 Warning! This video will contain spoilers up to chapter 1046. You've been warned! Hello Manaka Matachi, this is Joygirl. Let's discuss some of the recent developments that we've seen in the series. Now for me, I'm reminded each week what a masterful storyteller Oda is. But before we get into all of that, I do want to remind you that Oda's son is taking a well-deserved break, which does mean that unfortunately for us, we won't be getting a chapter this week. So, I'm gonna take this time to encourage you all to press that subscribe button so that I can feel your empty one-piece chapter void with some one-piece discussions. It really only makes sense for you to press that button. Okay, now that that's done, we can move on. So I've set this on a number of occasions now, but I seriously feel like each chapter this year has been filled to the brim with excitement and huge developments. I mean, even if we take chapter 1046, the most recent chapter for example, the majority of the chapter was spent providing us with updates and showing us snippets of other characters around Onigashima. But even still, Oda still used that chapter to also unveil some new connections between the relationship between Joyboy and Luffy, as well as to show Luffy utilizing his newly awakened powers in a truly epic way. So again, I just can't help but feel that every chapter lately has been huge. Whether that be because of a lore reveal or massive power-ups or just general hyper-action sequences, it really feels like it's been quite a while since we've had just a solely update general transition type of chapter. And as I've been experiencing this, something that I've become more and more appreciative of is of Oda's ability as a mangaka. It's something that I touch on in essentially every chapter review, but it's become increasingly apparent to me that it's something that some may take for granted or lose faith in. And I don't mean to tell anyone that the way that they're enjoying the series is wrong by all means, it's your experience. But I just wanted to share my thoughts on this because I really think that One Piece is not only the greatest manga, but is actually the best fictional series that I've ever encountered. And so it's a topic that I just wanted to talk about because, well, I keep alluding to it in bits and pieces, so I figured I might as well gather my thoughts and delve into it a bit more comprehensively in light of the comments and the discussions or the reactions that I've been seeing in response to the recent developments. Because although on the whole it seems like One Piece fans are really enjoying and really excited about the latest couple of chapters, I have also seen that there are some who are very vocal about not having enjoyed the latest developments or at least very apprehensive about how the series would continue. And let me explain what I mean. As early as last year, and probably before that too, as soon as we received a tease from Who's Who as to the importance of Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Mi, as well as the introduction, the official introduction to the sun god as Nika, there was quite a lot of apprehension as to what this would mean for Luffy's character arc, namely that he would just become the embodiment of fate and destiny and the reincarnation of Joy Boy or Nika. And I have to admit as well that I too have cautiously expressed my feelings in the past that I wouldn't like it if Luffy was solely the result of fate and reincarnation, that it's a trope that I've seen hasn't been executed very well in other series, but I did always maintain that I trusted Oda to tell his story in a way that he saw fit. But this apprehension seemed to grow for some people, especially when it became more apparent to us that it was indeed Luffy's devil fruit that the Gorosei were talking about in chapter 1037, when they were talking about a legendary devil fruit whose true name and true nature had to be concealed from the rest of the world. And then adding to that, the recent development of Zunisha recognizing Luffy as Joy Boy in chapter 1043. And although the general mood surrounding this was a lot of hype and excitement about such massive reveals, there was also some increased fear as to how Oda may be playing around with fate and destiny and reincarnation, and how all of this would take away from Luffy's growth throughout the series. But then we actually got the confirmation in chapter 1044 that the true nature of Luffy's devil fruit is in fact a mythical Zoan, the Hitohitonomi model Nika, and in my opinion, Oda handled and delivered this really brilliantly, really cleverly. Because if we assume that the previous Joy Boy also had the same Nika devil fruit, which is plausible given the connections between the words and the meanings of Joy and Nika, which in Japanese can mean grin or smile, and from what we were told from who's who that Nika was the God that slaves pray to for liberation, and then Zunisha associating Joy Boy with the drums of liberation. So then it's also fair to assume that Luffy now being recognized as Joy Boy has a lot to do with him not only just obtaining his Nika devil fruit, but also awakening it. And then in which case, this isn't just a simple case of fate and destiny or reincarnation, because it's rather something that Luffy has achieved and accomplished through and through. During the Gorasei's conversation, it was revealed that the fruit hasn't been awakened in centuries, meaning that even if someone else had consumed the devil fruit, no one was able to awaken it. And from what we know of devil fruit awakenings, we know that it happens when the user really understands its true capabilities, meaning that it requires a higher level, a higher degree of skill and knowledge and capability, something that's worked for to unleash that awakening. And so this in my opinion satisfies that Luffy has still worked for this power and that this isn't something that was just given to him via fate. Because also the way that Oda has really crafted his writing and delivery suggested that it really wasn't just fate that Luffy encountered the devil fruit and ended up consuming it. And it also doesn't seem like it was just a mere coincidence, because the Gorasei in that chapter also revealed that Zoë and devil fruits have a mind of their own. And it's almost as if the Nika devil fruit had been eluding the world government on purpose. So in that case, the fact that Luffy was able to consume the devil fruit, it's almost as if the fruit let him, as if the fruit recognized Luffy and found him and chose him as worthy of its powers. And there's enough to suggest why Luffy was considered to be such a worthy individual. From the very first chapter, we see the very paradoxical nature of Luffy as a reckless and free-spirited and yet simultaneously an extremely determined boy when we see him go to the extent of stabbing himself to prove that he's ready to go out to sea. And this personality, this will of Luffy is something that we've seen continue to see throughout the rest of the series. The will that the Nika devil fruit recognized. And so again, for me, this has been wrapped up and explained beautifully. But then let's actually go to Luffy's powers and his awakening. When Gear 5th was revealed, I was ecstatic. Now, maybe that's because it was the first gear reveal that I had witnessed since having caught up with the series, but I was elated. But the next concern that seemed to pop up for some fans now that Luffy's devil fruit powers were comparable to a sun god was that Luffy was too strong and would become too OP. But for me, there's actually two layers as to how and why Luffy's powers make sense. On one hand, I think I have to repeat that this is something that Luffy has worked for and achieved in his own right. So the fact that he has become that much stronger doesn't really diminish anything in terms of his character development for me. At the end of the day, Luffy is our protagonist and he has been getting steadily stronger throughout the series. I mean, that's to be expected of our main character. And we're really inching towards the end game of the series now. So it only makes sense that his strength would also develop accordingly. But then simultaneously, I felt that Oda had brilliantly injected some goofiness, the goofy fun aspect of One Piece into Luffy's power by not making Luffy have that automatically super strong, super OP abilities. We have characters in the series who are literally known as the strongest, whether that be the strongest man or the strongest creature. But when it comes to Luffy, the fact that he has the Nika Devil Fruit doesn't automatically make him the strongest of anything, but he is made the most ridiculous, which in my mind fits Luffy and his character perfectly. The fact that Luffy has this Devil Fruit fits so well in line with the original Gomu Gomu no Mi, where the rubber fruit in and of itself wasn't super strong, but it was the way that Luffy used his imagination and creativity to make it a combative advantage. And so the way I see it, giving Luffy the most ridiculous powers via his Nika Devil Fruit, it feels more or less along the same lines, but just intensified. But then there are also some complaints about the very nature of his Devil Fruit. Not everyone was happy to see Luffy's cartoon powers. And I did see a number of complaints about Luffy's goofy fighting style and how it didn't fit the serious tone or reflect the high stakes of the nature of this battle. And I think this was especially the case after Oda not just introduced us to the Toony Powers when we saw Luffy's Devil Fruit awakening, but then continued it in the next chapter in Chapter 1045. But then, as I said in my chapter review for 1045, I personally didn't see the lighthearted fighting style of Luffy's take anything away from the actual seriousness of the battle itself. It was pretty clear in the chapter that despite the fact Luffy was having fun with the fight, he was still the same very determined warrior. During that chapter, when Luffy's strength seemingly runs out and Kaito suggests that he may as well die now, we saw Luffy quickly summon back his Gifith form again and continue to fight. He even says the words that this can't end yet, and he called out the names of those whom he made promises to or those whom he knows entrusted him to bring about the new dawn. And so from this, I interpreted it to mean that Luffy truly hasn't lost sight of his mission and he hasn't lost sight of what exactly is at stake. And so again, for me, this chapter was a perfect example of Oda knowing how to balance his storytelling to give us the fun entertaining moments while still maintaining the heart and the heavy meaningful serious things which then now brings us to chapter 1046. Because after some weeks of complaints or fears about Luffy just being too goofy and not fitting with the tone of the battle, Oda went ahead and showcased his skills and his understanding of his own story by just showing us the pure hype of Luffy wielding lightning and the contrast between the Tooni fighting style that we've seen in the last couple of chapters to now. I mean, I had no doubt in my mind that this is what Oda was going to do to balance and mix in the goofiness and fun with also the epic hype. And so this chapter really only reaffirmed for me that we just have to wait and let Oda do his thing. And this isn't the first time that we've seen this and I don't think that it'll be our last. But again, I just wanted to share my thoughts and my experiences with this because especially as someone who also expressed my thoughts about how I wouldn't like it if Oda went down the reincarnation road I'm really glad that I maintained throughout the whole process that I would just trust in Oda to deliver the story that I know he's going to deliver. And so I hope my explanation has clarified things somewhat and maybe even helped you appreciate Oda's story telling more because in my opinion, it really is something deserving of appreciation. And that's not to say that he's immune to criticism. I mean, I think it's fair to critique things and not always like everything that happens in a series whether that be one piece or something else. But I just have to say that in my personal experience, I have maintained my belief that Oda would pull through and deliver his story whichever way he plans on taking it in the best way possible. And I just have to say that I really haven't been disappointed so far. And that's not an experience that I've always had when it comes to other series. But anyways, those are just my thoughts. Let me know yours by leaving a comment below. Don't forget to like and share the video. Please do subscribe for more One Piece discussions. You can also join our Joyfleet Discord server or even become a Patreon member. And I want to thank all my Patreons for help supporting the channel. This is Joygirl and I'll see you again soon.