You: I thought you weren't showing panels in your videos anymore? Me: Well I'm not (shhh), it's just that this was one of the most impactful sections of OP yet and there were a couple scenes that just felt wrong not to show a little bit of
Kanjuro was introduced to the story in 2013 and this reveal was in 2020. 7 years of Oda laughing at us and leaving clues we had no chance to pick up on. Makes you wonder what else is right in our face that he’s laughing about
Would love for you to do a sunday stream with Merphy to celebrate her getting caught up if the two of you are up for it. Would be fun to see you both read the chapter and do a little mini review together.
I love how we get Kanjuro, who we thought was one of our closest allies, but instead turns out to be one of our biggest enemies, and Kyoshiro, who we thought was one of our biggest enemies, but turns out to be Denjiro, one of our closest allies.
If you didnt notice, Clone clone fruit and the Barrier barrier fruit was former from Orochi subordinates which we hate so much. And the carrier of those fruits now are the most loved non-strawhat and most loyal to Luffy. (Bon Clay and Barto)
"the most loved non-strawhat and most loyal to Luffy. (Bon Clay and Barto)" the best part about this statement is that either of them could be seen as either of those things. Love those two. god I wanna see Bon Clay again.
It says a lot about Oden that Pops called him brother. He calls everyone else his son but no, Oden is his brother. Its also funny how he reacted when Oden decided to go with Roger. When he got upset that his crew traded for their food and forced them to give it back lol. Him worrying about Odens family was cute. Such a beautiful and insightful backstory.
Yo Merphy, you might've missed it but Roger didnt explicitly state he wanted to be pirate king. There was a VERY convenient cut when he told Pops and Oden his plans, which mirrors how Luffy explained his dream to Sabo and Ace in the post-war arc. If you re-read those two moments, you might notice that Ace and Sabo have bandages in the exact same place that Pops and Oden does. It's such a small but extremely important detail.
@@Damnitgary I was trying to point out that being pirate king probably wasn't what he was trying to do. That cut-away as Roger explains his dream to WB is just too suspicious.
Yup. Pirate King is just something people started calling him, it's an epithet similar to what the Navy gives all Pirates when they get their bounties. Roger had a completely different goal, and they tossed that label onto him without him asking.
Roger laughing is my favorite panel in the series. It's such a wholesome hype and bitter sweet seeing Roger accomplish his dream while on his last days.
A minor thing I love about Oden's story that I don't see brought up ever. Gecko Moria said in Thriller Bark that Luffy could never survive on the Seas of the New World, but in this flashback he proves why he was wrong himself. Moria arrives in Wano, to a land where a former legendary hero is dancing naked in the streets every day. Moria just decides to ignore this and go straight for Kaido's head. Naturally this doesn't go well for Moria, but if he had explored the island more and discovered Oden, and his Samurai, they may have been able to make a difference together. Luffy would never do this. He would see the half naked man dancing, and decide the guy needs to join his crew. They would then team up to defeat the King of Beasts, and they would have won. Just another small reason why Luffy is better than most pirates in this world just by virtue of being Luffy.
Mihawk perceived this during the Paramount War. It has been interesting to see as Luffy gets closer to his goal, his main adversaries are progressively perceptive. I guess with more power comes wisdom.
@@jorgiebutt He was right honestly. The ability to turn strangers and enemies into allies is a terrifyingly strong power. The best part of it all to me is that Luffy achieves it all subconsciously. He isn't actually trying to make alliances or manipulate people... they just get caught up in his wake, and are pulled along.
Absolutely love the way Oda used Time travel in this manner, by allowing a character to jump forward into future and kinda implying that power can only make you jump forward in time, he got rid of the biggest problem, for me personally, in time travel stories. There is no time loop paradox which can be formed by a character jumping back in time.
Also 5 acts structure is not a given. The structure can last from a 3 act to 12 acts. It was just few people in community who jumped into conclusion saying 5 act structure is a given. It is more like a 4 act structure which we find in More Japanese folk and fairy tales where 1 and 2 acts set up, 3rd act finishes all the fights with final act 4 being the conclusion
@@hannibal9503 after 1037, Oda has given up on the act structure. Instead of full intermission chapters on what's going on outside Wano, he just switched back to in chapter cut aways. Oda tried to change up his style but in the middle of Onigashima he couldn't really find space for an act 3 cut away chapter revealing I dunno Greenbull.
@@charlesacker9174 yeah, but that is still technically in the act 3. like everyone was saying it Oda's going for a jo-ha-kyu kind of structure while forgetting that most fairytales were in Kishotenketsu structure, where acts 2 and 3 have major bulk of the entire story with conclusion being the final act.
Interesting thing about the "Blackbeard doesn't sleep" factoid: This was actually foreshadowed as far back as Ace's fight with him, where he remarks that Blackbeard of all people really should understand the consequences of what he's done, being that he "lives twice as much as other people." The official TL missed this and simplified it to just "You've been around for a long time" or something to that effect, which is understandable because it was a *very* strange statement in Japanese and nobody knew what it meant until here, but... The Japanese phrasing specifically emphasized the "twice as much life" thing and Shanks used the exact same "twice" word in the flashback here. So it was almost certainly referring to this back then too. (And no, it was not saying that Blackbeard was twice as old as Ace. We have the canonical ages for both of them. Blackbeard was 38 at the time, not 40.)
There’s also the SBS when Oda drew the warlords as kids; young Blackbeard was shown crying beneath a moonlit night sky, the only one with such a prominent background.
I love how Merphy doesn't mention about the Emperors bounties. Unlike us, who're so fanatic with power scaling, she cares more about characters, and that's a very refreshing to see
@@Xeno455 I know what you mean. It's supposed to be a clout scaling. But you see, there're still lots of discussion that associate clout with power (which is technically not wrong. Power is huge factor to clout after all). So the way Merphy doesn't care about who has the highest bounty shows that she's not that invested with scaling
When that chapter dropped the fandom went wild. The bounties do tell us some things, like Shanks being below Big Mom/Kaido but his crew has the highest average bounty. So Big Mom and Kaido have plenty of Fodder, but every member of Shanks crew is probably supernova 100 million plus. Rockstar was the newest recruit and had 94 million, so I'll assume he's the weakest. Still has a higher bounty than Franky.
Underappreciated moment. When we were introduced to Cat Viper and Dogstorm their gimmick was that they "fought like cat and dogs." As they make their escape Oda reveals that their lifelong animosity is survivors guilt. The two have been pointing fingers at each other ever since their collective failure to prevent Oden's execution. Textbook example of Show Don't Tell.
i love how whitebeard refers to oden as his little brother instead of as one of his sons, it’s just one of those little things that changes their whole dynamic
@@Michael-vl7ey Ace was the second division commander. Marco the Phoenix was the first division commander, and his constant proximity to Whitebeard definitely indicated him as the second in command overall - i.e, the first mate. But Marco also referred to Whitebeard as "Pops" so really that just further proves your point.
Roger can't read the Poneglyphs but he can hear the voice of all things, this has been said by Rayleigh in the story before, that makes him able to kinda know some things, but not really understanding them fully, if that makes sense.
I absolutely love the panel of Oden in the boiling oil holding up the Red Scabbards. It embodies everything that he is as a character. He was too big for his own good. From the beginning to his death, he stayed true to himself and never sought to explain his actions. The people of wano (us readers as well), their view of him just fluctuated from hate to love as they started to understand him. His biggest strength was that he wanted to shelter his world, but it was also his biggest flaw because no one man his capable of such a feat alone. He never learned to rely on his vassals. It's the biggest difference between him and Luffy.
the part about him being a lonewolf and never relying on his vassals (until the very last moment) gets so much better in hindsight. oden definitely messed up trying to take care of this alone but saving his vassals (and taking them in in the first place) turned out to be his biggest achievement. if he never saved each of them from their life of misery no one would be fighting for his dream today, this raid on onigashima would’ve never came to be. that’s also why it sounds disingenuous when a part of the community says they dont feel emotionally invested in wano and straight up chooses to ignore all the drama surrounding oden, hyogoro, kinemon, the dukes, yasuie, ashura, momo, the rest of the retainers. (spoiler alert : i will never forget kinemon’s poignant words to luffy in ch.1000 "alas when i pass on..i have nothing to show lord oden but..my shame!" 🥲🥲🥲🥲)
@@Jabbberwocky Yeah and it was said that the heat went over 700 Degrees and kept increasing. That was basically the heat of lava at that point. And Oden was in there for an hour while holding up all his men. He was a beast.
"He laughed" as you see Roger's face completely taking over the panel with the biggest open mouthed laugh! Such a simple two word line and yet soooo imapctful! And then you have the, "We all did. Until tears started flowing down our faces". Oh man...this is one of the most amazing moments in the entire series! Whenever I remember this, I get a smile on my face. Now this is what you call writing done right!
Oden is absolutely one of my favorite characters. The misunderstood, quiet hero of Wano who died both a legend and yet a fool. Wano Act 3 is so good. The Tale of Laughter, who could have seen it coming? The Raftel reveal got us all. The samurai and their name origins. Gosh, act 3 is great. It only gets better. Can't believe you're almost a weekly reader now. Edit: I'm so excited for you to read the raid on Onigashima and certain location + piece.
FYI: In chapter 134 when Luffy and Sanji were carrying Nami on Drum Island, Luffy mentions that he once heard in a village tavern that people in snow countries don't sleep.
For added context: Oda drew Blackbeard as a child in an SBS, and in it he shows him looking at the moon, and oddly enough it snowing. The person in the tavern that Luffy probably heard it from was from Shanks and co. (one of the few bars he goes to), whom would also have met Blackbeard and heard of this detail as seen in the flashback.
Dont worry, the entire fandom is crazy about Oden. Also, all that Rocks Pirates info is legit, the World Government weren't hyping them up, in fact they tried to bury their existence.
Personally I don't care for Oden. I feel like everyone in the series (bad guys and good guys) love, respect and/or fear him way too much. He did some very stupid and selfish things all throughout his life and no one ever acknowledges them, or if they do, they go "oh well, that's our Oden!" and shrug them off to the point where he just comes off like a Gary Stue (and that's without mentioning the fact that both White Beard and Rogers fought to have him on their crews, he found out all of the world's secret, married a beautiful time traveler that knew the void century first hand, was the one that read the Poneglyphs to Rogers and wrote on them for him, is the only man that ever scarred Kaido, etc. Everything about him reads like a fanfiction self-insert the same way Sabo does). I feel like he's a weaker and less effective rethread of Calgara and Noland from the Skypiea flashback: larger-than-life historical figures that helped shape and inspire the current generations by their heroic and sad tales. It also doesn't sit well with me that his flashback story is practically the only one Luffy didn't sleep through or otherwise ignore. Jimbei's backstory? Don't care. Nami's backstory? Don't want to know. ODEN'S BACKSTORY? I'M ALL EARS!
No, I think Merphy is right to doubt the information. Many more have pointed this out, we never heard anyone but the marines talking about Rocks and them being this evil group, but according to the Marines, the Straw Hats are also a pirate group that needs to be eliminated, they never give them credit for the good things they do. The Marines are not a reliable source. Randy Troy (One Piece youtuber) even thinks that Rocks may have been like Luffy at some point, found out the One Piece but instead of laughing like Roger, he got angry at it and tried to take down the celestial dragons at God's Valley. Roger and Garp stopped him, and only after that fight did Roger tried to find the One Piece himself. Prior to that, he was just sailling the seas. Rocks could have said something to Roger that made him decide to look for the One Piece, and when he did, he laughed instead of getting angry. Remember what Rayleigh said to the Straw Hats? That they may reach a different conclusion when they find the One Piece? Of course, this is all speculation. But Rocks being evil is definitely not a confirmed fact, it's just what the Marines and the World Government have stated. They even tried to bury their existence. The WG and the Marines hate all pirate groups, so we should wait to know more about the Rocks Pirates and Xebec himself before jumping into conclusions.
@@Decubitus I definitely would've liked him alot more if he wasn't as hyped up by everyone in the story. Also the point about Luffy is interesting and somewhat frustrating lol
@@Ricardonsg the main reason why I don't believe that theory has to do with Rocks' crew that we do know of. Whitebeard is cool, but there was also Big Mom and Kaido on that crew. Pair that with Rocks seeming to be a parallel of Blackbeard, and there's good reason to think Rocks wasn't a good guy.
Odens song was a clue to his death the whole time! “Oden wouldn’t be Oden if it wasn’t boiled!” As Oden was dancing, singing and being the fool of a lord for all that time, The people of Wano started to turn their backs on him. But since they heard the song so many times it stuck with them. After Shinobu told the people what Oden had done for them they got behind him once again and they cheered him on during the boiling. This leads into one of my favorite moments of the flashback! Before Oden dies he declares that he will not be forgotten and he poses! Oden says “Oden wouldn’t be Oden!” BOOM Kaido shoots him before he can complete the full sentence. As Oden falls into the pot I love that the people of Wano yell “if it wasn’t boiled!” And complete the sentence for him! It was so powerful to me!
Oden is interesting to me because he’s a great narrative foil with Luffy. With the difference being he puts everything on his own shoulders, while Luffy throughout the journey and especially after the timeskip has been relying on his friends much more.
It's so refreshing to watch someone simply enjoying the ride by appreciating and loving One Piece for the wonderful story that it is. Concerning Orochi. One Peace is a story about taking destiny into your own hands, and not letting the past dictate your present and future. Just because horrible things happened to you in past doesn't justify your acts of cruelty in the present. Take Nami for example. She could've used her past as an excuse to be bitter and resentful toward Fish-Men. But she chose to leave the past behind through forgiveness. It takes someone of strong will to take this route. So Orochi still had a choice to make. And he made the choice to be cruel. That's on him.
Yeah but remember, not everybody is the same or act the same, just because one person did something doesn't mean that other person can do that as well Also you orichi's tragedy fells way more personal than nami's
@@golem001px Nami as a child saw her mother murdered in cold blood by a Fish-Man and her entire town enslaved. So that was pretty personal too. I agree. Not everyone reacts the same to those situations because not everyone has the same level of support and inner strength. But, choices still have to be made. Not everything in life is deterministic. The strong willed generally find a way to overcome their past circumstances no matter how dark they’ve been. They create their own future. Luffy vs Katakuri illustrated that very well. The weak on the other hand will often allow themselves to be overtaken by the darkness, surrendering their free will while blaming everything on the past.
That Oden flashback is so good that we even forget our protagonist is not even born yet And yes, after 900+ and more chapter, to finally see the story of the king of pirates and his journey is a feeling that I can't ever described for. That chapter, to you and us the reader who mostly begin many years ago is the same joy. Oda give us cliffhanger there, but we can't helped but smile when Roger laughed :)
Oden is actually based on a real life person named Goemon who was the Japanese version of Robin Hood, and when he was eventually captured they boiled him alive in oil with his son, but he held his son above his head while he boiled alive so his son could live
I will admit that It's a summarized version of the story but if it interests you, there is a lot more to it as well as multiple endings due to everyone telling their own version of it as time went on
Fun fact about Kanjuro being the traitor: In previous scenes where he's used his drawing ability, he's always drawn with his left hand. The terrible, dysfunctional drawings he has always produced have been the product of him using his non dominant hand. Then he reveals himself to be the traitor. Now that the pretense is over, now that his drawings are no longer being used to benefit his enemies, he switches to his right hand and produces a beautiful swan. What makes me extra sad about this is Ryunosuke (the dragon who carried them onto Zou and Robin fell in love with). He was made to suffer pretty much on purpose, and he was such a good boy.
She mentions in the video that her Patreons compiled several instances of clues that Kanjuro was the traitor, including the hand he used to hold his brush.
YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON TO WATCH ARC REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES! The way you articulate the story beats and the implications, and how much it means to you, is so well spoken and well written. It wells up all the emotions I had when I read the chapters for the first time, and reminds me of how far we have come from the rubber boy in a barrel in the sea. I am happy to be a part of the straw hat fan club, and I am glad that people like you are a part of it with me. Only a little further and you'll be caught up with the rest of us.
Orochi was not very interesting to me at first, but learning his backstory really turned it around for me. When we first met him, he just seemed like a typical hedonistic dictator who feasts and parties while his country falls into ruin because he just doesn't care and will do anything to stay in power. But then that flashback revealed his true motivation and it turned out to be the exact opposite. The feasting and partying is just a side benefit. The falling into ruin is the point. Everything he has done is not about power, but about revenge on the entire nation of Wano. He is doing to the country what it did to his grandfather: forcing it to destroy itself. He's driven completely by hatred, almost like Hody Jones, and that depth of madness is really compelling to me. That said, I still utterly loathe him. His backstory didn't redeem him at all in my eyes, it just made him way more interesting.
The whole Oden flashback is definitely one of my favourite parts in the entire series we got to see so many past evens happen - we saw Oden and his scabbards and how they met eachother, we saw the legendary Whitebeard and his commanders and the crazy clash btw him and Oden, we learnt about Toki and her power and got to see baby hiyori and momo, then we saw the KING OF THE PIRATES HIMSELF Gol D. Roger and his EPIC clash with WB and the crews facing off against eachother, we see them travel all around the world Skypiea, Water 7 (FRANKY MET ODEN!!!), Fishman Island and saw the younger versions of ppl that we've met earlier and Roger's final journey to Laugh Tale. We also saw Orochi's past and Kaido vs Oden
one of the things that struck me the most about the flashback was the feeling of mythology, which Oda excels at throughout One Piece. It's told like a story passed down for generations. Especially that one line, "It is said that the entire town tilted as every man took one step towards Oden before hesitating."
Something I think that is key to take away from the flashback that you didn't mention was Kaido. Taking into account that in the present we know he's an alcoholic and suicidal and looking for a place to die. He's never met anyone quite like Oden since. During their battle he receives his first scar and then only because of the help of the shape-shifting witch was Kaido able to defeat Oden. Imagine the shame. Then during the execution before he shoots Oden he actually apologizes for the witch. He had her killed. Reminds me a tad bit of Katakuri in wanting to keep the honor. I think Kaido gained much respect for Oden that day and has been depressed since because he hasn't been able to meet anyone on Odens caliber. I can't wait for Kaido's flashback. Side note: I love Odens speech at the end before he died. "Oden wouldn't be Oden...." *gets shot and dies smiling* and then the whole village yells out "IF IT WASNT BOILED!!!" Finishing Odens signature phrase. I'm surprised you didn't mention that moment. That's the moment I shed manly tears. 😭😭
Could be an anime change or a translation change, but I'm pretty sure on the official release it was "my name is Kozuki Oden and I was born to boil" with the crowd picking up the "to boil" part
I thought people were yelling out Oden's name, because he was shot to death. And sentence structure in Japanese is such that the end of the sentence "Oden wouldn't be oden if it wasn't boiled" is "ODEN!!!" Nobody seems to talk about this, so maybe it isn't true? Did that many witnesses of his death know his signature phrase? It makes more sense that the majority of people would just be shouting his name, not finishing off some silly catchphrase while watching their hope or whatever just get murdered.
Luffy, Law, and Kid showing up at the perfect time after all the despair and dropping that line, "When you're at sea, you fight against pirates" was one of the best panels in the series. The line was simple but powerful and their faces in the rain immediately brought so much hope.
Dude hell yes! I went to the comments looking for this exact scene, I thought it was so badass! I haven't seen it in the anime, but just reading it I'm like oh shit somethings about to go down!
The "When you're at sea, you fight against pirates" is one of the most cathartic moments of any series I've ever experienced. Everything is so unbelievably hopeless and we finally get to see Luffy's grinning face. Just like you, I could not put into words how it made me feel. It's just perfect.
Fun fact about the way oden died (or maybe not so fun), it was based on a historical case of a samurai who was sentenced to death by boiling in oil and let his kid survive by holding them up above himself. Also, Kinemon is the most ingenious strategist Wano has ever seen, it totally was not a buggy moment
Oda’s mastery of the flashback is put on true display here. No other story I’ve experienced has flashbacks used as effectively as One Piece. In almost every other story whenever flashback starts I roll my eyes. It usually kills the momentum of a story. But with Oda, I get even more excited. His flashbacks are always crazy informative and overwhelmingly powerful.
We also welcome info dumps in One Piece, and that's something that almost universally hated. Arcs like post-Enies Lobby or Reverie, that I LOVE, are big info dumps that we'd usually hate in any other story, but in One Piece we want even more of them. One Piece is also the only series where the main cast can be seen for the last time half-way through the chapter released on October 21, 2019, and reappear in the last panel of the chapter released on March 16, 2020 (FIVE MONTHS LATER) and most people remained happy and wanting even more (there were a bunch of really vocal shonentards saying it was too long, but the vast majority was really happy following Oden's story). Oda makes people work differently.
Oden was born to boil. He always put himself in the pot and suffered by himself in silence. It is admirable but it is also why he failed. He did not rely on his allies and instead chose to suffer by himself which is why he failed and Luffy will succeed because Luffy is willing to share his burdens with his friends.
This review left me with such a huge smile on my face, probably just as big as the smile I had reading this part of act 3 weekly. It was such a surreal experience going through Roger and Oden's journey, seeing the essentially road map that the Pirate King took in his day, and leaving it all with more questions, but an INTENSE conviction to see Kaido and Orochi taken down once and for all. Truly the perfect start to Act 3, can't wait for you to read the rest :) !!
I love how Merphy has become such a One Piece fan so quickly with tshirts and mugs :D I was honestly worried about actually getting significant parts of Roger in the story because Oda built him up as such a larger than life character even with well written characters, I dont feel they come close to what was told. But Oda did not miss. Roger is potentially even greater than Oda set him up to be and that's amazing. A testament to Oda's writing and art.
I`m gonna be honest with you, when i saw Roger and his crew laughing so much, i was crying like a waterfall with a lot of feelings, i felt like i was witnessing an epilogue that was so satisfactory, so recopilatory, so magnificent , that I just started crying. And just to make it more nostalgic, in the anime, they put on the first ending song from One Piece... oh God, that broke me...
Little side Note: Buggy and Toki were the only ones getting sick and also the only ones with DFs at that time at the crew, as far as we know. Toki has her DF longer then Buggy and she got sick first, maybe there is sth near the last Island that causes that.
Toki was more so plot and so she didn’t find the one piece as she could of maybe provided more context about the void century and the connecting surrounding mystery’s. Buggy tho I’ve had similar ideas about buggy being sick due to having a fruit and an idea that just cements (to me anyway)that buggy may actually be joining up with the straw hats near the end or at the actual island maybe with or without shanks and even Blackbeard . As far as we know neither had step foot on the island and it would be a perfect place for the real candidates of pirate king and false candidates to be there to duke it out or provide another perspective on what should happen once it’s been found and potentially buggys fruit powers could be more important and potentially hold other powers once awakened
Something his awakening could do would be assignments of the chop chop fruit to his surroundings and if we believe in the red line theory maybe it will be instrumental in breaking up the red line again, chopppimg and separating all the islands that create the redline and this would be a parallel to when luffy gave buggy the piece he needed to find captain johns treasure therefore he returns the favour by helping luffy change the world whilst also keeping to his lucky quirk of moving up to higher echelons of legendary status and characters
Roger's laugh is probably one of the most iconic moments of the series. Shows that as an author if you play it right you don't need drama necessarily to make a big scene hit. It's just Roger laughing about something we don't know, and yet it gives you goosebumps.
As well, it's Roger's arrival at Laugh Tale. That fact alone adds to the awe of that scene. Ever since Reverse Mountain, that island has been a place of amazement and spectacle, the end point of Luffy's journey to find the One Piece. Even the glimpse of it we get in the Oden flashback is enough to leave every reader awestruck.
The Oden flash back is unrivaled. From the action to the emotional scenes. It just fills me with so many emotions. One Piece rides that line of fun a adventure show when it's serious time, you feel it. It hits you right in the gut. Sometimes I rewatch scenes just to get that emotion reaction again and make myself cry. It just feels so satisfying.
Oden’s flashback I think will stand the test of time as some of the best chapters of one piece. Oda loves a good flashback, but often they give us just a brief vignette of someone’s past to add context to the present story. While Oden’s flashback still serves that narrative purpose, it stands as a succinct and compelling arc in and of itself while managing to deliver incredible world building moments (including the “he laughed” panel which lives rent free in my mind as something we won’t get truly pay off until the series nears it’s end). Reading it week to week was just a joy, but I can’t wait to reread it once Wano is complete.
This video was great! The portion you covered here was just indescribably good. And yeah the hard to explain feeling of seeing Roger find the One Piece was just total awe and emotion. I think its like... The first time you really feel the end of the series approaching. And that drawing of Roger laughing... You can really see how much heart Oda put into that one. Can't believe you've nearly caught up! Thanks for the awesome video :)
It had all the heart of something you know Oda had been thinking about and wanting to draw for years. Like he'd done it a hundred ways in his mind until it was perfect
I think saying "awe" and "reverence" to describe how we experience Roger's story is right. For more than 900 chapters we were told how this one person died as the "coolest" man in the world. Later when we meet Rayleigh we are told how he was always the coolest, even before becoming pirate king, and we start getting the feeling that this extended to Rayleigh and the rest of Roger's crew as well. Their story is a legend held up by rumors and intrigue. And then we see how it actually played out... and they were 100% legendary and worthy of the expectations we had created for years. A lot of stories demystify the one legendary figure that was talked about from the beginning, and it ends up with them being 30% awesome, 60% flawed and 10% old drunks. That isn't necessarily bad, but we got the opposite of that here with Roger, and it was so much fun and breathtaking.
Oden's story is what Luffy's story would be if he fails. It's what Luffy's story would be if he had Oden's fatal flaw of taking the whole load of responsibility. Luffy instead relies on his crew
Luffy's argument with Vivi was an excellent example of why Orochi's trick of using hostages would never work on him and spotlights the difference between him and Oden, Luffy understands that it's naive to think he can literally save everyone. In war people die.
@@emeldy2687 So you think that if Luffy was threatened and blackmailed by Orochi and Kaido with the lives of hostages, innocent people, and his family, Luffy would still chose violence and not choose the way that would save lives? I don't think so. Luffy has shown time and time again that he's willing to sacrifice himself and his dreams for the ones closest to him. He and Zoro were submitted to humiliation in Mock Town by Bellamy and his crew. If you switched Oden with Luffy, Luffy would have done the same thing as Oden, saving lives. Now, if we switched not just Oden but also his Retainers with Luffy and the Strawhats, then sure, maybe things would've been different.
@@dzts2385 Yes. With bellamy they didnt need to use force. But hostages, they absolutely would. The only time he didnt was wih sanji because he trusts sanji, but also, he is really good a judge of character that sanji would not betray him. Luffy would not be fooled easy and do what he deems right in that situation, and go straight rescue the people instead. Or ask his crew doing that and attack kaido and orochi. That he relis on his cre more is a big difference too. .
@@marocat4749 So going by your logic, Luffy would have gotten hundreds of innocent people killed. Because if Kaido and Orochi threatened and blackmailed him with lives of the hostages and citizens, you would think Luffy would use his head and not chose violence. It's hard for me to believe that. And this has nothing to do with naivety, it's about either sacrificing yourself to save people, or start a war and cause hundreds of innocent people to die. Luffy is willing to endure humiliation, as mentioned above. He's not that stupid that he can't tell the situation, if he sees that his attacks get blocked by the man with the barrier and then sees all those hostages, he would definitely sacrifice himself to save them if it meant that his people and his family do not get hurt.
Also the most important thing in this entire Oden flash back is that Roger and his crew made it to Laughtale and found the One Piece too early. It's also why Oden tells his retainers to open the land of Wano so that whoever comes " The Strawhat's duh" can save Wano and can also find the One Piece in the future. Toki also sends the Scabbards 20 years into the future when the Straw Hat's arrive.
The section with people reacting to Sabo in the newspapers seems to mostly imply that he's dead, but my favorite theory is that the "incident with Alabasta" is the death of its king, Cobra, and that the shocking thing in the newspapers is Sabo being framed for murdering him at the Reverie.
My theory is that sabo actually the one who kill Cobra because Sabo trying to save Vivi from Gorosei. Cobra afraid Gorosei who sees that will think Arabasta kingdom Have connection with Revolutionary Army and afraid Arabasta got buster call by government...Cobra make a plan with Sabo to kill him in front of Gorosei so, Sabo will look like he's trying to kidnapp Vivi and assassinated Cobra
My favorite theory is that Sabo and Vivi are getting married and the revolutionaries all react how they do because they think it means Sabo betrayed them. There's no way it's true, I just like it because it would be so unexpected.
@@JoshTheValiant it’s more likely that sabo was framed for something. In the latest chapters, the 5 elders implied the reverie did not go their way. If sabo joined them, that woulda been a huge win for them
The translations I've read had Shanks _ask Roger some question_ after his return from Laugh Tale rather than making some kind of an admission. And it was Roger's answer that made him cry. Which gives that situation a bit of a different context, but still makes me go *_AAAA WHAT DID THEY TALK ABOUT???_* just the same.
People have made this connection in the past, but you can see a lot of Oden in not only Luffy but Zoro and Sanji as well. All 3 have qualities that Oden displayed in the flashback. I just think it’s a nice little nod by Oda.
Yup, Oden knocking out Kin'emon during the mountain god incident and taking on the pain of boiling to save his retainers reminded me Zoro's nothing happened moment and how he saved Toki and took care of her, had a whole harem in his younger years reminds me of Sanji
Oden is not Sanji. Where are we seen Oden simp uncontrollably whenever there’s a woman around? His reaction when he met Toki is basically how Luffy would react in that situation. If Oden is Sanji simply because he rescued a woman then he’s also Robin since he can read the Poneglyphs, Nami since he keeps a log, can draw maps, and struck a bargain with his enemy to protected his country.
I cried for like 90% of the flashback chapters back when it was releasing weekly. Utter perfection in emotional payoff. And you gotta remember, Roger was basically a mythological legend in the real world as much as in the series, having been introduced TWENTY years prior and until then only getting quotes and glimpses and abridged anecdotes. Getting to finally meet Roger as a character, after 20 years of hype, and having it meet expectations if not just blown past them, oof. Oda is truly a god.
You thought Roger could read them because everything kind of hinted that he could. In Skypiea Roger left a message in the same language the poneglyphs have and when the Strawhats met Rayleigh, Robin asked him directly how was he able to do that (chapter 507), to which Rayleigh answered "Another thing, Roger didn't actually decipher those ancient writings, we are pirates, there is no way our intellects could match the prodigal Professor Clover or the other scholars of Ohara. He was able to hear the voices of all the things in the world, that's all." which... Sure, technically doesn't say he knew how to read them but also kind of says he could in a way and also leaves out that they had a guy on their crew that could read them. I think this is like that one thing in Return of the Jedi, when Luke asks Obi-Wan why did he say his father died if he didn't and Obi-Wan says something like "well, depending on how you look at it, I didn't lie, that dude's not Anakik anymore".
The similarities between Luffy & The StrawHats and Oden & The Scabbards have already been made plenty of times by the famdom , same with the key difference in that Oden tried to do everything by himself while Luffy openly admits that he can't do anything whithout his crew
Ever since you started reviewing One Piece I was just waiting for you to do this Flashback because... It's as you say; it is Perfect. It's a whole story in this flashback and added so more to the world and you forget Luffy and his crew exist. Hard to top that.
A fun fact! Oden's flashback is the longest time One Piece hasnt shown Luffy, and while not showing your lead character for so long generally isnt a good idea, I think everyone wouldve been fine with Oden's flashback being longer.
The Kanjuro reveal hit me so hard I went in denial. For a good few pages after that I still was waiting for the twist in a twist... Oda, my man... why do you do this to me ?
Rayleigh exact words are "He can hear the voice of all things." And he followed it up by "We are a 'group' of pirates. We are not as smart as you people in Ohara." Rayleigh saying that maybe the foreshadow of someome in their group reading it but not directly mentioning it.
While I am a weekly manga reader for the past 9 years the Laugh Tale reveal really hit me differently in the anime… I completely broke down crying after hearing the first ending. That was such a smart choice of soundtrack, especially knowing that the ending of Roger’s journey was the start of Luffy’s ❤️🩹
It's not mistranslation, it was actually a play of word based on how Japanese people pronounce English word, many have missed it including me who actually have been familiar with this concept for long.
On Zou Jack came back again so that means some one had a Vivre card there was no way Jack could track down Zounesha twice with out it because Zounesha is always moving. From there it was clear the traitor must be on the island.
Toki is Japanese for "time", which is apt given her power. On the same note, Tama is Japanese for "ball", which also is quite fitting her power. I haven't quite figured out how Toko fits into this. And 25:00: In Skypiea, they find an inscription next to the poneglyph on the belfry, in poneglyphs script, signed by Roger. In Sabaody pre-timeskip, Rayleigh said they were naught but humble pirates, they couldn't read them. But Roger could "hear" them (the same power we've seen awakening in Luffy a few times). So we all assumed he just understood them. Until this flashback, when it turns out he did indeed have an inside man on his crew all along.
Seeing as Toko doesn't have powers, she was just meant to be someone who tied the crew together on a personal level with Ieyasu and Hiyori. She was also someone who met most of the crew because of Sanji's soba (also meeting Robin, Usopp and Franky there) and Hiyori's escape and getting rescued by Zoro. I think she also met Brook after that. With her Smile tragedy, she also represents all of the leftover town and the everyperson in Wano outside of the capital, a child working hard as an attendant just to stay afloat. She's a pretty damn good addition to the arc imho.
@@MasterHigure I think I might know, but it's just a wild guess I immediately thought up just now, and a particularly dark one I don't enjoy. But considering "O-Toko" is a joke of a name thought up by Oda, and how Toko is suffering from the side effects of the Smile fruits, which cause her to laugh even when she doesn't want to, well... Yeah. Her name may be tied into her tragic situation right now. It's not a perfect explanation and I may be talking out my ass like I know more than I really do, but it's at least something.
One thing I really loved here is the reinforcing, again, that something big is coming like when Pedro said his crew were called the Knox pirates because they were waiting for the dawn that his heroes looked to (i.e. Roger and Co.) "and its always darkest before the dawn" I love how Roger, having gained all the answers effectively said the information and the one piece wasn't meant for his crew, that they were born in the wrong time and he wished he could see what 'they' (the ones who its all meant for) would do with it - also now I really want to know who put it all there because originally I had thought it was Roger
in the Laugh Tale episode, the first ending of the anime called "Memories" started playing and I swear to God it was the most emotional I've ever gotten with this series in over 6 years of being caught up 😭
I 've been rereading (for like the 15th time, I 've been caught up with one piece for about 10 years now) one piece and each arc I finish I watch your videos. It's so exciting to see someone who discovers this amazing world for the first time, I did it with totally not mark and now with you. Nice to have a new nakama, hope you 're not disappointed with where Wano is going. Odens flashback was one of my favorites cause I got to see my father, Shirohige (Whitebeard). Also a theme throughout one piece, parents abandoning their children and wives to go change the world :P
The thing about the Kanjuro reveal, there were hints, such as him shouting where they’re going when escaping Wano, him not getting a bounty in Dressrosa, etc… And the interesting thing about him drawing is he draws left handed but he’s right handed.
😂 I love how she’s looking more I got he buggy being sick…. When we learn via the anime that clears it up, he was just sick and that’s his luck 😂. And shanks didn’t tell roger anything, it was roger who told shanks something that made him cry, most likely it was that the crew was disbanding or that roger was gonna die. Either way 10/10 review of this arc! Can’t wait for the rest!
"At sea you fight against pirates" CHILLS! And one detail that's usually overlooked at this point: Kanjuro took Yasuie's remains, allegedly to give him burial
Reminded me of the wild Traitor theories floating around at that time. There was a theory for the traitor's ID for every possible character ranging from all of the scabbards, to Shinobu to Hiyori to even Law (to save his crew when they were captured by Hawkins). Then the "Hour of the Legends" chapter dropped and everyone thought that it definitely can't be anyone of the scabbards. Oh Goda, giving us the false sense of security then stabbing us where it hurt the most. Also, did you notice that when Roger said what his dream was to Whitebeard and Oden, Oda did not show what Roger said. He just showed Oden's and Whitebeard's reactions. The exact same thing happened during Luffy's backstory with Ace and Sabo.
Also shows why, even as the Straw Hats were all devastated after knowing what the Minks went through to protect Raizo, Kinemon was less surprised. Had he been captured and tortured for information on any of his comrades he’d do the exact same thing without hesitation.
Kanjuro was the best fictional betrayal that I've ever witnessed, hands down. I don't feel betrayed, I feel TAUNTED. Laughed at, by Oda, having a traitor for dozens and dozens of chapters besides our main crew. I love this series.
The Oden flashback is one of my favourite parts of the story. What an amazing character Oda created and the interaction with Roger and WB, just incredible. Made even better by the song that we all know from emotional moments in the story being called 'Gold and Oden'. What a wild ride.
I love the manga but there's something about the music, the movement, the colors in the show that increase my emotional response to One Piece, especially certain scenes, and the scene of Roger and crew laughing when they found the One Piece had me bawling my eyes out. Such an impactful, reverent moment, in the lore but also to us fans who have been in love with this story for so long. To finally be here, even if we still don't know what it is, but just knowing that the result is laughing with your friends; I think it's perfect. I think it helps remind us that One Piece as a story is about the journey, it's about the adventures with the people you care about. Like you said, after you read that chapter you had to sit with it, & I had to replay that scene over and over to just soak it all in. It was peak One Piece, the whole flashback with Oden, Whitebeard and Roger was peak One Piece, and I'm so glad we got to experience it after so many years of worldbuilding and laying groundwork. Gahh I'm just gushing haha
One of my favourite minor things about the flashback was seeing the Clone-Clone and Bari-Bari fruits in Wano. It’s just super cool to see the previous owner of some of the devil fruits we’ve already ran into! (Bon Clay and Bartolomeo)
You're almost caught up and honestly it has been so enjoyable watching you go through this experience. I try to just listen to your vids but honestly your expressions keep me fully invested in it. Most of my experience in sharing one-piece moments have been through comment sections and it's nice to see someone make the same faces I do when I read.
Fun fact: From the start of Act 3, through till 974, was the longest stretch of One Piece chapters without Luffy at all in them. Kinda interesting to contrast with the big stretch in the Whitebeard War Saga where Luffy’s on his own for a few arcs.
Hey merphy, you probably won't see this but I just wanted to tell you, I'm soo happy you are adding pictures back into your reviews, I really missed their absence and don't understand why you stopped (I saw the video where you explained it) but it still doesn't make sense. You are making review videos if people don't want spoilers they shouldn't watch a review. The pictures also help because although I love the series like you, I have trouble remembering names so when you add pannels showing the character your describing it helps me remember them myself. Please keep adding pictures, and keep up the amazing videos. :)
your patreons are absolutely right in making you stop in this chapter. the genius part I said was on the next chapters... I can't wait to see your reaction. it's too genious...
What really hits me about this story is that Oda thought of the ending when he was around 17 years old so I just imagine a kid daydreaming about pirates while he was busting tables at the old bar he just to work at as he saw many Japanese business men strip all their formalities with their peers as they shared sake that's why banks sake is so important and that why the one piece just might be the greatest toast and party in the world where sake is shared and bonds are build with all the species of the one piece worl how we are just all here listening and patiently waiting for this 17 year old to finish his story that has taken 20 plus year to finish and wishing that it would take another 20 years to conclude
You: I thought you weren't showing panels in your videos anymore?
Me: Well I'm not (shhh), it's just that this was one of the most impactful sections of OP yet and there were a couple scenes that just felt wrong not to show a little bit of
Thank you.
Show more panels . Other big youtubers do the same brief showing of. Clips . They’re channels are not flagged .
It adds to the video
Yeah, it would feel wrong to talk about "He laughed" without showing that absolutely legendary panel
Not used to you with straight hair! How long do you sleep?
Kanjuro was introduced to the story in 2013 and this reveal was in 2020. 7 years of Oda laughing at us and leaving clues we had no chance to pick up on. Makes you wonder what else is right in our face that he’s laughing about
A lot of people catch up in 2017. Marco the one piece theorist did it
@@kollen5952 Oh wow Marco did it??? No way!!! Thats so many people who figured it out.....
@@lukasmoser3469 Damn. Sassy one aren't you
@@evilchicken314I'm not a fan of stupid comments my bad
People get it when they watched the 7 samurai movie where the traitor samurai in the movie is the artist one :P
You're SO CLOSE to being caught up! Can't wait!
My man.
Roger please collab again with merphy when she's caught up!!!
Would love for you to do a sunday stream with Merphy to celebrate her getting caught up if the two of you are up for it. Would be fun to see you both read the chapter and do a little mini review together.
I'm not sure if its possible... but I really want Murphy to be in Reverie and interact with the OP creators.... It would be awesome....
@@amitakabari2281 lol it would be fun to see her try and interact with all that chaos
I love how we get Kanjuro, who we thought was one of our closest allies, but instead turns out to be one of our biggest enemies, and Kyoshiro, who we thought was one of our biggest enemies, but turns out to be Denjiro, one of our closest allies.
If you didnt notice, Clone clone fruit and the Barrier barrier fruit was former from Orochi subordinates which we hate so much. And the carrier of those fruits now are the most loved non-strawhat and most loyal to Luffy. (Bon Clay and Barto)
"the most loved non-strawhat and most loyal to Luffy. (Bon Clay and Barto)" the best part about this statement is that either of them could be seen as either of those things. Love those two. god I wanna see Bon Clay again.
@Rasputin Tzar Bon Clay is a perfect example of a character who's amazingly written and not just for the sake of forced representation.
Can this be a hint that the power of a fruit currently owned by a Kurozumi will be transferred to a Straw Hat supporter? 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
It says a lot about Oden that Pops called him brother. He calls everyone else his son but no, Oden is his brother.
Its also funny how he reacted when Oden decided to go with Roger. When he got upset that his crew traded for their food and forced them to give it back lol. Him worrying about Odens family was cute.
Such a beautiful and insightful backstory.
Yo Merphy, you might've missed it but Roger didnt explicitly state he wanted to be pirate king. There was a VERY convenient cut when he told Pops and Oden his plans, which mirrors how Luffy explained his dream to Sabo and Ace in the post-war arc. If you re-read those two moments, you might notice that Ace and Sabo have bandages in the exact same place that Pops and Oden does. It's such a small but extremely important detail.
I mean there is a panel where they show roger a newspaper calling him pirate king and roger says it has a nice ring to it or something like that
@@Damnitgary I was trying to point out that being pirate king probably wasn't what he was trying to do. That cut-away as Roger explains his dream to WB is just too suspicious.
@@robertreyes8792 it wasnt what he was trying to do
I wanted to point out this, I know she will love this
Yup. Pirate King is just something people started calling him, it's an epithet similar to what the Navy gives all Pirates when they get their bounties. Roger had a completely different goal, and they tossed that label onto him without him asking.
Roger laughing is my favorite panel in the series. It's such a wholesome hype and bitter sweet seeing Roger accomplish his dream while on his last days.
I agree man it still gives me chill to this day !
Reading that chapter while listening to "To The Grandline" and I still get emotional every time even after like 20 rereads lmao
It's absolutely incredible to me that Oda managed to, not only live up to the hype of Roger and Whitebeard in Oden's flashback, but surpass it.
Should recommend Merphy to watch the anime part where Roger reached Laugh Tale. I cried....
Yea, go and watch the anime version on youtube and you’ll probably cry just like me 😅
A minor thing I love about Oden's story that I don't see brought up ever. Gecko Moria said in Thriller Bark that Luffy could never survive on the Seas of the New World, but in this flashback he proves why he was wrong himself. Moria arrives in Wano, to a land where a former legendary hero is dancing naked in the streets every day. Moria just decides to ignore this and go straight for Kaido's head. Naturally this doesn't go well for Moria, but if he had explored the island more and discovered Oden, and his Samurai, they may have been able to make a difference together.
Luffy would never do this. He would see the half naked man dancing, and decide the guy needs to join his crew. They would then team up to defeat the King of Beasts, and they would have won.
Just another small reason why Luffy is better than most pirates in this world just by virtue of being Luffy.
Mihawk perceived this during the Paramount War. It has been interesting to see as Luffy gets closer to his goal, his main adversaries are progressively perceptive. I guess with more power comes wisdom.
@@jorgiebutt He was right honestly. The ability to turn strangers and enemies into allies is a terrifyingly strong power. The best part of it all to me is that Luffy achieves it all subconsciously. He isn't actually trying to make alliances or manipulate people... they just get caught up in his wake, and are pulled along.
Based w take, on god, no cap.
Absolutely love the way Oda used Time travel in this manner, by allowing a character to jump forward into future and kinda implying that power can only make you jump forward in time, he got rid of the biggest problem, for me personally, in time travel stories. There is no time loop paradox which can be formed by a character jumping back in time.
Also 5 acts structure is not a given. The structure can last from a 3 act to 12 acts. It was just few people in community who jumped into conclusion saying 5 act structure is a given. It is more like a 4 act structure which we find in More Japanese folk and fairy tales where 1 and 2 acts set up, 3rd act finishes all the fights with final act 4 being the conclusion
@@hannibal9503 after 1037, Oda has given up on the act structure. Instead of full intermission chapters on what's going on outside Wano, he just switched back to in chapter cut aways.
Oda tried to change up his style but in the middle of Onigashima he couldn't really find space for an act 3 cut away chapter revealing I dunno Greenbull.
I've noticed oda is careful when he uses an abused trope and just tries to keep them from taking over the story.
@@charlesacker9174 yeah, but that is still technically in the act 3. like everyone was saying it Oda's going for a jo-ha-kyu kind of structure while forgetting that most fairytales were in Kishotenketsu structure, where acts 2 and 3 have major bulk of the entire story with conclusion being the final act.
@@charlesacker9174 You are makin assumptions tho. That it will be 5 acts was always speculation from the fanbase.
"I am Oden, and I was born to boil!" Hit me a lot harder than it should've
I love how Merphy still suspects Buggy. She has become the World Government, assuming he’s more competent than he actually is
Did u just disrespect buggy Sama🧐
Like every Buggy follower hahahah
No con d oriano is behind everything and just lets youthing buggy i behind it.
Keep being delusional you sheep. Oblivious to Buggys escpades will leave you in shock
Look we don’t know she’s wrong. I never considered that he had another motive but it’s not impossible.
Interesting thing about the "Blackbeard doesn't sleep" factoid: This was actually foreshadowed as far back as Ace's fight with him, where he remarks that Blackbeard of all people really should understand the consequences of what he's done, being that he "lives twice as much as other people." The official TL missed this and simplified it to just "You've been around for a long time" or something to that effect, which is understandable because it was a *very* strange statement in Japanese and nobody knew what it meant until here, but... The Japanese phrasing specifically emphasized the "twice as much life" thing and Shanks used the exact same "twice" word in the flashback here. So it was almost certainly referring to this back then too.
(And no, it was not saying that Blackbeard was twice as old as Ace. We have the canonical ages for both of them. Blackbeard was 38 at the time, not 40.)
There’s also the SBS when Oda drew the warlords as kids; young Blackbeard was shown crying beneath a moonlit night sky, the only one with such a prominent background.
yuderon has a theory about this that BB OCTOPUS REFERENCE theory check it out
This was implied ever since drum island
@@gambitvibes421 yep. When Luffy says about how Shanks had told him about an island of snow where people don't sleep
@@462n and its back at Drum Island right? Damn Goda, foreshadowing stuff from 23 years ago
I love how Merphy doesn't mention about the Emperors bounties.
Unlike us, who're so fanatic with power scaling, she cares more about characters, and that's a very refreshing to see
Bounties have nothing to do with power scaling.
@@Xeno455 I know what you mean.
It's supposed to be a clout scaling.
But you see, there're still lots of discussion that associate clout with power (which is technically not wrong. Power is huge factor to clout after all).
So the way Merphy doesn't care about who has the highest bounty shows that she's not that invested with scaling
Bounties are important though
When that chapter dropped the fandom went wild.
The bounties do tell us some things, like Shanks being below Big Mom/Kaido but his crew has the highest average bounty. So Big Mom and Kaido have plenty of Fodder, but every member of Shanks crew is probably supernova 100 million plus.
Rockstar was the newest recruit and had 94 million, so I'll assume he's the weakest. Still has a higher bounty than Franky.
Bounties have nothing to do with power scaling , as the Lord Nux once said. Bounties simply dictate clout , its just a hype reveal is all....
Underappreciated moment. When we were introduced to Cat Viper and Dogstorm their gimmick was that they "fought like cat and dogs." As they make their escape Oda reveals that their lifelong animosity is survivors guilt. The two have been pointing fingers at each other ever since their collective failure to prevent Oden's execution. Textbook example of Show Don't Tell.
That and also because they suspect a traitor in their midst I'm pretty sure
i love how whitebeard refers to oden as his little brother instead of as one of his sons, it’s just one of those little things that changes their whole dynamic
In op high level first mates r treated more lk patners
@@haremking7256 Oden wasn’t his first mate and when ace took his position he was whitebeard’s son not little brother
@@Michael-vl7ey Ace was the second division commander. Marco the Phoenix was the first division commander, and his constant proximity to Whitebeard definitely indicated him as the second in command overall - i.e, the first mate. But Marco also referred to Whitebeard as "Pops" so really that just further proves your point.
Yeah Oden is the Rayleigh of Whitebeard
Roger can't read the Poneglyphs but he can hear the voice of all things, this has been said by Rayleigh in the story before, that makes him able to kinda know some things, but not really understanding them fully, if that makes sense.
I absolutely love the panel of Oden in the boiling oil holding up the Red Scabbards. It embodies everything that he is as a character. He was too big for his own good. From the beginning to his death, he stayed true to himself and never sought to explain his actions. The people of wano (us readers as well), their view of him just fluctuated from hate to love as they started to understand him. His biggest strength was that he wanted to shelter his world, but it was also his biggest flaw because no one man his capable of such a feat alone. He never learned to rely on his vassals. It's the biggest difference between him and Luffy.
the part about him being a lonewolf and never relying on his vassals (until the very last moment) gets so much better in hindsight. oden definitely messed up trying to take care of this alone but saving his vassals (and taking them in in the first place) turned out to be his biggest achievement. if he never saved each of them from their life of misery no one would be fighting for his dream today, this raid on onigashima would’ve never came to be. that’s also why it sounds disingenuous when a part of the community says they dont feel emotionally invested in wano and straight up chooses to ignore all the drama surrounding oden, hyogoro, kinemon, the dukes, yasuie, ashura, momo, the rest of the retainers. (spoiler alert : i will never forget kinemon’s poignant words to luffy in ch.1000 "alas when i pass on..i have nothing to show lord oden but..my shame!" 🥲🥲🥲🥲)
fyi for frame of reference
oil boils at 300 degrees Celsius. tin melts at 232 and lead melts at 328 degrees
fyi for frame of reference
oil boils at 300 degrees Celsius. tin melts at 232 and lead melts at 328 degrees
@@Jabbberwocky Yeah and it was said that the heat went over 700 Degrees and kept increasing. That was basically the heat of lava at that point. And Oden was in there for an hour while holding up all his men. He was a beast.
"He laughed" as you see Roger's face completely taking over the panel with the biggest open mouthed laugh!
Such a simple two word line and yet soooo imapctful!
And then you have the, "We all did. Until tears started flowing down our faces". Oh man...this is one of the most amazing moments in the entire series!
Whenever I remember this, I get a smile on my face. Now this is what you call writing done right!
Yeah, also now every time i see that pannel Memories start playng in my head
00:00:00 ⟾ Intro - Format: Wano Act 3, Part 1 (Oden Flashback)
00:00:39 ⟾ Intro - Investment, Themes, Oden, Scabbards
00:02:11 ⟾ Rocks Pirates
00:02:52 ⟾ Garp History, Roger team-up
00:03:14 ⟾ Sabo, Revolutionary Army
00:03:52 ⟾ Warlords - disbanded, hunted
00:04:47 ⟾ Plot - Scabbards: hopeless, loyalty
00:07:16 ⟾ Wano - Build-up, Desolation
00:09:35 ⟾ Oden Flashback - Oden: honour, Kin’emon
00:12:06 ⟾ Orochi, Yasuie, Nekomamushi, Inuarashi, Kawamatsu
00:14:11 ⟾ Whitebeard arrival, adventure, Toki (void century), Izou, Whitebeard crew, marriage, Momonosuke, 2nd Division
00:18:33 ⟾ Orochi backstory: Kurozumi family, Kaido, weapons
00:22:15 ⟾ Roger, Whitebeard, Oden, Blackbeard (abnormalities)
00:23:54 ⟾ Poneglyphs (‘mystery plot cubes’), Roger ‘reading’ Poneglyphs
00:25:38 ⟾ Roger’s Journey: Skypiea, Voice-of-All-Things, Shyarly, Poseidon, Joy Boy’s apology, Elbaf, disbanding crew, Tom, Tequila Wolf, Toki sickness, Kozuki crest, Minks pact, Buggy sickness (?) {sounds sus}
00:29:36 ⟾ Roger’s Journey: return to Wano, plight of Wano, Laugh Tale, the ‘One Piece’, Void History, Will of D., Ancient Weapons
00:30:24 ⟾ Roger’s Journey: crew laughed, sense of awe, ‘Laugh Tale’
00:32:12 ⟾ [Intermission]
00:32:19 ⟾ Roger said to Shanks, Buggy?
00:33:43 ⟾ Oden send-off, Return to Wano, Toki
00:35:10 ⟾ Orochi’s doings, Oden dancing, hope extinguished
00:39:38 ⟾ “Shockingly”, Attack on Ti-Kaido, traitor, Shinobu, defeat, sentenced to boil, Boiling Oden scene, opening up Wano
00:44:50 ⟾ Death aftermath, Scabbards scattered, Kaido vs. Momonosuke, Toki time travel
00:47:03 ⟾ Denjiro reveal, raising Hiyori (Kawamatsu), Loyalty
00:48:56 ⟾ Big Reveal - Kanjuro: flashback over, Scabbards hopeless, traitor, betrayal, hate, Kurozumi
00:51:50 ⟾ Big Reveal - Kanjuro: clues, perfect
00:53:57 ⟾ Allies Arrival - Luffy, Law, Kid
00:56:23 ⟾ Overview, Summation
00:56:56 ⟾ Outro
00:57:26 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits]
finally i found u
Bro you're the goat
I love you
Thank you 🙏🏾
The hero that we want and need
Oden is absolutely one of my favorite characters. The misunderstood, quiet hero of Wano who died both a legend and yet a fool. Wano Act 3 is so good. The Tale of Laughter, who could have seen it coming? The Raftel reveal got us all. The samurai and their name origins. Gosh, act 3 is great. It only gets better. Can't believe you're almost a weekly reader now.
Edit: I'm so excited for you to read the raid on Onigashima and certain location + piece.
certain location=roof
@@saminsanity4766 trying not to give it away.
ROOF PIECE WAAAAA!!!!!
I am pretty sure even in context it is hard to understand what "Roof piece" means, but great comment anyways, I am also hyped for her to be here
This is kinda funny, but I absolutly hated Oden at first but in the end I love that guy.
I love the idea that Denjiro was so angry over Oden's death that the madness twisted up his face beyond recognition.
My fav detail. Rage contorting a face is such a goofy idea yet it works 😂
Merph - I cannot do this justice
also Merph - does it so much justice
FYI: In chapter 134 when Luffy and Sanji were carrying Nami on Drum Island, Luffy mentions that he once heard in a village tavern that people in snow countries don't sleep.
For added context: Oda drew Blackbeard as a child in an SBS, and in it he shows him looking at the moon, and oddly enough it snowing. The person in the tavern that Luffy probably heard it from was from Shanks and co. (one of the few bars he goes to), whom would also have met Blackbeard and heard of this detail as seen in the flashback.
I didn't know this one. It is interesting.
Dont worry, the entire fandom is crazy about Oden. Also, all that Rocks Pirates info is legit, the World Government weren't hyping them up, in fact they tried to bury their existence.
Personally I don't care for Oden. I feel like everyone in the series (bad guys and good guys) love, respect and/or fear him way too much. He did some very stupid and selfish things all throughout his life and no one ever acknowledges them, or if they do, they go "oh well, that's our Oden!" and shrug them off to the point where he just comes off like a Gary Stue (and that's without mentioning the fact that both White Beard and Rogers fought to have him on their crews, he found out all of the world's secret, married a beautiful time traveler that knew the void century first hand, was the one that read the Poneglyphs to Rogers and wrote on them for him, is the only man that ever scarred Kaido, etc. Everything about him reads like a fanfiction self-insert the same way Sabo does).
I feel like he's a weaker and less effective rethread of Calgara and Noland from the Skypiea flashback: larger-than-life historical figures that helped shape and inspire the current generations by their heroic and sad tales.
It also doesn't sit well with me that his flashback story is practically the only one Luffy didn't sleep through or otherwise ignore. Jimbei's backstory? Don't care. Nami's backstory? Don't want to know. ODEN'S BACKSTORY? I'M ALL EARS!
No, I think Merphy is right to doubt the information. Many more have pointed this out, we never heard anyone but the marines talking about Rocks and them being this evil group, but according to the Marines, the Straw Hats are also a pirate group that needs to be eliminated, they never give them credit for the good things they do. The Marines are not a reliable source.
Randy Troy (One Piece youtuber) even thinks that Rocks may have been like Luffy at some point, found out the One Piece but instead of laughing like Roger, he got angry at it and tried to take down the celestial dragons at God's Valley. Roger and Garp stopped him, and only after that fight did Roger tried to find the One Piece himself. Prior to that, he was just sailling the seas. Rocks could have said something to Roger that made him decide to look for the One Piece, and when he did, he laughed instead of getting angry. Remember what Rayleigh said to the Straw Hats? That they may reach a different conclusion when they find the One Piece?
Of course, this is all speculation. But Rocks being evil is definitely not a confirmed fact, it's just what the Marines and the World Government have stated. They even tried to bury their existence. The WG and the Marines hate all pirate groups, so we should wait to know more about the Rocks Pirates and Xebec himself before jumping into conclusions.
@@Decubitus Agreed.
@@Decubitus I definitely would've liked him alot more if he wasn't as hyped up by everyone in the story. Also the point about Luffy is interesting and somewhat frustrating lol
@@Ricardonsg the main reason why I don't believe that theory has to do with Rocks' crew that we do know of. Whitebeard is cool, but there was also Big Mom and Kaido on that crew. Pair that with Rocks seeming to be a parallel of Blackbeard, and there's good reason to think Rocks wasn't a good guy.
Odens song was a clue to his death the whole time! “Oden wouldn’t be Oden if it wasn’t boiled!” As Oden was dancing, singing and being the fool of a lord for all that time, The people of Wano started to turn their backs on him. But since they heard the song so many times it stuck with them. After Shinobu told the people what Oden had done for them they got behind him once again and they cheered him on during the boiling. This leads into one of my favorite moments of the flashback! Before Oden dies he declares that he will not be forgotten and he poses! Oden says “Oden wouldn’t be Oden!” BOOM Kaido shoots him before he can complete the full sentence. As Oden falls into the pot I love that the people of Wano yell “if it wasn’t boiled!” And complete the sentence for him! It was so powerful to me!
Fun fact: The Octopus guy (Karma) who was attacking Toki was first seen at Marineford so he ended up allying with Whitebeard after this incident.
Oden is interesting to me because he’s a great narrative foil with Luffy. With the difference being he puts everything on his own shoulders, while Luffy throughout the journey and especially after the timeskip has been relying on his friends much more.
THANK YOU! I've always thought that way, Oden is basically Luffy if he wanted to do everything on his own (not because of selfish reasons tho).
It's so refreshing to watch someone simply enjoying the ride by appreciating and loving One Piece for the wonderful story that it is.
Concerning Orochi. One Peace is a story about taking destiny into your own hands, and not letting the past dictate your present and future. Just because horrible things happened to you in past doesn't justify your acts of cruelty in the present.
Take Nami for example. She could've used her past as an excuse to be bitter and resentful toward Fish-Men. But she chose to leave the past behind through forgiveness. It takes someone of strong will to take this route. So Orochi still had a choice to make. And he made the choice to be cruel. That's on him.
Beautifully said.
Damn, never made the Nami connection. I hate that guy even more now.
Yeah but remember, not everybody is the same or act the same, just because one person did something doesn't mean that other person can do that as well
Also you orichi's tragedy fells way more personal than nami's
@@golem001px his anger toward them makes sense but he was consumed by it. Just cause some people will do this does not change Oda's message there.
@@golem001px Nami as a child saw her mother murdered in cold blood by a Fish-Man and her entire town enslaved. So that was pretty personal too.
I agree. Not everyone reacts the same to those situations because not everyone has the same level of support and inner strength. But, choices still have to be made. Not everything in life is deterministic.
The strong willed generally find a way to overcome their past circumstances no matter how dark they’ve been. They create their own future. Luffy vs Katakuri illustrated that very well. The weak on the other hand will often allow themselves to be overtaken by the darkness, surrendering their free will while blaming everything on the past.
That Oden flashback is so good that we even forget our protagonist is not even born yet
And yes, after 900+ and more chapter, to finally see the story of the king of pirates and his journey is a feeling that I can't ever described for. That chapter, to you and us the reader who mostly begin many years ago is the same joy. Oda give us cliffhanger there, but we can't helped but smile when Roger laughed :)
Oden is actually based on a real life person named Goemon who was the Japanese version of Robin Hood, and when he was eventually captured they boiled him alive in oil with his son, but he held his son above his head while he boiled alive so his son could live
Love to learn things like this! Thanks man.
dont know if thats true, but i am too lazy to look it up, so... i take it as true hahaha
Guys I looked it up it's true. #confirmed
I will admit that It's a summarized version of the story but if it interests you, there is a lot more to it as well as multiple endings due to everyone telling their own version of it as time went on
Goemon existed, but his exploits are mostly fictional.
Fun fact about Kanjuro being the traitor: In previous scenes where he's used his drawing ability, he's always drawn with his left hand. The terrible, dysfunctional drawings he has always produced have been the product of him using his non dominant hand. Then he reveals himself to be the traitor. Now that the pretense is over, now that his drawings are no longer being used to benefit his enemies, he switches to his right hand and produces a beautiful swan.
What makes me extra sad about this is Ryunosuke (the dragon who carried them onto Zou and Robin fell in love with). He was made to suffer pretty much on purpose, and he was such a good boy.
She mentions in the video that her Patreons compiled several instances of clues that Kanjuro was the traitor, including the hand he used to hold his brush.
A person not acquainted with One Piece would never get why the fans are still hyped at 1000+ chapters unless they experience the journey themselves.
YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON TO WATCH ARC REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES! The way you articulate the story beats and the implications, and how much it means to you, is so well spoken and well written. It wells up all the emotions I had when I read the chapters for the first time, and reminds me of how far we have come from the rubber boy in a barrel in the sea. I am happy to be a part of the straw hat fan club, and I am glad that people like you are a part of it with me. Only a little further and you'll be caught up with the rest of us.
Couldn’t agree more.
I agree
Orochi was not very interesting to me at first, but learning his backstory really turned it around for me. When we first met him, he just seemed like a typical hedonistic dictator who feasts and parties while his country falls into ruin because he just doesn't care and will do anything to stay in power.
But then that flashback revealed his true motivation and it turned out to be the exact opposite. The feasting and partying is just a side benefit. The falling into ruin is the point. Everything he has done is not about power, but about revenge on the entire nation of Wano.
He is doing to the country what it did to his grandfather: forcing it to destroy itself.
He's driven completely by hatred, almost like Hody Jones, and that depth of madness is really compelling to me.
That said, I still utterly loathe him. His backstory didn't redeem him at all in my eyes, it just made him way more interesting.
as many of us thought, "Orochi is the great version of Wapol"
He's like Sasuke in a way
The whole Oden flashback is definitely one of my favourite parts in the entire series we got to see so many past evens happen - we saw Oden and his scabbards and how they met eachother, we saw the legendary Whitebeard and his commanders and the crazy clash btw him and Oden, we learnt about Toki and her power and got to see baby hiyori and momo, then we saw the KING OF THE PIRATES HIMSELF Gol D. Roger and his EPIC clash with WB and the crews facing off against eachother, we see them travel all around the world Skypiea, Water 7 (FRANKY MET ODEN!!!), Fishman Island and saw the younger versions of ppl that we've met earlier and Roger's final journey to Laugh Tale. We also saw Orochi's past and Kaido vs Oden
I am wondering how epic the Kaido flashback is gonna be though. Man that guy must have an equally insane backstory.
@@Haxerous Yup, excited for that one too
one of the things that struck me the most about the flashback was the feeling of mythology, which Oda excels at throughout One Piece. It's told like a story passed down for generations. Especially that one line, "It is said that the entire town tilted as every man took one step towards Oden before hesitating."
Something I think that is key to take away from the flashback that you didn't mention was Kaido.
Taking into account that in the present we know he's an alcoholic and suicidal and looking for a place to die. He's never met anyone quite like Oden since. During their battle he receives his first scar and then only because of the help of the shape-shifting witch was Kaido able to defeat Oden. Imagine the shame. Then during the execution before he shoots Oden he actually apologizes for the witch. He had her killed. Reminds me a tad bit of Katakuri in wanting to keep the honor.
I think Kaido gained much respect for Oden that day and has been depressed since because he hasn't been able to meet anyone on Odens caliber.
I can't wait for Kaido's flashback.
Side note: I love Odens speech at the end before he died. "Oden wouldn't be Oden...." *gets shot and dies smiling* and then the whole village yells out "IF IT WASNT BOILED!!!" Finishing Odens signature phrase. I'm surprised you didn't mention that moment. That's the moment I shed manly tears. 😭😭
Could be an anime change or a translation change, but I'm pretty sure on the official release it was "my name is Kozuki Oden and I was born to boil" with the crowd picking up the "to boil" part
@@themorphineman623 yes I believe you are correct.
@@themorphineman623 Shonen Jump had it translated as “Oden! The more it’s boiled…THE BETTER IT IS!!!”
I feel like oden gave kaido ptsd and he was so impressed by him that now he tries to die in the most epic way like oden did
I thought people were yelling out Oden's name, because he was shot to death. And sentence structure in Japanese is such that the end of the sentence "Oden wouldn't be oden if it wasn't boiled" is "ODEN!!!" Nobody seems to talk about this, so maybe it isn't true? Did that many witnesses of his death know his signature phrase? It makes more sense that the majority of people would just be shouting his name, not finishing off some silly catchphrase while watching their hope or whatever just get murdered.
1037 - 974 = 63
I warn you Merphy. Losing the next chapter button is a difficult stage in a One Piece fans life. We are here for you though
Luffy, Law, and Kid showing up at the perfect time after all the despair and dropping that line, "When you're at sea, you fight against pirates" was one of the best panels in the series. The line was simple but powerful and their faces in the rain immediately brought so much hope.
Literally my favorite sequence of chapters in the entire series
Dude hell yes! I went to the comments looking for this exact scene, I thought it was so badass! I haven't seen it in the anime, but just reading it I'm like oh shit somethings about to go down!
The "When you're at sea, you fight against pirates" is one of the most cathartic moments of any series I've ever experienced. Everything is so unbelievably hopeless and we finally get to see Luffy's grinning face. Just like you, I could not put into words how it made me feel. It's just perfect.
one of my favorite moments in the series. Because thats also the first time in years we had the FULL crew together again.
Fun fact about the way oden died (or maybe not so fun), it was based on a historical case of a samurai who was sentenced to death by boiling in oil and let his kid survive by holding them up above himself. Also, Kinemon is the most ingenious strategist Wano has ever seen, it totally was not a buggy moment
Oda’s mastery of the flashback is put on true display here. No other story I’ve experienced has flashbacks used as effectively as One Piece. In almost every other story whenever flashback starts I roll my eyes. It usually kills the momentum of a story. But with Oda, I get even more excited. His flashbacks are always crazy informative and overwhelmingly powerful.
We also welcome info dumps in One Piece, and that's something that almost universally hated. Arcs like post-Enies Lobby or Reverie, that I LOVE, are big info dumps that we'd usually hate in any other story, but in One Piece we want even more of them. One Piece is also the only series where the main cast can be seen for the last time half-way through the chapter released on October 21, 2019, and reappear in the last panel of the chapter released on March 16, 2020 (FIVE MONTHS LATER) and most people remained happy and wanting even more (there were a bunch of really vocal shonentards saying it was too long, but the vast majority was really happy following Oden's story). Oda makes people work differently.
Oden was born to boil. He always put himself in the pot and suffered by himself in silence. It is admirable but it is also why he failed. He did not rely on his allies and instead chose to suffer by himself which is why he failed and Luffy will succeed because Luffy is willing to share his burdens with his friends.
Oden wouldn't be Oden if it wasn't boiled
Luffy also prefers one on one fights. A conqueror fights alone.
This review left me with such a huge smile on my face, probably just as big as the smile I had reading this part of act 3 weekly. It was such a surreal experience going through Roger and Oden's journey, seeing the essentially road map that the Pirate King took in his day, and leaving it all with more questions, but an INTENSE conviction to see Kaido and Orochi taken down once and for all. Truly the perfect start to Act 3, can't wait for you to read the rest :) !!
I love how Merphy has become such a One Piece fan so quickly with tshirts and mugs :D
I was honestly worried about actually getting significant parts of Roger in the story because Oda built him up as such a larger than life character even with well written characters, I dont feel they come close to what was told. But Oda did not miss. Roger is potentially even greater than Oda set him up to be and that's amazing. A testament to Oda's writing and art.
I`m gonna be honest with you, when i saw Roger and his crew laughing so much, i was crying like a waterfall with a lot of feelings, i felt like i was witnessing an epilogue that was so satisfactory, so recopilatory, so magnificent , that I just started crying. And just to make it more nostalgic, in the anime, they put on the first ending song from One Piece... oh God, that broke me...
It was just 👏amazing 👏
Little side Note: Buggy and Toki were the only ones getting sick and also the only ones with DFs at that time at the crew, as far as we know.
Toki has her DF longer then Buggy and she got sick first, maybe there is sth near the last Island that causes that.
Geht dich aber nichts an
Holy shit I never thought about it like that!
But Toki got sick as the Roger crew about to get to Zou, not the final island then named Laugh Tale
Toki was more so plot and so she didn’t find the one piece as she could of maybe provided more context about the void century and the connecting surrounding mystery’s. Buggy tho I’ve had similar ideas about buggy being sick due to having a fruit and an idea that just cements (to me anyway)that buggy may actually be joining up with the straw hats near the end or at the actual island maybe with or without shanks and even Blackbeard . As far as we know neither had step foot on the island and it would be a perfect place for the real candidates of pirate king and false candidates to be there to duke it out or provide another perspective on what should happen once it’s been found and potentially buggys fruit powers could be more important and potentially hold other powers once awakened
Something his awakening could do would be assignments of the chop chop fruit to his surroundings and if we believe in the red line theory maybe it will be instrumental in breaking up the red line again, chopppimg and separating all the islands that create the redline and this would be a parallel to when luffy gave buggy the piece he needed to find captain johns treasure therefore he returns the favour by helping luffy change the world whilst also keeping to his lucky quirk of moving up to higher echelons of legendary status and characters
I consider Scabbards to be an analogy for the Strawhats who lost Luffy. Which hurts even more
Roger's laugh is probably one of the most iconic moments of the series. Shows that as an author if you play it right you don't need drama necessarily to make a big scene hit. It's just Roger laughing about something we don't know, and yet it gives you goosebumps.
As well, it's Roger's arrival at Laugh Tale. That fact alone adds to the awe of that scene. Ever since Reverse Mountain, that island has been a place of amazement and spectacle, the end point of Luffy's journey to find the One Piece. Even the glimpse of it we get in the Oden flashback is enough to leave every reader awestruck.
The Oden flash back is unrivaled. From the action to the emotional scenes. It just fills me with so many emotions. One Piece rides that line of fun a adventure show when it's serious time, you feel it. It hits you right in the gut. Sometimes I rewatch scenes just to get that emotion reaction again and make myself cry. It just feels so satisfying.
Oden’s flashback I think will stand the test of time as some of the best chapters of one piece. Oda loves a good flashback, but often they give us just a brief vignette of someone’s past to add context to the present story. While Oden’s flashback still serves that narrative purpose, it stands as a succinct and compelling arc in and of itself while managing to deliver incredible world building moments (including the “he laughed” panel which lives rent free in my mind as something we won’t get truly pay off until the series nears it’s end). Reading it week to week was just a joy, but I can’t wait to reread it once Wano is complete.
This video was great! The portion you covered here was just indescribably good. And yeah the hard to explain feeling of seeing Roger find the One Piece was just total awe and emotion. I think its like... The first time you really feel the end of the series approaching. And that drawing of Roger laughing... You can really see how much heart Oda put into that one. Can't believe you've nearly caught up! Thanks for the awesome video :)
It had all the heart of something you know Oda had been thinking about and wanting to draw for years. Like he'd done it a hundred ways in his mind until it was perfect
I think saying "awe" and "reverence" to describe how we experience Roger's story is right. For more than 900 chapters we were told how this one person died as the "coolest" man in the world. Later when we meet Rayleigh we are told how he was always the coolest, even before becoming pirate king, and we start getting the feeling that this extended to Rayleigh and the rest of Roger's crew as well. Their story is a legend held up by rumors and intrigue. And then we see how it actually played out... and they were 100% legendary and worthy of the expectations we had created for years.
A lot of stories demystify the one legendary figure that was talked about from the beginning, and it ends up with them being 30% awesome, 60% flawed and 10% old drunks. That isn't necessarily bad, but we got the opposite of that here with Roger, and it was so much fun and breathtaking.
Oden's story is what Luffy's story would be if he fails. It's what Luffy's story would be if he had Oden's fatal flaw of taking the whole load of responsibility. Luffy instead relies on his crew
I was gonna msg this as well
Luffy's argument with Vivi was an excellent example of why Orochi's trick of using hostages would never work on him and spotlights the difference between him and Oden, Luffy understands that it's naive to think he can literally save everyone.
In war people die.
@@emeldy2687 So you think that if Luffy was threatened and blackmailed by Orochi and Kaido with the lives of hostages, innocent people, and his family, Luffy would still chose violence and not choose the way that would save lives? I don't think so. Luffy has shown time and time again that he's willing to sacrifice himself and his dreams for the ones closest to him. He and Zoro were submitted to humiliation in Mock Town by Bellamy and his crew. If you switched Oden with Luffy, Luffy would have done the same thing as Oden, saving lives. Now, if we switched not just Oden but also his Retainers with Luffy and the Strawhats, then sure, maybe things would've been different.
@@dzts2385 Yes. With bellamy they didnt need to use force. But hostages, they absolutely would. The only time he didnt was wih sanji because he trusts sanji, but also, he is really good a judge of character that sanji would not betray him.
Luffy would not be fooled easy and do what he deems right in that situation, and go straight rescue the people instead. Or ask his crew doing that and attack kaido and orochi.
That he relis on his cre more is a big difference too. .
@@marocat4749 So going by your logic, Luffy would have gotten hundreds of innocent people killed. Because if Kaido and Orochi threatened and blackmailed him with lives of the hostages and citizens, you would think Luffy would use his head and not chose violence. It's hard for me to believe that. And this has nothing to do with naivety, it's about either sacrificing yourself to save people, or start a war and cause hundreds of innocent people to die. Luffy is willing to endure humiliation, as mentioned above. He's not that stupid that he can't tell the situation, if he sees that his attacks get blocked by the man with the barrier and then sees all those hostages, he would definitely sacrifice himself to save them if it meant that his people and his family do not get hurt.
Also the most important thing in this entire Oden flash back is that Roger and his crew made it to Laughtale and found the One Piece too early. It's also why Oden tells his retainers to open the land of Wano so that whoever comes " The Strawhat's duh" can save Wano and can also find the One Piece in the future. Toki also sends the Scabbards 20 years into the future when the Straw Hat's arrive.
The section with people reacting to Sabo in the newspapers seems to mostly imply that he's dead, but my favorite theory is that the "incident with Alabasta" is the death of its king, Cobra, and that the shocking thing in the newspapers is Sabo being framed for murdering him at the Reverie.
My theory is that sabo actually the one who kill Cobra because Sabo trying to save Vivi from Gorosei. Cobra afraid Gorosei who sees that will think Arabasta kingdom Have connection with Revolutionary Army and afraid Arabasta got buster call by government...Cobra make a plan with Sabo to kill him in front of Gorosei so, Sabo will look like he's trying to kidnapp Vivi and assassinated Cobra
My theory has been that Sabo "betrayed" the Revolutionaries and joined up with the nobles, but I like this way more.
My favorite theory is that Sabo and Vivi are getting married and the revolutionaries all react how they do because they think it means Sabo betrayed them. There's no way it's true, I just like it because it would be so unexpected.
@@JoshTheValiant it’s more likely that sabo was framed for something. In the latest chapters, the 5 elders implied the reverie did not go their way. If sabo joined them, that woulda been a huge win for them
@@robertcampbell8070 you know i actually like it bit all of my theories and this i think come to halt in the panel of makino and dadan crying
The translations I've read had Shanks _ask Roger some question_ after his return from Laugh Tale rather than making some kind of an admission. And it was Roger's answer that made him cry. Which gives that situation a bit of a different context, but still makes me go *_AAAA WHAT DID THEY TALK ABOUT???_* just the same.
People have made this connection in the past, but you can see a lot of Oden in not only Luffy but Zoro and Sanji as well. All 3 have qualities that Oden displayed in the flashback. I just think it’s a nice little nod by Oda.
Yup, Oden knocking out Kin'emon during the mountain god incident and taking on the pain of boiling to save his retainers reminded me Zoro's nothing happened moment and how he saved Toki and took care of her, had a whole harem in his younger years reminds me of Sanji
@@random1piecefan The only difference is that Oden gets all the ladies while Sanji is a simp xd
@@dzts2385 lol true
W
Oden is not Sanji. Where are we seen Oden simp uncontrollably whenever there’s a woman around? His reaction when he met Toki is basically how Luffy would react in that situation.
If Oden is Sanji simply because he rescued a woman then he’s also Robin since he can read the Poneglyphs, Nami since he keeps a log, can draw maps, and struck a bargain with his enemy to protected his country.
I cried for like 90% of the flashback chapters back when it was releasing weekly. Utter perfection in emotional payoff. And you gotta remember, Roger was basically a mythological legend in the real world as much as in the series, having been introduced TWENTY years prior and until then only getting quotes and glimpses and abridged anecdotes. Getting to finally meet Roger as a character, after 20 years of hype, and having it meet expectations if not just blown past them, oof. Oda is truly a god.
You thought Roger could read them because everything kind of hinted that he could. In Skypiea Roger left a message in the same language the poneglyphs have and when the Strawhats met Rayleigh, Robin asked him directly how was he able to do that (chapter 507), to which Rayleigh answered "Another thing, Roger didn't actually decipher those ancient writings, we are pirates, there is no way our intellects could match the prodigal Professor Clover or the other scholars of Ohara. He was able to hear the voices of all the things in the world, that's all." which... Sure, technically doesn't say he knew how to read them but also kind of says he could in a way and also leaves out that they had a guy on their crew that could read them. I think this is like that one thing in Return of the Jedi, when Luke asks Obi-Wan why did he say his father died if he didn't and Obi-Wan says something like "well, depending on how you look at it, I didn't lie, that dude's not Anakik anymore".
The similarities between Luffy & The StrawHats and Oden & The Scabbards have already been made plenty of times by the famdom , same with the key difference in that Oden tried to do everything by himself while Luffy openly admits that he can't do anything whithout his crew
To be fair, Oden is the gigachad of gigachads, he was clapping Kaido had he not been outplayed by that hag
Ever since you started reviewing One Piece I was just waiting for you to do this Flashback because... It's as you say; it is Perfect. It's a whole story in this flashback and added so more to the world and you forget Luffy and his crew exist.
Hard to top that.
A fun fact! Oden's flashback is the longest time One Piece hasnt shown Luffy, and while not showing your lead character for so long generally isnt a good idea, I think everyone wouldve been fine with Oden's flashback being longer.
Your patron are so loyal and nice, like girl you have a really amazing support base
Considering the fact that Merphy hasn't been spoiled at all. I can consider that is a greatest achievement of any fandom.
The Kanjuro reveal hit me so hard I went in denial.
For a good few pages after that I still was waiting for the twist in a twist...
Oda, my man... why do you do this to me ?
A lot of us assumed that Roger could read them because Rayleigh said "He could feel them", which wasn't the same but lead to confusion.
Rayleigh exact words are "He can hear the voice of all things." And he followed it up by "We are a 'group' of pirates. We are not as smart as you people in Ohara."
Rayleigh saying that maybe the foreshadow of someome in their group reading it but not directly mentioning it.
While I am a weekly manga reader for the past 9 years the Laugh Tale reveal really hit me differently in the anime… I completely broke down crying after hearing the first ending. That was such a smart choice of soundtrack, especially knowing that the ending of Roger’s journey was the start of Luffy’s ❤️🩹
What i find amazing and mindblowing is that for 20+ years laugh tale was mistranslated to raftel.
People saying that it's actually supposed to be "Laugh Tale" were around since the start
@@corn3880 rafatel...
Even the official English volumes had it spelt wrong
I'm going to guess it's a WG plot to help obscure the truth even more by popularizing Raftel.
It's not mistranslation, it was actually a play of word based on how Japanese people pronounce English word, many have missed it including me who actually have been familiar with this concept for long.
On Zou Jack came back again so that means some one had a Vivre card there was no way Jack could track down Zounesha twice with out it because Zounesha is always moving. From there it was clear the traitor must be on the island.
He could have had a vivre card for his ppl that he left on the island.
@@datname1939 he'd need the card to get there in the first place tho
@@sheldonthegiant exactly but that could have been from anyone.
7 minutes in and I'm already tearing up. The vibes of her describing asura's pain is just heart breaking.
A heart disappears if you edit your comment..... Sadge
Glad I wasn't the only one.. i actually teared up watching her gush over the story.
Toki is Japanese for "time", which is apt given her power. On the same note, Tama is Japanese for "ball", which also is quite fitting her power. I haven't quite figured out how Toko fits into this.
And 25:00: In Skypiea, they find an inscription next to the poneglyph on the belfry, in poneglyphs script, signed by Roger. In Sabaody pre-timeskip, Rayleigh said they were naught but humble pirates, they couldn't read them. But Roger could "hear" them (the same power we've seen awakening in Luffy a few times). So we all assumed he just understood them. Until this flashback, when it turns out he did indeed have an inside man on his crew all along.
Seeing as Toko doesn't have powers, she was just meant to be someone who tied the crew together on a personal level with Ieyasu and Hiyori. She was also someone who met most of the crew because of Sanji's soba (also meeting Robin, Usopp and Franky there) and Hiyori's escape and getting rescued by Zoro. I think she also met Brook after that.
With her Smile tragedy, she also represents all of the leftover town and the everyperson in Wano outside of the capital, a child working hard as an attendant just to stay afloat. She's a pretty damn good addition to the arc imho.
@- SageAegis - that's 'otoko', hence the running joke when they call her O-Toko (with the 'O' honerific) its like she is called 'man'
To everyone telling me what Toko means, I am fully aware of what it means. I just don't know how it fits the pattern.
Toki also is the name of a Bird, same way of Tsuru, Aisa, and Nojiko.
@@MasterHigure I think I might know, but it's just a wild guess I immediately thought up just now, and a particularly dark one I don't enjoy. But considering "O-Toko" is a joke of a name thought up by Oda, and how Toko is suffering from the side effects of the Smile fruits, which cause her to laugh even when she doesn't want to, well... Yeah. Her name may be tied into her tragic situation right now. It's not a perfect explanation and I may be talking out my ass like I know more than I really do, but it's at least something.
"He Laughed" Moment is one of the best moment in One Piece series
One thing I really loved here is the reinforcing, again, that something big is coming like when Pedro said his crew were called the Knox pirates because they were waiting for the dawn that his heroes looked to (i.e. Roger and Co.) "and its always darkest before the dawn" I love how Roger, having gained all the answers effectively said the information and the one piece wasn't meant for his crew, that they were born in the wrong time and he wished he could see what 'they' (the ones who its all meant for) would do with it - also now I really want to know who put it all there because originally I had thought it was Roger
They grow so fast...
It feels like only yesterday I watched your Alabasta review for the first time, and look where you are now
in the Laugh Tale episode, the first ending of the anime called "Memories" started playing and I swear to God it was the most emotional I've ever gotten with this series in over 6 years of being caught up 😭
THANK YOU FOR DIVIDING ACT 3!!!
I 've been rereading (for like the 15th time, I 've been caught up with one piece for about 10 years now) one piece and each arc I finish I watch your videos. It's so exciting to see someone who discovers this amazing world for the first time, I did it with totally not mark and now with you. Nice to have a new nakama, hope you 're not disappointed with where Wano is going. Odens flashback was one of my favorites cause I got to see my father, Shirohige (Whitebeard). Also a theme throughout one piece, parents abandoning their children and wives to go change the world :P
Merph casually flexing her Luffy mug... I approve!
Also the slow transformation into Robin Napier
The thing about the Kanjuro reveal, there were hints, such as him shouting where they’re going when escaping Wano, him not getting a bounty in Dressrosa, etc… And the interesting thing about him drawing is he draws left handed but he’s right handed.
Oden's flashback is the greatest of the whole series and seeing the Pirate King himself last voyage was worth the hype
😂 I love how she’s looking more I got he buggy being sick…. When we learn via the anime that clears it up, he was just sick and that’s his luck 😂. And shanks didn’t tell roger anything, it was roger who told shanks something that made him cry, most likely it was that the crew was disbanding or that roger was gonna die.
Either way 10/10 review of this arc! Can’t wait for the rest!
"At sea you fight against pirates"
CHILLS!
And one detail that's usually overlooked at this point: Kanjuro took Yasuie's remains, allegedly to give him burial
Reminded me of the wild Traitor theories floating around at that time. There was a theory for the traitor's ID for every possible character ranging from all of the scabbards, to Shinobu to Hiyori to even Law (to save his crew when they were captured by Hawkins). Then the "Hour of the Legends" chapter dropped and everyone thought that it definitely can't be anyone of the scabbards. Oh Goda, giving us the false sense of security then stabbing us where it hurt the most.
Also, did you notice that when Roger said what his dream was to Whitebeard and Oden, Oda did not show what Roger said. He just showed Oden's and Whitebeard's reactions. The exact same thing happened during Luffy's backstory with Ace and Sabo.
Merphy, you should actually check out the War lord are disbanded scene from the anime it's truly amazing
I second this
That whole episode was amazing, one of the best in the series
31:10 - the words I've heard describe it best is "you could feel the weight of destiny"
Knowing oden and boiling part now reiterates the “Raizo is Safe!’ Part even more!!
Also shows why, even as the Straw Hats were all devastated after knowing what the Minks went through to protect Raizo, Kinemon was less surprised. Had he been captured and tortured for information on any of his comrades he’d do the exact same thing without hesitation.
Elaborate please
Kanjuro was the best fictional betrayal that I've ever witnessed, hands down. I don't feel betrayed, I feel TAUNTED. Laughed at, by Oda, having a traitor for dozens and dozens of chapters besides our main crew. I love this series.
The speed at which I clicked could have broken the laws of physics.
The Oden flashback is one of my favourite parts of the story. What an amazing character Oda created and the interaction with Roger and WB, just incredible.
Made even better by the song that we all know from emotional moments in the story being called 'Gold and Oden'.
What a wild ride.
I love the manga but there's something about the music, the movement, the colors in the show that increase my emotional response to One Piece, especially certain scenes, and the scene of Roger and crew laughing when they found the One Piece had me bawling my eyes out. Such an impactful, reverent moment, in the lore but also to us fans who have been in love with this story for so long. To finally be here, even if we still don't know what it is, but just knowing that the result is laughing with your friends; I think it's perfect. I think it helps remind us that One Piece as a story is about the journey, it's about the adventures with the people you care about. Like you said, after you read that chapter you had to sit with it, & I had to replay that scene over and over to just soak it all in. It was peak One Piece, the whole flashback with Oden, Whitebeard and Roger was peak One Piece, and I'm so glad we got to experience it after so many years of worldbuilding and laying groundwork. Gahh I'm just gushing haha
One of my favourite minor things about the flashback was seeing the Clone-Clone and Bari-Bari fruits in Wano. It’s just super cool to see the previous owner of some of the devil fruits we’ve already ran into! (Bon Clay and Bartolomeo)
Oh the Oden flashback, PEAK One Piece storytelling right there
You're almost caught up and honestly it has been so enjoyable watching you go through this experience. I try to just listen to your vids but honestly your expressions keep me fully invested in it. Most of my experience in sharing one-piece moments have been through comment sections and it's nice to see someone make the same faces I do when I read.
Fun fact: From the start of Act 3, through till 974, was the longest stretch of One Piece chapters without Luffy at all in them.
Kinda interesting to contrast with the big stretch in the Whitebeard War Saga where Luffy’s on his own for a few arcs.
Hey merphy, you probably won't see this but I just wanted to tell you, I'm soo happy you are adding pictures back into your reviews, I really missed their absence and don't understand why you stopped (I saw the video where you explained it) but it still doesn't make sense. You are making review videos if people don't want spoilers they shouldn't watch a review. The pictures also help because although I love the series like you, I have trouble remembering names so when you add pannels showing the character your describing it helps me remember them myself. Please keep adding pictures, and keep up the amazing videos. :)
the close of the "no one is here" part, the motive, and Kinemon... it's in my top 3 favorite parts of the entire one piece. It's just... genious.
your patreons are absolutely right in making you stop in this chapter. the genius part I said was on the next chapters... I can't wait to see your reaction. it's too genious...
I think in Sabaody was when Rayleigh says they couldn’t read the Poneglif.
What really hits me about this story is that Oda thought of the ending when he was around 17 years old so I just imagine a kid daydreaming about pirates while he was busting tables at the old bar he just to work at as he saw many Japanese business men strip all their formalities with their peers as they shared sake that's why banks sake is so important and that why the one piece just might be the greatest toast and party in the world where sake is shared and bonds are build with all the species of the one piece worl how we are just all here listening and patiently waiting for this 17 year old to finish his story that has taken 20 plus year to finish and wishing that it would take another 20 years to conclude
Glad you got to this point! The first time you mentioned loving betrayals (CP9) I'm sure we were all rubbing our hands for Kanjuro! 🤣👌