By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

And so we wrap up Skypeia, with the final battle between Luffy and Eneru. Luffy wins, of course, using the huge lump of gold Eneru fastened on his right fist against him, and finally ringing the Golden Bell that had been waiting centuries to be heard. One of Oda’s better montages has everyone’s reaction to hearing the bell, ending with Luffy and Nami peacefully relaxing on a cloud after all the furor.

So in the end, Eneru is defeated! And so he’s captured and imp… no, wait, he’s not. So he’s killed? Nope. No death here. His dreams are crushed, then? Well, to a degree, but really, Eneru’s Skypeia story ends with him relaunching his ark and headed to Endless Varse… which turns out to be the Moon! Wow, what an awesome dream! In Japan, Eneru is consistently the most popular main villain in character polls, and Oda must love him too, as he really gets very little retribution for all of this.

So everyone lives happily ever after. Even Conis’s dad turned out to be Not So Dead. And there’s a giant party, which is drawn in loving detail. One Piece may have angst and shonen fights, but it’s also well known for people just having fun, and the joy expressed in this art is simply magical.

We also get a notable first (and so far, only) here: Luffy & co. actually stealing treasure for themselves! My god, you’d think they were pirates or something! Admittedly, the Skypeians turned out to be perfectly happy with them taking it, and in fact were prepared to give even more, but hey.

And there’s a nice mention of Robin’s plot here, as she finds another poneglyph that turns out to be the secret location of a Weapon of Mass Destruction (not what she’s after), but also has a scribbled note from Gold Roger on the side of the stone, noting that he is ‘guiding the document to its end’. Of course, this gives Robin an additional reason to travel with Luffy and friends to the end of the Grand Line, beyond simply “Because I’m mysterious like that.”

And so they leave Skypeia and head back down to actual sea, courtesy an Octopus Drop that must rival most amusement park rides. They have little time to relax, though, as they run into a pirate ship with the crew lying around and listless. They soon find out why: all the important crew members, including the captain, were taken by Foxy the Silver Fox in a Davy Back Fight!

…all right, I will admit, it’s hard to get all happy and bouncy about the Davy Back Fight arc. Foxy is clearly meant to be a minor comedic change of pace villain after the volumes of Eneru. Still, on we go to Volume 33. As always, recommended.