Delaney

So good, so good, so good.

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Zach

This is the One Piece podcast episode 918 for the week of Monday, May 11, 2026. My name is Zach.

Ed

And my name is Ed.

Steve

And my name is Steve.

Zach

On today's episode we have very special guest. She is the editor for our podcast, Delaney Jordan. Welcome, Delaney.

Delaney

I. I was going to make a joke about how you needed Mother here on Mother's Day, but I haven't earned very special guest. Let's be so for real.

Zach

Well, I have to say that first. It's just what happens to. I. I can't. I can't not say that after you

Delaney

rerouted midway through when you realized that it wasn't Steven Paul.

Zach

I've been saying it for 17 years. I can't not say that.

Ed

Whenever someone says Mother as an exclamation, I think of either is that the Danzig song or that Darren Aronofsky movie?

Delaney

We're not getting into that. That's a danger zone for me right now. We're not doing Aronofsky. In other news, everything is great. Zach, thank you for having me on.

Zach

Yes, good news. And we have our archivist, Ken o' Connor with us. How's it going, Ken?

Ken

I'm doing well. All I thought of was like. And tonight the role of Stephen Paul will be played by Delaney.

Zach

I should have done that. I should have done that.

Ken

Happy to be here though.

Zach

I forgot who we was it Steve who did the Stephen Paul impression? I'm trying to remember who did that a few weeks ago?

Steve

Doesn't sound like me. No, I would love to hear this.

Zach

I forgot. Maybe it was too bad nobody did

Ed

a Simba impression during the slate.

Zach

Yeah, I think out pretty good. No, I think Alex did that anyway. Delaney could do her Stephen Paul impression later today on the show. We're going through one piece chapter 1182 Zaza. And we are also going through some piece together. I don't believe we have an anime recap since maybe Sam deserves a week off after last. The last episode. I want to say huge thanks to Ken, Steve and Sam, of course, for going through 10 episodes of the anime.

Delaney

It was 10. Yeah.

Zach

I was actually somewhat prepared. I just had to see the egghead ones. And also it was 11 o' clock at night, I think, which is partially our fault too. But I also really.

Ken

Some say that Sam is still talking to this day.

Zach

Some do say that. And also Ken.

Steve

And in true fashion, there will not be an anime recap tonight.

Ken

Exactly.

Steve

Now back to set the clock.

Ed

Sorry to Matt Damon, we ran out of time.

Zach

We'll see you in 10 weeks. But yeah, no, and also big thanks to Ken and Steve. If you haven't listened to last week's episode, we have a 10 part Adeka anime recap for you. We also have.

Steve

We should just start calling them voyage sets because they're about as long as.

Zach

Oh my God, it's podcast season one. Voyage 1.

Ken

Yeah, sorry, I did like how on the YouTube thumbnail and you listen to the episodes, they went off the screen

Zach

and just kept

Ed

the collection sets. I think they were not the Voyages.

Steve

Well, no, the voyages are like 13.

Ed

Yeah, 12.

Ken

13. Yeah, yeah.

Zach

We're not up to collection sets yet. Give Sam a little more time and we'll get there.

Steve

I wound up no, this is one piece so I could talk about it. Who cares? I recently bought the rest of whole cake and now I'm up to like in home video because I used to be on the ball with that and now that like home video is so low priority for Crunchyroll these days. It kind of fell off. But now I'm at a point, I'm like, do I really want to buy voyage sets for Wano or should I just buy collections? Because now they just do a weird thing. They release a voyage and then like a month later or like a few months later, the collection comes out and it's cheaper.

Ed

You know, back during the packed pandemic lockdown, I was looking at my like season one voyage sets on DVD and I was ripping some of the video to have on my, on my hard drive.

Zach

And we won't tell anyone.

Ed

The video looks like ass.

Steve

Yeah, it's.

Ed

It's DVD quality circa 2007.

Zach

I'll take your guys.

Steve

Problem is, yeah, at this point, the HD versions of those 4x3 episodes. You either get those like AI upscaled ones from like the Japanese YouTube channel or, you know, you get the, the widescreen special edition ones that are just on the Blu Rays and I don't know. You can't win there.

Zach

No, you can't. So, yeah, today manga recap piece together. Yeah, listen to last week's episode. We also talked about the midterm Results for the WT100 in. In depth doesn't quite describe it, but it's fun.

Steve

Every time you say WT100, I think you're saying WTF100.

Zach

I know, me too.

Steve

Like we're going through, we're going through Marc Maron's

Zach

or the former World Taekwondo.

Ed

Were those results gerrymandered too?

Steve

Yes, we're the only, we're the only anime manga podcast that's ever going to reference Marin because we've been around as long as he was.

Zach

So yeah, let's really bask in our ability to reference Mark Marin.

Ed

I was still, I was still listening to the Mark Marin's podcast when we started the show. I was commuting to work at the time on this.

Zach

No, we beat. I think we started first.

Delaney

I think we both lapped Mark Marin.

Zach

I think we've lapped him. Yeah. Like, I think he started the same year, but I think we started a couple months before him. Actually, I'm not positive. So all the Mark Marin fans out there, hold yourselves back before we get started. We'll have a little piece of news coming up. But first, patreon patreon.com One Piece podcast helps support our amazing editors and artists and many more. Ask dispiece questions and you can ask disk piece questions. And also, what else can you get? Steve, what can our $12 a month or up subscribers receive?

Steve

If you didn't know already, our $12 tier is the monthly sticker crew tier where every month you vote in a poll between two designs that we've previously used for episode images and decide which one will be made into a sticker. Up until recently where one of the last appearances on my, on my appearances on this podcast, I made the choice because the April poll was tied 5050 with 30 votes. And instead of just rigging the polls and voting, I decided you're getting both stickers. But that means there'll be no poll in May. There is a post on Patreon if you need more info there. But you're getting both the Nami design and the Luffy design. Obviously, if you were signed up in April, you're getting the Nami. But you still have the rest of May to sign up if you like that Luffy design. Both designs updated by me with a little bit of TLC and manga and anime accuracy.

Ken

So you're being too modest. You really enhanced the Nami one a lot. You made it a full size Lego figure.

Steve

Actually, no, I could. I could use more compliments. Please, Ken, go on.

Ken

Oh, Steve. Where should I begin?

Zach

Okay, guys, all fair. Let's keep this all fair. No, thank you. Huge thanks to Steve, obviously for doing all of that.

Delaney

And he had to make the Jellicle choice.

Zach

It's true. Anyway, so. Please subscribe to us on Patreon. The One Piece of News is about the One Piece accidental joke that I'm very proud of. Complete accident.

Steve

Have they found it?

Zach

No, they haven't. What's even the point in watching if they haven't found it? Right, Steve?

Steve

Right.

Zach

Thank you.

Steve

It's such a. Such a good dig.

Zach

They haven't found the One Piece yet.

Delaney

How are they gonna get to the One Piece?

Zach

Yeah, there's nothing about the journey is worthwhile. Is always what I say. Anyway, the One Piece is for those who somehow do not know. Is the series coming out by Netflix that is going to.

Ed

And Studio Wit.

Zach

And Studio Wit. Thank you. And is going to condense the One Piece anime essentially with new animation, new everything.

Ed

And we have just new adaptation choices.

Zach

New adaptation choices. Did we get any voice actor or actress confirmations? I don't think so. Cause I've in replies to our news like there are a ton of people talking about Tanaka. Like whether or not she's gonna, you know, be involved.

Steve

This is the most news we've gotten about this series in like since the announcements.

Zach

And I want to say they announced

Ed

what season one is gonna be.

Zach

Yeah, Ed, you could. If you have it in front of you, you can.

Ed

I think I remember reading that it's season one of the One Piece is going to be seven episodes, 300 minutes, which is correct. About 43 minutes per episode. Which is basically an old episode of broadcast tv but with no ads.

Zach

Yeah, but you could always have the ads if you'd like. And it's covering the first 50 chapters, which I think brings us into the middle of Baratie. And that's season one. And it comes out February of 2027, which does not surprise me. Which means we could look forward to the rest of East Blue in 2030. Is that the rate they're going right now?

Steve

It'll probably be later.

Ken

It's like nine Months away.

Steve

Still, I'm willing to bet it's later

Zach

in the year than February.

Steve

No, no information. I have no information there that can confirm that. I just have a feeling, knowing how Netflix operates, at least with their original animation.

Delaney

But who knows that weird splitsky they do with the release dates where it's like, it's actually one whole season that we split in half. And it's not an excuse, but we'll

Steve

call it Season two.

Ken

What?

Delaney

But it's not.

Steve

But the employees don't get a raise for working on a new season. That's where my knowledge comes in.

Delaney

Normal industry.

Zach

Those are good finger guns there.

Steve

But I don't know. I don't know what that applies to with anime, but I'm kind of bewildered by this announcement. I was like, this is insane, right? Seven episodes. I. I don't know.

Delaney

The same amount of time and episodes as the Netflix version, and somehow we're accomplishing less. Let's unpack that.

Steve

Well, I'm kind of relieved by that because the one thing I don't want. I don't want them to rush through this stuff, which I'm constantly in fear of. That's what's gonna happen. They're just gonna breeze through this material.

Zach

I mean, they were.

Ed

Yeah, Steve's just living in fear, crying in a corner.

Steve

Oh, no. I'm at my desk bitching on the Internet.

Delaney

He's up at night praying, please, please don't rush through. Syrup island or Syrup Village.

Zach

Well, it's also an island. No, the island is called. What's it called again? I don't remember.

Stephen Paul

I don't remember.

Delaney

I remember I heard four adults wait for the gap.

Steve

Usops. They're not sticky.

Zach

I agree about, like, the amount of episodes I. I feel like I'm one of the few optimistic people on the Internet about it. Like, I'm still generally optimistic about the production. I think the pace sounds pretty good so far. The problem is, as you said, we're only getting seven episodes. Like, if you're going to do this, I feel like, give us 14. Give us all of East Blue and one. First of all, one chunk is awful. We shouldn't be doing that anyway. We should be doing once a week the way God intended.

Ken

And.

Zach

But I like. I am also pessimistic about the. About the release date, time. I agree with you, Steve. The fact that we've gotten only stills and they've announced the same stills as new stills not even gotten. Right, Right. The concept drawing.

Steve

Those are illustrate. Those are illustrations and character designs based off of existing manga panels.

Zach

Right. And I think they announced the same illustrations twice, as if they were new each time. Right. I believe that's the case. So I am not that optimistic about the time frame, personally. Didn't those.

Ed

Didn't that come out for the first time drawing like one piece day on? Yes, like two years ago.

Zach

Yeah.

Ed

I was still in the hospital then.

Zach

Yeah. And then it came out again like a couple of weeks ago as if it were brand new. Yeah. It wasn't.

Ken

It was announced too early. They should not have announced it as early as they did because it made it seem like it was something in the pipeline. And now clearly, like it's. It was nowhere. It was like when Smash Bros. Got announced and Sakurai was like, oh, I didn't know I was working on a new Smash Bros. It kind of feels like that's some kind of energy.

Zach

Yeah. I mean, as Steve and I think most of us also understand kind of how the. This isn't quite Hollywood, but the kind of how the production process looks and it's a multi year process and yeah, I'm kind of.

Ed

I'm actually kind of excited about it because they have the opportunity to not have to make the same adaptation choices as they did when they were on in a TV weekly format.

Zach

No, I'm 100% excited for it, however. So the things I'm giving guff about is the fact that it was announced too early and it's too few episodes that are coming in this batch, which is unfortunately both kind of symptomatic of like a larger and more common problem. I feel like in media generally. The second one more particularly. Yeah. Any other thoughts on the one piece?

Delaney

I just keep getting the vibe, as you mentioned, how they've been bringing out the same character sheets. It's like, look, we have new character sheets. It's like, no, that's the old one. It's the same one. It's very much like that old SNL dateline bit where it's like, we only have one picture of the criminal. Here he is on a roller coaster now, he's going to Paris. And I'm like, do you have a storyboard? Show me one storyboard. I need to know you've been doing this.

Ed

Is that the Keith Morrison voice?

Zach

Yes.

Delaney

The best. Approximately by Keith Morrison. Yes.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Ed

I found out like a month or two ago that he's. He was Matthew Perry's stepdad.

Zach

I'm here for the one piece criticism. Stay here for the Matthew Perry lore.

Steve

Yeah, that makes it. That makes him the grand Stepdad of jungle boy.

Zach

Anyway, you guys ready to get into the show? No.

Ed

Matthew Perry from Friends?

Steve

Oh, I'm thinking of Luke Perry. No.

Ed

Sideshow Luke Perry.

Steve

The will of the pea. There's a lot of Perry's out there. The will of the P. I wonder what they do.

Ed

The Walter and Perry

Steve

always like pointing out things that don't show up on an audio podcast. The deep stare of disdain in Zach's eyes. So much pain.

Zach

Let's move into the next segment.

Ed

Yes,

Ken

wishing you could be there live

Ed

for the big game, soaking up the

Zach

atmosphere of the crowd. But too often, life gets busy or

Stephen Paul

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Zach

Priceline is here to help you make it happen. With millions of deals on flights, hotels

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Ken

Don't just dream about the trip.

Zach

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Ed

Pluto tv.

Stephen Paul

Then I heard a voice.

Steve

Come with me if you want to live.

Stephen Paul

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Zach

This is the manga recap for chapter 1182 Zaza. You can read this chapter and all chapters as soon as they come out at Shonen Jump, Viz.com or MangaPlus. Shueisha Co JP before we get into anything here, I just want to say it's just fun to say Zaza. As a fellow Z lover, I'm grateful to see the representation here.

Ed

Yeah, and when I saw the title of this chapter, the first things I thought of were either Zsa Zsa Gabor from Green Acres or the basketball player Zaza Pachulia from the nation of Georgia who was born in the Soviet Union in the Caucasus.

Zach

I also thought of that basketball player

Steve

Zach or some obnoxious way to say pizza.

Delaney

Or the drag or the drag king, the drag queen from La Cage au Foil. I don't know man.

Ken

Zach, the way you just said it though, remind me of Jerry Seinfeld saying people like saying salsa.

Zach

Salsa.

Ken

Like saying salsa, salsa, salsa, salsa, salsa, salsa. It's fun.

Zach

It is fun to say salsa.

Delaney

Lele.

Steve

Isn't this also the name Of. Isn't this a Pokemon game?

Stephen Paul

Pokemon Legend.

Ken

Legend. Zaza. Zaza Zhayan.

Delaney

Zaza.

Steve

Z A. Z A.

Zach

It's an Italian restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut.

Ed

Remember that movie, the Divine Secrets of the Zaza Sisterhood?

Zach

Oh, it's a slang term for cannabis.

Ed

Everything's a slang term for cannabis.

Zach

That's true. That's true.

Ed

If you want it.

Zach

Yeah, yeah, that's true, that's true. And it's.

Steve

Emu would outlaw.

Zach

Emu would outlaw cannabis 100%.

Delaney

Thou shalt drop that joint.

Steve

That's at least level four in impel down.

Ken

Damn you, joint boy.

Zach

Joint boy. I'll rate it. There's also a. That's why he's always laughing. That does actually explain it. You already made that image too, Steve, so there you go. It's all done. That's what I know. Yeah.

Delaney

Where do you think the bird comes from?

Ken

He always has the munchies.

Zach

No, I can't. Whatever. There's also a Moroccan avocado milkshake called Azaza, and that sounds fantastic. I would like that. Anyway, Ed, what's going on on the comment from Oda this week?

Ed

Oda says dinner with Nobuyuki Sakamo was delish. I want to do a men's gourmet tour when the series is over. So this is Oda doing one of his two favorite things, eating or going to concerts. That's mostly what he talks about. But I was looking up who Noyuki Sakuma is, and he's a TV producer. He created a show called God Tongue, which is a. It's like a variety show where they do, like, challenges and stuff. And one of the things is like the kiss resisting game where they drink and one by one get stuck in a room with a adult video actress and they must not kiss her and hold out for an hour while she tries to seduce them. Apparently this is available on Japanese Netflix. I think he also works with TV Tokyo as the. As a producer.

Zach

Thank you ad.

Ed

So he's pretty notable. I mean.

Zach

Yeah, sounds it.

Ken

Yeah.

Zach

They're exactly the same age. That's the one thing I saw. So that does not surprise me. Any other thoughts on the comment? I haven't seen that show. Let's go to the COVID page. Yes, Ed. Yeah, go for it.

Ken

Yes.

Ed

It's a reader request for Issho savoring a bowl of udon, painstakingly crafted by a fox and tanuki by Toshika Zu. And yeah, we can see the tanuki on the right and the fox on the left with their Headbands tied to avoid sweating on the food. And we can see that helps when you have fur.

Ken

Yeah.

Ed

And we can see that Isho, despite being blind, labels his bowl. It says Isho udon on the bowl as he slurps down noodles.

Zach

You don't know if he's the one who labeled that. Maybe it was the tanuki in the fox.

Ed

Yeah.

Zach

Is it just me, or is this one of the scritchiest, scratchiest cover pages we've seen in a while? I feel like. Is that just me?

Ken

No, it looks a little scratchier than you.

Zach

Even each of his lips.

Ed

Lips could look kind of swollen, like he started eating the udon when it was still too hot.

Zach

Well, the lips are the least of the issue, I feel. The background actually feels way less polished than usual.

Ed

And the grain on the wood. And the wood on the left there.

Zach

Yeah. And look at that plant coming out of Fujitora's head. I mean, it's cute. Yeah. But it definitely looks like it was the last thing that they did and that they just got it out the door. That's just kind of the.

Ken

I just enjoy that. It says it was painstakingly crafted. Like, they made all this, like, attention.

Ed

We don't see them crafting it.

Ken

Yeah, we don't see them crafting it. But I feel like they put all this time to the presentation of the meal, and, like, oh, he's blind. He can't see it anyway.

Zach

That might be. Yeah.

Ken

If that's the joke, that's great.

Zach

That might be Steve. Any thoughts on the COVID

Steve

No.

Zach

Okay. Okay. Ed, why don't we start the chapter?

Ed

Yes. So in the aftermath of Loki's dragon form blasting IMU into the side of the tree, I think.

Zach

Yes.

Ed

It's a big tree here. His presence is still there. And he's wheezing and huffing and puffing. And Loki starts in. Where is that?

Zach

No, this is Loki. Because Ratatasker doesn't really talk.

Ed

He's just sort of hopping onto Loki's head. Maybe he was on his back.

Zach

Yeah.

Ed

And he's sort of zooming. Zooming in there. He's jumping. Ragnar is jumping in and doing a little pose as he moves up to Loki's head, I guess.

Zach

So someone on our. So this is. You know, the first page is released, like, a day. Or it's released on Friday before on the official site. So someone mentioned the scale here and that the. Like, that. That sound effect might indicate that he's shrinking Loki. Because if you do see Ratatosker at the top panel looks tiny. Tiny like an insect on him versus on the bottom and the bottom. The middle. The. For sure. All panel. He looks much smaller compared. I mean, he looks. They look much closer in size. Raditz, ask her and him.

Ken

Oh, yeah, you're right.

Ed

Yeah. He's almost the size of Loki's head, which just makes sense.

Zach

Yeah, exactly. And I'm gonna. I will thank our Discord folks for finding that. I'm not gonna take credit for that, but yeah.

Ed

Yes. And Loki continues. It's hard to keep him in sight when I'm so huge. As he's huffing and puffing, which is

Zach

like, assume why he shrunk. But maybe.

Ed

And we can. I guess that next panel is. We can see Emu basically blasted and he's stuck into the side of the tree. And with the three dots, he's just. He's. He's eating it. As smoke rises from his. It's not quite a crater, but he's stuck in there. And Emu begins. Nidhogger, to think that I would see thee again in this world. As he. He sort of wheezes. He takes one hit and he gets an asthma attack.

Stephen Paul

Traitor.

Zach

He doesn't have the zaza. He wouldn't ever do that. I do like how his neck looks like. It also has ellipses on it. I was just thinking that.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Zach

Okay. This. Ken. That's my audience.

Ed

It is. As Loki continues to wooshing. And Emu, like, gives a big cough.

Zach

Heck, how is he flying?

Ed

Well, Loki has wings.

Zach

Oh, he does have wings. Duh. Yeah. Yeah.

Ed

And Imu continues. Snow. Ah, indeed. Lightning caused by an impact with ice. Thy affinity for one another was always great, Ragnar. So thou stayed as thou were in days past, waiting for a new master to come along. How familiar thy sight is. And we get an ODA box for Hammer Ragnar.

Steve

Squirrel, Squirrel.

Ed

Fruit. Mythical type model ice squirrel. Ratatoskr.

Zach

Is Hammer his last name or his first?

Ken

Shut up.

Delaney

By the way, Ragnar was my father. Call me Hammer.

Ed

So I guess the ability to give devil fruits. Two things existed in the.

Ken

In the ancient past.

Ed

Yeah, way in the ancient past. Maybe Vegapunk rediscovered it because it was.

Zach

It was.

Ed

It was said to be like his discovery or he was able to make it happen. For, I think. Was it for the. Was it for lasso or for.

Zach

No, for all the.

Ken

For all the items, I think.

Zach

Well, yeah. Funk freed. It was generally mentioned, I think, for lasso or. I do want to say, Delaney, I know you were our very special guest but we also have very special guests. Translator for One Piece and weekly Shonen Jump and Manga. Plus, Steven Paul is joining us here. Just in time. How was your Mother's Day, Steven?

Stephen Paul

Wonderful. Great time.

Zach

Nice. Yeah. Was there. So we're one page in. Was there anything you wanted to touch on that?

Stephen Paul

Did you talk about the name of this chapter is a slang term for weed?

Ad/Promo Voice

Yeah.

Stephen Paul

You did?

Ken

Actually, no.

Zach

Wouldn't you know it, Steven, what's up?

Stephen Paul

Yeah. Nice. Okay.

Zach

How could people not like this show?

Ed

Actually, there was one thing I was curious about. What does it say on Issho's teacup on the front, on the COVID page?

Zach

Tea.

Stephen Paul

Oh, okay. Yeah. So the bowl says Issho udon. Right? I think. Well, of course, I'm looking at the English one. So it's covered by text, but it looks like it's probably chohang, which would be like. Like odds and evens, which I think is like a name for dice. Dice rolling. Yeah. In fact, that was a. Yeah. Maybe you recognize that Zach from Akane Banashi. There was a. There. There was a story arc involving a dice game where they had to guess. They put put down bets on whether it was going to be an odd or an even roll.

Zach

So was that the one? I'm not gonna guess.

Ed

Zach, what's that. What's that really stressful anime about betting that you like?

Zach

Kaiji?

Stephen Paul

Kaiji? Yeah.

Zach

I want to say. Oh, also, Steve, I'm never gonna have another time to mention this, and I'm gonna forget to. I saw Crunchyroll was advertising the show that inspired Squid Game, and the answer was not Kaiji, and it was Liar Game, which I have not read or seen. So I. Maybe I haven't seen it either, but I'm like, how could you. That is clickbait Kaiji. I'm clicking it because I'm like, oh, this is something about Kaiji. And it wasn't.

Steve

I do find most of those, like the. Those groupings on Crunchyroll to be cringe.

Zach

Anyway, it was an email. Like, I wouldn't. I didn't go out of my way to see it.

Steve

Snuggle up in bed with this shonen. Anime that has incest, but not that cringe.

Delaney

Have you watched Netflix and channel anime?

Steve

You don't want to see your parents walk. Parents? Yeah.

Ed

Nobody watch Kwakaze.

Zach

I won't.

Steve

It was Kwai Kaze.

Stephen Paul

Pretty sure snuggling up in bed with a shonen is illegal.

Delaney

It's frowned upon in most countries.

Steve

Yeah, it should be all of them.

Zach

Ken, go ahead.

Ken

All Right. Well, just before we move on, I'm just happy that we have a confirmation for what Ragnar actually is, because we were debating that chapters and chapters ago. Is it a squirrel? Is it a fruit? What? It came first, and now it is a hammer.

Zach

What kind of fruit?

Steve

Chipmunk.

Zach

Yeah.

Ken

So it is a hammer that ate a devil fruit and the devil fruit.

Zach

Yeah.

Ed

So the devil fruits existed back in the ancient past.

Ken

Yes.

Zach

Already a thousand years ago. Ish. Yeah.

Ken

Yeah.

Steve

Well, yeah, I just can't help but raise the question because Spondom said it was Vegapunk that discovered this.

Zach

Yeah, we talked about it, like, well,

Ed

I mean, Vegapunk researched the Void Century.

Zach

Yeah. Yeah, it's possible, I thought. Ed. Yeah.

Stephen Paul

And then we have, like, oh, the squirrel took over the hammer, or whatever. So that seems to run counter to what we're seeing here as well. So there's definitely some. Some confusion going on.

Ken

I'm sure we'll get into this later on. But we can start debating, like, okay, are. Did these. All these powers and gods once exist and then became fruits? Or. Because if Rag. If the ratastral squirrel was his own thing and then became a devil fruit, that then enter into the hammer, that leads a whole. That's a whole other discussion waiting to happen. So. But for now, we'll just continue on.

Zach

Yeah.

Ken

So on the next page, we have Ragnar putting both his little paws out and doing a big ice attack against Imu, going shooting ice.

Ed

And then Loki, it looks like he's doing force lightning.

Ken

Yeah, a little bit. Yeah. As, like, he has both palms out, giving it his best. And then Loki follows up with a. Okay, let's go. He's charging up a big lightning attack and does a ragnaquint arrow. And it looks like just like dozens and dozens of lightning bolts. I can't tell if it's shooting through the snow. It looks like it's shooting through the snow. Ragnar is making to make, like, little, like, spears of ice lightning. I'm not sure whether that's what's happening, but that's what my first interpretation was. And then Imu prepares to block it, raising a giant halo of eyes above him, saying, gazing eclipse. And we have a bunch more of those kingdom hearts shadow, heartless things pouring out of the eyes, and it's just colliding with everything. So in the next page, just. You see chaos. Yeah, it's just chaos. It's Loki's attack counteracting Imu's attack, hitting Ragnar's attack, and just chaos across the Entire screen.

Zach

Yeah, this is.

Ed

Looks like one of those heartless things goes through Loki's wing. His dragon wing.

Zach

Yes, it does seem.

Ken

Yeah, they're kind of like. Like bombs or burning him. Like they're definitely doing damage and they're not blocking all of them. So.

Zach

Yeah, well, when you're that big too, you're gonna. You're gonna get hit.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. So some, Some interesting details here can

Ed

apparently hit the broadside of a barn.

Stephen Paul

Broadside of a dragon. Yeah. So the, the really interesting attack that Emu does here, which I was very torn on like how to handle because Oda is doing like several different things here. So the actual name of the attack in Japanese is like. It's, it's. It's like a Japanese, you know, not a Romanization, but a, you know, a katakanaization of Tsitsi Mittel, which is a type of. It is not a. The name of a God, but it is a type of God from. I think it's Aztec and I believe it. It's like a fee.

Ed

Sounds like it.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, it's a. It's a female deity type of deity that. That is related to eclipses, solar eclipses. Which is really interesting. Which is. Is obviously, you know, what the. The clips thing here and the kanji mean that he used was eclipse and then bombardment. So that's where you know, obviously the bombing, you get that pretty directly bombardment. But what makes it a lot trickier is that is the fact that if you just read that name like as if it were Japanese would be like. And so Tsuitsui in Japanese is sort of like. It's sort of like involuntary or like you can't help but blank. And then Mitoru is. Is sort of like. It's either either to. To stare like to gaze at or to. Or it's kind of a dialectical way of just saying looking at. And so it kind of. Which makes it look. It makes it appear very much as though like Oda is making a joke about staring into an eclipse. Like you can't help but stare into. Yeah, an eclipse because it sounds exactly like that.

Ed

And Emu is made of eyes, so he can't help.

Ken

Right.

Stephen Paul

And so you have the eyes. The eye motif in his like little ring of. Of omen and. And then it, you know, turn. Turning into bombs. And so I. And so I'm already like, I've already, you know, since. Since working on. I'm. I'm already like, well, maybe I could have done this in instead. But it's very tricky to do without like overloading or kind of bogging it down with too much information. But I do kind of. I'm like, I really wish I'd gotten the. The name of the. The T.C. mitchell in there too. So I may. I may. Maybe I'll do like tissue middle, like gazing eclipse in the other bowl or some. Something like that. But yeah, so he's. He's doing. He's doing some very multi layered sort of like reference and joking around. You know, it is classic Oda when he comes up with. With these sort of things. But.

Ed

And what's the deal with the Ragna Quint arrow? Is there anything going on there?

Stephen Paul

That's an interesting one because. Yeah, it was. It was Ragna. You remember. What was it last time? Ragna Izuchi or something. So clearly he likes using Ragna as part of his attack names. You know, being a reference to Ragnarok.

Ken

And then.

Stephen Paul

And then it was like Ragnar Go Arrow, where it was Go Go was five and arrow was just like as in the English arrow. And I was like, that's kind of weird because, like, clearly it is not a fi. Like, it visually it is. Has nothing to do with five. Like he's shooting a bazillion, you know, that looks like. They look like tracer bullets that he's shooting out through this. This ice cloud. So I'm not really sure what he was going for there. So I just, you know, I went with the Latin quint quintero just because that sounds coolish, but so it's.

Zach

So it's spelled kind of like a tsetse fly. Like tsetse middle.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Ken

T. Tz.

Stephen Paul

I Tz. I. I think is the.

Zach

Yeah, yeah, I just. I finally found it on Wikipedia, but a few interesting facts is that it's often described as demon or devils. But the second, of course, and I'm sure Steve knows this, but it's one of the eight monsters from around the globe to appear as antagonists in Be Cool Scooby Doo in Mysteries of the Disorient Express.

Ken

Wow.

Stephen Paul

Crossover. We never. We never knew we wanted. Yeah.

Zach

And Persona 4. So. Okay, so where are we in this? Ken, you finished the page, right? Oh, yeah, there's. Oh, sorry. There was an actual serious thing I want to say that's super interesting. First of all, Steven, I do like how it's kind of an inverse eclipse because it's the. Instead of like the dark part in the middle and the sun on the outside. But. Yeah. Well, I wanted to ask also. So we find out a little later. I think. And also, Emu had previously described his power similar to, like, how military does. As military.

Stephen Paul

Right.

Zach

So the bombardment thing is also very interesting to me.

Stephen Paul

And that's hard to get across the bombardment. And I think you guys did touch on it, like, the very first time you saw him using Omen. I don't think I was on that. That chapter. But no, Oda very conspicuously uses these, like, it sounds like guns reloading, like when he's doing his little hand movements.

Zach

Yes.

Stephen Paul

So there's a lot of, like. And, like, chunk and stuff like that, which is. I think that's kind of what he's. He's trying to convey here is that these are almost like military. Like modern military weapons that Emu is using.

Zach

Interesting.

Ken

Actually, remember.

Ed

Does anyone else remember that Mission Impossible movie with Henry Cavill where he is in a fistfight and he basically reloads

Stephen Paul

his arms in the bathroom?

Ken

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Stephen Paul

Maybe he was inspired by that.

Zach

There's a lot of interesting inspirations on this page, Steve.

Steve

All right, we cut to an even wider wide shot here, and we see Bonnie, who I feel like we have not seen in quite a long time here.

Zach

We saw her. We saw her, like, getting swept up. Yeah.

Stephen Paul

Catching Sanji or whatever.

Zach

Yeah. But, like, few and far between over

Steve

the arc before that, I guess I should say. Yeah, but she's hearing, like, she's seeing that fire.

Zach

She says, yikes.

Steve

Scary.

Ed

Bonnie, just being a kid.

Steve

It's a cool way to be a kid. And we hear a voice say, bonnie, come back this. Come back this way. And it's revealed to be Lilith. And Bonnie says, don't worry, I'm not going to try and fight that. You know, Elders is one thing, but that. No, so. And Lilith says, of course not. I'm your guardian now. I'd never let you do such a thing. But Lilith ponders, but who is that? And we see that they're tending to Sanji here, who's looking kind of lifeless here on the ground right now.

Ed

He's a little splattered.

Steve

And Lilith continues saying, he's clearly the Superior of the Holy Knights of God, but he's not one of the five Elders and a massive organization. And then we do in this panel, it's a profile. We see Lilith, but also we see the Stella here, the original Vegapunk, in the back here. I almost feel like the voice is going to transition. So it's like, in a massive organization lasting 800 years, it's only natural that power struggles will breed deeper and deeper darkness, which would mean I realize that's Les Einstein and more.

Zach

I think it's perfectly fine.

Ed

Okay, Dr. Strangelove.

Ken

Yeah, it sounded good to me.

Steve

Sure, let's go with that. But then Sanji arises and Bonnie says, hey Sanji, you're too hurt too. And Sanji grumbles, there's no other choice for me, Bonnie. We go to a flashback here. And this is killing Ham saying, hehehe.

Zach

How's that, Sanji? I didn't even need to take you out myself.

Steve

No, it's incredible you're even alive right now.

Zach

Perfect.

Steve

Sanji is just.

Stephen Paul

What a bitch.

Zach

Just.

Steve

Yeah, yeah. Just completely lifeless on the ground, but still speaking. He says, where are you going? And killing him snickers, back to my mission. Can't you see my rippling strength? And he says, so long.

Zach

So long, sucker.

Steve

And he just takes off like a rocket. And that in that Sanji's reaction like. Well, yeah, that's just like the.

Stephen Paul

It's like he's jumping off the kickback.

Steve

It's kind of more like just like the. The kickback. Yeah, from like the explosion hitting him. So really it's truly hitting someone when they're down.

Ed

He takes kazoom.

Zach

Yeah, he gets like. He gets pummeled there, it looks like.

Steve

Yeah. But we get. We cut back to Sanji charging. He says he still hasn't given up on kidnapping those children. And Lilith and Bonney yell out to Sanji, but he darts off and says, I can't let all of our battles be for nothing. This is the land that Usopp and Luffy have been dreaming about. I'm going to keep Elbaf safe. And someone says, huh? And he launches off into the sky. You know, not too different from how killing him did. But he says, I'm going to keep Elbaf safe. It's the land of giant beautiful women. And two women are left behind. Just they're speechless. They're doing the ellipses where it means their silence says plenty.

Zach

Yes.

Ed

I got nothing.

Zach

It's the dumbest thing I've heard all day. We go to Ken. Is it okay if I throw this to Steven? Since he joined in the middle, yes.

Ken

I was gonna ask if you wanted Steven or Delaney to take this one.

Zach

Yeah, Steven. Go for it.

Stephen Paul

Okay. We are now at the Owl Library, where Saul and Robin have been trying to resolve the disaster going on there. And we hear them saying, so round the back there's a hidden tunnel ending in a secret room. And you managed to protect all the books from the fire? Well, Done. Biblo. How convenient. And I may have added that editorially. Yeah. It turns out there's just a secret second library where we can hide all the books.

Zach

So it's all tied up in a neat little package.

Stephen Paul

Yes. Biblo, of course, looking very wise and mysterious, just silently looks at the animals.

Zach

Have that book. I know, because Biblo has been living in my backyard for the last month.

Ken

But nice, Nice, right?

Stephen Paul

And Robin says, thank you. I thought they were all lost. And Saul, speaking for the readers, is like, yeah, I'm mighty glad too. And if I gotta admit it, I'm even more perplexed about you than before. Biblo. And Biblo guiltily looks at him in silence like, that's the most sus.

Ken

Owl I've ever seen, by the way.

Zach

No, the owl's like, what the fuck? I just saved all those books. And you're like,

Stephen Paul

what's your deal? Yeah.

Ken

Yeah, Dan, I think Mike Patton just said, he looks so tired.

Zach

Yeah, he looks so.

Stephen Paul

He does.

Zach

Guys. That's what I look like every single day of the week. I have Biblo. Biblo's my spirit animal here.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, he kind of looks like. He kind of looks like the, you know, the really sad looking old man with the sad smile who is in all the memes. Yeah. Shrugging like, eh, what can I do? It's living. And then we go to the Flintstones thing. Yeah, exactly. He's the librarian Owl.

Zach

He's the librarian.

Steve

We're a Flintstones thing.

Stephen Paul

Over in the Sea Cloud Port by the western village, where we have another little map with the branch route, the. The gnarled and very erect branch, root, and the western village. And then the rainbow, of course. And we see a figure who, we will. We will momentarily find out, is Summers. And he appears to be with his. With his new found strength, he is like tossing a giant ship. We know it's a giant ship because it's got all the shields and the. The mastheads and everything. And he's saying, and here we go.

Ken

Who?

Stephen Paul

As he tosses the ship down and it lands with a debloosh on the clouds. And yep, there he is. He's got the. The Omen halo over his head and he's got his transponder snailing. He says, hey, hello, this is Summers speaking. Did I say Summers? I meant super summers. So now we can add.

Ed

Oh, shit, he went super summers.

Ken

We can add super summers.

Zach

This is to go even further. Summers.

Stephen Paul

So we can. We can now add gimmick infringement to his list of crimes.

Ed

If Sonic were here, he'd be very offended.

Zach

That's Sonic.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. Or Frankie. Or.

Zach

Or really anyone?

Stephen Paul

Or Vegeta. Or anyone. Yeah. Super Virginia, I've found a giant ship to use. Bring the brats over here in five minutes. Bring the brats. Barbecue party. Yeah. And that's it.

Zach

Now it's Steve again.

Steve

You got it. Over at the pub in the Western Village, someone saying, look at that forest. It's like a war scene. But now we see up from above Gerd's head. We see that Chopper has wrapped bandages around her thumbs.

Ed

And bandages heal everything.

Steve

Benders also bend. Chopper says, the cut through your fingers was incredibly sharp and clean, so they should reattach, but it'll take months for a full recovery. And Gerd's like, thank you, Chopper. I feel so inadequate. I'm supposed to be the one who heals everyone else. And Chopper retorts saying, there was nothing you could do about that. We cut to a wide here. We see how Ru Din is down. Everyone's doing the. The. The. The planking in this chapter. And Howardin's on the floor. Some of the other giants are surrounding as the. As Colin is glazing up Chopper here saying, thanks, Dr. Chopper for helping my mom and everyone else. And Chopper says, it's only emergency care once we're through this disaster. I could give them proper treatment. And Roto hears is like, ooh, ultra rare. Good, my precious as chopped fingers in my dreaming. Is this official?

Ken

Good job, Steven.

Steve

I kind of aren't a crewmate. That choice of words is a little, like, lost on me. I'm not sure what exactly this is all.

Stephen Paul

All of his stuff is, like, super modern.

Ed

He's a Dorcas.

Stephen Paul

Well, all of his stuff is, like, super modern, like, slang and especially, like, around, like, he. A lot of his stuff is very rooted in, like, mobile gaming. And that's why. That's, like. That's where the ultra rare thing came from, because he was all about collecting. And that's. That was my. My way of, like, showing his. His sort of collector mentality. And so, yeah, a lot of his stuff is like. Is like the sort of things that. That people say in Japanese when they're, you know, when they're talking about their. Their mobile game Blorbos, that they get, you know, like, bring them home and stuff like that. Right? Yeah, that would be. That would be a fun way to do that.

Zach

Actually. Actually. Is this canon? It's pretty great.

Stephen Paul

That is pretty good.

Ken

It's a Gerd misprint. It's worth more.

Steve

I almost thought you were cooked, Gerd.

Zach

Oh, God.

Delaney

But now you're actually based.

Steve

He says, I would give you all of my fingers if I could. And Gurga says, don't.

Zach

That may be harsh. No, no.

Ed

No fingerprints. I don't think so.

Steve

And Roto says, harsh. I am unworthy of the gift of your sharp tongue.

Zach

See, instead of an ellipse, should be Die. But whatever. No, she's not Nami.

Steve

She looks like Nami, but she's not Nami. But she smiles and nods and says, but when I saw how you risked your life for your brother Bjorn, it did make me think a bit better of you. And Roto goes, you know, three exclamation parts and who?

Stephen Paul

Someone.

Steve

I don't know. Someone. Maybe it's Chopper. Says Roto squirts blood when he gets excited.

Zach

I doubt it's Chopper.

Ed

Who is he, Sanji?

Delaney

No, I think it is, though, because he's on the table where Choppa was in the last panel.

Steve

But why would Chopper knows He's a doctor.

Ken

He's supposed to.

Steve

He's done all their checkups.

Zach

Oh, this one squirts blood out of his nose, too. It has that rare condition Sanji also has for some.

Steve

Chopper's like, well, we got the test back. And I want to lie.

Ken

Chopper has a Pokedex of all the giants. He knows all their special. Sir, you're a Weeb.

Zach

And it's terminal's a little high, so. I like that. Delany, you're going

Steve

nosebleed.

Ed

Which is, I think, something that used to appear in the SBS a lot.

Zach

Yes, it was. Oh, my God. I forgot about that.

Steve

And nosebleeds just used to appear in

Zach

most manga and still do.

Steve

I think One Piece is the only thing that carries on this trope.

Zach

No, I bet you it's still. No, I think.

Steve

Shonen.

Zach

Well, in Shonen. Yeah, maybe.

Steve

Yeah.

Delaney

But now, because of war, says I

Steve

have an excess of ultra rare Gerd heart. And this child is this Bjorn. Owes her respect.

Zach

Yeah, it's okay. I was hoping it was.

Steve

And then we get Team Zorro, port side of Western Village. And the villages look the same. They just have, like, a castle up on top.

Zach

Well, they're named like that, too.

Steve

Oh, wait. This is.

Stephen Paul

This is the main village.

Steve

Sorry.

Zach

Because this is the main village.

Ken

Yeah, this is all the Western village.

Steve

Yeah, I was about to say. Wait, I was about to say. I'm like. Yeah, that was actually where Somers was at.

Ed

Yeah, you can see, like, down where he threw the ship down.

Zach

Where?

Ed

The ship. He threw the ship down.

Zach

Yeah, yeah, with the arrow.

Steve

Zorro. Zorro is speaking. And you could tell he's speaking cause he's got a. There's a little Zorro head in the speech bubble that says, I appreciate it, Goldberg. Our legs can't carry us fast. And Goldberg says, it's fine. I'm the only one on the new giant Pirisht who didn't get horribly wounded. Plush Elbafshin peril. I appreciate you helping us out. And Zoro says, no worries. Our captain's a friend's country is my country kind of guy.

Ed

He really is.

Steve

Goldberg says, I could see why Haru didn't think so highly of him. But we get a close up here of Zorro and he's just. He's throbbing. Maybe, you know, he's getting over his pain and he's holding something in his hands. But he says that black flame, though, it was transforming into steel bullets and bombs. It was transforming into steel bullets and bombs. And he clearly helped the knight of God who were already here, power up further. We don't put an end to them soon, things will get out of hand as these steel bullets leave Zorro's hands.

Zach

So he's like playing flipping.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, he's flipping it with his thumb.

Zach

So he obviously got those out of, I guess, his wound. This. This raises.

Steve

What a badass.

Zach

Well, obviously, Zorro. The one thing we know. I was gonna say it's this is. This is. This almost raises more questions as to Emu's power and what exactly is happening. We go to the next page, to the port of the western village. Really?

Steve

The.

Zach

The important village. The. The Mary sue of villages or the. Whatever. Summers. Summers. I messed up. I summoned the wrong thing. Killing him. You didn't. Uh, Summer's response is killing him. Obviously speaking. Yes, I did what I'm afraid of. I got overzealous. You idiot. Now you gotta be freaking us out. But you can still control it, right? Right? Hello? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's still asleep. I. I think so. As a lawyer, I say I think so for every sleep.

Ed

Did.

Zach

Yeah, still asleep. Did. It's still good. It's still good. Well, what's done is done. Just hurry. We don't have time. What about Gunko? Summers asks, and Killingham responds, I saw her on the way here, but she's gotta be dead, man. What? What? So be it. Don't actually care about her. Great. Imu's body is not meant to withstand the outside. Interesting note, but even pushing, he basically

Ed

lives in A greenhouse. Right in the butterfly room.

Zach

He does basically live in a greenhouse. He lives in a butterfly house.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. Yeah. He's the devil boy in the ball.

Ken

It's the emoots.

Zach

The emoops.

Ken

Thank you.

Zach

Okay.

Delaney

The terrariumo

Zach

the devil boy. Sorry. Writing that down. Where were we? The strength. But even pushing past that, the strength we need and the strength we ought to destroy are both right here. Do not disappoint the Great One. We must live up to his expectations. Killing him. Of course. Okay. We go to the western village, which is where we were. It's the main part outside the castle walls.

Ken

Take a shot every time. It says Western village.

Zach

Did you know we're in the Western Village? Rain. Well, it's.

Steve

This is a West side Story this week.

Delaney

God damn it.

Zach

I hate it. Rain. It's a downpour out of nowhere. And Zeus left already. Everyone's like, what does this mean? Oh, no. The flooded is a doors too. I want to get. Don't let the wounded get wet. And Killingham says to supposedly his sleep did go capture those brats. And the moms are now. And moms and relatives are including.

Ed

Isn't that when the teacher mo.

Zach

And yeah, that's Anjay. Yeah, yeah. And Stanson's there anyway. We have Colin Ilva help us. They say as they're sinking into a hand there's something outside killing hand.

Ed

Looks like chaos from Sonic Adventure. Water body.

Zach

Oh, yeah. That's beyond me. Killingham begins his little screed. We were born in a place so high it's above all the rain clouds. That's why we have no plants. It really makes sense.

Ed

We can't grow food for ourselves.

Zach

More sense. Yeah, but it's. They would have. I don't. Yeah, I don't completely get that, but whatever. Water coming down from the sky. It's a mysterious terror to us. After the people of the D. You know them, right, kids? And Nika. I know you know them. It was the most common boogeyman. They warned us about that in the lower world there's a monster called the Rain God that dumps water on top of your head. So introducing my nightmare Rain for the Rain God Delaney.

Ed

Skulls for the skull throne.

Zach

Delaney. My nightmare.

Ken

No, My nightmare. Delaney.

Zach

My nightmare Delaney.

Delaney

Let's eat, Grandma. We've got a big old spread

Ken

of

Delaney

a of the western village of Western Village fame. Getting absolutely flooded with rainwater by a massive vaguely feminine based on the face figure. You got the huge veil, the hat. The beaded hat. Large beaded ring behind the head, much like the other God, halos, multiple arms, all wearing bracelets and a huge robe. Just absolutely fucking up the town.

Ken

Mechashiva. Mechashiva. Mechashiva. Yeah.

Delaney

And a big old title that says what we were afraid of. God of rain. Zaza. Parentheses, sleep did end parentheses. And I love that.

Zach

I like that font this week. That's one of the better fonts we've had, I feel like, for this.

Delaney

Yeah, sorry.

Zach

Because they've been awful mostly.

Delaney

And then I think that's killing him, like a promoter or something. Saying, appearing to the rhythm of the prayers for rain. Oh, it's Zaza Freaky. And of course, the children. The children are screaming, help us the all the giants.

Steve

Zaza Freaky. Sounding like her full name, like it

Delaney

was

Stephen Paul

a disco name.

Delaney

Guys, my new drag name. Zaza Freaky.

Zach

Oh, my God. Excellent.

Steve

Sounds like a. Sounds like a strip club announcer, too. And now coming to the stage, it's

Zach

just Oda was just at 1 this past week, so that she just immediately

Steve

just goes through the poll.

Delaney

Her lip sync is to West Ass Village.

Zach

Well, Zaza doesn't need to lip sync because she might not have any, but

Delaney

she's get a bucket and a mop for this dance. Chance Village.

Ken

She's dancing to the drums of precipitation.

Stephen Paul

God damn it, Ken.

Zach

Another week, another good one. I love it. Drums of Precipice. You had that locked and loaded.

Ken

I had that locked and loaded since, like, 12 o' clock today.

Zach

Wow. It took you an hour.

Ken

Shut up, Ken.

Steve

Thought of that at, like, 8 o' clock this morning. And then just. Sorry, you're not on the west coast. So, like, 11 o' clock in the morning, you just sat there exactly like, Duncan, stop talking.

Zach

I better be invited off.

Steve

Fingers. Fingers intersecting. You're just leaning back.

Zach

I've done it.

Ed

You're like, dude, put that one back in the oven.

Ken

Yes.

Delaney

She's not ready to. She's not ready to cut into yet. And there's some. There's some pores in this town as the giants are swept away and the kids are stolen and Killingham shouts, now take him away. Get ready, Summers. And Summers says, we can sail at any time. Thanks for pointing that out. And then we've got.

Steve

You could sail at any time.

Delaney

We can sail.

Zach

What is happening?

Ed

Why do they call them breakfast treats?

Steve

Thank you.

Delaney

And Goldberg and Zoro, who are walking the other way, see the massive rain God pouring hell down onto the. The western village. And Zorro says, oh, something's going on to the village. And Goldberg Says, should I turn around? And then meanwhile, we cut to Sanji, who is.

Zach

So this took me a minute, but it is actually a very. So that is Sanji in the distance. That is Goldberg and Zoro.

Steve

Yes.

Zach

Running through. Okay, so this is him reacting to Sanji approaching. He's like running back that way. Yeah, yeah. So that's what's happening here. Yeah, it took me a minute for this one, too.

Delaney

So don't feel okay.

Steve

This on your phone.

Zach

Which I did.

Delaney

And I guess that's Zoro who says, oh, nah. And then Sanji says, huh? And they shout, seemingly across the plains of Africa. The plains, the whole forest of trees, the rains. Zoro says, hey, get the job done right. And Sanji says, same to you. And we get a. To be continued.

Steve

Yeah, I think this was. Zoro made the right call here. Because if Zorro tried to take on Zaza instead, he would get swept away by the water. And soon he would realize that the goggles, they do nothing.

Zach

Excellent. I know it's gonna mess up a slate, but that deserves an applause.

Ken

That was a good one.

Zach

How long did it take you to come up with that one, Steve?

Steve

Like five seconds ago.

Delaney

Steve.

Zach

That was a great bit.

Delaney

You did great bit, Steve.

Steve

I sit on that.

Zach

No, that was good. That was good. That was good.

Steve

Quick on my feet, Steve.

Zach

Yeah, that's what they call you.

Delaney

Good old fleet foot Steve.

Zach

So that's the Zaza end of this chapter. Sorry, I don't know what I was doing there.

Ken

You sound like Goldberg talking.

Zach

That's the end of the Vegapunk, almost.

Ken

Oh, yeah.

Zach

We're off next week, right?

Stephen Paul

Yes.

Zach

Or. Yeah. So I'm assuming, like, kind of talking shop, I guess, about the. About Golden Week is over.

Ed

Otis is taking a break.

Zach

So I was going to say. Yeah, you could tell this.

Ed

We go to more concerts.

Zach

It's a 15 page chapter. Yeah. Or he could go back to see Zaza. He would. Or he could have some more Zaza. It was a 15 page chapter, so.

Delaney

I was not in love with you, man. Come on.

Zach

Yeah, sorry, sorry. I just got that. I Zaza. The first thing that reminded that it, like, stuck out design wise. I was kind of thinking of symbionic Titan for those who remember that show vaguely.

Ed

And look at the hair. Zasa's got bangs, yo.

Zach

Yeah, just like the. The transparent body is a super cool concept. I like that. That, like, made of water, kind of. I like that. I am so down for that Is excellent.

Ken

But I'm obsessed with the.

Zach

I guess. Thoughts on Zaza first, since that's the end.

Ed

I love this. I love this last bit with Zoro and Sanji. Like, the more things change. The things. Things never change.

Zach

No, I don't think they do.

Stephen Paul

Well, an interesting thing about that, that interaction at the end, because it is. I mean, obviously, yes. Zoro and Sanji, they're always bickering. They're always harsh toward each other. And with the way that he wrote it, my first inclination was to be, you know, to do it more like, okay, how do. How do you make this little snappier, you know, bizarre would be saying like, hey, don't screw it up. And you know, Sanji says, like, look who's talking or whatever, you know, like, bickering the way that they. They always do. But if you consider the circumstances and like, what they're actually saying to each other, I think that would save the children. Yeah, that would be selling them a bit short. Like. Like to have them be like, oh, don't screw it up because, like, I. Like, I know you want to. Or whatever. Um, I think is. Is a little harsher than. Than what this situation is actually representing. Like, they both are, you know, they. They are both on extremely important. Like, this is, you know, every second counts here. Like, they are in an emergency situation and they recognize, okay, he's going the other way, he's going the other. You know, they're like, he. He's obviously doing something very important and something that needs to get done. And. And so I was glad that I ended up with something that is basically like. Rather than being like, hey, don't fuck it up. It's like, hey, just get it done. Like, do the job. Get like, let's. Let's don't kill me. Yeah, well, yeah, but. But also just like, like, don't, you know, like, like get it done. Like, let's get it this done successfully. So this is like the closest thing that Zoro and Sanji get to positive reinforcement from. For each other, which is, you know,

Ed

this reminds me of that scene from the Wire where the. The crew couldn't decide if they were moving the desk into the office or taking it out of the office.

Stephen Paul

Well, you know, very, very funny scene, but. But yeah, no, I mean, and you laugh, Zach, but like, I think it.

Ed

It's.

Stephen Paul

I think it's true. Like, I think in a way this is actually kind of touching in, you know, their. Their stunted emotional way that it is as close to, you know, Zoro and Sanji get to. To acknowledging each other that they have an important role to play.

Zach

And.

Stephen Paul

And they're the only ones that the crew can count on in this moment.

Ed

It's like, do the job or I'll have to do it and make you look bad.

Stephen Paul

Sure.

Zach

Yeah. That's definitely part of it.

Steve

Sure.

Zach

Yeah. The Zosan fans, though, are eating this week.

Delaney

Certainly marry your stupid ass.

Zach

That is kind of the. The. The thrust of it. Any other thoughts on. Any other thoughts?

Stephen Paul

So you were asking about the Zaza. Yeah. I think Zaza is like 20 times. Looks 20 times cooler than Kazenbo. The other. The other elemental personification.

Ken

See through ghosts.

Steve

Without question.

Ken

It actually looks like something that you

Ed

should be afraid of.

Zach

Yeah. Well, okay, so I know. Kenneth, did you also post the thing with the different gods from Skypiea?

Ken

Do you want to get to that now or.

Zach

Yeah, we're talking about Zaza. We might as well Zaza it up.

Ken

Okay. Yeah. So after this happened today, I went back to the Skypiea chapter where they named the. The different gods and whatnot.

Zach

What number is that again? Do you have that offhand?

Ken

I do not.

Zach

How dare you.

Ken

But it's the scene, though, where it's the. It's the Nolan Kagura flashback. And what was the name of the giant snake? Not Nola, but the one before Nola.

Stephen Paul

Oh, Kashigami.

Ken

Kashigami, yes. They're about to sacrifice someone to Kashigami, and they call out to the God of the sun, the God of the rain, the God of the forest. Thank you. The God of the sun, God of the rain, God of the forest and God of the earth. And now we know Nika, God of the sun. We have now Zaza, God of the rain and powers combined.

Ed

They are Captain Planet.

Ken

That's kind of what it is. But then God of the forest and God of the earth were both mentioned on the Harley mural as well. So now we have these very four distinguishedly named gods. And I don't know if Oda's going for something here with Nika Zaza, by

Zach

the way, it's 287. It's the chapter. Page 39 of the volume. Yeah, go ahead. Sorry.

Ken

Gotcha.

Zach

For those who want to look, the

Ken

fact now that we're dealing with gods and I think, like, just like the name Nika Zaza, like, they. It's only two, so we can't really establish a pattern yet. But, like, they all seem very at least casually related in some way, shape or form, which I find extremely interesting for the future of this series. Me and Kirby are. Who's in the episode image this week were actually talking like a week or so ago about like gods in the One Piece universe. Like okay, like we have like like the Buddha fruit. Like is Buddha a God in One piece or is it like we have like. Like in our real world like Zeus is part of mythology, but there was never actually a Zeus or was there? And I said if Oda starts throwing out different gods at us besides Nika, then I think that's going to be kind of telling God.

Zach

It is actually like it makes very interesting.

Ken

Go ahead.

Zach

It makes it feel like. I think my issue with like look, I love the hell out of gear five. I've said it for many years since but I think like the story impetuses for it have often been not the most beloved because it does feel kind of. I don't know if retcons the right word but shoehorned. And the fact whether or not he had it planned. The. The. The greater mythology of the One Piece world particularly as it relates to Skypiea really.

Ed

So there was a Nika fruit there. Could there be a Zaza?

Zach

That's one. That's one very interesting point that there probably will be. But I am very happy to see this mythology kind of expand. It makes the world feel bigger. Not that the One Piece world ever feels that small, but if there's only really one, you know, if it's just, oh, there's the sun God and none of. None other is of very much importance. So I am, I am happy that we're getting a little bit more about that. I know Earth, the Earth God I think was mentioned in the mural and also on that page and the forest God. There were more than just that.

Ken

No, no, just they mentioned like the sun gods mentioned the Harley. They mentioned the Earth. The Earth God like roared and cast rolled into darkness and the forest God is on the tame demons.

Zach

And Usopp.

Ken

And Usopp.

Zach

Yes, yes.

Ken

But it's interesting cause for a while now I kept thinking like okay, was Nika ever a physical actual God in this world or is like okay, we make up Nika like in our world I use Greek mythology as like the comparison. Like okay, we think of Zeus, there's a Zeus fruit and then so on and so forth.

Zach

Well, does a devil fruit need.

Ed

The Greeks explained the passing of the seasons by like Persephone is in. Is in the underworld with Hades. But comes up to the. Comes up to the surface and that's why spring happens.

Ken

Yeah, well that's the thing. Like did these gods actually exist in the one Piece world? Or do people just have the idea of them? Like, where were the slaves? Looking for something so they made up Nika as, like, a figure to pray for? Or was Nika an actual God? If Nika was an actual God in the One Piece timeline, then you have this idea. Okay, Nika was a physical being that then got turned into a fruit, and then Joy Boy was the first fruit user, and now Luffy's the second fruit user. And then you look at Ratataskr and Ragnar in this chapter. Like, okay, that one panel we saw a couple chapters ago, it showed the squirrel separate from the hammer, working with the giant from Elbaf. So they were separate at one point. Like, okay, was Ratataskr a God in this world that got then turned into a fruit that the hammer ate? So at one point, the God Ratataskr existed and then became a fruit. Like, are all these mythical gods physical things that then got turned into powers or. Because, oh, no, if Nika died. Let's say Nika existed, Nika died, then, okay, the people are wishing for Nika. And if Vegapunk's theory that fruits are born from dreams and wishes, then how do you resurrect Nika? By becoming a Nika fruit eaten by Joy Boy. And then that's where my mind is currently going.

Ed

Ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry fucking Christmas.

Zach

True.

Ken

Steven, what were you going to say?

Zach

Or.

Stephen Paul

Or it could be like, what we. We mentioned on the sgs where, like, is the image of the. You know, of the Elbaf God with the. With the hammer, and then Ratatoskr was separate. Is that just like a pictorial representation of, like, the myth surrounding that event? And there were. They were never separate things. Like, it was always a hammer with the mythical, you know, squirrel fruit power with it. Because we don't, you know, that's obviously just. Yeah, that's just kind of a fantastical image that we saw.

Steve

And.

Zach

And is God also, like, I'm assuming it. It. I. I feel like skypiea, like, as a thesis statement. And it's such a strong, you know, a strong idea. Like, the. I. You know, the concept of God is so challenged and that, like, it's like no mortal being could, you know.

Stephen Paul

Right.

Zach

And it.

Ed

I love that killing him made this sleep to. Because he up and made what he was scared of and like that.

Zach

That is funny.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Zach

No, but I mean.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, it is.

Ed

I love how drippy she looks.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. Or is it, you know, is. It. Is it is. When we say God, is this an actual, like, immortal, invulnerable, unkillable, you know, force of nature, or is that just, like, a title that we give to the people who are even more powerful than anyone we've ever seen before? Like, is this the new version of Forever? You know?

Zach

Yeah, the.

Ed

The. The. The celestial dragons consider themselves gods, so there's a more powerful God that's scary to them.

Stephen Paul

Sure, sure.

Zach

But I. I think. I think it is interesting because I. Because of skypiea, like, because of the thesis statement behind Skypiea. And I just have the mural up now because I'm back in that mode, but I think it's pretty. Not clear, but I think it could be inferred that these are not real gods. So, like, even if Nika existed, even if Zaza existed, I really think they were. Either they were mortal beings that were, you know, the center of this mythology. Equally likely is that it's a devil fruit based off of the imagination of man, and that that is the reason it was created is that there was this mythology around it. So I think either. Either way, I don't think it's an actual God, but I'm leaning toward the second, especially since they're titled mythical types, thereby implying that they're not real. But I don't know how that works in Japanese or if that's.

Stephen Paul

I mean, for one thing, yes, you talk about the mythical model of the fruit. That's true for. For Ragnar. But this is just. This is a sleep. Like, this is just a drawing that. That Killing at made, basically.

Ken

Calm down, son. It's a picture.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. So we don't. You know, this is. This could be completely unrelated to any kind of. Of devil fruit thing that we find out in the future.

Zach

It's good because it could look exactly like this or it could look completely different.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Delaney

At long last, Eiichiro Oda has found a way to sexualize water.

Stephen Paul

Oh, yeah.

Ken

It's also clever, though, just bouncing off that, like the other sleep tits. They look the way they did because they were extracted from the minds of kids. And this is like. So they weren't very detailed. They were kind of crayoni. This is extracted right from the mind of Killingham. And it's very detailed, and it's very grandiose, which I think is a cool detail.

Zach

Me, too. Yeah. But still, almost. It retains a little that, like, watercoloriness, right?

Stephen Paul

Yes. Yeah, absolutely.

Zach

Yeah.

Ken

Well, she's water.

Zach

No, but.

Stephen Paul

But the treatment. Yes. The visual treatment is still.

Zach

Yeah. I mean that it still looks like it's from somewhere else. Like, not from the. Like, it has been dropped into this manga.

Ken

Yeah, she's from the East Village

Zach

there. Let's do thoughts on the chapter. Delaney, let's start with you. What did you think of this week's chapter?

Delaney

I'm not going to lie. I think there were points. There were a lot of little details that I liked, but I think I spent a lot of it largely annoyed, if that makes sense. It's funny, I think I've. I've not really been receptive to Emu in my own time. While I've been reading this, I'm just kind of like, this is a very weird decision to do this right now. But, like, whatever, go with the wave. But to me, at least, like, the pacing of this one, it kind of feels like you're watching, for lack of a better comparison, like you're watching Fantasmic at Walt Disney World and the big maleficent dragon shows up and like, oh, look, it's the large set piece. That's like, this is this huge thing that we got to deal with. Then it's like, what's Jafar thinking right now? It's like, what? What are you doing? What's like, I'm not.

Steve

He's thinking of his third and final wish.

Delaney

His third and final wish. One too many hits with the Snake. But, like, I'm not. I'm notorious for being like, the anti fight person. I don't give a shit about fights. Like, that's not ever, ever, ever the thing that I'm reading one piece for. And yet I'm like, I feel like this is a big deal. So I'm. I'm glad that there's, you know, they're pacing it out a little bit. That's sort of a necessity. I'm not acting. I don't want full throttle Sakuga fights. I don't care. But it just did feel like a weird pivot to. Now go back to the to, for lack of a better term, relitigate the kidnapping plot when we're kind of at a weird fever pitch. And it just kind of reminds me of how many questions that Elbaf has raised. That's like, what the owl? The owl's a mystery again. I forgot about the owl.

Zach

Like, don't forget about the owl.

Delaney

We're doing some Twin peak shit now. Like, the owls are not what they see. What? Killer Bob's in there and he saved the library. What's happening?

Steve

Remember the building that's made out of like a 3000 year old robot or something.

Delaney

Yeah, I don't know.

Steve

Ken does. I didn't.

Delaney

I don't need everything answered. It was just to me, reading this, having scenes like Sanji where it's like, this is the place that loose Luffy and Usopp have dreamed about. It's like, wow, you're right. I wish that I'd seen Usopp discuss it for more than five lines. It just. It. It tweaked me a little bit, just in all the wrong ways. But I'm like, you know, I'm not actually angry. It was just not. Not this week for me.

Zach

Ken.

Delaney

Sorry to be the. Sorry to be the immediate party pooper, by the way. Takes a little pressure off of everybody else.

Ken

I disagree with everything Delaney said. No, those are very valid complaints, and I do. This was a very dense chapter, and I feel like Oda is kind of not throwing things at the wall, per se, but there's so many moving pieces and he has to constantly remind us what the stakes are and where everything is. And, oh, there's a big Loki emu battle happening in the background too. So that's equal. There's just so many things going on. I don't think everything is like, fully hitting the way that it should for some people. I loved this chapter, though. I thought I went really hard to the God stuff earlier with Zaza, but I'm fascinated by that because I think it's interesting again, how he confirms what Ragnar really is this chapter, and then drops another God on us. And I'm thinking of like the line from Guardians of the Galaxy when they're asking like, oh, you're a God. And he's like, small G. Like, I don't think these are like, again, these aren't like gods that created the universe, created the world by any means, but they. If these are. If these four gods are the four gods mentioned in skypiea and referenced again in the Harley, then I think we're. I don't want to say it's like a. It's a predestined kind of like, thing, but I think that these four gods will come into play in some way. Like, we have. We have Luffy as Nika, and if the other three are devil fruits that are either not named. Like, if it's the same situation where it's like, oh, there's the other devil fruits out there. They're not named the Rain Rain God Fruit. Like, if they're named like something else. Like, I saw a lot of people Going off the theory that who do we know in the series who might have a weather or rain based power? And everyone started pointing at Dragon like, okay, at the end of that arc, like, Dragon made it like the wind and the lightning and the rain. Like, is that. Does he have the Zaza fruit and doesn't even know it? Like, I don't know about that. I think that's going too deep into things. But I think that will play an important part later on. The stuff with Biblo is interesting. I didn't think Biblo was gonna be relevant at all. But the fact that now, like, Saul's like, calling it out and saying you're kind of sus is. That's interesting to me. I have no idea what that could be going for. Yeah, no, I like this one. I thought it was very chaotic. Even that page where Loki and Emo are fighting, it's just. It's non stop chaos. I'm just waiting for Luffy to finally join back in. I think they're setting up for a good Sanji vs. Killingham fight. It feels like Zoro's gonna be fighting Super Sommers at some point. So it's like, I don't call this a setup chapter, but like, it moved a lot of the pieces into place. And I just wonder if, like, Sanji's gonna see Zaza and it's a giant water woman. He's like, oh, I can't hurt a woman. Oh, I have. I have fire powers.

Zach

It's not real.

Ken

I'll hit it.

Stephen Paul

I think about that.

Ken

Yeah. And then like, oh, like, I have a fire leg. I can't hit water woman. Like, I don't. It seems like a fun matchup.

Zach

I don't know how you fight that.

Steve

Yeah. Everything's like, yeah. Not that Zoro would do any better, but you would think, Sanji, your leg's made of fire. Why don't you kick the wooden ship?

Ken

Yeah, right.

Steve

And Zoro is a misogynist, so they really should have just trained it up.

Zach

That's true. He is. He is.

Ken

Yeah. That's about it. That's about it. I think all the God stuff is the biggest takeaway I have in this chapter, and I want to see that develop more.

Zach

Steven.

Stephen Paul

I really enjoyed this one. I think it was a nice counterpart to, you know, what we had been saying about the last chapter where it was so focused on Emu and Loki being kind of like the central figures in this scene and. And just kind of outclassing and outsizing everyone else. So I thought I really appreciated the chance to catch up with all the other characters and to, you know, to see the way that they are. Are working and doing things and, you know, trying to achieve their ends. It was a nice balancing act to kind of rein in the. The scale of what we were seeing before. So that was nice. Now to. To go back to. To what Delaney was saying about, like, killing him in Summers, immediately going back to like, oh, we're going to capture the kids. I totally understand the. I think there's like a. You know, it's. It's.

Ken

It.

Stephen Paul

It almost feels like it's. It's like a. Violating some kind of a storytelling law, which is like, well, you spent all this time trying to do X and it failed. And so, like, you would expect, okay, if you get a second chance, you're going to. You're going to pivot and do Y instead. Like, they. They should be doing something else just so that it doesn't feel like we're just reh. The plot point that we did before. And I think that that's a. That that's a valid critique. But I. What I do appreciate about this is it does underline the fact that it is not an arbitrary goal. Like, they're not just doing this to. To mess with the Giants. Like, they actually have a strategic goal in mind, which is that they need, you know, that they've said before, which is that they need these kids for, you know, raising their. Their future, you know, super soldier, giant force or whatever it is that, you know, whatever way that the Giants also, like, wasn't it. Yeah.

Zach

They could take advantage.

Stephen Paul

Right, right. That too. Yeah. You know, there's been a lot of that sort of like, oh, the Giants are the key to everything. And so I do. I do appreciate that. It. It feels like their, you know, their second lease on life here is. Is that they are very committed to that specific goal because it is, you know, it is strategically important. And that. That helped me, like, not get too bogged down in the. And they're like, oh, well, here we go again. Aside from that, let's see, what else was there to say? A lot of. A lot of good banter. The. The main thing. So. So to finish off with the. With the Zaza stuff. So the one. One thing that I should definitely point out, since, you know, I didn't want to interrupt anyone, is that the. The za. Zaza is the sound of rain. So, like, if you can read katakana, literally right underneath Zaza, it's going za. Because that is like the the sound of sheets of rain coming down. So. So Oda calling her zaza is. You know, it's sort of like drip, drop, or split, splish, flash or something like that. Like, it is a very, you know, a very descriptive bit of. Of naming, which is. Which is fun.

Zach

What was the. I'm trying to remember Nika, like, what

Stephen Paul

Nico was the sound of a smile, and that's why.

Ken

Grin.

Stephen Paul

Yes. Yeah, a grin. So that's. Right. That's. So that's what Oda was. Was going on when he. When he did that. But what I really like about this ending here of. Of killing him, accidentally summoning, you know, the thing that he is terrified of is that I think Oda, like, balanced this on a perfect razor's edge where, like, we just spent, you know, whatever, 20, 30 minutes talking about, what does this mean for gods in the world of one piece? And, like, how does this fit into the. The frame, the working framework that we have based on old arcs and little, you know, seemingly throwaway lines that we've had there. But it is very possible that this has nothing to do with any of that because it is also a joke. Like, it is. It is very funny. It is the. Oh, yeah, we know. We just live so high that we don't know what rain is. And rain is very scary to us. This thing that is so common that everyone in the world understands what rain is, and that is water that falls on your head. And the idea that they have personified it into a boogeyman, that is, like, the scariest. You know, one of the three scariest things they can possibly imagine is very. Is very funny. It is like. It's almost like path. It's almost like, oh, I feel sorry for you guys that this is, like, actually frightening to you.

Zach

It's a first world problem, but, I mean, very frustrating.

Steve

Yes. Knights are gonna get eaten alive in middle school,

Delaney

and the second thing they're most scared of is a woman. So it really works out that they've just sort of mushed together.

Ken

Here's the thing.

Steve

Maybe the third is a ladybug.

Ken

If that's the joke, it's a very funny joke. But when Kelly Hamm's like, after the people of the Dee and Nika, which are both real, I'm like, okay, well, yeah, probably Luffy is literally the D and the monk in Nika. So.

Zach

Yeah, but, yeah, yeah, I agree. Maybe it's. Maybe it's just the translation, but whoever did that. But it's, like, the most common boogeyman. They warned us about is like, kind of interesting because. Yes, it's. Well, it's different than. It's like. It's different than like.

Steve

Yeah, it's like everyone. They act like everyone. I mean, they follows like the rules of Major League Baseball. Nope. Canceled today.

Stephen Paul

The.

Ken

The. The.

Stephen Paul

The they in that sentence is their parents. Like, it's. It's just. It's a scary story that they tell. Like, oh, you better. You better come back inside before 6 o' clock. Or the. Or the rain God will rain on you. Like, oh, I don't want to get rained on. And. And what I. What I like about that is the

Zach

way that I don't have an umbrella.

Stephen Paul

It's the. It's the chaos element of like, this is something that Oda does every now and then. And I. I was reminded of like when Luffy eats the. The Cracker Biscuit Soldiers where it's like, it's a silly and comical explanation or. Or like a. A sort of story movement. It's a. It's a. It's a stroke of the pen that is both kind of a punchline, but also has real world like effects that. That. That affects the story and the. And is going forward. I mean, you could. You could also argue that like Sanji getting the nosebleed in Fishman island would be a bad example of this. But like, that's the same. It's within the same category of like. Feels to me like it is like a sort of stroke of genius where it's like, oh, let me create this kind of silly, you know, monster figure that spooks all the celestial dragons and then also have that be like, oh no, this is also their secret weapon that they're going to use to get the kids away. So yeah, I just. I really liked that.

Zach

And.

Stephen Paul

And it helps too, that it's an amazing design. It's so cool. Like, I just. I really like the way that he ended this chapter.

Zach

There were two Zaza things I want to say before I forget, which I will. First, I think the fact that he isn't able to fully control her, presumably because of the exchange, is interesting, particularly since the fires continue to rage on Elbaf. And that is very specifically mentioned often in the previous chapters. So it's like almost the solution to their problems here. I mean, a little too much, was it? You know. But the other thing I think is funny is that maybe someone introduces an umbrella in the same way that Usopp introduced rubber to skypiea as this, like, amazing invention, but to marry Joa, and they're like, oh, we thought of you guys all wrong. Umbrellas. Umbrellas. Steve, thoughts on the chapter?

Steve

Some really good moments sprinkled in here. I think most memorable for me is Zoro and Sanji at the end, kind of, you know, splitting duties here and kind of just like, knowing they. They knowing that each other is more than capable of handling a big situation like this, but kind of just saying, like, hey, don't fuck it up, you know, like kind of just being, you know, tough on each other, but just like, what a cool moment for those two. I enjoyed that a lot. I kind of. Something that kind of stuck with me, I think, like Delaney was saying was kind of just like, yeah, I also wasn't just expecting the. The return of the. Well, the kids are getting kidnapped again.

Delaney

Do you want to know what it is? Do you want to know what it is? Just so I can clarify before you finish your point, is that what Steven was saying, which is that it's good that there's a target, like, a target goal here, But I think that I would maybe be feeling differently about it if we hadn't literally had those kids hanging off a cliff for the better part of an entire autumn. I think if they had paced that

Zach

out differently, I wouldn't be quite so, like, overdue.

Ken

You see, last year they were on fire, and this year they're drowning. So she's going to change it up.

Delaney

Bark, bark. Oh, the orphans are down a well. It's like, no, okay, man, Come on.

Zach

Well.

Steve

Cause I feel like this arc has to end on a low point so that the characters have something to strive for heading into the next arc, whatever that may be. So I kind of still feel like. I don't know, I thought, like, yeah, I guess maybe these kids will get kidnapped, because then it's like, that's the launching point into the next arc. It would just feel so weird if to, like, do this twice and then the good guys still overcome this. There's gonna be some sort of loss here, and I just can't quite pinpoint what it'll be just yet, but part of me just thinks, like, what the hell was the last few months for then of just. I don't know. I. I can't really. I sound like a broken record where I can't judge this arc until it's finished, but. And it's almost like, you know, maybe Imu shouldn't have shown up and just the knights were just that strong where they got away with this. But I think I'll have to wait to make that judgment when this arc is finished. But besides that. Yeah, like, the Rataska reveal wasn't like a bombshell to me. It's just like a. Okay, cool. Now you got it out of the way. I think we were all kind of expecting that, but other than that. Yeah, like, no really strong reaction coming from that.

Stephen Paul

Really.

Steve

This was like a big Zoro and Sanji chapter for me here. Everything else was like, oh, yeah, of course Gerd gets her thumbs back.

Stephen Paul

You know, good for Chopper.

Steve

You know? Yeah. Good for chop.

Ken

Yeah.

Steve

Two thumbs way up for Dr. Chopper.

Zach

Well, they have to be Chopper's.

Steve

Like, make sure you review me on

Zach

Yelp and you get a free Zocdoc Starbucks gift card. Chop Dog.

Steve

Glass door or something. Is Glassdoor just for teachers?

Zach

Yeah, glass door is just for glass doors for employees.

Steve

Or.

Zach

Okay, you're thinking of. What was it? Rate my teacher or something. Rate my professor.

Stephen Paul

Rate my doctor.

Zach

Yeah, rate my Doctor.

Steve

Rate my doctor.

Delaney

Rate my chopper.

Zach

Rate my chopper. RateMyChopper.com variant. I'm not buying that one. So that's up to everyone else here. Anything else, Steve?

Steve

I mean, this is kind of interesting to me because it's like, oh, is in thinking in a very older one piece kind of shonen kind of mindset. Like, oh, is Sanji gonna fight killing him? Is Zoro gonna fight Somers? That's fun. I would like that. But I think I'll also kind of ape something Delaney said earlier. I don't care so much for fights in the one piece manga because fights have gone from like really cool coordinated comic pages to just splash pages of action. So I don't really get excited anymore in the manga form of it. Like the. The dragon stuff with. With Loki is like a little fun. But like, really, this. This manga really didn't start. I mean, this chapter didn't start kind of kicking off for me until pages, you know, page six. But other than that, I just. I. God, especially after the end of the chapter, it's like I feel like Sanji and Zoro need to succeed here, but there's going to be some sort of loss and I can't. And also like, I. I can't help but feel like is like, is Loki gonna be like kidnapped like a princess here? And I don't really have any.

Zach

We've been saying that for a while

Steve

to kind of back up that claim. I kind of feel like Loki gets kidnapped and maybe like Shirahoshi gets kidnapped and that kind of. And then they cast reunites those two. Though we. We still don't have the re. The identity of Shaggy revealed just yet. Oh, but a lot of. A lot of. A lot of people are betting on Shirahoshi. I mean, that's what everyone. I feel like, because.

Ken

Yeah, it seems pretty.

Stephen Paul

It's what everyone wants to know right now. They're like, emu.

Ken

Who.

Stephen Paul

I want to know who Shaggy is.

Zach

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Steve

I.

Zach

Something.

Steve

Yeah. There's going to be some loss here. And if it's not. And I don't. If it's not the kids, then I feel like it's going to be like, Loki. Loki's taken out of this. And was it. Maybe it was a fan in our Discord. Or maybe it was Ken talking about Biblo shrinking Ratatasker Hammer, and somehow Usopp gets it.

Ken

Oh, that wasn't me.

Zach

No, that was Joey. That was Joey.

Steve

Oh, okay. Joey. Sorry. That was Joey. And I thought that could be fun because that means Usopp gets to do something. But then I just don't want it. But I don't want it to be ratasker to Usopp. I don't want to be Zeus to Nami, where it's like, cool. This is the one thing they do now. It's just.

Delaney

You have a Pokemon. Here you go.

Steve

Yeah, exactly. I was gonna say it's like when you have souped up, leveled up Pokemon and you just spam one attack, just over and over again, it just becomes one.

Ken

When you only use Charizard in the Elite Four, it doesn't really.

Steve

Yes.

Stephen Paul

Fight for me, my Minion.

Steve

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Just use Flamethrower on ground Pokemon. It kind of. And just. It's just mindlessly spamming.

Zach

A Oda is such a Pokemon fan. You'd think he would get that, right?

Delaney

Well, that's like the worst possible resolution to. I mean, not the worst. Okay. There's other worst ones, but, like, I would be really disappointed if they went with that. And then that's like his. You're a great warrior of the sea. Cause you have the hammer. It's like that. Not. No, but I feel like if. If they gave him the hammer, it wouldn't go down that path. And I wouldn't.

Zach

I don't. I don't think he needs to keep the hammer. I think he just needs to show he could wield it in a battle. I think that would be enough to, like, you know, fulfill the prophecy.

Ken

He needs his Avengers endgame moment.

Zach

I knew you could do it. Yeah, I was totally making that reference. Steve. Anything?

Ken

Yeah. Good job. Zack.

Zach

Yeah. Thank you. You know, me and Marvel reference, I

Steve

will say bringing up that, you know, I think it was Somers bringing up that Imu can't stay within this realm.

Ken

Oh, yeah, we didn't talk about that.

Zach

I mean, it was implied previously.

Steve

But I'm glad there's something just to show that like, okay, he's not all that powerful. Here's his weakness.

Zach

Well, he was bleeding.

Ken

People were saying for weak that he was coughing up blood and he seemed like, not great. And I didn't believe the whole like, oh, he has a time limit theory. But if now they're saying this form or this body can't stay on the

Zach

surface, everything has a limit.

Ken

That's interesting.

Zach

Everything has a limit in one piece. There's just.

Steve

Yeah, it does put like a time limit on Nier because it means we don't have to just hit the call emu button, you know, just to handle every situation.

Zach

Well, otherwise he would have showed up for many other incidents that have taken place. You would, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Steve

It's.

Zach

Yeah.

Steve

Like, at least there's that. At least there's some intrigue with Emu here. But really the standout moment for me was Zoro and Sanji and also that amazing spread there with Zaza. Just what a cool looking panel there.

Zach

Anything else, Steve?

Steve

No, that's it.

Zach

Yeah, I. I like this chapter. I want to first give some kudos. I have enjoyed like, look, Emu's design. We could talk about separately. But like the Emu Loki fight has been compelling and funny and interesting and that's really all I want from a one piece fight. Again, I also don't come for the fights, so I think we're all. But I do enjoy the fights when they're good and when they happen. And I think Oda has done some well choreographed ones. Like, believe it or not, I think one of the standout moments from Dressrosa was how well choreographed some of the manga panels were with that like the beginning of that Doflamingo fight where it's like the quiet like just like martial arts hand to hand thing. And I kind of wish he did that more. It almost feels like a Toriyama esque thing. Like just like the minimalist, like just gonna see people punching each other and it's gonna be really cool and kinetic. But I do feel a little that. I mean, the thing is you have an obsidian, A giant obsidian dragon with a squirrel hammer fighting the devil maybe. It's very otherworldly. It's very like, Jesus Christ. What is Happening to my one piece. Like for good or for bad, you know, whoever. Whether you're a fan of it or not, there's like, it's that long discussion we had the other week about like, you're going to get answers. You might like the answers, but you might not like the answers. But we're getting the answers. And as we get them and as things are revealed to us, you know you're going to have opinions. And you. This is all royal. You. I really am interested in Ratatousker place with Emu, especially since he fought against Joy Boy. Right. That's like the one thing we heard about Ratatouskr's past. Like he and his former handler.

Ken

Yeah, the giant who wielded the hammer fought against Joy Boy in the past.

Zach

So I wonder or fought against Nika in the past.

Ken

I don't know if it was Joy Boy or Nika.

Zach

I also think Nidhoggar, the combo of Nidhogger and Nika is what brought Imu. Like, I got to go see this for myself. Like, I got to go deal with this. Like that. The fact that there is some personal relationship with both of those characters. I mean, he had a little flashback with Joy Boy and he's having this little external internal monologue here about Nidagger. Like, very interesting.

Ken

He calls Nidhogger a traitor at one point like that.

Zach

Right.

Ken

Not just like Loki or the wheel of the fruit.

Zach

That Hogger is a traitor. Maybe. So Nidhogger isn't Ratatasker, though. That's the thing. It's not the hammer. But. But they. The fruit and the. And the hammer have stayed together. So it would have been the previous guy was either like Emu's BFF or like Emu's or Emu himself. Well, that doesn't make sense. Being Emu himself.

Delaney

Is it a matter of like, him? Because he's been speaking so possessively about Harold. Could it have something to do with that? Because since he's shown up, it's like, you, you bodied my most faithful servant, Harold. And like, I don't know, just throwing

Zach

that out there the reason. No, no, I think that's a good. It might explain like his state of mind. Like, he might think of this former giant in the same kind of way you thought of Harold. Like I possessed you. You're my. You were my best friend because I forced you to do this.

Delaney

Because I owned you. You legally had to be my best friend.

Zach

Emu mentions in days past, like, he specifically. I'm sorry if I stepped Over. You can.

Ken

No, no, no, you're fine.

Stephen Paul

You're right.

Zach

You just. That like the thing he recognized about about Ratatasker is from thousands of years ago and from when he personally was interacting with Knit Hawker. It seems like he seems so amused and also annoyed. Like this, like bemused I guess is maybe the right word for that. It's very fascinating. And I'm like, I am legitimately, I'm interested in the answers behind Emu. Like Emu and Loki and, and the. And Ratatusker, I guess more specifically because he's an adorable squirrel who's also a hammer who's also a thousand years old. What's not to love? Yeah, so I was interested in that. I will say, I think the reason for like Steve in particular, I know because I feel the same way. I think this chapter stood out particularly past Page six, because the Straw Hats were kind of at a center for a center Stage, again, like that, that they've been completely sidelined. I mean, Loki is, has been asked to be a Straw Hat, so you could say that focusing on him is not ridiculous. But like Sanji is like kind of the focus on page six and seven and then Robin and then Chopper and then Zorro and then and Sanji again. I, I. One of the things I have consistently liked about Elbaf, sans the flashback, which will make sense in a second, is how Center Stage, I think the Straw Hats have actually been in the conflict. I think they have. I think Oda has done a better job balancing that in this arc than he has in quite some time. Like, Egghead had moments of that, but Luffy was really. It was mostly Luffy. Right. Am I like forgetting? I mean, Robin had moments and they all had like, they did have moments, but I.

Delaney

But it feels very structurally similar to this one as well, where, I mean, like, obviously the flashbacks are part of any arc and the new characters and building a relationship with that. But I feel like we're in a very similar situation that we were in in the last arc with Bonnie and Kuma and Vegapunk, where the Straw Hats are involved and they do get moments therein. But also you're finding a lot of the emotional thrust is being shifted onto whichever characters we've kind of grown attached to. Which again, very typical of One Piece. A lot of arcs are like that, but it just feels very similar structurally between these two. Where like, the difference is, of course, that we already kind of knew who Bonney was. We definitely knew who Kuma was, and we had an idea of Vegapunk versus Loki and like Harold and all those characters, Scopper, like they were all new to us with the exception of the God Valley material. So I think that I would agree with you that there's more focus on the straw hats, like on the periphery of that. But I think there's a bit more in common with the way that egghead structured things where at the end of the day that fight was Luffy and Bonnie and the Nika form. And that was the big. The last punch of that one.

Zach

I'm wondering. I want to. I mean I'm excited to. I need to do a real reread of the series at some point. But like I am super interested if I read this arc when it is all. When all is said and done without the flashback in the middle. How like how I would take it. I'm not saying that the flashback was bad or like it was like. I'm not saying anything negative about the flashback. I'm just saying that it definitely halts the momentum that you're in in the current arc. Which is why I think the won't you just please think of the children thing. It does feel like play. I don't want to say played out, but like it feels like we spent

Delaney

so much time with it that now

Zach

we're relitigating it at a weird. Yeah, we did.

Delaney

They didn't.

Zach

I think if you. So this chapter and I really, I really think this arc is like a great example of why the week to week format can sometimes hinder enjoyment of. Of the story. At the same time, I don't know. I don't feel I'm conflicted about that. And the cop out answer will be I'll see at the end of this arc how I feel. I think this. I think the place we're in now is good and I do think it was worthwhile having the red herring of it all, I think was it's a fun story device. Like the fact that they kind of all got beaten pretty quick and then this happens, you know, this whole twist and now we're in like kind of deep shit at the moment. I think is fun and seeing the worst people in the world kind of come back here and then it just will make it more satisfying hopefully if and when they're beaten. The other point I wanted to hit, I think that Steve mentioned to was the consequences thing because I think we've been saying from the beginning that Elbaf will probably end almost similar to whole cake Island Bad. Was it the bad end musical? Like I Think things will go sour. But right now, I think we're kind of witnessing how. I mean, the thing about that last page that struck me almost. Almost more than anything else besides Zaza herself is the hand coming out of the water grasping for air on the bottom, I think is like an exceptionally visceral. Like. I mean, it's just like water in the One Piece world is a very. Is a very fatal thing. And so it is interesting to see someone with that power. And I wonder how that's kind of got to work. And even with Killingham, who has a. You know, I don't. I don't think rain would kill you if you have a devil fruit, but if he falls in the water, I don't know what will happen to him. Killed by. Hoisted by his own petard. That's. That's what it. That's what it'll be. I really enjoyed this chapter. I definitely did feel like more of like an in betweener type of chapter, but it is. It does have some really good stuff to chew on. Like, I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other ones we've had recently, but I thought it was still very solid and also more stomp chomping. So that's always fun at the end. Any other thoughts on the.

Delaney

I will say, because I have the job of being the heel this episode. The one detail that really jumped out at me was when Zoro was talking about how Imu is specifically manifesting bombs and bullets and weapons. And I thought that that was a really interesting detail. Because guns are a thing. It's not like guns don't exist, but that for some reason, the fact that it is the dark magic that he's been using, this omen power. But it is also manifesting, you know, it's not like booger pellets or like Capone who becomes like a big weapon. It's like, no, like he is like if from the depths of Luffy's joy, he manifests like his own body, then Imu is manifesting weapons and objects of war and like mechanical. These like things which are designed to be lethal in pain. Like, that's a very interesting detail. And it makes his power more interesting to me than I've been really looking at it, if that makes sense.

Zach

The thing is, we don't know very much about it.

Delaney

It does feel very typical of like, you know. Oh, here's the. Here's. Here's Luffy's shadow the hedgehog. It's like, no, all right. I like the. I like this detail, it adds a bit more body to what he's doing.

Zach

Is Luffy Shadow the Hedgehog.

Stephen Paul

But this shadow has a gun. Oh, wait.

Zach

Oh shit.

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Oh.

Zach

I will say.

Delaney

Damn. Fourth Natural God.

Zach

I still think. And maybe I'm the only one who thinks this, but I still think Emu is like going to be run over essentially. Like I think Blackbeard or like I don't think Emu is going to be the villain at the end of this. Like. So I think personally, the fact that he shows up here kind of. What do they call it? The death call thing that you know, like when someone's about to die but not quite that dire.

Delaney

Yeah, the death flag.

Stephen Paul

Death flag.

Zach

Death flag. But it is a death flag. I think for him, like the fact that he's showing up here like this feels too early for you. Yeah. And fighting and like not even really holding his. Holding his own a little bit against Loki. But like. Anyway, that's. I just want to note that. Any other thoughts on the chapter?

Ken

Just one final thing. I went back to a chapter 1175 when they were talking about the past of Rattaskr and Whatnot. Just had said that in Elbaf we have a legend about a warrior God. He wielded a weapon known as Ragnir Iron Lightning and turned into enormous dragon to face off against the Sun God. He fought alongside a trusted loyal ice squirrel known as Rataskr. Without its master, Rataskr chose to inhabit the weapon instead. So like Steven was saying before, like, we can just take that as like, oh, that's legend. That's a interpretation of what happened Whatnot. But it doesn't say Joy Boy. Doesn't say Nika. Just says he fought the Sun God. And there has not been a user of Loki's fruit since back then. Nor has Ragni or Rat Tasker chosen a master since then as well. So who knows? There could be something more there. We don't know.

Zach

That'll do it. For the manga recap, let's move on to the next segment.

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Zach

It's Rachel and Jordan.

Ed

Yeah, hi. Quick question.

Zach

Why are you not spending your Venmo balance?

Stephen Paul

Yeah, we're concerned you can, like, buy stuff with it. Ugh.

Zach

You love buying stuff. And earn cash back on eligible purchases.

Ken

Mm.

Stephen Paul

You love purchasing eligible things.

Delaney

So the money your friend sent you

Stephen Paul

yesterday, that's today's ramen or rideshare or eyepatches. The skincare kind, not the pyro kind.

Ed

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Zach

This is the Piece Together segment where we take your questions, comments and theories and then send them to the devil boy in the bubble. Ken, what's our first piece together? Oh, by the way, Stephen Delaney had to take off because we talk too much.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, they were sick of us.

Zach

They were sick of us. They said wash them away. And also, they were both the heels of this episode. So

Ken

we got the haters out of here.

Zach

Yeah, no, we got those naysayers. We kicked them to the curb. Ken, what's the first segment on the Piece Together segment called?

Ken

Our first segment is called Dis Peace. All right, first up, we have Sailor Karna.

Zach

Long ones this week.

Ken

Yes, these are all long. We'll try to get these as quick as we can. Thank you all so much, though, for submitting these. This is all great stuff. Just. These are very long, so we'll do our best.

Zach

I haven't read them, so I can't attest to that, but I assume they are because they're our Patreon subscribers.

Ken

It was the best of times. It was the worst. Oh, this is a little. Okay. Right, Taylor? Karna. Yeah. Hey, Opp. Happy Sunday to you. I'm enjoying my Mother's Day. And I realized something about the celestial dragons. They are very sheltered and naive. They are afraid of rain and air. I wonder what their immune system is like, because I'm sure the common cold can take them out.

Zach

Oh, my God. That would be great.

Stephen Paul

It was funny. I Was. It was like occurring to me that, like, if they're. If they're supposed to be like, extremely sheltered, like, and very waspy, like, what other gods would they be afraid of? Like Jalapeno or something. Like the spice God or something?

Zach

Just the whitest. White. Yeah, white, white, white, yeah. God, I love. That's great.

Ken

That's a good. I like that question.

Zach

I want to see that taken to like the nth degree. Like, that's like one of those things I want to see in like a four panel comic thing. Like, but this. That's a good question. So what is. So this. What's like a mundane thing that you

Ken

think the God of traffic.

Zach

Oof. It's like. I guess the question is, what's the most first world problem thing that you would like to see turned into a night sleep tit or God?

Ken

Huh. I'm thinking of things like. Oh, like stubbing your toe or something like that. But like, the fact that they don't experience rain is so.

Zach

No, it would be like you brought my dish in too late at the restaurant. Like a God.

Ken

The God of cold soup.

Zach

The God of lukewarm soup. Like, not what, like what's the thing? Or I'll tell your manager. God. Like something like that, I feel like is the.

Ken

Yeah. God of allergies, the God of sunburns. The God of allergies.

Zach

Those are all real things. You're. Oh, God, those are all terrifying.

Ken

I'm just trying think what have on the. On the red line because rain makes sense. They're too high.

Zach

That's true.

Ken

Experience that.

Zach

Well, what is. Okay, what does a rich person, like a super rich person never have to deal with in the real world? Like the. The God of public transportation. Like that, Like a completely normal, mundane thing that they, you know.

Ken

Oh, this is like that riddle, like, what does a poor person have that a rich person doesn't? And the answer is like, nothing, because poor people have nothing and rich people don't know what nothing. Like. Yeah, it's not a good answer, but.

Zach

Well,

Ken

I'll keep thinking about this one. That's a good thought experiment, actually.

Zach

Yeah, it is a good thought, Steven. The thought experiment was a sleep tit for the most first world thing. So it would be like something that a rich person would never stoop to doing and turn that into a sleep titter God. What would fit that bill?

Stephen Paul

The laundry God.

Zach

Ooh, good answer.

Ken

I like that, actually.

Zach

It's just like a pile of dirty clothing and. Excellent.

Ken

The God of dirty dishes.

Zach

Dirty. Yeah, well, no one likes dirty dishes, do they?

Stephen Paul

All right, what's the next question?

Ken

On to the next one.

Zach

Not having a dishwasher.

Ken

Usopp the Great. Hey ho. Opposite. While the wings are setting up to take care of all the distractions before Luffy arrives, they're both. There's both competition and respect coming from Zoro and Sanji. And I love the interaction. I realize that. I think I like when the straw hats interact with each other or others more than they do on an More they do on an action more than

Zach

when they do an action. Enjoys how they interact with each other more than when they do something.

Ken

Yeah, blowing things up and cutting things is satisfying, but equip between the two crew members has so much power.

Zach

Strongly agree. Yeah.

Stephen Paul

Yes. Agree.

Ken

I like seeing Zorro talk to. What was his name? The. The giant Kanji

Zach

Goldberg.

Ken

Yeah. All right. Next we have Zaza Kapoor slay. That works really well.

Stephen Paul

Well done.

Zach

Yeah, that's one of the few puns we did not make this week.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, that sounds like a war.

Zach

Yeah, I'm sure there are more, but that's a good one.

Ken

Hello, my fellow super podcasters. Between killing him, bragging about his rippling aura, and saying so long, sucker, and Sommers calling himself Super Sommers, it's a good reminder how much these fascists are such loser dorks. Speaking of problematic, I can't believe the stuff Rad Tasker said in his ice squirrel language. I get that he's mad at Emu, but you can't say words like gekkigi, gekki, gekki, gekki in 2026 anymore. I'm canceling him to take my mind off them. I want to share a theory. It probably won't happen, but the fandom has been discussing Imu's appearance a lot more lately. And an idea came to me recently. What if imu's silhouette appearance is them being something underneath? That is silly and kinda compliments with Luffy's whole Looney Tunes Gear five vibe. What if IMU looks like a banana? We know banana peel gags are very common. Slapstick gag. And IMU is a foil to Luffy. What if their crown isn't a crown but just a weird shaped banana tip? Could be nothing but. Thought I'd share it. Thanks and have a great week. Thank you so much.

Zach

It's called a banana tip. I think there's a word for it. I don't remember what it was like an actual name. I remember seeing this going around online at some point. Like, did you know this had a name?

Stephen Paul

I Think that was in an SBS where someone said the banana thing.

Zach

Yeah, that's what it was. It was an sbs. The Internet, the same thing. Yeah. I mean, first of all, the. To the first point, with Killingham and Summers being like fascists with bad humor. Like, that's. I think that's been talked about a lot in recent years, like how the far right tends to abscond with something that's funny and take it and to, like, a very unfunny degree. Like, look at me. I'm doing this X meme that does kind of fit Summers and killing him like a glove. So I like that. And I. I am always a believer that the silhouette will come back and will be relevant. And I think last. The last chapter would endorse that theory, personally.

Ken

But I love the silhouette form. I think I mentioned last time that it's just classic. Emu is better in that weird Coke bottle shape.

Zach

Yeah, yeah. And also, I just love. I don't know, the plush is, I think, what sold me, like, oh, my God. He's just.

Ken

I still want to get one of those.

Zach

I do and I don't. I do and I don't. What the hell is that in your corner? That's. That's the antagonist right there stuff.

Ken

All right, should we move on to the next one?

Zach

I suppose, yes.

Ken

All right. From Reverse Super Eyepatch. Hey. Hello. This is Reverse Eyepatch speaking. Did I say reverse eye patch? I meant Reverse Super Eyepatch. Did I say Reverse Super Eyepatch? I meant reverse Reverse Super Eyepatch. Wolf. I know that's. I know that's already someone's username, but I am the reverse of him. Of course. Reverse Zaza Super Soaker. Summer aside, we finally got the name of Ragnar's Fruit, and it's the first ever squirrel. Squirrel. Squirrel Fruit. I'm surprised that it's not a general rodent fruit, given that it seems the Oxox covers all even toed ungulates.

Zach

Ungulates.

Ken

Big bird encapsulates every single avian, and the bug. Bug includes every insect. Maybe all rodents are models of the squirrel. Squirrel. If not. The only other models of squirrel I can think of are normal squirrel, flying squirrel, prairie dogs, marmots, chipmunks, and the Squawks. I don't know what a squawks is, but that seems like a lot. But I'm sure we could think of more than seven variants of every other series of Zone Fruits. Besides maybe the Mole Mole and the Otter. Otter. I sure hope we get more Zoan classifications. In this final saga, the Squawks is a.

Zach

Is a mythological being of the eastern Lombardy region. Folklore lore. Oh, my God. Is said to be small hairy folklore.

Ken

That's the spin off.

Zach

That's what I call Trafalgar, you know, on the days off.

Stephen Paul

I think my uncle practiced that.

Zach

That's what I practice sometimes. Sure. What was the question?

Stephen Paul

I like the idea that there's like seven. Like this would be a good replacement for the like. Oh, there's only five types of flying. Yeah. Fruits. There's only seven types of squirrel fruit. And just have that be a preoccupation of Otis.

Zach

It's crazy how many mythical animals I guess exist in our world. Like, I'm learning about a lot of them. I'm very interested to see more about Aztec culture as well, apparently. So, like, I. I think it's fun. I don't know how many. What was it? What kind of ungulates? Even toad. Ungulates. Ungulates. It's ungulates. I think it's ungulates.

Ken

I've never seen that word before, so I have no idea.

Zach

I don't think I've seen it written, but I've definitely heard it. It's like one of those words that.

Ken

Gotcha.

Zach

Yeah.

Ken

Just answer the question, though. I think. I don't say Oda has written himself into a corner with a lot of these naming conventions, but he has. Yeah, I think that's all it is. If we see a squirrel, squirrel, fruit, like, cool. I don't think we'll see a squirrel, squirrel, fruit.

Zach

But I mean, if. If my. If my son's really awful spider. Spidey and His Amazing Friends book suggests anything. There's nothing faster than a squirrel.

Ken

Oh, yes. The fastest land animal.

Zach

The fastest land animal. You've beat Spider man in a battle. It's. For those looking for that book. It's Spidey and his Amazing friends. Construction, destruction. Why do I know that off the top of my head? I ask that to myself every day. What's next?

Ken

Next up, we have Sam Fisher. 814. Ahoy, op. I just joined the paid Patreon specifically so I can ask this question. Well, welcome. Thank you. My question to Does Japan have some sort of phrase or saying connecting, smiling and suns? Like the English phrase the sun is smiling down on you? Because if it does. With the rain goddess being named Zaza after the sound of heavy rain, I'm predicting the forest God is probably named Sara or Sara, after the Japanese Amanapia of rustling of leaves. And the earth God is named Goso after the Japanese onomatopoeia for digging. Nika could match that pattern if relating sun and smiling exist in Japanese. That's a great question.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, that's a great question. That's very interesting. I am not familiar with any sayings about the sun is smiling down on you specifically. There's definitely a lot of like, the sun is watching you. They do say otento sama is like their way of saying the sun. And I forget if that's like, derived from one of the old, like, Shinto gods or if that was a more recent development, but people will use that like, in, in everyday speech to sort of, like, refer to, you know, anything that's out in the open where the sun can see or something. That's what comes to mind when I think of, like, idioms and sayings around the sun where the, where the sun is like, sort of an active participant. I've not, I, I have not heard of any that relate specifically to smiling, but, you know, that doesn't mean it, it doesn't possibly exist. But I do think in general, like, the, the idea that Oda would kind of give them names that are like, very unsubtly related to, like, a sound that they make is like, just as a sort of, like, I don't want to say lazy, but just as like kind of a goof on it. That's a very good, there's a very good shot of that being the case. So, like, yeah, it didn't have to, wouldn't have to be Sara. Sara. It could be like Gasa Gasa or something like that. That's like, you know, when, when you see a rustling in the bushes, that's, that's usually how they, they would say it. So, you know, that could end up being something for the sun God, for example. But yeah, I like it. I, I, it is an interesting thing to, to ponder is like, if Oda goes down this route and actually does flesh out the previously mentioned gods, like, what would he call them?

Zach

I was thinking about this specifically, so I'm glad someone kind of gave some possibilities. It's also funny because Sarah is just a name so that, like, works.

Ken

I do hope that they all are short, like Nika Zaza. Like, I hope they do follow a kind of short pattern like that.

Zach

And I like how they could be kind of stupid, like, you know, in that it is just like onomatopoeia. It fits one piece. Like, oh, this formidable potential thing is also just Trip. Trip.

Ken

What is Stephen? What is Whitebeard's fruit in Japanese again, the gura. Gura fruit, what does that translate to?

Stephen Paul

That's like wobbling.

Ken

Okay, so it's not like earthquake or. Earthquake or.

Stephen Paul

Okay, no, no, it's not. It's not directly coming from the name of the. Of the. Of the word earthquake.

Ken

Gotcha. Gotcha.

Zach

I mean, Earth could also refer to many different things if the planet to be believed. Yeah.

Ken

Well, it's kind of funny. They have earth God and forest God. Like, to me those seem like very similar, but I guess there'll be a distinct difference between like trees and nature versus the ground and the soil.

Zach

Yeah, forest is interesting. Although, like, that is, you know, being in the. You know, I'm rewatching a lot of Miyazaki lately, and there's a lot of that, you know, like the forest gods and in reference to it.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, to be honest, like, I. I mean, I know there's some overlap, but I personally, I would be paying much more attention to the gods that were mentioned in the Harley as opposed to.

Zach

Agreed.

Stephen Paul

The sort of like the reindeer, the gods of the sun in the sky and everything from the Skype.

Zach

I think they're the same.

Ken

Well, no, you know, the Skypiea gods are exactly the same as the Harley,

Zach

except for rain, I don't think.

Ken

No, yeah, I. I have it here. Do you want me to read the two passages?

Stephen Paul

Somebody was pointing this out.

Ken

First world, within the earth, there was fire. Mankind succumbed to greed and touched the forbidden sun. The enslaved prayed and the sun God appeared. The earth God raged and with its serpent of hellfire shrouded the world in death and darkness, and they will never meet. That's the first world that mentions the sun God and Earth God. And then second world, within the void, there was breath. The forest God tamed demons and the sun spread the fires of war. That's the mention of the forest God. And then if you take the sun spread, that's the sun God again. And then there's no mention of the rain. There's no mention of the rain God at all in the Harley. But in the Harley image, it's raining in the third world on top of the whale in the image, there's rain there, I saw. Yeah, but there's no mention of the rain God at all. Except in Skypiea they mentioned the rain God.

Zach

So it's kind of. It like, adds another level of like. It's interesting that the one that had not been quote unquote confirmed in the Harley is the one that we're seeing.

Stephen Paul

Was there one of the sea in the Harley? The Umi. The God of the sea.

Zach

I think there was a God of the sea. And we're thinking somebody in the mentioned the God of the sea or something.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, somebody on our. On our public discord was. Was.

Ken

Man killed the sun and became God and the sea God.

Zach

That's what you're reading. The Sea Godline. Oh, the sea.

Stephen Paul

The Sea God. There wasn't a sea God. There wasn't a sea God in the Skype.

Ken

There was no ski. There's no God in the Skype.

Stephen Paul

That's. What I mean is they're not. They're not perfectly identical. They don't. They don't match 100%.

Ken

Okay, gotcha.

Stephen Paul

And. And, you know, whatever. Oda can he. He could have a speech where he's like, okay, these are actually the ones that matter. You know, we'll. We'll see.

Zach

I guess be the same thing.

Ken

It'd be interesting. Yeah, be interesting if the sea God is the Rain God. Because remember, even with Wano, like, remember old Wano, the walls went up and the rain filled old Wano and became the ocean.

Zach

Oh, yeah, I saw you posting that. I. But it could also just have been the sea, because the sea rose the. The. You know, the rising.

Ken

Well, yeah, but I'm just saying, like the bolt, like that weird, like, land bowl around Wano filled up with water.

Zach

Right? I mean, yeah, I have a lot of thoughts. I have a lot of thoughts on that because I saw that image and I'm like, they said somehow walls showed up on either side. I'm like, those look like they were to stop.

Ken

Well, hey, that could be the Earth God. If that's the. Because, like, going back to the Earth,

Zach

it could also just be someone's crazy devil fruit.

Ken

Yeah, no, absolutely. Again, that's why.

Zach

And a Devil Fruit user like is also a good question.

Ken

I don't think that. I think that all devil fruits with godlike powers are based off God, so.

Zach

And why are they devil fruits?

Ken

Ooh, because they came from Emu. I don't know.

Stephen Paul

Could have.

Zach

I mean.

Stephen Paul

Oh, God, you devils. Man.

Zach

We should go to the next one.

Ken

Let's move on from snp. Ahoy Op. Look at the design of Zaza, God of rain and Emu. Probably God of something. Parentheses earth or forest. They have this water slash fire ring behind their back. It's clearly different from Luffy's Nika form and other awakened Zoan cloud scarfs. The. How do you say that? Hagoromo.

Stephen Paul

Hagoromo. Yeah. Yeah. That's the thing that floats around the heavenly scarf, right? Right.

Ed

Yeah.

Ken

If Luffy's gear 6 becomes a is Luffy's gear 6 becomes a huge possibility. Now, I know Greg also had been entertaining the ideal idea for a while. Odo loves the rule of three, after all. Three weapons, three powers, three devil fruits, three hockeys, etc. So maybe three gear, three gears pre time skip and three gears post time skip.

Stephen Paul

I don't think he thinks of pre and post time skip in that way.

Zach

No, he definitely does not.

Stephen Paul

But is it possible?

Zach

Yes.

Stephen Paul

But yes. Yeah. I mean, if it happens, it's going to be because he's like, well, it's time to bring out. It's been X number of years. Like, you know, X number of arcs. And Luffy needs a power up now, so it's time for that.

Zach

But I mean, I don't think he does.

Ken

I don't either. I don't. I don't. I don't want to go past gear. I think once you've awakened your fruit, what more do you need?

Zach

Well, that's the question. Then you could awaken your God.

Ken

Oh, now you're channeling Nika directly into him. I said I don't want that either. I don't want him.

Zach

No, like. Well, like, I don't even know. I mean, I agree that whatever Emu has and whatever the sleep Tit has looks markedly different and is markedly different. I mean, he also controls that circle of eyes, you know, separately from himself, because he was using it for that eclipse attack.

Ken

It looks more like drum ring than anything else.

Zach

That's true too.

Ken

And Eniru called himself a guy. I think. I think it's just a symbol to, like, lo. This is a being that's establishing their godliness.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, it's like. It's like a halo, you know, It's. It's like, oh, this. Is this the sign of someone who is, you know, superhuman?

Zach

I don't know. I. Like, I could see him. I feel like if I saw at this point, could he do a Gear six? Sure. I don't know how I'd feel about that. Because I feel like the fun part about Gear 5 is that it busts open the limits for Luffy. Like, there are. I mean, there are limits, but there aren't. Like, he could be as fun as he wants with it. Like, Oda doesn't have any limits with Luffy. I think it's the way to put it. And so what else can he accomplish with. I don't know. But I don't.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Ken

Focus on giving the crew more time to shine. More power ups.

Zach

Yeah, More power ups. I want Super Sanji to fight Super Summers.

Ken

Yeah. Super Summer. God. Super Summers.

Zach

I forgot to write that one down. Thank you for reminding me. Yes.

Ken

All right, moving on. Ooh, it's Krakra Freaky Ahoyo. PP Banger chapter. As always, so much going on. More dbz. Beam struggles. Confirmation of that Ragnar is exactly the way we. The way round we hoped. Hammer, who ate the Squirrel? Zorro being a totally fine question mark. Question mark. Sanji caring about his boys. Less than 3. And even Vegapunk becoming an adoptive MILF for motherfuckers.

Zach

Yes. The 3. That's a heart symbol.

Stephen Paul

That's what they. That's how they say it.

Zach

That's how they say that's.

Stephen Paul

Yes.

Zach

They say less than. People say that out loud.

Ken

Yes. That's kind of the joke. I know what a heart is. Well, it's not Mother's Day in the uk, but the bad joke stands also. Wow, that art of Zaza is stunning. Oda's on top form. My question is not about any of that. What is Biblo Baggins deal? Right or wrong answers? Just have fun. Have a great week. Lesson three.

Stephen Paul

Hmm.

Zach

Okay, I'm leaving. Were you. Was that a joke you were making? Or is that a joke that's just made?

Ken

No, that's an actual thing. What?

Stephen Paul

Less than three? Yeah.

Zach

People say less than three.

Stephen Paul

Yes. Yeah, that's what, like streamers. They'll say that every single time that someone makes a donation on games. Done quick with a heart thing. It'll be less than three.

Ken

Oh, it's streaming because the text to speech reads it literally. That's the joke.

Zach

What horrid future do we inhabit?

Stephen Paul

Anyway, to the actual question, What's Biblo's deal?

Ken

That's sussy. Owl.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Ken

I saw someone theorize that he was. What's his name?

Stephen Paul

Louis Arnault.

Ken

Louis Arnaut.

Zach

Oh, that is the stupidest thing. Look, I'm sorry. Is it possible that that's true? Absolutely possible that that's true?

Stephen Paul

Yes.

Zach

Would that be the most stupid ass twist I've ever heard in my life? Yes. Be really stupid.

Ken

Don't say an Elbaf too long. You turn into an owl.

Stephen Paul

You turn into an owl. Yeah.

Zach

I mean, just an owl wrote it for some reason. I mean, I guess. Look, look, he has access to books. He could write a book. I guess. Sure.

Ken

For the beach. That makes you owl.

Stephen Paul

Look, if. If you want Morgans to be a giant bird who. Who writes the news and publishes the news. Like you gotta be open to the idea of a giant owl who travels the world and tells stories.

Ken

Yeah, but Morgan Morgans has a devil fruit. No Gro fruit.

Zach

Yeah. But let me be. First of all the fact that he has a devil fruit and he's just some guy. Morgan's is still the worst abomination that ODA has brought to his manga.

Ken

It depends what the guy looks like. One day we see Morgan's actual.

Zach

He's gonna just look like some dude. I mean even the most ODA looking dude is worse than an albatross, man. I look.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Zach

Casey and I are the resident Morgans

Stephen Paul

is going to have his dream face reveal. That's something that Zach doesn't understand.

Zach

But I don't. I don't. I don't.

Stephen Paul

You don't need to.

Zach

It's the deassification of big news Morgans.

Steve

I can't use Morgans.

Zach

I already had it once. I already had it once with fucking killing him, messing himself up with his face. I can't do it again with big news Morgans. I need to say Casey and I are both bird enthusiasts. So I'm not. This is not anti bird. I want to make that clear. It is just a stupid idea. It just. It. I. I can't even describe why. I think it just feels so shoehorned. Like it just like if Oda. I'm not saying ODA wouldn't do that. I'm not even saying that. The theory is what's stupid.

Ken

I.

Zach

If that happened in the manga, I'd really roll my eyes deep into my head.

Ken

I think it'll be really cool if it's a character that we've known all along and they were. No one knew they were Morgans.

Zach

I think it's better if it's just no one. If it's just some guy and it was just a reference to little garden and there you go. That's it.

Ken

I think going back to Oda, writing himself into a corner. Cause he established there are no bird minks when we got introduced to the minks.

Zach

Correct. Correct.

Ken

So he makes a big bird character like oh shit, I broke my own rule. Ah no, he's an albatross devil fruit man. That's what I think happened.

Zach

Personally, I think sometimes there should be no rules and there should just be an albatross who delivers the news to people.

Ken

Oh, to live in that world.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. But he doesn't want there to be

Zach

an owl that writes books I'm not saying I'm against. I just think it would be a stupid twist.

Ken

It's just like, why hates birds.

Zach

Look, he's been living in my backyard for a month making his who cooked fruit? Who cooked for you? Noise like, okay, so what's.

Ken

What's Biblo doing? What's Biblo doing, Mr. Bird expert?

Zach

He's eating mice.

Ken

Great. Steven, choose.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, he's.

Zach

He's eating.

Stephen Paul

The secret library chamber is just his nest. And he was just lining. He was like, oh, I need some books to line.

Zach

He's always looking at Junpei like, what the fuck? I'm just making my nest, dude. Owls live in cavity nests. They live in trees. So it's really apropos.

Ken

I just find it weird too, like, because they. They made sure to mention he's been there for centuries. Like, no one knows where Bibelo came from. He's been there for centuries. He has a devil fruit power that's very useful. He, like, no one's ever questioned this. And, like, the library, like, they built the library. He just moved in and, like, no,

Zach

I think that was his home. They built it around him because he

Ken

made the books big.

Zach

Yeah. Well, yeah, you know, he'll help out. He's there. But can we please go to the next question for killing Steven?

Ken

I'm so sorry, Wispy. Hey, Opp. I think I've always been reluctant for the series to become all about gods mythical fruits, but damn, does Zaza look cool. I think this chapter made me a lot more optimistic about the trajectory of the series just so we can see Oda break out some insane character designs. I agree.

Zach

Yeah, I agree with that. That's. That's.

Stephen Paul

And you can always fall back on my explanation at the end of the manga recap, which is that this is all just a joke and it has nothing to do with any.

Zach

I do really like that too.

Ken

He really can go both ways. It's so. It's genius writing on his part, honestly.

Zach

And I'll be honest, I almost want it to be a joke because the Internet would be so pissed. Almost as pissed as I would be if Louis Arnault was the freaking owl was bipolar.

Ken

It rhymes. Arno Biblo.

Zach

Oh, it has to be the same. It's like when someone has the same hair color as someone else.

Ken

Same feather color. All right, our last. This piece.

Zach

Feather color. Oh, my God.

Ken

Sorry. Our last. This piece is from Tyler. This is a long one, but we'll get through it really quick. Happy Mother's Day. To all of you. Hope you remembered. I'm sure all the dads of OPP are exhausted from taking care of their Luffy's and Bonnie's. So your Namis or Robins or Laws can enjoy a relaxing, carefree day. Keep it going.

Zach

Wait, who's married with who? Oh, good.

Ken

Sad second for reference, I married a Robin. She just finished studying a new translation of the Iliad and is excited to see the new Odyssey movie because she teaches a college course on the Odyssey. And we have two Luffy's. Oh, congrats.

Zach

I'm so confused by this.

Ken

Well, Luffy's Bonnie's explanation.

Zach

I choose to think that. But someone. I don't know who this person thinks they are in the character spectrum, but Robert has two Luffy children. They're saying Tyler and Robin have two

Ken

loopies and Bonnies are kids. Nami's Robins and Laws are mommies.

Stephen Paul

That's parenting subreddits when they're weird slang

Zach

terms I could see as being a mommy.

Ken

It's less than 3, Zach. Just. Just accept it.

Stephen Paul

That's all I slend.

Ken

So, back to square one with kidnapping, huh? Anyway, so I guess Ragnier and the previous owner of the nidhoggar fruit. Chapter 1175 the Warrior God who fought against the Sun God used to be on Imu's side, maybe similar to Harold. So Imu controlled him in the past during the Void century. But now the Nidhogger is a free agent on Luffy's team. I wonder if that's the obsession with the Giants by the world government to regain the army they once had to control the world. Now they have turned to the D. I dunno folks, my head is spinning from a few lines.

Zach

I don't know why that's still funny.

Ken

I don't know folks. My head is spinning from a few lines at the beginning of the setup chapter. Also, now I'm not sure about a Joyboy Imu flashback happening in this arc since Sombra said it himself that Imu can't stay in the lower realm for very long. Later, y', all back to the beginning of the birdcage. I mean, kidnapping problem. Not trolling you, but just saying. For some reason the last few chapters reminds me of Justrosa when I first thought it was over. They got a doflamingo, then a birdcage reset. Except we saved the kids, saved the Elbaft just for em to come and use the heal spell. D and D reference to reset and start over. The same kidnapping plan. Sorry for the long post. Tyler, you don't need to apologize. Thank you for the disrespect.

Zach

Well, not to us. No, no, it's a good question. It's a good. It's a good question.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, and I think we definitely hit on it in the. In the recap itself, where it's like. Like when. When Emu suggests that they were previously aligned and now Nidhogger is. Is betraying him. Like, how. How aligned? Like, in what way were they actually aligned? Because, yes, you could easily say, well, maybe he had enslaved the dragon with his dummy reverse powers before or something.

Ken

It gives a lot of high school reunion energy. I haven't seen you in ages. Oh, you traitor. And he's talking to the squirrel. And who knows what Ragnier is saying to him. You son of a bitch.

Stephen Paul

What do you mean you ended up with him?

Ken

You dated her.

Zach

Wow. It's the God Valley flashback all over again.

Stephen Paul

Yes, it is.

Ken

Ragnar's like, ha. You never end up with Lily, did you? Like. Oh, shut up. Yeah, they're all a bunch of nerds. It's a bunch of nerds at a high school reunion, all fighting about the past.

Zach

That is my favorite part about the God Valley flashback. That is my takeaway, is that I do love how it is a high school. It's like a high school musical romance or something. It's fantastic. Yeah, it's just so dumb.

Stephen Paul

They're all, like, 16 to 20 years old and cannot possibly envision anything bad happening in their lives.

Ken

They can't move on.

Zach

It's so perfect. It's the thing ODA did best in that flashback was characterizing teenagers and making them just the. Like, I'm gonna take all the most badass or slash, like, you know, like, storied people in my series and turn them into teenagers and see how terrifying they are, and it's fantastic. Do we have anything on Reddit or do you have that good? If not, I'll go to Blue skypie at first. That'll give you time. So we're gonna go to Blue skypiea, which is on Blue Sky. You can follow us there at One Piece Podcast Calm. First one comes from DK Toy Chest. Who says Zaza, the rain God are they who blesses the rains down in Africa? That's whose joke I stole earlier. That was that Serra. There it is.

Ken

You think Zeus is gonna see Zaza and like, oh, my God.

Zach

Zeus and Zaza the rain lady.

Ken

It's the awesome Zeus and Zaza in the morning.

Zach

Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah, we totally did make.

Stephen Paul

We totally did make, like Toto bless the reigns in Alubarna or whatever.

Ken

Right?

Stephen Paul

We definitely made that joke. Yeah, we've made that joke.

Zach

Yeah. With Toto specifically.

Stephen Paul

Yeah, yeah.

Zach

100% made that joke. We've made. We have made references to that song often.

Stephen Paul

It's very easy.

Zach

Reasonable. Yeah. By the way, Toto also listened to. I feel like that would be popular probably in Mary show.

Stephen Paul

Don't white people really like their yacht rock up there? Yeah, yacht rock.

Zach

I do like yacht rock too, so that says a lot about me, I guess. Ice Fisher Tenacity says Sanji going up against Zaza is a concerning matchup. Looks like he found his all blue. Okay, I like.

Ken

Oh, that's good.

Stephen Paul

That is good. Very nice.

Zach

Like literally. But if Zaza's veil comes off later and it's revealed that they've got five. A five o' clock shadow so Sanji won't feel conflicted about fighting. I'm going to lose it.

Stephen Paul

Good.

Zach

Going to freaking lose it. Yes. That's. That's a quote. Yeah. Ken, this one's for you. Joey Miller says it was kind of ODA to include Ken in this week's chapter and has a screen cap of Sanji saying it's the land of giant beautiful women. As he takes off, they're lifting the veil a little further. But this time on Ken.

Ken

Joey gets me.

Zach

Alex, do we think Kizaru fears or praises our new deity Zaza? Kizaru? Why Kizaru specifically? Am I missing something?

Stephen Paul

He's got light powers and they can make a rainbow together.

Ken

They can make a rainbow.

Zach

Now I want to see a picture of them doing that. That less than three thing where they both each have, oh, someone does the

Ken

heart and no one.

Zach

Yeah. And so it's.

Stephen Paul

The other one is thumbs up or whatever. Yeah, yeah.

Zach

Kizaru does that and yeah, Zaza does that.

Ken

It's Gerd with her thumbs, like bandaged.

Zach

That doesn't really fit with the joke, but it works because it's funny for different reasons.

Stephen Paul

We have a lot of thumbs up jokes today.

Zach

Yeah, not enough. Anthony88 is the last one on Blue sky. Who said last one is Skypea. That says Emu seems to really like Pac Man. What video game character would you guys create with evil shadow flames? What's Pac man specific? The ghosts or the.

Ken

Yeah, like the.

Stephen Paul

The little ball guys.

Zach

Yeah, yeah, I guess they're. They've. I've always thought of them were chain chompy. And by always I mean the last. They've Appeared.

Stephen Paul

Chain Chomp.

Ken

I always like Grim Reaper. Shadowy glowing robes, hoods, elongated bodies, kind of stuff like that.

Zach

I feel like, what video game characters from the very retro games would be funnier just because they're simpler?

Stephen Paul

But the shadow. Wasn't there a shadow Mario

Ken

in Mario Galaxy and the Galaxy and Sunshine?

Stephen Paul

Okay. Yeah, I don't know. That's a tough one.

Zach

I know what I want. Tom Nook. Right? That was his first name.

Ken

You want a shadow Tom Nook?

Zach

Yes, I do. Yeah. That just feels right to me.

Ken

Give me some shadowy Metroids. Those would be intimidating.

Zach

Yeah.

Ken

With like the claws on top and whatnot.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. The floaty guys.

Ken

Yeah.

Zach

Let's move on to the Reddit to the right of questions.

Stephen Paul

We did not have a thread for this episode on Reddit.

Zach

Then never mind. So the subreddit archipelago has sunk deep into the ocean.

Ken

Damn Zaza.

Stephen Paul

Zia Zaza. Her dark work.

Zach

Zaza was indeed freaky this week.

Ken

I need a giant rain goddess. No, that's too big.

Zach

Even Zaza won't go to Reddit. So, you know, whatever. We'll. We'll come back to Reddit next week. Hopefully, if it's not such a dense chapter. Or two weeks, I should say. Do we even know what we're doing next week? I don't think we do.

Stephen Paul

Oh, I think the outro.

Zach

No, I think we actually do know. So we'll see.

Ken

That's.

Zach

Yeah, that's a great segue that I ruined by continuing to talk just now. Thank you, Steven. We'll see you on the other side of this segment.

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Zach

Is this episode canon or is this official? Because this has been the One Piece podcast episode 918 for May 11th. Thank you guys for coming on the show. Thanks to Steve. Of course. You could check him out at Steve Yurko. Really? Everywhere. Big thanks to Delaney. Could check out Infinite Snow Productions, right? Yeah, on most platforms. Or Delaney. Does she have any other. Anyway, check her out. Patreon. Our Patreon is also basically her Patreon, so please check that out too. Please subscribe to us@patreon.com One Piece podcast sticker of the month crew. $12 a month. Or you could get alternate images, alternate titles. And boy, Kirby's images are really top notch generally. And the alternative art. Very funny. And the alternative titles this week, you're going to want to see this list. Stephen, where could people find you?

Stephen Paul

I'm on Bluesky, StephenPaul, BSky Social.

Zach

Sorry. Kirby posted exactly the reason why you should be checking in. Can't stop walking. But that's on patreon.com onepeacepodcast or check out Kirby's accounts, which I always mess up, so I'm not even gonna try. But we'll link it in the description.

Stephen Paul

Kirby's posts on Tomodachi Life. All of his villagers are amazing.

Zach

Yeah, I'm afraid I'll get sucked into that game. I can't.

Ken

Kirby made a Robin, Frankie. And the game has naturally paired them together.

Zach

Oh, right. I said love.

Stephen Paul

They had a kid, right?

Ken

There's been a marriage, there's been a child.

Zach

What does the child of Frankie and Robin look like? That's a really good question.

Ken

You have to go look at it. It's incredible. I don't want to spoil it. Make sure you're following Kirby. Cause it's. Yes. And Kirby, the name of the child Kirby went with Ranky.

Zach

That's right. That's. Well, yeah. Robin would like it. Robin would like it because it sounds awful and she just loves that it's

Ken

the failed shipping name of the two of them. Everyone calls it Frobin. Ranky is the rejected one.

Zach

Franky is the right one, though. Ken, where could people find you?

Ken

You can find me anywhere online under kindking01, whether that be Blue Sky, Instagram, you name it, I'm there. And also, please check out the One Piece Art Collab at opcollab BSGuy Social.

Zach

You could check me out at Zackloken.com on Blue sky where I post occasional bird photos, but I really don't want to call any of them Louis. Er, no. That's like a real red line for me. I just can't.

Ken

Yeah, it's gonna happen now. You're gonna manifest this.

Zach

You know, the more fake angry I get about it, the more I realize how stupid it is that I'm being angry about it. But whatever. I'm going to just. I'm just going to. I'm just going to.

Stephen Paul

He's working himself into a shoot.

Zach

I am.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Zach

You can find us@onepiecepodcast.com, one Piece podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. Please subscribe, rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify and YouTube@YouTube.com One Piece podcast. I might not know what less than 3 means, but, yeah, I don't really have anywhere else to go with that. It's really. I've really just lost faith.

Stephen Paul

Good job. Good pitch. Yeah.

Zach

Yeah. I've really just. I'm just ashamed.

Stephen Paul

He's out of touch.

Zach

I'm out of touch. Well, I've always been out of touch. I've been out of touch. I was out of touch when I was.

Stephen Paul

You were never in touch.

Zach

Yeah. Let's make clear that is nothing age related. I've just always been out of touch because, like, sometimes I'll be like, oh, I'm so old compared to blah, blah, blah. But I'm like, no, I've just always been 95 at heart, you know, like in here, Ken, we have some, like, real stuff to get into here. How's our glup shit beard tournament going? What's happening?

Ken

Oh, right. The most important part of the episode here.

Zach

Yeah, I know. Steven's been waiting to put this thumb on the scale.

Ken

Yes. We have one tie here, so I'll go through the other three first. We have one tie. That's.

Zach

We're in the quarterfinals. That's what these are.

Ken

Is that what that's called? And there's only like two rounds left.

Zach

Yes.

Ken

Then, yes.

Zach

Quarter semifinals, then finals.

Ken

Okay, so in our glup shit beard bracket, the Satanist beat Charlotte Moscato, Mr. Gelato, 19 to 16.

Zach

Yeah, we're kicking ass.

Ken

Satanists King Bomb beat pika the crotch 24:10.

Zach

That truly shocking result.

Ken

That was a big upside.

Zach

I was very surprised. Look, Steven and I, obviously both huge King Pound fans, I think we could say, like that top tier club Ship beard, I think counts as a club ship beard because the talking stump, let's be honest, mostly a stump in that arc that's running through whole Cake island being in anyone's thought at any point in time, you know.

Ken

Yeah, he's pretty great.

Zach

He's great.

Ken

All right, next. Sar Funkel beat Chuji 19 to 16.

Zach

Wow. I mean, the mouse has been taken down.

Ken

Chuchi got far. I'm happy she got as far as they did.

Zach

Chuchi is a funny one to vote for.

Ken

Yeah. All right, now, Steven, this is where you come in.

Stephen Paul

Okay, here we go.

Ken

Between Whoopslap and Orlumbus. Each received 17 votes at the last second before we started recording tonight.

Stephen Paul

Mm.

Zach

It's a tough one.

Ken

So you are the tiebreaker.

Zach

Influence it because.

Ken

Well, if you want. So Zach, you voted for Whoops Slap, correct?

Zach

No, I voted for Lumbus. But the reason you voted for Slap.

Ken

I know I did over Olympus too. I thought you voted for Woops.

Zach

I was. I'll just say I was torn because like Whoops Slap has kind of been my main glop shit beard. But he kind of had his, you know, he has moment in the sun during the last WT100. That was kind of how I felt. And. Or Lumbus. I love the humor of the mundane. And he.

Ken

Is that his cover story really? What sold him as a. Oh, no,

Zach

nothing else did because he sucked in Dressrosa is the problem.

Ken

But that you could say that makes him a good. You could say that flipship beard too.

Zach

You can say that.

Ken

All right, Steven.

Stephen Paul

All right. Okay, I'm gonna do the gladiator. Or Lumbus. You get my. Get my thumb here. This is not going to work for camera. So someone not for Ambus. I have to say it out loud. Or Lumbus. I declare sentenced to death.

Ken

No, really? You're voting Slap.

Stephen Paul

Whoop Slap.

Zach

All right, look, I can't be upset about it because that was a tough one for me. I was. I was torn. Okay, I'm glad. Or Lumbas got to where he got. I'm not. I'm not upset about that.

Ken

That's going to upset a lot of people.

Stephen Paul

I feel like only half of the people.

Zach

That's true.

Stephen Paul

That was the other.

Zach

That's true.

Ken

But just the entire tournament that people have been like, oh, this is just gonna be an sweep or Lumber's win.

Zach

It's.

Ken

No, I know, I know.

Zach

Well, no, Steven, I think that's the most exciting and fun way you could reveal that is on air with a thumbs up, a thumbs down that no one could see, much like throw him

Stephen Paul

overboard, make him walk the plank.

Ken

Yeah. So if you're. If you're listening to this podcast, right now, the next round of votes should be live already. Please join the Discord. It's free to join

Zach

like a specific.

Ken

So the way the Discord currently set up is when you first join, it shows you a bunch of categories of channels you want to see. So you may not see the bracket of consequences if you didn't check it off originally.

Zach

That's what it was.

Ken

If not, just go to the very top of the Discord, see all the channels available and make sure you can view all of them. You can look for the bracket of consequence channel.

Zach

And so what do the semifinals look like?

Ken

All right, so the next round, the voting is up right now. We have Whoopslap versus Sarfunkle and King Bound versus the Satanist.

Zach

Oh, that's a legitimately tough one for me. I mean, my ego versus the love slash hatred of puns. And then those two are my. That's my real final right there. Those two to.

Ken

That's going to be interesting. And then the week afterwards, we're going to pit the first and second place against each other for first and second place and the two runners up for third and fourth place as well. So we're entering into the.

Zach

The end of the next end time. What are we doing after this tournament? Do you have more planned?

Ken

Oh, I have. I have so many planned. As long as I want to keep doing them.

Zach

I want. I want to hear some before we leave.

Ken

And then I would like to. I would like to do. Because we talked about this for forever on the main show too, doing a cover story, one ranking all the covers. Doing a bracket for all the COVID stories.

Stephen Paul

For sure.

Ken

I wrote down. We joked about a ranking of kings, taking all the characters with either king in their name or a king or any type of leadership.

Zach

That's great.

Ken

And doing them together. That's a good one.

Zach

That's a fun one.

Ken

Someone wanted a dad bracket at one point. Of all the dads, the zad one

Zach

piece that Dutch's dad.

Ken

Just like that.

Zach

Okay.

Ken

Someone suggested doing a color spread bracket, which could be fun as well.

Zach

That's intense. That's intense.

Ken

That'd be intense. We would need a lot of nominations. That'd be me gathering the images.

Zach

Yeah, yeah.

Ken

But again, as long as these are well received and you guys in the Discord are having fun with these, we'll keep going with them because it's. Honestly, it's fun to watch the discussion and see what these results end up being. This was a very nutty one where no one knew where this would go.

Zach

No, I Like this one. Because no one knows where this will go. Yeah, like, how does water 7 win is. Yeah, that's the arc bracket and that's the arc rankings generally. But no, this is fun. I like the unpredictable ones. Like, I feel like for cover. Cover stories could be contentious that. We'll talk about this later.

Ken

Yeah, exactly.

Zach

Next week I think we are going to be doing our One Piece card game special episode, which I've been hinting at for a little while, so we'll see.

Ken

I just, I just got into the card game. Like, not like, not like fully, but I'm gonna collect every Yamato card. So any card for Yamato is in the art or named. I'm gonna just, I'm just gonna do that. I feel like that's like a healthy balance for me.

Stephen Paul

Healthy.

Zach

There's nothing, There is nothing about that that is either healthy or a balance.

Ken

The Stephen Paul disappointment was so.

Zach

Stephen Paul is once again Steve. Stephen Paul did this intentionally and intentionally

Ken

correct Biblo just now looking at me like.

Zach

Or that look I gave earlier to Steve. Yes, yes, that one. That'll do it. But we'll see you next week, Stephen. Yes.

Stephen Paul

Yeah. Well, while we're talking about stuff coming up, because I'm sure that there are some people who are wondering and we should probably rip this band aid off sooner or later, but I want to let you all know that for the time being, you know, and this is. This is indefinite. I'm not sure how long this may last. The SGS is on a hiatus. Me and Greg were, you know, you can call it a recharging. You know, we're just taking a step back for, for a little bit and hopefully, you know, some. Somewhere down the line. Like I said, this is, this is indefinite. It is not a, it's not a personal thing. There's no, there's no personal drama behind the scenes. It was just a, you know, mutual decision that, you know, with both of us having so many professional responsibilities at the moment, you know, Greg is obviously very busy with his own, you know, official work behind the scenes and he's back on the translation gig as well. And it is a lot of, it's, it's. It takes a lot of effort for, for a show that sounds so chill because it's just two people. But you know, a two, A two person conversation that lasts for two and a half to three hours is actually very stressful to get through all the way when, you know, you can't let it drop or you're. Or it's dead air. So, yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna let it lay low for a little bit and, and hopefully at some point the stars will align again and, and, and maybe we'll be back to it. Either way, you know, if, if you were a fan of it and you, you want to see it come back, I would say my advice to you is just, just be patient. Don't bother, you know, don't ask Greg about it. Don't say any, you know, if he's talking about one piece on Twitter or whatever. Yeah, yeah, don't, don't, don't go. I'm like, whoa, well, if you're talking about the latest chapter here, why don't you talk about the sgs? You know, just, just give him some space and, and that would be the best thing for, for everybody. So just to let you know, because I feel bad because I see people who do write in every other week or so with like their new SGS questions and I don't want to lead them on to think that, oh, well, it's just around the corner. It'll be, if it does return, it will be a little bit later.

Zach

Yeah, left it. I mean, feel free to cut whatever but like Greg left it open ended so I really, that's the reason I have not been trying to lead anyone on. I just don't. When indefinite sounds like, oh, it's just not to ever come back. Yeah, but it's more like we just don't know when. But hopefully it will like we expect it to. I think probably like it's, it's my favorite podcast so I'm going to do everything I can to play, you know, do whatever fisticuffs I need to do to get Greg bad. Yeah, it's gonna, it's gonna be really fisticuffs. No, you said, you said there's no drama, but there's gonna be drama. I'm gonna. Greg, he's gonna have to. I don't care if he doesn't talk about one piece. I still want to hear the two of you talk about, I don't know, the apartment that was infested with roaches or the workout that Greg is doing or I'm trying to think of what other conversations you have before you start talking about one piece.

Stephen Paul

Him throwing up before getting on the train.

Zach

That was a. No, that was someone else throwing up, wasn't it?

Stephen Paul

The entire time he got sick too.

Zach

Oh, he did? Okay.

Stephen Paul

Yeah.

Zach

I don't remember. I. But I gotta say though, like, it is I listening to two of you talk. It's not just because I know you guys, but it's, it's, it's an awesome experience. So I hope that, I hope that we could get back there. I'm saying that as a fellow fan because I'm sure everyone else listening agrees. But that said, everyone needs space. I get it. So like take, I want both of you to take the time you need. Except Steven, you better be back here.

Stephen Paul

But, but it's, it's a now, now it's a chance to talk about the card game, I guess.

Zach

Yeah, there's, we'll see who we, who

Stephen Paul

we can wrangle up to.

Zach

I'll say we've had like a lot of like things that we've, you know, we still have volumes. We still have magazines. We still have like a ton of like off week things that.

Stephen Paul

Oh yeah, not next week but, but they, they will still fill the, the manga gaps.

Zach

Yeah, I'm not worried about content. I'll put it that way. We'll see you next week though. With that. I think that's everything for the one piece podcast Ice. We'll see you next week everyone. Goodbye.

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