Ahoy, mateys! For this year’s Summer Comics Binge, I’ll be tackling a huge gap in my manga library; the gargantuan “One Piece,” written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. Over the next few weeks I’ll be journaling my way through the first 100 chapters, making up the East Blue Saga. This week we’re at our halfway point and I’m covering volume 7, consisting of chapters 54 through 62. We get to dive deep into Sanji’s history, while in the present the battle against Krieg heats up in a big way. Also, more Buggy!
Written and Illustrated by Eiichiro Oda
Don Krieg’s evil pirate armada attempts to hijack the oceangoing restaurant Baratie, but the pirate cooks put up a fierce resistance until Krieg reveals one of the greatest secret weapons in his arsenal–Invincible Pearl! When sous chef Sanji steps into the fray, it turns out that he and Chef Zeff have some unfinished business concerning the loss of the latter’s leg! Will their differences come between them or make the Baratie stronger? Either way, unfortunately for Luffy, it turns out that Don Krieg harbors an even deadlier weapon–Gin, the very man whose life Sanji once saved with a square meal!
Chapter 54: Pearl
This chapter introduces the invincible Pearl, a giant, tiny headed wall of a man, covered in shields. Think Goofy in “Kingdom Hearts” but dialed up to zeta-flare. He’s the shield man, and he’s handsome too. Unfortunately, like most shonen villains, his greatest weakness is a bumbling protagonist.
Also, I don’t know why I haven’t thought about this sooner, but Sanji’s penchant for kicking sure does seem rather close to old Red Shoes Zeff. I’m going on the working theory that Sanji must have trained under him in more than just the culinary arts.
Chapter 55: Jungle Blood
Apparently Pearl spent time in the Jungle, Jumanji style, and his PTSD manifests itself as spontaneous combustion. I don’t know what else to say about that. We get more of Luffy and Sanji being badasses, until Gin betrays them once more by turning his gun on Chef Zeff. There are some fantastic panels from Oda in this chapter. I love the use of perspective on this page in particular:
Chapter 56: I Refuse
My theory that Sanji has some deeper connection to the Chef is validated here. He confesses, “I took everything that old man had,” when explaining why he will not leave Zeff to die, or forsake his ship to Krieg’s pirates. While this chapter doesn’t get into what this entails, there certainly seems to be a bit of a father/son relationship between the two, right down to Sanji’s admonishing “I told you to stop treating me like a child!!!”
Sanji bites it big time, leading to a flashback to his time as a child, working in the kitchens. We get a bit of exposition about the legendary “All Blue,” an ocean containing all the fish found in the world’s for cardinal oceans. This feels like it could either be important lore, central to the mysterious One Piece treasure, or forgettable fluff.
Chapter 57: If You Have a Dream
This chapter marks part 16 of the “Buggy’s Crew” side story. While previous installments have focused on the diminutive Buggy and his new pirate acquaintance, this chapter takes an interesting detour, highlighting his remaining crew. It seems that Mohji and Cabaji are fighting for the right to be the new captain. This could be just a fun one-off, but it also has the potential to position one, or both, of these characters as a greater new threat for the Straw Hats. I enjoy having these two side threads running concurrently with the main Baratie plot.
Speaking of which, we’re still in Sanji’s flashback. We see how Sanji meets Zeff, fresh from his time in the Grand Line. Zeff and his crew have commandeered the ship on which Sanji was working. Sanji, stubborn as ever, stands up to Zeff and, in a rather Luffy-like manner, declares his intentions to find All Blue. Before he can meet his final fate, however, a great wave throws him overboard. Zeff literally kicks the mast off the ship and rides it into the storm to save him. The two end up stranded on an island together and we begin to see what Sanji meant by his confession in the previous chapter. We end on the startling cliffhanger of Zeff amputating his own leg!
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Chapter 58: The Crap-Geezer
Sanji’s flashback comes to full circle, as we learn the truth about his history with Zeff. It’s a real tearjerker! Zeff’s deception, his stubborn determination, and even his cannibalistic self mutilation are pretty standard for a shonen mentor figure. Still, Oda does a fantastic job of crafting a powerful and moving backstory for the two, giving their current predicament some much needed weight. We also get the origin of the Baratie restaurant, and further indication that All Blue is connected to the Grand Line and One Piece.
Chapter 59: Sanji’s Debt
This a terrific chapter that I, unfortunately, don’t have a lot to say about. I really like the parallels drawn between Sanji and Luffy, particularly involving their commitments to their mentors. Luffy’s plan to save Zeff and Sanji by wrecking the ship is actually a good one! Finally, we get a great reveal regarding Gin, who is much more important that we were initially led to believe.
Chapters 60-62: Resolution, The Demon, and MH5
Before we get into this major confrontation, it’s back to Buggy! In a complete dark horse move, a sleep walking Ritchie the lion destroys both Mohji and Cabaji, becoming the new captain of Buggy’s crew! Of course, that’s not the resolution we’re here to talk about.
I’ve decided to talk about these three chapters at once as they flow together quite well, with certain ideas and themes beginning in one and resolving in another.
Gin, now revealed to be Krieg’s battle commander, vows to kill Sanji with his own hands in honor of Sanji’s kindness to him. Pretty weird way to repay a debt. The ideas of debt and honor have played a very key role in this arc and in most every case, the indebtedness causes our characters to make some pretty illogical decisions. Sanji is bound by his debt to Zeff, Gin to his debt to both Sanji and loyalty to Krieg. It all reminds me of a book I once read called “Debt: The First 5000 Years.” It’s a really cool book about how everything in our society is based on this really bogus idea of honor/shame in relation to debt and how it’s really screwed everything up. That’s a gross overgeneralization, but I highly recommend it.
Anyway, back to the fight. While Sanji is squaring off against Gin, Luffy draws the ire of Krieg for daring to dream of becoming Pirate King. This leads to a weird fake out in which Krieg makes a big deal about releasing a poison cannonball, something his crew makes a really big deal about. Like I said, it’s all a big fake out, and it honestly feels a little bit like story padding. Krieg seems content to kill everyone then and there, much to chin’s displeasure, but he quickly pivots, allowing Gin to fight Sanji while he handles Luffy. While it will all pay off here in a bit, it all reads a little oddly at first.
Gin really works Sanji over in one of the most grueling and visceral fight sequences we’ve had in the series thus far. Ultimately, Gin cannot follow through, as his better angels win out. This betrayal leads Krieg to decide that he will actually use the MH5 poison bomb. In a frantic sequence involving Luffy’s struggle to find gas mask for his friends, it seems that Krieg’s attack is for naught. Unfortunately, once the gas clears, we discover that Gin has sacrificed his safety to safe Sanji and Luffy. In the end, his debt to Sanji wins out against his loyalty to Krieg. As sad as his apparent demise is (we don’t actually see him die yet), it’s rather poignant that something as simple as sharing a meal has created such a strong bond between Sanji and Gin.
On that touching and sad note, I think I’ll wrap things up for Volume 7. Next week we’ll close out the “Baratie” arc and begin the much anticipated “Arlong Park” arc. I’ve been told by my Multiversity Manga Club cohosts Walt and Emily that this arc is when “One Piece” really hits its stride, so I’m very excited to see how it fares. I’ve enjoyed each arc a little more than the last, so if “Arlong Park” is really that good, I’ll be in for a treat.
Also, on a very fun note, Viz and Shonen Jump just released a special “One Piece” one-shot, wherein Boichi, the creator of “Dr. Stone,” reimagines chapter 51 in his own style. For those with poor short term memory, that’s one from last week wherein Zolo faces off against Mihawk. It’s very cool to compare the styles and vision of the two mangaka. Check it out at viz.com/shonenjump or in the Shonen Jump app.
