TL;DR:
- One Piece 1048 will hopefully pick up right where One Piece chapter 1047 left off instead of a flashback
- The Orochi subplot might finally be resolved after years of annoying fans
- Act 3 finally comes to a close, but that won’t be the end of the Wano arc
Spoiler warning ahead for One Piece chapter 1047
One Piece 1048 of the manga is coming on the heels of an incredible chapter in One Piece 1047 in which the fight between Monkey D. Luffy and Kaido continued rapidly approaching its climax. This leaves readers at a naturally inquisitive point as the cliffhanger didn’t show the result of Luffy’s giant Gear 5 fist loomed over Kaido and the entire floating island of Onigashima. The Wano arc continues to rage on in both the anime and the manga. Where will the story go from here? We won’t know for sure until next week when One Piece 1048 spoilers drop on Reddit. In the meantime, let’s speculate.
Where ‘One Piece’ chapter 1047 left off
One Piece 1047 included numerous plot threads as well as the major reveal that the previous Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, did not possess the power of any devil fruit. This means that Roger conquered all of the seas with just the power of his haki and his determination to find absolute freedom. Kaido alluded to this by referencing how one doesn’t need advanced abilities to reach their goals on the Grand Line.
Additionally, the seastone nails that bound Orochi got loose, so even though Kozuki Hiyori set him on fire, this chapter saw him transforming once more into his hydra form, albeit on fire. Fans continue to perceive Orochi as a cockroach who just won’t bow out, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plot is resolved as Hiyori’s in danger.
The island of Onigashima is speeding toward the Flower Capital, where a collision could cause numerous fatalities for the commoners celebrating the Fire Festival below. Meanwhile, Gear Fifth Luffy with his awakened Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika continues his fight against Kaido, and author Eiichiro Oda is clearly having a blast drawing this conflict. As mentioned, the chapter ends off with Luffy inflating his fist to be even larger than Onigashima, so it’ll be interesting to see if this will be the blow that finally does Kaido in. Where will the story go next?
We need to see a resolution to the Orochi subplot quickly in ‘One Piece’ 1048
I am tired of Orochi. You’re tired of Orochi. Everyone is tired of Orochi. The weasel started being insufferable way back in the days of Kozuki Oden, and he continues to be weasely up to the current timeline.
My prediction for One Piece 1048 is that Denjiro, one of Oden’s retainers, appears in the nick of time to save Hiyori from the burning antagonist. We last saw Denjiro taking down Orochi in One Piece chapter 1009 when he incapacitated Orochi in the first place. Fans thought that would be the last time we’d see the character, but here we are 39 chapters later.
Denjiro being the one to deal the final blow would be thematically satisfying. He was one of the characters who did not jump forward in time with Momonosuke and Kinemon, instead having to endure 20 years of shame and going undercover as one of Orochi’s hired goons. With Hiyori also not jumping forward in time, it could be incredibly satisfying for her and Denjiro to work together to finally put the villain in the dirt for good.
‘One Piece’ 1048 could be where Act 3 closes
The Wano arc of the story appears to be written in the structure of the Jo-ha-kyū plays in traditional Japanese culture. According to AYFP, this form of kabuki theater starts with a slow burn in Act 1, introducing characters and allowing the plot to breathe. Act 2 ups the action along with Act 3, but the latter tends to end in great tragedy before the story picks up in Act 4 with more battles. Finally, Act 5 features a satisfying conclusion.
The Wano arc has clearly been featuring the “acts” structure, with the raid on Onigashima being the highlight of Act 3. This means that if Eiichiro Oda sticks to the structure, we’ll be seeing a great tragedy or dramatic moment soon. There’s no denying that the great conflict is approaching its end. In chapter 1046, we saw how Luffy is rapidly approaching his limit for Gear 5. So, what does this mean for One Piece 1048?
My prediction here is that Luffy lands his massive punch on Kaido, but with the fist being that large, he’s going to end up destroying a big chunk of the island, leading to many of his allies tumbling hundreds of feet from the air. That’s where Act 3 will finish.
That tension will stick with readers until the following chapter comes out, and then I predict that Luffy will try to hit the ground first. The reasoning behind that is that with his awakened devil fruit powers, it appears that Luffy can make surfaces rubber in addition to his own rubber body. By turning the ground into rubber, his allies will land safely in extremely cartoony fashion.
That’s just my prediction, though. You can join the One Piece 1048 predictions thread on Reddit to leave your thoughts as well.
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