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One Piece Chapter 1043 Review/Recap

Screw CP0. Just when the fight between Luffy and Kaido was reaching the climax, CP0 butts in and distracts Luffy long enough for Kaido to land a decisive blow. No one is happy about this outcome. Even Kaido got flashbacks to how he unfairly won against Oden two decades ago. As a result, it looks like the only chance of defeating Kaido has gone out the window! Or has it? This arc has made repeated references to the person known as Joy Boy. That somehow, the world was waiting for him to come. And now, we might be on the verge of seeing his second coming.

Recap

Having been dealt a knock-out blow by Kaido thanks to the CP0 Agent, Kaido is beyond pissed off, and he makes it known by pummeling the meddler into the ground (thank you!) Inside the dome, chaos rages as the fire continues to spread out of control. Things only get worse when Kaido barges in and declares Luffy to be dead. Again.

Everyone’s reactions to this news are mixed. Many in the Alliance begin to lose heart while the remaining Beast Pirates get a second wind. Nami openly calls Kaido a liar, while Law and Kid decide to fight to the end rather than surrender to Kaido. Outside Onigashima, Momonosuke seriously considers surrendering. However, Yamato chastises him for wanting to throw away everything his allies have fought for. As far as Yamato’s concerned, it would be better to die fighting than to suffer a slow death as Kaido’s slaves. Just then, though, Zunesha speaks to Momo, saying he can hear it. The drums of liberation begin to beat for the first time in 800 years. As Zunesha proclaims the return of Joy Boy, we see a grin appear on Luffy’s face as some sort of transformation begins to occur.

Review

Okay, I was not expecting for Luffy to lose yet again to Kaido. Once again, though, Kaido fails to make sure that Luffy is dead, giving him the chance to make the comeback we all know will happen. It’s Luffy, people! Unless you can show me his severed head, then I won’t believe that he’s dead for a second.

Secondly, there’s the whole thing about Joy Boy. We first heard him mentioned back in the Fishman Island Arc, but he’s been brought up several times in the Wano Arc. We know that he lived during the Void Century, and that he left something at Laugh Tale that has to do with the One Piece. Furthermore, it seems like the world’s expecting him to return one day. The fact that Zunesha calls Luffy’s heartbeats the call for the return of Joy Boy means that Luffy is connected to the figure somehow. Yet we still know next to nothing about Joy Boy and what it means. One thing’s for certain, though: Oda’s got something planned. Eichiro Oda always does things for a reason, and it looks like Luffy is about to ascend to some new level of power.

Man, I love One Piece so much. Too bad we have to wait two weeks for the next chapter.

I Give “Let’s Die Together” a 4/5

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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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One Piece Chapter 1037 Review/Recap

It’s taken us almost a year and a half to get this point, but the journey has been worth it. The raid on Onigashima started with the Alliance outnumbered six to one, but besides a few hiccups, the good guys have taken down all of the enemy officers . The only ones left standing are Kaido and Big Mom, and the former’s fight with Luffy is reaching its end stages. There’s just one problem, though: Kaido starts to get drunk. And, a Drunk Kaido turns out to be way more dangerous than a sober Kaido.

Also, the World Government’s plans to annex Wano won’t work, but not for the reasons I first thought.

Recap

In the Flower Capital, the Fire Festival’s beginning to wind down, with everyone sending their wishes up into the sky in paper lanterns. Back on Onigashima, Kaido surprises Luffy by starting to get drunk in the middle of their fight. The Yonko says he only does that when he’s having fun; Luffy’s the first person in a long time that can make him go all out. Then, things get weird.

Now that he’s drunk Kaido, the Yonko starts going through various phases. Firstly, there’s laughing drunk Kaido:

Then sad drunk Kaido:

Crying drunk Kaido:

Lastly, we got angry drunk Kaido. The results, though, are that they make it hard for Luffy to predict his opponent.

In Marie Geoise, the Gorosei grow increasingly alarmed by how things in Wano are turning out as they contact their invasion fleet. However, things get worse when they get reports of a giant black shadow appearing behind them, fearing it’s the work of a Devil Fruit that they’ve tried to hide from the world.

It’s Zunesha.

Review

Well, this was unexpected. Leave it to Eichiro Oda to find a way to make one of the biggest fights in the series to date silly. I knew that getting drunk makes people act crazy, but seeing how Kaido acts takes it to a new level. At the same time, it also makes him far more dangerous. Not even Luffy can get a fix on what’s going on. It’s like what happened when Rock Lee got drunk that one time.

In addition, while I knew that the World Government’s plans to annex Wano would fail, I did not expect them this to be the potential cause. I almost forget about Zunesha, the island-sized elephant that the Minks call home. If Zunesha has come to Wano, I think it’s because it’s there to help the Minks. It could lay waste to the World Government’s fleet and stop Onigashima from falling. This is just speculation, though, as we won’t know until the next chapter in two weeks. I’m honestly looking forward to seeing how things turn out, though.

I Give “Shuron Hakke” a 4/5

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