Jinbe, Knight of the Sea
Yamato’s Cover Story Vol.20: “Raid on Holdem! Leave Everything Behind!!”
Just as I predicted, this was a Jinbe homage — the crew member who joined after Brook. The composition references this scene below.
This is the scene where Jinbe defeats Opera, rescues Luffy, and makes his first overt act of defiance against Big Mom.
In the midst of the chaos that followed, he upheld his code of loyalty and formally returned the cup to Big Mom.
With his ties cleanly severed, he earned the right to become Luffy’s crewmate.
With this Jinbe homage, the series of Straw Hat crew member homages has now come full circle.
…though there was also a Vivi entry along the way (Vol.16). If crewmates who didn’t sail with the ship are included, does that mean next up is Kinnemon? Momonosuke?
The Cover’s Jinbe Homage Rubbing Off on Luffy
The word “jingi” (code of loyalty/honor) keeps coming up — it’s common in the world of pirates, but it’s a nuanced term with many shades of meaning.
It comes up especially often wherever Jinbe is involved.
This is how he introduced himself when he officially joined the crew in Wano — a ceremony called “jingi wo kiru” (formally pledging one’s loyalty).
So when Luffy suddenly invoked “jingi” in this chapter, I think it’s because the Jinbe homage on the cover made Oda want to weave that theme into the main story too.
Robin’s Wish Comes True
In Wano, her memories were weaponized against her by enemies, leaving her heartbroken…