WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One Piece, Episode 940, "Zoro's Fury - The Truth About the SMILE!" now available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
On One Piece, Ebisu Town suffers from a strange affliction: Everyone living there can't help but smile from ear to ear. Some characters, like Zoro, find that bewildering, but nevertheless accept it. Others, such as Toko, can't help but laugh at inappropriate moments, and their lives are forfeit if their laughter irritates those like the Shogun Orochi.
However, what at first appeared to be a harmless quirk has transformed rapidly into something horrific. As Yasuie is publicly executed, Hiyori, Brook and Toko run into town, where Zoro spots a scene that resembles not so much the colorful world of One Piece and than a scene from a Batman comic after the Joker released his toxin upon Gotham.
Mad World
Yasuie is a former daimyo who stood against Orochi. Many of the samurai who knew him in the old days hardly recognize the man that Yasuie became, due to his omnipresent smile and laugh. That trait was passed on to his daughter Toko, who is incapable of doing anything but laugh. The latest episode of One Piece revealed the origin of this odd trait.
The citizens of Ebisu, who adore Yasuie, witness his execution. But instead of expressing rage or horror, they respond with laughter. Although the townspeople shed tears, they're in hysterics -- even from Toko, who risked her life to see her father alive one last time.
Zoro is at first completely bewildered, even enraged, by the reaction. However, as Hiyori holds him back from a rage, she explains that the people of Ebisu are unable to express emotion in any way but laughter.
Orochi Has Crossed a Line
Kaido had a monopoly on artificial Devil Fruits. Doflamingo supplied Kaido with several SMILE Fruits that could grant Devil Fruit powers. However, if what Hiyori says is true, not all SMILE Fruit has the same impact. The permanent smile the people of Ebisu Town wear isn't a conscious choice, but rather something forced upon them. Toko, whom Orochi tried to execute earlier for laughing at an inappropriate time, was essentially set up to fail. If she's cursed with laughter by the SMILE Fruit, that makes Orochi's rage at her incredibly wrong.
Orochi has already proved himself to be vindictive and paranoid; his public execution of Yasuie is proof enough of that. However, this added level of cruelty, of robbing people of the ability to behave and then punishing them for conditions he inflicted upon them, confirms he's one of the foulest villains in One Piece history.