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One Piece 1080 left fans feeling absolutely ecstatic with the astonishing appearance of Monkey D. Garp. The old Marine arrived in Fullalead to rescue his beloved disciple, Koby, from the clutches of the Blackbeard Pirates.
The chapter was titled The Hero of Legend as a tribute to Garp's moniker and featured the latter showcasing his immense power. Undoubtedly, Garp stole the scene from the issue.
However, among the other interesting insights featured in One Piece 1080, there's also the unexpected comeback of two old acquaintances in the series. Follow this thread to find out more.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1081 and reflects the writer's personal views.
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One Piece 1080 emphasized the firm bond between former Thriller Bark Pirates members Perona and Gecko Moria
The Thriller Bark Pirates
During the homonymous arc, the Thriller Bark Pirates directly antagonized the Straw Hats. Led by Warlord member Gecko Moria, this bunch exploited an army of seemingly invincible undeads to abduct unsuspecting victims in the Florian Triangle.
Combining the shadows he stole with his Devil Fruit abilities with the scientific knowledge of Dr. Hogback, Moria amassed an army of several hundred zombies. Among the most powerful undeads at Moria's service were the zombies of Ryuma and Oars.
The corpse of the strongest samurai of all time, Ryuma, a man who was even compared to Joy Boy, was reanimated through Brook's shadow. Despite being several times weaker than the original, Ryuma’s zombie was powerful enough to easily beat Brook even while using a mere fraction of his strength.
Luckily, Zoro took Brook's place in the battle, saving his life from certain death. After a thrilling duel, Zoro managed to defeat Ryuma's zombie, freeing his crewmate's soul that was trapped inside the corpse.
The mightiest zombie of all was "Special Zombie" Oars. An infamous ancient giant who was hyped as the "Continent-Puller" when he was alive, he had unbelievable physical power. Unlike Ryuma, whose corpse was almost totally consumed, the body of Oars was in perfect condition.
Oars indeed died of cold. Thus, his corpse was hibernated, allowing him to preserve all his muscles intact. Animated by Luffy's shadow, Oars was a fearsome foe. To defeat him, the entire Straw Hat crew needed to work together.
Together with Absalom, Dr. Hogback and Perona, Moria formed the "Mysterious Four", a group that encompassed the individuals with the greatest authority in Thriller Bark, the island that they somehow turned into a full-fledged ship.
Every night, the zombies would capture any victim that had been trapped on Thriller Bark. Moria would later use his Devil Fruit powers to steal their shadows and use them to animate corpses, turning them further into zombies.
The Thriller Bark Pirates were able to catch the Straw Hats by surprise, stealing the shadows of the three strongest members of the crew. In the end, however, Moria and the others suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the protagonists.
Moria was an active member of the Seven Warlords. After a devastating loss against the Straw Hats, as well as his poor performance in the Paramount War, Moria was expelled from the group, which caused him to lose all of his former privileges.
After getting somewhat beaten by Usopp, Perona tried to escape Thriller Bark. However, she bumped into Bartholomew Kuma, who used his Paw-Paw Fruit to teleport her to Kuraigana Island. Meanwhile, Hogback and Absalom saved the unconscious Moria.
After Moria's expulsion from the Seven Warlords, the World Government ordered Doflamingo to kill him on their behalf. Still, Absalom used the stealth abilities granted by his Clear-Clear Fruit to save his master from certain death.
Two years later, Absalom went missing. Moria went to Fullalead, the island the Blackbeard Pirates were based on, in search of him. Suddenly struck by an invisible Shiryu, Moria realized that they killed Absalom and stole his Devil Fruit power.
Meanwhile, Perona begrudgingly started cooperating with Zoro on Kuraigana Island. Despite their initial quarrels, the two developed a friendly relationship. The owner of the island, Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman, allowed them to stay with him.
Perona witnessed Zoro's harsh training with Mihawk and later accompanied the former to reunite with his companions in Sabaody Archipelago. She then returned to Mihawk's place. When she learned that Moria was alive, Perona quickly departed from Kuraigana to go find him.
One Piece 1080 revealed the unexpected
Concerning Moria and Perona's fate, One Piece fans were left in the dark for a long time. The latest installment of the series finally disclosed what happened to them, revealing an unexpected turn of events.
One Piece 1080 featured Koby's attempt to distract as many pirates as possible to allow the other prisoners who were captive on Fullalead to successfully escape the island.
Chased by the minor goons of the Blackbeard Pirates, Koby had a flashback where he remembered how Perona freed him, in exchange for his help in freeing Gecko Moria, who was also held prisoner on the same island.
Moria, Perona, and the others may be villains, but their bond is admirable
The Gecko Pirates, Moria's previous crew, were annihilated in a battle against the Beasts Pirates many years before the current narration. This event led Moria into gathering the Thriller Bark Pirates, whose military wing involved an army of undead zombies he would hold no sentiment towards.
The few human members of the Thriller Bark Pirates served Moria just due to the deals that he made with them in the past, or their goals coinciding with his own. However, the latest chapter of One Piece highlighted how their relationship was much more heartfelt.
Absalom and Hogback proved their sincere loyalty to Moria by saving his unconscious body when he was defeated. Absalom saved Moria once again after the Paramount War, allowing him to escape Doflamingo's attempted murder.
For his part, Moria sincerely cared for Absalom. He forced his way on to Fullalead in search of him and was very happy when he supposedly learned that he was fine. When he learned that Absalom was killed, Moria became extremely enraged.
Blackbeard offered Moria to join his crew. Given the latter's petty nature, most One Piece fans expected him to forget about Absalom's homicide and accept the offer, but it was revealed that Moria didn't become a new member of Teach's crew. He angrily rejected the proposal, which caused him to be imprisoned.
Perona has been with him since she was a child, having been adopted by the latter, who raised her as a daughter. Still, her loyalty was somewhat questionable, as she attempted to flee Thriller Bark with all the treasure on board when she saw that they were about to lose to the Straw Hats.
However, after receiving news of Moria having supposedly died in Marineford, Perona appeared to be deeply saddened. Similarly, when she learned that he was alive, she was overjoyed, to the point where she decided to leave Mihawk's place to go in search of Moria.
One Piece fans already got a glimpse of Perona's kind nature, as, before leaving Mihawk's castle, she tearfully thanked him for letting her stay on his island. A hundred and fifty chapters later, it was revealed that she risked her life to save Moria.
Had Perona met Teach, Shiryu, or another major member of the Blackbeard Pirates, they would have killed her to steal her Devil Fruit, like they already did with Absalom. She displayed great courage and selflessness, further emphasizing the sincere bond that connected the Thriller Bark Pirates.
Summarizing
The comeback of characters who have been major protagonists in the previous arcs is one of the central tropes of One Piece. This is a result of Eiichiro Oda's attitude to creating many different narrative strands, all intertwined among themselves.
One Piece features a plethora of characters and subplots, which the author masterfully connects all together, allowing even minor figures to have a satisfying development. The focus on Perona and Gecko Moria is a perfect example of this.
Despite being a bunch of scheming outlaws, Moria and his subordinates managed to prove that they are not mere acolytes, but individuals connected by sincere loyalty. They proved that they care for each other several times, even at the cost of risking their own lives.
One Piece 1080 disclosed that Perona freed Moria from his imprisonment, but didn't reveal if the two have already escaped Fullalead or are still stuck somewhere on the island. They may be involved in the struggle between the members of SWORD and a portion of the Blackbeard Pirates.
