Hm, an interesting special for sure. Enjoyable with great animation. It opens straight into the heat of Marineford and shows a rapid retelling of the tragic events. The animation, sound design, and atmosphere are impeccable—as if the story itself wasn’t enough to bring me to tears. Then Luffy recounts how he met his friends. More tears. We actually get to see some training, which is super satisfying. More Rayleigh. Even Boa Hancock has a role! The villain, World, is not too shabby either, he’s voiced well and has a neat design. His cronies are solid too. One huge turn-off is Boa Hancock’s fight with the Chinese MedicineKenpo lady. Do I even need to explain myself? Misogyny is everywhere; I’m thoroughly disgusted.

World’s villainy crumbles in the end. His betrayal of his friends comes out of nowhere honestly and the whole third act feels rushed because of it. Luffy praying to god is also super out of place. Some cool dialogue though, I’ll give ‘em that.

And of course, the animation is great. Super smooth and the fights rock. Still enjoyable despite my two major gripes. 7/10