One Piece Chapter 1171 Review/Recap
There a lot of things that I like to see when enjoying a work of fiction, but one of my favorites has to be watching a villain ready to soil their pants in sheer terror. Whenever that happens, that tends to be a good thing for the protagonists. And after having to spend the entirety of the Elbaph Arc’s flashback seeing Imu acting so smug, we finally get to see them genuinely afraid of something: Loki. And now that Loki has told everyone the truth, he and Ragnir are more than ready to start throwing down to save their country. And between them, Hadrujin, Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats, Imu will be running for the hills by the time the dust settles!
Recap
King Harald is finally dead, and Aurust Castle is in ruins and filled with the dead. Gaban, Shanks, and Jarul all agree that if Harald had been able to escape, it would have been a global catastrophe. If Loki hadn’t been there to take the Devil Fruit, they would all be dead.
Shanks, in particular, is outraged at Harald’s fate, blaming himself and his heritage for this tragedy, only for Gaban to snap him out of it.
For his part, Loki is mourning his father’s death, and makes a decision: he and the remaining guards are going out to sea to make the World Government pay for what they did. The others try to talk him out of it and to honor his father’s last request, but Loki already knows no one will believe him because of who he is.
Back in Mariejois, Imu is left shaken at Harald’s death. He was the best pawn they could have asked for to subjugate the giants, and even with all his strength, he still lost. Terrified, Imu refuses to send another Knight to Elbaph, declaring it a lost cause as part of the “D.”
Back in the present day, Loki has finished telling his brother and Luffy his story, and Hadrujin is livid to hear the truth about his father’s death. The New Giant Warrior Pirates say this doesn’t change everything else he did, but they are sorry for calling Loki a kinslayer, but now that they know the truth, they’re willing to make a stand with him. No sooner do they do that that one of the monsters Qillingham brought to life comes crashing down into the Underworld. Remembering the battle raging above, the group splits up. Gaban, Sanji, Chopper and the others head topside to join the fight. Loki decides to warm up by taking out the monster while Luffy stays behind to watch. And…see for yourself.
Review
Wow, what a way to end one of the best flashbacks in One Piece history. I know I’m going to sound like a broken record, but Harald’s life feels like a tragedy. He dedicated his life to remaking Elbaph into a happy and peaceful place, only for Imu to reveal that it was all for nothing. The man couldn’t catch a break, and in the end, he had to have his own son kill him. And despite how tough Loki acts, it’s clear that having to kill his dad was the worst moment of the Giant’s life. What makes it even worse, though, is the fact that Loki chose to keep everything a secret, despite what Gaban, Shanks, and Jarul wanted.
To be fair, I think Loki was right to not want to tell Elbaph the truth at the time. Even if the Giants did believe Loki by having Gaban and Jarul vouch for him, they likely wouldn’t have forgiven him for that. And even if they did, knowing that their beloved king had been manipulated so badly and that their attempts to reform were for naught would’ve destroyed the Giants as a people. They simply weren’t ready to learn the truth, but I suspect that that will change in the near future.
Now that the World Government has openly chosen to attack Elbaph, there is no reason for Loki to keep quiet about how Harald died. Hell, if he tells them all the truth after the fighting ends, I’m betting they’ll be so enraged that they’ll decide to take up arms one last time to get justice for Harald. Ida was right; Elbaph shouldn’t abandon their warrior ways altogether. instead they should use them to fight for a cause that is truly noble, like taking down Imu.
Imu is Gonna Drop Bricks When they See Loki
Speaking of Imu, this entire flashback makes Imu’s desire to recruit Loki feel incredibly ironic. They were absolutely terrified that someone was able to kill someone as powerful as Harald and derail their plans for Elbaph. I can practically imagine them soiling themselves on their throne not knowing what could’ve taken Harald out. If they had known that it was Loki, I dont think Shamrock and Gunko would have tried to force him to join their ranks. Not killing him then and there is about to be the worst mistake Imu could make.
And that final panel of Loki pulverizing that monster! All it took was one strike from Ragnir for him to freeze it solid! The other Giants weren’t able to put a dent in Qillingham’s creations, but Loki makes it look so effortless!! Between him and Luffy, not even the God’s Knights have a chance to win.
As you can imagine, I think this chapter was amazing. Unfortunately, Oda is going on an unplanned break for the sake of his health. Which is fine by me. He works so hard to give us peak, so he deserves to rest when he can. In the meantime, Im looking forward to seeing the Straw Hats and Giant Warrior Pirates kick Imu’s tail!
I Give “Ragnir” a 4/5
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