Never Underestimate the Elderly in Anime

One Piece Chapter 939 Review/Recap

I am so sorry this wasn’t out sooner, you guys. I too busy last week working on my stuff for Game of Thrones, so I had very little time to focus on anything else on my blog. My apologies. But I’m here to make it up to you with the most recent chapter of One Piece, and it was a good one indeed.

Recap

After revealing herself as Momonuske’s littler sister, Hiyori’s overjoyed by the fact that Zoro knows her brother. As for Toko, Hiyori had told her years ago; she was one of the few people who knew Hiyori’s true identity. Which would explain why she was so attached to her as Komurasaki.

As to why she didn’t go with her brother and his other retainers into the future, it was a contingency plan to ensure the Kozuki Clan’s survival if something went wrong. She was then raised by one of her father’s retainers, the self-proclaimed Kawamatsu the Kappa.

He did more than that, though. He helped her learn how to smile again after Kaido and Orochi killed her parents, singing and dancing to make her laugh. They got separated when she was 13, but she’s confident he’s still alive (he is in Udon Prison right now).

Out of the Kozuki Clan retainers known as the Nine Red Sheaths, the only one that the Alliance hasn’t met yet is the one called Denjiro. All others have either been recruited or located (at least, the readers know this).

Back in the capital, Orochi’s hunt for the Kozuki Clan loyalists is getting worse and worse. They’re arresting so many people that the jail house is full to bursting, the Heart Pirates among them. Should this continue, all their supporters will be captured.

Back in Udon Prison, Queen is busting out the big guns: he’s sent in an Armadillo SMILE user. And the user has guns filled with Seastone bullets. With Luffy’s Haki ability to see into the future, though, he and Hyogoro are doing fine. Luffy’s just frustrated he can’t master that advanced armament Haki that Rayleigh used. Once he makes that known, Hyogoro offers to teach it to him.

In Wano, there’s a technique for Haki that Hyogoro knows, called “Goken”. Using Luffy’s Haki to predict the enemy, Hyogoro uses his own Haki and shows the technique, sending one of their opponents flying.

Review

Like my title suggests, never underestimate the abilities of the elderly in anime and manga. I’d say don’t underestimate the elderly in general, but in the case of a lot of Japanese cartoons and comics, the elderly are tough. Shonen has a long tradition of having old men and women with crazy strength, and a lot of them have been from One Piece.

The more we see of Hyogoro, the more convinced I am that he’s going to be one of the deciding factors in the coming war against Kaido. If this is how strong he is after being in prison for years, then imagine what he can do once he gets proper care? People will flock to him!

No matter what happens, I can only see Luffy’s time in prison ending in one way: he and all the other inmates bust out, and Luffy will be far stronger than he was before. If he can master this “Goken” technique, it might be enough to put him on equal footing with Kaido in the final battle. Otherwise, he won’t have a chance.

I really enjoyed this chapter. We got an update on the Kozuki Clan’s retainers, we saw a glimpse of Hiyori’s past, and we are seeing how all the pieces in this game are ending up where they need to be. The climax to this arc is going to be amazing!

I Give “An Old Leopard’s Claws are Always Sharp” A 4.5/5