This is a classic as hell Oda curveball chapter. The kind of thing that’s in no predictions and feels so off the wall, but fits in perfectly in hindsight. If there were any concerns that the upcoming milestone chapter was getting overhyped and we were setting ourselves up for disappointment, I think they’re alleviated now.

Having said last week that it looks nightmarishly hard to draw, I’m not shocked Oda chose to have the Omen Panzer completely demolished by Sanji’s attack. The stocks for a parallel finish for the Sanji and Zoro seem to be rising with both opponents on the back foot and terrified. Sanji gets some absolute looks in these opening pages – is this the first time we’ve seen unambiguous blackened Haki on him, in the panel where it rises in a flame pattern up his leg? The expression when he identifies the heart as a weak point is great too. (And I guess from Killingham’s reaction the theory of Holy Knights typically leaving their hearts in the Holy Land is turning out false. Hilarious how he’s waving his front hooves as well as his hands though.)

Zaza sacrificing a hand to drop the kids off is a cool visual, but where is this going now? Sommers is gone. Zaza is out by the end of the chapter. Why separate the kids from their guardians at this stage? Oda has to be setting up a bit for Collun where he can prove his bravery by leading the others back to safety. Almost ran out of time for that.

And then hot damn, two insane character designs and three spreads in a row. What a titanic set of pages. Imu’s appearances are getting weirder and weirder, but this one in particular is mesmerising. The wings coming off the halo are awesome, and I love that he’s casually sending demons into the environment again. I can’t remember if I noted it in a previous review or not, but it was definitely a missed opportunity not to have the crazy singing trees adding to the atmosphere of Luffy’s fight in the forest like they did for the arrival scene in the village. Maybe there’s a lore reason, like they demonic spirits were being used for the homing bombs instead, but either way I’m glad to have them back. And hold on, look at how the blade dissipates as the fight ends, has Imu pulled a laser sword? Too cool.

Loki’s second hybrid form is also cool, but a lot less novel by comparison (and what’s the ‘second’ part about; this looks close enough to the shadow from the Harald fight no one would have questioned it). I really like how the darkness of the dragon scale bits inverts the inking of the tattoos and integrates them into the flame patterns on the chest. Definitely a surprise that it drops so soon, hopefully Gerd gets him back on his feet.

Some noteworthy dialogue here as well. Talk of ancient technology always has my interest. Is it the lab that Lilith found, something yet undiscovered up in the Sun Realm, or possibly the extra item besides the message in Biblo’s secret room? And what could Elbaph possibly be hiding that would concern a World Government that already wields Uranus with the Mother Flame? On top of that, we also get confirmation that Imu has a time limit away from the Holy Land, something that has been speculated literally since he arrived. How much longer can he last, and what will the contingency be when he’s forced to go?

And then there’s Luffy’s transformation. Man, wow. Maybe with all the Dragon Ball influence the most surprising thing should be that it didn’t happen sooner, but Oda has generally avoided this kind of out-of-control-power trope. Even acknowledging Monster Point Chopper, he’s been extremely restrained by shonen standards; I did not think we would really get a Nika takeover bit. It’s also interesting how Scopper talks about this being a ‘do-or-die moment’ for a Zoan user, giving the impression that it’s an inevitability that all users have to face, contrary to the previous assumption that a failed awakening like the jailer beasts was something you only got if you tried to push a limit you weren’t ready for.

We have very little to go on for personality here, but the mischievous, capricious vibes feel some what contrary to our understanding of the players of ancient world. How many of the myths we’ve heard was Nika, and how much was Joyboy using Nika’s power, and how different were the two? I might have guessed minimally, but this Nika doesn’t really gel with our impression of Joyboy. But I think I should wait to see a little more in the next chapter before speculating too hard on any of that.

The path to 1200 seems pretty clear now. Perfect place to bring Luffy back to himself and get that affirming “I am who I am, not Nika” moment to celebrate the milestone and kick off the 30th anniversary year (in terms of issue Jump numbers, which are offset from the calendar yera by a month). Would be very nice if the break here is to let chapters 1999 to 1201 release back to back to really play through this sequence uninterrupted. But whatever the schedule ends up being, I’m excited for what’s coming.