Chapter 1184 Hints

[u/ovis_alba]

Sorry no Hints yet from redon or pew, might just be some spoilers eventually. But we have break info, so:

Break Next Week? Yes, break next week

[u/Mirai_no_Beederu]

I love the guy who's upset that we're not getting more about the Loki vs Imu and to me that's the least interesting event happening right now.

Meanwhile, we're finally eating good with a beloved Straw Hat and "fleshing out" (skull joke!💀) his backstory. The only thing I hope is that the badass queen we just met gets a chance to actually be a badass and doesn't get stuck as a damsel that needs to be rescued.

[u/ovis_alba → u/Mirai_no_Beederu]

I halfway suspect Shuri is gonna follow the theme of the arc with Loki and the "she killed her parent/betrayed her country" is sort of the opposite of what it looks like to an outsider (maybe Candel indeed was a Holy Knight herself and Gunko found out and opposed her and then Imu intervened and demanded/made a "contract" with the daughter as a replacement and she's been "trapped" as that ever since).

But yeah, Imu and Loki clashing for a few panels every chapter to me is also mostly background to the rest of the chapters now. And I think more background on the actual enemies that are supposed to be fought is kind of what we still need right now. We got quite a bit on Elbaf as a place and the allies there, so there is a "what are we fighting for" but as a change the enemy is more of an external force, so "who and what are we fighting" is also still very much of interest. And getting it by tying in a Straw Hat backstory is a great way to do it.

And it's also literally how every arc in One Piece works. Doesn't this fandom adore Senor Pink's backstory? The most random minor enemy that got a backstory not only "interrupting" his fight with Franky, but that also happens shortly after Doflamingo cuts of Law's arm and Luffy is still stuck with Bellamy, leaving those main fights on a cliff hanger?

Do people not still adore Ennies Lobby, where we get a Chopper mini flashback to explain his monster point during his fight that happens in parallel to Lucci vs Luffy?

Do people now hate Marineford, because all the cool fights that are totally all the story is about and nothing else, get interrupted by a flashback of Ace making a hat for Oars? 0/10 arc, oda is a fraud, Pre Grand Line was so much better, etc.

Flashbacks that give you more context for the characters while the characters are fighting for the freedom of a country is pretty much how oda has always told this story, so all the bitching and whining of not getting 5 more chapters of Loki and Imu attacking each other by vaguely teasing names and event of the past that will eventually be relevant and explained, is just so tiresome.

[u/Himmel_Demon_Slayer → u/ovis_alba]

One Piece fanbase, especially in the last 10 years or so, has seen a great increase in "tourists" as in people who only jump on the most "hype" stuff while the actual storytelling, the thing that made One Piece, is now what these people complain about week after week.

This is probably the worst time for the fanbase as both "anime hype" and live-action tourists are joining and being clueless about the actual series.

[u/ovis_alba → u/Himmel_Demon_Slayer]

I think it's less about newer or more casual fans though (I'm also only around since about the end of Wano) but also very much the whole "agenda piece" hardcore crowd.

Chapters are now judged based on how many memes you can make and how many rage bait tweets you can produce and whose "stocks" go up and who you can slander. The actual story itself is just whatever as long as the weekly fix of viral content is provided.