Let’s get started on some funky body swapping confusion. With old and new foes appearing on an island that has been fundamentally changed by a clash of two former admirals we go into the crazy little arc that is Punk Hazard. Although this arc has a lot to offer, at its core it is primarily a point in the story where we set up the Four Emperor arc that is about to start. Let’s get started, shall we?
While Luffy, Usopp, Zoro and Robin enjoy a meal of cooked dragon while messing around with the strange samurai’s lower body, the other half of the crew is locked up by the owner of this laboratory. Escaping is no problem for them with Franky’s new upgrades and his radical beam makes short work of the door keeping them captive. While they’re captives, they also help reassemble a samurai’s head. He doesn’t seem to be much help so far, but he’s here to save his son. Sanji also quickly figures out that he’s likely from the land of Wano. With the samurai under their wing, they flee their cell and quickly make their way into a room full of giant children. After initially being scared of these intruders they quickly turn to them for help. And Nami quite frankly can’t say no to them, so now the gang is protecting a bunch of huge children from the scientists in their weird suits.
While Nami and the gang are trying to escape with the captive children, who have clearly been kidnapped by someone, they run into Trafalgar Law. In the time since we last saw Law at Marineford he’s become one of the seven warlords of the sea. He claims that this is his vacation home and he tells Smoker and his crew – who have arrived in the midst of this chaos – that they should turn around and leave. Unfortunately the Straw Hats appear at that moment and cause some complications for him. Luffy is making his way here as well as Brook is fighting the Samurai’s torso. Things just keep getting more hectic on this island.
Smoker and Tashigi are no match for Law, who quickly dispatches both of them. While this is unfolding, Luffy and the others appear on the back of a modified pirate Brownbeard. He was one of the rookies who took over parts of Whitebeard’s territory after the war but it looks like time has not been kind to him and he’s now working for whoever is in charge here. Law tells Luffy to go around back to find his crew, and Luffy does so. His crew has had their bodies switched, with Sanji being in Nami’s body, Nami being in Franky’s body, Franky being in Chopper’s body and Chopper being in Sanji’s body. With the help of the yet to be named samurai they get all the children to safety and it turns out that the samurai has a devil fruit power that allows him to summon clothes. Not a particularly useful ability for fighting, but it’s definitely an ability that I would love to have in real life. Can you imagine being able to just summon clothes onto your body whenever you want? You’d be super fashionable at all times and never have to worry. Soaking from the rain? Summon a new set of clothes. Underestimated the temperature? How about a sweater or a light T-shirt out of thin air? The possibilities are endless.
We learn that the person who is really behind everything that’s happening on this island is a man called Caesar Clown. He was once Vegapunk’s second in command and he is known for being a ruthless scientist. He made a big error, causing the research base on Punk Hazard to be destroyed. Vegapunk was held responsible for the failure and Caesar was arrested. He escaped his transport convoy and has been missing ever since. Smoker suspects that this is where he’s hiding out and continuing his research and he’s right on the mark. Smoker helped Brownbeard and his crew walk again after they lost their legs to Basil Hawkins and eventually Law gave them animal legs to make them even more mobile. We also learn the name of the samurai: Foxfire Kin’emon.
It seems like the children have been drugged with an addictive substance that keeps them from wanting to escape properly. They get violent when they don’t get their “candy” and they have to be put to sleep by Usopp. Sanji is unbearable just like he was in the last arc. We also learn a tidbit about Caesar Clown. He made a deal with Law to allow him on the island and Law knows about his boss, who they refer to as Joker. I believe we’ve heard mention of him before, A certain slave auction owner in Sabaody called up Joker for help, who declined to support him saying it was now the age of “smiles”. That was none other than Doflamingo. So Caesar is working for the warlord while Law wants to do something else on this island. The plot thickens.
The crew is then attacked by a duo of snowy assassins called the Yeti Cool brothers. They have the advantage in this climate and with their bodies swapped around the Straw hats are truly struggling. Right as the tide seems to be changing a little bit in their favor, Trafalgar Law shows up. Instead of helping out the Yeti Cool brothers, he slices them up and proposes an alliance to Luffy. He wants their help in taking down one of the four emperors of the sea. What is the surgeon of death plotting and what exactly is it that he needs here on Punk Hazard. Where did the samurai go and what is his part in this whole scheme? There are many questions left unanswered and we’ll hopefully get some answers in the next volume. I can’t say I’m a big fan of Punk Hazard per se, but Law has long been a favorite of mine so seeing him in action is always a blast. I hope you enjoyed this little recap. We’re nearing the end of the third box set already and then once we get well into the fourth one, I need to start ordering the remaining volumes from 91 onward that haven’t been collected into a box set yet. I’m looking forward to reading some of the newer arcs at a much faster pace than I once did when I read them weekly. I hope you’ll join me on this journey as well and as always, thanks for reading!
Opal Kaharis 