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From July 4, 2023, volume 106 of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be available for purchase in Japan. Titled A Genius' Dream, this is the second volume of the ongoing Egghead Arc. After the end of the fighting in Wano, the Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Dr Vegapunk's island, where they got involved in the World Government's attempt to murder the scientist.
With the storytelling occasionally shifting, fans can enjoy both the "Egghead Incident" and the other events that are simultaneously happening in the One Piece world. Looking forward to the official release of volume 106, it's already possible to appreciate its beautiful cover.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1087.
The Straw Hat Pirates take the stage on the cover of One Piece's volume 106
Egghead's futuristic atmosphere
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While the release of volume 106 is set in a couple of weeks, the main social media, including One Piece's official Twitter account, have already anticipated how the cover will look like. It's also possible to see a video that shows how Eiichiro Oda worked on the drawing, from the initial sketch to the final realization.
The cover features the Straw Hat Pirates using the high-tech gear that they received from Vegapunk to hover through Fabriophase, the futuristic city which makes up the factory level of the island. Luffy is in front of everyone, pointing his fist forward and towards the viewer.
His pose resembles that of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, the main character of a series set in a technologically-advanced world where robots co-exist with humans. Given Egghead's very similar theme, it's likely that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda paid homage to Tezuka's iconic artwork.
In the cover it's also possible to see the Labophase, the place where Vegapunk conducts his researches and stores his most important creations. Incorporated within a giant egg that sits on a manufactured Island Cloud, the Labophase is protected by a laser defense system called Frontier Dome.
The official colors of the Straw Hats' outfits in Egghead
After arriving on Egghead Island, all the Straw Hats Pirates started donning garments in theme with the futuristic atmosphere of the island. With the beautiful cover of volume 106, One Piece fans can now enjoy the official colors of those outfits. Luffy wears a long red coat with gloves, while Zoro has opted for a black full-body jumpsuit and a blue jacket. Nami's attire consists of a white hooded bodysuit, while Robin's comprises of a black jacket and panties. Sanji and Jinbe share the same style with hooded orange and, respectively, pink Hawaiian shirts.
Brook and Chopper are donning light orange and, respectively, light blue, long coats, as well as futuristic helmets with goggles. Usopp wears a water green full-body jumpsuit turquoise, a turquoise jacket, and a pair of sunglasses. Finally, Franky is wearing a visor and a full-body hooded purple jumpsuit.
All of the Straw Hats wear a par of special DOM Shoes, and most of them have earpieces. The futuristic look suits well on Nami and Nico Robin, and even more so for Zoro. With his blue jacket and the three swords held on his back by a belt, Zoro really resembles Future Trunks, who had a very similar look in his debut.
The contents of One Piece's volume 106
The soon on sale volume encloses eleven chapters:
- Chapter 1066 "The Will of Ohara"
- Chapter 1067 "Punk Records"
- Chapter 1068 "A Genius' Dream"
- Chapter 1069 "All things are brought into this world with hope"
- Chapter 1070 "The Strongest Form of Humanity"
- Chapter 1071 "The Hero deploys"
- Chapter 1072 "The Weight of Memory"
- Chapter 1073 "Miss Buckingham Stussy"
- Chapter 1074 "Mark III"
- Chapter 1075 "Labophase Death Game"
- Chapter 1076 "Old Friends"
After saving Jewelry Bonney, who was revealed to be Bartholomew Kuma's daughter, the Straw Hats arrived on Egghead Island. One of Vegapunk's satellite bodies, Shaka, revealed to Nico Robin that Jaguar D. Saul survived the Ohara Incident, while Luffy and Bonney came across the scientist's real body.
Vegapunk, who was disclosed to be an old acquaintance of Monkey D. Dragon, asked Luffy to take him off Egghead. Meanwhile, three CP0 elite agents, i.e., Lucci, Kaku, and Stussy reached the island, tasked with the mission to kill the scientist on behalf of the World Government.
As Luffy and Lucci met again, they started fighting. Despite the latter possessing Awakened Zoan powers, Luffy easily overpowered him. However, Lucci hijacked control of the four Seraphims present on the island: S-Hawk, S-Bear, S-Snake, and S-Shark.
Each cyborg is based on a different former member of the Seven Warlords. Moreover, all Seraphims are enhanced King's DNA, which grants them the incredible durability of Lunarians. While the Straw Hats and Vegapunk's bodies attempted to regain control of the Seraphims, CP0 approached Labriophase.
Kaku tried to destroy the Thousand Sunny, but Zoro, despite being asleep, intercepted the attack and easily blocked it. As Kaku showcased his Awakened Zoan powers, Stussy suddenly struck his alleged comrade from behind, making him fall asleep.
Stussy then put Lucci down as well. She was revealed to be the clone of Rocks Pirates member Miss Buckingham Stussy, and to be on Vegapunk's side. Upon learning of the mess on Egghead, an enormous Marine fleet started heading to the island. Aboard the ships also are Five Elders member Saint Jaygarcia Saturn and Marine Admiral Kizaru.
The Straw Hats split up to look for the real Vegapunk, who mysteriously disappeared. Meanwhile, Lucci and Kaku proposed a temporary alliance to Luffy and Zoro, with the intent of fighting S-Hawk and S-Bear. The volume ended with the Kid Pirates approaching Elbaf to challenge the Red Hair Pirates.
Final thoughts
One Piece has been going strong recently. Fans especially praised the constant shifts of narrative focus, that allowed them to see the crushing defeats that Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid suffered at the hands of Blackbeard and "Red Hair" Shanks, respectively.
The arc also showed Monkey D. Garp's arrival on Fullalead to rescue his disciple Koby from the Blackbeard Pirates. Last but not least, through a flashback of the Reverie, fans were blessed with intriguing revelations about Imu-sama and the Five Elders.
As of now, it's time for the storytelling to return on Egghead, where the situation is about to reach its climax. It was said that the aftermath of the "Egghead Incident" will cause immense shock in the One Piece world, implying that big things are about to happen on the island.
