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One Piece Chapter 1185 Review/Recap

When we started this flashback to Brook’s life before he became a pirate, we all knew that it wasn’t going to have a happy ending. The fact that Shuri became Gunko and apparently killed Brook’s benefactor was proof enough of this. But Oda still managed to tug at our heartstrings by showing us what happened to his homeland and the people he loved. And with everything that we know about how Imu works, there’s little doubt that he was the one responsible for the end of Esperia!

Recap

After Prince Leuven and Candelle took Brook in as a kid, he trained hard to become a skilled swordsman and musician. Much to her frustration, though, Candelle couldn’t dissuade him from his perverted ways, even if he learned how to be a gentleman. Regardless, they were happy together, even more so when Leuven and Candelle married and had Shuri. And Brook continued to remain close to the Princess as she grew older. Life was good…until tragedy struck.

A mysterious fog engulfed Esperia one day, corroding all of their beloved instruments until they were unusable. People got sick and died from the smog, with Candelle being among them. But this was only the beginning of the country’s woes. With Esperia unable to pay the tribute to the Celestial Dragons, the World Government demanded that it sacrifice its citizens as slaves, or face destruction. King Leuven refused, and so the country went to war with the World Government. Brook fought valiantly, but they could not hold off the World Government forever. As Esperia was doomed, Brook rushed back to the palace to try and save Leuven and Shuri. However, he was horrified to find the King dead on the floor, with a demonic-looking Shuri standing over him!

Bro, what the heck?!??

Review

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen a Straw Hat’s home get destroyed by the World Government, I’d have two nickels. The fact that we’ve seen it happen twice now should be the most concerning aspect, but somehow, it isn’t. It’s the fact that the fandom can guess that what happened to Esperia was planned.

From the outset, the chapter drops context clues that the fog that crippled Esperia wasn’t natural, but man-made. Do you guys really think that a freak fog could destroy a country’s most valuable product or kill a large chunk of its population on its own? That’s too sus, even with how crazy the series is! And then there was the way the World Government immediately demanded the Esperian’s sacrifice its citizens as slaves. That’s not out of the ordinary for such a corrupt organization, but the fact that they jumped right to that demand makes it sound like they knew what was coming beforehand. The most damning evidence of all, though, was Shuri under the influence of Domi Reversi. That, and the demonic l figure looming over her that some think might be one of the Five Elders!

It all adds up, you guys. Imu orchestrated the destruction of Esperia. What I want to know is why? Why go to so much effort to destroy it? Unlike Ohara, Esperia wasn’t trying to uncover the conspiracy that the World Government has kept up for centuries. They weren’t actively antagonizing them, either, until they had to defend themselves. For that matter, why would Imu use domi reversi on Shuri and her father? Yes, both! You can see the wings on Leuven’s corpse!

What Happened Next?

We’ll likely have to wait until the next chapter to find out what happened, and that won’t be out for another two weeks. At the moment, though, the only explanation that I can come up with is that Imu wanted the family’s power for himself. He learned of how strong the royal family of Esperia was, and wanted that power for the God’s Knights. So he put the country in a position to defy him so he could destroy it, and then had Shuri and Leuven try to kill each other and claim the winner as his new servant. If making Shuri kill her father wasn’t monstrous enough, the fact that he kept her real personality suppressed to the point she couldn’t remember who she was is pure evil! For all we know, Shuri could’ve been a prisoner inside her own body and forced to watch as she was forced to do all these horrible things! That’s a fate worse than death!! And when you consider what Brook eventually went through after becoming a pirate, his life has been downright hell!

I don’t know how much longer this flashback will be, but at this point, I want Brook to save Shuri in the present day. Freeing her of Imu’s influence might kill her, but at this point, death seems better.

I Give “Y’all Better Buzz off” or “Mindya Own Beeswax” 4.5/5

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