One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga

Episode 21

Episode 21 of One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga ends the arc with the expected beats plus a bit more.

We all know the ritual at this point: end of arc celebration time! The Straw Hats do exactly what you would expect – there's the big feast, comedic quarreling over the spoils, and tearful goodbyes to the new friends on the island. None of it is surprising, but it's always welcome regardless. This is the cathartic ritual of the end of an arc of One Piece, a stable constant in an ever-changing world. If no one else got me, I know Luffy screaming “Meat!” and “I will be King of the Pirates!” did.

The celebratory elements are a bit shorter this time, with a fair amount of setup for the next arc in its stead. In between bits of Sanji and Zoro being dumb and Nami pummeling everyone for not securing the bag, the audience is treated to important exposition and major reveals. The most critical scene is between Nico Robin and the King, discussing the true nature of Joyboy and Shirahoshi's status as the great weapon Poseidon. I think the choice to have Joyboy flash across the screen in the erratic orange text every time the name is spoken was a really smart touch, definitely added the much-needed emphasis to such a critical person of history (and to come…). Jinbei's discussion of the current state of the world is also very important, leading to the reveal of Teech's level up and the epic duel between Aokiji and Akainu (with their faceoff being one of the series' most iconic images in my humble opinion).

Lastly, we get Luffy calling out Big Mom before he's even left Fish-Man Island. This is one of those absurdly hilarious Luffy moments of him having no regard for his foes' supposed status. But it's also a pretty unique moment where he's calling out a villain before he's even left port. If memory serves, he normally learns about the next big bad while sailing or once he arrives at the next island – this might be the first time he's called out the next arc's foe so far in advance.

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One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.