Wapol Ambushes the Merry

Episode information

Japanese title: Kishuu! Bliking-go to Blik no Wapol
English title: Ambush! The Bliking and Tin Wapol
Japanese broadcast: September 2, 2001
Saga: Alabasta
Script: Junki Takegami
Episode direction: Junji Shimizu
Animation direction: Eisaku Inoue
Art: Miyuki Sato

The medical diversion enters hostile water

Episode 79 begins with the Going Merry moving through snow while Nami remains seriously ill. The crew is not traveling for adventure or combat. They are trying to reach medical care, which should shape every decision.

Avoiding conflict is the priority because delay, ship damage, and caregiver distraction can all worsen the patient’s chances.

Chess stands on the sea. The official summary says the crew spots Chess apparently standing on the ocean surface. An impossible sight in poor weather should be treated as a warning rather than an invitation to approach.

Reduce speed, increase lookout coverage, check depth, and keep distance. The figure may be a decoy marking a submerged vessel or ambush position.

The Bliking rises

A large submersible assault ship surfaces near the Merry, confirming that the lone figure was part of a planned interception. The crew now faces a vessel with greater mass, height, and surprise.

Nami should be moved farther from exposed hull sections while remaining ventilated and observable. Secure her cot before any evasive turn.

Sound the correct alarm. The alarm should tell everyone this is a ship attack during a medical emergency. One person stays with Nami, one controls the helm, one manages sails, and designated defenders protect the vessel.

If every capable person rushes to the rail, the patient and navigation are abandoned. Named roles keep the emergency from fragmenting the crew.

Protect the sick area. Close shutters against snow and debris without blocking airflow. Move glass, bottles, hot liquids, and unsecured equipment away from Nami. Add padding around the cot and maintain a clear path for evacuation.

The caregiver tracks consciousness, breathing, temperature, and any change caused by impact or noise.

The attackers are heading for Drum Kingdom. The official account identifies Wapol and the Bliking Pirates as traveling toward Drum Kingdom, the same region where the Straw Hats hope to find help. Their goal may place the crew’s medical route in continuing danger.

Do not disclose Nami’s condition, exact destination, or lack of a doctor. Those details create leverage.

Wapol attacks without assessing the ship

His assault treats the Merry and everyone aboard as objects in his path. He does not ask who is present, why they are traveling, or whether vulnerable people are below deck.

That disregard increases accountability because a visible medical emergency should prompt restraint, not opportunistic damage.

The Munch-Munch ability targets the Merry

The official summary says Wapol begins eating the ship. Damage to rail, hull, rigging, mast, or steering can become fatal even if nobody is struck directly.

Usopp should call out exactly what section is being damaged. Sanji and Zoro can reinforce nearby structure while keeping hands away from moving jaws and splintered wood.

Do not fight beside Nami. Defenders should draw Wapol toward the opposite side of the deck from the protected cot. A clear barrier and one guarded route should separate the patient from combat.

If the ship lists or debris enters her area, the caregiver calls an immediate relocation rather than waiting for permission from the fight.

Luffy removes Wapol from the ship

The official account says Luffy sends Wapol flying. The immediate objective is separation, not punishment. Removing the attacker stops active consumption of the Merry and creates space to escape.

Luffy should direct force away from both vessels, the waterline, and any crew member. Once Wapol is clear, the ship should move rather than prolonging the confrontation.

Confirm the threat is actually separated. A Devil Fruit user falling away may still return through equipment, allies, or an unusual ability. Maintain lookout until the Bliking is beyond interception range.

Do not crowd the rail to watch. Someone checks the damaged section immediately while navigation keeps the Merry on its medical route.

Inspect bite damage

Wapol’s attack may leave crushed planks, exposed fasteners, missing supports, leaks, and saliva contamination. Mark unstable areas and keep weight away from them.

Use clean barriers when handling contaminated surfaces, especially before returning to Nami’s care. Wash hands and tools after emergency repairs.

Check hull integrity underway. Look for water ingress, unusual creaking, changed steering, sail tension, and deck movement. Assign one person to monitor repairs continuously while the ship remains in rough cold water.

A temporary patch must be visible and documented so nobody later assumes the patch is permanent.

Nami’s condition may worsen during impact

Noise, sudden acceleration, cold air, and interrupted rest can increase distress. Recheck temperature, breathing, responsiveness, pain, and hydration after the ambush.

Record the time of each impact and any symptom change. A future doctor needs to distinguish illness progression from injury caused during the attack.

Do not ask Nami to navigate the escape. Her expertise is valuable, but fever and collapse impair concentration. The crew should rely on the chart, prior heading, compass, and shared notes.

If Nami voluntarily offers a brief correction while fully alert, confirm the correction independently and let her rest. Medical care is not conditional on productivity.

Vivi can coordinate priorities

Vivi understands the urgency of Alabasta and the value of reaching Drum safely. She can help keep the group focused on escape rather than retaliation.

She should not be forced to choose publicly between her country and Nami. The crew already made the shared decision to find a doctor.

Usopp owns damage control. Usopp can identify structural failure, improvise a patch, and communicate what the ship can tolerate. He should have rope, boards, cloth, fasteners, and tools secured before the next wave.

His report needs plain limits: safe speed, unsafe turns, leak rate, and which area nobody should enter.

Sanji protects care and supplies. Sanji can defend the sick area, maintain warm fluids, and ensure attackers do not reach food, water, or medicine. He should avoid open flame during heavy impact or near damaged wood.

After contact, he cleans his hands and clothing before assisting Nami or preparing anything she may consume.

Zoro creates a defensive boundary. Zoro’s role is to prevent boarding and keep the attackers away from the vulnerable side of the ship. Sword use on a crowded wooden deck requires a defined arc and clear communication.

He should not cut through the Bliking if falling metal could strike the Merry. Separation remains safer than spectacle.

Karoo stays sheltered. Karoo is recovering from Little Garden and should remain away from the rail, splinters, and icy spray. Secure footing, warmth, and an escape path matter.

Do not send him across vessels as a messenger during an ambush. The humans have communication responsibilities they should not transfer to an animal partner.

The attackers may not know about Nami. Keeping the medical situation private can prevent targeted leverage. At the same time, if a clear declaration of medical distress could safely stop escalation, the crew may attempt that approach without revealing diagnosis or destination.

Wapol’s conduct suggests limited respect for such information, so defensive readiness must remain.

Drum Kingdom becomes a contested destination

Learning that Wapol is heading there changes the risk assessment. The crew needs an approach that avoids the Bliking’s route and does not announce arrival broadly.

Vivi and the acting navigator should identify alternate coastlines, sheltered water, and a way to request a doctor without exposing everyone.

Prepare for local political danger. A pirate who calls himself a king may have history with the destination. The crew should not assume local residents welcome him or that official-looking forces are safe.

Ask neutral questions on arrival, listen before taking sides, and keep Nami’s medical transfer separate from political confrontation whenever possible.

Several days earlier, Smoker was listening

The official summary reveals that Smoker intercepted the conversation between Sanji and Mr. 0. That means the call created a third audience beyond the two speakers.

Sanji’s successful improvisation may still have exposed route, identities, timing, or organizational clues to the Marines.

Assume communications can be intercepted. Every transponder call should use minimum necessary detail, agreed code words, and no patient information. Crewmates must know that even a convincing cover story can be recorded and analyzed later.

After sensitive contact, document exactly what was said and update the threat model.

Smoker gains intelligence, not certainty. An intercepted conversation provides words and voices without full context. Smoker may infer a link between the Straw Hats, Baroque Works, and Alabasta, but inference is not the same as proof.

The crew should anticipate pursuit without assuming he knows every destination or plan.

The timeline matters. Because the interception occurred days earlier, Marine units may already be moving. The crew cannot undo the transmission, but they can vary routes, limit new calls, and watch for surveillance.

Write a timeline connecting Sanji’s call, Mr. 0’s response, Bon Clay’s order, and the Bliking encounter.

Do not destroy communication evidence. Panic might tempt the crew to discard the Den Den Mushi or related notes. Preserve the living device safely and humanely while preventing unauthorized calls.

Evidence can help identify codes and contacts. Destruction would remove information without guaranteeing that the network loses its own records.

Medical secrecy has limits. Nami’s details should remain private, but the crew may need to tell a trustworthy doctor about every exposure and symptom. Privacy means controlled disclosure for care, not withholding essential information.

One designated person prepares the handoff and Nami participates whenever her capacity permits.

Keep the medical log through combat

The attack should be entered in the log with times, motion, noise, temperature exposure, fluids missed, and symptom changes. Even a brief gap can matter if Nami deteriorates.

Use a waterproof cover and store a duplicate summary separately from the damaged side of the ship.

Assign a relief caregiver. Continuous attention is exhausting. One primary caregiver and one trained relief should rotate so neither becomes too tired to notice changes.

Both use the same measurement methods and read the latest log entry aloud at handoff. Consistency reduces mistakes during a long cold passage.

Watch for emergency warning signs. Difficulty breathing, seizure, severe confusion, inability to wake, repeated vomiting, stiff neck, rapidly spreading rash, intense pain, or signs of shock require the fastest available medical response.

If any appear, the crew should signal distress broadly despite security concerns. Protecting life becomes the overriding priority.

Repair decisions affect arrival time. Stopping for a perfect repair may delay treatment, while sailing with uncontrolled damage may prevent arrival entirely. Usopp should recommend the minimum safe stabilization and monitor the patch continuously.

The acting navigator adjusts speed to the repair’s limit, not to frustration about lost time.

Do not pursue Wapol. Wapol attacked the crew and damaged the Merry, but pursuit would move them away from medical help and toward a better-armed ship. Document the incident and leave.

Accountability can be addressed after Nami is safe. Revenge is not emergency navigation.

The crew needs an approach plan

Before Drum appears, decide who requests help, who stays with Nami, who guards the Merry, who handles local questions, and what happens if residents refuse access.

Weapons remain secured unless there is an immediate threat. A visibly organized medical request is more likely to gain cooperation than a chaotic landing.

Junki Takegami layers three threats

Takegami combines a sick crewmate, an aggressive pirate king, and an intercepted intelligence call. None cancels the others. The crew has to defend the ship without forgetting why the ship changed course.

That layered pressure makes restraint more meaningful than a prolonged victory over Wapol.

Junji Shimizu keeps the ambush readable. Shimizu’s direction uses the strange figure on the sea as a warning, then reveals the Bliking’s scale. The geography should show the patient area, damage point, helm, and attackers clearly.

Smoker’s quieter interception scene broadens the danger after the immediate clash ends.

Eisaku Inoue gives Wapol physical disruption. Animation direction makes the Munch-Munch ability feel dangerous through crushed wood and altered ship balance without relying on graphic harm. Luffy’s counter needs a clean vector away from the Merry.

Nami’s limited movement contrasts with the deck’s chaos and keeps the medical stakes visible.

Miyuki Sato builds the cold threat. Gray sky, dark metal, pale snow, and warm wood separate the Bliking from the smaller Merry. The sheltered sick area should retain enough warmth to read as protected but precarious.

Snow and spray also reveal wind direction, visibility, and the physical difficulty of maintaining course.

RaeRae’s real-time reaction

We are not doing a side quest with Nami burning up under a blanket. Get Wapol off the ship, patch exactly what he damaged, keep one person with her, and keep moving toward a doctor.

Also, Sanji’s call was intercepted. Assume every transponder snail has an audience and stop giving the ocean free intelligence.

The moment that lands. Luffy sending Wapol away works because the response is immediate and practical. He protects the Merry without forgetting that the ship is carrying someone who cannot absorb another delay.

The Smoker reveal then shows that even a resolved encounter leaves the crew inside a widening network of attention.

What should happen immediately. Separate Wapol from the Merry, evade the Bliking, inspect and stabilize bite damage, recheck Nami, maintain the medical log, protect communications, change the approach route, and prepare a controlled request for medical assistance.

Do not pursue, overshare, or leave the patient unattended.

What accountability requires. Document Wapol’s attack, the damaged ship sections, treatment interruption, Chess’s decoy role, the Bliking’s route, Smoker’s interception, and every repair. Preserve communication evidence and distinguish facts from inference.

Review why the ambush lookout worked late and how to protect a patient during future ship combat.

Bottom line

Episode 79 attacks the Going Merry while Nami is at her most vulnerable. Chess marks the ambush, the Bliking surfaces, and Wapol begins eating the ship until Luffy drives him away. The revelation that Smoker intercepted Sanji and Mr. 0 adds a second threat beyond the snowy sea.

RaeRae rating: 9.1/10. Defend the patient, not pride. Remove Wapol, stabilize the Merry, keep Nami monitored, assume every call can be heard, and reach Drum with enough discretion to find a doctor before another enemy turns medical urgency into leverage.