The recent publication ofOne Piecevolume #111, which finally sees the Straw Hats begin their adventure in Elbaph, has completely killed some wild fan theories that sparked when the chapters now collected in the volume were first published inWeekly Shonen Jump. This is not the first time that an author uses the volume publication to make changes to a manga, but in this case, the fixes only concerned small mistakes.
After Luffy and company first landed in Elbaph, they found themselves in a short-lived but weird adventure in the miniature world built by Rodo, a member of the New Giant Pirates with the hobby of “collecting” humans just like a manga and anime fan collects action figures. The strange tone of this part of the story,along with some inconsistencies that fans noticed, sparked some wild theories about body doubles, impersonators, and other explanations for the mistakes, which have now been completely disproved.
One Piece Volume #111 Fixes all the Inconsistencies Found in Recent Chapters
Oda Just Made a Few Mistakes
As reported by@newworldarturand other fans who got their hands on volume #111 when it was released in Japan, all the inconsistencies found in the earliest chapters of the Elbaph archave been corrected in the volume edition. These include Luffy’s weapon changing from an axe to a sword, and calling his attack Gear Fourth rather than Gear Third.
At the time of the chapters' first release, many fans believed these inconsistencies to be subtle hints from Oda that something was amiss, and it’s hard to blame them for theorizing. The author is famous for his masterful foreshadowing, and trueOne Piecefans learn really quickly that it’s important to pay attention to every detail in the story, even the smallest ones, but this simply wasn’t the case.
Is Oda Still Overworking Himself?
It’s worth mentioning that Oda rarely makes such mistakes, sothese may be a sign of the author’s crazy work schedulecatching up to him. Outside ofOne Piece, an example in recent times isJujutsu Kaisen’s Gege Akutami, who rewrote entire chapters for their volume editions, as at the time of the weekly serialization he only managed to produce raw sketches. Oda also had to leave a chapter unfinished not too long ago, so manga authors' health remains a source of concern.
Still, Oda seems healthy and in good spirits currently, as fans ofOne Piecehave been gifted with a string of uninterrupted chapters for the first time in years. However, they will have to let go of some of the wildest theories that were sparked at the start of the Elbaph arc.
