Chapter 995: A Kunoichi's Oath

[Shift]

VIZ Manga: https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/one-p...43?action=read
MANGA Plus: https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/viewer/1007921

Author Comments: https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/manga...ngs-11-15-2020

Eiichiro Oda



I enjoyed The Bachelorette to the very, very end. Thank you!

[Jabra]

I enjoyed The Bachelorette to the very, very end. Thank you!

I wonder if this will influence the manga in some form. I mean the last time Oda liked something very much we had Doflamingo giving Littlefinger speeches and a throne covered in swords.

[Sano]

Great chapter, I'm looking forward what will happen next in the Usopp and Nami vs Ulti and Page One battle. But man, when Ulti give Usopp that headbutt. It remind me of Usopp and Chopper vs. Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas stuff. I'm happy that Carrot finally got her revenge against Perospero.

[wolfwood]

I'm loving all the subtext praise BM is heaping on Butters. I can't afford to spend the time and energy it'd take to deal with you is like the biggest compliment any emperor has given to any one who isn't an admiral or another emperor

[Razh]

Didn't like how awkwardly paced the whole exchange was. BM and Marco. Didn't really get the feel some of the strongest human beings in the world were exchanging blows.

Didn't like Usopp and Nami feeling like side characters. Uh and I guess Usopp is going to die? That sucks :(

It's like the story isn't flowing organically and we're just seeing some highlights of the whole thing. Not sure how else it could be done and not extend this arc until late 2022, with everything that's going on, though.

[G_soildier]

This usopp and nami duo still in the fight. Im impressed they have not lost consciousness after a few headbutts. This war is shaping up nicely to me. Queen trying to eliminate the number two's and three's should be something else. The explosions everywhere. This ladies and gentlemen is war unfolding. Luffy did not make an appearance. The fact that so deep into the series, the debate and conversation details...speaks volumes about oda's work. Tama introduction and marco's role is something im looking forward to.

[KageKageKing]

No Solid. Tama will not be a crewmate.

[Nubtro]

Glad the forum is back. I really enjoyed this chapter.

First of all, I like the fact that Tama has appeared. She´s the one person that can and most likely will turn the tide of this war.
If she doesn´t have to feed dango herself, Usopp is a great candidate for its delivery (in my head it was Usopp shooting, Robin force-opening mouths).
But as long as they manage to turn Ulti and Page One into allies, the hero alliance should get a significant boost.
Also, BM witnessing Tama´s power in action, or at least its effects, is the only halway reasonable solution I could come up with to BM leaving the war, making the whole "pirates will betray you" part of Kaido´s speech come true, just not like he imagined it would go down.

Of course I was rooting for Nami and Usopp, but I´m honestly glad Ulti owned them. She´s a badass. Both her and Yamato are powerful and batshit crazy, top characters of the arc after Queen for me.

I hate Apoo but he seems to be capable as well, being able to block hybrid Drake and Zoro, of all people, like that. Zoro outright stated what I was thinking, he should be up there with Luffy not in the middle of this antidote tag mess.
Kaido´s whole speech regarding no more Oden-like powerful samurai the other day felt like a marimo bat-signal to me.
Seems like Sanji and Jimbei following Luffy at the moment will set them up against King and Queen, those should be spectacular fights that I´m looking forward to.

Marco vs BM was a bit awkward, phoenix flames smacking the FireballFace was neat, although I have no clue why BM couldn´t simply clobber him with her fist after she caught him.
I understand it was set up for a cool Sulong girl entrance vs Peros, but it continued with BM leaving the fight, and stating she didn´t have what, enough soul-pawns, to finish Marco off? Confusing.

Last but not least, props to Nami for not lying herself out of that situation, it was quite the heroic moment for her to tell the simple truth about Luffy´s will in such a precarious situation.

[Vongola_Boss_XI]

As expected, this chapter begins a series of animal theater / reader request covers. Interestingly, the two squirrels seen playing as Luffy studies are the zombie Risky Brothers from Thriller Bark. The real Risky Brothers are part of Lola’s crew, the Rolling Pirates and just appeared in the Capone cover story arc.


Video Review



It was cool to see Marco actually holding his own against an Emperor. His Phoenix flames seem to damage Prometheus, which was interesting. We already know that they have a restorative property for physical injuries. I wonder if the fact that he damages Prometheus in any way relates to the fact that Big Mom’s Devil Fruit derives its power through transferring souls or life force from one person to another.


Big Mom retreats from Marco, which was interesting. We saw that she was unable to use Prometheus, and says she’s out of souls to use. The fact that she doesn’t even try to use Napoleon suggests that it is indeed the soul aspect of her Devil Fruit countered by Marco’s flames rather than the fire element to Prometheus attack.
So far, the battle between Carrot and Perospero is playing out exactly as expected. I have said in past videos that I believe Carrot will join the Straw Hats, and I think having a significant character moment during this story arc is going to go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.


Carrot here remembers Pedro’s final words, instructing her to keep moving forward. I think what’s interesting about this scene is that it shows Carrot is still contemplating the meaning of Pedro’s sacrifice. She’s still searching for an answer. I believe that Pedro’s death fills the same narrative purpose as a tragic flashback for other members of the crew, which instilled in them a motivating desire to pursue their dreams.


Pedro believed so strongly that Luffy and the Straw Hats are meant to fulfill a long-held Mink prophecy of a coming New Dawn. I talked about this at length in my video analyzing the recurrence of moon symbolism throughout the series, but it’s important to note that the ancient societies, particularly those entrusted with Road Poneglyphs all have myths or legends with sun and moon / day and night motifs. From which we may deduce that the prophesied ‘New Dawn’ is inherently connected to One Piece.


Moon Symbolism: The Mystery of One Piece Revealed



Carrot says she knows Pedro’s sacrifice is in some way related to this war in Wano, but it also relates to the greater narrative arc of the series and thus can only be fully understood once One Piece is discovered and the True History revealed. Perhaps through Oden’s journal which Yamato holds will reveal this connection, inspiring Carrot’s continued adventures with the crew beyond Wano. She seems intent on understanding and honoring the reason Pedro gave his life.


It will be interesting to see what role Wanda plays in the battle against Perospero. While she and Carrot may work together to achieve victory, I feel like it will be more impactful if Wanda is defeated, leaving Carrot alone to face Perospero. Wanda, as a character, really hasn’t had much development and thus seems more ancillary to the narrative arc of the series as a whole.


I’m still unsure what role Big Mom is going to play in the battle. Being infected with Queen’s Ice Demon plague would prevent her from reaching Luffy and Kaido and make the battle in the Performance Hall even more chaotic.


I’m guessing Marco’s phoenix flames will be in part the solution to curing the virus. We see that Brook was touched by one of the ice demons, but because he’s just a skeleton, he’s immune to the virus. Chopper seemingly has a revelation, but is infected before he can say more. I was hoping Chopper’s skill as a doctor would shine here, but it seems Marco’s now more likely to save the day. Perhaps Chopper will communicate some critical detail to him before succumbing to the virus.


Interestingly, Queen is surprised that Sanji, the son of Vinsmoke Judge, is part of Luffy’s crew. This implies there may be some connection between Queen and Judge. Just as Caesar Clown was conducting research for both Kaido and Big Mom, it would make sense for Germa to have contacts throughout the New World. I wonder if the Queen’s biological weapons are in any way related to Germa’s technology.


When the Tobi Roppo were initially introduced, I suspected they were far too powerful for the weaker members of the Straw Hats to fight. But when the crew started to break apart after the performance hall entrance in 989, a fight between Nami and Usopp and Ulti and Page One seemed like a good fit. Nami and Usopp have always had a sibling like relationship. It seems now those initial reservations were well founded as we see Nami and Usopp were completely outmatched.


This leads to what is, in my opinion, the best scene of the chapter when Ulti threatens to kill Nami unless she admit Luffy incapable of becoming Pirate King. Usopp, though incapacitated, thinks that it’s okay to renounce Luffy in this case. Nami begins the sentence, but can’t bring herself to say what Ulti demands.


Even if it means losing her life, she says Luffy will surely become the Pirate King. It’s always nice to see just how strongly the Straw Hats believe in Luffy.


But wait! The diminutive kunoichi Tama rides in to the rescue atop Komachiyo. I was honestly really surprised by Tama’s sudden appearance. I suspected that the fourth act would see a change in venue largely due to the absence of Tama, Tenguyama, and Hiyori on Onigashima. I suppose this may answer the question of who the mystery character was that was following Robin and Jimbei at the start of the raid as they entered Onigashima.
I can buy Tama stowing away aboard one of the ships before they departed from the mainland, but Komachiyo is actually quite large. This leads me to believe that she may have arrived separately from the rest of the alliance, perhaps with the other characters presently absent like Hiyori and Hitsugaya.


Tama’s ability to control Smile users will likely be critical to turning the tide against Kaido and pairing her with power with Usopp’s sniping skills likely provides a delivery system.


Tama relied on the element of surprise here to rescue Nami, but I suspect she and Komachiyo will not be able to hold their own against both Ulti and Page One. Perhaps together with Usopp and Nami they could emerge victorious, but I think a retreat is also possible. I suppose her power could work on real Zoan users, not just smile users, but that seems overpowered, so I’m not sure how I feel about it if that turns out to be the case.

[Zhenja]

No Solid. Tama will not be a crewmate.

Don't worry, you'll realize it soon enough to jump on the right train.

[Kaido King of the Beasts]

Solid chapter overall, but nothing particularly stood out.

Not really sure what to make of the Usopp/Nami scene. It played out like some sort of climactic moment in a stage of the plot that doesn't feel climactic at all. Probably won't have a solid opinion on it until later chapters show how the plot will progress. It's felt to me like the Onigashima stage of the war will end in victory or at least an advantage for the Beasts Pirates, so I wonder if the scene would have been better off with Ulti finishing Nami off (not killing her, obvs). Guess we'll see in the upcoming weeks.

[Nouryoku]

Will this chapter close volume 98?

[AfroSamurai]

Good chapter overall, but I have serious issues with the official translation.

I hate to do this, but I really found the official translation clunky and difficult to read this week. Once again, the scans just had better one-liners and read more smoothly, even if it did not translate accurately.

Particularly annoying was the official's exchange between Marco and Big Mom, which was truly difficult to make sense of, especially with it being unclear who was speaking at some points. And Big Mom's speech to Marco at the end was pretty nonsensical - it read fine in the unofficial although the meaning was different. Could not make heads or tails of what Big Mom meant in the official.

And I really dislike speech bubbles with half finished words in english. Usopp's "Not aga.." ? In what world is the "again" something you only say half of?! It just confuses the reader.

Similarly Peypey's single speech bubble in the chapter made it pretty difficult to follow what he was referring to (ulti). The scans just did it better.

Lastly - Nami's Pirate King speech was so much less impactful in the official compared to the scans. Nami saying "Luffy will be the Pirate King" is so much better than "He won't stop until he becomes Pirate King" (I am paraphrasing, but you get the jist). Might be that the latter is more accurate to what Oda wrote - but the scans delivered far more impact with their translation - and that's just as important to me.

And yea, it's a lot of complaining. That said, I am finding this is only the case in One Piece. All the other manga on the Mangaplus app have fine translations that are very legible and read smoothly. Genuinely frustrating that One Piece is the only manga is struggle to read on the Mangaplus.

I don't know if its the way it's written in japanese or just the paneling... but it's a problem that should be addressed. Perhaps a little more editing prior to release to ensure the whole thing reads smoothly? Perhaps compare with other translations (off the books of course) to check for any inconsistencies? Either way, there's no justification for this being the case, especially when it happens to be much worse on some chapters (Franky's motorcycle chapter and this one are prime examples) than others.

[wolfwood]

I could see the dialogue betwenn BM and Marco reading a little bit stilted at times, but it did clarify a number of points. Personally i thought it was much clearer about what was happening

[Blissed]

Great chapter, loved Nami's moment

[Chrior]

The only issue I had with the translation in this chapter was Big Mom's "soul pawns" thing, which came out of nowhere, but that's probably Oda's fault. Everything else read pretty fine to me. Average chapter, some developments a bit all over the place. I'm a bit glad we changed scenes. I was getting a bit tired of Kaido vs. Akazaya and Luffy running around. I hope we keep seeing what's happening in these scenes throughout the next chapter or two, but also hope their resolution comes quickly. I really hope this doesn't turn into a Birdcage/Shinokuni/Noah crashing scenario. It kind of already did, but as long as it's resolved quickly, I'm fine with it. Plus, Chopper seems to have cracked the code to cure the Oni-Ice plague.

Last but not least... Tama to the rescue! I did NOT expect that. Let's see what Oda's got in store for this character!

[theackwardstation]

Great chapter. My only criticism is that, unfortunatelly, the layout of the last page was too ugly, which is a pity considering it's the high point of the chapter. It needed one extra page, really. Nami's face looks great though.

I just hope next chapter will pick up from where this one ended before moving away.

[Sengokusgoat]

Will this chapter close volume 98?

Seems like a little awkward of an ending for the volume. 994 feels better in that regard. But who knows, maybe this is one of the rare 12-chapters voulmes and that's why they haven't announced a release date yet.

[Rocko52]

This chapter got me feeling emotional when I wasn't expecting it to. Though I've come to expect it at this point, was a bit disappointing to miss out on more of the Nami/Usopp vs Ulti/Page-One fight, but it makes sense they were in over their heads and it's impressive they put up so much of a fight. Usopp's skull getting smashed brought me right back to Alabasta. Even if missing some of the fight wasn't good, the scene that finished this chapter was excellent. Grounding this action again in the actual struggles and conviction of our main characters, the Straw-Hats, means so much to me.

Seeing Nami and Usopp just brutalized but unwilling to cave an inch at this stage is just kinda moving as a long time fan. We know they'd go this far, but it's a great mix of sad/proud/loyal/excited emotions seeing them pushed to it. I've also seen commentary on how this calls back to sometime in Act 2, when they were discussing the kidnapped Heart Pirates iirc, how if either of them would cave under torture. Nice pay off. Nami and Usopp are a great duo and I really want to see more of what comes next. Also, unoriginal comment but I loved it so:

Tama of the hundred beasts has come to end this war.

[Gizmo]

The only issue I had with the translation in this chapter was Big Mom's "soul pawns" thing, which came out of nowhere, but that's probably Oda's fault.

Yup. How convenient we’re learning about a limitation of Big Mom’s power now instead of last arc, and how it happens to come up when facing Marco.

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

Lastly - Nami's Pirate King speech was so much less impactful in the official compared to the scans. Nami saying "Luffy will be the Pirate King" is so much better than "He won't stop until he becomes Pirate King" (I am paraphrasing, but you get the jist). Might be that the latter is more accurate to what Oda wrote - but the scans delivered far more impact with their translation - and that's just as important to me.

it was meant to capture the intent of the panels in Japanese.

The first panel when Nami is saying by her line is meant to capture the first few lines of what Ulti said to make the reader think Nami was going to repeat those lines instead of say what she ends up saying.

The second page has her turning the phrase around into supporting Luffy as the Pirate king.