One Piece Episode 1098 Review

Attack on Marijoa 200 Years Ago

One Piece Episode 1098 reveals a new piece of One Piece world lore. We already knew that the void century took place 900 years ago. And, although I forgot, we knew that the Fishmen joined the World Government 200 years ago.

What we didn’t know is that there was an attack on Marijoa 200 years ago, as well. This attack was perpetrated by the ancient robot Luffy found on Egghead. So, at some point, this robot managed to scale the Red Line. But, luckily for Marijoa, it ran out of power before being able to do much damage.

The big question left over from the attack is, “Who was responsible for it?” According to Dr. Vegapunk, the ancient robot was built 900 years ago during the void century. Was it programmed to attack after 700 years? Or, did something else trigger the attack?

As far as we know, there wasn’t anyone piloting the robot. So, either it was following a program or it had a will of its own. The robot having a will of its own seems unlikely, so that leaves a program as the likely answer.

However, if it was a program, it was a pretty specific one. I doubt the robot took 700 years to reach Marijoa. And, it would also be weird if the 700-year gap between its creation and attack were intentional. That only leaves one other answer that makes sense right now: The Fishmen triggered it.

Now, I’m not saying that the Fishmen had a direct involvement in the attack. What I’m saying is that the attack intentionally happened when the Fishmen joined the World Government. My guess is that this action was supposed to trigger the fall of Marijoa, but it happened too late.

The Bear Escapes

In the middle of Episode 1098, we got a random scene of Kuma running away from the Revolutionary Army. The Revolutionaries brought the original Kuma back to the Kamabakka Kingdom. And, they were somehow treating him there. Though, I don’t know what it is they hoped to accomplish.

As far as I know, the Revolutionaries don’t have the technology to turn Kuma back into a human. He’s a cyborg forever now. They even stated that his personality isn’t going to come back. But, that might not actually be true.

Around this same time in the episode, we saw Cipher Pol 0 showing up at Egghead. They mentioned how they had previously been after Bonney for some reason. However, they don’t need her anymore, so she can be eliminated.

It looks like this is why Kuma suddenly sprung into action.

I don’t know how he would have known that Bonney was in trouble. But, it looks like he figured it out and went off to save her. We don’t know exactly where he sent himself with his ability. Though, I’m pretty confident in saying that he’ll show up on Egghead Island soon.

Anyway, why was Cipher Pol 0 after Bonney, in the first place? Is it because she’s a member of the Worst Generation of pirates? Maybe. Is it because she somehow escaped after the Marines captured her? Also maybe. Or, was there a different reason? You know, like her connection to Kuma and Dr. Vegapunk.

I’m assuming that the World Government got some information about Dr. Vegapunk from Bonney. That’s likely why they were interested in her. And, now that they have that information, they need to silence her. Luckily for them, she and Dr. Vegapunk are both in the same place.

Vegapunk Discovers Nuclear Energy

A man with as much genius as Dr. Vegapunk isn’t limited to having only one goal. Sharing his knowledge with the world is one of his goals, for sure. However, in Episode 1098, he also mentions that another of his goals is to provide the world with energy.

During the void century, there was an energy source far beyond what the world has today. It’s what powered the ancient robot that attacked Marijoa. But, that power source was lost. That’s why Dr. Vegapunk can’t get the ancient robot working again.

With that said, Dr. Vegapunk believes that he’s close to rediscovering this power source. His experiments and research have brought him closer and closer to it. And, this is another reason why the World Government needs to eliminate him. Just imagine how the world would change if he discovered an infinite power source.

Right now, travel around the world is primarily restricted to sailing ships. There are some other means of transportation. As a whole, though, there’s nothing that’s very fast. Airplanes don’t exist. If Dr. Vegapunk rediscovers this infinite power source, that could change.

Why is this bad for the World Government? If people could travel around the world at high speed, it would make it harder to control them. News, ideas, and culture would all spread faster than the World Government could stop.

So, what exactly is this theoretical power source? According to Dr. Vegapunk, it’s energy that exists everywhere on the planet.

That sounds a lot like nuclear energy. In our world, nuclear power plants are the pinnacle of energy production. They produce cheap, clean energy and are way more efficient than anything else. Also, nuclear power is directly related to the rise of the super robot genre in Japan.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of One Piece Episode 1098? Do you think the ancient robot’s attack on Marijoa is somehow connected to the ascension of the Fishmen? Do you think Kuma can regain his personality? And, how else would Dr. Vegapunk’s theoretical infinite power source ruin the World Government’s day?

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My review of Episode 1099 is available now.