#oda voice: if you like buggy... get help

[downwardspiral1994]

oda's right for once in his life

[wordy-little-witch]

ODA!!!!!! GIVE ME A GHOST POV OF ROGER AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!!!!!

Fr tho, Ghost Roger being a lil shit is a treat.

I can fuxking see Roger give Buggy the wiggly eyebrows on day when Crocodile and Mihawk are in the same room. (Maybe it was the first day those two subconsciously nicer to Buggy)

Coff coff ((They started to love the clown)) coff coff

Hell, Perona coming in with a letter to Mihawk from one of the spirits that asked for him specifically.

Mihawk: clown?

Buggy: hmn?

Mihawk: who is 'Ms.Rouge'?

Buggy : -choke-

Afterlife be dammed, she may have not raised Buggy, but Rouge loves him like her kin!

LITERALLY YES YOU GET ME

Also Roger just "eyy?? Eyyyy???????" Is fucking hysterical to me.

Buggy is blindsided when Crocodile drops off an extra cup of coffee at his desk, when Mihawk deposits a few snacks. He's pointedly not looking into Roger's Corner, something he has been doing for ages and will continue to do. It all comes to a head when someone offers Buggy a candy at a negotiation dinner and he's partway through unwrapping it when he hears three voices tell him to stop. Mihawk reaches out, Crocodile's sand whisks the little treat from his fingers to the other.

A quick glance reveals Roger still partially glaring at the other group but also giving considering glances to the quote unquote lieutenants.

Buggy is just confused.

"This brand is rather popular in the north blue," Mihawk remarks casually, turning the candy in his hand. He never once looks up from the wrapper - Buggy wonders what he's looking at or looking for. "They've been in business for decades now, despite the uproar some thirty one years ago."

The dealers avert their eyes, hesitant and stuttering timid agreements.

Mihawk continues. "Rather odd that they'd only list a partial ingredient list on their wares, wouldn't you think? They are marketed as a dynamic company, but their synthetic flavors are but mere facsimiles of the real deal - fakes built upon, more disgustingly, the lies they print on such foils." He flips the candy, dropping the little morsel onto a napkin so he can straighten the wrapping. "See, it even boasts to be free of common allergenic ingredients: peanut oil, dairy, fruit juices. That's the real ingenuity however."

Sharp golden eyes cut into the opposition.

"So long as a company is favored by those on high, they can skirt certain rules. They barely toe the line in the world government's book as is, but they are an infamous vendor in Marie Geoise. No peanut oil but still peanuts. No dairy, but traces of lactose. No fruit juices but concentrated extracts are certainly abundant. And all of their tropical lines contain a key ingredient. Did you know?"

Buggy very adamantly stomps down on the urge and need to blush and swoon as he watches Mihawk and Crocodile tear these people a new asshole over pineapple extract. Roger's approving nod and bouncing brows do NOT help the situation. Nor does Rouge's fond head pats and succinct "I approve, they're good for little bug."

Buggy is suffering.

<><><><><><><><><>

On the topic of Rouge, YEAH!!! She may have met Buggy after death, but she already loved him so much. She knew loving Roger meant stepping into an established family and she was very much okay with that! She knew Ace would have brothers and she would have step sons and not once did she hesitate. Roger was big, bold and loud - he loved with all he had and then some, even to disastrous results. She adored him. And she trusted him. He has a good sense of taste, after all.

So when she met Buggy the first time, she absolutely went into Mom Mode immediately. It was awkward and strange for a deal of time, and Buggy took a while to come around to her but Ms Rouge is his mom as much as Captain is his dad - it's a fact of life and he's long since lost the self consciousness of it all.

But hearing your boyfriend mention receiving a letter from your shared daughter who wrote it on behalf of your long dead mother, well.... weirder shit has happened but Buggy is a dramatic boy - it's his bit and he's committed to it.

Rouge's shovel talks are lowkey terrifying. She isn't as directly threatening as Roger. She's subtle, and observative, and she plots before springing her track. On that front, she may even be scarier than her husband.

And while she and Mihawk would absolutely get along well for their love of plants and gardening, they're equally likely to cross breed and make a lethal poison just because it "seemed interesting at the time".

((Bonus points of a semi related topic, sometimes Rouge sees so much of Roger in Buggy that she aches with it.

And sometimes Roger sees his wife in the movements and glint of his blue haired son's eyes.

Buggy's a product of both, for better or worse, and it's somehow incredible and horrible in equal measure))

[littlefankingdom]

I watched the One Piece live action and here are some notes I took.

I'm a huge One Piece fan since I was like 10-ish? And so, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about it. It had a lot of impact on my personality (Nico Robin is my role model). This live action adaptation matters to me and I'm going to rant. Spoilers ahead.

The director is a woman, and one of the two writers is a woman. Manga and anime are male dominated hobby (and the comic's world is sexist), so the live action of the most popular shōnen being run by women is so great, imo. Also, it's pretty successful, in contrary to other attempts, so it's a win for women.

Garp's actor is a very handsome man. Wtf, they made Garp hot. He also has a beautiful Welsh accent, which is great because it's an accent that gives a "tough guy" impression. At least, it does for me.

Luffy's actor is perfect. This Luffy is slightly different from the original one, but he's perfect in his own way. I will die and kill for him. Also, him being brown with a white grandpa is so good, it had a racial gap between the two of them, where there are already a generational one and a moral one. Like, the white grandpa in the army do not understand how his brown grandson do not like the gov, because he doesn't see it from where he is when the kid does.

Alvida's actress is so beautiful, she's so pretty. I suddenly support women's wrongs.

Damn, the violence is going up a notch (Roger executed on screen, Mr 7's body cut in half, MERRY IS FUCKING KILLED,...)

The actors for Koby and Helmeppo are queer (They/Them pals) Oda is, once again, showing his support to the trans community.

I do not like the colors. It's too dark for One Piece, imo. Look at how saturated the colored pages are, I would have preferred it to be more saturated. I know, this is because of the CGI (issues are less perceptible this way), I'm going to need to make some edits. But, they didn't have to do it to the costumes too. Like, Buggy, except from his hat, his outfit is not flashy like it should be. Would help with the colored hair if it was more colorful and flashy.

Young Luffy wear the same shirt as in the manga is a nice touch.

THERE'S A CAVENDISH'S WANTED POSTER IN SHELLS TOWN!

Dead bodies smell strongly, and Zoro is bringing half of one in a bar???

Episode 2 is pure art. I love it so much.

Buggy is attractive, wtf. I find him more pretty than Shanks.

Bogard is so cool looking. I'm gonna die if Hina is introduced one day (she's going to be so cool)

They changed the "If you’re gonna point your gun toward someone, you better use it" scene. The new one is cool, but the original is iconic.

THE MUSIC WHEN LUFFY REALIZES THAT SHANKS LOST HIS ARM! It's like the orchestra is interrupted, incredible, love it.

Nami and Zoro's siblings' energy is so strong.

Kaya and Nami interraction about the dress "it belonged to my mother" is so good, Nami gets uncomfortable because she also lost her mother and knows how it is to cherish her memory. But Kaya is nice and share it with her, which break her view of rich folks.

The decor's department must have had the time of their life for this show. It's a great job.

Zoro wanting to wear black and drink wine in the 3 episode, he's already embodying being Mihawk's adopted brat.

Kaya makes the oof roblox sounds when she slapped Usopp.

Usopp x Kaya let's gooooooooooo my boy deserves the best (Oda confirming a romance with one of his protagonists is huge)

Zoro IMMEDIATELY trying to look at something else the moment Kaya kisses Usopp.

Luffy sitting on Going Merry with "We Are" playing... Art.

Without a cook, they are eating pasta, with some fruit and drink (just like me, fr).

Garp is wrecking a brand new ship!

Episode 5 Title Card, my beloved.

Mihawk music, and voice, and character: beautiful.

"Oh, I do like your hat." Mihawk to Luffy upon meeting him, great.

Sanji needs to stop talking about food, I'm getting hungry but I'm broke and a terrible cook.

"Oregano is for savages!" 😂 ok kiddo.

Me watching Zoro nap for a whole episode because of 1 cut: "Bro, you’re going to go through so much worse, you better stop whining rn"

The "YES, YES WE DO" after Sanji says "heard you guys need a cook" is so good.

Sanji is, like, the only one after Nami to have the most experience sailing, they fucking need him.

Buggy coming back all the time is perfect. Love him.

Having Bell-Mere slaps Nami was not ok. Y'all are ruining a character I loved.

Sanji knows a man that can cook well is attractive.

Usopp and Luffy are 17 and drinking, and Koby is 16. Underage drinking baby 🍻

Garp is already having the crisis he has during Marine Fort Arc, it’s going to be difficult for him.

Buggy be swinging being carried by Sanji, who's fighting.

Luffy breaking Arlong's sword axe thingy is badass.

The fishmen are so ugly and weird looking

Buggy saying "I'm gonna get out of here" with 🖕🤡🖕(If we ever get young Ace, I expect so much vulgarity from his little shit mouth)

Usopp exploding star was badass.

Sanji's ass after Mouton Shot.

Zoro "Yeah, you're gonna fit in just fine" means you're as crazy as all of us

Sanji opening is arms for Nami and Nami ignoring him to hug her bros, lol.

Arlong Park destruction be crazy.

Sanji little laugh.

Luffy is a true bestie to Usopp.

It’s the confrontation from after Seven Arc

It's Logue town after right? Like, where Luffy's father is introduced? With the comparison to Roger? But they just compared them, are they going to do it again?

The wanted poster is the exact same, with usopp in the background.

Employee of the month lol.

Alvida and Buggy meeting, the bad bitches.

Mihawk and Shanks!!! (Shanks gave him the "ableist pos" look, lol)

Smoker introduced -> Logue Town

[efnanmeyy]

Sometimes i remember how a lot of people were surprised that oda would go the destiny chosen one route as if luffy hasn't been shown to be the chosen one from the beginning like,how much in denial can ppl be?!😭😭

Like there are way too many moments in the story that show that luffy is the chosen one let's start:

Luffy surviving being almost beheaded by buggy by a lightning strike,we still don't know if dragon did that so I'm counting this too,him surviving that felt like the heavens intervening,smoker says as if the world wants him to survive.

The constant comparisons to Roger,constant mentions of how lucky he is.He is the son of the revolutionary Dragon,the grandson of Garp,I'm mentioning his family bc his family is the reason he's so strong and talented,he inhereted it from them,as garp was saying in marineford that luffy was really born with it just like dragon and him and ivankov mentioned it too.

He has the voice of all things,the comparisons to joyboy,whitebeard saying that luffy is the one roger is waiting for and the one who will carry the history on his shoulders and find the one piece.

He is a d clan member,has Roger's hat,everyone that meets him says that he is special.It is also said that the d people are destined for greatness.

The mayor of Luffy's town talking about if Luffy's dream of becoming a pirate is his dream or his destiny?

When luffy was about to leave for fishman island rayleigh seemed to remember roger and his first meeting with him and said that "maybe there is no such thing as coincidence in this world,as though it was meant to be,mysterious bonds slowly but surely weave their forms".

Him having the same dream as Roger.

In fishman island it was prophesied that luffy will destroy fishman island and that will happen someday whether luffy knows it or not so idk why everyone is so surprised and heated that he's the chosen one and how he's not free lmao why did no one have a problem with this back in fishman island lmao😭😭

Then there is the prophesy of oden in which he says that joyboy will come to wano and what did luffy do he fucking came lmaoo😭😭He told toki she has also been searching for the day the world is overturned and said to her to just jump to 20 years and it will happen.

Yamato talking to Momonosuke about how out of all the pirates as numerous as the stars in the sky you happened to meet him and brought him to this country and said that she can only consider this as an act of fate.

Ppl saying that fate doesn't exist in one piece are straight up in denial,it has been mentioned a lot ESPECIALLY in wano.

Even with zoro,when he was fighting king, hyogoro and kawamatsu were talking about how he looks just like ushimaru and ryuma right down to their sword handling that it's uncanny,they were talking about how this young man was the one to finally return shusui to wano.How it must be fate at work after all ryuma was also a one-eyed swordsman.

And now that it's confirmed that Ushimaru is the great uncle of Zoro and that Zoro is a descendant of Ryuma it makes this even funnier lmaoo😭You absolutely CAN NOT say that him being related to these ppl did not help him bc it fucking did lol he is destined to do this,I'm not saying he didn't train bc we all know he did but his talent was also there.For me he leans on talent more than hard work but that's just MY opinion.As for luffy he is without a doubt more talent than hard work(I'm not saying he didn't train we know he did).

Zoans are confirmed to have a will of their own which hints at the possibility of Luffy's fruit choosing him.Awakened zoans have the user be consumed by the fruit's animal,like for ex with luffy when he is in his awakened form he exudes contagious joy and tends to laugh more,feels light,(we know he doesn't get fully consumed like the jail beasts in impel down but he is not fully himself either)in short he acts like his fruit's animal,not so free now huh luffy lmaoo😭😭

Luffy literally is Joyboy and has a god fruit,how much clearer can Oda be lmao😭

[usagi-mitsu]

I visited the One Piece Gym in Tokyo

What the title says :D And I'm just posting this, because I need to yell at someone.

The One Piece gym in Tokyo Shibuya is called "Brag Man". It's on the ninth floor of the Shibuya Modi and you can take an elevator straight up there. Or the stairs, if you want a good warm up.

tldr: It's a medium sized gym that costs more, because you pay the licencing fee. But if you are a big gym goer and One Piece fan, it might be for you.

The long version blow. Might throw some pictures in later on, when my phone has uploaded everything.

What is the One Piece Gym?

This is basically just a regular old gym, but One Piece themed. The walls are covered in manga panels, the lat pulldown machines handle has a huge imitation of Whitebeards beard on it (making you look like him when working out) and the voice actors and (!) Oda-sensei himself have signed the walls.

The gym offers an assortment of treatmills, stairmasters and crosstrainers. The workout machines are by hammer strengh. You have the classics like chestpress, lat pulldown, pectoral fly, leg press, inner and outher thigh machines etc. You can also use benches and exactly one power rack for squads and stuff is available.

There is also an area for free excercises and stretching. Including a small corner, where you can read all One Piece manga available in Japan at the time and the most current Shonen Jump.

All guests have access to toiletts in front of the gym. The changing rooms are seperated by gender and feature each a bunch of lockers named after One Piece characters. In the back there are also a few very nice showers, hairdryers and the gym offers shampoo and body soap.

How does one work out there?

Basically, you travel to Shibuya, walk to the building and get up to the ninth floor - whenever the gym is open. I went around 11:30 am on a regular weekday. The gym was empty aside from me and the trainers.

At the front desk you greet the staff - they do speak a bit of english - and choose between four progressively more expensive one time visitor plans.

Visitor E: 3.850 Yen for kids between 13 and 18 + One Piece Whey Protein

Visitor D: 4.400 Yen - allows the useage of the gym for up to one hour

Visitor C: 6.600 Yen - allows the useage of the gym for up to five hours + One Piece Whey Protein

Visitor B: 7.700 Yen - same as C + Original Meassurement paper

Visitor A: 13.200 Yen - Same as B + Shirt + Protein Shaker + Course ticket

I went with "Visitor C" - my workout programm takes longer than an hour and if I was gonna spend money on a gym visit in Japan, I was gonna make it count.

Included in all plans are special gym shoes (so you don't have to bring those), a small towel and a tiny towel, that you use to desinfect your machines after use. I was a bit worried about the shoe sizes, but they are equipped for foreign fitness and One Piece fans. :)

What you do need to bring, if you plan on showering, is a big towel. I just borrowed one from my hotel.

And well, then? You get started with your own workout routine. Of course: You can always ask the trainers for a bit of help here and there.

What makes the gym special?

The One Piece theme of course. The walls are covered in One Piece manga panels. The course room is called "deck" and shaped like a part of the thousand sunny.

Some of the plates you need for a few machines look like huge Berry coins - the currency of the One Piece world.

As described: The lockers don't have numbers, but are all named after different characters. I was tempted with Sir Crocodile, Cavendish and Zorro. In the end I locked everything up in the locker named after the Going Mary.

There are also some photo spots and when asked, the staff will take pics of you there: You can try to pull a golden Buggys arms, hold a life sized meat piece just after Luffys taste and pretend to be whitebeard.

Important to mention are also the signatures of the original five Strawhat voice actors. And a special message and signing by Eichiro Oda.

At the entrance, you can also get a bunch of merchandise, that you can only get there.

Oh - forgot this one almost: They exclusively play the most badass One Piece soundtracks!

Was it worth it?

Yes. As I'm writing this, my butt still hurts from overdoing it to impress the judging gaze of Whitebeard across the wall from the leg press.

But: I'm going to the gym on a regular basis anyways and I adore One Piece.

If I was only one of those two things, I would very much not have enjoyed my stay. The gym rat within me would have looked for cheaper options and the OP fan wouldn't know what to do with half of the machines there.

Only the combination of both makes the visit worth it. But will I do it again? Nah. Probably not. I've now seen it and if I crave a workout, I can simply find a cheaper gym.

In this gif I'm the old guy getting shoved back into the ground because I overdid it.

Should YOU go there?

If this had been my first time in Japan, I would not have gone there. But I had time to spare and was in dire need of a workout. So, if it's your first time and the schedule is tight? Skip it.

But if you are like me - well versed in Tokyo tourist and non-tourist attractions - and if you like One Piece and if you like the gym? Yeah, go for it. It's a great place to spend some time, meet other One Piece fans and for the hell of it: Who can say Whitebeard judged their workout or they had a Jaya Cherry Pie flavored protein shake afterwards? Exactly.

Thank you for reading this far. And happy workout!

[neverwatchedonepiece]

611-612: "A Small Dragon! Momonosuke Appears!" and "A Deadly Fight in a Blizzard! the Straw Hats vs. the Snow Woman!"

Caesar’s Minion: “Wait... Didn’t Vegapunk leave a man made Devil Fruit here.”

Felt the pace across this pair of episodes was a bit slower. Not a problem, though, because all the loose ends must be tied up. To to this, all plot threads must be lovingly prepared and set in place before the final, arc-ending knot is tied.

So far, Oda’s been great at that, so I’m not worried. Even if some threads are left loose, they’ll just be woven into a future plot because he planned it that way. At least Momonosuke, the last outstanding plot point, has finally wound his way onto the stage. All that remains are those elusive sea prism stone cuffs.

But there was one Huge Reveal here...

MAN MADE DEVIL FRUITS.

THEY ARE A THING.

WTF?

Your Dad Talked Through His Farts

I loved this weird little meeting between Luffy and Momonosuke.

Luffy worked on his past experience with talking dragons on Punk Hazard. First, he thought  Momonosuke would be edible (nooooooooo!) Then, he figured the child’s voice was coming from someone who was stuck on the dragon’s body and maybe Momonosuke was talking with his farts.

“How rude!”  Momonosuke seethed. These samurai are very proper people, Luffy. Gotta show some class around them, I guess.

Then little  Momonosuke’s tummy rumbled and Luffy realised the dragon kid was starving. That was sad. Instant empathy for dragon child right there.

But Momonosuke was a samurai child. They did not get hungry after only ten days of fasting. (Only ten.)  He asked who Luffy was and why he was there. When Luffy introduced himself, Momonosuke didn’t think he could be a pirate, as pirates were “all big, heavyweight men. More violent and strong-looking.”

I guess he is from an isolated island and has never seen Buggy the Clown and Galdino: the Dream Team.

Once they talked a bit more, Momonosuke said he wanted to get out of the garbage dump to help save the kids trapped in the labs. Why? He overheard Caesar saying something shocking.

On the kidnap ship bound for Punk Hazard, the other kids tried to make friends with shadowy Momonosuke. But he was a samurai type and didn’t appreciate their attempts to “give alms”. Crucially, this meant Momonosuke did not take any of the candy Caesar and Monet offered. (Nice one, Momonosuke.) In fact, he escaped and wandered the lab corridors, looking for an exit, because he had something he needed to do in his home land.

He happened to wander into the Secret Room (that everyone knows about, lol). Starving, he spotted a suspicious looking fruit in a glass cabinet. He took one look at it, smashed the glass and scoffed the fruit.

I knew it was a Devil Fruit. It was purple and had those spots on it. But I was not prepared for what Caesar’s minions would reveal.  It was a Man Made Devi Fruit constructed by none other than Vegapunk himself! The minions heard it was a failure. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, as Momonosuke morphed into a dragon, freaked out and scarpered. Maybe like Caesar’s drug, the man made DFs only work on kids? Or Caesar was lying about the fruit being a failure (seems more likely, knowing Caesar).

But... this is huge.

Man made Devil Fruits. This could turn the whole power structure of the OPverse upside down. Rich pirates could demand and receive whatever power they want. Hell, the WG could have whatever power they wanted at their disposal.

I imagine a man made Devil Fruit could go pretty wrong too. Maybe some wicked side-effects.

Caesar has some world-shattering stuff in that lab. Now I get why he has such a great booze collection. He’s probably swimming in cash from Doflamingo, who is the one who’s managed to secure his services.

And now I know what you guys were talking about when you said to look at the texture of the fruits.  Momonosuke’s man made fruit was SMOOTH. The true Devil Fruit, the one Smiley had eaten, was swirly and textured.

Luffy listened to Momonosuke’s fruit tale and was like, “You’re a Zoan type. Why don’t you just change back?”

Momonosuke didn’t know he could do that. (Maybe he can’t with the man made type?) Still, it wasn’t a priority. He had to get out to tell the other kids what he��d heard.

Caesar Makes People So Angry They Morph Into Popeye

As Momonosuke was skulking about in his new dragon form, he walked past an open door and heart Caesar and Monet talking. 

“We have another group of obedient kids. The others are growing bigger without problem. But after all, this is an experiment to see the limitations of drug dosing. I don’t think they can take it that long. I assume they’ll all be dead in five years.”

“So we’ll need more kids?” Monet asked.

“Well, experiments come with failures. It’s a necessary sacrifice. Those stupid kids can help the world’s greatest scientist and do good for the world. Even if it’s a short life, they have to be happy with it.”

Holy. Moly.

Those poor kids. It’s lucky Chopper and Nami met them when they did. Hopefully, Chopper will help them get off the drugs and they’ll be well enough to go home. I wonder about the giant kids, though. Will they be giant all their lives? Probably.

Flash forward again and Momonosuke finished his tale. All he wanted to do was save the other kids. He thought Caesar was a doctor but he was a bad man who would let kids die. Momonosuke was on his way to save the kids but fell into the trash heap. It would be a disgrace to his honour as a warrior to not help them.

Luffy’s eyes were shaded. You know when that happens, he is maaaaaaaad.

He decided to climb out of the garbage dump and take Momonosuke with him.

Luckily, he didn’t have to climb anything. Momonosuke had a weird, triggering moment when Luffy said, “Stay with me...” which unleashed a Goku/Monkey style golden cloud power. (Everyone knows from DB and Monkey that you can walk on golden clouds. “Born from an egg on a mountain top. Funkiest Monkey that ever rocked. If you’ve never watched that show, hook yourself up with an episode. It’s hilarious.)

The luck, alas, did not last. Momonosuke came to his senses and they fell back down into the heap. At least Luffy is stretchy, right?

BREAKING NEWS: Caesar Sets Morality Bar Even Lower!

Meanwhile, Caesar had kicked back in his lab, waiting for the bottleneck gas chamber carnage to unfold. Little Mocha was tearing away from the other kids, who wanted to attack her for the candy.

Naturally, she was distraught. The people she had thought were so nice: Caesar and Monet, turned out to be the worst pieces of actual shit ever.

The flashback of Caesar from Mocha’s point of view actually made my jaw drop.

Every time I think, surely Caesar can’t sink any lower? No, it’s not possible.

In true scientist fashion, Caesar continues to push the boundaries of possibility.

Mocha was one of the first kids to be transported to Punk Hazard, including the blonde kid who’s name I forgot. (Sorry, blonde kid.)

Caesar came to meet them personally when they arrived. He ramped up the charm and faux-concern, of course. “I’m glad that you made it! Good to see you. My name is Caesar Clown. Call me Master. (First red flag right there, imo.) You two are a part of my first generation of patients. I’m looking forward to working with you.” Brief interruption for a hug. I cannot believe he even hugged those kids. He is such a SNAAKE. xD  “I bet you were scared and worried when you heard you were sick out of the blue. But everything is okay now. You don’t have to worry about anything. I will treat you at any cost!” (Technically true but, kids, you will not like the treatment.)

Then he dropped the bomb that actually made me gasp.

“To tell you the truth, I lost my only son to this disease. I never want to see another child suffer from it. I don’t want to see another parent lost their child and have to grieve like me! Oh... Oh, I’m sorry. How embarrassing. I shouldn’t cry in front of you.”

I just... 

I can’t even.

I mean, Caesar is a great villain and all, but damn, Oda,  that is low.

The morality bar has not only been lowered. It is buckling under the sheer weight of Caesar’s evilness and will snap at any moment.

Why Has Zoro Not Yet Kicked Ass and Taken Names?

Monet pretty much said what I’m thinking right now. She wasn’t sure she could beat Zoro: a swordsman who uses Armament Haki trained by Dracule Mihawk himself. But for some reason, Zoro hasn’t made a move. All he’s done is parry and protect the other Strawhats.

Then again, it is a dangerous environment with a lot of friendly fire concerns. 

The Biscuit Room has devolved into a freaking riot. There are crack-candy addicted kids charging about. Mocha, the one kid who is off the candy, is an ally, so they need to be extra careful around her. Sure, they’re not in the Biscuit Room any longer, but collateral from the fight could take them out. Sanji and his G5 army of fans have appeared. Nami, Robin and Chopper are still around and have been sealed in the room by Monet’s ice wall. 

Plus, Monet is no slouch. She has some blade skills and a good logia fruit to boot.

Nami could be an asset in this fight. The Heat Egg attack has been the only one that’s really put the hurt on Monet so far. (Zoro, use that haki please.) If Nami could power up a strong heat attack, she could take out Monet.

I loved it when Monet was monologuing, debating with Chopper about her being responsible for the kids. Who planted that rebellious spirit in Mocha’s mind? Then Zoro mercilessly cut her short. He does not respect villain speeches. xD

Monet called out the Strawhats for acting like pirates. “Every day we treat the children nicely and allow them to live in great comfort. What you people are trying to do is take away these treasures from us foster parents. You people are like pirates.”

Laying aside the awful issue of gaslighting children,  experimenting on them and claiming you are anything like a foster parent (that could be an entire post in itself), Zoro’s reply was ice cold and straight to the point.

“So you have no problem with it, right?”

There’s the awesome main-character grey morality again. I really do love that about One Piece. Zoro is like Luffy in that regard. The Strawhats are pirates. They will “kidnap” kids if they have to. Though this time, the Strawhats are on the right side of the moral divide. They’re counter-kidnapping the kids to return them to their parents.

But Zoro had better hurry up and make that move against Monet if he wants it to happen any time soon.

The G5′s Grand Entrance

And I totally was not expecting a comedy gold moment to interrupt a boss battle.

Just as things were getting serious, Zoro heard the sound of Sanji’s voice in the distance. Obviously, this turned Zoro’s head and he was greeted with the sight of Sanji leading a charge of G5 soldiers.

“WHY ARE YOU LEADING THEM?” Zoro yelled.

“Oh, there’s Zoro!” Sanji shouted. “Alright guys, stick out your lower lip and make fun of him.” xD

But Zoro knows Sanji inside out, so he said, “Oi, Nami and Robin went that way.”

Unfortunately, Monet, the feathered siren, proved a distraction. Monet’s flirtatiousness is a big part of her character (she flirted with Law and Luffy for fun). It must be pretty lonely being stuck in Punk Hazard with Caesar, so it made sense that she enjoyed the attention for half a second before getting back to business.

She burned through a couple of fodders with her Ice Form (freezing and biting a chunk out of one’s shoulder was savage).

Then Tashigi made *her* grand entrance.

And she can use haki.

That was a revelation.

She has always been several steps behind Zoro. Teaming up with him to take down a villain might boost her confidence. I sure hope so, anyway.

Meanwhile...

Usopp, Foxfire and Brook (or should I say “Corpse-dono”) are still charging about, hunting for sea prism stone cuffs. Shinokuni gas is now following them, so they’ll be caught up in Caesar’s bottleneck gas chamber plan.

I’m guessing that’s where they’ll find the cuffs. If Tashigi and the G5 also end up there, Usopp could pilfer or borrow some cuffs from her. I’m just assuming captain-level Marines carry cuffs on them here. The fact Usopp willingly initiated a “let’s split up” plan and offered to work alone was pretty brave of him. Usopp definitely has got stronger and more confident in his abilities.

Must also say there was some really nice art in the Smoker vs Vergo short update in episode 611. Not an artist myself, so I don’t tend to notice or be very good at critiquing these sorts of things. But even I noticed the quality this time. Good job, whichever team worked on it. :)

There goes the morality bar again, slip slidin’ right into hell...

[yoshi4sushi]

(purupurupuru) (purupurupuru) (gocha!) (coo!) (coo!)

 Happy Jolly Monday, minna-san! I hope everyone had a good weekend. The weather is getting chillier so stay warm, drink plenty of warm fluids, and stay healthy. The flu is getting around lately. Stay in top shape. With that said, let’s get on with this week’s news. We have loads of stuff to share with you so you know the drill. First off, last week’s chapter is filled with new mysterious characters. We start off w/ Ussop, Franky, & Robin enjoying Sanji’s soba. It’s been a while since they had his cooking, and many customers are lined up. Just as everyone is eager to eat his delish soba, three goons from Kyoshiro’s clan name Kaku, Kuni, & Suke showed up to shut down Sanji’s soba stand. They tell Sanji that he’s gotta pay up if he wants to keep his shop safe from hooligans, but he refused. A little girl was about to enjoy her soba until Suke knock it off from her hands and cried. They then knocked over his soba stand. Seeing this enraged Sanji. The customers then ran off. The handsome cooked demand they eat the soba from the floor, but refused to do it. That answer was wroooonnng! So Sanji knocked that cahoots out of Kuni. Franky then took care of Suke with a new technique he learned from Senor Pink: Iron Suplex. Nice one, dude. Some spectators were shocked to see the guys defeat the jerks. The little girl whose soba got spilled came back with a smile hoping to eat the soba was excited to have. She approached and Sanji was able to give her some leftover. She tells the gang that she was late for work, but waited all day in line to eat the tasty soba. Her face glowed with excitement. So the girl’s name is Toko, but if says if you add O in front of her name, her whole is O-toko which means man in Japanese. The gang laughed at her name, and Toko laugh along telling them that her name is means “man”, but she is a girl. Ha ha ha ha ha! What a cutie!, She then finished eating and was about to leave saying that she’ll be back in the same streets since her job is an escort for a famous courtesan, and that many beautiful women will come by. At the end, the old lady that trained Robin to be a geisha came looking for her saying that she has been summoned to be at the shogun’s palace and that a famous geisha name Komurasaki will be presented at the castle as she is the no.1 famous geisha in all of Wano kingdom. The boy got excited to hear such rumor. So the parade begins as Komurasaki passes by with many praised coming from everywhere and Toko made just in time, and it seems she is the younger sister of the famous geisha. Back at Kyoshiro’s hideout, his goons informed him of Sanji’s rebel, and ordered to send out assassins to kill him. Suddenly, a shadow nine dragon figure appears from behind that happens to be the infamous Lord Orochi. Who is this mysterious villain that everyone speaks of? What is the role of this famous geisha? Is she a friend? Or a foe? GAH! So many questions! No chapter this week so it’s another two week break so be patient. Next, this past weekend’s episode is turning chaotic. Luffy continues to struggle to land a hit on Katakuri, but is trying to stay clam so he can also see his attacks coming. Back at the sea, Big Mom shows up in flames and in rage demanding for the wedding cake that the gang is hiding. She starts tearing apart Sunny as Jinbei jumps to defend. He tell her that that cake is not with them, but ignores his truth saying that he believes Perospero’s words. She says she would kill him if he lied, but believed in him. She starts attacking. Jinbei was suddenly knocked off from the ship. Nami and the others try their best to fend off Big Mom, but she was continuing tearing the ship. Just as things were getting worse, Jinbei shows up again and knocked her off from the ship, and Nami lay the finishing blow with her lighting attack. At the end, Luffy continues his struggle with the fight as Katakuri is attacking one step ahead. Next time, Luffy tries his best to see Katakuri’s attack with the wise words and training he learned from Rayleigh as his help and the rotten young sister, Flampe, makes her appearance. Don’t miss it! Now on with the goods! First off, figurines! figurines! Loads of it. Jump Fest is getting near, and Megahouse will be displaying 4 new POP figurines at the event. Next year, they’ll release this awesome POP Maximum of Luffy in gear 4th Snakeman mode, limited ed. of Hina, Maximum figurine of Zoro 3 thousand world attack, and bikini figurine of Nami with a beer. Next, new Glitter & Glamour brand will be guys. The new brand name for it will be Glitter & Brave. Tuesday, all arcades will stock the first Glitter & Brave figurine of Sanji with his cape, and one w/out it. Next, in February, new Gashapon mini figurines will be released. This time, they’ll have Carrot, Shanks, Marco, Ace, Ussop, & Luffy in gear 4th. Cute little ones. Next, this month, more new stuff will be in stock. More new goods of Mugi Collection. They’ll have new key chain straps of Luffy, Brook, Nami, Sanji, & Chopper. They’ll also have this thermal bottle of Luffy. Don’t forget they’ll also sell Luffy’s tea can set that comes with a cute small tote bag, and small plates as well. Next, Bandai will be selling this new awesome red, silk yukata shirt that has the jolly rogers symbol of Luffy on the back with rest of the gang. It will be available for sale at Jump Fest as well. Online order is a possibility, but unsure. No worries, we will ask at the event and get back to you on it. Next, guess whose birthday is approaching next month? Yup! You all know him. He’s the hottest pirate with a feisty, but well-manner attitude. Give it up for Ace! YAY! YAY! The stores will be selling his birthday button, and his acrylic figurine. If you spend over 1000 yen, you’ll get his free mini poster. Now that’s hot! Tower will announce bday goods of him soon. Next, NEW YAKARA BUTTONS! YOLO! The theme this time is UTAGE which means celebration, and it’s all guys! They’ll have Luffy and his boys. New characters include Pedro, Buggy, Shanks, Coby & Helmeppo, Kinemon, Thatch, and many others. It will be released on Dec.22nd at all stores including the tower. Jump Fest will also have it available at TOEI shop. Next, in February, they’ll sell this awesome t-shirt and plate of Katakuri with the word Merienda on it. GUA! So cute! Next, here are the loads of JUMP goods of OP they’ll have at the event. They’ll have a Zou artboard, two big button set of Luffy & Law, a colorful limited ed. t-shirt of Luffy in kimono, folder, pencil board, postcard set, memo block, notebook of vol.91, pack of sticker flakes, a Wano pen of Luffy & Zoro, a package set of ASL bros goods that comes with a folder set, postcard set, button set, a sticker, and a mini tote bag, PVC strap holders of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, & Ace, a red marche tote bag, Whole Cake Island diagram map set, limited ed. button set of the ASL bros, and key chain set of Luffy & Zoro that will come with an extra limited ed. key chain only available at the event. Also, Bandai stand will be giving away free spicy cheese puff snack that comes with surprised face of Eneru and the ASL bros. HA HA HA HA! Such unusual reaction from Ace & Sabo. Last, but not least, OP game app, Thousand Storm, will have a short campaign where you can now use Capt. Kuro & Jango as playable characters. Just earn enough points and you’ll get them for free. Also, the other game app, Treasure Cruise, is having a short campaign to celebrate the 100 million downloads from everyone. Oda-sensei was kind enough to draw Luffy to give thanks to all the fans. They’ll have short campaigns where you can earn loads of free points, get more free characters, and much more. Phew! I think we covered everything. Also, we like to remind that the crew and I will attend Jump Fest, but we won’t be able to stay for the Super Stage to see the Straw Hat voice actors as we have a flight to catch in the evening. Not to worry, our secret undercover nakama, Kinmaro, will be on the lookout for it. New Year is approaching and many surprises will be announced at the event. We’re done. Tune in next week for more news and a goods. Job well done, boys. Let’s call it a night. Also, check out the official YOUTUBE channel of OP. Oda-sensei drew an awesome head banner for it. Nighty-night!