The story of Oden hasn’t just given us a better idea as to the character of this rogue samurai that becomes Daimyo, but also a better idea of the identity of the country of Wano. While the war in the present is about to begin, we have taken something of a “time out” to explore this character’s past and how he not only became a big name in Wano, but also escaped his country to travel the Grand Line. After meeting the legendary pirate of Whitebeard in a previous installment, we finally learn just how Oden sailed the seas with this epic swashbuckler and came to meet Gol D. Roger to boot!
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After Oden begs Whitebeard to take him aboard his ship and make him a part of his crew, the long bearded pirate refuses his request, recognizing that Oden’s place is with his people in the isolationist nation. Unfortunately for Whitebeard, Oden has other plans as he latches onto the chain behind his ship. Holding onto dear life, Whitebeard presents Oden with a challenge and an opportunity: if the samurai can hold onto the chain through treacherous waters for three days non-stop, Whitebeard will count him as a member of his crew.
During his trial, Oden shockingly manages to hold his grip tight, but unfortunately lets go when he hears the shriek of a familiar woman: Amatsuki Toki. Appearing as something of a sea monster thanks to the sheer amount of water his body has absorbed in the days of holding onto Whitebeard’s ship, the challenge is unfortunately lost, though Oden’s dream of leaving Wano certainly is not.
Whitebeard approaches Oden and informs him that the samurai has earned his place within his crew, only letting go of the chain to save a nearby “damsel in distress”. The chapter ends with none other than Gol D Roger hearing of Oden joining Whitebeard’s crew and expressing an interest in meeting this ronin.
What did you think of the challenge presented to Oden by Whitebeard this time around? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the Straw Hat Pirates!
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece first began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997. It has since been collected into over 80 volumes, and has been a critical and commercial success worldwide with many of the volumes breaking printing records in Japan. The manga has even set a Guinness World Record for the most copies published for the same comic book by a single author, and is the best-selling manga series worldwide with over 430 million copies sold. The series still ranked number one in manga sales in 2018, which surprised fans of major new entries.
