A review by bookcheshirecat
One Piece, Vol. 31: We'll Be Here by Eiichiro Oda

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

5.0

➽ Volume 31 gives us a huge flashback and I was surprised that I liked it! Flashback scenes - especially when they're about different characters - can be a hit or miss for me. Kalgara and Noland's story ended up touching me though. Kalgara is Wyper's ancestor and a great warrior still worshipped by his people. We travel back 400 years when his village was cursed with an illness. The Shandians are religious people who would have sacrificed one of their own to appease the gods and end the illness. The great explorer Noland gets involved and risks his life to present them with a cure, as he's a skilled botanist. Despite the rocky start, Kalgara and Noland end up becoming close friends. Their story really touched me, especially as it was bittersweet. We know Noland was executed and branded a liar from previous volumes, but now we find out what exactly happened. I was surprised at how attached I got to two background characters. Their story ties into Skypiea more than I realized and the Golden Bell becomes an important symbol.

➽ Back in the present Luffy hasn't given up on defeating Eneru, even with a golden ball stuck to his hand. He's planning to ring the Golden Bell, a symbol of Noland's and Kalgara's friendship that is still important to their descendants Wyper and Cricket back at Jaya. While Eneru brings destruction to Skypiea, Luffy is getting closer to the top of the vine, where the bell is located. I loved his dedication to letting Cricket know that the bell exists and is in the sky and not the ocean.
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