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

It’s sad that a cover featuring the entire crew grinning happily and toasting the reader can make me feel so melancholy…

Like Volume 51, there’s so much going on in here that you run the risk of getting a bit confused. We find out about Haki, which becomes important later on. (Note how it brings down most everyone in the auction hall, with the exception of our heroes! Yes, even Usopp! Take that, Usopp haters!) We see a lot more of the 11 Supernovas, and get to see some of their truly ludicrous abilities. My favorite of these of probably Capone, simply because my mind reels at the imagination Oda has to have thought of that. And we get another of the three Admirals introduced.

You may have noticed when Aokiji was introduced that he seemed a little familiar. In fact, each of the three admirals are based on famous Japanese character actors. Aokiji’s appearance was based off of Yūsaku Matsuda, who became famous as a private detective in Tantei Monogatari, but may be best known here as the villain in the Michael Douglas film Black Rain. (It was his last film, he hid his cancer while filming it.) We now meet the goofiest of the 3 Admirals (though no less dangerous), Kizaru. Kizaru’s actor basis is Kunie Tanaka, who is still alive, and may be best known over here for the Kurosawa film Sanjuro. (The last admiral, who you will learn to despise, Akainu, is based on Bunta Sugawara, best known for the yakuza series Battles Without Honor and Humanity.)

And then there’s Kid and Law. Really, if you forget all the other Pirate Captains introduced here, remember these two, who clearly seem to be the most important. Seeing the three of them take on the hapless marines attacking them is a thing of beauty, especially as they snark at each other all the while. (Well, as much as Luffy can ever snark.) You also get reminded that most of the pirate crews around are, in fact, killers and looters – Kid’s bounty is higher as he’s a murderer. For all that the World Government looks scummier with every chapter (and boy, they’re still scummy), the hatred of pirates seems to have a rational basis.

And that leads to my favorite scene in the volume, when the crew are back at Shakky’s bar talking with Rayleigh. Now that they know he was Gold Roger’s first mate, they’re all intensely curious. Robin even goes so far as to ask if they found out about the lost century. He says they did – but enourages her to go through the journey on her own, and see if she comes up with a different answer than they did. And then… Usopp asks about One Piece. And Luffy just blows up, saying that he doesn’t want to hear about it, as knowing the end would just make it too dull. (Luffy hates spoilers, therefore. He’d clearly despise my blog.) And then when Rayleigh points out that conquering the world to be the Pirate King will be difficult, Luffy says he doesn’t want to conquer anything. “The one who is the most free… is the Pirate King.”

I’ve said before that the goal of One Piece is Luffy and Company changing the very definitions of the world, and this is perhaps the best example of this. All of the good points of piracy, and none of the bad. Heck, they’ve never even stolen from good guys!

Sadly, all the fun times can’t last forever, especially when there seem to be multiple Kumas running around Sadaoby. So the Straw Kats are finally cornered, facing off against a Kuma, an Admiral, and the bodyguard of Dr. Vegapunk, Sentomaru, who seems to have a way to hurt Luffy (Fist of Love? Nah, probably not…). These three, all together, are enough to have Luffy tell the crew to run away. But then the real Kuma shows up…

If the last volume were a breathless roller coaster ride, this one is just one big downhill slope on that ride. If doesn’t let up for over 200 pages. Even the exposition is charged with energy. And what a cliffhanger! ZORO!