Time For the Stars to Take the Stage!

One Piece Chapter 1022 Review/Recap

The moment when the anime starts the actual battle on Onigashima in earnest, I will be eagerly watching the whole thing. Thus far, the climax of the Wano Arc has seen the Straw hats and their allies fight unbelievable odds, and, despite some losses, they’re still winning! However, with the Flying Six now out, the biggest threat to the Alliance outside of the Yonko are the All-Stars. Luckily, the Alliance has two big stars of their own ready to take center stage.

Recap

The story quickly recaps what’s happened since the start of the battle. Despite being outnumbered 6 to 1, the Alliance has hammered away at the enemy’s forces. Tama’s kibi dango plan made many of their members defect. And now, all of the Flying Six lay beaten. Yet the fight has yet to be won. In one section of the castle, Raizo fights the leader of Orochi’s Ninja, Fukurokuju. In another, Killer begins to corner Hawkins, only to learn the latter’s using his powers to transfer the damage onto Killer’s Captain, Kid.

The main action, though, takes place on the Live Floor, with King and Queen going on a rampage against their former crewmembers. Worse, despite Sanji and Marco’s best efforts, they can’t stop the two monsters. Just when it looks like King’s about to kill a helpless Zoro, Marco swoops in and uses the last of his strength to protect him. Just when all hope seems lost, though, the medicine given to Zoro finally kicks in. As a result, Zoro and Sanji set upon the two All-Stars, proclaiming that if they win against Kaido, Luffy’s dream of being King of the Pirates will be within sight at last!

Review

Eichiro Oda may be a master of the art of having the heroes come in clutch. Right when it looks like the good guys are out of gas, they get a second wind to kick ass! And right now, Zoro and Sanji are the only ones capable of stopping the All-Stars.

If King and Queen were to go down, that would be a massive blow to the Beast Pirates. Many of their officers have either defected or been defeated. If the All-Stars are beaten, all that will be left are Hawkins, Kaido, Big Mom, and a few others. Speaking of which, Nekomamushi finally catches up to Perospero, the Big Mom Pirate who killed their comrade, Pedro. It’s time for a little payback!

Despite things going the Alliance’s way, the battle’s not won yet. Hawkins is a deadly opponent to fight against, and none of this will matter if Onigashima reaches the Flower Capital. With only fifteen minutes left, Luffy needs to get back up to the island, and he needs to do it now.

As far as building up hype, this chapter did a great job of doing so. The climax of the Wano Arc is almost upon us, and I can’t wait for Luffy vs. Kaido, round 3.

I Give “The Stars Take the Stage” a 3.9/5

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