Worstgen
KiriNigiri
Starting with the good. I genuinely loved Oden's last moments with his Scabbards. He finally swallows his pride and defers tasks to them, not shouldering everything by himself. And they respect his last wishes with fervor, as they run from their capers, remembering how they met him.
KiriNigiri
The last flashback chapter dealing with the aftermath of Oden's death was quaint. We get to see some bonding between Oden and his family, and some loose ends, such as Kyoshiro's and Ushimitsu Kozo's identity, are resolved in the process.
KiriNigiri
The last good thing would be the revelation of Toki's goal. That she was a little more proactive about the prophecy and secrets of the world than a passive agent for Oden after his passing. It's once again sweet to see her journey with Oden come full circle. The man who prevented her from running through time in their first meeting ultimately became her destination, and was content in meeting him in the after life.
KiriNigiri
That's where the good ends. Now, to address Oden's secret. The reason for why he danced for 5 years, not making plans to topple Orochi and Kaido.
KiriNigiri
It was awful. Oden was essentially blackmailed by Orochi, using the lives of several kidnapped Wano citizens. But what really starts to be a problem is why Oden agreed to dance and leave Orochi alone. He agreed to it if Orochi and Kaido left, and that he would check on all of Wano to make sure nothing changed.
KiriNigiri
Two problems with that.
1. This appears to be an oversight by Oda, but things did change. Kaido's forces kept increasing in that time Oden was dancing. Oden was not at all alarmed by the sudden growing presence of Beast Pirates? Nor that Kaido and Orochi made any start on ships to leave with?
1. This appears to be an oversight by Oda, but things did change. Kaido's forces kept increasing in that time Oden was dancing. Oden was not at all alarmed by the sudden growing presence of Beast Pirates? Nor that Kaido and Orochi made any start on ships to leave with?
KiriNigiri
2. Wano did not change in the time Oden danced. That means the way Wano was when Oden first arrived after his voyage stayed that way. Aka, the kind of Wano where weapons factories were stationed, where citizens were paid little and refusing to work would lead to execution. Oden did NOTHING about this.
KiriNigiri
And to no one's shock, Orochi and Kaido don't live up on their end of the bargain. And we're suppose to be shocked by that. We're suppose to be as angry towards them as Oden, but all I feel is frustration over the contrived writing. All so that the Scabbards time travel 20 years forward, not 25. I get the sense Oda did not think those 5 final years of Oden's life through, and now we're left with this.
KiriNigiri
This ugly stain which hurts what has been an otherwise pleasant arc so far. I'd be far more forgiving of this if the story recognized these actions as a result of Oden's character flaws. That could've made his character a touch more tragic. But instead the story works hard to justify them, particularly through Shinobu's diatribe, which read like a direct mouthpiece from Oda to those who'd question Oden's decisions.
KiriNigiri
Oh, and I did not like Shinobu in this flashback. At all. She comes out of seemingly nowhere and is suddenly an Oden sycophant. She just appeared to reveal the truth behind Oden's dancing and that's it. I know that was to try and sway the populace, but Oden surviving the boiling while protecting his vassals would've been suffice and even more effective.