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

First things first, what the heck is going on with the Jump cover? There’s something about that bread Luffy (call him Loafy) that’s just incredibly offputting. I very much love the the colour spread though – the city of tall buildings flooded and frozen over with the towers protruding from the ice is a beautiful setting. It’s far from the first time we’ve seen these puffer jackets in a cold weather colour spread. Hell, it’s not even the first time in Wano, But damned if they don’t look good. Loving Jinbe’s kimono as well!

We’re back for the probable start of volume 103 and King is confirmed to be down. His little flashback is some cool confirmation of what was hinted by Kaido’s lines after tossing Luffy from the roof: that Joyboy isn’t just a figure, it’s a role that needs to be played, and that Kaido thought it would be him. What I’m interested to know is what new information he was able to find after the Rocks era that confirmed this for him. I wonder if it has to do with the reasons Wano is so important. I’m so ready for the post-battle lore dump. So ready! But I’m trying not to dwell on that, lest I set myself up for frustration with the minimum full volume’s worth of fighting still to go.

A whole double page near the start of this chapter is a recap of character positions and stakes, which is a big part of why I’m reading it as the start of a new volume. It may be worthy of note that the recap makes it clear that Kaido’s defeat will result in Onigashima falling. Momo is focusing only on moving it away from the Capital, not holding it up himself. So here’s an out there theory: perhaps when Luffy beats Kaido, he does so by dunking him off Onigashima, sending him plummeting into a Kaido-shaped hole in the ground, in a mirror to his introduction, before the whole island comes crashing down on top of him. Being stuck under all of that (with it felt ambiguous whether he’s alive at all) might be a fun way to make good on his deathwish without making Luffy an outright murderer.

At last, the final Number is revealed, and he’s another goofy-looking one like most of the pack have been. Interestingly, this leaves one silhouette from the Numbers’ introduction that doesn’t seem to have an exact match in the final designs. Newcomer Rokki has the straight horns and flat head of this last figure, but lacks the underbite and has a much stouter body. Just a yet-to-be finalised design (most likely), or evidence of a secret zeroth Number (tongue-in-cheek conspiracy theory)?

I really enjoy seeing Usopp get to make a stand for Kin’s sake given that he was robbed of a big moment against Pageone. Also good that there are some Gifters in the crowd he’s facing off against – it makes sense that word of Tama’s control would start to go around and the smarter ones would avoid her (or that she just wouldn’t be able to reach every corner of this huge fortress), and pushes back against the idea that the dango were a free win for the good guys. And I actually enjoyed Usopp and Izo’s pushback against samurai culture as well. Ideas of harakiri and honourable/redeeming deaths show up a lot in Japanese media and while I get it it’s also something I’ve never been able to sincerely empathise with. People should live! You can do more for your cause, fix more mistakes and help more people over the course of a lifetime than you ever could with most deaths. Dying is a one-off – fighting on is something you can do in perpetuity. Even if you can only take small steps forward, living means that you can keep taking them until they add up! But I’m getting sidetracked. I think the bottom line here is that it’s cool how Oda has written and drawn a huge love letter to Japan and its culture and history but still isn’t afraid to use his main characters to challenge ideas he disagrees with.

I think this ends the idea of any of the samurai dying during the raid. A lot of readers won’t like that, but it’s the message Oda’s decided on. They all came to Onigashima expecting to die, ghosts choosing to join their lord in death, but the point of Luffy’s presence is to derail that narrative. That’s how it goes on every island. The locals and villains think the story is going to go a certain way, and the crew arrives and breaks the script. This can create thematic contradictions across arcs – for example the difference between Vivi thinking she’s found an easy way out of the civil war and Luffy giving her the reality check that she’ll have to struggle and sacrifice to reach the root of the issue, compared to the samurai coming prepared for sacrifice and being made to live on after the crew protects them – but it makes for strong storytelling and dynamic interactions with the heroes and villains of the individual arcs.

So needless to say I’m not one bit worried by Raizo starting to catch fire in the next scene. Not one bit.

It’s also nice attention to detail that Usopp wouldn’t know that Izo is here yet, and a fun touch that Izo calls him by the name on his wanted poster.

As we flash past a few more scenes, it’s a good time to note we’ve had great art this week. Zoro falling with smoke and lightning coming off his blades was cool, as is the low angle shot of Apoo and Inbi running side by side, and that’s not even to mention the final spread. But Izo’s arrival during Usopp’s scene is a great highlight of Oda’s ability to do a lot with a single frame. In the second-last panel of page 11, Izo is seen jumping in from such a difference he’s barely recognisable. And then, in a single panel, he’s landed and spun 360 degrees shooting two guns, mowing down countless minions while Usopp dives for cover. The ring of gunshot flashes and smoke puffs is such a simple effect, but it’s more than evocative enough to get your brain to fill in a lot of action in a very natural-feeling way. Where other mangaka might have used four panels for the landing, shooting, mooks reacting and Usopp fleeing, Oda packs a lot of information into a very litte space.

I’ll feel pretty bad for Drake if he doesn’t manage to pick himself back up for one last attack after this. The guy started out the night getting attacked by Queen, Who’s Who and Hawkins, toppled a Number, parried a hit from Zoro, fought Apoo in one of the arc’s longest fights by chapter count (even if it was mainly offscreen) and managed to leave his CP0 opponent bloodied before seemingly biting the dust here. The man’s put a crazy amount of effort in and it would be a shame for his story to end like this.

I’ve read a couple of concerns about Luffy laughing with Kaido at the end, wondering where the anger and desire to avenge Wano has gone. But my read of the situation is that Luffy sees all that serious stuff as paid for. As shown in Whole Cake Island, even something as serious as shooting a friend can be paid for with a good smack in the face.

Think back to the punch that ended chapter 1000 and the series of Scabbards-centric flashback panels that led into it. That was the moment that answered for the personal harm Kaido did. While the fight has to continue until he can do no more damage to Wano, having the emotional payback sorted up front has given Luffy the freedom to fight the rest of battle for himself – with all the freedom to enjoy the challenge and use it as a proving ground for new techniques that implies.

The scheduling makes January such a hard time of year to be a One Piece fan, especially when it rolls around just as the series penultimate arc reaches its climax. If nothing else, it’s comforting to know the year ahead will be a big one, with the toppling of Emperors and the probable reveal of series-spanning mysteries as Oda starts to set up his endgame. I absolutely cannot wait to see where this story has left to go.