Summary
As the Wano arc finally reaches its conclusion, theOne Pieceanime series temporarily shifts its focus to let viewers know the current happenings in the rest of the world. As Wano is an isolated country, much of the happenings around the world do not reach it, and those that do are highly curated by the upper echelon of the country.
Thanks to episode 1081, anime-only fans now know that while Luffy, Law, and Kid were making history by taking down two Emperors of the Sea, Sabo allegedly assassinated King Nefertari Cobra, the only Reverie participant of the descendants of the first twenty rulers of the world who created the World Government. While anime fans believe this to be false, the everyday people of theOne Pieceworld do not know that, and the flames of revolution burn.
The Flame Emperor
At a very young age,Sabo, Luffy, and Acebecame sworn brothers and proclaimed their dreams. Unfortunately, shortly after, Sabo was quickly proclaimed dead after he had a run-in with a celestial dragon. Thankfully, he was saved by Luffy’s father,Monkey D. Dragon, and taken under his wing. Now part of the Revolution army, Sabo quickly rose through the ranks, becoming number two. As the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Sabo was certainly not weak. He was trained by Dragon and other members of the Revolutionary Army and utilized his haki to a great extent.
Using the Ryusoken fighting style, Sabo could crush skulls, armor, and artillery easily with his bare hands. While Sabo was already an incredible combatant, he then gotthe Flame Flame fruit, the devil fruit that previously belonged to his sworn brother, Portgas D. Ace. With the Flame Flame devil fruit, Sabo became even stronger as he now became a master of flames. Sabo’s continued use and mastery of his Flame Flame devil fruit then earned him the epithet Flame Emperor.
The Insurgent Serpent
The father of Luffy and son of Garp, the Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Dragon, is known to be the worst criminal in the world, and for good reason. Starting off as a marine, Dragon eventually left the Marines and formed the Freedom Fighters. As the Freedom Fighters grew, they eventually became the Revolutionary Army,whose goal is to overthrow the World Government.
With Imu and the five elders leading the World Government, planning and scheming to overthrow them is no small crime, but Dragon went ahead and formed a group to that effect. While many considerthe Celestial Dragonsto be unfair rulers, very few can actually act on it, and Dragon is among those few. Because of his many plans and actions aimed at overthrowing the World Government, Dragon was branded a criminal of the highest order. Moreover, he has gone ahead to recruit various powerful individuals and even countries to his cause. While some inadvertently see Dragon as a criminal to be executed, others see him as a hero who is going to overthrow the tyranny of the Celestial Dragons. And people love their heroes.
Why Has Sabo’s Reputation Surpassed That Of Dragon?
Despite Dragon’s infamous reputation and notoriety, his number two, Sabo, seems to have surpassed him in the hearts of many. This is because of none other than the post-reverie events that occurred at Mary Geoise, the land of the Gods. Many episodes ago, fans saw Sabo infiltrate the holy land; however, theOne Pieceanime series only recently revealed the outcome of the infiltration, and it is by no means a minor matter. Apart from destroying the hoof of the Celestial Dragons and the symbol of the world nobles, which is akin to declaring war on them, Sabo also allegedly assassinated King Nefertari Cobra, a descendant of the first 20 members that formedthe World Governmentof today.
Moreover, Sabo also rescued Bartholomew Kuma, an ex-warlord who was enslaved in the holy land. While doing all this, Sano was met with resistance by the Admirals Ryokugyu and Fujitora but still escaped. With feat after feat, many nations have begun to shun the marines and worship Sabo like a god, earning him the epithet ‘Flame Emperor.’ To make matters worse for the Marines, Luffy, Sabo’s brother, recently defeated Kaido and ended the old regime. With all these things, Sabo’s reputation now surpasses that of Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
What Impact Will This Have On The Series?
As theOne Pieceanime series finally enters its final saga, the Revolutionary Army and the World Government are expected to clash more often as Dragon seeks the collapse of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Meanwhile, after the death of King Nefertari Cobra, the kingdom of Arabasta is no doubt in shambles, with the higher-ups of the country in utter disarray.
As Vivi also followed her father to the reverie and is now missing, the situation in Arabasta is not expected to get better anytime soon. While fans of the series believe that Sabo didn’t kill King Cobra, it has no doubt done great for the reputation of the Revolutionary Army and lit up the flame of resistance. With Luffy now being an Emperor and Sabo now commanding a great deal of power and influence, the final battle that will engulf the whole world looms ever closer by the day.
