WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter #1021, "Demonio," by Eiichiro Oda, Stephen Paul and Vanessa Satone, available in English via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
The fight between Black Maria and Robin has come to its conclusion in the One Piece manga, but did that conclusion come too soon? Some fans might think so, while others feel it was just long enough. While the end was certainly worth it, the finale in Chapter #1021 could arguably be described as a bit rushed.
The fight between the two women came to a head in the chapter, with Robin's cloned arms meeting Black Maria's poisonous legs. After Maria pushed Robin to her limits by capturing her within her webbing, we caught glimpses here and there of what was happening -- like many of the other fights in the series -- until it was time to bring it to an end. Robin even unveiled new attacks with her Gigante Fleur and her Sea Serpent Snapdragon. While the fight itself wasn't disappointing, the length of it was.
Robin transformed into her 'devil' form, something we have never seen before. It towered over Maria, and she told the Tobi Roppo member that she'll become a demon if it means protecting the ones that rely on her. Though a big reveal, it was only a brief moment, as Robin swiftly grabbed Maria and snapped her back after then. There was no attempt at fighting back from Maria, who up until this point never wavered in her confidence. While seeing Robin change would be shocking to anyone, by the end of Chapter #1021, it shouldn't have been so easy for her to achieve in this state.
In pulling the move off, Robin used her usual method of grabbing Maria with her cloned arms in her shocked state, but Maria did nothing against this. On top of this, Robin easily snapped Maria's back with little struggle, and that was the end of the fight. Revealing such a huge ability to such a quiet end seems rather counterproductive. Before this, Robin spent most of the fight running from Maria until the latter lit the floor on fire. While this was because of Maria's Wanyudo weapon, there wasn't much actual fighting shown between the two. After Brook extinguished the fire, Robin immediately used her Gigante Fleur. After this, she was entangled in webbing.
While the fight between Robin and Black Maria wasn't disappointing in content, its execution leaves the reader wanting more. Maria seemingly gives up after Robin changes, despite being one of the strongest of One Piece's Beast Pirates. No struggle, no attempt at escaping... just talking. Again, it's understandable to be shocked at the transformation, but having the fight end immediately after the change is rather disappointing. We never really got to see what Robin is capable of in this new form, and while that just means we'll see it again later, it does leave a frustrating gap in the meantime.
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