#jaguar d. saul

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1134 - Initial Thoughts

And we return once again likely to close out the year for One Piece

Which is usually the stage for something big With last chapter already having its own big moment it bears wondering what else Oda can throw at us

Let's find out

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too!

Colorspread for this chapter, the crew is flying on a Franky Mecha with water guns (except Robin and Chopper, Robin's is holstered but she's just sitting looking beautiful in what looks very similar to her Enies Lobby look, with leather garter...this winter's getting hotter)

Also on the Franky Mech there's a message 'WE ARE ETERNAL' on the right shoulder

We start the chapter with Luffy thanking Saul for taking care of Robin, speaking like a Yakuza

Someone of the crew asks him who taught him that routine, Luffy says nobody, but to me it reminds me of Jinbe's introduction in Wano

Robin introduces Saul to Luffy, but he already knows and notes how Robin did indeed find the friends he alluded to back on Ohara

The crew sans Luffy, Zoro and Jinbe once again cry XD

Saul apologizes for the scare, seems the other giants were in on it, his assistant Ange in particular

He praises Luffy for making Emperor, having been an ex marine he knows what kind of station that is, and asks Luffy to keep protecting Robin

Lilith floats up to say hello, but Saul doesn't recognize her since he only met Vegapunk Stella

Jinbe passes her a big box, something brought from Egghead

Oh? 'It's one of me!'

It's a perfect copy of Vegapunk Stella, he used it before to go to Elbaf given that he couldn't leave the lab without the WG noticing

So it seems Vegapunk didn't really die at all, I mean he did but he just kinda isn't also, could help in clearing Luffy's name y'know?

Lilith needs some stuff to fully extract the clone, so begins to set up a new lab

Bonney also asks if this'll help with Kuma too, which Lilith confirms

Think this mainly confirms my suspicions that Lilith, Bonney and Kuma are gonna stick in Elbaf for the rest of the adventure

Saul welcomes Vegapunk but asks why they're a woman, before Lilith can explain though some children ask if they can play

Ange introduces herself, revealing also that they had to convince the children that play by the springs to hide to keep Saul's performance authentic

Ange offers the crew a tour around the school, but Luffy and Usopp are already on the move

This is the Walrus Folk School, Saul opened it at the king's request

Saul however wishes to take Robin to the library, so the crew is gonna split again

Chopper intends to go to the library, Sanji intends to go wherever Nami's going, Brook says that a school is nostalgic (at least meaning he went to a school) but Jinbe and Franky are more curious about Treasure Tree Adam

Luffy, Usopp and Zoro meanhwhile are being chased by kids, hoping to play 'prisoners'

Usopp though has to remind Zoro that they're kids so we cannot cut them XD

The kids however are instantly deterred by some other kids, seems to be a similar boy/girl divide like Punk Hazard wherein the boys what to play with the humans but the girls want to admire them as cute

The trio seem surprised by the next generation of Elbaf warriors being so thin-skinned, but the kids don't want to be fighters, sparking even Usopp to be surprised

The kids also don't take kindly to their dialect

Someone tells them that their use of 'brat' and 'bastard' are old-fashioned, which Zoro notices came from an adult

The kids warn the trio they should probably move, because they're standing on Miss Ripley, the biology teacher

And hellooooo Miss Ripley...lots of teenage giants are gonna be really interested in biology

Of course Luffy has been standing on her tits XD Sanji would murder him if he weren't the captain

Usopp apologises for standing on her, but she doesn't mind

It appears that the legends of Elbaf warriors is outdated by 100 years, relics of a bygone era

Ripley officially greets the Straw Hats, hearing of them from Saul, and using the same old fashioned dialect apologises for the kids, she gets called out by the kids but simply reminds them to do as she says not how she does

It turns out that Elbaf's newfound ideas of peace come from their former king Harold, his last claim was to Seek Trade with other nations

There seems to be a faction called Graybeards though that oppose this view, Harold clashed with them a lot

Ange notes how he was a visionary killed by his kin - not mentioning Loki by name - but since his claim is still recognized, Elbaf has no sovereign

Luffy meanwhile looks a little disappointed

Ripley concludes the 'history lesson' and asks the kids to show the trio around the school, but then asks Luffy why he looks different to his bounty poster

Luffy responds as he did before, it's when he's most free, and Ripley notes that it resembled a legendary warrior from Elbaf's fables

She wanted to see it, having been from the last generation of Elbaf's warriors

Over to the Library, Saul is told how they already know his story with the books from learning it in Egghead, but still reiterates how overcome he was to find books still there

He does warn Robin however about the library, noting to pay attention to the book she's carrying

To her and Chopper's surprise, the book on archaeology grows in size!

Before them (and Bonney and Lilith who have come along) is the massive owl library, any book brought here is gigantified

Makes you think, maybe other things can get gigantified, maybe Big Mom was looking to replicate this effect

That big owl is kinda unnerving me though, getting Wan Shi Tong vibes

Robin however is taken aback by the library, tears welling up as she remembers the first time she saw Ohara's library

Back to the Realm of the Dead though and Loki is chatting

Whoever he is talking to, they are being driven by a 'moment of true fear' - whether it's to avoid or enact it is unclear

The speaker is talking via a giant Snow Den Den Mushi, designed to resist the cold

Given the image, it's likely one of these Greybeard folks, but they've been allied with Loki for a while despite never having met

Whatever situation this guy is in, Loki insists he would've just slaughtered everyone, which the guy says he doesn't want

Loki calls this person naive, they're called Mosa and the translator's note says that the suffix implies high status like a noble or a duke, saying he shouldn't leave survivors because they'll just try to get payback

Mosa thanks Loki for his counsel, suggesting that there's a layer a kindness to his all-murder notion, which Loki quickly lashes out at

In the village, the giants are starting a pre-drink but a big black lightning bolt strikes the main castle

Two hooded figures emerge in a ruined throne room, surrounded by the Gorosei summoning circle

And one of the hooded figures' faces looks like Shanks....

Well that, that is what Oda can throw at us.

I've never liked the idea of Villain Shanks, the internet is gonna go wild with the Rat stuff again. So I'm very much hoping that there's an explanation for this. The second person has a bandaged face but given the eyelashes they are likely a woman. Being able to go to Elbaf is already strange enough but since we know that Garling is now a Gorosei then maybe our secondary enemy force for this arc is the Figarland family? I'm still not sold on the idea that Shanks has a twin but there aren't many explanations which prevent Shanks from being in league with the WG at the moment.

It's definitely a headfuck, especially with it being revealed that Elbaf is actually very peaceful now, and perhaps Loki and the Greybeards intend to restore it to a warmongering country once more. This could mean bad things for the library and Saul, I do very much have a worry that the Owl Library may burn down like Ohara's one did. I do wonder how this affects Usopp's character here, since he looked up to Elbaf for its bravery as warriors, plus Franky's interest in Treasure Tree Adam can't be neglected. The Vegapunk stuff does feel a bit like the stakes of the arc were undermined, but I suppose someone who did see their death coming would make a bunch of contingencies. At the very least I am content with the idea that she, Bonney and Kuma will linger in Elbaf rather than continuously having to be on the run.

Still, Hello Miss Ripley~ we know that Colon is visiting her so he probably is going to school, wonder what the direct connection is with her and that family, we haven't seen the father he also has lunch for yet. So it still seems more characters are gonna come out of the woodwork.

Things growing giant in the library is interesting though, we've seen the cat change into something larger so maybe there's some sort of magic or effect in Elbaf that can alter people and objects? Maybe the longer you stay the more likely humans are to be affected, thus the warning. Not a time dilation, but if you linger you may turn into a giant yourself?

Mysteries and Histories and Confusions all around, definitely an Oda calling card, 2025 One Piece is gonna be mind-bending.

[beif0ngs]

Hey, Saul... Aren’t you gonna praise me for being alive?

Dereshishishi! Of course I am!! A kid like you against the whole wide world?! You did great staying alive, Robin!! 22 LONG YEARS!! THANK YOU FOR SURVIVING!! I’m so glad we’re able to meet again after all this time...!!

[panicawa]

Reunited

[kuravix]

NOT ONLY DID SHE CUT HER HAIR SHE CHANGED INTO A DRESS SIMILAR TO THE ONE SHE WORE AS A CHILD WHEN SHE MET SAUL

^^^VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF ME READING THIS CHAPTER I LOVE ROBIN I LOVE HER BEING HAPPY

[joy-girl]

Franky is so me 😭 also I'm already crying that she actually cut her hair so Saul can recognise her from when she was little 😭😭😭

[random-jot]

I hadn't seem a direct comparison about this yet, but I can't be the only one who twigged how similar these two scenes were right? Honestly been thinking about this ever since Whole Cake.

[idontknowanametouse]

Look, I get why people don't like how very few characters in One Piece die. I get it, ok?

But the thing is: how many times have you cried? Much more than the number of significative deaths, right?

Oda doesn't need to kill a character to make you feel lots of emotion and cry. And I think that's beautiful.

Think of Zoro saying he'll never lose again. Nami asking for help. Luffy yelling she is his nakama. Chopper seeing the cherry blossoms. Vivi's farewell. Robin saying she wants to live. Merry's goodbye. Usopp saying he's sorry. Zoro's "nothing happened". Brook playing Binks' Sake. The separation in Sabaody. Jinbei's speech to Luffy after Marineford. Sanji and Luffy's fight. Sanji saying he wants to go back to Sunny. Nami affirming Luffy will be King of Pirates. Sanji asking for Robin's help. Gear 5. Momonosuke and Wano's farewell. Bonney seeing Kuma's memories. Robin learning Saul is alive. Bonney's Gear 5. Emet and Joyboy.

It's just so impactful. It doesn't have to kill to be impactful. It just is.

[sabo-torao]

honestly the best reunion i could have ever asked for. i will now cry over these panels for all eternity

[torao-d-water-ya]

The civilians you're sworn to protect.

The civilians you're sworn to bloody protect???

Like these civilians?

These ones?

These ones?

These ones?

These ones?

These

Fucking

Civilians????

.

[eroguron0nsense]

Garp Rant #11543

Because I'm something of a Certified Garp Hater/extremely obsessed with this man, and because Tumblr people seem to like my Garp takes and/or find them extremely pain-inducing, here's another one for funsies! Again, Garp is an incredibly written character and I massively enjoy his moral failings and human shortcomings, hence why I won't shut up about how much he sucks. So we all remember Garp crying in front of Ace during his imprisonment and awaiting his execution, lamenting the fact that his son and grandson could have maybe avoided this horrible horrible fate that awaits them at Marineford if they'd just become good marines like he'd tried to press them into. Every time he says it, he sounds more desperate, sadder, and angrier, like he's experiencing the stages of grief and going through denial, anger bargaining all at once, lashing out at his grandkids for supposedly causing him grief by defying his wishes, or maybe praying or wishing for a world where they could have followed in his footsteps and lived happily ever after. And when Ace hears that again at Impel Down, he says this:

Here's the thing though: Ace is unequivocally correct Garp should, by all rights, know this. He lived through the fallout of Roger's execution. He knew long before that exactly what would happen to Roger's loved ones and anyone the government could get their hands on who'd ever associated with him. Even before they started committing femicides/infanticides in Baterilla trying to end Roger's bloodline, he knew that the Marines were going to target completely innocent people in the name of purging the bloodline and cementing their "victory" over the greatest threat they'd ever faced. He specifically had to smuggle Rouge out of there so she could give birth to Ace, and all the while dozens of families were being brutalized by his peers and having their lives torn apart. That was the cost the Marines were willing to incur to kill a hypothetical infant, and years later, when that very same child is set to be executed, Sengoku goes on a remorseless public tirade about the necessity of killing babies and the horrible trickery and audacity Rouge displayed by dying so that they wouldn't kill her baby too.

Garp knows every single piece of this information in painful, excruciating detail. He's so horrified by it he feels the need to fulfill this wish of Roger's because he knows blameless people will die. He has Ace raised in secret to protect him from Marines who are figuratively and literally out for his blood. And yet, throughout this boy's childhood, he clings to the notion that maybe, just maybe, the people he knows regularly commit atrocities, who have carried out at least 3 genocides that we know of in Garp's lifetime, who were willing to commit mass infanticide for a woman and child they hadn't verified the existence or identity of at the time, would have accepted him within their ranks and turned a blind eye to that information when it eventually, inevitably surfaced. That Ace can find salvation from the people who stole every loved one he ever had before he was even born, who slaughtered his mother's community and pushed her to her death, and were slavering at the opportunity to kill her. That even though Ace was born in direct opposition to them, has had a target trained on him before he was born, these people who tried so goddamn hard to kill him would surely welcome his presence and not murder him the second they found out if he could just be a compliant model soldier and make himself useful. It's hammered home pretty effectively–especially in the manga– and One Piece has never been known to be subtle in its messaging, but I swear to God I see so many people echoing the notion that Garp's attempts to force his grandchildren into serving the Evil Empire was done because he knew was their only shot at safety from the WG, and I fucking despise this take. Ace saying that he could never be a marine here in Impel Down isn't some young man's rationalization for his (beyond valid) desire not to subscribe to the preset path Garp laid out for him; it's literally the only logical conclusion if you know literally anything about the circumstances of his birth and upbringing, and Garp only thinks that the leopards wouldn't eat Ace's face because he's fucking delusional This in and of itself is extremely telling of how horribly warped Garp's perception of the Navy is, and how deeply he's willing to buy into the Marines and their warped propaganda no matter how many glaring examples he sees throughout his life that counter his worldview, but let's not forget that this applies to Luffy too. This is slightly hairier, in that if Luffy was a) the sort of person who could willingly accept a career in the marines and b) managed to cling really, really tightly to his grandfather's coattails and legacy, there might have been a very, infinitesimally small chance that he could have joined the Navy. The higher ups know that Dragon is Garp's son and therefore Luffy is Dragon's by logical inference, but I could see some AU where Luffy is a fundamentally different person and manages to build himself up in the Navy if not for two things I think warrant examination. It's pretty evident, and Dragon explicitly confirms, that Luffy being known as his son would have put him in incredible danger, only feeling comfortable with acknowledging it and the possibility of actually reuniting with his child after Luffy was both publicly recognized due to factors beyond his control, and proved that he was more than capable of holding his own. But I want to draw attention to this one otherwise pretty silly little gag moment between Garp and Sengoku when they learn that Luffy's broken into Impel Down, and present a theory that's kind of a reach but also not really

Now the phrasing here kind of interests me, in that it ties back to earlier demonstrated patterns that the Navy uses repeatedly in collective punishment for the families and loved ones of their primary targets. Rouge and Ace barely escaped the mass murders intended for them because of their connection, but Tom was also originally sentenced to death for having had a connection to Roger, and ultimately chose that as the offence he wanted to be sentenced for at Enies Lobby. Law, as a child survivor of Flevance, has multiple hospitals try and turn him in to the World Government to be killed when Cora tries to find someone to treat him because their policy is to pull out the roots and salt the earth whenever they deem a person or population politically inconvenient. Robin's flashback shows us Akainu blowing up a refugee boat on the off chance that one of those people that they were planning to evacuate might have gotten past their initial screening for archaeologists/poneglyph readers. At Marineford, Akainu specifically targets Luffy not because of his prior offences or even his attempt to rescue Ace, but because he's Dragon's son and his and Roger's bloodlines need to be eradicated. This is not an institution that is in any way reluctant to destroy anyone tangentially affiliated to a designated enemy, and Luffy being the son of the worst criminal in history seems to put him right in line with all of those other cases. In light of this, and Garp's massive blind spots and wishful thinking regarding his peers and employers, it's not that much of a stretch to assume that the only reason Garp's exempt from being targeted like Dragon is because of his popularity/symbolic importance/utility, and that Luffy likely wouldn't have been safe even if he weren't a pirate. Garp's circle of confidantes/friends in high places is powerful, but clearly there are factions (Akainu, Ryokugyu etc) that would be substantially less willing and who are given preferential treatment by the Elders and Celestial Dragons. There might be something to read into based on the fact that Garp is the only known person from a D bloodline who's achieved massive success in service to the World Government and not defected from the Navy after realizing its true nature (props to Saul), and therefore he might project the fact that he's been rewarded by the system despite being a "sworn enemy of the Gods" onto his family, but that still doesn't account for the massive, delusional arrogance he displays in insisting that, despite everything–especially, especially the murders committed in pursuit of Ace, that robbed him of his birth mother and community–the Navy is the best and safest place for either of those boys. TLDR Garp not wanting his grandsons to have a bounties on their heads is one thing, but it says a lot that in spite of everything he knows, he's willing/determined to put Ace and Luffy in an environment that's extremely dangerous for them –and in Ace's case 100%, unquestionably fatal– because he's so convinced that compliance and the platonic ideals of "justice" and military service/hard work being rewarded by the system could supersede all of that.

[nero-draco]

"I want to live" to "I'm glad I survived"

[1000sunnygo]

People get really mad about this, but WHAT IF Corazon is alive?

I know I can really sound delusional after so many time (saw someone saying that if he did were alive, he would reappear in Dressrosa, but I think it would b too on top of the loop. Not Oda style). But WHAT IF!

There is a plothole for him to come back, we all know that. One piece characters don't die so easily. And when Doffy shoot him, what if he shoot the right spots so he brother doesn't die? Just like in One Piece Academy?

(probably failed not sounding delusional but)

So if there's a really tiny chance he's alive somewhere, with little memories maybe, wouldn't be a fun last challenge to Law?

Fight ur not so dead dad and get the One piece?

I think a heart wrenching aspect of Cora's 'uncertain' passing is that Law might've subconsciously waited for Cora during his stay at Swallow. Maybe 'silence' was dispelled because Cora san passed out? Maybe he survived gunshots like the countless wounds he survived before, and he was right about Doffy not having it in him to kill his brother? I've loved this comic for exploring this idea.

What if Cora is alive, though? I can indulge you a bit so people will think twice before calling you out next time 😎

Here's one in courtesy of Japanese YouTuber kayokky-ch. Back in chapter 49 during Baratie arc, the cooks described a customer like this, and it was never addressed afterwards :

Aren't these some wicked coincidences? Red eyes, wine addiction, bursting in flames - all points click.

Add Oda's tendency to keep people alive. Theories write themselves.

We have seen Whitebeard and Ace's fruit re-emerged, but Cora's is yet to return. Oda has a knack to work with old bits of information he spread around, especially with Saul's comfirmed survival, you can speculate other possibilities.

At least, the possibility isn't at 0%, so if Oda wakes up one day and decides Cora's incredible popularity deserves some attention... it'll be controversial but not a complete retcon.

A definitive proof in favor of Cora's death was the mariner's report and the image they attached to it. At least, Sengoku was supposed to know.

Unless you have a case where Cora was clinically dead for some time and then returned to life, and now Sengoku is keeping his survival a secret.

The theory above speculates that he might be "The man marked by flame", and that's why Law was particularly focused on when this mysterious person was brought up. I'm not sure what sort of agenda Cora would have if he returns. What's your theory behind Rosi possibly confronting Law, anon?

Personally, I've come in terms with the fact that Cora has died. Although, It's a shame that Law never got to return his "love you." Since Oda was somewhat involved with One Piece Odyssey, I like to imagine that Law's words to Cora here are checked by Oda himself. I thought they were very sweet.

Thanks for the ask!

[chromatic-lamina]

I know that fandom often clowns on this statement

from Law (about needing to take down monsters to learn about history), taking it as proof that he's somehow not fighting for freedom or that

freedom of expression is not something important that has been sanctified ratified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. (Article 19)

But that it is instead some nerdish pastime that no other character in One Piece or the real world is invested in (WG or otherwise) for obvious reasons of power, politics and freedom/repression.

But there are governments and organisations that regularly suppress this kind of expression (in One Piece and the real world--no surprise):

There are governments and organisations that fear the pursuit of knowledge:

Partial SBS: Volume 86: Pedro led the Nox expedition party who were chased by the government for searching for poneglyphs, thus they became the Nox Pirates. That's a story from about 15 years ago.

And there are governments and organisations that penalise people by taking their lives

for seeking out knowledge. 👆👇

From Clover,

to Nico Olvia,

to Rayleigh,

to

(Egghead Arc spoilers under the cut)

to Pedro,

to the giants (👇 read right to left),

to Vegapunk

the power and desire to learn about history is emphasised and

honoured,

(from chapter 396 👆)

(from chapter 1066 👆)

and also acknowledged as a very dangerous undertaking.

And even Cora talks to Law about

the meaning behind the Will of D. not being lost, BUT "living on in the dark shadows of history around the world" (it's not easily seen either).

Like, knowing history and access to history/knowledge is one of the main themes of the manga. And Big Mom is a monster. And the World Government is a repressive monolith. And this guy (guy?) 👇:

nuking places and people for not toeing the line, or for knowing too much; riddled with antipathy towards holders of the Will of D. and, with Artur's (Library of Ohara) claim (among others) that the ancient immense kingdom was formed by descendants of the D. clan (which is canon)—

—then wouldn't you too be curious and more than a little pissed off that your curiosity could be the catalyst for persecution and genocide?

That searching for identity, roots...your reason for being, is not allowed? (Sound familiar?)

Like, those scholarly waters are nothing if not shark-infested.

Ultimately the pen (Robin's ability to read the poneglyphs, the scholars' meticulous research) probably will be mightier than the sword, and although bureaucracy can entrap, knowing how to read between the lines, or even to read them, can loosen the ties that bind, and help ensure they are not unfairly cast.

Keep fighting to study history, Law. I too want to know about the Will of D.

[badly-drawn-doflamingo]

Lord please let Saul adopt Bonney, LORD

She’D BE SO SAFE!!! ALL FOOD, COOL MYTHS AND STORIES AND ROBIN WOULD KNOW SHES SAFE PLEASE

[lightningbastard]

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

Oda delivered the best chapter of the year right before 2024 ends.

Finally, after so many years Robin reunited with her first friend, Saul.

From their first meeting:

To their reunion:

Robin has really come a long way, from once being a lonely girl now she's a woman who knows that she's surrounded by people who love her and she loves in return.

She's right to ask for Saul to praise her. We all should because their character development has been remarkable.