One Piece: Fishman Island - Jimbe's Flashback

[@PhantomGreyfire]

00:00:00 ⟾ Format - 2 parts, longer arcs 00:00:47 ⟾ Format - Introduction 00:01:08 ⟾ Format - Notes & Details 00:01:39 ⟾ Initial Thoughts - Fish-Man Island, mermaids, crew reunion, art 00:03:01 ⟾ Following Marineford 00:03:55 ⟾ Fake crew 00:04:44 ⟾ Character Designs 00:05:36 ⟾ Power Level, Haki, Pacifistas 00:07:08 ⟾ Character Moments - Zoro 00:07:55 ⟾ Set-up & Payoff, Mysteries - Kuma (also Duval), Kuma backstory 00:09:59 ⟾ Return to Sabaody ending, Rayleigh Flashback - Roger and the Straw Hat, mysteries and possibilities 00:12:05 ⟾ Fish-Man Island, Mermaids, setting, Surume, creatures, art, lore, history, Skypiea parallels 00:14:53 ⟾ Hody and Arlong 00:15:40 ⟾ Shyarly - (ominous) prophecy, Caribou, theories 00:17:30 ⟾ Neptune - character, flashback (Otohime) 00:18:26 ⟾ Hody - plans, will, Themes 00:20:06 ⟾ Shirahoshi (also Luffy), Vander Decken IX, powers 00:22:24 ⟾ Zoro - Prison and Hostage scene 00:23:12 ⟾ Camie and Hatchan, Hody 00:23:50 ⟾ Hody and Vander Decken IX alliance, goals 00:24:24 ⟾ Zoro vs. Hody underwater fight 00:24:30 ⟾ Sanji - nosebleed, gags, Turning to Stone Theory - Okama Blood, Momoiro Island, Devil Fruits origin 00:27:56 ⟾ Jinbei - Arlong and Nami 00:29:52 ⟾ Jinbei Flashback, depth, themes 00:30:54 ⟾ Fisher Tiger - Hancock, story, slavery, prejudice, hatred, generational shift 00:33:06 ⟾ [Insert] Girl on fish-man ship, betrayal, final blow 00:34:17 ⟾ Otohime and Fisher Tiger - Juxtaposition & Parallels, hope, assassination 00:37:26 ⟾ Jinbei and Nami, details and layers, themes, parallels 00:38:30 ⟾ Format - Future Plans 00:38:41 ⟾ Robin, Caribou, Noah, Flying Dutchman, Prophecy 00:39:29 ⟾ Crew and character moments, small interactions, overview 00:39:58 ⟾ Outro, Format 00:40:36 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits]

[@thunderlee-jun7041]

Bro, you dropped this 👑

[@PhantomGreyfire]

Certain stuff is intentionally vague in the timestamps, in order to avoid spoilers for people reading along Merphy.

[@BlaCk-we7cy]

Please keep doing these G! We appreciate it.

[@rohitkay2937]

Thanks as always ❤️❤️🙏

[@HimanshuYadav-ir6lb]

Pin the comment ✊

[@TurtleBazooka]

One of my favorite things about the crew coming together is Zoro being reintroduced with the same exact feat we first see from Mihawk, cutting a Galleon in half casually. Also Zoro's line there is the best.

[@ThunderTrovoadas]

Mihawk cut a galleon in three pieces, actually.

[@tobikurashiki5800]

I got....on the wrong ship.

[@snipersougo13]

I still think that Zoro arriving first is a pothole. Perona must have had a hard time.

[@l0kk016]

@@snipersougo13 Luckily, Zoro's sense of direction doesn't affect the ppl around him.

[@11shiroineko]

@@snipersougo13 maybe Perona just used her ghosts every time he tried to go somewhere on his own

[@44pwelphil]

Merphy calling Luffy ''Luffers'' proves that NO ONE can escape Daniel. He crawls into your brain and never leaves.

[@crazyyash3488]

Nasty little goblin

[@Memory_of_Light]

@@crazyyash3488 everyone needs a goblin in their life

[@gliscaradu1424]

Ugh, a horrible experience really

[@treyatkinson7564]

ALL HAIL THE GOBLIN KING!!!!

[@adoniscreed4031]

Loofers is a great nickname to be fair! well played Daniel 😂

[@shyguypro9876]

There’s an important difference between Arlong and Hody that often gets missed. While Arlong did hate humans and believe them to be inferior, he did genuinely care for his crew and his fellow fishmen. When Zoro first broke out of Arlong Park, Arlong expresses genuine concern for his crew and anger that Zoro hurt them. Hody on the other just has the hatred without any of the camaraderie or care for his crew. He willingly sacrifices them for his own protection and places the destruction of human kind above the well-being of his people.

[@sarafontanini7051]

i was gonna bring this up in the second half portion as it'll be much more relevant there once merphy knows more about Hody. But basically yeah, while Hody says he's fllowing Arlong's will its clear he doesn't REALLY understand Arlong at all and is just a crazed fanboy

[@albion1680]

Spoiler for second half: The most important distinction imo was that Arlongs hatred actually stemmed from something (seeing Fisher Tiger die in the way he did) while Hody hated the humans for no real reason. He hated them because Arlong hated humans.

[@asap4bri]

@@albion1680 and that's systemical racism in a nutshell

[@zackm681]

@@albion1680 Just like Hody’s hatred wasn’t his his power isn’t his too.This is seen in the fact that he uses pills to make himself stronger to achieve his goals.This congruence between his character and powers is really satisfying

[@ayan7021]

​@@albion1680 tbh that part of oda's writing falls flat bc the humans are still to this day discriminating against fishman. it makes sense for hody to hate them because even if he wasnt physically hurt by them the effects of the humans on his race is clear

[@NewLetsPlayGuy123]

"They all know something I don't know. And I don't know what it is" One Piece in a nutshell

[@redx589]

Spot on. lmao.

[@Shax22132]

Facts.

[@Mauro-sn2kt]

And we still don't know

[@Abdullah-uh4eu]

Though we do kind of know why Shanks and Rayleigh helped him, it's because both Luffy and Roger have the same outlandish dream. However, we still don't know what that is, so there's that.

[@gladvinjoshy1251]

Otohime's words, "keep your guns down, kids are watching" to the fishmen who shot her after trying to shoot the celestial dragon. That line hit hard. It was so impactful.

[@scottiecurrie7927]

I wanted to get through Fishman Island as quickly as possible because of everything I had heard, but I was beyond surprised at how amazing the backstory was. Had me literally weeping many times, and this was one of them. Seeing a queen protect one of the most despicable beings in that verse just so the kids wouldn't inherit their parents hatred was DEEP

[@sohailsadaqat6684]

Yes, Fishmen island arc is really amazing, the only part is the fight with Hody gets prolonged "intentionally" to setup the scenario for Luffy needing blood, frankly the fighting part was a little longer and boring which made people forgets how great the backstory, the setup, the lore and history of Fishmen & humans was.

[@razkable]

i hated fishman island because it made me so mad and hody sucks...but its a good backstory for sure

[@casvandijck9338]

@@razkable Hody sucks, agreed, but he sucks for all the right reasons. He embodies empty hate, hate without a real reason to validate itself. It's more terrifying to me than hate that is at least somewhat understandable, for example Fisher Tiger's or Arlong's.

[@generalwoofles6240]

You're probably going to encounter a lot more negativity on the post time-skip arcs for a variety of reasons. Mainly the anime going downhill and the length of the arcs. The arcs are MUCH better reading in bulk than week to week so you're experiencing them the best way you can. I personally had a much higher opinion of the Fishman arc after rereading it.

[@havtor007]

Intresting to hear this around after the fishman island is when i fell out.

[@shyguypro9876]

I think the primary reason a lot of people say post-time skip is worse is because it’s where they became a weekly reader. People who bag on Dressrosa usually became weekly during Dressrosa (or watched the Dressrosa anime, which was a legit nightmare to watch) and same with Whole Cake Island. It’s so easy to think an arc is bad when you had to absorb it piece meal chapter by chapter.

[@syefsazzad]

I was weekly when dressrosa started in the manga, I didn't mind the slow pacing it was tolerable but it was the slowest one-piece ever been because of how the plot was structured. The anime felt insanely slow and that's where I dropped the anime., I think after Dressrosa the anime director changed and the later arcs are much better in terms of pacing.

[@generalwoofles6240]

@@shyguypro9876 interesting theory and I don't doubt that's true for at least some people. I started around Thriller Bark and I remember the next arc to Whole Cake Island being kind of hit or miss (while reading weekly). It really didn't start to pick up again until the most current arc.

[@cybersketcher1130]

What's the cheapest way to read the manga then?

[@IbbyMelbourne]

Merph: They weren't acting like Pirates in Skypia Me: it's the only arc where they're actually hunting for treasure

[@Violet_Odorata]

🤯

[@sohailsadaqat6684]

Exactly, that’s literally the only arc where they were acting like Pirates.

[@nwxzzz]

didnt they go there to find the bell or something for noland's descendant

[@username-ql8ox]

@@nwxzzz no, only Luffy did that when he realized that the bell existed at the top of the beanstalk The night before the fight when the strawhats had a party with the wolves, they discussed the city of gold and how they will steal all the gold in the city

[@nishadbhavsar4145]

@@sohailsadaqat6684 not true, pirates are also the adventurer of seas which is the main focus of strawhats. so claiming these would demean the whole pirate thing

[@jaroslavmihok740]

Oda : Sanji turn in to stone is fun gag Merphy: There has to be some logic or reason it cant be just gag .... i love it 🤣

[@PushoverMediaCritic]

MAJOR spoilers for current events in the manga, even past the anime: What if, though. If Sanji's fire is from Judge giving him Lunarian blood, what if the "stone form" is his Germa exoskeleton. He's been feeling weird since the second time he put on the Raid Suit, that was when he was peeping in the bathhouse and got the Raid Suit soaked in his blood from a nosebleed. What if all the superpower gags around Sanji being horny are actually him tapping into Germa enhancements in fits of passion?

[@jaroslavmihok740]

@@PushoverMediaCritic if that would be true ... what status would Oda has then when already now he is called GODa ?... Super Saiyan GODa 🤣🤣🤣?

[@kneau]

@@PushoverMediaCritic I appreciate you, yet - the *potential this has - to rob new readers of certain long-haul speculation... bothers me.

[@shubhamyuvaidya89]

@@PushoverMediaCritic tinfoil time 😂

[@vitorribeiro7729]

@@PushoverMediaCritic bro, you're overthinking, it's just a gag lol

[@GoatKnife]

Merphy: I have been promised ghost pirates and I need my ghost pirates. Brook: Am I a joke to you?

[@me5o164]

Yohohohoho

[@Beginner_Seven]

You hurt Brook feelings even his only bone if you want to eat the crew you must eat Brook as well. Strong World flashback.

[@weadon44]

Well you’re actually just one big Skull joke to me. But it’s fine

[@casvandijck9338]

Brook: "That was a gutpunch... ALTHOUGH I DON'T HAVE ANY GUTS! YOHOHOHO!"

[@camschaaf8681]

"What am I, chopped liver? But I don't even have a liver! YOHOHOHO"

[@TubemastaC]

Murphy: “Everyone who has a connection to Roger wants to help Luffers and protect him for some reason” Buggy: *stares blankly*

[@weadon44]

Well buggy has saved Luffys life like twice. Almost killed him a few times too though. I’m sure it’s about even.

[@JackTheBat179]

I can’t wait for buggy to become an emperor

[@Mauro-sn2kt]

Can't wait for buggy to find the one piece

[@antoniocorsetti3222]

@@JackTheBat179 he’s gonna be king of the pirates

[@D__634]

@@JackTheBat179 I just want to reply to your comment and say that Buggy is now one of the Yonkos.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

I want the sushi uprising and I want it now.

[@furorteutonicus9045]

GOBLIN SPOTTED!

[@aidenharper1046]

This guy never misses an opportunity of spoiling himself 😂

[@augustinechinyama8443]

You were in the lead Daniel, how could you let this happen? 😔

[@kneau]

I can hear Daniel's comment.

[@fodinski1]

Daniel behind again, I guess those little gobbling legs can’t run any faster

[@alearnedman]

Technically Chopper doesn't have a "new" hat, the round part is actually an addition sitting on top of his original hat. Which is pretty great because his OG hat has so much sentimental value to him.

[@SpyCatchMovie]

It's a helmet over the old hat

[@furorteutonicus9045]

lol this is such a weird choice by Oda. You can tell that he did not want to remove the original hat but still wanted Chopper to look different after the timeskip (since he decided to not make him grow up for reasons...) so he just put that weird thingy over the hat which has no purpose at all and even squishes the old hat into a shape. Not a big fan of this tbh. lol

[@blaz1ent786]

my headcanon is that the round thing is a gift from the island he was sent. Those guys took care of him after all!

[@bigbundle3223]

@@furorteutonicus9045 it's a bonnet. the entire point of bonnets is to protect hair. using it to protect a hat makes sense and is funny.

[@zackm681]

@@furorteutonicus9045 Chopper did grow in his four legged reindeer form he’s way bigger.It’s just his classic chibi chopper hybrid form that didn’t grow

[@autumndjinn9622]

Fishman island has some of the best art. The Ryugu Palace Panel is one of Oda's best Works.

[@atlasbarrosh55]

Both Fishman Island and Skypea have the most satisfying art yet for me...

[@devadathans5506]

@@atlasbarrosh55 Wano?

[@Alexander-2956]

@@devadathans5506 Wano has less consistent art. Oda is kinda sick so he can't really focus that much.

[@nuredingeziqi679]

@@Alexander-2956 ...?

[@erick_ac]

@@Alexander-2956 dafuq?

[@snuzzlebumble]

I love how this arc humanizes Arlong, someone who is thought of as a one-note villain. Nothing justifies his actions, but it gives you a good understanding as to why Arlong was the way that he was.

[@MWhaleK]

It also shows that Arlong was trying to be nice to Nami (in a pretty twisted way) and seriously thought he was being kind, all because he learned the wrong things from his interactions with little slave girl Koala.

[@Limxuv]

Oda is so skilled at writing complex characters. Fisher Tiger desiring the peace that the queen is fighting for while simultaneously not being able to let go of his trauma that fuels his hatred is so honest and real. He wants the cycle of hate to end, but it’ll end with him Also, I think the Sanji turned to stone gag is based on how Boa’s ability only works on people who have impure thoughts so Sanji turning to stone in this arc despite Boa not being anywhere near him let’s us know that Sanji’s thoughts are so impure that he turns to stone on his own. Sanji being both an honorable gentleman and a despicable pervert is such an awkward tension to grapple with tbh

[@sageinit]

@No Name well but you see he got an Okama blood transfusion so now he has a more FLASHY approach (crack fan theory: Buggy is an Okama)

[@mahmii0174]

@No Name See here’s where I stand with Sanji. As much as him eyeing ladies and getting too close in their space is rude and WRONG, one thing Sanji would never do is hurt a woman. So he’s pervy sure, but I don’t think that should take away from his principles. He’s ALWAYS stood by them firmly

[@tiem6260]

Mhm. Both otohime and fisher tiger are flawed somehow which is unlike any other flashback characters. Instead of dying because they're paragons they both died because of their flawed ideals and only jimbei can unite their ideals into one

[@WatanukiProductions]

@@mahmii0174 I go back and forth on Sanji, at times throughout the series he's been my favorite Straw Hat, but the Sanji is a pervert joke gets so tiresome and one note. It's not funny on it's own that he's a pervert, what is funny and interesting about Sanji is that he's so suave, he can cook, he's a gentleman, he's clever, and a badass. So he ought to be the most popular with women of anyone on the crew but because of his early childhood trauma and the trauma he experienced at Okama paradise he loves women so much more than is healthy and it essentially makes him girl repellent. He's so charming but can't obtain what he wants because he want's it too much is the joke that lands rather than him being perverted on it's own.

[@nichescenes]

I took it as just a joke him turning into stone. I love how oda is still a child at heart. Loves looney tunes gags. Also love how regardless of what the west says, japan still does them, they arent as crazy about and pearl clutching over intimacy and such. I know certain things are bad but I just shrug and say its fine...for them I'm gonna focus on story. I hope they don't try to cater to the west too much as we have a lot of plot ideas that arent good in other cultures but we don't change such as thinking arraigned marriage is bad and only love at first sight is a thing or love etc...some places don't care about just arrange marriage. I like anime cause its different...please don't cater to American taboos.

[@sharathnarayan2715]

If you read carefully when Rayleigh met Strawhats for the first time in Sabondy, as soon as he saw luffy's straw-hat he commented something like " That hat, it certainly suits a fearless man like yourself."

[@Willpowaa]

To this day it still amazes me how well Oda was able to weave the theme of racism and generational trauma into this arc while covering so many of the nuances around it so masterfully. So many fans overlook that aspect when talking about this arc. I’m really glad that you touched upon how well done and true to real life it was.

[@NotInTheFace111]

It's not just "racism is bad, slavery is bad," but a nuanced look at how racism as harmful to both sides of the dynamic, hatred seeping into the very core of oppressors and oppressed people, even hindering the hearts and intentions of people trying to change that dynamic of societiy. It has been a building, recurrent theme since Arlong Park, and somehow Oda was able to even tie in Sanji's stupid nosebleeds in to the wider implications of this theme. Oda's story of freedom is better for exploring the harms and horrors of systematic oppression, and it's so well done.

[@ikariiprince]

I love how a major part of One Piece so far is “inherited will” and here we have Oda address “inherited generational trauma” it’s really beautiful

[@Memory_of_Light]

Hody himself is pretty dull, but he is also an excellent vehicle to show how dangerous it can be to pass on your hatred and prejudices on to the next generation. The grudge he acquired from the previous generation did nothing but put him on the path to his destruction and when his fight was over he was robbed of the chance to do anything for the world by the choices he made in pursuit of his goal.

[@furorteutonicus9045]

This! So much THIS!

[@sageinit]

@@NotInTheFace111 Victims of Victims spread the disease

[@purusingh6085]

The fact that she now uses Kuma's name instead of calling him paw paw says how much she loves Kuma's character now.

[@casvandijck9338]

Everytime she called him Pawpaw I wanted to use Kuma's powers on her to remove that habit >_>

[@nnesquick3]

Merphy calling out Caribou for wearing his sleeves like a two year old had me rolling 🤣

[@Fissiccisst1]

noone: literally noone: not even Oda himself: Merphy: I HAVE THEORIES ABOUT THAT TIME SANJI TURNED TO STONE

[@foxfax2]

Oh, Oda has theories too, don't worry. He always does.

[@koubalt5574]

have you not read recent chapters? or are you just ignoring them?

[@elasmar1337]

it actually makes sense with the okama blood transfer helping alter sanji, we know iva has that ability to alter people, if her effects were passed on to sanji through the blood transfer, it could explain alot of whats happening inside his body, even punk hazard with his leg being cracked, perhaps that was the start of the altering process and he isnt "weak" but weakened, add in raid suit which most likely draws on the bodies enhancements which would mean he could have two methods drawing out his abilities now which was supressed by the medication his mother took, god dam did merphy just spawn a new theory lol

[@pordoklanian]

and he just got so hard he turned into a mineral

[@Killingmachine6]

I think she thinks that okama has some sort profound meaning or that they’re a special race of people lol

[@skeletonghost610]

Franky trapping Swampy while he's monologuing is one of my favorite visual gags

[@Cipher_Paul]

Yeah, imagine doing that to a major villain during his monologue 😂

[@Sorakeyboy247]

One of my favorite Franky moments. 😂

[@OsamaSohail99]

Merphy: "They all know something i dont know and I don't know what it is" Literally the entire One Piece fandom about everything

[@koubalt5574]

we've gotten alot of answers but also more questions along the way

[@AnythingAndEverything91296]

“I think….. I don’t know” - Every One Piece fan ever

[@themiamimovieman5053]

I understand what you mean by Skypiea not having that pirate feel, but I think it's important to note that from what you've read so far, the Sky Island Saga is the only one focused on an actual treasure hunt.

[@milesclayborne]

One thing that might get lost in translation is that people address jinbei as “boss jinbei”. In the Japanese he is addressed as “oyabun” which is the kind of term one would use for a yakuza boss. So it goes to show that jinbei garners respect from those around him similar to how one would show respect to a mafia don or a tony soprano type guy

[@aNervousFlower]

I'm glad to hear that you are so interested in Kuma, to this day he is one of the most interesting and intriguing characters in the series for me!

[@kriscontents3248]

I also have a theory

[@metallsnubben]

So many characters self-sacrificing and taking devil's bargains in One Piece, and Kuma might be the absolute peak of it. WHY THO

[@MCC805]

Also a minor bit that a lot of people overlook is Franky meeting Tom’s brother and the explaination about fishman races, Oda really has an explaination for everything in this world and it’s so good!

[@PhilinSaniachen]

At the time I didn't think much of it but now I realize it was Oda's way of answering the question of if Fishmen were racist within their own community the same way humans are like how in the black community there's a lightskin and darkskin divide and how that's affected some people. To think of that and address even though nobody was really thinking about it is one of the reasons why Oda is so great!

[@Sunaki1000]

Yeah that was cool.

[@grantisshananaa4906]

Tom's brother really came off as a chilled cool guy for the short amount of screen time. A really great throw away character.

[@amichiganblackman3200]

Explanation for everything except why some people are randomly 9ft tall.

[@Michael-vl7ey]

@@amichiganblackman3200 I bet it will come We are now getting answers about things we just accepted

[@furorteutonicus9045]

You totally seem to get this arc and what Oda is trying to portray through its characters, especially Hody. Its soooo refreshing to hear your takes. Most people who complain about this arc do not seem to understand why Oda wrote it in this way, why the villains are no threat to the SHs etc. I wish I could sub to you twice! :)

[@Kibashino2]

I think it has a lot to do with the audience of Shounen Manga in generell. Especially after the Summit War with the number of huge Names and fight power shown. Who's stronger than who and so on. Most of the audience just look at Shounen from that perspective. But i'm glad Oda has gone the route he did.

[@gletzroll2466]

I think I don’t like it cause I watched the anime. This is the one arc that I think is put down by the pacing.

[@jqwashere7664]

Actually, most of the people that didn’t like this arc, are the folks(such as myself) that had to read it weekly. While I can admit that it was somewhat grueling to get through, reading it without #Odabreaks made me appreciate the arc way more. Slypiea was the first arc that taught me to be patient with Oda.

[@bagofhotchips2585]

FMI is a great arc if you haven't read/seen the next 5 Arcs after lol. Upon initial watch, I though FMI was a great Arc. I knew Hody wasn't gonna be loved amongst the fandom. I didn't mind him being a basic villian. FMI was about history and a StrawHats showcase.... But once you see/rear the next 5 arcs after it, and then you go back to FMI, you would probably not like it as much. It's still a great arc, but it dosent compare to PH, DR, Z, WCI and W 😜

[@ez-jay1483]

@@jqwashere7664 In the week, I saw someone post screenshots of old One Piece discussion forums. People disliked Enies Lobby while it was ongoing. And the Summit War. And we've seen that with Fishman Island, Punk Hazard, Dressrosa and Whole Cake Island. People like the arcs way more when they are binged. Which makes sense.

[@eliashigham8901]

The Fishman Island flashback is one of the most incredible distilled sections of One Piece. It’s such a beautiful story, tragic and hopeful in equal measure. Koala smiling as she scrubs the deck and Otohime protecting the Celestial Dragon from the mob are probably in my top ten one piece moments. Not because either of them are happy but because they so accurately reflect the complexity of the world

[@jacobg6628]

Brook’s entire anatomy should speak volumes of what lengths Oda will take to have gag vs being practical with his world.

[@rasaecnai]

Chopper: Sanji do not turn around, your life is in danger. That one was one of my most memorable OP scene.

[@carlosdanielcalderonmontoy3723]

HAHAHA I loved that part.

[@AnyMEmdq]

That's so freaking good!!!

[@AgeofJP]

that was the latest episode when I finally caught up with the anime and went for the manga for the first time (and every chapter ever since)...had no internet until late 2011 and the german dub just quit after episode 400. But I consider myself lucky to have literally watched One Piece since the episode 1 premiere and yet I still got to have the chance to just once binge a few arcs that were new to me...it would've been perfect if some dumbass didn't spoil Ace's and Whitebeards deaths when I was literally telling him how glad I am I finally get to catch up...he didn't even want to fuck with me, he wanted to hype me. If I ever meet him again I must ask him why he thought that was not the dumbest thing to do

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@AgeofJP That's the most common spoiler in the world, sadly. Bunch of people suffered it

[@isa21k]

Koala is a pretty important character I'm very glad you like her and brought her up

[@AnyMEmdq]

I love her so much! Every time she appeared on the flashback I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be ok. MUST PROTECC!!!

[@isa21k]

@@AnyMEmdq yessss!!

[@Felipera_]

My dumb ass did not connect the Koala dots at first, I never felt so dumb before.

[@casvandijck9338]

@@AnyMEmdq I feel ya, her initial smile is so heartwrenching.

[@25redshark]

Kuma (in Sabaody): We'll probably never see each other again Also to clarify, Vegapunk hasn't appeared in person where you're at in the story, just mentioned

[@osonhouston]

Vega Punk is one of the most anticipated characters to be introduced. When he is we'll learn so much.

[@mateo0123]

omg imagine if he was revealed to actually be hogback and merphy's observation haki was just that good

[@Chocolangot]

Dude hasn't appeared in the story at all. All we had is a few mentions from people that i will not name because spoilers

[@Loaves_of_Cat]

@@mateo0123 I don’t think that’s possible cause hogback and vegapunk’s personality is simply too different. Plus vegapunk has a moral line he won’t cross while hogback doesn’t have a line he won’t cross. U’ll see in the arc after fishman island arc if you haven’t yet.

[@SilvrSavior]

Until he appears on screen I'm picturing Vegapunk as Joerg Sprave. "I've come up with a new weapon. Let me show you what I came up with. Presenting the new and improved Pacifista 2.0. LET ME SHOW YOU ITS FEATURES!"

[@Wyvernn_]

Fun fact! Chopper's "new hat" is actually a piece of armor he made to protect Hiriluk's hat from any damage

[@radyout]

I got a big smile on my face when she said she really liked Franky’s update.

[@kinguu7740]

"i really like franky new design" I think merphy the first reviewer/reactor who says that lol..

[@villagerc7130]

Fr lmao

[@moderndayphilosopher9782]

Daniel said it earlier, like 2 days ago lol.

[@metallsnubben]

​@@moderndayphilosopher9782 Though seemingly he misinterpreted it as steroids rather than just being a freaking cyborg

[@saeedabdo2083]

@@metallsnubben He said that he knows that he modified himself with machinery but he just meant he got a lot buffer in the comments.

[@bfc10200]

People usually like his design, they just miss the old hair.

[@isa21k]

It's alright! Split it up into as many parts as you need!

[@WayneBond006]

Splitting them up is going to be wise Murphy-senpai.

[@ikariiprince]

Just thinking about how dressrosa and Wano are going to be like 5+ parts omg

[@adoniscreed4031]

@@ikariiprince Im calling it now, 3 for each

[@koubalt5574]

she's gonna have to split dressrosa alot too

[@koubalt5574]

@@adoniscreed4031 i mean wano has "acts" to separate each parts of the arc but thats because wano is that long of an arc it could become a saga at this point

[@chriszorander9333]

@@koubalt5574 The Wano arc is already longer than most sagas

[@Paddster]

a big reason why some fans dislike the post time-skip arcs in my opinion is because the focus has shifted. The stories are no longer straw hat centric. They are much more global with all the arcs directly connecting narratively and a lot more characters being part of the arcs. Every single pre time-Skip arc focuses on / revolves around a straw hat (yes I count Vivi as a straw hat). Post time-skip not so much. I like the change. It keeps OP fresh and interesting and fits with the escalating threats. But I do unterstand why some want the more straw hat focused stories back.

[@sirdaki7860]

Yeah there’s only Sanji’s so far but I still love the arc though.

[@Mallicor]

Which strawhat does sky island revolve around?

[@Paddster]

@@Mallicor Honestly I completely forgot about Skypiea. You're right. Skypiea doesn't revolve around a straw hat. I guess it still feels straw hat centric to me because they have a ton of panel time. Post time skip arcs have a lot of side characters who need attention which means less panel time for the straw hats. Does that make sense?

[@mcrbelieve3923]

@@Paddster Skypiea revolves around the whole concept of them being pirates having an adventure!

[@seashorerumble1380]

I agree and I like it because it shows how far these characters have come. It makes the earlier arcs even better by showing how they have overcome so much and are now on a level to mess with the strongest forces in the world

[@bevinbrand4637]

This arc talks about so many really important things in an actually appropriately complex and nuanced way. It not only re-contextualizes the entire Arlong Park story, but drives home a lot of the growing complexity in the entire series about the lasting effects of trauma and issues of systemic oppression and injustice. There is so much truly fantastic writing going on here, and it's great to see you appreciating it. That said, the nerfing of Sanji's character is something I'm still angry about to this day. It was completely unnecessary.

[@nishadbhavsar4145]

yep i agree all of it but Sanji's character purposely being downfalled for the big picture, Oda was writing his storyline for his character from the get go of the New World. Changing his eye to appear from his hair since post time skip, Introducing Pudding before others in Big Mom crew (pekkoms weren't the main players), getting him conscious about his uselessness since punk hazard and dressrosa, all for the Whole Cake and Wano Fight.

[@bevinbrand4637]

@@nishadbhavsar4145 My argument wasn't whether Oda purposefully messed up the character-- I have no way of knowing what his intentions were. From my perspective as a reader, all I know is that Sanji went from one of my favorite characters to being genuinely unlikable and someone whom I now dread a little bit because I don't know when he's going to do something horrible.

[@nishadbhavsar4145]

@@bevinbrand4637 I agree but satisfying payoffs are oda's speciality, he would never demean any character he has worked hard to create

[@SuperSannylu]

"I'm not gonna just cover return to sabaody because it's only 5 chapters long" shots fired at daniel

[@DarkChaos1986]

It's like she's undulating a point...

[@jonasquinn7977]

He was ahead for a brief moment but then Merphy zoomed by

[@xxmarcusxx101]

If Daniel covers the whole arc in one video, they'll be completely tied

[@DarkChaos1986]

@@xxmarcusxx101 she basically waited 3 weeks for him, those rereads are an excuse to discuss the story together and exchange viewpoints, it's more enjoyable that way.

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@DarkChaos1986 She also needed that, though. Go check her OG East Blue review, she was CLEARLY not seeing a lot of stuff if should could make a 15 min video covering 2 books and East Blue

[@harshj2076]

Merphy trying to make streched theories out of sanjis nosebleeds..... We as One Piece Community-Ahhh.....One of us!

[@latima123ify]

It's funny because she doesn't think this way about Nami hurting Luffy even though that should be impossible as well lol

[@zach415]

Well she may have a point. Maybe the blood transfusion was affecting his Vinsmoke genetic mutations which either he has or he’s a Lunarian

[@wormengine]

@@latima123ify nami manifesting armament haki only when she's mad a luffy lmao

[@voidcentury4957]

@@latima123ify it's fist of love

[@voidcentury4957]

@@zach415 this as well, I've been thinking about it while she's talking about Sanji's blood transfusion

[@cognitivedissonance9938]

Glad you are enjoying FMI. I know that Marineford was what brought a lot of fans to the series, so this was the first traditional arc those fans read week to week. Combine that with the fact that it was hyped up for 200+ chapters and you get too high expectations. I think FMI sits comfortably with the rest of One Piece. Its not near the top, but its very good.

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

It's really not, for a whole host of reasons. Fishman Island has easily the worst villains in the series since Captain Kuro in Syrup Village. Shirahoshi is an obnoxiously helpless character, although there's a certain other pink haired princess who is even worse. And the introduction of prophecies is a net negative to the series. I'm sure there are actually even more reasons than just that, but I haven't read it in a long time because most of it is not particularly enjoyable. And for the record, I didn't read it weekly and I had basically no exposure to One Piece fans until after I had gotten caught up to the manga, which was in Dressrosa.

[@NotInTheFace111]

Freaking time travelers, somehow commenting before the post is up?

[@cognitivedissonance9938]

@@FuckKZbinAndGoogle I think I have to disagree with you on most points here. Power wise, whatever villains came first after the TS had to be a relatively easy fight for the Straw hats. Anything else would have made the training seemed insignificant. Hordy and the fishman pirates serves their role in the story pretty good. They are an example of what can happen when hate is inherited, which is what the both Fisher Tiger and Otohime agreed had to be stopped. I personally don't find Shirahoshi bad and I would guess most people don't find her a detriment to the story. I think Oda did a good job creating symphaty for the royal family in this arc, her included. When it comes to the prophecies, its is difficult to judge that before we see exactly how they conclude. Most of them are still up in the air. Its to early to judge if they are a net negative.

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

@@cognitivedissonance9938 Prophecies are not bad because of what they predict to happen, they are bad because it sets things in stone as having been pre-ordained. It also trivializes Luffy's entire journey because he was destined to do everything right from the beginning. Hody Jones can both perfectly fulfill his role in the story and also be completely uninteresting. Because the role set out for him is not to be an interesting villain. And the same goes for Vander Decken. The problem is that it didn't have to be that way. Shirahoshi is a wasted character. Simply put. Not as bad as the other pink haired princess, but pretty bad nonetheless. Also, the Royal family are impossibly stupid for not actually doing something to stop Vander Decken from attacking Shirahoshi for years on end. There's no excuse for that.

[@furorteutonicus9045]

@@FuckKZbinAndGoogle Sorry but you get a hard disagree from me.

[@PortgasDASCE]

Hey Merph! Just wanted to say that I’m so glad you’re covering one piece. Personally I can’t enjoy books anymore due to having aphantasia (if you aren’t aware that means I’m unable to see pictures in my brain. Some people are born with it, but I developed it due to concussions playing football), but manga has been a great source of enjoyment for me because the pictures are already in front of me! I’m just glad someone who loves books as much as you also loves one piece- makes it so I don’t feel like I’m missing a whole lot from books because I can’t quite grasp them anymore without being able to imagine what I’m reading :)

[@mfbond13]

Wow that's sad you have that condition but I'm really glad it still means you can enjoy something like One Piece :))

[@milindkumarrathod7800]

Wow I didn't know this actually exists, glad you're enjoying one piece at it's best form! 💯

[@williamrreyes]

My sister has aphantasia and I love the fact that I'm able to share a love for stories like this with her.

[@PortgasDASCE]

@@williamrreyes that’s awesome! I’m really glad you guys are able to share OP together, it really is a unifying story :))

[@robertreyes8792]

I'm super glad that you can at least share in this fandom's enthusiasm with One Piece!

[@SirVampyr]

The "imposter strawhats" in the anime was fantastic. The strawhats voice actors voiced each others characters iirc :D

[@Eques_Umbra]

Oh, thats brilliant.

[@tennishsubmarine311]

Fake Luffy was voiced by Sanji

[@casvandijck9338]

@@tennishsubmarine311 Additionally, Fake Zorro was voiced by Usopp, Fake Nami was voiced by Chopper, Fake Soga King was voiced by Frankie, and Fake Sanji was voiced by Zorro

[@josephdavis9234]

One of my favorite things about the worldbuilding is the specifics of merfolk anatomy. Like, I'm used to stories where mermaids' lower halves are just described as "fish", but in One Piece, every mermaid or merman of significance, we're specifically told what kind of fish they are. It's neat attention to detail, makes it feel more real, and I've adopted it into my own art.

[@isa21k]

Did you notice how zoro cut the GALLION in half just like mihawk in the very beginning

[@NhojLhiac27]

The One Piece timeskip, in my opinion, greatly established Oda’s worldbuilding and long term storytelling as one of the greats. That’s why his New World arcs are so fun to binge. It became more plot driven and the events every post-arcs are SO good. The payoff is very rewarding. Not only that, you’ll also love his character and geography designs. His imagination unbelievably went tenfold. ALL THIS was just a “slice of cake” of what’s to come!

[@jukaa1012]

Yes I prefer post ts

[@josecisneros5516]

I prefer pre timeskip for enjoyment but post timeskip for writing definitely and character development (mainly for Luffy)

[@joaocalixto1686]

Yeah WCI is my favorite arc so far because of how well it integrates these elements. A lot of depth and build up used to arrive at those moments

[@josecisneros5516]

@@bunnyv4228 yes this is like the prelude to the new word like how East blue was the prelude to the grand line

[@joaocalixto1686]

@@bunnyv4228 Jesse, what the hell are you talking about?

[@jeraldalbritton1326]

Back in Baratie Zeff says some people attack you for disturbing their sleep Zoro: Cut the ship for them disturbing his sleep lol

[@patricklatham3897]

To be clear, Roger died 22 years before Luffy went to sea. After the 2 year time skip, Luffy is 19.

[@klanmasterio]

Every time Merphy says Pacifista ... Pacifica ... Wait is this a Gravity Falls review now?

[@MrBahki]

Fake Paw Paws is the new pronunciation.

[@thiagoorlandi2436]

Archipalacho instead of Archipelago lol

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@thiagoorlandi2436 a.k.a. not-an-island

[@casvandijck9338]

@@AnyMEmdq half the times she mentioned "not-an-island" I sorta thought she meant the Red Line.

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@casvandijck9338 ROFL! It is a good conclusion, it does describe the Red Line. But in the Merphy-verse, Not-an-island is where the fake paw-paws attacked, and paw-paw defeated the crew. BTW, can't say Pacificsta, can't say Archipelago, but has no issue saying Pachycephalosaurs later on. Her priorities are in the right place.

[@TEG13]

Fun fact: The whole Fishman Island arc is a reference to a Japanese fairy tale named Urashima Taro. I won't go into detail because I might spoil something at this point, but I recommend you check it out later.

[@golbez1583]

Merphy: "I dont expect Oda to do mermaids the way I like mermaids..." Me, remembering the final chapters of the Water 7 arc: "Yeah that checks out."

[@raitorino7520]

What do you mean? Camie is the first mermaid we meet

[@Grundlestorm]

There were no mermaids in Water 7 though.

[@augustinechinyama8443]

@@Grundlestorm Yes, but actually no

[@augustinechinyama8443]

@@raitorino7520 I think he/she meant enies lobby

[@raitorino7520]

@@augustinechinyama8443 r/woosh

[@bizzarejelly5818]

Fishman Island is gas!!!! I lost sleep over Fisher Tiger and Otohime! Fisher’s decision at the end of the flashback and feelings about humans. Wow. Humanizing Arlong. Showing how far Nami has come in terms of making peace with her past. Jinbei being torn between 2 conflicting ideals. And while Hody himself isn’t a great villain what he represents is amazing.

[@gauravkhanal3869]

Funfact: The "Not island" is only island where strawhats have revisited. Also, Can someone in her patreon tell her to read sbs from here on out? Also if possible make a video using it. It will be so much fun.

[@TheKlyn10]

Well, they also go back to Water 7

[@Cahleeeb]

@@TheKlyn10 That's like in the same arc though, lots of things happened between their first and second time at Sabaody

[@TheKlyn10]

@@Cahleeeb Same saga*, not same arc. But the point still stands. The SH always move on from island to island except for Water 7 and Saboady. The gap isn't really relevant when discussing a return to an island.

[@Memory_of_Light]

A sbs segment would be funny

[@adoniscreed4031]

@@TheKlyn10 great point 😂

[@voidler]

There's a lot of divisive opinions on new world arcs especially Fishmen Island But what a lot of this stems from is the big build up and this is around when weekly scan translations started becoming alot more accessible so a lot of the fandom got to the point where they are then reading it on the weekly release grind. Its a totally different experience re-reading an arc in one go and Oda is a master at pacing a story in arcs which is hard to appreciate on a weekly basis And things got really rough in new world for Anime only people in terms of pacing so some opinions on arcs are more a reflection on that adaptation than the manga FI is definitely underrated for me and I enjoyed it so much more on re-read so I'm glad you liked it

[@golem001px]

^^ 100% this

[@UltimatePower01]

Weekly scanlations did not become a thing around this arc.. have you heard of onemanga? There was weekly scans of one piece, Naruto, bleach since 2007. Fish man Island came out weekly around 2012.

[@hannibal9503]

Also loved the manner in which Oda tackled racism, showed that you should not take the hate to the next generation, and the also the message that Children are the best little things as they are not subject to any kind of predefinitions. The next generation should not be riddled in with hatred is such a powerful message. Man Oda is a fucking philosopher sometimes.

[@Allen-qs2xr]

Oh once she gets to the big D arc that is the one that was hard to read week to week.

[@golem001px]

@@UltimatePower01 i know, i have read one piece weekly since impel down, but the point is still the same, reading manga chapter after chapter aftwr chapter feels completly diferent than reading weekly, FMI was a little boring for me but seeing back to it, i think that it can be good if you read it in all together in 1 read

[@lizardskin8594]

That's why Kuma is my favorite character. His core is ambiguity, mystery and sacrifice. Basically, a summary of the One Piece's themes

[@Beowulf8989]

2:00 A thing you have to remember with One Piece fans, is that a massive number of them came into the series either during Marineford, or after it. So for a sizable percentage, they were reading at a rapid pace, hit Marineford and then had to do weekly chapters like everyone else afterward. The post Marineford arc and the Return to Saobody are quick, but getting into an actual, meaty arc that takes its time exploring, interacting with a new environment and so on, made them feel like the series was starting to drag. There's a solid chance that every arc going forward, someone will say something about it being slow, or taking too long, or not being as good as the stuff that came earlier. Those complaints are valid, but subjectivity plays a larger role than most people think, with this (very long) series.

[@Mobliz]

Yeah even in the anime long post time skip arcs are really enjoyable when watching in a normal fashion/binge. The story/plot is obviously still there, plus you get the great voice acting and excellent music etc. It's when you get caught up and have to wait an entire week for only a 24 minute episode with about 19-20 of new material is where people start getting mad. That is why people subscribe to dozens of one piece theory and reaction channels and get their one piece fix through others. People hate Toei weekly release schedule but then you compare it to a show like Attack on Titan where we had to wait 4 fucking years for season 2 to come out and they give us 12 episodes. After a week or so there's nothing more to watch and when the next season comes out, you often have to rewatch the previous season to even remember where things left off. Is it really any better?

[@akashubbu9647]

@@Mobliz the problem with toei is that they dont even make a 1 chapter per episode. They could atleast add filler after asking oda, as oda wanted to write so much more but couldn't because then one piece would be never ending.

[@zakiaminuddin7859]

One thing i truly love in Fishman Island is when Nami forgive Jimbei and Hachi for what happen to her hometown. She even gladly said if not because Arlong, she would not get toknow Luffy and the rest of the crew. "hate the person, not the race of that person" - nami

[@furorteutonicus9045]

This arc is heavily underrated. Its the best thematic arc in One Piece.

[@andrio8213]

Skypiea is #1 on themes man

[@donrog5035]

Wait until people trash whole cake island

[@furorteutonicus9045]

@@donrog5035 WCI is also great. I do not understand people who do not like it.

[@donrog5035]

@@furorteutonicus9045 Yeah one of the best arc of One piece for me. I don’t understand people who trash this arc

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

No

[@kentendo6453]

Fishman Island still resonates and hits me even after all these years. I don't want to spoil anything but there's one scene that always gets me and it's Oda doing what he does best, tying loose ends together in a beautiful way

[@shika1718]

I think most people watched the anime for fishman island so it was dragged out and took multiple episodes just to get to the place iirc. I'd imagine the art was a lot less detailed too.

[@generalwoofles6240]

It was the first arc in the anime that there was a noticeable quality drop.

[@nickman287]

@@generalwoofles6240 I stopped watching the anime at reactionshotford arc

[@juntalks313]

I will 100% agree to that statement.

[@nickman287]

@@hei7846 i know about it. Most likely will never watch it (I just much prefer reading media to watching), but I've seen some comparisons and it feels like what the anime would be without its current terrible model of year round stretched out episodes.

[@limamemalainine3721]

And it's where the majority started the weekly experience

[@phhh827]

Btw I don't know if you'll ever find this comment. But the one who operated on kuma was NOT the doctor from thriller bark. Dr vegapunk is a COMPLETELY different person. And a MUCH more important one at that.

[@phhh827]

The doctor at thriller bark became irrelevant after the arc he was introduced in

[@Macapta]

Funny that she was annoyed Sanji didn't have an eyepatch during the same reveal that now Zoro actually needs one.

[@5Areos]

The big thing I've noticed with post timeskip is that most of the fandom have started catching up by this point and they were now reading weekly and the pace week to week can feel a lot slower because an entire chapter can be exposition or setup I've noticed that most reactors who are reading in bulk do not have the same opinion

[@furorteutonicus9045]

Yes, One Piece is not meant to be read weekly after all (like all manga). And the thing with One Piece is that Oda writes the story and the individual arcs with lots of set up and build up which makes most of them start slow. But the pay off is always worth it. It just takes a long time to get there sometimes and weekly readers tend to get impatient and frustrated about this.

[@5Areos]

@@furorteutonicus9045 week that's just how one piece is I've been caught up since the end of skypiea and people were complaining about pacing back then too we just weren't as big of a community back then there are exceptions of course ennies lobby, marine Ford, and the current point of the story all kinda hit that sweet spot even for weekly readers

[@furorteutonicus9045]

@@5Areos Those arcs did not get much complaints because they did not need build up and where in high gears from the very start.

[@5Areos]

@@furorteutonicus9045 well of course I think the big thing is people like to see the groundwork laid but they don't want to have to wait every week for that groundwork which is why arcs that are almost 100 percent payoff are so well received

[@nessew7835]

I really disliked WCI when i first catched up and read week to week, but when i re-read the arc it became one of my favorites. It made me realize that you should never judge a arc based on slow reading, many people are doing this right now with Wano

[@dilanovich]

"Horny blood transfusion" is not a phrase I expected to hear today... or ever

[@sircheese288]

Same lol

[@bayekofsiwa5847]

Ah yes. The arc that teaches people about the harsh effects of institutional racism. Oda handled this matter brilliantly!

[@MakeHerSquirtle]

So funny story about the Jimbe’s flashback. I got into one piece when a friend was making his way thru the series and while I had known absolutely nothing. Id start watching with him whenever we’d hang out and I saw bits and pieces from alabasta up until fishman island. And then I got to jimbe’s flashback. Oh man I wasn’t expecting one piece to get me deep in my emotions like that or for it to explore such deep and dark themes. From then on I was convinced I would catch up. While in retrospect I’m not the biggest fan of FMI as a whole, this flashback is still one of my favorite moments in the series. Fisher Tiger the GOAT

[@AnyMEmdq]

12:00 I don't think there's much of a conspiracy here. For Shanks, he lived in Foosha Village for a long time, using it as his base of operations, journeying back and forth through the East Blue while getting ready. He got to know Luffy, he liked him, he saw promise in him, and as he said, he made a bet. For the rest of Roger's crew, the only need to see the hat to know this kid has Shanks's utmost trust, and you saw how easy was for Rayleigh to read the situation in the Auction House, so reading Luffy, specifically Luffy that's a damn open book, wearing everything on his sleeve, must have taken him like 2 seconds. Add onto that that Shanks must have dropped by Sabaody on his way to the New World after meeting Luffy and losing his arm, and "HOW THE FCK YOU LOST AN ARM AND WHERE'S ROGER'S HAT?!?!?!" might have been Rayleigh's first question, which would've queued an hours long talk about Luffy. And before that, Shanks left the East to the Grand Line, he surely went through Reverse Mountain, and Crocus surely made the exact same question As for the rest, Mihawk said it during the war, Luffy has the most dangerous power of them all: the ability to gather people around him. Call it plain charisma, call it Will of D., call it haki (though I won't agree on this, Conqueror's/King's Haki is the ability to forcibly impose your will onto others, here they join willingly), or whatever name you want to give it. Perhaps due to his sometimes even violent honesty, people immediately trust him, idk, but the thing is that who he is makes that happen

[@raitorino7520]

Spoiler Yknow perhaps Haki can be joined or merged. In rayleigh's training flashbacks (WCI), he said Luffy was more well-versed in sensing feelings when training for observation haki. This too, he said, was a branch of observation haki. And in Wano i kinda forgot when but I think someone said 'What kind of conqueror do you want to be?' To Zoro. So maybe Luffy has unknowingly combined the two making him well liked and sincere to the others

[@AnyMEmdq]

@@raitorino7520 You don't need haki to be sincere, though... and we've positively known about observation sensing emotions since Fishman Island, as that's what Otohime does. Don't remember anyone saying "what kind of conqueror you want to be?" to anyone, sorry. As for the merging of haki's, Occam's Razor suggest it's just charisma, but as I said, we don't know, so any idea is valid

[@raitorino7520]

@@AnyMEmdq i think Kaido said that idk tho. Just a play on possible haki things but Luffy is charismatic etc.

[@OmnibuslPrime]

You mentioned something about Sanji that stood out to me. Outside of the manga, Oda actually brought something up that blew minds. In a manga all about pirates, there isn't a single character wearing an eye patch. Oda mentioned that when you see a character wearing an eye patch, you know the story is ending soon.

[@vikkajackson929]

Oda is REALLY good about giving you answers that cause you to ask 10 more questions..

[@apocaliption]

We always want more info but Everytime oda decided to give it to us, it only makes more questions

[@maxjohnson6377]

Small correction: choppers hat is actually still the same hat but with a blue helmet-ish attachment. That hat means too much to chopper to be a new one

[@Wally_MD]

Small character design detail that took me so long to notice myself: "BF-37" on Franky's arm stands for Battle Franky 37.

[@erwindavid2859]

I'm just wondering. Does the 37 stands for 37 times of upgrades? Or 37th trial after failures?

[@Wally_MD]

@@erwindavid2859 When he was young every time he made one of his weapons he gave them a name "Battle Franky (number)". He had made up to BF-35 when Tom was sentenced because he took the blame for Franky's creations. BF-36 was himself when he made himself a cyborg after the accident. With the new modifications he made during the time skip he upgraded himself to BF-37.

[@erwindavid2859]

@@Wally_MD So basically, the number of weapons he made. Thank you for the info!

[@christiancasaverdepertica1802]

@@Wally_MD Is it confirmed that he was BF-36? I would have guessed the sunny would be the BF-36

[@Wally_MD]

@@christiancasaverdepertica1802 Yep! Surprisingly, the Sunny doesn't have a BF designation. I thought maybe it was BF-38 but after checking, that one belongs to General Franky.

[@abenezerwondimu8152]

I love that watching these reviews makes me appreciate more of one piece and even pick up on things that I missed on my reads and rereads plus it makes me more excited to see what comes next. So, I am glad you are enjoying them merph 🙂🙂🙂

[@ANIMEniacReview]

To quote my grandmother, "You poor, sweet summer child. Do you really believe Oda wouldn't break his worldbuilding for a gag?" Yes, my grandmother reads One Piece. Chopper is her favorite. XD

[@raitorino7520]

This is adorable

[@apocaliption]

Your grandma is a wise woman

[@opapps]

I wish the best luck for your grandma!

[@JanizMakudomaru]

An old head knows the ways of the Bible of GOda.

[@casvandijck9338]

I have questions. How "young" is your grandma? And does she know medicine? Because I don't think that's your grandma, that's Doctorine...

[@1PiezeF0rEv3r]

Sanji's Blood & "Turning To Stone" Accident Is the Byproduct of a 2-years Bottled-Up Horniness (He Was Battling Okamas For The Survival of his Manlihood)

[@ayojayelive]

That can do that to you

[@nidsalim7911]

To be fair, Oda-sensei can't be trusted. He can weave stuff in so long ago that pays off, anything can be a foreshadowing.

[@alicepbg2042]

I was expecting just the return to sabaody, but I'm getting half of fishman island aswell? today is a good day

[@elenak.4281]

I think, Hody is representation of hatred that Otohime was always talking about. He himself is the side effect of racial hatred she tried to avoid and prevent and more specificly and simply he is a consequence of men like Arlong 's actions and life views. He is an example that will be with people full of anger and hatred with not having something more. And yes maybe for someone he looks flat and only-he-is-the-second-Arlong bla bla bla (and AA. it... bother me. ), but even so whole Hody situation is scary and even tragic in some point... especially in the context of the impact on the next generations. omg... there are so many topics to discuss in this small flashback section only and I badly want to keep going тт тт It's so hard for me to stop тт

[@goldenbunnies4143]

Hody shows Arlong's ideology taken its full form, the embodiment of just how harmful that line of thinking truly gets. Arlong never hurt other fishmen, sure, but with that line of thinking its no wonder that Hody went after fishmen who were human sympathisers, and then to kill the king entirely. That is the extreme thinking that Arlong's ideology spreads, which is exactly why Fisher Tiger and Otohime wanted to stop it. There would be no peace in that, only more killing, more revenge, more hurt.

[@idiatico]

The gag with Caribou scheming looking out the barrel with Franky just staring at him from the side is so funny.

[@cvox607]

Just a heads up...this arc is one of the most important arcs in the whole series, it's been disregard by fans but with every year we see how crucial it is ....so focus on every detail Skypiea is also the same

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

That's part of the problem with the arc, it's not good enough to warrant being as important as it is.

[@Sunaki1000]

Yeah in the End a certain Joyfull Name got dropped. Also a certain Yonkos Introduction was pretty damn scary.

[@adoniscreed4031]

I think the disregard for the arc isnt regarding the implications for the wider world but its just the conflict of the arc isnt all that and One Piece arcs are so good that this one thing puts it bellow many other arcs for many people

[@obba40]

@@FuckKZbinAndGoogle subjective

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

@@obba40 no shit

[@manwukong9026]

She has another One Piece shirt! Although I've been watching all of your videos, I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE CONTININUG YOUR JOURNEY!

[@mostacho8251]

yeaaaa, finally a good no-shonnen perspective review of fishman island, seeing the arc with a big and more logic perspective, resulting in, being aware and enjoy all the tremendous stuff this part of the manga has!! greetings merp

[@ramennoodles2649]

I looooove to listen to your reviews. They make me remember why I feel in love with this series. Aaaannnddd you are super cute with your enthusiasm.

[@wyvern0m3g42]

And it's that kind of passion for the story that makes me want to keep coming back to hear her thoughts on the next arc, or in this case, half of an arc. It's always a joy to see you share your fascination and love for One Piece, Merphy. Also, yeah, just gotta also include how much I loved your reaction to the stone Sanji joke. Don't think I've ever met anyone in the One Piece community take that moment so seriously. lol Good for you for caring so much about the writing though.

[@jamesarmstrong2669]

Think you got it spot on, Hody inherited Arlongs will that’s why he feels like a “copycat” he has inherited Arlongs hatred. By the arc end you’ll see just how fantastic a job Oda does with writing it as well

[@abdelm4lek]

Brook literally represents us in the scene where Zoro goes "one dark woman, one robot...etc"

[@prasantDking]

Some interesting fact : Sky Island was 10000 meters above the sea whereas fishman Island is 10000 meters below the sea..

[@amam-hv2xr]

30000*

[@geogeo3733]

@@amam-hv2xr 10000 meters, maybe you were thinking of 30k feet

[@amam-hv2xr]

@@geogeo3733 oh, my bad

[@123Z-q4i]

raftel is inside a whale body

[@casvandijck9338]

@@123Z-q4i Laboon is Laugh Tale confirmed.

[@hinglemccringleberry9257]

A lot of the times fans (myself included) value arcs based on the impact of the villain. This influences people's perception of arcs like Thriller Bark and Fishman Island which have weaker villains in the grand scheme of the things. However it shouldn't take away from all the other good stuff these arcs have, in this case being the great artwork and exploration of themes/lore. Great review as always.

[@hiddenprankz09]

Can’t wait till she’s current and comes back to these crazy old theories. They are so fun

[@dpseven375]

"I'm gonna be the pirate king" That sentence, the more we went through the series, the more we realized how heavy that sentence mean, and more satisfying whenever Luffy still said it, despite all of that.

[@MAT-wn5fr]

Fishman Island is so underrated, thematically it's probably the best arc. Most of the negativity for post timeskip in general comes from the terrible anime pacing. Fishman Island is so much better in the manga and when you binge but may require a re-read for a lot of people to realise how good it really is. The purpose of the arc is very misunderstood and many people were disappointed with the villains, I'd agree for any other arc but imo they were perfect for Fishman Island (Oda knew what he was doing). Sanji thing doesn't really bother me, why do people forget that he literally had the worst two years. Also, it actually ended up being quite important which made it kinda funny.

[@freddice8156]

Careful, your last sentence might ended up become a minor spoiler.

[@Carriola3]

@@freddice8156 no it isnt

[@musabs5848]

I think thematically and symbolically, marineford was just masterfully executed and was better in that aspect over Fishman Island. But Fishman island is also huge on that, and is a great arc. Def underrated.

[@freddice8156]

@@Carriola3 I mean to some, it does

[@Kislay11]

I really love how beautiful their reunion was Specially when you consider that at this point straw hats been away from each other longer than they were with each other (east blue - marine Ford took place in less than a year)

[@asap4bri]

I love how Brook was only like a few weeks with the strawhats and then got seperated from them for 2 years (yet returned) lmao

[@moderndayphilosopher9782]

@@asap4bri few weeks? That's an overstatement lmao. End of Thriller Bark to End of Sabaody is only about 3-5 days, so yeah. Poor Brook.

[@clairvoyancexxxv8927]

FINALLY!! someone who share my perspective about fishman island arc, everytime i talked about it, everywehere it's just people don't liking because "the villain is to weak"

[@jayd.doubledubs]

Merphy's expectations of ghost pirates: exists Vander Decken: YEET

[@addisonsmith4727]

Don’t worry about splitting up arc reviews mostly arcs in the Second half are really long if you split them up and I’ll let you get into more detail which is great

[@iamdivan7368]

Just weekly reminder that all of this was possible thanks to the persistent-commenter-san. As usual, you are GOATed in our hearts forever🙏

[@Thedimensionalwarrior]

Merphy's Ask D Question

[@moderndayphilosopher9782]

I always love this arc ever since I read it, the way Oda handles such issue like Racism and slavery was like nothing I've seen in any anime/manga. Just amazing and Masterfully crafted.

[@AnnoyedGamer123]

A small thing to notice between Hody and Arlong. In Arlong park Luffy used a fish man as a shield and Arlong was disgusted that he would make him hurt a fish man but also a crew member making him hate Luffy even more. While Hody was in danger he just picked up one of his crew a fellow fish man and just used as a shield and didn't even blink an eye at them dying.

[@georgiosgiannoukas3319]

I'm glad you took some time to show Neptune some love. I think he's a pretty underrated character and people rarely seem to talk about him. Also yeah. You're overthinking the Sanji thing a bit too much. It's just a gag :D