Chapters · Four Emperors (Yonko) › Wano Country

Chapter 989: I Can't Imagine Losing

Arc: Wano Country · Saga: Four Emperors (Yonko) · Released: 2020-08-30

Summary

Inside the Skull Dome on Onigashima, the Straw Hats and their allies brawl through the chaos of the Fire Festival night. Franky runs Big Mom over with his Kurosai FR-U motorcycle, enraging the Emperor, while Luffy peels off to reach Kin’emon and Momonosuke declares “I am Oden!! I will protect you!!” as he guards Nami and flees with Shinobu. Big Mom — who keeps trying to collect the crew’s “rare and fascinating creatures” (the Soul King Brook, the cyborg Franky) — is interrupted by the arrival of the Numbers, a band of drunk, Oars-sized monsters that Big Mom names as “the failed attempts at ancient giants” Kaido bought from Punk Hazard. Jinbe drops Big Mom with a Fish-Man Judo Whirlpool Shoulder Throw and Robin’s Mil Fleurs: Delphinium hurls her clear off the floor; she recognizes Jinbe and swears revenge for her ruined fleet. Luffy spots the sky and tries to Gum-Gum Rocket up to Kaido with Zoro in tow, but Kaido’s flying Devil-Fruit users have the sky totally sealed. The Straw Hat crew regroups on the floor; Luffy declares he’s going up to take out Kaido and tells the others to handle the rest.

New reveals

• The Numbers are “the failed attempts at ancient giants” — monstrous, Oars-sized creatures that Kaido bought from Punk Hazard (Big Mom, pp. 7). They are drunk/hammered and rampaging through the feast area.
• Big Mom collects rare and fascinating creatures: she openly covets the Soul King Brook and the cyborg Franky and tries to recruit them mid-fight (p. 5); she also “likes” the Numbers (p. 7).
• Big Mom remembers Jinbe: on being thrown she swears, “I’ll kill you too, for what you did to my fleet!! How dare you, Jimbei!!” (p. 10) — her grudge from his Whole Cake Island betrayal.
• Kaido’s flying Devil-Fruit (SMILE) users seal the sky — Luffy and Zoro cannot leap straight up to the rooftop; the sky is “totally blocked off” (pp. 13-14, 17).
• One Number, “Jaki,” is knocked down by Franky’s attack (p. 15).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Straw Hats present: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Nico Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbei, Tony Tony Chopper (“Commander Chopper”)
• Allies: Shinobu, Momonosuke
• Antagonists: Big Mom; the Numbers (one named on-page, Jaki, p. 15); Animal Kingdom Pirates flying gifters
• Mentioned, not shown: Kaido (“To Kaido!!”, “up top”), Kin’emon and his gang (“fighting up there too”), Denjiro (warned the grunts about “the Tobi Roppo dinosaurs”), the Tobi Roppo, Punk Hazard, Thriller Bark
• Techniques: Shinobu — Smoke Escape Jutsu (p. 4); Franky — Radical Beam (p. 8), General Franky vehicle modes “Black Rhino”/“Brachio Head, Change” (p. 15); Jinbe — Fish-Man Judo: Whirlpool Shoulder Throw (p. 9); Robin — Mil Fleurs: Delphinium (pp. 9-10); Luffy — Gum-Gum Rocket (p. 13)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page. Cover story: “Gang Bege’s Oh My Family,” Vol. 33: “Like I Have Proof!!” — a large illustration of Big Mom’s gaping face (cover-story B-plot).
• Page 2 — Franky’s Kurosai FR-U motorcycle runs Big Mom over; Robin reports for orders (“Help me out, Nico Robin”).
• Page 3 — Momonosuke shields Nami: “I am Oden!! I will protect you!! Kozuki Momonosuke!!”
• Page 6-7 — The Numbers crash the feast; Big Mom names them the “failed attempts at ancient giants” Kaido bought from Punk Hazard.
• Page 9-10 — Jinbe’s Fish-Man Judo Whirlpool Shoulder Throw + Robin’s Delphinium combo hurl Big Mom off the floor; she swears revenge as “Jimbei.”
• Page 14 — A large winged Devil-Fruit user and a flock of flying gifters seal off the sky.
• Page 16-17 — The Straw Hat crew regroups; Luffy: “I’m going up to take out Kaido!!!”; the crew charges the aerial barrier (“We got this!!!”).

Open questions raised

• Can Luffy and Zoro break through the flying-gifter barrier to reach Kaido on the rooftop?
• Exactly how were the Numbers made, and by whom — Caesar Clown / Vegapunk-tier ancient-giant cloning? How many are there?
• Will Big Mom come back “even angrier,” and does her grudge against Jinbe split the Yonko alliance?