It has been a REALLY long time since I've had the pleasure of talking about ONE PIECE.
That's not to say that I don't talk about ONE PIECE at all. On the contrary, I'd argue that it is a series that I frequently find myself talking about simply because I know so many people enamored with Eiichiro Oda's magnum opus. A little premature, perhaps, to be calling it a magnum opus, but when you consider that he's been writing/drawing for more than twenty years there aren't to many other catch-alls that come to mind. Masterpiece just doesn't seem to have the same ring to it you know? When last BLOGGED about the topic, however, Reverie was just getting underway. The illusive Im-sama had come to the forefront at long last, and people had already begun to speculate that Shanks was a turncoat. Can you imagine? The notorious "Red Haired" Shanks, illustrious pirate, father figure, Yonko, and now a spy/privateer for the government? Who could have thought? ONE PIECE has developed significantly since our time on Mary Geoise. In the span of a handful of chapters we got Luffy's arrival in Wano country at long last. Of the Strawhat Pirates, it turned out that Zoro would be able to goof his way into finding Luffy first despite the fact that he hadn't initially arrived with his captain. A brief glimpse of Ace's history in Wano was revealed, binding together Luffy with the adorable Tama. In an unsurprising twist the story of Momotaro gained significant relevance as many of the stories beloved characters come together within the ONE PIECE storyline to bring down a monstrous demon on Onigashima. This was then followed by a SURPRISING twist when Oda revealed that Kaido of the Beasts was more than just a formidable Yonko; he was also a FREAKING DRAGON!! To top it all off there was little to no time wasted in driving Luffy into conflict with Kaido resulting it what has been called "a formidable defaz", "the wrath of god himself", and even "the girk of the century". We all know of what panel I am currently referring and for those in need of a reminder the panel is at the end of this blog post so feel free to jump down there before continuing onward. As I stated before the story of Momotaro appears to be taking a heightened precedence within the Wano story arc. For those that are unaware, Momotaro's story is a folk tale from Japan wherein a young man sets out on an adventure to defeat a powerful demon. Along the way this young boy makes friends with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant who subsequently help him in capturing the demon. This isn't a new piece of information for those in the know as Oda has long been building up the importance of this story from the moment he introduced the idea of Wano and the character Kozuki Momonosuke. In the original story, Momotaro is able to win over his allies by giving them dango/millet dumplings which is also carried over in the form of Tama's Devil Fruit ability. This ability has already brought several of the stories characters together including Momonosuke, a dog, and a monkey. At this stage, the initiated are already wondering why even bother bringing all this up? It is important to understand that author's draw on their personal experiences when they create their stories. For a Japanese writer, what is more traditional and well known than a common folk story? The direction of the story already acknowledges that Kaido, despite his formidable strength, will be defeated by the combined efforts of the Strawhats and Wano's citizenry. Certainly the finer details of this conquest are debatable, but the end result remains the same. My personal belief, however, requires me to hold to the premise that the story of Momotaro holds the key to how the Strawhats seize their victory. Namely, the missing pheasant and the use of Tama's dango ability appear to be focal points for subduing Kaido. So ... lets speculate. The pheasant has a pretty good chance of being another animal much like the dog and monkey have proven to be. Ironically, these same animals originally safeguarded the Marines in the form of Sakazuki a.k.a the Red Dog, Borsalin a.k.a the Yellow Monkey, and most importantly Kuzan a.k.a the Blue PHEASANT. There is no reason to assume with one hundred percent certainty that Kuzan will appear within Wano country proper, but the possibility certainly exists. Given his formidable ice powers, it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination for him to momentarily subdue Kaido in time for a Tama create dango to be fired into his mouth. There are, in spite of however accurate this might appear, several other directions by which to lay Kaido low during this arc. Already, Eustass Kid and Luffy find themselves sharing a common cell with one another. Add to this the lurking legend who may or may not be also confined next to these two formidable Supernovas. Several members of the Strawhat crew, Kid Pirates, and Heart Pirates are conspicuously unaccounted while Kin'emon and allies continue to gather in preparation for the trials ahead. It is impossible to say with an real certainty how events will pan out, but it is clear that we are going to be getting a wealth of information regarding the world of ONE PIECE. I believe it to be a safe bet that Eiichiro Oda knows what he is doing, even if he doesn't know all of the minute details of his own story. ONE PIECE has yet to really let fans down as each arc appears to add new layers, and interesting details with each passing chapter. In recent weeks we've had nothing but outstanding, awe-inspiring, jaw dropping developments. With the start of the Second Act, I'm ecstatic to see what Oda will surprise us with in his next chapter! For North American readers that means we'll be waiting two more days with baited breath while Japanese readers laud Oda for his exceptional writing prowess week in and week out. Personally? I hope we get to see the mysterious cellmate. What about you though? Where do you think this is all going? Am I just talking nonsense or is this on the right track? Let me know in the comments below provided you've managed to read this far into this blog. As always, thank you for your eternal patience, and I'll look forward to sharing my thoughts following these next chapters of our favourite ONE PIECE! Written By: ALAN "VIENNA" SINGH
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