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

Man, Oda’s really been knocking it out of the park the past few chapters. They’ve all felt like they have so much going on at once. There have certainly been parts of Onigashima where it felt like the plot was moving forward in inches every week, but lately we’ve been making substantial steps in every chapter.

Still no WT100 colour spread though? I’m starting to think it’s being saved for this year’s anniversary (is it 24 we’re up to?), which I guess makes since since polls are usually an anniversary thing anyway.

Briscola still fighting the samurai after getting his dumpling shows something that makes sense but hadn’t been properly illustrated before: the Gifters are very definitely still enemies until Tama tells them not to be, hence the importance of getting her to the balcony to give the order. People in these discussions have been acting like the Gifter fights were over the moment she showed up, but they’re not over yet.

Although, the chapter does raise the question of why she isn’t doing what Momo does and grabbing a Mary. How does her power work over radio waves or magic devil fruit comms?

We’re moving back into familiar territory with Sanji’s arrival on the Performance Floor. He’s fighting Queen. Chopper is flagged to fix Zoro up enough to likely face King, who’s been conspicuously offscreen for a few weeks now. Maybe he tag teams it with Marco. I’m sure some will be disappointed that Oda’s going back to the old formula after teasing Chopper stepping up to an enemy executive and Zoro being taken out surprisingly early by the end boss. It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be a lot of big surprises left in how characters match up and who takes out who. But to my mind, the most important thing is that the clashes are interesting, no matter how predictable the matchups.

While Sanji’s entrance was great, I don’t think his move and its effects were super well communicated. Queen’s neck spinning around to block the arrows makes sense. But I don’t how he managed to go from that to swinging low enough to take out Perspero (without cleaning up any of the samurai surrounding him) and end up with his whole body flipping over the air. It feels like there’s a panel missing that should show Sanji redirecting the dinosaur into the candyman. This could have been a bigger moment if it read more clearly.

Oda really wants me thinking there are dead Scabbards in this arc. Christ, the flashback and the silhouette are a brutal combo.

The voice Momo heard being Luffy’s is not something I think anyone was expecting. Is this a sign that people with the Voice of All Things are almost telepathic to each other, even unconscious? But then, Law’s crew talk about hearing Luffy’s voice through the water, and Kaido sensed Luffy’s animosity toward him even when Luffy was passed out, and I don’t think either of them have the VOAT. This one definitely begs some more explanation.

The rallying spread is great. This likely being the opening of volume 101, it may be setting the tone for the next ten chapters as the battle pushes toward its conclusion.

And Momo falls from Onigashima. It had to happen one way or the other, but using Shinobu’s powers to make it happen was smart. He’s flying Luffy back to the island on his back. It is foreseen and inevitable.

I really like the visual of Luffy upside down in the depths, silhouetted by the submarine’s light. It’s a simple, small panel, but it’s definitely memorable. I think it’ll come out really well in the colour volume sometime in the future.

Zues surviving in the Clima Tact is something a lot of people guessed. As with the Sanji and Zoro matchups, I think this flags something a few people have been hoping Oda would avoid: Ulti’s revival and final attack on Nami and Usopp. Nami’s got the “stronger lightning” she said she’d need to take the dinosaur out now, there’s no way in hell Oda isn’t giving her the chance to use it.

I hope Kid and Law’s tag team Big Mom fight gets enough screentime. Oda could definitely have fun playing them off each other.

Another small thing: I love seeing the hole Big Mom made in the side of the dome and I especially love that you can see the inside of the castle, including the gap between floors when you look closely at it. The attention to detail makes this series.

Yamato and Kaido have me excited for next week. Kaido’s still pretty lackluster in the personality department, so a spat with a family member could go a long way to fleshing him out in a way that his emtionally disconnected clobberings of everyone else didn’t. Similarly, Yamato absolutely needs more screentime to justify the marketing push to have him as a crew candidate. Interactions with current Strawhats and a place in the crew dynamics are the most important thing, but some more backstory told through one on one time with a major villain should also help.

The path to the end of Onigashima is looking pretty clear at this point. Final matchups are all but locked in, only pending Zoro’s setup with King, and key moments like Momo’s flight and Luffy’s return have been prepared. We could even start seeing the longer-running fights move toward conclusions in the next few chapters. The only variable that really feels like left to me is exactly how to stop Onigashima from falling on the capital. Surely it’s something to do with Momo and the flame clouds, but just having him be suddenly be able to lift the island like Kaido feels like too much of a leap in strength.

Oh, and I loved Oda’s comment, totally forgot he was playing Pokemon Go. Hope he got his Gibles. I didn’t have great shiny luck myself, but I got a lot of 3-star ones. I doubt I’ll find many battle-related problems that can stand up to seven high-IV Garchomp being chucked at them.

Pumped for next week, as always.