This text was originally written for Arlong Park forums’ discussion thread.

This chapter marks the first possible end point for volume 93, and the last pages do give us a hell of a revelation/cliffhanger to go out on, but it’s never safe to call these things until we’ve seen the hypothetical 12th chapter. Just due to how short a lot of the chapters in this one have been (a 15 page one and a 13 page one, and nether of the colour spread chapters got all the way to 19 pages), I’d really like to see at least 11 chapters for that extra bit of content, especially considering volume 92 had similar things going on with its chapter lengths.

I really like the colour spread. It feels very much like one from the series first few years with the sheer amount of slightly irreverent but otherwise surprisingly good English hiding everywhere. And that super wide grin on Nami is an expression I don’t think she usually gets, but I like it. My only issue is Brook’s phrase being “Panty Heaven.” That’s the thing that would stop me from displaying this one as a poster, which is too bad.

It seems a few things happened off screen between the last chapter and this one. The start of the wildfire is easy to swallow – we haven’t seen Kuri in a while and it allows the plot to jump back there in medias res – but I feel there should have been a little more of a hint about Yasu’s arrest last week. He was safe and busy in Ebisu last we saw him, and it’s not clear how much time is meant to have passed. Just like one panel of a guard or someone trying to get his attention before the cutaway last week I think would have helped the reveal for this one. I do like the local politics of Wano though. This whole thing with Orochi, Kyoshiro and Fukurokuju approaching control of the population and management of the government’s perception from different angles while clashing with each other’s personalities is a great dynamic, perhaps stemming from Oda’s much-discussed enjoyment of Game of Thrones.

Short scene in the prison with no breakout action just yet (you just know it’s going to be a big freaking deal when it gets started, but the anticipation is killing me) but the overeating joke was decently fun. What I really like is the change in Hyo from the previous day. Look at him, he’s really ready to go. Can’t wait to see what he’s able to do now his passion has been reignited.

I can’t imagine Oda plans to burn a whole lot of screen time on the Kuri plot going forward, so the wildfire, as mentioned above is a good way to jump back in at the point that gets it speeding towards a conclusion. The question is, how? Perhaps the fire will get out of control and threaten a town (a little hard to believe considering how much of a wasteland Kuri is near the populated areas) and Kin and Ashura will be forced to work together with that fire cutting technique that hasn’t come up since Punk Hazard to contain it. Does Oda think we’ve all forgotten about that one? And on the Kuri scene, I liked that Oda chose to be more subtle than stating outright that Kin and Dogstorm framed Ashura. You have to actually piece it together a little from reactions to the fire and hearing what was stolen. Wano so far has been complicated, with such a detailed power structure for the government and its balance of power with Kaido’s crew, the yakuza and Cipher Pol, factions within factions, and some actual political maneuvering instead of just outright battles. This arc plays like a big fantasy epic all of its own. Combine that with all the unfamiliar Japanese names and I’m not shocked at how many comments have shown up from people finding it hard to follow. Personally though, there’s nothing I love more than a story that’s able to keep a lot of balls in the air at once, and I can’t wait to see how it resolves.

Then we get some good old fashioned Brook humour and Zoro apparently having had a very good night  (which, in classic Zoro form, he slept all the way through). Interesting that even after apparently getting an offscreen recap, Book says Hyori is “as beautiful as the Oiran” as though they’re two separate people. Is that weird wording from Oda? Weird wording from Stephen? Two panels later she’s talking openly about her life as the Oiran, so Brook has to know they’re the same. And then on the next page, Brook is still explaining that the Oiran Komurasaki is “the most beautiful woman in all of Wano” to Komurasaki herself when he mentions the funeral. Dude I think she knows! Is the joke that Brook just doesn’t get it?

It’s a real credit to Oda’s art that Toko can manage to grin and look so distressed at the same time. It’s an excellently detailed expression.

Cutting back to the capital, it looks like things are going to get crazy at the funeral/execution. We have Robin, Usopp, Franky, Sanji, Nami, Kanjuro and Shinobu in the crowd, most of them being targets of the government, especially the three who infiltrated the palace and Sanji with his yakuza issues. We have Zoro, Brook, Hyori and Toko en-route, one of which is supposed to be dead, one of which is wanted for treason and finally one wanted for murder and graverobbing, plus Brook pretending to be a ghost. And then there’s Law on his way to break his guys out from the same prison the procession is heading towards. This scene is an absolute powder keg of a thing, and that’s before we factor in the Kozuki loyalists already arrested who might take advantage of the breakout and Ysuie’s last words, which could have any affect on the crowd or on the attitude of Orochi and his underlings. The only thing I’m surprised not to see is any named or noteworthy bad guys guarding the prison or the procession. That’s the last factor before things can really go off.

This is probably the biggest and best of the current run of build-up chapters. There was strong forward momentum for the plot and some great developments, plus all kinds of future hype. Just like Oda to set things up like that then leave us hanging for a week!