“Tonoyasu! Ebisu Town’s Most Loved!”

The main thread through this episode is where it starts with Luffy’s fight underway once again and him and the old man holding their own and dealing with what’s being thrown at them. The old man has his moments to be sure as a character and it’s even a rare time where using a design like they have for him actually works instead of feeling forced. The diminutive side works well but it’s the tattoo artwork and the attitude that he puts forth that lets it really feel like it’s cemented and authentic. We do get some time post-fight where the talk goes to the legendary Roger and his time here and the old man has things to say in general once Raizo reveals himself there, but there’s a lot of heartache coming from him because of the events of the past and how badly things went down for the ruling family that was displaced.

The episode does catch up with some of the other characters as well, giving us a little time with some of the future-flung membres of Wano as well as even reconnecting with Sanji and Frankie, Usopp and Nami. We do get some time with Yasu as well and that has one of the locals making the connection with Toko to him and their being related which brings some smiles to faces since Toko is well-liked. These are nice moments overall and the flashbacks to how well Yasu and Toko got along some time ago has its adorableness quota taken care of easily. But this is what makes up the non-Luffy side so it’s not terribly deep, but a welcome counterbalance.

In Summary:

Luffy continues training himself to use Haki with Old Man Hyo’s help, but the battle is suddenly suspended and shortly thereafter Raizo appears in front of them. Meanwhile, Nami, Usopp, and the others are wondering who Tonoyasu, Ebisu Town’s hero, really is.

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

乂⍱‿●乂