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One Piece Chapter 1125 Review/Recap

Even as I write this and maintain my outward composure, on the inside, my mind is freaking out! The events of the Egghead Arc implied that not only is Im, the shadowy ruler of the World Government, immortal, but that the same goes for the Five Elders. Even when Luffy and Bonney hit Saturn so hard he was left in pieces, he kept coming back. But while the (presumably) opening chapter of the Elbaf Arc confirms that the Elders can’t die from old age, they’re not immortal. Case in point, for his monumental failures at Egghead, Saturn pays the ultimate price. At the same time, though, another group of characters manages to cheat death and render one of my biggest fears a moot point.

Recap

With the events at Egghead now over, all the World Government and Navy do is lick their wounds. They killed Vegapunk and secured the Mother Flame, but as Saturn states, they didn’t win. Thanks to Emeth, the Straw Hats, Bonney, Kuma, and the Giants got away and Vegapunk told the world about the apocalypse they’re facing.

Then, to add insult to injury, the Vegapunk’s last card gets played: their cloud factory activates, lifting Punk Records into the sky and away from Egghead. In addition, somehow the Satellites that apparently died are alive and form a new body to share for themselves.

They decide to keep Punk Records safe until the day everyone can access it.

In Mariejois, the Celestial Dragons are panicking over Vegapunk’s news, but all they care about is running out of food. The other Elders, though, are shocked when Figarland Garling strolls into their meeting room and says he’s replacing Saturn. And he’s not joking.

At Egghead, Saturn doubles over in pain as black flames ravage his body, courtesy of Im, who’s furious about Luffy’s escape. Saturn pleads for mercy, but it’s no use. His body withers and then, in an explosion of flame, is reduced to nothing but a skeleton!

Oh, and in the Kamabakka kingdom, the Revolutionaries realize they’re in a race against time. They have to end this war before the world destroys itself, trying to survive the coming armageddon as an age of chaos dawns.

Review

I’m sorry, WHAT? SATURN IS DEAD NOW? Akainu gets his top spot back on my list of most-hated characters in One Piece!

I don’t think any readers will cry over the death of Saturn. In a more just world, his crimes against the world and what he did to Bonney’s family and Vegapunk warrant death a hundred times over. However, I felt no satisfaction from seeing his violent and unbearably painful demise. Because as awful as Saturn was, his death reminded the readers that he was still a mere puppet, with Im being the one pulling the strings.

To its credit, this chapter confirmed a few things about the Five Elders. Firstly, learning that Saturn was alive when Emeth first attacked Mariejois 200 years ago means that the Five Elders have some form of immortality. At the very least, they don’t succumb to death by old age. However, Im grants this agelessness, and they can take it away whenever they want. Judging by the other Elder’s shocked looks at Garling’s appointment, that rarely happens, showing how badly Saturn messed up. However, that makes their, and by extension, Im’s, status as human beings sketchier than ever.

As for how the other Satellites survived, I’m not going to question it. Vegapunk had planned for them to have backups if something happened. I’m just glad they got Punk Records out of the World Government’s hands. That makes one of my big worries about the WG using it for evil moot. Small comfort, though, given what’s coming.

The end of the chapter says it all: order is dead and the world is engulfed by chaos. Finding the One Piece could save or destroy it, making the race for it more important than ever. And something tells me that the last clue to Laugh Tale is waiting in Elbaf.

I cannot lie: this chapter blew my mind. I knew we were going to be in for it when it came to the aftermath of Egghead, but I didn’t expect Oda to kill a major antagonist of the series like that! What a way to take us into Elbaf!

I Give “What Defines Death” a 5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1124 Review/Recap

The Egghead Arc is over, and Dr. Vegapunk is dead, slain at the hands of Borsalino. AKA Admiral Kizaru of the Navy, AKA the Doctor’s best friend. Now everyone left has to pick up the pieces. Luffy gets depressed at first since he thinks he couldn’t keep his promise, only to learn otherwise. But it’s what happens on the Navy’s side that proves to be more interesting. After everything he’s gone through, we see the laid-back attitude we know Borsalino for give way. What happens is so heartbreaking to watch, I lose what little hate I have left for him.

Recap

In his flying headquarters, Morgans is ecstatic over the sheer amount of breaking news he can choose to put in his newspaper. Between the Heart and Kid Pirates’ respective losses to Blackbeard and Shanks and what happened on Egghead, he’s got material for days. However, Vivi calls him out for planning to pin Vegapunk’s death on Luffy and for stoking fears of the apparent apocalypse coming. Not even losing her place of hiding can stop her!

At Egghead Island, Sentomaru slips away while mourning Vegapunk’s death. As for the Navy fleet, the only one who isn’t out cold is Admiral Kizaru, leaving him to answer a call from a livid Akainu. The Fleet Admiral starts demanding answers about what happened and for his colleague to stop slacking off. In response, Borsalino asks Akainu one question:

“Have you ever had to kill your best friend?”

As the memories of the friendship he formed with Vegapunk, Borsalino is driven to tears over having to kill the doctor. Furious at Akainu’s rudeness, the Admiral calls him an ingrate and asks him to come see for himself if he’s got time to waste doubting him. He is stunned into apologizing.

Aboard the Giant Pirates ship, Luffy’s depressed because he thinks he failed to keep his promise to Vegapunk. However, that changes when Lilith wakes up and, after “hearing” the news, tells them that they didn’t fail. They got her, a Vegapunk, out, which means they got all of them out. They will live on through her!

No longer glum, Luffy and the others restart their revelry! Everyone begins to party while Luffy explains that what Vegapunk said changes nothing. He’s still going to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates! Thus, the heroes set sail for the fabled Elbaf at long last!

Review

Borsalino Finally Cracks Under Everything he Went Through

It finally happened, you guys. Borsalino, that implacable man who always had that laid-back attitude about him, finally cracked. Given everything we learned about him and Vegapunk in this arc, fans already knew he didn’t want to kill the Doctor. But seeing him cry and angrily snap at Akainu still hit hard for me! The man never got upset about anything, and the entire experience reduced him to tears! It’s pretty telling that Akainu, of all people, realized he crossed the line and apologized.

I don’t accept that war criminal’s apology, but you know what? I forgive Borsalino for killing Vegapunk. Vegapunk willingly sacrificed himself to warn the world about the coming apocalypse, the Great War, everything! He may not have remembered why he was doing it, but he knew it would have meaning. Also, to be fair, Borsalino wasn’t the one who killed Vegapunk; he might have hurt him, but Saturn struck the killing blow.

Or did he?

Lilith is Still Vegapunk, so She Can Carry on Their Work

Firstly, I want to say that if all the other Vegapunks (besides York) are dead, I’m glad Lilith is the one that got away. Once I got over my confusion about her not being the OG Vegapunk, she became my favorite. I like her personality a lot. Secondly, I have some ideas about what she meant when she said that “heard about” what happened to the other Satellites.

We know that OG Vegapunk created the Satellites to be clones embodying a different aspect of his personality. We also know that they shared memories across a kind of hive-mind. Considering that, Lilith and York likely gained all their memories and experiences once the others died. Or, in Lilith’s case, when Atlas severed her connection to fake her death. Either way, Lilith is telling the truth. She was already Vegapunk, but gaining the memories of the original and her fellow Satellites pretty much makes her the true Vegapunk.

Bottom line, the Straw Hats didn’t fail. They got Vegapunk to safety, and once they get to Elbaf, she can continue their research in peace.

And with that, we finally close the curtain on the Egghead Arc. And what an arc it was! It was so epic that Im going to have to go back and do some sort of mega-review and recap of the whole thing before the next chapter comes out. But more importantly now, the Straw Hats are heading to Elbaf. Next to Laugh Tale itself, Elbaf is the location that fans have wanted to see the most! Considering how Oda likes to one-up himself, we should expect the Elbaf arc to be the biggest to date. And I’m looking forward to seeing it!

I Give “Best Friend” a 4/5

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