RJ Writing Ink

One Piece Chapter 1005 Review/Recap

You know that famous line from The Incredible Hulk TV series starring Bill Bixby? “Don’t make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry.” That line can be applied to anyone who’s mad. And if there’s one thing that will make the Straw Pirates mad, it’s messing with their friends and crewmates. Case in point: Nico Robin’s going to demolish the spider-lady who captured Sanji. This should be fun.

Recap

Having been captured by Black Maria, Sanji finds himself completely at the Tobi Roppo spider-woman’s mercy. As a result, she starts to brutalize him, with him refusing to even resist. The Beast Pirate member demands that he call for Nico Robin so she can capture her. And despite everyone believing otherwise, he promptly calls for her help.

Even though everyone knows its an obvious trap, Robin doesn’t hesitate to come to her friend’s rescue. And thanks to her Devil Fruit powers (and the aid of Brook), they promptly manage to free Sanji. The chef then hightails it, leaving his crewmates to settle things.

As this is going on, the Beast Pirates are closing in on Yamato, Momo, and Shinobu’s group. Out of options, the trio makes a break for it while trying to avoid Kaido’s cyborg surveillance system.

So, how long are you guys betting Black Maria will last against Robin and Brook?

Review

You know, some people would consider Sanji’s willingness to call Robin for help to be an act of cowardice. But we One Piece fans know better. It’s a show of how much they trust each other to watch their backs. Think about it: Sanji’s not an idiot. He wouldn’t call for Robin unless he knew that she could win. And with Brook able to freeze Maria’s spider-webs, it’s pretty much a done-deal.

This wasn’t the most exciting or interesting of chapters, in my opinion. But we can’t focus entirely on the big, epic fight between the Supernovas and the Yonko. This is a full-scale war with dozens of people in play; naturally, we have to focus on the Alliance’s efforts to defeat the enemy officers. If they didn’t, then they’re going to eventually lose the war.

So, how many chapters do you guys think it will take Robin and Brook to beat Black Maria?

I Give “Demon Child” a 3/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

One Piece Chapter 997 Review/Recap

Last week on One Piece, we saw the fighting on Onigashima reach new levels of chaos. Big Mom returned to the fight and headed straight for Kaido. Kaido has the Scabbards on their last legs. Law is looking for a Road Poneglyph; and the entire banquet hall is chaos! Having read this week’s chapter, though, I can safely say that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Eichiro Oda, you are a mad genius.

Recap

Picking up where the last chapter left off, Sanji’s “Chick in Trouble,” sense goes nuts when he sees the silhouette of a girl being harassed by someone. Fitting his character, he jumps in to save her…only for it to be a trap.

Yep, Sanji’s been captured by Black Maria of the Flying Six and is at the giant woman’s mercy.

As Luffy and Jinbei press on ahead, they nearly stumble into an ambush by two of the Headliners. Fortunately, some of the Samurai from before built a ladder that takes them straight to the fourth floor, letting them save time and energy.

Back in the banquet hall, Zoro becomes thoroughly enraged when he sees Kiku’s severed arm fall through the hole Big Mom made. In one swift move, he defeats Apoo, gets Chopper the anitbodies, and destroy’s Queen’s gun, depriving him of anymore Plague Bullets.

Everyone gets caught off-guard, though, when the island begins to shake. It’s not an earthquake, though. As Yamato explains to Shinobu and Momonosuke, dragons can create flame clouds to fly with. In other words: Kaido’s moving Onigashima to the Flower Capital.

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING ON ONE PIECE?!?!

Review

I’ve been noticing a trend ever since One Piece came to the New World. Almost every climactic fight for every arc involves something that could lead to the deaths of everyone participating. Fishman Island had the Noah falling onto the island; Punk Hazard had that toxic gas; and Dressrosa had Doflamingo’s birdcage. Now, Wano has Kaido moving an entire island to bring it onto Wano itself. If he pulls this off, everyone in the Flower Capital’s dead. This whole thing would be barbaric overkill, but this is One Piece. One Piece is at its best when there’s mass chaos.

There is a point to Kaido doing this, from a storytelling standpoint, though. It puts pressure on Luffy to beat Kaido before he can bring the island to the Flower Capital. Once Kaido’s down, Onigashima should return to the sea. Preferably in one piece.

One the plus side, we see things starting to go the Alliance’s way in the banquet hall. Zoro got the antibodies that Chopper needs to cure everyone, and declared his intentions of defeating Kaido himself. As for the Beast Pirates that got infected, I’m willing to bet that they’ll turn on Kaido once they’re cured; Chopper’s promise to help everyone seemed to cement that. And with Marco having arrived, Zoro has a clear path to Kaido.

Honestly, I’m hoping that Luffy and Zoro work together to take down Kaido. The future Pirate King and future strongest swordsman fighting together? They stand a good chance of winning. Alas, we’ll have to wait another two weeks to find out for sure.

I Give “Flames” a 4/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

One Piece Chapter 938 Review/Recap

Dang it! The Alliance had it all planned out, but now all their allies are getting caught left and right. To be fair, though, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. All that’s left is for the Alliance to come up with a new plan in this chapter of One Piece.

Recap

As seen last chapter, Zoro one-hit KO’ed Kamazo. Due to getting stabbed, though, he passes out while Gyukimaru runs away.

Back at Kin’emon and the Minks hideout in Kuri Village, the group’s worst fears are confirmed. Orochi has learned about the Kozuki Clan’s secret message, and his men and the Beast Pirates are arresting people left and right.

As for Kyoshiro, he’s called off Komurasaki’s wake to prevent grieving people from rioting.

In Ebisu Town, the Straw Hats are trying to convince Law not to go after his crew, as that’s what Kaido wants him to do. Shinobu even wants to kill them to keep them from talking. Kanjuro calls her out on this, saying that without the aid of the Straw Hat and Heart Pirates, they won’t win.

Just then, Tonoyasu enters, and he recognizes Shinobu and Kanjuro. He then reveals how he saw the Kozuki Clan’s symbol going around the capital, and he wants in.

Back in Ringo, Zoro awakens after Toko and that woman treated his wounds. He wants to get his sword back, but has no choice but to stay put and heal. The woman then makes good on her promise and feeds Zoro.

She then explains that she’s running because Toko infuriated Orochi. As for her, she is searching for her brother, who she hasn’t seen in 20 years. His name… is Momonosuke Kozuke. Her name is Hiyori Kozuke, his younger sister.

I knew it!

Review

It hasn’t been officially declared that Komurasaki’s really Hiyori, but the One Piece Wiki seems to be working under this assumption, and it adds up with everything we know.

First, we know that Hiyori was never sent into the future like her brother and the Kozuki retainers with him, meaning that she would be an adult by this point. Second, Momonosuke mentioned her at the same time that Komurasaki was introduced. That was a big clue. Then we have Komurasaki mentioning that her father was a Samurai. But the biggest clue was what Kyoshiro said about calling off Komurasaki’s wake.

The only reason is because there would be no body for a wake. Meaning Kyoshiro faked her death. Whether that means he knew who she was is up for debate. It all adds up, though.

On another note, the Alliance’s plans are in jeporady. Orochi’s thugs and the Beast Pirates are on alert and arresting Kozuki loyalists left and right. Orochi was already paranoid, but getting him to let his guard down now will be near impossible. With Luffy’s freedom from Udon Prison on the horizon, though, that could shift things back in the Alliance’s favor.

Then there’s Tonoyasu. He seems to know Shinobu and Kanjuro, but they either don’t remember or don’t recognize him. Could he be another retainer for the Kozuki Clan? Either way, he is willing to fight, so he must be tough. It’s a great disguise, too. No one will pay attention to fool when they’re too busy laughing at them, but fools can be very dangerous.

The manga is on break next week, so we will have to wait two weeks to learn what happens next. However, I am very intrigued by what’s going on and the recent developments. This is shaping up to be my favorite arc since Dressrosa.

I Give Chapter 938 a 4.7/5

Some Stray Observations

• Nami did beat Sanji’s face in for spying on her and Robin in the bathhouse. So Sanji, was it worth it? Because you’ll probably never get married at this rate

• If Hiyori really was Komurasaki like everyone says, then I think she looks cuter without that flashy jewelry

One Piece Chapter 931 Review/Recap

We continue with our One Piece double feature with chapter 931.

Sanji really hates his family, and he makes no secret of that. Personally, I hate most his family, too; with the exception of his sister. Yet despite hating the other Vinsmokes, he decides to wear the Germa Suit they gave him before they escaped Big Mom. Cue the anime transformation!

Thus, Sanji dons the Germa Suit of his family!

Germa Suit Powers, Activate!

The cape and mask are a bit too much, and I don’t get how his hair got like that. Not too shabby, though. What’s his superhero name? Soba Mask. That is so lame.

Aside from enhancing Sanji’s physical strength, Stealth Black has a unique feature. Something that Sanji has been wanting to be able to do since he was a kid.

If you recall, he had wanted to become an invisible man so he could become a superhero. Really, though, he wants to use it to spy on girls like a pervert.

To be honest, the only reason I tolerate perverted actions like that of Sanji’s is that they’re done for laughs and not out of genuine malice. So, while “Soba Mask” keeps fighting Page One, Law and the other Straw Hats escape to Ebisu Town. Looks like they will meet up with Zoro.

Back at Orochi’s mansion, Robin is continuing her undercover mission when she is found by Orochi’s ninja squad, the Oniwaban.

They buy her excuse that she just got lost, but now that they suspect her, Robin’s mission just got a lot harder.

At Kuri Beach, Momonosuke and Tama are training in the woods with Chopper when they spot someone washed up on the beach. It’s the last person we want to see right now.

The last chapter saw Big Mom end up in the waters around Wano after King capsized her ship. I had hoped that would be the last we’d see of her for a while, but I guess that’s too much to ask for. Things get even weirder, though. Big Mom seems to have lost all her memory!

My gut is telling me that this could very well be a ruse to get at Luffy. Big Mom seems cunning enough to be able to do that. If it’s for real, though, this complicates matters.

As rotten as it is, my instincts are telling me they should kill Big Mom while they still have the chance. Once she regains her memory, she’ll be too dangerous to deal with.

What Could Happen Now?

If Big Mom does have amnesia, though, maybe the Straw Hats can use that to persuade her to help them. It’s a longshot, but if they’re nice to her and she regains her memories, she’ll drop her Straw Hat vendetta. That sounds like something Luffy would do, anyway.

So, the plot is getting more complicated every minute. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but I am really curious to find out!

Click here to see more animanga stuff