One Piece episode 1081 cuts the celebration short by reminding our heroes that there is still a quest to pursue and a dangerous world in need of saving.
The episode is bookended by the fight between the Red Scabbards and Aramaki. Aramaki is an interesting villain, owing to an evocative power and his particular swagger combined with a sickening disregard for life. The perfect Navy villain in many ways. It's just a bit odd how he shows up so soon to Wano – interrupting the sacred post-arc revelry – and kicks off another big fight with Wano's defenders. His powers turn him into an instant raid boss whose form is somewhere between Treebeard and Whispy Woods, towering over the samurai and largely impervious to their attacks. That is until Yamato shows up and uses his big bat to bonk Aramaki into taking the island seriously.
I'm of two minds about Aramaki's arrival. On the one hand, it is so sudden that it makes it seem like we don't have any room to breathe. We just had the biggest fight in One Piece history, and now it's time for another big fight against a single villain… isn't this too soon, too fast? But perhaps that is the point. Aramaki makes it clear that human life has no meaning for islands outside of the World Government's umbrella, and that discrimination of weak outsiders is how the rest of society can carry on. It is cruel, arbitrary, sudden, and painfully relevant.
Shame, that.
The remainder of the episode ratchets up the tension. Sabo has become a unifying revolutionary figure around the world. The admirals are staring down the barrel of a much more dangerous era. And Shanks thinks it is finally time to locate The One Piece. Things are heating up, and where the Straw Hats go next is anyone's guess. Sure seems like Kuma is a key player though…
Rating:
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