Last volume ended with Luffy setting his sights on recruiting Sanji, a chef on Baratie, the floating restaurant. His objective is put on the backburner when not one, but two different pirates come and threaten the safety of Baratie. It’s up to the Straw Hats to protect the floating restaurant they are currently relaxing at. During the battles they are betrayed by one of their own crew, who uses the chaos of the fighting to steal their ship. If the Straw Hats must defeat their enemies and recruit Sanji as soon as possible, or risk losing track of their ship and crew member.
This is a very action heavy volume. The Baratie quickly becomes a chaotic affair when the battle between the crew of the Baratie and pirate Don Krieg is complicated by the arrival of a Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman and one of the Seven Warlords of the sea, a group of pirates authorized by the world government to raid other pirates so long as the government receives a portion of their haul. Mihawk is there simply to kill time while reminding Don Krieg that he should never attempt to navigate the grand line again. Zoro wants to fighting Mihawk to test his own skills and claim the title of world’s greatest swordsman for himself. These four different groups of people spend all of volume five in constant conflict.
Whereas Usopp was the show stopper last time, this time around it is Zoro who gets his moment in the spotlight. For several chapters he valiantly continues to fight a hopeless battle against Mihawk, a warrior who is unquestionably his superior in strength and skill. While lacking in power and finesse, Zoro has plenty of heart and determination. His refusal to surrender and willingness to die earns him the respect of the man he wants to beat(and the reader who can’t help but admire his devotion to his craft). It was great reminder of why he is such a great character after being relegated to a supporting role for several volumes.
This is also the first time we get a glimpse of what the grand line holds in store for the Straw Hats, should they ever make it there. Mihawk’s power unquestionably surpasses the combined power of anybody else that they have encountered. Axe-Hand, Buggy, and Kuro together wouldn’t come close to matching Mihawk. In his first appearance in the series, Mihawk cuts an entire ship in half with one swing of sword. He also defeats Krieg’s entire force without putting in any effort at all. Even all of the Straw Hats teaming up at once would pose no threat to Mihawk. For all of their struggles so far, it is apparent that they have a lot of room to grow before they are ready to set sail for the Grand Line. His appearance made me excited for what else the Grand Line has in store for Luffy and the crew.
Once again, Oda struggles to juggle his cast of characters. Usopp and Nami(for plot reasons) do not have much to do. The crew of the Baratie and Krieg’s pirates get the most time. Zoro is the only member of the Straw Hats who gets attention here. But Luffy is set up for a much more expanded role in the next volume, with him once again coming in to defeat the leader of their opponents.
I also found the Baratie restaurant and Sanji to be less interesting than Syrup Village and Usopp. As I mentioned in my review of volume one, I was hesitant to read One Piece because I find the sea to be uninteresting. One Piece is at its best when the crew is on land, not on sea. It’s the people and their way of life that make the stories interesting, and a ship full of cooks who serve food for pirates never quite piqued my interest. I’m hoping that this story wraps up fast and our gang can get to a more exciting location.