One Piece Chapter 1052: An Admiral approaches, new bounties teased, and more

One Piece chapter 1052 scanlations were released late last night, paving the way for the conclusion of the Wano arc. While fans are still disputing the arc's content, particularly its closing parts, One Piece chapter 1052 has all but eliminated any earlier prospects of Kaido and Big Mom getting up for Round 2.

While some may be disappointed with this reality, One Piece chapter 1052 is nonetheless an intriguing chapter that provides hints for the next issue. Overall, the chapter is relatively eventless, but it does an excellent job of setting up the final stages of the Wano wrap-up arc.

Follow along as this article explores One Piece Chapter 1052.

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One Piece Chapter 1052 marks penultimate chapter for Wano arc

One Piece Chapter 1052: Worldwide consequences and unseen aftermaths

One Piece chapter 1052 opens with another cover page in the Germa 66 side story, this time featuring Ichiji and Reiju. The two are seen exiting Whole Cake Island, now in flames, when Reiju spots Caesar Clown attempting to hide around a corner from them.

The plot of One Piece chapter 1052 then shifts to Mariejois and the Gorosei discussing the most recent events. The group is discussing how Nika emerging and two Yonko falling at the same time is the worst conceivable outcome, and how they will be unable to conceal this.

They highlight that the timing couldn't be worse, most likely referring to world events that have occurred since the Straw Hats arrived in isolated Wano. The Gorosei then communicate with one of the World Government ships in the vicinity of Wano, where it is discovered that Zunesha has left the area.

This appears to imply to the Gorosei that Wano's borders will remain closed for the time being, making it impenetrable even with all the force they can muster. They applaud the guile of whoever changed the plan for Wano in light of current developments before asking if Nico Robin may still be captured and brought to them.

The focus then shifts to the last remaining CP0 agent, who is answering an incoming Transponder Snail call. Here, a nameless croney says that someone seems to be hijacking the signal, while someone tells the CP0 agent not to move, and that they’re on their way.

One Piece chapter 1052 then swings back in time to just after the raid was successful and Onigashima was safely landed. Hawkins is seen conversing with Drake, clearly bloodied and battered from his battle with Killer.

The former asks the latter if he was a Marine dog this entire time, to which the latter responds sarcastically before asking if Hawkins has anything else to say. He simply stands there motionless, prompting Drake to comment that he looks "like hell," before inquiring about his tarot cards and whether or not they stated he'd be safe sticking with Kaido.

Hawkins recalls his first encounter with Kaido, saying he submitted because anything else would be certain death, before almost admiring Kid and the others for fighting. He then reveals that he foresaw Kid’s victory in the Onigashima Raid, before scoffing at the idea of crawling back to him.

Drake has a flashback to their pre-raid conversation, where Hawkins revealed that “a certain man” had only a one percent chance to live. He then reveals that the man he was talking about was himself, before seemingly dying as a result of his wounds. This is unconfirmed, but the paneling and artwork here would seem to indicate such an unfortunate fate.

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One Piece Chapter 1052: A liberated Wano

One Piece chapter 1052 then jumps forward one week into the future, where citizens are being told to keep the decorations up. Momonosuke, now shogun, seems to have promised another festival sometime in the near future.

Perspective then shifts to a local classroom, where a new teacher has replaced Sarahebi, one of Black Maria’s cronies. Students are upset at being told their history lessons will have to restart, but this is being done to teach them the true history of Wano, starting with the tale of Kozuki Oden.

Citizens are then seen discussing the Scabbards and how well they acclimated to their new identities in Orochi’s Wano. Denjiro, Hiyori, and Kawamatsu are specifically mentioned here, as various children are seen happily drinking clean water. The citizens are also discussing the warrior who took down Kaido, Joy Boy, saying he’s already left the country.

One Piece chapter 1052 then shifts perspective to the Eternal Graves in Ringo, where Kin’emon and Kawamatsu are discussing the building of a second shrine. They want to do this so the heroes of the country can overlook it, starting with Oden, Yasuie and the other daimyo, and, finally and tragically, Ashura Doji and Izou.

Onimaru and Marco then join the two, with Kin’emon asking the latter if it's okay to bury Izou in Wano, to which he responds there’s no better place. The three then bond over their fate of being those who are left behind to say goodbye and carry on the will of the dead.

Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital, Yamato is seen sitting on top of the castle, telling herself that she’s not hungry. Hiyori is then heard calling out to Momonosuke and Yamato, saying Luffy and Zoro have opened their eyes, prompting Yamato to rush in and accidentally kick the new shogun square in the face.

The two Straw Hats are then seen awake, with Zoro demanding booze and Luffy demanding meat as their allies rush to surround them. A humorous scene follows in which the two Straw Hats don't recognize the now-adult Momonosuke and begin teasing and asking to fight him.

This causes Momo to run to Nami as he did as a child, performing the same grabby tactics he did in his youth. However, she reflexively knocks back the adult Momonosuke, prompting him to remind her that he’s still an eight year old despite his body. Sanji and Brook hilariously laugh at this, welcoming him to adulthood and saying his special privileges are gone.

Yamato approaches the new shogun, placing a plate over his head (which makes him look remarkably similar to his father) and declaring that, despite his childish mind, he's all Oden on the outside. She then expresses her belief that he will one day be the country's top samurai, stating he should appreciate his parents for such a strong body.

Nami then recommends a bath to Yamato, who had evidently given up washing and eating as part of her vigil to pray for the survival of Luffy and Zoro, which explains her hunger earlier. The two Straw Hats wonder why they're so clean if they haven't bathed, and a plainly flirtatious Hiyori responds by stating she wiped the two clean while they were unconscious, eliciting humorous jealously from Sanji.

This causes the Straw Hat swordsman to recall his promise to his chef, prompting the two to fight in the background while others continue to converse. Yamato, Nami, and Kikunojo then decide it's time for baths, with Kiku accompanying the women and Yamato accompanying the men.

Momonosuke and Sanji are “excited,” to say the least, upon seeing Yamato joining them in the men’s baths. The women's baths, meanwhile, see Kikunojo explaining she used to bathe with Oden and the retainers, but it would be uncomfortable to do so with unfamiliar men.

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One Piece Chapter 1052: Celebrations soon to be interrupted

One Piece chapter 1052 then shows citizens announcing the start of the banquet, spreading the word, and ensuring that everyone attends. Meanwhile, Franky is seen repairing the Straw Hat, Kid, and Heart Pirates' ships, the Thousand Sunny, Victoria Punk, and Polar Tang, in Udon's Tokage Port. The General Franky has also been repaired, which has impressed numerous members of the other crews.

Kid is then seen reminding his crew not to get too chummy with their current allies, stressing the fact that they will have targets on their backs once on the open sea. With the Yonko gone, those who took them down appear to be the latest and greatest targets for other pirates trying to make a name for themselves.

Law agrees with this, emphasizing that just because Wano is closed off, doesn’t mean the information of the latest events won’t leak to the outside world. The Heart Pirates are seen discussing whether or not Law’s bounty will rise and by how much, before being interrupted by an all too familiar laugh.

Scratchmen Apoo then arrives with one of the Numbers in tow, revealing that the information has already been leaked, prompting Kid to accuse him of doing so. The Sea Roar, on the other hand, disregards Kid's remark and instead throws down a newspaper, claiming it contains everyone's new bounties as well as the identities of those dubbed the new Yonko.

One Piece chapter 1052 then shifts perspective to someone flying through the sky with a flower attached to their back, presumably via a Devil Fruit. Someone is seen asking them about their exact position, and the response indicates that its Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, also known as Akainu.

The mysterious figure says they can see Wano up ahead, prompting Akainu to tell them not to do anything unnecessary, before revealing the figure to be Admiral Ryokugyu. One Piece chapter 1052 then ends with a shot of the Admiral’s back, flower in full display.

The series will not be on break next week.

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In summation

Even though it focuses on the life and death aspects of the raid, One Piece chapter 1052 does a good job of setting up the final stages of the wrap-up arc. That being said, there are still a lot of loose ends in One Piece chapter 1052 that need to be addressed in order to completely wrap up Wano, which will most likely happen in future issues.

Despite its lack of addressing these specific plot points, such as Kaido’s Road Poneglyph, One Piece chapter 1052 is an exceptional, feel-good chapter exploring the new Wano. The contributions of the Straw Hats and others to the country's liberation are already effecting positive change, which is always satisfying to see in any post-arc story section.

Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as the year of the series’ 25th anniversary progresses.`