#especially luffy. you know that episode where he's still in shock and when he comes to his senses he just screams for ace. that breaks me

[dokjaism]

i am NOT prepared to watch dadan tell garp "you were there and you did nothing"

[irishanimefan]

One Piece Anime Watchalong: East Blue Saga 4/6

Baratie (Eps 19-30):

Started: 9/7/23 Finished: 10/7/23

There's a lot to talk about when it comes to Baratie, so let's keep this ball rolling!

Before the arc begins, we start off with Zoro's backstory. Even though we were nearly 20 episodes in, I feel like I haven't gotten to know Zoro that well. This episode changes it where we get to see his past enrolling at a dojo, training hard to become the strongest swordsman in all the land. But someone who also desires that title is the dojo master's daughter, Kuina. Despite her status as the strongest at the dojo, even beating several adults along the way, due to the gendered stereotype of girls not worthy enough to be great swordsmen, she's at a dead end. That's when her and Zoro vow for one of them to become the greatest swordsman in defiance of whatever role society expects you to adapt too. Unfortunately, that vow is short lived when Kuina dies by falling down some stairs, leaving Zoro to deal with his grief by becoming the greatest swordsman for both their sakes. This was quite a touching episode that gave further insight into the person Zoro would end up becoming whilst also giving subtext commenting on the perceived gender inequality that resides in the world.

This is the arc where we get introduced to Sanji, the playboy Sous chef of the Baratie restaurant. He's such a fascinating character! On the surface he holds up an arrogant front, but you get to understand why he acts that way once you know his philosophy when it pertains to food. As a chef, he obviously upholds the value that food should be cherished and not wasted, but he's also very altruistic as he treats everybody who's hungry as a customer. This is evident in the first scene he has with Ghin, even though he's apart of the notoriously dangerous Krieg Pirates, he still treats Ghin to food because he was in need of it. It goes a long way in humanising Sanji's character. And that's not even mentioning his backstory and the bond he has with Red Foot Zeff. Once I saw the lengths that Zeff went through to save kid Sanji; he tore his own leg off to save Sanji from drowning, and gave him what little food both of them had left. At the moment that Sanji realised what sacrifices Zeff made to ensure Sanji had a future ahead of him to reach the All Blue, I was genuinely tearing up. Sanji's and Zeff's bond reminded me of Luffy and Shanks, especially when Sanji referred to the Baratie as Zeff's "treasure", which I think explain's Luffy's outburst when he destroyed the fin.

One other aspect I thought was done excellently was Ghin's character arc. Going from this meek underling that is constantly under Don Krieg's shadow -- despite being appointed Chief Battle Commander -- to someone who decides to carve out his own agency in the story. His dilemma comes from being indebted to Sanji's kindness when he was at his lowest point and could've died from starvation, and having him wrestle with where his loyalties lie was really compelling. The cherry on top was when Don Krieg shot the MH5 poison gas bomb, Ghin sacrificed his own life to save, not only Sanji but also Luffy too, someone he barely even knew before Krieg began terrorising the restaurant. That nobility in that moment was incredible to see.

The one part of the arc that I did not see coming was the reveal of Dracule Mihawk. In the episode prior to his entrance, the characters were alluding to him as if they, especially Zoro, were going to encounter him later in the series when they were well into the Grand Line. So it came as a genuine shock to me when I saw him slice up Krieg's Galleon ship. OP is not playing around! It was especially thrilling during the fight between Mihawk and Zoro. Zoro in previous fights would give the impression of struggling against his opponent before later gaining the upper hand. This fight on the other hand, Zoro had clearly met his match, barely being able to keep up with Mihawk even when brandishing his miniature knife, and ultimately almost gets himself slain by Mihawk. This was such an intense fight that was amplified by Hidehiko Kodota's stellar direction in that episode. Really excited to see a rematch between these two later on in the series.

If there was an aspect of the arc that didn't grab me as much it was Krieg himself. He serves as a good, simple villain for the heroes to tear down, though I didn't find him nearly as interesting to watch as someone like Buggy or Kuro. For that reason, I felt that the arc kind of dragged. A lot of it came down to him bragging and showboating about how he's the ruler of East Blue and not actually showing it for the majority of the arc. But then again, considering that he suffered a pretty humiliating defeat of losing his entire fleet when venturing the Grand Line, maybe him inflating his wounded ego was supposed to be intentional. However, when he does actually get involved in the fight, particularly his brawl with Luffy, it was pretty incredible. Though it was mainly used to yet again display Luffy's determination and strategy, if any, when facing against an opponent that's stronger than him. For that reason, it was so satisfying to watch the gears in Luffy's head turn when besting Krieg at his own game, even if it isn't immediately apparent.

Other thoughts I have about this arc: I thought the other Baratie fighting chefs like Patty, Carne and the rest of them were entertaining to watch. The set of the Baratie is probably my favourite set so far. I love how it wants to be this professional restaurant but its so archaic in its design and has to be powered by pedal boats! Finally, this is kind of a minor issue, but I did notice times when some scenes were padded out slightly, mainly cutting back to the same reaction shots every two seconds. Some of the stuff that's been said by some OP fans about the anime adaptation had kind of had an influence on how I experience it for the first time. And while, I take some of these critiques with a grain of salt because I've been really enjoying the anime a lot, I'll admit that I found the constant stream of reaction shots whenever something happens kind of distracting. But, I think, going forward, I won't pay too much heed to criticism like that because, while I do very much get how that could be an issue to people like me getting into the series, my take on it is that it's giving a simulation of what these arcs would be like if they were happening in real time. I've seen other battle shounen anime adaptations do this as well, but I feel that OP does this the best because it really is giving these scenes their time of day and letting them breathe rather than keeping the momentum up all the time.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this arc. While there were some aspects that kind of dragged it down a bit, once it truly gets going, it was thrilling. What I also like about it is that it sets us up beautifully for the next arc, which from what I've heard, is not only considered the best arc of the saga but also what many fans would state as the moment when OP went from pretty good to one of the best series ever. I'm really excited to see what the fuss is all about when we get to Arlong Park!

[myonepiece]

can I ask what are your thoughts about people on tiktok cancelling oda for being "misogynistic"??? I'm a woman and misogyny is a huge word so I got shocked and see what they were talking about and its about this interview where female fans are complaining about the girls characters design and fanservice and he said he cares more about his male audience thats why. One piece is shounen and is male dominated, and you know how they like the non realistic big boobies and hips though I agree that there's too much fanservice and nami and robin's old design were better. But the fanservice criticism is understandable as a woman I would also like a diverse body image for women like how Isayama creates his fem characters which is chefs kiss. Oda draws them poorly (in my opinion) but I like how THEY ARE WELL WRITTEN. I love their mommy milkers but I agree the new fans or anime watchers who's gonna start watching it might feel uncomfy but setting aside their design THEIR BACKSTORIES ARE GOOD. And he writes Zoro as someone who sees women snd men equal so I don't see how he's misogynistic 😅 Misogynist hates women, Oda doesn't hate women he just said that his target audience are men bc op is shonen after all.

I literally love female characters in op they're well written comparing to other shonen that's the same age as one piece that has the same fan service but the girl is just quirky, submissive and has no personality at all. Like Naruto the women are so poorly written and could've had more potential.

Maybe its because I'm already used with the way he drew them but I really love their timeskip faces, they got more drip before I still love them especially Robin

ooo yes interesting, I hope I covered everything in this <3

TW- body image

I’m going to start by saying this is a touchy subject because my body/self-image issues are pretty bad and I don’t like talking about bodies, but I have a lot to say about this specific topic. I do not think Oda is a misogynist, as you said he does write Zoro as someone who views men and women as equal, and a mysoginst wouldn’t do that. he hasn’t done anything in the show that says he hates women, it’s simply his portrayal of them- and more specifically their bodies. that being said, I have a problem with the way he has his female characters look- of course the details and overall animation are amazing, and yes their bodies (especially boobs) are drool worthy, but he could definitely... tone it down a bit. in japan typically are skinny and have low body fat, but the more curvaceous aspect of Oda’s characters are pretty far-fetched. I get why he does it for the men watching, and while that does sound slightly misogynistic, mostly like a stereotypical misogynist, it isn’t- at most it’s sexist. I think that the way the characters look will cause a lot more body image issues in young girls (or just people in general) and that definitely isn’t his plan. it’s giving an unhealthy and unrealistic expectation of women, and maybe more specifically asian women. if he could simply make their boobs a little smaller and overall make their body shapes a little less “perfect” because seriously ALL of them have hourglass bodies except for a few of the villains. and honestly Oda, stop making the glow up so drastically!! Alvida, the large round women who Cody was sailing with when he met Luffy (the very first episodes for reference), was punched by Luffy and flew away, only to show up later and team up with Buggy but she had “glown up” because of Luffy’s punch- she lost all body fat and was left with an hourglass body shape and was then called one of the most beautiful woman in the sea. I mean COME ONE- a fucking punch, Oda?! more statistically speaking, Oda is making his characters follow the beauty standard, I realized this was accurate when Robin’s skin tone changed so drastically as well as Usopp’s, and really all of theirs did- we could have done without that. 

so back to the misogynistic aspect, Oda writes all of his character’s backstories the same, and they’re all awesome. also they typically all show power and fight, if he was a misogynist then I’m willing to bet we owuld get a lot more sorrow and weakness from the females, lots more battles fought exaggeratingly horrible and lost, or always being saved by the men (when in fact some of the men have been saved by the women). while we could do without so much “princess/female needs help saving kingdom/town/something” it’s not too bad. the fanservice is a bit extreme, I hate how they have to show so many bath scenes for the girls and how Nami usually has sideboob/boob in general showing, I find it kind of insulting myself but that’s only my self esteem issues- which I’m sure other people have and feel the same way, so you’re not alone if you do feel that way about it. and when Nami’s boobs tend to pop up from her top, I’m thinking of those scenes in the outfit she wore during the episodes she met Sanji’s brothers. and the fact that when she hugs people their faces go directly into her cleavage doesn’t need to be so drastically pointed out, we don’t need a close up or anything Oda but... thanks? 

one big thing that proves he’s not a misogynist is that a lot of high ranking characters are female; Portgas D. Rouge, Charlotte LinLin (Big Mom), Boa Hancock, Tashigi, Tsuru, Catarina Devon, Alvida, Jewelry Bonney, ect.

he also has a lot of powerful female characters that had large impacts on characters (ex. their mothers) such as: Kuina, Olvia Robin, Bell-mere, Nojiko, Toki, etc.

he also has a number of male characters that are extremely anti-misogynist like Sanji and Zoro as well as Luffy. while Sanji is slightly sexist, he shows no hate towards women, he literally worships them. Zoro and Luffy are much better example because they’re neither sexist or misogynist, neither have any problem fighting a woman. in fact Zoro hates that women are seen as weaker and his whole childhood ass well as life was impacted by Kuina who was trying to prove herself because she was a female and eveyone underestimated her and thought she couldn’t be/wasn’t a swordsman- Zoro expressed his anger at that because he doesn’t see why anyone would think that. and Luffy simply just couldn’t care less about what gender someone is.

so all in all, Oda is not a misogynist, his portrayal of female characters is sexist at most but he is no woman-hater.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

629: "Violent Shock! Incredible News that Shakes the New World!"

A rocky old place, ain’t it? No white sand beach resorts here. Lots of sunflowers, though. And a Colosseum. Even trattorias and quaint cobbled streets, according to the preview.

This is Italy, isn’t it?

Only had time for one episode but that wasn’t a problem at all. Thankfully, there was a lot to unpack in 629, plus more highlights than 

There was the return of Thriller Bark. Updates on the whereabouts of key OP figures. Luffy yelling down the line at Doflamingo. The reveal of why Law is set on sailing to Dressrosa. Why Kinemon is also keen to go. The arrival of new villains. The reveal of Doflamingo’s cunning plan to snare Luffy. And the reshuffling of the Shichibukai and the appointment of a VERY FAMILIAR CLOWN.

I’m still laughing, btw.

Also have to say I liked the new opening. Seemed spoiler free and it was interesting that they have pitted Luffy so openly against Blackbeard (and Akainu, I suppose. Now there are two Big Bads. Actually beginning to wonder if there ever will be a Final Villain in One Piece).

They Call Him Scoop McGee Absalom

The action picked up with the immediate aftermath of Doflamingo’s resignation from his throne and the post of Shichibukai, which sent ripples through the OPverse. Now the protection conferred by Doflamingo’s Shichibukai status had vanished, his subjects lamented, “Dressrosa is done for!”

Elsewhere, an unwinnable war raged. Unwinnable because the side in question had struck a deal with the Donquixote family. Now Doflamingo is no longer king, the supply chain has dried up.

Various famous faces who had grabbed newspapers were next. Jewelry Bonney was a nice surprise! I thought she’d been arrested by the Marines after that whole thing on the burning island with Teach. She’s obviously in hiding (standard hooded cloak) but still in action. That’s good. There was also a brief shot of Jimbei and Crocodile’s hook.

But who was the mysterious journalist behind the leaking of the Strawhearts alliance? The Kidd/Hawkins/Apoo Alliance? The fact Doflamingo had resigned both throne and warlord role?

He is known only by the name Absa.

I would have struggled to predict who Absa might have been, had they not shown a tiny Thriller Bark satellite ship.

It’s obviously Absalom. Invisibility is his thing. He’s obviously been sneaking about. For what purpose, I have no clue. Maybe Moria is out for revenge? I’m pretty certain he’s still alive as Doflamingo said he disappeared in front of his eyes. I like the thought of Moria getting angry enough to come back into the limelight. (I’m still crossing my fingers he’ll help Luffy and Law with Kaidou. Moria definitely has enough of a grudge to do it.)

We also got hard confirmation that Kidd and co. are after a Yonko. Their target is as much of a mystery to me as Luffy and Law’s is to them. (I still think it might be Shanks.)

I love it when Oda takes time to set his arcs within a wider context. Even more so now. It’s especially relevant here, given the recent emphasis on the interconnected nature of the New World.

And speaking of connections...

Hello. Is it Caesar You’re Lookin For?

Once the contextualisation was out of the way, the action cut back to Sunny. At the end of 628, Doflamingo had finally picked up (after deliberately making Law wait to ramp up the tension. The theme of control is strong with this one).

Of course, Luffy had to formally introduce himself.

“HELLO. I AM LUFFY. I WILL BECOME PIRATE KING. OI, MINGO!” I love Luffy has already given him a nickname. “So you’re that idiot Caesar’s boss? That bastard hurt Brownbeard and the kids! We’ll give Caesar back since we promised but if he ever does anything like that again--” at this point Caesar himself was cringing hard in a corner “-- I’ll beat the crap out of you too!”

To his credit, Doflamingo did not rise to the bait. Sure, a few veins pop and he does questionable things when angered, but in negotiations, he remains cool as a cucumber.

“Strawhat... two years have passed since your brother died and you disappeared from the New World. Where were you and what were you doing?”

At that point, I never realised the significance of Doflamingo’s reference to Ace, so I just thought he was getting a, “Lol, ur brother is ded” dig in.

Of course, Luffy wouldn’t tell.

“I was hoping to run into you,” Doflamingo continued. “I’ve got something here that would make you drool.”

Since Luffy doesn’t do metaphors, he thought Doflamingo was talking about high-quality meats. To be fair, I had no idea what Doflamingo had up his sleeve at that point, so it could have been high-quality meats for all I knew.

Law was annoyed that Luffy had given Doflamingo the chance to control the conversation and snatched the DDM.

“Joker, we will hand over Caesar as promised.”

Doflamingo is not dumb, though. “That’s wise. You know well what would happen to you if you backed out now. First thing’s first, though. I want to confirm that my vital business partner is safe.”

Law held up the receiver. Caesar scooted over.

“JOOOOOOOKEEEEEERRR, I’M SORRYYYYYYYYYYY! YOU LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF ME, BAWWWWWWW--”

And Doflamingo was like, “Yup. Sounds like he’s fine.” 

I lol’d at that. (Was that a lowkey burn from Doflamingo?)

Law continued to keep matters strictly business. “In eight hours we will be on Green Bit. We’ll drop off Caesar there. Pick him up yourself. We will make no further contact.”

“Awwww...” Doflamingo retorted. “And I wanted to have a drink with you now you’re all grown up--”

At that moment, Luffy decided the conversation was at an end.“JUST HANG UP ALREADY!” 

He cut the connection. The Strawhearts were left alone on deck to process what had just happened. Sanji was smart about a loophole Law had left in negotiations. Law had never specified how many people could accompany Doflamingo to pick up Caesar. Theoretically, Doflamingo could arrive with an army at his back.

Law wasn’t worried. The Caesar handover was just a distraction. (Rather bold of him to discuss this in front of Caesar himself, by the way.) Destroying the Smile factory was the real mission. The only issue? Law has no info on the factory. I’m assuming they’ll have to infiltrate Dressrosa and locate the place.

Luffy was like, “You ever been to Dress Roba?” (Lmao, I’m sure he’ll get the name right eventually.)

Interestingly, Law said he had never been! There go my theories of Law growing up in Dressrosa and working for Doflamingo. :(

He definitely hates Doflamingo, though. His reasons for not stepping foot on Dressrosa? “He is king of that land.” Something has gone on between them in the past. Doflamingo has known Law since he was a kid. So did Vergo. What is the connection here??

At any rate, Luffy was blase about the whole affair. Infiltrating hostile territory to find and destroy a factory that will cause shit to hit the fan and draw the ire of the entire New World? Yeah, let’s just make up a plan as we go!

For Law, who is a clever, patient and careful man, this was just too much.

As the Strawhats filed past him into the kitchen for sandwiches, he stared with the vacant expression of a man who has stared into the depths of the abyss and found Luffy’s grinning face staring back.

He snapped.

“I HATE BREAD!!”

Then you have have a gluten free wrap, Law. Chill. Everything’s going to be fine.

At least, I think.

In the kitchen, away from Caesar’s sensitive ears, they discussed where they would dock and other important initial steps of their master plan. Kinemon also revealed why he wanted to travel to Dressrosa.

Apparently, they had set out for a place called Zou but were shipwrecked. Only one of the other samurai reached the shore with Kinemon and Momo. Doflamingo’s people pursued them. Momo tried to slip unnoticed onto a ship but it unfortunately sailed straight for Punk Hazard. Their other companion, Kanjuuro, was taken prisoner.

Law was interested in the whole Zou thing, as he had planned to travel straight there to reunite with his crew (Yay! They’re okay!) after taking care of business in Dressrosa.

Luffy was like, “EXCELLENT! WE’LL GO TO ZOU, THEN TO WANO KINGDOM. I WILL SAVE YOUR COMPANION TOO!”

And Brook randomly farted right in the middle of it, lmao.

There’s a Starman, Waiting in the Sky

And while Luffy and Law were busy making plans for Nigel, an Important Meeting was taking place at Marineford.

A grave Marine called Brannew took the podium in front of a room full of serious-looking, high-rankers (Brannew, get it? He’s a Brannew Marine to the story, ahahaha.) 

“As you all know,” he announced, “there are only seven Shichibukai. They are pirates who have been given permission to plunder by the World Government. In return, they grant us overwhelming power and prestige. Their allegiance to the World Government instills fear in pirates around the world.”

A line up of the more recent Famous Faces flashed across the screen.

Mihawk, Kuma, Hancock, Law, Donquixote Doflamingo, “The Celestial Yaksha” (I have yet to google that to find out what it means) and a newcomer.

Who was this newcomer?

He is the man who rapidly grew strength over the past two years. Commander of the Pirate Dispatchment Org and Living Legend: THE STAR CLOWN BUGGY!!

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!

Of course it could be no one else that Buggy! Who else would have such INCREDIBLE, BEWILDERING LUCK!

Even Buggy admitted he was totally winging it. “It’s not like I asked for this. The World Government kept bugging me so I had no choice. That said, this is only a rung on the ladder. I’m moving up in the world now. In a few years, I’ll be a Yonko.”

And you know what?

I believe it.

Only Buggy would be able to become a Shichibukai by accident. Why not a Yonko too? The World Government must be pretty desperate to fill spare seats if they asked Buggy. 

The serious Marine also spoke of the grave situation surrounding Doflamingo’s sudden resignation. Law’s activity and alliance with Luffy is under suspicion. Depending on what he does next, Law may be stripped of his title too.

Akainu agreed. “We cannot allow Law and Strawhat to do as they please. Smoker from G5 sent me a rather annoying message yesterday. We should observe the situation for another day. I have dispatched Fujitora.”

A couple of things.

Did Smoker send Akainu a message from Kuzan? Is that why the message was “annoying”? Maybe it’s both inconvenient (bad news) and annoying (it came from his old rival).

Who is Fujitora? A new Marine villain, high on Justice? I can but hope.

At any rate, the Marines are also on the move and are watching events in Dressrosa closely. This is good. The more conflict, the better!

You Magnificent Bastard

Meanwhile, in sunny Dressrosa, Doflamingo was also cooking up plans and future conflicts of his own.

In his palace, Doflamingo sauntered down a long corridor and entered a room with four high-backed chairs carved into card suits. As he is the Joker, I’m guessing Doflamingo has a theme going.

He apologised for keeping the others waiting. We only met two of the suit card squad. Diamante and Trebol. Trebol occupies the Clubs suite chair and is creepy. He does not understand personal space bubbles (even with Doflamingo) and he keeps insisting Baby 5 wants to marry him (creepy). His Devil Fruit power is also slightly gross (he blorts everywhere) and he has a perpetual hang snot. Not my kind of villain.

Diamante is at least funny. Example:

Doffy: “The colosseum is as popular as ever. That is thanks to you, Diamante.” Diamante: “Not at all, Doffy.” (I love that they call him Doffy.) “This is due to your charisma as king.” Doffy: “No, it’s because of your talent.” Diamante: “Oh, stop talking like I’m some hero of the colosseum.” Doffy: “But you are.” Diamante: “You exaggerate!” Doffy: “Fine, you’re not.” Diamante: “OKAY. IF YOU INSIST. I AM INDEED THE HERO RAAAARRR!”

Lmao.

That was weirdly humanizing. I get that Doflamingo is the villain here and he has no qualms over sacrificing his people if it needs to happen, but he knows these guys pretty well and gets on with them. Maybe it’s successfully manipulating them, sure, but the man still has social skillz.

Once the comedy moment with Diamante was over, Doflamingo asked Trebol to bring forth the Important Thing.

Trebol handed Doflamingo a mysterious box. “This is sure to pique Strawhat’s interest,” he said. “Their alliance can very easily become a disadvantage to them. I will entrust this super important box to you, Diamante.”

After some funny reverse psychology back and forth, Diamante agreed.

Then Doflamingo made the Big Reveal. The Big, Glowing, Shiny Reveal.

When he said he had something that interested Luffy, he wasn’t lying.

But it wasn’t high-quality meat.

He has Ace’s fruit.

And he is going to use it as leverage to break up Luffy and Law’s alliance.

What a magnificent bastard.

Law was attacked by a pack of wild loaves in his youth. He’s never been the same since.

[monkeydluffy19920]

“Every time I close my eyes

It's like a dark paradise.

No one compares to you

I'm scared that you

won't be waiting on the other side”

- Lana Del Rey - Dark Paradise

Sannami week 2019 day 5: I want to see you

My delayed final work for  @sannamiweek ‘s event 

Once upon a time there was an unfinished amv project that’s been whispering for some re-editing for almost 2 years because it was made in a hurry just like this as well actually, whoopsie. So, here is a fixed and a little extended version of the amv   Waiting - Sanji x Nami plus a quote/song analyze to explain why this song was picked.

First of all Lana del Rey’s Dark Paradise is simply amazing! (tragic but beautiful). Secondly, the lyrics suddenly sort of started to scream for that episode 764′s scene after Toei Animation decided to make an extra shippy(ish) moment for Sanji and Nami and in general, the chapter where this episode was based gave very strong SaNami vibes.

That extra was actually very interesting addition from Toei in general because we know that Oda-sensei wants to keep the focus on the adventures and friendships instead of romantic stuff and probably didn’t ask the animation group to throw some shipping fuel-ish material all over the animated chapter (if he did, that’s cool but I doubt *laughs*). So, making Nami first scream his name in panic and then deciding show her go after Bege’s tank with a slow motion and a dramatic background music and even adding those “drama sprinkles” all over the background (that come whenever there is an important scene) is quite a move from Toei although I understand they did it mostly to get filling to the episode and obviously, Brook and Chopper were dead worried and surprised too but still they decided to focus on her and give her the spotlight entirely.

Well, I’ve been hyping about Zou and Totto Land arcs a lot ever since the chapters were released and in the SaNami in the New World pt. 4 - Zou and  SaNami in the New World pt. 5 (1/3) - Totto Land but like you other fellow SaNami fans, I think these two arcs have been very very interesting from the shippers’ eyes. It’s been interesting to see the development from the friendly flirt filled first meeting Baratie to the shocking emotional slap in Whole Cake Island and finally the teary reunion hug.  

It might be mentioned in older posts but reason, why I think these lyrics are very fitting for Sanji’s and Nami’s situation (especially in Zou), is that basically before Sanji disappeared and got separated from the others he left with a smile on his face and tried to comfort his Nakama by telling them that everything is fine. Then in Zou’s reunion party, Luffy and Zoro kept telling Nami to “move on” (saying that he’ll be fine and will be back and Luffy even admitted it when he met Sanji that Nami and the others were more worried about him than he was back then) but despite her friends’ comments, Nami still kept worrying and pushing them forward because she felt so responsible for the disappearance and just like in the chorus, she was hesitating whether they’d find him in time so she was basically scared that he won't be waiting on the other side.

Then, just like the prompt says, she wanted to meet him again and luckily she did, after some roller-coasterish ride they had and she almost gave up on hope after Sanji turning them down but then it was Luffy who encouraged her to continue and it was worth it, they got him back! :>

Spoiler about that amv, I think it ended up being a bit more dramatic than I expected, accidentally *laughs* but somehow the rest of the Strawhat crew’s reactions fitted to the sung lyrics in that part and perhaps it was a continuum to the chorus. Of course, Nami never was ready to give up on hope, like we saw in canon and for example in Water 7 arc but it’s all up to you fellow fans how this “story” ends in this project, hope you like it! *monkey no see emoji*

[jollyinha]

Soooo... I saw an One Piece tag in Reddit, and for some reason I really like doing tags, even though no one gives a fuck about it. Since I have nothing better to do, LET’S ANSWER IT!

1 - Who is your favorite character and why? (Additionally, who is you fav Straw Hat?)

Most people would guess that it’s Sanji, since I’m crazy for this boy literally since I put my eyes on him... But my favorite character is Luffy, because without him, I wouldn’t stay interested in One Piece for much time. I kept watching the anime because I thought he was a funny and interesting protagonist, and it changed my life.

Besides, he is everything I love in a character (Especially in a protagonist): Dreamer, determinated, funny loyal and dumb. He inspired/inspires me in many, many ways, and I just love this strawhat boy.

2 - Who is your favorite villain and why?

That’s a tough one... Arlong impacted me the most (I hate, haaaaate his guts!) and Lucci akuma-no-mi is pretty cool. But I’m saying Crocodile. I mean, c’mon, the guy tricked an entire kingdom, defeated Luffy TWICE (I think it was twice, correct me if I’m saying shit), had an entire organization... And had banana crocodiles and a cool casino. And his akuma-no-mi is badass too. I kind of hope that he appears again in these recents arcs, even if it’s very unlikely!

3 - What is your favorite quote or statement? 

Oh man, there’s so many of them... Screw that, I’m making a small list.

-  "When does a man die? Does he die when he's been shot? No. Does he die when he's ravaged with disease? No. Does he die when he's been poisoned? NO! A man dies when, and only when, he is FORGOTTEN! “

-  "A man's dream will never die!"

- “The government says your existence is a crime, but no matter what kind of weapons you may hold, just being alive isn't a sin! THERE'S NO CRIME IN LIVING!!!''

-  “Don't start a fight you can't finish.”

4 - Who is your favorite female character?

Urgh, I love all my girls! I love Robin, Vivi and Nami nearly equally, but I’m saying Nami. Her backstory was the first one that actually made me cry. It’s amazing to think that he was stealing from pirates that could kill her, even though that she was just a child! That moment when she asked for help... Damn, it brings me chills. 

And I also love how even though she was already extremely important for the crew while being only the navigator, she still wanted to become stronger, and asked for Usopp to create the Clima Tact. She uses her intelligence to fight, fights for her friends when it’s necessary and still saves everyone’s butts by being the amazing navigator we know!

5 - What is your favorite fight? 

I gotta say the fight against Lucci. Not only was a very intense battle and it was the first time Luffy used a Gear, but I love its meaning. If he needs to kick the World Government’s ass to save a crewmate, he will absolutely do it. Nothing shall stand in his and his nakama’s way!

6 - What is your favorite episode? 

Well, I don’t ACTUALLY watch the anime since Alabasta. After that, I’ve only watched a few loose episodes, so I don’t know a lot about the anime. But I’m saying the episode that Brook joined the crew. The expressions and the voice acting are just on point!

7 - What is your favorite One Piece opening?

We Are!, of freaking course. It’s the only opening that I never skipped while I watched the anime. Although We Go! comes in a close second. Believe in Wonderland is good too.

8 - What is your favorite movie, special or "episode of"?

I did enjoyed Strong World and 3D2Y a lot, but Gold was amazeballs, starting with that freaking catchy song in the beginning. The animation is GORGEOUS, Tesoro is very interesting in my opinion, the outfits are amazing, and the final battles were pretty cool too. I didn’t liked Carina very much, tho

9 - What is your favorite arc in One Piece?

Alabasta, without any doubt. Baroque Works was freaking charismatic, the scenarios were interesting as hell, Vivi was an amazing character in general, the battles were intense and fun, and it’s such a funny arc! I really like the filler were Ace spends a while with the Strawhats too. Water 7 comes in a close second place.

10 - What is your favorite One Piece videogame? 

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. It’s so much fun to play with characters like Hancock, Ace, Law and Tashigi! The story log is very nostalgic and the dream log is addicting as hell.

11 - If you were in the One Piece universe, who's crew would you join and why?

What kind of question is that? Strawhat Crew, of course! They all have this sense of one for all and all for one, and they really look like a family, and this is very heart-warming to me.

12 - What is the saddest One Piece moment?

Weeeeeeell... I’ve been stuck in Dressrosa for a while, and the saddest moment in my opinion is at Whole Cake. I took EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE SPOILER of this arc, though. Without hesitation, it’s Sanji’s backstory. I feel like crying when I only see PICTURES of his backstory... I don’t even want to think what I’m going to feel when I actually get in Whole Cake. Sanji occupies a very special place in my heart, so it hurts a lot to see that this was his past. Congratulations, Oda, you completely broke my heart once again. Also, Pudding can stick her finger in her third eye and go to hell

13 - What is the most shocking moment? 

The third scene that made me cry in One Piece: Usopp VS Luffy in Water 7. These two are such good friends! That’s why I remember that I was freaking out when they began to fight. 

14 - What is the funniest One Piece moment and who is the funniest character?

There are plenty of funny moments in this beautiful story, so I’m going to say more than one. Zoro getting lost, Luffy’s impressions, Robin’s imagination and all the “Can you poop?” moments. And of course that Luffy is the funniest character.

15 - What is the most memorable moment? 

That moment when Luffy gets Zoro’s swords, and he defends his captain for the first time. C’mon, it’s the beginning of the crew!

“Nice, Zoro!”

“It was no trouble, Captain.” 

16 - What is your favorite ability in One Piece?

Hana-Hana No Mi. It’s elegant, has many uses and it can be powerful as heck. I totally want it! Emperor’s Haki is a close second, tho... 

17 - Do you own any One Piece merchandise? (Official or not)

Many of them! All the mangas that were/are being released on Brazil, the special editions (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green and Wanted!) an giant wallpaper, plenty of posters, many figure actions, an Sanji cosplay, a flag, a strawhat, a keychain and a notepad (The last two actually came from Japan!), a necklace and a shirt.

18 - Do you prefer watching One Piece in sub or dub?

As I said up there, I’m brazilian... So I never actually had acess to the english dub, and the portuguese dub (It’s a very good dub, btw) came out before I knew One Piece. So, it’s sub.

19 - What is the #1 thing you love the most about One Piece?

I’m a sucker for this kind of thing: The whole dreams, freedom, friendship and bravery message that it passes. I keep the lessons that One Piece gave me deep in my heart. They give me hope and happiness in hard moments.

20 - What is the #1 thing you hate the most about One Piece? 

There’s two of them: The brazilian fandom and what they did to Sanji after the timeskip. Brazil’s fandom is full of toxicity, arguing, homophobia and sexism. And Sanji was so smooth and serious before the timeskip, but I feel like he became a gag after the timeskip. Where’s the suave Sanji, goddamnit?!

21 - Does One Piece take your number 1 spot in your top 10 animes? (If not, where?)

Absolutely yes. One Piece saved me from dispair countless times. Its jokes, its lessons, its characters... And if it weren’t for One Piece, I wouldn’t have known half of my friends, and honestly, I don’t know where I was going to be nowdays if I didn’t had them. In many aspects, One Piece saved my life. I’m eternally grateful to Oda. One Piece is a huge inspiration to me in both emotional aspects and in a writer’s point of view. Watching One Piece was the best choice I ever made, because that silly strawhat boy changed my life and took me out of the darkness many times. I love this masterpiece with all my soul.

[firefistlaw]

alrighty! okay so I have bit of a weird 'request' but..... so like you're super cool & nice, I wanna be your friend etc etc. But I'm kinda interested in learning about you in a non-creepy way? Like how'd you get into OP, your fav & least fav characters, your favorite foods or other fandoms?? Idk you just seem like an interesting & cool person

This is honestly one of the nicest things ever, I’m so blessed that someone actually cares about this. Also, if you want to be my friend: MESSAGE ME!!! Seriously, just come talk to me, we can even skip the awkward smalltalk and go straight to best buddies. This got a bit longer btw, I put a cut in between it hehe

How I got into One Piece:


I’ve already mentioned a few times that I have a brother, I actually have two older brothers and both of them always used to watch animes when they came back from elementary school, I was in kindergarten around this time. We had a television for us kids and since my brothers were older, they could always decide what to watch and I had to silently sit next to them lol. So when One piece came on, I really liked it, especially because one of the character names sounds almost like mine (if you read one character name backwards, you have my name)… (I’m not saying which one lol)
Yeah, well, eventually we got older yadayada I forgot about One piece, till my brother and I sat down in the kitchen one day (that was like yeeeeears later) and just told me the whole story about One Piece and told me about every character and extremely interesting plots and secrets, so much, I started to become interested like crazy. (Luckily he didn’t spoil too much)
So I sat down one day and thought, yeah, I’m gonna watch it bc it sounds really nice…. almost four years later and I’m still in love. 🤷🏻‍♀️💗

Favorite character:

My absolute favorite character is Ace (surprise). I know he’s a bit “mainstream” and a lot of people love him, but I think my story is a bit different, lol. So, when I was younger, I always thought about how I would call my future children and somehow, I don’t know why, I always thought Ace is a really cool name. I couldn’t remember where I heard this name before, but I just liked it so much. (It’s because I used to watch One piece with my brothers, I didn’t realize that I caught his name, because I almost couldn’t remember anything) Well, when I started One piece years later and my fire baby had his first appearance, I stopped the video, turned to my sister and went: “Oh my god, there’s this one character, he’s so nice, oh my god, he is now my favorite!!” Two minutes later Luffy said his name and I stopped the episode again: “His name is Ace!!!! This is not a coincidence!!! This is fate!!!” So since then, I am absolutely and utterly swept away from my feet. 

My other absolute favorite character is my queen nico robin. 
I was and still am so deeply in love with this woman. When I was younger, I would always point at her and scream to my brothers: “This is me! I want to be her!” My one brother was always Luffy and the other Zoro (eh, fuck that). I even remember in kindergarten was this one boy and his name was robin, I hated him so much, because he had this cool name and didn’t even appreciate it! So yeah, when I watched One piece later on then, I just realized that she wasn’t just really beautiful and had a great name, she was such a badass. I’m sure she could kick everyone’s ass if she really wanted to. She doesn’t even need to be protected, she is one hell of a woman. I’m in love. 

Characters I would also die for: Marco, Law, Buggy, Izo, Thatch, Strawhats, Bartolomeo, Shanks, Rayleigh, Kidd, Killer, Makino, Hancock (yes, queen!) and many more…

Least favorite character:

Everyone get ready for the surprise; blackbeard. Lol. 
I really try to see into every character and even though they’re villains, I somehow still like a lot of them. (I love crocodile, doffy, hell, I even somehow like Akainu… that fucker.)
But then there’s this piece of trash and I just get so mad. It’s not only because of Ace, it’s rather because of the fact that he killed Thatch, simply because of this egoistic feeling of wanting the devilfruit. This really shocked me so much and it hurt so much, I got really sad around this time. Blackbeard has no potential for me to like him, ever. I’ve even been thinking about not doing requests for him, because I’m so bitter, but nah. I just really hate that pie eating ass. 

Other fandoms/facts about fandoms I guess:


Oh honey… I’m into HxH, I’m a slytherin and lowkey proud, I am in the fanbase of three K- pop groups who’s name shall not be spoken (lol), I love the walking dead and I’m not sure if they have a real fandom, but if so, then I’m in there. The same with game of thrones, even tho I have a huge hiatus for GoT atm. I don’t know, I just like a hella lot of stuff, most of them I didn’t even mention… I have no life I just obsess over things, lol!! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Favorite food: (what a cute question)


My favorite food is… seafood. Anything from the sea is good for me! Especially shrimp. Man, I love shrimp. 
Also, because why not, my favorite drink is ice tea, but only with lemon. Lemon ice tea is the best and whoever doesn’t agree can turn on their location, I just wanna talk. 👀

Now, this is a lot and I rambled, but I hope this is alright! If you have other questions or maybe want to tell me your own answers to those questions, hmu and sent me a message! Thank you for asking me those questions, you guys are seriously a dream for me. 🌺💗

[neverwatchedonepiece]

475: Moving Into the Final Phase! Whitebeard's Trump Card for Recovery

That’s about right, Luffy!

Jumped the gun there in the last post. One sighting of Death tarot cards and I’m sentencing major characters to death. Not to mention you guys pointed out that Hawkins’ tarot card scene was anime only (which means it is FILLER and therefore NOT CANON). This episode has given me hope that more characters (including Whitebeard) will make it out of Marineford unscathed.

Especially when Oda throws curveballs. This episode, he was King of the Curveball.

Episode 456 left off with Luffy facing off against three Admirals. Yet again, Luffy surprised me with his cleverness in battle. Yes, he is reckless but he does know his limits. Three Admirals? Not a chance. But he won’t back down. He just finds a way around. I was right about him using the gatling stamp to shatter the ice for cover. I didn’t expect him to use it to spring over them with a burst of speed. That was cool. Even though Kizaru played the Access Denied card and showed his superior speed, I’d like to see Luffy use trickery more in battle.

The first real curveball was Sengoku. As soon as he saw Luffy advance, he ordered Ace’s execution. “Do it. Now!” That man was not messing around. The swords crossed, lifted, another montage of shocked faces flitted past, the swords slashed down, there was a red flash of blood and...

Crocodile Plays A Blinder

The second curveball of the episode. Crocodile stepped up and saved Ace’s bacon by taking out the executioners. 

Oh, Sengoku was mad. 

“WHYYYYYYY?” he roared. “OF ALL DAYS, CROCODILE, YOU SCALLYWAG!”

Reason? Crocodile is a writing ball of hatred and saw the opportunity to strike at the Marines. He could deal with Whitebeard, ‘the dying, old buzzard’ later. Of course, Crocodile.

Quite a lot of people were mad, actually. Marco was one-hundred percent ready to be the hero and Crocodile upstaged him. Brazen. Luffy didn’t know what the hell was going on but was A-OK with the distraction. 

Doflamingo, however...

I didn’t take him for a tsundere but if he’s the type to scythe off someone’s head after rejection, then I’m calling a spade a spade. Even after all that, Crocodile was his cold, abrasive self.

“You turn me down then team up with Whitebeard? That makes me jealous. So you're still giving me the cold shoulder?” 

“Looks like it.”

All around me are familiar faces, worn-out places, worn out faces...

Maybe don’t come on so strong next time, Doflamingo.

At any rate, the two of them clashed and sped off somewhere. (To work off that tension? You be the judge.) Luffy again used this as cover to get closer to Ace. But Aokiji blocked the way, stabbing him through the shoulder with a shard of ice. Interesting to know that he owed Garp a favour. "I owed a favour to your grandfather, but as you chose to risk your life, i have no choice."

Is he saying he would have kept Luffy alive, otherwise? Like that time they met him and he froze Robin. That’s a pretty big favour he owes Garp, eh? Aokiji didn’t get the kill, however, as Hancock and Marco stepped in. Yet again, Luffy’s allies come through.

Then, the third major curveball was thrown. Whitebeard’s trump card, as advertised!

Moby Dick v.2

The action cut to Whitebeard, ordering his men to swim towards Oars. At first I thought, eh... not excellent strategy there, Whitebeard. The Marine cannons were picking off pirates left, right and centre, like shooting fish in a barrel. (Or pirates in an enclosed bay).

But beneath the water, a massive shadow grew.

Surely not? I thought. Has Whitebeard done it again?

He bloody well did. The Moby Dick v.2, Whitebeard’s pimped out paddle steamer launched out of the water, scooped up a crew and chugged full-steam ahead into the encircling walls.

The best part? Whitebeard’s jolly roger was flying high and proud on the mast. He ain’t dead yet! 

Sengoku was the only one who caught on to Whitebeard’s plan. “SHOOT AT OARS!” he yelled. But it was too late. Oars scooped the entire ship out of the water and forced it through the gap in the walls. Bam! Just like that, Whitebeard broke through the gap and stormed the plaza.

That moment when he walked towards the prow of the Moby Dick v.2 and his crew parted to make way for him and he stood looking down on everyone from Sengoku, to Garp, to the Admirals and random fodders like a king... That was amazing.

I think Sengoku really is sweatdropping now. He actually admitted to Garp, “I don’t think we’ll emerge from this unscathed.”

I am officially hyped. Roll on 476! :D

Honourable Mention

Why, hello there, Galdino! Don’t think I didn’t see you there, skulking around the plaza, potentially about to play the “Sanji” of the arc where you sneak away and play a vital role in the remaining pirates’ escape.

TEAM SELFIE!! WB PIRATES ON TOUR!! #marineford #nofilter