Writing About All Things Pop Culture
So One Piece just got back from the now expected two week break between chapters. And now they’re about to go on another two week break, since next week’s the start of the Olympics. However, Oda knows what to give us to keep us psyched up until then. In this case, we see Franky’s General Franky Mecha fight a, I kid you not, Triceracopter.
Kaido may not know it yet, but he’s already screwed. Thousands of his men have turned on him, Luffy and Momonosuke remain alive despite his best efforts, and many of his best officers have gone down. As for the ones who haven’t, several of them look set to fall very soon. Case in point, Jinbei faces off against Who’s Who of the Flying Six in a battle of the martial arts.
When the Battle of Onigashima officially started, we all knew that the Alliance would win. They achieved the element of surprise, and despite several of their strongest fighters being taken out of action (some more so than others), they’ve managed to hold their own. Additionally, thanks to Queen’s actions, thousands of the Beast Pirates defected to join the Alliance. Unbeknownst to anyone, most of the Gifters are about to do the same. This week, Tama gives the marching orders that could turn the tide for good!
So, the Battle of Onigashima’s been filled with a lot of twists and turns. Despite being outnumbered 6 to 1, the Alliance has done well against the Yonko. In addition, despite attempts to break them, the Alliance remains as defiant as ever. And while Kaido and Big Mom believe Luffy to be dead, they have no idea that he’s getting ready for the next round. This week, though, sees two unlikely heroes help to turn the tide of the battle. This week, Zeus and Otama are coming in clutch!
When we last left off in One Piece, things didn’t look so good for the Alliance. Kaido told everyone that he’d beaten Luffy and dropped his body into the sea. As a result, most of the Alliance began to lose heart. However, the Straw Hat Pirates knew better. No matter how many times he gets beaten into the ground, Luffy comes back for the next round. And when he does, he pulls off miracles. Now, the Alliance has to put its faith that another one of Luffy’s miracles will occur as they collectively spit in Kaido’s face.
At this point, I think that we should be expecting for Eichiro Oda to take breaks in between chapters of One Piece. It may be a drag, but not even his work is worth sacrificing his physical and mental health. In addition, these breaks help to build up suspense whenever we get an important chapter. For example, last chapter ended with LUFFY BEING THROWN OFF OF ONIGASHIMA BY KAIDO!!! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!?!? Sadly, we don’t know how Kaido beat Luffy for the second time, but that doesn’t make this chapter any less important. For a variety of reasons.
Well, if there was ever any doubt that Big Mom was still going to throttle the Straw Hats, then that’s gone straight out the window. Not only does Oda show us that she’s still the enemy, but that any chance at changing brought on by Otama is non-existent. In addition, she also proves how cold and unforgiving she is to poor Zeus, as she finally discards the poor Homie.
Welcome back to One Piece, everyone! The series was on break last week due to it being Golden Week in Japan, but now the show’s ready to continue. As you recall, last chapter ended with Big Mom unexpectedly attacking Ulti and Page One for the Beast Pirates destroying Leftover Town. On the surface, it seems like she’s on the Alliance’s side, but I said that this wasn’t likely. However, that’s not the big moment for this chapter. That honor falls to Nami, as she reminds us why angering her is one of the dumbest things you can ever do.
Have you ever heard of the trope “even evil has standards?” It’s a very popular trope created for a sole purpose. And that purpose is to show that if even the villains are disgusted by something, then you know that it’s bad! And in this case, it’s Big Mom who shows us that even evil has standards.
If you folks will recall, the first time that Luffy fought Kaido, he didn’t leave a scratch on him and got thrown in Udon Prison. However, this led Luffy to discover that he can level up his Haki to let him hurt foes without even touching them. He trained his butt off to learn how to use his Haki like that, and it looks like it paid off. But it’s only now that we see the true extent of his power! Luffy finally takes his Haki to the next level, and it is glorious!
One Piece Chapter 1009 Review/Recap I’ve been reading One Piece for years now, and I’ve watched the anime since the days of the infamous 4Kids dub. And if there’s one recurring theme to the … Continue Reading Big Mom and Orochi Get Sent to Hell (Hopefully)
Do you know which character from the Wano Arc I hate the most? Orochi Kurozumi. Yeah, I feel sorry for how the Kurozumi Clan got hunted down because his grandpa tried to take over Wano, but that’s no excuse for what he’s done. He ran Wano into the ground, he knows he did so, and he doesn’t care. So when it looked like Kaido outright killed him, I felt robbed. I wanted to see the Kurozumi Clan brought to justice for their crimes against Wano. However, I had a feeling that Oda wouldn’t kill off a villain like Orochi so casually. As it turns out, I was right. This week, the Kurozumi Clan returns with a vengeance!
If you’ll recall, several chapters ago, Queen unleashed a deadly virus that turns people into ice zombies. And that he didn’t care if it would end up hurting his own men in the process. The virus has been kept at bay for a while, but unless Chopper creates a cure, everyone will die. Fortunately, we all knew that Chopper wasn’t going to fail. Queen’s in a big surprise this week on One Piece.
Ever since we first met old man Hyogoro in Udon Prison, I liked him. He was the first friend Luffy made while he was on his “involuntary vacation.” Then it turns out he was once the badass leader of the Yakuza in Wano, and my respect for the guy grew even more. Luffy found himself a powerful ally and teacher in Boss Hyogoro, and now the old man’s repaying his debt to Luffy by helping to free Wano. But will it cost him his life in the end?
You know that famous line from The Incredible Hulk TV series starring Bill Bixby? “Don’t make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry.” That line can be applied to anyone who’s mad. And if there’s one thing that will make the Straw Pirates mad, it’s messing with their friends and crewmates. Case in point: Nico Robin’s going to demolish the spider-lady who captured Sanji. This should be fun.
You guys ever hear the story of Momotaro? It’s an old Japanese tale about a boy born from a giant peach. In the legend, Momotaro goes to Onigashima to defeat the demons residing there. And during his journey, he convinces three talking animals to join him in exchange for the Kibi Dango he has. The four beat up the demons, take their loot, and come home as heroes.
Why am I bringing this up? Because the latest chapter of One Piece made me realize that cute little Otama’s the manga’s version of Momotaro.