One Piece Vol.90: Reverie and Wano Begins! – Manga Review

Story & Art by: Eiichiro Oda
Published by: Viz Media

 

The Reverie begins! But not before the theatrical conclusion to the Whole Cake Island arc. One Piece Vol. 90 is one of those stretches of chapters in the long running series that divulges to its readers… “What else is going on in the world outside of Luffy’s crew”? In other words, How big have the ripples of the Straw Hat Pirates grown from the last time they made waves? Within One Piece vol. 90, you will sail through chapters 901-910. This is actually the first volume in a long while to change its subtitle of “The New World”. A sharp eye will see that it has indeed been replaced by “Wano” at the top of the manga’s cover as well as through the middle of its spine.

One Piece Vol. 90

What does this transition mean? Well, after the shocking conclusion of Luffy’s fight with Katakuri, the Straw Hats main objective is to escape Big Mom’s territory. An engagement like this will not go unnoticed by the world. Straw Hat Luffy garners even more attention than before. The eventual escape of our beloved crew is given a topper of updated bounties for the members involved in the Whole Cake Island incident. This series of unfathomable events give Luffy an extraordinary bounty, and having the World Economic Journal naming him the 5th Emperor of the Sea! How others choose to perceive this around the world will surely have consequences previously unknown to our pirate crew.

The beginning of the Reverie brings together 50 of the world’s monarchs to discuss the ongoing threats of the world. Luffy’s name doesn’t fail to catch the ears of many of the leaders at this quinquennial gathering. While most of the royals see Straw Hat as a menace, there are those among “le bon tons” that see the rubbery pirate as a force of good! I’m talking about the various friends Luffy and his crew have made along their journey so far! Long time fans of the series will notice familiar faces such as Vivi and King Cobra Nefeltari of Alabasta. Dr. Kureha is looking as old-I mean as young as ever alongside the King Dalton of the newly re-named Sakura Kingdom. Less we forget, there are also friends from The New World! For the first time ever, The Ryugu Kingdom of Fishman Island joins the gathering above the ocean. Princess Shirahoshi exchanges pleasantries with Rebecca and Princess Mansherry of Dressrosa/Green bit.

As wonderful as it is seeing long time friends, we also get to see some faces we’d be better off without. One Piece vol. 90 reintroduces villainous characters such as Wapol, ex-king of The Drum Kingdom and current ruler of The Black Drum Kingdom. The status of this vile man had only been previewed through Oda Sensei’s serial cover art in which we see mini stories being given to us in a per chapter basis. You can see that story unfold in Volumes 25-28. The culmination of that mini story leads us to the Wapol we see today. 

Wapol can be pretty bad, but even worse are the current members of CP- Aegis 0. Two of its members are from the previously vanquished, CP-9 known to those familiar with The Enies Lobby arc (Vol. 39-45). Those members happen to be Rob Lucci and Kaku. The worst imaginable return would be that of the Mermaid obsessed Celestial Dragon, Saint Charlos. He is sure to cause chaos during this monumental summit. 

One Piece Vol. 90

Now there is so much going on in these 183 or so pages so I’ll spare any further details. When you walk into this part of the story, just know that you have started at the beginning of the end. Wano is starting to become a focal point in a ground swell that will turn the world on its head. The reward for following this series for as long as its been running is tremendous in this 90th volume. Fret not though, because if you’re just jumping in, the author does a great job recapping the prior story arcs in Chapter 906: Sacred Marijoa.

We leave The Reverie with more questions than answers in the ever growing world. One Piece Vol. 90 crescendos straight into Wano with a brief check in with the other half of Straw Hats who split off much earlier in the story. In real time, we haven’t see these characters for more than 3 years. 87 chapters have come and gone and there is no time to slow down. The beginning of the Wano arc is elegant yet brash. What a man’s love for his country can do paper is given life in the way Oda presents his long awaited Wano Country.One Piece Vol. 90

Forces of nature are on the move. Will its momentum swallow the Straw Hat Pirates whole? Or will Luffy rise to the occasion and ride the tides of change? Not if Yonko (One of Four Emperors of the Sea) Kaido has anything to say about it. One Piece Vol. 90 is out now; catch up with Luffy on his dream to become King of The Pirates!