Episode 902, “A Squirrel Did This”

Summary

The One Piece Podcast: Episode 902, “A Squirrel Did This”

Date: January 20, 2026
Hosted by: Zach, Ed, and regular crew, with special guests Stephen Paul (official One Piece translator) and Sam Leach. Alex joins during the episode.
Main Theme:
This episode of The One Piece Podcast brings listeners up to speed on the newest One Piece chapter (1171), the latest One Piece live-action trailer, and the end of the highly anticipated Elbaf flashback. The crew reacts to manga developments, shares their thoughts on One Piece's ongoing world-building and character arcs, interprets Norse references, and discusses fan theories—all with the podcast's trademark blend of humor and deep expertise.

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1. Episode Overview

• Focus: Manga recap for Chapter 1171 "Ragnar", the conclusion of the Elbaf flashback, key plot beats, theories on mythology-inspired powers, and reactions to the new live-action trailer.
• Other Segments: Community Q&A (Piece Together), Patreon promos, and musings about the show's ongoing direction.

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2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. Elbaf Flashback Wrap-up & Chapter 1171 Recap

Elbaf, Loki, and God Valley

• The long-awaited Elbaf flashback concludes, revealing the tragic fate of King Harald and the political manipulations of the World Government.
• Discussion about the aftermath: Loki assumes the blame for regicide to protect Elbaf, carrying the burden as "father-slayer" but sparing his people the truth and further chaos.
• Jarl and Scopper Gabon counsel Loki and Shanks, tying this generation’s trauma to broader One Piece themes: heritage, leadership, and the cost of peace.
• The World Government's supreme power (Imu and the Five Elders) is shown as both immense and limited, revealing that their Covenant powers are not limitless and have a "cost."

Memorable quote:
“You still think ‘deserve’ has something to do with it.” – Ed, echoing the chapter’s theme of fate vs. merit (30:02)

Power of Myth & Nomenclature

• Stephen Paul dives into Norse etymology, explaining the “Nibelheim” attack—Oda’s playful adaptation of mythic concepts and Final Fantasy references for new One Piece techniques.
• The mysterious “D” is referenced ominously: “Elbaf is D,” prompting much speculation on what this means for the island's role in the Void Century.

Stephen Paul [43:33]:
“Oda has done a lot of very strange things with the name Elbaf, where he's used it to apply to several different things. … Hard to tell how much of this he’s being consistent with, or if he’s just writing as he goes.”

Loki’s Fate, Characterization, and Power

• Loki’s complex psychology is highlighted: cast as villain and martyr both by circumstance and by choice, he embodies multiple classic One Piece tropes.
• The hammer “Ragnar” is finally unleashed, enacting the “Nibelheim” move—freezing a monstrous Draugr in its tracks. Oda’s ambiguity around how these powers work prompts debate among the crew.
• Deep dive into translation choices, Scandinavian mythology, and how Oda synthesizes pop culture (Final Fantasy) into his world-building.

B. One Piece Live-Action News & Trailers

• Hype for upcoming Season 2 trailer, with Baroque Works on display and casting changes under discussion.
• The team muses on the pitfalls and camp of adapting anime to live-action, the costumes, and the “creepy critters” like Unluckies and Chopper’s CG.

Alex [17:26]:
“I heard that [David Dastmalchian, Mr. 3 actor] is actually a fan of One Piece. … I’m excited because the Unluckies are actually in it.”

C. Podcast News & Meta Humor

• Announcements: Patreon “Sticker of the Month” club, ad-free/extended episodes, and praise for recent episode artwork.
• Banter about weather, law school, and the bar exam as a running gag.
• They riff on the show’s structure—“messy and fun”—and the tradition of off-topic asides (e.g. extended squirrel discussion).

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3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the "D" and Elbaf:

  “Elbaf is D. … I don’t take it as ‘Elbaf is The D,’ but maybe it’s ‘Elbaf is rebel.’”
  — Stephen Paul (41:18)

• On adapting anime to live-action:

  “Everyone should be a Muppet except for Robin, and that would be the ideal adaptation.”
  — Zach (19:02)

• On Norse mythology and translation:

  “If Oda had done a pun in the kanji [for Nibelheim], maybe I’d have spelled it ‘Nibbleheim.’ But that wasn’t the intent—though if it’s your headcanon, you can run with it.”
  — Stephen Paul (140:11)

• Loki’s journey in summary:

  “Loki took the blame for his father’s death so his people could stay safe—he’s a sin eater, a martyr, which is very smart on his part.”
  — Alex (48:51)

• Meta-podcast humor:

  “This episode is just unusable. This is terrible.”
  — Zach (35:00)
  (“Delaney, feel free to cut all this…”—multiple occasions)

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4. Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|--------------------------------------------| | 01:35 | Introductions: Stephen Paul & Sam Leach | | 04:13 | Reflections on Oda Interview/Flashback | | 06:23 | Patreon News & “Sticker of the Month” | | 06:55 | Live-action S2 Trailer Reactions | | 11:30 | One Piece Universal Studios Announcement | | 19:39 | Manga Recap Starts (Ch. 1171 - “Ragnar”) | | 25:23 | Zoro Cover Illustration Discussion | | 45:10 | “Elbaf is D” – Emu Scene | | 54:57 | Transition back to Present Time—Flashback Ends | | 62:53 | Loki’s and Luffy’s Synergy; Loki’s Powers | | 66:00 | Extended talk: Translation of “Nibelheim” | | 82:24 | Chapter Reflections: Alex/Sam/Stephen | | 103:45 | Piece Together: Listener Q&A | | 129:49 | Final Questions & YouTube Q&A Experiment | | 143:26 | Wrap-up & Plugs |

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5. Listener Q&A: Piece Together Highlights

• On Imu's True Form: Listeners speculate about the potential cost of Imu’s powers (“becoming a wrinkly worm grandma”).
• On Loki’s and Ragnarr’s Powers: Debate over whether Loki’s hammer is ice, lightning, or both—and how Oda blends Norse lore, Final Fantasy, and One Piece rules.
• On Straw Hat Fights: Fans express a desire for more one-on-one fights for the Straw Hats vs. focus on new arc-defining characters.
• On “The D” Will: More “D for Destiny/Deed/Rebellion” theorizing.
• Meta-game: Crew challenges each other to say something positive about their least favorite characters (“Absolom makes funny faces, which is Looney Tunes–esque. Maybe even endearing. If you ignore everything else.” - Stephen Paul, 120:54)

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6. Recurring Jokes & Running Gags

• “A squirrel did that.”
• Extended Star Wars tangent (“They fly now!”).
• Speculating on Oda's translation/retconning quirks (“Only five fruits can fly!” debate, 113:05).
• Complaints about Episode bloat, podcast intros, and technical tangents (“Delaney, cut this—no, actually leave it in.”).

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7. Crew Reflections & Thoughts

• Alex: Glad the flashback is over—ready for “real” Elbaf and to see more Straw Hat involvement.
• Sam: Enjoys the One Piece tradition of characters shouldering burdens and the familiar “honorably taking the fall” trope, but hopes for a fresh narrative twist.
• Stephen: Praises the richness of Loki’s characterization, and reminds listeners that Oda’s references and spellings are often idiosyncratic—enjoy the ride, don’t get too bogged down.
• Zach: Reflects on the structure of the flashback: individually, each story (Loki, Harald, God Valley) is compelling, but the overlap undercuts some emotional impact. Still, he’s hopeful and engaged for what comes next.

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8. Final Words & Look Ahead

• Next week: Likely an SGS (the show’s Q&A/spoiler discussion) episode, as the manga is on break.
• The saga in Elbaf, Oda’s handling of Norse myth, and the return to present-day Straw Hat action will be key topics moving forward.

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Summary in a Nutshell

Episode 902 is a lively, detailed breakdown of One Piece’s recent Elbaf arc, the finish of the giant flashback, and the deepening of the manga’s lore. The hosts balance serious discussion of the manga’s literary depth, translation challenges, and mythological roots with irreverent commentary, in-jokes, and ample fan interaction. Whether you want theories on “the Will of D,” a breakdown of Oda’s naming quirks, or a hearty argument about squirrels versus chipmunks—it’s classic One Piece Podcast from start to finish.

Transcript

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[Zach]

Foreign. This is the One Piece podcast episode 902 for the week of Tuesday, January 20, 2026. My name is Zach.

[Ed]

My name is Ed.

[Zach]

And on today's show we have very special guest. He is the translator for One Piece and weekly Shonen, Jump and Manga Plus Steven Paul is with us. How's it going, Stephen?

[Stephen Paul]

Very good. Thank you very much. Hope every all of my fellow Americans have been enjoying their MLK day. Hopefully they got it off. So yeah, have a good time.

[Zach]

We also have our anime recap host here in the manga recap segment for some reason, Sam Leach. How's it going, Sam?

[Sam Leach]

Yes, our coveted anime recap.

[Zach]

As I always call it.

[Sam Leach]

We are. We'll get on that. Maybe on one of our off weeks we can knock out the last five episodes of the season.

[Zach]

I'll say. People have just also been extremely busy this January. Like it's never been so hard for me to figure out who's coming on the show in a particular week as it has like the last month or two, which I know is.

[Sam Leach]

And it was holidays. It was holidays before this.

[Zach]

That's bs. We don't celebrate holidays here at the One Piece podcast. I forbid it. But Steven, I do want to say again, if you have not listened to last week's episode of the Podcast. It's one of my favorites and organically has been, not to use term, you know, like that kind of terminology, but like a very popular episode, particularly on YouTube, and rightfully so. I did write h e ODA interview on it, but it is true. Like, I'm not gonna do clickbait if it's not true. How else would you word that?

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, you get in trouble for that. Well, anything else, anything less than that is okay.

[Zach]

Yeah, YouTube loves to make sure things are true. That's. Yeah. But I. Stephen, thank you again for putting all that work into that. It was a really interesting segment for those who have not listened. Yeah. If you have not listened, it is an excellent interview from oda. Like, definitely the best one of those I've heard, or at least the best.

[Ed]

One since the first couple issues of the magazine. The first two or three issues, they had a split up interview with oda.

[Zach]

Yeah. But this one was like unique in so many ways. It was. There is a real narrative in a way that none of his interview knows. No really bad jokes or the.

[Ed]

Remember the design deep dive.

[Zach]

That was very interesting. But it wasn't. Yeah, Sorry, Steven, this is.

[Stephen Paul]

This is like an actual interview with. With. Or it's. He's saying a bunch of stuff and going over his personal history and.

[Zach]

Yeah, I still like it as like, like a memoir. I guess I could have called it that otis memoir on YouTube, but whatever. Whatever works. So please check that out if you haven't. There's two little pieces of news before we get into that, though. Please subscribe to us on [e-mail] OnePiecePodcast this month, if you subscribe at $12 or more, you could join our Sticker of the Month club, which you could do every month. But the stickers this month from Steve are two of our Vegapunk designs. One is the Albert Einstein Vegapunk from. I'm afraid to look how many years ago that was, but maybe three with.

[Ed]

The tongue sticking out.

[Zach]

Yeah. Yep, yep. The classic Einstein for the wall in your college dorm. Now, you could get it as a sticker. Everyone had a Vegapunk poster when I was in school, at least.

[Ed]

Right next to the Pink Floyd's Dark side of the Moon.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah. The Vegapunk poster in that. Or you could get the. You could vote on that. Or the Matryska Vegapunk, which, if I'm pronouncing that right, but the little Matroska Matryoshka. We're going to talk more about Russia in a second. But it's those Russian nesting dolls. I think it's the other term for those of the Vegapunks.

[Ed]

That is an appropriate term for them. Yes.

[Zach]

Is it? I think that's an appropriate term. Yeah, it is. So if you were being sarcastic, I'm like, oh shit, what did I say? So, yeah. Please subscribe to us there. We also have ad free episodes, extended episodes where we talk about like what episode image and title we choose. Those are always fun. We also have alternate art and a lot more. And a big thanks for. Last week's art from Kirby was really excellent. Oh yeah, very good. Yeah. And this week Joey is. Joey Weiser is doing the image as of as we speak at this moment. We haven't recorded any of the episode yet. So I have no idea what's going to. What it's going to look like or what it's going to be about. But you do. If you're listening.

[Ed]

We've only recorded the first like eight minutes of the show at this point.

[Zach]

Hey. Yes. So yeah, check out Joey Wiser. If you haven't two pieces of news. One is if you live in LA and one is about the Live Action, which also has the same acronym or initialism. The Live Action trailer for season two or the newest one came out featuring a lot of baroque works. I don't know if any of you had a chance to watch it or if you have any thoughts offhand besides the unluckies, which was my takeaway.

[Ed]

Yeah, it's pretty cute. But what I thought was interesting was Lyra Obova speaking English with a Russian accent, I guess, much the way Inaki does with his natural English speaking English with a red Mexican accent, which I think works for Robin. It's a bit sinister.

[Stephen Paul]

Right.

[Zach]

Rocky and Bullwinkle esque. You mean like that level? 1950s level, like a Bond girl. Yeah. So we're really 1950s nemeses is where Robin is fitting in your head canon.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, yeah. It's kind of the. The challenge, I guess for the Live Action team is, is because everybody who knows the show knows that like this is. This is actually a very important character who is going to be part of the main crew. But like it's really important. Yeah, right. It's really important right now that she has to be a villain and they have to lean into that and make the most of that while they can.

[Zach]

Because it's fun to be fair. Like Miss All Sunday is a really fun character.

[Stephen Paul]

Right.

[Zach]

Mysterious at the time, I remember.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

People.

[Stephen Paul]

People love that era of her because it seems so novel now of like, of wow. This is like Robin as. As like a villain. Like, you know, reveling in her wickedness and stuff. Like, that's so interesting to see now because we're so used to the opposite.

[Ed]

Oh, I wanted to ask, was Crocus in the trailer? We know he was cast.

[Zach]

He was in the. He was in something they. They've released.

[Sam Leach]

There's a set photo or something.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah, he looked great.

[Ed]

That's the guy from Game of Thrones.

[Sam Leach]

I wonder what. What percentage of people who will be watching season two will like, earnestly buy her as a villain.

[Zach]

It also had like a hard rock guitar motif. The trailer of the live action theme, which was fun. I mean, I'm hopefully we'll.

[Sam Leach]

Which is already like, pretty loud as hell.

[Zach]

Yeah, it is, to be fair.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Zach]

I thought Ms. Golden Week looked excellent. Like, I'm just looking at the trailer again. I think they've, you know, looks as.

[Ed]

As young as she's supposed to be.

[Zach]

Yeah. How young is she supposed to be? I don't even know.

[Sam Leach]

This trailer. And this is the same when the first season one live action trailer came out. Like, it just. It just like, I. I can't unsee the like, IGN April Fool's Day live action Zelda trailer vibes.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Ed]

I wish I knew what you're talking about.

[Zach]

I know what you mean. I don't know what you're talking about.

[Sam Leach]

I can pull it up.

[Stephen Paul]

I do. Yeah.

[Zach]

There are some parts that are. I want to say uncanny valley, because that's not what it is. It's. There. There are parts that are a little. Maybe CWE is the word effects wise. I don't know how else to put it, but I mean, that's also kind of the vibe they're going for. They're definitely going for like, the cheesy. What do you call campy. Ish kind of style, which they should lean into to be.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. I'll give them a lot of credit. Like, seeing all the, the character designs, like how close. Like, you know, when you look at like the. A lot of the. The MCU stuff where, you know, you get that. That like, feeling of like, oh, these. They're a little bit ashamed that. That they're based on a comic book and it really feels like they. Yeah. Done a lot to make one piece. The.

[Sam Leach]

At least the.

[Stephen Paul]

The wackier characters that we're seeing in. In season two. Here to.

[Ed]

I actually am surprised we're getting the unluckies. I. I like that I am Shocked about that.

[Zach]

I'm very happy. You know, I know Matt Cohen is out there somewhere. Very happy about that. He's high and he's happy about that. That's two things. Yeah, I could say for sure. But yeah, no, I, I, I think what I saw looked mostly good. I, and like, I'm try, I try and be a little more lenient on special effects at this stage too, because it's a trailer and it's not done and that's usually like the last thing that is finished. So I'm like, I'm like. Try not to judge that.

[Ed]

But I am curious how Mr. 3. Mr. 3's power is going to look. I mean, Mr. 3, the actor looks good in what we.

[Zach]

I mean, he's. I know Alex is a big fan. I think Alex is coming on a little bit later in the show, so maybe we'll.

[Ed]

David Des Melchin, he was in Oppenheimer.

[Zach]

He's a big get for, I mean, there's a lot of big gets, I.

[Sam Leach]

Think, for those Suicide Squad or the Suicide Squad.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Ed]

I mean, I didn't know that.

[Zach]

I'm excited for that.

[Sam Leach]

Where I remember him from.

[Zach]

The other piece of news, I guess is just maybe for Steven and Steve, if he's listening. And our LA contingent is that they're bringing back the One Piece Universal Studios Fanfest nights, which. Yeah. Which is including. Yeah, go ahead, Steven. Oh, well.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, yeah, I think you were about to say, like, apparently it's gonna have like the water stage show or something that is One Piece. One Piece themed.

[Ed]

Oh, in the Waterworld tank.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

And.

[Zach]

And they have that.

[Stephen Paul]

I don't know.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah. It says it's in Waterworld in Universal Studios Hollywood. So.

[Ed]

Yeah, because that was the Kevin Costner's Waterworld stunt show originally, I think.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, yeah, that's.

[Zach]

We don't talk enough about Kevin Costner's.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, the Kevin Costner's Water World themed, you know, stage. That's the official name of.

[Zach]

Might be, I don't know, Jet ski stunts. Yeah. So I think it's, it must be at least related to the ones they do at USJ every summer and those. I saw that one 12 years ago or 13. 13. Jesus. And it was pretty incredible and everything. I mean, it's only gotten better, those shows. And you know, I always recommend, especially if you like amusement parks and One Piece.

[Ed]

Was that before or after you took the bar exam, Zach?

[Zach]

After. I mean, I did not go to Japan before I took the bar exam.

[Stephen Paul]

That's sort of Damocles hanging Over your head.

[Zach]

No, I only.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, I gotta go home and pass the bar.

[Zach]

I only planned an entire movie and trip before the bar exam. That was not.

[Ed]

You took the exam at the Javits center, right?

[Zach]

Yeah. That sucks. Thank you, Ed.

[Stephen Paul]

Thanks for that, Ed.

[Zach]

Yeah, thanks for that, Ed. Yeah.

[Ed]

That's Indigo to the moldy old Javits Center.

[Zach]

That's the least awful part about that. But that's another story. Every.

[Ed]

All the few times I've been there, it always smelled damp.

[Zach]

If the Jaffet center would like to sue anyone, Ed is your man right now. I know you're listening. The dank. The dank. It's true. Yeah.

[Ed]

I knew people in the law school who took the bar exam in New York. They got advice to take it in, I think in Saratoga.

[Zach]

Yes, you're right. But having taken it in the. I'll.

[Alex]

I'll.

[Zach]

I'll entertain this tangent for one more minute and that's that. Have it. So I took it and I think I went to New York Comic Con or Anime NYC right after that. And I just had such ptsd because it's like, you know the. That Macintosh commercial from 1984 with the big screen and they chucked the thing.

[Ed]

Yes.

[Zach]

That was the environment. That's what it felt like in the basement of the Javits center with a really bad PA system. It was like, based on.

[Ed]

It's based on the what? The adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. That came out in 1984. Proudly.

[Zach]

George Orwell's.

[Ed]

Yeah. With John Hurt, I think.

[Zach]

Was it the movie? Okay, we're really getting off track. But my point is if. My point is if you're in New York City taking the bar exam, don't do it at the Javits Center. How did we get there?

[Ed]

The Javits center may or may not be a dank, urine soaked hell hole.

[Zach]

No, it is those things. It's also PP soaked hole.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Okay, Delaney, feel free to cut all of this now. It's guaranteed to be in.

[Ed]

That's one for alt nerd obsessive.

[Zach]

That is to say that Los Angeles is getting the water world version of live action. Live action. Okay, I'm done. I'm done. My brain is gone. Ed, you killed it. It's gone.

[Stephen Paul]

Any.

[Zach]

Any other things that I'm missing in general? Oh, those are in select nights, April 23rd through May 16th of this year. There are cosplay costume guidelines, so probably keep those in mind. Oh, and here's Alex. Let's see if he could join us in time because we need to ask him about that actor while we have him. Alex, are you recording already or no?

[Alex]

No, I have not recording it. My audition's opening right now.

[Zach]

Okay, well, so Delaney cut at least most of this intro. Most of it's unusable.

[Alex]

Wow, you guys, really great. So far, so good.

[Ed]

We already had a conversation about the.

[Zach]

Dank Javit Center Conversation is a strong. The dank. We did that joke already to Alex, but great. I was going to ask, are you recording? Well, we're recording on Zoom, so maybe we could catch this. If not, we'll just cut all this out. But, Alex, what are your thoughts on the season two live action trailer? And particularly, I know you're a big fan. I'm not going to pronounce his name right, but Mr. Three's actor.

[Alex]

Oh, yeah. David Des Malkian.

[Zach]

Okay.

[Alex]

Yeah. I'm really looking forward to season two based on just. Yeah, based on one. I love that area of the story. Like a whole lot like.

[Zach]

Oh, yeah, we know.

[Alex]

Yeah, it's been. It's been litigated many times, but in particular, yeah, David S. Malkin is really great. He was Polka Dot man in the Suicide Squad movie.

[Ed]

Well, and I've already said he was in Oppenheimer.

[Alex]

Yes, yes, he is. He's been in a lot of stuff. He's sort of been at that guy. Oh, yeah, he's in like the Ant man movies. He's got like a Russian accent and shit.

[Ed]

He's a weasel little bastard in Oppenheimer too.

[Alex]

Indeed. I only saw that movie once.

[Zach]

Oh, that's perfect for Mr. 3. Like the weaseliest little bastard in the series.

[Alex]

And I heard that he's a fan. Like, he actually, like, he was. He's actually a fan of the, of. Of One piece. And he was delayed.

[Zach]

Get him on. I should reach. I need to reach out to people. It's probably around time to season two wise, though.

[Alex]

I'm really excited because the unluckies, like, are actually in it and that makes.

[Zach]

Me like, we talked about them.

[Alex]

Yeah, well, the fact, like, I think I. I expressed my disappointment at the fact that, like, Chopper is basically Detective Pikachu, but now that, like, I see that they're gonna be populate actually populating the show with little critters.

[Ed]

It's funny that you mentioned that because I think that was my standard when they first announced that Chopper was going to be there. And it's got to look as good, at least as good as Detective Pikachu, because it could look Bad.

[Alex]

But no, I want it. I wanted it to look kind of janky, actually.

[Zach]

Yeah, we want it to look.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Alex]

I want it to look like weird, dark crystal, like, Jim Henson bullshit.

[Zach]

Yeah. Muppet was like. That was our first preference. I think everyone here on the show, I think, agrees.

[Alex]

What episode number is this?

[Zach]

902. Anyway, if any of those against the. Yeah, go ahead.

[Sam Leach]

Never mind.

[Zach]

No, Sam, please. None of this is going in the puppet.

[Alex]

I'm recording now.

[Sam Leach]

I never thought puppets were gonna work. Unless you're gonna make every animal a puppet.

[Alex]

Yeah, do it. Fucking do it.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah.

[Alex]

I dare you.

[Zach]

I think everyone should be a Muppet. I think if you're.

[Alex]

If you're. If your wig budget is going to be dog shit, then at least put that money towards the puppets.

[Sam Leach]

Right?

[Alex]

I think the wigs still look bad.

[Ed]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

Karu should be like one of those, like, dancing, like, dragon things with like. Or like.

[Zach]

I've always said everyone should be a.

[Sam Leach]

Muppet costume with, like, multiple people.

[Zach]

Everyone should be a Muppet except for Robin, and that would be the ideal adaptation, but here we are.

[Alex]

All right, so we're not actually. This isn't going to be used now, right?

[Zach]

No, it's going to be used. We'll see. I don't know why. We move on into the manga recap for chapter 1170. Super 71 1. 1171. This is all completely unusable, so Delaney's definitely using all of it.

[Alex]

You guys are really doing great on it tonight.

[Zach]

Yeah, we're. We're here. We're here.

[Alex]

Say it.

[Zach]

No, I'm not.

[Stephen Paul]

We don't want any more bears.

[Zach]

We don't want any more bears. That was messy and fun, as most. That's. That's our. That's our motto here at the One Piece Podcast. Messy and Fun. This is the manga recap for chapter 1171. Ragnar. You could read this chapter and all chapters of One Piece as soon as they come out for free. Legally, worldwide. ShonenJump. Viz.com or if you're outside of the North American, I forget which countries have Shonen Jump, but MangaPlus Shueisha Co JP I should not have gone off script. Ed, let's not go off script here. What's going on on the COVID page?

[Ed]

Yes, this is a reader request for Zorro being given a cat ear headband by a cat. By Ura Nekoko. And it's. It's. It's exactly that. Zorro looking in his princess mirror. These two cats hanging around Zoro with the face like Surly father who's letting his daughters give him a princess makeover.

[Zach]

This is just my face in all of my parental duties as they happen. So I get it. And I'm sure this will happen to me. There's no. I do want to say, actually.

[Ed]

Remember they did that with Ron Swanson on an episode of Parks and Ran.

[Stephen Paul]

I was. I was just going to say it.

[Zach]

Is the Ron Swanson thing, but I'll secretly enjoy it. But I'll look. I have to still give this look for the humor of the situation. But I saw in my son's Pre K photo, like, you know, the usual class photo they have, and there is a girl there with the same cat ears. So this is gonna happen to me. I think cat ears are really catching on, guys. I don't know if you've heard about these.

[Sam Leach]

There's girls in Pre K just being like, I'm a cat girl.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah. Not to talks anyone.

[Sam Leach]

But yes, in all ways. The physical. I'm a cat.

[Zach]

Yeah. I think that's great. I think cat ears are fantastic. Was there anything else you were going to describe in this image, Ed, before I cut you off?

[Ed]

I mean, it's a very. It's a whimsical mirror too. It's very Disney.

[Zach]

By the way, I love that the shirt says Zen as if this is what he is trying to do here. Like to calm himself down. Yeah. It's aspirational.

[Ed]

And that's definitely enma with the.

[Zach]

Yes. He's gonna murder that cat.

[Sam Leach]

Clover.

[Zach]

Murder the cat. The cat will be murdered. Alex, any thoughts?

[Alex]

Yeah, it's great. It's cool. I like it. It's cute. That's definitely Zoro's room.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Ed]

It's got the Japanese lantern and the paper windows.

[Alex]

Pretty, pretty princess.

[Zach]

It is a very pretty.

[Stephen Paul]

He's got his little bottle for. For drinking at the desk right there.

[Zach]

Or. Yeah.

[Alex]

Or if people. Or I guess it's what, Hiori's room.

[Zach]

Right.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, the conspiracies continue.

[Zach]

I think our listeners could agree that Zorro is enough of a princess that this canonically makes a lot of sense.

[Alex]

Yes.

[Zach]

Like if. If I know one thing about our listenership is that we all agree that Zoro is a pretty, pretty princess.

[Alex]

He's a Zen princess.

[Zach]

Apparently. He's a Zen. He's our Zen princess, apparently. I'll write that down.

[Alex]

Zen princess.

[Sam Leach]

So what is he doing with the sword in the photo? Is he.

[Zach]

Is that movie 5?

[Alex]

He's putting a cork on it because he's afraid that he'll slice the cat, I guess.

[Zach]

I don't know.

[Alex]

Can't see it. Oh, Movie five. Yeah, the worst.

[Zach]

The name of the movie was Roron or Asuro Zen Princess.

[Alex]

Yeah, that's the one.

[Zach]

I think that's what it was called. Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

He might be. I mean, he might, like, be polishing it with a rag or something. But it is interesting that you can. Yeah, you can really see his arm is really outstretched towards the end of the.

[Alex]

I wash myself with a rag on a sword.

[Sam Leach]

Like, he could. Like he could be. I mean, I guess the wall is. Is in the way, but like, he could be, like, unsheathing the scabbard as a threat to the cat. Or he's polishing it and he's just.

[Ed]

Letting the cat put the sword. Is like there's like a light glinting off of it or something by his shoulder.

[Alex]

I think. No, I think that's just where that's just like the outline.

[Sam Leach]

Yes, that little safety.

[Stephen Paul]

Right.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Interfere.

[Zach]

We've discussed before how. I am also a fan of how to. Instead of, like, in addition to the outline, there's usually like a glow effect to differentiate a foreground and background thing, you know? Yeah. But yeah, assistants did a great job on this. Background foreground or whatever.

[Alex]

Oh, no. Another hypothesis. I think that maybe there's a cat on the other end of the sword, just kind of like hanging out and he's giving him little scritchies.

[Zach]

I like that.

[Sam Leach]

What if the cat. What if the cat has a twin and this is a prosthetic Zorro like that. Terminator 2.

[Alex]

Oh, my God.

[Stephen Paul]

Fake mirror.

[Alex]

I think he is.

[Ed]

I think the cat in the mirror kind of looks like Alolan Meowth.

[Alex]

It's a cat.

[Zach]

It's a mirror. But I.

[Alex]

Oh, no, wait. Maybe he's operating Zoro like Ratatouille. See, look, he's like.

[Zach]

That makes more sense. That makes sense. Catatouille. There it is. We definitely have made that joke here on this show.

[Alex]

Katatoro.

[Zach]

That's like a hat on a hat level of. Yes, it is. But the one last thing I want to say. I've already completely forgotten. I'm gone. Ed, what's going on the first page? Why don't we talk about that?

[Ed]

Is this Scopper Gaban speaking?

[Zach]

Yes, it is.

[Ed]

It is. Yeah. He said, I had a terrible vision, plain as day, of Harald venturing forth from this castle and laying waste to the world until it was nothing but ruins. It's hard to imagine with the way his wounds healed themselves. That there was actually a means to stop him. Does the treasure of Elbaf really have such power?

[Zach]

Jarl? Hello. Do you have a sword in your head or something?

[Ed]

Hello, McFly. Not that I have heard, but it chills my spine to think of what might have happened had Loki not been here. And Shanks sort of silently looking on this conversation. And this is back to Harold speaking. Once I am in the Knights of God, dawn will come to Elbaf.

[Zach]

This is. Yeah, this is Shanks's inner. Inner thought.

[Stephen Paul]

His memories.

[Ed]

Yeah, Shanks memories. And then I guess this is Garling speaking to Shanks who says, speak your desire, and whatever it is, you shall have it. You've been so deprived. My poor son. Like he cares.

[Zach]

I. What do we have a name for this pose? Because this is like Oda's. Like one of his favorite poses of. I'm gonna help. Jazz hand pose. I love you, son. Look at my jazz hands.

[Sam Leach]

Was that the. The here's grandpa pose?

[Zach]

Yeah. Oh, it definitely was.

[Ed]

Sort of putting his hand. His. His sort of arms and hands, like, hands flat forward, arms up and sort of like absolving himself of anything.

[Alex]

He's.

[Ed]

He hasn't done anything wrong.

[Zach]

No, I don't even think that's what it is.

[Sam Leach]

I don't have a knife.

[Stephen Paul]

He's. He's doing like the. The. The anti. He's coming to pinch his cheeks like, oh, my little baby. With his fingers out like.

[Ed]

I killed your mother. But.

[Zach]

But you're cute. We have a lot. What do we have? We have matricide. Not matricide. I guess it would be. I don't know, the name of the spout. The spermicide.

[Alex]

Is that what you.

[Zach]

No, I don't. That's a different thing. That's a different thing.

[Alex]

That's what he should. Yeah, he should have spermicide if he.

[Ed]

Yeah, but is this garland continuing here? He says, yes, those miserable peons are not people. Forget what happened in the lower world. And then someone interjects. Shanks. Hey, Shanks. No, stop it.

[Zach]

Dad. I. Before we go to the next page, I just want to note that I do really like the visuals. Like we. We've seen these places at the beginning with Roto, I think, like the same, like destructive. Like what the destruction wrought that now we know by Harald. Also really interesting to see, I guess the observation hockey vision of Gabon here as to what could have been. I thought. I thought it was very interesting as well. I just want to point that out. I appreciated both of those, Sam, which.

[Stephen Paul]

Is the thing you're talking for Gabon.

[Zach]

The vision he had of Harold destroying everyone.

[Alex]

I mean he just talks about it though, I thought. Not that like it showed it.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, that's just kind of.

[Zach]

You know.

[Stephen Paul]

He's waxing poetic here, you know.

[Zach]

Well, no, but he's.

[Ed]

The bottom panel is what actually happened.

[Zach]

Oh, that's what you've seen before.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

You can't be metaphorical about. You can't be metaphorical about having a vision in a series where you could see the future. That's where my confusion came from. I apologize. So, yeah, forget. Forget everything I just said. Delaney. You're not going to cut it out anyway. I don't know why I'm asking. Sam.

[Sam Leach]

Go ahead and Scopper. Gabon is embracing Shanks who is gripping his his branded arm in anguish. Scupper saying that's just a bad habit again. Don't you dare regret your birth. And Sanji's arguing back with him. But. But why did Harold have to die? He was too pure hearted to deserve that. If only I'd. And then Scarper says it's not your fault and you know it. You still have a role to play, Shanks. I guarantee it.

[Ed]

Shanks. That's your problem. You still think deserve has something to do with it.

[Stephen Paul]

Mm.

[Zach]

Ever.

[Sam Leach]

What's that from again?

[Ed]

I don't know. I've heard it somewhere.

[Sam Leach]

Everyone's life has meaning, but you have to keep a level head. Basically Scopper is giving Shanks the pep talk that Luffy's gonna end up giving Sanji.

[Stephen Paul]

In.

[Zach]

Oh yeah. In whole cake.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah. Or no like in. Cause in Baratie when Luffy's like. Like he didn't. I guess Shanks hasn't lost his arm yet.

[Stephen Paul]

But.

[Sam Leach]

But just like the pose is very similar and he's basically like saying like you don't have to, you know, throw your life away. Yada yada. We move on to the the scene of Loki having just finished off Harold. And he's sitting crisscross applesauce with his.

[Ed]

Hammer at his side.

[Sam Leach]

Yep. Head low, hand facing his hand. He's saying is this what he gets for loving his country? It's a cruel joke. And then the close up panel reveals the tears sobbing down and yeah.

[Ed]

Harold in a pool of blood flat on his back.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Well what's. So I. So we.

[Sam Leach]

It's like a mix of blood and like the tear of his cape and stuff.

[Zach]

So. So I guess he's not quite cell where he only needs like one cell to regenerate himself. Like it's just interesting to see that any of him is left. I mean, the reason I assume that coat is over him is because there's very. I'm sure there's just very little that remains. It's. I don't know. It's interesting how, how he's. His legs look fine.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

You know.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, Oda doesn't necessarily want to like, get people trying to guess, like, do the guesswork of like, well, if it destroys this percentage of the body, then, then it's, it's a, you know, it's a fatal blow or whatever. I think the, the use of the, the cape covering him is a nice way to just kind of say, like, yeah, he's dead. Don't worry about it.

[Zach]

Yeah. But also, it would be really ugly. I mean, I, I, there's like, no doubt that this would not. This would be pretty, like JoJo's level gruesome.

[Ed]

I'm trying to think of like, they're like rotten.com gruesome.

[Stephen Paul]

Ew.

[Zach]

I don't like that reference. And I don't want to.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, that's old. Old Internet.

[Alex]

Well, they don't.

[Zach]

Yeah, I don't like that Internet or this Internet.

[Sam Leach]

Pose wise, in composition wise. It's basically like when Katakuri was being Katakuri. Yeah. And then Luffy covers his face so that he can, you know, save face.

[Zach]

Yeah. It is kind of that, like. And it's also similar circumstance where it's like a respected ally, except this one is very different.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

Letting. Letting the, the opponent keep their, their, like an essence of their facade.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

Because it's like, you know, it's not yours to, to reveal to the world.

[Alex]

You know what's crazy? A squirrel did that.

[Ed]

Yes.

[Zach]

I mean, this, Squirrels were vicious. This chap.

[Ed]

This chapter is entitled Ragnar, but it doesn't give any answers about what it is. Exactly.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, it is funny since Ragnar basically, you know, features in like one panel in this entire.

[Ed]

Only in hammer form.

[Zach]

Yeah. And this squirrel looks like a squirrel and not a chipmunk. I know the few weeks ago when I wasn't on, you know, we didn't wade into that debate. But I stand by my chipmunks are.

[Ed]

Smaller than you think. Compared to squirrels.

[Zach]

I know. They're around here all the time. I know. What a chipmunk.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Ed]

They have them both over by my condo in the backyard there.

[Zach]

Yeah. But like. Okay, I'm not getting into this debate again.

[Stephen Paul]

Chipmunks are like 4 inches tall. A squirrel could be any Size. Yeah, I have some even 40ft tall, like this.

[Zach]

My. One of my favorite pictures I've ever taken is of an extremely fat squirrel. Like, I saw midwinter. Just like the biggest, like, happiest squirrel. Like, he has loaded up, he's ready to go.

[Ed]

I don't think squirrels hibernate, do they? Surviving winter.

[Zach]

They don't know squirrels these days.

[Alex]

You know, there's a squirrel outside on our deck earlier.

[Zach]

You know, squirrels these days, they commit a lot of regicide. Anyone else got a lot of squirrel stories? Yeah, I told you. Regicide.

[Alex]

Well, I mean, that was the abridged version. The full version is that Nemo was like, you know, ready to like, pounce on it, but he's never been outside in his entire life, so.

[Zach]

Yeah, I'll say.

[Alex]

Never get to know that feeling.

[Zach]

I'll say. I know what they sound like a lot more recently. Like, when I grew up, I never really heard them chittering in there.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, yeah.

[Ed]

Any other stories I gotta tell you?

[Zach]

It's.

[Ed]

It's cold as fucking Chicago. Which means it's gonna be cold as fucking D.C. in a day or two.

[Alex]

Oh, man. Yeah. Noel, tomorrow. It's supposed to be. It's supposed to be really, really fucking cold tomorrow.

[Zach]

Okay, I've joked about it, but Delaney. This. This one is just unusable. This is terrible. Who's next? Stephen? Okay, more weather updates, please.

[Stephen Paul]

We're checking in from Mary Joa here, specifically from the. From the chamber where the. The empty throne lies. And Emu is holding court with the five elders and says that was an exceedingly rare ancient giant warrior given even greater power and an immortal body that was nothing short of a monster.

[Ed]

And that's looking especially grimacey here.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, the. There's a. There's like a 45 degree angle to.

[Zach]

I like this panel to the pose here.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, it's interesting. That was nothing short of a monster. And thou sayest it was killed by whom? What is in Elbaf? And then they're. They're looking up. Boy, they're really far away. You'd need some.

[Zach]

They always. Binoculars. It's. It is crazy how far away they stand. It's like I can't hear you.

[Sam Leach]

Right? You know, they can barely hear anything.

[Zach]

Yeah. And they're immortal. Their ears probably barely work unless those regenerate too, you know, Like, I don't know.

[Stephen Paul]

If Lao Ji was here, there would be a joke.

[Zach]

A great joke.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. And so the elders say, we shall have it investigated. Herald's Abyss in Elbaf remains intact. They're suggesting, you know, we can send more. Enough. It will only be the death of more knights. Performing the Covenant inflicts a cost upon Mu as well. Mu is breathing. So this is the first inkling we get, which you could probably have guessed since, you know, that he.

[Zach]

That they breathe?

[Stephen Paul]

Well, no, no, that. That there's a limit to the, to the power. Since, you know, ultimately, I think at the end of the day, Oda is like, well, regardless of the. Of the like, affinities and like, which things should be strong against what, ultimately it will come down to like, okay, who has more, you know, who is a deeper well of power to draw upon. So the, the fact that there is a finite level of stuff that Emu can do does make.

[Ed]

Was that Zombieland Rule 1 cardio?

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't. I feel something. Something tells me that Emu does not get a lot of cardio here.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

And continues.

[Zach]

There's a lot of stairs to get up there.

[Stephen Paul]

That is true. That is true. Yeah. I don't know, maybe that's Emo always.

[Sam Leach]

Like, comes out from like a. From like the, the back curtain or something. Like there's gotta be an elevator behind there.

[Stephen Paul]

Maybe. Maybe the flower room is like just off behind the curtain. So he just walks up the one set of stairs. So. Imu continues. Harald chose to debase himself before humankind to connect his country to other lands and peoples. This made him a heretic. His are a tribe of warriors whose every drop of blood calls out for battle. Carelessly incorporating them into the government will lead to internal collapse. An ancient giant king of Elbaf who agrees to the covenant is a gift to Mu, the likes of which shall not be seen again. He was a king that Elbaf never should have had. And see what came of it. History does not lie. Our kinds are incompatible. Never forget that. Elbaf is d. With a very menacing close up on the, you know, undetailed face of.

[Zach]

Of Alex, once again, do you. Do you want to make the joke at the end or should I? What? That big dick, I mean, Al Baph is Dee's nuts. Isn't that cool?

[Alex]

Oh, damn it.

[Ed]

Although I think. I think I see there's a very sinister sound effect here, which is like, almost like teeth grinding.

[Zach]

Alex. I thought I could.

[Alex]

Well, then the five elders really want to drop these nuts. But they're like.

[Zach]

Well, they might cut away. They might cut away right before that joke is. Is made. Or they walk away and they're like, it was such a good time to say that we've been waiting for a really good D joke for a while because it keeps coming up. He keeps. They keep mentioning it. So first of all, I said let that.

[Stephen Paul]

It's been better.

[Zach]

Delaney. Cut that.

[Alex]

Delaney.

[Zach]

Delaney. That's why they call her that.

[Sam Leach]

Oh my God. It's been in front of her eyes this whole time.

[Zach]

I really like the. What is it? We'll never. We'll never get this chance again. It's like we'll never have a SAP that's stupid again. Like, there is something of that that comes off in him saying. And him or her saying that. I also saw. We usually don't record a day after it comes out. So one of the good things is on Instagram they post the, like the inked versions, like the super high detail versions. And that middle panel all the way on the left on page seven, they show that, like, I guess Oda inked just the middle of it and not the outline of Emu. I just thought was also kind of interesting. I don't know when are we gonna see them unsilhouetted. But like, if you. If you go on the. I'll try and find the image to post, but you could tell like, the mark he like markered in just the, like the.

[Stephen Paul]

So it's like a photo of the physical page or something that he did.

[Zach]

Yeah. Let me. Let me try and find it.

[Ed]

The manuscript.

[Zach]

Yeah, it's of the manuscript, I think.

[Sam Leach]

Is it just like where he like puts in the X so that an assistant.

[Zach]

No, but it.

[Sam Leach]

Or because it's. It's left. Wait, I. I gotta see what you're talking about.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah. Before we start spitting out theories. But anyway, while that goes on. Also, Steven, I just had questions about the translation of. Of Dee's nuts of that Elbaf is D. Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

What do you suppose that. Yeah, yeah. What do you suppose that that means? Because he doesn't say like there is a D in Elbaf or something like that. Like he. He pretty much says it. And I, you know, I don't know. You could argue that maybe. Okay, if. If D is the mark of all of those who stood against, you know, Emu and the. The world government in the Void during the Void century, that maybe like D here is. Is like, you know, it is a. Like an. Use it in adjectival way. Like sort of like. Like Elbaf is rebel or something like that. You know, like, in that sense, I don't take it as like Elbaf is. Is the D. Like is canonically D. Like the only D thing comes from Elbaf. I don't read it that way.

[Alex]

Right.

[Stephen Paul]

Kind of. Yeah, but, but he, like, I think they, he could have written it in a certain way to make it sound like that. See, because he just says El Bafwa D day Aru, which, you know, I think is just like that. Literally the way that I wrote it, like Elbaf is D. There's, there's other ways that you could, you know, there's other ways that you could interpret D or, or apply it to, to other countries. But at least in terms of Elbaf, whatever D means.

[Ed]

Does Emu typically use that? Dearu?

[Stephen Paul]

Sort of. That's just, that's just, that's. That's. Yeah, that's just, that's just kind of like desi. It's basically, you know, the way to say it is De Amu. Yeah. No, no, no. Yeah. There's no, there's no like Emu jokey, you know, Emu speak involved with that.

[Ed]

It's just sort of a. It's kind of, it's a little archaic, I think from Degozaru.

[Stephen Paul]

A little bit. Yeah. It's.

[Sam Leach]

Maybe that's what D stands for.

[Zach]

Then.

[Alex]

Everybody in Wano is a D. Yeah.

[Zach]

So Elbaf and Wano.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, maybe Elbaf being D is. It's like, you know, was, was part of Joy Boy's territory or.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

Alliance.

[Stephen Paul]

Kind of what I expect, perhaps.

[Zach]

Yeah, it's definitely an interesting way to phrase that.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, I should point out too, like, I don't necessarily want to steal any of Greg's thunder and since we have a break next week, I'll probably end up doing an sgs if I had to guess. I haven't checked with Greg yet, but he's been posting a lot lately about theory related stuff and he does post a good reminder, which is like, it's hard to tell how much of this Oda is being consistent with or if it's he. Or if he just kind of was writing this as he went along. But if you go back to like Little Garden and stuff, they, they straight out say that like Elbaf is also the name of our God. It's like the name of the, the, the combat God. And he's never really gone back to that or like explained or, or made that explicit. So it's possible that like he's doing something there, but it's hard to say. Yeah, because you know, he's, he, he has like Warland is the name of the kingdom, but Elbaf is the name of the island. So I think he's done a lot. Oda has done a lot of very strange things with the name Elbaf, where he's used it to apply to several different things. And again, I'm not sure 100% if that's just him being inconsistent or if he has a plan for it, but it's curious.

[Sam Leach]

And has. Has Oda provided his romanization? Is. Is it the. With the ph.

[Zach]

Is that like the official or is that.

[Sam Leach]

Or is that that.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, well, that. That was. He. He didn't have one specifically. Like, like, he had.

[Sam Leach]

This is what we've been rolling with. Well, he.

[Zach]

He.

[Stephen Paul]

He basically at. They, like, the production group reached out to ask, like, hey, what's the spelling of Elbaf? And so that's why. Yeah, and that's. That's why the. Is consistent through the.

[Alex]

Yeah, the. The Elbaf is fable backwards thing, I think, is just a fan thing that kind of gained momentum over the last couple of years.

[Zach]

I still like it.

[Alex]

That was.

[Zach]

I still do, personally.

[Sam Leach]

I do too.

[Zach]

I mean, I. Even if it doesn't have, like, a meaning to it, it is a fun little, like, thing. It's kind of fun.

[Alex]

But then when you think about it, there's literally everything else in one piece is much more wacky and dreamlike and fable like than Elbaf at this point.

[Zach]

So with the Elbaf thing, though, it's very interesting because I know one of the things that are. That has kind of been left on the table, and we're kind of reminded about it, I think, on the next page. We haven't seen the astral level of. And I'm gonna keep mentioning this because I have to contractually, but we haven't seen the top level of Elbaf. And that, like, feels like, first of all, why is the king never there? Why is the king not on the top level? What's going on up there? Yeah. Is it. Or did we have, like, a, like a Zeus thing going on, you know, above.

[Stephen Paul]

They haven't invented, like, oxygen machines yet.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Or that he needs a cpap.

[Zach]

But, like, if Elbaf is a. Is a person that exists. Dude, is Yarrow. Like, I know he's the elder, but he's the oldest.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, it's.

[Zach]

They've confirmed that he is the oldest giant. Like, it said that living. My theory. Yeah, there goes my theory.

[Ed]

Then I was thinking, there is Yoro, but he's dead.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. Oda could always, like, show another guy, be, like, the real Oldest man in the world, you know, he.

[Zach]

Yeah, do whatever. Well, it could also be like the ancient giants still live atop the very, you know, above that astral plane. And they, you know, remain alive much longer. Who knows? Anyway, those are just theories, Alex. Go ahead.

[Alex]

Okay, so back to. Back to our castle in the present day. Somebody says, oh, no, I think it's Yarrow is as Loki. This news will lead to great unrest.

[Stephen Paul]

Sorry, sorry, Alex. This is still in the aftermath of the throne room stuff.

[Alex]

Oh, yeah, yes, it is. It is not in the present day yet. Never mind. Whoops, whoops, sorry. Jumped the gun there. Yeah. Jarl is saying that this news will lead to great unrest in the kingdom. And Loki just says, I'm going out to see gramps. I'll take all the surviving guards with me. And Yaro asks him what of Harold's wishes. And you see this? A flash, a little tiny flash of Harold saying, tell the people of elf exactly what happened here. And Loki said, you know, I can't tell them. Listen closely. Don't speak a word of what happened here to anyone. And of course y says, do you understand who they'll blame for it? And Loki says, oh, come on, it's me. How is that any different than usual? You think of. Do you really see a future where I become king and carry on my old man's ideals? But there are other ways that I can live up to him. I'll take some of the powers I have and go avenge my dad and his soldiers. So as we've suspected for quite a while, Loki is, you know, taking the heat being a martyr here, which is, you know, very smart on his part. He's a sin eater a little bit.

[Zach]

I do like the. Do you see me carrying on the future of being a puppet to the world government that Harold has instilled upon us all? I mean, I get it, but that definitely blows my mind.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, I mean, he's talking about like, you know, the idealistically. Right, right. The legacy of peace and like education and all those things. And he's like, yeah, is that me? Like, do you really see me doing that?

[Zach]

When I walked in here today, I was complaining about that crap.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Ed]

Loki stands for self determination and violence.

[Stephen Paul]

Pretty much. Pretty much, yeah.

[Zach]

That's the Loki way and other things. Yeah.

[Ed]

Harold is more for peace and integration with the world.

[Zach]

Yeah. So we go back to Jarl here as we start to exit the flashback. This is since June of 2025.

[Alex]

Thank God. Thank God. Sorry, I'm just like, I'm not done.

[Zach]

Yet there's still more. A little bit Jarl says. Now you're talking nonsense, Loki. The world government's a colossal organization. It's a task for beyond anything you could imagine.

[Ed]

I like him sort of sauntering off with the hammer over his shoulder.

[Zach]

Like it's kind of like a bindle. I'm gonna take your hammer and go home. Is like a bindle. That's. We got Gabon and Shanks just given a look here. Like they know. They know something specifically. I assume that Jarl is correct, that that's gonna be a really hard left for. For Loki. Even for. Even for Loki. Meanwhile, random people say, a disaster, terrible misfortune. Orvis Castle's been attacked. Your majesty. Oh, no. I mean half of your majesty. Where did the rest go? And we cut to the present day now. Alex, please. Oh, yeah.

[Alex]

Thank God.

[Zach]

Were you holding your breath for seven months?

[Alex]

Yes. Yes, I was.

[Zach]

Or you were holding that angle that.

[Stephen Paul]

It looks like they took down the gates or the ramparts or whatever leading up to it.

[Zach]

Yeah. That's interesting.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Weird. That's weird. So, yeah, we zoom back in. I do like this kind of almost cinematic thing. Like we zoom all the way back out and then back in again to the underworld. In the present day, Loki finishes his three minute speech. I'm sure that by the time you returned home, hired in, I had fully been transformed into Loki the father slayer.

[Ed]

Or no, it's like. So I sailed right off the island. That's how he starts.

[Zach]

All right, I. Sorry, I did miss that. And I thought it was a very funny thing because I'm like, oh, wait, we're not in the flashback anymore. And this is the part I kind of wanted to see is him around the world, getting in, trying to get engaged to Lola. But I guess that's for another flashback of 14 chapters.

[Ed]

Loki, like Russell Crowe fighting around the world.

[Zach]

Yeah, you're right. That. That is. Yeah, that is how that would work. I certainly did enough to convince them I was capable of it. However, I'm not so far gone that I'd celebrate killing my own dad. I just didn't want everything he did to be undone because of what happened in the end. Or do you still think I should have told the country everything?

[Ed]

And we can hear the dangling of his chains, the clank of the chains as he.

[Zach]

Yeah, I thought they undid the chains. That's the thing. But. Well, no, now he has three back on at least. Yeah. Okay. So, yeah, okay. Hirudin is looking pensive. And Gabon is like, it's all true, Hiredin. I could have told you earlier. I didn't. And I don't know who this character is in the middle here. I don't recognize him from anything. Anyone know this character? Okay, well, whatever. We'll figure it out.

[Sam Leach]

He's got that, that one scar.

[Zach]

Was it on the other side of his face, I thought.

[Sam Leach]

No, because everything's always on the left anyway.

[Zach]

That's true. Anyway, do you get it?

[Alex]

That's the man with the burn scar.

[Zach]

Oh, that's the man. That must be him. Do you get it now? I didn't want to have to dredge this all back up, especially in 17 chapters or whatever it ended up being. I should probably do that math. I do want to preface, as we go into the next page, Sam, that don't forget, when all this is said, Loki did murder his dad. It was done in, you know, for good reason, but he did anyway. Sam, go ahead.

[Stephen Paul]

All right.

[Sam Leach]

And we turn the page and Haruden is saying to Loki, I now understand why Chief Yarrow argued for your clemency and continue to protect you. In short, father chose death over the manipulations of the world government.

[Ed]

Who can blame?

[Sam Leach]

And ever since then, the government has been Elbaf's enemy. How did they manipulate him like that? And then Gabon is sitting up in his, I was gonna call it a bed, but he's like using a log as a pillow.

[Zach]

You know, I remember in May we made some really good jokes about how shitty that is. That he was like mortally wounded and they threw him on a bunch of logs. I do remember discussing that.

[Sam Leach]

And Gabon says, as a matter of fact, these newly arrived holy knights of God played a pivotal role in Harald's story. But Loki still doesn't exactly know what happened to Harald in the Holy Land. If you need more details, I can explain.

[Alex]

We've already, we've already seen all that, though.

[Ed]

Let's not go to the Holy Land. It is a silly place.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, we're getting this split screen of Haradin and his crew. Haradin is saying, that won't be necessary for now, Mr. Yaw. I don't need a reason to protect my homeland. And we've got.

[Zach]

We don't have time for another flashback.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, I don't need a flashback to know what happened.

[Ed]

This is the most Gerd, Rodo, Stanson and Goldberg. Yes, the goalie.

[Stephen Paul]

Those are the other ones.

[Zach]

Yeah. You're a good job, Ed. I, I know, I, I. This is such a fourth wall thing, like we think we talked about during COVID How? Like, we have to put off the celebration thing in Onigashima was like kind of a fourth wall thing. This really feels like. This is like Oda like. I know you want to hear this, but we don't have time for that right now. We have to get to the story.

[Ed]

Oh, even we get to see Sanji and Zoro in present day as well, briefly.

[Zach]

Yeah, Those stupid goggles.

[Ed]

Yeah, they're just there. Listen.

[Sam Leach]

They've grown up so much. They've grown up so much since we last saw him.

[Ed]

Sanji. Smoking a cigarette as usual.

[Alex]

I think the goggles are cool. You guys are dumb.

[Zach]

That's just me. I'm just dumb. I'm the only one who thinks that.

[Ed]

Zoro is a big Jordan Forge fan.

[Zach]

Okay. Thank you, Steven. Go ahead, Sam.

[Sam Leach]

And the handcuffs are clanging to the ground. Loki is officially free. Harudin says if we see eye to eye about anything, Loki, it's love for our father. Allow me to apologize for that, if nothing else. Now fight with me for Elbaf's sake. He's like, you know, reaching out the hand. Well, Loki's looking. He doesn't really have eyes to look, but he's looking at his own hand, you know, trying to.

[Ed]

There is blood.

[Sam Leach]

How he feels. Trying to decide how he feels about. About this union and. But Luffy's excited. His arms are up. He's saying, yeah, way to go, Loki. You can fight now. And then we just hear a yoo. And then they like are like, huh? What's that? And then a big kaboom off in the distance in the mountains. Just blown up chunks and rubble from what looks like a lightning strike or something.

[Stephen Paul]

I like that. He did draw like the feet with the boots just sticking up in the background.

[Sam Leach]

Oh yeah, it's like a.

[Alex]

It's like a meme, right? Like an Evangelion. That happens.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, yeah.

[Zach]

Kind of is.

[Alex]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Leach]

I was like visually reading them as like Onigashima horns or something. Or like. Yeah, like, I thought it was like the horn. The helmet's horns.

[Zach]

Alex.

[Alex]

So we find out that the thing that fell is, you know, one of them. Creep dids. Creep Diz. Is that what you're calling it?

[Stephen Paul]

Creep Tits is really good though.

[Alex]

Ah, it was close.

[Zach]

They're sleep tid creeped heads, you know.

[Alex]

Sleepdids creepdids. Dippity doo.

[Zach]

So that's the episode title. Sleep Tits.

[Stephen Paul]

Creepypids. Do you think?

[Zach]

Dippity doo.

[Stephen Paul]

Do you think Live Action Robin will call Cryptids Creeped Creeped.

[Alex]

Maybe. Bleh. So we can actually see the real scale of this thing. I don't really. I didn't remember or maybe pay attention to how big these things actually were. But yeah, even Loki looks tiny compared to. Compared to this thing. It's the giant skeleton thing, the draugr. Right. So it lets out a big yo. And somebody goes, that's it. That's what's raging above. And Chopper mentions there's a whole bunch of them. Must have been. Must have been. What's his nuts? Gabon?

[Zach]

These nuts.

[Alex]

Sorry. Ds nuts. And higher Edin clocks it. Immediately he goes, where did it come from? Is that a draugr? But those aren't real. And Loki flashes a grin and says, sounds like the perfect warm up. You go on ahead. I can fly up. Luffy goes, oh, what is that thing? So Iridin joins the rest of his crew getting lifted up on that. On their little. On their little boat. He says, what's going on up there?

[Ed]

That was your Maryland coming out, Alex. You said bout.

[Alex]

Oh yeah, yeah, it'll come out every now and again. Yeah. Goldberg says, make it snappy. Harridan. Hey, Loki says, stanson, we used to think you're a real bastard who killed his own father. Sorry about that. They all say. And then there's a little asterisk and they're like, oh, but only for this one thing. All your many other crimes still count. Very, very good.

[Zach]

Also, he did kill his father, so.

[Alex]

He did. Yeah, but he wasn't a bastard.

[Stephen Paul]

I mean, he wasn't a bastard.

[Alex]

Yeah, he was a bastard.

[Zach]

Well, no, I had tyrant, I think, bastards or whatever. Or they never got married, I guess, either of them. So.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, yeah, no, he got. He got married to. What's her name?

[Zach]

Astrid. He got married.

[Alex]

Yeah, they did get married, didn't they? Anyway, Loki. Loki has no patience for this. He goes, shut up and go, no one asked you to say all of this. And Loki is.

[Ed]

No, someone should be saying that to Loki. Honestly.

[Alex]

Yeah, no one asked you to say all this. Well, he didn't say all of this. The narrator said the rest of it. That's the thing. Yeah, the narrator said the stuff that Gabon would have said. God, that's a. That's that's confusing. Anyway, Loki is now unshackled completely. And he goes, this is amazing. I can move again. I'm free. And Luffy is very tickled about this and gives a little. Hehe.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. You know that Loki's a real monster. If he can get up from being chained after. Was it six years and like, he's like, hell yeah, I'm gonna jump around it. Like, instead of just screaming in agony at his muscles finally moving again.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Zach]

But by the way, is Luffy making the same pose? Is that like a. Or is that a Nico pose looking kind of thing?

[Sam Leach]

He's just.

[Stephen Paul]

He's just running up.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Oh, okay. Oh, oh, I see what's happening. He's running.

[Ed]

Running Loki's leg.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah. I thought he was, like, copying him, which is cute, especially when you're that tiny.

[Ed]

But he's taking the femur highway.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, he's running up much like a squirrel would.

[Zach]

Oh, why? Why? Got past this.

[Stephen Paul]

The draugr on the last set of pages here on the draugr screams in the background. And Chopper is looking quite intimidated by it all. And Gabon notices him and he's like, hey, ship doctor, I appreciate your help here, but I'm concerned about my son. As Chopper is. He's now escalated to doing the. The screen like the. The eyes bulging out and the waggly tongue scream. And then he's like, oh, oh, right, sure. And so, you know, cut, cut, you know, smash cut to like 30 seconds later or whatever it is. And so now Sanji is doing his. His skywalk thing with. With Caban. Chopper is urging him to be nice and gentle, and Sanji's like, yeah, yeah, I know. Weren't you going to stay here? So I think Chopper is just taking this opportunity to escape the.

[Ed]

The scary hitching a ride there. I also like Chopper's reaction, like, oh, right, sure. Your son with tears in his eyes.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, yeah. Chopper's very quick. The children change of gears, for sure.

[Zach]

I. I thought the tears in the eye. Oh, I guess I thought it was like, related to the story, like what we had just heard from Loki.

[Stephen Paul]

No, no, it's because. It's because he's at the. At the dragger. Because, you know, they haven't. They have. They haven't seen Loki do his thing yet. So Chopper doesn't realize.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

So Loki looks down. Luffy is now perched on his shoulder, and he's like, what are you doing up here? And Luffy laughs and says, I want to see how you fight. And so Loki leaps into the air. He's. He's doing the big baseball swing with his hammer. He says, all right, then, show off your power, Ragnar. And Ragnar, you know, not. Not in squirrel form, in hammer form, does its little. Little trilling sound. And then we get a quick succession of panels here where he's kind of he's kind of rushing up on the Draugr. And then the. The hammer once again, like as we saw the last time, it kind of. It's kind of doing this little sh. Sound. Whatever. Whatever power it has, it is summoning. And then, much as we saw at the. The climactic moment of in the throne room, you know, Loki has this really cool follow through with the hammer as he. The what?

[Ed]

El Cabong. Quick drop.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, oh. El Kabong. Okay, I got you. I got you. Yes. But this time there is a big crack sound effect and it appears as though it has instantly covered the Draugr in ice as Loki shouts Nippelheim. And Luffy is shocked at seeing what he does. And then, you know, we see a close up on the. The dragger seemingly frozen under the ice. And Luffy's like, what? Shocked by the effect of Ragginer and.

[Zach]

Equally shocked that the manga is off next week.

[Sam Leach]

I'm surprised because I thought Nibelheim burned down.

[Stephen Paul]

Haha. Yeah, I guess let's. Okay, so let's talk about this. Because you said there was. Let's cut off all the questions that.

[Zach]

We got a bunch, I think, of this.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, yeah. So. So this is so the. The kanji for the. For the attack that Loki does here is. What is it? It's like. It's kind of like first world or the original world or the primordial world, which is kind of. Which is a, you know, reference to the old Norse realm of Niflheim or Niflheim, which is kind of like. I think it's. I think it's translated as like a world of mist or something like that.

[Ed]

Kind of like wind and ghosts.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, a little bit like that. It's. It's. You know, it's. It's kind of like the. The place from which everything else came originally. It's their version of the. You know, the. Before the. Before there was the. The world, there was the light or whatever, there was nothing. That's kind of what Niflheim is and it. In Norse. I guess the romanization of the Norse would be like N I F L H E I M. And just to. Just to preface this, like, I. You know, I'm. I'm of the opinion all the stuff that I'm talking about, this is all just like different romanizations of the same general concept. So like we're all just kind of splitting hairs on this. But just to explain how I ended up with this particular spelling the. Like the katakana, the way that you would normally write Niflheim or Niflheim is. Is like Nifudu heimu or Nivuru heimu. So he like you would use a F sound or a V the sound. And at least according to you know, like, like Wikipedia for example, the Japanese page for, for Wikipedia for, for a nif line, but Oda spelled it with a B, so. Nib. Nibudu haim. Nibudu haim. And that is like, you know, it could be, it could be just like that's another version that, that someone has at some point used in a reference book to. To spell Niflheim in Japanese. Or it could be that, that he was looking at at other stuff. You know, who knows where Oda got his, his spelling for it, but it does. It is also the exact same. You know, Sam was making a joke about Nibbleheim. The, the way that I spelled it here is also the name of a town in Final Fantasy vii, which is. Is pretty memorable. There's a very pivotal scene that happens there. It is the same katakana for that town as the one that Oda used in this. And I think also like, if you. Again, if you look on the, the. The Japanese Wikipedia page, it also says.

[Ed]

Maybe it's one of those things from like foreign mythology or foreign culture that has sort of lodged in the Japanese sort of collective consciousness and gets reappears occasionally in various things.

[Stephen Paul]

Right? I mean, like, look, like all you have to do is just get a book of like Norse mythology and flip through it and you, you're gonna see a bunch of weird like cool sounding, you know, there's a lot of, there's a lot of imagery and kind of kind of, you know, metal RPG type stuff that, that shows up in there. So obviously, you know, people like to draw from that when they're making their, you know, fantasy references and things like that. So basically, you know, there's a, there's a bunch of different ways that you can spell it and, and you know, depend also depending on like which other European culture you're. It's being the lens that it's coming through, like if it's the English version or, or an Anglo Anglo Saxon version or if it's a Germanic version or you know, various different forms of that, you know, the name of this thing from. From Norse mythology. So basically at the, in the end I was like, I'll just go with the spelling that is like the closest to the one that Oda used in Katakana. And so that's why I ended up with the Nibelheim.

[Zach]

For.

[Stephen Paul]

For the spelling here.

[Zach]

I don't know.

[Sam Leach]

I may. I made my crack. I thought. I didn't know that there was going to be. There was like a dispute over like how it should be spelled. Okay.

[Zach]

Sam, this is from Final Fantasy 7.

[Alex]

7.

[Zach]

So no, I. I had the urge to look through oda's. The deep thoughts that. That Greg compiled way back in the day to see what Final Fantasy references might. Because I'm like.

[Ed]

He did.

[Sam Leach]

He did mention.

[Zach]

He did.

[Sam Leach]

Yes.

[Zach]

I was going to read one, but go ahead.

[Sam Leach]

I know one of. There was an author comment like back in like 90.

[Zach]

99.

[Sam Leach]

99.

[Zach]

Wow. You're. You're good. So.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, because you know which one it's about. Zach.

[Zach]

Eight.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Final Fantasy is getting in the way of my work. He said on April 12, 1999, we can't have that. Thus I developed a breakthrough plan to deal with the issue. I'm going to do my very best to beat the entire game. Yeah, that's the ticket. Yeah. I mean but I know it's for eight. But to be fair, he also comments of Final Fantasy 9 in 2000. He talks about. He talks about Final Fantasy advent children in 2005, which he really enjoyed. Yeah, that's the one. And I know our friends at Quest for the Best recently reviewed that if you want like a modern take on that, It's. It's interesting. He has mentioned Final Fantasy multiple times, so I would not be surprised if it was a callback, maybe even specifically to that. He's a gamer. We know that. Especially if there was.

[Sam Leach]

There was a really funny example. This is probably months ago now, but there was one chapter during God Valley where Figarland Garling's name like in the. In the raw Japanese was. Was misspelled as Garland. Which is like the first. First boss of the. Of the.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh yeah, that's right. Yeah. That is Final Fantasy Boss. Yeah.

[Zach]

I mean it's pretty clear he is a fan of final. Of the Final Fantasy series and seven. Isn't that like the. One of the most highly regarded of the series? Yeah, that's like.

[Sam Leach]

That's like the most famous one.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Well, and they're in there and they've been putting out these. Re remake, you know.

[Zach]

Right. That I actually didn't know.

[Ed]

Our friend Maddie has been posting on Blue Sky a lot of Final Fantasy 7 Remake comics lately.

[Stephen Paul]

Right.

[Zach]

And I know Brodsky, I think exclusively plays Final Fantasy 14. And Jill.

[Alex]

So does Jill. And Greg.

[Zach]

And Greg. Yeah.

[Alex]

So we have a contingent. There's a giant Final Fantasy 14 contingent in the podcast.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

I will also point out that, like, I don't tend to get too precious about like, I guess like sort of localized variant spellings of the same name about stuff when, when, when looking at like, references to things I remember. I don't know if I've told this. I think I may have told this anecdote once before on the podcast, but this is kind of like my go to like reminder whenever I start getting a little too deep into this stuff is way back when, during the water 7 arc in the manga. Back then, like, the only place to. To really talk about one piece regularly was the, the Arlong park forums. And I remember at the time, you know, I was super involved with like doing text translations and stuff. And I think that may have even been like, back before there were regular leaks where people were just taking the, the jumps off the truck. So it could have been true that like my. At that time that my translations were like the first thing that ever popped up online on a weekly basis. And so there was this big debate in Water seven of like, what is. You know, when they, when they talk about this place, Ennis Lobby. We hadn't seen it yet. We didn't know what it was, but it, it kept coming up in the dialogue in. When they're in water 7. And so there was this debate of like, what could this mean? Like, what is it referring to? What, what is the reference that Oda is drawing from? And you know, there's the, there's the thing, the, the Ennead from, you know, the old, like, like, like the Iliad and the, there's the Anad, which is another like, epic work or something like that. Anyways, like, I remember getting Saga, Greek saga. Yeah, I remember getting into this, this big argument with a guy who was like insisting he was getting very pedantic about it of like, oh, if you're going to spell it anyway, like, it should be like, it needs to be like A E N E, A D because. Because that's like the Roman spelling of it. And if you look at the construction in Water seven, it's clearly modeled to be more like Venice and therefore, like, it should be the Italian like the Roman version of this name and all this. And trying to get like super specific and into the weeds about this stuff.

[Ed]

Sounds like that annoying French guy, he used to post on the EP forums.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, well, you'll have to be more specific. But like they, and then, and then we get to Ennis lobby and it's like, no, it's E, N, I, E, S, which no one had ever expected or no one had ever been spelling it that way. Like it was just a complete. Like, oh, Oda just did whatever he wanted with this. And that's, that's kind of like my go to for like, anytime you start getting too specific about why did you spell it with this way? Why didn't you spell it this other way? I always, I always look at it as like, man, you never know what, what Oda is going to do with it. And so, so I, I tend not to be. That's why I don't get too precious.

[Zach]

About was there ever an explanation for the name Tell versus a good of anus? Now I'm like, I don.

[Stephen Paul]

I don't think he ever had any.

[Ed]

Comment about we don't know.

[Stephen Paul]

Right.

[Alex]

I think the. This reminds me a lot of Shabandi. Right? How. Yeah, the, like, the Portuguese spelling is. No, it's Shabandi is. Is how it's spelled the proper, like, Portuguese way. But it's pronounced Shaban D. Right, Right.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. Well, and that's because that, that is how the Portuguese A B, A, O is Shabong.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Portuguese.

[Zach]

Yeah. No, I know, I know we here pronounce it like that, but although I pronounce everything wrong all the time. But I think the funimation slash country rolls up. They do sabaody, right? Or am I wrong about that?

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, they pronounce it as if it was a Japanese word almost.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Alex]

They say.

[Stephen Paul]

Interesting.

[Alex]

They say Shabani, don't they?

[Zach]

In.

[Sam Leach]

In the dub, they say sabaody.

[Zach]

They'd say.

[Alex]

Oh, really?

[Zach]

Yeah. No. Oh, my God. But I, I don't think we should be so precious about these sorts of things for. Exactly.

[Alex]

Precious. I'm being.

[Zach]

Yes, you are. Okay. But I mean, the guy who is bothering Steven is technically correct, too.

[Alex]

Yeah. But you still pronounce it any. You don't pronounce it, ain't it?

[Zach]

Yeah, but you don't, like, spell it at the, like that. I mean, like, maybe he was. It's the overthinking things. It's like sometimes Oda just finds a couple of letters and thinks it's cool.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Mar. Mary Joy is another really great example of this.

[Zach]

Oh, Mary Jersey.

[Alex]

Tremendous.

[Zach]

Mary. Mary Jersey.

[Alex]

Jesus. Mary. I mean, I get like Mary Jo, like bourgeois. Like, it's. That makes sense to me, but it's these, you know.

[Sam Leach]

Is that what it is?

[Alex]

Yes.

[Zach]

Yes, Sam. Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

I mean, that was about rocks or something.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. In short, I, I so like you know how when you go to, like, a wiki page for a character, and it's like, this character's name is based off of this thing, and. And it's not actually spelled the same way as. I think I'm the kind of person that's like, oh, that's cool. That's fine. Like, I'm totally cool with that.

[Zach]

Yes.

[Stephen Paul]

As long as you can still see where the reference came from and you can still trade that as, like, a fun little fact. Like, I don't really necessarily care what the actual spelling is.

[Sam Leach]

Like, yeah, like. Like, Legoshi is almost Bela Lugosi.

[Stephen Paul]

Right. Bulma should be Bloomers because it's named after underwear, but. But we call her Bulma instead, you know?

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm. I mean, I'm sure there's something in the past 17 years of podcasting to contradict what I'm about.

[Sam Leach]

We said.

[Stephen Paul]

We said the exact opposite.

[Zach]

Yeah, I'm sure we said the exact opposite at some point, but I am generally today of the opinion that there isn't always a good reason or a correct reason for the way something might be spelled, especially since there's a ton of, like. I mean, I think of tite. Kubo is like the exemplar of the. I'm gonna just use Spanish and English words in ways that make no fucking sense just because I like the way it looks and sounds or whatever. And I think Oda. And I'm gonna say most writers who are writing something about a foreign thing that they are not personally, you know, aware of or knowledgeable about, they're gonna take some creative liberties and make it their own kind of thing. And you might never really know the true etymology because there might never be a true etymology to it all. That said.

[Stephen Paul]

That was all. Yeah, I mean, that. That was an interesting, like, opening to it, to this discussion. Like, I really don't have that strong of an opinion about Nibelheim. I'm not. I hope that didn't come across as, like, defensive or something like that. I just kind of. No, there was an interesting way to talk about a tricky topic that, you know, comes up a lot in.

[Zach]

In localization, since we're talking about Nibelheim, to slightly talk about more the. What we're talking about here. Yeah. So with Ragnar, last time, we were talking about how. I know, Greg, I. It was the episode I was supposed to be on, but I got sick that there was supposed to be. Oh, I'm sorry. Whether or not it was electricity and that the sound effects The Barabara wasn't quite there, and here we're getting ice. So, like, what is happening with Ragnar? What. What does it do? Do any of you guys have thoughts on that?

[Stephen Paul]

I did. I did. Okay, so I will just say I did find it very ironic that it was, like, Ragnar, and then there's, like, no answers as to what the fuck Ragnar is doing.

[Zach]

Yeah. Yes, true.

[Alex]

I mean, it's.

[Zach]

It's.

[Alex]

I think it's. I think it's funny that the. The hammer is called Ragnar and rocks as a character. Ragnar. Ragnaroks. Oh, I don't think. I don't think. I think that might just be happy coincidence, but. Yeah, but I. But I. Yeah, so I guess it's always been ice. Or was it thunder? Because I think I thought that he summoned thunder or whatever. When. When. When he got one leg unshackled. Right. And he hit the tree.

[Zach]

He did.

[Ed]

It was definitely.

[Zach]

It was definitely lightning. I'm almost like.

[Alex]

Yeah, so it's like he can do lightning eyes, I think. Like, maybe. I wonder if he has all the powers of all the different Norse worlds or whatever. Like, it's. It's. It's such a. Like, I bet it's a really loaded. I bet it's a really loaded fruit. Like, whatever it is.

[Zach]

There's two. There's two involved, potentially.

[Alex]

Oh, yeah.

[Zach]

Well, I mean, and there's him.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

And there's Loki.

[Alex]

I think Loki is now Nidhogg at this point because he said, I can fly up and.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, yeah. I forgot.

[Zach]

Completely forgot to mention that.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. I should. I should point out, too, since I think there may have been some debate about that, too. So he says fly. So the word. The. The verb tobu in Japanese.

[Alex]

Oh, yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Can be. It can mean fly, and it can mean jump as well, which is very confusing. I know.

[Sam Leach]

Like how. Like how Superman used to only jump.

[Alex]

Yes.

[Stephen Paul]

And there's so. So he used, like, the kind of the generic fly kanji, which I think you could use to. To refer to either flying or jumping. There is another kanji that specifically means jump. So when you. You. When they say tobu and they. And they use that kanji, you know, it means jumping. Like, it literally has the. It inside the kanji. It has the kanji for. For leg or foot in it. So it's very easy to tell that, like, oh, this is like the jumping jump. But he didn't use that one. He used the kind of. The. The more. I don't know, just kind of boilerplate like regular fly, fly slash jump kanji. And so I. I went with fly just because like, even if it does literally turn out to be jumping, like if he's talking about getting all the way up the tree, he might as well be flying. Like he might as well look like he's gonna fly if he can jump that far. So that's kind of why.

[Zach]

You can't say like I'm, you know, look at. Look. Yeah, I feel like you could use fly.

[Stephen Paul]

And like when Gandalf said fly you fools, was he talking literally?

[Zach]

But you could use it hyperbolically. I feel like, like when you're like, look at him fly. Like as in jump really high.

[Stephen Paul]

Right?

[Zach]

Yeah. I'm being pedantic. Let's go around the room and talk about the chapter. Alex, thoughts?

[Alex]

Yeah, I. For one, I'm glad that the flashback's finally over. Let's see. Starting from the back and working my way to the front. Yeah. Boy, I love Loki. He's really cool. I can't wait to see him fight. I can't wait to see Luffy eventually get into his height and then they can tag team, do fun combo moves and stuff. I'm getting ahead of myself here because of all the delicious possibilities that. That we may see. But yeah, this. This Loki doing a freezy move on. On the Draugr is kind of interesting. Yeah. Looking forward to seeing what comes next, flashback wise. I. I think this was a fine little wrap up. This bit with Emu is quite interesting. We get to see that Imu actually does have like limits to his power. His or her. Their power, I guess. Like saying that what the. That like this. That the. The Covenant inflicts. Yeah. It takes a toll on Emu as well. And oh yeah, the Huff Huff. Very fun that we kind of get to see like this. This seemingly unflappable force of evil actually be flappable to a degree. Yeah. Oh yeah. Shanks, grabbing. Grabbing his tattoo in pain. I can't tell if that was a. If that's just like a. A reflex of him just hating where he came from or like it burns for one particular reason or the other. But either way, yeah. Great chapter.

[Zach]

Let's.

[Alex]

Let's. Let's keep it coming. I'm excited to get back into the swing of things.

[Zach]

Sam.

[Sam Leach]

I like the chapter. Although the stuff I like the most about it is the stuff that I think is just already very familiar in one piece. Just like the honorably letting your reputation go, telling the group like, oh, don't tell anybody what happened. Here it's kind of like Usopp at the end of the village or like we were talking about Khadiguri or.

[Zach]

Nothing happened.

[Sam Leach]

The literal nothing happened. Just like this whole. There's a lot of drama in one piece of where a guy is allowing himself to look like a more evil person than he actually is. And it's like secretly this burden he's carrying all these years. So I'm hoping that those plot lines can go. There can be some fun twists on those. Otherwise, yeah, I mean, it definitely feels like there's like. Like he knows that there's. The flashbacks been going on too long, and, like, there's some stuff he's just gonna, like, save for later. But, yeah, we'll see.

[Zach]

We'll see. You mean Loki or Oda?

[Sam Leach]

Oda.

[Zach]

Yeah. No, I know.

[Sam Leach]

Oda's like, okay, for now, we'll just like, wrap this up and then we'll, like, fill in the details and, you know, when it's. When it's appropriate.

[Zach]

Steven, thoughts?

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, I've been. Just to continue on the Loki thought. I was. In the past week or two, I was kind of doing all of the. The SBS and the revision stuff on Volume 113, which, you know, towards the end of that volume is where the flashback starts. And so I was just, you know, recently rereading, you know, all the stuff about the birth of Loki and his childhood and a lot of the scenes there. And, you know, he. Obviously, he. He. He disappears from the. From the flashback when it's time for rocks and God Valley and. And all of that stuff. And so it's easy to forget. But when you go, like, right, you know, from one to the other, I think you really see it is a very rich portrait, you know, a bit piece of characterization that Oda has been doing with Loki where, you know, even as a child, you know, the. The combination of so many factors, like the. You know, like the very first thing that he says about him is, you know, there's no creature more. More worthy of pity and more forsaken, though, than the one who's forsaken by his own mother in the. The moment of his birth when she sees his eyes. And the fact that, you know, he. He's like, constantly searching for tenderness that is never given to him. And so he only learns, like, to lash out. And then you see him, like, you know, when he's like, he. He beats up higher in. To try to, like, make himself feel better. And then he sees Hain getting all of this sympathy and. And everyone Giving him these dirty looks like, like, oh, you're so messed up. And then, and then we see, you know, and then like the next scene was when he throws himself off the tree again, trying to, you know, to commit suicide. And so I think that like, that. That picture of Loki fits so well into his reaction at the end of. Of this too that, you know, as Sam said, the, the taking on the burden and, you know, not being able to like, understanding how he looks to. To other people and kind of not being able to. To be comfortable in his own skin with what he's done and stuff. Like, it's just it there, there's so many layers of that. That onion that are going on with him. And I think it's, it's really interesting. I really am very excited to see where this, the rest of this arc will. Will take him. I do think it's kind of funny when Shake. I know it's supposed to be a serious moment and you know, considering some of the goofier like conspiracy theories about like actually evil Shanks, you know, it's. It's very important that we see Shanks really regretting all, you know, his, his true. His quote unquote, true background and stuff like that. But I do think it is funny the way that he like squeezes his arm because it is a very like, like a Chunibyo, like kind of like, you know, 13 year old with delusions of grandeur sort of thing of like, oh, my arm, my cursed arm. Oh, it's taking over me. Like sort of thing where the way he grabs it, like he's like, he's, he's Ashitaka. Yeah, yeah, yeah, like, like that. But, but more of like the, you know, the, the eighth grade. The chunibo is like eighth grade.

[Sam Leach]

The eighth grader who saw Princess Mononoke.

[Stephen Paul]

Yes, yes, exactly.

[Zach]

To be fair, Oda, I think, always has the playground in mind as to like.

[Sam Leach]

Right.

[Zach]

You know, so like that would not surprise me if like literally he was thinking that it's like, oh, this will be a great one to act out and if at recess. Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Obviously we didn't get all of Loki's story. Like, you know, we were joking about the. Or talking about the, the Lola stuff. Doesn't. Doesn't appear here. And it would be, I think one definitely. If we already didn't have one diversion too many, that definitely would have been true to get that on top of everything else. But it's an interesting thing to keep in mind for, for the, the future.

[Zach]

But yeah, SPS is where that's going to probably come into play.

[Stephen Paul]

You might be right. Yeah, you might be. Unfortunately, I would. I would really like to see that, but.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, I don't think. I don't know if he. If Oda would be interested in paying that off until. Or unless he actually does the, like, Big mom and maybe Kaido, you know, pulling themselves up out of the volcano or whatever at the end of when. When Wano's walls come down or something. But, yeah, we'll see about that. Right now it just feels like, okay, now the only real mystery or the thing to be answered at this point right in front of us is the question of, like, okay, what are these two? What are the powers of the Fruit of the Hammer and what are the powers of Loki? And how are. How are they going to. To work together? But. Seems very cool. I'm very excited to see what happens next.

[Zach]

Yeah, I'll try and keep it short. It was a really good chapter. It. It did. It did the impossible. I think Oda does do a really good job that at the end of the very end of a flashback, you're like, oh, I wanted a little bit more of what you were doing there. And he does somehow, after this flashback, do that for me a little bit. Because I mentioned why, like, I do really want to see Loki's adventures abroad. But if we're getting that, it's not now, which is fine. It just. But I think he was successful in narratively making you, like, kind of want more, but not giving it to you, which I think is his goal. We mentioned the stuff with Emu being very interesting. I. He had to have a limit to his power. So it doesn't surprise me that we're getting it here. I truly wonder what it will take for Oda to unsilhouette Emu and, like, does it. At this point, I feel like it needs to be something pretty big. Like, it needs to be like, when.

[Sam Leach]

Luffy sees him or something.

[Zach]

Yeah, I guess that's a good. That would be good.

[Stephen Paul]

That'd be good.

[Zach]

We'll see. Also, does he ever leave Mary Joa, the Mary Josie?

[Stephen Paul]

Well, especially. Especially too, like, if. If all the stuff about, like, Lily, you know, if, like, the theory that that Emu might be in Lily's body or something. So if it's like, if it looks like Vivi, then having Luffy or, you know, one of the strides. Someone who would recognize Vivi in those features.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

First they saw Shanks and they're like, oh, Shanks.

[Zach]

But kind of the same thing.

[Sam Leach]

Now we're getting quote unquote vivi.

[Zach]

Yeah, that may play with that.

[Stephen Paul]

Maybe.

[Zach]

Yeah. Get.

[Sam Leach]

Get two vivies and two shanks in one room.

[Zach]

I mean, I guess being revealed in a flashback would be kind of disappointing. So I. I don't know if disappointing is the word, but like, narratively a little disappointing, maybe. Anticlimactic, I suppose. But I do like the idea of Luffy being. And I could see Oda really insisting on that personally, like, of being the moment. Or he. They. She has the silhouette fruit this whole time, just as I've said since the beginning. Or is a giant plush that just looks like that that they've already been selling.

[Sam Leach]

It's gotta be the moment that's appropriate to take the character from being like an idea to a character.

[Zach]

Yeah, we're starting to get there.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. I feel like we're really testing that boundary at this point. There's been a lot of emu dialogue.

[Zach]

Yeah. At this. That's the thing. At this point, Imu is a character. I think we could say, like, has characterization, has emotion, has baggage, has history, has all the things you'd want in a character.

[Sam Leach]

I spent a lot of time thinking about, like, you know what. What's the moment we're going to see Doflamingo's eyes was what I was wondering during all of Dressrosa.

[Zach]

It's fair though. I always thought that. But the joke was very good of the. He takes the sunglasses off and there's another pair of sunglasses under there first. Yeah, but who remembers Naruto? We only remember his son Boruto. I'll let that one.

[Sam Leach]

Or Boruto's dad. I screwed it up.

[Zach]

Yeah, you did. You ruined it. You ruined it, Sam. You ruined everything. This episode again, Delaney, the Cut. Cut the whole thing. My point is I. I did really enjoy this chapter. I. I really enjoyed the flashback material in this chapter. And overall, I think especially with what Steven said it like. I get why God Valley was there. And this is the last time I'm gonna get to bitch about this or whatever word you want to use. I understand why God Valley was there. I understand why he chose it here. I understand why it's important pretense for the stuff with the holy nights and everything. But damn, does it take away from Loki's story in particular. Like, it is such a powerful, well done story that is just intersected by a different powerful, potentially well done story, depending on your opinion there. Like actually intersected by two. Because we have Harold stuff, which is important. Here, obviously. But like the Loki characterization I think is exceptionally done but narratively hindered, if that makes sense. Like it is. If you just isolate the Loki story, isolate that footage. I think you really have like a top tier one piece flashback there. Like it is emotional, it is wrought, and it is also nuanced. It's like it is also in some ways unique. I don't think we've had like quite this kind of character in one piece. Like really be explored in this, like to this degree. Especially like the childhood and the. And the parenting and the. And the. And the suicidal stuff is just very powerful. But it's kind of diffused by the other things going on. And again, since this is my last time talking about it, and also since I have very explicitly and often said I am saving my opinions until the end of the flashback. So here we are, I think individually, all three stories, God, Valley, Harold and Loki are all very well done. I still have some qualms with how they were put together, but I'm gonna give it a reread some point soon because I'm curious how it runs together in volume form. Or I should say in several volume forms.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Because this is I think going to probably. So it started at 11:52, I think. So it's almost 20 chapters of this.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. Well. And they. And they did. Wasn't it like a piece together question the other week that was like the next one is going to be confirmed a volume without any straw hats and without Luffy in it. Because it will be entirely flashback. So it will cover. It will span three volumes.

[Zach]

But Luffy will be on the COVID Probably. Probably.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

What can they Aren't there like sometimes, like, at least in America, there's like laws of like you can't put a character on the COVID if. If that character is not actually in the show. Like, I know funimation's talked about that they can't put a character on a DVD cover if they're not in that batch of episodes.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, well, that's. Yeah, yeah, that might be a. That might be a TOEI thing.

[Sam Leach]

But all I have to do is just like include one of the like the jump covers with Luffy on it in the little inserts and.

[Zach]

Yeah, Are you kidding? Yeah, Luffy's going to be in that volume, just not in the story. He'll be in the sbss. He'll be in the advertisements in the back. He'll be in the. You know, he'll be in everything. But not. Yeah, not that.

[Stephen Paul]

He'Ll do A fresh cover with just the flashback characters. And then they'll just slap. Fishman Island. Luffy staring at you. You're the one.

[Zach]

I hate that image. I really hate that. Is constantly being used. Yeah, yeah, that exact expression.

[Sam Leach]

But he's also, like, doing a T pose, you know?

[Zach]

That's better. At least it's a different image.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, that would be different.

[Zach]

It would be different. He looks so stupid in that image. Okay, that's all I have to say. I think you guys really covered it. But I wanted to give a little of my final thoughts on the flashback. I'll give a more thorough one at some point in the future.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, we should definitely revisit this flashback. It needs more time.

[Zach]

Yeah, I say that with everything, and then do I go back sometimes, but not always. But like, it's like it hit all the important points. It's just like, structurally, I'm like, did this. Did this really do its characters justice? That's kind of where I'm landing. I think, Alex, you probably have some, like, stronger opinions about it than me.

[Alex]

I think I exhausted about it. Yeah, I've exhausted myself talking about it. I'm just ready for real Elbaf now.

[Zach]

Yeah, me too. The God Elbaf who lives in the astral plane.

[Alex]

Boy, I bet, you know, I bet during the production for season two, that got flagged. And I'm sure, like, he now remembers that. I do wonder if, like. So I wonder if Elbaf is just another name for Nika or something like that.

[Zach]

Oh, Season two of the live action you're talking about.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Zach]

I don't know why I thought the anime, because people are calling it that for some reason.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, didn't. Didn't we have some theories, like when they were doing season one, that like, Oda was making a lot of references to, like, Usopp and Syrup Village and stuff like that?

[Zach]

Yeah, he did. I 100% think you're right about that, Alex. Like, I think maybe that is even one of the reasons we're in Elbaf when we're in Elbaf is because it was probably very top of mind even then. They were probably doing something.

[Alex]

I think that might be coincidental, but it definitely helped a lot.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Yeah. I mean, I think it is at least partially coincidental, but I think the depth of what we've seen in Elbaf so far. Like, for example, the. What's the guys. The fake. The fake philosopher or whoever archaeologists who they quote at the beginning.

[Alex]

Louis Arnaud.

[Zach]

Louis or no, I bet you that was There because it was probably very top of mind for Oda because he was probably going back to that material a lot. Like that's. That's very. I think that's very likely just because. Yeah. And he also like for season one of the live action, like Kuro was in a bunch of stuff for the first time in forever. Like he remembered that character existed. Like that is 100% something we're probably going to see a lot of Alabasta stuff like reference.

[Alex]

I remember him drawing.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, we're getting into the Vivi stuff.

[Alex]

I mean that's the thing, right? Like, I think it's all coming at a very coincidental point in the story. I think like, yes, Vivi is very clearly an important figure now because of Lily.

[Zach]

Right?

[Alex]

Lily.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Well, not even that. She put her and Waffle and the escaping from Mary Jos.

[Stephen Paul]

First and foremost to know it is mine.

[Alex]

Yes.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah. And as we like near the end, this is when like all the stuff set up at the beginning is going to start paying off and you know, like we're going to be feeling the member Berries.

[Zach]

I think. I think for regardless of whether the.

[Sam Leach]

Live action was being made, it's going.

[Zach]

To say even if you. Whether you. Whether or not you love the live action or not. I think it has really been a boon generally to the manga because it has definitely been some good reminders to him. I think it is like made Oda go through that material much with much more of a fine tooth comb than he would previously have. But Zoro more bloodthirsty, a little less funny than he used to be. That part. I. It. Sorry, Sam, what were you going to say?

[Sam Leach]

Do you think Oda goes back to the old volumes and thinks, damn, this is good?

[Zach]

Yes. Well, he has them all on his desk, or he used to when he could fit them all.

[Sam Leach]

But give it enough years and you can read it as a reader.

[Zach]

Well, like as an artist.

[Alex]

I mean, I'm sure now like, no, I'm sure he reaches for one, opens it up and goes ah, Naruhodo. And continues to. Uses it to draw like whatever he's drawing. Just I feel like he uses them for reference material more than anything. But I do wonder if he has like a specific. Like if his edit. That's his editor's job, right. To. To be. To have an encyclopedic knowledge of. Of the manga as well.

[Zach]

And his assistance, probably you'd hope.

[Alex]

Yeah, that's the.

[Zach]

To be fair, that's what Greg is for. That's. That's his job, Right?

[Sam Leach]

A little. A little brain trust up there. Sure.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Oda texts Greg, like, what did I say here? 10, 25 years ago. Anyway, that'll do it. For the manga recap, why don't we do some piece together?

[Stephen Paul]

All right.

[Zach]

Sleep Tits Creeped. Its dippity do. This is the Piece Together segment where we take your questions, comments and theories, and decide whether or not Delaney will be cutting this. And since she is one of the D's, the answer is. Whatever. The opposite of what I would actually want to happen. Let's start with Sam.

[Sam Leach]

Start off with. Are you teaming me up for this piece?

[Zach]

I'm teeing you up. Yes. Did you. Our first hit the T. Did you. Or what do they call it in golf? Did you hit the ball? Sam, what's happening?

[Sam Leach]

I'm in the process of hitting the ball. Our first dis. Piece this week comes from Delaney.

[Zach]

Help. Someone help.

[Alex]

Kids, help.

[Zach]

Sam, please.

[Sam Leach]

Our first.

[Stephen Paul]

Come on.

[Zach]

Yep.

[Sam Leach]

Our first disc piece this week comes from Kingdoji, who says. Hey, Opp. Can you believe Lola turned down this sweet baby boy? Loki is my favorite of the arc. A great mix of comedy and tragedy. My question today is about imu. Do you think that due to the cost of all the covenants IMU makes, that they'll end up like this when finally revealed? And they show a screenshot from spongebob squarepants, the famous chocolate episode with the wrinkly worm grandma thing.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, God. With.

[Sam Leach]

Sitting in the wheelchair, empty pants.

[Zach]

That's almost.

[Alex]

I think, whenever I see that thing.

[Zach]

That's almost what happened to Saturn, right? Like, kind of.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

He became all pretty much gross, and then he's just turned to dust. Yeah, I do.

[Alex]

I turned into a skeleton.

[Stephen Paul]

I kind of wonder if, like, Loki somehow not winning over Lola, like, when she is so desperate to be married. I wonder if this is kind of like. Like a Hancock and Luffy sort of thing, where it's like, the one. The one person who is immune to, like, the. The ravenous, like, power. So, like, you know, Lola will marry anyone except for Loki. He's, like, the one person that she won't pay attention to.

[Sam Leach]

Well, I. I always interpreted Lola's marriage quest as, like, I want. I. I want to pick my husband. Like, I. Because before. Before, it was like, a political marriage that, like, Big mom was setting up.

[Zach]

Yeah, I agree. I thought that the whole cake island actually did a good job at subtly, like, explaining that. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, go ahead. Or whatever we were talking about. Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

Sam, what's the Everybody got their comments in on Wrinkly Worm Grandma.

[Zach]

Yeah, I think that absolutely is possible.

[Sam Leach]

Our next disc piece this week comes from Reverse Icat. Who says. Hey there, Three Sword Catboys. We have three hints in this chapter as to what Ragnier and Loki can do. The most obvious one is that they can freeze stuff, which is wild considering all the lightning powers. Secondly, Jarrul doesn't think Loki's fruit is that powerful. Third, and most importantly, they fly now. They fly now.

[Zach]

How did we.

[Alex]

I'm really glad.

[Zach]

Make that joke.

[Alex]

You know, Joey made it in the Discord earlier and I didn't think to repeat it. And you know what? Kind of glad I didn't. Just reminds me of the worst Star.

[Zach]

Wars thing, Alex, I have to say. So. I've never seen Rise of Skywalker.

[Alex]

It's bad. Don't watch it.

[Zach]

I'm not going to. But my first exposure will be the. What do they call them? The stage versions that they've been doing.

[Alex]

Oh, yeah, those readings.

[Zach]

Live shows. The live readings that they've been doing.

[Alex]

The Dynasty typewriter reading.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Dynasty typewriter, yeah. Yeah. That is. I have decided that that will be my first exposure to that movie.

[Alex]

That's funny. That's good.

[Zach]

I have decided, because I'm not watching.

[Sam Leach]

Have they started doing the new trilogy yet?

[Alex]

Yeah, they recently did the Force Awakens. I haven't watched it yet.

[Zach]

The Force Awakens, but they did that.

[Alex]

A few weeks ago.

[Zach]

I don't think it's out on YouTube yet, but they. No, they just recorded that recently. I'm looking forward to that. It's going to be weird because that feels so recent, but I guess it's been a decade.

[Alex]

For those of you who. Listeners who remember 20 minutes of bullshit, which I think you can still listen to if you want.

[Zach]

We've had comments on it recently of people saying they love it.

[Alex]

Steve and I, every time they did a new Star wars movie, we would get on and we would podcast about the latest Star wars movie. And we were generally pretty jazzed about them all except for Rise of Skywalker where we were like, yep, this was a thing that happened. And when Steve came, I think, to Magfest that year, he was like, hanging out for a few days and like, you want to go see Rise of Skywalker again? He goes, not really. I'm like, yeah, not really. I'm in agreement. I've tried to rewatch it and I can't. It's just so stupid. And so, like, just. It tries to walk back everything because of loud Chuds. And my advice, Zach, if you are watching the Star wars sequels at all.

[Zach]

Just.

[Alex]

Hit Last Jedi and just end it there.

[Zach]

Yeah, I did. I think Last Jedi is actually a really great ending note. Look, I have problems with that movie too, but I think that ended gorgeous film people. It is 100% one of the most gorgeous. Rogue One, like just look wise if I had muted. Rogue One and Last Jedi are like probably the most beautiful looking Star wars films. Rogue One has its issues, don't get me wrong.

[Alex]

Yeah, I'm pretty cold on Rogue One after watching Andor.

[Zach]

Andor is.

[Alex]

This could be a whole podcast. I'm sorry.

[Zach]

No, it can't. But what I wanted to say sorry is it's just because this person made a stupid reference to they could fly now.

[Alex]

They fly now.

[Zach]

The Last Jedi, I think. Not to spoil an almost 10 year old movie for people, but like the ending with like the next generation of people. Yeah, I think that's really.

[Alex]

I think it's a fine ending. Well done ending.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah.

[Zach]

And also the whole thing about. I think it has a great theme. Like in the notes, John Williams always hits it out of the park. Don't get me wrong, but I meant like with failure and like that kind of thing. I. I really admire what it was going for. Even if it doesn't execute on it super well all the time. The movie like. My main issue is that I will always think of the Simpsons, the Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming, the slow march of them trying to catch the plane as. As exactly the plot of that movie. It just annoys the shit out of me.

[Alex]

There's.

[Ed]

There's a couple.

[Zach]

And I know it's stupid and small, but that really annoys me.

[Alex]

There's a lot of holes, but what Star wars movie doesn't have bits that you can. Cinema sins the shit. Like.

[Zach]

No, it's not cinema sin though. It's just a stupid. It like affects the whole plot is the problem. Like, it is like kind of pivotal that it. Because they also go off and then come back and they're still chasing them. It makes no sense to me. It really.

[Alex]

Yeah, it's dumb.

[Zach]

It's dumb.

[Alex]

Guess what? Guess, guess what's dumb? Most. Most Star wars movies are dumb.

[Zach]

I agree.

[Alex]

And I say this as a lifelong Star wars fan, I agree most Star wars movies are dumb and have dumb things.

[Zach]

I love Star wars as much as I love Star Trek. That has many stupid things as well.

[Alex]

Don't get restarted.

[Zach]

Yeah, don't get restarted. Although don't get me. I'm only my 10th rewatch or something of TS9, but I've. I don't know if that's true, but it probably is. What was I gonna say? Oh, my last thing about Star Wars.

[Stephen Paul]

Somehow Star Wars Discourse returns.

[Alex]

You know, even know what we're even talking about.

[Zach]

No, I was just gonna say that I think it is a. It is a good movie overall. Although it has some really stupid enraging things. Things but they could fly. Now, what was the question?

[Sam Leach]

Not gonna ask me what I think of Star Wars?

[Zach]

No.

[Alex]

What do you think of Star Wars? Sam, you're free.

[Stephen Paul]

At any moment.

[Sam Leach]

Speaking of flying, looks like Loki has one of the five Devil Fruits that grant the ability to fly along with Pel. Shiki.

[Stephen Paul]

Barry.

[Zach]

Oh, the question was in the middle.

[Sam Leach]

Buffalo Fujitora Stussy King Sasaki Kaido Momonosuke.

[Stephen Paul]

Stronger Luffy with gear.

[Sam Leach]

Fourth Buggy if we don't count his feet. Miss Valentine when she uses her umbrella Robin with her wings technique. Dofi when he uses his string on Cloud's Kuma for three days. Deck in the ninth by writing Stuffy throws Big mom using homies. Conjuro when he draws birds. And basically every logia. So other than Those, Loki is one of the only five flyers.

[Alex]

Oh, man, I'm so sorry.

[Zach]

Reverse iCat. Because that question was amazing. And we interrupted it with a really stupid rant about Rise of Skywalker.

[Alex]

Jesus.

[Sam Leach]

Who for three days is really funny because it's like.

[Zach]

It's technically a limitation.

[Alex]

Yeah, I. I wanna. I wanna argue that, like, Buggy, if we don't count his feet, I'm like, well, we're definitely gonna count Buggy. Because I'm sure very or very good has very similar powers. Like, I bet. I bet his feet have to be on the ground too, or something.

[Zach]

You forgot. You forgot, Barry. Oh, no, you have Very good.

[Alex]

Very good's on there. Yeah, the whole.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, the whole five. Five different types of flying things was. Yeah, that is. That is like a hall of fame. Like, why did he write that?

[Zach]

Talk about how Oda is like an expert at retconning in that he could fit anything in like a. A hole that he made himself. But God, that one is. Same chapter.

[Alex]

No, in that. In that same chapter, I think, like, it's. It's real. There are 106 devil fruits, right? Like, out of the 106 devil fruits, there's five that can fly. And. And I'm like, at this point, we've definitely seen at least.

[Zach]

Oh, at least, right?

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Alex]

If you count Every single, like every zoan type like, well, it's, well, naturally there's going to be one for every anim and every like subass of animal.

[Sam Leach]

I, I, I'm not going to do more than four or five birds.

[Zach]

This series isn't going to go on for another two decades. I mean this isn't going to be an issue.

[Stephen Paul]

I'll be down by 40, 50 volumes.

[Sam Leach]

Now here's the two birds in the world already.

[Zach]

I think I would really respect the live action to double down on that mistake and just throw it in there for no reason.

[Alex]

God, that be funny.

[Zach]

That would be. I would personally find that very funny.

[Sam Leach]

What if, what if they update the number?

[Zach]

No, I want them to keep the number. And it makes no sense.

[Sam Leach]

There's only 30 devil fruits that can fly.

[Zach]

You know, the one thing is, and I don't know if I like it. Pale will definitely die in the live action, I think 100%.

[Alex]

Are you kidding? You know who else is going to fucking die?

[Stephen Paul]

He's going to get fucking gibbeted.

[Zach]

Yeah, but somehow he'll return.

[Alex]

No, no.

[Sam Leach]

Azora will jump in just to cut him in half.

[Alex]

And I would, I would put money down that Igoram also D dies.

[Stephen Paul]

Wow.

[Sam Leach]

I think he, I don't know.

[Alex]

No, I'm going to die because what do you.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, the characters who don't like come back and be plot relevant.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

They killed Mary.

[Alex]

Yeah, Mary.

[Zach]

They did kill Mary.

[Alex]

If they kill Mary, Igram is definitely dead.

[Zach]

That was Greg Stoppel Ganger, which is really crazy that they did that.

[Stephen Paul]

I do, I do think.

[Zach]

Yeah, sorry.

[Stephen Paul]

I do think it's really, it's very funny like to consider that for all the little things that they change that probably drive Greg crazy on the inside that like the one thing they would be super anal about retaining is like the bizarre statements that, that ODA makes about.

[Zach]

I know that would be great. Mention that to Craig next week.

[Alex]

Oh man. I would also say that if, if Galdino didn't become such a big part of Buggy's whole thing later, Mr. Three would definitely also be dead fucking meat with the floating.

[Zach]

That's a great. The super floaty. That's one of my favorite.

[Alex]

No, I love the super floaty wood because then they use it to get back up to the surface after Fish Man Island. See, it all connects.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

There's your example of the retconning. Yeah, yeah.

[Zach]

No, I, but Otis so good at that. Like I like admire his ability to work his way out of a hole like that. But, wow, that is. He does not do that there. He really worked himself into a hole he could not get out of. What's the next question?

[Sam Leach]

Sam, you should have Robin liking, like, come up with a technicality for, like. Oh, I meant, like, I was lying.

[Zach]

Because why should I tell you the truth of the situation? I was your enemy. What's next?

[Sam Leach]

Yeah. Sleight of hand, AKA Slayer, King. Hello, my fellow Avengers. How silly. Haru. How silly of Haruden to say that Loki and him can see things eye to eye. Loki is clearly much taller. What a goose. Anyway, since it's January and the new year, I think it's maybe time that I change for myself and start to see some positive in characters I don't like or don't vibe with. Barring the fascists, of course. So what are some positive things you can say about characters that you either don't like, hate, or are indifferent towards? Have a great night.

[Zach]

I think the only fair way to do this question is for other people to tell. So, like, Steven choosing for Alex, or. Yeah, like, they have to. Because if we choose it, it's not.

[Alex]

Of characters that we hate.

[Zach]

Yeah. So, Alex, do you want to give me one?

[Sam Leach]

You have to give each other unhateable character.

[Zach]

You have to give each other a character you know the other person hates.

[Alex]

Or you think, okay, well, Zach, I know that you really hate.

[Zach]

I know who you're gonna say are. There's two choices.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, you got a couple choices.

[Zach]

Yeah, two big choices.

[Alex]

Well, I want you to say something positive about Wednesday.

[Zach]

I respect that he didn't. I respect that he didn't care about his looks when Sanji tried to change his face and that he was proud of himself looking like that.

[Alex]

You're really putting on your dad pants for that one.

[Sam Leach]

I like when the noodles come out.

[Zach]

I'm always wearing dad pants. Yeah.

[Alex]

I mean, that's why I love him, Sam, because the noodles come out of his nose.

[Zach]

Who's the character Steven really hates? I'm trying to remember, because we could go around clockwise. Probably Vanderdecken counterclockwise. Vanderdecken is a. Yeah, I like Vanderbank. What is wrong with you people? You're a defender.

[Stephen Paul]

He's funny.

[Zach]

He's fine. Yeah, he is.

[Alex]

Funny character.

[Zach]

He should. Well, he's dead.

[Alex]

I don't think I've heard you actually wax negative about a character unless it was the entire. The entire Impel down arc. Like, if you could take how wordy Impel down is as an arc and.

[Zach]

Transform it into A character who is like someone. Well, who. Oh, I could do someone universally hated. Absalom.

[Stephen Paul]

Absalom. Yeah. What's a good thing about.

[Alex]

And you can't say that he's dead because.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, no, that's. That would be.

[Alex]

That's an escape.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

What was a good thing about Absalom? Yeah, it is a tough one. It's a tricky one. It's tricky to come up with something that's actually like, meaningful or interesting. I don't. Man, that's. That's really tough. I think, I think he makes. I. I think he makes a really. He makes a really funny face when he's trying to kiss Nami. That doesn't sound like a very good compliment.

[Sam Leach]

I mean, look, if you can like Vanderdecken because he's funny.

[Alex]

No, but that's true. He does make a funny.

[Zach]

Are these compliments we're trying to give them personally or is it just compliments about the character?

[Ali Jackson]

I don't know.

[Zach]

I guess.

[Stephen Paul]

Okay, okay, here, here's the thing.

[Sam Leach]

What's an aspect of the character that does spark joy?

[Stephen Paul]

I. I think, I think that his, like, obsession, like his whole thing of like, I'm gonna kidnap Nami and then I'm gonna put her in a dress so that we can get married in the chapel is like a very like Looney Tunes kind of a dream scene. And I think that is actually quite, quite funny. And, and dare I say it, maybe even a tiny bit endearing. Even if it is horrifying when you think about it in any other context.

[Zach]

It was a horror themed island. Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

So fantastic taste in dresses too.

[Alex]

I think, like, it would be funny if instead of like a puma or whatever, the Absalom was like a cartoon wolf. Like, like the Fleischer. Oh, yeah, that would the Texas wolf like how he has to like, hit himself in the head to stop being horny.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, it would be great.

[Sam Leach]

You can imagine Jabra doing that, like, really easy.

[Zach]

100%. I mean.

[Alex]

I mean. Yeah. Well, Jabra will never enter this category because he is a universally loved character who is really fun.

[Zach]

I like him. I don't know if he's universal. Okay, Steven is for Sam.

[Stephen Paul]

Let's do for Sam. Who does Sam do?

[Sam Leach]

I do. I even.

[Stephen Paul]

I feel like Sam is the opposite of Zach where he has like all of his obsessive characters, but I don't really know the. The ones that he hates.

[Zach]

My obsessions.

[Sam Leach]

If a character makes me feel something, I probably interpret that as liking them.

[Zach]

Yeah. Like, let's go through the characters. You like Caesar, Clown, Koala. No, I'm sorry. Caribou. Caribou. That's.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, Caribou. Yeah, yeah.

[Zach]

He loves Caribou.

[Stephen Paul]

Should we make Sam say something bad about Caribou instead?

[Zach]

Oh, I like it. Yeah? Yeah. What don't you like about Caribou? Actually, I do like that twist on that question.

[Alex]

Because I'm pretty sure, like, I'm pretty sure you like that he's a big creep.

[Sam Leach]

It's true.

[Alex]

He's just a greasy creep.

[Zach]

Loves creeps.

[Sam Leach]

I like, trademarked.

[Stephen Paul]

What's a good thing that he does that. That does not make you interested in him anymore?

[Zach]

That's it. What doesn't spark joy in what Caribou does?

[Sam Leach]

I was disappointed that he didn't have, like, a hero moment at the end of Wano somewhere.

[Zach]

That's not really. That's, like, aspirationally, he was a bad villain. Wow. The amount of time you're thinking to say one bad thing about Caribou is. I know.

[Sam Leach]

I just keep thinking of things I like. Like, I love when he's in the barrel and he got Frankie, like, one.

[Zach]

Good thing, and it's not him, it's Frankie.

[Stephen Paul]

Frankie.

[Alex]

Well, what about when Caribou first shows up and he's just like, I'm gonna kill people.

[Sam Leach]

That's when I first started liking him because I love villains who just, like, smile all the time for no reason. What about his.

[Stephen Paul]

Perfect.

[Sam Leach]

And his whole thing was, like, he's, like, like, weirdly religious while he's, like, murdering the Marines. That was pretty interesting.

[Zach]

That part was cool.

[Alex]

Oh, yeah. That never comes back, really, does it?

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, no, that's the one.

[Zach]

I don't like that. It doesn't come back.

[Alex]

Okay, there he is. I don't like that. Oh, man.

[Sam Leach]

He should be, like, trying to, like, impress Blackbeard by, like, citing the Bible or something.

[Alex]

There you go. All right.

[Zach]

Okay. What's the next question, Sam?

[Alex]

No, what about me?

[Zach]

I'm sorry. Pick one for Alex. Yeah, I'm sorry.

[Sam Leach]

Oh, pick one for Alex. Who does Alex. Not like that.

[Alex]

We. We've already mentioned Absalom, so I don't like Absalom, but pick somebody from Dressrosa.

[Zach]

No, there's. Ding, ding, ding. Anyone from Dressrosa would do it.

[Alex]

Yeah, I don't Gladius. I like Gladius.

[Zach]

Actually.

[Stephen Paul]

Not that one.

[Sam Leach]

Is Ryo Boshi, one of the brother. One of the Fishman brothers, or one of the Merman brothers.

[Alex]

Oh, I don't care that much about Ryoboshi.

[Zach]

No, I think Those.

[Sam Leach]

The challenge, though.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Sam Leach]

A character that, like, it's really hard to. To have an emotion on. I'm specifically talking about the longer with the orangish hair.

[Alex]

Oh, yeah. Or the long one. I like that one.

[Zach]

What about Sugar?

[Alex]

Sugar's fine. Who I really don't like in fucking dressrosa is Diamante. I think Diamante sucks. I think sucks. What's his face? Treble.

[Zach]

Oh, treble.

[Alex]

I think Treble sucks.

[Zach]

I love Treble because of the episode titles that had come out of trouble.

[Alex]

I mean, sure, I hate God. They're all fucking baroque works. Ripoffs. They fucking suck.

[Zach]

Pick one of them. Pick one of them.

[Alex]

I like Lao G. I don't like.

[Zach]

D. One of the best ones.

[Alex]

I think Dallinger is a lazy character.

[Zach]

Have you discussed this with Smart? Yeah.

[Alex]

You know, I'll say that. Yeah. Diamante. Let's. Let's go with Diamante because Diamante is probably fucking hate that guy.

[Sam Leach]

I'll choose it for you, Alex. Diamante.

[Zach]

Say something nice about Diamante.

[Alex]

God, that's a good thing to say about Diamante.

[Zach]

It's a good game.

[Alex]

I think that. Diamante's zest for being sadistic makes him an effective adversary.

[Zach]

Like, what a backhanded compliment. I love it. It's like if you. It's. If you were saying it to someone's face, it's so funny. It's like, what is it? The whole movies episode where they're in therapy and they're trying to say positive things? It's exactly that. It's exactly that.

[Alex]

I think that, like.

[Zach]

No, I think that he's a great go getter.

[Alex]

Well, no, a really good looking go getter.

[Zach]

You know?

[Alex]

Get me a lemonade, Will. Yeah, Yeah. I think, I think that Diamante, like his. I think he's very sadistic towards Rebecca and like. Because he knows how to like, push your buttons and. And that makes him like a real piece of shit. But he's not the reason I don't like him. I think he's just a stupid design. I. That he had a really kind of fun that got abandoned really, really early on where.

[Zach]

Oh yeah, that really.

[Alex]

It was really confusing. It's a very confusing quirk that he had. It is very confusing. It's no wonder that Oda abandoned it where he's like. Where he's like, oh, no, the fake.

[Sam Leach]

Humble thing or whatever.

[Alex]

I don't understand what the. It was like. And everybody's in on it. Like, I'm like, this is sick.

[Zach]

What's the next question?

[Sam Leach]

He's like the Six Fingered Man. He's like this like secondary antagonist who. But like, you almost like, don't even like think back to that as being like an emotionally pivotal.

[Alex]

I take back what's about Dellinger, but I think Dillinger being a fish man sucks.

[Zach]

He's half.

[Alex]

I think that's lazy.

[Zach]

He was half of that. The. That.

[Stephen Paul]

The fighting fish.

[Alex]

Yeah, it's just, I don't know, like, okay, fighting fish. A fish that doesn't exist in real life. All right. I don't know. I. I'm just move on. I don't want to complain about just. Again on the podcast.

[Zach]

Sam, go ahead. What's next?

[Sam Leach]

Our next disc piece comes from Big Mike, who says, wow, what a flashback. With all the social issues that were depicted, how can anyone say one piece is not political? And fortunately, your podcast is a daring liberal antidote to the conservative propaganda ODA has been inserting into his story.

[Stephen Paul]

Here we go.

[Sam Leach]

Where Loki, who is modeled after Kid Rock, wants to preserve Elbass patriarchal warrior culture after Harold submits to the woke mind virus of the world government Government whose gender androgynous leader Emu wants to ban problematic historical content from the void century and take away its citizens second amendment right to own a second amendment. While the series constantly retains the values of the Showa era and be anti revolutionary, anti feminist and anti democracy and just be about men who look like bodybuilders fighting each other with Luffy promoting gangster ideology.

[Zach]

Sorry.

[Sam Leach]

Anyways, how would you summarize the flashback in three minutes or less? Wow, we got some funny Disney this week.

[Alex]

That's really good.

[Sam Leach]

Real sharp.

[Zach]

Unless it was serious, in which case.

[Alex]

Three minutes or less. I think you could definitely do it. I think you can do it in like one sentence.

[Sam Leach]

Well, was it the God Valley stuff? Happened at the end.

[Alex]

Lucky trash baby. God Valley Herald. Go Bye Bye.

[Zach]

It doesn't have to be said like a baby.

[Stephen Paul]

It's not even a sentence.

[Sam Leach]

We only have three minutes. Zach, time's ticking.

[Alex]

No, we. We basically just do that and then we spend the rest of it trying to promote woke ideals.

[Sam Leach]

I like Harold. Woke mind of Iris is very funny.

[Alex]

It's really, really good.

[Stephen Paul]

That is.

[Zach]

The world is awful. What's next?

[Sam Leach]

Next, our final disc piece comes from snp who says. Hey, Opp, this question is for Stephen.

[Zach]

Oh, we answered.

[Sam Leach]

Okay, I think we've answered these questions. This is the Nibelheim.

[Zach]

Niflheim.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, it's about his choice in choosing Nibelheim. And not Niflheim. So I do some quick research and found out that Nibelheim is more of a Germanic myth, land of dwarves and treasure, while Niflheim, Norsemith, land of frost, ice and mist. And then somebody. Let's see here. He's referring to another user in our manga chat who mentioned Final Fantasy 14.

[Zach]

It's in 14.

[Sam Leach]

Somebody in our chat named McLovin shared.

[Alex]

Everything's in 14.

[Sam Leach]

Shared that the kanji from Nibelheim is more likely related to Final Fantasy 14 where it is being used for the source. Source world. Is Steven using Nibelheim because it is related to Final Fantasy 7? And you want to make the connection to FF there.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah. How did we summarize? It is like it wasn't.

[Sam Leach]

It was same katakana, right?

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Original Roman dialect.

[Alex]

It was Anid lobby.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, Anus lobby.

[Sam Leach]

So. So it's fair to say.

[Zach]

Could I write down anus lobby?

[Alex]

Dianu lobby.

[Stephen Paul]

I used to say.

[Zach]

Almost time.

[Stephen Paul]

I used to say it could. For all we know, it could be NES lobby, as in like Nintendo Entertainment Entertainment System.

[Sam Leach]

I think about that a lot.

[Zach]

That would have been cool. That would have been fun.

[Stephen Paul]

Anyways, to answer the question, I think I. I think the way to sum it up would be like, I. I don't. I didn't write that explicitly intending to tie it to the. The Final Fantasy VII thing, but I think we can't necessarily rule out that Oda wasn't, you know, inspired or reminded of it or something, and that was why he chose the katakana that he did for it. Even. Even if it is clearly referencing the. The Norse.

[Sam Leach]

Niflheim. Yeah, like Final Fantasy Nibelheim. One piece. Nibelheim. They're both referencing Niflheim, but changed the spelling slightly and it changed in the same direction.

[Stephen Paul]

Right. You know, when you say the Germanic thing, I think is like. Like you see the. The ring of the. The Nibelung, which is the. The opera. Right. From Wagner. I think that was that. That obviously very German in nature, which is really.

[Zach]

You should only know from Looney Tunes.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, yeah. Right.

[Zach]

Kill the rabbit. When you play your NES lobby, it's always sunny. Do we have any Reddit questions? Or was that the last test piece? Or was it.

[Sam Leach]

That's the last of our disputes.

[Zach]

Yeah. Do we have Reddit questions, Steven?

[Stephen Paul]

No, we don't. Although I do want to say, you know, since we don't always get to Reddit, I do want just. Just take the moment to say thank you guys for continuing to post, even though, you know, it's not always a sure thing. We do. We do appreciate it.

[Zach]

So on. On all of our platforms. We could go to Blue skypie. There's one that is not Nibelheim related. G says. Says that. She says that says. Do you think Hirudin. Oh, God. This really fits right back into the discussion we were having five minutes ago. Alex, do you think Hirudan being temporarily forgotten when being turned into a toy during dressrosa will come to play in Loki's flashback brother drama on Elbaf? This is the old steak or salad debate. So please I refer to you to our 2014 episode Steak or salad. The short answer is absolutely not. Yeah.

[Stephen Paul]

And then every other episode that we brought up steak or salad and complain.

[Zach]

For like two years.

[Stephen Paul]

At least three years after that.

[Zach]

To be fair, it's annoying. I did something different this week. I asked for questions on YouTube. I. We need a name for this segment. We don't have one, but we don't have to come up with piece.

[Stephen Paul]

Yeah, Piece together. So it's poo tube.

[Zach]

Poo Tube.

[Sam Leach]

Poo tube spelled pou.

[Zach]

Oh, okay.

[Sam Leach]

Pronounced poo. Like. Like. Like how people think Luffy is Luffy, but we know the real pronunciation.

[Zach]

I see. It's part of the poohs Wazi.

[Sam Leach]

It looks like po tube when you spell it out, but it's okay.

[Zach]

Is that related to anus lobby? Next.

[Sam Leach]

How did that guy in. How did that guy in our line park spell Uranus?

[Stephen Paul]

U R E C T U M.

[Zach]

My son does not know it is. It can be pronounced Uranus and I'm not going to explain that to him. First question. Autumn Greenwood says. Hi, Opp. Am I crazy or is this the first time that Luffy has 100% listened to someone else's backstory? Hopefully for a new crew member. Plus, I love Loki and Ragnar so much. New straw hat member 2026. Hey, don't get your hopes up because remember, we still have those Yamato new crew member 2023 shirts laying around.

[Alex]

Oh, no. They've been given a UNICEF Starving children in Africa.

[Zach]

We should have made those just to donate them to unicef.

[Alex]

Yeah, UNICEF panis.

[Zach]

Is this the first time he's listened 100% to someone else?

[Sam Leach]

He listened to the Odin story.

[Alex]

He listened to Odin's story.

[Zach]

Yeah, he did listen to Odin's story. That's character.

[Sam Leach]

So we got that story later at a different time. We probably got some details. Different.

[Zach]

I think Luffy has kind of not been that. That running gag hasn't been quite as present recently.

[Alex]

I Think. I think it's worth mentioning that Loki. I mean, I feel like, you know, this is gonna get litigated over and over, but Loki did not tell the story of God Valley and what happened with Harold at. You know, at Mary Geoise and stuff like that.

[Zach]

Or even.

[Alex]

So that means Luffy does not. Yeah, Luffy does not know about any of that.

[Zach]

Or even this. Sorry.

[Alex]

That's it. No, that's it.

[Zach]

Okay. I was gonna say he didn't even tell the stuff with him as a little kid climbing a mountain, obviously. Although he seems to have photographic memory.

[Alex]

That's one of the.

[Zach]

Next question. King of Pizza 1519 says, what are your thoughts on Gabon and Loki joining the fight while some of the Straw hats are tied up? I'd rather crew members get more time to shine than supporting characters. I generally agree with that. Loki might be a main character though. And Gabon's fun is the problem. I love Gabon.

[Sam Leach]

I mean that's just the way it's that. That's just the way it goes.

[Zach]

Son. His son is there. Like.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Dash powers activate.

[Sam Leach]

You know, new characters who are like kind of the main. Main characters of the arc. And then whatever, whatever. Straw hats kind of like fit into the story as I was writing it. Also do some fights.

[Alex]

I think that Oda did a. Did a good thing in mortally wounding Gabon because yeah, he's handicapped now. Like he's not going to be at full peak strength while fighting. So yeah, he's definitely going to have some help.

[Sam Leach]

He's going to do a badass thing.

[Zach]

Next question.

[Alex]

I. I do. I will say though, I do miss the days of one on one fights. And I grow weary of the rest of the Straw Hats outside of like the monster quadrilogy, whatever we're calling them now, getting like just getting reduced to fighting. You know, the Garbos, the garbage people, schmucks, wherever we're calling them.

[Zach]

I think Wano stepped its game up from that. I like. I think that like if you want one on one fights, Wano kind of does give it to you. Like for the most part. Part. Yeah. So I like. I only.

[Alex]

Frankie got a fight. Jamie got a fight. Chopper Robin.

[Zach]

No, Chopper.

[Alex]

Chopper had to deal with the Izone.

[Zach]

That's right. Chopper got screwed. Brook kind of got screwed.

[Sam Leach]

Chopper got a punch in on Queen and did the ice oni stuff.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Alex]

And the Icy sort of did stuff. But then Big mom finished that fight.

[Sam Leach]

I like the mixing and matching. If not, I like kind of going into an arc.

[Zach]

I actually agree with Sam here. I Do like, like, if I, if.

[Stephen Paul]

I were to give an unpopular opinion, I feel like if the choice was between more straw hat one on ones and getting like a, like God Valley in flashback, I. I kind of feel like I've seen a lot of straw high one on ones before, but I agree God Valley. So I, you know, like, may, like, maybe if we can get them in the last arc or something, that'd be great. But I. I am not as precious about it as I used to be.

[Alex]

I'm not being precious about it per se, but it sucks that the only one on one fight that Brook has had is with Zao.

[Zach]

Agreed.

[Alex]

Which is very funny. It's a funny thing. But like Fishman island, by and large, the fights I don't think are top shelf.

[Zach]

I'll put it this way. I think from what we heard, Oda didn't realize that Robin hadn't had a one on one fight between Wano and.

[Alex]

Skypiea, and she's got a great one in Wano, so it's really good.

[Zach]

Well, like, he, I think realized or someone must have told him that. And Greg. And then I assume. And then he drew and, you know, I think Brook is obviously the pot is stirring with him, so it's possible.

[Sam Leach]

And that feels good after like, you know, like the arcs of like, them being separated and like finally being together in one place.

[Zach]

Correct. Only a few more questions. Ice Fisher. Tenacity said. Neat. I've never done it through YouTube. Neither have we. Should we call it Zotube?

[Stephen Paul]

I think we got.

[Zach]

Yeah, I think that sounds. That sounds really, you know, elegance to it. Hi, Op. Wow. This chapter had. Has my mind racing real quick. I want to give props to. Oh, this is. Read more. I didn't realize this. Okay. I want to give props to Stephen for the funny wordplay with Nibbleheim. Got a chuckle out of me because of the squirrel thing.

[Alex]

Squirrels like to nibble.

[Sam Leach]

They do.

[Stephen Paul]

Oh, interesting.

[Alex]

I think Ken.

[Stephen Paul]

Ken.

[Alex]

Ken asked that question in the Discord.

[Sam Leach]

Can we change it to N I.

[Stephen Paul]

B B L E B? Okay, so.

[Sam Leach]

All right.

[Stephen Paul]

If. I'll tell you this. I'll tell you this. Yeah, here's. Here's my. Here's my bounce back. If Oda had done like a bit of a pun or something in the kanji that made it sound like, oh, he's doing a gag, then I probably would have been like, oh, well, what. What if I. Then I would be looking for something and maybe I would have landed on that and. And then I would have spelled it N, I, B, B, L, E. But no, that's. That was not. That was not. And I don't think that was necessary. Look, if you. If you want. If that's your head cannon of like, oh, yeah, that's definitely a squirrel joke. Like, you can run with that. That's fine.

[Ali Jackson]

It's.

[Stephen Paul]

I give it my pretending right now.

[Sam Leach]

They didn't do it on purpose so that, you know, to be humble.

[Stephen Paul]

I'm always humble.

[Zach]

Okay. Emu's comment. This continues. Emu's comment about the D is very intriguing. After Eda died with a smile on her face, I like to believe her full name was Frost D. Eda. Am I missing?

[Sam Leach]

She's a Frost giant.

[Zach]

Frost Ida, Icy Wiener.

[Stephen Paul]

She was, like, poisoned, right? She wasn't frosted.

[Zach]

Yeah, she was. She was poisoned. Since she was born on Samuani island, which loosely means not cold. There you go. A place she didn't belong left and never returned. And of course, there's Marvel's influence of Loki as a frost giant. But now, after this chapter, I hope both Harold and Eda carried the will of D. Maybe Harold's great, great grandfather was one of Joy Boy's friends. You know what? Sure. Like, I'm not saying that to be, like, looking down on the question, but that's totally. I could totally see that knowing.

[Alex]

Knowing how. How ODA likes to name things. That's probably true. And his name was Barold.

[Zach]

Yeah, because.

[Sam Leach]

People pass the trivia along of, like, oh, all the. The D's all die smiling. But, like, every character dies smiling. It's like the.

[Stephen Paul]

Like, that's.

[Sam Leach]

That's what they do in one piece.

[Zach]

Okay.

[Alex]

Did Absalom die smiling? Islander?

[Zach]

We would never know he was invisible.

[Sam Leach]

That's why they didn't show it to us. Because he's invisible.

[Alex]

They all die smiling.

[Sam Leach]

It would be too sad to watch somebody dying.

[Alex]

See, that's interesting, though. Like, it's always been talked about the D means, like, half moon or whatever, but if it means a smile, I've.

[Sam Leach]

Yeah, I thought about that too.

[Alex]

Like, that's kind of interesting because Always looks like a D. Yeah, these nuts.

[Zach]

And yet.

[Alex]

Am I right?

[Zach]

There it is. You came back. You. You proved your worth here. Two more questions. Sydney Williams says, I have a feeling that Boa Hancock will show up either near the end of Elbaf or start of the next arc in the manga and hopefully very soon before the anime adaptation. This person wants to see Boa Hancock. And I'm not saying no to that last one.

[Alex]

Sorry, that was Very Larry King of you.

[Zach]

Sydney Williams from YouTube, you're on the air.

[Sam Leach]

What other names are on the dartboard.

[Zach]

That they threw at Photo Carl as the last question? This only makes the pause between the next episode and this one short. Oh, because I said that we were a day late this week, which I apologize, but it's a holiday. And also just timing. This worked out this week, didn't work out for Sunday, So here we are on a Tuesday and you're listening to the One Piece podcast, which is now ending. So you're probably actually listening to this on a Thursday now. So that's that. Why don't we round off the show?

[Alex]

Okay.

[Zach]

This has been episode 902 of the One Piece podcast for January 20, 2026. Thank you all for coming on the show. Before I go through things that you could check out from the podcast, Stephen, where could people find you?

[Stephen Paul]

I'm over on Blue sky at StevenPaul BSky Social and you can read. Even though One Piece is off next week, you will still be able to read Akane Banashi and there will be another chapter of Kurumizawa's Folly at some point. And yeah, it's getting even more interesting. There are a lot of twists and turns in that series, so that's been fun to follow. So check those out.

[Zach]

Yeah, I need to catch up. Still have probably like nine chapters, which is a lot of pages. Sam, where could people find you?

[Sam Leach]

They can find me on Bluesky Csam.

[Zach]

Alex, where could people find you?

[Alex]

You Blue sky do exclamation. Also weeb, Simpsons and superart fight.com patreon or patreon.com superart fight whatever. We have a Patreon now.

[Zach]

Yes, please support all the good folks at Super Art Fight, including Alex. You can check us [e-mail] One Piece podcast. Support us. Get a sticker every month if you subscribe at $12 or more or if you subscribe for $5 or more, you get ad free episodes, extended episodes, alternate art, alternate titles. Joey's sketch already has come in and as I said at the beginning, it's awesome. It's hilarious. It's fantastic. Please check out Joey Weiser as well. Believe his URL I should know offhand is tragic-planet.com or something like that. Like that. Or check Joey Wiser out wherever you get your social media. You could check me out@zach logan.com on blue sky where I occasionally post. Or you could check us out@one piece podcast.com on Blue Sky Instagram. Officially done with Twitter. Not that we were really doing much there, but I mean, come on. You could check us out anywhere else though, that you get your social media or your podcasts, including, including Apple podcasts, Podcatcher and the rest. And we don't have a phone number, so there's nothing you could do there. And as we say at the end of every show, fuck ice. And also. Yeah, but does that include the Ice Power used this week? I forgot. I think.

[Sam Leach]

No, you know which ice we're fucking?

[Zach]

Okay, okay. Don't fuck no how. Like that. That.

[Sam Leach]

You said it. That's what you said.

[Alex]

I'm gonna call it Freezey Power from now. Yeah, Freezy powers, they're called.

[Zach]

They're.

[Stephen Paul]

They're Blizzaga.

[Zach]

Freezicals. Freezacles.

[Stephen Paul]

Freezy. Freezy fruit.

[Zach]

Yeah, the Sleep Tit Creeped. Tippity doo. That's it for the podcast. We'll be back next week maybe with an sgs. We'll let you know since there's no manga. And we'll be back the following week week with chapter 1172. Until then, my name is Zach.

[Alex]

And my name is Alex.

[Zach]

We'll see you next week, everyone. Goodbye.

[Alex]

Goodbye.

[Zach]

Bye.

[Stephen Paul]

Bye.

[Zach]

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[Ali Jackson]

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