Summary:
Zoro, Usopp, Franky and Robin are incognito inside Wano Country. Zoro poses as a ronin, Usopp works as a merchant, Franky works as a carpenter, and Robin trains as a geisha. One night, Zoro is arrested for street murders. The following day, he is sentenced to commit seppuku. Realizing that the judge is the culprit, Zoro attacks him and his men.
Elsewhere, Luffy and the Thousand Sunny washed up on the beach.
In the land of Wano, Zoro’s group assimilated into the population. Franky works as a carpenter named Franosuke, Usopp sells toad oil as Usohachi, and Robin trains as a geisha named O-Robi to perform in front of the Shogun. As night falls, Zoro, posing as a ronin named Zoro-juurou, steps out into the street. A little further on, a masked man slashes another man with his sword. Zoro then arrives on the scene and smells blood on the man, causing him to realize the situation and confront him. He then sees the police running to the scene to apprehend the thrift shop that ran away. Zoro tries to turn them on him, but to his shock, he is identified as a slasher and arrested. Zoro initially moves to defend himself, but then remembers Kin’emon’s commands to stay in his role. When they arrived at Wano, Kin’emon warned them that Shogun Kurozumi Orochi had the support of Kaidou, so attacking him or his subordinates would incur the Emperor’s wrath. So they had the task of settling among the population.
Later, the Magistrate is seen cutting down the straw mannequin, but says that the sword needs to draw human blood to become stronger. A bound Zoro is then brought before him to face judgment for the crimes he was accused of. The next morning, a messenger announces that the street killer has been caught and sentenced to seppuku, and Usopp is horrified, though ultimately unsurprised, to learn that it is Zoro. In the town hall square, Zoro is given a seppuku blade to use on himself. Meanwhile, the judge examines Shusui, strongly admiring the blade once owned by the legendary samurai Wano Ryuma, and wondering how Zoro obtained it after it was stolen 23 years ago. The magistrate looks forward to having Shusui, but when Zoro picks up the seppuku blade, he smells blood on the magistrate, prompting him to identify him as a chisel. Zoro then charges his blade with Busoshoku Haki and unleashes a flying slash that defeats the judge. Zoro apologizes to Kin’emon and continues to cut down the judge’s underlings as he tries to get his swords back.
Meanwhile, Luffy wakes up after being bitten on the nose by a crab and finds himself on a beach with the Thousand Sunny. Luffy is standing in front of Sunny trying to figure out what happened when he suddenly hears a commotion in the forest from two animals fighting and screams as a komainu is sent rushing towards him.
The anime adds the following:
Scenes of Zoro wandering around the Flower Capital before he is arrested.
Zoro meets the culprit of the street murders just before the first one is arrested.
Usopp sees the news about Zoro’s arrest.
After taking down the judge, Zoro also fights his men.
Luffy’s plunge into the hot tub is extended.
This is the first episode to use an OVER THE TOP introduction.
Starting with this episode, the background music for the previews now plays OVER THE TOP instead of We Go! as well as 374 episodes from episode 517, the first episode of the second half of the series.
This episode is the first to use the fifth banner set. To this extent, it is also the first episode to use the new Luffy and Zoro banners.
This is the first episode of One Piece to feature an arc in a stronger art style.