Oden’s Voyage Nears its End

One Piece, Chapter 968 Review/Recap

Well, Roger, Oden, Rayleigh and everyone else did the impossible. They made it to the end of the Grand Line and learned the secrets of the world. However, this also means that Roger and Oden’s voyage must come to an end. As we reach the end of this momentous flashback, it’s time to brace for the end of Oden’s voyage.

Recap

Once the news of the Roger Pirates making it to Laugh Tale went public, everyone started calling Roger “King of the Pirates” and his treasure “the One Piece”. It didn’t matter much to Roger, though, as he was going to die soon. Thus, he officially disbanded the Roger Pirates, and they dropped him off someplace away from the Marines. After that, the rest of the crew returned to Wano to let Oden off, finally completing his long voyage.

To his surprise, everyone in Kuri gave him a warm welcome, courtesy of the Nine Red Scabbards and Toki’s good leadership. However, Oden soon learned how bad things had gotten for the rest of the country. With Kaido’s backing, Orochi had already begun his reign of terror on Wano. When the Scabbards tried to stop him, he sent assassin’s to kill Momonosuke and Hiyori. Thankfully, Toki saved them at the cost of injuring herself. As a result, Oden goes ballistic, and against Kin’emon’s wishes, heads to the Flower Capital to confront Orochi. The slithering coward warns Oden that Kaido will come after him if he tries to harm Orochi, but Oden’s hellbent on killing the usurper.

Review

This chapter did a lot of reiterating things that we already knew or suspected. On the world stage, the World Government’s reactions to Roger reaching Laugh Tale, and how they hide his real name, confirms what I already knew. The truth behind the Void Century, the D, and how the World Government came to power can be found in Laugh Tale. In regards to this arc, Laugh Tale revealed why Wano shut its doors to the world, and why Oden’s became more determined to open them. It has something to do with the return of Joy Boy in 25 years.

Unless Joy Boy’s somehow still alive in the present, I’m going with the theory that Luffy’s Joy Boy reincarnated or inheritor of his will.

What I didn’t expect in this chapter is how the people felt overjoyed to see Oden return. Based on their reactions, the lies Orochi spread haven’t begun yet. Sadly, though, I can also tell that Oden attacking Orochi will be what seals his fate. My guess is that Kaido comes, the two have a fierce fight, but in the end, Oden’s captured and executed as a traitor. It’s a bittersweet ending, but we all knew it was coming.

I think there will only be three, maybe four chapters left in Oden’s voyage. I enjoyed the flashback, but I want to get back to the present and see how Luffy pulls off another miracle. We all know he’s going to find a way to win, don’t deny it. Death to Orochi and Kaido!

I Give “Oden’s Return” a 3.75/5. Good falling action, but we already knew what’s happening next.

Click here to see more animanga stuff.