One Piece is in full party mode when Episode 1081 starts, but someone is in the country now who wants to crash it. The Marine Admiral Greenbull is on a flower-fueled rampage to the Flower Capital, and he doesn’t have good plans in store. Little does the Admiral know that Wano has many more powerful warriors to fight than the Straw Hats in One Piece episode 1081!
This article contains full spoilers for One Piece through episode 1081, so catch up on Crunchyroll before reading on here!
What Happens in One Piece Episode 1081?
Wow, One Piece has faced a lot of criticism lately for the pacing of episodes, with a few barely even covering a chapter. This episode takes that criticism to heart though, and runs on all cylinders from start to finish. Beginning with a check-in on Shanks to show his crew learning about Luffy’s new status all the way to finding out about the Reverie disaster, everything zips by. Then when the Wano citizens finally perceive that Greenbull is on his way, they pick up weapons once more to stay free.
Denjiro, Raizo, Shinobu, and Kawamatsu all run toward the approaching Greenbull, sensing that some sort of danger is near. They make a damn good effort against him too, despite eventually being overwhelmed. After a brief flash away to the Red Line, showing chaos after the Reverie, the battle in Wano reignites when Yamato and Momo show up! Now it comes down to the Wano crew and Greenbull, and Momo refuses to accept the Straw Hats’ help.
Who is Greenbull?
The newest Navy Admiral along with Fujitora, Greenbull is also known as Ryokugyu. He has the power of the Woods-Woods Fruit, which allows control over anything plant-based nearby, and lets him turn into a tree. A really mean tree, too, as it quickly takes down some of the strongest Red Scabbards standing at the moment. He’s an absolute monster, and it’s no wonder he made his way up the ranks so fast, especially under Akainu.
His little speech about how citizens not with the World Government don’t have human rights is super telling. Greenbull has no sort of sympathy or human emotion, only seeing bodies that he can stack to reach his goal. He’ll receive some more development soon with the flashbacks to what happens during the Reverie, and it isn’t pretty.
Shanks Sees Luffy’s Bounty
Every time Luffy has some new bounty increase or moment of infamy, rest assured that Shanks is watching. The Red-Haired Pirates are even waiting off the coast of Wano, though nobody knows why. It’s probably just to see what the outcome of things was during the fight against Kaido. Perhaps Shanks was considering if he wanted to intervene or not, depending on how things were going. Still, it’s nice to get a check-in with all of the Red Hair Pirates to see how they feel.
The funniest thing is that Yasopp isn’t ready to see Usopp yet, out of everyone that could have an issue. This is just hilarious since he’s always been the number one absentee father in One Piece other than Dragon. It’s fun to see everyone reminisce about Luffy though, seeing how he’s come so far from being the child on their ship.
Wano vs. Ryokugyu
Despite some stuttery animation in parts, the battle between the currently healthy scabbards and Greenbull is fantastic. Everyone gives all they have, though it unfortunately isn’t enough for them to take the Admiral down. Each of them pulls out some flashy swordwork, with Denjiro and Kawamatsu even doing some good damage. It’s not enough though, and before long Ryokugyu dispatches them for good. There’s a brief moment where things really do look hopeless for Wano once more. Before anything else can happen the scene changes to elsewhere in time.
The Gum-Gum Fruit Heist
If only this entire sequence would have been animated, it would have been a great capstone to the Wano arc. The story flashes back to years before the current story, showing a young Shanks still wearing the straw hat. They’re sailing through a storm and coming up on a World Government vessel, with Cipher Pol 9 in tow. It’s not an easy fight that they face, and the Rear Admiral in charge, Who’s-Who, can’t even figure out why they’re being targeted. As far as they know, this is just over a Devil Fruit that turns people into rubber.
We know that Shanks was after the Gum-Gum Fruit, but nobody knows if he knows the true power it holds. They manage to get away with it though, only for Luffy to eat the Fruit as soon as they get to the port.
Yamato and Momo Arrive
The fight comes back into the spotlight as Momo and Yamato come in, Momo in full dragon form. He tries to use the Blast Breath move that Kaido did, but unfortunately he’s not strong enough yet. More impressive, Greenbull manages to take a full-power hit with Conqueror Haki from Yamato and even just shrugs it off. That’s one hell of a feat for anyone, even an Admiral, considering Yamato held off his father for some time.
Despite being woefully outmatched, Momo goes in for a kill shot on Greenbull, biting in and anchoring himself. It’s not enough though, and the Admiral grows out massive roots and a tree form to restrain the dragon. A valiant effort on Momo’s part, but unfortunately he’s not at the power of his father yet.
Flame Emperor Sabo
One of the most insane (and hype) parts of the episode is getting an update on Sabo. He was last seen during the Reverie arc, organizing the Revolutionary Generals for a raid on the Reverie. There wasn’t anything shown yet of what happens during the raid, but that will come later. What we know for now is that Sabo is a hero even more beloved than Dragon. He’s given the epithet of Flame Emperor thanks to his effort freeing slaves from Marijoa.
The raid itself is a major focus later on, but right now he’s being presented as a murderer. Nefertari Cobra, king of Alabasta, is dead now, and Sabo is the one responsible according to Big News Morgans’ paper. It’s only going to be a few episodes away, but the raid on Marijoa that shows what really happens is one of the most anticipated moments from the manga.
What Happens at the Reverie?
From the very brief check-in with Akainu atop the Red Line at Navy HQ, the Reverie was chaotically hellish. Hundreds of slaves were freed, and apparently the Admirals only caused even more chaos. Akainu says they don’t even have extra soldiers to send in after Ryokugyu. He’s definitely pissed, and didn’t want an Admiral running off into Wano. The Fleet Admiral has a lot on his plate right now, and he doesn’t even know half of it.
Also, a cover story was animated for the first time in what seems like forever. Seeing Bartolomeo wreak havoc across the New World in Luffy’s name, even tearing down Red Hair flags in the process, is hilarious.
One Piece gave a lot of great info in Episode 1081, and things are only starting outside of Wano. The party is winding down, the fight with Greenbull is going to come to a head, and Shanks decides to turn around instead of seeing Luffy. The stage is set for Wano to finish out and the new adventure to begin as One Piece episode 1081 reaches the credits.
