Recap / One Piece – Reverie Arc

After rescuing Sanji and escaping Whole Cake Island, the Straw Hat Pirates head to Wano to reconvene with the rest of the crew. Meanwhile, the major players from the governments around the world convene at the Holy City of Marijoa for the latest Reverie, with Vivi and Cobra intending to demand answers about long-held government secrets...

Main Summary

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This Arc Contains Examples Of:

A-L

• Abhorrent Admirer: Charloss took a shine to Princess Shirahoshi and attempted to enslave her as his pet in front of her own family in Chapter 907. Fortunately, Saint Myosgard walked in.
• Aesop Amnesia: You'd think that, after getting punched to kingdom come by Luffy in the Sabaody arc for what was done to Hatchan and Camie, that Charloss would learn from the experience. Wrong! Not only is he totally unrepentant, but he almost succeeds in abducting and enslaving Princess Shirahoshi, King Neptune's daughter, in broad daylight, in front of her own family.
  • It is actually a sad subversion as he learns there are people willing and capable of hurting him, which is why he brings in CP0 as protection.
• All or Nothing: The Revolutionary Army's declaration of war during the Reverie will either end in them overthrowing the Celestial Dragons, or probably A Fate Worse Than Death. Or as Sabo states, they'll either win or die.
• Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: Or hurt. Subverted, as it turns out the only people that can hurt World Nobles and get away with it are fellow World Nobles.
• Bait-and-Switch: Luffy spends most of chapter 903 depressed because he thought his bounty had somehow decreased to 150 million. Turns out he missed a zero, and his bounty skyrocketed to 1,500,000,000 berries.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: Saint Myosgard's less harder on the eyes now that he achieved his own Character Development, compared to the snot-nosed man who acted like a spoiled brat that lost his toys in the Fishman arc.
• Berserker Tears: Neptune cries as he's about to attack Charlos and rescue his daughter, as in doing so, he's about to go against his late wife Otohime's efforts and wishes. Fortunately, Myosgard stepped in and defused the situation before it was too late.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • How the commanders of the Revolutionary Army make their entrance, saving an impoverished town from one of Blackbeard's minions.
  • A very surprising one in chapter 907: as Charlos is about to kidnap Shirahoshi, Myosgard returns to smash Charlos's brains in before things turn too sour.
• Big "WHAT?!": When the Straw Hats (along with Carrot) get the newspaper. Luffy sees a new bounty poster for himself which he thinks went down. Later, Brook looks it over again and reveals that Luffy actually misread it. Revealing Luffy's new bounty to be not 1.5 million, but a whopping 1.5 Billion Berries causing everyone on the ship to react in this fashion.
• Blatant Lies: Koby literally cries out in joy when he sees the news of Luffy's new bounty. When Rebecca questions whether or not they're friends, he denies it to save face as a Marine. Naturally, Rebecca calls his bluff.
• Breather Episode: The Reverie Arc is essentially just a brief interlude chapter allowing for some breathing space between Whole Cake Island and Wano. Rest be assured though, this does not mean it doesn't have its own surprises.
• The Bus Came Back: A whole lot of them:
  • Chapter 903 sees the reintroduction of Crocodile, Koby, Helmeppo, Shanks, and Blackbeard. We likewise re-see Shirahoshi and Neptune as well as Kyros, Rebecca and Viola. Vivi and Karoo, as well, are seen, although they were seen much more recently than the others on the aforementioned list.
  • Chapter 904 sees the return of the Revolutionary Army, including Ivankov, who hasn't appeared since the Time Skip. Along with the return of some familiar revolutionaries and the introduction of some new ones, there's also a small cameo return of Moda, the milkmaid from Ace's coverstory arc.
  • Chapter 905 sees the return of Garp, as well as the full reappearance of Stelly, the Ryugyu Kingdom family, Morgans (who was gone for just a brief spell), and Fujitora. T-Bone, the Marine that Zoro defeated when the Straw Hats were pursuing after Robin on the Sea Train, also makes a cameo.
  • 906 sees Dalton, Kureha and Wapol make their return. We also see the Tontatas again since the Dressrosa arc (though it wasn't long ago we saw them in a cover spread story which, ironically, was still going during their introductions) and unfortunately Saint Charlos (the asshole who nearly brought Camie and shot Hatchan in the Sabaody arc) plus look in on Doflamingo in Impel Down.
  • 907 gives a host of minor Marines, as well as Rob Lucci and Kaku and, more surprisingly, Saint Myosgard, the World Noble Queen Otohime rescued back in the Fishman Island flashbacks.
  • 908 sees the return of Saint Roswald, Kuma, and Bonney.
• Call-Back:
  • Neptune ends up in much the same position Luffy did back in Sabaody, taking a calculated decision to attack Saint Charlos despite full well knowing the extremely negative consequences of such an action. Fortunately for everyone present, the incident is resolved this time without bearing the World Nobles' wrath, by a World Noble.
  • Even better than that? Luffy punched Charlos out way back in the Sabaody arc, which was released in 2008. For the tenth anniversary of that moment, Charlos is once again struck down for trying to enslave a mermaid.
  • For a lighter example, Shirahoshi's response to the nobles trying to woo her is to state they're not her type, to her brothers' shock. She said the same thing to Vander Decken back in the Fish-Man Island arc, albeit this instance was shocking for different reasons.
• Carry a Big Stick: Saint Myosgard knocks out Charloss in his Big Damn Heroes moment by smashing his face in with a studded club.
• Character Development: Chapter 907 proves that even among the World Nobles, self-improvement is possible. When Saint Myosgard was introduced in the Fishman arc, he was just like his fellows, arrogant, selfish, and ungrateful, which got him severely injured by his own former slaves. However, Queen Otohime saved his life, which gradually caused him to change his worldviews. Thus, he was motivated to protect Shirahoshi from Charloss's advances and vow to protect Fishman Island, so he could return the kindness that Otohime gave him.
• Chekhov's Gunman:
  • More than 200 chapters after he was first mentioned, we at last meet the second new Admiral, Ryokugyu, who is keeping Fujitora in line on Sakazuki's orders, and serving as security for the Reverie. Yet, his introduction is easily the most casual of all the Admirals thus far, just minding his own business in a lounge chair and joking around. But considering this guy is in the top tier of all Marines and frets about destroying the Marijoa palace and doing whatever possible to avoid that outcome, he will be a force to be reckoned with. And he knows Vegapunk.
  • On that note, yet another development from the enigmatic Vegapunk has occurred, and it's apparently big enough to outmode the need for Seven Warlords of the Sea.
  • That individual surveying the frozen Hat in Chapter 906 turns out to be none other than Imu-Sama, the superior of the Five Elder Stars, and the ruler of the World Government by default. He's under wraps as the World Government's official symbol is the Empty Throne signifying there exists no single ruler of the world, and Imu's existence is proof that everything espoused by the WG is bullshit.
• Cliffhanger: By the end of the arc, the official talks between the royal families are beginning, and the Five Elder Stars are appeared before their true master Imu requesting guidance on a Final Solution, or rather, a single name to be wiped from history. Cobra requesting a meeting with them surrounding the Void Century, Neptune's decision to announce his kingdom's ties with the Straw Hats and the Revolutionaries plans to declare war on the World Government at the event however suggest things will not be pretty.
• Commonality Connection: Rebecca was quite happy to be able to talk with Koby over their mutual admiration of Luffy. At the Reverie itself, Vivi, Shirahoshi, and Rebecca quickly bond over their mutual admiration of Luffy for saving their nations, with Dalton also admitting he likes Luffy after he made sure there was no one who would take issue with it present.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Koby is mentioned to have earned his promotion during the Rocky Port incident, the same incident Law is mentioned to have caused back in Punk Hazard.
  • The arc also reminds the audience of past story arcs when re-introducing certain characters (Who Stelly is, the whole incident in Alabasta, how Wapol's and Dalton's situations came to be, etc) which makes sense since a lot of those stories took place quite a long time ago.
• Cool Chair: The Empty Throne at Marijoa is a pretty impressive one decorated with lions on its arms and both the World Goverment's sigil and what looks like a tall map of the Grand Line on its back. It is surrounded by the blades of the Founders who pledged an oath to not never let the world have a single absolute ruler. Except the true Supreme ruler of the world.
• Damsel in Distress:
  • It's mentioned that a princess on her way to Marijoa was kidnapped by pirates. When those pirates try to kidnap Viola, Koby shows up and rescues both girls.
  • Saint Charloss has a minion bind Shirahoshi in chains in order to enslave her as his new plaything, right in front of her family. Saint Myosgard suddenly shows up and decks him in the face with a studded club.
• Dartboard of Hate:
  • As Big Mom is calling Kaido to let her take Luffy's head, Luffy's bounty poster is seen pinned next to her by a dagger.
  • Out of the four photos Imu was holding in their second appearances, Luffy's and Blackbeard's have been shredded, and Shirahoshi's is pinned to the ground by a dagger. Only Vivi's is intact.
• A Day in the Limelight: The non-pirate characters get a major appearance in this arc.
• Demoted to Extra: In-universe; Morgans, in detailing the story of the Straw Hats' exploits in Whole Cake Island, hails Luffy as the mastermind of the whole thing, while Bege, who was actually responsible for most of everything that happened, was just a minor ally. Bege is not pleased.
• Empire with a Dark Secret: The World Government was founded on the idea there is no one ruler of the world, which is symbolized by the Empty Throne. Thus, the existence of Imu, an individual that sits upon the throne and rules the world from the shadows, is this, as it reveals the true extent of the hypocrisy of the World Government. If this were to ever get out, full societal upheaval would be the best case scenario.
• Entertainingly Wrong: "Big News" Morgans gave Luffy full credit for the assassination attempt on Big Mom, having no idea that the Straw Hats in Totto Land were trying to pull Sanji out quietly, only for things to spiral out of control, and it was Bege who planned out the assassination with the Straw Hats' a last minute addition. All Morgans saw was Luffy Jumping Out of a Cake, and Bege defecting at apparently the last minute. Of course, it's unclear just how much of the report is an honest mistake or Morgans twisting the news to pump up Luffy.
• Exact Words: In response to Fujitora's actions in Dressrosa, Sakazuki gave orders that Fujitora is not allowed to come back to any Marine base until he captures Luffy and Law. Despite the Fleet Admiral's wishes, Fujitora decides to come to Marijoa for the Reverie anyway, giving the reason that Marijoa is technically not a Marine base. As the other Marines didn't know how to respond against Fujitora's argument, he isn't barred from the holy land much to Sakazuki's frustration.
• Eye Pop: The Straw Hats freak out so much upon seeing Luffy's new bounty that their eyes pop out of their sockets, including Brook.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: The reverie introduces several, usually with Edible Theme Naming and Expy head of state. The named ones are the Kingdom of Bolly Wood (North America, with King Ham Burger being a deadringer of Lincoln), Roshwan Kingdom (Russia), the Kingdom of the Dead (Mexico) and Tajine Kingdom (Morocco). Other unnamed rulers imply that there are more out there.
• Fate Worse than Death: Since his last appearance, Kuma has been subjected to an especially cruel example, forced to serve as a mount for the World Nobles and crawl on all fours, while they brutally torture him for fun. Worse, due to his roboticisation, he can't even do anything but comply.
• Final Solution: With the world's power balance becoming less stable, the Five Elder Stars have no choice but to cleanse a certain group or individual, ordered by Imu themselves.
• Formula-Breaking Episode: The Reverie Arc is a first in the series in that it completely puts the Straw Hats to the side in favour of the Revolutionaries, Marines and Royals.
• Greater-Scope Villain: In Chapter 908, we see a character named Imu. Why are they on the list? Because they are the one the Five Elder Stars bow down to, and the true ruler of the world of One Piece. Their existence is mostly a secret from even other top officials, like Sakazuki and Kong, partly for obvious reasons and mostly because their very place is a complete betrayal of the World Government's deepest principle, instated by its founders: That there will not be a single king everyone shall bow to.
• Hate Sink: Even after the slave kerfuffle that got him Luffy-punched to kingdom come in the Fishman arc, Charloss has not learned his lesson and proves himself to be despicable than ever by attempting to enslave Shirahoshi in front of her own family in broad daylight. Fortunately for her, Saint Myosgard arrived at the Reverie.
• Heel–Face Turn:
  • Due to Nami hanging on to Zeus at the end of the Whole Cake Island arc, he's pretty much defected to the Straw Hats side, even mentioning he actually likes living in Nami's Clima-Tact.
  • Saint Myosgard has, by all appearances, changed his ways as a result of Otohime saving his life. Per his own accord, that action "made him human".
• Hypocrite: Upon discovering that Niji secretly gave him a Raid Suit (which was specifically keyed to him as it was labeled '3', his former number), Sanji thinks it's another attempt to mock him and refuses to rely on science to make himself stronger. This is despite having a crewmate rely on science as the basis of her attacks, as Nami tried showing Sanji her Clima-Tact to provide a counterpoint, which was rudely dismissed.
  • The World Government is revealed to be this in a massive (but hidden) scale. The motto of the World Government is that no individual rules the world, and power is shared equally among the Kings and the Elder Stars. But there exists an individual named Imu who is allowed to sit on the Empty Throne, revealing this to be a massive lie.
• Inconsistent Spelling: Prior to this arc, there have been a number of different versions on how the holy land's name is spelled in English across various English translations. Some examples are Mariejois, Mariejoa, and Marie Jois. This arc finally reveals how it's actually meant to be spelled which is "Mary Geoise". However, because of the large gap between its first mention and this reveal, the Viz official English translation of the manga retains its spelling, "Marijoa".
• Jaw Drop: En masse in Chapter 907; this was almost everyone's response to Saint Myosgard appearing and attacking Saint Charloss to protect Shirahoshi from the former's advances.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • Continuing on from what happened to them in the previous arc, the entire Vinsmoke family loses their privilege as royals to attend the Reverie thanks to Morgans publicizing their attempted alliance with a pirate Emperor. It's especially a hard-hitter for Judge, whose dream of conquering the North Blue is destroyed, making his experimentation on his own children All for Nothing.
  • The princess who was kidnapped by pirates starts attacking them out of revenge after the Marines round them up.
  • The previous king of Goa is implied to have been bumped off by Stelly. Considering that he attempted a genocide of the lower class of his kingdom years ago, and surrounded himself with a viper's pit of nobility who eagerly participated in the atrocity, it's only fitting that he'd be eventually be fatally bitten himself.
  • Yet again, Charlos' attempt to get a Mermaid gets his face smashed in. Even better, this time he can't even respond by virtue of his attacker being a fellow World Noble.
  • In a rare, positive example of this trope, Queen Otohime saving a Celestial Dragon from the Fishmen's wrath pays off ten years after her death: it is the very same Celestial Dragon she saved that rescues her daughter from slavery and pledges his support to her kingdom.
• Loophole Abuse:
  • When Sakazuki hears that Fujitora is in Marijoa, he is characteristically pissed as he had made it clear that Fujitora wasn't to set foot in any Marine base until he had captured Luffy and Law. Fujitora however came up with a logical argument: Marijoa isn't a Marine base. Sakazuki doesn't take this logic too well.
  • Charlos, in plain view of everyone attending the Reverie, captures Princess Shirahoshi to be his pet. As World Nobles are allowed to do whatever they want, stopping him during this time would cause an international incident wherein whole countries could be destroyed. Fortunately, this is completely circumvented with Myosgard, another World Noble, being the one to smash Charlos' face and save Shirahoshi.
• Lower-Deck Episode: The Straw Hats take a backseat in the plot of this arc. The arc mainly focuses on the Revolutionary Army and the gathering of the world's monarchs.

M-Z

• The Man Behind the Man: The way the World Government is structured is meant to show in the public's eye that all the kings in the world are equal in status and there's no single king who rules the entire world. This is publicly exemplified by the highest authority of the World Government being managed by a council of five known as the Five Elders. This as well is symbolized by the Empty Throne whose vacancy is meant to represent there being no single ruler in control of everything. Behind the shadows however, there in reality is a mysterious figure who not only do the Five Elders all answer to but who also sits upon the Empty Throne, meaning that everything everyone knows about the World Government is hypocritical bullshit.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!":
  • The Marines get this when they realize that thanks to Luffy's actions, not only are both Big Mom and Kaido hanging over their heads, but the armies of Wano as well.
  • The Straw Hats also get one when they noticed Luffy missed a zero in his new bounty; making it 1,500,000,000 Beri.
  • When Saint Mjosgard, a fellow World Noble, smashes Charloss's brains in, everyone else gets a Jaw Drop.
• Mugging the Monster: The pirate crew that decides to kidnap a princess that's bound for the Reverie, and later sets their sights on kidnapping Viola as well. Never mind that Viola is fully capable of kicking ass (and would have literally seen them coming from miles away via her Devil Fruit), all of the royal families that are gathering at Marijoa have Marine escorts. Cue Koby foiling their brilliant plan and rescuing the princess. To further add insult to injury (literally), the kidnapped princess started attacking the pirate crew that kidnapped her out of revenge.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: The CP unit as usual. Despite the fact that a World Noble is trying to kidnap royalty in front of their family no less. They still carry out their duties of protecting him with the only reasoning they have is "He's a "god" and can do what he wants". Keep in mind this is coming from Lucci, a man who is utterly dedicated to justice and yet, here he is, protecting someone who clearly doesn't follow it. Although it also might be that opposing your literal bosses is foolishness, and Lucci is trying subtly to rein them to behave acceptably, as we have seen what happens if anyone slights them a bit.
• Not Afraid of You Anymore: When Wapol attempts to push Dalton around, his former guard brusquely reminds him that they are now equals before heading off to mingle with the other nobility, ignoring Wapol's attempts to antagonize him.
• One Degree of Separation:
  • The arc features a host of past characters gathering together for the Reverie. Many of them have never met each other before but they share having had interactions with the Straw Hats in one form or another.
  • Myosgard is the Celestial Dragon who in the past went to Fishman Island in an attempt to reclaim his slaves only to be saved by Queen Otohime. He returns in this arc with the full intention of helping the Ryugu kingdom, having had his eyes opened up by Otohime since then. What's even more surprising than that though is that his full name is revealed as Donquixote Myosgard, meaning he's a relative of Doflamingo. Incidentally, people from Dressrosa, the kingdom that belonged to the Donquixotes and which until just recently been freed from his relative's tyranny, are also attending the Reverie. They have as well become friends with those Myosgard has pledged his full support to.
• Papa Wolf: King Neptune is justifiably willing to attack a World Noble, in front of allied Nations and CP0, risking international incident, in order to protect his daughter Shirahoshi from being abducted.
• Put on a Bus:
  • Jimbei, despite officially joining the Straw Hats, stays behind to help Aladine, Praline, and the Sun Pirates escape. Luffy commands him to rendezvous with the crew in Wano. This becomes enforced when the current crew hopes the news has reported an update on the situation in Totland, but they get nothing to go on.
  • For once, this happens to the entire Straw Hat Crew, including Luffy, as the arc puts focus on the various factions during the Reverie.
• Properly Paranoid:
  • Stelly on his way to Marijoa claims he spotted a giant with a harpoon and freaks when he sees crows flying by the bubble lift he's on and tries to order his guard to shoot them. The guard assures him nothing is wrong until it's revealed that the guard is Sabo in disguise and indeed the former two sights Stelly saw were members of the Revolutionaries.
  • When they arrive in Marijoa, Fukaboshi has his family decline using the "Travelator" moving sidewalk because he secretly feels that there's something amiss about it. Given that the entire thing is run on slave-power, he's right to be concerned.
• Pyrrhic Victory: This is Played for Laughs when Sanji sees his bounty increase which puts him over Zoro. He starts to celebrate... only to find they're still using his full name and becomes depressed since he figures it only went up because he's part of the Germa 66.
• Really Royalty Reveal: Kuma is rather casually revealed in a discussion between the Revolutionaries to have been a King of a kingdom allied to the World Government. He turned into the mindless cyborg he is now because of some great yet unspecified crime.
• The Reveal:
  • Kuma was formally the king of the Sorbet Kingdom, and appears to have some kind of connection with Bonney.
  • Contrary to what we've been lead to believe, the Five Elder Stars aren't a council that serves as the highest authority that manages world affairs but servants to a mysterious figure named Imu who is the world's true ruler. This in turn reveals the Dark Secret of the World Government as Imu's existence shows that the idea the World Government was founded on, that being that the world has no singular ruler, to be a complete and utter lie.
• Royal Brat:
  • Stelly, not surprisingly, grew up as a pompous and opportunistic brat whose attitude is no better than a World Noble. Practically trying to order Garp to be his escort just on account that Goa Kingdom is his hometown and practically freaks out when Neptune helps him up on the assumption that being Fishman they have diseases. He even reveals to Garp that he's trying to get in good with Celestial Dragons so he can become one himself.
  • Wapol hasn't changed much as usual, quickly antagonizing and mocking Vivi and Dalton once he sees them.
• Shout-Out:
  • Belo Betty's topless appearance, flag carrying and waving, rallying-based abilities, and being a revolutionary make her one big shout out to the central figure in the painting Liberty Leading the People known as Marianne. In the painting, Marianne the main figure leading the people is a topless woman holding the flag of the French Revolution who personifies the concept and Goddess of Liberty.
  • Karasu's design was likely inspired by Bane from The Dark Knight Rises. The fact that he even has to speak through a filter draws parallels.
  • To Coco surprisingly enough in 905. It's blink and you'll miss it due to being obscured by the panel. But the woman accompanying King Tacos is meant to be an Expy of the title character.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Stelly. He likes to throw his weight around and acts like Garp is his servant. Not only has he been a king for only a few months, but the most noteworthy thing about Goa Kingdom is that it's the homeland of some of the World Government's most wanted criminals. He also believes that he can become a Celestial Dragon, which Garp bluntly tells him he has no chance.
• So Proud of You: Various friends and allies of Luffy's react with elation and praise for his new bounty, with Vivi, Koby, Rebecca, Shanks, and Sabo among them.
• Stab the Picture: Imu hates Luffy, Blackbeard and Shirahoshi enough to cut apart and slash pictures of them with a dagger. Only Vivi's is intact.
• Tears of Joy: Koby lets these out from the excitement after he reads about Luffy's latest achievements. Rebecca notices them and instantly figures out he's a friend of Luffy's too.
• Town with a Dark Secret: Mariejois looks like a pristine place but holds a lot of secrets within it. For one, the moving sidewalk that Stelly and the Ryuguu family come across when they enter the city looks like it's run by machinery. In reality, it's run by slaves moving the walkway from underneath. And, it also houses the true ruler of the world who has genocidal intentions towards few but very important members of the Reverie.
• This Means War!: The Revolutionary Army, now based on Kamabakka, are gathering their best warriors together and declaring war on the Celestial Dragons at Reverie. As an aside, Vivi and a few other friends are about to get caught up in the war zone. Sabo explicitly declares it once he sees with his own eyes what the World Nobles did to Kuma.
• Third Line, Some Waiting: Rather than focus on Luffy and his half of the crew's journey to Wano or Zoro and his half's similar adventures, the story shifts its primary focus to the Reverie (which has only been alluded to in passing before this) from the vantage point of Vivi and a few of the allies of the Straw Hat Crew. The downside is that it delays the much-anticipated Wano Arc; the upside, plot-wise, is that whatever happens at Reverie will, in all likelihood, affect the entire world, including the Straw Hats.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • Koby is shown displaying not only an increase in Observation Haki that he can see a torpedo strike underwater. But is able to move underwater at the torpedo's speed to intercept it.
  • Downplayed with Helmeppo, who now has Observation Haki, too, but to a lesser extent as he couldn't sense the torpedo that Koby intercepted.
• The Unreveal: Constantly. Multiple scenes go just long enough to give away a major revelation, only to then cut away before giving a proper explanation. Among things, we don't learn what the system that Vegapunk developed that Fujitora believes will end the Warlord system is, the meaning behind the large Straw Hat sealed away in Marijoa, who the pirate Shanks wants to talk about with the Five Elder Stars is and how he's able to so easily appear before them, what the connection between Kuma and Bonney is, what will happen at the Reverie itself, and who is Imu.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Morgans's act of reporting Luffy and the Straw Hats actions on Whole Cake Island and declaring Luffy the Fifth Emperor of the Sea is what pushes Imu and the Five Elders into deciding that the world has gone far too unstable and choosing to enact a Final Solution regarding certain individuals.
• Villain Team-Up: We see Big Mom trying to form one with Kaido to go after the Straw Hats. Kaido wants nothing to do with it, claiming Luffy is his to kill, but Big Mom tries to cash in an old debt to get him to cooperate. Naturally the Marines are worried if an alliance will come to pass.
• Wham Episode: A massive case considering the arc's short length:
  • Starts off with a reveal that thanks to the formation of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, their escapades on Whole Cake Island, Jimbei joining, and Luffy gaining a massive increase on his bounty (as in a truly massive increase, 1.5 Billion Berries), Luffy is now considered an Emperor. Also a minor example: Zeus, one of Big Mom's Homies, now resides in Nami's Clima-Tact.
  • A smaller but still important one in Chapter 904. Turns out that the Revolutionary Army are using the Reverie to announce a full-on war against the World Government, and their larger forces across the world have converged in preparation for this.
  • Shanks knows the Five Elder Stars personally, and secretly arrived in Mariejois to talk with them. Also, we see a large straw hat in the kingdom's secret chambers, surveyed by a mysterious individual.
  • Chapter 908. After well over a decade of indicating the Five Elder Stars are the top of the food chain in terms of world power, it turns out there's a figure named Imu who they've been serving all along. And they're talking to them because they've decided that the world's increasing instability has given them no choice but cleanse the world... and to make matters worse, Vivi and Shirahoshi may potentially be on the deadpool.
• Wham Shot:
  • 906: The "secret treasure" Doflamingo was talking about that allowed him to blackmail the World Nobles is revealed as a figure in Marijoa makes their way to a hidden room and inside lays a straw hat that's larger than normal. The true Wham Shot is an innocuous one.
  • 907: Shanks has appeared before the Five Elder Stars, seemingly to discuss a certain pirate. Saint Myosgard also returns, is revealed to be a Donquixote, and most surprisingly, has pulled a Heel–Face Turn.
  • 908: The Five Elder Stars bowing in servitude to someone called Imu, who sits on the Empty Throne, which was supposed to be kept empty to fulfill the vow that no ruler can sit on it.
• What's Up, King Dude?: Garp is incredibly casual and insulting towards Stelly, giving him no mind whatsoever. He apparently can't even be bothered to know Stelly's name!
  • It goes both ways. Despite Garp being a marine with legendary status, both Hina and Gion address Garp with the suffixes -kun and -chan respectively. Even though it's usually very disrespectful, Garp doesn't seem to mind at all.
• The World Is Just Awesome: Shirahoshi's reaction to getting to see the above-sea world for the first time.

Story Impact

• Luffy is declared 'The Fifth Emperor' by Morgans in his World Economic Journal, his bounty becoming 1.5 billion Berries.
• Niji has been revealed to have sneaked in the Raid Suit meant for Sanji.
• The Vinsmokes lose their royalty status and are declared an outlaw group for their attempted alliance with Big Mom to overthrow the North Blue.
• Shanks is revealed to have a significant clout with the Five Elder Stars, and by proxy the World Government.
• An individual named Imu is revealed to be sitting on the so-called Empty Throne, making them the true ruler of the World Government, with the aforementioned Five Elder Stars being their subordinates.
• Imu seemingly takes an interest in Vivi for some reason, while disdainfully cutting up pictures of Shirahoshi, Blackbeard, and Luffy.

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