Warning! Contains spoilers for One Piece chapter 1048!
Over the course of its incredibly long run, One Piece has shown many oppressive and near dystopian societies, but in a flashback in its latest chapter, the series is proving that Wano may be the worst the series has created thus far.
Eiichiro Oda, the author of the series has previously crafted islands that seem fun on the surface, but hide twisted truths beneath the surface. But he has taken a different tack in Wano, with the citizens of the island clearly suffering from the start. Wano is An island in One Piece heavily inspired by Japanese culture and history, but in this story, those elements are used to further the suffering of Wano’s people, with the ruling shogun a cruel tyrant, and their isolation preventing any aid from the outside world. When Luffy and his crew arrive at the island, they find a land ecologically destroyed by weapons factories and a people starving and poisoned. This is already tragic to see, but in the latest chapter of One Piece, the devastating history of Wano that led to the present state of the country is shown in explicit heartbreaking detail.
As Luffy and Kaido’s final fight approaches what seems to be its final climax in chapter 1048, One Piece reminds its readers of the stakes of the fight by showing the harm that Kaido and Orochi have inflicted upon the land and its people. While some new information is revealed, such as the specific Daimyos who rebelled against Kaido when he assumed power, much of the flashback just fleshes out details that were already revealed, like how Kaido and Orochi’s weapon factories poisoned the citizens. However, these details are actually the most compelling part of the flashback due to how heartbreaking it is to see the devastation of the land and its people explicitly.
The cartoonish nature of One Piece’s art makes its more serious moments hit even harder, and this flashback is a prime example of this. The panel that serves as the emotional climax of the chapter is one of the darkest panels in One Piece, with factory smoke partially blocking the sun, plants wilting on a barren landscape, and someone keeled over in despair. Even worse, a skull lies in the foreground and a noose hangs ominously in the background. For a manga that often avoids showing death like One Piece, this is an incredibly shocking moment that elevates this flashback to one of the most horrifying in the series.
One Piece’s flashbacks are generally incredibly tragic, but this Wano flashback goes even further than most. Having this flashback for context makes Orochi’s defeat in this chapter even more satisfying. Given the fight between Kaido and Luffy seems to be nearing its end as well, the absolute despair shown in this flashback will likely make Kaido’s defeat one of One Piece’s most cathartic moments.
One Piece Chapter 1048 is available to be read on Viz Media.