WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the 891st episode of One Piece, "Climbing Up a Waterfall! A Great Journey Through the Wano Country's Sea Zone!"
Season 20 of One Piece has finally brings Luffy back into the story. While his adventures on Wano Country may have been teased in last week's episode, this one returns the focus on the Straw Hat Pirates in a new, exciting adventure. This episode feels like classic One Piece, complete with a sense of adventure unlike any other. The crew is setting off to beat Kaido, the Emperor of the Sea, a new foe who promises to be Luffy's toughest challenge yet.
However, the episode also reunites Luffy with his greatest adversary -- a threat he cannot overcome, no matter how strong he becomes. Luffy, one of the most powerful pirates around, almost drowns. Again.
The Weakness of the Gum-Gum Fruit
Devil Fruit are the key to One Piece's power system, with the characters displaying an array of incredible abilities, due to the various fruits. Eat one, and you gain special powers. However, those come at a great cost: the inability to swim.
Because of that, while Luffy is one of the strongest pirates around, he also is incapable of going for a swim. For a pirate who spends his time on the open seas, that's of course a major weakness.
Riding the Waterfall
In this episode, the Straw Hat Pirates encounter a huge waterfall that lies on the border of Wano Country. To enter the country, they'll need to go around the falls, or through it.
A school of carp lives at the base of the waterfall. Luffy -- hungry and food-obsessed, as always -- at first tries to catch them. However, the carp, stronger than anyone anticipated, carry Luffy away. He returns to the ship before the fish can drag him under.
So the Straw Hats deduce they can use the incredibly strong carp to scale the waterfall. This visual leads to something downright wild as their ship, the Thousand Sunny, is pulled up by a couple of fish.
Wano Country
The Straw Hats crest the fall, and see Wano Country for a moment. It's the location of their next adventure, where they will spend the entire arc. It's where they will be face Kaido.
But before they can set off, the Thousand Sunny descends into a giant whirlpool, which drags Luffy under. The Emperor of the Sea may be one of the biggest threats Luffy faces all series, but before he can even deal with that threat, he'll have to avoid sinking into the sea.
Is This Where Luffy Dies?
So let's be clear: Luffy isn't going to die. He's the main character, and the manga is on-going past this point. He'll be OK. However, we have a few questions.
Obviously, Luffy drowning before the start of a new adventure is a bad omen, but what does that mean? Is this whirlpool a naturally occurring aspect of Wano Country, or is this some trap laid out by Kaido? Is this the first strike against the intruding Straw Hat Pirates?
The answer lies in the next episode, or in the manga. So either tune in next week for the answers, or get ready to read a ton of manga.