Volume 44 covers a whopping 11 chapters. I’m pretty confident that’s above average and at this point in time Oda’s chapters were still longer than they sometimes tend to be now. Let’s ignore how unhealthy that work ethic was and appreciate what we’re about to read. The conclusion on what is probably Oda’s best arc ever written. Let’s not waste any time and dive into it.
It’s been a very long time since I last consumed this part of the story. I knew very well that it was an incredible arc and some of Oda’s best work, but I wasn’t ready for how emotional it would keep making me. I think it’s absolutely incredible how well written this story is. We start off with the fight between Luffy and Rob Lucci. They battle for a while with Lucci coming out on top initially. We then learn a little bit about Lucci’s backstory. When he was just a child, he killed 500 hostages so that a standoff between the navy and some pirates would finally come to an end. That’s a crazy way to go about it and makes absolutely no sense, but it hammers home how much the navy prioritizes control and power over actually doing what’s right. We’ll dive into this a lot more as we get into later arcs, especially the things that are happening in both the anime and the manga right now, but it’s visible early on. Those who question the actions of the navy usually get sidelined by them. It’s almost like a few bad apples spoil the bunch.
While Luffy and Lucci are fighting, the Buster Call nears Enies Lobby and starts attacking the judicial island. Nothing is left standing and the remaining Franky Family members, Galley-La men and giants struggle to get out alive, but through some trickery and cleverness they manage to make it. This is another early sign of Oda’s philosophy when it comes to killing characters. It’s not that Oda never kills a character, but he does so very sparingly. He doesn’t like it and although it definitely feels like a flaw at some points, it makes for great storylines as well when it does happen. I am still mad about Pell in Alabasta though, that one straight up doesn’t make sense.
After everyone makes it to the bridge and Robin and Franky have sufficiently beaten up Spandam, all that is left to do is wait for Luffy to win his fight. But when Usopp looks over at the tower where Luffy is fighting he sees his former captain down and out. He takes off his mask and pleads with Luffy to get back up, threatening to fight Lucci himself if Luffy doesn’t get back up. Usopp may be a coward, but he is certainly not a cowardly man. Fortunately for Usopp, Luffy does get back up and with one final barrage he beats the crap out of Lucci. I’ve always found the actual fight to be one of the less interesting parts of this arc, if not for this moment at the end where the entire crew is awaiting his victory. Maybe it’s because fights aren’t what I enjoy the most in manga, but I live for the emotional moments much more than the action. I think that’s also why One Piece is such a popular show despite its sometimes lacking fights. Maybe I’m alone in this, but the fights have just as many asspulls as some other shows (like Fairy Tail) that get flack for doing so. One Piece gets this treatment a lot less due to its incredible narrative. Either way, CP9 is defeated in its entirety and the crew is about to escape on a navy warship. Where did Sanji go?
Speak of the devil, but Sanji returns from who knows where, just barely saving Kokoro, Chimney and Gonbe from being killed in an explosion. It turns out the warship they were about to escape on was blown to shreds, leaving the one hope for escape burning and collapsing. What are they going to do now? Well, not every crewmate was present yet, there’s still someone we all forgot about and when I tell you I cried more at the appearance of a freaking boat than I have at the emotional peak of 99% of shows I’ve watched I’d still be underselling how incredible this entire sequence is. Usopp and Luffy hear a voice and then jump into the ocean. Everyone follows only for them to land on the Going Merry. I cannot put into words how much even writing this here is making me cry again. We get two of these incredible moments in one arc. First Robin’s cry for help at the tower of justice and now the Going Merry’s final wishes. It turns out that during the Aqua Laguna there was a Klabautermann repairing her. The soul of a ship, as it was called on Skypiea. Through the mess of whirlpools they somehow make it out safely, to be found shortly after by Iceberg who was responsible for fixing up the Going Merry.
I want to sail one more time.
The final sendoff of one of their own crewmates is heartbreakingly beautiful. Merry gets given a viking funeral as the crew watches on in tears and she thanks them for caring about her so much. If only Usopp was here to witness this moment.
And that brings us to the emotional finish line of this arc. There’s more story to be told in the next volume before we move onwards to spooky island in the next arc, but things have severely slowed down now. They’ve defeated CP9 and we’ll never have to worry about those goons ever again. There’s also an ongoing cover story about the citizens of Skypiea living in peace and Enel making it to the moon on his flying ship. This will continue into the next volume though, so we’ll take some time to talk about it then. For now, I’ve got to catch up on sleep as I’ve been pretty unwell lately. Stress sucks, as you probably know. So as usual, thanks for reading!
Opal Kaharis 