Category: One Piece

Put down your suitcases because we got a lot to unpack here.

Let’s start with Roger and Oden being able to hear the voices of certain things or creatures. Could that be an ability all D’s once possessed? And, if it’s true, does that make the Kozuki Clan descendants of D?

Man, Big Mom had that Road Ponegliff for a loooong time. No surprise Oda didn’t reveal where the last one is, but a lot of fans are guessing Elbaf. Makes sense, a land of giants would be a great place to get the last Road Ponegliff, and the island itself has been hyped for years.

We got confirmation Buggy and Shanks never reached Raftel. Or, should I say Laugh Tale. Not sure about Buggy, but I’m guessing Shanks was later told everything that happened on the final island. Him having that knowledge would be the only reason why he’d be allowed to speak with the 5 Elder Stars in my modest and adorable opinion.

Should I talk about Oden abandoning his home? Or, the whole reason Wano became a 95% wasteland was because of him? Should I mention how Toki should’ve let Oden and the freaking ROGER PIRATES spend at least one day bashing Orochi’s head in and appointing Kin’emon the new Temp Shogun and then set sail?

…Nah!

That’s right. It’s all about Roger and Whitebeard. Oden’s just along for the ride. Forget the backseat, put him in the trunk.

With the obligatory Oden hate out of the way, let’s talk about the chapter. We see Oden get shut down by Captain Roger before Whitebeard sashays into the fray. He and Roger clash which begins a 3 day/3 night (all expenses paid) battle that we’ll never get to see because this flashback is rushed faster than a 12-year-old posting on Twitter after witnessing a schoolyard fight. Apparently, no one dies, so they have a gift exchange and WHY AM I DOING A BEAT BY BEAT SYNOPSIS? Let’s get to the good stuff!

Blackbeard. It’s noted he never seems to sleep (No wonder he’s an asshole). What the heck is up with this guy and his body? I don’t even know where to begin. I’m stumped, y’all. I got nothing, no idea what he is.

Who cares about him? I’m loving all the stuff about the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates!

Let’s get into the meat of the chapter, Orochi Kurozumi’s rise to power. It was all due to an old woman I assume to be Orochi’s grandmother. It looks like she escaped Wano after Orochi’s grandfather got busted for murdering his fellow Daimyos all to take the Shogun title. What’s interesting to me is how someone from Wano not only learned all about devil fruits, but managed to get at least two, one for herself, and one, a mythical devil fruit, for Orochi. There’s definitely more going on here, y’all. Maybe the Kurozumi Family had access to ancient knowledge just like the Kozuki Clan.

Using her Clone-Clone fruit (Yes, the same devil fruit used by Bentham AKA Bon Clay AKA Mr. 2 today.), the Old Lady hatched a plan to have Orochi work his way up the hierarchy as an assistant, all while amassing as much money as possible to build weapons to sell abroad. This is how he got Kaido on his side. Well, that and having him set up his base on Wano. It’s a win-win for both. And, with Sukiyaki Oden dead and Orochi running the country in Kozuki’s absence, he’s pretty much won the game. Killing Kozuki as punishment for leaving Wano when he returns is simply a formally now.

What was I thinking? Oh, I know. I was thinking Oda would go the extra mile designing what could possibly be the one character in the world other than select members of the World Government and what remains of Roger’s Crew who knows what went down during the Void Century. Oh well, instead say hello to Robin Clone #127.

This is the chapter where we learn how Oden ended up sailing with the Whitebeard Pirates. As an Official Card-Carrying Oden Hater (meetings every Tuesday and Friday), even I thought Whitebeard making him hold onto a chain behind the Moby Dick was cold. Anyway, Izo’s there and it’s great seeing him mad at his future daddy. We later learn Cat Viper and Dogstorm stowed away, predicting Oden would sneak aboard too. Good call, guys. Why is Kin’emon in charge again?

We meet Robin’s Ancestor who is saved from Captain Karma who I assume has a devil fruit or one of his parents is a fish person. It doesn’t matter, because Oden is ready to protect her and the Whitebeard Pirates show up too. McWhitey knows Oden failed his test in order to save Dr. Who so he’s letting him join anyway. Boo! No, no, I kid. This flashback’s much better with Whitebeard in it.

A group of people trying to be superstars, learning different things and changing their looks to wow people all so they can perform on stage (or procession in this case). Yeah, it’s basically that show. Good on you, Oda.

Cat Viper, Dogstorm and Kawatmatsu join the Oden Party. We’re reminded of the pact between the Kozuki Clan and Minks. Yep, something serious went down hundreds of years ago. Can you say Void Century? You can? Well, excuuuse me. Moving on.

We see the full scene of Oden’s vassals getting caught and offered the money they were trying to steal from Lord Yasuie. It all ends up being an investment on his part to turn a bunch of thugs not only into proper vassals but the protectors of Wano as a whole. Talk about seeing the big picture. See kids? That’s the difference between being a proper investor and playing the lottery. Stupid scratch-off tickets always giving me 2 gold bars. I’m so close to winning! …Ahem! Moving on.

We learn Orochi’s no longer Yasuie’s attendant and is working for Lord Sukiyaki, poisoning the crap out of him. Okay, that last part’s not confirmed but we know that’s what’s happening. The slimeball also keeps begging for money from Oden. So what’s all this money for? What’s he trying to buy? Poison? People through bribes? Information? Weapons? Well, it ain’t a Disney+ subscription I can tell you that (He stole Yasuie’s password.).

♪Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me? K-O-Z-U-K-I  O-D-E-N-N.♪

…Eh? Close enough.

This chapter reveals how Kozuki Oden met up with most of his samurai. Holy crap, Oda’s moving 90 KPH through this flashback! I still don’t care about them. There’s no time to care! Why? Because we have to see Oden’s epic fight against Ashura Doji in Kuri—and it got skipped. Whatever, Oda.

But, hey! Oden turned all the criminals in Kuri into his followers and fixed up the area! How? You see he… Damn it, Oda! You skipped that too?! Is this a flashback or a Netflix intro?

Is that why everyone in Wano’s gaga for Oden? I’ll admit they are pretty hot.

Kozuki Oden. I still can’t tell if he’s a joke character or not. Is it a Japanese thing? Is it a male stereotype thing? I don’t want to harp on it but Oda tends to lean on gender stereotypes more often than not. Women are super skinny, super sexy, and all about love. Yet, we have Nami and Robin who fill the first two requirements but not the third. Then we have men who are super buff and super tough like Kaido or Zoro, but we have Luffy who’s more on the lean side. And Usopp was a skinny dude before the time skip. What I’m trying to say is what the heck is up with Oden?

I can’t take him seriously. Everyone in the chapter is harping on how manly he is and women are fawning over his words and body. But, after seeing all the craziness in One Piece, the wacky devil fruit powers, the insane feats of strength delivered by the Straw Hat crew and their allies and enemies, Oden isn’t all that special. Yeah, he’s really strong but his I don’t care personality isn’t anything to write home about. Maybe it is a cultural thing. Or, maybe Oda is rushing through the arc. Or, both.

Oda sure spent a long time building up Kozuki Oden. It wasn’t worth it.

What the hell is Oden? Seriously. I can’t tell if he’s a joke character or not. That exposition dump at the beginning of the chapter sure didn’t help. Why is a vessel of Kozuki Sukiyaki, he’s Oden’s daddy, getting a report on his own son’s life? Most of the stuff mentioned seems to be public knowledge. Nope. Didn’t like that at all. It was a lazy way to convey information to the audience. Maybe Oda’s trying to rush to the good part by doing that, but whether or not that’s true, it really annoyed me.

I not even gonna list all the stuff Oden’s done. Basically, he’s an uber strong badass whose also well-meaning but no one understands him. Translation: He’s an asshole but we’re supposed to like him. And, what’s with the kidnapping of women to put in a harem resulting in a war where people died? What the what? Of course, Oda added a line saying the women were free to go at any time, trying to smooth over that rocky road. It’s…it’s like Oda poured everything he thinks a man should be into this character in an attempt to make the ultimate badass but instead creating a Japanese Gaston.

Seems like we got an update on everyone except him this chapter. He can’t be the traitor, right? That’d be too deep for One Piece. The traitor has to be someone we don’t give a crap about or a female because, according to Oda, women are backstabbers who all have tragic backstories so they can be forgiven. Woah! Where did that Oda rant come from? I need to start meditating again.

We turn the clock two days back and work our way up to the present this chapter, in the process learning more how Kin’emon’s plan went to shit. It was traitor, basically. Whoever that person is tipped off Orochi who blew up all the bridges leading to Itachi Port. A pretty smart move. The guy’s paranoid but he ain’t no idiot. That means the weapons and fighters have no way of reaching the port in time. Did I also mention Orochi blew up the ships Franky and Usopp were rebuilding and the freaking Thousand Sunny! Holy crap! Whoever snitched on the Alliance needs a bloody good spanking.

What the hell’s going on?!

Don’t you just hate being stood up? You meticulously plan out the evening with your friends. You put on your best and/or cleanest clothes. Everyone agrees on where to go. And, when finally it’s the promised date you’ve been waiting weeks or months for to get your party on…an unexpected change of plans.

Well, Kin’emon and the rest of Team Samurai understand all too well. They’ve arrived at Tokage Port ready to sail to Onigashima and whoop-ass but no one else is there. Luffy and the Strawhat Crew. Law. Cat Viper. Even Jibuemon isn’t there! And, he’s my favorite (Who the hell is Jibuemon?)!

All we know is there was an “incident” the previous night that obviously threw Kin’mon’s plans out the window and on to the street where a tractor-trailer ran it over then exploded. We know Orochi was getting intel from a traitor. Looks like he used it to seemingly crush the Rebellion in one fell swoop. Welcome the Wano: Act Three. Ouch!