One Piece Welcomes Gol D Roger Arc to the Anime

One Piece has taken the opportunity to dive into the past of Wano Country, not simply by exploring the life of one of its most famous denizens in Kozuki Oden, but showing how the world outside of its borders was affected by his presence as we get our first glimpse at the man himself, Gol D. Roger in the flashback. In the latest episode, we see Oden's initial disastrous meeting with Whitebeard, as the latter swashbuckler determines a devastating test for the resident samurai of Wano's past to prove he is able to join the Whitebeard pirates in their journey.

Warning. If you have yet to watch the latest episode of One Piece's anime, Episode 963, you might want to steer clear of the rest of this article as we'll be diving into spoiler territory.

In order to become a part of Whitebeard's pirates, Kozuki Oden doesn't simply have to challenge the man himself to one on one combat, but he also has to take on an insane task of swimming behind his ship, chained to the back and struggling not only against the torrents of the sea but the fish that are looking to make the samurai their next meal. Spending days swimming behind Whitebeard, Oden lands on an island where he runs into the future mother of his children, hilariously looking like a demented spirit of the sea thanks to the sheer amount of water that he's taken on.

While we don't actually see Gol D. Roger make an appearance in the episode, we see that he becomes aware of the story of Kozuki Oden, which has made its way around the world thanks to his insane exploits. Fans of the manga know that Roger will have some big implications on the lives of Kozuki Oden and Whitebeard during the Wano Arc, laying out some of the mysteries of the world that has been haunted the Straw Hat Pirates in their quest to make Luffy the king of the pirates.

With the Wano Arc being one of the most important arcs of the One Piece saga, it's clear that fans are responding positively to the events of both the present and the past and a big battle might be in the works considering Gol D. Roger's presence being hinted.

Are you hyped for the arrival of Roger in this flashback of the Wano Arc? 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 world of the Grand Line.