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One Piece Chapter 1122 Review/Recap

Apologies for the delay with this release, but I was busy this weekend and unable to write. However, I did manage to read the new chapter of One Piece, and…wow. We just got a glimpse at the power of Luffy’s predecessor, the original Joyboy, and it’s mind-boggling. Its the kind of power that would make even a god tremble in fear. This explains much about Imu, and the Five Elders are terrified of Luffy. If they’ve been around long enough to know the first Joyboy, then Luffy must give them PTSD flashbacks!

First, though, let’s mention this week’s cover. This past weekend, My Hero Academia, the popular superhero manga, ended its run after ten years (yes, I read it!) When he was a teenager, Kohei Horikoshi sent artwork of Smoker to Oda that he drew. Now that they’re peers, Oda honored Horikoshi by recreating that artwork. It’s a nice gesture and shows how much Oda cares about his fans and inspires them to create their works. And knowing that, someone out there who’s a fan of either series will create the next big hit for Shonen Jump. So, congrats on finishing your story, and thanks for making it.

Recap

The entire world has been thrown into chaos. Ordinary people fear for their lives and future now that they know of the potential Armageddon. On the other side of coin, though, every pirate, from the Yonko to the prisoners of Impel Down, is fired up. They all want to go out and raise hell!

On Egghead Island, the broadcast finally falls silent as Emeth falls. With their last line of defense gone, the Sunny and the Giant Pirates ship’s are wide open as the Elders rush towards them. Mortally wounded, Emeth admits to Luffy that he knew he wasn’t Joyboy, but that Luffy reminds him so much of him. He asks Luffy what his name is, to which Luffy gives his usual introduction:

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the man who’s gonna be King of the Pirates!”

Musing about him carrying the Will of D, Emeth reveals he has one last card to play. Eight hundred years ago, Joyboy told Emeth how he would eventually outlive him and that one day, he or someone he cared about would get in trouble. Thus, Joyboy told him he would seal his strongest Haki into a knotted rope attached to the robot. When the time came, Emeth should use that power. Today, Emeth does just that; he undoes the knot. And the results…see for yourself.

They knock out most of the Navy Fleet and blast most of the Five Elders back to Mariejois! As Sunny finally lands safely, the only one left to witness Emeth’s final moments is Saturn, with the former remembering his friend.

Review

Wow…just, wow. So that’s the power of the man to whom Luffy now serves as successor. I knew that Luffy still had a long way to go before he could meet the power of the original Joyboy, but this moment gives us an idea of how far he has to go. Joyboy’s Haki is so powerful that it managed to knock four of the Gorosei back from whence they came! It was so powerful, it knocked out most of the Navy fleet. Best of all, it made Imu scream in fear! The secret ruler of the world is terrified of Joyboy!

This opens up a lot of questions about how Haki works. How can one seal away their Haki inside an object? Is this something that Luffy or the stronger Straw Hats do one day? I want to know, and so does the rest of the fandom. In addition, there’s also the fact that this is the first time we get a hint of what Joyboy looked like. And it’s pretty telling that his person has a straw hat.

Regardless, it looks as though the battle on Egghead Island is over. With the Elders gone or unable to follow, and the Navy Fleet unable to pursue, the Straw Hats, Giants, Bonney, Kuma, and the remaining Vegapunks can escape. However, I wouldn’t call this a win for the Straw Hats. Most Satellites are dead or MIA, and there’s no telling if Vegapunk will make it. In addition, the Gorosei still have York and the Mother Flame, and will put them to use. And now that the world knows almost everything, they’ll likely drop all pretenses.

There isn’t a new chapter this week, but the next few will likely serve as the falling action to the Egghead Island Arc. I hope to find out Vegapunk’s fate and that of Kuma. Learning what Bonney will do now is also on the list. Most of all, though, I want to know how the world will react to the broadcast. It’s going to be chaos! And if it wasn’t already at that point, then the World Government’s headed towards collapse! And it deserves to go down! Bring on the anarchy! The time for the next Joyboy is nigh!

I Give “The Time is At Hand” a 4.5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1121 Recap/Review

You know one of the things I love the most about One Piece? That moment at an arc’s climax when Luffy proceeds to beat the ever-loving tar out of the big bad. And out of all the enemies Luffy has faced, I don’t think any have been as deserving of a beatdown as that of Saturn. I was ready to make peace with the fact that Luffy, Bonney, the Straw Hats, and everyone else would have to flee Egghead. The Five Elders undamaged, save for their pride and the knowledge that Vegapunk just exposed them to the world. But wouldn’t you know it? After all the pain and suffering we learned Saturn caused, Oda wouldn’t let him get away with it. LO AND BEHOLD, THE FALSE GOD HAS BEEN JUDGED AND FOUND WANTING! AND THE CALL FOR THE FINAL WAR HAS BEEN SOUNDED!

Recap

The final moments of Dr. Vegapunk’s message to the world continue to play out, even as the Elders desperately try to destroy Emeth and the transponder snail. Vegapunk tells the world that one day, very soon, the secrets of the Void Century will be uncovered for all the world to know. Those that history tried to erase from existence, and their descendants persecuted, will have their voices heard again. There are already people out there who cannot be oppressed no matter what, and those people are closest to finding whatever Roger found. In the recording, Vegapunk muses that maybe that was what Roger intended to happen with his last words. However, he also notes that the person who finds the truth may be someone Joyboy wanted. That doesn’t change this fact, though: whoever finds the One Piece will decide the fate of the world.

At the island’s edge, Saturn furiously tries to kill everyone, but Luffy and the Giants aren’t having any of it. With Luffy protecting her from harm and encouraging her, Bonney gets a second wind and re-enters her Nika Form. Remembering everything that Saturn has done, the pain he’s caused to her, her parents, and so many other people, Bonney calls Saturn for what he really is: trash. For her mother, her father, and herself, Bonney and Luffy hit Saturn with EVERYTHING THEY HAVE!!!! A BEATDOWN LIFETIMES IN THE MAKING!

And, in the end, the so-called god is left crumbling to pieces as Saturn begins to fall into the sea while the Thousand Sunny makes its descent to the ocean below.

Review

This was my honest-to-goodness reaction when I saw what Luffy and Bonney did to Saturn:

I’ve waited for so long, and when Oda finally gave it to us, I felt euphoric! At the moment, Saturn is probably the most vile, disgusting, and hated character in all of One Piece, and that’s saying something. From going out of his way to make Kuma’s life hell, to killing the love of his life, experimenting on Bonney, and be an all-around jerk, Saturn has had this coming. I don’t know how Luffy and Bonney were able to damage him so badly, but I don’t care. Nor do I care if he survives. All I’m hoping for is that he will fall into the ocean and remain there for the rest of eternity. That moment alone makes waiting another two weeks worth it!

Beyond that, though, no matter what happens from here on out, the Five Elders have lost. Vegapunk has told the whole world everything he knows and how it’s all connected. Joyboy, the Void Century, the Ancient Weapons, the lost continents, and at the heart of it all, the One Piece. And now, everyone is going to want to go after it. Even the Marines, the ones supposed to be fighting pirates, will want to find the One Piece. If the Celestial Dragons had a hard time controlling the world before, then it’s about to become impossible!

I Can’t Wait to see the Chaos to Come

We still don’t know if this is the end of the Egghead Island Arc just yet, but I’m willing to guess that we’re going to get a few more chapters to wrap everything up. We need to learn the fates of everyone involved in the arc, especially Vegapunk himself. And we need to see how the world will react thanks to everything they’ve learned. However, I would like to point out that many longtime readers already came to the same conclusion Vegapunk did about Roger. He set everything in motion because he knew that someone would find the One Piece one day and do what he and Joyboy could not: bring down the World Government.

I really liked the chapter, not just for seeing Saturn get what he deserves, but for the allusions that it makes. When Oda speaks about those oppressed by history, we get shots of people like Kuma, Pudding, and King. All of them were persecuted for existing, and I think they still have a role to play in what comes next. Well, that depends on where King is, at least.

Oda, keep cooking for us! And may Saturn rot in hell forever.

I Give “The Ebb and Flow of the Ages” a 5/5

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