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One Piece Chapter 1000 Review/Recap

Everyone, we did it! Twenty-three years, 97 Volumes, 14 movies, dozens of games, and a fanbase spanning the world. That’s how One Piece has come. And now, we hit the historic 1,000th chapter in time for 2021. Granted, it got leaked days earlier, but that’s not the point. As we celebrate the stories thousandth chapter, we look at the man at its heart, Monkey D. Luffy. And let me tell you, this chapter does a hell of a job showing how far he’s come.

Recap

At last, Luffy Makes it to the fifth floor of Onigashima. Inurashi’s musketeer squad having paved the way. Thanking them, Luffy makes it to the roof. At the same time, Marco manages to send Zoro skyward, as well. Elsewhere, Kidd, Killer, and Law also make it to the roof of Onigashima.

In their hiding place, Yamato continues telling Momonosuke the secrets his father left in his journal. The most important thing Yamato read, though, was Oden and the Roger Pirates belief in the future. Twenty years following Oden’s death, a new generation of powerful pirates would journey to the New World. They would be the ones to free Wano.

On the dome of Onigashima, the two Yonko face five of the Worst Generation, at last. Big Mom and Kaido demand that Luffy pay for what he’s done to them. Luffy pays them no heed, though. He goes to the fallen Scabbards and Izo, and, to his relief, learns that they’re alive. Asking Law to send them somewhere safe, Luffy then gives the Yonko the attention they deserve.

What happens next, I cannot describe in words. Just see it for yourself.

Review

There will likely be fans who will complain about how the 1,000th chapter of One Piece turned out. They may say it lacked enough action or stakes. However, that’s not the point to this chapter. The point of this chapter is to return us to the basis of Monkey D. Luffy. To remind us of how much Luffy’s grown in 1,000 chapters. Luffy’s always been strong, but now we see him knock down a Yonko! The guys that have been built up as like gods in One Piece? How awesome is that?!?

My favorite scene to this chapter, though? It would be this moment. Big Mom and Kaido try to intimidate him into begging for mercy. However, he just walks by them like they don’t matter. Because they don’t. The intent is clear: He’s a King, and he doesn’t need to fear the likes of the Yonko. They should fear him.

2020 is now out, and 2021 is in. If this is how Oda’s going to start 2021, then this will be a good year, indeed. Luffy, KICK THEIR ASSES!!!!

I Give “Strawhat Luffy” a 5/5

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One Piece Chapter 993 Review/Recap

At the end of my review of last week’s chapter, I said that Kaido had not yet begun to fight. That he had only been holding back against the Red Scabbards, which is why they were able to get in so many hits. It’s a standard trope in Shonen stories: the bad guy treats the heroes like an annoyance because only the main protagonist can stop them. It turns out that I was right to be worried for the Scabbards, as Kaido stops messing around and starts fighting seriously. Get ready for blood.

Recap

In the Fire Capital, the people celebrate the Fire Festival with reckless abandon. For it’s the one night a year when they don’t have to worry about Orochi or Kaido and their tyranny. The one night when they can openly dare to dream that the Kozuki Clan will return to save them all. Little do they know, on Onigashima, that dream is fighting to become a reality.

At Onigashima, things are starting to go bad for the Alliance. Queen’s new Plague bullets, Ice Demon, are tearing people apart and turning them into ice zombies as Zoro and Drake look on in anger. Elsewhere, Sanji and Jinbei are helping Luffy make it to the roof of the skull, and actively trying to keep him from fighting. They know Luffy will need all his strength to have a chance to beat Kaido. In another section of the castle, Shinobu and Momonosuke are cornered by Sasaki and a group of Beast Pirates. However, before they can kill the pair, Yamato steps in to defend them.

On the roof of the skull, the Scabbards try to move in to finish Kaido off while he’s down. To their horror, though, the Yonko shrugs off their attacks, saying that they’re nowhere near as strong as that of Oden. Lamenting that no swordsman will reach Oden’s level, Kaido stops fooling around and unleashes his full power against the Scabbards. As a result of a barrage of wind blades, Kikunojo loses one of his arms, to his comrades horror.

Review

I wish that I could say that I’m surprised about how things have turned against the Scabbards, but I’d be lying. When you read stories from the Shonen for long enough, you tend to see this kind of development coming from a mile away. Not to mention, Kaido confirmed in this chapter that, strong as they are, the Scabbards aren’t at Oden’s level. One of the big reasons why they’re not dead yet is because he wanted to test them; to see how they stacked up to the man that would have beaten him had it not been for Orochi’s men.

What surprised me more, though, was the behavior of everyone in the Flower Capital. I thought that most of them had been brainwashed to be loyal to Orochi, but I was wrong. Even the people of the Flower Capital want to be rid of Kaido and Orochi. They merely wear a mask of subservience because they’re too afraid to fight back. Heck, if they knew that the Kozuki Clan was fighting for them at that very moment, they may end up marching on Onigashima themselves. That would certainly be a sight to see!

Regardless, this chapter only re-affirmed what we already knew: only Luffy can defeat Kaido. That, or maybe Zoro could help. Would be a way to make the Yonko eat his words of there never being a swordsman as strong as Oden again.

I Give “Wano Country’s Dream” a 3.5/5

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One Piece Chapter 978 Review/Recap

Bad news, guys. It looks like Shonen Jump will be releasing bi-weekly for the time being. I’m betting the COVID-19 Pandemic’s to blame. But that’s not going to stop me from reviewing new chapters of One Piece. After all, this week finally sees the Alliance come ashore at Onigashima. The war for Wano is about to begin!

Recap

With their new plan in place, the Alliance army splits up as they make their way into Onigashima. As luck would have it, all the guards are drunk, so Usopp knocks them out with ease. Once everyone’s landed, the Samurai sink their boats as a symbol of resolve. They’ll either win this fight or die. Since they’re still outnumbered four to one, though, Kin’emon uses his Devil Fruit to disguise everyone as Beast Pirates.

Inside Kaido’s Castle, the Beast and Big Mom Pirates and the Kurozumi’s are partying it up. Except for the top six Headliners, the Tobi Roppo: Ulti, Page One, Who’s Who, Black Maria, X Drake, and Sasaki. They’ve been summoned for something important by Kaido himself.

Review

Continuing where I left off in the last review, I’ve looked at the Battle for Onigashima as it happens. This way, I can predict how the fight will turn out. First thing that I noted is that there’s no sign of Kanjuro. Either he hasn’t made it to Onigashima yet, or Kaido hasn’t been able to raise the alarm. The important thing, though, is that most of the enemy is either partying right now or drunk and easy to take out.

In addition, I think that Kin’emon using his Devil Fruit to disguise everyone as the enemy is tactically brilliant. They may be outnumbered four to one, but they can use this to cause chaos in the enemy. They won’t be able to tell friend from foe and will turn on each other, making the fight easier.

The real problem now, though, is the Tobi Roppo. If they’re taking part in the party on Onigashima, then they’ll be on alert. My guess is that Kaido is taking precautions and knows the Alliance is still coming. That could be a potential problem.

As far as chapters go, this isn’t the most exciting one that One Piece has done. However, Oda likes to play the long-term game in his manga. Which, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, may be longer than we want. I can wait, though. Getting mad over something beyond anyone’s control is pointless.

I Give “Introducing the Tobi Roppo” a 3.6/5

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One Piece Chapter 977 Review/Recap

At long last, for the first time since the Dressrosa Arc, the Straw Hats are reunited! And just in time for the biggest party Wano has ever seen! With the Alliance now at full strength, the heroes sail at full speed to Onigashima. Their goal: take down Kaido and Big Mom, kill Orochi, and free Wano once and for all. Now, the enemy may know they’re coming thanks to Kanjuro, but the Alliance has a plan for this party!

At least, they did. By the way, this will be longer than normal, as I want to explain the strategy in detail. I like this kind of stuff.

Recap

On the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hats welcome Jinbei, who explains he had to get the Sun Pirates to safety, hence why he’s late. As for Kin’emon, he explains their battle plan to Law and the other Alliance leaders: Hyogoro leading the samurai, and Shishilan leading the Minks.

The plan is this: Onigashima is surrounded by mountains. There’s only one official entrance at the mouth of a gate at the front. However, the plans for the island reveal a rear entrance. The Alliance would travel the mountains and hit Kaido from the back while he’s drunk.

Too bad that’s the plan that Kanjuro heard. So Law comes up with a new plan: since Luffy and Kid are idiots who will charge right in, they’ll send them to attack the front gate. While they’re drawing everyone’s attention, the Alliance will take the original routes, each with one of the Scabbards leading them. Law will take the others on his submarine, bypass the whirlpools surrounding the island, and get them in place at the rear. A four-pronged attack to surround the enemy.

Fortunately, the Straw Hats already took out the front gate while the soldiers were throwing a party. They had smelled alcohol and wanted to celebrate Jinbei joining. Luffy, though puts a stop to it and says they’ll wait until the enemy’s defeated. Then they’ll throw the biggest party ever.

Inside Kaido’s fortress, the party is already underway with everyone getting drunk and celebrating. As Kaido waits for his son and Big Mom to arrive, a crew member reports that the Flying Six, the strongest of the Headliners, have arrived.

Review

I think we all knew that there was no way the Straw Hats would stick to any sort of plan for this party. At least, Luffy wouldn’t; he’d charge in and the Straw Hats would follow. Fortunately, Straw Hat is a one-man army, so I knew that things would work out in the end. It’s still funny to see them do exactly what Law predicted, though. If all goes well, the Straw Hats and the Kid Pirates will make it to Kaido’s base as the same time as everyone.

As for the Samurai, I thought it’s hilarious to see how everyone’s overestimating Kin’emon when really, he just got lucky. But Japan’s history has been influenced by luck in the past, so I think it’s appropriate. Plus, it will make for a heck of a story later!

Battle Plan Analysis

Regarding the new plan itself, I think that this is the best strategy they can come up with, for two reasons. First, if the bulk of the Alliance travels through the mountains to attack from the rear, and the Straw Hat and Kid Pirates attack from the front, the enemy will have to divide their forces. The Alliance may be outnumbered, but they may come close to matching the Yonko in quality; dividing their forces will give them an advantage.

Alternatively, the Alliance could also attack from the mountains themselves. As a result, the numerically inferior Alliance can encircle and trap Kaido, Orochi, and Big Mom’s forces. That’s every military strategist’s dream come true!

I read a lot of military history in high school and college, so I know what I’m talking about. This is a good plan.

Party Time

There’s still factors that have yet to be accounted for, though. For one thing, we don’t know how drunk everyone at the party will be, nor how long before Kanjuro warns them. If they want to win, the Alliance has to be in position either before or right as Kanjuro warns Kaido.

There’s also the Flying Six, strongest of the Headliners. They’ll be a problem, for sure. In addition, there’s the reveal that Kaido, apparently, has a son. If he’s anything like his dad, then Luffy’s in trouble!

Sadly, we have to wait two weeks for the party to start for us. Shonen Jump is on break next week. Oh, well.

I Give “The Party’s Off” a 3.5/5. Good Battle Plan

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