Episode 921, “I Don’t Really Care ‘Bout My Trash Habitation” (with Abby Denton)

Summary

The One Piece Podcast — Episode 921: “I Don’t Really Care ‘Bout My Trash Habitation” (with Abby Denton)

Date: June 1, 2026
Host: Maji Media
Guests: Abby Denton (comedienne), Jill Knight, Steve Yurko, Ed, Alex

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Episode Overview

This episode marks the One Piece Podcast’s 17th anniversary and features a lively mix of celebration, fan retrospectives, community shenanigans, and a deep dive into Chapter 1,184 of the manga, which focuses on Brook’s long-awaited tragic childhood flashback. The hosts recount personal favorite characters, revisit memorable early fandom moments, and dig into recent manga and anime news. The episode’s tone is irreverent and self-referential, mixing genuine analysis with playful banter, memes, and in-jokes throughout.

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Key Discussion Topics

1. Celebrating 17 Years of The One Piece Podcast

• [02:00–05:00] Banter about 2009, when the podcast started: “Let’s go back to 2009 really quick and think about who was president at the time.” (Alex)
• Reflections on growth from high schoolers, the early days on forums, meeting at Anime Expo, and how the community and team have evolved.
• [03:33] Abby’s introduction, delighted at being called a “comedienne”: “Like pirates. Yeah. You’ve never done that before… it’s this new thing that I’m introducing to the podcast.”
• [04:00–06:00] Jill: “17 years. That’s crazy, guys... That’s like half my life.”
• [25:00+] Lighthearted look at the podcast’s Patreon, sticker club, and past specials.

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2. “Get To Know Your Host” Straw Hat Roundtable

(The recurring fan survey, 06:00–23:30)

Favorite Straw Hat:

• Ed, Steve, Alex: Zoro
• Jill: “Monkey D. Luffy… my heart is so full of love for the captain that, you know, can’t have anyone else.” [07:27]
• Abby: “Usopp. Every day of the week.” [09:18]

Favorite Antagonist:

• Abby: “Arlong. Arlong, baby. He gets to the point.” [10:03]
• Jill: “Big Mom. I mean, come on now.”
• Alex: Crocodile
• Steve: Eniru
• Zach: “Big Mom… but a close second is probably Magellan. My underrated villain choice.”

Favorite ‘Other’ Character (not crew or main villain):

• Ed: “Hannibal, from Impel Down.”
• Steve: “Kaku.”
• Alex: “Django, of course.”
• Jill: “Probably Buggy. That clown grew on me.”
• Abby: “Bon chan all the way, Mr. 2.”
• Zach: “Kuzan – he’s awesome, lazy, relatable.”

Most Obscure or Beloved Minor Character:

• Abby: Triangle head guy from an early SBS (mail-in fan character) [15:12]
• Jill & Zach: Nagikuma Maria (the woman mistaken for Hiking Bear in Drum Island, delight at seeing her in the live-action)
• Alex: Banana Gator “F1E, the one that shows up in only one panel.” Later, “No, let me change my answer to lawsuit.”
• Steve: “Fishbone In, now. Pearl is too big a deal.”
• Ed: “Kumadori. One of the most brutal endings… funny fridge gag.”
• General love for glup shito/minor background character meme.

Favorite Arc:

• Nearly all: Water 7
• Jill: Skypiea
• Abby: “Arlong Park, baby. I’m old.” [21:25]

Favorite Anime Opening/Ending:

• Most: “We Are!”
• Jill: “Bon Voyage.”
• Ed: Endings: “Memories still my favorite One Piece song.”
• General derision for some later openings, e.g. “Super Powers,” and a mini-rant on lackluster/annoying theme songs.

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3. One Piece News & Community Events

• [26:11+] Dodgers “One Piece Night” returns, sparking an ongoing bit about not getting the exclusive card, and the now-legendary struggle to obtain it. [28:02–29:59]
  • Steve: “It’s an investment to get pissed off.”
  • Jill: “They didn’t give him something.”
• Oda visits Cape Town (for the Netflix live-action season 3), drawing Luffy in the sand, which sparks playful speculation about Easter eggs and adaptations. [31:16]
• Voices cast for new characters (Knights of God) are discussed.
• [34:53+] The “McCormick One Piece” spice collaboration: “King of the Meats Luffy seasoning… Chopper’s Cotton Candy Finishing Sugar—finishing sugar and Sanji’s Barati seasoning, tastes like wood.”

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4. Manga Recap: Chapter 1,184, “We’re All Bones When We Die”

[36:00–1:07:00]

• Cover Story: Brook being zapped by “emu-eyed jellyfish”—noted as possible foreshadowing.
• Deep Dive into Brook’s Backstory:
  • Flashback within a flashback, layered time jumps: Young Princess Shuri beats up princely suitors (“I don’t like weak men or men who can’t play music.”).
  • Brooke is 27 and mentoring Shuri, who’s flirtatious toward Brooke (he demurs: “Stop that, it’s undignified.” [43:57]).
  • Hard left to 11-year-old Brooke, destitute and living in a trash dump, singing “Let’s blame the king, we need a new king… We’re all starving, skin and bones…”—direct thematic echoes of Great Terminal/Sabo flashback.
  • First meeting with Reuben (“bro”), the incognito prince, who offers frog-and-grasshopper curry with stolen Navy curry powder.
  • Marines mistake Brooke for drug running; he’s beaten and arrested; Reuben, revealed as prince, saves him with his knight/bodyguard Kandel. Kandel’s special sword strike sound effect is called out as possibly a Mihawk link by the hosts ([68:48], [155:20]).
  • Shuri, Reuben, and Kandel grant Brooke a better life; emotional panel as Brooke cries, grateful at being rescued from the dump (“If we keep him around, life in the palace is gonna be way more fun. And also, this kid won’t live in a dump for the rest of his life.” [71:15]).
• Quotes & Observations:
  • Abby: “These pages were assigned to us, dear listener. And I was having a delightful time turning over in my head… It’s uncomfortable no matter who reads this line.” (re: Shuri’s tween flirting, [44:36])
  • Alex: “He’s basically living with some junkyard dogs. No, not the WWF wrestlers.”
• Running gags: Avril Lavigne “I don’t really care about my trash habitation” reference as meta-episode title.

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5. Thematic Analysis and Reflection

• Brooke’s Resilience/Comedy as Armor: Noted that smiling through tragedy is “a super cool and interesting character motif for him.” [104:43]
• Societal Critique: Several hosts note Oda’s consistent use of “living in the dump” as a metaphor/reference for class disparity and child neglect, linking to past story arcs and the real world.
  • Abby: “It’s now canon that garbage dumps are just where poor people live in One Piece land… this is just a picture book logic world.”
  • Jill: “Oda always talks about how trash really shows that a country isn’t treating everyone right.”
• Speculation:
  • Whether Kandel is this era’s “world’s strongest swordsman” (inversion of Kuina’s fear).
  • Is Esperia a precursor to Thriller Bark? Is Reuben meant to be Beethoven? Franziska Mihawk’s ancestor?
  • Why does Brooke owe so much to the (now vanished) old kingdom?
  • Reuben = Sabo parallel, possible future rebellion.
  • [155:23] “Kandel has a very unique ‘DON’ font… maybe she’s this era’s world’s strongest swordsman.”

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6. Piece Together Q&A

([108:00–161:11])

• Theorist listeners posit Knights of God as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
• Questions about hybrid minor character popularity (“glup shito” tournament).
• Redditor asks why Skypiea is so highly regarded—hosts strongly defend its adventure-first classic spirit and world-building.
• Fashion tangent: Favorite arc-specific Straw Hat outfits (Water 7 Nami’s infamous skirt/tie combo, Strong World costumes, hoodie Luffy/Drum Island, egghead looks). [157:09+]
  • Alex: “For me, I think that Luffy’s best fit is Wano with the cape. Zoro’s is East Blue. Nami’s is Water 7…”
• Discussion about drugs in One Piece (energy steroids, smuggling) and its relative rarity.
• Abby contributes zingers throughout: “If the flashback is this short, we’re only getting the skeleton of the story.”
• Quote compilation:
  • “Bro is really funny in this.” (re: Aniki/bro chummy dialogue for Reuben and Brooke, [59:01])
  • “I feel like if the rest of the flashback is this short, then we’re only getting the skeleton of the story.” – Abby, [154:32]

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Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• Abby: “I feel like that would be the happiest kid in the world. Yes, have a cigar, kid.” [69:45]
• Steve: “He’s worried that one day Brooke is just going to fly away.” (comparing to Tony Soprano caring for the ducks, [88:17])
• Zach: “Who hasn’t cried lying down? That’s one of the more realistic crying faces in One Piece.” ([97:08], on Brook’s flashback climax)
• Jill: “Those giant kids can drown for a while longer.” ([106:33], on chapter’s pacing)
• General: Host banter about arc rankings, famous episode memes, Simpsons references (“I bet you Oda doing the Kevin McAllister…”).

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening/Anniversary intro: [01:21–06:00]
• Straw Hat Q & A: [06:00–23:30]
• Podcast/Community banter: [23:30–36:00]
• Manga Recap begins: [36:00]
• Start of Brook flashback analysis: [39:36]
• Panel-by-panel readthrough: [47:42–71:15]
• End of manga recap/thoughts: [71:31–107:07]
• Piece Together/Listener Q&A: [108:06–161:11]
• Closing/Plugs: [163:00+]

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Language, Tone, & Energy

• The tone is casual, self-aware, very meme- and beep-humor-forward, loaded with decades of in-jokes. Hosts are unafraid to drag their younger selves for dumb bits, and riff off each other as equals.
• Abby brings meta-commentary and comedic deadpan; Jill and Steve riff on fandom culture and inside baseball; Alex supplies deep dives and music jokes; Zach and Ed anchor the show with timing, structure, and longstanding podcast chemistry.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The best mix of hearty analysis and anarchic fun: if you want deep character/lore/arc talk, actual informed joke-laden speculation, and a feeling like you’re “in” with a day-one community, this is the episode for you.
• Brook’s flashback is both a classic Oda tearjerker and a showcase for Straw Hat resilience, place-based trauma, and class critique.
• The hosts remain devoted to their fan community, as shown through the annual survey, live events, meme tournaments, and by giving voice to reader theories and Q&A.
• 17 years in, “we’re all bones when we die”—but this fandom isn’t going anywhere.

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Closing Thought

“I feel like if the rest of the flashback is this short, then we’re only getting the skeleton of the story.” – Abby Denton, [154:32]

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Happy 17th Anniversary, One Piece Podcast!

Transcript

[Abby Denton]

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[Alex]

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[Abby Denton]

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[Alex]

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[Abby Denton]

Plus, buy online and pick up at

[Jill Knight]

your favorite rack store for free.

[Abby Denton]

Great brands, great prices. That's why youy Wreck.

[Zach Logan]

This is the One Piece podcast, episode 90221 for June 1, 2026. My name is Zach.

[Ed]

And my name is Ed.

[Steve Yurko]

My name is Steve.

[Alex]

I thought you're gonna do the thing. Damn it. I had a whole thing.

[Steve Yurko]

Do what?

[Alex]

I thought you were gonna say, my name is Brian McGee. And I was going to say, and I stayed up all night listening to Queen.

[Steve Yurko]

No, I was joking. Say my name or else how is everyone gonna know who I am?

[Alex]

I was mentally prepared. My name's Alex.

[Zach Logan]

We're celebrating our 17th anniversary as of May 31st. We started. It was a very good year in 2009. I mean, like, all things considered, not the worst.

[Alex]

Let's go back to 2009 really quick and think about, like, who was president at the time.

[Jill Knight]

I was in high school. Can we not?

[Zach Logan]

Okay, yeah, high school. You're right. That part for you, Jill. Not for you, for us. Maybe. I was unemployed, so there's. That's fine.

[Alex]

I think I was unemployed. I was between two jobs. No, no, no. I had two jobs in 2009.

[Zach Logan]

You forgot if you were unemployed between two jobs or had two jobs.

[Ed]

What about ferns?

[Alex]

I was not. I was not Zach Alanakis in 2009.

[Zach Logan]

Are we sure you didn't have the

[Ed]

full beard back then?

[Zach Logan]

That's true.

[Steve Yurko]

We didn't have the beard.

[Alex]

Not even close. Not even close.

[Abby Denton]

What is Zach Galifianakis doing now? Are we sure you're not Zach Galifianakis?

[Alex]

Trust me, if I was, I would not be on the One Piece podcast right now.

[Zach Logan]

Are you sure?

[Alex]

I'm just kidding. I would still be here.

[Zach Logan]

Okay. Thank you, Zach.

[Steve Yurko]

Anyway, what happened on this day in 2009?

[Zach Logan]

Well, we'll talk about That a little more. But I want to introduce our guests who you've already heard a little bit. First, comedienne Abbey Denton once again joins us. How's it going, Abby?

[Abby Denton]

It's going wonderful. I'm very grateful to you for putting the little. A little French into committeen. I'm very grateful. It's a word we never get to hear, so I'm very grateful for any opportunity to hear it. It's so nice to be here with my favorite crew. Like pirates. Yeah. You've never done that before. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's this new thing that I'm introducing to the podcast.

[Zach Logan]

I like it. Yeah, we will do that from now on. Notice, do not do that from now. Oh, shit, I forgot to mute. I usually make my self notes while muted. Jill Knight, our contributor. How's it going, Jill?

[Jill Knight]

Hello. Hello. Sluts. And Abby.

[Abby Denton]

Working hard every day, Jill.

[Jill Knight]

17 years. That's crazy, guys. That's wild. That's like half my life.

[Zach Logan]

I think that's like half my life.

[Abby Denton]

I've been raising my kid for 17 years.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, three, four. It's close. Not that far from half my life.

[Alex]

It's almost half my life.

[Ed]

Jill, I don't think we met you until we came to Anime Expo for the first time.

[Zach Logan]

Is that when we first met you, Jill?

[Jill Knight]

Probably. I mean, I was on AP forums before that, but like in person. Yeah, for sure.

[Zach Logan]

You. You really need someone forums different from Voiders for.

[Ed]

Our first Anime Expo was the one where Dennis walked in with his Akainu cosplay with a magma Hulk hand and an ace cutout with a whole.

[Zach Logan]

That's right.

[Jill Knight]

I remember that very well.

[Zach Logan]

Spoilers. 14 years later or something.

[Steve Yurko]

It was a year later. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

How many years ago was that now? That was in 2010. Oh, actually that was 2010. I wasn't there, but I think it was 2010. Anyway, I want to do a little tiny something special for our 17th anniversary here today. I usually ask our guests these questions, but someone on our Discord, I think, was pitching something S and P was pitching something completely different and I think I completely misunderstood it. So I'm just going to do it

[Steve Yurko]

now and save for broadcast.

[Zach Logan]

That's sfw.

[Steve Yurko]

What Standards and Practices SNPP is the

[Ed]

Simpsons Wiki, isn't it?

[Steve Yurko]

Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and Sanji's an SI mp.

[Zach Logan]

Just letting that simmer. How have we been doing this this long?

[Abby Denton]

Here's one, lads. What do you call a podcast that's been running as long as yours has not? Podcast.

[Zach Logan]

Okay, good, good stuff. There it is. So I'll ask. And Abby and Jill also free to answer. But I'm gonna go around the room and ask our five usual questions that we ask our guests to us. And I know these answers change like the wind, but I'm going to start. I'm going to go in order of seniority here. So Ed, you're first.

[Ed]

Yes.

[Zach Logan]

Who is your favorite straw hat? Has it changed?

[Ed]

No, it's still Zorro, of course.

[Zach Logan]

Okay, see? Easy answer, Easy. Steve, has your favorite straw hat changed

[Steve Yurko]

despite everything? No.

[Zach Logan]

Okay. So, Okay, we don't have to do the 17 year version of it. We could just do the. Okay. Alex, your favorite straw hat.

[Steve Yurko]

I was trying to think if there's another character with sand and big shirtless sand. We made that joke.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

Beginning of wano.

[Alex]

That's right. Zorro. I think still.

[Steve Yurko]

Jill, I never thought of you as a Zorro guy.

[Alex]

No. Why? Let's unpack this. Why? Why not?

[Ed]

I thought you were an Usop guy.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, you do strike me as an Usopp guy.

[Alex]

I love Usopp. But I. Zoro was the reason I started watching the show.

[Steve Yurko]

I thought you were just always. I thought you were like a Luffy kind of guy.

[Alex]

I mean, I thought about. Honestly. Honestly though, like, I thought about it like as just now. Like two minutes ago, I was like, oh, I guess maybe like Luffy's probably the correct dancer. Like Luffy's my favorite straw hat.

[Steve Yurko]

What's his Greek name? Like Gene.

[Alex]

Drake.

[Steve Yurko]

Drake. Drake.

[Zach Logan]

Jim. Bart.

[Alex]

Gene. Karma again.

[Zach Logan]

Good for. Good for her.

[Alex]

So I don't know, let's say Zorro. But it's something I haven't thought about in like,

[Ed]

be my other guess for you.

[Alex]

Franky is probably closer to being my favorite straw hat than Usopp is, I think.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. I mean, I guess if Yao were still doing it, I feel like Frankie would be like undoubtedly.

[Alex]

Yeah, he wouldn't have that much to do with it, I think.

[Zach Logan]

No. Jango.

[Alex]

Well, yeah, we'll get to that. But I think that like. Yeah, I think maybe Zorro still. He's just really cool. He's got three swords.

[Zach Logan]

Zoro's cool is what you're saying.

[Alex]

He's like a. Samo is cool.

[Zach Logan]

He is. Yeah. Jill, who's your favorite straw hat?

[Jill Knight]

Oh, it's gotta be Monkey D. Luffy. I literally had a discussion at work the other day about how the fact that I'm probably aromantic because my heart is so full of love for the captain that, you know, can't have anyone Else.

[Zach Logan]

Good for you, Jill. I like how one piece is like your North Star for aromanticism.

[Jill Knight]

Half my life, man.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

Abby, is it a captain oriented thing like Captain Von Trapp? How do you feel about Christopher Plummer?

[Jill Knight]

Well, you know, we'll have to off to rewatch. I don't know.

[Alex]

He doesn't sing. Spoiler alert. He does not sing his own songs in the movie. Oh, well, no, it's a. It's a fellow named Bill Lee who overdubbed. Overdubbed all of his.

[Zach Logan]

What about casting?

[Alex]

What's that?

[Abby Denton]

I'm just being annoying.

[Zach Logan]

Abby, who's your favorite straw hat?

[Abby Denton]

Usopp. Every day of the week. Every day of the week.

[Zach Logan]

Good week. That's a good week.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

I mean, they never give him good stuff anymore, but they don't have time for anyone to have good bits anymore.

[Ed]

Zach, I know you're a Luffy guy, but Usopp shares your birthday.

[Jill Knight]

Ooh.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, but I'm not gonna play favoritism just because of birth dates. No, Usopp's amazing, obviously, but I don't. I don't know who my second would be to Luffy. That is like choosing favorite child. A favorite child, which I would not do. Abby, we're gonna. We'll snake around, I think is what it's called when you go in the opposite order. That's what they call them board games and stuff. Right. Who is your favorite antagonist in one piece?

[Abby Denton]

Arlong. Arlong, baby.

[Zach Logan]

Good answer, Jill.

[Abby Denton]

He gets to the point. He gets to it.

[Zach Logan]

Arc. Silver. Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, that's. Yes, that's good,

[Zach Logan]

Jill.

[Jill Knight]

Oh, big mom. I mean, come on now.

[Zach Logan]

She's batshit adorable.

[Jill Knight]

Great.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. Alex,

[Alex]

I think Crocodile.

[Zach Logan]

Good answer.

[Alex]

Still. Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Good answer, Steve.

[Steve Yurko]

I think I'm still gonna say Eniru.

[Zach Logan]

Wow. All these years later. Yeah. No, it's a good answer.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah, I think it's like, not necessarily that. I don't think I have the strongest argument for him, but I don't think there's anyone that I would go to bat for. Yeah, I mean, Crocodile's great, but almost doesn't feel like, you know, he's not my answer.

[Jill Knight]

You know, I find some. Well, if you think about, like, antagonists, there's so many of them that not only have come back, but are, like, kind of on our side now that, like, Crocodile is kind of like, how antagonistic is he? But Eniru, literally never, never once in his life has he done a good thing for anyone.

[Ed]

Never came back either. To shame.

[Zach Logan]

Well, there's still time.

[Steve Yurko]

Never know yet.

[Zach Logan]

Ed.

[Ed]

Well, in terms of how exciting it was to see him get his wrecked spend him, he's the most antagonistic.

[Zach Logan]

This is hard for a thing for anyone. I'm looking on wiki at the list of antagonists, which is funny. I. Big mom is like my first. I feel like I'm lifting it. But she is so good at just being this menacing. I think Kaiju is how it's been put. Yeah. And also.

[Ed]

And she has a musical number.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah. Morgel number.

[Jill Knight]

Bunch of kids like backstory where it's like, oh, I'd say she likes people. Eats people.

[Zach Logan]

A close second is probably Magellan. I think he's a fun. I think he is the. He's my underrated villain choice. Like, I feel like I've mentioned this before. He does not get enough love or hate.

[Ed]

Oh, what's the next question, Zach? Sorry?

[Zach Logan]

The next question.

[Abby Denton]

An option, actually, you could choose whatever option.

[Zach Logan]

There's no rules. That's a good answer.

[Ed]

If you were doing antagonist based on English voice, I would go with Gil to Sorrow.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, we're going based on voice. That's a very different question. Norio Wakamoto hasn't played any canon canonical character, so I have to hold that off.

[Ed]

He was Ganzak, right?

[Zach Logan]

I think he was Ganza. Ed, who is your favorite character who does not fit in either of those categories?

[Ed]

He's not a major antagonist, but Hannibal,

[Zach Logan]

I got you in an impel down mood here, you know? But Hannibal's great.

[Ed]

When you said Magellan, I was thinking about Hannibal.

[Abby Denton]

Now, a podcast is a type of prison. Isn't that right, Edwin?

[Jill Knight]

Feels like it sometimes.

[Zach Logan]

Jill, I could hear you.

[Jill Knight]

Oh, sorry. I'll mute.

[Zach Logan]

Steve.

[Steve Yurko]

This is non antagonist.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. Anyone else who's not, who doesn't fit in those categories?

[Steve Yurko]

Kaku.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, duh.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

Steve is also like an antagonist, but he kind of doesn't feel like one anymore. Even though he was kind of still on like, you know, opposing sides in Egghead.

[Zach Logan]

Alex.

[Alex]

Django, of course. Yeah. It's not going to change probably ever. I don't know.

[Zach Logan]

I can't see that happening.

[Alex]

Like. Like Buggy is kind of up there or like. Yeah, probably Django. That's same as it ever was, Jill.

[Jill Knight]

Probably Buggy. Oh, my God. That clown grew on me so much over. Over the years. I love him.

[Zach Logan]

Abby.

[Abby Denton]

Bon chan all the way, Mr. Two.

[Zach Logan]

There you go. That's a good one.

[Abby Denton]

Who else could it be?

[Zach Logan]

Kuzan, I think is still there. Like, that's. Ooh, yeah, that's been. I mean, he's awesome. He's like lazy and tired all the time, which. Oh, so relate. And he wears his eye mask like that. And that's how I wear my eye mask on a plane. It doesn't do anything.

[Steve Yurko]

Over your eyes?

[Zach Logan]

No, over my forehead.

[Abby Denton]

No, over his eyes.

[Zach Logan]

Over my eyes. Exactly. Above my eyes.

[Steve Yurko]

So when people like walk by and see you with that over, like on your forehead and they're like, damn, that guy got some good sleep.

[Zach Logan]

Yes. Yes. Abby, who is your favorite super obscure character in one piece that if it

[Abby Denton]

has not already been mentioned, I still believe that the triangle head guy that people kept putting on postcards for the sbs. I still believe he's going to show up Hanger.

[Zach Logan]

Like the guy with the.

[Abby Denton]

It was like a kid wrote in and he was like, here's my design for a Shichibukai. And it was like a triangle. And he had like a, like another triangle of hair sticking out of his face. I don't remember his name, but he's great.

[Zach Logan]

I'm looking this up, but yeah, go ahead.

[Steve Yurko]

Oh, yeah, that was like an early SPS where someone's like, can you make this guy the. Like one of the warlords? And Oda gave a really, you know, lengthy response by saying, no.

[Zach Logan]

I like that.

[Abby Denton]

Usually, usually he runs with those things.

[Zach Logan]

He sometimes does.

[Jill Knight]

Nekki Kuma Maria. I love her. I was so excited to see her the live action.

[Zach Logan]

I know. I was too. I like, oh, my God, of the things. I fist pumped in that. In the. In the adaptation. The fact that she was in it, which is like, it was funny because she was our trivia question for years.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

What is the name of the woman that's mistaken for Hiking Bear? Hiking Bear in Drum Island. For those who don't know, that's the answer. Nagikuma Maria. And she was in it. I need to ask her to come on the show. I don't know if I did. I have to remember. But I don't know what we would talk about.

[Steve Yurko]

To be flying in the room to see Zach sit in his living room. And then Negotia shows up in the live action. Zach just jumps and goes, yes.

[Jill Knight]

I think I yelled, actually. I think I was like, oh, my God.

[Zach Logan]

I don't. Let's go. You know me.

[Ed]

Let's go.

[Zach Logan]

I don't know.

[Steve Yurko]

Lock in one piece. Live action.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, yeah. Alex, which.

[Alex]

Which was the question there.

[Zach Logan]

The obscure character. Not Django.

[Alex]

Yeah. I mean, he's tubes and he's not like, he's not sure enough Shit. I guess. Do you think. Do you think that he would fit that category better than. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, then who. I. Who are you gonna say? Sorry, I didn't know there was a.

[Alex]

Well, I mean, I guess this is a tough question. Like, even more obscure than Django because it's like my obscure character. So this is like a Glup Shido.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, it is a Club Shadow. Glup Beard. Is that what we call it?

[Alex]

The.

[Ed]

The Tournament of Glupiers?

[Zach Logan]

She did. Yeah.

[Alex]

Sir Funkle did.

[Abby Denton]

I really enjoy that. We're not going to any lengths to explore. Explain the term Glup shito to any listener who's not aware of the concept.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, we've been talking about it for weeks. Because we've.

[Alex]

Good.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, we've had a Glup Shit Beard Tournament going on. That's the name of our Glup Shitos in one piece. That's what we've been calling it.

[Abby Denton]

Okay.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Let's see. I don't know.

[Zach Logan]

You were thinking Alex, but I thought you froze, so that's perfect. Okay.

[Alex]

No, no, no. Yeah. I'm trying to think, like, who have I been voting? Like, who. Who have I been voting for on the WT100? And it has been Django until I got a gold, and I finally got a gold, and I switched to Frankie because I think he needs more love.

[Zach Logan]

He does. Oh, I should look at the WT100. That would actually probably answer that question. Do you want me to come back to Banana Gators?

[Alex]

Actually, no. Even more than the Banana Gator. The. The banana gator F1E. The. The one that shows up in only one panel.

[Zach Logan]

Perfect.

[Alex]

That. Yeah. The fastest. I think it's the second fastest thing in Alabasta. Oh, after. After the Ducks class squad.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, Steve.

[Steve Yurko]

Guess it's got to be Fishbone in now.

[Alex]

Of course.

[Steve Yurko]

I mean, like, Pearl had, like, a decent little stint in Baratie. Like, Fishbone in has appeared in, like, two scenes, and only one of them was speaking, so he was in the flashback.

[Zach Logan]

That's true.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Oh, wait. Can I change my answer to lawsuit?

[Zach Logan]

Yes.

[Alex]

Okay.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, sorry, Steve. Steve is the authority on this, so. No, no, no.

[Ed]

Kumadori as a means a minor villain, but he gets very funny gags.

[Zach Logan]

And he gets funny.

[Ed]

One of the most brutal endings of just getting pounded by monster Chopper.

[Zach Logan]

Deservedly. Yeah. No, I like Kumadori a lot.

[Ed]

His gag with the Getting locked in the fridge.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, yeah. Was that.

[Alex]

That's very good.

[Zach Logan]

I assume that was kind of.

[Alex]

It's. It's Longer. Longer and funnier. In the anime, this is around the

[Ed]

time when Frankie puts a is powered by like vegetable juice and tea and he turns into like a farmer or he gets a throws a vegetable punch.

[Zach Logan]

Oh yeah.

[Abby Denton]

They should do more with that gag.

[Zach Logan]

I'm looking at the last WT100 at like the bottom to see who here. I mean, King Baum is the first like for our club ship beard. That is who I was rooting for. King Baum is amazing. His puns are their puns. Wow. There's some. There's some real glip ship beards down here.

[Ed]

Or maybe somebody like peek at the crotch.

[Zach Logan]

I was thinking Pez actually, because a kid with first of all loving parents.

[Alex]

Pez is great.

[Zach Logan]

Pez is great. And he has a pacifier that looks like a cigar. That's fantastic. I'm not that I would give that to my kid, but it's. It's fictionally very.

[Ed]

Actually, Gotti would be another good one because he married Lola and she deserved that.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, she. He's not obscure. Everyone knows Gotti. Ed, your favorite story arc. Let's see if this has changed for anyone.

[Steve Yurko]

For who?

[Ed]

For you, ed, it's still water 7.

[Zach Logan]

Steve Water 7.

[Alex]

Alex, water 7.

[Abby Denton]

Jill Skypiea, Abby Arlong park baby.

[Zach Logan]

That doesn't surprise me.

[Abby Denton]

I'm old.

[Zach Logan]

Probably still Water seven. I mean, it's the right answer that's the problem. Last question. Abby, what's your favorite opening and or ending? If you want to throw that one into.

[Abby Denton]

Ooh, is it cheating if I say the. The theme song to go? Kaijar from like 2013 now one piece specifically disqualified. They're pirates. It's the One Piece crew in Power Rangers. I guess we go. I think I really that one. I think I've played the most on my phone.

[Zach Logan]

Should we do. Should I be asking instead? Which have you listened to the most? Because that might be a different answer too.

[Abby Denton]

Well, I'm really bad at deciding my favorite. You know, like. Like I have to conclude what my favorite must be from context clues about my. My like lizard brains.

[Zach Logan]

Yes, it's a lizard brain answer. I think.

[Abby Denton]

I don't think I have like a conscious self. Like. Like humans are meant to. I think I might be a philosophical zombie. You know, like, you all have souls, I assume. I'm not sure if I do.

[Zach Logan]

I don't know.

[Abby Denton]

I think that's the opposite of how solipsism works. So I'm some new problem.

[Zach Logan]

Wow, this got very deep very quick. Jill, what's your favorite one? Piece, Anime, Opening or ending?

[Jill Knight]

I think it's cheating to say we are, even though that is the truth. So I will go with Bon voyage.

[Ed]

Good one too.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that's a very good one. Alex.

[Alex]

We are. Duh.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Steve, I'm not even gonna. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

No, don't.

[Steve Yurko]

We are, Ed.

[Ed]

We are. I can do endings too, because Memories is probably my favorite one. Piece song.

[Zach Logan]

Us is still really good. I haven't done the assu. Right. That's what we're calling it. I have to do, like a full. I have.

[Ed]

And what's the actual name of the song that's Running Screaming Forever?

[Zach Logan]

Oh, that's

[Ed]

Wake Up.

[Steve Yurko]

Wake Up.

[Zach Logan]

Wake Up.

[Alex]

Yeah. Wake Up. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. That is the worst. I still take that. No, it's.

[Alex]

It's not the worst.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. Oh, superpowers.

[Alex]

Superpowers.

[Zach Logan]

Superpowers. Pretty awful.

[Steve Yurko]

Worst song. It is.

[Zach Logan]

At least in isolation. It is catchy in that just those words are catchy. Hearing it one time, not 8,000. The screaming, running forever. Everything about it is obscene.

[Ed]

I was doing anime recaps at the time and it's not having fun.

[Zach Logan]

No, it's not fun. And the part where Usopp Blackbeard talks doesn't help. Favorite ending. I. I could think about that later, but Shining Ray song wise is such a fucking good song. Not available anywhere legally, at least. Like, I cannot find that. That's our questionnaire.

[Ed]

There's another ending, I forget which. I think it's one that Techie and Tsubasa did, which I always enjoyed because I thought it had, like, horns. Like from a Burt Bacharach song.

[Alex]

Yeah, more Burn with the Birds.

[Steve Yurko]

Well, that one's been scrubbed from.

[Zach Logan]

Yes, that one has everything.

[Steve Yurko]

It's on. I think the only official releases it might be on are Japanese ones. And I don't even know if that's true.

[Alex]

No, I think that's true. It sucks because it's a really great song. It's a fun ending too.

[Ed]

Mirai Kokai is the name of it.

[Alex]

Mira Ikokai.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that's Robin's Got the Bats. Right? That's what we named that after.

[Ed]

That was an episode early on.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. Yeah. Since we're celebrating our anniversary. Thank you, first of all, to all of our listeners, our patrons. If you don't support us on Patreon and you would like to, you could do that. Patreon.com Go to hell. No, I'm kidding, Steve.

[Abby Denton]

Yes.

[Zach Logan]

Bonestormer.

[Ed]

Go to hell.

[Zach Logan]

Well, only that weren't fictional. Or is it? Steve, where's our sticker of the Month club sitting at. I guess we're in almost in June. Or we're in June as we sit here today.

[Ed]

Because the sticker is. The next sticker has already been decided because it was part of that tie. Right.

[Zach Logan]

Well, was it that the previous one or is that this one?

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah, that's for the month of May, which by the time this comes out, will be over.

[Zach Logan]

Over.

[Steve Yurko]

So, yeah, you'll find out.

[Zach Logan]

Wait, so we're voting, though, for this? For June? Right.

[Steve Yurko]

There will be a poll. Once again, I think for some reason,

[Abby Denton]

right after Steve said that.

[Alex]

Oh, it happens a lot.

[Abby Denton]

Strangely dramatic.

[Steve Yurko]

Oh, yeah.

[Alex]

I leave Alex.

[Zach Logan]

Steve is just.

[Alex]

Because that's funny.

[Zach Logan]

Oh. Oh, Alex, you meant.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

Wow.

[Abby Denton]

They were working in tandem.

[Steve Yurko]

Closer. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Okay, the few little pieces of news. One specifically for Steve Yurko. Steve, did you know straw hats, that it's time for One Piece Night to return to the ballpark on July 2? Dodgers, are you ready this time? Steve, are you ready? Are you going to get that card? I don't know if there's gonna be a card. Is there gonna be a card?

[Steve Yurko]

They haven't announced a card yet, but they probably will.

[Jill Knight]

I've got my tickets. They are obscenely priced. It's like double the price of last year. Like.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah, like, do I want to spend like a couple hundred bucks?

[Zach Logan]

It's an investment just to not get the. To not get the card again.

[Steve Yurko]

It's an investment to get pissed off.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that's worth it.

[Ed]

One day at the Red Sox game, like a year and a half ago, there was like one piece Red Sox jerseys you could get.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, but that's not a card.

[Steve Yurko]

They did that again recently. No, that's not a card. You can't flip that.

[Abby Denton]

You know, Steve, I'm doing stand up in Spanish at a club in K Town tomorrow night, and I can give you a Digimon card if you show up.

[Zach Logan]

You should take that deal.

[Steve Yurko]

What is PSA rating? Those out of ten.

[Abby Denton]

I penny sleeved them a couple of years ago. They're fine.

[Zach Logan]

Fine. Fine.

[Steve Yurko]

Fine's good.

[Zach Logan]

Fine's good.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, is that a rating?

[Jill Knight]

Depends on the Digimon, I guess.

[Zach Logan]

Look forward to that meeting.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. They're doing that again. Maybe I'll go and I'll make sure. I'll make sure. I'll be very observant on what line I'm going through and making sure they are handing those cards out.

[Zach Logan]

And go back to the entrance. If they tell you, they say they don't have. Zach.

[Steve Yurko]

Zach, fly your Ass out here and see how it's done, because it's amazing how no one wants to believe me. No one wants to believe me.

[Zach Logan]

God, everybody.

[Jill Knight]

I was there. I. I believe.

[Steve Yurko]

Totally.

[Jill Knight]

They didn't give him something.

[Steve Yurko]

Thank you, Jill. Yeah, Joe was on that episode.

[Jill Knight]

What you should have done is you should just ask random people who looked like they didn't know what one piece was to have their car.

[Steve Yurko]

Random people.

[Jill Knight]

Yes. People sitting in front of me.

[Steve Yurko]

Zach wanted me to do the thing where it's like, oh, oh, my brother wanted to come, but he couldn't make it, and he really wanted a card.

[Zach Logan]

I said, just go back to the entrance where they are giving out the cards and say, I didn't get a card at the entrance. Can I please have one here? What's the big front?

[Steve Yurko]

You were not there. Zach.

[Zach Logan]

You.

[Steve Yurko]

You forget about the detail. When I said they just had security. Just like, telling you, you got to keep moving.

[Zach Logan]

You just push security out of the way.

[Steve Yurko]

Like, I want to get her arrested for pushing security around at a Dodgers game. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna pie face the security. Look at Steve. The dumbass got arrested at a baseball game card. It's all point and left.

[Alex]

Please think of Delaney.

[Zach Logan]

I'm actually specifically thinking of Delaney as well.

[Steve Yurko]

As long as we all export our separate tracks, you can mute everyone else and just listen to me. Cause I'm.

[Zach Logan]

And, Jill, he is the most wrong.

[Steve Yurko]

Anyway, Zack, Zach, you go. I want you to go, and I want you to see what it's like.

[Zach Logan]

Damn it. That bit would be very funny.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. That is.

[Zach Logan]

Don't make me feel like it'd be

[Alex]

really funny if, like, Zach goes. Zach goes. And, like, transatlantic. No, the ticket.

[Ed]

Transcontinental.

[Alex]

Oh, hey, I know you. Here's Zach Logan from Long Peace podcast. Here you go. Here's five cards just for you.

[Zach Logan]

And then Steve goes by, and here's a private card I found. I ran out of all my cards. I'm sorry, Steve Yuriko. I can't give you any.

[Alex]

No, no, no. Steve walks by, and then the guy just goes, can I help you?

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Alex]

And Steve's like, I'm also on the One Piece podcast. He goes, yeah, right. Prove it.

[Zach Logan]

Say, my name is Steve and my name is Steve. Say it.

[Alex]

And you do. And the guy goes, you know nothing of Steve Yerko. You sound nothing like him. I follow him on Instagram. I know exactly what he looks like. And when he sounds like. You look nothing like Steve Yerko.

[Zach Logan]

You're not even squinting properly. Okay, other news. I'm never gonna.

[Alex]

That was like some sort of. I do think there is some sort of mass conspiracy against Steve trying to get these freaking cards, though.

[Zach Logan]

I agree.

[Steve Yurko]

Well, no, he did get a card.

[Zach Logan]

He did end up getting it.

[Alex]

Oh, no, I saw.

[Steve Yurko]

You weren't aware. I got the card.

[Alex]

I saw the PO Box video. I know that you got the card. I'm just saying that, like, in a way that's easy and convenient.

[Abby Denton]

This is probably a bad time to mention that. The only times I've seen Steve in person, I believe Steve was fully clean shaven. So I have spent this entire recording thinking Steve looks totally different. Is this really Steve? Where's Steve? Who's this guy?

[Alex]

Do you work for the Dodgers?

[Zach Logan]

Okay, next piece of news.

[Ed]

How does that work? Actually, Zach, I want to mention this because this was in the author comment last week that we didn't see because it wasn't published yet. But you got the picture of it. But Oda said he went to Cape Town. Looks like season three of the live action show is going to be amazing. Can't wait. And we got a picture of him with his fish head.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, video. There was a video that came out with him drawing Luffy in the sand. Thank you. Good, Good intro there.

[Steve Yurko]

I thought the Mandalorian and Grogu was grow goo Griffin.

[Alex]

I think it'd be really funny if, like the. If he just goes to Cape Town, he draws the. He draws the thing in the sand. And then he's like, yeah, this is gonna be sweet. It's gonna show up in the show. It's going to be the. It's going to be the tits. And then just leaves. He just didn't see anything else. He just draws, like, his name in the sand. They're like, oh, hey, yeah, that'll be on. That'll be a little Easter egg in the background.

[Zach Logan]

I think someone pointed out that in Yaaki cuts a ribbon in Yaqui and him do embrace in the video. And he's wearing the armband thing that they wear throughout Alabasta, so.

[Alex]

Oh, wow. Shocker. What a shocker. Adapt. Adapt the thing from Alabaster.

[Steve Yurko]

Zach, can you get that graphic ready? We need that. That post on Facebook.

[Zach Logan]

Like, y, dude, this will change the way it hits.

[Alex]

Completely different knowing that it's going to hit so different. It's going to hit so different knowing that they're adapting. They're adapting.

[Zach Logan]

Alabaster don't go on Facebook ever. Just don't. Yeah.

[Ed]

Next time we see video of Oda, I hope he's wearing His Suzuki gun jacket. Like he would wear it in. Just out casually in real life instead of just in a wrestling context.

[Steve Yurko]

Steve with Suzuki?

[Jill Knight]

Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

I thought Zack Foy said wearing patented. I thought he was still talking about Oda. So I thought I was like what? His patented T shirt and sweatpants?

[Zach Logan]

They're great. Yeah. So you could check that out. It's on our blue sky as well. The last bit of news is we have voices for the Knights of God who we love and are great. Shamrock is Kenjiro Suda Gunko. I'll go through them and then if you know them from. From such films as you could go through. Gunko is a Sumire Waka. Why am I pronouncing these Summers is Hiroki Yasumoto and Killingham is Shinosuke Tachibana.

[Alex]

I think Shamrock's voice is also Yonji, right?

[Steve Yurko]

Yes.

[Ed]

Asshole voice.

[Zach Logan]

Yonji is the asshole brother voice. Who else does he play? That's interesting that I know. I don't know any of these things.

[Steve Yurko]

He's in a lot of shows.

[Zach Logan]

He isn't a lot. Yeah, he's. No, he's in. I mean he. I've seen him in some of these. I just. These characters. Oh, he's Kylo Ren and Star Wars.

[Alex]

Nice.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. The one on board. That was him.

[Abby Denton]

More like Adam Sailor now because. Because they're pirate on the ocean.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

He dried Boat. Ocean boat.

[Zach Logan]

The last bit of news.

[Steve Yurko]

I know where you come from. Before you played Kylo Ren you were

[Alex]

the horniest of all the Vince Book brothers.

[Zach Logan]

We'll probably talk about those voices more when you know in the anime recaps. Hopefully the last and perhaps biggest piece of news will change your life forever. It's the McCormick One Piece live action collaboration with a four pack spice kit including. Wait, you have to let me read the different flavors.

[Alex]

Not covered this already.

[Zach Logan]

We have but I don't think we knew the details. And now we do. First, the one spice with just the Mary on it. Including an all purpose seasoning. That could be anything in there. Who knows. King of the Meats with in Yaki Luffy. But also drawn seasoning in parentheses. That could also mean anything. Choppers Cotton candy. Finishing sugar. Finishing sugar and Sanji's Baradi seasoning. Tastes like wood. That one has no details whatsoever.

[Jill Knight]

So I'm purchasing this right now.

[Zach Logan]

This is why I mentioned it. McCormick give me money. It is limited time available 25.99. I think it's only available. Oh no. They begin shipping this week. I really.

[Abby Denton]

McCormick do a one piece podcast Mukbang video now. Sorry, Zach.

[Jill Knight]

For Christmas, my brother got me Sanji seasoning. Like, I. It was literally just a can of seasoning. He's like, but it's Sanji.

[Zach Logan]

Here you go. Did you have. You had it?

[Abby Denton]

It tastes like Sanji.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, it's like spicy ramen seasoning. It's fine. It's got Sanji on it. It's nice. There he is. I'm like, he would be proud of me for using this. Maybe.

[Zach Logan]

Okay, that'll do it. For the intro news, this long segment we've just recorded, that was over a half hour. Let's talk about the manga. This is the manga recap for chapter 1184. We're all bones when we die. I hate to tell you that's actually true. Shonen Jump viz.com mangaplus. Shueisha Co JP they'll never become bones because they're websites, and that's not how they decompose. There's archive.org so that was bad. Yeah. You could read the chapters legally free, worldwide, as soon as they come out on those two websites. Ed, what's going on on the COVID Yes.

[Ed]

We have a reader request for Brook getting electrocuted by electric jellyfish while Swimming the sea by Primo D. Takashi. And I wouldn't say Brooke. Looks like he's swimming here. It looks like he's floating in, like, a metal raft of some kind.

[Alex]

And.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, I guess that's why I conducted the electric.

[Ed]

His hair is all fucked up and he's, like, sipping on tea and J. Teacup.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, is that what that. Oh, he's giving a thumbs up, I think.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, it's shockingly good. It's very good, too.

[Abby Denton]

The. The logo for the Hollywood Fringe last year was a skeletal hand, but the bones spelled out la. And if I ever got a tattoo, like, it's so good.

[Ed]

Actually, it kind of reminds me of, like, when you remember when Marv got electrocuted in Home Alone 2 and he briefly turns into a skull.

[Zach Logan]

Thoughts on cover page.

[Jill Knight]

Emu Jellyfish.

[Zach Logan]

I was gonna mention that.

[Jill Knight]

Why are they after him?

[Alex]

Oh, I don't know. Foreshadowing, perhaps.

[Zach Logan]

This might be foreshadowing for the chapter. I would not be surprised.

[Abby Denton]

I feel like if Brook gets electrocuted, he should get his skin back. Right? You should see his skin for a second.

[Steve Yurko]

That would have been funny when you think about it. Brook can't get electrocuted because there's no, like, water in his body.

[Zach Logan]

No, but the hair would definitely have static Electricity. Right. So, like. I mean, the hair has water in it.

[Jill Knight]

Well, he's drinking tea. The tea is what allows the tea.

[Steve Yurko]

The tea, the tea, the tea, the tea, the tea. And also, also, he is sticking his leg in the ocean. So. Yeah, that's. Yeah, that'll do that.

[Zach Logan]

And the metal raft.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, it does seem to be metal for some reason. Not really sure the thought process there.

[Zach Logan]

No, I think rivets.

[Jill Knight]

They look like rivets.

[Ed]

Kind of looks like a sausage.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah. Riding on a big metal sausage.

[Zach Logan]

It does. Now that I'm looking at it like

[Jill Knight]

that Story of Robin sex tape, I think maybe that's.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

What a. What a doofus.

[Abby Denton]

There's a chance that the. The emu jellyfish have color of armament hockey, which I think would place their power level approximately comparable to Trafalgar D Law.

[Steve Yurko]

It hits completely knowing that.

[Zach Logan]

It does hit completely different knowing that. That's true. Steve, that's the chapter.

[Abby Denton]

Right?

[Zach Logan]

We're all done. All right, Abby, what happens in the chapter?

[Abby Denton]

We get to meet some cool people. I love when One Piece does a flashback that then flashes back inside of the flashback. If the series ends, this actually flashes

[Ed]

forward from where we were last chapter,

[Zach Logan]

and then it flashes back again. It's. It makes sense.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. It's Proustian, pristine in its allegorical intent. Something. Something. That's what Brook wants people to do. I don't know. By the time the Princess of Esperia was 14 years of age, tales of her beauty had spread until five princes of nearby kingdoms had asked for her hand in marriage. Everyone's. Everyone's really impressed with someone throwing a sword out a window or it's getting knocked out of a window or something.

[Zach Logan]

I think. I think it's getting knocked out. Sorry, I'm. I'm assuming it's getting knocked out of someone's hand and thrown up in the air like, you know.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, yeah, it is. It is going straight up.

[Steve Yurko]

We've.

[Zach Logan]

Here. That's what we're doing.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah.

[Ed]

Look, it's a tenna.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. That is. What? That. Yeah. I wonder what the. What the origin. I guess it's French military garb.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

Garb. Yeah. I had to do a lot of research into that for Gamer mom, so I'm embarrassed I can't just rattle off exactly what war that uniform was from, but, you know, we get a cool shot of Princess of Esperia Kingdom. Shuri at age 14, holding out her sword. She's just won this fight. She's got kind of a heterochromia thing going on which may link her to. To Gunko in the future in a black and white comic. I'm realizing there are details that I may have missed with Gunko that have only become clear with the anime previews in the last week.

[Zach Logan]

I didn't think it was just heterochromia because she also, like, has a completely different, like, pupil. Like, I guess that's just how he draws the two different. I thought it was also. Her eye just shaped differently.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, I guess you have to draw it differently.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Abby Denton]

With the black and white. Although I assumed it was. She was a weird Frankenstein person.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

So now in this flashback with the eyes, I mean, I guess she still might have already been a Frankenstein person.

[Zach Logan]

Look, we could all be Frankenstein people for all we know. Or I should say Frankenstein's monsters people.

[Abby Denton]

Zach. Friend. Zach.

[Alex]

Good.

[Zach Logan]

Exactly.

[Abby Denton]

We like Zach. But the person that Princess Sherry's been beaten up yells, I yield. His sword swings into it, gwangs into the ground next to him. And all these princes apologize to her. She yells, you're so weak. And she says, we're sorry. And she says, I don't like weak men or men who can't play music. Everyone's. Everyone's shocked by her doctrine. And they say, music. We get to see nice young Brooke walking with Sherry. And he says he's 27 at this point, so still almost twice.

[Ed]

This is seven years after the events of the flashback in last week's chapter.

[Abby Denton]

I feel like we need. We need a corkboard just to understand the.

[Zach Logan]

We have a cork board.

[Abby Denton]

But he's, you know, he's got. He's got good mentor vibes. He says, I hear you defeated all the princes in combat Princess Shuri. And she says, I sure did. You like strong women, don't you, Brooke? And there's even a little heart in her speech bubble just so that we understand that she thinks he's just the coolest. And then she does an imitation of. What is it? Pico chan. That. That candy mascot. And puts up her. Her. Her tongue on her lip. And he goes, I'm a lot stronger now.

[Zach Logan]

That really looks exactly like that.

[Abby Denton]

I'm just happy to see pico chan anywhere because I'm a hungry woman, Zach. I am a hungry American. And she declares that she's a lot cuter as she was stronger. And Brooke politely says, I suppose you are. And she. She presses it because she's. I'll. I'll tell you what, I'll tell You what? I have complicated opinions about this page. She twinkles.

[Ed]

She twinkles at him and makes a heart with her hands.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, yeah. And she declares that her chest will fill out in the future too. And Brooke says, stop that. It's undignified. And it's the first time that I haven't been disappointed in Brooke in a very long time.

[Zach Logan]

Yes.

[Abby Denton]

You know, I'm like, that's, you know, this character being written by a middle aged man. You know, thank you. Thank you for chastening this young man. You don't have to write by a

[Zach Logan]

middle aged man anything else on this page, if that's where you're going with it.

[Abby Denton]

These pages were assigned to us, dear listener. And I was having a delightful time just turning over in my head the fact that on the one hand the ensuing line where Brooke runs across a field and demands a bunch of people show them his underwear, you know, I could understand being like, oh, this would be less uncomfortable if a woman read this line. But then on the other hand, I'm like, oh, maybe it's much more uncomfortable if a woman reads this line.

[Zach Logan]

And I enjoy, you know, it's uncomfortable no matter who reads this line.

[Abby Denton]

Maybe that's the, that's the dilemma. That's the dilemma. I enjoy that our culture has collapsed and we sit. Sit among the ashes doing our little shows

[Zach Logan]

2000.

[Ed]

It does bother me in particular because it's like, she's talking like a girl in like the modern. Yeah. Non one piece world. Like in a modern culture of like talking about her body like that.

[Steve Yurko]

Of.

[Zach Logan]

It's gross. But at least Brooke does have the right reaction, which.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah.

[Ed]

And she's like, stop talking like my dad.

[Abby Denton]

I. I think it's interesting that because one piece has sort of gone through like 30 years of like, what is, what are the acceptable jokes in, in this kind of comic that like we're like, oh, good for him. He's explicitly only interested in adult women. And just, just to live in that. In that specific point of being, like. I'm really glad they clarified that.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. I hated even being in that space. Absolutely. I will say I do want to give Steven some props. At least these are alliterative, the sexual harassment. Like, they're all.

[Abby Denton]

I think it's safe to say Steven Paul has been avoiding me. He's never on episodes of this podcast that I'm on anymore. But there's no one I'd rather cat call me than Steven. Right. He's the greatest to ever do it. Steven Paul.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. Steven. Yeah. What a What a feather in his cap.

[Ed]

What a gander at the garter. Is there a peek at the pennies?

[Abby Denton]

Well done.

[Zach Logan]

He said it.

[Ed]

Oh, and I like how she scolds him for doing that. And like, now who's undignified and hurls a sword at his head, Hits him with the broadside of the sword.

[Zach Logan]

To be fair, Brook is a scumbag and treated as such here. Like, that part helps, I think.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, Yeah, I like that. They're like, he is still, like, a figure of ridicule, but a very specific one. That's still funny.

[Zach Logan]

However, I still am not a fan of it existing, but I kind of

[Alex]

wish that the sword got stuck in his Afro.

[Zach Logan]

That would have been very funny.

[Abby Denton]

And he doesn't notice for a page.

[Jill Knight]

Continued.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ed]

On the next page, translated as Gonk, he gets gunked over the head with a sword.

[Alex]

Oh, you mean like a power droid is.

[Abby Denton]

Can I just say, before we leave this page entirely, young Brooks kind of hot. He's got it like. It's a cool outfit. He's the little.

[Zach Logan]

The.

[Abby Denton]

The heavy lids on his eyes, you know, Bedroom Muppet. Bedroom eyes.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah. A handsome Muppet.

[Zach Logan]

He's a handsome Muppet you could take

[Abby Denton]

home to your mom and dad.

[Alex]

Got a long neck. He kind of looks like a PEZ dispenser. I think his head's gonna open up and, like, you can get a big, big cylindrical Pez. Or a brick, like a. Actually, like a Pez brick just come right out of his neck there.

[Abby Denton]

Looks like he's doing that in the next page.

[Alex]

Anyway.

[Zach Logan]

Alex.

[Alex]

Yes, that's me. So the two of them are taking a little break. He busts out an acoustic guitar and he's singing. He says he sings. Oh, cows and frogs and slaves and kings we're all bones when we die Cows and frogs and slaves and were all bones in the end that's the. That's all there is to say. And.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, yeah, I sing that to my son every night and sometimes my daughter.

[Alex]

So, you know, he's still strumming and he's going, going, yo, ho ho. And she's laughing and she's saying, I love all your songs, Brooke. And Brook says, ah, yes. His Majesty said the same thing. Sure. He says, you really love Papa, don't you, Brooke? And Mama, too, of course. And Brooke said, ah, yes, I owe him everything. I admit, your father. I'd be nothing but bones by now. Jacka Jang.

[Zach Logan]

Perfectly.

[Alex]

Yeah. He does a little.

[Zach Logan]

Or the strum on the guitar. The frog from wb, Michigan, J. Frog, Michigan, J. Yeah.

[Alex]

So with that Jackie Chang, we. We delve even further into the flashback. And we have here a little Odo

[Zach Logan]

box falling deeper into the flashback.

[Alex]

That's okay. I like where we're at. It's Brooke, age 11. And the only other time we've ever seen Brooke this age is in the films sbs. Oh, yeah, That's.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Alex]

In the SBS and the. And the film Z credit sequence with

[Jill Knight]

Avril Lavigne playing in the background.

[Zach Logan]

True.

[Steve Yurko]

Thank you.

[Zach Logan]

And a color spread. There was one color spread also.

[Steve Yurko]

It was a color spread, I think. I think there wasn't an sbs. It was just film Z.

[Alex]

And it was also the color spread.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah.

[Ed]

Look at little ragamuffin Brook. His face is all dirty, like he's Pig Pen or something.

[Alex]

Because he is Big Ben. He's. He's poor as hell and dirty as hell. So he's basically. So he's.

[Zach Logan]

He's poor hygiene.

[Alex]

May I. May I continue? He's peering through some bars, which, you know, we come to find as a gate. And he's looking over and seeing, you know, kids practicing their violin and the piano. And he's saying, ah, they're so lucky. School. Real instruments. They sound so pretty. And his concentration is broken by a hey. And he goes, oh, oh. And he's.

[Jill Knight]

Hey.

[Steve Yurko]

They're trying to learn for free.

[Alex]

Get them.

[Steve Yurko]

Use your wind instruments as clubs.

[Alex]

The spit valve. Release the spit valve.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, my God.

[Alex]

So Brooke is now being chased away from the school by a man with a. With a club. They really.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, my gosh.

[Alex]

Yeah, this is where they. Well, see, this is the school where they teach them how to make club music. You see

[Zach Logan]

what is happening to us this week? This is just.

[Alex]

It's when you become 17.

[Zach Logan]

I know your jokes. Get pen.

[Alex]

Yeah, all of our jokes are terrible. This week they're saying, ah, that nasty little boy is peering through the bars again.

[Steve Yurko]

Shoo, shoo.

[Alex]

You're scaring all the students. And he's like, wow, I'm sorry. And as he's running past, we hear these ladies say, oh, what a stench. The shame of the country. And geez, that's a. Come on, that's a kid. Fuck you.

[Abby Denton]

Even. Even 70 years later, Brooke is still a stinky boy.

[Alex]

Yeah, well, there's a reason for that, you see, because we smash cut to the trash dump where Brooke lives, and he's. He's making all sorts of. He's making all sorts of cacophonous sounds on his makeshift instrument and singing this song. Let's blame the king we need a new king One day we'll get to play real music. Dad and mom and little bro. We're all starving, Skin and bones. How am I even alive? Eating toads so I can thrive let's blame the king we need a new king Can I.

[Abby Denton]

Can I pitch an Avril Lavigne lyric for this panel of him living in a dump?

[Alex]

I wish you would.

[Abby Denton]

From. From Film Z. She Sings. I don't really care about my trash habitation.

[Alex]

That's true.

[Steve Yurko]

Wow.

[Alex]

It's funny when you look at this. So if you look at this panel. So he's. This is the dump. Not as quite as big as the one in Goa, but he's. He's basically living with some junkyard dogs. No, not the. Not the WWF wrestlers. Yeah. I was waiting. Steve just looked at me.

[Steve Yurko]

Whoa.

[Zach Logan]

He looked at you?

[Alex]

He looked at me since I noticed. And so you can see that the dump is basically just looks like wagon wheels and barrels and whatnot. And it looks like the sewage. If you look in the background, looks like the pipes also end up here too. So he probably smells like literal shit.

[Ed]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

I want to add. So how many here? Go ahead. Sorry.

[Steve Yurko]

I was gonna say it looks like they liquidated a cracker barrel.

[Alex]

Oh, my God. And you see the old logo and then the old, new logo hanging out in the trash.

[Zach Logan]

So how many of the straw hats have, like, lived or habitated some sort of trash?

[Alex]

Garbage dumpling.

[Abby Denton]

Right.

[Zach Logan]

Frankie was in the shipwreck.

[Alex]

I count Frankie. I definitely count Frankie.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. 100%.

[Ed]

Didn't Sanji end up in the trash at one point?

[Zach Logan]

Sanji. You know, to this day, his body is where they belong.

[Steve Yurko]

Due to his own behavior.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

Deservedly already in there.

[Alex]

A real trash dump of the mind. Of the mind. I think it's just the three of them, right?

[Zach Logan]

That's a lot, though. I mean, it happened.

[Abby Denton]

What is it?

[Zach Logan]

If I had a nickel for every time, it's still a lot more than

[Ed]

Nami was found on a battlefield. It's not a trash dump.

[Abby Denton]

The Great Pacific Garbage Island. You know, assuming that one piece has a similar level of waste. Jinbei. The whole ocean is a kind of a dump.

[Zach Logan]

The microplastics in Jinbei alone.

[Abby Denton]

He needs a move that somehow, like, oh, my God, Shapes them into something. And

[Zach Logan]

what were we talking about?

[Alex]

Next page.

[Jill Knight]

Okay. And then we see a new yet a new face that we saw last chapter. Reuben, who's just, like, been lured, I guess, by the fiddler here. These are terrible lyrics.

[Zach Logan]

Did you make them up on the trash.

[Jill Knight]

Trash dump. And then he just continues to look confused and. Is that. It's my violin. That's a violin. I made it out of a glass bottle and some wire. Doesn't it sound nice with. I'm very impressed that he gets gurgles out of a glass bottle and some wires. That's pretty. Actually impressive. Modern music. And Reuben's like, ah, sure. Way to be creative. And by the way, Brooks shirt here, that just says die. Incredible.

[Zach Logan]

What a shirt. I mean, eventually, Jill, will we be purchasing that shirt?

[Jill Knight]

I mean, if it comes out with a unicorn collaboration, I guess.

[Zach Logan]

Should we just try and make a dye shirt that people could buy it? Just no context whatsoever.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah. Then a picture of Ace on the back and they'll know.

[Ed]

Give it to your enemies.

[Jill Knight]

So, you know, Brooke, having a great time. No cares in the world. You came here before, right? Are you a fan of mine, old man? So apparently Reuben been skulking around and looking at children in the trash before, who's just going, hahaha? Maybe I am, but I'm not that old. I'm only 21. Damn, dude, that's rough. As Brook replies. Wow, you look so much older, yo. You must have had a hard life as Reuben. Just, you know, makes fun of him. Whoa, you got a weird laugh, kid. And, and, and Brooke, yo, ho ho. I guess I'll call you bro instead. So, you know, they're just like two little peas in the pod here. Instant vibes.

[Abby Denton]

I like them exchanging their unique laughs at each other.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, the dahaha.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

And as we get here, a close up on some delicious, delicious food here, bro. I'll cook you a meal as a sign of friendship. I caught some fresh grasshoppers and a frog today. It's good. The secret ingredient is curry powder, which by the way, is also my secret ingredient to make everything taste good.

[Zach Logan]

Guys, it's not secret if you tell everyone.

[Jill Knight]

Well, it's secret if you don't, you know, tell everyone. Except for the podcast, so. Shh, listeners. Secret ingredient.

[Zach Logan]

Secret.

[Jill Knight]

I steal it from the Navy ships that come to port every now and then.

[Zach Logan]

You do, Joe?

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, you know, that's just. They don't put it on the news, but I'm there grabbing them from the, you know, harbor here in California. It makes everything you put in it tastes like curry, which, wow, shocking. That's a curry powder. Does not much of a secret ingredient then, yo. Meanwhile, Reuben here, you know, looking. Looking down contemplatively as he. As we actually have another flashback really like a flashback three deep. Now the soup du jour is dollar abalone harvested from the Euro peninsula and cooked in red wine with a six rupee beef. And he goes, you Highness, this is the daughter of the sephron Zaibatsu. She graduated top of the class from Enoa Academy. As he's showing off like little, little morsel dishes that a lot of rich people like to eat.

[Steve Yurko]

And the food.

[Jill Knight]

And the food. Meanwhile, he's clearly just staring into his dish as Brooke is chowing down goes, what's up, bro? It's so good it made you tear up, huh? Oh, right. As he, you know, thinks to himself, this is the Spiria too. I'm just a little tired. Thanks for the meal. As he does chomp down on it, a whole ass frog.

[Zach Logan]

And then I didn't even notice that those were the legs. I don't know why I didn't notice that.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, Brooke gave him the whole frog. So nice of him, you know.

[Zach Logan]

Like, what did he expect this frog to taste like? He's.

[Ed]

His reaction is just like. He's basically struck by lightning. And

[Jill Knight]

with reminiscent of the COVID page

[Abby Denton]

here actually work again.

[Zach Logan]

Oh no. Emu jellyfish. He shouldn't have put that in the recipe. Oh no.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah. Then Brooks like, yo ho ho. So good it makes you shiver, huh? I'm glad you like it so much. Hang on, bro. I'll sing you a song now. As Ruben is silent in his pain,

[Zach Logan]

I guess here ellipses.

[Jill Knight]

Ellipses. What? You want me to. You want to pay me? Don't bother, bro. We've each got our troubles, don't we?

[Zach Logan]

The bro is really funny in this.

[Jill Knight]

I really want to give him a California accent.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, I was thinking of that the whole time I was reading it.

[Alex]

But I think Steven mentioned this last chapter. But bro is aniki. So it's basically like. Like a Yakuza boss.

[Zach Logan]

I know, but it's much funnier imagining it as a California thing.

[Alex]

Well, even that. But like, I think kids these days, they just keep saying bro. Bro, bro, bro. Right. That's a thing. I heard it in a Wendy's. That's how I know accent. I heard some teens in a Wendy's and all they could say was bro.

[Abby Denton]

Wow, I like that Steven left zaibatsu untranslated. I think zaibatsu is an inherently funny word because of 90s cyberpunk. And so anytime I see zaibatsu anywhere, it makes me very happy.

[Zach Logan]

He did it for you.

[Abby Denton]

Thank you, Steven Paul.

[Zach Logan]

Thank you, Steven Paul, once again. And on the next page, Ludwig Van Reuven comes in with the. So are those cigarettes? What is this? What is the one with the death mark?

[Abby Denton]

The breakfast of champions.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that's always came back.

[Alex]

Those are cigars.

[Zach Logan]

A cigars, kids, you don't need frogs.

[Abby Denton]

Does that say sh. Are these straw hat brand cigarettes?

[Alex]

Yeah, they're sh. Figures. Cigars

[Steve Yurko]

or siguarts?

[Alex]

Siguarts.

[Zach Logan]

Yes.

[Abby Denton]

Siguarts.

[Alex]

Sh. Siguarts. I like that.

[Zach Logan]

I don't like that, but I'm gonna write it down. Wait, but then it doesn't. Oh no, that still works.

[Alex]

You get two cigars for only one

[Zach Logan]

sigu farts, which would also be better. Yeah. He's holding up the frogs. Gross. Have these cig. An alcohol kid. He's 11. 11?

[Steve Yurko]

It's like five cigarettes at once.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. So so far in this chapter, think of how we're treating 14 year olds and 11 year olds. I just want to keep this in mind as you continue. Yeah. It was earlier today when it came out. God, things were different.

[Abby Denton]

The sun was further to the east.

[Zach Logan]

I believe it was. Yes. Anyway, yeah, we see them. Enjoy.

[Ed]

What's Ruben holding in his hand in this panel here at the top?

[Jill Knight]

An octopus.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. So first he's fishing. He catches some sort of squid. Octopus with a scar. That thing has seems seen some yakuza shit right there. Anyway, you have Brooke. This is probably my favorite little panel of the chapter here with the sunglasses, rocking out on a guitar he made, presumably, or guitar like instrument. And we had to cello port sometime in Esperia. And at this time I'll tell you their norms also the same. And we hear someone say, it's a naval escort ship. Load the merchant ships with instruments. Be very careful, they're fragile. Meanwhile, we zoom in somewhere as we see blood having dripped to the floor to the side of a chair. And we see it is Brooke still wearing his dye shirt? It was referring. Yeah, maybe he just really likes playing dice. But only with one die. And maybe that's why he wears it. Anyway, he says, I don't know what you mean. You got the wrong guy. And coughing, he is bloodied. He does not look good. And here we got Marine shitty Marine number 715 saying, don't lie to me, you little mule. I'm Thinking like a McGovernagall voice, I guess. Where's the powder those gangsters told you to carry? Where'd you hide it, huh?

[Steve Yurko]

I don't know. The more accurate bit would be like, you gotta smuggle this powder for me, Billy.

[Zach Logan]

Billy McGonagall.

[Steve Yurko]

I'm scared.

[Zach Logan]

McGarnacle. Do it for me, Billy McCarnickle. And before they slice his slices ear to ear, they said we paid a lot. So the marines are saying we paid a lot of money for that stuff and you're supposed to give it to us. And instead what do we find? Curry powder. Meanwhile, he's singing the song. I forget exactly how Alex put the. Do you want to sing it, Alex? I forget exactly how. Yeah.

[Alex]

Cows and frogs and slaves and kings we're all bones when we die.

[Zach Logan]

Stop singing. And he thinks it'll be over in a moment if I keep singing. Oh, so long stray dogs. So long, bro. The guy with a piece of grass in his mouth continues either way. He's seen our faces. We gotta kill him and go after the gang. Alex.

[Alex]

We're all bones when we die.

[Zach Logan]

Rock in comes Beethoven himself. Dun dun dun dun. And yeah, with a doom, he busts down some big ass doors as they head to this car. As he kicks into this cargo hold. And Brooke is like, bro. And everyone else, else is like, bro. No, Prince. Prince Reuven. And what happens next? Steve

[Steve Yurko]

and Brooke here. Brooke here hears that and says, huh, Prince. And Reuben says, that's right. I'm an honest to God Prince. And Mr.

[Zach Logan]

Prince,

[Steve Yurko]

he gives Brooke a big hug and he says, I'm glad you're all right, Brook. I know what I would do myself if you died like on your T shirt. And the cavalry comes in and says, step back, your highness. The battle convoy will handle the rest. And Reuben says, don't try to stop me. I'll do this myself. Look what these guys did to my little friend. They need to feel the same pain he did. And then someone's like, oh shit, that's Ismaria's battle convoy. And then we get this marine goon with the most 70s anime hairstyle and buck teeth. Yeah, well, this is something they overhear. They say, it's like, prince Reuven, we've caught the moon family and the mule who was transporting their drugs. And these guys are like, mule?

[Ed]

Oh, that powder.

[Steve Yurko]

And they say then he really is just a kid who loves curry powder. And one of the members of the battle convoy says, you, Highness, you have to set your personal grudge aside. The world government is behind the navy. And he says, if the government is backing this scum, then the world's truly coming to an end. Right, Kandel? I don't know how you guys pronounced it. Last week, I feel like with that, that little, you know, the le. It's Kandel.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, we said that. How else would you pronounce that candle?

[Alex]

Her name's Candel. I've been calling her Crandall.

[Zach Logan]

I'll write that down. Go ahead.

[Steve Yurko]

And she says, it's like, I am your trusted blade Highness.

[Zach Logan]

Wow.

[Steve Yurko]

I usually say, your highness. She is his trusted blade, and she'll fight at his side. And these guys are, hey, stop. We're Navy. And Reuven says, no, you're not. You're trash, Kendel.

[Ed]

Who says that? I think

[Zach Logan]

I know.

[Steve Yurko]

He's got the bigger mouth. That's at least three exclamation points of a mouth right there.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, her mouth ain't even open.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

As far as we can tell.

[Steve Yurko]

And they just. They're a whirlwind of blades as they cut through all these guys. And Brook says, they're sword fighting.

[Zach Logan]

That's so cool.

[Steve Yurko]

And then time passes and someone says, hey, did you hear? Lady Candel's done it again. She saved the kingdom from peril. And all these women are shrieking, you know, swooning.

[Zach Logan]

Women love Candel.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. One of them's making the face from, like, you know, the gif. You know, when, like, you know, like, everyone's like, kind of freaking out. It was like a good disc.

[Zach Logan]

Is that gif?

[Steve Yurko]

It kind of goes by going, you know, hands.

[Ed]

I bet you Oda doing the Kevin McAllister.

[Zach Logan]

I do want to say it's interesting that this sword fighting style that Kandel has here and that Shuri has at the beginning is the same as Brook. It's that like the fencing style.

[Ed]

Esperia style.

[Zach Logan]

Esperia style. Yeah. Chill.

[Jill Knight]

So we go back to Esperia palace, which looks awesome with that harp in the back. Are you awake now, Brooke? See, little. Little beaten up child here wakes up to a beautiful sight of Kingdom of spirit Battle convoy. Commander Candel. I am not angry at you, Prince Reuven. I am simply asking that you be more mindful of your royal position as she's pouring tea. I love the style of the. The sound effects like the. The.

[Zach Logan]

So this was pointing or whatever that I think this only has shown up with Mihawk this specific. I thought Brooke had a similar one. But we'll talk about more when we get to this piece later. But apparently that is more bone, you know, specific than this one. So I think Mihawk is the only one who has had this specific Fleur de Lis.

[Ed]

It's very fancy.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, well, she's very fancy. Look at all those sparkles. That's how you could tell every Time

[Jill Knight]

she appears, there are sparkles.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

And meanwhile, Reuben doesn't give a shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, Brooke and Brooks, like you're a prince, bro. Listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wasn't trying to hide it. I just had too much fun hanging around you to ruin the good times. Meanwhile, Brooke, who was straight up starving to death in that, you know, in that dump and was just fed cigarettes and alcohol by the prince of this kingdom, was like, sure, sure.

[Abby Denton]

This jaded prince saw a child singing in a dump and said, that must be the happiest kid in the world.

[Jill Knight]

Yes, have a cigar, kid.

[Abby Denton]

Now he's corrupted him from his love of music to the love of violence

[Zach Logan]

and swords and cigars.

[Abby Denton]

This is a travesty.

[Jill Knight]

Oh, no.

[Zach Logan]

He loves cigars. What's gonna happen when his lungs disappear and he's fine? Go ahead.

[Jill Knight]

And he whispers also, don't you dare tell anyone about stealing that curry powder. And then this is Kendel again. Every time Prince Ruben went missing, we went into a panic trying to find him. And she, you know, leans over to him, sparkling him, gives him a little tap. I never would have guessed he was passing the time with such an adorable little friend. And then Brooke falls in love, obviously. Nosebleed. And heart comes out little blue. And then Kandel. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know your wounds were so deep. Everyone's like, no, he's fine. Ignore him. More importantly, listen up. This guy's my favorite musician. Found him in a dump. Give him a room in the barracks and some real instruments to play and make it so he can attend school. We've got a new star in Esperia. Meanwhile, Brooke is like, you know, off to the side listening and going, huh.

[Zach Logan]

Why didn't he just do this before I got beat up.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, right. As Brooke, we get a zoom in on his little crying eye. Reuben's going, I love this guy. If we keep him around, life in the palace is going to be way more fun. And also, this kid won't live in a dump for the rest of his life.

[Ed]

I mean. I mean, it sounds like. I mean, Brooke has parents. And it sounded like he had a younger brother. When he was stuck in the beginning

[Jill Knight]

of the chapter, I kind of assumed that meant they had died of starvation.

[Zach Logan]

No, I think it was an aniki. Like bro, like little bro.

[Alex]

Oh,

[Zach Logan]

that's what I was assuming. But when we have Stephen Omble ask,

[Abby Denton]

we only see the wild dogs that he's worried about later. Maybe that's just He Calls the dogs little brother and mom and dad. Feral dogs that are growling at him all the time.

[Zach Logan]

Does he say mom and dad?

[Alex]

I don't. Yes.

[Jill Knight]

In the song.

[Zach Logan]

Her dad and mom and little Burr were all starving.

[Alex]

Yeah, he's trying.

[Abby Denton]

Little brother.

[Alex]

Little brother. He can make it on his own.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, I guess so. We don't actually see his family, if that. I was assuming he was orphaned, but because it's one piece. Seriously though, I mean, if he had

[Jill Knight]

a little brother though, I feel like that will come up because, you know, Oda and siblings and stuff that would have to.

[Zach Logan]

I feel like that's just such an additional element that he's like. It feels so aside from the story, you know, like it doesn't feel relevant. Like I'm surprised that even is in there unless he like means them. Generally. I like, I'm. I'm confused. That, that, that's, that's genuinely confusing to me.

[Abby Denton]

Anyway, I choose to believe it's the dog's name.

[Ed]

I mean, it makes sense that they would be dead already if they're living in a fucking dump.

[Zach Logan]

Well, so is Brooke.

[Jill Knight]

I think we might even get an even smaller flashback that shows like how he ended up in the dump because he talking about like, let's blame the king. We need a new king. So maybe some kind of policy.

[Zach Logan]

I thought that was interesting. Yeah, it definitely was. That definitely is giving an opening for. For finding out a little bit more there.

[Jill Knight]

I could see like a baby five esque mini, mini, like two panel flashback of like, oh, parents are dead

[Alex]

and

[Ed]

we got a chapter next week.

[Zach Logan]

No, we don't. Ed, what were your thoughts on this one?

[Ed]

It's cute. I mean, little Brooke is great. I mean, interesting about Reuben though. Like we don't know where Candel came from that she became the head of the convoy. And seems like that's how she met Reuven, who seems to be sort of a bit of a loose cannon. He likes to go around. People don't know where he is, so the guards have to go look for him. And I guess that's how they got together. Like she is how he's having to go chase him down. And things happened. Eventually they get married. But to see it happening, it was a little weird. Last chapter when Brooke was trying to steal Reuben, steal the queen, but can see why he loves her so much. Where that began here. And I like that he gets to see the corruption of the Navy. Like, you know, Steve, he's stealing from the Navy, but the Navy seems to be like dealing drugs or Something.

[Zach Logan]

Well, yeah, these guys are up. Well, we don't know if they're on the up and up, but it seems like they're not, I'm assuming, or maybe, I don't know.

[Ed]

Was Brooks supposed to deliver the drugs to the. The soldiers? Were they going to use the drugs?

[Zach Logan]

No, he was delivering the curry.

[Abby Denton]

But I mean, so was that he was mistaken for a different courier or what?

[Alex]

Yes.

[Abby Denton]

Okay.

[Ed]

Gives a whole new meaning to courier.

[Abby Denton]

That's good. That's good.

[Alex]

Whatever.

[Abby Denton]

His little brother was the courier. And that's gonna be. That's why he's crying at the end. He realizes they found.

[Zach Logan]

I mean, oh, they found my curry.

[Ed]

This is a fun story, but there

[Zach Logan]

aren't really a secret.

[Ed]

There aren't any stories in this. The story just gets deeper. I like it.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. Yeah. Anything else, Ed?

[Ed]

No, not really.

[Zach Logan]

Abby, thoughts on Brook in this chapter?

[Abby Denton]

I love Brook. I like. I like that they've given him one. One comedic boundary he won't cross. That made me happy. Yeah, I'm mostly just along for the ride. I have moved beyond the ability to identify what I like and don't like. I don't have an internal monologue. I don't have the capacity to assess my feelings on things. I'm just enjoying getting to see something about what I would say is the most mysterious straw hat and finally see a little more about what his whole. Whole deal is. I like that it's now canon that like garbage dumps are just where poor people live in one piece land. I. I'm very happy to have that confirmed that this is just a strange picture book logic world, which I guess is. Has always been the case. But this is. This is, I would say, the most like. Like you said, the subtext loud that it gets. Like, even the celestial dragon stuff is a lot.

[Alex]

It's.

[Abby Denton]

It's very subtle compared to, oh, the poor people have to live in the garbage dump. That's. That's where we put them. Because we don't. We don't care. And I, I. Yeah, I don't know if I'm. If I'm expecting the rest of the. Because, like ending on the. The kid crying and it's unclear if it's happy tears or not that I feel like leaves leaves it open if this is going to explore more about. I mean, I feel like that would leave a character a lot more conflicted than the storytelling mode of One Piece would usually go into. If that makes sense. Not to, not to. Not that I have no faith in Oda, but just that the tone of one piece doesn't usually go into, like, and here's the class politics, and let's really break down how it feels to be useful to capital and then saved from. You know, that's not really what we're reading, but I'm very excited to see the future and I'm liking Brooke. I'm a fan.

[Zach Logan]

Jill.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, I mean, I love Brook, one of my favorite straw hats. And I love getting to see this little glimpse into his backstory here. Really, like, seeing him, like, so happy and, like, cheerful, even going through what he does kind of just brings to mind, like, you know, when they found him in Thriller park, still so happy, you know, man, every time Oda gives us a flashback of the straw hats, it's like, wow, there's even more tragedy in their past than we thought. And yet they're still so. It's. He's still so happy to see people. I. You know, thinking of the whole trash heap thing, Oda, obviously, you know, there's. There's the trapsheep in Goa where all the. The unwanted people would be shunted away so that it would be clean inside. And then here we have them saying, like, what a stench. The shame of the country. Pretty much the exact same thing. So Oda always, always talks about, like, how these, you know, like, like, trash really shows that a country isn't treating everyone right. I also found it interesting when he was talking about needing a new king. He says one day we'll get to play real music, which makes me think maybe there's, like, a ban on what kind of music can be sung. Like, maybe only specific things that are taught in specific schools are allowed to be played. And, like, Brook is, like, different, which is why Ruben kind of gravitated towards him, maybe. But I'm. I'm just really excited for this. I. I think Ruben is an interesting character because I hope he does grow as well. I hope we see some character development because obviously here he. He grew up as a prince and he is seeing the rest of his kingdom via Brook. So I wonder if that's going to lead him to revolt against, presumably his father, the king. I don't know if it'll be a, you know, like a bloodless transfer here because it sounds like the current king is shitty, but I don't know if he's like, like, horrible or if he's just kind of Garbo, to use a technical term. And, yeah, the. The whole thing with the Marines showing, you know, that there's the. The corruption here, not Just with the trash, but also with like the. The Marines themselves interfering with, you know, the coming and goings of the merchant ships and stuff. And I would be interested if the. This kingdom ends up breaking away from the world government, and that's why it ends up the way it does and with. And Gunko and everything. If, like this interaction that Reuben has with the Marines here ends up kind of building up to something where they do break off. I know, but I'm very excited.

[Zach Logan]

The why does this country no longer exist? Is a lingering question. Like, it's a very. Like, there are only a few ways that a kingdom could be wiped off the face of a map, you know, in the one piece world. So it doesn't give us a ton of options. Alex, thoughts?

[Alex]

Yeah, so I wasn't on last week, so I get to say that. Yeah, I am very pleased that we are getting not only like this flashback with Brooke and Shuri, but a proper flashback for Brooke. The one with Laboon, I think is, you know, obviously that one hits where it's supposed to for Thriller Bark, but this in particular is sort of what everybody has been sort of waiting for since Brook has been introduced as a straw hat. And I honestly, like, didn't think that we would ever get this, despite us having seen little kid Brook before in other forms of media. So I think it's. It's interesting where Oda decided to put this flashback, given that, like. Okay, so what we can probably assume here is that it's going to. He decided to reveal this now, given the Gunko of it all. But also, this is a. He's from a kingdom that no longer exists. We're going to maybe see some ties to Emo, Emo and Mary Geoise. And I'm. I'm not going to say anything yet because it's totally, totally just a. You know, Oda's character designs happen to look very similar, but that last panel looks a lot like Baby Blackbeard. And I think it's just, you know, it's one of those coincidences, honestly, at the end of the day. Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

So you're saying his name is Davey

[Alex]

D. Brooke, I'm not saying this yet. I don't want to say this, but given where we are and why it and why Oda waited this long to do this flashback, I don't know. I feel like that's something that could very easily be shoehorned here. But I'm not gonna let it get me down. I'm not gonna, like, let it bother me or, you know, I'M not gonna let it like over take what this flashback is. One thing that I, I will, I will happily say about Brook's design here is that it reminds me a lot of pre time Skip One piece.

[Zach Logan]

I was going to mention that. Yeah.

[Alex]

It's so funny. I'm not going to say he sticks out like a sore thumb here, but it's very, like, it's very reminiscent of old school one piece. Brooks design his younger design, his, you know, his muppety face with his little eyelashes. So it's sort of nice to see in that way. Reuven Ruben, are you for scuba? This guy is Beethoven, right? Like he's fucking Beethoven.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, it didn't occur to me until the Piece Together segment where a listener brought it up.

[Alex]

Sure. I mean, I listened to that and then I was like, yeah, that could definitely be true. And then the first panel, you see young Reuven, he looks exactly like what, what we think of when we think of Ludwig van Beethoven. It's the hair. It's the hair on the chin, the really pronounced butt chin

[Jill Knight]

and the ascot because before he was in a wife beater. So it was a bit hard to see the resemblance.

[Alex]

That's really true. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, I'm liking this a lot. Obviously this is a shorter chapter. You know, it does hit my only, my only nitpick here is that we haven't seen any sort of. I want like even just a sentence as to why Reuven. His motivations for hanging out with Brook. Like what they are exactly. Like, why is this prince hanging out in the trash dump to begin with? And I mean, is this his just first. I mean, obviously this is his first time outside the palace. Right. And seeing how the other half lives,

[Zach Logan]

I don't know, it's at least his first time in this specific place. Yeah.

[Alex]

Yeah. I hope it doesn't. I kind of hope it doesn't flashback. I hope this flashback doesn't, you know, do too much of a time jump from where we currently are. Because I want to. To know Reuven's motivations for going and hanging out with Brook to begin with. I feel like there's something missing there.

[Zach Logan]

Am I right that this is also a 13 page chapter? And what if Oda just had meant to include things and decided to cut certain things? Sure, yeah, it's possible. Hopefully he double backs, you know, and tells us. I agree with you because I think

[Alex]

that's like, that's the only thing missing here from this, from like the emotional resonance here. I mean, they're. I love. I Love their friendship. I think it's really cute. But I. I just need a little bit. A little bit more from him. Like, oh, was he, you know, is living in the palace too stuffy for him? Or is the king actually like a piece of shit?

[Zach Logan]

It is interesting how he says those are terrible lyrics. You make them up, but then also becomes best friends with this kid who is saying to kill the kid.

[Jill Knight]

A sabo situation, maybe.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that is kind of what it feels like, actually.

[Alex]

Yeah, like he's older. Older sabo.

[Zach Logan]

Old sabo.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

When we were talking about the line about, like, what music you're allowed to play, you know, if this is a music kingdom, you know, presumably they're singing things in praise of the celestial dragons or whatever. So maybe just the idea of singing something that saying, like, I think the king's a dick. No one else is allowed to do that. That's hearing someone in a. It's Bob Lennon from 20th Century Boys.

[Alex]

Oh, my God.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, yeah.

[Alex]

Suda la la la. That's great. I love that. Anyway. Yeah, I can't wait to see more. This is really. This is really hidden for me. And I don't. I don't even like. Okay, remember I was like, complaining about God Valley and where it was placed. I don't even give a shit about this. About where this is placed. I'm like, okay, cool. Great, Great. It's a character we know.

[Zach Logan]

It's a straw hat.

[Steve Yurko]

Like, actually, no, not like we've heard of.

[Alex]

Yeah, it's a character we've lived with and we wanted to know more about. And. Okay, this is where you're putting it. Fine, Fine. I'm. I'm cool with it. I'm not even gonna complain. This is great. I'm. I'm having a great time. I'm sure this is gonna be very heartbreaking.

[Abby Denton]

I really like with everything jumping around. How we see Reuven like, seven years later is already like, I'm gonna have you executed, Brooke. You're conspiring against me. Like he's just become a cranky pants in seven years.

[Zach Logan]

Well, I think he was just being. Yeah, he was being facetious.

[Abby Denton]

He looks real bad.

[Steve Yurko]

He looks like Tony Soprano getting like

[Zach Logan]

the paper Beethoven soprano. Well, actually, that works.

[Alex]

I gotta go to the dump and feed my ducks.

[Zach Logan]

Steve.

[Steve Yurko]

He's worried that one day Brooke is just going to fly away. I've been really enjoying this flashback so far. And I'll echo what Alex said. It feels like a classic era flashback because also isn't just hopping around the world to Be like, and this is what this character was up to on this day, this year. It's just telling a more concise, like, story here. So I've been enjoying this. I do like the Brooke as a kid and, like hanging out with a grown ass adult, it's. It's really endearing in a way where it's like, oh, like one piece. Isn't it magical? But yeah, I am, like, concerned why it was so short. I'm wondering if this is just Oda running out of time because I still feel like, oh, I think you could have ended on this, like, emotional, like, note here, like, for Brook. Yeah. Brook is looking crazy, like, young teach here.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, I didn't notice that until. Yeah. Geez.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. This is Brooks eating the loaf of bread for Chopper.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, shit. That is what it is. Oh, shit. And Hiro look kind of has crazy hair too.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. My son's gonna be a star, I tell you. I just like the throw. The son is hands up in there.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

I'll tell you why I'm rooting for the. The he's a buccaneer, like Blackbeard theory is because they could get to wherever, whatever needs to happen, and he needs Buccaneer blood, but he's a skeleton, so they still need Blackbeard. I think that would be.

[Zach Logan]

I do think a skull joke would save that connection. I know Alex is worrying, but if it ends up just being a skull joke at the end, that might save it.

[Abby Denton]

Yay.

[Zach Logan]

Alex nods solemnly in approval. The camera zooms in. This camera zooms in. Alex, Steven.

[Steve Yurko]

The dynamics are really fun so far. I like these characters a lot and I think also I'm just incredibly invested because this is a main character, so I'm more along for the ride. I don't know if there's anything else I could really add other than, oh, I think, like, this chapter clearly, you know, needed some more pages. But who's to say, like, I don't think there would ever be a time where Oda would be like, nah, this, this, this page is too good to end, to not end on, so I'm just gonna end it. I feel like he ran out of time. That is my, that's my theory, if you want a theory to go off of. But it's just very fun, very endearing. I can't help. And I don't know if this is talked about at all. I was like, oh, yeah, like, you know, like Prince Reuven, like, his jawline, it looks so much like, you know, the jaw that was attached to the lion and sailor bark.

[Zach Logan]

We mentioned them, like.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. And then I, like, googled it real. I googled the lion from Thriller Bark real quick, and there's just already, like, crazy conspiracies about it and that Esperia is Thriller Bark. And I. I wouldn't necessarily go that far. I just thought, like, oh, he kind of looks like that, but the nose is different. Well, I don't know. There's no. I didn't see no castle on God Valley.

[Alex]

Maybe the muggy kingdom is aspir. No, I'm kidding.

[Steve Yurko]

Did you guys talk about, like, that? I just googled that Esperia being Thriller Bark.

[Zach Logan]

I've not actually heard that theory. I've been very offline, so I don't.

[Steve Yurko]

My whole thing about it is just giving it some thought. Why it was like, oh, it turns out. Because it turns out Esperia was Brook's old kingdom. And I'm like.

[Alex]

Like, why would he, like.

[Steve Yurko]

Well, it retcon. You know, it. It'd feel like a retcon for Brooke to not, like, kind of respond to that at all back then, you know?

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that would have been.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah, but the line is that it was an island from the west Blue.

[Zach Logan]

Correct. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. But so was God Valley, which is why I think we were saying at the time, the connection there, the reason why I. And I know Ken and others like that connection is because you had, like, half of the God Valley guys being zombies in Thriller Bark. Like, that was the big connection. This.

[Steve Yurko]

Right. Right.

[Zach Logan]

This has maybe Reuven's chin. Like, I don't.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Know if that's.

[Steve Yurko]

And this is 70 years ago. Like, Moria wasn't even born yet. And this his corpse, you know, with a long since, you know, decayed.

[Zach Logan]

But the chain.

[Steve Yurko]

I don't know.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

Yes. That's the first to go.

[Zach Logan]

The chin is the first to go.

[Abby Denton]

I could see Moria being jealous of someone with a chin.

[Steve Yurko]

Hey, lost in the fight with Kaido. Kaido tore off his jawline, said, now get the hell out of here.

[Zach Logan]

He did have a big chiseled chin, I think, when he was in Logtown. Right, Borea?

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. He did that nasty white eyeball.

[Steve Yurko]

Kaido just. Just ripped it off, you know, like, it was like a patch, you know? He says, like, you're out of here. Don't call yourself Kazuki. Don't call yourself Kazuki anymore. And then Mario's like, is that what people call me? And Kyle's like, I don't know. Get out. But then again, like, I'd say, like, Oda kind of just writing that in and my response being like, okay, I don't think we needed that storyline, so who's to say?

[Zach Logan]

But I think Oda feels obliged to include, like, the connections to Wano with Moria. I don't think he had them in mind. That feels so racond anyways.

[Steve Yurko]

But also, every woman in one piece has the same jawline. So

[Abby Denton]

I like that Moria has that pasty white skin and no chin. And there's that panel from whatever Garth Ennis comic where a guy's like, why are all the defenders of the white race always freaks like you? Where's your chin?

[Steve Yurko]

The chin goes to the good people. The good ones.

[Zach Logan]

I think that has to be Absalom's chin on the lion, right? Because he has the lion.

[Steve Yurko]

I thought that's always was like, you know, it's crazy. It's crazy that that's never been an SBS question. And I wouldn't be surprised now if in a future volume, someone.

[Zach Logan]

Now it's going to be because that shin. That shin.

[Abby Denton]

I like the idea of Oda just being so mad. Like, it was. It was clear before this flashback. It was clear 15 years ago. You got it. You got. He was right there. We saw the chin.

[Zach Logan]

Well, the one picture we have of Absalom with a chin is when he's a child and he has a regular ass chin as a child. He doesn't have that chin.

[Steve Yurko]

You don't have a. You don't look like Jay Leno when you're like 7 years old.

[Zach Logan]

Hey, speak for yourself. No, I didn't.

[Steve Yurko]

And then, like, in regards to the stuff with, like, Shuri too, like, I. I don't have a problem with, like, with her kind of just crushing on Brooke because I think that's a very adolescent thing that happens sometimes. Brooke is being cool. Brooke is like, no. But then her saying, like, I'm gonna be. It's like, I'll fill out next year. I'm like, okay, all right. Come on.

[Zach Logan]

That line, y.

[Steve Yurko]

Prove to me this was written by a man.

[Abby Denton]

But other than that, I still say that to people I'm flirting with. Like,

[Zach Logan]

check it out.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. Otherwise this one gets a thumbs up from me.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, I don't have a ton to add now. I'm back on that page. But I. Yeah, I said my fill with that. I do really enjoy the padochan. Was it happy?

[Abby Denton]

Oh, yeah.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

That is adorable. Now that I see that connection there. The one thing I'm going to vehemently disagree with. I think the consensus here is that this chapter did not feel short. It did not feel rushed. I thought this chapter was kind of the. The best example I could think of from Oda telling a story quickly in a condensed. Like, I am sure it was 13 pages because of his deadline. 100%. That said, I think he did an exceptional job telling a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Like, as a chapter of Shonen Jump is, you know, of a Shonen Jump comic is concerned with an excellent emotional end. Like, I think Blackbeard parallels aside, I think that is such a emotionally, like, I want to say wrenching, but certainly, like, it really does bring out a certain feeling. You got like the Rick and Morty eye there with the squiggle pupil, the. And like, who hasn't cried lying down. And like, that's like one of the more realistic like crying faces I think I have seen in one piece. Or maybe they're too realistic usually is the problem. I don't know.

[Abby Denton]

The prospect of going to school. Who hasn't been there.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, no, I think I agree with you, Zach, because this is character work over like the Thrilling Adventure or like the Deep Lore. Yeah, I think character work is what attracts most people to the series. To the point that like, there are all of these, you know, polls about who's everyone's favorite character. Like, we. We want to get to know these people and the plot moves too fast to get a lot of time with them. And so I think that's why we enjoyed this chapter a lot, 100%.

[Zach Logan]

And Alex and Steve put it really well. This really feels like old one piece. And I think it's exactly for the reason you just said, Abby. Like, this is. Sure there are things you could posit about with like the big world, the big implications in the world. And what is this person doing here? And you know, what has this have to do Gunko, what happens to this kingdom, blah, blah, blah. But like the thing that makes this chapter so appealing is the fact that it is character driven. And as Alex said, character driven specifically with someone who is very important to us as readers because he is a straw hat and gives us that extra level, you know, of Carrot in this like God Valley. Is this like epic in the. In the. In the historical sense. Like it is telling this historical story that is riveting and interesting and like bombastic. But it's. I really think at the end of the day it is not rooted or even when it is rooted in characters, they're not characters we really have strong ties to before or even after we read that story. And so if we're comparing here, this one already I think has done such a good job in what is the equivalent of like one chapter's worth of material to tell, like a truly like heart wrenching character story, which is. I agree, Abby. That's like what we look for in the series. Candel is also awesome. I wonder if Oda is really hinting a mihawk connection with just the dawn there. I don't know if he would do that. Although on the other hand, he did introduce Rocks as Blackbeard's dad in like a little like right away in the.

[Jill Knight]

We have nothing on mihawk like at all. Right.

[Zach Logan]

No. And that was a bunch of monkeys. Yeah. Is he from West Blue? Do we know that?

[Jill Knight]

Google this. What does he look like as a kid?

[Abby Denton]

Sounds right.

[Zach Logan]

I mean, you could just. I could look too.

[Alex]

I mean, it's funny that like when you look at like all the people that wrote into the SBS and were like, oh, what are the, you know, seven warlords look like when they were kids or the Marines look like they were kids. They all look like ragamuffins. It's so funny. Like none of them were. None of them looked unpure or.

[Zach Logan]

Or shoveled look like a ragamuffin, you know?

[Jill Knight]

You know, having a good childhood doesn't generally lead to you going out to the seas for piracy.

[Alex]

I mean, it also, you know, by and large, if you are in the manga called One Piece, you don't have a good childhood.

[Zach Logan]

True. I don't think we know where he's from. Right. Do they ever say what Blue he's from?

[Alex]

Did you say. Sorry, did you say. Did they ever say where Bluey is from? I'm pretty sure he's from Australia.

[Zach Logan]

Which Blue he's from? I see why you thought I said that. Though it does sound like that. Because it just says where he resided. I don't think it. I mean, I haven't done a deep dive. I'm just looking. Right.

[Alex]

West Bluey.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, I don't see anything.

[Zach Logan]

At least that's. That actually makes it even more suspicious. Yeah, I mean, Kandel's design is great.

[Alex]

I.

[Zach Logan]

So suspicious. Just which is good for a character. Like, she's very mysterious and like, I

[Alex]

appreciate that she doesn't look like Nami.

[Zach Logan]

She looks a little like Nami.

[Alex]

She looks like an Oda woman. Like, let's be honest, I don't want

[Jill Knight]

to be suspicious of her because that's wrong with Yori.

[Alex]

Most characters in that one scene with

[Zach Logan]

her teeth tongue out really looks like Nami. Like, Shuri. Except for the eye, Shuri looks identical to Nami in a lot of these panels.

[Steve Yurko]

I'm just kind of hoping that Candel is, like, wearing pants. It looks like she is, but I'm also looking up the lion thing. I'm just seeing, like, fan digital colorings, and it's just like, yeah, those are short shorts. And I'm like, like, oh, my God. No one's been to art history.

[Alex]

Don't you hate pants?

[Steve Yurko]

I titled that one already.

[Alex]

Oh, that's right. That's right.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, we did that. Yeah. Finally. Yeah. No, they're not. As far as we know, they're not celestial dragons, so they like pants. I'm trying to think the music. I'm very excited for the anime for this specific, like, Cho is great, and I do look forward to hearing this music. Like, I still have Neko Mamushi stuck in my head, and that's just a thing he just did off before he was even cast in one piece.

[Alex]

Nekomimu Mama.

[Zach Logan]

I'm trying to think if there's anything else. I don't know. I'm just. I agree that, like, I'm so excited to see more and hear more about this straw hat. It's. I mean, of course, there's a lot to Brook's history. He's in his 90s, and we've seen, like, how long was he at sea? Dead? Ish. It was a while.

[Alex]

50 years.

[Zach Logan]

50. Okay, so we haven't seen half his life. Ish. You know? Like, that sounds about right. Yeah. That's also. Oh, the one thing I want to mention is Brook being, like, the smiling in the face of tragedy is a super cool and interesting character kind of motif for him. Like, he is absolutely no choice but

[Abby Denton]

to smile without a face.

[Zach Logan]

Without a face. But. No, no. But even he is always this very, like, optimistic kind of guy. And the fact that he was so serious and, like, really pissed when he saw Gunko earlier in the arc, I think, was so striking. Not that much earlier in the arc a couple chapters ago was so striking because he is never that guy. Like, very. Like, even when he's, like, on guard and serious, he's not, like, he was, like, had righteous indignation in that moment. And that is not something we ordinarily see. Since he is more than Usopp, certainly. He is, like, kind of the comic relief of the crew. He's the musician. I mean, that makes sense. He's a comic relief of a really comedically oriented crew. But, yeah, I don't know. I'll leave it there. I just. Brooke, I'm very, very happy we're in this flashback. And I agree with Alex. The placement is secondary at this point. We'll see. But just because it's about a straw hat that, you know, I'll move aside my other priorities for the moment.

[Jill Knight]

Those giant kids can drown for a while longer.

[Zach Logan]

Well, they've already been there for around a year. Well, no, that's when they were on fire.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, we've still got two elements to go through.

[Zach Logan]

That's true.

[Steve Yurko]

Can't wait for the earthquake torture next.

[Jill Knight]

And then the tornado heart.

[Zach Logan]

Heart.

[Steve Yurko]

Oh, Zach didn't watch Airbender.

[Zach Logan]

No, I'm talking about Captain Planet. I don't care.

[Steve Yurko]

I know you are. That's.

[Zach Logan]

I know I am. Yeah. Dude, look, maybe I look old, but I'm only. Let's move on to the next one.

[Steve Yurko]

You and Ted, God rest his soul, at 5:30.

[Abby Denton]

Officially 22.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, wow. Good for you.

[Abby Denton]

Wow, she looks terrible.

[Zach Logan]

What am I supposed to say to that? We'll see you after these messages.

[Abby Denton]

This episode is brought to you by Netflix. The four seasons is back for season two. Starring Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani, Carrie, Kenny Silver, and Erika Henningson. After a difficult year, your favorite group of friends continues their tradition of vacationing together, now with a baby in tow. From the Jersey shore to upstate New York and Italy, their getaways are sure to take unexpected turns where comedy ensues. Watch the four seasons, now streaming only on Netflix.

[Zach Logan]

This is the Piece Together segment where we take your questions, comments and theories. And I'm just a handsome mind it. Let's start with Alex.

[Alex]

It's called dispie and you all know the drill. Everybody disbease is our Patreon for Patreon subscribers. Send your stuff in, we'll read it.

[Zach Logan]

And I'm going to tell you right now, after we read these, the chapter is going to hit completely different.

[Alex]

Oh, my God. All right. Oh, God. So let's see. I guess I'll start with this one from the tween 9th. This is from Sam the Coco Yashi drunk who says hey, opp. The trailer announcing the arrival of the Knights of God for the anime came out today. And with the VA announcements for Gunko Summers and killing him. I never thought about it, but seeing the four panel screenshots on social media made me think Shamrock, Gunko Summers and Killingham represent the four horsemen in the apocalypse. Killing him is Famine. He's able to create all the food in the world, but it has no nutritional value. Summers is Pestilence because he views love as a disease. Alternately, he can be Conquest because he seems to be the one actually in charge of the mission to conquer Elbaf. Gunko is War, because she's able to control a large group of people, like a general marching their soldiers off to war. Shamrock is death. He has the Guardian of Hell as his weapon, is the commander of the other three. What's your take on this idea?

[Zach Logan]

I like it. I like it. I think that's a fun. That's a cool idea. I don't know if Oda had that in mind. I mean, that's always the question, but

[Alex]

I give it an A for effort.

[Zach Logan]

No, I thought. I.

[Steve Yurko]

I would have thought killing him was a horseman because of all that, you know, centaur legs.

[Alex]

He's a centaur man. Half man, half centaur.

[Abby Denton]

Yay. I would say Shamrock is the Leonardo and killing him is the Donatello because

[Alex]

he's creating stuff because he's a nerd.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

I do want to give. I do want to give this the. The listener, like, props, because I do think it is a very well conceived idea. I don't know if in practice it's going to actually happen, but I would

[Steve Yurko]

say Somers is cool but rude.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah. This track.

[Alex]

So Gunk is a party dude.

[Abby Denton]

She loves music.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. She doesn't wear pants.

[Zach Logan]

True.

[Alex]

That's true.

[Zach Logan]

They all don't wear pants. Pants at some point.

[Alex]

Oh, my God. That's true. Well, no, yeah, we made that. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Because there's an image we did on the podcast we did Burning Their Pants in a Fire. Yeah, we just discussed that title.

[Alex]

Right, right, right.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. No, they all hate pants.

[Alex]

17 years. I don't remember Jack.

[Zach Logan]

I remember two weeks ago. No, I mean, me neither. I don't either. It's podcast brain. Yeah, you can.

[Alex]

Sailor Karna says. Hey, Opp, this chapter is one of my favorite Brook chapters, and I got a lot of them. I am happy to know he's always been an. At least the glass has water in it. Optimistic person. He's like me in a lot of ways. I hope you all have a good week and remember that we're all bones when we die.

[Steve Yurko]

Word.

[Alex]

Thanks. Sailor Karna. Reverse curry mule says, holy shit. Opp. I ate some curry and. Oh, dang, the curry. Eight powder in it tasted really weird and not at all like curry. And now I just want to. To dance. Is this dance powder? Do I want to dance. Or write a screenplay. Or dance. Wow. Such an energetic curry powder. I just need to slurp it all over my gum. Gums and up my nose. Fancy. Damn. I wonder if the German kingdom is trading around all these dawn people. The traffic in this amazing. Not at all. Curry tasting. Curry powder. Yum. No wonder musicians love curry so much. Holy. There was no punctuation in this disc piece, so I had to.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Do it justice. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Abby's face has made that very worth a read. Okay, no one's gonna get to see that. Abby can't even confirm or deny whether faces were made.

[Alex]

Look, for the most part, we have to read it because it's.

[Abby Denton]

I've had so much work on my face that I actually can't make expressions anymore.

[Zach Logan]

You look great for someone who's 19.

[Abby Denton]

I look 12.

[Zach Logan]

Things is gonna keep going. Are you in an embryo right now? Because

[Alex]

you don't look a day over zygote.

[Zach Logan]

Zygote.

[Alex]

Way to be cretive. Says hello, my fellow curry powder mules. What a nice chapter this week. Everybody loves the curry powder bit. What a nice chapter. Seeing Brook growing up with such cool people like Reuven and Kandel. I'm so happy for him. He even managed to do it. Y rule. Couldn't not get a sword stuck in his head. But why would. Why would he go into the sea when he has a devil fruit? Is he stupid? Any yoho. Ho. Brooke might not be the best cook out there, but what about y'? All? I'm curious. Are there meals you make that you think you've mastered? Or if not, a favorite dish from your friends or family. Thanks and have a great week.

[Zach Logan]

Before. Before he goes into. This is a good question. I didn't notice until, like, the very end. I forgot to mention that the frog that. Because I read this while, like, at the park, and I wasn't like, not in the lowest parking lot, an actual

[Abby Denton]

park,

[Zach Logan]

that I didn't notice that, like, at the bottom of page six in the corner, you see the actual, like, really grotesque looking dead frog in the pot. Excellent. Just really excellent. Yeah, I just needed to mention the. The Michigan J. Frog. Being kidding. Killed there.

[Jill Knight]

Well, I make a good ass egg salad. And the secret ingredient actually is curry powder. So there we go.

[Zach Logan]

My best recipe is a cinnamon babka.

[Alex]

Wow. A baker.

[Zach Logan]

While I did that, that was my pandemic thing. It's very precise making everything, and it is so much fun, but Jesus, it takes a while.

[Steve Yurko]

I've been told I make good scrambled eggs, but I don't feed them to strangers.

[Alex]

Wow.

[Abby Denton]

But you know us, Steve.

[Alex]

I cook a lot. We both cook a lot at home. I'll say that. My wife makes really excellent risotto. She made risotto last night with goat cheese and beach and oyster mushrooms and probably the best, best risotto I've ever had.

[Zach Logan]

What about you, Alex, though?

[Alex]

Me, I make a lot of food. I make a pretty good schnitzel. What's the best thing I make?

[Zach Logan]

Wasn't that the question?

[Alex]

I make a really. I mean, yeah, I make a really excellent chili. I also can make really good stuffed zucchini.

[Zach Logan]

Ooh, that's a good.

[Alex]

It's a Greek recipe with Avril Lemono sauce. I don't know. Everything I make tends to be pretty good. I hate to toot my own horn there, but those are my. But there's this chicken schnitzel recipe that I got out of the Eric Warheim cookbook, which sort of became like my standard go to. And it's really easy and it's really freaking delicious. And I don't know anyone can cook as Ratatouille taught everyone.

[Zach Logan]

Especially if they have a mouse controlling them.

[Alex]

Not the most hygienic thing in the world. Tyler. Tyler says hey. Ho ho ho. Opp. Poor Brooke. Man, that ending got me. I like the parallels between Brooke growing up in the trash piles outside of the kingdom, just like a certain group of brothers. Of course, he fits right in with Luffy. Also the parallel with Brooke getting caught by the Navy and then Luffy getting caught by Blue Jam. I wonder what powder they wanted. If it wasn't curry powder. White cocoa powder. Haha. Have a great week, everyone. Yes. Cocaine.

[Zach Logan]

People really like the drug jokes this way.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, that's the other kind of powder.

[Alex]

Is this the first time drugs have ever. No. Aside from the energy steroids.

[Zach Logan]

Evil drugs.

[Alex]

Evil drugs.

[Steve Yurko]

Evil drugs. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

No drugs have been in one piece. Evil drugs.

[Alex]

Is this the first time that like, drug dealing has been really talked about in one piece?

[Zach Logan]

It might be.

[Alex]

I mean, they fill a balloon with

[Zach Logan]

whatever trust they had smuggling. But I don't think it was drug related explicitly.

[Alex]

It was toys. The toys are people

[Abby Denton]

is a drug. And so I think that means Binks is the most prolific drug smuggler of them all.

[Zach Logan]

Binks and Prince Reuven, who gives alcohol and cigars to children.

[Alex]

Hey, look, he knows me.

[Abby Denton]

Is that George C. Scott? Cloud of pot smoke from Cartoon All Stars to the rescue. Hey, kids, why don't you do drugs?

[Zach Logan]

I'm George C. Scott.

[Alex]

Was that George C. Scott.

[Abby Denton]

It was.

[Alex]

Oh, my God.

[Abby Denton]

The role of a lifetime.

[Alex]

The role. I get.

[Steve Yurko]

It was the second. Him getting hit by football or.

[Abby Denton]

Ooh, I really liked the movie.

[Steve Yurko]

Was that George C. Scott? I'm not crazy.

[Zach Logan]

I think it was.

[Alex]

That was George C. Scott and man getting hit by football. Yeah. McLeach.

[Steve Yurko]

Oh, he's McLeach.

[Alex]

Yeah, he's McLeach. Anyways, bless you. Great.

[Abby Denton]

In Exorcist 3, this monologue about keeping a fish in his bathtub.

[Alex]

Dr. Strangelove. He's also in the best version of A Christmas Carol. Come at me.

[Abby Denton]

First one's that.

[Alex]

It's the one with George C. Scott as Scrooge. Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Logan]

He plays Scrooge.

[Steve Yurko]

Which Muppet is Scrooge?

[Alex]

He's Beaker. And David Warner. David Warner plays Bob Cratchit in that.

[Abby Denton]

That whips.

[Alex]

Yeah, it does, actually. It's pretty awesome.

[Steve Yurko]

So it's just like the lobe asking for Christmas off.

[Alex]

Yeah, that's exactly it. You got it. Or Ra's al Ghul. Ral. However you want to

[Steve Yurko]

tell your friends, it's Ra's al Ghul.

[Zach Logan]

Next question.

[Alex]

Frasier's engineer, Roz Straw Hat pirate died. Happy 17th birthday, you guys. Thanks for being fans of this amazing story and doing this podcast. I love this chapter so much. Brook fans, be thriving. Little Brooke is so cute. I love Prince, Reuven and Candel. They are so cool. It's really gonna hurt to see what actually happened to this royal family so much. Yeah, they're quite likable. I don't think I. I mentioned how. How much I like Reuven as a character. I think he still needs a little bit, you know, more for me to, like, you know, really, really dig him. But as a flashback character, I think he's really great. I like Kendall, too. I think they're. They're fun characters. I like that they love Brook so much. Have we talked about, like, these guys yet? Really how we feel about them yet?

[Zach Logan]

I mean, positively. I agree with you. I mean, I feel like we're like.

[Jill Knight]

Like, it's like last week, people were pretty harsh on Reuben. We're going to throw that out there. We're not going to erase this.

[Steve Yurko]

Oh, yeah.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

People were mean.

[Jill Knight]

Well, people were like, you know, look at this slob. Hot wife.

[Steve Yurko]

Brook should cuck this guy.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, yeah. That's what we all said. We all said that.

[Alex]

Humming, humming.

[Abby Denton]

All those comments were coming from Brooke. 89, 87.

[Zach Logan]

However.

[Alex]

Jesus. What you guys didn't say last week, and I Was just thinking this the whole time. Was what? E Girl. E Girl and podcaster boyfriend.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Oh.

[Steve Yurko]

Oh, my God.

[Zach Logan]

About that meme.

[Steve Yurko]

Hold on, hold on. Just put the hair on me. And my God, when you, when you

[Alex]

did this, I imagine the cat Gabby too.

[Steve Yurko]

From the Simpsons.

[Zach Logan]

Sorry.

[Steve Yurko]

This is really going to work.

[Zach Logan]

It's an audio podcast. It's literally. We don't have any video that we're sharing, so this is going to be extra second.

[Alex]

You see? You see, listeners, there's a bit. The Simpson zero cat has faked like

[Steve Yurko]

a Shirley Temple esque movie. And to make it seem like the cat's going like rubbing its eyes in disbelief. It just. Two prop, prop, you know, cat like legs come in and do like the one, you know, the rubbing of the eyes motion. It's one of my favorite gags.

[Zach Logan]

It is. It's great.

[Steve Yurko]

I love the Simpsons.

[Zach Logan]

How many memes. How many memes have you described on this episode so far?

[Steve Yurko]

I don't know.

[Zach Logan]

At least three I could think of.

[Abby Denton]

Simpsons quotes memes.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah, I haven't been on it.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, they are.

[Steve Yurko]

I gotta remind people, his name is Brooke.

[Abby Denton]

I don't know the man's name.

[Zach Logan]

That's a really excellent one. What was I gonna say? I don't even remember what we were talking about.

[Alex]

Two bad neighbors. I just, I'm imagining the big banner.

[Zach Logan]

Except it's Brooke and Reuven.

[Alex]

Yeah, it's.

[Zach Logan]

Oh. So how did we feel about Reuven and Candel was the question.

[Alex]

Oh, oh, and Brooke has a rainbow afro.

[Steve Yurko]

I think with, you know, any characters that we see kind of treating the straw hats when they're children as, like, as, you know, with respect, dignity, and love. And then there's Sabo too. Yeah, I love them.

[Alex]

And also Sabo is here. Yeah.

[Steve Yurko]

No, like I. Yeah, because we, we just only saw Brook in his adulthood.

[Ed]

Kind of.

[Steve Yurko]

Same with Jimbe. I think. I. I wonder if it's one of the faults with like, kind of Brook and Jim bae kind of feeling like they haven't completely earned their stripes yet is we haven't seen their. Their childhood. I don't know why I did quotation marks. Like that is a concept.

[Zach Logan]

No one could see that.

[Steve Yurko]

Just gotta. I gotta own up to it.

[Zach Logan]

Okay. So what he's doing is a thing that people do sometimes when they're being sarcastic and they do quotation marks up in the air next to. Okay in.

[Steve Yurko]

So this is kind of just really. I don't know. Brooke is getting like the full five star straw hat treatment here and I don't know. Just seeing the people that raised him and treated him well, how could I not like them?

[Zach Logan]

Who have we not seen as kids at this point, besides Jim Bey?

[Steve Yurko]

Jinbe.

[Alex]

It's just Jinbei.

[Zach Logan]

Is it really just Jinbe?

[Abby Denton]

Frankie was kind of like, we got

[Zach Logan]

bits of him a little older Frankie,

[Steve Yurko]

we got really young. Still a young kid then. 20 year olds. I think he was 20 when Tom died.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah. I guess that's the flashback I always think of

[Zach Logan]

trying to think if there's. Am I missing a straw?

[Abby Denton]

Because we haven't seen a lot of Robin. Or at least there's still big gaps.

[Steve Yurko]

If you watch the anime. We've seen a lot of Robin.

[Jill Knight]

A lot of Robin.

[Zach Logan]

I mean, Robin, we've seen a lot. Yeah, we know how it went. Who else haven't we seen a ton of Zorro? I mean, we haven't seen him.

[Steve Yurko]

If you're just going by manga. Well, no, I think Zorro beats Usopp because of the brief flashback in alabaster. So, like, Usopp we've seen, like, at

[Zach Logan]

least Usopp we have not seen a lot of. But we're living his backstory.

[Steve Yurko]

We're going to get his second one.

[Zach Logan]

Tragic Usopp backstory. That's what we need. We might. I think that you've, like, kind of convinced me that Jim Bae is Do1 now.

[Steve Yurko]

I don't necessarily get a Do1. I'm just saying I think kind of one of the reasons why, you know, maybe like, you know, he's one of the. I don't want to say lesser, but just kind of like, not really the most, like, poster child of the straw Hats because he hasn't, you know, Otis

[Zach Logan]

saw those midterm results with Jim B. At number 30, is like, I gotta make a tragic backstory for him now.

[Jill Knight]

I could see we still have stuff to do with Fishman island regarding the prophecy and Noah and stuff. I could see Oda throwing some Jim Bay kid stuff in there.

[Zach Logan]

Agreed.

[Alex]

Yeah. Not. I don't think anything. Like, to this extent.

[Jill Knight]

Probably not. But who knows?

[Zach Logan]

I feel like Oda. Oda definitely thinks about each of them as children. Like the idea as a. Like, part of the story. I think so. I would not. And, like, the straw hats are his, like, metaphorical children in, like, such a pronounced way. So, like, I would not be surprised if we do see something down the line. Alex, what's Jar Jar?

[Abby Denton]

What's Jar Jar's backstory? Let's get a movie about young Jar Jar.

[Alex]

No, the reason that Jar Jar was banished is because he basically, basically caused Gungan 9 11.

[Steve Yurko]

So yeah, I want to see that. I. Yeah. Finally, the story of how.

[Alex]

How he crashed the. The boss's hay blubber.

[Steve Yurko]

How he got into his first big doo doo.

[Zach Logan]

Wait, now you started them on the Jar Jar Binks shit?

[Alex]

Yeah, the boom together.

[Zach Logan]

Sorry.

[Steve Yurko]

You can call the movie Jar Jar and Doo Doo.

[Zach Logan]

They're never going to get off of this. They're going to be talking about this for the next hour.

[Abby Denton]

What's the next thing on disc piece, Alex?

[Alex]

Big Mike is the next thing on dis piece. And Mike says. All right, here we go. Well, as we know, Big Mike is. Big Mike is Big Mike. And this is what Big Mike has to say. Happy anniversary, Opp. I enjoyed listening to you for over a decade and a half since you were young men saying things that were okay then but not appropriate by today's standards to becoming a mature adults you are now and saying things that are more appropriate now but will end up becoming problematic in the future. Hopefully you guys don't get canceled for your obscenities towards Immigration and Customs enforcement in 17 years from now.

[Zach Logan]

Really covering your bases, kid.

[Alex]

Indeed. Fuck ice. Anyways, if the straw hats went to an anime convention and some guy cosplaying as Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil franchise pretended to inject them with the T virus, how would they react?

[Zach Logan]

I was gonna mention this earlier, Steve, at the Dodgers game. I was gonna say you had no problem punching that freaking kid who was trying to get me with a T virus.

[Steve Yurko]

You want me to punch security?

[Zach Logan]

Yes, as long as it's ice. Only ice.

[Alex]

Hold on, there's more. Sanji would get pissed and kick him because the cosplayer made Sanji spill his foot juice.

[Steve Yurko]

That's. That's current events.

[Alex]

His. His foot juice he got at an official unofficial event of the park near the convention center where female cosplayers were soaking their feet in juice and selling it to people. And Robin would whack the Wesker cosplayer with her yaoi paddle. So all of this is something that happened, I'm assuming.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, I'm assuming that too.

[Steve Yurko]

You don't remember the Wesker story?

[Alex]

No, that's like.

[Steve Yurko]

That was Anime Central in 2010.

[Abby Denton]

Oh, no, no, no. That story.

[Ed]

I'm sorry.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah, the foot juice at fanime over the weekend.

[Abby Denton]

I think they do park where nothing happens.

[Jill Knight]

That sounds like fanime.

[Alex]

Oh my God.

[Abby Denton]

In the words of Mao Zedong, there are years where nothing happens and discord posts where decades happen.

[Alex]

Gotta drink juice.

[Zach Logan]

The story that he's referring to, Steve, I will let you tell that was

[Steve Yurko]

just us arriving at the Rosemont Convention center, like out of like a. Like an Uber. A cab. Yeah. It was 2010. And trying to figure out where we got to go to get our badges. And we look like we're convention attendees, but we're not in cosplay. And I think, like, the golden rule is, you know, if you're not a fellow cosplayer, you know, you're not necessarily in on the bit. So no goofs and gags, especially physical touching. But we were walking up like it was that little, like the drop off, like, U shape in there. And we're walking up and I see this Albert Wesker cosplayer walking with someone else. And everyone that's walking by, he's touching them with the fake, you know, like a big cartoonishly sized syringe going like, T virus. T virus. Like, ah, you're injected. And he did it to Zach, because I thought, hey, he was doing it to other cosplayers. We just look like dudes. Just like fellas. Fine.

[Zach Logan]

But he touched Zack, especially me, and

[Steve Yurko]

I don't stand for that.

[Alex]

And then Zach turned into.

[Steve Yurko]

He turned into a tyrant.

[Alex]

Is it called the Abomination?

[Zach Logan]

I don't even know the series.

[Alex]

Tyrant, right? Did you say tyrant?

[Steve Yurko]

Tyrant, yeah. So the guy, like, touched Sack in the arm and then he motions towards me and I, you know, not that forcefully, but I just palmed him in the chest and I said, don't touch me.

[Zach Logan]

You know, Know.

[Abby Denton]

But because Steve is a gentleman of great power.

[Zach Logan]

The man went flying. Perfect outline of Juji Ito, sort of whole.

[Steve Yurko]

It's a Dragon Ball character, like, trying to restrain themselves and still trying to qualify for the tournament.

[Zach Logan]

Yes, yes, that exactly.

[Steve Yurko]

It's kid trunks punching Mr. Satan.

[Zach Logan]

Yes. I was thinking that at the time,

[Steve Yurko]

by the end of that weekend, Zach and like, Tatum, I think, had like, exaggerated it to just like. It's like me hitting him. And I remember saying, like, I didn't hit him. And like, I think Tatum's like, come on, just like, play with a bit. Go along with it.

[Alex]

Warren.

[Abby Denton]

I like that cosplayer operated on the rules of that Halloween costume thing where you're like, I'm a serial killer. We look just like everybody else. So he's like, well, everyone's a cosplayer. They look just like everybody else.

[Zach Logan]

Great anatomy convention. You're gonna get hit with some T virus. That's just gonna happen.

[Alex]

Jesus. Jesus Christ.

[Steve Yurko]

Okay, well, but that Is like damn, Big Mike's a real one. But if, yeah, if you're listening to the show and you remember that story,

[Zach Logan]

we've told it a couple of times, I think.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah. Like 10 years ago.

[Zach Logan]

I will, I will say that is Steve was my knight in shining armor, obviously that night. I do appreciate that. Yeah, no, I, I, that was, I remember, I don't remember anything about the like, I don't remember the like the approach specifically. I just remember Steve like palming the guy in the, in the solar plexus a little bit. Like that's I think actually what happened.

[Alex]

Giving him cpr.

[Steve Yurko]

Oh like, you know, like the just unresusitating resuscitated.

[Zach Logan]

I will say the best analogy for that is they teach you desuscitated his. With, with, with a dog. Sometimes you have to body block them which is like to just like get them out of the way. You just kind of run into them backwards a little bit. So like. And that's kind of what this feels like. Except with Steve and this guy.

[Steve Yurko]

I don't know.

[Zach Logan]

You don't like my analogy. Alex, what's next?

[Steve Yurko]

But if you're a patron, you remember that story. Drop a. Drop a obscure Resident Evil line.

[Alex]

Sweet hotload.

[Abby Denton]

Celebrate the 17th anniversary of the One Piece of Podcast by giving a minor cigarettes and booze.

[Zach Logan]

What does it mean to be 17 than to have cigarettes and booze before you're supposed to?

[Alex]

That's actually true. I feel like this is the perfect chapter for our 17 year old birthday.

[Zach Logan]

Except that he was 11 in this. But it still worked. It still works.

[Alex]

It's okay. He lives in a dump. Its nutritional value goes through the roof if you live in a dump.

[Zach Logan]

What's the next.

[Alex]

Next. You mean last. This is from Krem Dell. They them Ahoy Op. I believe Banger chapter. That's. That's great. Now we, I mean now we know.

[Zach Logan]

No, it's there. Okay, whatever. Go.

[Alex]

Or have we always known? I don't know.

[Zach Logan]

I was just going to say for those who are in discord and curious. I think they. You could get assigned roles based on your I did not know this pronouns.

[Steve Yurko]

Yes.

[Alex]

Well that's great. Way to go. Discord. You. You won in that area. But I'm gonna.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, you're listen to the Patreon segment, I guess because I'm sure that's in there. Go ahead.

[Alex]

Yeah, it probably is.

[Abby Denton]

It's actually an entry just in your purse Server Pro profile. You can just have a box for pronouns.

[Zach Logan]

Discord. Yeah, no, that's. Oh, you Meant for the pronouns for.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, Every. Every server. You can even, like, I, I guess, have different ones and different things.

[Alex]

You're right.

[Zach Logan]

It is there. It's. I don't know why. I clearly look very closely at discord and don't just use it for disputes and occasional.

[Abby Denton]

I think it's a relatively recent thing.

[Zach Logan]

Well, I'm glad they have that. That's good.

[Alex]

Yeah, me too. That's awesome. Way to go, Alex.

[Abby Denton]

All right.

[Alex]

Cram Dell, aka CRAM. We love CRAM. Ahoyo PP Banger Chapter, as always. And happy birthday. I was 14 when you guys started.

[Zach Logan]

Well, I'm leaving.

[Alex]

And it was still another two or so years before I became a One piece fan. Anyway, seeing young Brooke made my heart melt with how rough his life was. Yet he fought through it and was optimistic. Or it would have if I had a heart. Skull joke. Seriously, though, I got big gray terminal and

[Zach Logan]

Ace a Sabo Luffy.

[Alex]

I guess that's specifically, I think is what they meant. Vibes from this mini flashback,

[Zach Logan]

which is. Isn't that the tattoo?

[Abby Denton]

Yes, it was Ace with the S.

[Jill Knight]

And back in the day, when I suggested it was for Sabo, people were like, that's silly. He simply just can't spell. And I was like, okay.

[Alex]

To be fair, I think that as a joke, better.

[Jill Knight]

I know that.

[Alex]

But this was after Sabo was revealed, before Sabo existed. That's what I always thought I was. That was just some sort of weird, like, oh, cool. Like Engrish.

[Zach Logan]

Kind of probably was originally, if I had to guess.

[Alex]

Ooh. I think it'd be really funny. By the way, I. Sorry, Cram, I don't mean to. To derail your thing, but I think it'd be super funny if back in, like, the early days of One Piece, Ace's name was just spelled like that. Because they're like, oh, well, that's clearly how Ace's name is spelled if it's tattooed on his arm like that.

[Zach Logan]

I'm surprised, actually, that didn't happen.

[Jill Knight]

Well, it's because it was crossed out, so it was like he messed up.

[Alex]

Yeah, that's true.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Alex]

Really shitty tattoo artist. That's what I always thought anyway, of

[Abby Denton]

going to what's his name, Kizaru, to get laser tattoo removal.

[Alex]

Instead, he removes your whole arm. They continue. Seriously, though, I got big gray terminal and Ace vibes from this mini flashback within a flashback, and I loved it a lot. Brook's always been so into music and so joyous in spite of everything, and seeing him and Reuven inspire Each other is so sweet. It's also lovely seeing that Reuven has always been a lovely guy, even before becoming an Oda villain. Design.

[Zach Logan]

Well, is pathos an Oda villain? That's the question today.

[Alex]

He just looks very tired. My question this week is, do you think the events of this chapter will be what leads to the World Government having a bone to pick with Esperia Skulljoke? Have a great week.

[Zach Logan]

Two and one.

[Alex]

Less than three. Less than three. Heart. And I chose to read the second one as heart.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that's how I would always read it. Am I the only person who did? Okay, we're done with that specific bit. Yeah. I was curious. Obviously. It feels like they're leading some into something with the World Government there. But.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

I don't know if I have any specific thoughts other than I will keep an eye on that.

[Abby Denton]

More than Brook can do. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Okay. We got one. We got one email.

[Steve Yurko]

Because he doesn't have an arm.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah, he doesn't have an eye.

[Zach Logan]

It comes from Ryan, who says, Ahoy, Opp. Looks like young Shuri had it bad for Brooke back in the day. Loved how that relationship between him and Reuven started and how you could see their dynamic led to the kind of interactions we saw last week as sweet and whimsy. This was. This was. There's something darker we need to talk about. Those jellyfish on the COVID page. Cue evil music. Could those jellyfish be related to emu? They have the same eyes. I believe that's the reference. What if eating the devil? Devil's fruit caused a jellyfish to evolve rapidly to become king of the world? Emu doesn't seem to care much. Doesn't seem to care for much. And neither do does a jellyfish. It all makes sense. Enjoy humoring this theory of mine and keep on trucking for on your birthday,

[Abby Denton]

I don't care who you are. That's canon to me now.

[Zach Logan]

Mm. Great. Great. So are jellyfish the devil?

[Steve Yurko]

Is that.

[Abby Denton]

Is that a. I think anything that lives in the ocean is. Is terrifying. To be completely honest, I don't think the ocean should.

[Zach Logan]

There's difference between terrifying and evil.

[Steve Yurko]

Is that also a reference to Ed's line in the One Piece anime?

[Zach Logan]

Me? Yes, a little bit.

[Steve Yurko]

Is this jellyfish the devil?

[Zach Logan]

The devil? I. I can't not say it in that inflection. You could listen to Opp Goes to Dallas on our Patreon. Or watch it. Or watch the One Piece anime. That episode with the same worshipers, which are magical.

[Steve Yurko]

You couldn't get Alex in the dub, but. But thanks to some creative casting, you won't even know the difference.

[Zach Logan]

It's true. They sound the same.

[Alex]

You got my stunt double.

[Steve Yurko]

Sorry. It's our 17th anniversary. So we could bring back how in the early days we used to get Jammer and Alex confused because they had very similar sounding voices.

[Zach Logan]

So they sound very similar. I mean, like, I can't, you know, hear that similarity quite as much as the uninitiated listener probably could. That's it for emails. Jill, are you actually going through the subreddit archipelago?

[Jill Knight]

Yes, we've got quite a few on here. So. Subreddit archipelago here started by silverwolf09 who says, hey, Opp, I know you guys are big fans of Skypiea. I've only watched it once, 20 years ago, and I have to admit, it's tied with Thriller. Bark is my least favorite arc. What I'd miss. I feel like there's something I must have missed. Binging episodes too quick.

[Zach Logan]

Jill, did you just want to read this so you could, you know.

[Jill Knight]

No, I'm subscribed to the. I'm subscribed to the One Piece subreddit. So it came up on my feed this morning and I was like, oh, should, you know.

[Steve Yurko]

So we have. Yeah, we have to pitch.

[Jill Knight]

It's.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

I mean, yeah, I'll read the manga, the Ultimate Adventure. I'm sure it's going to be more important in the future than we think.

[Steve Yurko]

I will say. Yeah. Just seeing what we've seen from the Harley and all that, I feel like a lot of the lore set up in skypiea is gonna pay off when that comes around when more of the history of the world is revealed. But I think the Chrism used to be like, oh, you could skip skypiea and you don't really miss anything. And in this day and age, when I feel like every arc just plays into the next one because there's just this great bigger conflict going on. Skypie is refreshing because it's just like a fun adventure. It's, you know, it's kind of like. It's so like that an arc like that can't happen anymore because now we're just. Everything is just playing to endgame and I think we've been playing to endgame really since Punk Hazard. No, I think since the alliance with Law.

[Zach Logan]

You're right. You're right.

[Steve Yurko]

Everything is just playing into the next arc. Not that that's never been a thing in pre timeskip one piece, but I think there was kind of more back Then you really didn't know what to expect when an arc would wrap up and another one would begin. Like these days you could kind of like, I mean, for years we're like, oh yeah, so Elbaf. Elbaf. When's Elbaf gonna happen? Elbaf. Skypiea is just very pure and that it's just like. It does kind of feel self contained, but also just the story is just amazing with just the Straw Hats just deciding like we're gonna go on this really dangerous, crazy adventure just cause just to say we did, but also helping out a guy. Just help this guy kind of just prove, you know, just like help this guy uncover the truth of whether or not his ancestor was telling the truth or not. Like, and it's just crazy because it just ends up and like a. Like a typical one piece arc, it winds up the Straw Hats just get involved in this just war over a country. But despite all of that, oops, we dethroned a God. Which is so entertaining. But also that's the alternate title at the end, the first thing Luffy says. Like when Luffy defeats like Eniru, he's not like, yeah, Skypiea, you're free. He's more like, hey, old man, did you hear it? It's just. That's what all this goes back to.

[Zach Logan]

And Genie, you're free.

[Steve Yurko]

Like somehow like Enaru's like wristbands come off,

[Alex]

Dude.

[Jill Knight]

Skypie is like actually, you know, it's. It's narratively separated from a lot of the storyline, but also physically. So it's not like you have to worry about like the ramifications that they're going to have on like politics or the world government and stuff. Like later on, like you said, it's going to absolutely have some kind of big, big storyline with like the past and which includes like the Skypieans and the Shandians and everything there which comes. You know, they mentioned the rain God back in that flashback.

[Zach Logan]

I was looking at that and the sun God.

[Jill Knight]

And so I. Skypiea will be much more connected I think, going in the future. But man, it's just a great arc. It's so good.

[Alex]

It's. It is. It is nice to. For it to be self contained. And that's a really great thing about Davy back fight too, which, you know, is the one that follows. I think that we don't get a lot of arcs like that anymore because there's just. There's only so much life a human has. And I think that Oda's age has really started to catch up to him in the last couple years, to the point where like, oh, shit, I really should start wrapping this up. And that's what the way a lot of these last couple arcs have felt like, because it's sort of like Dressrosa syndrome, where like, oh, I have to have all these ingredients in this one pot because if I don't, then this series will never end.

[Zach Logan]

That's sort of how I think he secretly would like immortality. So I could continue doing this forever.

[Alex]

Like, that's sort of how Elbaf has felt like to me in certain ways. Egghead and Wano felt like that as far as a couple aspects of it goes. But I think Elbaf, for the most part, because of all the flashbacks, all the nested flashbacks and the. The Mary Joao stuff, sort of intersecting with this fantastical land that we've been looking forward to all this time. I'm not going to say it's like a shame that we didn't get Elbaf sooner or that Oda doesn't have all the time in the universe to craft the story that he wants to one to one. But it definitely feels like what's been happening as far as Albaf's pacing and whatnot goes is a direct result of the fact that we are only human and we only have so much time in the world and we'll all be

[Zach Logan]

bones in the end.

[Alex]

We'll be, well, and we'll all be bones. And while, you know, he's making, While he's spreading, you know, Vonnie's mustard, mayo stirred and mustard Anas, you know, his children will be grown up and, and. And he won't be able to fully enjoy the rest of, you know, his time with that.

[Zach Logan]

I think I, I think you're 100% right. He's been talking about, like, traveling more, I think, like when he retired. I think he talked about that in the, in that other one. We all talk about the Inyaki Oda interview that was on Netflix on the quote unquote podcast.

[Alex]

Sure.

[Zach Logan]

But it was, it was an interesting discussion because I. He was like pontificating on what he would be doing and what he would enjoy doing and the fact that he's been going to South Africa. You know, he writes a series about adventure and finding and talking to new people and going to new places. But he may be a little more introspective these days about the fact that he probably just sits in his house in a studio all day every day for the last almost 30 years. Like I get where he's coming from. And. And so for skypiea, I think that arc particularly ages so well. Like, I think it was at. My opinion of. It was at its lowest right after, you know, I read it for the first time. Not saying it was low, but it was at its lowest. And I think because of what has come before and what has followed since, and the fact that you're right, ramifications at the time were very novel. Like the idea, like the stuff from Water 7 and NES lobby being so impactful were kind of a result of the fact that, hey, the straw hats are getting recognition from the world government for the first time. We're, like seeing this bigger thing, but we. We've been involved in those machinations now for like two decades in real life time. So not to say they're not important and impactful and interesting, but that I think skypiea is way more novel because it is not that now. Whereas it was kind of, you know, we're just like, oh, I want to get to the main story at that

[Steve Yurko]

time and say, if we're including Jaya, I think it's the first time Oda kind of really sets up the rest of the world because that's the introduction of the elders, other warlords, Sky Islands, Skylands, Emperors, Blackbeard. I think because people just think of purely skypiea, but if you include Jaya, because I just feel like Jaya is the pre show to skypiea, because Jaya's all about going to skypiea. That portion of the story really kind of sets up so many of the aspects that people enjoy about the series.

[Zach Logan]

So I agree.

[Steve Yurko]

One thing I want to say, because before I forget, if the anime is giving you trouble, just read the manga. I think the anime, the quality of the animation is not necessarily the best. I think it's kind of. It's really starting to show its age a bit. I think the manga art is beautiful. So it's like, yeah, like, read it. If you haven't.

[Abby Denton]

You should listen to four Men sort of narrate the pages of the manga in like a podcast form. I think that's probably the ideal way to take in.

[Steve Yurko]

If only I was 40 in 2003.

[Zach Logan]

We could always go back to it. We just would actually like

[Steve Yurko]

the timeline. Well, fuck, this time we invent a podcast.

[Zach Logan]

We want to go back to 2009 anyway, so why not go back to 2002 too?

[Steve Yurko]

I don't know. No, I was looking at that day in history and the top song was a Black Eyed Peas song. The Boom Boom Bang Song. I don't know.

[Abby Denton]

The Boom Boom Bang song, the beloved hit.

[Zach Logan]

Sounds like a euphemism.

[Steve Yurko]

Probably not their worst titled song. Steve, skypiea is great.

[Alex]

Okay.

[Zach Logan]

All right. The one last thing.

[Abby Denton]

I like that his name is Anal Steve.

[Zach Logan]

The one last thing about Skypiea. Just moving.

[Steve Yurko]

I'll never. I'll always get a kick out of a mic. How is this person gonna pronounce this character's name?

[Zach Logan]

Oh, Enel. You mean Eniru. No. What? That's the podcast pronunciation.

[Alex]

Enter.

[Zach Logan]

Enter. Forgot that was one too.

[Steve Yurko]

Anything else you want to add to the skypiea segment?

[Zach Logan]

I completely lost my train of thought, so I was just gonna say Steve, like, I think we have had more discussions about, like, ranking arcs than, like, how what counts as an arc. And then we've had about the actual arcs, but I will say, yeah, because

[Steve Yurko]

once we get to the top five, we're like, yeah, this is great. Moving on.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, exactly. But I think the problem is, like, Oda, those setups that you talked about, like, with the Five Elders and the. And the Seven Warlords and all that, like, that is a narrative device ODA uses to this day, where it's. Before we go on this, like, before we go on this story, this is what's happening here. And I don't like. Like, you know, if this were just me subjectively, I don't really see those moments as being Skypie or even really Jaya. I know they, like, tie into Blackbeard, but, like, those aren't what that story is about as far as I'm concerned. Which is why I was saying it's disconnected. But again, I think that that's what makes it enticing to me. Me, the fact that it is. Anyway, Reddit chill.

[Steve Yurko]

That's one question.

[Zach Logan]

One.

[Alex]

Oh, maybe we want to start wrapping this up soon.

[Jill Knight]

Well, luckily, the two questions after that are just saying you should read Skypiea, so they're not actually questions. So that's good.

[Zach Logan]

Perfect.

[Abby Denton]

I like the filler arc right after skypiea in the anime. It's one of the good ones.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Alex]

I don't care for it.

[Abby Denton]

Just guys talking about their lives.

[Zach Logan]

You want to know a secret?

[Jill Knight]

It.

[Zach Logan]

Do you want to. I've never seen G8.

[Alex]

It's fine. Everybody lifts it up as, like, a big, like, it's great. And I'm like, it's fine.

[Jill Knight]

Well, compared to other filler, that's what it is. It's great. Comparatively. You gotta.

[Alex]

Yeah, well, well. But the bar is so low already. I Don't. I think it's just fine. What's the next whatever it totally Chopper

[Abby Denton]

talking about being a doctor for?

[Jill Knight]

Next question is from Imoista. Who says, do you think Frankie is short for Francisco? Do you think Tony? Tony Chopper is short for Antonio? Antonio Chopper.

[Alex]

Yes.

[Zach Logan]

Yes. The answer to that's yes.

[Jill Knight]

Gekkomoriafan151 says. Hey, opp, ODA released a short chapter, but it was a very concise way of telling us why Brook owed so much to the King. Gotta love a flashback. In a flashback, is there any other character, straw hat or otherwise, you would want an extended back story for? We did mention Jimbe, but I almost. Straw hats.

[Zach Logan]

I don't want one.

[Alex]

But I think it's funny because, like, when you think about, like, how compared to every other character, Usopp has probably been shafted the most as far as, like, having a lengthy backstory, but I don't think you need anything.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah. What.

[Alex]

What else is he more than what he's got?

[Zach Logan]

Kuzan.

[Jill Knight]

I think he's good. Kuzan.

[Zach Logan]

I'm not just saying that because I said him at the beginning as the character I like, but, yeah, I think that would be a fun one.

[Abby Denton]

Feel like we need to get something about what he's been doing the last couple of years.

[Zach Logan]

Absolutely.

[Jill Knight]

Well, we got pictures of the. The. The Admirals as kids, too, in an SBS or in Avril Lavigne song, so you never know what ODA might do there. Next from Puparante says he. So, Opp, what do you guys think of the pace of this flashback so far? Last week, you made predictions for its length. However, the piece about Brook's childhood was incredibly short. Short. I personally think that was plenty to build the connection between Brooke and Reuben. Do you think the rest will be as concise?

[Zach Logan]

I don't know. I don't know. ODA could go either way. Like, even when something feels like it's moving, like, sometimes it just, you know, it. And also, the thing is. And Ken and I were talking about this on the Discord, but, like. And I think we talked about this last week on the podcast. Like. Like, even if it's only five more chapters, that takes us, like, halfway into the summer, you know, like, that is a very long time in present time. So we might be saying, wow, what a long flashback. But it's only been, like, five chapters, so it's all, like, perspective of how you're reading it sometimes. I don't know. It could. I don't know. I don't have an answer.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah, I think that's one of those.

[Zach Logan]

Abby.

[Abby Denton]

I feel like if the rest of the flashback is this short, then we're only getting the skeleton of the story.

[Zach Logan]

I'm leaving.

[Jill Knight]

As long as it has good bones.

[Abby Denton]

Yeah. We were talking about Avril Lavigne giving us young Kuzan. Let me tell you, I don't think that guy. He don't really care about his Admiral station. Oh, no, not he.

[Zach Logan]

Keep this all in. Every bit of silence. No, that's a good joke.

[Jill Knight]

Next question from ice fish. Ice Fisher 10 says, hey, Opp and Abby. I'm implying that Abby's not part of the op.

[Zach Logan]

Chill.

[Abby Denton]

Chill, friend. Chill.

[Alex]

Good.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, no. It's Frankenstein's monster again.

[Jill Knight]

Kendall has a very unique don. I believe that font has only been ever given to Jacu Miha. Well, I don't believe they are related by blood. I think the shared feature means that Kendel is in fact this era's world's strongest swordsman. I'd really like that because I was often quite bothered with how the One piece world had seemingly proved Kawina's worst fear. True. Any thoughts? That's crazy and would be awesome.

[Zach Logan]

That would be super cool.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

What a good theory. Now I'm really disappointed when that does not happen. I'm going to be really. Because that's really good.

[Jill Knight]

And she trains Brooke too, because doesn't use two swords like Reuben. So it's got to be from her.

[Zach Logan]

Oh, no. That she fights the same way he does. And also he's. He kind of is her successor. She becomes queen and he becomes the head of the battle convoy, which is what she was.

[Steve Yurko]

So.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, I mean, I'm interested to see their relationship. Like, not in the way that that book is probably thinking, but like the. You know, like how. Yeah, I'm curious to see how they interact.

[Jill Knight]

We have. We have nothing on Kandel. So far. She has said the most blandest things. We've literally got no personality yet. So, I mean, she looks great, but

[Zach Logan]

I really need to see more.

[Abby Denton]

It seems to me she lives like a candel in the wind.

[Zach Logan]

Jill, what's the next question?

[Jill Knight]

The last one here is from Duck Salsa, who says, hey, Opp, with all the recent hate on Zorro's elpaf goggles on the podcast, do you guys have a favorite arc specific outfit from any of the straw hats? I have always been partial to Chopper's little burgundy leather jacket in Ennis lobby. And on a related note, do you guys think that Dan Flashes has a branch in the One Piece world? Where Shanks can get all his complicated, complicated capris.

[Zach Logan]

Was this the last one you said?

[Jill Knight]

Yes.

[Zach Logan]

Okay. Because this one's probably gonna be a longer. No, it's Steve.

[Steve Yurko]

No, I'll keep it brief. I know we've answered before, but we've done 17 years of podcasting, so I can't remember the last time we talked about it. For me, it's probably gonna be most of the, like, their original, like, kind of East Blue quote outfits. Nami has always had really good fits. Yeah. I think for the most part for me, it's like most like the original stuff. And he's lobby is also kind of like what everyone's wearing there. That's like. That's good stuff.

[Alex]

See, for me, for me, I think that Luffy's best fit is Wano with the cape. Zoro's is east blue. NAMI's is water 7. The skirt with the tie.

[Zach Logan]

I was gonna say that. Yeah, that's probably. That's definitely my favorite.

[Jill Knight]

That's hideous to me.

[Alex]

I love it so much.

[Zach Logan]

I'm colorblind.

[Alex]

Usopp post loguetown. Just OG Sanji tie between water 7 and OG Frankie. I'm sorry, I'm skipping any slobby Chopper for sure. For Robin. I love her Shibandi outfit. Her Shabbati outfit. That or Skypiea. Frankie. It's just, you know, his. His OG water 7 or the Shibandi outfit. Brook is. Brook. Actually, for Brook, I'm gonna say I think my favorite outfit that he ever wore is probably Strong World.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah, that was a good one. That was a really good one.

[Alex]

And Jinbe, I really like what he's wearing during whole cake.

[Zach Logan]

I like to Zeg. I like Jinbei's egghead.

[Alex]

Egghead outfit is good too.

[Zach Logan]

It's very funny. It's very funny.

[Alex]

But I'm definitely partial to the original silhouettes of. Of the. Of the straw hats. Like ones that just sort of. This is what they look like. I will say Nami's East Blue outfit. I'm totally like. I'm not a huge fan of. I think it's pretty basic, but I love what she. But I also love what she's wearing in Arling park as well. Arling park fits really good.

[Jill Knight]

I'm not going to go through all of them, but some standouts for me. Robin in Thriller Bark. My goth queen. Incredible.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Jill Knight]

Chopper's little outfit in Film Z where he looks like a little cow and he has the milk. Incredible. That one hoodie that Sanji wears that has like the Wave on it. Super cute.

[Alex]

From like post thriller Bark.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah. I think so. He wears it in like one scene.

[Alex]

It looks very comfy.

[Jill Knight]

Yeah. And then just. Man. It's still that scene where the whole crew in Strong World just has their like badass outfits. Even to this day. Probably just wiping favorite movie moment. And then Robin's outfit in the beginning of Strong World with the green and white stripes and the glasses.

[Zach Logan]

Yes. That's a great answer too.

[Alex]

That's a really good one. Yeah.

[Zach Logan]

Good job. Jill. Abby. Do you have any?

[Abby Denton]

I used to. I guess I couldn't nail a lot of them offhand. I like their egghead outfits a lot. But the hoodie that Nami has in Drum Island. I used to have a hoodie just like it.

[Jill Knight]

It's so cute.

[Abby Denton]

And it was great.

[Zach Logan]

Luffy wearing that hoodie is fantastic. That is probably. Especially with like the one arm cut off. I don't know. There's something about that that's just great. Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

The water level of intimacy that you don't really see in a lot of one piece. Like.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah.

[Abby Denton]

The sharing clothes is like a cruise. It makes sense.

[Zach Logan]

The family thing. And then you also ruined my clothes. You jackass. Is also familial. Yeah. Water seven Nami. I think that takes it away from me for Luffy three. The only the three. I'm thinking of Onigashima. Yes. Wano. Luffy. Though. I love that yukata. I don't know what specifically which one that is. And I really like the egghead Luffy. Like I don't like a lot of the egghead outfits but I do really like Luffy's. It is good. And I'm still disappointed we didn't get like Nika version of that. Like the. The fifth version of that. That's still pisses me off. What? There was one I want to mention that wasn't mentioned and now I can't remember. Yeah. I think anything in suits automatically. You know. I'm in. Okay. That'll do it. For piece Together. I'll think of what I'm thinking of after I stop recording. Let's round off Study and play.

[Alex]

Come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time. College students get the best of both. Both worlds get the unreal college deal.

[Abby Denton]

Everything you need to study and play

[Alex]

with select Windows 11 PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 Premium and a year of Xbox game Pass ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn [e-mail] studentoffer while supplies last ends June 30th terms at aka Ms. CollegePC.

[Zach Logan]

This has been the One Piece podcast episode 921 for Monday, June 1, 2026. Thank you all for coming on and being my couriers this week. Abby, where can people find you and your amazing comedian work?

[Abby Denton]

I'm so glad you asked me. You can find most of my [e-mail] or the blue sky account that's also tied to the that URL. I don't really know how that works imminently. I've got a show running on weekends in the Hollywood Fringe through the month of June, so if anyone is in the Los Angeles area you should look up pet food at the Hollywood Fringe. Me and my friend Alex Sanchez are doing standup and you have a great time. If you listen to this on Monday you should go to the Baja Grill in Koreatown and listen to me do stand up and span finish on June 1st.

[Zach Logan]

If you literally I hope there is someone in LA listening right now just before the show runs over there makes it. There's a such a small time frame but I hope it happens.

[Abby Denton]

I feel like there is a very large One piece fan community that would be going to Spanish language stand up.

[Zach Logan]

I agree.

[Abby Denton]

If I wore my Mr. 2 shirt there I feel like I could do better than I usually do because my Spanish is terrible. Let's be clear. I need all the help I can get.

[Zach Logan]

You have a Mr.

[Abby Denton]

True. I just talk about Mr. Goku.

[Zach Logan]

I'm sorry Mr. Goku. Is that what you said?

[Abby Denton]

He's very popular. Nevermind Steve.

[Zach Logan]

Where could people find you?

[Steve Yurko]

Sorry, I Steve Yurko.com social media that's my name. Steve Yurko. Listen to me on Prosody Plays Games Listen to me on four Kids Flashback.

[Zach Logan]

Yeah Jill.

[Jill Knight]

You can find me at Pirate Test Unluck on Blue sky and most other social media and in the Final Fantasy 14 Ultro server under the name Pura

[Alex]

Unluck and Alex I'm on Blue sky at dude exclamation go to patreon.com superart fight for other cool that's it Ice Face.

[Zach Logan]

Thank you. Yeah, you could find us. You can find me@zach logan.com or us@one piece podcast.com both on blue sky or one piece podcast calm the website again. You could also find us wherever you get your podcasts including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and [e-mail] One Piece Podcast because that's where people listen to podcasts and you please subscribe to [e-mail] One Piece podcast our sticker of the month club is just $12. You get a free sticker plus all the other perks including alternate images, alternate titles, and like 12 or 15 years of backlog of stuff, including ad free episodes exclusives. Our one piece podcast goes to Dallas series. Our one piece podcast goes to Japan. Special features and stuff.

[Jill Knight]

Stuff.

[Zach Logan]

So please check that out before we go. I think we mentioned next week is off. I think the current plan is to do like a cover story discussion slash cover story, like ranking. I don't know if we're gonna do like a true ranking of that, but we'll see. And oh, please also vote. Vote. I think this is the first week for that poll on our brackets of consequence on our discord. So join us there, please. That'll do it. Fuck ice. We'll see you next week, everyone. Here's to another 17 years. Goodbye.

[Abby Denton]

Espero que tengen. Buenas mares.

[Steve Yurko]

My name is Steve.

[Alex]

And my name is Alex.

[Zach Logan]

And my name is Zach. And I forgot that.

[Jill Knight]

Anytime.

[Steve Yurko]

Yeah, Only. Only took you 17 years.

[Alex]

You know, I stayed up listening to Queen Maji.

[Steve Yurko]

17.

[Alex]

Hey.

[Zach Logan]

Hey. You guys are podcasting for 17 years?

[Alex]

17. That's like, much like more than like 15 years. Wow. Wow, that's crazy, man.

[Steve Yurko]

You could. You could work in a factory at that age.

[Ed]

Perry.

[Alex]

Yes. Halter.

[Zach Logan]

Perry.

[Alex]

Yes.

[Abby Denton]

Walter.

[Alex]

Are you just me?

[Abby Denton]

I just like you.

[Alex]

Why would you try to hurt me?

[Abby Denton]

Can I cut the recording now?

[Zach Logan]

Yes, you could. Stop. They're never going to stop.