Right. Seeing that all that bonding, interacting and emotional peak of the last chapter's ending apparently not being worth more than slightly over one page of the same old I-can't-because-duty-something and the puke-worthy "feelgood" dialogue and facial expressions of the crewmembers on the next page, apparently meant to be satisfying, was just… I have few words for it. I don't think I've EVER felt so completely empty reading One Piece.
So naturally, I hope more fervently than I can say that there is going to be much more to it than that. Guy above me, yeah, there are indeed some things that remain cryptic and unknown about Jimbei. It always felt off to me that we wouldn't get more about the scar, and now that you say it, Caimie did put it that way which implies a degree of complexity to it all that I'd forgotten about. But this chapter just felt so terribly final to me. In a bad vibes kind of way. Like, Oda really did mean for this to somehow be a satisfying wrap-up and heartfelt promise or whatever. Ugh… not that I wouldn't WANT more Jimbei in the story. I'd be as happy as anyone if he's still with us the next arc. But it just doesn't feel like that's going to happen. This WAS "his" arc, he got it all - facefaults, gags, a flashback, a fight no different from the other crewmembers, a volume cover, double-spreads, epic moves... but then it's all just cut right off.
I definitely agree. I admit that I got a bit choked up when Jimbe and Luffy were lying side by side, with Jinbe's blood flowing into Luffy and that lovely narration and topped off by Luffy's first thought upon waking up was to ask Jinbe to join his crew. All of that emotion and interaction felt wasted at this chapter with Jinbe stating he can't join yet but after he finished his duty then he will join.
Someone mentioned it earlier but the way Jimbe worded his refusal sounded a bit foreboding**.** "And if you still feel the same way then, promise me that you'll invite me once more … to the Straw Hat Pirates." (according to Mangastream translation). It almsot sounds like Jinbe is worried that whatever his duty is will cause Luffy and the others to change their minds about him. I'm still on the boat that his duty relates back to his ex-crew (and Camie definitely implies that there is something more about his ex-crew going on) and we can only wait to see if Oda reveals this in the next few chapters.