Chapters · Four Emperors (Yonko) › Wano Country

Chapter 980: Fighting Music

Arc: Wano Country · Saga: Four Emperors (Yonko) · Released: 2020-05-24

Summary

Inside Onigashima’s Fire Festival banquet, the disguised Straw Hat–alliance vanguard tries to slip through the crowd toward Kaido’s quarters, but Luffy — gorging at the feast to fill O-Tama’s still-empty stomach — fires a Gum-Gum Elephant Gun that wrecks the banquet area and cracks a second-floor balcony, blowing the group’s cover (p. 2–6). Scratchmen Apoo, now serving the Beasts Pirates as the party’s broadcasting DJ, recognizes “Pirate Hunter Zolo” and “Straw Hat Luffy” and announces the intruders to the whole hall; a bounty is declared — capture them and one Tobi Roppo seat will be “erased” and handed to the captor, sending Gifters scrambling for the prize (p. 8–9). Apoo turns his body into instruments and pummels Luffy and Zoro with sound-based “fighting music” attacks (p. 10–16). Luffy throws off his disguise to break through. As Apoo keeps Zoro and Luffy in his “firing range,” Eustass Kid storms in, recognizes the traitor who once betrayed their alliance to Kaido, and smashes Apoo with Punk Gibson (p. 16–17).

New reveals

• Scratchmen Apoo is in Kaido’s service. First on-page confirmation (foreshadowed by Kid’s account in Ch. 950): Apoo was placed “in charge of Udon” where he “trapped some rats,” and now works the Fire Festival as the Beasts Pirates’ DJ/announcer, checking in with Queen (p. 8).
• The “Tobi Roppo” (Flying Six) named on-page. The Beasts Pirates’ elite officer tier below the All-Stars; a leader (Queen, summoned by the panicking guards) offers to delete one Tobi Roppo to open a seat for whoever captures the Worst-Generation intruders — driving the Gifters into a frenzy (p. 9).
• Gifters = SMILE fruit users. Zoro reads the party-crashers’ powers as “they must all be Smile fruit users”; the reward is restricted to “at least a Gifter” (p. 9–10).
• The Kid–Apoo feud erupts. Kid attacks Apoo on sight as “that traitor over there,” invoking the betrayal that ended their three-crew alliance, and lands Punk Gibson (p. 16–17).
• Apoo’s “fighting music” combat style (body becomes instruments; BOP / SCRATCH / SLASH / BOOM / “sub-woofer”) is shown again in the present day, first since Sabaody (p. 10–16).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Luffy — gorges at the feast; fires Gum-Gum Elephant Gun; ditches his disguise to break through (p. 2–16)
• Zoro — disguised infiltrator; takes Apoo’s slashing “fighting music” (p. 6, 12, 16)
• Otama — “Tama,” still hungry; Luffy tries to fill her stomach (p. 2)
• Scratchmen Apoo — Beasts Pirates DJ/announcer; attacks Luffy & Zoro; struck by Kid (p. 8–17)
• Eustass Kid — arrives, recognizes the traitor Apoo, attacks with Punk Gibson (p. 16–17); called “Jaggy” (his Udon-prison nickname) by an onlooker (p. 11)
• Killer — at Kid’s side; “Stop it, Kid!!” (p. 16)
• Queen — summoned (“Master Queen!! Doctor! Help!”); Apoo checks in with him; announces the Tobi Roppo bounty (p. 7–9) — moderate confidence on the page-9 speaker
• Kaido — referenced; his castle/quarters “probably in the back,” the alliance’s true target (p. 10, 14)
• Animal Kingdom Pirates · On-Air Pirates · Kid Pirates
• Onigashima — the Skull Dome banquet during the Fire Festival night
• Fire Festival · SMILE · Tobi Roppo

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page / cover story: “Gang Bege’s Oh My Family” Vol. 27 — “I Like You!!! Marry Me!!!” (Fire Tank Pirates side-comic; exact panel IDs deferred to the cover-tracker). No interior color spread this chapter.
• Page 3 — Luffy’s “Gum-Gum Elephant Gun!!!” giant fist erupts over the feast.
• Page 8 — Apoo as the festival DJ, broadcasting the intruders to the whole hall; checks in with Queen.
• Page 9 — The Tobi Roppo-seat bounty announced; Gifters surge for the reward.
• Page 10–11 — “This is FIGHTING MUSIC!!” — Apoo’s body-instrument sound attacks (BOP / SCRATCH / SLASH).
• Page 16–17 — Kid bursts in and crushes Apoo with Punk Gibson (full-width scrap-metal blow). Cliffhanger.

Open questions raised

• Which Tobi Roppo would Queen actually “erase,” and does the promised vacancy ever materialize?
• How deep does Apoo’s role in the Beasts Pirates go — a mere collaborator, a Headliner, or something more?
• Does Kid abandon the infiltration to settle the Apoo grudge, and what does that cost the raid?