Wait, Joyboy Was How Strong?!?

One Piece Chapter 1122 Review/Recap

Apologies for the delay with this release, but I was busy this weekend and unable to write. However, I did manage to read the new chapter of One Piece, and…wow. We just got a glimpse at the power of Luffy’s predecessor, the original Joyboy, and it’s mind-boggling. Its the kind of power that would make even a god tremble in fear. This explains much about Imu, and the Five Elders are terrified of Luffy. If they’ve been around long enough to know the first Joyboy, then Luffy must give them PTSD flashbacks!

First, though, let’s mention this week’s cover. This past weekend, My Hero Academia, the popular superhero manga, ended its run after ten years (yes, I read it!) When he was a teenager, Kohei Horikoshi sent artwork of Smoker to Oda that he drew. Now that they’re peers, Oda honored Horikoshi by recreating that artwork. It’s a nice gesture and shows how much Oda cares about his fans and inspires them to create their works. And knowing that, someone out there who’s a fan of either series will create the next big hit for Shonen Jump. So, congrats on finishing your story, and thanks for making it.

Recap

The entire world has been thrown into chaos. Ordinary people fear for their lives and future now that they know of the potential Armageddon. On the other side of coin, though, every pirate, from the Yonko to the prisoners of Impel Down, is fired up. They all want to go out and raise hell!

On Egghead Island, the broadcast finally falls silent as Emeth falls. With their last line of defense gone, the Sunny and the Giant Pirates ship’s are wide open as the Elders rush towards them. Mortally wounded, Emeth admits to Luffy that he knew he wasn’t Joyboy, but that Luffy reminds him so much of him. He asks Luffy what his name is, to which Luffy gives his usual introduction:

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the man who’s gonna be King of the Pirates!”

Musing about him carrying the Will of D, Emeth reveals he has one last card to play. Eight hundred years ago, Joyboy told Emeth how he would eventually outlive him and that one day, he or someone he cared about would get in trouble. Thus, Joyboy told him he would seal his strongest Haki into a knotted rope attached to the robot. When the time came, Emeth should use that power. Today, Emeth does just that; he undoes the knot. And the results…see for yourself.

They knock out most of the Navy Fleet and blast most of the Five Elders back to Mariejois! As Sunny finally lands safely, the only one left to witness Emeth’s final moments is Saturn, with the former remembering his friend.

Review

Wow…just, wow. So that’s the power of the man to whom Luffy now serves as successor. I knew that Luffy still had a long way to go before he could meet the power of the original Joyboy, but this moment gives us an idea of how far he has to go. Joyboy’s Haki is so powerful that it managed to knock four of the Gorosei back from whence they came! It was so powerful, it knocked out most of the Navy fleet. Best of all, it made Imu scream in fear! The secret ruler of the world is terrified of Joyboy!

This opens up a lot of questions about how Haki works. How can one seal away their Haki inside an object? Is this something that Luffy or the stronger Straw Hats do one day? I want to know, and so does the rest of the fandom. In addition, there’s also the fact that this is the first time we get a hint of what Joyboy looked like. And it’s pretty telling that his person has a straw hat.

Regardless, it looks as though the battle on Egghead Island is over. With the Elders gone or unable to follow, and the Navy Fleet unable to pursue, the Straw Hats, Giants, Bonney, Kuma, and the remaining Vegapunks can escape. However, I wouldn’t call this a win for the Straw Hats. Most Satellites are dead or MIA, and there’s no telling if Vegapunk will make it. In addition, the Gorosei still have York and the Mother Flame, and will put them to use. And now that the world knows almost everything, they’ll likely drop all pretenses.

There isn’t a new chapter this week, but the next few will likely serve as the falling action to the Egghead Island Arc. I hope to find out Vegapunk’s fate and that of Kuma. Learning what Bonney will do now is also on the list. Most of all, though, I want to know how the world will react to the broadcast. It’s going to be chaos! And if it wasn’t already at that point, then the World Government’s headed towards collapse! And it deserves to go down! Bring on the anarchy! The time for the next Joyboy is nigh!

I Give “The Time is At Hand” a 4.5/5

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