RJ Writing Ink

One Piece Chapter 1079 Review/Recap

Okay, Red-Haired Shanks is officially the boss. Every time he shows up, stuff goes down, and fans go wild. When we last saw him, he was facing down Eustace Kid, fresh off the events of Wano and helping beat Big Mom. He thought he was in the running to be King of the Pirates. 

Then Red-Haired Shanks puts him in his place.

Recap

In a flashback on Egghead Island, York realized the World Government plans to kill her along with everyone else. So she activates her backup plan: have the Seraphim kill everyone, save for her, the OG Vegapunk, and the CP Agents. She even let’s S-Snake petrify her to deflect suspicion. In the present, the island’s in chaos as everyone trying to get to safety.

Meanwhile, at Elbaf, Kid and his crew are sailing straight at the Red-Haired Pirates and their allies. However, not all of them are as strong as a New World Pirate would normally be, since Shanks protects a lot of people. Regardless, Kid prepares to go in guns blazing, constructing a massive metal railgun that he uses to waste the Red-Haired Pirates allied fleet!

…is what would have happened if Kid had gotten his shot off. However, Shanks uses his Observation Haki to see far enough into the future to know what will happen. Enraged, Shanks one-shots the Kid Pirates ship, taking Kid and Killer out in one go. Terrified, the rest of the crew hands over their copies of the Road Poneglyphs to Shanks, begging him to spare them. He does; Dorry and Brogy don’t. The two Giants tear their ship in two, sending it, and its crew, into the ocean. The end result: the Kid Pirates, with a bounty worth 3 billion Berries, get folded.

Review

We all knew going in that the odds of Eustace Kid winning against Red-Haired Shanks were slim to none. After seeing what Shanks did to that Admiral in Wano Country without setting foot there, it’s safe to say he might have the greatest mastery of any Haki user in the series. However, Kid fought against Kaido and Big Mom, and helped take the latter down. That should’ve counted for something, right?

Evidently not. The Red-Haired Pirates ended the Kid Pirates before they even got a shot off. Of course, Shanks has a long history of giving massive flexes. Back to the first chapter, even. Whenever he shows up, people start freaking out if they’re not a Yonko. This is the man that Luffy may end up having to face if he wants to get the One Piece. It’s scary-impressive and scary.

I don’t think that Kid is gone for good since we don’t know if he’s dead or not. However, I do think this might be the end of his chances at becoming King of the Pirates. Either way, the next two weeks are going to be long. Especially since there’s a Blackbeard Pirates ship headed towards Egghead Island! It’s chaos, even by Straw Hat standards!

I Give “The Red-Haired Pirates-An Emperor’s Crew” a 4/5

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One Piece Chapter 981 Review/Recap

I’m not sure if I’ve said it already, but if the Alliance wants to have any chance of beating Kaido, Orochi, and Big Mom, they need to keep the element of surprise. So far, they’ve managed to do that, despite the actions of Luffy, Zoro, Kid, and Killer. This chapter, though, sees some complications arise. Fortunately, the chapter also sees some new allies join the fight.

Recap

Thanks to Kid’s sudden attack on Apoo, him, Luffy, Zoro, and Killer are able to flee even as Queen sends more of their forces after them. What makes it worse, though, is that some of the Numbers start to get involved in the melee. Despite this, the four members of the Worst Generation begin to make their escape. In addition, Kid tells them that Apoo’s powers have a range limit: if you can hear them, he can attack you. The Tobi Roppo choose to ignore the chaos in favor of finding Yamato.

On the eastern flank, Kin’emon chooses to split his forces in two. One portion will proceed to the rear of the island, as planned. The other part will work their way to the dome in the central skull. There, they can launch an assault from above, trapping the enemy inside.

There’s two problems, though. Firstly, they have to cross a bridge in clear view of a brothel run by the Tobi Roppo. Secondly, Big Mom spots Chopper in the Brachio Tank.

While all of this is happening, the rest of the Big Mom Pirates, now Kaido’s new allies, begin to make their way into the country. Once there, they plan on crushing Luffy for humiliating them. However, as before, they’re intercepted. Instead of King, though, it’s someone else who throws them off the waterfall. Two old friends have joined the Alliance: Marco the Phoenix and Izo of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Review

Well, guys, I knew from the outset that the master plan would never hold up in the end, but I still hoped it would. I know that things are looking bad, with Chopper getting spotted by Big Mom. However, that may not be a bad thing. Maybe Big Mom will remember Chopper from when she had amnesia and will let him go since she owes him or something. Or maybe she won’t realize that he’s part of the Straw Hats. I have hope, alright!

The more important thing is that new allies have arrived to help the Alliance: Marco the Phoenix and Izo of the Whitebeard Pirates, plus Nekomamushi. We’ve seen Marco and Izo fight, so they could end up being the ace in the hole the Alliance needs. Also, I think they’d want some payback for Kaido killing their crewmember Oden.

My point is that, despite things falling apart, the Alliance has the advantage. Plus, I don’t the manga will be on break next week, so I think that’s a win, as well. Can’t wait for the big fight!

I Give “Joining the Fight” a 3/5

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One Piece Chapter 980 Review/Recap

So, it looks like the final battle for the fate of Wano’s going to be a slow burn. Moreso than usual as Oda’s quarantining himself from COVID-19. It’s a shame, because I’m looking forward to seeing the Beast Pirates get what’s coming to them. However, this week’s chapter manages to give us a small appetizer as the party gets started. And all because Luffy wants some payback for the starving people of Wano.

KICK THEIR BUTTS, LUFFY!

Recap

So, Luffy sees how the Beast Pirates are wasting food while the people of Wano starve in the streets. Remember poor Tama, he gets understandably pissed off. As a result, he does what Luffy does when he’s mad: he goes on a rampage. Then Zoro comes in, and remembering Tama as well, gets equally mad. The Captain and First Mate of the Straw Hat’s go on a rampage and try to fight their way out of the dining hall.

Meanwhile, Queen and Scratchman Apoo realize that the reports of Luffy being in Udon were false, and realize how bad the situation is. Apoo uses his music powers to hammer into them, forcing the duo to retreat. Queen sics all the men he has with him to go after them. To sweeten the deal, he gives anyone who takes them down the chance to join the Flying Six. Luffy and Zoro wind up boxed in before they can escape. Before Apoo can hit them again, Kid shows up, wanting payback for selling his crew out to Kaido.

Review

All right, I think we all knew that the Straw Hats were never going to follow the plan through. Or to be more precise, Luffy would do something crazy and the Straw Hats would get the party started. The good news is that they’re at full strength right and can fight together. The bad news is that they’re in a place that’s crawling with SMILE Users and heavy-hitters. They have to be smart about who they fight.

Among the members of the Alliance at Onigashima, the only ones capable of remotely beating Kaido are Luffy, and maybe Zoro. They can’t afford to get caught in too many fights, or they’ll lose to Kaido. In addition, we know little about Scratchman Apoo’s Devil Fruit Powers, beyond that they involve musical instruments. That’s something they can’t afford.

However, I’m not too worried about things. Kid’s already charged in to take out Apoo as revenge for betraying him. Kid stands the best chance to take Apoo out, and that will reduce the enemy’s strength.

Long story short, these opening blows to the battle are going to be crucial in the long-term. If the Alliance can take out Queen and Apoo here, the enemy loses two heavy-hitters and keeps the element of surprise for a while longer. It will be worth the two week wait, if you ask me.

I Give “Fighting Music” a 3.8/5

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One Piece Chapter 975 Review/Recap

In the last chapter of One Piece, the story finally returned to the present. We learned that Kanjuro was a spy for Orochi the entire time. Worse, the Scabbards got surrounded by the Beast Pirates and Momonosuke was captured. It looked like the end for the Alliance. However, we know better than that. Sure enough, the Straw Hat, Heart, and Kid Pirates showed up in their ships, ready for battle. The opening salvos of the war to liberate Wano are about to be fired!

Grab some popcorn. This is going to be good.

Recap

Despite being caught off guard by the pirates arrival, the Beast Pirates refuse to back down. They boast about how their allies will all die, and about the alliance between Kaido and Big Mom. Luffy, Law, and Kid couldn’t care less, though, and kick the Beast Pirates butts. Just then, Boss “Kyoshiro” appears, and the Beast Pirates think they’re saved. However, “Kyoshiro” attacks them instead, and finally reveals his true identity as Denjiro of the Nine Red Scabbards.

Denjiro then pledges the support of his family to the Alliance before revealing that he freed the thousand prisoners in the Flower Capital. Better still, Denjiro tells everyone that Orochi’s destruction of the bridges changed nothing. the Alliance forces had already linked up at the true rendevous point: the Maple Tree that Lord Yasuie cherished. More than 5,400 warriors now stand ready to fight.

Review

I cannot stop grinning after reading this chapter; I’m esctactic! I’ve seen the Straw Hats rally against impossible odds like this before. Even so, I can’t help but laugh my butt off at what they did! The Alliance now has an army of 5,400 pirates, samurai, ninja, and minks ready to free Wano.

This is a sizable army by pirate standards. However, the Alliance is outnumbered four to one. The Beast Pirates have 20,000 members, with most of its upper members on par with the Alliance Members. There’s also Orochi’s men and anyone Big Mom has brought with her. In other words, this will still be an uphill battle.

In addition, there’s still no sign of Jinbei anywhere, so the Straw Hats have yet to be fully reunited. However, I think he’ll show up before or during the battle like a badass.

Am I worried? Not in the slightest. They may be outnumbered, but from what I’ve seen from the Alliance, they have the Yonko outclassed. This will be a day long remembered. It will see the end to Orochi, and hopefully, the fall of Big Mom and Kaido. BRING IT ON, BITCH!

I Give “Kin’emon’s Plan” A 4.5/5

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One Piece Chapter 926 Review/Recap

This chapter of One Piece continues to set up the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance (which I will just call the Alliance for simplicity’s sake) plan to launch an all-out rebellion. 

There are a lot more samurai loyal to the Kozuki Clan left than I thought there would be, but that is an excellent thing. That just means there are a lot more people ready to put Orochi’s head on a spike where it belongs. The rest of the Straw Hats have split up to do their part:

What Is the Alliance Doing?

Nami is working with Shinobu to gather intel. For the moment, Shinobu seems to panic easily.

Sanji is doing what he does best and what he’d like to do best: cooking for people and flirting with girls. 

Despite Nami’s frustration, though, I think there’s a purpose behind Sanji’s actions. He could be trying to a.) gather intel by filling people’s bellies (full bellies can lead to loose lips), b.) win people’s support for the rebellion or c.) just flirting. Probably all three.

We then are given a glimpse of the prison where Kid and Luffy are being held. Backtracking for a minute, though, remember what I said in my recap of Act One of the Wano Arc? About how they would be running the place within a week?

Yeah, I was right. Though if you stayed with the story long enough, you’d know that Luffy wouldn’t break. Bonus, he and Kid seemed to be fully healed.

The guards can’t believe how much work the two captains are doing even with seastone handcuffs on them. Far from breaking, the two remain as defiant as ever, beating the crap out of the sub-warden. Their actions are winning over the other prisoners pretty quickly, which I think is Oda’s plan. Why? Think about it.

New Allies for the Alliance

Every single one of those prisoners will have an axe to grind against Orochi and Kaido for turning them into slaves. Until these two came along, they probably gave up any hope of living. But now they have two people willing to openly defy Kaido, and that will inspire them to do the same. When Luffy and Law get out of prison, and we KNOW they will, those prisoners are gonna follow them. Speaking of which, there’s a familiar face among them:

That’s Caribou, all right. He’s that pirate with the swamp-swamp fruit that tried to kidnap all those mermaids on Fishman Island. After a series of misadventures, he got captured by Kaido. And I know he’s gonna want to get payback!

In less than two weeks, the rebellion against Orochi and Kaido will begin. The Alliance is going to need all hands on deck to take down the Beast Pirates. Here’s who they got so far: The Straw Hat Pirates (minus Jinbei); the mink warriors of the Mokomo Dukedom; the Kozuki clan’s retainers; the Heart Pirates, and several ninja. Now add in the samurai they’re recruiting, and the prisoners, which include Kid and Caribou. That’s an army, and they’ll need one if they want to stand a chance. I have confidence in them, though.

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