One Piece Chapter 1034 Review/Recap

Over the last few chapters, Sanji’s been experiencing some personal changes regarding his body. As a result of using that Germa Raid Suit, it’s awoken his dormant super soldier abilities. At first, this seems like a good thing, as it’s making him stronger than ever. However, Sanji worries that it’s at the cost of his humanity, as he seemingly attacked a defenseless Geisha. Resolving to deal with whatever happens to him afterwards, Black Leg Sanji prepared to face down Queen once more. In this chapter, fans not only see Sanji ascend to new heights of power, but confirm what we already knew. Sanji is not a monster, and he will never be a monster.

Recap

As Onigashima creeps closer toward the Flower Capital, Momonosuke changes tactics. Rather than make new clouds, he’s going to use the ones Kaido created to hold the island in place. Inside, the remain Beast Pirates desperately try to escape the island before it explodes. As for Sanji, he’s ready to finish his fight with Queen. Queen has some unexpected surprises up his sleeve.

Queen attack Sanji using all of Germa’s powers, revealing that he augmented himself with Judge’s science in an effort to one-up him, including Stealth Black. Sanji is not amused by this, though, and continues to beat Queen to a pulp. In the middle of this, Osome, the Courtesan Sanji “hit” before rushes out in search of her pet mouse. Queen hates her because she will not see him, and is about to turn his fury on the poor girl. Realizing that Queen was the one who attacked Osome, Sanji’s rage reaches new heights. Thanks to his stronger body, he unlocks a new power: Diable Ifrit, and uses it to lay waste to Queen in a very satisfying beatdown.

Review

I know I should be acting relieved to know that Sanji didn’t hit that poor girl, but I’m not. I already knew that Sanji couldn’t have done something like that, and that Oda only did it for the sake of drama. Even if he ended up changing in some way, the Straw Hat’s chef would never end up like his brothers, because he’s got the other Straw Hats to keep him grounded. Besides, his love of women is too great for him to just give that up now.

Regardless, this was an important moment in Sanji’s character development. Now that he’s learned to embrace his super-soldier body, his power’s skyrocketed to new heights. Considering how the Straw Hats will be closer than ever to One Piece after leaving Wano, they need all this power if they want to win.

As for Momonosuke, at this point, the best he can do is keep Onigashima from landing atop the Flower Capital. When Kaido goes down, the island will likely become a landmark right outside the capital. Which is pretty cool when you think about it.

The manga’s on another break next week, so we won’t know if Sanji took down Queen for good. If he did, though, that leaves Big Mom, King, and Kaido left. Victory is within the Alliance’s grasp at last!

I Give “Sanji vs. Queen” a 4/5

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One Piece Chapter 1031 Review/Recap

Remember when Sanji started using that Germa Raid Suit, and how everyone thought that it was so cool? That may no longer be the case. On the one hand, it’s unlocked his latent super-soldier abilities. On the other hand, Sanji’s worried that it’s going to turn him into a psychopath like his brothers. As the fight for Wano reaches its climax, Sanji grapples with the notion that he’s becoming a soldier of science.

Recap

After burying Big Mom under a mountain of metal, everyone thinks that Law and Kid beat. Unfortunately, all they managed to do was make her angry. She gets up, sucks the souls out of any nearby Beast Pirates, turns them into Homies, and even drains a year from herself to power up even further. Thus, the two pirates continue to fight the Yonko.

In another section of the castle, Brook and Robin are fleeing from the CP0 Agent’s. Meanwhile, Drake rejects Apoo’s offer to team up, and holds him off while Yamato heads to the armory to stop it.

In another section of the Castle, Sanji’s freaking out. The more his body changes, the more he’s worried that he’s become a monster like his brothers. Not helping the fact is that he seemingly attacked an unarmed Geisha! When Queen finally corners him, Sanji does some soul-searching about being himself or this ‘soldier of science’, and then smashes his Germa suit. Afterwards, he calls Zoro and asks him that if he ends up losing it, then he wants Zoro to take him down. The two pirates agree, before continuing their battle, with Sanji unleashing his full fury on Queen.

Review

Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting things to get this bad for Sanji. I understand where he’s coming from on this. Having seen how sadistic his brothers are, I don’t want him to end up like them. If that means destroying the Germa suit, then it’s for the best. However, there’s two things that should be worth noting here. First, notice how Sanji’s eyebrows now curve in the opposite direction, like his brothers? That probably means his body’s awoken his latent enhancements. Secondly, there’s the fact that he seriously considered becoming a monster for Luffy’s sake. He’s willing to throw his code of honor away if it means helping Luffy. That just shows how Sanji is to his found family. Which is also why I know he won’t end up like his brothers.

We’ve all known Sanji for decades now, and the Straw Hats have known him for years. He’s not a monster, regardless of what he may think. More importantly, he’s got his real family, the Straw Hat Pirates, to keep him grounded. Also, I don’t buy that Sanji attacked that geisha. The moment came out of context; for all we know, she did that to herself to on Queen’s orders to mess with Sanji and get him to use the suit. It doesn’t matter if he’s a soldier of science or supreme chef; Sanji’s just Sanji.

Also, we all know that Sanji ends up becoming a jerk, Nami will kick his ass;).

Good chapter, overall. Didn’t expect it to be this emotional.

I Give “Soldier of Science” a 4/5

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One Piece Chapter 1022 Review/Recap

The moment when the anime starts the actual battle on Onigashima in earnest, I will be eagerly watching the whole thing. Thus far, the climax of the Wano Arc has seen the Straw hats and their allies fight unbelievable odds, and, despite some losses, they’re still winning! However, with the Flying Six now out, the biggest threat to the Alliance outside of the Yonko are the All-Stars. Luckily, the Alliance has two big stars of their own ready to take center stage.

Recap

The story quickly recaps what’s happened since the start of the battle. Despite being outnumbered 6 to 1, the Alliance has hammered away at the enemy’s forces. Tama’s kibi dango plan made many of their members defect. And now, all of the Flying Six lay beaten. Yet the fight has yet to be won. In one section of the castle, Raizo fights the leader of Orochi’s Ninja, Fukurokuju. In another, Killer begins to corner Hawkins, only to learn the latter’s using his powers to transfer the damage onto Killer’s Captain, Kid.

The main action, though, takes place on the Live Floor, with King and Queen going on a rampage against their former crewmembers. Worse, despite Sanji and Marco’s best efforts, they can’t stop the two monsters. Just when it looks like King’s about to kill a helpless Zoro, Marco swoops in and uses the last of his strength to protect him. Just when all hope seems lost, though, the medicine given to Zoro finally kicks in. As a result, Zoro and Sanji set upon the two All-Stars, proclaiming that if they win against Kaido, Luffy’s dream of being King of the Pirates will be within sight at last!

Review

Eichiro Oda may be a master of the art of having the heroes come in clutch. Right when it looks like the good guys are out of gas, they get a second wind to kick ass! And right now, Zoro and Sanji are the only ones capable of stopping the All-Stars.

If King and Queen were to go down, that would be a massive blow to the Beast Pirates. Many of their officers have either defected or been defeated. If the All-Stars are beaten, all that will be left are Hawkins, Kaido, Big Mom, and a few others. Speaking of which, Nekomamushi finally catches up to Perospero, the Big Mom Pirate who killed their comrade, Pedro. It’s time for a little payback!

Despite things going the Alliance’s way, the battle’s not won yet. Hawkins is a deadly opponent to fight against, and none of this will matter if Onigashima reaches the Flower Capital. With only fifteen minutes left, Luffy needs to get back up to the island, and he needs to do it now.

As far as building up hype, this chapter did a great job of doing so. The climax of the Wano Arc is almost upon us, and I can’t wait for Luffy vs. Kaido, round 3.

I Give “The Stars Take the Stage” a 3.9/5

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One Piece Chapter 936 Review/Recap

All they had to do was stay out of trouble for a few days, then they would launch their master plan. But I think we should know by now that trouble always finds the Straw Hats. This chapter sees them get even closer to blowing everything.

Recap

Picking up where the last chapter left off, Raizo’s shocked that his comrade Kawamatsu is alive. Kawamatsu, though, is eager to get back in the fight. Raizo swears to bust him out, but after getting spotted, he has to run for it.

As for Queen, he has a special way of getting Luffy to cooperate:

The rules are simple: Luffy and Hyogoro will fight inside a sumo ring while wearing special collars. If they step out:

and Queen’s men can go in as many as they want at a time, and can use weapons. The only way Queen thinks he’ll get out is by joining Kaido’s crew.

Then Queen decides to make things fair for some reason and takes the handcuffs off of Luffy.

…… I think we all know where this is going.

Back at the bathhouse, somehow the Beast Pirates have gotten word that the Alliance is inside, and they’ve sent some of their best: X Drake and Basil Hawkins.

They Hawkins proceeds to search everyone for the crescent marking of the Kozuki Clan. Then he spots Nami, and his sword gets caught on her towel and… well…

And as we all knew, Sanji was there, and…

Well Sanji, you finally managed to fulfill your dream: turn invisible, and spy on women. Happy now?

So while everyone’s distracted by the appearance of Sanji and Nami’s “happiness punch”, the heroes get away, only for him to reveal even more bad news:

They’re trying to lure out Law. If they get him, then one fifth of the Alliance’s forces will be in prison. They have to find Law before he does something stupid.

Meanwhile, Zoro has traveled to the Ringo region in the northeast in search of his sword, Shusui. It was stolen from him some time ago, and according to the bandit who took it, he returned it to the grave of tits previous owner: the hero of Wano, Ryuma.

Zoro doesn’t care. The Shusui was given to him by Ryuma’s zombie, so it’s his by right. So, he decides to fight the bandit, get Shusui back, and take the man’s weapons for the Alliance.

Review

…..I had no idea that Queen was that dumb. He just voluntarily took the sea stone cuffs off of Luffy, giving him access to Haki and his Gum-Gum powers. And after all the training he did in prison, he’s probably gotten a lot stronger. None of the Beast Pirates will be able to beat him.

I’m a little disappointed that Raizo ended up getting the wrong key, but I think I know who that key might be for: Kawamatsu. It has to be; it’s too convenient otherwise.

Now, the only thing stopping Luffy from doing a follow up to his breakout at Impel Down is that collar on him. There’s two thing that can happen at this point: Luffy’s going to beat up every last guard in the prison along with Queen, get that collar off, and lead an army of prisoners to freedom. Or, Chopper and Big Mom’s group will arrive, wreak havoc and do the same thing. Either way, Luffy’s getting out soon.

And as for Sanji, I’d be mad at him for spying on girls, but I saw this coming a mile away. Besides, Nami will probably charge him a fortune.

As for Zoro, I am really looking forward to seeing a classic sword fight. And when he wins, the Alliance will get some badly needed weapons.

The big fights coming in nine days, and the Alliance needs all the help it can get. But the Straw Hats have a way of doing the impossible. They got this.

I Give This Chapter 4.5/5

Some stray observations

• I can’t believe X Drake is weak against women. To be fair, so is Sanji.
• I wonder how Kaido will punish Queen when he finds out that Luffy busted out because of him?
• How big do you think the third act is going to get? Because I’d say pretty big.

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!

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One Piece Chapter 930 Review/Recap

Since I did not do this two weeks earlier, this week is going to be a double feature. Two chapters of One Piece back to back. On that note, let’s look at Chapter 930, Ebisu Town.

Ebisu Town

The chapter starts off with Zoro arriving with his new companion/hype man, Tonoyasu, at Ebisu Town, one of the places surviving off the Flower Capital’s scraps. Despite being so badly off in life, the people of Ebisu Town greet each day with a smile and laughter. They even laugh over the fact that they’re starving to death.

At first, I was a little put off by how nonchalant the townsfolk were about their situation in life. Then I remembered that it’s important to keep a positive attitude in times of despair. Especially in times of despair! Their attitude even manages to make Zoro smile a little.

Backtracking a second, the townsfolk mention how they were visited by Ushimitsu Kozo, the Witching Hour Boy. He’s a Robin Hood figure who steals money from the wealthy to help the poor. Nothing is known about him, but my instincts tell me that we will be seeing more of him soon.

Now to the meat of this chapter. First and foremost, Wano experiences some unwelcome visitors: the Big Mom Pirates, led by Big Mom herself.

I knew that Big Mom hated Luffy for standing up to her, beating two of her sons/top commanders, crashing her tea party and then escaping her territory, but I did not expect to see her again so soon! Or for her to enter another Yonkou’s territory just to kill Luffy!

Kaido’s having none of that, though, and one of his top lieutenants, King, turns into a Pteranodon and sends her ship falling off the waterfalls leading to Wano.

Sanji Stands Up

Back in the Flower Capital, Sanji goes to face Page One in order to protect the civilians he’s attacking. But to hide his identity, he’s got a plan, and it’s something I wanted to see for a while: Raid Suit!

We already know how powerful Sanji is. His physical strength makes him one of the three strongest members of the Straw Hats, and he outclassed his family in their Raid Suits in the Whole Cake Island Arc. So I thought that if Sanji had one, he’d be a hundred times stronger. Looks like I got my wish.

Big Mom is Here

The other big takeaway is the arrival of Big Mom in Wano. Each of the Yonko is on par with the Marines. The Marines had to muster most of their forces just fight one of them, so the idea of two Yonko fighting is catastrophic! If Kaido and Big Mom clash, it could destroy Wano. If they teamed up over their shared hatred of Luffy, the Alliance would be wiped out.

As bad as both scenarios are, I think there’s a third option. If Big Mom and Kaido clash, both will end up being weakened. If the Alliance stays in hiding until the two exhaust themselves, they could swoop in and strike at both. It’s a long shot, but it may be the advantage they need to win.

All I know is that the climax is going to be incredible. Oda is going all out on the Wano Arc, and I am enjoying reading it!

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One Piece Chapter 927 Review/Recap

Having spent much of my life watching anime, it may have been inevitable that I would gain an interest in Japanese mythology. I eventually started to branch out into that after seeing little references sprinkled in some anime/manga that I read. From there, I gained at least a basic understanding of Japanese myths and culture, which I think will be a big help in the Wano Arc for One Piece.

As we saw briefly in the last chapter, Sanji opened a soba noodle stand to help gather allies. At this point, though, he just seems to attract girls, which Robin, Usopp, and Franky note. That changes, though, when three shady looking men that I can only assume are part of Wano’s equivalent to the Yakuza show up.

They demand “protection money” from Sanji to keep running, which is a common tactic of organized crime groups. Sanji refuses, and when they trash his food, he beats the stuffing out of them.

Glimpse of Beauty of Komurasaki

Everyone clears out, except for a little girl named Toko who didn’t get any soba, which Sanji happily gives. The Straw Hats quickly take a liking to her as she runs off to work in the Courtesan’s procession. She is an attendant to the most famous Courtesan in Wano, Komurasaki. They say she is a woman beautiful enough to topple a nation and the perfect woman. We don’t see her face, but if that’s true, the list for the most beautiful women in One Piece may need to be reworked. She’s enough to make all the men fight over her just by passing through.

The procession is headed to a banquet with the Shogun Orochi, and Robin has also been invited. This will go a long way towards helping their rebellion, though I hope that Robin will not be caught.

I fear that the Straw Hats may have attracted more attention to themselves, though. Those Yakuza who Sanji beat up? Their boss decides to contact Queen from the Beast Pirates to send assassins. The chapter ends with the silhouette of Lord Orochi, which depicts an eight-headed serpent, declaring that he will make Komurasaki his.

Japanese Mythology

Now for the mythology, I mentioned coming into play. Orochi is named after the Yamata no Orochi, a legendary serpent from Japanese Mythology with eight heads and eight tails. In the legends, he terrorized a village near the cave he dwelt, forcing a local family to sacrifice one of their eight daughters every year for seven years. Thus, the time has come for them to give up their last and most beautiful daughter, Kushinada-hime.

Then along came a lone warrior on the road: Susanoo, the Japanese god of storms. He had been exiled from the heavens for causing trouble one too many times. When he saw the weeping parents, he promised to slay Orochi in exchange for their daughter’s hand in marriage. Long story short, he did.

I’m bringing this up because it seems like Eichiro Oda is drawing from this and possibly several other Japanese myths. Orochi is, obviously, the eight-headed serpent, but in this case, he’s devouring all of Wano. Could Komurasaki be the daughter? That just leaves us with our Susanoo, the one who will slay Orochi. I have no idea yet, but I am certain it will be either Luffy or one of the Kozuki Clan’s retainers. I’m actually interested to see how it turns out. This is shaping up to be a very interesting arc with Oda going all-out.

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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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