Chapter 914: Okobore Town

Arc: Wano Country · Saga: Four Emperors (Yonko) · Released: 2018-09-03

Summary

In Okobore Town in Kuri, Wano, the waitress Okiku finishes treating the poisoned girl Otama with an “evil-purging herb” at Otsuru’s teahouse, warning her never to drink the river water again. Otsuru forces a birthday meal of sweet-bean oshiruko on the reluctant, charity-shy Otama, who has never tasted such food. Over the meal Okiku explains Wano’s plight to the disguised Luffy (“Luffytaro” / “Monkey D.”) and Zoro (“Zolojuro,” a ronin): Okobore lives off the officials’ leftover scraps and the poisoned rivers, while all the safe, clean food sits in Paradise Farm — built by the late Lord Oden of the Kozuki Clan, who ruled Wano until ~20 years ago, but now owned by Shogun Orochi. Oden Castle stands in ruins on the one mountain without factory smokestacks. The conversation is overheard by the bat-eared Gifter Bat-Man, who fires arrows at Otsuru for “badmouthing the Shogun” — Zoro deflects them. A second Gifter, Gazelle-Man, snatches Otama and bolts at 200 km/h toward the officials’ town. Luffy rides a komainu (Komachiyo) in pursuit; Okiku, revealed to be a samurai, grabs a katana and joins, reading from an intel notebook that ~30 SMILE-powered warriors and the Headliners Hawkins, Holdem, and Speed hold the area ahead — Bakura Town, the town of officials and pirates. As they charge in, Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates spot the Straw Hats and rush to stop the coming chaos.

New reveals

• Okobore Town = “the town of leftover scraps,” in Kuri: residents survive on the scraps and rotting food the officials’ town sells off, plus poisoned river water. “Beyond the giant torii gate is the town where the officials dwell.” (pp. 8, 10)
• Wano’s recent history. Until ~20 years ago the Land of Wano was long ruled by the Kozuki Clan; the “late Lord Oden” created Paradise Farm to feed the people of Kuri “good, healthy food” — safe crops, clean water and clothes. The farm now “all belongs to Shogun Orochi.” (pp. 8-9)
• Oden Castle named and shown as ruins atop the mountain “without the smokestacks” — implying the other mountains bear factory smokestacks. Destroyed ~20 years ago. (pp. 8-9)
• Okiku is a samurai. The teahouse waitress (new to Okobore, one month) draws a katana against the Gifters; declared “…is a SAMURAI!!” (pp. 14-15)
• Otama’s cheek-dumpling power teased: “Can’t you make those dumplings from your cheeks?” / “Those don’t fill my stomach.” The Beasts Pirates’ report names her as “the one who tamed the baboon” and Holdem deems her “useful.” (pp. 6, 16)
• Bat-Man (Bat SMILE) — Gifter with hearing “six times as powerful as a human’s”; Gazelle-Man (Gazelle SMILE) — Gifter who “run[s] 200 KMH.” Both enforce Orochi’s rule; Gazelle-Man abducts Otama. (pp. 11-13, 16)
• Intel notebook: ~30 warriors gained powers via “mysterious artificial fruit”; three Headliners — Hawkins, Holdem, Speed — are stationed near the officials’ town. (p. 15)
• Bakura Town — “the town of officials and pirates” — glimpsed ahead. (p. 16)
• Law and the Heart Pirates are in Wano and recognize “Straw Hat and Roronoa,” moving to intercept them before they cause trouble. (p. 17)

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters (shown): Luffy (“Luffytaro” / “Monkey D.”), Zoro (“Zolojuro,” a one-eyed ronin), Otama, Okiku, Otsuru, Komachiyo (the komainu Luffy rides), Bat-Man, Gazelle-Man, Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates (p. 17).
• Characters (named / heard, not shown): Holdem (radio voice), Orochi (“Shogun Orochi” / “Lord Orochi”), Basil Hawkins (named in the notebook), Speed , Urashima (referenced — “that sumo wrestler earlier was attempting to court me”), Kozuki Oden (“the late Lord Oden”), Big Mom (Luffy: “Big Mom was way bigger”).
• Groups: Animal Kingdom Pirates (“Gifters,” “Headliners”), Kozuki (the Kozuki Clan).
• Locations: Okobore Town, Kuri, Wano Country, Bakura Town, Oden Castle (ruins), Paradise Farm.
• Concepts: SMILE (“mysterious artificial fruit”), Bat SMILE / Gazelle SMILE.
• Threads: Will of D (Luffy states “Monkey D.” even under the Luffytaro disguise, p. 7).

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page / cover-story installment: “The Saga of the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Fleet, Vol. 42 — ‘Village of Dyed Goods’”: a hillside of windmills draped with colorful dyed banners/flags, a small cloaked figure walking past.
• Pages 8-9 — Wide establishing shots of the smokestacked mountains and the ruined Oden Castle on the lone smokestack-free peak; the distant Paradise Farm at the mountain’s foot.
• Page 11 — Bat-Man’s full descent (Gifter caption: “Bat SMILE Fruit”), bat-winged and bat-eared.
• Page 13 — Gazelle-Man (Gifter caption: “Gazelle SMILE Fruit”) bolts off with Otama; Luffy mounts the komainu.
• Page 15 — Reveal panel: “…is a SAMURAI!!” — Okiku draws her katana.
• Page 16 — Wide shot of Bakura Town, “the town of officials and pirates,” seen across the fields (mirror candidate).
• Page 17 — Cut to Law and the Heart Pirates reacting to the Straw Hats’ arrival; “To be continued.”

Open questions raised

• What exactly happened ~20 years ago to topple the Kozuki Clan and kill Lord Oden, leaving Orochi as Shogun?
• Who is Shogun Orochi, and how is the Animal Kingdom Pirates’ (Kaido’s) occupation tied to his rule?
• Is Okiku a surviving Kozuki retainer working undercover in Okobore? Why is she “new to town”?
• How does Otama’s beast-taming dumpling power work, and will it turn the Beasts Pirates’ SMILE-animals against them?
• Why are the rivers and land poisoned — what are the smokestacked mountain factories producing?
• Why has Law come to Wano ahead of the Straw Hats, and what is his plan that Luffy’s recklessness threatens?