'One Piece' episodes 772, 773 spoilers: Luffy and crew to fight against Jack and the Beast Pirates

The plan to bring the yonkou pirate Kaido down is gradually coming together, but amidst the excitement of the new allied forces of the Straw Hat Pirates, the Minks and the men from the Land of Wano, an unsinkable threat is creeping in undetected.

In episode 772 of the long-running Japanese anime series "One Piece," the guardians of Zou Island, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, shared fond memories of their earlier days of sailing out at sea on Whitebeard's ship alongside the late Lord Oden, and then later on meeting and joining the Pirate King's crew. Although they did not make it to Raftel with the Pirate King, they have served him and Oden well by guarding one of the Road Poneglyphs on their island.

In episode 773, the tales of old continue as a big incident that is said to have shaken the world in the past is revealed concerning Blackbeard and Marco the Phoenix, the former 1st Division Commander of Whitebeard's pirates. Marco is a significant reinforcement that the Minks are hoping to recruit in their fight against Kaido. What kind of relationship does the Minks have with Marco, and will he turn out to be the kind of man who will willingly align himself with others in pursuing a good cause?

The trailer for the next episode titled "The Nightmare Returns! The Invincible Jack's Fierce Attack!" also shows the Jack and the Beast Pirates' unfortunate return, bringing with them a more dangerous threat as they put a target on Zunisha, the giant elephant on top of which the Zou Island lies.

Will the Beast Pirates succeed in leveling Zou Island for good? How will Luffy and his gang hope to stop an attack on a giant elephant that not even the clouds can conceal? Will Zunisha ultimately be forced to defend itself?

A huge battle is afoot, and it may span the next several episodes, effectively delaying the Straw Hats' proposed Sanji Retrieval Mission arc. This will also be a good chance for new alliances to work together and see just how much they can achieve when they stand together hand-in-hand against a common enemy.

"One Piece" episode 773 airs on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3:30 p.m. JST on Fuji TV.