Chapter 828 Self-Homage
Yamato’s Cover Page Series Vol. 33: “From Otama to Kawamatsu — taking the bamboo hat, off to Hakumai.”
Ulti bowing even to Raizo and Otama, former enemies, and even Speed, who ranked below her. She has fully committed to being Yamato’s follower. At this rate, even if Yamato eventually joins the Straw Hats, Ulti won’t cause trouble.
Comparison with Chapter 828
The setup this time closely mirrors this earlier pattern: Ulti tearfully expressing gratitude echoes Pekoms in the Zou arc (Chapter 812). Raizo sharing food echoes Luffy when leaving Zou (Chapter 822). Since this cover page follows that thread, it flows as a homage to Chapter 828.
With Otama and Speed gone, two Ancient Zoan users have joined as Yamato’s companions. Including Yamato, all three share a trait: horned Zoan ability users. Could this be the “New Beast Pirates”? If so, Sasaki seems likely to join as well. Sasaki is probably the son of Grandma Kokoro from Water Seven — and Chimney’s father. His fight with Franky almost certainly had an unspoken hometown connection as the backstory, which means he must be a good person.
Chapter 1148 features: Nami getting angry at Sommers for taking children hostage; Ronia bravely putting on a brave face with “I love school” / “I don’t want school to disappear because of me” / “I’ll be fine!”; and the countdown “2,” “1” as Ronia falls. So what was Chapter 828 about? The parallels:
- The title is “1 and 2” — countdown: “2,” “1”
- Pudding is portrayed as a good person — Ronia is portrayed as a good person
- Pedro takes Pudding hostage and Nami gets angry — Nami gets angry at Sommers for taking Ronia hostage
- Pudding talks about her beloved older sister Lola and falling for Sanji — Ronia talks about how much she loves school and her friends
- Pudding bravely putting on a brave face: “Sanji rejected me, but maybe someone even better will come along” — Ronia bravely putting on a brave face: “I’m lucky so I’ll be fine even if I fall! Don’t burn down the school!”
- Robin loses her temper at those who don’t understand historical value
- “Hana Hana” (Flower-Flower) followed by a fall from height
- Spine crushed by “Clutch”
- A pirate whose child is taken hostage
- Fairy tale homage: the child of enemy brigands becomes a best friend
- Both Miyazaki father and son (Ghibli) serve as homage sources
- Sommers has shades of the Spandine/Spandam father-son duo
From cover page to main content — a perfect self-homage to Chapter 828. My prediction from last week — that Gunco, like Pudding, will be honest about her feelings and betray — is probably correct. Pudding is receiving too much spotlight for it to be otherwise.
A Fairy Tale and Ghibli Homage, Too
The name Ronia was not a common name until Swedish author Astrid Lindgren created it as a character name. That work is “Ronja the Robber’s Daughter.” Lindgren is a world-famous children’s author ranked alongside Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. Oda-sensei deliberately naming a pirate’s daughter Ronia couldn’t have been a coincidence — this is a fairy tale homage.
The work was also adapted into anime by Ghibli’s Goro Miyazaki. Could this also be called a Ghibli homage?
The story: Ronia, born to a robber father, meets the son of a rival robber band — Birk — and becomes his best friend against their parents’ wishes.
Regardless of the circumstances you were born into, being true to your own feelings and building good relationships even with enemies — isn’t this exactly what Pudding’s story in the Whole Cake Island arc was about?
But Ronia, who is being paralleled with Pudding in Chapter 1148, is not in a position to betray anyone. So who is the female character likely to betray for someone from a rival faction she’s fallen for, just like Pudding? It can only be Gunco.
A Skypiea Homage, Too
Robin vs. Sommers’ fighting style looked familiar — it’s the same as Robin’s fight against God’s Official Yama in the Skypiea arc. Mid-battle, she also uses the Axe Dial (Slashing Shell) to deliver a cutting attack.
With Gaban’s appearance, the homage is complete: written as “slashing” but read as “axe” — and axe means Scopper Gaban. God’s Knight Sommers and God’s Official Yama are clearly being overlapped.
Why didn’t Sommers’ arm regenerate? Is something about Gaban’s weapon or technique special? Or does Haki work on it?
An Ohara Homage, Too
Trying to erase a library and books filled with the history of humanity — and cornering a single girl. Sommers’ words and actions resemble Spandine. And Sommers being attacked by Robin resembles Spandine’s son Spandam.
The common thread is “parent and child.” Following the Kuma/Bonney parent-child duo in the Egghead arc, is the parent-child theme continuing in the Elbaf arc? Then again, One Piece’s central theme — “The Will That Is Passed On” — is fundamentally something inherited between parent and child.