#and now skypiea I guess????

[songofstrawhats]

Okay I just finished reading Alabasta and here are my thoughts!!!

Okay I see why people like Vivi so much, and also why people ship her with Nami, they are extremely cute. Reading about her in fic I was a little like 'idk why people consider her part of the crew so much if she's not with them??' but no I get it now I love her. I'm gonna miss her!!

Usopp!!!! Had so many cool parts!!!!! He's really a very slapstick character and I'm impressed they got him in live action as well as they did even tho I think he was the most changed one. I loved his bit with the hammer, and also the flashback where Nami was getting him to make the climate staff..... where you see him building the hammer before hand!!

Zoro going into a fight like 'cool this'll be a great chance to learn to cut steel' HOW IS HE SO COOL AND ALSO RIDICULOUS and also is this observation haki?? Perhaps???? Idk idk. Also I want an AU where Zoro ate the sword fruit I'm just saying

Chopper is so good and any time any of the crew is interacting with him is so good. Love Zoro scrubbing his fur in the bath!!!!!

Okay so Crocodile is literally just Captain Hook with all the Crocs and the clock shots and the hook, does this make Luffy Peter Pan? Because accurate tbh

Also rip bird guy you were so cool bird guy idk your name but I love your style

Also all their outfits were so cute this arc!!! Esp Luffy!!!!! I wanna draw himmmm

I fucking love the den den mushis and also the running gag with them and Sanji, good stuff. I kept forgetting who was and wasn't with the group so when he called while everyone else was stuck in the cage I was like OH RIGHT lmao

The Supersonic Duck Squad are absolutely not making it into live action but I love them and also their new camel buddy SO MUCH

ALSO shout-out to Smoker omg I now see why people were so excited about the teaser at the end of opla, although I def agree with my sister that 'he is going to invent new kinds of lung cancer' lmao

There is so much more politics than I expected there to be in one piece!!!! The diagrams of where all the different factions were at all the different times were EXTREMELY necessary

okay so I knew from fic that Robin just sort of shows up on the ship and Luffy is like 'yeah sure you can join our crew'. NOT ONE PERSON MENTIONED THE MUTUAL LIFESAVING BEFOREHAND!!!!! SHE SAVED HIM AND HE SAVED HER AND THEIR FATES ARE ALIGNED SHE HAS THROWN IN HER LOT WITH THEIRS!!!! Like idk what her deal is but I'm willing to see where this goes!!!!!

[hauntingblue]

Skypiea time part 2

She is a woman..... this is sanji's influence... in whiskey peak his slashes were non gendered

Ace just letting himself get pushed into the river like aight my bad I will take my punishment.... he really is so well mannered (it sounds like I'm talking about a dog)

Conis showing that nami influence.... gfs....

Nami and luffy twins moment look how relieved she is... this whole fight is so theirs...

Also how funny it is that the milk girl gave ace a shirt.... also new pants??? She must think he lost the shirt in the river.... no girl he is just a slut...

Nami: okay ❤️ yay ❤️

Noland just thinking about where karugara is and if he is alright in his EXECUTION!! SICK AND TWISTED

OMG BOUNDMAN INSPO????

NO ACEEE NOOOOOOOO

THE END OF ACES STORY IS THAT THE COFFE IS NO LONGER BITTER BC THEY SERVE IT WITH MILK AND WHY AM I EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT

[licorice-tea]

The Bane of My Existence

Pairing:Trafalgar Law x reader

Content: some spoilers for Sabaody arc (nothing major), enemies to lovers! strawhat reader, reader and law are both stubborn and argumentative smh, reader is more optimistic though, law is awkward and not great at understanding his own feelings <3

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: part 1/2 for a little enemies to lovers fic! one of my favorite tropes but I almost never write about it... also I've been rewatching bridgerton and was very inspired by the relationship between Kate and Anthony, which is where the title comes from too! (can you guess what part 2 will be called?) anyway, enjoy and lmk your thoughts! :)

Part 2

Sabaody Archipelago is easily one of the coolest places you’ve visited so far. Not that Alabasta, Skypiea, Water 7, Thriller Bark weren’t cool too… but you’re a people person! And to get to see such a diverse mix of groups from all over the world converging here, on one island Archipelago, brings a genuine smile to your face. It truly does remind you of a theme park: from the attractions to the oversized trees and bubbles.

In fact, you’re so caught up in all the splendors of the carnival-esque grove that you don’t realize you’re being watched. Or, followed, rather.

The Heart Pirates, yet another crew from some vague corner of the world, have been tracking you for the better part of an hour now. Except, they’re only following their captain, who happens to be following you.

Hes not entirely discreet about it though, because at one point Bepo asks, “Um… Captain, why are we following them?”

Shachi responds unprompted, “Yeah, I’ve never seen their bounty poster so… what’s up?”

Law scowls, “I’m not following anyone.”

Though he is low-key following you, Law couldn’t give a good reason as to why. You walked past him and his crew on your way to meet up with the rest of your crew- the Strawhat Pirates- and he’d just sort of trailed after you once you’d gotten a safe distance ahead.

“Really? Because every time they stop for directions, we slow down. And we’ve turned at all the same spots, too… So it really does seem like we’re follo-“

“I am NOT following them.” He lies through (literally) gritted teeth.

Now, Trafalgar Law is in now way shape or form a believer in love at first sight. He’s never been in love period… but the feeling he gets from seeing you is something new and foreign. Like, he really wants to talk to you… he just doesn’t know what for. Law is still trying his best to come up with reasons to stop you and ask for your name when you overhear the brief argument between him and his friends.

With a quick glance over your shoulder, you spot a group of at least 10 on your trail. They’re in the middle of conversation, so they don’t notice you taking notice of them.

Your first instinct is to look around for your crew; but of course, they’re scattered across the groves of Sabaody Archipelago by now - as are you. “Sigh. I might just have to handle this in my own.” But, wait- who said they wanted to fight you? Maybe you should just approach them first, wouldn’t that give you the upper hand in some way? (It wouldn’t, but you can’t think of anything better than to try and charm your way out of a possible jumping with your friendliness and perfect smile.) So, you roll back your shoulders and take a breath before strolling back over the grass to your pursuers.

“Why would I be following some rand-“

“Because you have a crush on them!”

“Oh they’re cute, Captain, you should ask them to join!”

“Gasp! Yeah, then you can get to know-“

They all go silent (save for some quiet gasps) as you step toward the semi circle they’ve formed around one man- the only one not wearing a white uniform, who they call “Captain.” You tap him on the shoulder and he whips his head around.

“Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me?”

The man just stares at you for a moment with a frown. You fear that you might’ve been wrong about his intentions, until he blinks and mumbles, “Uh… Sure.”

Your smile returns- of course you weren’t wrong! Plus, he’s kind of hot, but you’d catalog that thought and come back to it on some lonely night in the future. “Great! I’m looking for grove 41, it’s where some of my friends are.”

You’d learned back in Water 7 that sometimes, it was best not to disclose who exactly you’re traveling with, nor the location of your ship. (At least, not when you’re infamous pirates.)

“Grove 41? I’m headed there too.”

The polar bear wearing who is also wearing a white uniform clears his throat.

“I thought we were heading to Grove 1, Captain?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to get in y’all’s way then-“

“Nah, I think Captain would love to show you the way.”

“Shachi!” The captain sneers. “We’ll meet back up at Grove 1 after I show them the way." Then, he looks you up and down. It's quick and analytical rather than flirtatious or intimidating. "Don’t cause me any trouble.”

You smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m y/n, by the way.”

“Trafalgar Law, and this is my crew, the Heart Pirates.” He gestures around the semi circle, then turns to face them, “You guys go take a break or something. I’ll be back shortly.”

“But Captain, we want to go with you!”

One of the men with red hair- Shachi, you’re pretty sure, elbows the polar bear.

“Hey!…” He looks down at Shachi then gasps like he suddenly had a revelation; “Ohhh. Sorry Captain, we’ll see you later!”

Law rolls his eyes. “See you soon.”

There's something about his dark hair and grey eyes that charms you, right off the bat. Or maybe it's his relaxed, confident demeanor. Possibly even his idiosyncratic style of clothing, and how he (and all of his crew) wore the same logo; so very organized and professional. But no matter the exact reason as to why, you find yourself quite happy to be in his company.

Alas, he’s not a very talkative man, so you make up most of the conversation with questions and your own introductory information. “-and that’s how I got here, to Sabaody!”

“Uh huh. And who did you say your crew was again?”

“I, ahem, I don’t travel with a crew.”

“Right.” He laughs dryly.

“What is it?”

“You’re a bad liar.”

“I- I’m not lying!”

“Look, you don’t have to tell me what crew you’re a part of,” Law explains, “but don’t lie and say you’re not a pirate at all.”

“Well… it’s generally not a good idea to tell strangers that you’re a pirate. Not even nice ones, like you."

Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach that unexpectedly appear when you call him nice, Law's burning curiosity is fed by your roundabout half-answer. “Ah, so you are one? What’s your bounty?”

“That’s not really any of your business.” Though you believe his intentions to be purely based in curiosity, you're second guessing allowing this man to lead you away on an island grove that you have never visited, nor know anything about. Still, your crew is nowhere in sight or hearing range, which worries you given just how loud they usually are.

“I’m paying you a favor by leaving my crew to escort you to where I’m assuming your ship is located- it’s the least you could do.” Law’s tone is more prickly than before.

“Well, I don’t need an escort, and you’ve already walked me halfway there and pointed me in the right direction.”

“Fine- then I’ll leave.”

His sudden change in mood from what you interpreted as shy to borderline aggressive throws you off. And so, having a similar moody temperament and stubbornness (though you’d never admit it after seeing it so clearly in him), you return the sentiment. “Fine by me.”

You continue walking forward while Law turns back, until he calls over his shoulder. “And by the way; you’ll need to find your way through the lawless zone up ahead if you want to get to Grove 41.” If condescending was a person, it would be him. You’re sure of it. “That, or I could’ve shown you a much safer shortcut.”

You pause, turn to face him, roll your eyes, and continue walking.

“What, you’re still not going to ask for my help?”

“Don’t need it!” Which, you really don’t. You’re plenty strong, but your bounty is small enough to not be worried. “I’m not scared of a law-less zone, if anything I think I’d welcome it.”

Your mocking words hurt his ego in a way he hasn't felt in years, taking him down several pegs.

You don't even stick around long enough to listen to him rebuke everything about you, from your high and mighty tone to your vain attempts at lying, ending his one sided argument with a very classy middle finger your way. So, Law grumbles all the way back to Grove 1 to find his crew, and hopes to never see you again. Meanwhile, you find your way to the other Strawhats. Your adventure with them continues, and you don’t have much time to think of your earlier encounter with a handsome pirate and possible-friend turned enemy (if you could even call him that.)

Law doesn't know if his ego (or wildly beating heart) could take another second in your presence- it just might burst if it had to endure any more of your witty comments or sly looks. It would, however, be an interesting theory to test further, should you ever meet again.

The prospect is both horrifying and thrilling to him at the same time.

[penkura]

knowing [2/8]

Summary: Sanji knew you were the one the moment he met you.

Pairing: Sanji x Reader

Warnings: None really. Normal One Piece stuff I guess.

Note: uhhhh chapter two hype I guess lol.

[Ch. 1]

Nami noticed something weird after you all left Skypiea. You and Sanji being weirder than normal. She was constantly trying to push you two together, she wanted to see a romance on the Going Merry, and the two of you were her best bet, if anything ever happened.

Which she thought never would because you acted so shyly and Sanji acted like he didn't know what he was doing anymore around you. It was painful to watch, and she tried to get Robin in on it, but the older woman just smiled and said she should let potential love take its time. Nami hated that she was right, but every time you all approached a new island, she would do her best to pair you and Sanji up as buddies. Whenever it worked, you'd come back for a girl's night and be swooning over what a gentleman Sanji was, how he wouldn't let you carry a single bag or buy anything yourself, he did everything. You swore up and down he must've done that or would do that for any girl, but it didn't make you feel any less special.

In fact, once you arrived on Skypiea, Sanji had found flowers to give you three girls. Nami and Robin both received red ones, you were the lucky one to get a blue flower, which you later gushed to Nami that it matched his eyes. You were so gross with how head over heels you were for Sanji, but she really wanted to see you two together.

That's why Nami found it odd that you and Sanji seemed to spend more time apart after your return to solid ground, er…to the water anyway. You still would help him with cooking when Sanji let you, and he'd hang around you some evenings on the deck while everyone relaxed, but Nami didn't think anything much was happening outside of that.

Zoro, however, knew differently. He'd noticed real differences in how you and Sanji were around each other after leaving Alabasta. You had seemed slightly nervous when Robin ended up joining your crew, especially when Sanji was all too eager to welcome her, commenting briefly on how beautiful she was. Zoro watched you hover around while Usopp interrogated her, like you were just as suspicious of Robin, but for different reasons, and he thought you were being a bit ridiculous about it.

It's not like you and Sanji were together, right? He could do as he pleases and flirt all he wanted, you'd just have to suck it up and deal with it despite your feelings.

Well he thought so, until that evening when he heard you on the lower deck with Sanji after everyone else had gone to bed.

"Gosh, I felt stupid, I wanted to just hug you and tell Robin you're mine."

He heard Sanji laugh, Zoro thinking you were just messing around or possibly drunk. It really wasn't like you to say something like that when you were sober and in the right mind.

"You could have. I don't think anyone would have believed you."

"Nah, Zoro would have. You forget he's the one who's known me the longest."

"Hmm, that's true. You are the one who said to keep the flirting up though."

Hearing you sigh loudly and say that was true, Zoro could only assume you fell backwards on the deck or were leaning back to look at the stars. He heard Sanji offer to take you back to the girls bunks, but you mentioned you were next on night watch so you'd just stay, it wasn't long until you and Zoro had to swap anyway.

Not hearing anything more from either of you, Zoro leaned over the crow's nest just enough to see why you'd both become silent, catching you leaning into Sanji's shoulder with his arm around your waist.

So that's why she acted so jealous.

Zoro never said a word, having figured out you and Sanji were keeping your new relationship a secret for now, likely in case you decided it'd be better to stay friends.

Skypiea almost seemed like a test for the two of you. After landing and finding the beach where Sanji gifted you girls flowers, you ended up separated due to the laws of the place, Sanji with Luffy and Usopp while you were with everyone else. You weren't too worried, even as you stayed behind on the Merry with Chopper while Zoro, Robin, and Nami went exploring. The two of you were attacked of course, and until Chopper sounded the whistle for Ganfal to come help, you'd be able to keep your enemy back despite the damage Merry suffered. You ended up with a stab wound through the shoulder from Shura's Ordeal of String and burned your hand while trying to put out the fire on Merry, Chopper nearly in tears helping you with your injuries after he helped Ganfal too.

Sanji was just glad to see you were all right when he, Usopp, and Luffy finally reunited with the rest of you. He took note of the bandages on your shoulder and hand, pulling you aside while everyone was preoccupied with other things, asking you what happened if you were really all right. You told him what happened and reassured him you were perfectly fine, giving him a smile while he lightly hugged you and said he was glad, stealing a quick kiss and leaving you a blushing mess while he went to work on dinner again.

The next day you ended up following Zoro through the forest, Sanji demanding he watch you closely and Zoro just rolled his eyes before telling you to hurry up. He kept you safe while he fought the enemies he did, and once he and Robin had been injured by Eneru's attacks, you did your best to protect them while Nami went with the false god in her attempts to stop him.

You didn't know what happened with Sanji until Usopp jumped down from the giant gold ship with him, and you were shocked by how injured he was, he looked like he'd been electrocuted more than once and it terrified you.

Once you all were safe with the Skypieans and Shandians, once Sanji was awake and had Chopper replace his bandages, you did the same as he had before and pulled him away from everyone to make sure he was really okay. You asked him multiple times, your voice getting a bit more strained each time even when he said he was fine, you were trying so hard not to break down crying to him.

"I'm sure I'm fine, trust me. I'm standing aren't I?"

There was a soft smile on his face while Sanji watched you fight back tears. He'd not seen you cry before, and hated it would be his fault for having gotten injured, but he knew you were just worried about him.

"I…I know, I just…you're absolutely–"

"I'm sure, [Y/N]-chan, I promise."

Sanji pulled you into a hug, which you returned as you couldn't hold back anymore and started sobbing into his bandages (you'd have to apologize to Chopper later). While you cried, Sanji quietly hushed you, saying everything was all right and he was definitely okay. He stroked your hair and apologized for worrying you, explaining he was protecting Nami and Usopp though you didn't need an explanation, you just somehow knew already that he'd been trying to protect your crewmates.

Zoro didn't mean to overhear your crying and Sanji quieting you, but he'd been sent by Nami to the exact spot she saw you drag the blond off to in order to bring you both back to prepare to leave soon. When he'd walked over, you'd just started sobbing and Zoro thought for a second Sanji did something to hurt you, he was ready to skewer the blond, until he heard him shushing you and explaining what had happened.

"It's okay, shh. I'm sorry I made you worry."

"I'm just…just g-glad you're all r-right!"

"Shh, I know. You need to calm down now, okay? Don't want anyone thinking I did something to make you cry."

Zoro heard you agree, and you started to breathe a little easier and your sobs went away soon after. He didn't have time to get far enough away before he heard Sanji say you two should rejoin everyone, so he stayed in place. Once you both stepped back out from behind your hiding place, the three of you stared at each other, you and Sanji holding hands while Zoro almost set a glare on him.

"A-ah um, Zoro what are…when did…why…"

"Nami sent me to get you two," he looked at your hands again before going back to glaring at Sanji, "We're leaving soon."

You nodded and now both boys were glaring at each other, it stayed like that a few minutes more before Sanji spoke up.

"Listen, moss head. If you tell anyone about us, I'll–"

"I'm not gonna say anything unless you hurt her. She's like my sister, so you better be good to her."

Turning to leave, Zoro didn't miss how shocked you and Sanji were, you'd half expected him to tell you that you needed to tell the rest of your crew sooner rather than later, but he didn't even do that. Just told Sanji not to hurt you or he'd basically be dead before he knew it. Sanji expected more of a fight, so he was even more shocked when Zoro just walked away, telling the two of you to hurry up or you'd become the newest residents of Skypiea.

Even after you left he kept his word, he didn't tell a single person, even as Zoro watched Nami try to pair you and Sanji up again and again.

He wondered how she was missing the obvious signs you two were together.

+!+

Robin was the next to find out about you and Sanji being an item. She didn't mean to, but it was after you all had saved her from the World Government, after you toppled Enies Lobby and brought your dear friend and archeologist back home to your little family. When you all had separated at Water 7, when Robin had been taken in by the government, Sanji took the lead on trying to get her back, eventually you all were together again at Enies Lobby, entering several battles to bring her home.

While Sanji and the others took on CP9 members, you again took to taking down lower members, this time Navy Men with the help of Galley-La and Franky's comrades. Those same groups helped you get back to your crewmates, to the Merry who had come to save you all, before you tearfully bid farewell to the ship that had been your home the last couple of months.

Once you made it back to Water 7, while you had to wait for a new ship to be built, you all took time recovering from your battle wounds and exploring the city a little more. Most of your time was spent with Zoro and Nami during the day, trying to help the former find a new sword and Nami taking you and Robin sometimes shopping for various items. You tried a few times to check in on Usopp, wanting him to return to you all, but every time you did so, he either had disappeared from the spot you saw him or you'd back down from talking to him. At least knowing he was alive was enough for you for the time being.

You absolutely would have spent more of your time with Sanji, but the two of you agreed to wait until a few days later, to keep suspicions off you from the rest of your crew. Eventually the two of you ventured out to the city on your own, you both left the rest of your crew for the day at separate times, meeting up elsewhere to throw them off.

Unfortunately for you, although it worked to start, Robin caught sight of you and Sanji when she was entering a shop with Nami. She didn't think too much of it until she noticed the two of you holding hands and the lovesick smiles you gave each other as you walked through the market.

Oh, I see then.

Robin decided she would keep what she saw to herself, at least that was her plan, until she heard Nami say "I knew it" when she saw you two herself.

Luckily you didn't hear her, and Nami suggested she and Robin quietly follow you to see what was going on. Robin wasn't going to agree to it, but Nami grabbed her by the arm too quickly.

She hoped you'd forgive them.

+!+

"Here, this is for you, mon cheri."

"You shouldn't spend your money on me, Sanji."

Giving you a smile, Sanji shook his head, telling you that he wanted to get this little gift for you, it wasn't a lot, but he thought you'd like it. While you were going through the marketplace, he ended up pulling you down an empty alley and giving you a small box. You really didn't want him to spend any of the money Nami gave him on you, you had your own, but it was still sweet of him to think of you!

You opened the box after a bit of back and forth with yourself about Sanji spending money on you already, but you let those thoughts go once you saw it was a simple little heart shaped charm on a silver chain. You smiled softly while Sanji blushed about it scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I just…I thought you'd like it so I bought it…you don't have to wear it or anything, it's no–"

You cut Sanji off by throwing your arms around his shoulders in a hug, which he returned with his around your waist, though he was a bit confused until you looked up at him with a smile still.

"You're the sweetest thing in the world, I don't deserve you."

That comment and your sweet smile got to Sanji in an instant; eyes turning to hearts, face bright red with a grin, while he snuggled his face up against yours.

"Don't say that!! I'm the one who doesn't deserve you!!"

Giggling, you pulled Sanji even closer to you and kissed him, only stopping when you heard a voice yell "We caught you!"

For a moment you thought it was Marines and they were going to chase you and Sanji through Water 7, until you realized you knew that voice all too well, and you both looked to see Nami and Robin at the other end of the alleyway.

"When did this start?!"

"Uh…"

"And why didn't you," Nami pointed a finger at you, while you hid your face in Sanji's shoulder, "tell me?!"

"Nami," Robin placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder with a smile, "Let's give them a moment and maybe they can explain things to us."

The two stepped away with Nami saying you had better not run because she wanted every detail possible about when and how this happened. You didn't move a muscle, still hiding your face in Sanji's shoulder while he kept you close and stroked your hair to keep you calm. Eventually, he laughed a bit and it made you look up at him.

"What?" "Guess our secret's out," Sanji gave you a smile while you pouted a bit, tucking a bit of hair behind your ear before kissing you, "Let's go talk to Nami and Robin then, all right?"

[melonteee]

I've been rewatching One Piece and oh my lord it is SO GOOOOD on a rewatch dude holy shit! When i first watched One Piece, I was suuuper impatient I guess?? Because I remember getting annoyed at so many arcs for "dragging on" but as I'm watching now, I don't even know what I was talking about ?? I think subconsciously, one piece has made me realize how short my own attention span is and how annoyed I get when I don't have all the information laid out to me on a silver platter lol but I genuinely believe one piece has made me a more patient person in general because oda just knows how to piss me off and then make me feel kind of embarrassed about it because I'm used to not trusting writers I guess 😅 idk I just remember not liking punk hazard very much but damn I'm really enjoying the ride now. Thank you for reading my rant lol

This is exactly it! One Piece is fantastic on a first watch, and even better on a re-watch! It's why when people complain about pacing issues in One Piece, I truly do not understand what they're talking about. There's not been a single moment in One Piece where I've thought "Oh my god, get on with it!" because we get NEW INFORMATION! ALL THE TIME! And the 'slower bits' do WONDERS for the world building!

It definitely comes down to impatience, so many people speed through One Piece to 'catch up', and it frustrates them. But if you just enjoy the ride, everything you see and everything you hear...is important! You get such fun little insights of an island's culture, life and environment that really makes One Piece feel lived in. And if it's not about the island, it's about the characters we meet!

Any time One Piece's pacing is complained about, I always have to wonder WHAT these people are watching One Piece for? If you only like ONE character, and you're WAITING for that ONE character to come back? OF COURSE you'll complain about the pacing!

If you're only in it for the fights, and all you WANT is fights, YOU'RE GONNA COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PACING! This is why I think Skypiea is complained about SO MUCH! Because the fights are few and far between, and EXTREMELY unconventional for how a shonen usually works in terms of pairing characters off to fight! I will die on the hill that Skypiea does not have pacing issues, I NEVER know what ANYONE means when they say that, ALL of Skypiea had my eyes BIG and BULGING at what I was seeing!

Oda is very good at planting information, letting us sit with it for a LONG time, and bringing it back up when it's relevant again. It's why I have a giggle when people go "ODA FORGOT THIS" or "ODA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THIS!"

Oda has not forgotten anything, Oda DOES care about what he's added, he's just waiting for the right time to bring it back! One Piece really does make you more patient, because you realise a good story doesn't mean presenting a TEDTalk full of exposition. It means building a world, journeying with our protagonists, and going on an adventure with them!

[breakonthroough]

Rewatching Skypiea.

I just recently finished rewatching the Skypiea arc and now I'm just bursting with thoughts about its significance and foreshadowing in One piece plot. I will try to summarize them briefly. And yes I'll eventually reduce all my analysis to the Donquixotes problem again, you guessed it.

I’ll say right away that I’ve already seen some of the theories in Twitter before but I didn’t really read into them. Therefore all these thoughts about the parallels, foreshadowing and Chekhov's guns that Oda generously sprinkled in this undoubtedly important and simply stunning One Piece arc came to me quite independently of existing theories. However they refers on them I think.

There will be a lot of text and chaotic thoughts that I will try to formulate into something readable. Get ready! And do not pay attention to possible translation errors (sorry). Let's go.

The most obvious foreshadowing here is primarily references to the current Egghead Island arc. I will wrote about this down below and it's about the Gear 5. There are also obvious parallels with Dressrosa. Here I was interested in seeing with a fresh look to the abilities of the priests of Enel. ''Skyrider” Shura with his "Ordeal of String" reminds me Doflamingo and the power of his fruit. Also "Skybreeder" Ohm: his barbed-wire cage made of iron clouds again reminiscent of Doflamingo and his “Birdcage”. And Ohm's flexible attacks of sword with the shape-changing cloud blade are so similar to the Diamante's fighting techniques. But priests use all these techniques without using the power of any Devil Fruits. And also they do not use the coating with Haki, using only Mantra (the variation of Observation Haki).

Well now I just say a few words about some of the oddities of Luffy’s behavior on Skypiea and all the obvious harbingers of Nika’s appearance. I just note how impressed I was by the scene of the final fight between Luffy and Enel - how much it has in common with the climax of the Wano arc and the battle with Kaido. Here was Wyper, who like Law and Kid who have seeing the power of Gear 5 later finally believed in Luffy and his strength and so similarly was desperately shouting "Come on, do it, Mugiwara!" And here was the common people of Skypiea who also supported Luffy with the power of their prayers.

And finally the “weapon” with which Luffy delivers his final blow to the enemy. This is still just a huge golden ball on his hand and not a real «Bajrang Gun»-fist, but it looks so much like it!

And also the ancient faith of the Shandians in the Sun God, allusions at the mysterious connection of the heavenly people with Imu, which is reflected in the idols of Varsa. And of course the Enelface which most likely was not just a joke of Oda. Oh yes I really believe that all these strange and funny faces of Luffy’s rivals and comrades at certain moments are not just a gag, but the tricks of the insidious Oda Nika acting independently of Luffy's will.

I won’t dwell on this too much. Let's talk about something else.

First of all I saw enough hints confirming the fairly well-known theory that Dragon (like the entire Monkey D. family) may well be connected with the Shandians. Though it is still unclear why in this case they do not have wings. Dragon himself looks very similar to Kalgara. And the tattoos (paint?) on his face - by style of patterns - are stylistically similar to the patterns on the faces, bodies and clothes of warriors of Shandora. In addition Shandian chief priest traditionally wears a hat with a dog's head on it, strongly reminiscent of Garp's headdress. Another remarkable fact is that Dragon and Kalgara are voiced by the same VA - Hidekatsu Shibata! Knowing the One Piece trend this may be more than just a coincidence.

In parallel with this theory I can assume that Dragon may not to be the one of the Shandian race directly. He may be connected with them by some common affairs of the revolutionary army. After all his tattoos appear on his face after some incident. Possibly related to matters on Sky Island. After all when the Strawhats arrive on Heaven's Island an old lady with a camera at Heaven's Gate asks them whether the arrivals are sightseeing tourists or fighters. This means that Skypiea is visited not only by tourists but perhaps also by people with other purposes (such as revolutionaries).

In addition I noticed that the bazookas and pistols of the Shandians have a very recognizable design of the weapons of the Blue Sea inhabitants. And most likely also have a silicon mechanism enhanced by the action of Breath and Flash Dials.

And we know two main organizations, although they have radically different goals, but are related to the circulation of weapons: the revolutionary army and... the criminal organization of the Joker (that means Doflamingo again). This may well mean that one of them could supply weapons to the Skypiean rebels, based on some of their still unclear plans. Because the Skypieans themselves practically do not use such weapons. Although they clearly know how to handle them, according to the combat skills in handling the Burn Bazooka of pretty Conis.

Next I have a lot of very questions about the god Enel. But it’s difficult to build theories about it without fully understanding what exactly the initial conflict between the inhabitants of the Sky and the Earth was. What goals Enel pursued in trying to throw Skypiea and all the sky islands off their “illegally” (in his own words) occupied places. What were his motives and reasons for destroying the sky islands?

However I am almost sure that there is again a connection with Mariejois. Firstly Enel is the owner of an extremely powerful fruit (logia and perhaps even the mythical Zoan of the deity Raijin). After all there are practically no Devil fruit users on the Sky Islands. Excluding Enel and a couple of animals that are also clearly not local to begin with.

In addition Enel does not have wings although he must to be a Birkans. We don’t yet know how he lost them, but perhaps it has something to do with the eradication of his native island Birka (by Enel? That’s also a question).

Here I should note that the mysterious monk Urouge is similarly looks like the Birkans too, according to the images of the three winged races on the lunar fresco. And with this remaining undisclosed representative of supernovas, there will clearly still be some important story about the oppression and extermination of races and nations by people calling themselves gods. And according the way Enel organized Survival games among the Skypieans in the likeness of those games that the Tenryubito organized for fun, exterminating various races, he probably should know about this firsthand. Well in general I want to say that his story as a whole is somewhat reminiscent of John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” in its symbolism. Where a fallen angel challenges God.

And here begins the most interesting part of the analysis for me.

Who is called God on the island of Skypiea? Even if he’s already an former? Gan Fall.

And who as we know are the gods in the world of One piece? Tenryubito.

Gan Fall also does not have wings. And he is clearly not a Skypiean. And he is not at all from race of the sky people.

He was clearly appointed by someone to play the role of God there. That is mean he is literally the God's vicar on Skypiea and he even calls himself a mercenary.

Well the most interesting thing is what image did Oda choose for this character???

A recognizable image of Don Quixote from the Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Naturally I immediately got the distinct impression that he is literally … Donquixote.

It’s no coincidence that Doflamingo already appeared in the story before Skypiea. We've already heard this name! And after that we suddenly see such an obviously recognizable image from mass culture of a new character with an unclear mysterious past.

After all Gan Fall has almost all the characteristics of this peculiar family (we don't attribute here Doffy). Gan Fall is also a little not of this world and for some reason he is similarly drawn to the ordinary peaceful life of a common man, as he himself says reporting that he voluntarily renounced the title of god.

He calls himself a Knight of the Sky. Is it possible that he is one of the God's knights like Saint Figarland Garling and one of the World Noble? May be just former, but it's still impressive. And of course he is well aware of D.

Well in him if desired you can see some external similarities with Donquixote Homing (just look how funny his watering can is).

Here I again remember Doflamingo’s possible involvement in the appearance of Blue Sea weapons on Skypiea, but I don’t yet know how it can all be connected into a single whole. This may seem far-fetched.

Well.. I can say that Skypiea arc is definitely underrated by some fans and incredibly significant for the plot of the One Piece at the same time. Much in it remains unclear until Oda reveals the main mysteries of the history of the Void Century, so I think that Skypiea will definitely need to be reviewed and re-read when everything falls into place. I'm sure there will be a lot more that will surprise us about her after this.

P.S. I was also very surprised by the view of the Lvneel Kingdom from the flashback story of Mont Blanc Noland. This location in North Blue turned out to be surprisingly familiar from Law's flashback. Cora and Law stopped on this island when they have received information about the current location of the Ope-ope no mi fruit from Doflamingo. This was the place where Law's illness finally and irrevocably got worse. The place where the fateful direction of their joint path to its completion was outlined.

This once again proves how living, breathing and permeated with numerous intertwined connections is the world invented by Oda. The Kingdom historically the place of the shameful execution (so obviously similar to the execution of Gol D. Roger) of the great liar and the trickster Noland, who in fact never really lied to anyone, also became the place of a turning point and a decisive moment in the destinies of Law and Rocinante, a kind-hearted and selfless man who was forced to become a liar with many masks, sharing Law's "checkered fate" and giving his life to save a dying boy carrying the burden of the mysterious initial D.

How much is it amazing.

rus 🔽

Пересматривая Скайпию.

Буквально на днях я закончила пересматривать арку Скайпия, и теперь меня просто распирает от мыслей по поводу значимости ее сюжета! Попытаюсь вкратце их изложить.

Скажу сразу, некоторые из теорий я уже встречала раньше в сети, однако, особо не вчитывалась в них. Поэтому все эти мысли по поводу параллелей, предзнаменований и чеховских ружей, которые Ода щедро развесил в этой, без сомнения важной, да и просто потрясающей арке Ван Пис, пришли мне в голову вполне независимо от существующих теорий. Однако, думаю, будет честным признать, что они опираются на них.

Будет много текста и сумбурных мыслей, которые я попытаюсь сформулировать во что-то удобоваримое. И да, в конечном итоге я снова сведу весь свой анализ к проблеме Донкихотов, как вы уже могли догадаться. (¬‿¬) Поехали!

Очевидные параллели тут, прежде всего, отсылают нас к арке острова Эггхэд, выходящей в манге в настоящий момент. Также есть вполне очевидные отсылки к Дресс Розе. Здесь мне было интересно взглянуть свежим взглядом, прежде всего, на способности жрецов Энеля. «Скайрайдер» Сюра с его «Испытанием струн» напоминает мне, естественно, Дофламинго и силу его плода. А еще «Небесный заводчик» Ом: его клетка из колючей проволоки, созданной из железных облаков опять же отсылает к Доффи и его «Птичьей клетке». А гибкие атаки меча Ома с изменяющим форму облачным клинком очень похожи на боевые приемы Диаманте. Но жрецы применяют все эти техники, не используя силу каких-либо Дьявольских плодов. А также они не используют покрытие Волей, используя только Мантру (вариант Воли Наблюдения).

Сразу скажу, про некоторые странности поведения Луффи на Скайпии и все очевидные предвестники появления Ники я скажу всего пару слов. Отмечу лишь только то, насколько меня поразила сцена финального боя Луффи и Энеля — сколько там общего с аркой Вано и сражением с Кайдо. Тут и Вайпер, который, как и Ло с Кидом (лицезреющие мощь Пятого гира), наконец-то уверовал в Луффи и его силу, и так похоже кричащий, давай, мол, действуй, Мугивара! И мольбы простых жителей страны, наполняющие мощью и поддерживающие Луффи силой своих молитв. И само “оружие”, которым Луффи наносит свой финальный удар по противнику. Это пока ещё просто золотой шар на руке, а не настоящий Bajrang Gun, однако, так сильно на него похожий! А ещё древняя вера шандийцев в Бога Солнца, намеки на загадочную связь небесного народа с Иму, имеющая свое отражение в идолах Варсы, да и сам Энельфейс, который, скорее всего, был не просто шуткой Оды (о, да, я верю, что все эти странные и смешные лица, которые выдавали соперники и соратники Луффи — это не гэг, а проделки коварного Оды Ники, действующие тогда ещё против воли Луффи). На этом я особо останавливаться не буду. Поговорим о другом.

Прежде всего, я увидела достаточно намеков, подтверждающих довольно известную теорию о том, что Драгон, как и вся семья Манки Ди. Вполне может быть связана с шандийцами (правда, пока непонятно, почему в таком случае у них нет крыльев, если они родом из Шандоры). Сам Драгон внешне очень похож на Кальгару, а тату (рисунки?) на его лице – по стилю и начертанию – стилистически похожи на узоры на лицах, телах и одежде воинов Шандоры. К тому же, их главный жрец традиционно носит шапку с изображением головы собаки, что сильно напоминает головной убор дедули Гарпа. А ещё примечателен тот факт, что Драгона и Кальгару озвучивает один сейю Hidekatsu Shibata! Зная тенденцию Ванпис, это может оказаться больше, чем просто совпадением.

Параллельно с этой теорией я могу предположить, что Драгон может и не являться непосредственно представителем расы шандийцев, но при этом может быть связан с ними какими-то общими делами революционной армии. Ведь татуировки появились на его лице не сразу, а после каких-то определенных событий. Возможно, связанных с делами на Небесном острове. Ведь когда Мугивары прибывают на Небесный остров, пожилая леди с фотоаппаратом при Небесных Вратах спрашивала у них, являются ли прибывшие туристами (sightseeing) или воителями (fighters). Это значит, что Скайпию посещают не только туристы, а, возможно, и люди с иными целями, визита, например, революционеры.

К тому же я обратила внимание, что базуки и пистолеты шандийцев имеют очень узнаваемый дизайн оружия жителей Синего моря, и, скорее всего, также имеют кремниевое устройство, усиленное действием ракуш. А мы знаем две главные организации, хоть и имеющие кардинально разные цели, но связанные с оборотом оружия — революционная армия и… криминальная организация Джокера, то есть, снова Дофламинго. Это вполне может означать, что кто-то из них вполне мог поставлять небесным повстанцам оружие, исходя из каких-то своих, неясных нам пока, планов. Потому что сами скайпийцы подобным оружием практически не пользуются, хотя явно умеют с ним обращаться, судя по боевым навыкам обращения с Burn Bazooka милой Конис.

Далее, у меня много очень вопросов по поводу бога Энеля. Но о нем сложно строить теории, не до конца не представляя, в чем именно состоял изначальный конфликт жителей Неба и Земли, какие Энель преследовал цели, пытаясь сбросить Скайпию и все небесные острова с “незаконно” занимаемых ими мест (по его словам). Каковы вообще были его мотивы и причины уничтожать небесные острова.

Однако, я практически уверена, что это как-то связано с Мариджоа. Во-первых, Энель является обладателем на редкость мощного фрукта (логии, а, возможно, даже мифического Зоана божества грома Райдзин). Ведь на Небесных островах фруктовиков практически нет. А может и нет вовсе, не считая его самого и пары животных, которые также явно не местные изначально.

К тому же Энель не имеет крыльев, хотя является биркийцем (бирканцем). Каким образом он их лишился мы пока не знаем, но, возможно, это как-то связано с уничтожением его родного острова (Энелем ли? Это также вопрос). Тут должна отметить, что и загадочный монах Арудж аналогично похож на биркийца, исходя из изображений трёх крылатых рас на лунной фреске. А с этим, остающимся до сих пор нераскрытым, представителем Сверхновых явно еще будет какая-то важная история насчёт притеснения и истребления рас и народов персонами, называющими себя богами. И, судя по тому, как Энель устраивает игры на выживание среди скайпийцев по подобию тех игр, что устраивали ради забавы тенрьюбито, уничтожая под корень различные расы, он, вероятно, должен об этом знать не понаслышке. Ну и вообще, хочу сказать, что его история в целом, чем-то напоминает своими образами и символизмом “Потерянный рай” Джона Мильтона. Где падший ангел бросает вызов Богу.

И тут начинается самая интересная для меня часть анализа.

Кого на острове Скайпия зовут Богом? Хоть уже и бывшим?

Ган фола.

А кто у нас, как известно, в мире Ван Пис считается богами? Тенрьюбито.

У Гана Фола также нет крыльев. И он явно не скайпиец. И вообще не из небесного народа.

Он явно назначен кем-то исполнять там роль бога. То есть, он буквально наместник богов на Скайпии, и сам себя называет наёмником.

Ну и, самое интересное, какой же образ выбрал Ода для этого персонажа???

Узнаваемый образ Дон Кихота из книги Сервантеса. Естественно, у меня тут же сложилось отчётливое впечатление, что он ... Донкихот.

Ну, то есть, мне буквально кажется, что это абсолютно прямой намёк Оды на то, что Ган Фолл может быть представителем семейства Донкихот! Ведь не случайно в сюжете уже ��оявился Дофламинго, и мы услышали его фамилию! А после этого мы внезапно видим настолько очевидно узнаваемый образ из массовой культуры нового персонажа с неясным прошлым.

Ведь Ган Фолл обладает почти всеми особенностями этой злополучной семьи. (Не берём в расчет Доффи). Ган Фолл также немного не от мира сего, и его аналогично, по какой-то причине, тянет к обычной мирной жизни простого человека, о чем он сам и говорит, сообщая что добровольно отказался от титула бога.

Он называет себя Рыцарем неба (возможно ли, что он один из святых рыцарей, как и преподобный Фигарланд?) И, разумеется, он прекрасно осведомлен про Ди.

Ну и в нем, при желании, можно даже увидеть некоторое внешнее сходство с Донкихот Хомингом.

Тут я снова вспомню возможную причастность Дофламинго к появлению синеморского оружия на Скайпии, только пока не знаю, как это все можно связать в единое целое, чтобы не выглядело притянутым за уши.

Что ж.. Могу сказать, что Скайпия однозначно недооцененная некоторыми фанатами и невероятно значимая для сюжета Ван Пис арка. Очень многое в ней остаётся пока непонятным — до раскрытия Одой основных загадок истории Потерянного века, поэтому я думаю, что Скайпию однозначно нужно будет пересмотреть и перечитать, когда все встанет на свои места. Уверена, нас ещё многое удивит в ней после этого.

П.С. А ещё меня очень удивил вид королевства Лвниил из истории Монблана Ноланда. Эта локация в Норт Блу оказалась удивительно знакомой по флешбеку Ло. На этом острове остановились Кора с Ло, когда узнали информацию о точном местоположении фрукта Опе-опе от Дофламинго. Место, где Ло окончательно и бесповоротно стало хуже. Место, где обозначилось роковое направление их совместного пути к его завершению.

Это ещё раз доказывает, насколько живой, дышащий и пронизанный многочисленными переплетающимися связями мир, придуманный Одой. Королевство, исторически являющееся местом позорной казни (а ведь как похоже ее исполнение на казнь Гол Д. Роджера) великого врунишки Ноланда, который на самом деле никогда не был никаким лжецом, стало и местом поворотного и решающего момента в судьбах Ло и Росинанта, добросердечного и бескорыстного человека, который был вынужден стать лжецом с множеством масок, разделившим “пёструю судьбу” Ло и отдавшим свою жизнь на спасение умирающего мальчика, несущего бремя загадочного инициала Ди.

Как же всё это впечатляет.

[crepes-suzette-373]

Whole Cake Island comments

I'm late to this party, so what I'm posting here is probably old news to everyone, I just want to unload my thoughts.

I've read enough creator interviews to know that sometimes manga artists do things just for the heck of it with no deeper reasons. That's why I often hesitate to read too deeply into the scenes, but it's still there anyway, so I just want to react/ramble.

1) This arc repeatedly says that Sanji's brothers are supposed to be emotionless/heartless. Somehow despite that, they still burst into heart eyes when they see Nami. All of them!

If they're heartless, but they still do this, then what does it feel like for Sanji who isn't "heartless"?

It's to the point that Chopper goes "Are you sure you're not Sanji" at Yonji, and Yonji can't stop ogling at Nami's wanted poster. And they all say they want to take Nami home once the stupid wedding is over with.

Like, those 3 can normally kill people and clobber that poor helpless maid without even twitching a single curly brow, but Nami can still make them explode into heart eyes...

Maybe this is just a joke to laugh at, like "hahaha the quadruplets all have the same taste". Or maybe this was meant to show that deep down the other Vinsmokes aren't that heartless after all. Still...

2) I find it kind of strange that Sanji's injuries under the "skin mask" is drawn to look like the "joke" swollen face Luffy often gets when Nami beats him up for being dumb:

I mean, this scene with Pudding and the scene before that, when Sanji just got clobbered, I'm assuming they're both supposed to show his vulnerability. Then why make it look like the silly swollen faces that are usually meant for laughs and gags?

Compare that to the much more serious injured face Luffy has when Sanji beat him up, or way way back in the Skypiea arc when Sanji faced off Eneru.

If the in-plot intention is just to have him Sanji look so severely beat up that he needs a mask to hide it, why not draw him with the "serious" injured face?

My conspiracy thought was that sensei did that on purpose to make the scene with Pudding look either weird or awkward so that we can't take it seriously.

Like, now that it's all over we know it was a big nothing, but maybe during its initial run this specific art choice was a hint? Especially because later when Pudding revealed the trickery, she made fun of it. Something that probably can't be done with a more serious injured face.

3) Nami gave up so easily because...? She's someone who had literally done the exact same thing in almost the exact same way back in Arlong Park. She has also experienced being on the rescuer side with Robin, where they all eventually find out that there's something suspicious going on.

But somehow this time she took Sanji completely at face value and backed off in a very emotional way. Does it not even occur to her that something might be fishy again? And it's Luffy who saw through the nonsense and is completely not buying it.

Luffy, who is so clueless that he was dead-shocked to find his dad is Dragon, even though Garp already flat out told him so.

I mean, maybe because of the manga's tight schedule, sensei had to run this quickly to heighten the drama/stakes. Maybe there isn't a long plot game being played, and I guess I have a hyperactive imagination, but with a certain slant it can look like Nami gave up because she got heartbroken/jealous of the wedding.

When the group split up and the Sanji Rescue group was leaving from Zou, Zoro and Usopp said this:

They're all still there, the whole group heard it.

Oh no, maybe Sanji is on board with it. And then they actually meet Pudding:

Oh no, she's cute and he did go heart eyes at her. They then find Sanji, but he acts like this:

Oh no, maybe he does want to do the wedding for real after all.

Nami's reaction is such a classic "misunderstanding drama" reaction in romance novels.

4) Generally speaking, I feel like the wedding sham feels like something straight out of romance novels.

The leading lady gets closer to the leading man, then out of nowhere he turns out to be secretly a Very Important Person. His horrible family show up to threaten the leading lady, and he saved her at the cost of himself. Dramatic roller coaster and misunderstandings ensue, often including arranged engagements and/or almost-weddings.

This plotline really hurts my heart (poor baby Sanji), but at the same time I'm so baffled at how it all unfolds, because parts of it honestly kind of reminds me of telenovelas that my mum used to like to watch. Pretty sure I've even seen a couple permutations of this plot with vampires and whatnot during the supernatural romance craze in the Twilight era.

[pippin-pippout]

I’m about to give up on Dressrosa. The Usopp character assassination is ridiculous.

When has Usopp ever actually run from helping people? He’ll complain and be afraid but the whole point of his character is that he overcomes it to fight with his friends and for his friends and for the people they’re helping.

Luffy has faith in him. Robin has faith in him. And of course the Tonatta have faith in him because he made up a story. But for Luffy and Robin at least, that faith is earned because he always steps up. From Syrup village to alabasta to Skypiea to Water 7/Enies Lobby where he felt so strongly he still had to fight for them despite not being part of their crew that he wore a mask. Thriller bark he was in the fight against oars and effectively used his sniping skills and creativity against the zombies and perona.

Yet now he’s actively looking for an exit leaving all of the Tonatta people behind (and Robin though he doesn’t remember her). He’s saying he’ll write a book about them to keep their memory alive. I don’t recall any other time where he has simply run away while others are in danger. Hesitated yeah, but never has he chosen to fully leave people behind.

This whole arc has been so stupid. He’s a sniper. Why at no point did he try to just shoot the tobasco grape into the girl’s mouth? And he is running away until literally the entire factory is calling his name? Because I guess all he cares about is his name? I remember times where he’s needed encouragement but hes found it within. What would happen if Leo wasn’t on speaker talking about him?

Also this is post time skip where he, like everyone, spent 2 years focused on getting stronger. Yet for some reason, now is the first time where he’s truly acted like a coward.

Is this how it is in the manga? Because it’s making me lose respect for Oda…

[oh-warizoro]

When ch 1044 and 1045 were released and all the chaos was unleashed, I remember having a very obvious question

"How come the power of human human no mi: model Nika is connected to rubber?"

How is a gomu gomu fruit's awakening the power to turn imagination into reality?

I mean... This awakening grants the user freedom, not just of spirit but freedom of how to use power too. Luffy's ability to manipulate reality while in gear 5 seems to show that.

So??? Why rubber? Why does the fruit give the user a rubber-like body? What does that have to do with anything?

I was totally not re reading Skypiea when I noticed this.

Of course it's white they're in a cloud sky instead of a water ocean, but it's the fact that they use "pure white". White would've been enough to get the point across, right?

Guess where else have we seen that exact expression!? Oda's drafts of Gear 5!!

And the chapter after that? Guess what?!

We learn island clouds in Skypiea bounce just like rubber.

There's no need for Oda to make them bounce, but they do! Exactly like when Luffy turns the environment around him to rubber due to the awakening.

Let's not forget that Skypiea is where we first hear about the "Sun God" and we see Luffy's sirouette resembling the "Sun God Nika" transformation.

So would it be insane to think whatever Luffy has going on during his gear 5 is clouds?!! More specifically island clouds just like the ones found in sky islands.

Think about it.

Rubber was unknown to the people in Skypiea, and sea clouds/island clouds don't survive in the blue sea under natural conditions. Most likely 99% of the blue sea population has no idea what an island cloud is or what their properties are.

For all intents and purposes rubber was the best description blue sea people could give to the power of the fruit. If the fruit hasn't awaken in 800 years, it means no one has seen that transformation (which clearly is not just a “rubber fruit” awakening) EVER?! since the end of the void history gap. You would have no way of knowing. You would just think it’s rubber.

Now what does clouds have to do with the Sun God?

Well other than "they're in the sky" I'm not sure 😂 but someone that dreams a lot is said "to have their head in the clouds". The same way imagination and thoughts in manga are depicted with a floating cloud above the character's head.

It seems to be a perfect physical and symbolic representation of dreams! That's the theme of skypiea and the true pinnacle of piracy - dreams and freedom. It’s what the whole story is about!

[ofallthingsnasty]

thoughts on tazers? doffy seems like a tazer guy. enel too but i guess he wouldn't need one.

"enel too but i guess he wouldn't need one." fjksdh you're evil omfg

Doflamingo and a taser? Now, now, that's a little uncultured, don't you think? Oh, he'd definitely have his fun with one - but only for a day or two, then he'll throw it away like a cheap little toy We know he isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty but a man with that much money, connections and power? I think a costume shock collar is much more chic, much more fitting for a former World Noble. And really, not only is it way more fashionable, it's also a constant threat. A nice little tweak to your psyche, that terrible, terrible ability for him to have you writhing on the ground any time he pleases. It's big enough for other people to notice, as well, marks you in that all too familiar way the Celestial Dragons do. Humiliation and fear, two birds one stone - he's nothing if not efficient. When it comes to Enel, I really only ever thought about him with a worshipper/someone of his little posse - and I don't think he'd need to use his powers on you if you're already in so deep. He's lazy and he already has your devotion, why shock you? Only for you to piss yourself and for him to get dirty in the process? Goodness, no. Anything but that. He'd use it to get rid of you, sure, but not to make you dance. But if you're just a regular citizen of Skypiea... Utilizing his powers to toy with you a little, to terrify you, scare you, torture you into submission... How fun. A nice little something to spice up his wednesday night.

[yamatossideboob]

One Piece 1117 spoilers!

This week's philosophisings:

I fucking love Yamato hugging Daddy Cat, happy father's day son

So I did not cop this until I saw people raving about it but. Gin lives babes.

And he made it back to the New World with Dong Krieg and Pearl...

I'm genuinely stunned by this, I can't lie. Oda is stuffing in cameos from E V E R Y O N E.

This is so strange. On one hand I feel like I should be cross that Oda has not only cowarded out of ANOTHER character death, but the fact that 1) it's after 20 literal fucking years after we saw him last, which is genuinely just hilarious, and 2) its fucking GIN!!!!! OUR GUY FUCKING MADE IT!!! HE DEFIED THE GRIM REAPER BEFORE ZORO!!!!! DON GIN FOR LIFE BAYBEEEEEEEEE

also nice callback to the City of Gold myth from Skypiea

oh hi Saruyama lads

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Kujaku...

DRAKE??????????? glad you're alive I guess now you can do something interesting

SMOKER ON THE FUCKIN DUNE BUGGY ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN

This fella channeling the entire readership for what feels like months now

One inch closer to gtfo Egghead, real den den mushi pace to this escape manouvre lmao

Nusjuro is easily the scariest-looking of the Elders, the fucked up skeletaur form is just peak nightmare fuel. fuckin SMT shit

'Fishman Jiu-jutsu Piggyback' doesn't quite hit the same as 'Fastball Special' but FUCK if it doesn't otherwise tick those Hype Shit boxes, gwan Jimbei and Mosshead

Zoro stanboys creaming themselves reading this, power scalers succing themselves thru their jorts at this display

Fr though good on swordsman repelling a fucking Elder to let the crew have more time to flee, ditto Jimbei on the slick catch

also Zoro sword deemed significant somehow woowee

shit, what are the chances we get another crew split a la Whole Cake? Doubt it at this late stage buttttttttt

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah (thats Luffy yellin)

the Giants delight in their carnage yay yippee

I cannot help but read Bluegrass in a Cork accent.

VICE ADMIRAL DOLL ILYSM PLEASE BETRAY THE WORLD GOVERNMENT MWAH MWAH

I guess some VAs being not useless is good for stakes. On the Giants tho.

LOTSA D'S HERE HI DRAGON HI BLACKBEARD HI IMPLIED TRAFALGAR LAW

AND VIVI EVEN IF SHE DOESNT KNOW YET

go Giant Robo... you gave us nothing.. lol I'm not yet convinced that the Iron Giant is kaput yet, it just seems too hardy for that even with the Elder assault going on. but that signal is banjaxed now, probably for good. Which suits me fine, Robin can still have her big moment in due time this way.

What's the deal with the D though... I can't wait til we finally find out... mamma mia

Thankfully another chapter is due next Sunday. This is likely the end of this colossal lore drip feed by Vegapunk, but next time will surely be immensely exciting now that we can finally get off the island and off to Elbaf! I'll meet ye there nakama!

💪✖️

[hauntingblue]

Jaya time

I love these moments of nearly cosmic horror when they encounter inexplicable things (at first) they are so intriguing

Is strawhat here?! *Megan thee stallion saying AAH 😜*

This cover just goes hard... Get it chopper

[larkreadsop]

WARNING : SPOILERS ON EGGHEAD

Am I the only one who is somehow deceived by Luffy owning the Nika Nika no mi ?

I found it funny he had a "random" or even weak in pure nature devil fruit, compared to other characters (Kizaru, Crocodile, Akainu, Kaido, Enel or Big Mom to name a few) , was imaginative and made it a deadly weapon.

Buut actually no, it's the power of a fucking god. I know he is the protagonist, so he needs to have a massive strength and all, but come on, he's already the son of the most wanted (and maybe powerful) man in the world, grandson of the hero of the Marine, youngest ever emperor, 101% future pirate king..., Leave some cool stuff for the rest please 😭.

I definitely understand... I think up until now Luffy has certainly gotten by with thinking he had a rubber fruit and was able to figure out ways to use it based on that belief so I don't feel as if this has cheapened or lessened any of the fights he's had to this point because of that.

But ever since Joy Boy's introduction and what happened on Fishman Island it's been foreshadowed that Luffy would be involved with that somehow and the 'drums of liberation' tie all the way back to Skypiea so I don't feel as if it came completely out of nowhere (and, like you said, given the genre of the series the main character is always going to have the most significant power-ups in one way or another...)

I guess what I'm most interested in is the potential downsides of Gear 5 because we've already gotten hints of it in that Luffy gets so caught up in the 'fun' of fighting that he pretty much blocks everything else out (which is fine when he's brawling one-on-one with someone like Kaido but even in this arc when Lucci went to attack Sentomaru instead Luffy should have been able to stop that but he wasn't using his Haki or paying attention and I could see that being very detrimental...). He also stuck with Gear 4 during the Seraphim fight so he's still capable of using his old forms as well and I think as long as he doesn't pull out Nika in every single fight it won't bother me as much!

In terms of the legend of Nika...the idea of this 'warrior of liberation' does fit with what Luffy's unconsciously been doing all along. Whether or not Nika was actually a deity or just worshipped/revered as one by the people he saved is still up for debate but in some ways it's almost the opposite of what Luffy himself wants, because he doesn't want to be seen as a hero and now he's almost inextricably tied to a figure that's been seen as heroic for generations.

So I think there's a lot of ways the story could go with this that add a lot more depth to the idea than it merely being a close-to-the-end-of-series-power-up and I really hope to see some of that in the future!

[bugbearstew]

One Piece Posting

so i finished the Skypiea arc recently. and hoo boy I understand why no one talks about this and why I had no idea this all happened. While the idea of the crew going into a sky island filled with angel people and a mysterious golden city is pretty fun and exciting, the whole arc was just kind of........... Okay

Especially following the Alabasta and Baroque Works stuff its just like, kind of that but worse. The vassals dont really get enough screentime before the fights to be fun and the fights with the vassals arent as compelling as the previous fights in the series.

One Piece has a lot of fun worldbuilding and powers but wow I just do not care about dials. The whole idea of "press a button and a thing happens" is just so boring and most of the time they're not even used in any interesting ways. Just "haha i touched you with my kills-you dial, i win"

Eneru (or Enel I guess depending on where u read it) is probably the highlight of the whole arc. He's really charismatic and has a sort of kefka "fuck everyone i got mine" vibe thats fun to watch. Plus his whole brutally strong devil fruit powers that take out the straw hats instantly is REALLY fun to juxtapose against how his powers just do Not effect Luffy. His "Kingdom Come" attack was also really cool. My issue with Eneru is that he's kind of just a less fun Crocodile and his fight goes on..... way too long oh my god.

All that said, however. The final ringing of the bell of shandora was pretty fuckin' cool. Leading up to that, as soon as Luffy's hand gets stuck in a big golden ball you kind of know where it's going. When he rings the bell, though, and theres like 6 pages of it just going CLAANG it feels really powerful and emotional.

7.5/10 arc

Idk if the foxy and long long stuff is counted as a full arc? but I am just now starting on the Water 7 stuff and I'm excited because I've heard this is like the best part of the series so! lets go

(crossposted from cohost where I post more casually than here. Should I post more text stuff here?? let me know)

[cheswirls]

once again 1098 stuff w a disclaimer that the RA is the most interesting thing abt one piece rn aside from the mystery of the void century. their drive and motivation match most of the core themes of op beat for beat. if this chapter broke my heart w every little reveal then next chapter is gonna be the nail in my coffin

ginny's sapphire disease has smth to do w seastone. VP mentioned earlier in the arc abt seastone's properties in an expansion of what was mentioned in skypiea. idk if they injected it into her or altered her DNA so that it formed in her body or if literally this is one giant clue to seastone being born from human DNA or whatnot. we still have no idea where the wg is getting it from!!!

where bonney has the mark is where her piercing is now tho. )':

i love. how op does the found family trope. it's so good. it's SO good!!! kuma rly is her dad blood related or so!!! it's like toko and yasuie!! that was her dad for the last few years of his life!! same thing! kuma raised bonney! it's so! so!!!! aaaaaaaaa

the fact that she's never left the church since such a young age is miserably heartbreaking.

when kuma asked her where she'd want to go if she could!!!!!!! aaaaaaaaa god not me realizing that save for a rock at TB kuma's only ever used his teleporting power on ppl to get them out of harms way. even in peronas case she was trying to flee TB so it counts. that's such. that's so tragic.

and ginny. )))): god how long do you think it took for betty to become east blue commander? was there anyone between her and ginny? how long do you think dragon sat on his hands abt that, knowing what happened to ginny and not wanting to risk anyone else, especially someone presenting as female???? how much do you think ginny's capture rocked the RA to its core? fisher tiger freed the slaves at mariejois 17 yrs before present, several years before ginny was captured. five years after ginny and kuma joined RA. do you think they inspired each other? do you think tiger took notice of all the chaos the RA was causing and decided he took could take matters into his own hands? do you think the RA viewed tiger as a martyr, as a symbol that the celestial dragons were not infallible?

kuma calling bonney's mark her jewels. and her epithet is born. god. i'm not crying you are

the last doctor looks so familiar but i can't place him. i don't think it's crocus but it would make sense that he's researched countless rare diseases in hopes of curing roger's.

is this roger's disease???? crocus said he had a stopgap fix for it so roger could finish his voyage so maybe that's what was given to kuma for bonney? it ticks all the boxes of 'inevitable terminal illness' but there's still questions unanswered if that's the case. was bonney's DNA altered along w ginny's and that's how she got it? surely it can't be contagious. is it hereditary?? that wouldn't explain ace if it's the same illness but would explain how bonney has it and no one aside from her mother has had it before (that we know of.)

what if. what if kuma let VP experiment on him in order to find a cure for bonney :( she did mention she's met VP before. and dragon has that connection w him.

aaaaaaaaa so much in this chapter. i feel so bad for ginny :((( guess that's why bonney was never targeted as a buckaneer. she never was one

i wonder if she would recognize luffy as the embodiment of nika. if she would if saturn mentioned the fruit's real name. if she says smth to him out of spite and jest and that's how luffy finds out what his fruit is called (and rly is)

1099 botta be so crazy insane

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

At the Skypiea (is that right?) arc and I'm LOVING the confirmation that Luffy being a rubber-man isn't just a metaphor. (It actually didn't even occur to me until he was facing Eneru in the Maxim. I thought Nami would defeat him with her wicked navigation skills since he was revealed to be made out of lightning, even though that would go against the usual OP narrative structure.) My man is literally walking around made of rubber. The consistency and make up of rubber. Son't people think he looks odd or something? I can't stop grinning this is hilarious. Does he have bones? Rubber bones? What's his blood made out of? Does it have iron? Is it rubber blood? What about his hair?

I look at his face in the panel right now and it looks like he has no idea what's going on???? Does he know he's made of rubber? Should Nami tell him or let him stay in blissful ignorance thinking Eneru's just a light weight?

EDIT: I went ahead and kept reading. Yeah, he knows. I guess he's just really chill about it.