One Piece Ep 1156 Review
Sorry I’m late, everyone, but I’m ready to get this voyage underway! I wouldn’t miss One Piece for all the money in the world!
I know that the founders of this blog aren’t the biggest of fans of One Piece, but as their primary writer, I’m an absolutely massive fan. I’ve talked about it a lot on D&A Anime Blog. I’ve gushed about the live-action series and other big pieces of news about the franchise. And on my personal blog, I’ve been reviewing each chapter of the manga since partway through the Wano Country Arc! But with the anime having gone seasonal, I decided that now was the best time for me to try my hand at reviewing the anime. This will be the first time I’ve reviewed an anime of something whose manga I’m concurrently covering, but it’s going to be worth it. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series or a newcomer, you might have picked a great time to come aboard, because we are about to arrive at a location so awesome, so amazing, so mind-bendingly cool, that nothing short of finding the One Piece itself can compare! The story that Oda has wanted to tell since he was a little kid is here. The story of ELBAPH!!
Full disclosure: if you’re a newcomer, there are going to be a lot things thrown at you that I don’t have time to explain. In that case, either go read the manga or go find one of the many, many people on YouTube who can recap and explain the series. Otherwise, I’ll just assume you’re caught up so I can enjoy myself!
After a brief flashback to the end of the Little Garden Arc where Luffy and Usopp resolve to one day visit Elbaph, the episode returns us to the present day. The Straw Hats, Giant Warrior Pirates, Lillith, Bonney and Kuma have just escaped from Egghead Island and are on their way to Elbaph, so they’re celebrating by partying. It’s pretty much a law that the Straw Hats end an arc with a party. What I wasn’t expecting, though, and soemthing that was totally original to the anime was getting to hear Brook play “New World.” There are a lot of good songs in One Piece, but New World has to be one of my favorites. Upbeat, exciting, and optimistic, it encapsulates the positive messages that the series sends us. That, and it’s a pretty good bop.
seeing the crew just having fun together again after a while is so refreshing
— TonyQuackson #TENOÍ (@SuperDuck2711) April 5, 2026
drunk Chopper#ONEPIECE #ONEPIECE1156 pic.twitter.com/2iHBE9UK8I
The Barto Club Screws Up
The episode then cuts away to another series tradition that accompanies the start of a new arc: checking up on events around the world. Oda is great when it comes to world-building, and moments where he takes the focus away from the main characters remind us of that by showing that the world doesn’t revolve entirely around what they do. In this case, it picks up with one of Luffy’s allies/biggest fans, the Barto Club, and one of his greatest enemies, the Blackbeard Pirates.
So, after they parted ways with Luffy, Bartolomeo and his crew went to a particular island to sell some Straw Hat pirate merch. However, they chose to go to an island under Shanks’ protection, and they refused to buy anything. In response, Barto torched their flag, leading to Shanks to give them a butt-whooping. And then he decided to test/troll them by ordering Barto to make Luffy drink poison or else their lives were forfeit. And you can guess where this is going.
Anyone who has been with One Piece long enough knew that Shanks was just messing with Barto. He just wanted to make sure that Luffy’s followers weren’t some fair-weather friends, and Barto passed the vibe check. But Yassop still destroyed their ship. They had a reputation to keep up.
I’m sure they’ll be fine!
Blackbeard is Nearing his Endgame
Meanwhile, back on Pirate Island, Blackbeard isn’t happy that the Marines managed to raid the place and rescue Koby while he was gone. However, his crew points out that he’s now in an arguably better position. Not only do they have Luffy’s grandpa and hero of the Marines, Garp, prisoner, but they also raided Big Mom’s territory and abducted Pudding. And with Caribou newly arrived and ready to spill everything he knows about the locations of two of the three Ancient Weapons, things are about to get a lot worse.
#ONEPIECE1156
— ❦ Mario
Qué brutal animación en las escenas de Hachinosu. Tal fluidez y dibujo fueron un deleite visual. ¡Qué fenomenal es la actuación de personaje en One Piece! pic.twitter.com/mOZPtHENX7(@mk27_r) April 5, 2026
I think I mentioned it on my blog when reviewing the chapter, but I’m going to say it here: Blackbeard is being set up as the final enemy that Luffy must face to become King of the Pirates. Once he knows where and who the Ancient Weapons are, he’s going to try to seize them. That means that nations with people that the Straw Hats call friends will be in harm’s way. Add in the fact that Teach now has Luffy’s grandpa and Sanji’s ex-fiancé prisoner, as well as what he did to Ace, the Straw Hats have all the motivation they need to go to war with the Blackbeard Pirates. Unfortunately, this will mark the last point for a while where the anime doesn’t focus on anything outside of their next destination (not counting flashbacks.)
Speaking of which, where are the Straw Hats?
Where did half the Straw Hats Go?
When I read the chapters where the Giants woke up to find half the Straw Hat Pirates and their ship missing, I was as confused as everyone else. How the heck did they get separated from everyone else? Then it got even weirder when Nami woke up in a place that looked suspiciously like it was made out of LEGO…and wearing an entirely different outfit. None of us knew if she was tripping from the alcohol, or if this was a detour from Elbaph. If it had been the latter, though, I think the fans would’ve lost it! And then we had to wait an entire week (or two) to find out what was happening. Thankfully, the anime will be sticking to a weekly release schedule, so anime only people don’t have to worry about that!
#ONEPIECE1156
— ❦ Mario
La escena final del episodio, el desconcierto de Nami y su aparición en un lugar desconocido.
Ya estamos en las tierras de los gigantes. ¡¡Qué locura será este arco en el anime de One Piece!! pic.twitter.com/RDcsUrZHCr
This was a good start to the return of One Piece, if you ask me. I have been reading the manga for years, and I can say that you guys are in for something very special. Welcome to the Elbaph arc, everyone! Hope you enjoy the trip!
I Give “The Long-sought Elbaph! The Big Reunion Banquet” a 3/5
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Thanks for reading: El-balph! El-baph! LAND OF THE GIANTS!, Sorry, my English is bad:)