Is Law’s Return to the Main Story Imminent?
Law reappears in the cover page — he’d been absent since his defeat at Blackbeard’s hands, with his fate unknown. Could a return to the main story be close? The cover page itself follows an interesting homage pattern. The last panel featuring Law in the main story was chapter 1081, at the end of volume 107:
And the cover page of chapter 1082 — right after the SBS pages — shares many elements with this week’s cover:
There’s also a strong resemblance to the cover illustration of chapter 599 in volume 61 — clouds, a rainbow, sheep, a nap in the meadow.
Chapter 599 was the reunion chapter — after rumors spread that Luffy had died at Marineford, the Straw Hats finished their two years of training and reassembled. Chapter 1165, by contrast, features Rocks’s apparent death and the Rocks Pirates scattering. The same composition, opposite outcomes. Reading One Piece while looking for self-homages opens up these quiet symmetries.
Finally Appears: Brumarine
Brumarine finally shows up — and he doesn’t appear to be a fighter. He probably stayed behind to watch the ship while the crew landed. His look is distinctly old-man-ish. Either way, the Roger Pirates are now complete.
The Great Explorer and Norse Mythology
A pirate calling himself a Whitebeard fan appears: Polo Gram. One look and it’s obvious — he’s Marco’s father. Which would make Marco’s full name Polo Marco. The model: Marco Polo, the explorer who introduced Japan to the world as the “Golden Country Zipangu” through his Travels.
Marco (the phoenix) visited Wano repeatedly, and Wano was known as a golden land during a certain era — Oda is following the actual historical narrative there. His dedication to grounding even the fantasy in real-world parallels is remarkable.
The Sacred Sword Only the Chosen Can Draw
“Gram” — in Norse mythology, Gram is the name of the sacred sword blessed by Odin. One night, a mysterious old man (Odin) appeared at a royal ball and plunged the sword into a great tree, saying: “Whoever draws this sword shall have it.” (This is the source of the Excalibur legend in Arthurian lore.) The one who drew Gram and became a war hero was Sigmund. His son Sigurd inherited the sword and slew a dragon, becoming a hero in his own right. Sigurd is better known by his German name: Siegfried.
Now: Whitebeard’s son Weevil is modeled on Víðarr, the son of Odin — which means Whitebeard = Odin. So the Norse myth of Odin’s sacred sword Gram, passed down through the heroic father-son pair (Sigmund → Sigurd), is being retold through Whitebeard, Polo Gram, and Marco. The legend of the hero and his legacy, echoing through generations.
Hinokagutsuchi
Roger’s greatest technique is named Hinokagutsuchi Eishi. Hinokagutsuchi (火之迦具土) is the Japanese god of fire. “Eishi” appears to be an alternate writing of “Ace.” And as a cruel irony — both Hinokagutsuchi and Ace share the same tragic trait: their birth caused their mother’s death.
Here’s hoping “Eishi (Ace)” does not appear in next year’s baby name rankings. Naming your child after a character who dies is just asking for trouble. That’s all for this chapter — see you next week!