00:00:00 ⟾ Format - 2 parts, longer arcs 00:00:47 ⟾ Format - Introduction 00:01:08 ⟾ Format - Notes & Details 00:01:39 ⟾ Initial Thoughts - Fish-Man Island, mermaids, crew reunion, art 00:03:01 ⟾ Following Marineford 00:03:55 ⟾ Fake crew 00:04:44 ⟾ Character Designs 00:05:36 ⟾ Power Level, Haki, Pacifistas 00:07:08 ⟾ Character Moments - Zoro 00:07:55 ⟾ Set-up & Payoff, Mysteries - Kuma (also Duval), Kuma backstory 00:09:59 ⟾ Return to Sabaody ending, Rayleigh Flashback - Roger and the Straw Hat, mysteries and possibilities 00:12:05 ⟾ Fish-Man Island, Mermaids, setting, Surume, creatures, art, lore, history, Skypiea parallels 00:14:53 ⟾ Hody and Arlong 00:15:40 ⟾ Shyarly - (ominous) prophecy, Caribou, theories 00:17:30 ⟾ Neptune - character, flashback (Otohime) 00:18:26 ⟾ Hody - plans, will, Themes 00:20:06 ⟾ Shirahoshi (also Luffy), Vander Decken IX, powers 00:22:24 ⟾ Zoro - Prison and Hostage scene 00:23:12 ⟾ Camie and Hatchan, Hody 00:23:50 ⟾ Hody and Vander Decken IX alliance, goals 00:24:24 ⟾ Zoro vs. Hody underwater fight 00:24:30 ⟾ Sanji - nosebleed, gags, Turning to Stone Theory - Okama Blood, Momoiro Island, Devil Fruits origin 00:27:56 ⟾ Jinbei - Arlong and Nami 00:29:52 ⟾ Jinbei Flashback, depth, themes 00:30:54 ⟾ Fisher Tiger - Hancock, story, slavery, prejudice, hatred, generational shift 00:33:06 ⟾ [Insert] Girl on fish-man ship, betrayal, final blow 00:34:17 ⟾ Otohime and Fisher Tiger - Juxtaposition & Parallels, hope, assassination 00:37:26 ⟾ Jinbei and Nami, details and layers, themes, parallels 00:38:30 ⟾ Format - Future Plans 00:38:41 ⟾ Robin, Caribou, Noah, Flying Dutchman, Prophecy 00:39:29 ⟾ Crew and character moments, small interactions, overview 00:39:58 ⟾ Outro, Format 00:40:36 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits]

One of my favorite things about the crew coming together is Zoro being reintroduced with the same exact feat we first see from Mihawk, cutting a Galleon in half casually. Also Zoro's line there is the best.

Merphy calling Luffy ''Luffers'' proves that NO ONE can escape Daniel. He crawls into your brain and never leaves.

Merph: They weren't acting like Pirates in Skypia Me: it's the only arc where they're actually hunting for treasure

"They all know something I don't know. And I don't know what it is" One Piece in a nutshell

There’s an important difference between Arlong and Hody that often gets missed. While Arlong did hate humans and believe them to be inferior, he did genuinely care for his crew and his fellow fishmen. When Zoro first broke out of Arlong Park, Arlong expresses genuine concern for his crew and anger that Zoro hurt them. Hody on the other just has the hatred without any of the camaraderie or care for his crew. He willingly sacrifices them for his own protection and places the destruction of human kind above the well-being of his people.

I want the sushi uprising and I want it now.

Otohime's words, "keep your guns down, kids are watching" to the fishmen who shot her after trying to shoot the celestial dragon. That line hit hard. It was so impactful.

Murphy: “Everyone who has a connection to Roger wants to help Luffers and protect him for some reason” Buggy: *stares blankly*

You're probably going to encounter a lot more negativity on the post time-skip arcs for a variety of reasons. Mainly the anime going downhill and the length of the arcs. The arcs are MUCH better reading in bulk than week to week so you're experiencing them the best way you can. I personally had a much higher opinion of the Fishman arc after rereading it.

Oda : Sanji turn in to stone is fun gag Merphy: There has to be some logic or reason it cant be just gag .... i love it 🤣

Merphy: I have been promised ghost pirates and I need my ghost pirates. Brook: Am I a joke to you?

noone: literally noone: not even Oda himself: Merphy: I HAVE THEORIES ABOUT THAT TIME SANJI TURNED TO STONE

Technically Chopper doesn't have a "new" hat, the round part is actually an addition sitting on top of his original hat. Which is pretty great because his OG hat has so much sentimental value to him.

The fact that she now uses Kuma's name instead of calling him paw paw says how much she loves Kuma's character now.

Oda is so skilled at writing complex characters. Fisher Tiger desiring the peace that the queen is fighting for while simultaneously not being able to let go of his trauma that fuels his hatred is so honest and real. He wants the cycle of hate to end, but it’ll end with him Also, I think the Sanji turned to stone gag is based on how Boa’s ability only works on people who have impure thoughts so Sanji turning to stone in this arc despite Boa not being anywhere near him let’s us know that Sanji’s thoughts are so impure that he turns to stone on his own. Sanji being both an honorable gentleman and a despicable pervert is such an awkward tension to grapple with tbh

I love how this arc humanizes Arlong, someone who is thought of as a one-note villain. Nothing justifies his actions, but it gives you a good understanding as to why Arlong was the way that he was.

To this day it still amazes me how well Oda was able to weave the theme of racism and generational trauma into this arc while covering so many of the nuances around it so masterfully. So many fans overlook that aspect when talking about this arc. I’m really glad that you touched upon how well done and true to real life it was.

Fishman island has some of the best art. The Ryugu Palace Panel is one of Oda's best Works.

Merphy: "They all know something i dont know and I don't know what it is" Literally the entire One Piece fandom about everything

Merphy calling out Caribou for wearing his sleeves like a two year old had me rolling 🤣

Also a minor bit that a lot of people overlook is Franky meeting Tom’s brother and the explaination about fishman races, Oda really has an explaination for everything in this world and it’s so good!

Koala is a pretty important character I'm very glad you like her and brought her up

I understand what you mean by Skypiea not having that pirate feel, but I think it's important to note that from what you've read so far, the Sky Island Saga is the only one focused on an actual treasure hunt.

One thing that might get lost in translation is that people address jinbei as “boss jinbei”. In the Japanese he is addressed as “oyabun” which is the kind of term one would use for a yakuza boss. So it goes to show that jinbei garners respect from those around him similar to how one would show respect to a mafia don or a tony soprano type guy

"i really like franky new design" I think merphy the first reviewer/reactor who says that lol..

You totally seem to get this arc and what Oda is trying to portray through its characters, especially Hody. Its soooo refreshing to hear your takes. Most people who complain about this arc do not seem to understand why Oda wrote it in this way, why the villains are no threat to the SHs etc. I wish I could sub to you twice! :)

Brook’s entire anatomy should speak volumes of what lengths Oda will take to have gag vs being practical with his world.

The Fishman Island flashback is one of the most incredible distilled sections of One Piece. It’s such a beautiful story, tragic and hopeful in equal measure. Koala smiling as she scrubs the deck and Otohime protecting the Celestial Dragon from the mob are probably in my top ten one piece moments. Not because either of them are happy but because they so accurately reflect the complexity of the world

If you read carefully when Rayleigh met Strawhats for the first time in Sabondy, as soon as he saw luffy's straw-hat he commented something like " That hat, it certainly suits a fearless man like yourself."

Chopper: Sanji do not turn around, your life is in danger. That one was one of my most memorable OP scene.

Fun fact! Chopper's "new hat" is actually a piece of armor he made to protect Hiriluk's hat from any damage

The "imposter strawhats" in the anime was fantastic. The strawhats voice actors voiced each others characters iirc :D

Kuma (in Sabaody): We'll probably never see each other again Also to clarify, Vegapunk hasn't appeared in person where you're at in the story, just mentioned

Franky trapping Swampy while he's monologuing is one of my favorite visual gags

Hey Merph! Just wanted to say that I’m so glad you’re covering one piece. Personally I can’t enjoy books anymore due to having aphantasia (if you aren’t aware that means I’m unable to see pictures in my brain. Some people are born with it, but I developed it due to concussions playing football), but manga has been a great source of enjoyment for me because the pictures are already in front of me! I’m just glad someone who loves books as much as you also loves one piece- makes it so I don’t feel like I’m missing a whole lot from books because I can’t quite grasp them anymore without being able to imagine what I’m reading :)

I got a big smile on my face when she said she really liked Franky’s update.

I'm glad to hear that you are so interested in Kuma, to this day he is one of the most interesting and intriguing characters in the series for me!

"I'm not gonna just cover return to sabaody because it's only 5 chapters long" shots fired at daniel

a big reason why some fans dislike the post time-skip arcs in my opinion is because the focus has shifted. The stories are no longer straw hat centric. They are much more global with all the arcs directly connecting narratively and a lot more characters being part of the arcs. Every single pre time-Skip arc focuses on / revolves around a straw hat (yes I count Vivi as a straw hat). Post time-skip not so much. I like the change. It keeps OP fresh and interesting and fits with the escalating threats. But I do unterstand why some want the more straw hat focused stories back.

This arc talks about so many really important things in an actually appropriately complex and nuanced way. It not only re-contextualizes the entire Arlong Park story, but drives home a lot of the growing complexity in the entire series about the lasting effects of trauma and issues of systemic oppression and injustice. There is so much truly fantastic writing going on here, and it's great to see you appreciating it. That said, the nerfing of Sanji's character is something I'm still angry about to this day. It was completely unnecessary.

“I think….. I don’t know” - Every One Piece fan ever

Splitting them up is going to be wise Murphy-senpai.

Merphy: "I dont expect Oda to do mermaids the way I like mermaids..." Me, remembering the final chapters of the Water 7 arc: "Yeah that checks out."

To be clear, Roger died 22 years before Luffy went to sea. After the 2 year time skip, Luffy is 19.

Merphy trying to make streched theories out of sanjis nosebleeds..... We as One Piece Community-Ahhh.....One of us!

Glad you are enjoying FMI. I know that Marineford was what brought a lot of fans to the series, so this was the first traditional arc those fans read week to week. Combine that with the fact that it was hyped up for 200+ chapters and you get too high expectations. I think FMI sits comfortably with the rest of One Piece. Its not near the top, but its very good.

Back in Baratie Zeff says some people attack you for disturbing their sleep Zoro: Cut the ship for them disturbing his sleep lol

Fishman Island is gas!!!! I lost sleep over Fisher Tiger and Otohime! Fisher’s decision at the end of the flashback and feelings about humans. Wow. Humanizing Arlong. Showing how far Nami has come in terms of making peace with her past. Jinbei being torn between 2 conflicting ideals. And while Hody himself isn’t a great villain what he represents is amazing.

The One Piece timeskip, in my opinion, greatly established Oda’s worldbuilding and long term storytelling as one of the greats. That’s why his New World arcs are so fun to binge. It became more plot driven and the events every post-arcs are SO good. The payoff is very rewarding. Not only that, you’ll also love his character and geography designs. His imagination unbelievably went tenfold. ALL THIS was just a “slice of cake” of what’s to come!

It's alright! Split it up into as many parts as you need!

2:00 A thing you have to remember with One Piece fans, is that a massive number of them came into the series either during Marineford, or after it. So for a sizable percentage, they were reading at a rapid pace, hit Marineford and then had to do weekly chapters like everyone else afterward. The post Marineford arc and the Return to Saobody are quick, but getting into an actual, meaty arc that takes its time exploring, interacting with a new environment and so on, made them feel like the series was starting to drag. There's a solid chance that every arc going forward, someone will say something about it being slow, or taking too long, or not being as good as the stuff that came earlier. Those complaints are valid, but subjectivity plays a larger role than most people think, with this (very long) series.

Small character design detail that took me so long to notice myself: "BF-37" on Franky's arm stands for Battle Franky 37.

One of my favorite things about the worldbuilding is the specifics of merfolk anatomy. Like, I'm used to stories where mermaids' lower halves are just described as "fish", but in One Piece, every mermaid or merman of significance, we're specifically told what kind of fish they are. It's neat attention to detail, makes it feel more real, and I've adopted it into my own art.

Every time Merphy says Pacifista ... Pacifica ... Wait is this a Gravity Falls review now?

So funny story about the Jimbe’s flashback. I got into one piece when a friend was making his way thru the series and while I had known absolutely nothing. Id start watching with him whenever we’d hang out and I saw bits and pieces from alabasta up until fishman island. And then I got to jimbe’s flashback. Oh man I wasn’t expecting one piece to get me deep in my emotions like that or for it to explore such deep and dark themes. From then on I was convinced I would catch up. While in retrospect I’m not the biggest fan of FMI as a whole, this flashback is still one of my favorite moments in the series. Fisher Tiger the GOAT

One thing i truly love in Fishman Island is when Nami forgive Jimbei and Hachi for what happen to her hometown. She even gladly said if not because Arlong, she would not get toknow Luffy and the rest of the crew. "hate the person, not the race of that person" - nami

Funfact: The "Not island" is only island where strawhats have revisited. Also, Can someone in her patreon tell her to read sbs from here on out? Also if possible make a video using it. It will be so much fun.

Did you notice how zoro cut the GALLION in half just like mihawk in the very beginning

Funny that she was annoyed Sanji didn't have an eyepatch during the same reveal that now Zoro actually needs one.

I love that watching these reviews makes me appreciate more of one piece and even pick up on things that I missed on my reads and rereads plus it makes me more excited to see what comes next. So, I am glad you are enjoying them merph 🙂🙂🙂

There's a lot of divisive opinions on new world arcs especially Fishmen Island But what a lot of this stems from is the big build up and this is around when weekly scan translations started becoming alot more accessible so a lot of the fandom got to the point where they are then reading it on the weekly release grind. Its a totally different experience re-reading an arc in one go and Oda is a master at pacing a story in arcs which is hard to appreciate on a weekly basis And things got really rough in new world for Anime only people in terms of pacing so some opinions on arcs are more a reflection on that adaptation than the manga FI is definitely underrated for me and I enjoyed it so much more on re-read so I'm glad you liked it

I looooove to listen to your reviews. They make me remember why I feel in love with this series. Aaaannnddd you are super cute with your enthusiasm.

I think, Hody is representation of hatred that Otohime was always talking about. He himself is the side effect of racial hatred she tried to avoid and prevent and more specificly and simply he is a consequence of men like Arlong 's actions and life views. He is an example that will be with people full of anger and hatred with not having something more. And yes maybe for someone he looks flat and only-he-is-the-second-Arlong bla bla bla (and AA. it... bother me. ), but even so whole Hody situation is scary and even tragic in some point... especially in the context of the impact on the next generations. omg... there are so many topics to discuss in this small flashback section only and I badly want to keep going тт тт It's so hard for me to stop тт

This arc is heavily underrated. Its the best thematic arc in One Piece.

Fun fact: The whole Fishman Island arc is a reference to a Japanese fairy tale named Urashima Taro. I won't go into detail because I might spoil something at this point, but I recommend you check it out later.

I'm glad you took some time to show Neptune some love. I think he's a pretty underrated character and people rarely seem to talk about him. Also yeah. You're overthinking the Sanji thing a bit too much. It's just a gag :D

And it's that kind of passion for the story that makes me want to keep coming back to hear her thoughts on the next arc, or in this case, half of an arc. It's always a joy to see you share your fascination and love for One Piece, Merphy. Also, yeah, just gotta also include how much I loved your reaction to the stone Sanji joke. Don't think I've ever met anyone in the One Piece community take that moment so seriously. lol Good for you for caring so much about the writing though.

To quote my grandmother, "You poor, sweet summer child. Do you really believe Oda wouldn't break his worldbuilding for a gag?" Yes, my grandmother reads One Piece. Chopper is her favorite. XD

I think most people watched the anime for fishman island so it was dragged out and took multiple episodes just to get to the place iirc. I'd imagine the art was a lot less detailed too.

12:00 I don't think there's much of a conspiracy here. For Shanks, he lived in Foosha Village for a long time, using it as his base of operations, journeying back and forth through the East Blue while getting ready. He got to know Luffy, he liked him, he saw promise in him, and as he said, he made a bet. For the rest of Roger's crew, the only need to see the hat to know this kid has Shanks's utmost trust, and you saw how easy was for Rayleigh to read the situation in the Auction House, so reading Luffy, specifically Luffy that's a damn open book, wearing everything on his sleeve, must have taken him like 2 seconds. Add onto that that Shanks must have dropped by Sabaody on his way to the New World after meeting Luffy and losing his arm, and "HOW THE FCK YOU LOST AN ARM AND WHERE'S ROGER'S HAT?!?!?!" might have been Rayleigh's first question, which would've queued an hours long talk about Luffy. And before that, Shanks left the East to the Grand Line, he surely went through Reverse Mountain, and Crocus surely made the exact same question As for the rest, Mihawk said it during the war, Luffy has the most dangerous power of them all: the ability to gather people around him. Call it plain charisma, call it Will of D., call it haki (though I won't agree on this, Conqueror's/King's Haki is the ability to forcibly impose your will onto others, here they join willingly), or whatever name you want to give it. Perhaps due to his sometimes even violent honesty, people immediately trust him, idk, but the thing is that who he is makes that happen

Merph should have put on that tin foil hat for the Okama Devil Fruit distribution theory. Never heard that one before, and I love hearing new theories by new fans!

The big thing I've noticed with post timeskip is that most of the fandom have started catching up by this point and they were now reading weekly and the pace week to week can feel a lot slower because an entire chapter can be exposition or setup I've noticed that most reactors who are reading in bulk do not have the same opinion

Can’t wait till she’s current and comes back to these crazy old theories. They are so fun

Merphy slowly becoming a theorist is an evidence of becoming a one piece fan😂

Oda is REALLY good about giving you answers that cause you to ask 10 more questions..

Ah yes. The arc that teaches people about the harsh effects of institutional racism. Oda handled this matter brilliantly!

A lot of the times fans (myself included) value arcs based on the impact of the villain. This influences people's perception of arcs like Thriller Bark and Fishman Island which have weaker villains in the grand scheme of the things. However it shouldn't take away from all the other good stuff these arcs have, in this case being the great artwork and exploration of themes/lore. Great review as always.

i love that the message isn't to turn hatred to love, since that is a bit unrealistic and too optimistic, but to not spread that hatred, keeping it to yourself and not teaching your kids that hatred.

Fishman Island still resonates and hits me even after all these years. I don't want to spoil anything but there's one scene that always gets me and it's Oda doing what he does best, tying loose ends together in a beautiful way

Sanji's Blood & "Turning To Stone" Accident Is the Byproduct of a 2-years Bottled-Up Horniness (He Was Battling Okamas For The Survival of his Manlihood)

A small thing to notice between Hody and Arlong. In Arlong park Luffy used a fish man as a shield and Arlong was disgusted that he would make him hurt a fish man but also a crew member making him hate Luffy even more. While Hody was in danger he just picked up one of his crew a fellow fish man and just used as a shield and didn't even blink an eye at them dying.

Merphy: Fishman Island is long Screams in Dress Rosa, Whole Cake and Wano (And I love how she'll divide the longer arcs for around 2-4 videos in the future)

Just a heads up...this arc is one of the most important arcs in the whole series, it's been disregard by fans but with every year we see how crucial it is ....so focus on every detail Skypiea is also the same

"Horny blood transfusion" is not a phrase I expected to hear today... or ever

I'm really glad I decided to watch your videos in order, I love reliving the series through you

Jimbei's flashback is incredible. Otohime and Fisher Tiger are so captivating and Tiger's admitting "I was a slave" hit so hard.

She has another One Piece shirt! Although I've been watching all of your videos, I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE CONTININUG YOUR JOURNEY!

Small correction: choppers hat is actually still the same hat but with a blue helmet-ish attachment. That hat means too much to chopper to be a new one

The gag with Caribou scheming looking out the barrel with Franky just staring at him from the side is so funny.

Otohime and Tiger Fisher's stories are so heartbreaking! Makes me cry every time.

Some interesting fact : Sky Island was 10000 meters above the sea whereas fishman Island is 10000 meters below the sea..

You mentioned something about Sanji that stood out to me. Outside of the manga, Oda actually brought something up that blew minds. In a manga all about pirates, there isn't a single character wearing an eye patch. Oda mentioned that when you see a character wearing an eye patch, you know the story is ending soon.

By the end of your read through of the series, I’d love for you to do a reaction video to all the one piece openings. Not only because they anime is too long to watch, but it’s a great way to see the advancement in the series and pretty well see all the major plot advancements that happen. Also, you make Friday one of my favorite days due to your one piece videos ❤️🖤 (I love everything else you do, but especially Friday)

When anyone mispronounces an one piece name. -OP fans: You are the scum of earth, it's pronounced like such and such!!!! When Merphs mispronounces Pacifista and replaces it by fake Paw Paw. -OP fans: Yeah, that sounds about right, keep on Merphy! We love your reviews Merphs! Keep on going, can't wait for you to catch up!

Think you got it spot on, Hody inherited Arlongs will that’s why he feels like a “copycat” he has inherited Arlongs hatred. By the arc end you’ll see just how fantastic a job Oda does with writing it as well

If there someone that can appreciate all One Piece arcs, it’s Merphy😭 This is one of my favorite One Piece arcs and you’re just hitting every nail on the head with why it’s such a GOOD arc!! Yes there’s quite a bunch more that are better but this arc is an easy 8/10 for me especially with the racial undertones and message that Oda sends. Great video Merphy love you work🏴‍☠️

Merphy's expectations of ghost pirates: exists Vander Decken: YEET

Merphy has finally given us her craziest one piece theory yet and it such a joy to see someone other than myself overthink with some of the scenes that Oda sprinkles all over the story 😂😂😂

I really love how beautiful their reunion was Specially when you consider that at this point straw hats been away from each other longer than they were with each other (east blue - marine Ford took place in less than a year)