One Piece episode 1102 gives a bit of breathing room to let the dust settle before the next wave of battles begins.
This week's episode is mostly function over spectacle. We've had multiple weeks of laser blasts and exploding cityscapes and need a few minutes of breathing room before that starts all over again. This is as much to give the fighters a break as it is to provide some reprieve for the audience and the animators to collectively catch their breath before continuing with the bombast. This week's episode bridges a few conversations and prepares us for the next evolution of the battle for Egghead Island.
I would say this mostly falls under the umbrella of planning rather than exposition. There isn't a lot revealed or explained here, as it is mostly characters arguing over the best course of action. Vegapunk's various selves bicker about whether it is best to fight or to run, the Straw Hats bat around different ideas for escaping and logistics, CP0 talks about their attack on Egghead Island and its layers of defense, and the Marines gear up for the actual assault on the island itself. Though all of this does reveal the extent to which the World Government is willing to overtly wage war on Vegapunk – no longer just clandestine exercises, it's time for all out-attacks – and that certainly is a new development from our standpoint.
There is also a throughline with Kuma approaching the island from above. These sequences are gorgeously animated, and I enjoy the flourish of his eyes reflecting the sky and horizon as he soars. These juxtapose nicely with the strong red and black color shift as Kuma arrives and impacts on Egghead proper—simple but beautiful and effective work. My guess is we have a lot more of this in store for when Kizaru arrives and starts to put in work.
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