#One piece chapter 1089 spoilers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

roydeezed · 9 months

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One Piece-Chapter Round-Up(Chapter 1089)

Heyo friends! I am back with another One Piece Chapter Round-Up below the cut, but before we get into spoiler territory, I just want to point out this absolutely hilarious cover page. At first I didn't even notice Sanji behind her in the window but I love these layers Oda adds on to the simple request of Nami being served milk. Since she's being served a drink it makes sense the cook is in charge of it and since it's Sanji there's no way he doesn't use that opportunity to be... himself. And funnier still is that since the fact the paper is facing away from him he'll be waiting eagerly only to be rejected. One thing I might be reading into a little too much is Nami's quill, which looks like a skypeian wing hanging off her shoulder. Foreshadowing perhaps?(Look I have a contractual obligation to be absolutely unhinged at least once per round-up) Anyways, moving on, let's talk about the chapter below.

Obviously I want to freak out about that last panel, but there's something really interesting going on with this chapter before that. I don't know if it's because I have been recently reminiscing over Coby and the time he tried to stop the Marineford War, but I have honed in on the idea Oda presents of The Marines' absolute disregard for life and their acceptance of collateral damage. It was a shock to see it doubled down on in a new chapter just mere days after watching a clip of that moment from Marineford.

With this being tumblr and the overwhelming majority of us being left leaning, I feel quite comfortable in discussing politics as mine are also left wing. Very heavily so. But I preface it with that fact so that you understand that some of my personal biases may play a role in my interpretations. Obviously, Oda and Japan's cultures are vastly different from those that I was raised up in so I am only speaking from a very surface level understanding and not the lived one Oda writes from. I have a very ACAB and abolish the police mentality and from my obviously biased point of view, it seems so does Oda.

But it's not just policing that Oda emphasizes. It's any system of power. But he looks at it through the lens of policing because they make the most natural enemy of lawbreaking pirates. Also just like the popular idea of the Death Note representing Japan's harsh police system, the Marines also appear to be an allusion to it. I am really curious about which way Oda went about creating the Marines and their relationship to pirates. There was an idea of a distinction between pirates called Peace Mains and Morganeers in the two one shots of Romance Dawn where Morganeers were the pillaging type of pirates whilst Peace Mains preyed on the Morganeers like vigilantes and adventured as well. Obviously that put Peace Mains in a sort of policing position so it's really curious how we ended up with the Marines being the big bad(other than Blackbeard of course).

In a tangent before we get back to the Marines, it's really interesting what carried over from the one shots, what didn't and what could. It had been a while since I revisited them but one thing I realized because of Crescent Moon Gyari is that Whitebeard's Beard looks like a crescent moon, basically symbolizing the moon before the dawn that is Luffy. Sorry if that was obvious, I'd just never made that connection before. The more interesting things to me are what might still carry over. Particularly from the second one shot where the Nami stand in, Ann, a blue haired girl with a pet bird is featured. Ann obviously also shares similarities with Vivi and Karoo but the idea of the Roc being a bird who's blood can cure diseases got my attention. That coupled with the Big Egg on the Oro Jackson and Choppers dream makes me think this could make a appearance once again. Also interesting was the fact that one of Luffy's moves was called Moon Shot and the idea of flying was presented over and over again. And Nami was also the child of Pirates. Wonder if that'll ever come into play. Another thing that was quite apparent was the imagery that really made an impact and crossed over to the final version. Honestly, I'd love to examine the two one shots in relation to the real story one day if someone hasn't already.

Okay tangent over, back to the main topic. Which is, first of all, Oda's take on the Marines. There's two things at work here. One is Oda's take on the Marines as an organization through Imu's actions. One that does not care about the collateral damage as long as their power in ensured. And the other is institutions of power perpetuating their power through terrorizing life and the environment it lives on. They're kind of the same idea but one directly criticizes policing while the other criticizes any position of power. We'll focus on the first idea and then talk about how it connects to the second.

The idea has been hammered into us over and over again. The Marines exist to further themselves. It's the absolute and peak function of institutions of power. And also very antithetical to the idea of dreams, which terminate once you reach them. Each of our Strawhats have a dream that has an end goal. But as a result of this goal of self perpetuation, the Marines often overlook their secondary goal of keeping the peace. This idea started as early as Axe-Hand Morgans but gets properly implemented in Arlong Park where the Marines look away as they get paid. Arlong doesn't disturb them and they benefit by having him essentially be an agent for them. That's how you know peacekeeping is a secondary goal. It's secondary to the idea of the Marine's keeping power. Oda criticizes privateering and the warlord system through this hypocrisy.

And if this was just one instance then it could be seen as just one bad egg. Like policing so often wants to put out. But a system of power relies on the methods they use to stay in power always staying relevant. And that's when we come to Marineford, skipping over a lot of incredibly relevant examples to this argument like Enies Lobby. I feel like ya'll can follow that tangent yourselves. Ohara, knowledge that would invalidate their power, etc, etc. I would go more into it but I don't want to write so much away from the current chapter and the fact is that Marineford appears to deal with my criticisms.

So how does Marineford appear to address the criticism of self preservation and perpetuation? (And this next statement is me playing Devil's Advocate if it's not apparent) If the Marines cared about preserving themselves, why would they seek to end the age of piracy if the function that keeps them in power is dealing with Pirates?

Because, my devil's advocate self (wow, thank you for the softball Roy(no problem, Roy)), Marineford was an attempt by the Marines to depose Pirates and crown themselves the key power in the One Piece world. Oda did the math for us, the three great powers used to be the Four Yonkou's, The Marines, and the Seven Warlords. Do the math there and the Pirates come out on top. Also Oda cleverly states the strength of freedom by showing how strong these scattered, unaffiliated, and free people are by having the Marines, a wholly organized military force, be only a third of the equation instead of dominating. Oda follows George Lucas's lead on the idea of Rebels and Vietnam. So, Marineford wasn't just an attempt to put an end to the age of pirates, it was also an attempt to declare the Age of the Marines. And they did the math too, regardless of what happened, they would come out on top. Whether they declared their age or the pirate age kept going, they would still be needed. As Billy Butcher once said, "Fucking Diabolical". Why Koby was so important to the narrative of the War was because he let you see the true colours of the Marines. One that did not care about collateral damage as long as they stayed in power. They sacrificed so many lives needlessly for that reason. And they might have possibly ended the pirate age if not for Whitebeard.

So all of that just to get to this chapter. Sorry for the long ride, but thank you for sticking with me. This chapter horrifically signifies the Marine's policy, by way of Imu, of collateral damage through very familiar sights of rising sea levels. I will speak to the real world connections soon. But these scenes of climate devastation show how uncaring the Marines are to the suffering of their subjects. And Subjects they are. Some people say One Piece is pro monarchy but Oda positions the Marines, even clearer now with Imu, as Monarchs, and criticizes them. Oda isn't pro monarchy, he's showing us how these instituions of power supplanted the previous institutions. And while people suffer, the Marines launch yet another offensive to keep ahold of their power. It's blatant at this point. Where they could be helping people, they gather one of the biggest forces they have since Marineford and try to stop the release of information that could weaken their hold.

And the scenes of Climate Devastation precede an even more horrific sight. Not one of collateral damage. Not of the uncaring nature. But of the direct cost of keeping their power. The sunken island kingdom of Lulusia. It's terrifying and it ties the collateral damage to the cost directly. It's Oda's way of pointing out that the consequences of their actions and the actions they take to stay in power don't affect them, but their subjects, the people they purport to protect.

All of this is why I am so interested in the conclusion Oda reaches in terms of the Marines. It's the reason I support the Ancient Kingdom being a nation of Pirates, it supports the idea of dissolution of the Marines. Oda is clearly setting up Koby and the rest of his peers as the next generation of the Marines but up until Koby became the clear front runner of the Marines, I always thought the Marines were meant to dissolve. But Oda seems to be setting them up to reform in a new direction. There's not a lot I disagree with Oda on but this might be one. Either way though, I will appreciate the nuanced take that Oda so often hides under layers of shounen action.

But now to get to the real world implications. The whole situation with Imu is such a startling reflection of our own world. Again my politics come into play here. The Marines and the Twenty Kingdoms purport to be equal and not ruled under anyone but it's revealed that all along Imu has ruled them. Which would be a stark contrast to our largely democratic nations, right? But then Oda uses the visual metaphor of climate change and his point is clear. While policing exists to self perpetuate, it also answers to the beck and call of billionaires and corporations. I'm sure the statistic of 100 companies being responsible for 71% of global emissions is a statistic you've heard before dear reader. The governments bend over backwards to lobbying from these corporations while the police enforce it on the base level. On a visceral and violent level. We never left the monarchy, we just got new rulers.

Oh no! I've revealed my personal politics. Ahh! But in all honesty, this is my blog and I want to be able to talk freely here so I'll say what's on my mind. I'll always try to be upfront when my biases show though. The reason I am so explicit about my political opinions is because a lot of people who talk about One Piece don't engage with the deeply political and radical ideas it has. And as a result, you get a neutered audience and a neutered discussion. Anyways, that was my very long and convoluted idea on Oda's representation of policing and related politics, especially in relation to this chapter. Now onto a breakdown of the actual chapter.

So right away we see an interesting sight. Morgans has already positioned Luffy as the main character of this conflict. And as we later find out, the Marines approve. Knowing that this will be a much talked about event sheds a really interesting light on this. One, Morgans has made Luffy undeniable in the media in regards to whatever happens next. Two, something big is going to happen. Three, the Marines will probably want to disavow it. Four, Luffy's presence is going to have the opposite effect and solidify this event as if he wasn't presented in such a central light, the Marines would've been able to sweep it under the rug easier. Also while a lot of that is speculation, one more reaching bit of speculation I want to put forward is that whatever happens next is going to invalidate Lulusia's disappearance. Some major truth is going to be revealed and it's going to show how unnecessary these sacrifices that the Marines make are. This also only furthers my interest in Morgans. Who is he? What's his play? What are his goals and is he playing a game with the Marines? It seems he regularly withholds information but eventually plays it in an acceptable manner to the Marines. My take is that he's possibly a revolutionary who's doing his best to sway the tide in their favour. If you look at a lot of his moves, it suggests they're highly calculated for maximum effect under the Marines rule while also shifting the discussion more in favour to the Revolutionary's and their causes and setting up for future dissemination of information he's currently withholding. Or it could be entirely posible I am giving him too much credit. Next, Makino calling Luffy her baby's big brother. Another clue to deadbeat dad Shanks theory? Don't mind me here, just watering my pet theories.

But next, as I mentioned before, we see the consequences of the Marine's actions. From the apparently mundane but heartbreaking in Kamabakka, to the loss of life through tsunami's and the loss of homes on other islands. It's horrific and centers on the very real horror of Climate Change. But the sea levels rising a meter is also horrific in another way. Just to show how much water has been displaced, it's almost five times as much as the sea level has risen over the past 100 years in the real world. I think I dove a lot into the real world side of things so I do want to indulge in the One Piece world for a bit.

So first off, the connection to Enies Lobby is completely apparent. Enies Lobby has some connection to the Mother Flame and perhaps the Ancient Kingdom being there holds some weight? I think another thing that is interesting is that the water was displaced. Somehow the Mother Flame doesn't just create a hole, but an entire Void where the water can't take the space of. Something something Void century, the theory's not fully there yet. But what it also suggests is that maybe Lulusia isn't completely gone? Perhaps it's been sent to Davy Jone's Locker? There's so many pieces of evidence floating around that I'm sure I'm missing something or overlooking a key piece that ties everything together, because right now this feels like a major hint to the true nature of the world. Also this could be a key factor in One Piece's unique world, like the Calm Belt and the Red Line. Also one interesting line is, "had no parallel in recorded history." But perhaps the Void Century? Speculation abounds! But maybe I'll have a concrete theory in the coming days, who knows. The Truth is Out There. No, but really, I feel like one or a few of those massively popular and some not so popular theories are somewhere close to the mark. Like the One Piece being a log book or the destruction of the Red Line. There's so much that's valid that I can see it all happening.

Another heartbreaking scene plays out a little bit after we see the Marine's massive fleet, with a small flashback to Vegapunk, Sentomaru and Kizaru all looking much younger and happier. Kizaru is such an interesting character. He apparently has Unclear Justice but in everything he does it's hard to understand what that actually means. Nature of the word I guess? But Aokiji was Lazy Justice, and that can be seen in that he seems to be taking the easy way out by falling in with Blackbeard but what does that mean for Kizaru? He seems happy in the past and now he is very much uncaring. He mentions he's a cog in the machine but there seems to be some wiggle room. Perhaps unlike his previous two comrades, Akainu and Aokiji, Kizaru is the only one who can change? Honestly I don't really have a bead on him. But I am fascinated. Like with many things.

After that we get a recap and two key moments. The moment where Jay Garcia tells them to sink the escaping scientists is quite obvious and a parallel to Ohara and I think we've talked enough about direct actions, consequences, and collateral damage to get a rough gist of where that would go in reinforcing the themes Oda has set up in regards to the Marines. But the smaller moment of Jay Garcia remarking he likes what Morgans wrote is also key. The Marines hold some sway over the media, from withholding key information to actively enforcing violence but this is also an insight into how Morgans plays the game. He pacifies them but he also pushes his own agenda. A free media is key to citizens freedoms so it's really interesting how these two entities push and pull. I hope we get more insight into Morgans to see what Oda is actually trying to say because I'm curious.

And now we finally get to the last few pages. York is at times terrifying and at others painfully stupid. Just my type of character. She reminds me a lot of Buggy, who first started off as terrifying before becoming our lovable clown boy. But this makes me want York in the crew so bad. I would love if Vegapunk and all of his satellites joined because it would be such an interesting dynamic. The Come Save me panel is also quite a hilarious inversion of "I want to Live" from Enies Lobby as York is asking the Marines for help this time. I love her confident blustering. It's peak One Piece. It's peak Oda. I love it so much.

AND THEN FINALLY!!! OMFG THEY LOOK SO FUCKING COOL!!! I lost it so hard here. They're back and they look so badass! They look like a proper yonkou crew. This cutaway also hammers home how close we are getting to the end as Oda is skipping over some big fights. What this flash forward does let Oda do is that he can use it to do a small flashback chapter and recap key skipped over elements instead of going through them at a much slower pace in chronological order.

One final thing. All the strawhats look so cool, but a really surprising thing I noticed was that Ussop was holding the phone where I would assume Sanji would be. It feels like Sanji has shed a lot of the baggage that came with being Mr.Prince after Whole Cake Island and Wano. Now he's enjoying himself in the background. This could also be setting up the central role Ussop is going to be taking in Elbaf. Ussop of course has employed trickery before but just in this particular case with it's callbacks to Enies Lobby, I would've assumed Sanji be the one pulling off this ruse. Anyways, that's all for today folks. If you've read this far, thank you so much for sticking through. I really appreciate it! See ya for the next one! (Gonna slink off now to watch 1071).

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