Attack of the candy kids.

——

Luffy escapes from his fight with Monet and her snow powers by creating a hole in the ground, which propels him into a huge garbage area below the ground that seems impossible to escape from. Chopper gets thrashed by the maniacal children and is saved by the rest of the crew, only to be cut off by Monet. Meanwhile, Law has finally found his heart in the SAD production room. Virgo isn’t going to let him have it so easily, knocking Law out, and Smoker bursts in to save the day.

The extent to which these children are hooked on chemical candy is almost disturbing. Mocha is bravely helping Chopper, but she’s still a clueless kid. Having a little hero like her—and possibly Momonosuke, should he ever appear—is a nice touch for One Piece’s younger readership and a breath of fresh air because these kids are seriously getting to be a bit creepy.

I liked how this chapter dealt three specific plot points: Luffy’s fighting, the Straw Hats and the children, and Law’s mysterious plan. However, on the Law side of things, we are no closer to figuring out what he’s really up to than we are to finding the treasure of One Piece itself. Oda is really drawing this mystery out, while adding bits and pieces along the way. It’s unknown whether or not the SAD room and the “secret” room Momonosuke was seen in are the same, but there’s a good chance they’re at least related.

While the format for this chapter was tighter and more contained, it revealed next to nothing. The part with the children cut off on a lukewarm note and we barely see Luffy in the garbage zone so we don’t know if it’s really impossible to get out of. In all honesty, the high point of this chapter was seeing Law without his hat, though those might be only my priorities.

GO Rating: 2.5/5

[KissManga]