Ron Does Stuff

We’re back at it again with the One Piece pirates! For the first time in the show, the conflict isn’t resolved in just one episode. We actually got a cliffhanger!

In the previous episode, Usopp finds someone who actually believes him — Koby. Butt Boy doesn’t believe him, though, because Usopp is saying that Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates is in town and Butt Boy knows that his father killed that pirate. BUT Usopp also mentions that Luffy is there and of course Koby is interested.

Back in Kaya’s house, Nami finds Luffy’s dead-ish body? I say dead-ish because the trailer shows he’s in more scenes and he’s the protagonist of the show. And I don’t think they have resurrections or something here? At least this early? She hides in a cupboard when Kuro and his crew arrives and overhears their plans, which is going to be useful since Koby and his Marines have arrived and Kuro just made Usopp look like a liar in front of them and provided them Luffy, who was the original target of Koby’s expedition anyway.

Meanwhile, Zoro is trying to get out of the well because of course he isn’t dead he just got hit on the head with a wine bottle. He should have died after that fall in the well but let’s move past that as the show takes us back in time, seven years ago, when Zoro was younger. And more insecure, because he just got beat by a girl and he just can’t accept that fact.

While Zoro is reminiscing, Usopp has made his way to Kaya’s room and has told her everything BUT Kaya finds it hard to believe that Klahadore would do this to her since he’s been taking care of her all her life. It’s a crushing moment for Usopp because even Kaya doesn’t believe him now.

Fortunately, Nami bursts in to corroborate Usopp’s story, and it’s just in time because the Black Cat Pirates have locked down the house and are just going to point blank kill Kaya since she’s 18 now and I guess from what Merry said in the previous episode has bequeathed her properties to Kuro.

Back in the well, we get another flashback as Zoro climbs back up and now we discover that the third sword he carries around with him is from the girl who kicked his ass. How did it get to him? Is it going to be revealed in this episode? Maybe I should just watch? Anyways, the two of them, back in the past, vow to kick each other’s butt everyday until one of them becomes the greatest swordsman — or swordswoman! — in the world. Unfortunately, Kuina gets into an accident and it breaks Zoro’s heart. He takes Kuina’s sword to fulfill his promise to become the greatest swordsman in the world.

It’s at this point that I can understand if some of the reviews may have found the show lacking. I feel like this Kuina storyline was explored more in both the manga and anime than in this adaptation. It’s a good condensed version, don’t get me wrong, but I can imagine it being more expansive in the earlier versions.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Luffy has just vomited the rest of the poison soup and can I just say? I hate vomiting. But the relief you feel when you’re sick and you just vomited your guts out? I won’t say it’s something I want to relieve but the initial rush of relief is so great. Anyways, Luffy corroborates Usopp’s story and we finally get to hear Butt Boy’s name! Helmeppo! I kinda wanna keep calling him Butt Boy though. Helmeppo wants to kill Luffy but here’s Zoro to the rescue! Accidentally, though, because he got lost and just managed to stumble into the Marines.

Back at Kaya’s house, Nami, Usopp, and Kaya are trying to disable the house’s security features but Kuro’s already found out where they are. The three of them go hide while Luffy and Zoro are elsewhere in the house, having made their way back. Side note, I know Kaya’s parents installed the security system to keep the pirates out but if Zoro can just lift the shutter as easily as he did then it’s not really an effective security system now is it?

Now…does Kuro have powers too? Did he eat the Devil Fruit too? Or is it just normal anime speed? I wanna know but I don’t wanna check the Wiki because I might spoiled. Either way, Usopp, Nami, and Kaya are no match for him. But on the flip side, Kuro’s minions are having a hard time with Zoro. Great fight scene, by the way! I kept replaying the part where Zoro bounces off the stairs? I’m not explaining it correctly but that part really tickled my brain.

Luffy, on the other hand, finally gets to the wing of the house where Kuro is and it’s yet another good fight scene! I kinda preferred Zoro’s though, because it was — ugh, I hate this word — “real”. In that there was minimal special effects and you could actually see the physicality involved.

With the Black Cat Pirates vanquished but with the Marines knowing where they are, Luffy and the rest of the gang need to escape and wouldn’t you know it Kaya just has the right ship for them.

Back on Garp’s boat, Koby’s feeling bad for not being able to bring back Luffy, but Garp’s fine with it because Luffy’s got a bigger, more noticeable boat now called the Going Merry. Much easier to follow than the small one he had before and shoot cannons at! And then we get this episodes cliffhanger — Garp is Luffy’s grandpa!