Honestly, if you were watching the Enies Lobby arc back in the day, you probably thought the giant gates or the CP9 agents were the biggest hurdles for the Straw Hat crew. But look back at the chaos. Really look at it. You’ll realize that the Franky Family’s secret weapons—Sodom and Gomorrah One Piece fans often overlook—were basically the MVPs of the entire judicial island raid. Without those two massive King Bulls, the crew never even makes it past the first courtyard. They weren't just "beasts of burden" or cool background designs; they were the literal backbone of the assault on the World Government's stronghold.
It’s easy to get distracted by Luffy’s Gear Second debut or Sogeking’s "hiding" behind a mask. But Sodom and Gomorrah provided the tactical mobility that turned a disorganized riot into a legitimate invasion. These guys are the definition of loyalty.
Who Exactly are Sodom and Gomorrah?
To understand why they matter, we have to talk about what they are. In the One Piece world, King Bulls are a specialized breed of sea kings—basically giant, amphibious seahorses that act like land-ships. They’re massive. We’re talking big enough to carry dozens of people and heavy artillery on their backs while sprinting at speeds that would make a regular horse look like it’s standing still.
The Franky Family found them years ago, orphaned and drifting in the sea. It’s a classic Oda move—giving even the "monsters" a tragic backstory. Franky didn't just train them; he adopted them. That’s why their bond is so deep. They aren’t just pets. They are members of the family who were willing to march into a "no-exit" zone like Enies Lobby knowing they might not come back.
The Brutal Reality of the Enies Lobby Raid
When the Straw Hats teamed up with the Galley-La foremen and the Franky Family, the odds were stupidly high. Thousands of marines, giant gatekeepers, and the elite CP9 were standing in their way. The King Bulls were the only reason the "fodder" characters—the guys who weren't Luffy, Zoro, or Sanji—survived the initial charge.
Sodom and Gomorrah basically functioned as biological tanks. They smashed through the main gate, providing cover for the Franky Family and the shipwrights. If you re-watch those episodes or re-read chapters 380 through 400, the sheer scale of the damage they soak up is insane. They aren't invincible, but they sure act like it until their bodies literally give out.
Why Sodom’s Sacrifice Still Hits Hard
Sodom was the first to take the brunt of the assault. As they charged through the town area of Enies Lobby, he was bombarded by cannon fire. There’s a specific moment where he’s hit directly in the eye by a mortar shell. Most animals—and most people—would have stopped right there. Instead, Sodom kept moving. He knew that if he stopped, the momentum of the entire rebellion would die.
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He eventually went down after being pelted with enough artillery to sink a battleship. But even then, he didn't just collapse and quit. He used his final bit of strength to ensure the Franky Family could dismount safely. It’s a gritty bit of writing that shows how high the stakes were. The World Government wasn't pulling punches, and Sodom paid the price in blood.
Gomorrah: The Blind Charge to the Courthouse
If Sodom was the shield, Gomorrah was the spear. After Sodom fell, Gomorrah had to carry the entire weight of the remaining alliance. This is where things get really intense. As he pushed toward the Courthouse, he was attacked by the Jurymen—those weird, oversized guys with the massive spheres and chains.
Gomorrah was blinded. Completely.
Think about that for a second. A massive creature, in the middle of a war zone, surrounded by explosions and screaming people, loses its sight. Any normal creature would have panicked and started trampling its own allies. But Gomorrah didn’t. Why? Because the Franky Family started shouting directions. They became his eyes.
He charged blindly through the Courthouse gates, smashing through stone walls and iron fences, solely because he trusted the voices of his family. It’s one of the most underrated emotional beats in the entire Enies Lobby arc. It’s not a flashy Devil Fruit power; it’s just raw, unadulterated grit. When he finally crashed and couldn't get up, he had already delivered the crew to the very doorstep of the CP9.
The Logistics of King Bulls in One Piece Lore
There's some interesting stuff here for the lore nerds. King Bulls aren't common. You don't see them in every port. They are specifically suited for the waters around Water 7. Their physiology allows them to navigate the "Aqua Laguna" tides, which is why they were so essential for the Franky Family’s scavenging business.
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- Size: They easily dwarf the tallest giants.
- Speed: They can keep pace with the Sea Train for short bursts.
- Intelligence: They understand complex human commands and tactical maneuvers.
Interestingly, Oda uses them to parallel the themes of the Straw Hat crew. Just like the Going Merry was more than just wood and nails, Sodom and Gomorrah were more than just scales and muscle. They were "Klabautermann-adjacent" in terms of their soul and dedication.
Comparing the King Bulls to Other One Piece Animals
We’ve seen a lot of mounts in this series. We have Karoo and the Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad in Alabasta. We have the various Den Den Mushi. We even have the weird crab in Alabasta that liked girls. But none of them faced the level of military-grade violence that Sodom and Gomorrah did.
Karoo was brave, sure, but he wasn't taking cannonballs to the face. The King Bulls represent a shift in One Piece toward more "serious" stakes. During the Enies Lobby arc, everything felt more dangerous. The world was expanding, and the enemies were getting deadlier. The fact that these two creatures were nearly killed off shows that Oda wanted us to know this wasn't a game anymore.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Enies Lobby Climax
A common misconception is that the King Bulls died. They didn't! While they were left in pretty horrific shape—blinded, beaten, and bloody—they actually survived. During the escape from Enies Lobby, after the Buster Call had already started leveling the place, the Franky Family managed to retrieve them.
You see them again later during the celebration at Water 7. They’re bandaged up, looking like they went through a meat grinder, but they’re alive and eating. It’s a testament to their insane durability. Some fans argue that their survival cheapens the "sacrifice," but in the world of One Piece, survival is the ultimate victory. They did their job and lived to tell the tale.
The Symbolism of the Names
Oda loves his references. Sodom and Gomorrah are, obviously, the names of the two "sinful" cities destroyed in the Bible. In the context of One Piece, it’s a bit of an ironic twist. The World Government views the Franky Family and the Straw Hats as "sinners" or "trash" that needs to be wiped off the map.
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By naming the loyal protectors of these "sinners" Sodom and Gomorrah, Oda is basically flipping the script. The "righteous" marines are the ones trying to commit a genocide (the Buster Call), while the "sinful" beasts are the ones showing true compassion and self-sacrifice. It’s classic subversion.
How Sodom and Gomorrah Changed the Franky Family’s Legacy
Before Enies Lobby, the Franky Family was mostly seen as a bunch of low-life thugs. They were the guys who beat up Usopp and stole the 200 million Berries. We hated them. But through the lens of their relationship with Sodom and Gomorrah, we saw their humanity.
You don't get animals to love you that much if you’re a total piece of garbage. The way the Franky Family wept when the King Bulls went down told us everything we needed to know about their true character. It was the bridge that allowed the audience to move from hating them to rooting for them alongside the Straw Hats.
Lessons from the King Bulls' Charge
If you're a writer or a world-builder, there's a lot to learn from how these two were handled. They weren't just "power-ups." They were characters. They had a history. They had a "why."
- Loyalty isn't just a word: It’s shown through action.
- Non-human characters matter: They ground the world and make the stakes feel real.
- Damage has weight: Seeing them get injured made the Marines feel like a legitimate threat.
The next time you’re doing a re-watch, don’t just skip to the Luffy vs. Lucci fight. Watch the way Sodom and Gomorrah move. Watch the way they look back at their riders one last time before making their final push. It’s some of the best storytelling in the series, hidden in plain sight.
Practical Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into this specific part of the lore, there are a few things you can do to get the full picture.
- Read the Manga Chapters: Chapters 366 to 430 cover the Enies Lobby saga. The manga often shows more detail in the destruction and the "battle damage" on the King Bulls than the anime does.
- Check the SBS Sections: Eiichiro Oda often answers questions about creature heights and diets in these Q&A sections found in the volumes.
- Analyze the Color Spreads: Look for Soda and Gomorrah in the cover art; they occasionally pop up in group shots of the Franky Family, showing their integration into the crew’s daily life.
- Revisit the Post-Enies Lobby Arc: Pay close attention to the background characters in the Water 7 recovery scenes. Seeing the King Bulls being pampered and fed by the townspeople is a great "feel-good" moment that balances out the trauma of the battle.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a reminder that in the grand journey toward the One Piece, the "little guys" (or in this case, the giant seahorse guys) are often the ones who make the biggest difference. They didn't want fame or treasure. They just wanted to bring their family home.
Actionable Insight: If you’re analyzing character loyalty in One Piece, use Sodom and Gomorrah as your primary case study for non-human allies. Their narrative arc perfectly mirrors the "all for one" mentality of the Straw Hat crew, proving that in Oda's world, family is defined by bond, not by species.