@CrazyMerlyn:
My first point was a toy defeating human soldiers. One-legged at that.
If that is not impressive, I don't know what is.
As for the second point, defeating a few marines and winning thousands of battles without a single scratch are completely different things.
The only two injuries known to Kyros before he turned into a toy have been because of
a) Mercy on opponent
b) Self sacrifice
His entire life is an example of just how good of a fighter he is.
You can be good by defeating someone strong.
Or you can be good be overwhelming weaker opponents.
Just like how defeating 50, 000 pirates is a big achievement for Luffy, 3000 spotless victories are a big achievement for Kyros.
You consider that burst of Haki to be a big achievement…? Okay.
There is a difference between defeating 3000 nameless opponents without a scratch, and defeating a major antagonist, while handicapped, don't you agree?
@CrazyMerlyn:
You know what I don't like? Subtle exaggerations to make your point seem more valid than it really is.
Diamante and Kyros had similar degrees of roles in the arc. One on the "good" side while other on the "bad".
Both of them are just as likely to be seen again in the Manga(cover stories).
I would go even further and say that Kyros has more chances of appearing because of the Reverie.
Stop calling him an extra when he is one of the most important Non-SH characters in the arc after Law.
Plus, his fight was actually quite decent. He is one of the few people in One Piece who doesn't mind using under handed methods.
Which is why he was a high ranking member. He is similar to Mr. 3 in this regard.
He isn't much strong when it comes to brute force, but his DF and character more than makes up for it.
He only lost because of over confidence in his abilities, which has been the theme of the Pirate Alliance Saga.
Glad you consider them subtle.
Anyways, story wise, I have little complaints. But I didn't think the fight was very good.
It is all subjective, of course, but it lacked the intensity of some of the earlier battles to me. I didn't particulary care for the flow of it.
Perhaps it was to show how far did the Doflamingo crew fallen thanks to being conceited and safe on Dressrosa, but I doesn't make it less disappointing nonetheless.
@CrazyMerlyn:
Brute fighting strength isn't everything dammit.
Pica pretty much reshaped a Country. There were literally hundreds of strong fighters going for Doflamingo's head.
How many of them do you think reached him? (Hint: It was the protagonist and his damsel in distress)
Pica is not good against swordsmen. Period. PhoenixBoosh is actually quite right in saying Pica drew the short straw.
Pica is made of stone. Any swordsman worth his salt would have an easy time slashing him up.
Even Daz Bones would give him a tough challenge at that.
That is true. Effectiveness is.
I agree that Pica is very impressive visually. However, he lacks effectiveness.
And if Oda wanted, he could have easily use Pica's ability to shape his surrounding, in tandem with his ability to use Haki and swordsmanship to give Zoro a decent fight. It is hardly as unthinkable as you think; all you have to do is to make him more creative then "I hit things with rocks!"
Even if they are a big rocks.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@DonPatch:
I think Sanji would benefit the most if he stopped with his chivalry. It really holds his character back.
Well, consider this: it was the reason behind Viola's defection, so it actually accomplished something major this time. No matter how stupid it was.
Think of it this way: Sanji's chivalry basically saved everyone on Dressrosa.