One Piece’s Wano arc featured more character deaths than any other arc, but the anime has helped clear up the ambiguous fate of one of Luffy’s allies.

One Piece‘s Wano arc saw more than a few notable character deaths, but the anime has provided a promising update for one of Luffy’s allies that manga readers believed dead. The incredible underdog story that was the Raid on Onigashima has finally come to a close. Kaido and his forces, which included Big Mom and Luffy’s fellow Supernova’s Hawkins, Scratchmen Apoo, and (supposedly) Drake, have been defeated. But one unlikely ally of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance is more alive than manga readers thought.

Like every significant stretch of the story, One Piece‘s Wano arc ended with a huge party and feast. Episode #1079 featured a lot of much-earned celebration and laughs; however, the episode was not without its dramatic moments.

As the sun rose on the remains of Onigashima Castle, light rays infiltrated the once impenetrable fortress and illuminated a heavily injured undercover marine named Drake. Along with Luffy, Drake was considered one of the Worst Generation pirates, and despite taking a considerable amount of damage throughout the Raid, the One Piece anime has confirmed that he survived his injuries, while the manga left his fate unclear.

Drake Is Still Alive To Help Luffy And SWORD

Drake’s scene during the morning after the battle plays very similarly in both the anime and the One Piece manga’s chapter #1052. The light from the dawn of a new Wano wakes Drake up, and as he studies his injuries, a very bloody Basil Hawkins stumbles into the damaged castle room. Even as Hawkins begins to take his final breaths, Drake still refuses to reveal his Navy affiliation. However, the undercover SWORD Captain is able to speak a lot more clearly than Hawkins and isn’t nearly as bloodied. Hawkins seemingly dies in episode #1079, but the anime was able to convey Drake’s non-fatal condition more effectively than the manga.

Drake had been working as an undercover agent for the Marine’s SWORD unit, and in that time, he’d built up his reputation as one of the Worst Generations Pirates. However, after joining the Beast Pirates and rising the ranks to become one of Kaido’s feared Tobiroppo, Drake followed his own brand of justice and switched sides to assist Luffy and his allies in defeating Kaido’s forces. Throughout the Raid, Drake fought giants, fellow Supernova Pirates like Apoo and Zoro, and the World Government’s Top Assassins from CP0. Drake should not still be breathing from the amount of damage he took, but episode #1079 proved otherwise.

Drake’s Fate Felt More Ambiguous In One Piece‘s Manga

Considering that recent chapters of One Piece have put the spotlight on SWORD, it would make sense for Drake to return to the organization that seems to gather all the uncorrupted Marines who don’t follow orders blindly. One Piece is a series often criticized for having characters survive very fatal circumstances. Princess Vivi’s bodyguards, Igaram and Pell, notably survive massive explosions at point-blank range. Even the fan-favorite character, Bon Clay, survived his climactic stand against Impel Down’s Warden Magellan to become the new queen of the prison’s secret floor. With One Piece‘s story approaching its final arcs, Eiichiro Oda seems to be getting less shy about killing characters off. While Drake has survived, and he will hopefully play a part in One Piece‘s ending, not every character feels as safe as they once did.

Src: screenrant.com