One Piece Chapter 713 – Flower Fields

Another day with another awesome chapter Oda brings to us. This chapter progressed the plot to a whole new level, it sets the pace and the future setting to what is to become a war between the Strawhats and their allies against the Doflamingo Family Pirates. This chapter lets us know who are the major players in this war that is about to happen, which consists of two sides; On one side we have the Strawhats, Law, allied with a toy and dwarves while on the other side it is the Doflamingo family and all their resources and power. Which is something not to underestimate. So without further ado lets get on with this epic chapter.

Shichibukai VS Shichibukai VS Admiral

This chapter started out with a big bang and ended with a teaser of what is to come in future chapters. So lets start out with the big bang and then get into the cliff hanger. For the first time we see two Shichibukai and an admiral face of one another. Now what is interesting in this battle is that there is no love between either of these powerhouses. Each one hates or dislikes the other as much as the other one. Law out of the three is the one in a pickle because Doflamingo and Fujitora both have a quarrel with him. Doflamingo is mad at Law because for the first time Doflamingo is being challenge by someone he considers below his level. But Law has proving to Doflamingo that he is not a push over and can take care of his own, who is capable of given him a fight for his life. So Doflamingo realizing this wants to eliminate Law as fast and quietly as possible. He also realizes that if this situation gets out that someone like Law and Luffy played him like a fool, this will ruin his reputation as the merciless pirate with very good ties. But there is one person Doflamingo or anyone did not see coming into the equation, Fujitora, the newest Admiral of the Marines.

Admiral Fujitora has a personality of a pacifist, who wants to talk things out rather than having to put up a fight. Compared to the past Admirals we have seen, Fujitora has a very kind heart. But do not let his kind heart fool you, he can be merciless when he needs to be. So far we have learned that he has a gambling problem, a kind heart, is very powerful that his prowess earned him the title of Admiral. And for the first time we get a glimpse as to what exactly his powers are. We still have not had a confirmation as to what Devil Fruit or ability he has but I am assuming that his powers have something to do with gravity. I would say that his power is very similar to The Deva Path powers of attract and pull from the Naruto series. So far we have seen that he can manipulate meteors, and also deflect objects from his body. Though it seems that he has to unsheathe his swords to use this ability. Nonetheless, this battle between three very interesting and cunning character will be one of the ages if it actually happens. As to who I have my money on, will I am rooting for Law, but I would have admit that Fujitora has this one in the bag. Interesting question for you guys, compared to Madara’s meteor and Fujitora’s meteor, which of the two did you guys think was executed better?

Toy Machine Franky and Sanji’s Love Life

Like I said last week, the Factory seems to be heavily guarded that even Franky needs help from Sanji. Interestingly enough, the Factory is located in Flower Fields which is the place that everyone is aiming at. Franky is currently heading towards it, while Sanji just got the map that will lead him to it from Violet. For some reason I have a feeling that Violet is playing Sanji for a fool because for one she keeps referring him as “Black Leg” another thing is that she is the enemy. I could be wrong but considering Sanji’s luck with the ladies, Violet might end up as the cunning assassin. Kinemon finally shows up and talk about the worst time to show up in front of Sanji, completely blocking Sanji from the love of his life. But considering that Kinemon is honorable that he wont hurt the people that threatening the safety of his comrades. Either way now we know that just about everyone is heading towards Flower Field with the exception of Luffy and we still do not know what happened to Nami, Chopper, and Brook.

Usoland

I have always favored Usopp because he is pure entertainment. Everything does makes me laugh and think twice about doubting his cunning ability to turn the situation to his favor. Robin calls him a ‘bad guy’ but like he said he saw an opportunity and he took it. Which turns out for the better of him until the Dwarves name him the leader in the revolution war that will take place in Flower Field. Usopp is stuck in a bad situaiton because if he refuses, the dwarves will not take that likely, but if he agrees he will have to face the like of the Doflamingo Army. Either way he is in a very bad predicament. Interestingly, Ussop still lies and is a very good liar, but he has stated before that he might be liar though when it comes down to it he can back up his lies. So Ussop might just become what we all have been waiting for him to do, to become a hero who fights for his followers. The scenario is perfect, he has dwarves for what they lack in size make up in their amazingly power, and the perfect situation to fight a tyrant that Doflamingo is set out to be.

Side Notes:

• Like everyone thought Luffy is not using his Devil Fruit powers.
• The dwarves are very powerful and should not be underestimated. They will be a major players in this war.
• What exactly has happened to Nami and the Sunny protecting team?
• The plot is thickening and things are getting very heated up.

One Piece Review

It has been awhile ladies and gentlemen, since I have done any writing here. The combination of College and Work have been taking my time from you and the mangas that I love. I have been fortunate enough to put the “Its Out” post but that has been the only thing can do and in fact I have not read a One Piece, Naruto, Bleach chapter in a very very long time, compared to the fact that I could barely survive a week or two of not reading  a One Piece chapter, and I think some of you know how dangerously nasty I get when I miss my One Piece Chapter. Thankfully I got this WHOLE weekend to myself, so I have been doing lots of reading and have caught up to the recent events that unfolded in One Piece. P.S I do not know what happened to 7warlord, whom was doing a great job with the reviews. But I am hoping one day 7warlord will return to us. Nonetheless, lets do this review. Also, keep in mind that this will be a long review, so if you do not want to read my two cents about the recent events, than scroll down to the comment section and say your thoughts, theories, stories and so forth. Oh, by the way I give a shout out to Tensa Gizzla, who commented about suggesting Attack On Titan as a new anime/manga to pick up, and holy crap this stuff is good, go watch/read it.

What has been Happening:

Sunny’s Protectors

• The last time we saw Brook, Nami, Chopper was when they were playing Shogun Games with Monosuke. When Brook started singing a man’s voice can be heard coming from the men’s sleeping quarters. Who the voice belongs to can be of either two possibilities; the first and most likely is that the voice belongs to one of the Doflamingo’s Family crew because Doflamingo set this plan up and it would make sense that he would send someone, most likely one of the weakest crew, to take out who ever is on the Sunny. The other and most unlikely scenario is that the voice belongs to a Toy that happens to stumble on the Sunny. Eventually we will find out who this person is because it has been awhile since we have seen the ‘ship protecting crew.’

The Exchange Team

Law, Ussop, and Robin split up from the main group to deliver CC to the agreed exchange point, Green Bit. Whats interesting here is that considering Law, a masterful manipulator and strategists, picks Robin and Ussop to be with him. Considering the fact that he was going to make the exchange with someone who he really pissed off,  and no credit taking away from Robin and Ussop, but he picks two of the lowest of the Strawhats in power. Also, he already planned to fight Joker from the beginning, so it would of made sense that he would at least take Luffy with him to help him out in this wicked battle that is about to happen. I, for one believe in Law, (try saying that in the real world) in that he knows what he is doing and already calculated that Joker himself and only himself will come to the exchange point. Law knows that Joker is in a desperate state right now, and the only thing that is keeping Joker from Kaido’s wrath, is the only supply of SAD in the factory. So Joker would do all he has in his power to put security around the Factory. And he would personally take care of Law, what better way to get back at someone than to do it with your own hands.

Still with all Law’s schemes and plans he never predicted that an Admiral would show up and the connection Joker has.  I am really excited to see what this new Admirals has in store for us. From the past Admirals we have seen, one is enough to take out a whole army of pirates. Another interesting fact is that this is the only time we see an Admiral and Shichibukai come to be in the same place without a formal meeting set in the past. So seeing this interaction will give us hindsight on the relationship between Admirals and Shichibukai, for what little relationship they have. The other and the most unthinkable thing happens, the possibility of Joker being a World Noble or has extremely good ties with the world government. My theory is that Joker is somewhat related to one of the Gorosei whether he is a son or is connected with one of them. For those who do not know the Gorosei are the most powerful men in the whole world. Think of it as this, United Nation is what the World Government is in One Piece and the US, China, Russia, England, and France is what the Gorosei is in One Piece. They are what control the whole World Government, the Marines, police, and etc, everything is within there grasp. So something like manipulating the media is nothing but a breath of air to one of the Gorosei. When Joker stated that his connection is ‘complicated’ and what more complicated can you get than being connected to one of the Gorosei.

Factory Destruction Team

• Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky and Kinemon are the team that were in charged with finding and destroying the SAD factory. But after Zoro’s swords get stolen all of them split up and each wonder to their own story. Luffy entered the competition to win his brother’s Devil Fruit. Zoro is lost like always when left alone. Sanji has finally found a woman that gives him the attention he so desperately deserves. Franky becomes in charge of finding and destroying the SAD factory. Kinemon gets cornered by Doflamingo’s Family.

1. Lets start with Luffy who is finally about to start his fight in the C group. This will be interesting to see and what better way to see Luffy show off his prowess than in a Battle Royale. I think that Luffy will make quick work of this group because so far that has not been anyone in his section that stands out to be a major problem for Luffy, heck he can go third Gear and obliterate everyone of the field. So no theories or clever statements here, just excited to see what will unfold.
2. Zoro is still the same unforgettably bad direction guy who stumbles upon a very curious character, a dwarf. What I really love about One Piece is that not only does it have different races of people but it also has different species of beings. We have seen Giants, mini-Giants, Long Leg-men, Long Arm-men, Mermaids/mermen, and now Dwarves. I am a huge fan of fantasy, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia, you name it I have seen or read it, and in all of these fantasy novels there is one specific species that is always overlooked, the Dwarves. In the Lord of the Rings, Dwarves have forgotten the world and only care of themselves. In Harry Potter they are in charge of banks and such, my point is that I am a fan of Dwarves in the sense that they are not seen as heroic or have the capacity to fit that role. Now we have Dwarves in One Piece and I am so excited to find out what Oda has in store for us.
3. Franky is still funny as hell, enough said.

Finally Sanji gets a girl, even though he takes a betting of a lift time from her. I have always new that Violet is not what she seems to be, a wickedly dangerous princess in distress type of character that can grow huge titte-I mean whales from her eyes. A very interesting type of power, again Oda still not running out of ideas. Many would say that One Piece is repetitive in the sense that there is a conflict, Strawhats split up, take on the bad guy, than a new conflict occurs. Which is true but that is the only repetitive thing about One Piece, other than that nothing is repetitive, no two characters are alike whether be it in design, personality or ability. Violet is a perfect example, but she is strikingly similar to Robin. Both are assassins, whom happens to be in the wrong crowd at the wrong time. Violet powers are a gift and ultimately a curse in itself because her powers allow her to see through every thing (i.e x-ray vision, read peoples mind and etc). In doing so, she knows that every time a man tries to sweet talk her, she knows that he is lying to her. So in a way she is unaffected to the lies of men, making her a very independent and unable to trust men, till Sanji came to her world. Sanji has shown her that some men love women in every way possible, be it sexual, emotional, and ultimate love. When she reads his mind she sees all of his thoughts, very perverted thoughts but very true thoughts. He shows her that even though he had perverted thoughts of her, he still respects her and will go through hell and heaven for her. Nonetheless, I am happy that Oda finally decided to have a woman actually return the attention Sanji gives to women.

One Piece Chapter 707 – B-Block

Hello again. We had a pretty good chapter this week. Nothing big really happened, except for a few character ability demonstrations and of course Luffy’s cover being blown, yet again.  Be that as it may, this chapter is still in need of a good old dissecting. So without further adieu, lets get this thing started:

It’s A Big World

I said it last week, but Oda has been introducing multiple new characters recently. But I like that and a talented writer can use them several purposes. A common way is for most of them to not probably have a big impact on the story. Meaning a lot of them are just introduced as “strong fodder” for stronger characters. I hope that wasn’t worded weird. But where One Piece separates itself from that thinking is that there is a huge world and there is always somebody in it that can take you down. That’s why I love One Piece so much, there are no “Demi-Gods”. Hell even Garp had trouble with a “certain somebody” back in his heyday. Oh, I would just like to remind you that Oda once stated that Garp was the strongest Marine in his prime, but I’m pretty sure Sengoku and Kong were not that far below him. There is just so many people to account for in One Piece, that it’s pretty much impossible to to claim 1 person as “the best in the world”. No such person exists, I assure you. Yes, this logic even applies to the revolutionary Dragon. There is somebody out there that can at least tie with him, just like when Gold Roger always tied with Whitebeard. Perhaps this person is in the Gorosei? Maybe it’s Shanks? Or is it possibly the Shogun of Wano Country? It kind of makes you really wonder about it huh?

 B-Block Rumble

•  We begin where we left off from last week. The strategist Dagama seemingly gaining the advantage by teaming up with other competitors. His goal of course is to win the Mera Mera Devil Fruit for his king, Elizabelio. Now here is something worth noting. He is famous for using a signature power punch that rumored to take out even a Yonkou. Now that made my eyes expand a little, but I should know better than to believe that! The downside is that he only has one shot at using it, which makes me wonder just how and when does he plan on using it. Unless he’s got some speed, his opponent’s movement will have to be severely restricted. I guess that’s why he brought his strategist, but here’s the thing. While Dagama wants everybody protecting the his king, who is gonna protect him? Heh, moving on.
• We next see Bellamy clashing with the Dressrosa Army Captain, Lepanto. They have a little skirmish and we get a hint of Bellamy current level. I figured as much, he’s still not competition for Luffy. Anyways, we now see that there’s a price you have to pay for getting disqualified. Fighting Fish. This is a Devil Fruit user’s worst nightmare.
• The next scene features another pair of fighters. Abdullah and Jeet. These guys were former bounty hunters and are now terrorists. I hope these two meet Zoro, who was once a bounty hunter in his own right. Hopefully Oda can make it happen.
• The following battle scene is the most interesting to me. Fishman Hack, a friend of Jinbei! It’s cool to know that there are more Fishman wandering around in the World and this guy doesn’t look like a slouch to me. I don’t know if this guy is as strong as Jinbei, but I think he’s close and this reinforces what I mentioned earlier. It’s a big world. But yes, Hack seems to have the territorial advantage here, because if he’s as good as I hope he is, he can use the water surrounding the arena to his advantage. He can even use the fish. I’m betting this guy will be amongst that last standing contenders for the B-Block.
• Now moving on to the Long legged tribed fighter, Bluegilly. I can’t take this guy seriously. To me, seeing him kicking was the funniest part of the chapter. But you know, I really think Sanji’s leg style originated from this Long legged tribe. Maybe we’ll see a flashback with Red Leg Zeff?
• Next up, Gladiator Ricky. Ok. I was wrong about Kryos being the old blind swordsman, but not this time. Gladiator Ricky is Kyros, I am 100% sure of it!
• Bartolomeo is chilling on the sidelines, waiting for his best opportunity to intervene. Some people will call it cowardice, but I call it using your head.

The Cover Is Blown…Again 

While all of that is going on, Luff-I mean Lucy and Cavendish are witnessing the action. We get another reminder of how much Cavendish detests famous rookies and of course Don Chin Jao shows up and reveals Lucy’s real identity as Luffy. And you know how it went from there, classical Luffy being as smooth as 100 grain sandpaper. Oh well, it was worth seeing Cavendish’s reaction. I mean good lord, he sparkles when he’s surprised too lol. This is too much, so I’m calling it right now that our very own Black Leg Sanji will perform his plastic surgery kick on him. Remember Duval? I think the opposite will happen to Cavendish. But anyways, Don Chin Jao looks like he is wearing one of those kung fu jackets. I say this because the Wolf Zoan user in CP9 wore something similar. So it’s possible he might be a Rokushiki master. That’s just another one my wild guesses though. But if there’s one thing I’m sure of, he will be a big challenge to Luffy when the C-Block battle begins.

Side Notes

• When I saw that Fishman Hack was a 100th Dan Karate master, I immediately thought of Sakaki from History’s Strongest Disciple: Kenichi. 
• Who do you think Gladiator Ricky is?
• Did you take Bluegilly seriously?
• What do you think Cavendish will do to Luffy? 
• How do you feel about the tournament so far?

One Piece 706 – No More Giggles

Hey guys and gals. Man, I’ll you what, we had a pretty damn good chapter this week. A perfect set up for the B-Block Brawl. Not only that, we have another load of names stuffed into our heads again. That’s just perfect Oda. I swear, if this overload of information keeps up, I’ll start looking like a Tiki-Man. I’m not either joking people, this is a lot of stuff to remember! But anyways, lets get started with this week’s review:

The Cannibal

Remember when I said to watch out for this guy? It turns out I was right and he has indeed made quite the entrance. We still don’t know much about this guy, other than that he’s a renowned dickhead. He’s even ranked #1 on the ‘Pirate We Wish Most To Disappear’ list. Now pay attention readers, he’s ranked NUMBER 1 on a go away list. If this is a world-wide ranking of pirates and a ROOKIE is ranked number 1,then  he must be doing some crazy stuff. You would think Blackbeard would be on such a list, but no, it’s Bartolomeo! But we have to be smart, because it’s not uncommon for rumors to be a little twisted. Like him “gunning down innocent civilians”, how do we know they were even innocent in the first place? Back when Luffy punched that World Noble, the whole world thought that he Kidd, and Law were holding everyone hostage, when that wasn’t the case at all. Think about it. At the most, he’s just another Eustass Kidd, but I don’t even think he’s that bad, because in this very chapter, he made fools out of the crowd, by revealing their true nature. Yes, he told people they were going to hell, but I think he was referring to the contestants. The crowd are the ones that insulted him, which was stupid, because they know how short tempers are in the Grandline. Then again, I wouldn’t consider their opinions anyways because they are brainwashed by Doflamingo. ..Although I could be completely wrong , but we’ll see. Just heed this old, cheesy saying, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”.

The Hyena

Oh Bellamy, what a character this guy is. Again, if you have forgotten him, it’s the the same guy who beat up Luffy and Zoro in the bar back in Jaya just to prove a point having dreams. Luffy and Zoro didn’t fight back. No, they instead walked away with their pride intact and was then praised by Blackbeard himself! The next time Luffy saw Bellamy, a rubber fist implanted the Hyena’s smug face into the ground. Now after that, he was confronted by Doflamingo and was thought to be dead. But recent revaltaions prove he had in fact journeyed to the very same sky island the Strawhats went too, Skypeia. I think I know what Bellamy did in Skypiea too. He got a pillar from the giant bell. Remember in this chapter they said that he pledged his loyalty by giving Doflamingo a giant pillar of gold from a far off country. Which country has a ton of gold? That’s right, Skypiea. But obviously it wasn’t easy and you know why? WIPER. Remember, Wiper and Luffy fought each other to a draw. Luffy knocked out Bellamy with one punch lol. So here is what I think what happened. Bellamy took his crew to Skypeia, where they got their butts kicked by Wiper and his awesome Reject Dial. Bellamy was then stranded there, maybe taken prisoner. But while he was there, he went through some sort of training and then became strong enough to escape and had the nerve to take one of the Skypeia’s precious golden pillars with him. Now of course this isn’t accurate, but I really believe this is the gist of what happened. One thing is for certain is that nothing BIG happened in Skypeia. I say this because we have seen no suffering in their latest appearances in the cover pages. So be rest assured that our friendly angels in the clouds are safe. But I would really like to see what you guys think about it. The more opinions, the better right? Now moving on to his talk with Luffy, he said he will never laugh at him anymore. Which makes sense because compared to Luffy, he sucks anyways. That’s right, I still don’t like him, it isn’t as much as Smoker though, ugh! Being praised by brainwashed civilians is no true feat in my eyes and that bounty isn’t persuading me either.

Follow the Man with the Plan

We have some new names here, but there is one thing that bugs me about these lists. Where are Doflamingo’s goons? Remember those members of the Donquixote Family several chapters back? And where’s Diamante? Oda is trying to fool us. Do not forget about those guys One Piece readers. Also, I have another theory. I think Rebecca is Koala. I’m talking about back in the Fishman Island arc. The little girl Fisher Tiger helped out and sacrificed his life for. I can’t know for sure because that cape is in the way, but if you see the fishman jolly roger on her back, just remember that 7warlord called it! But anyways, the B-Block battle has officially started. But it seems that Dagama the strategist is playing it smart with the numbers game. I wonder how long it will last though, because only 1 person can win the the group. So it will be interesting to see just how much of a strategist this Dagama is.

Side Notes

• I just noticed that Oda might be a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, because Tamago and Dagama look frighteningly similar to Dr. Eggman.  
• Cavendish and Rebecca are in the same group. ~Very Interesting~
• So who do you think will win the B-Block? You think one of Doflamingo’s goons will show?
• Am I being too hard on Bellamy? Be honest please.

One Piece Chapter 705 – Round Two

Hey boys and girls, 7warlord decide to take it easy this week and I do not blame him, it is almost spring and well we are all lazy at heart. But this chapter and the past couple of chapters have been too much of an excitement that I would not pass this moment to say my two cents about the chapter of the week. I for one love 7warlord’s review, its like he is a genius at these reviews and he gets better with every chapter. So unfortunately we wont get his review this week and we are left with me, I know its not as great as his, but lets just take what can be giving.

The New Franky

Ever since Franky has been reintroduced the only thing that we really know about him is that he has a body that is a walking, talking machine weapon. Lately he has shown a side of him we have not seen since the Water 7 arc. It is that he is a mastermind, lets not forget that Franky is a scientist in his own right, and the fact that he has a body that makes him out to be all bronze and no brains, but in fact Franky is all bronze and Brains. From previous chapters and this chapter we can see that he is person that collects his thoughts and does not lets the situation make him do drastic decisions. But I really like this side of Franky because it shows that he is and deserves to be considered one of the elite of the crew. We all know who the Trio Monsters are, but who comes after them is a debatable issue. But for me I would say that Franky is shaping up to be someone that just right under them.

The Nobodies

I had a good laugh of how easily and how quickly I forgot Ganbia and Maynard after the wiping they received. I don’t quite understand why Oda would name a chapter after Maynard when he was easily demolished by Bartolomeo. The only thing that I would make sense of it is that Oda wants to show how strong Bartolomeo is. Another thing to note is that Bartolomeo shows some care for his crew as to he fought the same guy who beat up his comrade. Or it could be that he did not want the name of his to be tarnished as to Maynard took out one of his crewmates, thus if this would get out it would show that the Bartolomeo Pirates are weak. I am leaning towards the lateral, because at the end of the chapter there is a side note that says Bartolomeo has some screws loose. I would say that he is a pirate that is similar to Kid, from what I have seen so far I would say that Bartolomeo is someone you do not want to be an enemy of. I for one see him winning the B division easily.

The Blind Admiral

Well to some of us this is no surprise that the same old blind man turned out to be none other than the new Admiral of the marines, Fujitora. A very interesting and complex character, which I for one favor. There are so many things about him that I, for some reason think that he is not the same villainous Admiral we are known in the past with the exception of Kuzan. His personality is a somewhat a mixture of a carefree but can do the job done person. He also seems to have a habit of gambling and can easily trust people. Like I said he has a trait that we normally don’t see in Admirals usually the Admirals are and excuse my language, assholes, again with the exception of Kuzan. Also, he is the first Admiral to be seeing without that trademark suit but still retains that infamous marine coat. He also shows that he cares for peoples safety and is not as lazy as Kuzan was, or how uncaring as Kizaru, or as vicious as Akainu was. Either way Fujitora is a new player on the field and it will be interesting seeing how the Strawhats react to an admiral when the last time they could not even scratch one.

CP-0 and The other things going on

If Fujitora was not enough, the CP-0 come on the playing field as well. It is understandable since it seems that the Marines and the World Government are not taking any risks with this touchy issue of Doflamingo resigning his title and the Strawhats and Law issue. As to what the CP-0 are, we CP-9 gave our heroes a run for their money. I don’t want to say much about them because they are a newly introduced organization and I am going to wait till we get a full introduction of them. But so far what we know that they all wear suits like CP9 members and each wear a sort of Tribal mask.

• Robin shows again why she is the most informed member of the group. She plays the role of being the one that knows just about everything and everyone, considering the fact that she lived with the Revolutionary army for two years.
• Well we have seeing Zoro being clumsy but this is the first time that he has shown how clumsy he is and is trying to hide it way from anyone.
• Poor Kinemon always getting himself caught with the wrong crowd but like the guy said his hat is shaped into a top-knot. For someone who is supposed to be a master of disguises he surely sucks at it.
• Sanji is finally getting the attention from a woman he so deserves. Now what confuses me is that I cannot point out if that sniper was aiming at Violet or at him. If it was at Violet then it would prove that her story is true, though if it was at Sanji then Violet might of just set Sanji up. I for one am wanting her to be the person she claims to be because Sanji needs to actually have a fan club and for once get the girl.
• The other thing I wanted to talk about is how well Monosuke is being accepted into the group. I know that he is not an official member, but it is just wishful thinking. But there is no denying that the Strawhats are growing a fond liking of him, especially Nami and it is not a surprise because she has a soft spot for kids. And Monosuke knows this and takes full advantage of feeling on her soft spot 😉 Either way the segment with him, Nami, Chopper and Brook was a comic relief from all the chaos that is happening. As to who was behind that door, well that is the point of not relieving them so we will have to wait to see what or who that was.
• Lots of things are happening, new characters are being introduced, and all hell will brake loss. It is funny that the last two arcs have had little people for the Strawhats to face of, but now there is a whole army of powerful people. We all have been waiting to see the full extent of the Strawhat’s strength and I think that we will get to see that now.

One Piece Chapter 704 – The Statue of Kyros

Whats up guys. Once again we are given a great chapter this week, with Oda cranking the “Oh Shit” level up a few more notches. Also, just when I thought I knew enough characters, a dozen more is crammed in my face. Not only that, this chapter foreshadows possible future arcs. Government bombings? Battle of Dias? And basically, most of these characters come from an islands or countries itching with adventures for the Strawhat pirates. The world of One Piece really feels like a world now. That’s what is so appealing about Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire and other stories similar to them. You know that there’s an entire world out there, not just the parts you can see. And as far as shonen mangas go, I think it has the best and biggest world of any I’ve read so far.  This is how you make a story people, even with the numerous archs/chapters it has, it is still interesting, coherent, and fun to read. Now with that said, lets get on with the chapter discussion.

New Faces 

Well it wouldn’t be a good tournament if there weren’t many big time people there right? I had a hunch that the Doflamingo Family would easily have the advantage on everyone, excluding Luffy, but that thought was quickly cast aside away after reading this chapter. There are some very powerful fighters that have been introduced and I would like to talk about some of them.

• Chinjao Family- There are 3 people in this group fighting for the same faction. Zai, Buu, and Don Chinjao. I believe the big guy (Don) is the strongest of the three because for one, his surname is Chinjao. Two, he is old and old people in this manga are monsters.  I also really believe that one of these 3 will make it to the top 4, because I believethat they belong to one of the most powerful pirate crews in the Grandline, which is Kaido’s crew. Now hear me out, in the cover of the chapter we see Kaido’s subordinate Scotch (the cyborg)  appear in Carribou’s ministory. Notice he has a number marked on his shoulders. 2 people in the Chinjao Gang also have numbers marked on them. Now this is just a theory, but if it’s true then that means there are 2 Yonkous involved and it’s most likely the case that Shanks and Big Mam will have people participating in the Tournament as well. 
• Neck Slasher Slayman- Because it’s stated that he is an A-Rank criminal, I’m going with the possibility that he’s a likely final 4 participant. I remember Jimbei saying back in Impel Down arc that Crocodile was a B-class pirate. When he said that, I assumed that means there was a A-class and S-class. If I’m right, then this means that Slasher Slayman is more
  powerful than Crocodile. And if that’s the case then hat means this guy should not be looked down on, because Crocodile is by all means not weak at all.
• Cavendish- The so-called Pirate Prince is a new character and just so happened to be a rookie recently, 1 year prior to Luffy’s venture into the Grandline to be exact. Now big egos are not uncommon in One Piece, but this guy has now taken 3rd place in my book, right after Crocodile and Enel. He really detests the Supernovas and vows to kill them all. I say good luck with that lol. But yea, this guy’s power level shouldn’t be underestimated either. Seeing his saber, I think he is a swordsman. Which is something of a “bane” to Luffy’s rubber body. However, Luffy utilizes haki nowadays like a pro and unless the “Pirate Prince” can use it on a threatening level, he isn’t cutting Luffy’s body with that sword. I will say this about him, it is going to be very funny once he meets Luffy’s entire crew, especially Sanji aka the Mr. Prince of the Strawhats. If Cavendish manages to make Nami or Robin faint, Sanji will freak out.
• Bartolomeo- Here is a person you guys need to watch out for. There must be a reason that Oda hasn’t revealed him yet and I’m betting it’s going to be a surprise. Meaning he will be very powerful and will make an impact when he does make his appearance. And judging from Dagama’s conversation, he seems to be a wild one, just like Luffy.
• Rebecca- Oda has introduced another Miss Badass. This time it isn’t a sadist assassin like Monet, but instead a hardened Gladiator. She is undefeated and it looks like she has some issues concerning Doflamingo, which isn’t surprising because that guy is a royal dickhead.  She wants to use the Mera Mera fruit to beat Doflamingo. A bold claim, but I’m afraid it’s too high of a reach for her. I’m even going to say that Luffy will have to save her from some crazy guy in Group D. A very potential crewmember she girl is. If you look at current crewmates: Luffy helped Zorro(Captain Axe-hand Morgan), Usopp(Captain Kuro of the Hundred Plans), Nami(Arlong), Sanji(Don Krieg), Chopper(King Wapol), Robin(Crocodile/Cipherpolnine), Frankie(Cipherpolnine), and Brook(Gekko Moria), and Jimbei(New Fishman Pirates) to defeat their enemy before becoming his nakama. As you can see, Rebecca fits that pattern.
• Kyros-  Here is my theory about the guy. I think the Blind Old Man is the Strongest Gladiator and he survived 3000 battles with only took 1 hit. Doflamingo probably joined the Colosseum Battle and defeated the Blind Old man with just 1 hit. Rebecca said “he was here 20 years ago”. After Gold Roger’s execution, Doflamingo goes to the New World and becomes the strongest in Colosseum and becomes the king of Dressrosa. Now the Blind Old man might be seeking for revenge for his defeat to Doflamingo.

Old Faces

Oda never ceases to amaze me on how well he uses and REMEMBERS old characters. In this case, I’m talking about Bellamy. I really thought Mingo killed off Bellamy, but boy is he in a shock for later. To refresh your memory, this fool mocked Luffy for saying he would become the Pirate King. Their last meeting ended with the guy getting one shotted. I don’t like him, so here is a short rant. This oversized, ugly grasshopper is an embarrassment to himself.  After getting destroyed by Luffy, Bellamy’s bounty has only gone up by about 50 mil and is barely above Luffy’s 100 million. Whilst Luffy’s has quadrupled to 400 million not to mention that 400 million is from 2 years ago. And what’s with his Devil Fruit ability, it’s worse than Smoker’s. All he does is hop and flop around everywhere like a fish out of water until somebody Hulk Smashes his face into the ground. Yea that’s exactly what’s going to happen. A Whack-A-Mole encore from 2 years ago. Seriously, this is the New World. He must have a death wish. Rant over. At the end of the chapter, we see another old face. First Fleet captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Jesus Burgress. So I’m guessing Blackbeard is using the same system as Whitebeard used to classify his captains. Though I’m surprised this guy is first fleet because Marco was the First Fleet Captain from Whitebeard and he was the strongest member of his crew. I thought Shiliew or perhaps Van Augur would be First fleet because they look the strongest from Blackbeards crew. Although the number doesn’t really correlate with strength, because Joz was stronger than Ace. Perhaps it correlates between who entered Blackbeards crew first? I wonder if this guy has already has Devil Fruit because Blackbeard is already stealing peoples Devil Fruit powers. But yes, it look like Blackbeard has a powerful fleet and I’m really wondering how strong  Burgress is right now. If I remember correctly he threw a whole damn house on Ace, so he was wasn’t anywhere near weak 2 years ago. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache, because other than this tournament, there is still the drama with everything else on Dressrosa!

Side Notes

• Rebecca looks like a potential crewmate, but you know who else is a potential crewmate? Violet. She is a dancer and the Strawhats are missing a dancer in the crew.
• Kyros is a Greek baby name. In Greek, the meaning of the name Kyros is “Master”
• Who do you think will be in the final 4?
• You think Balckbeard is the only Yonkou that has somebody in the tournament?
• Who wants to see Burgress throw a house on Luffy?

One Piece Chapter 703 – Strawhat Lucy

Chapter by chapter, Oda is heating up the arc, with each one being that much better than the previous. It will inevitably get to the point of our eyes going blind due to it’s pure greatness….Well that’s enough ass-kissing, but this was a smooth chapter. Everything is setting into motion pretty well. The best part was the ending and it’s reference to a certain character I’m pretty sure you all know very well. If you don’t, I’ll tell you exactly who at the end of the review. So without further adieu, let the discussion begin:

“I Want That Fruit!”

We are once again presented with information concerning Devil Fruits and their hosts. When they die, their Devil Fruit is reborn into the closest ordinary fruit. A popular theory out there is that Doflamingo was planning to get his sneaky fingers on Ace’s Mera Mera after he was executed. And it wouldn’t be wrong to say that at all, because Doflamingo was in fact in the business of “SMILE” at the time. I support this with the statement Doflamingo made to that slave trader back during the Sabaody Arc. Remember when he said the Slavery is yesterday’s news and the big thing that people want now are “SMILES”. Hah! I had to do research on that one, so give me my due credit. But moving on, we wondered if Luffy was going to be reeled into Doflamingo’s trap and he does just that in this very chapter, by blatantly saying, “I want the Mera Mera Devil Fruit!”. It can’t be helped, it’s considering that it involves his lost brother Ace after all. He then asks an interesting favor from Franky, which is to eat it. Franky of course say no and thank god he did. Can you imagine what a robot/logia user would look like lol? Luffy says he can’t eat it, but if you think about it, there’s a high chance he can. For one, his name is Monkey D. Luffy and those that bear the Will of D are definitely not normal. Two, don’t forget about the mermaid lady’s vision of Luffy being surrounded by fire on Fishman Island. Three, He’s dumb enough to do it once, he can do it again. Four, how many times have we seen Luffy defy the laws of One Piece? Nobody escapes Enies lobbies (owned). Nobody survives after assaulting a celestial dragon (owned twice). Are any of these points convincing anyone?

The Crazy Seductress

In the next segment we see Zoro chasing the “mysterious” fairy. I have said this before and dammit I’m saying it again…there is something up with those fairies and that Fairy Pumpkin. A connection I say, I just can’t put my finger on it. But anyways, Zoro and Sanji have lost the culprit. And while looking for him, Sanji OF COURSE spots a beautiful dancer named Violet. I told you guys this would happen a couple of weeks ago. This guy ignores Zoro’s warning and gets caught in a daze, which makes him separated from Zoro. Sanji is then approached by Violet who then asks Sanji to hold him. She hiding from guards who seem to be looking for her because she stabbed her lover. Yes women here stab their cheater boyfriends. The more beautiful they are, the more stabs you get. Sanji (one of the most perverted characters in One Piece) just so happens to come across a very beautiful woman named Violet, who herself is on the run for stabbing someone who cheated on her. Not only that, she wants Sanji to kill a certain man in the next town. Very classic of you Oda. Now the question that comes up is that if this man will be a major character?

Enter Master Lucy

We finally see Luffy head off into the Colosseum. All of a sudden we see soldiers chasing a fugitive Toy Soldier. This guys uses the technique “Jet Walk”, which I think is just a variation of the Rokushiki’s Geppo. Sanji has his own version which is “Sky Walk”. This is an advanced technique, so no doubt that this isn’t your average Toy Soldier. He presents to us a huge piece of information, which is that this place is OFF LIMITS to the police and the MARINES. I say this in all caps because some people think that the old stranger is Fujitora. Well unless he is like Garp and ignores the rules, he can’t be an Admiral, because he is not allowed in there. Then again, Doflamingo isn’t the ruler of Dressrosa anymore…Damn you Oda. Anyways, we see Luffy sign his name up for the tournament. It turns out he names himself Lucy. Now pay attention guys. Oda named used the name of Lucy to honor Toriyama. Lucy = Roshi (same pronunciation in japanese). Luffy is disguised like Master Roshi was during the World’s Martial Arts Tournament in Dragonball! When I realized this, my nostalgia level was maxed out lol. Now getting back into One Piece, Luffy is not allowed to use his Gomu Gomu abilities, because his identity will be revealed. This is a great opportunity to see how well developed his Haki is. We saw a glimpse at the end of the chapter with him overpowering that big bruiser. Note that Luffy had the strength to knock out a Giant in his early adventures in the Grandline. His power has increased 100 fold since that time, so you would think this would be a cake walk for the Strawhat captain. But don’t forget that this is a trap and this place follows the rules of the Donquixote Family. If anything, Luffy’s will be pushed into a corner at some point, most likely by Diamante. Also, the distance he can go without his Devil Fruit powers is something that needs to be evaluated anyways. So why not here?

Side Points:

• Zoro will definitely get lost
• Kinemon was nowhere to be found in this chapter…Any guesses on where he is?
• How many chapters will it take until Sanji gets stabbed by Violet?
• More theories on who will eat the Mera Mera Fruit?
• Who else realized the Roshi/Lucy connection?

One Piece Chapter 702 – The Corrida Colosseum!

The review is out a little later than usual this week. I usually have the time to write them up on a Wednesday, but you know hahaha…stuff happens. Anyway, this week’s release had another slow pace to it, as I predicted it would. At the same time though, we were given some sweet foreshadowing that will no doubt leave us with our jaws dangling off our faces in the future, BELIEVE IT! (try and guess where that came from)

“Who Is He?”

Last chapter revealed to us that an old blind stranger is no ordinary old blind stranger. He is far from ordinary and that big ass hole in the floor is a testament of it. Sanji and Zoro proposed that he is an ability user. I believe that it has something to do with gravity. Maybe similar to Blackbeard’s darkness Devil Fruit, but just not a logia. He carries a sword with him after all.  That’s about all I really got, which isn’t very much. After we see everyone’s expressions, he goes on to give the cashier an address and Oda makes him go ballistic, which just adds fuel to the fire. Luffy finally pops the question everyone wants answered and the blind man basically responds that it’s best if  he didn’t know. “Oh My God”, is all I had to say about that, because we won’t know this man’s identity for a good while.

The Fairy Thieves

Last week, we were told about a weird legend that involves “Fairy Pumpkin”. Now we see that there is a faction called fairies that are considered ancient deities that can do as they please in this part of Dressrosa. Now I really doubt these guys are deities and are probably just pranksters that are skilled at stealing. But there is a part of me that completely denies that and would rather believe that they have a connection to the “Pumpkin Fairies”. I still can’t get over that and Sanji running after Zoro also adds to that theory. Is it just me looking in too deep? What do you guys think? Moving on, we see the super team split up. Zoro chases after the thief. Sanji knowing Zoro can get lost at any second chases after Zoro. Kinemon wanting Wano’s National Treasure returned (Shuusui) gives chase after the thief as well. Luffy would have followed, but he is held back by Franky. Who, not surprisingly, figures out who the bandits that were defeated by the blind stranger work for. None other than the Pink Puppeteer himself, Doflamingo. Of course we already knew they worked for Buffalo, but for Franky to connect the dots so fast is very impressive. It just goes to show that Luffy has a crew filled with geniuses. Take Nami for example, she is the 3rd smartest person in the whole East Blue!  Ben Beckman is number 1 followed by number 2 Kuro. Then you have the historian Robin, doctor Chopper, crafty Usopp, and of course the master chef/strategist Sanji. I’m pretty sure you One Piece stalkers knew this already, but I just wanted to remind you because it can be easily overlooked after seeing them fool around.

Countdown To Pandemonium

We get some information that Buffalo’s goons were hunting samurai. Could this possibly be a rescue team sent from Wano Country to free Kanjuro? It could be possible, because remember there is a 3rd Samurai out there somewhere that was separated from the others. But then again, how would he know Kanjuro was captured in the first place? Just more and more questions piling up…Moving on, the henchman reveals that a big event is going on in the Corrida Colosseum at the moment and that it will feature a few of Doflamingo’s big guns and big names from all over the New World. The prize is Ace’s Mera-Mera Devil Fruit. Luffy is of course very shocked, just as like Doflamingo wanted him to be. I fear it’s too late for Luffy as he is already caught by Doflamingo’s “pace”, when he was forewarned by Law not to be. But if it plays out in Doflamingo’s  favor remains to be seen…

Side Notes

• What do you think about “Fairy Pumpkin” and these new fairy thieves? Connection or not? 
• There was a panel where Kinemon challenges Zoro lol…I wonder how that will turn out later on
• The blind stranger is in the audience. What do you think he will do?
• Who do think from the New World came to fight in the Colosseum?
• Again, sorry the review is later than usual.

One Piece Chapter 701 – Blind Justice

Hey all. Oda delivered us a great chapter last week, that brought about numerous topics to discuss about. More importantly, it gave us a glimpse of what is to come later on in this arc. Now all he has to do is set everything up. I guarantee you there will be more chapters like this one in the future, because Oda doesn’t do anything mediocre, meaning he will take his time to develop a great plot that we can all enjoy. Such as in this chapter, we  witness the Strawhats tour around in a new environment, see new creatures, find new problems, and meet a new character.

Momonosuke

I want to talk about about Momonosuke, because Oda is slowly developing him into a great character. I’m going to talk about what we know about him so far and then elaborate on each. One thing we about him is that he’s a Dragon. In other words a Zoan type and I think in mystical class. Dragons are mystical creatures, so that’s an easy guess. This chapter has confirmed that he is still trying to figure out his abilities, which makes since considering that he hasn’t been a Devil Fruit user for that long. So far the only abilities we know he has is that he can fly. I don’t think he can actually fly, but actually to make puffy clouds to hop on. If you forgot, we saw this in chapter 685. It seems he did it unconsciously and if you look at his eyes, they were swirled, which backs up that point. Now as to how he unlocked it, we know that it was because Luffy scared the hell out of him with his…I think Haoshoku Haki (what else could it be). Another obvious fact we know about Momonosuke is that he is a Samurai and with that, all of the traits of being one: honorable, prideful, respectful  etc.. I almost forgot about this, but Momonosuke is also a swordsman lol. Yes I know, shame on me, but I just overlooked him being a swordsman because he is a Zoan Devil Fruit user. If he were to develop his swordsmanship to a high level along with his Zoan powers, we could be witnessing a very, very powerful figure in the future. It just all came to me once he declared he would be the Shogun of Wano Country if Luffy became the Pirate King. We all know Luffy is going to be the Pirate King, we could be looking at the next leader of a nation of warriors renowned throughout the New World. Also, I really want to know just how big being the Shogun of Wano Country is. I know at least it comes close to the status of the Pirate King. Think about it, Wano Country is independent in the New World. That means they are not part of the World Government nor are they ruled by a Yonkou. That alone says a lot.

The Teams

Alright, before every adventure, the Strawhats are always separated into groups. This time there are 3 and the lineup this time around is very interesting. The Caesar Transfer team consists of Law, Usopp, and Robin. I’d like to see how Law will take advantage of Robin’s and Usopp’s skills. Robin can make clones, she’s very clever, and was an assassin before joining the Strawhats. Usopp is a coward, but a very skilled sniper. Protecting the Sunny-go is up to Nami, Brook, Momonosuke, and Chopper. Don’t let this team’s charisma fool you. Each of them (excluding Momonosuke) are very capable of handling themselves, especially Brook and Chopper. Also, it looks like they were given instructions in case of an enemy attack. Oda didn’t reveal it, so that means they will most likely have to deal with something and do something surprising when that happens. Now seeing the 3rd team, aka the Factory Destruction and Samurai Rescue Team, is what made me crack my first smile during reading the chapter. It consists of Franky, Kinemon, and the Monster Trio. Ignoring Law’s plan, they went ahead to scout Dressrosa and do…whatever is that they do lol. I’ll never forget what Luffy said to Jimbei when he warned that Luffy was too carefree, “I just go with the flow”. Yep, also, Law was warned several times about teaming up with Luffy. He is literally uncontrollable and his crewmates will always follow their captain’s lead, even if they don’t want to.

The Country Of Dressrosa

Ah yes, the great country of Dressrosa, where the flowers, the food, and the beautiful women can make all of it’s visitors fall into a daze. Another thing that makes visitors go into a daze, but a different kind, is witnessing with their own eyes, walking, talking, living toys that normally coexist with humans. They aren’t “things” either, they are actually living beings. As you can you see in one of the pages, a human woman was holding hands with a toy soldier and at the same time pushing a toy baby in a stroller. As to how this can even happen, I have no clue. That’s more bizarre than Otohime giving birth to Shirahoshi. Oda does it once again, shocking us that anything is possible in One Piece, anything. To top that the women here stab men who cheat on them. The more more beautiful they are, the more stabs you get…This may indeed be the most bizarre island the Strawhats have ever come across.

Badass In Disguise

Well, when the Demolition squad gets themselves together after see living toys, they head to a restaurant. One thing to note is that Sanji, a food expert, questions a waiter on what “Fairy Pumpkin” is. I might be just doing too deep into it, but I think when the toy ape said that fairies come out, might mean the they ate something either very bad or very good. Or perhaps it’ “source” that fairies come out of. I’m not really sure of what exactly it means, but just watch out for it in the future. I’m betting that it will be very important, the ape did a good job in at least acting like it was. Moving on, they see a group of guys taking advantage  of an old man’s blindness, cheating him out of his money.  When the old man goes all in, he wins and this time backed by Luffy, who says that he won. The old man thanks him and Luffy realizes how strong he is by using Kengunshoku Haki. For those who don’t know, this haki can be used to find people, predict movements, see emotions, and see the strength of others. Rayleigh used this ability when he saw that there were 500 creatures stronger than Luffy on the island where they trained. But moving on, Luffy says the old man is very strong, and he proves it by easily dealing with the group that tried to attack Luffy. Now, my guess was that he used some kind of gravity Devil Fruit ability and augmented it his cane/sword. Kind of like how Law uses his sword for his Room ability. Now the extent of that power is the question we all want answered, because this guy sure as hell shocked everyone with that move.

Side Notes

• Momonosuke made a troll face again, this time in his Dragon form. If he doesn’t be careful, he will look like Kizaru.
• What do you think of the Shogun of Wano Country?
• Do you think the teams are even?
• I think Sanji will get stabbed by a woman.
• What is the mystery of  the Fairy Pumpkin?
• Who is this old guy?

One Piece Chapter 700 – The Forgotten Flames

Now this is what I call, a classic One Piece chapter. Because there was so much going on, I felt like I just read half a book, when it was only 19 pages. This truly is Oda at his best. It’s only here where you can always expect awesomeness to hit you in the face week, after week, after week, after week. Hell, I almost choked on my bagel this morning when I saw what Doflamingo was hiding, talk about a WTF moment. Anyways, lets get started with this week’s discussion.

From Ripples To Waves

Remember last week, when I said the Supernovas were making noise in the New World. Well, it just got even noisier. Their recent actions have caused a global panic and with good reason. These “rookies” were not branded with the title of Supernova for nothing. They along with Blackbeard are the best, no my mistake, the worst in their generation of pirates and as a result have each earned themselves a notorious reputation. Also, lets not forget that each of them have gotten much, much stronger in these 2 years. Though I doubt their levels are equal to Luffy’s, they are still very strong. Just look at Law, he gained enough infamy to become a Shichibukai and proved his strength by  defeating 2 Vice Admirals in the same day. He is now allied with the Strawhats, whose strength is something I need not boast about. Hawkins and Apoo both have strange abilities that even had Kizaru scratching his head and not only that, they even caught him off guard, an ADMIRAL! Also, Kidd’s power is at least on par with Law. So put those three together and you without a doubt have another equally dangerous alliance. Some people question their motives for creating an alliance and wonder what they will do next. Among those people are Jewelry Bonney, Jimbei and a shadow figure with a cigar. I believe that’s Crocodile and seeing him along with Bonney and Jimbei makes me wonder if they will appear again in the near future.

What Has Yet To Come

In the next segment, we begin where we left off last chapter. The conversation between Doflamingo and Law. But before Law can even get started, Luffy immediately declares that he will become the Pirate King. He then grabs the dial from Law and warns that if Doflamingo pulls any stunts like what happened on Punk Hazard ever again, it’s on. Like right after you watch a scary movie and you hear the slightest sound, you turn around, ready to throw down. See what I did there. Anyways, after Doflamingo hears this, he tries to bait Luffy into meeting him. But Law hastily takes back the dial, knowing full-well that Doflamingo is just trying to get the foothold in the situation. He assures Doflamingo that Caesar Clown is alive and plainly, but boldly states that he will leave the weaselly scientist on the island Green Bit. After that, he hangs up and explains how Caesar Clown will just be the diversion for the real mission, which is destroying the SMILE factory. Not long after that we find out find out a possible destination for the Strawhats after Dressrosa. That place is indeed the Wano Country, the home of the Samurai. You guys should know by now that Oda treasures his swordsmen and makes nearly all of them the coolest of their bunch. I can’t wait to see what it’s like. Another place we should keep our eyes on is Zou, because it just so happens to be the reason for Kinemon sailing to sea, and where Law’s crew is camped at. So it’s looking like we won’t see Bepo, the kung fu panda, anytime soon, but it’s good to finally have some info on them. Also, we now know the name of Kinemon’s comrade that was captured, Kanjurou, who nobly sacrificed his safety that allowed Kinemon to find his son. Another hint to how honorable these Samurai are. Also, a little food for thought, Kinemon said there were 3 Samurai including himself, plus Momonosuke. Meaning there is still another Samurai in the vicinity and could very well hop into the inevitable chaotic battlefield in Dressrosa later on. 

The Shichibukai Predicament

So finally we get a peek at what the new Marine Headquarters looks like. The location of it is close Red Line, which means that it’s not that far from where it used to be. We don’t get a look at the entire fortress, because Oda gets right down to business. We see the Marines holding a meeting to discuss the recent news of the Shichibukai, which isn’t very surprising. What is surprising however is the new addition to the roster, Buggy The Clown! “Why in the hell is Buggy one of the Shichibukai?” is what I asked myself. But after thinking a LONG time about it, I remembered that he got a letter from  the World Government after the Whitebeard War. I believe it was chapter 593 and since he’s from Roger’s crew it makes sense… Also Brannew says that to be a Shichibukai, you have to be extremely popular which is the case for Buggy (being from the Roger’s crew and participating the Whitebeard War in the Marine Headquarters). And no, he’s not that powerful, but hey, with a resume like his, who would ever know. Now, we all already know what Shichibukai are and why they exist. But a little fact that some people may have forgotten is that they as a whole stand as equals to the Marines and Yonkous. Some people may still not get that, but just pay attention to exactly is in the group. Dracule Mihawk, Boa Hancock, Doflamingo, and Kuma could EACH in my opinion hold their against an Admiral. For christs sake, Mihawk alone can stand toe to toe with a Yonkou. Not only that, each of them have strong ties to fellow big name figures around the World, especially Doflamingo and Mihawk. So just looking at that should convince anyone who is still in doubt about that. Now moving on, the marines have to deal with this situation of Doflamingo leaving and Law’s suspicious actions with haste.  Because God forbid what will happen if the balance between powers is disrupted once again. Their job is to prevent that at all costs. And knowing Sakazuki, he’s not having any of that, especially when the son of Dragon is involved. So after receiving his report from Smoker, he sent out “Fujitora” to handle it. I’m going to assume that this guy is an Admiral. As a matter of a fact, I think it’s the woman from before. You know, when the Strawhats escaped from Sabaody Archipelago, the Marines called a woman, “Admiral”. I think that this is that woman and her Admiral name is “Pink Tiger“. Tora means Tiger and when I looked up Fuji, I saw the color pink. I might be wrong, but that’s what I’m rolling with!

The Lost Flames Of Ace

It looks like this chapter is where we see Doflamingo’s big guns.  Tensa Gizzla, you probably don’t remember, but you called it bro! They each hold a seat of power that represent the four suits in a deck. The Club, the Heart, the Diamond, and the Spade. Also, you can see that Oda gives them each their own unique personality. I don’t know how does these things with so many characters and I’m beginning to think he has 100 clones of himself. But yes, Doflamingo appears to have 3 more followers that are at least on Law’s level, and that’s a really reasonable matchup for the Law/Luffy alliance in my honest opinion. Doflamingo has to deal with Luffy and Law could probably take one of the others. That leaves the other 2 for Sanji and Zoro. Remember, ALL of the Monster Trio have each been trained by legends. Zoro hasn’t gone all out yet and when Sanji did it, he roasted a super size Blowfish by going to Super Chef mode. So on paper, everything looks even, but we all know that Oda loves to throw in wild cards to mix it up. Fujitora, the 3rd Samurai, maybe a Broker, maybe a replacement for Law’s Heart position, or worse maybe Kaido! Who knows, but the chapter didn’t end there. Oh no, if your jaw didn’t drop when you saw that Doflamingo had the Mera Mera Devil Fruit in his possession then just slap yourself, because you’re no One Piece fan. What is he doing with Ace’s Devil Fruit and was he waiting for Luffy so he could exploit it? Doesn’t he know that he will get a elephant sized rubber fist to his face when Luffy finds out?! I don’t know what he’s going to do, but there sure as hell is going to be backlash for it, that I guarantee.

Side Notes:

• The funniest part of the chapter was when Law realized how much the Strawhats are changing him. What a priceless reaction lol.
• Sakazuki has a cigar now
• Who do you think the 7th Shichibukai is? Is he someone we know or is he a new character?
• What do you think of Fujitora?
• Who do you think will eat the Mera Mera Fruit?