@HacheBe:
Just because it didn't happen here doesn't mean it won't happen later. I can't really see Sanji having a 'nami asking for help' or robin's 'i wanna live' moment without Luffy there. I do agree with you that it could've been done better but, as you have said before, Sanji's main problem is he thinks to little of himself he is always helping others and putting himself in danger without thinking about himself. He is essentially the opposite of Nami (and Usopp sometimes) in that regard. So I think the big moment of the arc is Luffy trying to make him realize that. He already attempted it once when they fought but Sanji still had hope at that point. If Sanji wants to save his sister (putting others before himself again) then this entire conversation only serves to get the handcuffs off it doesn't really 'solve' everything. Rejiu just told him to take things one step at a time. Escape and then worry about Zeff. Like I said this just got rid of the immediate threat of the handcuffs. Sanji hasn't really gained hope yet. If anything he has lost more because his sister just said she is gonna die for him (which i realize starts to show his value to others).
There has to be a moment later in this arc similar to Robin's where Sanji makes his decision to go with the SH. Most probably during the wedding. While I get your complaints and I agree with them to some degree this is not the solution to the problem the real problem right now is getting out of there. So the payoff is still available. I do think this could have been handled differently though.
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My thought was that Bege would come out successful and BM's empire would fall. As that is a bit ambitious i do see your problems with that. It all really depends on what Capone has planned because if he is allied with BB i can totally see Bm getting taken out by the end of this arc. As for the convenient thing maybe Capone was waiting for a moment like this to launch his plan. He is literally being handed a golden opportunity and he is just gonna throw it away? Also I wouldn't be surprised that he knew something like this was gonna happen from the moment he got the orders to get Sanji. Considering Luffy's reputation he should know that he wasn't going to take it sitting down nor would he be any help to BM if it did go down that way.
Oh, it definitely doesn't solve everything. I don't expect Sanji to pull a complete 180 and be completely optimistic lol. He might still need a bit more convincing from Luffy. But the point still stands that he's no longer at the bottom of a despair-riddled trench anymore. Reiju literally gave him a bit of hope, and even if Sanji tries to deny it until Luffy comes, he still knows it's possible to escape now. I never meant to make Reiju's words seem like a solution to absolutely everything. It's the fact that Sanji even heard optimism like this in general so soon that can be argued as flawed story pacing.
I can't see Bege ever being successful lol. He's just been too minor panel time-wise in the arc despite the big plans with him, and he needs a comeuppance after shooting Pekoms twice. He's just so obviously not important in the grand scheme of One Piece's story, as much as I love his mafia theme, personality, and Devil Fruit powers. It would be like, I don't know, Onigumo the Vice Admiral trying to backstab one of the Admirals or Akainu. I just can't picture that lol, especially in a satisfying way. He also isn't friends with the Straw Hats, and I don't see what he contributes to the story as a new Yonko that Big Mom already doesn't. And I still stand firm on it being unlikely for Bege to act now, although we might get a glimpse of him soon observing the chaos or something to take into consideration for his wedding coup plans. I can't see Big Mom getting taken down at the end of this arc at all, and it happening in any way for a character of her stature would be very dissatisfying.
Also, Bege was surprised to see that Sanji could fly, along with the Straw Hats being able to fight back and escape Big Mom's ship in general. I doubt he expects Luffy to even be a third as absurdly bold and strong as he typically is.
@Nycprodigy:
That's a fair assessment. My bet is that our "Save me Luffy/I want to live" moment will be in the form of Sanji cooking an apology meal for Luffy. My problem with the Zeff situation the whole time has been that, as close as he is to Sanji, he's literally too distant from the SHs for them to do anything even if they wanted. The threat hanging over Sanji's head really just seemed like Judge's extra "oh and to really help you sleep at night" addition. The cuff situation should have definitely been explored more, especially with the upcoming event of Sanji cooking for someone not Big Mom affiliated.
I'll say my bias most of this arc has been towards Luffy's drive to save Sanji rather than Sanji's actions independently. Every realization of threat Sanji receives has pushed Luffy's will to some impressive limits. I don't expect characters like Reiju to have much depth in One Piece at this point, but it's nice to have Sanji's connection to his mother explored further. My question is what kind of portrayal do you think would have filled the gap between Sanji's mood at the end of 851 and the beginning of 852?
Everybody's been predicting the apology meal. And I get how difficult the Zeff situation is, and the revelation isn't bad on its own. It just gets that connotation when revealed alongside the cuffs lol. Honestly, the cuffs didn't need to be implemented in the first place. The Zeff conflict was plenty and more compelling as is, even though Sanji prizes his hands a lot.
It is nice. But Sora is basically Usopp's mom combined with Scarlett. I expect more creativity from Oda than that. As for what type of portrayal, nothing really comes to mind off the top of my mind. Besides maybe hanging out with his brothers and seeing them make fun of him (as well as potentially abuse a servant), yet have Sanji not even try to fight back this time. Or maybe even have Sanji interact with Pudding a bit by meeting after the reveal scene, but the latter puts up her usual facade of optimism and we have to see Sanji struggle to play along knowing the facade. Either would have been effective. Regardless of whether I can offer a suggestion, it doesn't make the critique invalid at all.
I wish we saw more out of Nami on that front since she can relate to how Sanji pulled a facade like he did. But all we get is her getting upset, getting emotionally broken by Big Mom, and panic when Luffy tries to recklessly pull his hands apart to escape. I expected more out of her character development and bond with Sanji than just slapping him, especially compared to how much Luffy is fixated on his cook. Luffy's will is amazing though. I loved how he called Big Mom's story about Lola boring and specified that it was her own fault she can't become Pirate King lol.
@Nycprodigy:
That one bento isn't nearly enough.
It will be enough to keep Luffy standing, at least. And don't underestimate the power of nakama.