A set of new rivals appear, complicating the Straw Hats’ adventure in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Eiichiro Oda
Translation: John Werry
Adaptation: Jason Thompson
What They Say
Supernovas Camie the mermaid offers to take Luffy and the crew to Fish-Man Island if they’ll help rescue her boss Hachi from the notorious Flying Fish Riders. Ignoring all of the warning signs (hint: her boss sounds suspiciously like an old enemy!), the crew agrees to help their mermaid friend, only to end up losing Camie to the kidnappers too!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Continuing from the last volume, we find the Straw Hats fighting both the Flying Fish Riders and their mysterious boss, Duval, in order to rescue former enemy Hachi (as well as Camie the mermaid, who quickly finds herself captured.) The Straw Hats have little trouble dispatching their enemies but are treated to quite a surprise when Duval’s iron mask is finally removed.
Having rescued Camie and Hachi, the crew learns that in order to travel to Fish-Man Island, they must first enter the Sabaody Archipelago, where they are soon treated to the terrible nature of the nobles of the land, the Celestial Dragons. Because these nobles are said to be descended from the creator, they are granted rights above that of the average citizen and are protected by the full power of the Navy. As a result of these privileges, they treat non-nobles as subhuman and openly keep people as slaves and pets. To make matters worse, a number of other rookie pirates with bounties of over 100 million berries are also on the Archipelago.
As a result, the crew decides to lay low and does their best not to lash out against the sickening cruelty of the Celestial Dragons, opting instead to look for a particular man who can coat their boat so it can travel to Fish-Man Island. However, things take a turn for the worse as Camie is captured by slavers and taken to an auction house to be sold. The crew does their best to buy her back “fairly”, but when a Celestial Dragon places a bid they can’t match, Luffy loses his cool and assaults the noble. Will the crew be able to withstand the Navy force that is now bearing down on them as a result of this action?
In Summary:
After the massive battles present in the last few volumes, things now take a turn for the goofy. The battle with the Flying Fish Riders is much more silly than intense, especially once Duval’s face is revealed. However, oddly juxtaposing this is the presence of the Celestial Dragons, who soon show themselves to be absolutely disgusting human beings, and the incredibly cruel practice of slave trading that pervades the archipelago. With the presence of the other rookie pirates, as well as the incoming threat of an admiral brought on by Luffy’s actions, things are sure to get interesting in the next volume.
Content Grade: B+ Art Grade: B Packaging Grade: B+ Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+ Released By: Viz Media Release Date: June 1st, 2010 MSRP: $9.99
A set of new rivals appear, complicating the Straw Hats’ adventure in the Sabaody Archipelago.
