Water 7: One Piece Analysis
This article discusses the Water 7 saga, which begins with the crew’s departure from Skypiea and ends with the crew departing Water 7 the second time.
The Outcasts
Even before the destruction of Ohara, Robin is made to feel guilty for existing. Her aunt resents being burdened with her. The town children fear her Devil Fruit powers. The scholars welcome her, but one gets the sense that these are sporadic bright spots in an otherwise lonely childhood. When Ohara burns down, Robin carries not only the pain of losing everyone she ever knew, but also a deep-seated belief that she will never belong anywhere.
While young Robin is a normal girl unfairly treated as an outcast, young Franky is an outcast by nature — he builds dangerous battleships and doesn’t wear pants. But Franky is unconditionally embraced by Tom, and experiences what true acceptance feels like. Franky grows up to be the more well-adjusted of the two, partly because he got the opportunity to belong, which Robin never did. (To be fair, it helps a lot that Franky didn’t have a bounty on his head.) Franky finds other outcasts on the streets of Water 7 and unites them into a family. Robin runs and betrays.
Because Robin and Franky share common ground, it is Franky and not one of the Straw Hats who is first able to penetrate her shell by passing on Tom’s wisdom.
The second person to help Robin is Usopp, who has left the crew after a bitter quarrel. The Going Merry’s fate triggered the feud, but Usopp’s feelings of inadequacy, amplified by the encounter with the Franky family, pushed him over the edge. But at the heart of his departure is a fear that Usopp has in common with Robin, which Robin confesses later:
An unshakeable foe continues to pursue me […] The world, and its darkness. […] No matter how kind and compassionate you all are… someday it will become too much of a burden. Someday you’ll betray me and cast me aside! That’s my greatest fear…
- Nico Robin
The greatest fear of the outcast is to be discarded by the select few who have accepted them. Robin fears this more than death itself. Similarly, Usopp’s already fragile self-esteem could not survive such a rejection. He severs the relationship himself so that the crew can never do it.
The answer for both Robin and Usopp is to trust that Luffy is really the impossible man he appears to be; that he and Straw Hats really won’t ever cast them aside.
When Usopp shares this advice with Robin, it is advice he wishes he had received. The mask hides his painful regret.
From Comrades to a Crew
The Water 7 arc strikes at the very fabric of the Straw Hat crew. First, Aokiji’s overwhelming power renders them helpless in a crisis. Luffy holds the Admiral at bay while the rest of the crew flee. Soon after, Usopp’s departure deals a crippling blow to the crew’s morale. They have little time to grieve — Robin’s disappearance adds fear on top of sorrow, and they become public enemies when Iceberg’s assassination attempt is pinned on them. The Aqua Laguna approaches from the horizon, threatening to extinguish the wavering resolve of the Straw Hat crew. Oda ratchets up the dramatic tension masterfully.
One detail I love is that from the moment Usopp leaves the crew, there is an extended stretch when none of the Straw Hats crack a genuine smile or laugh. This is particularly unusual for Luffy, who goofs around in the deadliest of circumstances. It is only when the Straw Hats learn that Robin hadn’t betrayed them that they break into a smile of relief.
Until Water 7, the crew had a foundational belief that nothing short of death could separate them. Usopp fractured that belief. If Robin had left for selfish reasons, that belief would have been destroyed beyond repair. When Robin’s true motivations are revealed, it brings the crew back to life.
The events of Water 7 not only revive the Straw Hats, but also reforge them. At Enies Lobby, the battle with CP9 takes on a different tone from previous arcs. While CP9 is content to just fight them for the keys, the Straw Hats work together and cover each others’ limitations. Chopper fights Kumadori so that Nami can get away. Nami steps in to fight Kalifa, who Sanji is helpless against. Franky saves Chopper and rescues Robin. From the traumatic events of Water 7, a more well-coordinated crew emerges.
Only Usopp struggles to find his footing, until Sanji helps him find the way.
Everyone has things they can or can’t do. […] I’ll do what you can’t do, and you will do what I can’t do! […] Read the situation! As long as you’re here, we can save Robin… Usopp!!
- Sanji
True to character, Sanji not only realizes what Usopp needs to do, but also trusts that he will figure it out without needing it spelt out. Usopp finally understands his place in the crew. He later saves Zoro from a Rust devil fruit user, and helps the crew escape the marine battleships by deploying a smokescreen.
The crew wants him to come back, but Zoro explains why it’s important that Usopp expresses remorse of his own accord. The manner of Usopp’s return evolves the crew’s bond. It is still a bond of friendship, but it is reinforced with respect for each other and for Luffy’s captaincy. The Straw Hats arrive at Water 7 as a close-knit group of comrades. But they leave as a full-fledged pirate crew.
Pirate Captain Monkey D. Luffy
Water 7 also puts Luffy’s role as a captain under the spotlight, and catalyzes his evolution into a full-fledged leader.
Luffy resolves to leave behind the Going Merry, but this leads to unfortunate consequences. For the first time, we see Luffy buckle under the weight of the captain’s burden and almost succumb to despair.
Luffy’s inner thoughts are often more complex than we realize (I discuss this more in my Arabasta analysis). Oda doesn’t show how Luffy makes sense of everything that has happened, but we do see that he’s visibly reflective. Going forward, he becomes more decisive, albeit with a sullen determination that we haven’t seen before. Notably, Luffy lets the Franky Family join the rescue mission, and forges an alliance with them (a first for Luffy).
Comically, as soon as they reach Enies Lobby, Luffy abandons the group to start fighting on his own. It’s a good illustration of his leadership style — he brings people together, but isn’t particularly interested in leading the charge or coordinating strategy. He trusts the crew to figure those things out.
Unlike previous villains who have an edge because of asymmetric advantages (Enel with Mantra, or Crocodile with his Logia powers), Rob Lucci fights on Luffy’s turf — with raw power and agility — making the fight feel more personal; a battle of wills. Lucci inflicts incredible pain on Luffy, and taunts him with the idea of murdering his crew members. The captain’s burden lies heavy on Luffy’s shoulders. The battle’s iconic imagery brings out the pressure that he is under.
Gear 2 adds more gravitas to Luffy’s captaincy. Lucci observes that it chips away at Luffy’s life. Luffy agrees, but says it’s better than doing nothing while his friends are taken away. He does everything he can, no matter the cost to himself.
The culmination of the fight is one of the most powerful we’ve seen in One Piece. Luffy is on the ground, lacking the strength to fight. At this critical moment, Usopp reveals his identity and reminds Luffy that he never truly lost faith in him.
Stop lying there like a dying man! It’s not like you! […] This isn’t hell! Stop acting like this is the end! Stop making me worry!!
- Usopp
Usopp expects Luffy to win, because even after everything that happened between them, he believes that Luffy is that impossible man who can overcome all odds. Usopp’s speech, or perhaps the knowledge that Usopp still believes in him, gives Luffy the willpower to unleash one final attack and take down Lucci.
The World Government’s Justice
Water 7 explores the moral center of One Piece. The Oharans were dangerous, because they could have revived the ancient weapon Pluton. Franky’s battleships were dangerous, because they could be used to harm innocent people. Oda argues that the potential to cause harm is not innately evil. Studying history is not a crime, even if it could lead to the resurrection of deadly weapons. Building battleships is not a crime. Simply existing is not a crime.
The World Government wields many tools in the pursuit of ‘Justice’. It erases history, levels islands, assassinates, deceives, coerces and frames. Because the World Government controls the public narrative so effectively, for the vast majority of people, it’s a benevolent force that protects them from pirates.
But the World Government isn’t a monolith, and there’s more than one kind of Justice. Rob Lucci practices a ‘Dark Justice’, delighting in killing in service of extinguishing evil. Saul decided that his moral code required him to turn against his marine comrades. Aokiji remains uncertain, still searching for answers. Spandam’s ‘justice’ is of a corrupt, bureaucratic nature; aimed at satisfying his lust for power and status.
Water 7 is the first arc to feature multiple primary antagonists; Lucci is the enemy to defeat in combat; Spandam draws the ire of the readers; and Aokiji and the Five Elders affect events from afar. The World Government is larger and more multifaceted than the enemies the Straw Hats have faced before.
The Caravel
Since One Piece is Oda’s first long-form story, his progression as a writer can be observed in the evolution of the story. In Water 7, Oda fully comes into his own as a master storyteller. He orchestrates a vast pantheon of characters and juggles numerous bold and nuanced narrative threads. Great ideas need to be matched by great execution. Oda’s execution is such that the complexity elevates the story rather than rendering it incoherent.
Perhaps the most extraordinary story thread is that of the Going Merry which permeates the entirety of Water 7. Seated at the heart of the story, the Merry motivates Usopp’s departure and Franky’s recruitment. Its demise signals the death of simpler times for the crew.
The Going Merry is cast into the ocean as Robin is taken away, believed to be lost forever. The abandoned ship’s spirit struggles to mend itself until Iceberg gives it one last lifeline. The Merry comes to the crew’s rescue, discharging one final duty through a miraculous force of will.
Earlier, Franky gambles on the Straw Hat crew over the might of the World Government. The tiny Going Merry’s escape from the massive marine battleships is a symbolic capstone to the crew’s triumph in that gamble. In an arc that is all about ancient and modern ships wielding the awesome power to level islands, it is poetic that this humble caravel is by far the most extraordinary ship.
Stray Observations
- The Water 7 saga continues the pattern of the Straw Hats getting embroiled in large-scale conflicts for personal reasons. They end up declaring war on the World Government, but all they want to do is set sail with Robin. The World Government just happens to be in the way of that.
- I love how Sanji hops on the CP9 train to chase Robin without learning about her true motivations like the others do. Oda always has characters react to important events in ways that ring uniquely true to them.
- When I think about a character like Yokozuna, a Sumo Frog capable of the crawl-stroke who’s obsessed with physically stopping the Puffing Tom sea train because of childhood trauma, I wonder what the inside of Oda’s head must look like.
- Oda is really fond of the motif of animals being viewed as a source of food until the characters decide they like them. So far, this has happened with Chopper, Yokozuna, Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Chimney and Kokoro are the unsung heroes of this arc. Their presence highlights how the Straw Hats’ coalition functions differently from the World Government. Lucci murders Nero, a CP9 agent, for losing a fight. The Straw Hats tend to embrace unlikely allies that come in handy in chaotic situations.
- Oda is selective about who the characters battle. During the Buster Call, the Straw Hats hold their own against the Marine Captains, but escape before the Vice Admirals decide to get involved. This likely means that the Straw Hats aren’t able to match Vice Admirals in fighting prowess.
- It works well narratively for One Piece that we first encounter destructive pirates on the Straw Hats’ journey and then learn about the extent of the World Government’s tyranny. It adds nuance to our perception of the marines, who serve an important purpose even though they uphold a corrupt world order. Toward the end of Water 7, we watch Blackbeard decimate an entire town. There are many agents of evil in the One Piece world.
- Garp punches through a wall to make a cool entrance, but then fixes it up at the behest of his marine squad. One of Oda’s great talents is to communicate the essence of a character in the space of a few pages.
- Nami is understandably less enthusiastic than the others about visiting Fishman island.
- Sanji and Chopper’s bounty posters are hilarious, as is their reaction to them.
- Chopper and Luffy not realizing Sogeking is Usopp is one of the funniest gags ever.