One Piece Chapter 1177 Review/Recap
You know, if there’s one thing that I think fans have had a problem with when it comes to the Elbaph Arc, it’s probably Usopp. All the way back to Little Garden, Usopp had made it his dream to visit Elbaph and become a brave warrior like the Giants. Yet ever since the Straw Hats arrived in Elbaph, Usopp has never gotten a chance to shine. Most of the focus has been on the other characters! It’s left some people wondering if Oda actually forgot that we wanted this to be Usopp’s arc to shine! I don’t know if that’s accurate or not, as Oda might have just been waiting for the right moment to give Usopp the spotlight, but I think he might have done just that. As the fight for Elbaph continues, we not only see Usopp tell off the series equivalent of the Devil, but it leads to the first meeting between said Devil and the two who might bring them down: Luffy and Loki! And they are pissed! Time to see the fury of a god!
Recap
Now that Zoro and Hajrudin know that beating up the DO’d Giants will turn them back to normal, their group decides to not hold back. To be more accurate, they’re actually pretty happy about not having to pull their punches, as they proceed to go to town on their brainwashed comrades as we get several pages of them delivering lethal hits on them!
Jarul even notes how eager they are.
Elsewhere, Chopper finds his group being attacked by one of the demon Giants. With their old friend Kashii unable to run, Chopper uses his Rumble Ball to go Monster Form and sucker-punches his attacker. Surprisingly, that one hit is enough to turn them back to normal!
Elsewhere, Sanji and the others are taunting the dismembered but still living Qillingham when Luffy and Loki show up. And Nami just tears into them both for making the fires worse, leading to the two arguing with each other. This funny exchange gets interrupted, though, when Luffy senses something.
At Branch 8, Brook and Usopp are at the mercy of the Imu-possessed Gunko, the former begging the latter to flee. But Usopp doesnt run; he’s too angry to run. He keeps getting back up and telling Imu off for their gutless attack on Elbaph and how much of a coward they are for using others to do their dirty work for them! And Imu just says that a ruler shouldn’t dirty their hands as they close in point-blank and force Usopp to him with his own attack, getting caught in the blast in the process! That’s when Luffy and Loki show up, realizing that Imu is the source of the Haki they felt. And after seeing what they did to Brook and Usopp and the country, they’re beyond pissed as Imu tells them to submit or die.
Review
Okay, I know that we are at the point in the arc where the Straw Hats start to humiliate the enemy, but this seems too easy, even for them. Oda has to be planning something! But first, we gotta gush about everything!
Is Chopper a Forest God? And How Strong are the Straw Hats Really?
I think we all knew that Zoro and Hajrudin’s group was going to act exactly like they are. They are the kind of people who like a good fight where they don’t have to fight, this was the perfect excuse for them to do so! I’m a little concerned that Dorry got stabbed through the arm, though. But what we really draws my attention is what Chopper managed to do. He’s one of the weaker members of the Straw Hats, and he was still able to KO a Giant with a single punch! Either he’s stronger than we thought, or is it possible that there is more to his Devil Fruit than meets the eye. I’ve even heard some fans theorizing that maybe Chopper’s Devil Fruit was misidentified like Luffy’s, and that it might be an even rarer Fruit. Like, what if he was some kind of forest god or his fruit can counter Imu’s powers. Or we could just be overthinking it and the Straw Hats really have gotten that strong.
I can actually believe that the Straw Hats have gotten this insanely powerful, to be honest. Franky even says that it’s possible that they’ve gotten this good to match their captain’s growing power. After all, they did just take down Qillingham. Yet, I still can’t help but feel like Qillingham isn’t down for the count. He might have gotten surprised by them, but if manages to put himself back together, then he could start taking them seriously. Then again, I’m not too worried. I vote they throw him scattered pieces into the Underworld or the ocean where he can’t be found.
Also, if i wasn’t convinced before, I am now: Loki is gonna join the Straw Hats after this is done. I don’t know how he could fit on the Sunny, but they can make it work. The fact that Nami was able to scold him and Luffy makes him a Straw Hat in my book! And that image of the squirrel consoling Luffy is destined to be a meme one day!
But now, it’s time for the meat of the chapter: Usopp steps up.
Usopp Just Called the Ruler of the World a Coward! So Metal!
I know that Usopp hasn’t gotten that much to do in this arc, and I know that some people aren’t happy about that. After all, seeing Elbaph is supposed to be the culmination of everything that Usopp has been working towards! He wants to prove himself a brave warrior like the Giants, but he’s barely gotten to do anything. I’m hoping that he does get to do more, but I will say this: standing up to Imu is already one of his finest moments.
Not only is Usopp able to overcome his fear, but he’s able to look at the ruler of the world, one of the two people in the running for the final antagonist of the series, and call them a coward. Not only does this show just how brave Usopp really is, but the fact that the biggest coward in the Straw Hats is calling Imu a dirty coward has the biggest impact. And he’s right. Imu is a coward. They put themselves above everyone else in the world and rule it from the shadows because they think they’re a god, but deep down, they’re a scared bully. Rocks making it to him all those years ago was enough to unnerve them, but feeling Joy Boy’s Haki had them absolutely terrified. And even when they’re desperate enough to try to conquer the nation that could help stop them, they’re not willing to do the dirty work themselves. They say it’s beneath being a king, but any leader not willing to do the work is no leader. And now, they’ve pissed off the last two people they should have: Luffy and Loki.
Luffy and Loki are about to whip somebody’s ass
I know that this won’t count as their first face-to-face meeting, as Imu is back in Mariejois. However, that doesn’t make what’s about to happen any less significant. Luffy and Loki don’t know the whole story, but even if they knew that their opponent is the shadow ruler of the world, I doubt they would care. All that matters is that they hurt their friends and their home, respectively, and for that, they are gonna get their ass-kicked. And if Imu isn’t bluffing, their fight is going to shake heaven and earth. Good!
We’ve spent the last thirty years getting to see just what the world of One Piece is like, both the good and the bad. And a lot of the bad stems from Imu and the darkness that they helped to create. Needless to say, if this is the beginning of the end for Imu, then it’s time for them to get humbled and put in their place! Luffy, Loki, kick their asses!!!
I Give “Furious” a 4.5/5
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