By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.
As the last volume featured our heroes getting their asses kicked to a large degree, it seems fitting that this volume should show them getting a bit of their own back, as Zoro, Sanji and Usopp all have big epic fights, and Robin and Chopper have a lesser but still satisfying fight.
When this was first coming out a couple years ago, I was irritated with what he’d done with Nami in this arc, and I still am to a degree. Oda has rarely had to resort to ‘helpless woman being rescued by big strong man’ plots in the past. You can argue there was a certain amount of that in Enies Lobby, but that was Robin’s own choice, and once she stopped wishing for death, we saw several scenes of her fighting against captivity. But Nami, though this volume, is unconscious. You could replace her with a doll for all the difference it makes.
And I admit it doesn’t help that I find Sanji’s perverse ‘chivalry’ grating, especially when we see it combined with his perversity. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, comedy Sanji talking about women does nothing but annoy me. We’ve frequently seen him be serious and clever, especially when women aren’t involved, so seeing him this obsessed over losing the fruit that could let him see women showering naked is not that fun for me.
As a side note, this volume came out in Weekly Shonen Jump at about the same time that another gag manga, Bobobobo-bobobo, was ending. Oda, it seems to me, pays tribute to its style throughout here, notably with the zombies watching Sanji and Absalom. The Zombie Generals, throughout the fight, react in surprise with bugged-out eyes to various things. “Where did the bazookas come from?!?!” “His anger is totally misplaced!” This is very much a Bobobo trademark, usually with Beauty reacting to her companions’ stupidity. It’s nice to see such a subtle shout-out.
Meanwhile, Zoro has found the swordsman who has Brook’s shadow. And, coincidentally enough, a kick-ass sword. Since Zoro has just lost a sword in the prior arc, this is very convenient. What follows is one of the more normal battles in the volume, as generally Zoro fights don’t get as silly as others might. And Chopper and Robin fight against Hogback and Cindry, giving us some suggestions that Zombies and their personalities might not be as cut and dry as we once thought. It’s nice seeing Chopper fight the battle with moral sense as much as physical strength. And Cindry’s final smile was both fantastic and chilling.
And then there’s Usopp. Oh, Usopp, I love you. Back at the start of the volume, half the gang runs into Perona and her ghosts, and they fall easy prey to the depressing thoughts that accompany them. But not Usopp… he’s made of stronger stuff! Negative Hollows can’t affect a man who’s already negative! (Perona’s face, a callback to Eneru’s in Skypeia, is a stitch.) So he goes off to battle Perona, only to find she has more tricks up her sleeve than he’d thought. (Another quick note: despite Perona being a goth loli, and Oda giving us increasing fanservice for Nami and Robin, when we see giant Perona squatting in the castle, we get no panty shots whatsoever. I am grateful.)
So Usopp is now dealing with a seemingly unkillable woman. Oda briefly fakes us out by having Usopp call on Sniper King to help him (and donning the mask), but that’s just to run away for a bit. The real battle is won by Usopp himself, who is clever enough to realize something’s up with Perona’s confidence, tricky enough to miscall his attacks (oh, if only more manga heroes did this), and badass enough to use the dials in just the right way. Defeating Perona by a combination of sticky goop, fake roaches, and a balloon hammer. And yet it’s so awesome that you jump into the air along with him when it’s done.
And so, having won their minor battles, our heroes now have to face up against Oars. Who is huge, and has Luffy’s shadow. Yeah, they’re crushed badly. Only Luffy can save them now! But we’ll have to wait for June to see him do so.
