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One Piece Chapter 1138 Review/Recap

Just who was the Sun God, Nika? For that matter, who was the man known to history as Joy Boy? One Piece fans have known about Joy Boy since Fishman Island. However, it wasn’t until the Wano Country Arc that we learned about the existence of Nika. That arc would not only reveal that the two were one and the same, but Luffy inherited their powers. Everything we learned at Egghead only reaffirmed that Luffy was connected to Nika and Joy Boy. Yet it didn’t do much beyond reveal the basic details. That all ends with the latest chapter, “Harley”. Oda manages to drop a massive bombshell, revealing that Luffy is part of a story bigger than he can possibly imagine.

That, and it proved that a fan theory about Shanks was both right and wrong.

Recap

In the Underworld, Loki is left reeling from Gunko’s last attack. Despite being blindfolded, his Haki allows him to see that Shamrock is the spitting image of Shanks. Much to Loki’s fury, Shamrock reveals Shanks is his younger twin who abandoned the Celestial Dragons. As the Prince of Elbaph vows revenge, Shamrock’s sword transforms into a monstrous, three-headed dog that he sics on the Giant. Loki can only wait in horror as Shamrock and Gunko leave him to his fate as they fly off.

Back in the castle, Luffy refuses to believe that the person who attacked the guards was Shanks. Others present speculate it might have been a brother, but Luffy comments that Shanks never talked about his family. From what he understood, his mentor saw the Roger Pirates as his real family.

Elsewhere, Franky is looking at the Treasure Tree Adam with Ripley, marveling at its size. That, and noting the irony of how expensive it is despite its abundance. That’s when Franky notices this massive drawing carved into the tree bark, one that seems to defy what they know about Elbaph. Ripley explains that the drawing was left around the Void Century. What Franky sees in this mural compels him to want to get Robin right away.

Meanwhile, Saul pulls out an ancient book called the Harley detailing Elbaph’s myths and legends, including about the Sun God. Robin begins to read the text aloud, with the chapter ending as readers see what it was Franky is seeing. The mural, one of Oda’s greatest drawings ever, depicts the entire history of the world as the Giants know it!

Review

When the leaks for this week’s chapter of One Piece said this was one of the biggest in series history, they weren’t joking. In fact, even all the hype surrounding the chapter didn’t do it enough justice. Oda just gave us the biggest piece to the puzzle that is One Piece to date, and already, fans are going rabid trying to breakdown this entire mural! There’s so much to unpack from this chapter that I can only afford to cover the short version here. The longer version is getting its own post!

Yes this is the short version

To sum up everything we learned from the story and mural, the world of One Piece has had a pretty grim past. Twice now, someone wielding the power of the sun god tried to change the world for the better. And twice now, they lost their battle, which led to the world being destroyed, only to be rebuilt more divided than ever. It’s safe to say, though, that Nika the sun god and Joy Boy were two wholly separate people. With Luffy serving as their modern-day successor, it seems to fall to him to finish their fight against this great evil, presumably Imu or someone else. As bad as things are, though, the Harley ends on hopeful note, saying how this time, the sun will bring about the new dawn.

Beyond the hints at the past and future, what stood out to me most was the mention of the “Devil of the Forest.” My best guess is that is a hint to the origins of the Devil Fruits. That’s something many fans would like to learn the truth about, and it’s great that Oda is obliging our curiosity like this. In addition, fans have been quick to point out that the “half-crescent moon” in the Harley is a reference to the Will of D. See?

#ONEPIECE1138

The people of half the moon 🥹 pic.twitter.com/IPljfdSGz8

— RAKEEM | Shooter 📸 (@rakeem_madeit) January 30, 2025

There has to be a bigger story to this, and I can’t wait to find out what it is!

The Shanks Theories were true!

Besides the mural and Harley text, though, the best part of the chapter was confirming that Shanks is a Celestial Dragon by birth. People have been theorizing that for years now, and this chapter pretty much confirmed it. According to lore, Roger found him in a treasure chest they took after the God Valley incident. It’s likely that amidst the chaos of what happened on that day, Shanks was abandoned by the Celestial Dragons. Good! It proves that it’s the super-toxic influence of the World Nobles that make them turn out the way they do. And if Shamrock is as strong as Shanks, then Luffy’s going to be in for his toughest battle to date.

This arc is definitely giving me the idea that the Straw Hats will be fighting the God’s Knights for the freedom of Elbaph, and I look forward to seeing it. Any chance to knock the Celestial Dragons down a peg is good. Plus, seeing how they can’t afford to give up fighting now might be what convinces the Giants to take up arms en masse again.

This might be the best One Piece chapter that we’ve gotten since Luffy unlocked Gear Fifth. People will be spending weeks pouring over every little detail to be found, including the mystery man who’s approaching the castle. I, for one, am looking forward to listening to every part of this!

Now, as soon as it comes out, go read my longer breakdown on why the Elbaph mural is telling the One Piece equivalent to Ragnarok.

I Give “The Harley” a 1000000000000/50

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One Piece Chapter 1115 Review/Recap

In 2002, Nintendo released their next Zelda game on the GameCube in Japan. Titled The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, this new installment takes place in a timeline where most of Hyrule is submerged under the sea. This was because the goddesses of Hyrule chose to flood it to contain the evil Ganon when Link didn’t appear. As a result, the survivors of Hyrule lived in the mountains and now stood as islands in this great sea. And in time, they started to forget about their true history. As Dr. Vegapunk reveals to the entire world in this One Piece chapter, something similar happened to their world during the Void Century. Their world wasn’t always dominated by water. It once had entire continents, all swallowed by the sea in a massive flood! The only difference is that the “gods” are mostly evil in Luffy’s world. 

Full disclosure: This is going to be an extra-long review. I have a lot to share my thoughts about. 

Recap 

As most of the world keeps listening to Vegapunk’s broadcast, the chaos continues on Egghead Island. Most of those fighting on Luffy’s side have broken off their fighting. They’re making a beeline for the Giant Pirates ship, now in danger of being surrounded by Navy ships. Meanwhile, the Five Elders are so desperate to stop the broadcast that they ignore everyone. Nusjuro even goes so far as to use his sword to slice the cloud holding Punk Records in half! Thanks to that, the captured Seraphim and CP Agents are freed. 

Vegapunk continues his story. He only has a rough idea of what happened, but the Poneglyphs he’s read collectively tell the same story. During the Void Century, the group Joyboy was part of waged a great war of ideals against an alliance of 20 kingdoms. That war and the Void Century somehow ended in Joy Boy’s defeat and the destruction of the Ancient Kingdom. However, the consequences proved far worse. 

That’s when Vegapunk drops the biggest bombshell yet. The reason their world’s predominantly ocean? Why do so few people ever leave their island homes? Nine hundred years ago, people didn’t have that problem. People once lived on massive continents in those days! Within less than a century, they were swallowed by the sea as a result of a great flood. The survivors were left clinging to the mountains that became the islands they call home today. 

Based on everything he’s learned, Vegapunk could only conclude three things:

1. That the level the sea rose during the Void was approximately 200 meters.
2. It was impossible for such a flood to be natural. It was man-made, created by the same technology that created the Ancient Weapons. The events a few days prior confirmed this for him.
3. Vegapunk reveals that the war that almost destroyed the world in the Void Century never ended.

It’s still ongoing to this day.

Review

Oda’s Taking a Page from a Lot of Myths

Oh my God, Oda is taking a page from The Wind Waker. Or the 1995 Kevin Costner film Waterworld. I’ve been watching Twitter and the Reddit Discord for One Piece, and those two are the primary comparisons people are making. However, while those two are certainly the most apt examples, there are more.

Across the world, there are many natural and fictional examples of a great flood that threatened to destroy everything. Noah’s Ark and the fall of Atlantis are among the most prominent myths, but there are plenty more. In addition, there’s the idea that the end of the Last Ice Age led to rising sea levels and made the world the way it is today. Even today, climate change has led people to fear that if sea levels continue to increase, much of our land could be lost. Here’s what the world would look like if all the ice melted.

This is Still Nothing Compared to What Vegapunk Claims

And that’s only around 60-70 meters. Yet that’s still enough to wipe out most of the coastlines and render some of our biggest cities uninhabitable. I couldn’t find any comparisons, but if sea levels rose 200 meters, as Vegapunk says, to the world of One Piece, I’m sure most of the continents would be underwater. Billions of human lives would be lost, and countless species of plants, animals, and more would go extinct. That fact is not lost on people in the story, either. One panel has an old character remark how countless people must have died in the Void Century. That alone was enough to make me shudder in horror at this flood.

As an aside, I’ve seen people complain that Oda can’t count and this should be impossible. However, keep in mind two things. Firstly, One Piece defies the laws of nature and physics daily. Secondly, Vegapunk himself points out this shouldn’t be possible. It was man-made, most likely by the people who founded the World Government and became the Celestial Dragons. 

And I think I know why they did it.

The Islands Were Meant to be a Prison

What Vegapunk said struck me as odd: the part about why it’s so hard to travel between islands. I never thought too much about why it was like this, but if Vegapunk is right (which we know he is), then the World Government made things this way on purpose. They didn’t just flood the world to wipe out the Ancient Kingdom. They did it so that they could isolate the survivors from each other. It would make it easier for them to cover up the truth and manipulate their descrndants. That way, no one could find the poneglpyhs and expose the truth. 

It’s still mind-blowing to believe. But seeing those ancient ruins lying underneath the waves means it must be true! That sight alone was one of the biggest highlights of the chapter. Right next to the scene of Nusjuro cutting Punk Records in half and all the cameos.

I Still Want S-Snake to Join the Straw Hats

Speaking of which, there’s the issue about the Seraphim. Thanks to Nusjuro, they’ve been set free along with the captive CP agents. It’s good to know that those agents that York took hostage might be safe. Even if they’re the enemy, they didn’t deserve what happened to them. However, there’s still the issue of the Seraphim. We still don’t know if Bonney’s command of the Pacifistas extends to them. If it doesn’t, they could be a huge problem.

Then again, S-Snake has already demonstrated that the Seraphim can defy orders thanks to their emotions. The Straw Hats may get lucky and one or more will decide to go rogue and help them. Mostly, though, I want to see S-Snake go with them.

I still want to see Luffy adopt S-Snake as his little sister or Jinbei adopt S-Shark as his son since he’s technically a clone of him. 

Oda’s Not Leaving Anyone Out

As impressive as all of these moments were for me, I loved the sheer amount of cameos we got. This chapter hammered home just how many people Dr. Vegapunk’s recording is reaching, as it gave us cameos of many of the people that Luffy and the Straw Hats have run into over the years. Some have been steadfast friends to the crew, while others were former enemies. But the one that I enjoyed seeing was the Fake Straw Hat crew. I was sure that Caribou killed most of them offscreen, but lo and behold, they’re alive and in Marine Custody. And they’re now impersonating the Kid Pirates. The fact that they’re doing so gives fans hope that Kid and his crew will make a comeback.

As always, Oda cooked us a feast to make up for the two-week break, and the fans ate it up. I can’t believe that the world of One Piece could’ve been so different less than a thousand years ago! If Oda ever wanted to do a prequel about his world before the Void Century, he just laid the groundwork for it. For now, though, I’m content with seeing the Five Elders panic like they are, and they’re right to be afraid. I don’t know what will result from Vegapunk’s revelations, but I’m hoping this leads to much of the world rising in revolt against the World Government. I can’t see them making it to the end of the series; no one can.

And one last thing: Vegapunk may not know what the proto-World Government and Joy Boy were fighting about, but fans should have a good idea. Given the series’ overarching themes, it’s safe to say that this war is between freedom and control. And thanks to the series of events, freedom is starting to win, which is good. I’d rather have the chaos and freedom that Luffy embodies than the oppressive control of the World Government any day.  

I Give “Continental Fragments” a 5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1066 Review/Recap

Remember Ohara, the island that stood against the world in the name of the truth. Longtime fans of One Piece know Ohara as the homeland of Nico Robin, the Straw Hat Pirates’ resident archaeologist. When their pursuit of knowledge led them to try and seek out the truth about the Void Century and the rise of the World Government, that organization retaliated by wiping them all out. However, they failed to finish the job in more ways than one. Not only did Robin survive and vow to finish what her people started, but as we learn in this chapter, Vegapunk and Dragon also took up their cause. The Will of Ohara lives to this day.

Recap

For her part, Robin’s shocked when Punk Shaka reveals new information regarding the fate of Ohara. Firstly, he was friends with Professor Clover, Robin’s mentor. His desire to learn the truth about the Void Century led to them becoming friends in their younger days. So when he learned of Ohara’s fate, he knew it was all lies. After Ohara’s destruction, he traveled to the island to pay respects to Clover. It was then that he saw something amazing.

There, amidst the lake of the Tree of Knowledge, were all the books and research done by the people of Ohara. The Giants came to retrieve all of them and take them back to Elbaf as Vegapunk and Dragon looked on. For Dragon, the destruction of Ohara was the last straw, prompting him to start the Revolutionary Army. As for Vegapunk, he traveled to Elbaf in secret and memorized everything that the Giants saved, using that to fuel his own research. In addition, Punk Shaka reveals that Jaguar D. Saul, the Giant who fought for Ohara, is still alive. Vegapunk’s been waiting all this time to meet Robin to confirm everything he’s theorized. She tearfully does this, thanking him for carrying on the will of Ohara. 

Meanwhile, in the junkyard, Luffy’s group tries to get the robot activated, only for it to suddenly explode! Then, make things even stranger, out of the explosion comes the actual Vegapunk!

What is even going on here?!?

Review

So many things make sense now, but it’s hard to wrap my mind around them.

For our part, I think Oda just explained some of Dr. Vegapunk’s actions in the story and aiding the World Government’s enemies, despite working for them. He was old friends with Dragon and Professor Clover. That might explain why he agreed to Kuma’s last request. It was his way of helping out Dragon and Luffy. In addition, it also explains why the Punks didn’t try and kill the Straw Hat’s earlier. He’s wanted to meet the son of his old acquaintance and Clover’s apprentice. 

If it wasn’t already obvious, Vegapunk seems to have no loyalty to the World Government. The only reason he’s worked for them was to preserve the will of Ohara and the knowledge it gathered about the Ancient Kingdom. Now that Robin’s here, he might be able to pass everything along to her. 

Vegapunk needs to either join the Straw Hat’s or defect to the Revolutionary Army. His talents are wasted with the World Government, especially now that we know they’re planning to kill him. 

On top of that, we learned that Jaguar D. Saul’s still alive. Kuzan didn’t kill him. Better yet, the library of Ohara’s in Elbaf, the home of the Giants. As if we didn’t need anymore reasons to go to Elbaf, now we have this. I’m hoping to God that it’s the next stop after Egghead Island. The will of Ohara lives on, and it’s time for Robin and the Straw Hat’s to claim it.

Also, did you see the size of Vegapunk’s head in the past? How is that even possible?!?!?

I Give “The Will of Ohara” a 4.5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1040 Review/Recap

Good grief, Big Mom, just what will it take to take you down for the count? We all knew that the Yonko were the toughest pirates alive; Whitebeard was a testament to that. However, I don’t think any of us guess just how stubborn they could be. No matter what gets thrown at her, Big Mom refuses to quit. It would be an admirable quality if she wasn’t such a horrible person. That no longer matters, though. No matter how much she wants, her era, and Kaido’s era, is coming to an end. The Worst Generation will rise in their place. Big Mom Falls today!

Recap

Despite Kid and Law hitting her with everything they got, Big Mom manages to hang on for dear life, much to everyone’s shock. Now enraged beyond all reason, the Yonko gives the two pirates a choice: either serve her, or let her take fifty years of their lives as she starts sucking the souls out of everyone nearby. However, Kid and Law don’t flinch, not even for a second. They know that Big Mom’s on her last legs, and that this is a desperate gamble to win; a gamble that they won’t fall for. Law uses his powers to silence her while Kid hits her with another Damned Punk, sending her falling into the hole created earlier.

Down, down Big Mom goes, past the armory room, taking Kanjuro’s fire demon and one of the bombs with her. Utterly powerless to do anything, Big Mom can only curse at Roger and the legacy he created while also promising to get revenge on Kid and Law no matter what while she falls into the hole outside the Flower Capital. The battle between the Yonko Big Mom and the Worst Generation of Pirates is over. The winner: the Worst Generation.

Review

Holy snap, that was epic! We all knew that taking down the likes of Big Mom would take everything the Worst Generation had, and they managed to deliever on it, and then some. Seeing the horrible old hag utterly helpless was so satisfying to watch. However, I won’t believe she’s dead until I see her body in front of us. My guess is that she’ll retreat to Whole Cake Island in defeat.

As a bonus to all of this, Big Mom’s defeat also gave Yamato the opening he needed to freeze all the bombs in the armory. With Kazenbo gone, Orochi’s mad plans can no longer succeed. And his ninja crony seems to have lost to Raizo. I’m a little worried about Zoro, though. You guys saw the part of the island he was on begin to give way, though I think he’ll be fine.

In any event, the final page of the chapter had Momonosuke bring up Joy Boy for the third time this arc. What’s more, he reveals that Zunesha was Joy Boy’s comrade 800 years ago. Another piece of the puzzle of the Void Century and One Piece has just been revealed. Just what could it be, though, will have to wait. We got another two-week break for now. And I’m fine with that. Oda deserves to rest.

I Give “Wasted Words on Young Ears” a 4.5/5

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