One Piece Chapter 1186 Review/Recap
Ever since we learned from Brook that “Gunko” the God Knight was actually a princess he knew from his life before he became a pirate, fans have been trying to understand why. Why would Imu go out of his way to turn some random princess into one of his most dangerous minions? Why brainwash her into forgetting who she really was? I’ve been wracking my brain this whole flashback, and I still can’t understand it. At this point, though, does it even matter? It’s just another example in an incredibly long list of atrocities that Imu needs to answer for. And come hell or high water, Luffy and Loki are going to make him pay!
Recap
In the past, Brook was left in complete shock at the sight of a demonic Shuri cutting down King Leuven. He tries to revive his adoptive big brother, but it’s already too late. Outraged, Brook demands to know what the stranger, Manmayer Groh, did to Shuri, only for Shuri to reveal that Leuven wasn’t her biological father. She says that she’s actually a Celestial Dragon by birth and that this war was started because Leuven refused to hand her over. Brook is so in shock that he doesn’t even try to fight back as Shuri runs her sword through his skull.
Miraculously, Brook survived this injury, having been saved by the few guards left. Shuri had already boarded a WG ship, and most of the citizens of Esperia had fled. The country had fallen.
Back in the present, Brook admits he thought he had hallucinated everything like a nightmare. However, if it were real, and after everything they’ve learned, he asks his crew if they can help him save Shuri. The others don’t hesitate to lend their support as they try to come up with a plan to free Shuri from the ice.
Elsewhere, Loki and Imu continue their battle as the demon goes on a monologue, saying how the Giants bent the knee in the Void Century to save their kids and history is just repeating itself. Before he can go any further, though, they’re interrupted. Luffy just finished recharging from all the food he ate, he has no clue who Imu is, and probably doesn’t care. He just charges in and tells Imu to get out of Elbaph before landing a devastating punch to his face!!!
Review
The following clip represents my reaction to that final panel of the chapter:
OH, THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL! I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YEARS FOR LUFFY TO DO THAT TO IMU! And the spoilers were right; that was exactly like the iconic moment that Luffy punched Charloss at Sabaody! To this day, that remains one of my all-time favorite moments in any work of fiction. The moment when Luffy showed us he was willing to defy the so-called gods of his world to do what he thinks is right. Is it any wonder why people started using his flags at protests?
All fanboying aside, though, I now get why Brook had such a strong reaction to seeing Shuri again. The man was so traumatized by what he saw that he had to convince himself he had imagined it just to stay sane. I don’t blame him, either. Seeing the first person who ever cared about you dead at the hands of the girl you think is their daughter would break anyone. Not to mention Shuri’s claims about Leuven not being her real dad, and that she was actually a Celestial Dragon. The only way that could be true is if she had been fathered by one of them when Candelle visited Mariejois (I can’t remember when that was, though.) And the worst part? I don’t think that it was a lie.
We already know from the stories of Bonney, Shanks, and Shamrock that the Celestial Dragons are not above fathering kids with people from the lower world, regardless of the willingness of the other parent. I wouldn’t put it past them to have forcibly gotten Candelle pregnant, which is disgusting in itself. However, we should take everything Shuri said with a massive grain of salt. She was clearly under Imu’s Domi Reversi while she said this, and that technique is known to bring out a person’s dark side and make them say things they don’t actually believe. And Brook himself points out that even if she wasn’t related to Leuven, he still raised her as his daughter. Remember, one of the big themes about One Piece is that sometimes, the family you choose is more important than your actual family. Especially when your actual family is scum.
Regardless of whether or not what Shuri said is true, it feels pretty obvious that she was just saying what Imu wanted her to say. She has spent all these decades being a prisoner trapped inside her own body, likely unable to even think of rebelling against the master who took everything from her. It might be even worse if she was aware on some level of what was happening to her, as she couldn’t do anything about it. I don’t know why Imu wanted her, but something tells me that saving her from his control might be the key to driving Imu away from Elbaph. As much as I hate to admit it, Luffy and Loki are going to need help if they want to stop Imu from enslaving the land of the Giants. Plus, having Shuri defy Imu would make for one hell of a middle finger to the being who has been responsible for much of the pain and suffering the world has had to endure for all these centuries.
LUFFY! LOKI! KICK IMU’S ASS!!
