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

Reading through this, I would really have expected it to be the final chapter of volume 95, because what a note to end on, but according to the volume’s pagecount we’ve got one more to go. What could Oda possibly add to make a stronger finale than Whitebeard arriving?

I really like these Germ Pirates on the cover. They’re an appealing set of character designs, and I love the way Oda takes the time to draw five unique characters for a crew that’s probably going to be swept up by Bege in like two whole panels. That kind of thing makes the world feel populated and lived in, even though the scope of the main plot long ago went past the level these guys are operating on.

This was a pretty good chapter considering how much of it was scenes we’d already seen in the past. There’s an interesting contrast between Dogstorm’s idealised view of Oden rescuing him and the real, unfiltered vresion where Oden was willing to just walk off and leave them there after beating up the guys he doesn’t like. Similarly it’s an interesting comparison between the scene with the Scabbards at Yasuie’s place before and after we’ve been properly introduced to these characters. Kawamatsu’s expression has changed completely because his actual lips simply couldn’t do the kind of grin his silhouette had in chapter 943 (I wonder if that was a misdirection or if his design wasn’t fully pinned down yet) and Izo’s face fault was far less extreme in the old version, presumably to ensure he was recognisable before the idea of him being part of the group was fully established. Also Denjiro’s silhouette in the old one seems to imply he’s not wearing his glasses, but I think that’s just because it would have looked weirder if he had no eyes at all.

I’m a little frustrated Oda would give us Kawamatsu’s backstory without confirming what species of fish he’s meant to be. Are there any theories? Because I have no damn clue what he’s going for.

The growth in the Scabbards is nicely explained and goes a long way to explain how different their personalities are between their introductions and the present. Kinemon apparently dyes his hair during this time for some reason. I thought that change might have some significance to it, but I guess not. This also seems to explain the formal, old timey way the translations have tended to have Kinemon and co speak. The original assumption was that this was to emphasise some linguistic difference Wano had, but it’s actually a result of their education.

Curious that religion is on the board of subjects being taught. Does Wano have an official faith? Are the Kozukis and the Scabbards more pious than we’ve been giving them credit for? Gimmie that worldbuilding Oda pls

Yama being sewn back together is hilarious. Oda apparently heard my thoughts that a horizontal bisection was cruel and found an answer. I think this makes the already-great background detail of ladders being propped up against his still-standing body for people to climb out even better.

And then we get the Whitebeard Crew. Hell yeah! I like that some of his allies from Marineford are core crew members here. I wonder if we’ll eventually see a similar thing happen to the Strawhats in the epilogue, since some people’s main goals might require them to go their own way for a while. Also, I hope Oda takes the opportunity to make canon appearances for the handful of databook-listed Whitebeard allies that weren’t found in the Marineford chapters. He didn’t do it for the currently psuedo-canon members of Ace’s crew during his Wano cameo, but I assume we’ll be spending a little more time with Whitebeard so…

So that’s another really solid chapter down. It’s a shame Oden could have lived to meet Luffy, the two really do seem like they could have been kindred spirits. Can’t wait to see where Oda takes Oden next, for the big finish for volume 95.