Just a month ago I was wondering about the logic in putting the fall of Big Mom at the midpoint of volume 103. How could Oda possibly find a volume-ender to top that, I wondered. Well now, on the volume's eighth chapter, we're starting to see the end take shape. And it is absolutely going to be a big one. At this rate, volume 103 could be one of the most pivotal (and perhaps controversial) in the series' run.
Oda really wants to emphasise that Luffy is down after that hit. The "silence" sound effect isn't often used for living things - and was memorably placed over Cora's body when he died. And it ties into two different characters saying Luffy's "voice" has disappeared. That's scary stuff. Even after being shot four times and going totally limp in Doflamingo's grip, Law had a faint Voice for Luffy to detect. Pretty worrying for no one to hear even a whisper from him. And even if it wasn't that, a ten minute haki recharge in the current situation isn't something Kaido would let him live through. Despite all the signs, I find it a little hard to believe Oda killed Luffy for real here, but either way it's clear he's not returning to the battle under his own power.
For the fascist-enabling, fight-interfering bastards that they are, CP0 come across pretty likable in this chapter. The boss has brass balls to stand still and accept Kaido's wrath with such composure, and his comrade returning the tip of the hat from his room in the castle is pure class. Such professionalism! It's a lot of characterisation in very little time, and it plays well with them hiding in plain sight in the story until last week like the spies they're meant to be. I've been very pleasantly surprised about how Oda's handled these guys, now he just needs to give them names, damn it!
I appreciate Kaido not screwing around with locking in his victory this time. Instead of taking the slow way through the castle and getting distracted, he just plunges through the ceiling, declares his victory to the largest gathering of the two armies in person and dares anyone to challenge him on it. The shots of him fulling the airspace of the dome are really impressive pieces of work. The scale of the battle here so cool. And as a bonus spot of continuity, Oda's remembered to show the damage to the bathhouse from when Marco smashed King into it in chapter 1006.
It's really satisfying seeing Nami be the one to come out and defy Kaido to his face. We've already had a big moment where she declares her faith in her captain to an overwhelming enemy at great personal risk, and now she does it again. And he wasn't even talking to her directly. Not exactly a pragmatic choice, but I'm all about her bravery.
Again, Oda pushes the idea that it's all over now. Kaido is pissed and offering no quarter. The slavery stuff and demanding Momo surrender personally isn't really a change from what he said he was going to do before the raid, but expressions here go a long way to sell the threat.
I don't love Momo suggesting surrender as much. I can only hope he didn't actually hear what Kaido said above the Performance Floor, because if he's still giving in and subjecting his country to that it's a sad move for his character. Yamato gets a good moment out of convincing him to keep going at least. Do they take the long death with no chance of salvation, or the quick one with a small chance of victory? The choice should be obvious. I do like Yamato standing on Momo's body and grabbing him by the whiskers to make the point. I wish we'd been given a better look at it instead of just the ultra-wide establishing shot and the extreme closeups.
And then, the big finale. I really, really don't know what to make of this and hate having to wait through a break week for more info. People have been losing their minds since the spoilers hit with so many interpretations flying around, but I'm stuck on this feeling that we don't know enough yet.
We zoom in on Luffy's still body. There's a "Don"-type sound effect. Oda uses these all the time for emphasis, but they can be diagetic as well. So is it drama, or are we hearing Luffy's heart beat after the silence from before? It is the same sound effect used for Enel's heart starting back up in chapter 275… The solitary beat becomes a rhythm with music notes and everything and Zunesha calls it the "Drums of Liberation." Given that the regular Don sound effect, that Oda's used liberally for every big moment and character introduction from literally chapter one, is often interpreted as something of a punctuating drumbeat, there's some interesting implications for how the whole series has been framed so far. How often have we heard these Drums of Liberation?
And then the big one. Zunesha calls Luffy Joyboy. Luffy grins. Steam rises from his body and the top of his head seems to bubble up. I think it's interesting that Luffy's shirt is only shaded instead of inked in like usual, and with such deep shadows, giving the impression of an intense light on the area. Is that just for the drama, or part of whatever's awakening here? The framing also keps us from seeing Luffy's body directly turn to goo. It could be that this thing is enveloping him instead.
It feels to me like a lot of people are being quick to assume the worst about reincarnations and prophecies and all the rest. This is a huge cliffhanger that leaves a lot of questions and next to no answers. No one knows exactly what's happening with it yet, so assuming any answer, good or bad, is a mistake. I remember when we first learned that the samurai had come through time and how so many people lost their minds talking about how it would ruin the story and create paradoxes and this and that, only for Oda to impose just the right rules on the power to make it work for the story. There were smaller meltdowns over the potential of Tama's fruit, the appearance of the fake Oden and the awakening of Sanji's Vinsmoke powers, but all of those turned out fine as well. While every arc has had ups and downs through the middle, I don't think I've ever been left wanting by the endings. Oda's good at bringing characters and themes and ideas together and making sure it all forms a pleasing final note. The contrast between how gullible and frustrating Dressrosa's civilians could be during the arc and the power of their redemptive moment when they play up their own apparent naivety to protect the fleet from the Marines comes to mind as an example of Oda sticking the landing at the last moment, long after the readers had given up on on finding anything to like in those guys.
There are good reasons One Piece has lasted nearly 25 years. There are good reasons I've been about to stay invested week to week for more than half that time, and why some of our veterans have kept up to date even longer. Whatever's happening with Luffy right now, I trust Oda to have a plan and know where he's going with it. His track record has earned him that much.