The One Piece Podcast — Episode 891: “Gigantic, Harmless, and Confused”
Date: November 3, 2025
Host: Zach (A)
Co-hosts: Ed (B), Stephen Paul (C), Sam Leach (D), Ken O’Connor (E)
Main Theme: Manga Chapter 1164: “Davy Blood”; The evolving anime format; Latest One Piece news and community Q&A
Notable Guests: Stephen Paul (official translator), Sam Leach (anime recap), Ken O'Connor
Tone: Classic OPP—energetic, funny, engaged, with a mix of deep-dive analysis, fandom banter, and community connection.
Episode Overview
This week’s episode spotlights chapter 1164, “Davy Blood,” as the crew navigates massive lore reveals about Rocks, Imu, and the Davy legacy. The team discusses huge anime news, new live action details, and One Piece multi-media crossovers. The show dives into the mechanics and emotional beats of recent chapters, ponders One Piece's future, and fields fan questions about everything from One Piece x Sesame Street to the fate of Blackbeard's mother.
Key Discussion & Insight Sections
1. Opening Banter & Baseball, Discord Antics
- [00:00–04:16]
- Zach introduces the regulars, with special guest Stephen Paul (One Piece translator).
- Running jokes: baseball trauma for Mets and Padres fans.
- Discord community shoutouts and “resident Savannah Banana” gags.
- Quick nod to Yamato’s birthday (“Happy birthday, Yamato. There, it’s out of the way now.” — Ken, [02:25])
2. One Piece Anime News (Breaks, Pacing, & New Format)
- [04:16–13:18]
- Announcement: The anime is taking a break at the start of 2026, airing only 26 episodes split into two 13-episode cours.
- Discussion about the meaning of “cours” (French origin, quarter-year/season).
- New approach: transitioning to one-to-one manga to anime adaptation for tighter pacing.
- Stephen explains how Oda’s modern chapters lend themselves to this new pace:
“It would mean that they get to end episodes like on the right cliffhanger moment because obviously Oda is always about the cliffhangers at the end of his chapters.” —Stephen, [10:26]
- Anime’s promotional art is getting better (“Luffy in the snow teaser is unusually cool for One Piece.” —Zach, [11:29]).
- Team reflects on the rough patches in the anime (“...what a conveyor belt kind of slop that they were making from Dressrosa through Punk Hazard.” —Sam, [12:40]), but agree Toei has stepped it up in recent years.
3. One Piece News (Live Action, Volume 113, Dubs & Merch)
- [13:18–26:48]
- Live Action Season 2: Premiering March 10, 2026. Poster rollouts for each island/arc spark excitement.
- Dub News: New German and Spanish dubs on Netflix cause a stir with wild name changes (“Miss Bloody Sunday” for Robin, “Super Soaker” for Water Pistol, etc.).
- Season 3 Confirmed for live action (“That’s a new crew. They’re rebooting.” —Ken, [16:48]).
- Volume 113 promo video features Yonji’s (Kaiba’s) VA as Shamrock. Viral tagline: “This man is not Shanks.”
“I'm sure it's very effective if you're just a random Japanese person and you're like, what do you mean, that’s not Shanks?” —Stephen, [18:20]
- Heroines Spin-off getting an anime adaptation on Netflix — slice-of-life stories focusing on female Straw Hat crew and friends.
- Shonen Jump Shop coming to the East Coast (“Except for the Thanksgiving Day float, we get no love here!” —Zach, [23:54]) at American Dream Mall, NJ, Nov 21–Jan 20.
- Sesame Street crossover: Elmo goes as Luffy for Halloween (“Elmo dressed as One Piece from One Piece. I sound like an old person.” —Zach, [26:17]).
4. Manga Recap: Chapter 1164 “Davy Blood”
- [28:01–85:46]
Major Themes & Panel-by-Panel Breakdown
- Emu vs. Rocks Duel:
- Emu’s dialogue reveals both desperation and a personal agenda against Davy D. Jones, denying his kingship, and expressing fear that his will might "come for you to fulfill the promise."
“Silence. He was never king. Not for an instant. The grievance between Mu and Davy has nothing to do with the—” —Imu (via Stephen), [35:44]
- Rocks taunts Emu’s fear:
“Then why are you so panicked over something as trivial as the Davy name? It’s kept you terrified for years, hasn’t it?” —Rocks, [36:54]
- Discussion if Davy and Joy Boy are the same or separate figures (“What's more frightening to you, Davy D. Jones or Joy Boy?” —Rocks, [36:54])
- Emu’s dialogue reveals both desperation and a personal agenda against Davy D. Jones, denying his kingship, and expressing fear that his will might "come for you to fulfill the promise."
- Rocks’ Transformation
- Emu turns Rocks fully “Domi Reversi”—gigantic and mind-possessed, forced to attack his own crew.
“End Davy, by thy own hand. Now erase all life that was involved with God Valley.” —Imu as Rocks, [41:19]
- Stellar comedic moments as possessed Rocks punches a dragon Kaido right in the snout (“There’s something great about seeing someone you really hate getting stabbed in the nose.” —Zach, [43:05])
- Kaido’s ongoing simple delight: “Dragon!” [43:49]
- The massacre: Rocks knocks out Kaido, smashes Big Mom into a wall, and battles Whitebeard (“Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, is the one who fares the best against this demonic version of Rocks.” —Stephen, [68:04])
- Emu turns Rocks fully “Domi Reversi”—gigantic and mind-possessed, forced to attack his own crew.
- God Valley Collapsing
- Epic sequences of the mountain tipping, chaos among Marines and Celestial Dragons (“Who should be punished for allowing this to happen?” —Celestial Dragon, [47:19])
- Kuma, ever the MVP, saves Eris (Blackbeard’s mom) and baby Teach via Paw Paw powers:
“Kuma, MVP, NFL Sunday. This is the chapter for him.” —Ken, [55:50]
- Eris’ Inner Monologue
- Eris, clutching Teach: “Whatever it takes to keep the Davy blood alive—You have to survive, no matter what it takes.” [54:01]
- Speculation on Eris’ knowledge and whether she survives (distinct parallels drawn to past “mother” moments in One Piece).
- Climax: Stoneset for Roger & Garp vs. Rocks
- Rocks, possessed but fighting for agency, pleads for Garp and Roger to kill him:
“Please just kill me.” —Rocks (inner voice), [62:31]
- Notable visual: “Now Rocks has the bat wings—his dummy reverse look is so, so cool.” —Ken, [63:17]
- Rocks, possessed but fighting for agency, pleads for Garp and Roger to kill him:
- Meta-discussion on Oda's Endgame
- A sense that “we’re heading into the endgame here.” —Zach, [73:58]
5. Anime Recap: Episodes 1146 & 1147
- [87:56–114:50]
- Egghead arc continues:
- Frankie vs. Red King, Bonnie kicks Pomsky (as a child!), Atlas fights Vice Admiral Guillotine.
- Saturn and Mars (in monstrous forms) escalate the threat level; Saturn chases Robin, and the Straw Hats unite to protect her.
“Everyone was very hyped about this scene. Look at Nami go, just getting Robin out, no issue. It's a very hype scene.” —Ken, [107:47]
- Vegapunk's worldwide broadcast is teed up (“First, this world will sink into the sea...” —Vegapunk)
- Slice-of-life: Global reaction shots from Syrup Village, Twin Capes, Baltimore, Beehive Island, and Fishman mermaids.
- Animation quality & new format debated; overall sentiment: “It’s mostly just pacing to avoid catching up to the manga. The quality’s been good for a while now.” —Sam, [144:01]
6. Piece Together (Listener Q&A & Theories)
- [115:12–145:13]
- Favorite: Which Sesame Street & Muppet characters would cosplay as which One Piece characters? (Big Bird = Big News Morgans, Miss Piggy = Hancock)
- Daylight savings time rants and global comparisons ([117:04–119:40])
- Deep fan questions about Garp keeping his job post-God Valley (“Now everyone likes him. IMU's like, how do I tell them I want him dead?” —Ken, [121:28])
- Domi Reversi: What would “evil versions” of the hosts do? (Evil Steven would translate scanlations full of curse words. “Evil Sam would just not read the manga.”)
- Theorizing Eris’ fate, Blackbeard’s orphan origins, and the Davey line’s continued role in the story progression.
“Is Eris still alive? Did she abandon Teach or die some other way? Seems like she could have influenced her son more than Rocks did…” —Listener, [126:11] “Could Blackbeard be the last of the Davey line? Are all Ds actually Davy offspring?” [130:38]
- Trivia: Random chapter numerology and color spread discussion, including running gags about Oda’s favorite repeated jokes (“Enaru face”).
- Final thoughts: Oda’s cyclical, tightly-linked storytelling—double-edged sword (“It makes the world feel small if characters are too interrelated, but big again in the context of a global web.” —Sam, [141:08])
7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On Emu’s character:
"Emu talks a ton in this and it really kills some of the mystique..." —Zach, [37:57]
"I kind of like that we're humanizing Imu, seeing their vulnerabilities and quirks..." —Zach, [77:15]
On Rocks’ Possession:
"It's kind of like Zebeck is in the Sunken Place from Get Out." —Ken, [61:26]
"You think Rox will die in his Domi reversi form, or will Garp and Roger do a fatal blow and he shrinks back for one final word?" —Ken, [83:40]
On Kuma as MVP:
"Kuma, MVP, NFL Sunday. This is the chapter for him." —Ken, [55:50]
"I hope that he can be revived soon." —Listener, [134:24]
On Blackbeard's Origins:
“Is Blackbeard just trying to take down Imu? Are we heading toward Blackbeard as final villain after defeating Imu?" —Ken, [129:44]/[129:50]
On Oda’s Writing:
“The more Oda expands the world lore, the more he tries to fold it back into the existing story. It’s cyclical in a way that feels so planned out.” —Listener, [139:45]
Important Timestamps
- Anime Format News & 1:1 Adaption: [05:01–11:00]
- Live Action S2 Announcement: [16:22]
- Manga Chapter Recap: [28:01–85:46]
- Kuma saves Eris & Teach: [54:01–56:07]
- Rocks’ possession (“Sunken Place”): [61:26–62:47]
- Community Piece Together begins: [115:12]
- Notable listener theory (Domi reversi, Davey legacy): [126:11–130:38]
- Anime Recap (Egghead Arc): [87:54–114:50]
Final Thoughts/Conclusion
The crew celebrates a bombshell chapter heavy with lore, themes of legacy, tragic heroism, and One Piece’s future. The manga and anime continue to push boundaries—structurally and emotionally—mirrored in Oda’s evolving creative priorities and Toei’s production shakeups. Community remains at the heart, with fans joining in on wild theorizing, playful banter, and even complaints about daylight savings tying the world together...or at least the global One Piece fanbase.
Next time: More manga, anime, and live action breakdown, plus results from the OP Collab fanart event.
Closing: “Happy birthday, Yamato!” —Ken, [25:24]
Sign-off: “Goodbye, everyone.” —Zach, [177:15]
Listen, theorize, and reminisce—One Piece Podcast 891 brings the world of God Valley, Rocks, Imu, and the very blood of the Davy line to life, proving, once again, this adventure is far from over.