The pacing hasn’t been the best in One Piece‘s most recent manga chapters, what with Dr. Vegapunk’s lengthy video message and the ongoing battle for Future Island/Egghead competing for the spotlight, but Chapter 1121 does find a better way to balance those two things to make for a solid reading experience. Chapter 1121 has a few notable elements to it, some of them exposition and some of them action-oriented, and they neatly taking turns being the most important thing going on in the narrative.

In Chapter 1121, Dr. Vegapunk discusses two topics of interest: the racial tensions across One Piece‘s expansive world and the race for the fabled One Piece treasure. Meanwhile, Chapter 1121 focuses closely on the 2v1 battle of Luffy and Bonney vs Jaygarcia Saturn, with Jewelry Bonney doing well in her Nika form to keep pace with Luffy’s Gear 5 mode. They deliver a serious and possibly knockout blow to Saturn midway through the chapter, though as One Piece fans know, the strongest villains rarely go down or stay down quite so easily.

One Piece’s unique structure has led to some truly sprawling arcs, some of which are the best storylines in the entire series.

Dr. Vegapunk Discusses Racial Tensions About the Buccaneeers, Lunarians, and More

Over the course of over 1,100 chapters and counting, the manga adventure of One Piece has made it clear that this world has a rich variety not just in its islands and Devil Fruit powers, but also the kinds of people who live there. Some islands have real-world naming conventions to give them unique flair, such as the Middle Eastern and Egyptian names of Alabasta, the Spanish names of Dressrosa, and the Japanese names of the secluded island of Wano. But the story took things one step further with different biological races, which co-exist with humanity.

Fans met two giants at Little Garden in the Alabasta saga, a hint of the Norse-inspired land of Elbaf, while Bartholomew Kuma is descended from the Buccanners and Charlotte Pudding belongs to the three-eyed people. There’s also the matter of the tragic Lunarians, like King, and the long-arm tribe, like Scratchmen Apoo. For a little while now, One Piece fans have been focusing on the plot and action as the manga and anime explore Future Island, but now, Chapter 1121 is a sobering reminder that there is the matter of racial tension in this world, and the Straw Hats have seen it up close and personal.

In Chapter 1121, Dr. Vegapunk says that the machinations of history are hellbent on destroying rare races like the Buccaneers and Lunarians, and such people are often either exploited for their power, driven out of society, enslaved, or outright killed for being what they are. It’s not yet clear how this will tie into the final battle for One Piece‘s world, but based on how the Celestial Dragons treat Fish-Men and mermaids, it’s evident that the villainy of the World Government will soon extend beyond sinking the world yet again. To tighten its grip, perhaps the World Government may also wipe out all non-humans to unite everyone else.

That grim topic helps make Dr. Vegapunk’s message rely less on dry technical details and more on an emotional impact and humanitarian crisis, which makes Vegapunk’s message more compelling in Chapter 1121. In fact, much of Vegapunk’s message in this chapter is less about his research and is more about the overall plot and world, making the latest installment in Vegapunk’s speech easier for fans to digest and appreciate. A lot is at stake, from political battles to the sinking world to genocidal schemes, and that makes fans even more eager — or desperate — to see how the final war will end for all parties and races around the globe.

One Piece’s legendary Ancient Weapons could very well bring about the series’ endgame, but what exactly are they, and what does that mean?

Chapter 1121 Gets Fans Excited All Over Again About the One Piece Treasure

Ever since the series’ beginning, One Piece has been teasing fans about the long-standing mystery of what Gol D. Roger’s One Piece treasure is and why it’s so important for pirates around the globe to find it. The manga isn’t too quick to reveal details about that fabled treasure, but now and then, it does drop vague hints and gets fans excited simply by mentioning the One Piece’s name. That’s the kind of power the mere mention of the One Piece treasure has, and Chapter 1121 name-drops the treasure in a big way. That may remind readers of the time Kaido and Big Mom both mentioned the One Piece treasure and their scheme to seize it late in the Wano saga.

Vegapunk’s speech in Chapter 1121 isn’t about his research or dry history — it’s about current events and the immense stakes that everyone faces, and that includes the topic of the One Piece itself. The context is that whatever the One Piece may be, it holds the voices of the past, the words of the people who lived in the Great Kingdom before that civilization fell to the fledgling World Government. The discovery of the One Piece and control of those centuries-old voices will no doubt reveal the full truth of the Void Century’s enigma, and there are plenty of powerful players involved in that quest. Chapter 1121 ends not just with Vegapunk’s dramatic words about the One Piece itself, but also a collection of the most important parties involved in this treasure hunt.

Strictly speaking, there are countless pirate crews who are scouring the Grand Line and the New World to find Roger’s treasure, but realistically, it will be one of the power players who finds it, and some equally strong parties don’t want it to be found at all. Chapter 1121 thus ends on a two-page spread showing those parties who can be split into two groups. One such party is the Revolutionary Army, which will probably want to find the One Piece or help Luffy do so, and a second party is the World Government, represented by Fleet Admiral Akainu and the mysterious Imu, among others. Finally, the four Emperors, even the accidental Emperor/Yonko Buggy the Clown, all appear at the tip, looking rather excited. This is a simple but effective way to get fans pumped all over again about this treasure hunt that will no doubt end sooner than later — and the stakes are enormous.

One Piece’s Gorosei and Yonko are gearing up for an intense war with each other as One Piece’s Final Saga kicks off.

Chapter 1121 Swings the Pendulum Back to Team Nika

Chapter 1121 juggles the exposition with the ongoing battle against the Five Elders, and that balance is stronger here because the fighting is condensed down to the three characters who matter the most in this bitter struggle at Future Island. Recently, fans saw Jewelry Bonney defy the odds and become Joy Girl, representing her and Kuma’s faith in Joy Boy, who will free all oppressed people with the Drums of Liberation. Bonney didn’t do a whole lot with that Nika form in earlier chapters, but in Chapter 1121, she takes it to the next level and fights valiantly by Luffy’s side, with the latter still powewred up with Gear 5. Thus, One Piece fans are treated to the sight of a double Nika fighting Jaygarcia Saturn, a cold-blooded living weapon with his Zoan-type fruit powers.

Chapter 1121’s battle is refreshingly simple, with Luffy and Bonney delivering incredible punches to push Saturn back and try to knock him out for real this time. The Five Elders have proven frustratingly reslient and stubborn in this fight, and most likely, the heroes will just hold them off and retreat rather than aim for a total victory here. Given the Elders’ power, even holding them off feels less feasible all the time, but Chapter 1121 restores a glimmer of hope as Luffy and Bonney fight back with gusto. Fans may even note that Bonney is using what looks like a Gear 3 punch infused with Color of Arms Haki, making Bonney more similar to her friend Luffy than ever. That, combined with Luffy’s own barrage of punches, is enough to visibly harm Saturn and throw him back.

For the moment, the Five Elders are on the back foot, though there is no telling if it will stay that way for long. In shonen anime like this, villain fake-out deaths and defeats are common, like horror monsters who seem dead, only to get back up once again. Given everything, it’s likely that Jaygarcia Saturn will do just that in Chapter 1122, but that doesn’t change the fact that Luffy and Bonney are now Team Nika, a powerhouse duo that just might secure everyone’s retreat from Future Island at long last.

One Piece

8/ 10

Monkey D. Luffy sets off on an adventure with his pirate crew in hopes of finding the greatest treasure ever, known as the “One Piece.”