It kind of feels like Toei is teasing us with the departure from Wano every week in One Piece lately. The massive arc, one of the longest in the series, has been going for nearly four years at this point, and is still wrapping things up in the anime. Now, the big battles are over, reconstruction is beginning, and the Straw Hat Pirates are all saying their goodbyes. Is there anything big that develops in episode 1084 though?
This article contains spoilers for One Piece through episode 1084. Catch up by watching on Crunchyroll before reading further, or beware of spoilers!
What Happens in One Piece Episode 1084
One Piece is really drawing out the departure of Wano for all they can, even adding in some anime-only goodbyes for the crew. This episode is really just saying goodbye to most of the Wano cast, as Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji all have talks with friends they’ve made. It’s a nice, sentimental break that tries to give flashbacks to how far Wano has come in twenty years. This country has been through hell and back hundreds of times over, so it’s nice to finally see some peace.
The real star of the episode was the massive amount of food that the animators were showing off. Red bean soup, boiled oden, Sangoro’s Soba, and all kinds of yummy food were the real focus. Considering how broken Wano was because of the famine, it’s kind of symbolic that everyone is full and satisfied now that the community is working together again. Episode 1084 might not have been very fast-paced, but it was peaceful, and that’s more than we’ve had in years.
Luffy Pays Respects
When the episode opens, Luffy is standing out in front of Oden Castle in Kuri. The entire place is still a massive crater of rubble thanks to Kaido’s Bagua Breath earlier in the arc, but it still shows that Oden was there. Eventually, some of the Red Scabbards and Carrot show up, and we can finally see that Brook, Nami, and Chopper are there with Luffy. There’s a brief exchange between the Scabbards and Luffy before they thank him for everything. Naturally, Luffy gets a little embarrassed and tells them they don’t have to do that. They are friends, after all.
Then Carrot and the other Minks reveal they’re heading back to Zou. Carrot, now in charge of the country since she was appointed by Dogstrom and Cat Viper, finds it a little hard to say goodbye. It’s definitely going to feel weird without her on the Thousand Sunny after she’s sailed with the Straw Hats for such a long time. We definitely haven’t seen the last of Carrot though, because she’ll be a part of the Straw Hat Fleet alongside all of Zou and Zunesha.
Zoro Visits Graves
The focus moves elsewhere on the island and shows Zoro standing in front of the graves of Yasuie and Pedro. Zoro pours some sake out for the two fallen soldiers before sitting to share a final drink with them, downing cups of sake on his own. Before long, Hiyori and Toki arrive, joining him to pray and pay respects to their fallen friends and Toki’s father. It’s bittersweet, with Hiyori also bidding farewell to Enma, the sword her father wielded for so long. It also seems like Hiyori might have a little crush on Zoro, considering how red she gets when talking to him.
Impressive beyond belief though is that Zoro managed to get to the graves by himself. Nobody was guiding him, but there was every chance he may have had another destination in mind. It’s just not like him to get where he’s going without a few detours first. Real character development is Zoro actually getting where he means to go.
What is Usopp Planning?
Usopp’s daydreams of being a lady’s man while trying to buy fabric are the usual Usopp shenanigans. Not that he’s there to buy clothes for wearing though, and instead he has another idea in mind. This obviously takes place a few days before the Straw Hats depart, as everyone is currently loading up the Thousand Sunny at Neko Port. When he asks for just black fabric though, that’s the biggest clue as to what he’s planning.
The Straw Hat Fleet is about to grow by another whole country, and they’ll need the flag to show it. Wano is officially an ‘unofficial’ territory of Emperor of the Sea Straw Hat Luffy. Now, no World Government interference can happen without a large-scale mobilization, and Luffy will protect them as they recover from Kaido’s disaster.
Saying Goodbye
Time’s almost up in Wano as Luffy and Tama share one last meal, some red bean soup made by Kin’emon’s wife. It’s a sweet moment, with Luffy wolfing everything down while Tama just sits there, praying over her food. It’s been so long that it’s hard to remember this was the girl who gave up the bowl of rice that she had saved for. This is the center of Luffy’s promise to Tama, and he always comes back to help those who feed him when he’s hungry.
Then comes Sanji saying goodbye to Chouju the mouse and the girl he saved from the Onigashima Pleasure Hall. It’s a sweet little moment, and at the end when Sanji sees Robin, he almost turns into Koro-Sensei from Assassination Classroom. It’s, a nice scene, and almost makes everyone forget that Sanji is technically a married man, not that he can remember it.
Also, the scene between Franky and the shipwright boss was hilarious. The boss being offended because Franky didn’t leave him anything to fix, along with Franky’s tears is just a classic moment for him.
Where To Next?
Okay, the past three or four episodes have been the “departure” from Wano, but it’s got to happen next episode. There’s no way we can drag this out much longer, and the only thing that needs to happen now is for Yamato, Momo, and Kin to say goodbye. They’re already on their way to the port too, so that’s almost a guarantee next episode. After that, it’s time to set sail and get the bounties for the other Straw Hat Pirates.
There’s going to be a pivotal episode in the next few weeks during the journey to the next island. Luffy’s dream is one of the central themes of One Piece, and nobody knows yet what it is. Then the Egghead Island arc will kick off, and there is a LOT to do in this arc. So, Episode 1084 of One Piece ends with the Straw Hats finally ready to sail, and there’s about to be a big wind at their back.
