The Everlasting One Piece Readalong: Vols. 34-36
Welcome back to the Everlasting One Piece Readalong! We’re cruising toward the 20th anniversary of One Piece in July with a deep dive into the greatest pirate manga of all time. We’re just getting started on the Water Seven arc—politics and suspense ahoy! We’re reading from the big omnibus editions; you can follow all the installments in the project tag.
Volume 34-36 Overview
The Straw Hats triumph over the Foxy pirates and have a run in with a high official in the World Government! After a run in with a giant frog, a train that runs on the sea, they finally arrive at an island where they can repair their ship and maybe find a carpenter to join their crew. But their dreams of sailing on are crushed and their crew fractures under long brewing tensions just as the Straw Hats get caught up in a complicated political plot by accident.
The Adventure Continues
We return to the final stages of the Davy Back Fight and Luffy’s showdown with Foxy. Luffy is barely standing. Foxy launches his final attack and Luffy goes flying! It looks like the end, but Luffy stands up one last time. Foxy is assured of his victory and unleashes his Slow Slow Beam again, but…nothing happens to Luffy. He’s not frozen. As Luffy takes a knee to rest, a piece of mirror falls down to the deck. Luffy used a broken piece of mirror from his fight with Foxy below deck to reflect his Slow Slow Beam back toward its maker! With Foxy slowed down, Luffy launches an attack!
In the stands, the Straw Hat crew counts down the seconds until Luffy’s attack finally takes effect on Foxy—sending him flying over the edge of the ship and out of bounds. Luffy managed to defeat Foxy’s record of winning 900 Davy Back Fights—even if Foxy probably cheated through most of them. When Luffy recovers enough Foxy demands he take one of his crew as his reward for winning. Luffy only wants his pirate flag, but Foxy’s jolly roger is also emblazoned across their sail, so instead of taking it, Luffy draws them a new jolly roger. It’s…bad. The shame of that sail is worse than the shame of losing the Davy Back Fight. They depart and there’s the distinct feeling that if they meet again in the future it’s not going to be on good terms.
The Straw Hats check back in on Tonjit and Sherry, and then the group runs smack into Vice Admiral Aokiji! He left his post to track Luffy down. Robin, though, reacts with pure terror at Aokiji’s arrival, putting the Straw Hats on alert. But all Aokiji does is tell Robin she grew up well…he knows her already! The Straw Hats are prepared to fight to keep Aokiji to from taking Robin anywhere, but Aokiji assures them he has to plans to take them in. Robin explains that Aokiji is extremely high up in the Navy; there’s only one person at a higher rank than him. Aokiji doesn’t seem very intimidating, though—his memory is bad and he seems overly tired. Instead of attacking the Straw Hats, he offers to help Tonjit reach his people faster. To do so, he freezes the ocean so Tonjit can walk over the ice and reach the other nomads faster. Aokiji’s super powerful!
Devil Fruit Alert!
Aokiji ate the Chilly Chilly Fruit and can turn miles and miles of ocean water to ice in a moment. It’s easy to see other ways he could deploy his powers, too…Aokiji is no one to mess with.
Back to the Action!
The Straw Hats see Tonjit and Sherry off happily: another friend made! When they’re done, Aokiji is musing over them. He mentions Luffy’s grandfather, and Luffy immediately starts sweating—there’s definitely a fascinating story there. Aokiji admits his visit was just to assuage his curiosity and see what type of people Robin and Luffy were, but now that he’s seen them he’s wondering if he should take them out after all.
The Straw Hats react defensively—they’re not going to let anyone hurt Robin. Aokiji informs them that the bounties are given to people based on a variety of factors and the Straw Hats have been amassing power incredibly fast. But their association with Robin is particularly notable because every group she’s been with in the past has fallen while Robin herself has moved on. She’s spent her whole life in the underworld, moving from group to group, and the Straw Hats will soon learn the hard way what it means to be friends with Nico Robin. Robin’s had enough, though, and before Aokiji can attack, she unleashes her own offensive.
But Aokiji is powerful, and even between Robin and the other Straw Hats, Aokiji is too strong. He finally freezes Robin’s entire body, and then tries to destroy her while she’s brittle and icy, but Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper rescue her and take her back to the ship. Luffy is mad, and challenges Aokiji to a one on one battle, and forces Sanji and Zoro to leave. Aokiji seems resigned, and agrees. But since he didn’t bring a ship, he’ll be unable to capture Luffy. He’ll have to kill him outright.
While Luffy and Aokoji battle, Nami, Chopper, and Usopp try to thaw Robin. Sanji and Zoro arrive back to let the others know Luffy is fighting alone. But the fight with Aokoji isn’t going well for Luffy—he’s too powerful. He freezes Luffy solid, and then proceeds to have a one-sided conversation with him. Aokoji is curious about whether Luffy sent his crew away to fight him so Aokiji couldn’t kill them or if Luffy really thought he could beat him (not a spoiler for those of us who know him: Luffy always believes he can win). Instead of shattering him, Aokiji allows Luffy to live in exchange for taking care of Crocodile and takes off—without sharing a message that Smoker apparently wanted Luffy to know. What could Smoker have to say to Luffy?
Sanji and Zoro return to find Luffy and take him back to the ship where Chopper saves both him and Robin. Robin is pensive after, and Usopp is overwhelmed with Aokiji’s strength and his lack of it. Usopp’s confidence takes a rough beating even though everyone survives.
The Straw Hats take a short break so Luffy and Robin can recover. But the break in excitement doesn’t last long when they spot a frog swimming in the ocean. Luffy, of course, wants to eat it, so the Going Merry follows the frog. But the frog has a mission, which is apparently to take on a giant train chugging across the sea! The Straw Hats barely avoid a direct hit. There’s a nearby station on the water, even though Nami’s Log Pose isn’t reacting at all. There they meet a little girl, Chimney, and Kokoro, the stationmaster. The train that almost took them out and that the frog comes to fight with is called the Puffing Tom and it came from Water Seven—an island where they build ships and where all the most talented shipwrights gather. Luffy and Usopp are thrilled! They can get the Going Merry fixed and find a carpenter to join their crew.
Kokora shares a (very bad) map with the Straw Hats, along with a letter of introduction for someone called Iceberg. They set off and arrive in Water Seven, the city of water: it’s built on pillars, which gives the city the appearance of floating on the ocean. After docking in a inconspicuous place, they realize they arrived in Water Seven just in time, because the Going Merry is in rough shape—Zoro almost yanks the mast off trying to secure the sails.
The letter of introduction that Kokoro gave the Straw Hats is for Iceberg who, it turns out, is the mayor of Water Seven and the head of the Galley-La company. He’s visiting the ship-building company due to a disturbance from a pirate who won’t settle his bill. But he quickly learns that the shipwrights aren’t pushovers—they’re just as tough as pirates!
After they ensure the ship is safe, Nami, Luffy, and Usopp head into Water Seven to find Iceberg and a place to exchange all their gold for berries. They sightsee as they head into the city and toward the shipyard; Water Seven is a technological marvel and definitely qualifies as one of the most urban places the Straw Hats have visited so far. When they arrive at the top of the city they’re greeted by crowds who are admiring the Galley-La company, whose members are respected even outside the ship building circles.
Back at the Going Merry, Zoro is left alone as the rest of the crew goes ashore—Chopper and Robin have gone shopping and Sanji follows. Zoro’s going to take a nap, but before he can someone sneaks aboard and attacks! It’s a group of misfits calling themselves the Franky Family, and they plan to take care of Zoro, hide in the Going Merry and take out the crew when they return. Unfortunately for them, Zoro’s not having it, and easily dispatches them off the ship—but we haven’t seen the last of the Franky Family at all.
Chopper and Robin are exploring Water Seven together, admiring all the masks people are wearing due to a festival at a nearby island. Chopper sees a bookstore and excitedly asks to go in. Robin goes to follow when a large masked person walks by and whispers to her about “CP9”. Robin looks super spooked, and when Chopper exists the bookshop, she’s nowhere to be found.
After exchanging their gold for three hundred million berries, Nami, Usopp, and Luffy head directly to the shipyard, where they meet Kaku, the Galley-La Carpentry Foreman. He looks a lot like Usopp in the nose; poor Luffy is confused. They provide Kokoro’s letter, and he tells them Iceberg is the mayor of Water Seven. He offers to check the ship out first, and dives off the side of the building! The group is horrified, but they’re interrupted by Iceberg! He assures them that Kaku does that kind of thing all the time.
Iceberg knows all about the Straw Hats already, thanks in part to his secretary, Kalifa. While they’re discussing repairs for the Going Merry, some new guests show up—the Franky Family! And not only that, they take off in a boat with over half the money the trio was carrying. But a stroke of luck has Paulie, another Galley-La worker, running from creditors, and he steals their boat with the money it in and knocks the Franky Family into the water. Usopp thanks him for saving the money, but Paulie tries to steal it for himself!
Paulie is stopped by Rob Lucci and his pet pigeon, Hattori, who speaks for him. Rob Lucci is also incredibly powerful, but doesn’t say anything at all himself. He returns their money and Iceberg explains that the Franky Family is a group of bounty hunters and shipbreakers that will take on pirates so they can steal their ships. He warns them that the leader, Franky, is dangerous. After, they give Nami, Usopp, and Luffy a tour of the first shipyard, and Kalifa explains how Iceberg organized all the competing shipyards together years before into one huge company—he’s well-loved and respected, both as someone who builds ships and as a leader. As they look around, though—the Franky Family hasn’t given up! They kidnap Usopp right under Luffy and Nami’s nose!
As they’re looking at the shipyard and learning about Water Seven, Sanji is touring the city when he sees Robin by herself. He calls to her and follows, but by the time he reaches where she went, she’s long gone. Above him, he also thinks he sees Usopp jumping over the buildings, but it’s just Kaku. He arrives at the Going Merry and begins his assessment. Zoro is also confused about his appearance, but he’s not fooled for long and confronts Kaku. Kaku is unbothered by the extremely dangerous swordsman. He tells Zoro about his assessment and heads back to the Galley-La shipyard. When he arrives, Luffy is telling Iceberg all the cool things he wants on the Going Merry, but Kaku has bad news. The Going Merry is too damaged for them to repair.
It will never sail again.
Luffy and Nami can’t believe it, but the Galley-La crew are adamant. They explain that Going Merry’s keel is damaged—the core of the ship—and because everything is built around it, there’s nothing to be done. While still reeling from this information, World Government officials show up to badger Iceberg and Nami and Luffy discover that while they were distracted by the shipyard and news about Going Merry, Usopp was kidnapped and all the money he was holding stolen! The Franky Family finally got one over on the Straw Hats.
Luffy finds out where their headquarters are—very close to where the Going Merry is parked—and takes off, leaving Nami behind. She follows, and because she’s slower she discovers Usopp, beaten to a pulp, abandoned in the street. He wasn’t strong enough to stop the Franky Family—his confidence has been taking a lot of hits lately. Nami leaves Usopp, because he’s injured, and heads back to the ship.
Sanji and Chopper return to the Going Merry only to learn from Zoro the sad news about the ship. They’re not there long, as Nami returns and tells them about Usopp’s location. She stays to protect the ship. Usopp, though, has already picked himself up and gone to confront Franky who is still mysterious and wearing an elaborate mask. In his weakened state, he doesn’t stand a chance. He demands the money back, but Franky has no sympathy since Usopp is a pirate. Worse than the physical attacks is the further jabs to Usopp’s confidence: Franky lands blow after blow to Usopp’s sense of worth as a member of Luffy’s crew.
Luffy, Chopper, Sanji, and Zoro track Usopp to outside the Franky Family headquarters; they realized quickly he felt responsible for losing the money. They’re furious to find Usopp in such a state and head for a showdown.
The Franky Family, cheered over the acquisition of 200 million berries, is busy celebrating. Little do they know what they’ve done. The fight is fast and brutal. Worse, Franky’s minions don’t have the money—he took it himself and left the island to shop. They destroy the crew and the headquarters. Then they head back to the Going Merry to reassess, but the decision about the ship is already made. Luffy’s going to give up the Going Merry.
Usopp, when he wakes up, doesn’t take Luffy’s decision very well. Usopp has been the de facto carpenter for the Going Merry the whole time the Straw Hat crew has been on her, even though he’s not a carpenter. Plus, the ship was a gift to him from people he knew personally on his home island. His feelings for the ship are incredibly strong. And because he was taken by the Franky family, he didn’t get to hear Galley-La’s professional assessment. Luffy is terrible about communicating his intentions—to Usopp, it looks like Luffy has simply moved on, because Luffy processes emotions very differently than Usopp does.
Usopp is furious that Luffy would give up the ship just because strangers they don’t know said she was done sailing. Luffy and Usopp’s fight is vicious and violent, and nothing the other crew members do can stop it. Usopp’s self-worth and confidence issues come through clearly, but when Luffy tells Usopp he’s not a carpenter and can’t doubt the professionals, it’s the last straw. After all, Usopp has been doubting his abilities and strength for awhile now, being among such strong members of his own crew and facing tough enemies. To hear Luffy, from his perspective, devalue all his work maintaining the Going Merry is too much. He quits the crew in a rage, because if Luffy is cutting out weak crew—because Usopp considers the ship part of the crew—then he might as well be cutting out Usopp, too. Usopp challenges Luffy to a fight for the Going Merry.
The duel between Usopp and Luffy is set for later that night. No one can talk either Luffy or Usopp down from their positions, although Nami and Chopper give it their best shot. Robin, whose ability to be calm and collected, might help, but she’s still missing, too. When the duel time arrives, they both show up. Luffy forbids the others from getting involved.
Usopp pulls out all the stops. And Usopp is a clever strategist: he fights with science and tools rather than physical strength. But he’s no match for Luffy—his former captain. The battle ends with Usopp down and Luffy incredibly upset, but Zoro tells him to stick to his convictions—he’s their captain, and his strength is theirs. Chopper tries to help but Sanji stops him. Any help now would look like pity and be disrespectful of the choices Usopp made.
Luffy and his remaining crew leave the Going Merry to Usopp, who stays on the ground as they depart. Chopper, soft-hearted to the end, does the very least he can and leaves Usopp medical supplies before he departs, too. The Straw Hat pirates have officially fractured.
They go to stay in a hotel while Usopp claims the Going Merry. No one is happy, though, and their plans for a new ship with their remaining money are derailed when news of an assassination attempt on Iceberg makes the news. Nami tells Luffy he was shot multiple times and is in a coma. While she and Luffy go to check on Iceberg, Chopper and Sanji head out to look for Robin, who’s still missing.
The whole of Water Seven is in an uproar due to Iceberg’s popularity. As the news churns and the Galley-La company attempts to figure out what’s going on, Franky returns to the city to find his headquarters destroyed and his minions beaten up…but he knows exactly who it was.
If the Straw Hats didn’t have enough problems, as the day progresses, there are reports of the Aqua Laguna: a super high tide that submerges much of the city each year. Sanji and Chopper are still looking for Robin, but the approaching storm gives them much less time. At the shipyard, Nami and Luffy are trying to figure out how to talk to Iceberg when Franky appears…doing a dance. The Water Seven citizens seem to know and dislike him already, but he’s not there for them—he’s calling out Luffy! And when Luffy realizes who Franky is, he’s ready—and not just because of the money, either. Even though Luffy and Usopp parted on bad terms, Luffy’s main beef with Franky is his treatment of Usopp.
Luffy is distracted from the good news that Iceberg is awake. Inside, Iceberg shares that he knows one of his attackers. He says one of them wore a mask, but another was undoubtedly Nice Robin! So now we know Robin is still on the island, but none of the Straw Hats do. Robin was associated with Luffy’s crew so now the Straw Hats are implicated in Iceberg’s assassination—some of the Galley-La workers speculate it was revenge for not being able to fix their ship. Iceberg doesn’t seem convinced, but it doesn’t take long for the information to spread.
Outside, Luffy and Franky start a fight that’s almost as bizarre as Luffy’s fight with Buggy, way back at the beginning of their adventures. Franky is a cyborg, with lots of body modifications and special abilities. He and Luffy fight at the shipyard until a very irate crew of Galley-La workers show up. Nami believes they’ll be on the Straw Hats side, but instead they attack Luffy and accuse him of trying to kill Iceberg. Now Luffy is having to fend off two people who want a piece of him. Franky tells the Galley-La crew to stop interrupting his fight, but they’re angry—especially Paulie. As Luffy fights back, they reveal to him Iceberg identified one of his attackers—Nico Robin. Luffy is furious and doesn’t believe she would do it—but Luffy’s about to get a terrible surprise.
News of the Straw Hats involvement with the attempted murder spreads through the crowd and they try to capture Nami. Luffy is caught between the Galley-La crew and Franky, both incredibly strong. Luffy and Nami manage to get away because Franky intervenes—Luffy was his opponent first. He uses a super powerful gun attack—and the guns are part of his arms! It destroys the shipyard and allows an escape route for Luffy and Nami, who are lost about why the Galley-La company think they or Robin are involved in a plot against Iceberg. The Galley-La crew isn’t worried, thought, because they know the Straw Hats can’t leave because their ship is busted—they’re trapped on Water Seven.
At the coast, Chopper and Sanji are yelling about the Aqua Laguna—right by the Going Merry, where Usopp is holed up. Even in exile they want to help him not die due to rising tides, although they don’t dare risk telling him directly before running away. But unfortunately, Usopp doesn’t hear them at all.
Luffy is determined to talk to Iceberg himself to discover the truth about Robin’s involvement. Although Nami advises him to be subtle, he launches himself directly into the building where Iceberg is staying through the window. Surprisingly, Iceberg has Kalifa help Luffy find his room and hides him from the angry mob convinced Luffy is there to finish Iceberg off. Iceberg is suspicious about the whole situation, even though Galley-La is convinced of the Straw Hats involvement. Unfortunately, Luffy and Iceberg don’t help each other—Iceberg wants to see Robin again, but Luffy doesn’t know where she is. Also, he still doesn’t believe Iceberg’s story about Robin attacking him. Iceberg fires a shot, but Luffy is gone by the time anyone reaches the room…why would Iceberg shoot at Luffy after inviting him in? Looks like Iceberg doesn’t suspect Luffy himself, but he knows something he’s not sharing yet.
Franky, fuel depleted from his massive attack on Galley-La, visits a bar where he meets Kokoro and Chimney, taking shelter in Water Seven to survive Aqua Laguna. Kokoro and Franky talk about Iceberg and she suggests that CP9 might be involved, and explains they’re a super top secret group for which there are no records that takes people out. Franky doesn’t buy it, though, chalking it up to rumor. Meanwhile, as Water Seven prepares for Aqua Laguna the city also starts a search for the Straw Hats so they can’t escape.
But it turns out that Kokoro is right. CP9 is involved because Robin is meeting with one of their agents. They’re planning another attack on Iceberg to acquire something that could have only passed to Iceberg and they’re going to stop at nothing to get it. Robin’s involvement in CP9 is still a mystery, even though she doesn’t seem bothered by her involvement…has Robin been a double agent all this time? It seems like Aokiji’s prediction is coming true.
Sanji and Chopper search Water Seven for Robin and learn that the sea train will be leaving one last time before Aqua Laguna. Sanji is worried that Robin took the train, because if she did they’ll never find her. But no: he spots her across the waterway. Although Sanji and Chopper are relieved, Robin is back to being cold and detached. She tells them that everything in the papers about her were true and she won’t be rejoining the crew. Although she appreciates their kindness. She has very little sympathy for the fact that the Straw Hats got caught in the mess she made, but she thanks them providing a distraction so she can escape. She’s gone shortly thereafter, and Sanji can’t keep track of her.
Sanji tells Chopper he’s going to look into some things and tells him to share everything Robin told them with the others, which Chopper does, sadly. Luffy is angry, but Zoro says they should have expected it, because they welcomed her on the ship after she had been an enemy with no vetting—he’s ready to settle the score and figure out where Robin really stands.
As Aqua Laguna ramps up, the Galley-La crew pulls back their search to protect Iceberg. The Straw Hats decide that Robin’s message hints at a final attempt to take Iceberg out, so to confront her they plan to hole up near Iceberg’s building and wait for their chance to capture Robin. The World Government has been trying to catch Robin for twenty years, though, and the Straw Hats are wanted, so the odds are definitely stacked against them.
As they wait for their chance to talk to Robin somehow, Usopp is still trying to fix the Going Merry, unaware that the Aqua Laguna is bearing down on the island. He’s injured and out of money and all along, with nothing but a broken ship. The Franky Family know he’s there, though, and tell their boss about it. Franky, unaware that Usopp quit the Straw Hats, plans to capture him and use him to draw out the others. Usopp’s in danger and there’s no one to save him this time!
The Straw Hats wait outside the mayor’s house which is heavily guarded to protect Iceberg. Iceberg himself is unsettled, and asks Paulie to come in alone and speak with him. After, Paulie goes to an office elsewhere in the building, finds a safe underneath the carpet Iceberg told him about, and uses the combination Iceberg gave him.
Outside, Robin and her masked companion are talking to someone on a transponder snail who creates a huge explosion as a diversion so Robin and her accomplice can sneak in. As they move, a different set of masked figures find Paulie in the office, holding the contents of the safe—a set of papers?
The commotion has the Straw Hats on edge from their vantage point, but then they notice that Luffy is totally missing! They decide that since Luffy is probably somewhere causing a ton of commotion, the guards will be thinned out enough for them to make their own way inside. Unfortunately, Luffy launched himself forward and got stuck between two buildings. Zoro, Nami, and Chopper hop over the fence to a massive crowd of guards!
Inside, the people confronting Paulie admit they are Cipher Pol 9—CP9—an undercover intelligence agency after the object that Iceberg was protecting. As they explain that Paulie knows too much and will have to be killed, Robin and her accomplice are avoiding guards and making their way inside the building and then directly into Iceberg’s room via a Devil Fruit power by creating doorways! Who is this mysterious Devil Fruit user?
The masked intruder shoots Iceberg, shocking Robin, who was waiting on the signal. He advises Robin to take care of Iceberg while he takes care of the guards outside. Then, they can kill Paulie and the Straw Hats will take the blame for all the murders. When additional guards arrive at Iceberg’s room, they find the masked intruder talking into a transponder snail, and Lucci and Kaku beaten and unconscious!
Zoro cuts a path through the guards to get inside, while Luffy finally gets unstuck and launches himself toward his target. Outside Iceberg’s room, guards are falling at the hand of the masked intruder, leaving him unchallenged as he waits for word that the other masked individuals have secured the item they’re after. Inside Iceberg’s bedroom, though, the tension is high. Iceberg tells Robin that researching the Ponegliffs is a high crime and that’s why the World Government put such a high price on Robin’s head, even as a young girl.
Iceberg knows that the Ponegliffs hold the key to reviving the Pluton, and that’s one reason why the government wants to control Robin—because she can read and bring back the ancient weapon. But Iceberg reveals that he has the actual plans to build the Pluton—that’s why CP9 is after him. He knows that weapons are just weapons and only bring pain and destruction. He could have destroyed the plans, but he also knows that Robin could find and translate the Ponegliffs, too, so he wanted insurance in case she did, after the man who provided them worried about a little girl with the power to read Ponegliffs survived the Ohara incident—a delicious hint about Robin’s mysterious past. Iceberg believes that Robin is truly dangerous with her ability to read Ponegliffs. Robin is furious with Iceberg and attacks him, but the joke is on her and CP9, because as her accomplices learn, the plans Paulie went to retrieve were completely fake—they fell for Iceberg’s trap.
If that’s not bad enough for CP9’s plan, Luffy comes crashing—literally—through the wall. He manages to avoid one of CP9’s attacks, but eventually gets trapped on the floor by iron bars—some other kind of Devil Fruit power, perhaps? The CP9 agents leave him and Paulie on the floor to regroup in Iceberg’s bedroom, and when they’re gone Paulie apologizes for suspecting the Straw Hats and they agree to fight together.
All the CP9 agents meet in Iceberg’s room. Iceberg tells them there’s nothing to hand over, so they’ve wasted their time. And then, to Iceberg’s shock, each CP9 agent reveals themselves: Kalifa, Iceberg’s secretary, Lucci and Kaku from Galley-La, and Blueno, a bartender from the lower part of Water Seven! They’re CP9—their dead bodies outside where a ruse. They’ve been spies all along.
Lucci and the other agents are part of a regular service known as Cipher Pol, but to the rest of the world there are only eight cells. CP9 operates in secret in order to further the World Government’s plans and take care of problematic citizens—like Iceberg, via state-sanctioned murder. Lucci and his team infiltrated Water Seven five years previously to watch Iceberg and figure out where the plans for the Pluton were hidden. The World Government wants to find the plans, build the Pluton, and end the age of pirates forever. But Iceberg knows that a weapon like the Pluton won’t stay in the hands of just the government for very long—and tosses an insult Lucci’s way for good measure.
Lucci attacks, leaving Iceberg beaten on the floor. He then reveals that Iceberg’s plans to hide the blueprints was smart, because the only other person to work on them was someone named Cutty Flam, who was declared dead. But because he and his agents had been there five years, they realized that Cutty Flam had visited Iceberg just once in that time—so he wasn’t dead. He just had a new name.
Franky.
And because the Franky Family works with ships, Iceberg had plenty of chances to hand off the blueprints to Franky for protection. So Iceberg’s fake out may have worked for now, but they still discovered his plan—Franky is in danger! Before Lucci can go on, though, Luffy, who finally escaped from the iron bars he was trapped under, bursts into the room calling for Robin—it’s the first showdown between a captain and his wayward crew member!
Takeaways
This is one of the most gut-wrenching and complicated collections of One Piece so far. A lot of things are becoming more clear—like the way the World Government is oppressive, almost dystopic in how it approaches justice. Secret spy networks, state approval of pirates to terrorize as long as they do it in certain ways, murdering people who refuse to comply, and punishing people for studying history—the World Government is corrupt at the highest levels and has been for quite some time. But other things are less certain: why is Robin working with CP9. Were her travels with the Straw Hats a complete ruse? What was the event at Ohara that Iceberg mentioned to her in their confrontation?
Worse, we finally see a young crew split violently. It’s hard to watch Luffy and Usopp fight, because they’re such good friends. Their disagreement is a terrible miscommunication, but also a failure on both their parts. Luffy is still a new captain, despite their adventures, and doesn’t communicate well with his crew. Usopp didn’t tell anyone he was struggling or face that he was feeling left behind, either. It’s a awful situation with no good resolution. What will happen to Usopp now?
Next Time
The Water Seven arc continues! We’ll be reading Volumes 37, 38, and 39 and watching the biggest fight Luffy and his crew have taken on yet—the World Government!