#one piece chapter 972

[drowning-moonlight]

Public Executions in One Piece, Inherited Will, and how Gol D Roger Haunts the Narrative

Since I've gotten caught up in the manga, I am struck by how executions - especially public ones - are used as a narrative device and are even used for character development in some ways as well. Specifically in how the characters that are executed may die physically but their Wills and spirit lives on. There are the obvious ones like Ace and Roger but I also see this with character such as Mont Blanc Noland and Kozuki Oden. I see certain parallels between these government sanctioned killings that I'm sure Oda wrote the story that way on purpose.

Historically and in media like One Piece, public executions serve the purpose of not only punishing the person being killed for crimes they committed - real or perceived - but also to discourage others from committing similar crimes. The thing with One Piece though is that most of these public executions backfire on the ones in charge.

Ace and Roger's executions mirror each other in that the Marines and World Government wanted to end piracy but instead both of them being killed actually ushered in new ages of piracy.

Roger turned himself in and the Marines used his public execution as an opportunity to basically say something like, "Hey, we have the King of Pirates here and we're going to kill him in front of the whole world. This will happen to every pirate we can get our hands on. We are able to kill the King himself, we can definitely get you small time pirates too so you might as well give up being pirate!" But Roger's last words of course completely flipped this around declaring, "If you can find my treasure, the One Piece, then you too can be the next Pirate King!" He destroyed the Navy's plans with his final words and kicked off an era of far more piracy than there ever was before. He dies in body but not in spirit. His spirit and Will lives on for literal decades after his death in every single person who goes searching for the One Piece. The Marines may have succeeded in killing the man but they failed so spectacularly with killing his spirit.

Likewise with Ace's execution, the Navy wanted to end Roger's bloodline and pick a fight with Whitebeard, the strongest pirate in the world at that time. By doing this, they wanted to end this New Age of Piracy. If they could kill the son of the previous Pirate King and also kill the pirate closest to becoming the next Pirate King in one fell swoop then surely this would discourage pirates the world over and prevent people from wanting to become pirates in the future. But again it backfired. The Marines may have succeeded in killing Ace and Whitebeard but their deaths - just as Roger's - ushered in another New Age of Piracy. Whitebeard's last words especially kicked off more people becoming pirates, "The One Piece is real!" Throughout the story we see a few times when characters don't believe that the One Piece is even real, and the Navy probably wants people to think that because if there's no big treasure to find, then there's less of a reason for people to be pirates. But Whitebeard stomps on that notion with his last words:

Ace's execution, which was meant to discourage piracy and get revenge on Roger for starting the New Pirate Age, actually sets off more piracy and changes the story from here on out. Though they both die, just like Roger before them, Ace and Whitebeard's death's carry on meaning and inspiration for future pirates. The world of One Piece is forever changed from this one moment. The story and main character is never the same again after this. Again, the Marine's may have succeeded in killing their physical bodies but the inherited Will of Ace and Roger and Whitebeard lives on in the next generation of pirates.

Roger's execution is also heavily paralleled by the execution of Mont Blanc Noland in the flashbacks of Skypeia. This execution wasn't as grand or far reaching as the Marines killing Roger but the parallel is there. Noland was executed by a king for the perceived crime of lying to said king. He wasn't a wanted criminal the way Roger was but their ends are the same.

The framing of his execution is so similar to Roger's. And later in the series, Ace's execution mirrors them both as well.

The visual parallels are so striking that I doubt it was done accidentally. And just as with Roger, Noland's execution spurred on others to look for the lost city of gold that Noland had found, not knowing that it was in the sky instead of in the ocean. Nolan's death didn't necessarily start a new age of piracy but it did inspire people to go looking for treasure. Which is exactly what Roger's death caused. This search for treasure trickled all the way down to his descendant Cricket and also Luffy, furthering the theme of Inherited Will.

Then there is Kozuki Oden's execution by Kaido in the Wano flashbacks. Kaido wanted to kill Oden for the danger he posed and so that Kaido could further take over Wano without the head of the Kozuki clan stopping him. Oden also wanted to open Wano to the rest of the world and Kaido wanted to stop that. But Oden's death had basically the same affect that Roger's death did: inspiring others and carrying on his will. Even Oden and Kaido himself say as much right before Oden dies:

Is this not metaphorically exactly how Roger died too? The circumstances of their deaths are different but they both still die knowing that their Wills will live on after they are gone. They know that they will not be forgotten. "My soul will live on!! For I am a story to accompany you drinks..." Roger lives on in this way as well, especially through Silvers Rayleigh.

Again, Kaido may have succeeded in killing Oden's body but his spirit lives on to inspire others in the future and thus doesn't really die. His execution backfires and Kaido is eventually taken down by those who carried on Oden's Will.

What's more interesting about this than the other public executions in the series is that Kaido seems to be aware that the death of Oden - and later Luffy - will be remembered. "They will speak of you for years to come," he says to a dying Oden. I find that fascinating. And when Luffy "died," Kaido again mentions that he will be remembered:

It's interesting to me that Kaido is aware that their death's won't really be the end for Oden and Luffy, whereas the Marines and WG definitely didn't seem to understand that publicly killing Roger, Ace, and Whitebeard would mean that they would essentially be martyred and live on in spirit. Kaido seems to have more understanding of what their deaths will cause than the Marines do, which I find... odd... and I'm not sure where to go with that thought.

I also find it interesting that Luffy doesn't care or even want to be remembered once he dies. It's just like Oden saying, "They can forget me, for all I care," but he does go on to say he's a story to accompany people's drinks. Luffy, on the other hand, doesn't seem to see his death that way. He says he doesn't need people to tell tales of his great battle and that once you're dead there's nothing left but bones. It honestly feels like sort of a hopeless statement from Luffy and I'm not sure how to interpret it. Roger seemed to know that his last words would insure that he would not be forgotten, so this difference with Luffy is interesting.

Now what Kaido did to Luffy wasn't a public execution like all the other deaths mentioned before but I think this interaction between them still sheds light on the theme of remembering people after they die. Even though Luffy seems to be saying that he doesn't want to be remembered after he dies, I think we can all agree that he will be remembered when and if that time comes.

And it all goes back to quite literally the very start of the series. Roger's execution is the very first thing we learn about in One Piece. It's the very first scene ever shown, the preamble, the prelude, whatever you want to call it. He's the first named character in the entire series. We learn about Roger's death and his impact on the story before we learn anything at all about Luffy himself.

Roger truly does Haunt the Narrative of One Piece so much and his execution is mirrored by multiple other characters throughout the series that it can't be a coincidence.

it's just... the public executions in One Piece truly do hit different than in other media, don't they?

[algumaideia]

He was a great man

What a sad death

[chromatic-lamina]

I think it was intended (in the manga). The frame (also in the anime, but not in the latest episode) of Yamato at Oden's funeral is as a tall oni. Cos he was as a child. Even at that age. Jack was too!

This is episode 972 that kinda parallels the manga cap you've got above for chapter 971. Oda might've confirmed it was him too? Or maybe it was just fans speaking. I can't remember. Yeah, Oda definitely plays with the perspective, but small Yamato is also really cute. Sad episode.

A small detail that i wasn't sure was intended or not in the manga; that 8 year old Yamato is about the same size as an adult (plain human??) man due to his oni blood.

(He is smaller than the 3 samurai though)

But i do love the adorable feisty lil fella in the anime all the same 🥰

[lovingalways37]

- One Piece Chapter 972

Colour Spread by Oda Eiichiro

[dcmakeitpoly]

Hey friends! It's time for the Fics Recs reveal!

Since we received many recs for fics, this will be part 1!

FICS

Geometry by kitkatt0430 [M, no warnings, 14425 words]

Ship: Barry Allen/Eddie Thawne/Iris West

Anon's comment: "I love all kitkatt0430's fics, and they have several Barry/Iris/Eddie ones (and other poly ships too!) but Geometry is just so good"

Outlaws by Rulerofyouall [T, creator chose not to add warnings, 2426 words]

Ship: Roy Harper/Koriand'r/Jason Todd

starlight, sunshine, moonheart by TheGodWith5Yen [T, no warnings, 1502 words]

Ship: Barry Allen/Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)/Iris West

Anon's comment: "It's a very sweet Hal/Barry/Iris piece of fluff"

Bonds of the Future by Miss_Fallen [T, no warnings, 1187 words]

Ship: Roy Harper/Jason Todd/Donna Troy

Anon's comment: Just a cute little fic about them getting together

The Girlfriend Caper by Esmenet [T, no warnings, 9741 words]

Ship: Lisa Snart/Iris West, Barry Allen/Iris West

Anon's comment: "This one is so much fun, there's art, it's so good"

As It Should Be by quiet__tiger [E, creator chose not to add warnings, 2046 words]

Ship: Bart Allen/Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent

Anon's comment: "favorite smut"

A Perfect Rhyme by fanfictiongreenirises [T, no warnings, 2248 words]

Ship: Dick Grayson/Peter Parker/Johnny Storm

Anon's comment: "This is so sweet!"

Date Night by Sasam [T, no warnings, 972 words]

Ship: Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain/Harper Row

Anon's comment: "the best girls <3"

there is a thing about time and space which the philosopher einstein is going to find out — some people call it destiny by brawltogethernow [T, no warnings, 886 words]

Ship: Dick Grayson/Koriand'r/Raven

Anon's comment: "A nice pre-poly fantasy AU. Probably my favorite fic so far for these three."

Nanda Parbat Wedding by changingdestiny4 [G, no warnings, 1261 words]

Ship: Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance/Oliver Queen

Do Every Stupid Thing by thepartyresponsible [E, graphic depictions of violence, 108287 words]

Ship: James "Bucky" Barnes/Jason Todd/Tony Stark

Anon comment one: "This crossover sold marvel crossovers to me"

Anon comment two: "It's a Marvel crossover, Jason Todd / Tony Stark / Bucky Barnes, Jason POV, rated E, slow burn, 100k. Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence. If you don't like reading actual explicit sex and don't mind missing a tiny bit of characterization with it, you can skip it easily since it's neatly contained in its own two chapters (chapter notes says something like "bumped up the rating" so you get advance warning). It was one of the fics that introduced me to DC and made me love Jason, and a hundred fics later it's still top of the list. It has great characterization, somewhat scarce but quality batfam interactions, emotional angst, an in-depth look about Jason and how he feels about his death, father figures, and the Robins, and every character being horrified by each other's past and dismissive about their own. I also really like the kind of slow burn it is. The core of it is them feeling protective towards each other and amazed by their respective skills, not by their bodies, and there's no urgency or pining or embarrassment: sex is not the end goal, it's not a big milestone Jason looks forward to, it's just something nice that they do at some point because it feels right then, and it doesn't change their relationship."

[wurm-food]

this is a brutal chapter to get through. but here I am, whimpering a cold and broken Joyboy Spotting

One Piece - #972

[raquellplanningwell]

One Piece Chapter 972

That new One Piece chapter, I’m really bout to be sobbing watching the anime again huh

Oden, what a guy. & the level of corruption in Wano, really reaching new levels. Toki is so strong too, its really admirable (´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`)

[lpninja]

oden.... ODEN

[negatonslater]

Oden is such a great character this flashback was crazy good and I really enjoyed the time we spent with him I am so upset how he was played both times by orochi and kaido that will just make when they’re defeated more sweet !

[wessasaurus-rex]

One Piece: Chapter 973 - Predictions

It is interesting to see the 20 years idea came from Oden. In the end, it seems that by having learned of all the secrets of the world, Oden had a much better understanding of the overall picture than Toki. After all, the end of the void century might have been a very chaotic time and Toki was maybe too young to understand what was going on.

An updated timelinel:

41 years ago: start of the flashback, the Mountain God incident

39 years ago: Oden becomes Daimyo of Kuri. The same year, Roger reaches Lode Star and realizes there might be another "last island”

38 years ago: the incident at God Valley

33 years ago: former Rocks pirates start recruiting. Kawamatsu, Inu and Nekko join Oden

30 years ago: Oden joins WB and leaves Wano

28 years ago: Roger realizes he has a terminal disease, he goes to the twin capes to recruit Crocus and starts his last journey. Momonosuke is born on the Moby Dick.

26 years ago: Hiyori is born on the Moby Dick. Oden is poached by Roger and leaves the Whitebeard pirates for a year. Roger is shown the road poneglyph from Zou.

25 years ago: Roger and his crew reach the final island and name it Laugh Tale, they then disband. Oden comes back to Wano, then starts to make a fool of himself.

24 years ago: Roger turns himself in to the Marines and is executed.

23 years ago: Moria clashes against Kaido. Ryuma's grave is robbed.

20 years ago: Oden and his men attack Kaido, they are defeated and captured. Oden is executed but saves his retainers. Momonosuke and Kinemon are sent 20 years into the future.

I really hope that there is more to the reason behind the start of Nekos and Inus feud. A 20 year long hatred for eachother just because Neko rejoiced ? Why would Inu hate him for that ? Neko didnt provoke Orochi and Kaido, Oden himself said their minds were already set on killing him anyway. Now, to some prediction:

Chapter 973: This chapter is the last in the flashback. Usually Oda doesnt match the end of a flashback with the end of a chapter, he likes to transition in and off of it between his panels. Toki's mind is set on sending the scabbards 20 years into the future. Now they only have to come to her. At the start of the chapter we will switch back to Kinemons party fleeing the Flower capital. Shinobu may have to sacrifice herself to stall Orochis men in pursue. Along the way, as we know, the argument between Neko and Inu will get worse and they will eventually fight among themselves. That will enable Orochis men to capture them. The other scabbards will not stop and continue rushing back to Kuri. They will find that Odens castle is already in flames, attacked by Kaidos crew. Kaido is inside the castle, preparing to eliminate Odens family. Denjiro and Ashura will attack Kaido and drive him off to buy some time. Toki will then explain her power to the scabbards and send Kinemon, Kiku, Raizo, Kanjuro and Momo 20 years in the future. She will then entrust Hiyori to Kawamatsu and tell him to go into hiding. Finally, she will tell her prophecy as the castle will collapse in flames. I believe that a this moment she chose to teleport 20 years in the future to see if the scabbards would succeed. It is possible that she chose a date further back in time than the scabbards and that she hasnt even reappeared in the present a this stage. If she decided to do that, I dont think it would be shown just yet in the story. In the second half of the chapter we will have the last panels from the past and transition back to the present, on the shore where the scabbards were awaiting their allies. Their argument will be interrupted when an arrow with a message will land close to them, an arrow shot by Usopp from far away and bearing a message from Luffy.

I think this 3rd act needs to address two more plot points regarding Wano's intrigues before the raid on Onigashima takes place in the fourth act. Who is the traitor, and who really is Kyoshiro ? There are chances these two intrigues are linked, and will be solved together. And for that, the plot needs to move back to the flower capital.

So about Kyoshiro. I do believe in the theory where Denjiro and Kyoshiro are the same person. There are several clues leading to that. First, there is the fact Kyoshiro is not loyal to Orochi, at all. He has also been introduced in the first act along the remaining scabbards. Kiku: chapter 913, Kyoshiro: chapter 919, Ashura: chapter 920, Kawamastu: chapter 920. Conveniently, he is also a samurai and money changer. When he finds the card with Kinemons coded message for the rebellion, he seems to understand it. For the record, only those who secretely swore 20 years ago to rize up when the time is ripe were meant to understand the message (so those who had a crescent tatoo on their ankle). He also talks about Toki's death like a first-hand witness. But who was there when she died ? Kaido, his men, maybe some retainers of Kuri and probably Denjiro and Ashura. Where Im getting is that story-wise Kyoshiro was left behind in the capital on purpose. He will join the uprising and enable the thousand or so captured samurai in the capital to take up arms (which will bring their forces to ~5000, the ideal number Kinemon was hoping for at the start of the arc). He will also potentially help in finding the traitor if there is any.

Speaking of the traitor. I tried spinning the problem in every direction I could think of. There are too many possibilities still when you consider that important info might be withheld by Oda. For instance,  it is possible that Shinobu was captured and tortured 20 years ago, had her spirit broken and now secretely serves Orochi. Which would explain the contrast between the thorough and badass Shinobu from the past and the goofy and somewhat incompetent Shinonu from the present. Or the two are not the same person and the present one is an impostor. Still too many possibilities, and not only regarding Shinobu.

A word regarding Luffy/Joy Boy. I really don't think Oda is taking the path of some "reincarnation". I think only the will/drive for freedom is surviving and passing from individual to individual. But all is not about the will and ideal. One can only accomplish so much without some sort of natural power. Some people are forces of nature and blessed with attributes such as conqueror haki/ ability to hear the voice of all things/ ability to turn all the people around you into allies. There is one or more of such type born with those attributes in each generation. All of them will not use these abilities for good purposes. All of them will not become explorers or pirates, all of them will not have the opportunity to reach Laugh Tale and learn the secrets of the world. And even if they did, we understand now that they need at least the help of Poseidon to do anything about it. I think Montblanc Norland was a predecessor  of Luffy and Roger. He ran out of luck and got executed before accomplishing more. Roger was a "chosen one" as much as Luffy and Norland but was too early and he understood it. He was still the first to reach the last island since the void century and decided to make good use of this feat for the future. With Luffy we are only following the story of that one capable man who came at the right time, who was by any means luckier that all those who preceded him. The reason Oden really believes in the coming of a new Joy Boy in 20 years is because of what he heard from the sea kings and the actions of Roger. By talking of the One Piece and initiating a new pirate era, Roger ensured that the capable individual(s) of the next generation had a pretty good chance to strife for freedom and try to explore the whole world and its history.

[everynicorobin]

Hungry Days promo! 

[everypageofnicorobin]

Today we’re blessed with two Nico Robins on the same page

[animeniacfan]

RIP Oden Kozuki

One Piece Chapter 972 Review/Recap

I rarely ever come across situations where I have no words to start off a blog post. However, after reading this chapter of One Piece, I have no words. Oden’s story comes to an incredible ending.

Recap

As Oden’s execution drags on, Shinobu’s revelations slowly begin to disperse throughout the crowd of onlookers. As a result, people begin to spread the…

[raquellplanningwell]

WHY WOULD YOU- NOOO

Kozuki Oden chapter 971-972: 

[chromatic-lamina]

Oda and his parallels...

wanna know who else was hard-boiled?

Think Oden was a role model? Bad taste, I know. Got a good taste parallel coming up. Hold on. This is the good taste addition/edition!

[randomshitwhenimhigh]

Oden, my heart, wtf. I was hurt, I was betrayed, my wig was ran through the mud. I hate Kaido, I hate Orochi, they didn't even let Oden finished his phrase! And then everybody shouted it for him, in his memory, the memory of their true governor, like I'm so emotional right now bro.

And it was a head shot, fucking pieces of shit, fucking cowards Oden was way stronger than them, that just shows the truth, it doesn't matter if you're stronger, power is the important shit here, allies who are little fucks just like you, any position were you can bend rules, I just forgot what I was talking about but it feels inspirational.

And Toki, loovee Toki. Luffy was the one promised 800 years ago, Neo. Then again, Oda is a little shit, so remember:

Buggy is Joyboy

So, hope everything goes ok, I mean Oden IS dead and we know what's going to happen so far but still, next chapter should be one more flashback to show Toki yeeting Momo into the future. What I'm really into right now is Eustass "Carrot Top" Kid, want to know his backstory, want to know how he got that dope boat, it's so metal I fucking love it, that's my aesthetic. Want to know where my precious monkey boi is, want to know if Law is just taking a very powerful power nap before snorting all the cocaine in Wano to go with whatever the ever living shit Luffy is planning. Want to know if Hawkins is now in Kahoots with them.

And the whole thing about opening Wano's borders, this is sick dude, I love it.

I love Oda.