Chapters · Sky Island › Skypiea

Chapter 258: The Many Souths

Arc: Skypiea · Saga: Sky Island · Released:

Summary

The chapter opens by re-establishing the split: the Straw Hats are in two groups, and the gold-search team is four — Robin, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp — at Upper Yard, the site of Enel’s survival game. Their destination is the ancient ruins they believe are the true remains of El Dorado, the City of Gold, lying due south of the Sacrificial Altar — “a straight shot,” it should have been (pp. 2). It is not: the forest’s chaos scatters the four. Usopp is sent screaming and fleeing in terror through the jungle, comic panels of him panicking among Shandian skirmishes (“Get me out of here NOW!!”); the “Heavenly Warriors” (Enel’s vassals) and the Shandian guerrillas are already at war all around the intruders, with cries of “Kill the Shandians!!” and explosions (pp. 3-6). Robin breaks off alone, observing that things have “gotten pretty lively in the forest,” picks her way through ruins (“It’s been swallowed up by the forest… the ruins of an old hut”), and is intercepted by a Shandian axe-dial fighter who orders her off the sacred route to the Kami’s temple (“It is sacrilege to go any further!!”). Robin coolly counters his attack and folds him with a Seis Fleurs twist (“What a terrible thing to do,” she remarks at the result), continuing on (pp. 7-9). Luffy, meanwhile, is confronted by a Shandian who warns him off the island; Luffy answers that he thought the island belonged to the Kami, and the Shandian corrects him — “This island… belongs to the Shandians!!” When the guerrilla swings at him, Luffy grins (“Now you’re speaking my language!!”) and floors him. Zoro encounters his own Shandian — a gunman called a “guerrilla,” identified as “one of the Blue Sea people that Wyper mentioned” — and trades blows with him; the gunman’s “flashing pistol” (a dial-pistol firing dazzling bursts) catches Zoro off guard with a tink-tink-tink scatter (pp. 12-18). The two finally clash and both are left standing; the chapter closes on the mutual-respect beat — the Shandian (face shadowed) tells Zoro “I’m sorry I went so easy on you… Blue Sea guy. You’re pretty tough,” and Zoro, sheathing his blade with a “DOOM,” answers “I’m sorry too. I thought you were just a small fry. Don’t mention it.” A final wide panel shows winged Shandian warriors charging the temple with dials and blades drawn.

New reveals

• The gold-search party is named and routed — the four-member team (Robin, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp) is heading for the ancient ruins they believe are the true remains of El Dorado, lying due south of the Sacrificial Altar; the route was meant to be “a straight shot” but the survival-game chaos scrambles it (pp. 2). This is the in-world expression of the chapter title, “The Many Souths.”
• The Shandians claim Upper Yard as their own land — a Shandian tells Luffy “This island… belongs to the Shandians!!” (pp. 10), the first time on this batch the land-ownership claim is stated directly to a Straw Hat, in opposition to Enel’s vassals who treat it as the forbidden domain of the Kami. The two-sided war over Upper Yard is now legible to the protagonists.
• Shandian Impact/Surprise Dial weaponry — the guerrillas deploy drum-shaped dials (“DUN DUN DUN DOON”) as shockwave weapons against the gold-search party (pp. 14-16).
• Robin / Luffy / Zoro each defeat a Shandian — Robin folds the axe-dial guerrilla with a limb-twist; Luffy floors the one who warns him off; Zoro duels the “flashing pistol” gunman to a draw-of-respect.
• Zoro’s opponent is the gunman the vault tracks as Braham — referenced as a “guerrilla” and “one of the Blue Sea people that Wyper mentioned” (pp. 12, 15); his weapon is the dial-pistol that fires blinding flashes (Flash Dial), the trait by which the vault distinguishes Braham. (Inference flag: the chapter does not print his name on-page; identification is by weapon, role, and the prior 0251 naming.)

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Nico Robin (pp. 7-12), Luffy (pp. 2, 10-13), Zoro (pp. 4, 12-20), Usopp (pp. 2-7, comic flight), Enel (referenced — “Enel’s survival game,” “the Kami”)
• Shandians (on-page, by role — not name-printed this chapter): an axe-dial guerrilla (defeated by Robin), a guerrilla who warns Luffy off (defeated by Luffy), the “flashing pistol” gunman dueled by Zoro (the vault’s Braham, identified by weapon + the “Blue Sea people that Wyper mentioned” line)
• Referenced (not present): Wyper (“the Blue Sea people that Wyper mentioned,” pp. 12, 15)
• Cover: Wapol (cover-story B-plot)
• Locations: Upper Yard, Skypiea, the Sacrificial Altar (referenced as the route’s origin point), the Kami’s temple (referenced destination), the ancient ruins / “true remains of El Dorado” (the gold party’s target)
• Named entities: El Dorado / City of Gold (the gold party’s objective), the Shandians, the “Heavenly Warriors” / Heavenly Vassals (Enel’s side), Mantra (implied), Seis Fleurs (Robin’s technique), Flash/dazzle dial-pistol (Zoro’s opponent), Impact/Surprise dials (drum weapons)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Cover: “Wapol’s Omnivorous Rampage, Vol. 20: ‘A Titan of Industry — The Munch-Munch Factory Is Born.’” Wapol stands grinning before a massive multi-story “MUNCH-MUNCH FACTORY” building (its peak topped with a crown motif), a crowd of factory workers/figures lined up beside it and his small companion animal in front. Wapol has gone from peddler to industrialist. Decorative B-plot continuation.
• Page 2 — Map/infographic recap panels: the Straw Hats split into two groups; the gold-search team is “these four” (Robin, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp), at Upper Yard, “site of Enel’s survival game.” Their destination is “the ancient ruins they believe are the true remains of El Dorado, the City of Gold,” lying “due south of the sacrificial altar” — “a straight shot. It should have been…” (the title’s “Many Souths” gag — the path scatters).
• Pages 3-5 — Usopp panics and bolts through the forest amid the war (“Get me out of here NOW!!”); cries of “It’s the Heavenly Warriors!!” / “Kill the Shandians!!” frame the two-sided battle around the intruders; a “BOOM” explosion.
• Pages 7-9 — Robin alone in the ruins; “Things seem to have gotten… pretty lively in the forest.” Identifies an overgrown structure as the swallowed “ruins of an old hut”; an axe-dial Shandian intercepts her on the “route to the Kami’s temple” calling further passage “sacrilege”; Robin folds him with a Seis Fleurs twist — “What a terrible thing to do.”
• Page 10 — Luffy confronted by a Shandian: “This island… belongs to the Shandians!!” Luffy: “Really? I thought it belonged to the Kami.” The land-ownership beat.
• Pages 11-13 — Luffy grins at the Shandian’s attack (“Now you’re speaking my language!!”) and decks him; Zoro is engaged by the “flashing pistol” guerrilla.
• Pages 14-16 — Shandian drum-dials fire (“DUN DUN DUN DOON”); a different guerrilla begs for mercy then attacks; Zoro is caught by a dazzling flash-burst (“TINK TINK TINK… WHA…?!”).
• Pages 19 — Zoro and his opponent reach a draw of mutual respect; the shadowed Shandian: “I’m sorry I went so easy on you… Blue Sea guy. You’re pretty tough.” Zoro sheathes with a “DOOM”: “I’m sorry too. I thought you were just a small fry. Don’t mention it.”
• Page 20 (final) — Wide action panel: three winged Shandian warriors charge with dials, axe, and blade drawn (“DOOSH!!”), the war pressing onward toward the temple.

Open questions raised

• If the gold party’s “ancient ruins” are Shandora and the Shandians guard the route to them as sacred, will the Straw Hats end up fighting the very people whose lost city they’re seeking — before realizing they’re on the same side against Enel?
• What are the dials the Shandians wield (axe-dial, flash-pistol, drum-impact), and how does this dial-combat doctrine map onto the priests’ and Enel’s powers?
• Where exactly does the scrambled “many souths” route lead — and does it deliver the gold party to Shandora’s gold / the Golden Bell?