Jinbei Could’ve Been a Fire Fighter With his Skills!

One Piece Chapter 1145 Review/Recap

Can we stop and take a moment to mention how awesome Jinbei the Sea Knight is? He fought alongside the late Fisher Tiger, became a Warlord, was a friend of Ace, and helped save Luffy’s life multiple times. All of the Straw Hats have their own value, but Jinbei is something else. And in the latest chapter of One Piece, he’s the reason why the kids of the Walrus school won’t burn alive.

Also, this is a reminder that the anime has returned after being on hiatus for the last six months. Considering how that has never happened before, it was a big deal.

Recap

Because Luffy decided to help save Loki’s life, Zoro, Sanji, and Goldberg start hunting for meat. With the help of a Homie Goldberg has called Nash, the group brings down a dinosaur for Loki to eat. Sadly (for Loki), the Prince is forced to endure Luffy’s disastrous attempts to help him get better, much to the delight of the Giants.

Once Loki calms down, he claims he wasn’t lying about knowing where Shanks is, but he won’t talk until Luffy fully sets him free. He does, however, sympathize with Luffy’s desire to meet his hero, as he, too, had a pirate he looked up to but couldn’t join.

Back up above, the Giant Pirates get busy fighting the nightmares, with Gaban noting how if Elbaph isn’t safe, the world is in trouble. The firefighters are desperately trying to put out the fires, but their efforts aren’t working fast enough. As the kids get closer and closer to the flames, Gunko watches and notes how the flames would wake the kids up in time to burn alive. At the last possible second though, Jinbei uses his Fishman Karate to unleash a tsunami on the flames, extinguishing them just in time!

As the adults all celebrate, Jinbei jumps aboard Colon’s ship and joins the group, with the boy praising how cool he was. However, their joy proves short lived. Gunko saw them, noticed how Colon was the one kid who wasn’t at the school, and appears right on top of the figurehead.

Review

Jinbei, you magnificent Fishman, you! For the umpteenth time since meeting Luffy, Jinbei has come in clutch for Luffy and the other Straw Hats. Thanks to him, the Giant kids are safe from being burned to death. However, that won’t matter if they reach the harbor. Once they’re taken to Mariejois, their parents may never see them again. And I’ll be damned before I see any more kids suffer at the hands of the Celestial Dragons! For the sake of everyone, the Giants and Straw Hats need to beat the God’s Knights now.

The question is, can they?

Right now, Colon’s group is at a severe disadvantage. Nami and Usopp aren’t the strongest of the Straw Hats, and while I’d rank Jinbei as the fourth strongest in the crew, even that might not be enough to beat someone like Gunko. However, they might have a secret weapon in the form of Brook. In the last chapter, it was revealed that Gunko is a fan of Soul King Brook. Having to fight her idol might trip her up enough to give them the advantage. As for the other Knights, I think Gaban could take them if he pushed himself. However, keep in mind that he’s no longer in his prime. He might be able to fight them to a standstill, but that’s about it.

Loki Was Influenced by Xebec?!?

Now, for the big reveal of this chapter: the connection that Loki has to the Rocks Pirates. Loki’s flashback reveals that he looked up to another pirate crew and wanted to go out to sea with them. While the chapter doesn’t name which crew it is, the fact that their captain dropped the name “Newgate” makes it obvious it was Rocks D. Xebec who was talking. This explains so much about Loki and why he, on some levels, feels like a darker version of Luffy. Besides both being impossibly strong, they’re also mischievous, tricky, and could potentially destroy the world if pushed that far. The difference is that Luffy had a positive role model in Shanks, while Xebec wasn’t. Maybe it was fate that the two would end up meeting.

Regardless of that, it appears that the real fight is about to begin, and all the Straw Hats need to join in. I’m hoping that Jinbei and the others can hold off Gunko, but right now, Luffy needs to join the fight before it’s too late.

Also, by the time you’re reading this review, the One Piece anime will be back in full, and I am so looking forward to seeing it! The flashback for Kuma’s life is going to leave people in tears, and I cannot wait to see Saturn get his karma in 4K.

I Give “The Blaze in Branch 8’s Forest No. 2” a 4/5

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