One Piece Anime Watchalong: Sky Island Saga 2/2
Started: 11/03/25
Finished: 26/08/25
Hey there! Long time no see! I realise that it has been quite a while since the last entry in this series. This is because I was incredibly busy doing other things, most notably working on an almost 3 hour long video! But now that's out of the way, I thought I'd reward myself by getting back into One Piece, picking up where I left off which just so happens to be the start of the Skypiea arc, the second and final arc of the Sky Island saga! It's another long one, so, without further ado, let's get into it!
After the events of the Jaya arc, the Straw Hats ride up a Knock Up stream find themselves in the White Sea, where they reach 'Heaven's Gate' and enter into God's Land. But since they didn't pay the entrance fee, they are branded as illegal entrants, then later upgraded to criminals. Because of this, they face the wrath of the God Eneru, who has sent his four priests to eliminate them. They are also caught in the middle in a war between him and the Shandians over ownership of the sacred land known as the Upper Yard, whose origin ties back to what we've learned in Jaya.
So yeah, Skypiea, sitting at 43 episodes, is the longest arc yet. For an arc of this length, there has to be some substance to it to justify it being this long. Fortunately, there is more than enough here to think about, and to tackle all of my thoughts we need to break the arc down into three parts.
Firstly, there were the mysteries that surrounded Skypiea. I was instantly fascinated with the world of the sky islands the moment the Straw Hats survived the Knock Up stream. From how the worlds worked and how it used dials to perform different utilities, to the numerous biblical allusions peppered throughout the arc's first act. They end up initially in the White Sea, which look like clouds but is actually one giant white ocean! But upon arriving, they are attacked by a mysterious guerilla fighter who seeks to destroy anyone that comes their way, and due to the thin air they are no match for him. Fortunately, they are saved by Gan Fall, a sky knight, who grants them a free whistle to use to call him in case of an emergency. They soon arrive at Heaven's Gate, which is just an overly ornate and glorified toll booth, to which they are propelled into "God's Land". You're left with so many questions: why did the guerilla warrior attack the crew? What's the significance of Gan Fall in the story? Why is Skypiea referred to as God's Land? It's a testament to OP's worldbuilding when it has you so invested in this new environment right from the jump!
It continues with heavenly theme with them landing ashore on Angel Island, and the two people whom the Straw Hats first meet on this island, a girl named Conis and her father Pagaya (both of whom embrace the theme by the wings on their back and Conis is seen playing a harp). They are initially so hospitable towards them in the first few episodes, however, their kindness is soon taken advantage of by the cruel and ruthless nature of their God. Once word gets out that the Straw Hats are criminals, Conis, out of fear, has to mislead them in order for her and Pagaya to not be seen as their accomplices. The Straw Hats get split up as a result, with one half being sent to a sacrificial alter and other half being sent to face an ordeal. However, Conis' guilt over this means that she cannot in good conscience lead Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji to their deaths. It was really sad to see these scenes play out, because Conis and Pagaya are fundamentally good people who eased them into this brand new world, but they have to forfeit that goodness in their heart in order to not incur Eneru's wrath; which we see moments later as a huge flash of light violently beams down onto Conis once she confesses her "sin". Fortunately, she is saved by Gan Fall, who is also at that moment revealed to be God too! Well, former God, as six years ago he was usurped by Eneru. Again, so many questions I have about this world that I cannot wait to be answered.
Anyway, this leads us straight into the next act, split into two sections: the rescue mission, and the survival game. The first part is, in my opinion, the weakest part of this act. We are introduced to some key players here, namely the priests each ordered by Eneru to carry out their specialist ordeals. The priests are a bit hit-or-miss for me because, while we do get demonstrations of their Mantra, an ability that lets them predict their opponents next move, they're pretty minor players in the grand scheme of things. Satori was pretty annoying throughout his fight with Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp; Shura had very little to do and is wiped out the moment he comes into contact with Wyper (more on that in a bit); and Ohm, while he was intially built up very well and the duel between him and Zoro was intense right until the very end when it basically became a hasty recreation of his fight with Mr. 1. The only one I had any kind of pull towards was Gedatsu, because his eccentric stims (biting his lip, rolling his eyes to the back of his head, brush his arms against each other) were endearingly moronic and also the battle he had with Chopper was the most satisfying out of the ordeals, especially since it was a nice little mini-arc for Chopper, who wants to be seen as strong despite being one of the frail of the group. So yeah, the priests were nothing more than expendable pawns in Eneru's game.
On that note, I think it's time we talked about the arc's main antagonist: God Eneru. He's a real despicable piece of shit, isn't he? After completely obliterating his homeland of Birka, another sky island, he infiltrated Skypiea and usurped the throne from Gan Fall to rule over God's Land with an iron fist. You see, the title of God is just that, a title; but Eneru, with his lightning powers that he gained through a Devil Fruit, he uses this omnipotence to force the citizens of Skypiea to do as he pleases, which is to put everybody through this "survival game", a battle royale type of game where the last person standing can attain a land of endless Vearth, earthly soil that the Skypieans have mined for centuries. The fact that he's willing to play with actual human life just for his sheer amusement is pretty evil of him. I don't think he's necessarily the most complex villain of the series so far, we don't really get a reason for why he turned out this way besides having a massive god complex, but the fact that he was this obnoxious figure who wielded that much invincible power is still kind of terrifying. He was intimidating and proved to be a real threat to our heroes.
We move onto the next part of the arc which is the "survival game" Upper Yard was previously known as Shandia which belonged to the Shandians, an indigenous tribe who once called it their home. But they were casted out by the Skypieans in order to mine its resources, the solid, earthy ground known as Vearth. This resulted in a war between the two races that has lasted for 400 years. Jump forward to the present, the tribe's leader is a man named Wyper who, after harbouring a deep resentment for the Skypieans, launches an offensive to reclaim Upper Yard as Shandia. I was intrigued by this aspect because, while the Shandians are absolutely justified in feeling disdain for the people who colonised their homeland, there are some parts where the issue is not entirely black and white. Wyper was so tunnel-visioned by his goal of taking back his homeland and restore the honour of his ancestors, he let negotiations between them and the Skypieans fall through the cracks, as observed through the flashbacks when Gan Fall was still God, extending an olive branch to Wyper to end the war once and for all to which he ultimately refused. Resolving 400 years worth of conflict between the two races does take a lot more than Gan Fall exchanging a few apologies for the grief his predecessors have caused, but he is obviously very perturbed by the whole situation and is desperate to find a proper solution to this problem and end this conflict once and for all. Not saying that they should buy into the whole "white saviour" front completely, but maybe his pleas should've been taken into consideration. It's a really fascinating exploration into a dilemma that doesn't have easy answers, and while not all of it may not be handled the most delicately, there was still much thought put into it.
There's also the deeper history that unravels and puts the entire saga into perspective. You see, Shandia is also home to the ancient city that is made of gold, Shandora. The Shandians had fought to protect this city for 800 years due to the fact that it's in possession of a Poneglyph which holds inscriptions of the history to the world of OP. We learn all of this beautifully through Robin, as she walks through this city which has now been reduced to ruins. The way it lingers and basks in every inch of this location which holds such significance is mesmerising and there is no one better to convey that feeling of wonderment than the Straw Hat's archeologist, Nico Robin. Anyway, the main centerpiece of Shandora was the golden belfry which produces a beautiful and hallowed sound that rung out throughout the land, piercing through even the thickest of thunderstorms.
The reason I bring all this up is because it is ultimately the missing link in this entire saga due to the role it plays to connect Jaya to Skypiea. Two words: Montblanc Noland. I was reading back over the write up on the Jaya arc to refresh my memory on what I thought, and I recall that one of the issues I had with it was the stuff revolving around Noland and his descendants, Montblanc Cricket. It wasn't anything wrong with it, but I was really underwhelmed with it. But after having witnessed Skypiea, I was severely wrong in my judgement. I put all this down to not having the full context about the island, as previously it was my understanding that the island had sunk and that Noland was a mere fairytale. However, after learning how Shandia was actually a part of Jaya this whole time, it really puts the entire saga into perspective. It also dedicates a fair amount of time exploring this angle, flashing back to the time Noland and his crew set foot on the island, saving the tribe from an infectious disease, and befriending the chief warrior Calgara, all before the island was thrust up into the sky via the Knock Up Stream. I found this to be an initally a tragic turn of events, because Calgara never got to see his friend again or ring the golden bell to let him know he was present, and since Shandia had disappeared without a trace, Noland is branded as a liar which leads to his execution and his name being stained. However, this story does have a lovely coda when Luffy does end up beating Eneru and rings the golden bell for the first time in 400 years for all to hear, including Cricket. Is his word and testimony enough to clear Noland's name from ridicule? It's hard to say, but at least he now has some peace of mind knowing that the city of gold was in the sky this whole time, with a giant shadow of Luffy rejoicing being visible in the clouds. And that right there is a sight of true romanticism!
Other thoughts I have on this arc: I've talked about all the serious points of the arc, but I want you all to know that Skypiea can be really funny. Seriously, it has some of the best gags in the entire series thus far. You've probably seen Eneru make that face and Gum Gum Airhead, but you also other little moments in this arc that had me rolling with laughter. Like Zoro's whole schtick with the South Bird and also Robin's matter-of-fact statements. Speaking of Robin, seeing how this is her first proper adventure I've got to say that I've warmed up to her so much. You can see she's extremely passionate about the history and wants to preserve the ruins of Shandora because it may hold answers to the mysteries that lie in this world. I'm so looking forward to seeing more from her in the next saga! Also, while I do appreciate this arc answering some of the burning questions we had from the previous arc, there is still one question that seemed to be left unanswered: WHO WAS IT THAT FIXED THE GOING MERRY ON THE ALTAR??? Usopp spotted something hammering at their ship but couldn't make out who it was because it was night and there was a cloud of fog shrouding them in mystery. Hopefully it will be addressed later on because that is kind of a crucial thread that's left dangling with no resolution.
Overall, while it may have taken a while to finish, I enjoyed this arc quite a bit. I was a bit shocked to find out that some fans advocate skipping this arc because they think it's "not important" to the story. I mean, sure it did feel a little long and dragged out in places, but I believe it is still very important to the story if only for the poneglyphs sub-plot which leads the Straw Hats to find the place where the One Piece is located. But taking the arc on its own, it has some great worldbuilding, offers some fascinating discussion regarding some of its subjects and themes, and was just a really exciting chapter in the story. This would normally be the part where I rank the arcs in a saga, but seeing how Jaya and Skypiea are so interconnected, I think it's a bit redundant, but regardless that was a really good saga.
Again, sorry for how long this took, balancing this alongside the YouTube videos and also IRL stuff added to its length. Hopefully the wait between this and the next arc will not be as long. Join me next time as we venture into our next saga, which IGN gave it a 7/10 for having "too much water". See you soon!
