One Piece - I'm Gonna Be the Pirate King!

[Morethanabitfoolish]

Spoiler

I honestly hate that this is how he had to end up. He had my favorite design and devil fruit of all the rookie supernovas back in Sabaody and was hoping he'd be a more prominent player.

I'd have liked him to have as much as Bege got, while him dying is not awful and kind of fitting for the guy there's a lot that would have been good to know. I'd be particularly interested in his crew, some stuff about them suggests there's a cultish element which might explain why he was able to use some of them as dummies for damage.

It's also a nice touch that he continued to divine his odds of dying regularly as he was shown previously to do. That said I do wonder if he was maybe one of the lowest Supernovas in polls and that determined what he would get development wise.

 

[Trashfire Garbagefuck]

Well that's over. Somewhere between act 2 and 3 this arc really started to lose me. I kept thinking I would like it overall by the end but I didn't, even with all the cool moments in Onigashima. It's like he tried to make the biggest One Piece arc he could without a solid plan and bit off way more than he could chew. I have to wonder if his editors made him speed this up too. It went on forever and still felt rushed and half baked. Maybe I'll like Wano more on a reread but I'm really not feeling it. I'd rather just read Alabasta or Dressrosa again. He got the fight comedy down perfect at least, all that "so that's how x dinosaur works I had no idea" and Looney Tunes shit was incredible. Somehow the tension and comedy never cancel each other out. I actually liked how Hawkins died too, it felt very poetic.

Also what happened to this being Zoro's arc? He had one good character moment when he saw Luffy and hugged them, maybe the only one like it in the post-timeskip, then he was just sorta there like he usually is post-timeskip. Then he got a good fight but his seemingly cool power up barely played into that. King is interesting, I really like him even with how little we got of him, but Zoro was only a platform to show him off. Sanji had more character and relevance in Wano and he just had his own damn arc.

Anyways, it's time for Ryokugyu to make this series interesting again. He seems fun.

 

[Creep3r]

I'd have liked him to have as much as Bege got, while him dying is not awful and kind of fitting for the guy there's a lot that would have been good to know. I'd be particularly interested in his crew, some stuff about them suggests there's a cultish element which might explain why he was able to use some of them as dummies for damage.

It's also a nice touch that he continued to divine his odds of dying regularly as he was shown previously to do. That said I do wonder if he was maybe one of the lowest Supernovas in polls and that determined what he would get development wise.

Agreed. Basil was a unique character and it was interesting to think that maybe his DF powers were actually a combination of its straw with his innate knowledge of the occult. It was that possibility along with his grim divinations that made him really interesting for me in that it felt like he would serve as the story's re-introduction to the occult in some fashion, something that really hasn't existed in an official context within the series since the second Romance Dawn pilot.

(Outside of whatever the hell vivre cards are or the crazy natures of dials which I'm kind of disappointed have been regulated to in-universe MP3s, and it always disappointed me how klabautermanns never became relevant in the series again after Merry sunk)
And it would be a nice change of pace from everything always being explained away as a devil fruit power, cyborg tech or weird or comedic racial or martial arts abilities. Still bugged me that Kaido's squirrel girl with the surveillance animals was just revealed to be a cyborg linked to smaller animals rather than using some vivre card type magic, and that the "onis/numbers" and the dragons on Punk Hazard were just failed Vegapunk experiments.

And yeah, maybe it was a popularity contest thing, which is a shame since Hawkins and Apoo were my favorite of the Supernovas alongside Bege and in the end Hawkins had to become a slave of fate. Also it still bums me out that not only did he make Apoo kind of a dick, but that he gave his DF such a lame weakness that anyone can use, 'covering your ears'.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Looks like the new admiral will have some plant themed abilities which lines up with his earlier given code name.

Y'know, that explains why he mentioned he hadn't eaten in three years. Like that was such a bizarre sentence to say, but it's One Piece, I was willing to accept someone found a way to not eat in years.

 

[6MillionCoofs]

I am absolutely convinced Wano was rushed, whether by editors or Oda I don’t know.

I think even if it was rushed it would have felt less so if one of the 2 times fans were saying Act 3 should end, as in everyone seemed to be saying ‘we are ending Act 3 here, right?’, it actually did.

 

[The Quiet Eye]

Two emperors (presumed) dead, a admiral itching to go in, Luffy is waiting for (his new bounty) to everything to seettle down.

Yeah, this feels like a Ligh novel writer that just want the story to be over.

 

[Stab You in the Back]

So basically, everybody who thought Kaido was going to rise from the lava have now changed to "the whole arc was rushed!"

I'm not buying it. Wano had the exact same structure as literally every single One Piece storyline before it. The Straw Hats arrive on an island. They meet a bunch of locals in desperate need of their help. They run off half-cocked and immediately get their asses handed to them by the bad guys. They lick their wounds, come up with a plan and then try again. This time it looks like they're going to win, but... whoops, Luffy got beat again. Overly long flashback sequence. The other Straw Hats methodically take down the bad guy's lieutenants. Once all the small fry are dealt with, Luffy pulls a new power out of ass, rallies and beats the big bad while everybody cheers him on. End of arc.

When you say "rushed" I think you mean "unsatisfying." Kaido was hyped to be the biggest bad alive, and he got taken down by a punch that looked like every other punch Luffy threw that day. And the art was clearly a step down from what came before, in layout and character art. (Its crazy how much better the art was in this last chapter compared to the Kaido fight)

Nearly every Straw Hat got a power up. Zolo got a magic sword. Sanji can turn invisible. Nami got a new staff. Robin turned into a giant demon. Chopper.. well, Chopper sucks. Jimbei finally joined the crew, as did Yamato. You could maybe argue that your favorite character didn't get enough time to shine, but no one can argue their favorite character didn't get something.

In other words, shut the fuck up. I fucking hated Wano, I'm glad its over, but I'm not going to make shit up like "the editors rushed Oda!" to justify my disappointment with the arc as a whole. It just sucked.

 

[mandatorylurk]

Also what happened to this being Zoro's arc? He had one good character moment when he saw Luffy and hugged them, maybe the only one like it in the post-timeskip, then he was just sorta there like he usually is post-timeskip. Then he got a good fight but his seemingly cool power up barely played into that. King is interesting, I really like him even with how little we got of him, but Zoro was only a platform to show him off. Sanji had more character and relevance in Wano and he just had his own damn arc.

This is the part that makes me wonder what was going on behind the scenes. If the bounties are really off that's gonna be another point, anything below 1.5 billion isn't going to sit right.

 

[6MillionCoofs]

So basically, everybody who thought Kaido was going to rise from the lava have now changed to "the whole arc was rushed!"

Nope. Always felt it was rushed. I just used Kaido getting up as reasoning for that. It would still be rushed even if Kaido did get up though due to the pacing being off and things being undeveloped honestly. Certainly not what I expect from an Arc hyped for 10+ years.

I just hope Laugh Tale won’t suck this hard.

It just sucked.

Sure. And there’s always a reason as to why a writer drops the ball. I honestly think the older Oda is gettong the more time he wishes he could spend with his family. Which honestly is perfectly understandable.

 

[Done]

You gotta keep something in mind, it's not just Oda who's getting older, it's also the anime VAs too, and a surprising amount is un-recastable imo. The series is a major cash cow, which gives an incentive to keep going as long as possible, but there are also very valid reasons to keep going with the plot and not meander where it's not necessary, and Kaido getting up again qualifies as meandering imo.

With all that said, it's not rushed at all (basically all the hallmark op arc points have been hit so far and nothing has been skimped on yet), and anyone who thinks the Strawhats get on the sunny in 1053 is mistaken, but it won't go on for tens of chapters, maybe 3-4 more chapters at most?

 

[TrippinKahlua]

Spoiler

I just hope Green Bull isn’t coming just to faff around. For once, at least since Kizaru, I want an Admiral to give them a run for their money.

 

[6MillionCoofs]

and anyone who thinks the Strawhats get on the sunny in 1053 is mistaken, but it won't go on for tens of chapters, maybe 3-4 more chapters at most?

Oh no. They've got several more left. I believe Oda supposedly talked about wanting them back on by around 1070 and he does bend over backwards to hit chapter numbers almost perfectly.

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

Spoiler

I just hope Green Bull isn’t coming just to faff around. For once, at least since Kizaru, I want an Admiral to give them a run for their money.

Spoiler

...which Admiral did not spank the shit out of them? Fujitora is the closest and it was made very clear he did not want the fight, though the latter was true of every Admiral exchange they had barring Akainu.
Aokiji - handled the entire crew before Franky joined with minimal effort. They lived because he let them.
Kizaru - crew saved by Gol D. Roger's first mate and Kuma teleporting them to the far ends of the world. The presence of the Pacifista etc. did not matter, it was very clear that Kizaru could have slaughtered them alone.
Akainu - murdered Luffy's brother in front of him and would have doubled down on that if Whitebeard didn't stop him. Survived Whitebeard trying to kill him.
Fujitora - never fought them really. Blocked an attack from Zoro, made a ludicrously half-hearted effort to arrest them which they avoided with willing human shields.

Ryokugyu might be the first time they fight an Admiral and don't get paddled like children acting up if it turns into a fight.

 

[Mr. 0]

So basically, everybody who thought Kaido was going to rise from the lava have now changed to "the whole arc was rushed!"

In other words, shut the fuck up. I fucking hated Wano, I'm glad its over, but I'm not going to make shit up like "the editors rushed Oda!" to justify my disappointment with the arc as a whole. It just sucked.

Wano would've been better if the pacing didn't take a giant shit during Act 3 (or didn't have all those fakeouts, like with ice oni Hyogoro).

That being said, if it did somehow turn out to be rushed by his editors, I'd hate to see how long it'd have gone on otherwise.

Oh no. They've got several more left. I believe Oda supposedly talked about wanting them back on by around 1070 and he does bend over backwards to hit chapter numbers almost perfectly.

Where the hell did you hear this? There's no goddamn way it's going to take 18 more chapters to get back to sea. Not unless a huge chunk of that is spent worldbuilding and showing everything going to shit a la the act 1/2 intermissions. OR we get a big fucking reveal in Wano, like the one that gives us the idea of what the One Piece is like we were told we were gonna get and we spend time exploring that..
Or both.

Or if Eneru shows up with his army and rains shit on everyone in Wano

 

[Done]

Wano would've been better if the pacing didn't take a giant shit during Act 3 (or didn't have all those fakeouts, like with ice oni Hyogoro).

I personally liked the idea of ice oni, it gave Chopper something to do during the raid, and it gave us a small glimpse of what prime Hyogoro was capable of. It also cemented an idea I had during the raid, that the SHs are on Wano to prevent tragedies from happening, they are outsiders that are essentially interfering in the Kabuki play, if you will.

The moment where prime Hyo takes down the entire ex-Orochi force also serves the theme of loyalty and how it is a measure of true strength.

I think Wano arc will be appreciated much more in the future when it can be approached without the cloud of theorizing, much like Dressrosa was. I can already see a ton of little payoffs and some really good thematics work in the last few chapters alone.

EDIT:

Oh no. They've got several more left. I believe Oda supposedly talked about wanting them back on by around 1070 and he does bend over backwards to hit chapter numbers almost perfectly.

Oda never mentioned anything about a chapter count iirc.

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

Where the hell did you hear this? There's no goddamn way it's going to take 18 more chapters to get back to sea. Not unless a huge chunk of that is spent worldbuilding and showing everything going to shit a la the act 1/2 intermissions.

I could see it close to a dozen chapters with only minimal dips to other stuff

1 chapter - bounties and general cuts to the world at large reacting to them
2-3 chapters - general Wano stuff including details around why it's not opening up
2 chapters - the various villainous leftovers being dealt with/interrogated. King might fill a chapter's worth alone
1 chapters - as above but the various hero figures from the arc we have not already seen. Minks, Marco etc.
2 chapters - as above two but for Big Mom and Kaidou. Showing the fallout in Big Mom's territory in particular might be important
1-2 chapters - Kid, Law and Luffy having an exchange of some kind. I don't think Oda's going to do some background stuff for Kid here but there needs to be some more dick measuring before they separate again.
1 chapter - Robin AKA the one person handling the metaplot sorting that out and giving a summary of new info
1/4 (quarter) chapter - what the bleep is going on with Zoro's vision of death?
1 chapter - leaving Wano

Most of that could be streamlined but with the amount of people the Wano arc dragged in Oda could do huge chunks of world building with what he has piled up fairly easily.

 

[Johnny Salami]

I could see it close to a dozen chapters with only minimal dips to other stuff

1 chapter - bounties and general cuts to the world at large reacting to them
2-3 chapters - general Wano stuff including details around why it's not opening up
2 chapters - the various villainous leftovers being dealt with/interrogated. King might fill a chapter's worth alone
1 chapters - as above but the various hero figures from the arc we have not already seen. Minks, Marco etc.
2 chapters - as above two but for Big Mom and Kaidou. Showing the fallout in Big Mom's territory in particular might be important
1-2 chapters - Kid, Law and Luffy having an exchange of some kind. I don't think Oda's going to do some background stuff for Kid here but there needs to be some more dick measuring before they separate again.
1 chapter - Robin AKA the one person handling the metaplot sorting that out and giving a summary of new info
1/4 (quarter) chapter - what the bleep is going on with Zoro's vision of death?
1 chapter - leaving Wano

Most of that could be streamlined but with the amount of people the Wano arc dragged in Oda could do huge chunks of world building with what he has piled up fairly easily.

Yeah we've never seen the payoff of Brooks information he gathered at Big Moms
Still think Shanks has the last poneglyph

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

Still think Shanks has the last poneglyph

My money is still on Captain John's Treasure (the Treasure Buggy has been thirsting over since he was introduced) is the last one.

 

[6MillionCoofs]

EDIT:

Oda never mentioned anything about a chapter count iirc.

I remember seeing that Sandman, that dude on Twitter that keeps up with most of Oda statements mention it.

I’ll be honest ever since Film Red was announced to be a thing I assumed Wano would end around it’s release or just shortly after. Because I expect Oda to drop a huge bombsell in the film.

I think we have 10-12 chapters left honestly and Oda could very well cut that down drastically by just going fast and I think he may do so to finish by Film Red.

 

[TrippinKahlua]

Film Red is likely going to get a Filler Arc, per usual interrupting the current action with material both canon and non canon.