Eustass Kid’s unexpected and crushing demise in One Piece suggests that the manga will get rid of many popular characters during its final saga.
A popular One Piece character has been eliminated from the story in such a quick and unexpected manner that it raises suspicions that Eiichiro Oda’s best-selling series is indeed rushing to its announced conclusion, despite reassurances of the contrary.
In chapter #1079 of One-Piece, the dreams of the young, upstart pirate Eustass Kid come to an abrupt ending. After Kid arrived in Elbaf, the country of the Giants, he realized that the fleet of Red-Haired Shanks was anchored on the island. True to his brash and aggressive nature, Kid starts a fight with the Red Hair pirates, eager to get revenge on Shanks for a previous meeting that ended up with Kid’s humiliation and loss of an arm. However, the rematch goes even worse. Foreseeing the damage that Kid could cause to his allies, Shanks steps into the battle and with one single strike defeats Kid and his vice-captain, Killer. Not satisfied, Shanks has the giants Dorry and Brogy sink Kid’s ship, sending the young pirate and his crew into the depths of the sea.
Kid Is The First Of Many One Piece Characters Who Will Not Make It To The Series’ Finale
The demise of the Kid Pirates came as a surprise to One Piece fans. Captain Kid and his men have recently played a crucial role in the defeat of Kaido and Big Mom in Wano Country, after allying with the Straw Hats and Trafalgar Law’s Heart Pirates. Kid himself defeated Big Mom (together with Law), bringing down a Yonko and one of the strongest individuals in the world, showing impressive growth and earning a bounty of three billion. The Kid Pirates even showed knowledge of where the last Road Poneglyph could be hidden, teasing that they could be key players in the final rush for the One Piece treasure. Instead, even if they somehow survived the onslaught on Elbaf, their role in the story is likely over.
Fans loved Kid and his rivalry dynamic with Luffy. The fact that, so soon after his glorious exploits in Wano, Oda decided to get rid of the character possibly means two things. First, as Shanks will play a major role in the final part of One Piece, the author needed a quick and effective way to establish that Red Hair’s strength is even more impressive than that of Kaido or Big Mom. Second, the manga has started “pruning” some of the characters or subplots that will not find room in the current final saga. While Oda has recently reassured his fans that being in the final stretch of his story does not mean that he will rush things, the sudden demise of the Kid Pirates seems to prove the opposite. However, it’s only natural that something like this would happen at this stage. One Piece has a huge cast of characters, but if Oda wants to keep things clean in the finale, and focus on the real protagonists, Luffy and the Straw Hats, most of them have to go.
More than anything else, the shocking events of chapter #1079 should serve as a warning for One Piece fans, who should get ready to see more of their favorite characters step out of the story (likely in a violent fashion). As the main players in the story make their final moves, it’s only natural that the weakest and most unfortunate will be the victims of what Oda described as “the biggest war ever seen in One Piece“. Still, it’s very sad to see Eustass Kid be the first pirate of the new generation to fall, and many fans hoped that this popular character could make it to the end of the story.
Src: screenrant.com
