be a merit, some sort of karmic reward, showing they have deserved to defeat Big Mom. For the same reason Yamato's (everyone's, really) problems with the bombs and Kanjuro's specter are blown off by the coincidental passing of the soon-to-be-ex Emperor of the Sea. What can I say, it's a masterful craft.

Oh, and other things happened in this chapter as well, didn't they? Did Big Mom just say "some of" the One Piece is in "this country"? As in Wano country? What could that mean, could the One Piece even be split up? I've got nothing to say, the thought that the One Piece could be spread out is nothing that ever occurred to me.
Also over at Momonosuke land, said boy confirmed that 1) the elephant is Zunesha (right, right, it had a name that wasn't "Zou"), but also 2) that Zunesha knew Joyboy and committed the crime they are wandering for during that time and 3) that this kind of information about the void century is contained in Oden's journal. Hmm, maybe I should have known the last point, did Yamato mention Joyboy at the start of the raid, when we were introduced? I do not recall. But the rest have only been speculation, so it's nice to see them confirmed.

Chapter 1041: Komurasaki
(read 12022-08-09)

This time the lament of spoilers turned out to be a long thing, so it is hidden by default. This is just for compression, the actual spoilers are further spoiler-marked, so clicking the button below is safe. Click to show/hide

The theme of this chapter may be "atta girl", with it being appropriate for Pudding on the cover page as well as, of course, Komurasaki, also known as Hiyori. And maybe Momonosuke, who fulfills the "princess role" in Wano? Is it far to call him that when his sister is a literal princess? Also, the princess role doesn't necessarily carry honorary girlship, when it has arguably been passed on to Sanji (and Franky?) before... What is the "princess role"? I should probably explain that some day. In either way Hiyori has done well.
The rest of the chapter has lots of little details and things to ponder. What preparations is Raizo talking about (and yay, he won!)? Should Luffy be eliminated at once simply because he is rising to the top, as an enemy of the World Government, or is the worst-case scenario something more specific? Something about the Straw Hat crew? Something in Wano? It is presumably another CP0 member speaking through the snailphone, so is the "we" that only knows of the scenario through rumor and hearsay CP0, because the Five Elders won't share all their info, or do even they don't know? In that case, is it about "the fruit" they were talking about before. I'm not too fond of the theories from way back when (chapters 1037 and 1018) that it would be the gomu gomu no mi being special, but they can't be easily dismissed either. Also, is Izo a goner? :(
Who more should I comment on? Okiku and Kinemon? Hamlet? Carrot? Zoro being dead(!)(??)? Nami, and Zeus being not dead? Otama? I think Luffy and Kaido have to be mentioned though. Our dude is genuinely having the upper hand. He's so coool. If we're getting a flashback for Kaido/Big Mom I am stoked for it.

Chapter 1042: The Victor Needs No Epithet
(read 12022-08-11)

That is incredible setup. Wow! By letting the other CP0 member fall in the last chapter, and starting this one with what seemed like a repetition, I was wholly unprepared. Yet we knew the goals of our nameless CP0 member (the other was "Maha") and we never saw him fall. I only assumed, as Drake did. It is a great twist, because it is obvious in hindsight.
The twist, and the rest of the chapter for that matter, are also accompanied by gorgeous art. This maybe doesn't need to be said, for One Piece, but I'd still like to highlight one aspect. Oda is clearly aware of the digital medium of One Piece, or at least the magazine format that allows you to open the middle of the spreads much further. To talk about pages loses some meaning, when three even pages are fitted onto a spread, like on spread 4. Spread 6 and 8 are also divided into three parts (note that spread 6 is not [right, upper left corner, down], but [right, center and upper left corner, lower left corner]), but the evenness in size of spread 4 is somehow the most bold. I am certain this kind of paging has been done before, as digital comics have existed for a fair 25 years (don't quote me on that exact time frame) but to see this full rejection of the physical page by a master such as Oda... it is done so matter-of-fact that I can't help but wonder if he has done it before, and I have simply accepted it then, thinking no further about it. The paging in this chapter is so wonderful I hope to one day read an article on it, by someone more skilled than I. And so should you!

Chapter 1043: Let's Face Death Together!!!
(read 12022-08-13)

Naturally, this chapter is quite somber. Luffy has (literally) run out of air, and this is accompanied by some sort of resignation. Amidst this, I realize I had forgotten the third CP0 member, who in their silent contemplation becomes somewhat of a silent mourner, a masked figure from a sad parade. The rest of the chapter is a sort of dialogue between the stances of surrender and fighting to a presumed death. Neither of the options is emerging victorious. This dialogue is taken literally between Momonosuke and Yamato, as part of this longer dialogue which I've come to enjoy quite a bit. It was wise to pull them off to the side like this, where they get to talk with no interruption. Momonosuke is no fighter after all, so Yamato can be there to guard him should any troubles arise.
But then! What is happening to Luffy?! What is that slimy, grinning appearance? "Joyboy"?! Have I been spoiled on some vague aspect of unknown future chapters so I can't comment on it? Somberly: yes.

Chapter 1044: Warrior of Liberation
(read 12022-08-15, written 12022-08-16)

This chapter is quite a lot to take in, and so I will take my time, and begin from the other part which I am sure was overshadowed in many minds as they first indulged in this one. Let's talk about Hiyori. In this chapter her vengeance is completed. She does not literally do it by her own hands? Why not? The Samurai were allowed to behead him with blades, so was Kaido. Is this gender roles by Oda, or is it Hiyori not being martially accustomed, meaning the only way she could kill him is indirectly like this, or in ways somehow too brutal for One Piece, like Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi. Somehow this idea of a slow and hands-on death, that must be dealt to someone already incapacitated, manages to diminish the notions of knightly valor, be it right or not. Maybe that's why Hiyori simply gets to not act, even if the killing was fully intentional, what with the castle burning.
Orochi calling the flaming blob "Kanjuro" also intrigues me, with him appearing similarly in some flashback, it is almost as if that is the true form of Kanjuro, the samurai being only a guise... to some more literal extent, Kanjuro is physically a blob.

In part two I will talk about possibilities, as past this point there will be no good time to talk about theories latent in wait for the revelation that came here. If my language is strange and confuddling please excuse me, this is what happens when I run low on the sleep, for wholly unrelated reasons. In other words, what did I think before? This is the mystery of the fruit. Essentially, we knew Who's-who had been firedimprisoned for losing the Gum-gum fruit, and we knew, per chapter 1037, that the five old men were worried over a certain fruit awakening. This is the relevant spread here below (open it in a new tab if you must):

One of the prominent theories was of course that there was something up with Luffy's fruit specifically - why else would we have been told Who's-who was connected to it? But this theory could - then - be dismissed by those thinking it made no sense for Luffy's fruit to be so special - was Luffy's virtue not that he carried the will of Roger (and presumably Joy Boy)? What point was there then for him to have some special fruit? Anyone could carry the will, it was said, and important power-havers were already accounted for, see Shirahoshi, Momonosuke being the only who could command Zunesha. And Luffy already had things going for him, the Gomu Gomu no Mi was a fun fruit that maybe (according to one theory) was once eaten by Portgas D. Rouge. But that should be it, right?
Another theory was that the fruit was Tama's fruit, which could when awakened command even from afar, threatening the world with the powers of the giant elephants like Zunesha (who are hidden away in the mists of the Florian Triangle?).
Or maybe... the mysterious fruit was eaten by Zunesha? That would be some crime, right? Eating the fruit that could have been of so much use.
The latter of these theories explained the procurement of the Gum-gum fruit as something that was part of a bigger project. Maybe it was to find that one fruit, but the world government are always interested in getting their hands on devil fruits, that is matter of fact. But I had a favorite theory. One where it being the Gomu Gomu no Mi was important, without it being important. See, there is one fruit we know is special somehow, which just so happens to look very similar to the Gomu Gomu no Mi. A round one with purple swirls. Say the world government gets a report, they have seen the fruit on a certain (and with that I mean arbitrary, who cares exactly) island, and they send out one of their agents to take it back safely. Who's-who arrives on the scene, and finds there not the fruit that was reported, but just as he is about to carry that information up the chain, a sudden storm intercepts the snailphone signals. And then pirates! What are they doing here! And how is this "Shanks" fellow so strong! The fruit is taken, and when his Cipher Pol boss calls back he promises, begs, that yes, the fruit was stolen, but it was the wrong one! The wrong one! ...Who would believe that? Who would believe that he didn't lose the Yami Yami no Mi? Uh, and how does this relate to the elephant? Sure, the talk about the fruit on that spread and the talk about the elephant were interlaced separate conversations, but you'd still except some connection, right? Well... what if that elephant was not ZouZunesha but really another elephant with Blackbeard on top of it! ...that did not turn out to be the case.

But now that we are out of the woods of speculation, where are we? And where am I? Well for one I am out of spoiler territory. I think it could be a fair formula for how to deal with spoilers, for you who don't read them when I initially report seeing them. I simply say when I reach the point: "yes, this I had seen already". I had glanced by the last panel of Luffy, with "Gear 5". And him laughing, so I had assumed it was a Joyboy power sort of thing, well especially since last chapter.
It is again a lot to take in, and I am not exalted. That's not a sarcastic understatement, that is me telling I can't take this chapter the way I did some other chapters, or the way I would react to some other Super Saiyan-esque transformations. I may have my doubts (they should be clear in the "possibilities" section above), and I am sure this chapter was controversial. But! I have no interest in enjoying One Piece less. This is only a beginning of a new artistic, narrative, etc. something, so I will see where it will end up. Also, it seems to me as clear that this is what Oda wants to do. There's a lot of fun to be glanced in the way he draws Gear 5 Luffy in this chapter, the notion that this may be his ideal hero, like Gen to Keiji Nakazawa. Does it matter it is more than rubber? We'll see. :)

Chapter 1045: Next Level
(read 12022-08-17)

Aaah, this is so bizarre. I am relieved it is not a curbstomp of Kaido here, that would be scary for the powerscaling going forwards. Yes, stuff like that matters when you have characters at the ceiling of the world.

Chapter 1046: Raizo
(read 12022-08-19)

With a chapter named like this, you know it's going to be a good one. That ninja dude just extrudes so much charm. But who are those two shadows? Could it be the other two Vinsmoke brothers? Would they really dare return the second Big Mom is out of the house (presumably this cover story is happening even before most of the Wano arc, when she is traveling there)?
Back at the castle roof we are reminded that he may look different now, and Zunesha might look at him like Joyboy, but he is simply Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the King of Pirates. It's like a breeze has blown over my heart, clearing those worries I had, that easily. Maybe they'll come back, but does it really matter. If this is a confirmation Luffy is still Luffy, then there simply has to be another when the worries return. It brings a smile to my face. So does him dodging that Demolition Gust.
Then I wonder if it is cheap to see a chapter's title and think "oh, character A is going to solve this", and then continue reading in relief? I don't think it is, rather it might be foolish. What if something terrible befell Raizo, or he only succeeded halfways? That is already the case, actually, with the castle being in the sky still. But what if Raizo (and Jimbei) only drenched half of the castle, leaving the rest of the cast of who we've enjoyed their little moments thinking they would be fine, still in peril?
I could also wonder how Raizo could store such an amount (or any at all) of sea water inside his devil fruit-powered scroll. But I'm not going to, because plot permits. But say how is it going to permit the castle to not fall on an/or under our friends? When the clash of the giants (figurative) causes it to rumble so. Will Momonosuke carry it on his own? I think it is quite likely Zunesha will help him. Or at least so I speculate.

Chapter 1047: The Sky Over the Capital
(read 12022-08-21)

Who those shadows are will continue to delude us, because this chapter (I was about to say week, but that isn't right, right) we instead get a color spread. Other than the Strawhats being gathered and enjoying themselves, there is also Momonosuke. I won't read into it the way you could: "This means Momo is the next Nakama!!". But I will highlight that his mane is yellowy-orange. That is fitting for a peach.
How does Oda look at Momonosuke, and the samurai? How much is Momonosuke still a child, and how much of the burden lies on his mother, Kinemon, Luffy, and the rest of the samurai alliance, versus Kaido and Orochi, if he isn't? In this case it seems as Momonosuke is indispensable in being the only one to not only be able to hold up and halt the castle, but now as of the end of the chapter, also has to jank it away all in one go. I believe Momonosuke is eight. Twenty-eight physically per his artificial aging, but, paraphrasing, that would leave him with "the mind of a child". So eight is the correct age, and that is little. That is why I am wondering, whether this arc will end with Momo doing as he must, carrying this all-too-heavy weight due to the obvious villains Kaido, Orochi, and the World Government (Wait? Why them? Because the other Kurozami had traveled to the point of getting to touch the Golden Lion's face (the old lady, Higurashi, once transformed into him), and wanted to destabilize the government of an isolate country. Who were they if not government agents?)? Or will he fight it, exclaiming he's a kid and has had too high expectations on him? I think the former, actually.
Either way, it seems we are close to the end. Well, that has been said for 15 chapters maybe, but now they are letting go of the sky boats. Also they say "The festival is coming to an end". Do I really need to draw the parallels to explain how clear that intent is?
The conversation about powers is also something I am grateful about, how Luffy's powerup is treated. He gets new fun ways to fight (oh yes! do throw the lightning! - that's me when he does that) but rather than that leading to a beat-down of Kaido, it returns them to the point they were before the CP0 meddling. A point where we know Luffy will win because narrative, but ostensibly even.
That is one big fist.

Chapter 1048: Twenty Years
(read 12022-08-23)

The themes for the villains in Wano, the antagonistic force, are dragons and fire. Obviously, Kaido, Orochi and King are dragons-on-fire, doubling down on the theme, but the Flying Six also had mostly Dragon Dragon fruits. Except for Black Maria, who breathed fire. And Who's who, who didn't. And the rest of the Kaido crew and Orochi's followers were mostly animals and samurai, but a theme doesn't need to be literally everywhere to count as pervasive. And of course Oden died by fire, and Kanjuro's dying lead to the blob of flames, which fed the same fire Fukorokuju had already been lighting. That fire can almost be said to be a villain in itself. There is also a twist on it with Sanji, but we'll get to that.
These themes feed into each other, and both come to mean a destructive force for the sake of destruction, a meaningless endeavor. For Orochi and Kanjuro destroying Wano was all that, for the sake of vengeance and filling a hole in his heart by theatricals, respectively. And Sanji has to fight the flames of his and reclaim them, to not become a purposeless monster like his brothers, fit only for destruction. His flame powers of course predate this arc, but I'd argue they are repurposed here, as Queen repeatedly asks him whether that is his Germa power, which then becomes part of his insecurities as those latent powers awaken. I will bet now that Kaido's ultimate goal was/is also of this kind, that he once wished to change the world, but now that he has given up he wishes only for its destruction. He was going to amass that army, ally up with Big Mom, and for such a stupid reductive purpose. To burn it down and nothing more. I'm sure his inevitable flashback will be touching, but let's hope Luffy stops that.
I'm not sure what I don't get with Hiyori's part here. Why does she not get to strike down Orochi, or didn't when she reasonably could, him being trapped under rocks? Is it that Orochi had to survive until now, to see through this recap chapter? And become a flaming dragon? Or is the saving necessary? I find it unsatisfying. I rooted for that girl. Also what is "Bedlam"? The sword?
What more can be said, about this chapter that is more or less recap. I don't think that is necessarily negative, even if it doesn't do much for the format I'm doing Wano is a long arc, and context is needed for... what is that word... gratification? That feeling of bliss when good stuff, that is heightened by bad stuff. That's the purpose of this chapter, to heighten that feeling I don't recall the name of. Whether for kids reading Jump at home (do these mythical Bondo Taira-types still exist?) who haven't read the last 10 volumes, or people who can just flip over the page and read the next chapter, and not be as bothered by this one.
Gee, I hope Kinemon and Okiku are okay :/.

Chapter 1049: The World That Should Be
(read 12022-08-25)

First off, some meta stuff I saw. It is pretty inconsequential, I think, but your milage may vary. Click the button only if you want to. Meta/spoilers

I do somehow have little to say about this chapter. When the Kaido flashback started I expected it to last for a chapter or two, but then it was only four pages. It begs to be expanded upon. Kaido is revealed to be from the Vodka Kingdom, which 46 years ago point did not have the right to attend the coming Reverie. The deal they did with Kaido as payment must have lead to trade deals, or otherwise an upswing in their position in the world, as we saw the current king of Vodka at the last Reverie. Or at least so I am lead to believe, by the name "Vodka Kingdom" and there being "matroshka princesses" at the Reverie. There can only be one stereotype Russia in the world of One Piece, right?
Why is Kaido a rat? Because of his whiskers, or did he betray the Rocks (or Linlin) somehow? I was going to say something profound about Higurashi (the transforming old lady) but then I don't have the timeline down to know if this deal with Kaido is before or after meeting with Orochi... I still believe she was a World Government agent.
That was the flashback. As for the rest, Luffy punches Kaido and Momonosuke suddenly pulls the island away. It's nothing spectacular, but it is quite satisfying. Catharsis, that was the word I was looking for last chapter, and here it is relevant. This chapter ends with the tension at a low point, mirroring the island - and our heroes landing on the ground. The dramatic vertigo is no more.

Chapter 1050: Honor
(read 12022-08-27)

This chapter is "Honor". Ichiji has none, strangling a child.
With such a chapter as this one, I feel joyous and inclined to make stupid jokes. For one, Big Mom and Kaido are about to become very "drr drr". Because of the holes, you know? No? Like in Junji Ito's "Enigma of Amigara Fault". But it doesn't seem to likely they will emerge like that, because not only is Luffy our stretched protagonist, but magma has been shown to have top notch power level in One Piece. And uh even if they are thrown up by the volcano wouldn't they fall into the sea? Yeah we can count them as goners. All this means Ichiji was not only strangling a child, but an orphan! Shame on him!
Speaking of children, Otoko is the most precious one out there. It was more than expected that the sky floats would be let go off around the end of the arc, but this execution almost had me cry. I think it might be that kind of honor the chapter might be named after, fighting for what you know is right and honoring (see? the same word!) those who have done so through gratitude instead of sorrow. Or maybe the honor of realizing your loss. Who knows, it's a vaguely defined term which has been put through a layer of translation already.
And you should all be pogged out of your gourds. I know I am. Prepare yourselves, the party chapters are coming! Starting with, it seems, a shogun's procession. Momonosuke has done well, I hope he gets the chance to relax.

Chapter 1051: Shogun of Wano, Kozuki Momonosuke
(read 12022-08-29)

"Ki..Kin'emon?!! What?! I thought he was dead!!" is what I believe is called "lamp-shading", pointing out a tropeiffic aspect of your own work. In this case the apparent immortality of characters such as Kinemon and Okiku. But we do not see Ashura Douji in this chapter (forgive me, I have forgotten his other name)...
It is good to get closure about Otama's powers, though I wonder what role she will play going forward. It was theorized back in the when-I-read-theories that Otama could join the Strawhats as some kind of pirate apprentice, like Shanks and Buggy, but if she is constructing a family on Wano that seems less likely. How will she interact with Momo though? It feels they have something left in this arc.
Speaking of him is fitting, because this is his chapter, his triumphant entrance and return. And BOY! is he cool. Pun intended. In some sense I have considered Momonosuke a kid, of the more real kind with realer worries. I think there is value to that, but Momonosuke is also much like his (almost) namesake: Momotarō. Momotarō went to the island of Onigashima, and accompanied by his friends he vanquished the ogres living there. When Momotarō returns, he has brought peace to the land, and maybe grown into an adult? My meager research fails me here, but the point is Momonosuke is some kind of fairy tale character. Like Kirikou! His supernatural aging (mentally) could be some kind of fairy tale characteristic, which does not need further explanation. And that kind of works.
(heheheh, the ninja-pirate-mink-samurai alliance, I love that gag)

Chapter 1052: A New Morning
(read 12022-08-31)

This chapter is monumental in some way. Perhaps because it is finally the post-arc for Wano, and thus in some way the pre-arc for the grand finale, or some penultimate arc. Perhaps because the title of this chapter is literally "a new morning", meaning the dawn, you know this very symbolically loaded notion in One Piece conceptology (is that a word!). But let's not be too anticipated, like those five old men, because this is a party! So yes yes, let's forgo that apparently Wano needs to be opened from within (or by Zunesha!), otherwise it remains "impregnable" [sic]. Hmm, isn't that a typo?
Though first I should say eww- is that Ceasar? I hope he gets a deservedly horrible time.

I should mention that these between-arcs usually are complex in ways that the "in"-arcs are not - because they are prime opportunities to show what is happening in the rest of the world, upping the dimensionality of what there is to look at. Basically panels, pages, and sometimes whole chapters, are relatively non-sequitur those around them, plus they need to tie up the knots of an entire arc, such as the scene with the teacher here. Perhaps this is an imagined problem for me, since Oda tends to be always very... efficient with his chapters, but perhaps I'll have to forgo more scenes than usual, in this post/between-arc. Ashura was indeed gone, and so was Izo. But let's get to the party already!

That Luffy and Zoro both are okay and rambunctious is something we've come to expect, but perhaps we have not seen these child characters of Wano act like children. Wano really is an arc with children in focus as I am not talking about those who look the part, Otama and Otoko (I never know if I should drop the O's, and I think I rarely do), but about Momonosuke, Hiyori and OdenYamato, who should to various degrees be adults mentally in addition physically, but here clearly act out that childhood they have lost (on an aside, the secondary villains of Wano, Orochi and Kanjuro, acted out of a childhood lost to earlier Wano persecutions. Kaido too, perhaps, but it was not expanded upon to a significant enough degree that I dare group it with those two. In general One Piece has a lot of lost childhoods, it's the kind of series it is, especially as we follow the children "lost" by the world - pirates!). Momonosuke declares after not being recognized by Luffy and Zoro, and actions I have no respect for, that he is still an 8-year old, while Hiyori jumpkicks and Yamato acts particularly clingy and does this really funny thing with the tray on Momonosuke's head. It's really wholesome. And then it is time for the bath scene.

I was actually aware of this bath scene even before, due to spoilers in miniature format I have discussed above. Basically I knew nothing more than Yamato sharing the men's bath with Luffy and Zoro (the way it was cropped I saw nothing more during the 1 second I accidentally glanced), and that "fans" allegedly got upset over this. What can I say, Oda says trans rights. Yeah, I do think that is what it comes down to, even as some characters react these are the stupid pervert characters. They aren't made to be taken seriously, and the only other character to even make note of it is Nami, with a panel-long moment of confusion. It is very wholesome.
As I knew this chapter was coming, I have been trying to figure what purpose bath scenes have in One Piece, as there are a few. There is the aspect of titillation, which could be fan service as well as author service. Oda has admitted to enjoying shapely women and muscular men, which should come as no surprise to the reader. In regards to Yamato, it is fair to assume that extends to shapely men as well. But in addition to that, and the low-brow jokes that have already been mentioned (saying nothing of their quality, that is up for you to decide. Genuinely), these images of naked people having fun together are just jolly.
The Okama of the One Piece world has been the blunt of many jokes, but be that as it may, they are also an integral part of the Revolutionary Army who are no doubt good guys fighting for the freedom of the world. Again, Oda says trans rights, but really I feel that the transgressions against gender shown in Wano and this bathing scene are not only Oda bringing in representation for the sake of it, but that these transgressions are part of the freedom our protagonists are fighting for. Though not shown in text (in fact, the old Wano guard like Kinemon have been shown as highly into gender roles, while Kaido's crew was accepting of Yamato as a male heir), we are made to believe that Yamato and Okiku could not enjoy themselves this way had the battle gone differently, nor would the people around them get to make merry with them, happily, as they are (which is 100% the case, in regards to their fates would Kaido have won. The gender aspect is superimposed on that, and is as everything I say/write in these discussions, subjective).

Actually, and you must take my word for it that it is not out of perverted reasons, I would not have minded more pages of them partying, in and out of bath. Simply because it makes me happy, seeing happy people. Though I am also stoked for the bounties, and in all likelyhood the partying will continue to some extent.

Ryokugyu (Green Bull) has plant powers, as expected, unless Oda is pulling a sneaky one. He really has... algae powers!!! Of course, this isn't necessary as it was with Akainu's magma powers and Kizaru's light powers, where the fire and lightning powers they deserved for the JRPG elemental trio with Aokiji's ice powers were already taken. It would just be really, really funny.

Chapter 1053: New Emperors
(read 12023-09-01)

I see myself as leading a very busy life, and then Oda hits with this kind of chapter. What am I to do? But tear up from laughter and sentiment.
First off, this is a very pretty color spread, and I have no idea who these characters are. From the Shanks movie? But shouldn't Shanks be there then, and "One Piece Odyssey" is written in a fancy logo style which has me believe it's some other property. But it could be like a stage play or an ad crossover with some famous IRL person I've never heard of. This will clear up sooner or later, but not now.
Second off, I dropped my phone at those numbers. Three billion for all three of them!? That's insane! Morgans has really been used to his full potential since his introduction, at showing the sometimes inefficacy of the World Government by following his own agenda. He's a great big bird.
Jinbei waiting for the meals is really wholesome and cute. So is that soul-shamisen duet by Brook and Hiyori. I want to hear that.
It is after this that I realize that I'd forgotten how many reveals Oda can fit in a chapter, in a very smooth way. Not only is Tenguyama Sukiyaki, but Pluton is also in Wano?! Part of what make these reveals smooth is that they had been accurately guessed by the community way back, and it is easy to sound braggadocios when I really had no part in that figuring process myself, and I had mostly forgotten these theories. The reasoning being that Kaido was strangely possessed with something being in Wano, and supposing it was an ancient weapon (Pluton? Uranos?) then he must have had someone read the poneglyphs for him. Who could read the poneglyphs? Sukiyaki Oden of course. And a masked character always begs to be unmasked, at some subliminal level (in reality these were different theories, Sukiyaki as a prisoner, and Sukiyaki as Tenguyama. Both turned out to be true. Cool.). Admittedly there is some plot hole of what happened to the original sword smith, was the Kitetsu III smith also the king, all along? Or did they die sometime earlier, so Sukiyaki could take their place? It's the kind of thing that could be answered in an SBS sometime.
RicardoRyukugyu is a read nasty dude, doing that to the king of funk. Uh, queen of funk. Maybe it's deserved, too, huh. We get a face reveal, and here I feel I should know Japanese actors to know who he is based off, but I have no idea. In any case, as this decidedly plant-based dude makes his way towards the party I oh-so-much love seeing more of...
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWHWHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT?!?!
This is the part where I begin to choke, from laughter and surprise. In some past tense, but I honestly have a little hard of breathing even now as I flip through the pages (digitally) to do this discussion. You know why. The brachiosnakeus was great. This is even...
I don't even know it's so freaking funny I love it.

Volume 97: My Bible
(read 12022-09-03, written 12022-09-04)

If you are concerned with spoilers, this discussion should be read after the one on the chapters above. Not because volume 97 contains spoilers for chapters after it, of course, but because I discuss them here as well.

By some churning of fate (or really, predictable real-life happenings) my manga collection is returned to me at the same time as I lose internet connection. This means a double whammy of me getting to read volume 97 & 98, which I had previously purchased but refused to read before volume 96, . This was a wise decision, since I don't have the ability to read chapter 1054. Because Manga Plus requires internet.
Getting back to volume 96 is strange. The story flows different when reading an entire volume, compared to the chapter-by-chapter basis I had experienced it in before, but this is overshadowed by the fact that I am now back to the beginning of the raid. In some sense it is satisfying being reminded of the setup, and One Piece is always fun to read with the gags and all. There are also some really cool moments I had forgotten, such as Jinbei's entrance and the pummeling of the torii guard. But it is also... frustrating. With the ninja-pirate-samurai-mink alliance having just beaten Kaido's crew in "the present", what are they standing up for? And setting up a party, shouldn't that be what Luffy and his gang should be doing? I am aware this is the conceit of a written story, that when you go back to read earlier parts then the subsequent parts will not have happened yet. I am totally fine with that, but I might need some time to distance myself from Wano, or Kaido's whole family of dinosaurs (and Big Mom, and other funny animals) really will seem invincible.
It is strange that the box for Yamayo says "Kaido's daughter" instead of "Kaido's son". Eh, maybe not, he can be both if he wants to.
Something should be said about the One Piece in Love!! joke in the SBS, partially because I have little else to say about this volume's SBS, and partially because that spin-off is a good chuckle and the drawing was really on point. What is it with media that are part of a bigger franchise that just take the franchise's title and add "in Love"? Tenchi in Love is also an absolute banger, both of them. Is there some other "in Love!!" media I am missing out on?

Volume 98: Vassals of Glory
(read 12022-09-04, written 12022-09-05)

If you are concerned with spoilers, this discussion should be read after the one on the chapters above. Not because volume 98 contains spoilers for chapters after it, of course, but because I discuss them here as well.

For me volume 98 suffers in much the same way that the one before it did. But it has more setup for specific plot points later in the arc. And stating things outright that I had thought were just community theories. And a connection to the outside world later parts weren't as occupied with. In other words, I had completely forgotten that the warlords had dissolved (to some degree I hadn't, I knew Buggy was on the run but kind of mind-avoided why), and that the reason being some development of a pacifista-like project. Also, Kaido does openly say he's after the Ancient Weapons like, hint hint nudge nudge, the Pluton in Wano. Though he does word it in a way that makes it seem (he thinks) the One Piece is an Ancient Weapon, or collection thereof. Or Big Mom saying the numbers are "failed attempts at ancient giants" "from Punk Hazard". Phew, now I can use it without having to explain it as a fan theory first. If it comes up.
An example of the setup (or Oda flipping through earlier chapters and picking up a plot point that at the time of writing had no further purpose; when this is done well it is indistinguishable from planning) is Momonosuke repeating what his name is and what it means, drawing a parallel between the powerless kid here and the victorious adult being one and the same. He has a composure of mind that allows him to speak his mind even in low points, One Piece values that greatly. You know this is the case, because it is presented in a way that is cool.
All in all the volume is quite enjoyable, even as I wish to get back to the end of Wano.

Chapter 1054: Flame Emperor
(read 12023-09-05, written 12023-09-06)

There is the notion of how much could in theory be said of a chapter, and then there's my actual capacity when it comes to doing so. Basically I can't say everything, which is perhaps a reiterated point if you've been reading these closely, but it feels worse when there is so much new stuff to possibly discuss, more so when the new stuff is such that it could be speculated around in depth, instead of "just" a flashy move. I'm being self-indulgent here (isn't that what this website is for?). I think I'll up the wait between chapters to 3 days both to get more "rest" between writing each discussion, and to ease into the week-long waits I will soon be forced into.
I like Shanks' handsome face in the colored illustration, it's like something out of a shōjo manga.
Ryokugyu is an ass, but that is just about expected from him. I'm afraid to say Momonosuke might be as much of a fool, putting himself in harm's way. Well, I'm sure he has some succinct reason for it, but really, he is a stupid kid (affectionate).
Speaking of Shanks, here he is again, along with his jolly men (I do believe, yes, they are all men. Don't ask me why. Not now at least, who knows what I'll talk about in the future). It seems they were ready to intercept in Wano in some way, which is curious considering they did that in Marineford as well. What role do they consider themselves having? Note that in their flashback it is clarified that Who's Who (who is the brother of Sadie-chan from Impel Down (by the looks)?!) did not know about the gum-gum fruit, but not what the Red-hair pirates knew. Perhaps a lot? Or is Shanks just that unflappable? And he plans to claim the One Piece. As a matter of fact. That's cool!
Poor Sakazuki, he can't do much even with six "colored animals" in his ranks, himself excluded. The yellow monkey Kizaru, the wisteria-colored (?)(purple) Fujitora, the... green? ox Ryokugyu, the pink rabbit Momousagi, the brown pig Chaton, and now the black horse Kurouma, introduced in this chapter. This means he is another actor-face I do not recognize.
Oda clearly intends us to think Vivi is with the revolutionaries, I hope she's all right. Brainstorming other ideas for where she could be, she could be: with Imu in Pangea, with someone else in Pangea (conspiring with Myosgard), with Jewelry Bonney who-knows-where. Yeah that's pretty much it. I look forward to seeing what the role of her ship will be, now that it's been established as a plot point.

Chapter 1055: The New Era
(read 12023-09-08)

For such a grandiose title this chapter is a bit on the down-low. I'm not saying that in a diminishing way, I just thought it was funny. Compared to the "new era" chapters post-Marineford, or like the last two ones.
Have I elaborated on "my" thoughts on what Wano is, those theories with Oars? I don't think so. The basic idea is that Wano is an artificial country, created by Oars the Land-bearer, that legendary giant pirate sometime during the Void Century. Now, part of this (or perhaps a spin) is that the "Oars" we saw on thriller bark, the zombie, was not the actual Oars but only one of their (singular they, if zombie-Oars isn't Oars, then I don't think their gender has been revealed) descendants, some other "ancient giant". The actual Oars is instead the owner of the skull on Onigashima, who perhaps had San Juan Wolf's devil fruit to back up their size; even relative to the other ancient giants we've seen (including the Numbers) the skull is enormous. And by creating Wano their reputation for moving landmasses would be fulfilled. These thoughts are a mixture of old theories, or perhaps just a single one retold. I don't know how much my memory mixes-and-matches, and how much I add myself, if anything. There is some silliness in bringing this up first now, when Oda corroborates on it, and even confirms some aspects of the theory, such as Wano's mainland being artificial. More foresight would be needed from me. It is interesting that the walls of Wano literally have to fall to open it, and that there's a danger associated - it surely does bring a parallel to mind, that of the Red Wall crumbling, at the end of One Piece.
Have I mentioned that theory? It might be the most popular theory out there, and has been for a long time, as it ties in with Laboon, Sanji's dream of the All Blue, the destruction of Fishman Island... And now it also ties in with a parallel to Wano. One Piece is highly cyclic, so this makes it only the more likely.
Momonosuke's argument makes some sense, even if no battleships can enter Wano, individuals like Ryokugyu can sneak in from the sides. Though I feel bad for the samurai, attempting this while being all worn out. It would have been really risky, had they not had (unbeknownst to them) two forces backing them up.
Shanks ability to send targeted blasts of haki and haki-talking from a distance is fun, and somehow Jedi-like. It is a powerset that is kind of absurd, but that is befitting for an Emperor of the Sea, and we as readers need to be eased into that as Shanks is bound to take a bigger, more concrete role in the future. He can't be a mysterious figure with only a notion of "strength" forever, as interesting as that has been.

Having said all I want about the chapter, I want to drop one last theory, which has to either come up or not in one of the coming chapters, as Wano is just ending. You know so I can't seem smart by mentioning a theory only when it is partway confirmed. The theory is: "Otama is a Kurozami".
The basis for this theory is narrative completeness. Basically, the Kurozami have been pretty thoroughly bad in the Wano arc, while we've also been told they were done a large injustice. The idea though, is that the injustice was a persecution based solely on the name "Kurozami", guilt by association. But if the only Kurozami we meet are shown to be vile, wouldn't that make the persecution look justified? For this reason, it would make sense to have a heroic Kurozami, to heal that wound of Wano's, ending the cycle of vengeance. And what character is important and heroic in Wano, with us knowing little of their past? Otama. She has yet some plot to go through, as we haven't seen her much in this post-arc, and a farewell (or welcome-to-the-ship) is at least warranted. Let's see how that goes.

Chapter 1056: Cross Guild
(read 12022-09-11)

One more day between the chapters, one more meta/spoiler to be had. Click the button below only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

Poor Reiju, that's four Germa for the price of two.
What we see in this chapter is closure directed at a specific few, namely characters who were seen as possible future crew members for the Strawhats. Carrot gets to be King, and I think that is a lovely role for her. Even though the Zou standard of having seen a half dozen islands counting as having "been out to see the world" is silly, it does make sense in context. It also means Zou will have a leader we as readers care for, when they become relevant in the future. Otama on the other hand gets to train under Shinobu, meaning she'll not join our darling pirates. Yet.
Shinobu's thinnening is something I appreciate for the symbolic value. As seen in the SBSs when Oda drew designs for the Strawhats "in the future", there were two paths to go. On one hand they could be just as handsome, but that was only supposing they did not go down "a future where something went wrong". In those cases they would not only end up tattered and sad, but looking wildly different, basically wholly different designs. Thus, Shinobu's shape was not a natural result of her aging, but that of aging through a timeline where something had gone wrong. It was a direct result of Kaido and Orochi; now that they are gone so is the bad future, and she can "return" to her "supposed" shape. That said, it would be really funny to see Raizo unchanged after this, and jealous about the facelift. He's always been canonically ugly, after all.
WAIT A MINUTE!!! SANJI'S EYEBROW TURNED BACK! WHEN DID IT DO THAT?!
And yes, yes, it's Caribou! Love that guy! He's my favorite scum bag in One Piece! Knowing he does not care one bit about other people, and thus has no allegiances, who could he be planning to tell? Who is his go-to high bidder for information? Exhilarating!
Poor Momonosuke, who can't play with the other children, nor the adult children that are our main characters...
Which brings us to the (semi-)final scene for today, where we learn several important things. For one, we finally learn that the Grand Line does not go around the equator, as many-had-assumed (I did until like last year), but that it's on a diagonal of sorts. That the North Blue is in the north etc.. I'm pretty sure we haven't had any compasses of the kind yet, so can you believe we learn this first now (I suppose if we knew the rotation of Jaya relative the Grand Line we could have known, due to the south bird)! We also get to know what Buggy has been up to, and the same of Crocodile and Mihawk. Kind of... it really is a mystery of the most humorous kind. Putting bounties on the navy is such an intriguing idea, there really is a feeling that the World Government is losing grip. The finale is soon.
We also learn of "finding the man with the burn scar". Huh? Sabo?
And to get to the very very end of the chapter, the reason for telling off the other candidates was presumably to leave room for Yamato. Let's all go to meet the Strawhats! (all meaning Momonosuke, Kinemon, and him)

Chapter 1057: The End
(read 12022-09-14, written 12022-09-15)

What an immensely dramatic title. It is meant for the Wano arc of course, we'll get to that. But first we have the farewell of primarily Momonosuke, but also Kinemon and Yamato. That last one is a bit unexpected, but I guess the plot was leaving room for more crewmembers so they can pick them up at any time. I haven't got much to say on the farewell itself. Yamato answering to "Oden" will never cease to be funny.
And with that we find ourselves in the closing narration for the Wano arc, and after that "The End". Again, of the Wano arc, One Piece hasn't been suddenly axed or the like. Still, this very clearly marks the end of this part of the story, with these characters in focus. Which sadly means the untied ends won't be tied any time soon... I had previously said I didn't understand the passivity of Hiyori in her final scene. Here that is rectified in a way that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Not because speaking up is lesser than a swing of a blade, on a general coolness scale, but for the line chosen: "Kurozumi was born to burn!!!"
Perhaps it is due to a lack of reading ability on my part, and it being a paraphrase of Oden means something deeper, but isn't it a rather dull statement? Taken at face value, it is directed at all Kurozumi as a dangerous other, rather than at Orochi as an individual. This is strange especially as his (and Kanjuro's) reason for villainy was due to trauma following persecution of the Kurozumi, which they fell victims to even as guiltless children. One Piece normally teaches us that background is not what matters, but your convictions, the will you carry. Perhaps there is no reason or time for our protagonists to personally acknowledge the persecution of the Kurozumi as something wrong. They were at most children at the time - or even unborn - and that it was a mistake by letting two villains be born out of it. Yes, Wano's tragedy was one where Kaido was involved, but as readers we should equally understand it as influenced by a wrong done by those "on our hero's side". That taking back Wano is not only a battle against face-less foes, but one to rectify the past.
But then Hiyori instead states that "Kurozumi" should burn and is met by a roaring applause. It is as if Wano has learned nothing. They have gained a new leadership much kinder than the one before, but it is hard to see them as anything but fools, eventually bound to repeat the same mistakes.

Chapter 1058: New Emperors
(read 12022-09-17, written 12022-09-18)

Wait a minute, this chapter title was already used! I call plagiarism! From Oda by Oda, so really just a case of repetition being the mother of all comedy. Still, I haven't seen it with chapter titles before, as it half diminishes their purpose, of marking which chapter is which. Perhaps the title was reused to show a mirror side of the new Emperors, where they are both beat up by their crews.
I'm not sure otherwise how to commentate a bounty chapter, due to entering this project in the middle of a big battle I've come to expect a "wow" factor which is hard to keep up with. But let's try. 1) everyone but Chopper now has a higher bounty than Luffy post-Enies Lobby, which speaks of the end-game we're in; 2) the marines confirmed that age-old theory of Mihawk being more skilled than Shanks, with a sword. Makes a lot more sense now that we know of Shanks' jedi powers; 3) this is a Buggy chapter first and foremost and that guarantees it to be lovely. It is.
Finally, how come Dragon puts so much importance in Cobra? There shouldn't be a personal connection going into the past, unless it's a one-way thing. Going by memory of Dragon being mentioned in the reverie flashback in Alabasta, and Cobra not reacting to it any special. Is it because he's a would-be Celestial Dragon if the Nefertitis didn't refuse that title/move?

Chapter 1059: The Matter Involving Captain Coby
(read 12022-09-20)

And after n(>10, maybe?) volumes we finally return to Amazon Lily, and Boa Hancock, and the future admiral of the navy, Coby! Plus Blackbeard, the sneaky sneak. He was bound to appear somewhere during this checkup on the world, since he didn't appear in Wano (that would've been chaos, but it was one of the theories floating around). The action is cut off and told in snapshots, but Hancock at least gets a deserving number. Perhaps in a retconnish way, you get the feeling that the World Government, despite being left as the brunt of a joke at times, has had an uncanny ability when picking out the warlords at finding real monstrosities early in their careers. This effect is "retconnish" of course because it is created by their much lower bounties "before they became warlords", which at the time were meant to show their current strength. Crocodile is still strange, but that's something I'm willing to overlook.
That Coby had a previous connection to Blackbeard is an added treat, though it leaves me itching a bit. There are so many side stories which could be told, sometimes the scope of the world bleeding into focused story of One Piece is frustrating, because I want more more more. Is that a sensible position to hold about a 100+ volume work?
And then we have the child pacifistas who double as clones of the warlords (one obviously of Hancock, the other of Mihawk) and lunarians. That's just plain scary - Vegapunk truly is the most busted character of One Piece. I wonder which warlords were chosen though, will we get a clone of Luffy's mom er- Crocodile (see, this is a long running joke theory/community gag, based on the non-joke theory of Crocodile having been sex-swapped by Emporio (trans man representation let's go!!), and that since before that he was a "woman" he could have given birth to Luffy, his birth mother not being known), or will there be a kid Buggy pacifista 50 times as strong as the original? The latter would be hilarious so I'm leaning towards it being more likely.

Chapter 1060: Luffy's Dream
(read 12022-09-23)

And so, I am caught up. That is only half true, since the next day will drop on monday, my current schedule of one chapter every three days will hold up until then. I have also not decided how and when to meet up with the community, and start looking things up. The one-week waits may tear me apart, causing that reconciliation, though I shouldn't paint it as something negative, joining the final community laps is something I've intended from the get-go (see: the introduction). We'll see how it turns out.

What a chapter though. Starting out with the title page, it's an Oda-colored version of the "coloring page" from volume 8, i.e. a page meant to be colored in on your own. Oh, and he redrew it too and added the rest of the crewmates. As seen in the volume 8 version, the text in the back says "BE HAPPY ONE PIECE".
My heart was beating a little harder as I read through these first pages, for the sake of the title, we get to that soon. The interaction between the Strawhats is great, partially because they are funny characters, and partially because they are allowed internal conflict. There are lots of great faces as the crew reacts to what has happened in the world (and for us, the last few chapters). I particularly like how procedurally worse each of the insults towards Zoro are. Calling him an Onigashima ogre, sure. Calling him "green Kaido", witty even as an extension of that theme. "Green Mom" has already left the original theming only to rhyme with Kaido, and "crappy moss-head" is just a standard Sanji-to-Zoro insult. The Strawhats also find themselves in an open point of their narrative, which requires this internal strife. There is no obvious island they should go to, they don't even follow the Grand Line anymore. They are free to backtrack if they want to.
Oda also takes care of this downtime to bring up Luffy's dream. This is not reveal, but reinforcement. I feel a little embarrassed for expecting anything else. Which is to say, I was unnecessarily worried. This might be a bit tease-y, but this is the best way it could've went. The Strawhats are all on board (ha ha), while we as readers get to anticipate the true reveal.

We then find ourselves in Lulusia, where a revolution has just taken place. It is driven down that this was right by not only having the princess be the shitty one we met before, but by having her father be a vampire. A literal blood-sucking aristocrat. Yet the revolutionaries don't return their eagerness to kill. Here we find Sabo, exclaiming he did not kill Cobra, and that there's something up with the Empty Throne, something terrible! That there is something...

I flip the page and... that is Uranos, the ancient weapon named after the a god of the sky. The secret treasure of Mariejoa. This is not something I'll argue because I felt it in my gut, immediately knew it. Either this certainty is caused by masterful foreshadowing and world building on Oda's part, or by foolishness on mine. Sabo D:

If our Strawhats are lost, maybe Jewelry Bonney can help out! Not only as the last un-explored member of the Worst Generation, but as a witness of the Reverie.

Chapter 1061: Future Island Egghead
(read 12022-09-26)

Sometimes a chapter title gives you a good hint on its contents. As it shares the same space at that title (the title page), I now wonder if the title page story is shaped by the need to get Caesar involved again. Since he is related to the topic/character/island at hand, vaguely.
In the chapter itself, the Strawhat crew is getting split up. This is a great sign, and Bonney being thrown into the mix is also fun.
We also get to see the marines (of the Tashigi/Helmeppo kind) again, who are apparently close to the same island, but are mostly preoccupied with Coby being gone. I don't know if any of these navy people are truly new characters, are they? Doll and Hibari I don't recognize (Prince Grus looks vaguely familiar), but then again the cast of One Piece is huge...
And there we have it, after all this time: the greatest mind of the planet - a reveal. Does a feminine Vegapunk need to be discussed? For most characters such a discussion would be boring and reek of sexism, that the male default is transgressed against should not count as radical in most situations. What complicates this case is not that Vegapunk has been referred to using male pronouns throughout One Piece, since I do only know this to be the case in the English and Swedish translations. Japanese is generally gender-neutral in second person, so the "he"-ing could be a product of translation. Rather, it is that Vegapunk is Vegapunk, an expert on human alteration and cloning. The Vegapunk we meet is wearing a jumpsuit with "Punk 2" written on it, and introduce themselves noncommittally with "you may call me". Bonney is also going to give "'em" a piece of her mind, on page 13. This could be a gender-neutral singular they; to avoid spoiling the reveal on the next spread, or assign that pronoun to Vegapunk. It could equally be that Vegapunk has associates she is also against... or the "they" is Vegapunk-only, but also plural. Basically, I propose there might be multiple Vegapunks, whether all feminine, mostly masculine, or some mix of both. The cornerstone of this theory is "Punk 2", though by that logic alone you'd think Franky had over 30 clones... Perhaps as important as this discussion is the lack of a striped shirt. Where is it?!
Oh, and now I'm caught up for real, right?

-End of Part Two-

One Piece Film: Red
(watched 12022-10-01, written 12022-10-02)

I have in some sense reunited with the One Piece community. I'll talk about that in the next chapter discussion proper. For now, let us talk about the movie.

I am not familiar with the form of the One Piece movies. This is the second time I've watched one, having previously only watched the previous movie, Stampede. In addition, I have a limited experience watching the One Piece anime; I've only watched the Warship Island and G-8 filler arcs. Why am I highlighting my unfamiliarity?
The move from manga to animation is always an overwhelming one. Not only do the characters in panels not move, but there is color, background music, and a pace dictated by the medium (meaning you can flip the pages in a manga whenever you want, but you aren't expected to speed up and slow down film while watching it). Plus voice acting. There is a lot that is added, removed, and by nature changed, and even if these voices mirror the mangaka's intentions, it is at best likely that they mirror the expectations built up by the reader. To add to this is the movie nature, which enforces a shorter narrative, plus bombastic fan-service scenes that break established rules (e.g. the Strawhats meeting Shanks' crew at this point, the unmentioned-in-canon doomsday device Tot Musica), and it becomes yet more enstranged from the original. Both movies I've seen have been love letters of some kind, but not by emulating the full scope of the Strawhats' adventures, but by the inverse, doing what the manga (and likely anime) can't. I, sadly, can't enjoy this much, but I cannot guarantee it is the "fault" of anyone but myself.
Essentially, while I personally felt the movie as dull, I feel I have no right calling it dull, with as poor an understanding I have of movies as a media, and the specifics of animated One Piece. That I am not able to connect to characters as Uta could be due to the movie's quality, but it could also be caused by my own relative illiteracy, or a stubbornness that does not allow me to enjoy One Piece movies as I would in its to me "pure" form - as manga.

I am also lead to "not care" about the movie by its supercanonical status - that its events neither did or can happen along the ones depicted in the manga. Perhaps in relief, or perhaps in disappointment. Would I not like to care for a movie I could only see as "meh", or would I like to care for a movie so that I could see it as more? Disregarding that thought, is anything in the movie canon? I'd wager Uta's existance is, similarly to Shiki existing outside of his movie. Perhaps because "Shanks' daughter" is such a noteworthy title. But what role does she play? If she is Shanks' daughter, did she meet Luffy as a child? We'll see, I suppose. I am confused by hearing, some time ago, that "a character from the movie appeared in a recent chapter". Who did? I've not seen neither Uta, nor Gordon, and now I've read all the "recent chapter"s...
The only other only canon event I could glimpse, is that Shanks was found in a treasure chest by the Roger Pirates? What's up with that?

Chapter 1062: Adventure in the Land of Science
(read 12022-10-10)

What a harrowing wait! Two full weeks, and then only a single chapter for it. Such is the pain of the caught-up-to-the-release-er, but I'm sure some of you reading this already know it. Or don't care a smack since it's all in the ancient past for you.
During this wait I reunited with the community, that is to say I visited /r/onepiece again... that place is exhausting. Surprisingly so, since I should have remembered it as one of the reasons I ventured on this lone adventure to begin with. But despite the things that irk me, such as saltiness over discarded nakama candidates, certain types of power-level babble, and having theories opposed to the once I hold (how can they do that, obviously my ideas are superior, how could 02 mean a daughter of Vegapunk?!), it is also a place filled of love, which pumps out theories and thoughts I couldn't come up with on my own. Such as Vegapunk 02 looking similar to Sanji's mom (yes, this chapter speaks against it being more than a coincidence, since Sanji goes all goo-goo-gaa-gaa, but it was still a gem), and certainly something else I will remember at an opportune moment.
This third part (of this One Piece-reading project) will not be one where I visit the community each and every day, there never was such a time for me, but I will go there every now and then. Probably about once between every chapter, so for you it might not matter...

An iced-over island in the title page?! I only know of one person who could do that! Toka Irie from Candy Flurry!
Where else do I begin to talk about this chapter? My theory turned out to be right (I attribute this intuition to spending and insubordinate amount of time day-dreaming of what I'd do as a mad scientist)! There are multiple Vegapunks, apparently with different personalities. I believe it now that I've seen it, but for the poor inhabitants of the One Piece world it is understandably more difficult to wrap their heads around. They are used to a wacky pirate world befitting the series, with some advanced tech like phones and the occasional projector, but now they are suddenly thrown into a wacky Sci-fi world à la Astro Boy. And yes, I am adamant it is like Astro Boy specifically, not only because of the general stylistics and one of the Vegapunks being named "Atlas", like the Astro Boy character, but because of another small detail. Franky read Vegapunk's old notes and came back to the crew with nipple beams. Wait what?! How is that a connection?? Well, you see...

What more? You could speculate on the origin of the Vegapunks' names, what the Stella is, or who Bonney really is to Kuma. Suddenly he is the parent and she the child, and not the reverse as we were lead to believe she was in the Reverie. What an enigma she is.
And finally, another conflict is thrown into the mix! If whatever Vegapunk has going on isn't enough, and the G5 marines being close by doesn't close it, then what if the CP0, with all familiar members, was there to kill Vegapunk as soon as they believe they have the upper hand with the Seraphim? This is all very exciting to me.
"Whether it's real or not is for you to decide." seems like a saying to keep in memory.

Chapter 1063: My Only Family
(read 12022-10-16, written 12022-10-17)

I am sorry to say the /r/onepiece theorists outsmart me. Perhaps I shouldn't be, as I can steal their exposition. Seeing ice I only extrapolated "Kuzan", while someone over there did "Kuzan is there to kidnap Pudding, for her possibly dormant powers of reading the poneglyphs". The title page is only a declaration of intent away from confirming that. Luckily for us this plot development may mean we get to see more of her. Yay!
The Egghead part of this arc is shaping up towards something, but I do not know exactly what yet. I wonder if the "inhabitants" are automata, especially those small ones?
And then, unexpectedly, we are at some unknown island, with Law and Blackbeard?!
How I worry for Pierre, the noble steed of Gan Fall... Had he not eaten the Pegasus fruit? What an ominous detail. Though Law is obviously at most risk at the moment, the devil fruit hunt has me worrying about Momonosuke (in some faux way, Oda wouldn't kill a kid, right? Outside a flashback, that is. RIP Gimlet). If it is true Blackbeard is looking for a third fruit for himself - a zoan - then what could be greater than being a dragon? The idea that Blackbeard wants/can have only three fruits, instead of hogging all the powers for himself, is simply derived from the prettiness of numbers, I am sure. To complete the trifecta of Paramecia-Zoan-Logia.

Chapter 1064: Egghead Labophase
(read 12022-10-23)

Whoah! That's cool! It was already established that the cover page story was relatively in the past, but by letting Augur appear we are made even more aware of this. Even with the Warp Warp fruit he can't be in two places at once. And then bam! Pudding! She has been missing in the past of the cover stories, because she had already traveled to the present, waiting just out of frame. Seriously, that is some very cool story telling.
I easily fall into a trap of repeating myself here, because "cool" is a word that fits the chapter as a whole, each and every bit. It is a joy to get to see how Law's crew fights, as they were forced into the narrative sidelines in Wano. As such, it is as big of a surprise to us as to Blackbeard when then suddenly take to the water. In this scene and Stronger share a moment, perhaps prompted by not knowing how Law's powers work. Research after the last chapter proved Pierre had not eaten the Horse Horse fruit: model Pegasus, but just the Horse Horse fruit no model specified (becoming a pegasus, since he was a bird before), so I have my hopes that both horses can survive this epic saga, even if Stronger is an evil one. I do have a soft spot for horses.
(how Augur's powers work is hinted at, by the way, he has to look at the point he wishes to go to and say "warp")
In our Luffy-group we get a summary of Kuma's life. We've heard all of this more or less, but it's a good reminder, and it also shows Bonney doesn't know the end of the story any better than we do. What she seems to know is the start of it, who was "Kuma the Tyrant", as a king and father? The "cool" part here is 1. exposition, and 2. light saber.
The rest of the crew gets to hear a whole bunch of Vegapunk technobabble (cool, pyrobloin!), as they move towards the actual lab, marked with the words "PUNK RECORDS". All the while, Vegapunk is on the (snail)phone, making the same joke you'd hear from most every 80-year old.
Here comes the whammer. Vegapunk is in contact with dragon.
Still.
We know since back in Punk Hazard that Vegapunk used to be non-affiliated with the World Government, and at some point they were also in kahoots with the revolutionaries, before getting caught and thus changing sides. MADS also fits in somewhere in there in the time line. And so does the World Government's pre-Vegapunk researching facilities, where King and Kaido were held. The idea held by the community at large (and might to some point be supported with canon info, I don't recall), was that Kuma was roped into the experimentation due to knowing Vegapunk since before, when they both were revolutionaries. Somehow, there was some tricky plan, where Vegapunk was not so loyal to the World Government, after all. But then again, they did create the Seraphim... while also keeping live correspondence with Dragon?! My head is twisting around this web of red threads and plot lines, and I can't quite untangle it. But Oda is a masterful story weaver, so here I wait in anticipation. That metaphor was smoother than expected. Cool.

Chapter 1065: Six Vegapunks
(read 12022-11-06)

This chapter was too fast... I hope Oda is okay. One Piece has been fast-paced in the past, and cramming content into a chapter is an art, but this is excessive. I'd rather not see One Piece be rushed towards an ending. Perhaps this is a bit of a callous statement, disregarding those who cannot choose, but I have no plans of dying the coming decades. If Oda wants to work on something else or just take some vacation, he is free to do so, and then return to One Piece when he may give it the time it requires. I surely will mind more if the story I love is treated this roughly, than having to wait for a while.
Note this is wholly an issue of pacing, and in no way of content. Swim-swim fruit Jinbe Seraphim is so natural it ought to be obvious, and the same goes for the shackle-boots. These highlights just need time to breathe.

Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara
(read 12022-11-13)

See, this is more like it :).

In this chapter Vegapunk enlights us, Robin, and the other Strawhats, on the fate of Ohara, through a flashback. In some sense it it touching, just to see the island was still there months after. Now, the last few chapters we have been introduced to the Vegapunks, in their current state, but now is the final revelation - the character that has been held secret for decennia! Pfft. Of course Vegapunk would be this kind of monstrosity. Rather disturbing even. It is bizarre that Vegapunk is more than a name, in a way hard to explain. It's monumental like Luffy splitting the skies, even though it is a lesser mystery than the One Piece itself... how will I ever adapt to One Piece eventually having ended?
The flashback is interesting in terms of factions - One Piece has delved mostly into the conflict between pirates and the World Government, but here we have the nonpartisan Vegapunk, the budding Revolutionary Army, and Elbaph (ey! Hajrudin!) with some own agenda. The giant ancient robot (is this the "machine") has viking horns, so perhaps it has something to do with it.
And whatever Saul's role is... here a theory begins to bud within my mind. Is Saul the man with the burns, sought after for the Road Poneglyph info? As I recall, he was frozen by Kuzan, but if he did thaw then would that not be by fire? Plus, where would they have knowledge of a Road Poneglyph, if not on Ohara? I feel that the Strawhats must somehow make it to Elbaph, or close that narrative distance, and Oda just put another character there. The thought is fuzzy and ill-defined... another ill-defined thought tells me Vegapunk might really die.
It took until the last page before I realized that not only was it on line for the original Vegapunk to have a wacky, borderline nightmarish design, but that it is a caricature of Albert Einstein. Perfectly natural. What stands out about this present look, outside of the greater likeness to that one photo due to his greater age, is that his head is largely gone, and split open (and also weirdly an apple? Because he holds the secret of fruits?). Perhaps the other Vegapunks were created by literally splitting his brain-matter. That's fun, and leaves me wondering if the Stella is now left as a whimsical old person... Absent-minded is the word.

Chapter 1067: Punk Records
(read 12022-11-20, written 12022-11-21)

I wonder if I had this arc down wrong. Or rather, I wonder if it is an "arc" at all, or a ramp towards the coming final arc(s). That the "Egghead Arc" becomes the "Escape from Egghead Arc", and this escape leads to... Elbaph? I'll get back to this thought.
At the start of the chapter, Vegapunk is explained. They do have a devil fruit growing their brain - and I should not say "as some suspected" as that would follow every single sentence in both the discussion of this, and probably the following few chapters - but this brain also holds a "preternaturally gifted mind". Safe to say they are a genius who uses this power to create a strange mind internet. We Real-Life people can explore concepts such as this is media such as Serial Experiments Lain (I do recommend that show, but it is a whoozy), while the One Piece people can not, but they still grasp that it is equal parts magnificent and terrifying. Honestly, I am a bit in awe. Vegapunk (and to a lesser extent, other former MADS members, and like Franky) is of course beyond the technology of our world in some way, in terms of cyborg technology and cloning, and whatever advanced "gene" manipulation is required for the Devil Fruit science. Still, One Piece touching on technology like the-Internet-but-yet-not-the-Internet is not something I expected. Though thematically it makes a lot of sense, that should it contain a science fiction plot, then it should be about freedom and control over others. Thus, the interconnectedness of minds is not far away.
I initially though I had little to say about the ancient robot, but isn't it funny it is a "robot"? Because even in this science fiction setting, the One Piece universe does not seem to have any computers. There are the automata, but like the Vegaforce-1, those were presumably based on ancient predecessors. So "the present" does not have robots normally, and yet uneducated characters like Luffy know what a robot is. What is striking here is that there isn't a plot hole here, because Sora, Warrior of the Sea, fighting against the evil Vinsmokes, did so accompanied by a giant robot. Isn't it cool that this story has cultural diffusion through fiction-in-fiction? No? Then, was Sora's giant robot inspired by the one we see here, turning this unknown enemy into a fictional servant of the World Government and Marines? And by the way, 200 years is an odd date. What do we know about this part of the timeline? I do not recall. It's before the lives of all known characters, other than the old giants seen in Big Mom's backstory ~60 years ago.
Right, I should also say the robot being found 200 years ago makes it way likely that "the machine" was the Uranos we saw in chapter 1060 - and that it was not a facsimile built by Vegapunk but the real deal. Scary.
And then we are back at the theme of controlling minds - with Kuma. And this last scene is what makes me think of a ramp. If the revolution really begins now (with the help of Vegapunk (and the Seraphim, since they still wanted the Kumaphim to be offloaded even when denying CP0), rescued by the Strawhats?), then we are, yes, near the end.

(I they/them Vegapunk for the fun of it, though he/she could probably be used depending on which of them is referred to)

Volume 99: Straw Hat Luffy
(read 12022-12-03)

If you are concerned with spoilers, this discussion should be read after the one on the chapters above. Not because volume 98 contains spoilers for chapters after it, of course, but because I discuss them here as well.

This volume is split into two parts, even in length. This is partially a "this project" thing, because the first five chapters are before chapter 1000 and thus unreviewed here, and the latter five are. But it is also a thematic and storytelling split. The first half are chapters leading up to Luffy and Zoro getting to the roof, and setting up the Tobi Roppo villains, while the latter half is mainly the battle against. Non-stop ... action, the infamous "roof piece". Well, that is a joke, I've got little against "roof piece". Let's talk about them in order.
The first half constitutes the final piece of setup needed for Wano's grand battle. Tama arrives on the scene, we get to see that Ace flashback, and the Tobi Roppo have their zoan forms revealed. (though the illustrations are squashed by the printing technique)... Some part of me see this reinforcement of Tama as sad, as I remember the very last Wano chapters not really following through. Oh well, I'll get there when I get there, and whether or not the ending delivers, it is enjoyable to read this volume now.
And then we reach a full reacharound; from now on these volume discussions will be a sort of re-digest of the chapters I've already talked about, seen in a different context. Both because they are surrounded by other chapters read in rapid succession, but also because the powers of hindsight will be back (as I had in part one of this project), and I give myself full permission to use them. I've not got much else to say here, other than the chapters flowing really well, and it certainly being more like the older volumes I've re-read I don't know how many times, when read this way... because it's a volume you know. Luffy is really cool.

Chapter 1068: A Genius' Dream
(read 12022-12-04)

So short! The chapter was so short! Or so it felt anyway.
Skipping summarizing the first few pages, Vegapunk spiel on energy is quite interesting. If this is Oda's plan to get us all hooked on solar energy, I'm all for it. Solar energy because it is "right here" and "there" and "all around us", but also because the "sun as good" symbolism is very strong in One Piece, and it is in some way still a futuristic energy source for us real life people, thus a fit dream for Vegapunk. Of course Luffy doesn't understand it, love that guy.
Luffy also doesn't understand who CP0 are, which is really funny considering how impactful they have been on his journey, both back on Dressrosa, and very recently on Onigashima. In many other series this could be considered a plot hole for the sake of a gag, but there may honestly be no holes when it comes to Luffy's stupidity and ignorance of the world around him. And this could be talked about for pages (yes I know we're on the Internet, no book-type pages here) written in small print: that One Piece world is meticulously crafted and character motivations, but Luffy, our protagonist, is largely disinterested in it. Or rather, he sees what he feels like seeing, denying identification with the reader who is told all views, and is prone to reading into details and keeping track of the bajillion characters. While the reader may root for him because they know how important Vegapunk is, or what Arlong did exactly to Nami, Luffy does not fight for these causes, but for the simpler sakes of his friends and freedom. Luckily, the lack of friendship and freedom turns out to be at the heart of evil in the One Piece world, and Luffy is also surrounded by people who understand the depths of the world; Robin and Jinbe in particular. To say this is coincidental would be misleading. I believe it is as easy as because Luffy is striving for ideals seen as righteous by the One Piece world, then fate also bends itself around him, and makes his actions good. He has no intent of being a hero, and he'll help out Vegapunk because his head looks funny, but Luffy still punches the bad guy in the end of every arc, and will do heroic acts like helping out Vegapunk... I think that's enough on that topic for today, I think you get the idea. If Luffy is to be the Pirate King, and the world expects him to turn it over after understanding it all, there will inevitably be some conflict there. He won't do it for those reasons.
Apropos CP0, Kaku is aware of what a "space monster" is, too I believe. If they are recognizable by multiple characters as such, I wonder if there is some in-universe fiction where they appear, looking like the hologram. In Sora, perhaps? Though real aliens of some kind also exist, the Space Pirates from Enel's cover story, so maybe they tie into it somehow.
Finally, it should be mentioned that Kuma (and S-Bear) can push himself... to the limit? To some other place.

Chapter 1069: All Things Are Brought Into This World With Hope
(read 12022-12-14, written 12022-12-16)

(I've been under the weather a few days, if you wonder about the reading/writing time discrepancy)

The title, "All Things Are Brought Into This World With Hope", is also the central and most interesting statement of this chapter. But first, some words about the title page: I believe this is a flashback, since Du Feld looks a little younger than I remember him. Either way it is a good way of reusing his character, fleshing out the guests of Big Mom's party as important. "Pacifist" and "charitable" I can only assume means that they are unaffiliated, willing to sell potential weapons technology to any bidding party.
As Vegapunk declares the title drop, they also say this applies to the devil fruits as well. The explanation that follows is extremely non-explanatory, and I love it for it. It could be taken literally, as in devil fruits warping dimensions, but even if it isn't it heavily applies some sort of artifice involved in the devil fruits, that they are born of the minds of people. Did this happen during the void century, when a civilization existed with technologies that Vegapunk and company are now recreating including artificial devil fruit creation/manipulation, or are they even older than that, born from humanity's first dreams of the future (here I assume "human" and "humanity" is meant to include giants, fish-people, minks, etc.)? I have no doubts we will get a more technical explanation later, maybe soon from Vegapunk, maybe when the history of the world is revealed at the end in Laugh Tale, and maybe both. Until then and probably even then, I am very happy to have an explanation which gets to the almost-metaphysical, narrative "point".

Chapter 1070: The Strongest Form of Humanity
(read 12022-12-25)

A title page flashback is a silly thing, and so is getting a plot detail from a character's eyebrows. Judge's eyebrows are revealed, and they are hardly as curly as Sanji (and the Vinsmoke children's) eyebrows. Ergo, those are a result of bloodline element manipulation, the same swirls as devil fruits have. Since the SBS about Sanji's was in '99 ("[...] Sanji's eyebrow channels that same powerful circular energy [as the Earth spinning]!!"), Oda either had this plot point decided for decades, or let that joke spin (heh) into something more. Other than Vinsmoke we have Vegapunk, Ceasar, probably a funky young Queen, and a fifth figure with their back turned towards us. The hairdo and outfit makes me think it is Stussy, who had been on Egghead before. Is she using science rather than life return to look young? Or is life return to be considered science? The other two men in the back (with visible faces, there are four more without) I do not recognize at all.
At large, this chapter is pure joy. There is sufficient technobabble, the seraphim and Luffy are cool, and the Straw Hats all get to react uniquely. Franky and Nami shine especially here, as not only do they quip back and show how they feel about third-person characters, but their reactions when told Vegapunk is coming along are on different ends of the crew spectrum. Perhaps because of the serious mood of that arc, Nami had seemingly mellowed out during Wano, so the "Ice him!!" was very welcome.
Finally, I can't not mention Seraphim-snake's tsundere reaction. It is adorable - yes - but more than that it proves that the Seraphim have personalities of their own (don't ask what this meant for the previous pacifista). I can only wish these children come out of this unharmed, and get to live lives beyond being used as weapons, be they the strongest form of humanity or not. Of course this curtness is a "much nicer Hancock" to Jinbe, Boa is really really mean.

Chapter 1071: The Hero Departs
(read 12023-01-06)

Everyone is on the move, in some way, and this chapter mostly conveys their movement. By all means I could say things like "Lilith is funny", or "Zoro is cool", or "I wonder if Garp could really defeat Blackbeard it doesn't seem 100% impossible" but they don't feel too important to say. Because they are very apparent, perhaps. My thoughts swirl as I try to figure out if that is ever a good standpoint, for someone trying to communicate with others. Because even surface-level thoughts are not the same for everyone, I'm sure many of yours didn't even strike me.
As for something that took a bit more thought for me, I wonder if Garp is motivated to rescue Coby by his failure to rescue Ace. I suppose he could have taken more senior marine officers under his wing at some earlier point in life, but otherwise Coby and Helmeppo are his sole pupils, and thus fulfill some adoptive grandson role. Or is it rather he got the info that the CP0 people were going to kill Vegapunk, and want to prevent that, not trusting the World Government. Or some combination of the two? I mean, obviously he's not doing it to help Luffy. Garp might be soft (for being Garp) on the latter, but no way he's helping him intentionally. Yeah, no.

Chapter 1072: The Weight of Memory
(read 12023-01-22, written 12023-01-24)

With such long waits between the chapters it becomes difficult to view the arc as a whole, rather than just the individual chapters. I think it might be all over the place right now, bringing up all sorts of ideas. This is fine though, because the ideas are all interesting. On paper, this arc should be as straight forward as "The Strawhats meet Vegapunk, get some exposition. Then they have to beat CP0 on the way, but ultimately abscond towards Elbaph". Perhaps some more Marines like Kizaru would also arrive to make it more hectic, but that's it. Instead, we get this.
The chapter opens up with a cover page (is that a Ceasar-attempt at a true devil fruit copy, instead of just the smiles!) and a log entry explaining that indeed the "pacifism" of MADS was only a lie - but one that Vegapunk believed in. The log entry also serves the purpose of giving us an explanation to what Bonnie's relationship with Egghead and Vegapunk is. This scene is rather touching.
Following that, we get more fun with the Strawhats. They are rather relaxed, things considered, and the "Sanjiphim" and "Twirlyphim" are wonderful. And then... a whammy!
In chapter 1070, there was a mysterious person shown among MADS, with her back turned towards us. I guessed it was Stussy, but upon reading the theories on /r/onepiece after I felt like a fool. Of course it was Miss Buckin, Stussy's a red herring! And then Oda comes with this reveal, Stussy is the clone talked about in the start of the chapter, of Miss Buckin. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. And also she's a vampire? The latter is probably just a devil fruit, but it amuses me that Oda throws in more plot points into this arc which is clearly meant to be on the shorter side. Perhaps it is symptomatic at this point, that he wants to put in all these ideas into this arc which has surely been planned in some form for decades. At the same time, the hectic pace and not knowing what is happening, is backed up by the sheer size and world building of One Piece. We've known about clones for a while, and that the technology was likely developed during the MADS days. Here we have an already established yet cryptic character turn out to be a MADS-era clone, who also ties to the mysterious Buckin. Perfectly natural. So is the familial bond between Bonnie and Kuma, since it's been set up for a few years. Even as we know the Supernova were promptly made up for the chapter they appeared in. All this background writing has lead to Oda having lots of freedom, as most unexplored frontiers are interesting as a reader... it's fun.
I enjoy having no idea what Stussy's motives are.

Chapter 1073: Miss Buckingham Stussy
(read 12023-01-29, written in bits and pieces and finished 12023-02-13)

(Minor) meta/spoilers below because I'm careless. Only click the button below knowing that. Meta/spoilers
Procrastination is horrible, horrible, and terrible. Anyways, here's a discussion of the chapter:
Stussy is hard to trust, I feel, even as we are being told here that she is on Vegapunk's side. With her being a clone, is it fair to view her using that simple lens; how would a (the first) clone react to all these things happening with Vegapunk and clone technology, the pacifistas and the seraphim? I do not think so, as she has been out in the world for decades now, and the undercover was "not by design". I do not believe I will be satisfied with no further explanation, such a joy that we are almost sure to get one. Why? Don't ask that. Obviously she's tied in with Bonnie, Kuma, and Weevil somehow.

I've mentioned before that Luffy does Luffy things for Luffy reasons - he denies the idea that just because we follow and root for the Straw Hats, he must have the same driving forces as the greater plot implies he should have. In a large, scheming world, he is driven by a simple ideology of freedom and friendship. Due to this, Luffy does not solve the mysteries of the manga One Piece by cunning, he only listens to the necessary context. Like in this arc, where he's going to save Vegapunk for having a funny head. But even Luffy did listen, he would not know a lot, not compared to what we do. This is the magic of exposition. By way of changing perspectives, we get to see the inner workings of the Marines, meetings with the Five Elders, and pirate villains like Arlong and Doflamingo looming. But there are also two other techniques employed by Oda which I believe are rarer, to the point where they are almost trademark (in a non-legal sense, of course). I'd like to argue that the "introduction boxes" and cover stories act as important tools of exposition, both for the understanding of the main narrative of pirate conflict - it would take a while to figure out a list of enemy henchmen if they were only called by name by others - and to create a parallel narrative. One Piece is also a mystery story, with pieces of world building and plot foreshadowing given one by one, in a thought out manner. Like a "true" mystery story like Knives Out(12019) the mysteries will eventually be revealed. Partially because the mysteries may serve the main narrative, the isolationism of Wano is tied to it being an artificial island fortress. But also because revealing the mystery is the pay off for those who follow it, where they are rewarded for being clever by being right, or challenged by another detail, hopefully obvious in hindsight, being highlighted. Mysteries and reveals can of course be of varying qualities, which affects the pay off. But that is beside the point, since I really want to talk about the tools, and how they are used in this chapter.

If we are to discuss introduction boxes, it makes sense to do it through what may be the most embellished one yet:
"Former Rocks Pirates, self-styled scientist" "MADS freeloader | Miss Buckin (Buckingham Stussy)".
This is the payoff to several mysteries. She had been in the same crew as Whitebeard, so she is a Rocks member. That she is a "self-styled scientist" and "MADS freeloader" is an answer to us seeing her (or by then a mysterious unnamed woman) in the cover story some chapters ago, and then getting to know she had a clone made of her during these MADS years. Why? Is she a genius scientist we do not know of? The "mystery" lies in the straightforward "yes, she's a MADS proper" being somewhat strange, her never being seen with any high technology like the established MADS members. It is a harder one, since we can only guess, but I like the answer. Plus it is funny. Finally the "Miss Buckin (Buckingham Stussy) is for those who do not spend their short lives and limited memories (all of ours are!) on keeping track of all One Piece characters. It's nice.
And so let's finish this discussion with the other introduction box, the unexpected one:
"Five Elders - highest authority in the world | St. Jaygarcia Saturn".
I had not expected to get individual introductions to the Five Elders, individually. It took me a while to figure out why it happened yet - because this is the fleet to dismantle a force using seraphim, and the elders have the authority over them. This introduction box thus serves the purpose of highlighting that they are just moving out one of them, while giving him a name should he need to be referred to by other characters later. It's practical and clever. Beyond that is only speculation, like noting that he is not from any of the established world noble families - bearing the name "Jaygarcia". Does that mean the Five Elders are from five specific families, or is it pure chance/not wanting to put this elder in one of the (3? 4? 5?) established families out of a presumed 19? And isn't it odd "Jaygarcia" is close to "Jaya"? His other name is planetary, is that indicative of spacey things? Space gods living atop the Red Line, like the Lunarians? Note that when looking for hints, they don't have to have in-universe explanations, as long as Oda thinks we may catch up on them. Blackbeard is "Blackbeard" just for being a big bad pirate after all. Also, I call this speculation, but it is through detail-combing like this you build up the hints, and get tiny steps towards solving the mysteries. Not that I can claim any authority, I equally if not more just read other's theories... It's a collaborative effort.

Chapter 1074: Mk. III
(read 12023-02-13, written 12023-02-16)

In a waxing and waning sort of fashion (compared to last chapter) I don't have much to say on this chapter. I'm glad Vivi is okay, and surprised that she turned out to be in some third way I didn't even consider. What more? Zoro looks absolutely ridiculous in that suit. Big fan. I won't comment on the discrepancy between the male and female suits more than I just did. Kuma's backstory will be commented on when it comes for real. Which I hope it will, because not only does Oda write good flashbacks, and Kaido's was sorely missed, but I haven't had the chance to comment on one (chapter-by-chapter) here.

Chapter 1075: Labophase Death Game
(read 12023-02-19)

To think a chapter could feel so short (this is a recurring theme). It is said to be a function of the fun you're having.
The little mystery of when Vegapunk met Saturn is solved in the title page so we can focus on the bigger one: where is the Stella, and what's up with all these malfunctionings? Or is "malfunctionings" the right word for it? There could be something off about the Stella, who's now ordering the demise of all of their parts, but remember this arc started with Vegapunk lamenting the minds of living beings couldn't be controlled freely. It could as well be the Seraphim breaking free on their own. In which case, good for them, honestly.

Chapter 1076: Old Friends
(read 12023-02-26, written 12023-02-28)

Woops, PPPPPP totally threw me off so I forgot to do this chapter...
First off, let's comment on Lucci. He's not acting out of character (as we know it, his is also permitted to change) by not being able to speak a lie. He was like that before too, afaik. Duvali told all the lies. As for the rest, it's some kind of amogus game, right? As the kids say. The question is who the imposter/traitor is, and there are three possibilities that come to mind, the first two blatantly stolen from /r/onepiece (what they said after the last chapter, not this one). One, it could be Lilith because she's evil, and two it could be another secret Vegapunk, or Vegapunk clone. The question is why they would be acting against the remaining Vegapunks though? It shouldn't exactly be in their favor to tell the World Government "hey, the Vegapunks are researching poneglyphs" when that is a death sentence. My pet theory is the third, that the Seraphim (and maybe other Pacifista) have broken free of the mind control. This is based on both Lilith's statement that living beings can't be fully controlled (in regards to the robo-shark), and that "freedom" is the primary theme of One Piece, so the Pacifista being under permanent mind-control needs to be discussed somehow. That said, I can't see why they would want attention towards Egghead either, even if they aren't fans of Vegapunk. To get Stussy there? It's all very strange.
Why is Kid angry at Beckman? Is he another bad father?

(written 12023-02-28, just after uploading the above the first time)
What the heck! I missed a whole spread! That answers what Beckman did (he took his arm), and brings the tension up a lot as well! There's something to this arc having several scenes from the rest of the world, many of them tenser than the "main" happenings on Egghead. Will be fun to see how that reads in a volume.

SBS for Volume 105
(read 12023-03-08, written in bits and pieces and finished 12023-03-13)

I said in the introduction that I would comment on other One Piece content than just the chapters, and well I have, but the volumes I've already read the chapters of, and a non-canon movie I'm bad at watching are different. Here's the first SBS in this series, and it is chock-packed with info! The order will be a little off (compared to if you're looking in a volume), since at the time of reading only a few pages are translated, and not in order afaik. Let's get to it!
First off we have Zoro's family tree. It is more or less as expected, Zoro's maternal line has a relation to Ushimaru, and the "Roronoa" name is from a paternal villager. I suppose the prime theory was that Ushimaru was an older uncle of Zoro's instead of a younger grand-uncle, but that is a minimal amount of being thrown off. Pinzoro is a really funny name too, couldn't have expected that.
Then there is the family of Tama. I'm split about this. On one hand, I am elated for being in the right (though it was hardly my theory to begin with), and that Oda agrees that is a missing piece of the story. On the other hand, it is a reveal in a detail, and Hiyori's statement is far from uncomplicated. Should we think that Wano has come further in making up for their past, as there is a heroic Kurozami? Or is she only a prerequisite so that past can be made up in the future - granted it could also lead to tragedy? I've discussed before why I thought the Wano arc had an odd end, but Oda confirming Tama as a Kurozami solidifies that. Was Hiyori's triumphant exclamation meant to be bitter-sweet? Perhaps it was, since another page reminds us that Chopper was unable to cure the SMILE symptoms. For now. He ought to get there, sooner or later.
Sanji's eyebrows are acknowledged, and so is that Kurouma, but I want to get to what really interests me: comics! Or rather, proto-comics. It is here in the 105:th volume we get the information that the One Piece world doesn't have manga. Of course not, that would be anachronistic! Now, the world of One Piece is not "chronistic" to begin with, if we consider it to be set in the 1500s of their world (Norland's 400-year old logbook puts itself in the 1100s). Even with Vegapunk and the sci-fi elements, they have newspapers, and, like, what looks like machine-woven t-shirts. But comics really are new, their modern form with speech bubbles and multiple panels emerged during the 20:th century.* Before that there were various forms of literature combining illustrations and text more haphazardly. In the translation available to me, Oda mentions "picture books" and "illustrated stories"... At first I thought both of these were kusazōshi-like mediums, with narrative, explanatory, and sometimes dialogue text being spread out around the (woodblock) illustrations. Since kusazōshi evolved during the centuries to (include?) more text-heavy forms not as similar to contemporary children's picture books as early kusazōshi, I imagined these text-heavy forms would be the "illustrated stories", and the easier ones the "picture books". But reading more closely, Oda says "[the story of "illustrated stories"] is told through text and dialoque within a frame, similar to manga". Maybe something like Tom Puss is the more appropriate comparison. There was proto-manga of that boxed-text-beside-illustration kind too, but I do not remember their names, so Tom Puss it is.

*Yes, I'm making a break here from the usual Holocene Era dating. Thank you for noticing.

Chapter 1077: Old Friends
(read 12023-03-12, written 12023-03-13)

The amogus game continues, and it is both exciting and fun as the threat materializes. And who is the imposter! I really don't know. Sure, my guess by this point is that it is Stussy teaming up with/leading the Pacifista, but even for her a gun seems strange. In addition to that I feel the location of "the old devil fruit research lab" is odd. Why is it the "old" one? What reason did they have to move to a new one? Resizing is always an answer in real life, but that is too mundane to make sense from a narrative perspective. And what is up with these tubes that Vegapunk and the Cipher Pol agents are trapped in? Are they originally containment tubes for living beings? Creepy.

Chapter 1077: Old Friends
(read 12023-03-12, written 12023-03-13)

The amogus game continues, and it is both exciting and fun as the threat materializes. And who is the imposter! I really don't know. Sure, my guess by this point is that it is Stussy teaming up with/leading the Pacifista, but even for her a gun seems strange. In addition to that I feel the location of "the old devil fruit research lab" is odd. Why is it the "old" one? What reason did they have to move to a new one? Resizing is always an answer in real life, but that is too mundane to make sense from a narrative perspective. And what is up with these tubes that Vegapunk and the Cipher Pol agents are trapped in? Are they originally containment tubes for living beings? Creepy.

Chapter 1078: Escape Limit
(read 12023-03-19, written 12023-03-20)

The title page tells us two of the worst people have teamed up. I have a hard time believing they will have a big role in the future, but it should be fun when they show up.
For a while now the Seraphim have been described and shown as really strong, but this and the last chapter really lets it sink in why: they are nigh unstoppable, even by those arguably "stronger" than them. This is scary, since it does not feel that our main characters will get much stronger at this point. Zoro might still have some way to surpass Mihawk, but Luffy has already beaten "the strongest being" of the One Piece world. The One Piece world has a ceiling of power, which allows strength in numbers and weaker characters to have a role versus lone monsters. But should the world government mass-produce Seraphim, then what could ever stop them? Apropos world goverment power, I like how Doll appears. Obviously she does, since we knew she was going, but she lends credence to the other marine officers (which I do not recognize) - since the paneling implies they are equally powerful to her.
And finally the reveal! The imposter is...... awww, it was a Vegapunk after all. But the execution here is just exquisite, so who could ever care. York is huge and looming, and the Stella powerless on the ground. Though York is not a combatant, the scene radiates "this is the threat", as she relays the two reasons for the betrayal. One is the worldly desires (York is "greed" or the like, right?), and the other could be a deeper, more existential one: ensuring there is only one "me". Oh, it's just lovely.
I wonder though how well thought-out the plot is - can York trust the world government? I believe the position as a celestial dragon might have been promised, but would those prideful asses really allow that? For a human to become a dragon, isn't that impossible in their minds? How is she going to force that?

Chapter 1079: The Emperor's Crew, the Red-Haired Pirates
(read 12023-03-26, written 12023-03-29)

This title page stands out to me quite a bit. Not because it is an amazing artwork of detail - but rather that it has the touch of being thrown together, almost drawn free-hand in ink. This is insane, of course, but I have a hard time deciding internally whether it is Oda or me that applies to.

I first encountered the word "awesome" on the web during the late 00s. At that time it was an overused word, used in the lingo for anything cool, such as narwhals, a gif of a robot unicorn, or some shoddy sprite art your internet acquaintance made of a Pokémon. This synonymy with "amazing" was rectified a few years later, when I started reading the English translation of Shaman King. (minor spoilers for Shaman King to follow)
In Shaman King, the main antagonist Hao is an insurmountable wall. He seemingly knows everything, everyone, and has a "power level" which makes the rest of the cast - protagonistic or antagonistic - look like ants in comparison. Everyone knows this, and so they fight in hope to bridge this gap. Hao makes some preparatory measures too, but he spends as much time just chilling, enjoying the struggles of his would-be opponents. For him, the game is mostly over, and he is making a victory lap. There simply is no chance of anyone beating him.
The word chosen to describe Hao, and his powers, is "Awesome"; to fill with Awe. A feeling which is stronger than amazement. This chapter, and Shanks, and Dory and Brogy, and really One Piece as a whole, are Awesome.

Chapter 1080: The Hero of Legend
(read 12023-03-26, and again 12023-04-23, written 12023-04-23)

(Memory is a fickle thing. It is not Hao who is described that way, but Ren, and various other characters. Still that translation has a special place in my heart, being the first manga I ever read in English, but I shouldn't be spreading misinformation like that.)

Something here ought to be said about fan service. This term is often used derogatorily, as a detractor from the work. Like, what does the extended fight scene between characters A and B serve in the third Madoka movie; Rebellion? Not much at all, other than boosting the length of the work, giving watchers an action sequence made possible by the animation budget, and answering middle-school level arguments of "who would win in a fight". It is pure fan service, and I dislike it for it. That movie has ups and downs, and to me that is a down... But here I am a fan, and it makes by heart go "doki doki". After thinking about it for a while I am still undecided. There is the pretentious take of saying that "fan service" isn't really "fan" service, that it reflects a work flirting with consumers who are not that invested, and would rather see a panty shot than development of its themes. But I don't think that is right either, because people's take-aways from art are obviously different from one another's, and ultimately art wants to solicit emotions, and some of these will be pleasurable. Especially beat-up works such as One Piece. Like when you are reading One Piece and think "oh this is so cool" or "Luffy finally beat Kaido", or "wait, this theory was right all along?!" what separates that from low fan service? It is in service of the fans. So maybe it all is fan service, and then shouldn't it all be fine? This is me overthinking, and coming to the conclusion not to overthink. I just enjoy the art, and if this Galaxy Impact so be it. That's great actually.
Since Coby is here I have to wonder... how is his dream going to be fulfilled? Will he have the time of becoming the (now I forget what the position over admiral is called...) before Luffy messes everything up? That's a thinker.
Also also and finally, because I am late writing this and really want to read the next chapter already, we now know what San Juan Wolf's fruit is, and that it is just as expected. It's a small drop of satisfaction. And so is "glorp glorp". Glorp glorp.

Chapter 1081: Tenth Ship Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Kuzan
(read 12023-04-23, written 12023-04-24)

Should you fault Sanji or Oda for any low-brow humor? The color illustration is very cute none the less.
And so the chapter starts of with "Tenth Ship Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Kuzan". It is a spoileriffic title, seemingly telling us we will witness an epic showdown. We do, but this chapter is equally heartfelt.
I had underestimated Kuzan as a character, thinking he was likely a leader of Sword, under cover similarly to Drake. But that is not the case, so what is his deal? Who is he mourning? And what is his interest? I adore these kinds of mysteries, and here the melancholy* of Kuzan is interwoven with details complicating who "the man with a burn scar" is. It makes sense there was no red poneglyph in Ohara (why wouldn't Robin have seen it then?), but what does that say of Saul as the burnt man? Was there always a poneglyph on Elbaph which Saul is now guarding? But that doesn't make much sense. And what's this about a black ship and whirlpools? Uh, I love it all, it is so exciting.
And yet it is so sad. Garp and Kuzan loved each other, and yet they must fight, and even with a chopper-ex-machina Bepo and Law can only flee, leaving their friends behind. I'll leave that understated because I can't really speak for the somberness.

*Language strikes again. "Vemod" is the word I want, but it is in Swedish, and though "melancholy" is an acceptable substitute it doesn't strike quite the same note. For me. This is as easily a failing of me slightly misunderstanding the tone of "melancholy" (for associating it with anime girls, or for assuming that it is exactly "melankoli" in Swedish, if it isn't), as of the English language lacking a precise concept.

Chapter 1082: Let's Go and Take It!!
(read 12023-05-07, written 12023-05-08)

I love Bufggy so much! That extra 'f' of course being a misspelling, but it is reflective of my state of emotions reading this chapter. It is really, really great. The thing with Buggy, other than his being hilarious, is that the seeds for this his plot were planted from the very get-go. He's the other apprentice of Gold Roger's ship alongside Shanks, and he follows Luffy into the grand line. At this point, about Volume 12 or so, he is fully set up to arrive alongside Luffy to the last island and be part of the scuffle for the One Piece, involving Shanks in some way. But then One Piece explodes in some way, from a 30-volume manga with the Seven Warlords as the ultimate pirate enemies, to a true epic with Blackbeard, the boss of the Marines not being John Giant, and the pirate Emperors. A whole world is born, and that only strengthens this chapter. As Sengoku says we are living in the end of days, and they are absolutely fantastic (okay, maybe not for T-Bone). I can't wait to see more.
And more I see in the coming scene. Sabo's sudden return is disquieting, but I believe it is meant to be. Oda is such a meanie, leaving us on such a hook.

Chapter 1083: The Truth of that Day
(read 12023-05-14)

I feel serviced in times like this. I had not expected a continuation of last chapter, much less a flashback to Marijoa. It's evil cynicism of some kind, or perhaps knowing Oda is a tease. Or is that really knowledge of mine, or, again, evil cynicism? Oh well, that introspection is for some other place, some other time. This discussion is about the chapter.
Economy is lovely, don't you think? Maybe not accounting (your mileage may vary), but the sort of web of resources, production, and needs that control people's actions and means. It is quite satisfying to see the revolutionaries threaten this metaphorical dragon with impenetrable scales, not by gutting it with a magic spear, but by starving it... It feels important, too in some way, this good plotting. As in, plotting done by good characters, without the Luffy element thrown in there. But discussing the revolutionaries feels like it requires going into politics and ideologies. I don't think I need to shy away from that, rather it would be foolish to pretend One Piece is an unpolitical work - One Piece is an anarchist epic. It is more than that, yes, but denying it as a piece of ideologically driven media is something I can't do and be satisfied with myself. That said, the exact role of the revolutionaries deludes me. Though arguably "good", are they some foil to Luffy, by planning ahead and having another flavor of intent, instead of making a beeline to punch the bad guy (that is a bit of a simplification of his character, but my man's a simple man)? That discussion will have to come later, and bring in... Iruma and Shaman King? No, probably not, and I shouldn't make promises like that.
Does Cobra know Marijoa is under attack? There's certainly some suspense to knowing the fates of most characters, but not the "how did I get here" part. The "here" for Cobra not being so pleasant. :/

Chapter 1084: The Attempted Murder of a Celestial Dragon
(read 12023-05-28, and again 12023-06-05, written 12023-06-05)

I did write this way late, and accidentally read part of the next chapter's title before writing. That's a spoiler of course, so click the button only if you want to see it. Meta/spoilers

You could write a whole book on gender in One Piece, or at least a hefty chapter in a book on gender in shonen manga. And as internationalized shonen manga has internationalized appeal, and thus more scholars are drawn to it around the world, I find it likely that has already happened. There is a whole field of manga studies out there, so if you are not already versed in it, I highly recommend you check it out. Mecademia or anything edited by Jaqueline Berndt are good places to start out. But I digress. That chapter might tell on how Oda clearly has a type on what kind of women he draws (and how boring it is), and then some on the role of the Okama, and if it is recent enough, something on Okiku and Yamato. I think the reasonable take is that Yamato is free to be 100% a man, and 100% someone who can feature in a color page whose theme seems to be "women/girls". A Jesus kind of deal.
King Cobra tells of a new mystery, of a queen of Alabasta (Shouldn't it be "Lili" though, to rhyme with "Vivi"?), that there are only 19 swords at the throne, and holy schmuck about the "D" as well! What a mad lad, the "Why would you ask that...?" carries the energy of "You must know we cannot let you leave now that we know you seek the truth. Silent, you could have returned to your kingdom. Why would you throw away your life for a question?". Or perhaps I am reading into things, but what's the difference between that and just "reading"?
But before his question is answered, we are interluded with a scene of 7 pages, so masterfully sewn together panel by panel. One Piece is really good right now, and part of it is whacking Charlos once more. I enjoy Myosgard, Fukaboshi, the cowardly princes, Leo and Sai, and Morley. I do feel bad for Shirahoshi, for being kidnapped and on a meta-level for having to be a damsel in distress, though I do not feel this scene is too exploitative. Something is strange though: the title of the chapter is "the attempted murder of a celestial dragon"... is Charlos okay?
Finally, the chapter ends with Imu stepping up on the throne, muttering "Lily...", and it just keeps giving and giving doesn't it? Let's talk about Alabasta. Since the Poneglyph and the sun symbolism, we have been led to believe that Alabasta were allied with the ancient kingdom, but despite that joined the proto-world government, although they did not give up the dynasty for that. With Lily, we are led into two tracks, either Lily was held hostage, forcing her kingdom to join the 19 ... or she is Imu. You heard it here first (okay, probably not since I am two chapters late with this chapter smh), folks! It will be fun to see whatever way it pans out. Crazy still that we are in the part of One Piece where mysteries are being unraveled for real. "The One Piece is real", in the sense that a future will arrive, where the One Piece is realized through text.

Chapter 1085: The Death of Nefeltari Cobra
(read 12023-06-05)

As soon as the chapter opens, my theory of Imu being Lily is thrown out with the bathwater. "Imu" is some other member of the original 20, but I wonder who? Everyone believes that Imu is immortal due to the Ope Ope no Mi at this point, I am sure. Because that was a prime theory before these recent chapters, and their speech patterns (The "me" => "mu" is very cute by the way, though I'd like an substitution for "I" as well to match the... no wait I don't. Imu's pronouns are I/mu. This is perfect.) and way of talking of events as "recent" only supports it. But which Kingdom could they be from of the 20? Do we even know any members of the 20, besides Dressrosa, and the dubious Alabasta? Perhaps the kingdom Ham Burger rules, because he serves as the current speaker of the Reverie? Funny to think that we don't know this. We don't know much at all about the internal composition of the world nobility, do we? Like where do the five old men come from? Not that it matters much.
The D is of course one of the biggest enigma in One Piece, and we are led closer to it, once again. Last time we got info on the D, was likely back in Dressrosa. Of course that has led to plenty of theories. I really liked the "D for Doflamingo", due to how far fetched it was, and due to the D being the enemies of the Gods being a point brought up alongside the story of the Doflamingos. There was a certain irony to it. But now "the D is the name of those who once opposed us", i.e. the Ancient Kingdom? Or rather I would believe, the ones carrying the will of the Ancient Kingdom, a name added by the owner to show their sympathies. Why else would the point about Sabo adding it to his name be brought up? This of course has immense meme potential, with Buggy D. Clown having the slimmest chance of future canonicity. I look forward to it. Then, Lily would have allied with the Ancient Kingdom, but under some threat or having realized the battle was lost, seemingly changed sides and entered Alabasta into the fledgling World Government. However, despite this the Poneglyphs were still spread, and her true allegiance is revealed in this letter. Did the World Government know about this? By dialogue alone it is left unclear, are Imu's questions rhetorical, but I imagine they are not - that if they knew that she was not only working against the WG, but communicated this intent with her replacement monarch, Alabasta would not be as well off. But putting that aside, what does the D stand for? Probably Dawn, let's be real. The edits image edits of that blue haired Pokémon girl once that is revealed will be great. :)
That the old men have devil fruits is somewhat unexpected to me. Saturn should be the giant ox head, I wonder what is up with that, and also the Uboa (like from Yume Nikki), the Gandhi lookalike having perhaps a human-human fruit, and the bird, and the dumbo octopus? The last one I am most certain about. And Imu is a sky dragon?
The rest of the chapter was cute and funny. Poor Miss Universe.

Chapter 1086: The Five Elders
(read 12023-06-11, written in bits and pieces and finished 12023-07-22)

For once a meta isn't spoileriffic, because it's current: I heard Oda was getting some eye surgery, and is thus going on a break for a few weeks following this chapter's release. I'm quite fine with this, as long as he keeps in good health I am happy. Also I am writing this at a point where a month has already passed, and the next OP chapter is out, so I can only assume he's fine. Anyways!

It is a nice closing to this mini-arc, and has a lot of little things to it: an explanation of how Sabo and some Lulusians survived, Crocophim, Geckophim and Doffyphim, name drops, and Emporio putting a lot on the table. Notions such as "Uranos must be the machine found recently", and "Imu is immortal due to the effects of the Ope Ope no Mi" were quite ubiquitous in the One Piece communities (before the collapse of Reddit, I honestly don't know where to go to now...), but not all readers consume the story with a comb so more direct exposition is needed. Or is this acknowledging the theories so that they may NOT come true in the future, setting up for a twist? "The creator of the world" certainly implies the old men think of Imu as such, on par with the original Imu. Imu-mortal.
I wonder why Uranos would be a "Mother Frame", which sounds like it has to do with motherboards and mainframes. Is there more to it than being a refurbished mass murder weapon. Was Vegapunk told to work on it in exchange for getting to put some internet features in there? Probably. They are rather naive. Another thing I wonder about is the "Godhead of environment", is the WG environmentalist in some way that isn't covered directly by agriculture and economy? Or does it mean like, internal politics?
The last page is kind of jarring and creepy (add to the list of manga characters getting crucified). I always like a character design where the head is a crescent moon, but as among all the deaths in One Piece, executions are the most trustworthy, should you call them that, this is a bad bad man. Poor Myosgard :( ...

Chapter 1087: Battleship Bags
(read 12023-07-22, written 12023-07-23)

Of course, Garp can punch a battleship even without haki. It's a funny power system in that it is not everpresent. You've got this psychic force that everyone can learn, which allows them to strengthen their body and weapons, create invisible barriers, and even read the future. But then people run around punching holes in walls and air-slashing all without it. And Garp is a master of both, an undefeated old man. Until now. The world of One Piece is really beginning to turn.

Chapter 1088: Final Lesson
(read 12023-07-23, written 12023-07-29)

Seeing Oda draw these character with their "original" designs is so wacko. They did not look like this! Though I reckon it has to do with the Netflix show, so maybe they look like this there? Thinking especially of Nami's hair, and the oddity of Garp appearing in East Blue.
It's cool to see Coby and Helmeppo grown like this, though the flashbacks here made me miss the funkier nose of the former. It is made difficult to think of them as the same character, when so little of his original design remains. Let Coby's design be an allegory for the Navy, and the forces of the World Government. The commander and two admirals have been replaced. The warlords are disbanded. T-bone is dead. And now Garp is "missing", passing the torch to a new generation. It's not a bad this necessarily, but is definitely is different.
And yer what the Strawhats are soon to do is to make equal news? By "barricading" in Egghead. Exciting! :)

Chapter 1089: Hostage Situation
(read 12023-08-06, written 12023-08-10)

As the chapter opens up with an earthquake, I couldn't help but think "what the heck is Blackbeard getting up to?". Of course, my ability to connect events to those of recent chapters is poor, even given the "no parallel in recorded history" hint. Where the sea chart once marked Lulusia, is now an Enies Lobby style hole. Here, real anxieties are used to strengthen our response; though One Piece is set in fictional geography, rising sea levels are too a concern of the non-fictional planet Earth.
With that we finally return to Egghead island, where we get the outsider's perspective of the sieging forces, the elders, and York. It seems the "barricading" is the narrative set by Morgans, so the promised incident has not happened yet. Yet when York calls, they seem rather confident that the Strawhats have fallen... while mentioning a "Mother Flame". Is this the same as the "Mother Frame"? Assuming it is, rather than being synonymous with Uranos/"the machine", it might be ammunition; which has once been send, and would need to be reproduced if Uranos is to be used again. Hopefully. That thing is scary.
...So was York some chapters ago, but the last spread comes with a twist - they are already beaten! I quite like this shortening of events, and play of suspension. As the siege has arrived, and the last few chapters were already bitter-sweet, the amogus game has been served. Too many shōnen manga get in the habit of showing every detail (I'm looking at you, Bleach and My Hero Academia!), so I really appreciate the pacing of One Piece in moments like this, prioritizing the greater narrative's ebb and flow.

Chapter 1090: Kizaru
(read 12023-08-20, written 12023-08-21)

Kizaru is the name of this chapter, so let's talk about him. He's a funny man, kind of uneven in the outline. He looks fun to draw, or like the author has fun drawing him. Does that make any sense?
I'm not sure I'm too into the Seraphim inheriting personality to this degree. It strips them of some agency which is much needed, not in spite of but because they are clones. I wonder if I'll have to come to amends with there not being room to put focus on the clones. It is funny, because in this arc I feel the strongest about the Seraphim out of all the characters involved. They are easily contextualized as child soldiers, and as the narrative treats them coldly, they end up most the sympathetic. An aspect here is that most arcs of One Piece has sympathetic bystanders, or much weaker characters who must be saved by the Strawhats, by the latter coming in unexpectedly and beating up the bad guys. The "princess" archetype fits in here, but also the general populace of the places they are saving. The Tontatta, the people of Foosha village, or in a stranger case, Mont Blanc Cricket. And the kids on Punk Hazard, Tonjit, the list goes on and on. Basically, people to save to up the tension, with a notion of vengeance when the bad guys are defeated. Egghead doesn't have that though. There is Vegapunk, but Vegapunk is both airheaded and not too stressed about the situation. And on top of that, the plan is to escape, not to fend off the oncoming siege and taking down the navy. In other words, the Strawhats are not acting as saviors. This puts the Seraphim in an awkward spot. Yes, the nameless cipher pol agents too lack agency, but they are adults employed by the machine. Though that might be harsh, and we may wonder what led their carreers that way, they have allegiance which is not mind control. And yet they are being treated more kindly, with food and stuff.
Clearly I feel bad for the Seraphim, but thinking back I did not care as strongly about the Punk Hazard kids at all. Is that because I have aged? Because being a child soldier is objectively worse than being a victim of medical malpractice, drugging, and kidnapping? Because these discussions force me to think more? Because it is very unclear whether the Strawhats, or anyone really, see them as kids or people in need of help? Honestly, I don't know. What I think I know, is that ironically there is the aspect, where I care for the clones more because they are derivative of older characters, and not wholly new kids.

Chapter 1091: Sentomaru
(read 12023-09-03)

It's nice-like. I really appreciate the mouse sea beast with a drill for a nose.

Chapter 1092: Kuma the Tyrant's Holy Land Rampage
(read 12023-09-17, written 12023-09-15)

Remoras are cute, so I am a fan of them appearing on the title page.
There's a fun balance in this chapter between letting Kizaru be threatening, and not letting Luffy be underwhelming and suddenly strangely beatable. Gear 5 in the last panel is something akin to a jump scare, and this is also what awakens the ancient robot.

Because lots of stuff is happening in my life lately I'll be taking a pause in this project. My mind is elsewhere and I haven't been able to muster the passion needed to write. I'll be back come next year, or so, and will catch up with chapters as needed then.

Chapter 1093: Luffy vs. Kizaru
(read 12024-01-15)

A pause this long doesn't come with no spoilers/meta knowledge whatsoever. Click below to see that. Meta/spoilers

It's fun getting back, and this is a chapter with a lot of movement. Characters going there, others going there, all over the place. It's a bit hard to follow, but that feels intentionalized. Nobody - neither pirate, scientist, not government agent - has control of the situation. It's a scramble.
I am still on the team of "the poor Pacifista can't be treated this way, it does not make sense to have enslaved androids in a grand narrative about freedom", and the repeated texual mentions of this battle being about controlling the Pacifista... it makes for a natural twist when none of the parties seeking to control them do - because the Pacifista control themselves! Though somehow I could also see Oda not going through with it, since normally the moral core is shared by Luffy and the Strawhats, and they don't care for the Pacifista. We'll see.

Chapter 1094: Five Elders, Godhead of Science & Defense, St. Jaygarcia Saturn
(read 12024-01-16)

What the heck?! Why do they have that?? A summoning circle??? It's so fricking cool though I don't want to need it explained. A demonic pentagram for the 5 Elders, from which one of them appears looking like a devil, and comments how long it has been since he's last seen the surface. And he isn't an ox zoan by the way, but one of those ox-spiders of Japanese myth (obviously an awakened mythical zoan). A true demon, ironically.
In a way, I take exception to the 5 elders having physical might, as their power hitherto has been shown to be political. Which goes in real life, right, that the holders of political might aren't able to take on a tank in battle, they just have access to the nuke buttons. That the elders have the fanciest fruits though, no, that makes perfect sense.

Chapter 1095: Better Off Dead in This World
(read 12024-01-18, written in bits and pieces and finished 12024-02-01)

Top nosetch title page. Jaygarcia continues to be a mystifying existance, and as such it is very cute to see the soldiers be as confused as us readers. Like teleportation, force beam eyes, an aura of suppression, and strange healing powers, what is up with him (though the last could just as well be the sturdiness of an awakened zoan combined with life return of that big bushy beard, lol)? Jaygarcia begins talking of a "slave caste", and then we are thrown into a flashback (flashback! flashback! the crowd is roaring). Kuma is born, but not of the royal family, but just some normal people, one of which... "has buccaneer blood". I swear, some day we will have a proper talk about fantasy racism in One Piece, because you can't not. For now, let's just put a pin in real-life buccaneers being a kind of privateers, or "a pirate". That is kind of a telling name.
And suddenly we're in God Valley! For a ... native-hunting competition. Oh yeesh, sheesh, oh no. Of course they're that evil, but it still feels unusually bleak. In effect this is an invasion/massacre made a game, and you'd wonder how the bastard nobles would be safe doing this, but look closely and there's a dozen of military ships, likely not just carrying the wns. In any case there's Garling, though so much younger and more waifish, that he reminds of Griffith from Berserk (though Jaygarcia doesn't seem to have aged much). When first reading the chapter I even glanced over the "St." title and thought, "aha, he is like Griffith, a knight positioned to aid the noble's game", but that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead he is "St." and "Figarland", of the royal family that left Lubnir, Norland's birth country (well, nothing confirmed) (or however it's officially romanized, that's what the Swedish edition in my bookshelves says).
Hey Ivankov! I do not recognize you sister, either she's a dude in the future, or dead. :( to the latter one only.

Chapter 1096: Kumachi
(read 12026-02-01)

I just want to read more and more, but it seems like a limit was met here. Don't read more than you can discuss. In a funny way there's little to say about this chapter though. Ivankov looks like Gen - the barefoot one, Gloriosa was in Rocks, Big Mom is always fun to see, so is young Garp. And Scoppers Gaban, Long John, and Morgans, it is probably a cameo fanservice fiesta. I want to reiterate the Barefoot Gen similarity though, because I think there is some point to it, kids going through some really traumatic stuff and going out of it ready to hit the world upside the head if needed. It is good to be able to eat.

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