After its return from break last week, One Piece continued incredibly strong with chapter 1173 this week, as the conflict in Elbaf rages on. In the previous chapter, Oda took the time to explain the situation in the Sun World to the readers. Given that the major war against Imu's army has begun, the author needed a moment to explain the current situation to everyone, especially after coming off a 7-month flashback. In that sense, One Piece's previous chapter wasn't all that special, but this week's chapter 1173 has certainly elevated this story to a whole new level.
Things in Elbaf are getting incredibly exciting to witness, and in One Piece chapter 1173, Zoro rushed into action against the demon army. At the same time, the Straw Hats were finally freed. Now, it is time for Luffy's group to launch their incredibly powerful offensive against Imu and push him and his demon army out of the country for good.
Zoro Fights The Demon Army In One Piece 1173
Dorry And Brogy Have Been Turned Against Each Other
One Piece chapter 1173 put quite a lot of emphasis on Roronoa Zoro in the first part of the chapter. This makes sense, given the setup of the last chapter, where Zoro claimed that he had a plan. In this chapter, fans finally got to see what Zoro planned to do exactly.
Zoro jumped from body to body, one giant to another, and then planned to slash all of them up. By fighting from above them, Zoro avoided the requirement of being Domi Reversed, which is being caught between two already Domi Reversed Giants. By attacking them from above, Zoro was able to reduce their numbers somewhat. To take things a step further, Zoro jumped even higher to engage Dorry and Brogy as well.
Do you mind if I cut down those Giants there? — Zoro to Hajrudin
Both Dorry and Brogy were quick to notice Zoro and immediately started attacking him, but upon their moment of attack, Zoro removed himself from harm's way, which led to the two powerful giants attacking each other and cutting themselves in half. Zoro's plan certainly worked, because the demon army is now in disarray, and they can use this opportunity to save Jarul's life.
However, it must also be noted that all these demons are immortal and can regenerate. The whole reason why they take so many hits is that the hits mean nothing to them. Dorry and Brogy might have been cut up, but they can easily stitch themselves back together and press on as if nothing ever happened. This is why Zoro's strategy is only there to buy time, and he knows that as well. Moving on in the story, fans will definitely see Dorry and Brogy make a strong impact, and they will need to be properly stopped by powerful warriors. For now, however, the priority is to rescue Jarul, because Dorry and Brogy plan on killing him. Zoro and his group of Giants have finally reached the man who once stood as the strongest in the world, and now their responsibility is to protect him from any harm.
Brook Finally Gets Through To Gunko
The Straw Hat Pirates Are Finally Free'
While Zoro did his bit of business, the other Straw Hats certainly had their storylines progress as well. In the previous chapter of One Piece, it was clearly stated that Brook had somehow escaped and had some sort of plan. One Piece chapter 1173 finally showed the fans what his plan was.
Brook essentially went on to reach out to Gunko and was able to tap into her true self. Fans saw an internal struggle for Gunko, where Imu tried to take control sometimes, while at others, Gunko was in control. It was revealed to the fans that Gunko's real name is Princess Shuri and that she was the daughter of Brook's very own benefactor, a figure similar to Shanks for Luffy.
You're Princess Shuri, aren't you? It sounds impossible but I can never mistake that face! — Brook to Gunko
Eventually, through some unknown means, Gunko killed her father. Clearly, the specifics behind this are not revealed, but it is possible that Imu had something to do with it, given that his control over Gunko has already been solidified in the story. Perhaps, it was down to the actions of Imu that Gunko killed her father and received the reputation of father-killing princess.
At the moment, Imu plans on killing Brook because of his interference with his control over Gunko. Clearly, someone will need to save Brook in the next chapters, and that person could very well be Sanji, who is already on the mission to rescue the Straw Hat Pirates. Thankfully, most of the Straw Hats don't need rescuing from the arrows of Gunko. Thanks to Brook's actions, he was able to touch Shuri’s soul and she freed them all. Most of the Straw Hats are free already, apart from Nico Robin, who was still in the thorns of St. Sommers. This sets up an exciting clash between Sanji and Sommers to rescue Nico Robin, and fans absolutely cannot wait to see how that part of the story progresses.
Saint Sommers Destroys Imu's Main Plan
The Ship Meant To Transport Giant Children Has Been Destroyed
Speaking of Saint Sommers, he was incredibly important in One Piece chapter 1173 as well, but instead of aiding Imu, he ended up aiding the Giants and the Straw Hat Pirates. Once Killingham's MMA was knocked out by the collaboration of Rodo, Gerd, and Goldberg, Sommers decided to counter an attack against this MMA and accidentally ended up throwing it on the ship that the children of Elbaf were supposed to be taken to Marijoa on.
Now that the ship is sinking, the children have no way to leave the country of Elbaf, which means that Imu's strategy must shift immediately. Imu has no way of taking the Giant children to the Holy Land anymore, which means that Sommers could be in trouble . Perhaps, Imu could take out his fury on Sommers himself, or something even more sinister for Elbaf could be revealed in the upcoming chapter. In either case, the story continues to heat up, and fans absolutely cannot wait to see what the next step is for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates.
As is quite clear, it appears that the build-up to the main fights will remain rather slow-paced over the course of the next few chapters as well. This is simply because it is too soon for Oda to go head-first into major fights, and some other events need to happen before the story can proceed with the fights. For now, One Piece fans will continue to see chaos in the Sun World from each side, with Luffy and Loki nowhere to be seen.
In the upcoming few chapters, Oda will showcase the arrival of Luffy and Loki as well, and then, the true battles can officially commence. Until then, fans will most likely continue to see bits and pieces from different parts of the battlefield in Elbaf. It must also be remembered that the next chapter of One Piece is going to be the last one before a break commences. As such, the expectations should be much higher for One Piece 1174.
One Piece is available to read on MagaPlus and Shonen Jump, through Viz Media.