The leadup to Sabaody Archipelago arc climax has been fast and furious, hectic in the most destructive ways. The Straw Hats have already had a brush with human traffickers and broken out a mermaid. Then they stop a slave auction and Luffy punches a Celestial Dragon in the face, committing an even more heinous act than any before. So, since the Straw Hats have called down a Navy Admiral and Warlord that are about to change their lives.
Follow this link to see the review for the arc’s first half, and see how Luffy made his presence on the connected islands. He’s already declared war on the World Government, but his punch to Saint Charlos the Celestial Dragon is an act that puts him near first on the hit list. Now, he’s going to have to run instead of fight as the combined might of the Navy falls on them.
Supernovas Break Out
Once Luffy punches Charlos so hard he could see the curvature of the Grand Line, Navy, and royal guards swarm in. There’s no escape for anyone as the Straw Hats have to make a distraction for Rayleigh to get Camie and Hatchan to safety. Lucky for them, Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law, along with their crews, are still there and want to make their name. Kid moves out first but Law and Luffy don’t stick behind. Then the Worst Generation captains get to use their respective Devil Fruits to show off.
Law showcases his Fruit’s ability to operate within his ROOM and replaces some sailors’ heads with cannon balls. Kid just repels all the cannon balls using his magnetic powers, and Killer, his first mate, takes out some of the other lackeys. Meanwhile, the other Worst Generation members decide it’s time to get the hell away from Sabaody. Kid and Law make their escape while Luffy goes to regroup with Rayleigh at Shakky’s bar.
Rayleigh’s Story
The former first mate to Gold Roger, “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh is a legendary wanted man. He discovered the treasure along with Roger’s crew on Laughtale, along with all the secrets of the Void Century. While he offers to tell the Straw Hats what it is, Luffy believes that knowing would make the adventure boring. Rayleigh also mentions that their doctor, Crocus, went with them from Reverse Mountain to look for the Rumbar Pirates. Brook would wipe a tear from his eye if he had eyes.
The truth Rayleigh reveals about Roger is a game-changer- Roger was already fatally ill, and gave himself up voluntarily. Roger apparently negotiated his crew’s freedom and safety in exchange for turning himself in, and this led to the Golden Age of Pirates. He also explains to them the long history of racism and subjugation of Fishmen, as evidenced by Camie and Hatchan. There’s bad blood that goes way back. Fishmen have a stereotype as brutish savages by those above the sea. Finally, he finishes up by telling the Straw Hats he needs three days to coat the Thousand Sunny for underwater travel. They won’t last the rest of the day at Sabaody.
Kizaru Arrives at Sabaody Archipelago
The only admiral so far that One Piece has introduced is Aokiji, the lazy man with the Chilly-Chilly Fruit powers. Now it’s Kizaru that leads a Navy attack against the Worst Generation at Sabaody. He’s going to show the Straw Hats just why it’s so hopeless for them to get into the New World. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the Worst Generation in the process. He arrives on the island by riding a flying cannonball through the air before the destruction starts. This alerts the Straw Hats, and they split up for three days to survive and evade the Navy.
Kizaru holds the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit, which is a Logia type that makes him a person of pure light. He’s also able to fire concentrated beams, make massive flashes, and phase through everything at the speed of light. This admiral seems near invincible as the Straw Hats have no idea of Haki yet or any way to fight him. It’s only about to get so, so much worse.
Pacifista
Kizaru isn’t the only one hunting down the Straw Hats, as Navy scientist Satomaru is also present with his massive army of Kumas. While they all look like the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma, this one is the real deal as any other Pacifistas to follow are all cyborgs. The battle rages around as every Straw Hat heads in a different direction away from the bar, but against Kuma and Kizaru both there’s next to no escape.
The Straw Hats all fight valiantly and try to help each other where they can, but there’s no way to evade. Kizaru and Kuma are both able to pop around incredibly fast. The Straw Hats aren’t strong enough and separate quickly as Kuma hunts each of them. He catches up in no time, and asks each crew member in turn where they would like to go on vacation, since that’s his thing. Then with just a simple pop of his Paw-Paw Fruit they disappear.
Away from Sabaody Archipelago – Fire Fist Ace Sparks War
At the same time the Straw Hats are aim the run, they discover why there’s so little Navy presence in the area. Ace was brought in to the Navy by Blackbeard in exchange for a spot as Warlord of the Sea. Now the World Government spreads the news far and wide so that Whitebeard will hear. Fire Fist Ace is to be put to death at Marineford. Ace has infamy across the Grand Line at this point. He’s one of Whitebeard’s division leaders, so this is a major move by the Navy.
They plan to use his execution to lure out Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors of the New World. He’s famous for his power and stature, and clashes he had with Gold Roger over the decades. He’s one of the more benevolent Emperors along with Shanks, but will move if someone threatens those he protects. Now, it’s time for his massive forces to gather and take Ace back before the execution.
The Straw Hats Lose
Ask anyone who read the manga or watched the anime when this chapter came out, they’ll all say the same. No other Shonen series has truly done the “heroes have lost” trope with more dread or hopelessness than One Piece. This is a turning point for the series into an even darker direction than before. Now T he Straw Hats’ future looks bleak with no idea where they’re going. After Kuma pops each one to somewhere else with his powers, they each are sent flying away.
They fly for a while too. Kuma’s powers aren’t well explained, but when he hits someone they’ll land wherever he designates in a giant paw print. It won’t be instant though, as Zoro regains consciousness and finds that he’s been flying through the air for three days. Each of them is going to land somewhere different, but that’s in the next arc. For now, the Straw Hats have been thrown to the oceans, and all seems lost.
Dumbest Straw Hat Award
There wasn’t room for this in the first Sabaody Archipelago arc review since it was so dense, but the award for this arc goes to Brook and Chopper. Every Devil Fruit user aboard the Merry had particular episodes of idiocy during this arc, from the Shark Sub to the Sabaody Bubbles, but these two did the most. When Luffy was dragged into the water by Duval’s Flying Fish, someone had to save him before he drowned powerless. Usually it would be Sanji, maybe Franky, but this time?
This time Brook and Chopper both dive in after Luffy to save him. The living skeleton and raccoon dog, both thanks to their Devil Fruits, sink just as fast as Luffy. Franky and Nami end up doing even more work to rescue them, but they thought they were helping. So, for that, Brook and Chopper share this arc’s Dumbest Straw Hat award.
Important Events during Sabaody Archipelago arc
- “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh debuts. He reveals that Gold Roger was already dying before the Navy took him.
- Kizaru debuts.
- Hatchan returns, and Camie debuts alongside him.
- Duval and his Flying Fish Riders debut, and become loyal to the Straw Hat crew.
- Fishman Island’s history of subjugation.
- The Celestial Dragons, specifically Saint Charlos, debut. Saint Charlos also has his ass kicked by Luffy.
- The Worst Generation and Supernovas debut.
- The Straw Hats are separate during the attack by Kuma.
That brings the Sabaody Archipelago arc to its end as everything seems over for the Straw Hat crew. Will they land somewhere safe and be able to reunite? There’s a lot to cover and these next few arcs are going to have a lot of action in a very short time. The Summit War Saga is only just heating up in the One Piece world, and the Amazon Lily arc that comes next will be the pillar when the Grand Line starts to burn.
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