I decided to just go ahead and write about Egghead because if I wait for the Final Saga to be over, I’ll probably be waiting for the rest of my life, so I may as well.
Now, I’ve been pretty consistently enjoying myself with One Piece since Dressrosa ended, but that also comes with some heavy caveats.
Something I’ll say for the time being is that when you were in middle school, chances are, your favourite parts of stories were always the newest and the biggest. A good example of this was the Majin Buu arc in Dragonball Z, simply because literally every single character had Super Saiyan 2, as well as fusion.
You'll see this reflected in the discourse surrounding Chainsaw Man, where the Academy Saga (Part 2) has slower pacing, with more intimate scenes that allow the characters to really ponder and think. I am in my 30’s at the time of writing this, so this approach to storytelling is one that I can really appreciate, but if you’re much younger than me, you may think the emphasis on character development and introspection is too boring. Take that for what you will.
Egghead
Chapters: 1058-1125 (68)
Egghead
The last time I mentioned that some fans were having a crisis of faith about One Piece as the New World mega arcs were happening, but that seems to have calmed down with Egghead. It’s not difficult to see why because even at just a glance, it’s pretty much the exact opposite to Wano in every way.
For example, Luffy got hungry after landing on Wano, so O-Tama gave him all of her rice, which was a special treat she only ever got once a year. This is how we begin to learn that her entire country was starving. In comparison, the first time Luffy was hungry on Egghead, he’s taken to an automatic food machine, where anyone can eat as much and whatever they like.
As such, Egghead also has a much smaller cast of supporting characters, which is good because this means we’re able to get to know them so much better. And with the much more minimal use of new characters, this also frees up time to spend with returning ones. This extends beyond just Egghead, whereas Wano was very closed off, Egghead is very open.
I have mixed feelings about this, as this gives Egghead it’s own feeling of being unfocused and all over the place. It may not be a problem for you because if you’ve made it this far, chances are you’re a nerd, and you’re the type of person who likes to theorize and see the happenings of the rest of the world.
But what gets sacrificed in the process, is we don’t get that much focus or development for the Straw Hats, the actual main characters. All the new information being dropped about Gear 5 and it’s potential origins, does not matter to Luffy whatsoever, he’s just in it to keep punching government officials. Jinbe doesn’t even get the chance to properly react to there being a clone of himself, which feels like a missed opportunity because this is his first official outing as a Straw Hat.
The only Straw Hat who got some personal focus was Robin, surprisingly, who learned that Saul was still alive. It’s kind of bullshit because death has no meaning in One Piece, but it gives Robin her own Laboon so to speak, so the audience can anticipate their reunion.
However, I thought Doctor Vegapunk and his whole flashback was awesome, and so were his six satellites, most importantly, Lilith and York. This also ties in with some reoccurring themes of Egghead, of person-hood and what makes a person truly human.
The big stars of the arc for me were Kuma and Bonney. Kuma’s flashback took absolutely no prisoners. I don’t think it’s a coincidence because Eiichiro Oda himself has gone on record saying that he wanted to finish One Piece before the age of 50, which is the age he is now. So, I think he was channelling some very real emotions there.
Speaking of Bonney, the Worst Generation are a pleasure, and have been such a welcome addition to the New World. It’s funny considering they were just made up on the spot because they’ve since become some of my favourites.
We learn that she inherited the same illness that also killed her biological mother, and in the end she was cured, in exchange for Kuma giving up his free will to the World Government. Kuma didn’t want her to feel responsible for this, so at 10 years old, she sets out to sea to find Kuma, her father, and get the answers to why he left her behind. She is now 12 years old.
In short, Egghead does the absolute most. It makes you care about a lot of the side characters which you probably didn’t so much before, it’s not too long, and it’s just engaging from beginning to end. The Egghead arc is now one of my favourites, and one of the high points of the New World for sure.
Final Ranking: S