Ah yes… TOM. The greatest villain in One Piece history😂😂

I love how “Jack” is such a simple name and Merph still didnt remember it. Never change Merphy. Lol

“Raizou is safe” was such an amazing moment to experience week-to-week! Zou is still one of my all time favorite arcs and, just as you said, it was so refreshing after the behemoth that was Dressrosa.

Calling Jack, Tom instead was Luffy levels of “I don’t care” that was way funnier than it had any right to be 😂

"Arranged marriages are my guilty pleasure", "goth islands are my guilty pleasure", "pirate stories are my guilty pleasure". ...Is One Piece like a candy shop for Merph? 😂

"He's not a part of Luffy's crew.... According to Law" is my favorite line ever!!

Murphy since you love Robin so much: If you pay attention to what Robin calls people, she almost ALWAYS calls them whatever nickname Luffy calls them Robin is the best!!!

One of my favorite little moment of Zou is When luffy praise Sanji: "he's worth thousands people." and then Zoro act like "yeah but just so we're clear, I'm worth two thousand." and Nami pat pat him. So cute, I like to think that even if Zoro does not show openly, he's love getting praised by his Capitan.

Fun fact: If you look at the slave auction price list back in Sabaody, the Minx were actually listed on it. Shows how insanely far Oda plans ahead. It also means there enslaved Minx in the world and that makes me hate Doflamingo even more.

Fun fact for the One Piece fans: people actualy put together that Sanji was son of royalty a few chapters before the reveal, as soon as his bounty cited "Only Alive". They started from "Mister Prince" way back in Alabasta and combed the rest of One Piece for every clue and line form Sanji, and they got really close to the truth! Truly, this community is nothing but dedicated!

Robin's whacky humor is the result of being an 8 year old child surviving in the underworld. She grew up too quickly seeing murder, death, and betrayal, so she talks about morbid things, but at the same time she thinks in cute stuff that she won't admit to anyone. And yeah, the scene of the pineapple is awesome, Robin really gets Luffy

"Raizo is safe" is right up there with "I want to live" and "nothing happened" for me as top tier One Piece Mic Drops

Zou is the first time in One Piece that you truly feel close to the end, that coming in like 5-7 years in the manga but still it feels like tomorrow. Specially after 25 years...

00:00:00 ⟾ Intro - ‘The Furry Arc’, Length, {return of the occasional cat} 00:00:51 ⟾ Length - concise, packed 00:02:18 ⟾ Setting, Lore, Set-up, Scale 00:04:11 ⟾ Characters, Setting, Change of Pace 00:05:46 ⟾ Concise, Packed 00:06:21 ⟾ Format - Plot, Character Moments 00:06:57 ⟾ Plot - Weevil, Dragon, Buggy 00:07:25 ⟾ Plot - crew reunited, info. reveal 00:08:51 ⟾ Setting - Zou, minks, samurai 00:09:53 ⟾ Sanji - resurgence 00:10:49 ⟾ Flashback - Jack*, Raizo, torture, crew help 00:13:40 ⟾ Flashback - Big Mom crew, Sanji (origins), Caesar, arranged marriage 00:17:13 ⟾ Future Direction - Big Mom island, Wano 00:18:24 ⟾ Inuarashi, Nekomamushi - minks, connections 00:20:14 ⟾ Zoro - reaction to Sanji missing 00:20:38 ⟾ Inuarashi, Nekomamushi - dynamic, personality, humour 00:22:23 ⟾ Pekoms - character design, Luffy dynamic 00:23:16 ⟾ Luffy - reaction to Sanji situation 00:23:59 ⟾ Law - Heart Pirates, alliance 00:25:10 ⟾ Samurai - Kanjuro, Bariete, {Ryunosuke} 00:26:07 ⟾ Twist - Raizo 00:29:21 ⟾ Reveals - Kozuki Momonosuke, Wano, Poneglyphs (Robin), Road Poneglyphs: scale, Robin-Luffy dynamic, Emperors 00:33:34 ⟾ Luffy - paying attention 00:34:42 ⟾ Reveals - Roger crew (Oden, Inuarashi), log pose, Blackbeard hunting Whitebeard crew (Marco) 00:35:45 ⟾ Zunesha - mystery, Jack, Momonosuke/Luffy connection 00:38:53 ⟾ Theories - Momonosuke: hearing the voice, Conqueror’s Haki, Zunesha, bloodline, history, samurai, Roger, Luffy 00:42:02 ⟾ Crew Splitting Up - Sanji, Wano 00:42:22 ⟾ Reverie - Vivi, Shirahoshi, Kureha 00:43:12 ⟾ Carrot - stowaway 00:43:24 ⟾ Revolutionary Army, Kaido, Jack 00:43:55 ⟾ Luffy cooking 00:44:07 ⟾ Pudding 00:44:29 ⟾ Character Moments - Robin 00:46:24 ⟾ Character Moments - Usopp 00:46:37 ⟾ Character Moments - Luffy 00:48:18 ⟾ Character Moments - Zoro 00:48:35 ⟾ Character Moments - Franky 00:49:05 ⟾ Character Moments - Brook 00:49:11 ⟾ Character Moments - crew 00:49:16 ⟾ Overall 00:50:39 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits]

another great moment for Robin: when the second samurai created that dragon... thing that brought them up the elephant, Robin was the only one that found him really cute (keeping up with the theme of her sense of cuteness and her humor being a bit whacky which i love), and then when he had to disappear, she was so sad for the little guy... that was so adorable 😭😭 i love Robin too❤️❤️❤️

Calls Jack - one of the most brutal enemies so far - "Tom". Franky: "Excuse me WHAT??"

Loved the video, but let's get one thing clear. There is no such thing as "talking about Luffy's emotional intelligence too often"!

"He(Law) may not be a part of luffy's crew. According to Law" is a perfect description of Law and Luffys relationship 🤣

I like that Merphy focuses on so many little character moments. No other OP youtuber does this. She's a valuable contribution to our community.

One thing makes me connect with the Minks even more is that I believe the deep sense of loyalty is their special trait. Because they're the furry, the animal gene makes them more loyal than other races. When the big twist is revealed, I instantly think about how pets and animals would stay loyal to their owners, even though it could cost them their lives. And we can see the Minks clearly over enjoy snugging and cuddling ^^ Another traits from their animal gene.

One of my favorite moments was the big reveal that the Minks protected Raizo at great cost and when the crew finds out... Zoro who is usually chill had genuine shock on his face Luffy legit gets knocked on his ass It's gut-retching selflessness that is a very "Luffy" moment of what we would see him do. This time though Luffy saw first hand the Minks do something he would've done without hesitation. Luffy had such a big smile on his face afterwards. It's a beautiful short arc.

Sanji is smart. The moment he recognizes the crew is going to fight Kaido, he realizes that he shouldn't sabotage the whole operation by involving Big Mom as well. If anything, the decision he made, was akin to the one before Kuma, the survival of the crew is always the number one priority.

One of my favourite moments of this arc is when Luffy finally meets up with the rest of the crew from Zou, and Nami rushes to him, happy to see them, hugs him...and starts crying...concerned about Sanji and sad that she has to deliver the news to Luffy...but there's also the hope that now that they're back together, they can fix things! I love that scene, it has so many layers of emotion!

The subtle hints given about Wano country about it being an Isolationist country is actually inspired from the real history of Japan. The isolationist policy was also active during a period which had its Samurais Shoguns and Daimyos. All of which were mentioned in this arc. Sakoku (鎖国, "locked country") was the isolationist foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 214 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countries were severely limited, and nearly all foreign nationals were barred from entering Japan, while common Japanese people were kept from leaving the country. This is one of the reason why the Samurais talk in weird lingo and is unaware of how the outside world works.

Fun fact: Brook’s voice actor wrote a song about his cat named Cat Viper and that’s where Oda got the idea of that character from. Brook also sings this very same song in the anime when the group is heading over to see Cat Viper.

One thing I loved, that was kind of between arcs was Rooster's ship "the Luffy go", man I laughed so hard and it just fit, and Usopp's "how come this ship looks more like Luffy's ship than ours does?" and the member of Bart's crew phoning up his grandmother to get all the tips for dealing with the weather and sea sickness and how to get gum off the deck... Brilliant!

A character moment I always really enjoyed is when they are learning about navigating to Raftel, and Nami is concerned that she isnt leading them correctly, but Dogstorm assures her that they are on the right path

Ever stop to think like "man, how is One Piece still good after all these years?!" To put that into perspective, Zou began in 2015, the series 18 years old at this point. Seriously. HOW. I don't think there's anything else like it.

I was wondering if you were going to mention some Chopper specific moments here as well. I can think of 3 great Chopper moments such as when he bullies Caesar into helping him cure the Minks. The second one being that Chopper has stated before that he doesn't find humans attractive because he's still technically an animal, but he finally meets his match with a Reindeer Mink nurse who he develops a crush on; adorable. But I think the number 1 Chopper moment here is actually the fact that he managed to save the Minks at all because this is actually a direct callback to Chopper's origin of when he pleaded with Dr Lady to teach him her medical skills. During his plea, in the anime, he said "I'll become the panacea. I'll cure anything! I'll even cure a country!"

I love Frankie and his powercrying whenever something HARDBOILED and MANLY happens; in the Raizo reveal all the other Strawhats were shocked but right there at the end of the spread Frankie was flat out bawling because he instantly understood the situation and was utterly moved.

I love the fact that the Red Poneglyphs form four points to put on a map... which if you have all four, would create an X. X marks the spot is the oldest pirate trope in the world and I love how incredibly silly yet brilliantly Oda has worked that little tidbit into the lore of One Piece.

31:30 "X marks the spot!" is what you were looking for. When I read this chapter and saw that, I remembered: Oh right, One Piece is about pirates :D I love how meticulous and deliberate and creative Oda has been with these classic pirate tropes. I wonder how world-shatteringly huge of an event it'll be, when an eyepatch is introduced to the story 😂

I for one cannot wait for Merphy's take on Sanji during WCI. This is gonna be so good.

Few corrections: Log poses don't point to poneglyphs, they just point to the final island that isn't the final island, called Loadstar/Roadstar (Japanese don't have the sound for the letter L so R kinda takes it's place, will be relevant Litt tidbit later but I won't say why). It's at this point that you need the 4 red glyphs to pinpoint to the hidden location where One Piece is. 2. Weevil is hunting down Pops' crew, not Kaido. Though understandable if that was a slip of the tongue. 3. Elephant is indeed millennia plus years old iirc. And Rayliegh can't hear the voices, only Roger could.

Every One Piece Channel out there: "Luffy's eyebrow twitched for 0.25ms in episode 8388 at 00:02, and this means I know for a FACT what one piece is and YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT !!!" Merphy: *Connects tons of dots as she goes* "This happened like that, and I don't know why ! And that's great !" This channel is refreshing ❤️

I loved Brook in Zou so much. It felt like one of the first times that I got to really embrace his dynamic in the crew without too much distracting from it. Also, him being referred to as a Corpse by the Minks, and all the Dog minks being absolutely in love with him because he is a walking pile of bones… It’s absolutely hilarious and adorable at the same time.

"so much in so few chapters, its such a mssive loredump" Reverie: Cute

The Raizou reveal is among my top moments in all of One Piece. It's one that I constantly think back upon. I think it's Oda's best reveal, as with one panel, he manages to set up future story implications of the Mink's and the samurais' relationship, recontextualizes their flashback, and provides such a uniquely emotional hit that Oda hadn't targeted before. And then seeing everyone in the crew react the way they did? Icing on the cake.

One Piece absolutely has re-read value on steroids. I just rewatched this arc via the anime and can't believe some of the stuff they mention that I now have context for. Same goes for a lot of other arcs, but they've been around long enough where I have had time to think it over. This is much more recent One Piece in the grand scope of things and it still blows my mind.

Also, the reveal that there are actually FOUR RAFTELS?!? was amazing. Incredible detectivework from Luffy.

Robins imagination is one of the wildest and weirdest on the crew, luffy being only second. There is a panel in the manga where just one word from her(pineapple), Luffy quickly remembered who Marco is. Edit: welp.. also mentioned it.

The concept of Reverie is explained in Drum Island in Vivi's flashback when Wapol slapped her

Zou is such a special arc, in that on top of all the beautiful moments such as “Raizo is safe” this made me realize just HOW much I love and adore this series because for the first time ever, the end is somewhere on the horizon. Having to actually fathom this masterpiece is going to end at some tangible point in the future is such a beautiful but sad feeling…

To hear her say these things about Sanji and read the todays chapter , makes me cry even more 😭😭❤❤❤ Just Goda

Sanji being a prince has been hinted at quite a bit actually. The one that a lot of people caught on to and was Oda simply toying with the readers was in Arabasta. Sanji taunts Crocodile by calling himself 'Mr. Prince'. In Davy back fight Zoro called him "The prince of Idiot Kingdom" when he wore a ball on his head that looked like a crown. I also heard something like Sanji meaning the third son. He was born in north blue, was raised in east blue, is the third son, and is referred to as a prince from time to time. Super spread out and all references to him being a prince were masked as jokes but fans caught on. The fan theory of him being a runaway prince (another 'cliche' as Merphy would call it) from North Blue kinda stuck until proven in this arc

Lmao imagine if Tom from Water 7 turned out to be a commander for Kaido.

Haha when you called, full of confidence, "Jack" "Tom", that was such a perfect Luffy moment !

Something I really like about the road poneglyphs is that, after all we've been trough this is still a Pirate story where The X marks the Spot for the big treasure at the end of the journey.

I love how disappointed Luffy, Zoro and Law were when they met Raizo. They really expected him to look like a cool Ninja.

Zou has one of the best cover pages: the boys from Usopp's Village seeing his "God Usopp" poster. That single page made me so emotional.

The Raizou is safe line will always make me tear up as many times as i read it, watch it or anything. I think the reason that we all feel a certain way is that because their sacrifice was in unison. Not a single person, tormented or not had their faith in each other break. They stayed strong and denied Raizou being there TOGETHER. That's the reason this is so impactful to us. This would almost never happen in a real life senario. The mink's union is what moves us. Its not just 1 hero. All of them are.

I think how its explained is Luffy and Roger can hear the "voice of all things" which may or may not be related to haki - not everyone with conquerors has this ability. This is also how Roger could follow the poneglyphs too - he could hear their "voice".

I love how everytime she says Tom she says "I'm pretty sure that's his name" 😂😂

Merphy: "Sanji's being in a arranged marriage? I didn't see it coming" OP fan for 15 years: You never will

This is when a new One Piece Friday vid would come out. 😫 Still, good on Merph for prioritizing her family. See you when you get back!

Hello, I'm new to your channel, but as a handicap dad, who was tortured 5 years ago (after being resurrected* in the same F*kING hospital) , who now live with chronic pain and PTSD. I get the moment of the minks honor, the concept of Ikigai can get you through hard or almost "impossible" hardships. Cuz I'm a dad, and I literally continue fighting with my pains just to be the dad I didn't have. Love from South America 🙇🏻‍♂️♿

I'm actually super excited to hear about your thoughts on Sanji in the coming arc. While a lot of readers get underwhelm by sanji, I think you will appreciate a lot of what oda did with sanji in the coming arc and I'm excited to find out how you feel!

Somehow I am genuinely surprised that Daniel never called it the furry arc at all but Merph just straight up went for it. Love it though.

I absolutly love these One piece reviews. The perspective of someone reading for the first time especially someone who has a different sense of tropes is refreshing. Plus if youre caught up, you get to step in the role of the old masters of the world who know much more than they can say

These reviews are so refreshing. So much of OP KZfaq has become spins on the same old theories and outlandish speculation based on week by week reading. Watching someone so new to this world and to manga as a whole is always a great on Friday’s.

"Raizo...IS SAFE!" To this day, this is the most goosebump-y scene in One Piece for me. Considering the reactions on the faces of the Strawhats, I think I am not alone with this feeling.

I loved how the minks really solidified how much forethought Oda has on the world he has built. This is the list that was shown in the slave auction house in Sabaody Humans Long arm tribe Long leg tribe Snakeneck tribe Mink tribe Dwarves Fishmen Giants Merfolk

The Raizou is safe reveal gave me literal goosebumps. This was literally one of my favourite small arc, i loved everything about it. I don’t like momonosuke but i do think he is a weapon like shirahoshi ! There is so much world building in this one arc that it blows my mind! The Sanji reveal was also such a fantastic reveal i am looking forward to what u think about how it proceeds from here! The name of the alliance made me laugh my ass off!

Your gentle intellectual way of explaining freaking one piece in a way a book reviewer would, taking the time to dive into characters. FREAKING ONE PIECE CHARACTERS, in all their glorified sillines and over-the-top-ness as actual human beings is such a serotonin boost for me. I hope you treat more manga this way, like naruto or hxh and not just mainstream manga like berserk (though i would love it a lot) please keep doing what you do. I adore it

Arranged marriages actually still happen in Japan among the mega rich, usually families without a male heir marrying their daughters off to the sons of other families and then adopting those sons to take over the family business (Japanese family law is weird). So it’s kind of an evergreen trope in Japanese media.

That Robin gag is actually started wayyy earlier since she joined. The first time was in Skypiea

Just something to think about: Luffy and Roger could hear the Sea Kings while the princess can command them on top of it all her power to command them is the power of one of the ancient weapons. Luffy and Momonosuke can hear Zou but only Momo can command him... doesnt this just screams out the same thing as the prinecess commanding the Sea Kings.

Yeah, one of the big "complaints" post- time skip is that the the straw hats aren't all together as much and there's very little moments of them just chilling and goofing off like in pre- time skip. I think it comes to personal preference. Some people like the more light hearted, whimsical, crew centered stuff of pre- time skip more while others prefer the chaotic, complex, world building and lore aspects of post- time skip more. I prefer the latter personally. The story has come to a point where there's hundreds of side characters running around doing their thing so it makes sense how we don't get as many straw hat interactions anymore.

Remember when you were re-reading skypea and made sure to take notes when sanji mentioned that he was from the north blue? To see that oda was already setting up this plot thread so early down the line is really impressive and just goes to show how much care he puts into this series

Zou's weekly read feeling as a transitory bridge to the "latest sequel" is powerful. It really is something very rare and special from the manga, and being one piece so long, I think the same thing happens in a complete reading as the one you are doing. Lets see!

Merphy: Luffy's really focused and listening when it comes to Raftel exposition. Luffy: EEEHHH?!?! THERE ARE FOUR RAFTELS?!?!

Zou waiting for Momo to give it a command is "the voice of all things". It was mentioned all the way back in Skypiea when Robin read and inscription written by Roger mentioning that he too was able to hear these voices. Luffy was also able to hear Zou speak too. Sorry if this got mentioned already. Glad you really enjoyed Zou. I had the same exact sentiment when that arc was being dropped week to week

you're not wrong with saying that this felt like the "revving up" part of an arc, it's largely dedicated to setting up stuff that will pay off in the next few arcs

Reread Zou last night to be prepared for this, and had forgotten just how jam packed and great it was. That “Raizo is alive” moment hits hard.

One of my favourite aspects of Luffy and Robin's relationship is the fact that Robin refers to everyone using the nickname that Luffy gives them. For example, Cavendish (Cabbage), Bartolomeo (Crest Head), or Law (Tra-guy). Such a small detail, but really highlights how highly she values her relationship with Luffy.

Merph you have quickly become one of my favorite KZfaqrs re-experiencing the story with you has been an absolute pleasure!

merph: i know zoro care about sanji after chap 1031 drop today yea he do care :)

Yes Zou arc, the one that remind us how insane Oda was when we realize that Merry is the first Mink that we encounter back in Syrup Village!

Another character moment I love from Zou is that panel when Chopper hits puberty with the deer lady. He's grown so much.

not long till merphy catches up!! I've been a weekly reader of one-piece since post marine ford and its really refreshing to see her takes on arcs e.g. i HATED dressrosa week to week but looking back at it it was actually pretty good

I honestly love these breakdowns, first started just being a fan watching someone new getting into the series. Now I'm watching a fan breakdown and explain reasons why I love One Piece that I hadn't thought of previously. I enjoy these videos a lot and will be sad when your all caught up and the arc videos end haha.

Merphy, please, "Oyasumi Punpun" it's incredible.

The next arc, Merphy is my favorite in all of One Piece, because it ties together so much in the way of themes. Strap in for many feelings

When they got to Zou and after the revelations on a weekly manga setting, it feels like they are very near to the One Piece. Then WCI happened, then it took almost 2-3 years before we got to Wano.

There’s something Momo says in this arc which is imo the biggest troll by Oda because it’s said in such a casual way that you don’t think twice despite the fact that it is a massive in your face clue 😂 EDIT: someone put a reply below spoiling what Momo said, so please don’t read if you don’t know/don’t want to know

I think this is one of the best arcs to have read weekly. It wasn't too long and the twists and revelations were mind blowing

Just for future reference, if you’re ever unsure how to pronounce a word, the Japanese language only has one way to pronounce each vowel. A is “ah” E is “eh” I is “ee” O is “oh” U is “oo” So for example, Raizo (R-ah-ee-z-oh) Wano (W-ah-n-oh) 99% of the time if you follow this rule you’ll get it right, unless the word or name isn’t Japanese.

Rayleigh has conqueror haki but can't hear them. So it's not about conqueror haki

Merph: You are just a talking polar bear Morj: You are just a talking fish

I can't remember if you mentioned it yet but here were clues to Sanji's past. With his code name Mr. Prince and his wanted poster only having wanted "alive" and not "dead or alive."

Always fun watching merphy(or anyone for that matter) go through the one piece journey, it feels like I'm going through it for the first time again with them xD

1) Finally! Someone giving my girl Robin the appreciation she deserves! 2) I love the parallel you have between Luffy and Robin. Luffy pursues freedom. Robin pursues truth. You can't have one without the other. 3) We know the first three Red Ponoglyphs are located on Zou, and with Big Mama and Kaido. My theory is that the last Red Ponoglyph is going to be on the Island of Giants. There's been a TON of references and call backs [some to come next arc ;)]to the Giants that I just KNOW that's where this is gonna lead. 4)Merphy: "We're entering the endgame now" Long Term One Piece Fans: "Yeeeeeaaaaah...'bout that..."

Owh man she's going to catch up with us in no time. I'm excited if she does chapter to chapter but I also feel like she's really good at reviewing the arc as a whole. Either way please continue reading with us Merphy!

The elephant has a name it's zoo-knee-sha. And the royal line can only control it. As well sounds like she might of read over the "voice of all things" line with momo luffy and Roger.

That was the biggest most surprising laugh I had this week. I chill in bed after lunch to watch this video -> Introduction „TOM!“ haha, you are the best Merphy!

The reason why the "Raizou is safe" moment hit so hard is, because its the ultimate display of pure unconditional loyalty. Its especially emotional because of the symbolism of WHO is showing this loyalty... "Dog" and "Cat"... the "humans best friends".

Zou is when I really started feeling "oh, One Piece is going to end someday ". There was so much happening in these 23 chapters. Jack had such an intimidating presence and introduction being the billion berry man. The poneglyphs are finally here. Time to fight Big Mom and Kaido. But can we all talk about how Sanji is an actual literal prince? Like Mr. Prince from Alabasta? Look, Zoro might be a samurai or whatever and that's cool but being born in a family of super assassins? Damn. P.S. Zou literally means elephant.

Reading a new One Piece chapter and watching your One Piece Videos is the best feeling during the week😁 Thank you for becoming a part of the One Piece community!❤

These One Piece videos are how I start my work day every Friday and I just love watching Merphy fall deeper and deeper into the lore of this story. Thanks for the great content!

The best small detail within this arc for me is probably Chopper crushing on a Reindeer-mink.