Summary
One Piece Season 2 indulges in a few flashbacks in “Nami Deerest”, fleshing out some important political history while introducing a couple of fan-favourite characters.
It occurred to me during Episode 6 of One Piece Season 2 that this is the rare show that doesn’t overindulge in flashbacks. Not that flashbacks are inherently a bad thing, obviously, especially not when something like Paradise exists. But this show’s unwillingness to rely on them is especially apparent here, since “Nami Deerest” uses them quite a lot, and it ends up feeling like a bit of a welcome novelty.
The flashbacks are necessary, since they’re all about fleshing out Vivi’s past experiences with the monarchy of the Drum Kingdom, which fleshes out the Drum Kingdom’s political history with Alabasta, which will become quite important. They’re also fairly enjoyable, especially since Netflix found a child actor who looks so much like Charithra Chandran it’s uncanny. That consistency helps to mesh the two timelines together effectively.
Greedy Guts
This episode introduces a particularly nasty antagonist in the form of King Wapol, the ruler – former, technically – of Drum Kingdom. As the episode opens, we find Miss All Sunday placating him with a giant feast and promises of reclaiming his lost kingdom, though “lost” isn’t strictly the right word. Wapol abandoned Drum Kingdom when Blackbeard showed up, leaving his people to their fates. He only wants it back out of a childish desire to reclaim something that he still perceives to be his.
To help him along this path, Miss All Sunday provides him with a Devil Fruit, though doesn’t explain what power it holds. Not that Wapol cares, since Wapol eats whatever is in front of him, a commentary on both his hunger and his general demeanour. He’s truly, truly awful, and the later flashbacks help to contextualise quite how awful.
A Detour
As was teased at the end of the previous episode, Nami has taken deathly ill with a mysterious ailment contracted on Little Garden, and since Alabasta could still be weeks away, the decision is made to stop at the nearest island in search of medical aid. The nearest island turns out to be Drum Island, which is good in a sense, since it’s known for its pioneering medical expertise. But Vivi is persona non grata there due to the nation’s political history with Alabasta, so she needs to keep her identity a secret.
Cue our first flashback, which shows young Vivi eavesdropping on a World Government meeting, which King Wapol and Vivi’s father, King Cobra, were both in attendance for. Even back then, they were worrying about Dragon’s Revolutionary Army. But this scene exists to show how deeply unpleasant and unreasonable Wapol was, even then. In a later flashback, he even slaps young Vivi clear across the face for basically no reason at all.
It’s a good job he’s no longer in the Drum Kingdom, then. Even though the civilians, now led by Dalton, the Captain of the Civilian Guard, aren’t necessarily welcoming out of the gate, they nonetheless come around. Unfortunately, there’s only one doctor left in the town, and she has moved into the castle at the top of the mountain. Oh, and most people think she’s a witch. Lacking in options, though, Luffy and Sanji decide to carry Nami up the mountain, while Zoro and Usopp stay behind in the village with Vivi.
Fan-Favourite Introductions
After a perilous climb to the top of the mountain in frigid conditions, Luffy and Sanji meet Dr. Kureha and her assistant, Tony Tony Chopper. As it turns out, Kureha isn’t a witch, or at least it doesn’t seem so, unless witches prescribe antibiotics and reset broken ribs.
With the treatment, Nami starts to perk up a bit, but Kureha refuses to discharge her until she’s totally recovered. Sanji and Luffy are also feeling better, having been treated for broken ribs and hypothermia, respectively. It turns out Nami was bitten by a Kestia, a presumed extinct infectious tick. That’s what you get for not covering up on prehistoric islands.
Luffy’s reaction to meeting Chopper is, I think, pretty much all of us. What a guy.
Familiar Faces
One Piece Season 2, Episode 6 also catches back up with Smoker and Tashigi for the first time since Episode 2, if I recall correctly. The last we saw of them, they were leaving for the Grand Line in order to capture a Baroque Works agent alive, though Smoker was just using the mission as a pretext to chase the Straw Hats.
Speaking of which, when these two arrive at a Marine communications outpost and find the guards dead, Smoker assumes that the Straw Hats are responsible. However, it’s really Baroque Works who are at fault, providing an opportunity to complete Garp’s mission. Smoker takes on the baseball-themed Miss Thursday, while Tashigi duels Mr. 13. Only the latter survives to be interrogated.
What Baroque Works are really up to remains mysterious, but it definitely involves manipulating King Wapol and doing something at this base. But we also know that Miss All Sunday isn’t necessarily onside with Mr. Zero, since she offered the Straw Hats an escape route. I’d say all will become clear, but it probably won’t, at least not for a while, since Netflix is banking on this show running for multiple seasons. And since we’re only just getting around to introducing characters like Tony Tony Chopper, most people aren’t going to have many complaints about that.
