The Straw Hats' time-skip training in One Piece may not have been enough, and chapter 1120 shows how

Modified Jul 13, 2024 05:28 GMT

Luffy as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei)

The One Piece Egghead arc has been incredibly interesting, not just because it has kept readers guessing about what is to come, but also because it has called into question the might of Luffy's Gear 5. After the kind of humiliation Kaido, the strongest man on earth, suffered from being thrashed around at the end of Wano, it seemed that Luffy had reached to an unparalleled level of strength and skill.

One would have thought that with the power of the sun god Nika, Luffy would be able to one-shot his opponents, but that was not the case. The long battles with Lucci and Kizaru left fans puzzled. Oda appears to have struggled to maintain a clear power hierarchy, and Haki's inconsistent use has only added to the confusion.

There should also be some scrutiny directed at the Straw Hats. It seems that the years of training they underwent during the timeskip has run out of gas possibly too soon. Its purpose for sure seems to be undermined in One Piece chapter 1120.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.

The death of another Straw Hats ally in One Piece chapter 1120 raises concerns about their training

Atlas as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei)

According to spoilers, in One Piece chapter 1120, the readers will witness Atlas making a great sacrifice for the Straw Hats. In the upcoming chapter, Nusjuro will be seen chasing after the Thousand Sunny. Lilith will be concerned that if he collides with the ship, or causes it to deviate from its course, it could lead to catastrophic consequences.

Atlas will show up on the ship and deliver a punch to Lilith that will knock her out completely and disable her signal.She will strategically plan this move to make York believe that Lilith had been eliminated so that the Elders do not go after her. Usopp and Chopper, who will be present at the scene, will be taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.

Atlas, however, will request them to take care of her while she ensures their safe passage out of Egghead without any further obstacles. She will then fly towards Nusjuro and end up losing her arm. However, she will succeed in moving Nusjuro away from the Thousand Sunny and by causing a massive explosion by detonating herself, she will destroy half of the latter's face.

Meanwhile, the Straw Hats on board, Jinbe, Zoro, Brook, and Nami, will be quick to take advantage of the opportunity created by Atlas's sacrifice and use coup de burst to make their escape. On the other hand, Chopper and Usopp, will be moved to tears, expressing their gratitude to Atlas for the help.

Ace's death as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei)

This very emotional moment brings into focus the Straw Hats’ glaring failure in protecting their allies. Luffy had explicitly pledged to Vegapunk and Sentomaru that he would ensure Vegapunk’s safety. Ultimately, he was not able to keep his promise. Jinbe, Zoro, and Brook also failed as they chose to let Atlas make the sacrifice, which raises questions about the effectiveness of their training during the timeskip.

Even though there are over 500 chapters between the timeskip and the present day in the manga, the actual time that has passed is not more than a few months at most. The Straw Hats had undergone rigorous training for the New World so that they could take on Yonko-level threats. The training was also meant to prevent a repetition of events like Ace’s death or Luffy’s inability to protect his crewmate from a formidable adversary like Kuma.

After two years of training, Luffy has indeed managed to defeat the Yonko Kaido, attaining new levels of power with his Devil Fruit Awakening. However, when faced with threats like the Five Elders, he and his crewmates have proven to be woefully inadequate and must now make their escape to Elbaph.