Chapter 989: I Can't Imagine Losing

[Joy Boy]

@tolazy:

This!
The SH now are a different crew than pre ts.
A lot of members here expect the final/end game to start after Wano, but the SH can't be an important part of it, if they are not able to hold their own against the top tiers in the (pirate) world. The SH have had stepped up their game or the New World would eat them up alive. Oda has speed up the pace (partly also because he wishes to end One Piece), but I imagine also because things will happen into quick succession. I even imagine the big party in Wano to be the last "slow down" before things speed up once again into a world-shaking storm.

@ Joy Boy and JohnTnaig
I have a question for you: How do you want to see the Yonkos being defeated?
Because Luffy stated his desire to defeat all Yonkos in Punk Hazard.
Do you wish for an extended training arc before the SH fight against a Yonko and their crew + allis?
Because the closed thing to a training arc we ever got to see was the end of After Marineford with Rayleigh starting to train Luffy and the rest of the crew starting their training in their designated places and here in Wano for some SH (Luffy in Udon, Zoro with Enma, Nami got Ninja-training from Shinobu) while the preparations for the raids were underway.

I'm just curios, because you are so vocal in how unhappy you are that the SH are able to stall a Yonko like Big Mom how you thought things would go.

On the matter of Big Moms defeat – and I will probably get ripped apart by more than one person – ever since that article from Morgans I thought that there is a possibility of the SH dethroning Big Mom by continuing to thrash her reputation as a Yonko by stalling her and/or evading her revenge instead of a purely (emphasizing purely) physical defeat with a fight (there is always a physical confrontation in the cards). A large part of the reputation of a Yonko is that if you mess with/anger them, they come after you merciless. If the SH continue to shit on Big Moms reputation, it will destroy her credibility as this unbeatable merciless top pirate.
But that would mean dragging Big Mom into future arcs, which I simply cannot see happening.

It's just a little theory of me…

There is only one sensible way for Kaido and Big Mom to fall down in this arc and that is them fighting each other. Yeah you guys will speak of a cheap win from Luffy but it doesn't make sense for 2 Yonko to lose in a fair situation. That would make the rest of the series uninteresting a boring because the straw hats are way too strong.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Jabra:

It's kind of sad that some don't see the forest for the trees when it comes to Big Mom. She isn't losing to the strength of the Straw Hats, but their unparalleled diversity. From day one. The Swiss Army Knife of the Yonkou, with a dozen different powers, is getting dismantled by a crew with an equally crazy skillset.

We're not supposed to look down on Big Mom because she's made a fool, instead we should be acknowledging how varied, fun, exotic and unique our protagonists are. Just like Big Mom did in this chapter.
I can't wait to see what happens when she inevitably returns even angrier, how the crew will halt her advance in potentially hilarious ways. It's exciting, it entertains me. To the point that I can even forgive some inconsistencies - like Prometheus simply vanishing, while he should have been an arms length away.

---

Mind that this only concerns Big Mom as the secondary villain (or even tertiary, depending on Orochi's fate). I do comprehend why some posters have an issue with the treatment of [main villain] Kaido, but I would like to watch how things go a little longer before I judge.

We saw that diversity in the Sunny chase in WCI. There we had Jinbe's water against Prom, Nami feeding Zeus, Chopper and his massive guard point and Brook's soul abilities. Though Brook hurting Big Mom's homies doesn't make sense in context because Mom's fruit is clearly the superior soul fruit. But again there Big Mom was ready to kill them in the next chapter. This one here though, there is no diversity. It's just Big Mom getting hit by a bike and a guy overpowering her when there is absolutely no possible reason for that to happen.

You guys forget that Jinbe isn't someone so incredibly strong as you try to make him out to be. Jinbe was Ace's equal. Ace couldn't even scratch WB in his sleep. Big Mom here is getting caught off guard and overpowered constantly.

[Kfunk]

I'm still waiting to see if Big Mom rage hinted by Jinbe will deliver :ninja:

[andy]

@Joy:

There is only one sensible way for Kaido and Big Mom to fall down in this arc and that is them fighting each other. Yeah you guys will speak of a cheap win from Luffy but it doesn't make sense for 2 Yonko to lose in a fair situation. That would make the rest of the series uninteresting a boring because the straw hats are way too strong.

Luffy will beat Kaido with ton of factors ( tag team for a part , maybe another power up like awakening or something else ) but nothing you call a fair 1 on 1 and barley win.
Don't see BM losing this arc , something will come up to take her out the picture in the last part in some way .
Luffy will still be the under dog still when he fights BB who has 2 DF with one of them being the strongest DF we see so far .

[Blissed]

It's one thing to not be into the Strawhats be repeatedly clowning on BM, another to say it doesn't make sense. Like why wouldn't Jinbe, a Warlord who's also a Fishman, be unable to lift Big Mom's body when she has her guard down? Even Robin's attack was a callback to Skypeia, where she also rolled away a massive opponent.

@Deicide:

I dunno, a great villain makes a great story. You know he will be defeated, but you expect him to be impressive until then.

But I don't mind what we are seeing so far. Oda is clearly lowering the tension with heroic moments and an attack plan that is working out. A writer usually does that just before the villains start being serious and everything goes awry for the protagonists. I'm sure Big Mom will be a beast when she comes back.

The title of the chapter and Hyou's words are so ominous. When the chapter itself remarks on the lowered tension, then there's really nothing to worry about in the long term. But for now, loving the Strawhats looking like badasses.

[wolfwood]

I'm expecting more of an imminent pushback than a defeat. Like the minks getting owned seems pretty likely, and maybe the Strawhats themselves get pushed into a corner and roughed up a bit. But i'm not expecting anything major to happen to the mains. Temporary pushback offset by absolute chaos from new parties crashing in like M&P, the supernovas and maybe Drake doing some undercover marine stuff

[Joy Boy]

@Blissed:

It's one thing to not be into the Strawhats be repeatedly clowning on BM, another to say it doesn't make sense. Like why wouldn't Jinbe, a Warlord who's also a Fishman, be unable to lift Big Mom's body when she has her guard down? Even Robin's attack was a callback to Skypeia, where she also rolled away a massive opponent.

The title of the chapter and Hyou's words are so ominous. When the chapter itself remarks on the lowered tension, then there's really nothing to worry about in the long term. But for now, loving the Strawhats looking like badasses.

It doesn't make sense because Big Mom apparently is hell bent on killing them. Also why it doesn't make sense ? Maybe because Big Mom is possibly together with Kaido the strongest physical entity in the series ?

[Blissed]

@wolfwood:

I'm expecting more of an imminent pushback than a defeat. Like the minks getting owned seems pretty likely, and maybe the Strawhats themselves get pushed into a corner and roughed up a bit. But i'm not expecting anything major to happen to the mains. Temporary pushback offset by absolute chaos from new parties crashing in like M&P, the supernovas and maybe Drake doing some undercover marine stuff

Maybe. A lot can happen here, though yea, wouldn't be surprised at the Minks losing, they have no prominent character fighting Jack.

[tolazy]

@Joy:

There is only one sensible way for Kaido and Big Mom to fall down in this arc and that is them fighting each other. Yeah you guys will speak of a cheap win from Luffy but it doesn't make sense for 2 Yonko to lose in a fair situation. That would make the rest of the series uninteresting a boring because the straw hats are way too strong.

So… you want/wish/imagine a battle royal between two Yonkos, who go all out against each other and after this fight Luffy sweeps in and fights the - probably heavily wounded - winner of said battle royal?

I'm just trying to understand your disappointment because your understanding/reading of the story varies greatly from my own.

[KageKageKing]

@Joy:

That would make the rest of the series uninteresting a boring because the straw hats are way too strong.

Luffy still needs to go Gear 4th against Ulti and Zoro finds the gifters too strong.

[FatDogForMidTerms]

Personally, I really enjoy Big Mom's wacky antics and to me, it makes perfect sense that the master of fishman karate, should be able to use a karate move (where you use your opponents size against him/her) against a large foe.

Actually, the more I think about it the more I respect Oda's writing. That was a clever move, completely based on Jinbei's character. Great stuff.

Also, the fact that this fiersome emperor can be this wacky just makes me like her more. I couldn't imagine WB being this fun, and that's a point to Big Mom in my books :)

[Joy Boy]

@tolazy:

So… you want/wish/imagine a battle royal between two Yonkos, who go all out against each other and after this fight Luffy sweeps in and fights the - probably heavily wounded - winner of said battle royal?

I'm just trying to understand your disappointment because your understanding/reading of the story varies greatly from my own.

I'm imagining a battle royal between all sides. Luffy doesnt exactly need a clean win here. I mean Kaido and Mom fight each other, Luffy tries to butt in, Kaido in the end comes on top but is also so severely beaten that Luffy manages to come on top.

[JohnTnaig]

The protagonist struggling is what makes it fun. You want to see the hero face major obstacles and overcome them. Luffy finally beating Lucci was so cathartic because it was such a difficult battle so seeing him finally take him out was satisfying. That's all I want here I'm not upset that Kaido and Big Mom are getting that argument completely misses the point. I know they're going to get beat but I want our heroes to struggle first. When they beat the enemies so easily its boring and unfortunately that's whats happening here. The alliance of 2 emperors should be the greatest threat these guys have ever faced and yet its like a walk in the park for them. There is zero tension and zero stakes.

[Blissed]

@FatDogForMidTerms:

Personally, I really enjoy Big Mom's wacky antics and to me, it makes perfect sense that the master of fishman karate, should be able to use a karate move (where you use your opponents size against him/her) against a large foe.

Lol, like these are characters that can lift houses and actual giants. Jinbe himself lifted Wadatsumi off the ground. Using an actual Judo technique to lift her up is frankly small potatoes in terms of logic. It was a smart move on Jinbe's part to attack when he did.

[wolfwood]

@tolazy:

So… you want/wish/imagine a battle royal between two Yonkos, who go all out against each other and after this fight Luffy sweeps in and fights the - probably heavily wounded - winner of said battle royal?

I'm just trying to understand your disappointment because your understanding/reading of the story varies greatly from my own.

I think it's more that when you assign levels or grades to characters and calculate from them you end up in places where you have painted yourself into a corner and can't calculate your way out of there without upsetting your fight math. Which can be a problem for an individual reader, but as Oda has demonstrated repeatedly that type of thing isn't even on his horizon, he clearly finds no problem in Jinbro judo flipping BM and writes his battles free from any limitation like an A can't be thrown by a B or any arithmetic like that

[FatDogForMidTerms]

@Blissed:

Lol, like these are characters that can lift houses and actual giants. Jinbe himself lifted Wadatsumi off the ground. Using an actual Judo technique to lift her up is frankly small potatoes in terms of logic. It was a smart move on Jinbe's part to attack when he did.

I… Think we're in an agreement here?

[Blissed]

@FatDogForMidTerms:

I… Think we're in an agreement here?

We are, I was just expanding on what you were saying lol

[wolfwood]

@Blissed:

We are, I was just expanding on what you were saying lol

[FatDogForMidTerms]

@wolfwood:

[qimg]https://media0.giphy.com/media/3orieUtRCEWzwYnd4c/source.gif[/qimg]

stop making me be sadly nostalgic for old simpsons ;(

[andy]

@KageKageKing:

Luffy still needs to go Gear 4th against Ulti and Zoro finds the gifters too strong.

Zoro never said they were too strong just that they strong and even with saying that he pass them as we see this chapter without any sort of major damage .
Also gear 4 is the new gear 2 , when some one at certain luffy expect luffy to go into it but that don't really tell you how they compare to him in gear 4 or even which form of gear 4 with added haki power up.
Base luffy has been out class for years vs most higher people .

[.access timeco.]

Actually, that move was kinda dumb. It is something that only worked because the plot demanded, but if people are going to read into it to justify it… no.

For Jinbe's throw to work in that position and while Big Mom was performing a downward attack like that, it would be required for his physical strength to be much higher than hers since she was actually applying her force on the opposite direction. And then after overpowering her, he would need enough strength left to lift her humongous body and throw it.
To make matters worse, Jinbe had absolutely no footing since he is shorter than BM and wasn't even touching the ground as he forced her backwards, so he actually had to overcome greatly her physical strength without even a proper stance to help him (and we know from their clash back in WCI she has higher physical strength).

If would be different if he threw her to the side/front, that way her own strength would help him destabilize her. If it was that way, then yes, it would be feasible with his own strength plus her own used in his favor. But the way Oda did it, nah... it would require him to be a lot stronger than her for that move to work.

It is just one of those "just go with it and don't think too hard" scenes.

[andy]

@.access:

Actually, that move was kinda dumb. It is something that only worked because the plot demanded, but if people are going to read into it to justify it… no.

For Jinbe's throw to work in that position and while Big Mom was performing an downward attack like that, it would be required for his physical strength to be much higher than hers since she was actually applying her forcing her arm in an attack on the opposite direction. And even overpowering her, he would need enough strength left to lift her humongous body and throw it.
To make matters worse, Jinbe had absolutely no footing since he is shorter than BM and wasn't even touching the ground as he forced her backwards so he actually had to overcome greatly her physical strength without even a stance to help her (and we know from their clash back in WCI she has higher physical strength).

If would be different if he threw her to the side/front, that way her own strength would help him destabilize her. If it was that way, then yes, it would be feasible with his own strength plus her own used in his favor. But the way Oda did it, nah... it would require him to be a lot stronger than her for that move to work.

It is just one of those "just go with it and don't think too hard" scenes.

He does not need to be much stronger than her since he is stopping the force of her arm from her elbow .
She was not even using her full power or using her weight \power to stop him since she caught of guard .
The whole point of a over the shoulder throw is throw people bigger \heavier than you with the least effort .
Him being air don't mean much when these people as strong as the are and put his full power and weight behind it .

[wolfwood]

@.access:

Actually, that move was kinda dumb. It is something that only worked because the plot demanded, but if people are going to read into it to justify it… no.

For Jinbe's throw to work in that position and while Big Mom was performing a downward attack like that, it would be required for his physical strength to be much higher than hers since she was actually applying her force on the opposite direction. And then after overpowering her, he would need enough strength left to lift her humongous body and throw it.
To make matters worse, Jinbe had absolutely no footing since he is shorter than BM and wasn't even touching the ground as he forced her backwards, so he actually had to overcome greatly her physical strength without even a proper stance to help him (and we know from their clash back in WCI she has higher physical strength).

If would be different if he threw her to the side/front, that way her own strength would help him destabilize her. If it was that way, then yes, it would be feasible with his own strength plus her own used in his favor. But the way Oda did it, nah... it would require him to be a lot stronger than her for that move to work.

It is just one of those "just go with it and don't think too hard" scenes.

Well i mean the vulcan neck pinch doesn't make people pass out in real life either. But in-universe it certainly does. So i don't know why you would approach this made up martial art like a real world physics problem. I'm sure you could fill a swimming pool with all the non-scientific or unfounded bullshit that is still valid in-universe, take gear 2 for instance.

[FatDogForMidTerms]

I can see this thread devolve into a pretty hilarious debate about karate physics.

[BobLoblaw]

We're still due some impending doom just like every other arc. I wonder what that ends up being.

[andy]

@wolfwood:

Well i mean the vulcan neck pinch doesn't make people pass out in real life either. But in-universe it certainly does. So i don't know why you would approach this made up martial art like a real world physics problem. I'm sure you could fill a swimming pool with all the non-scientific or unfounded bullshit that is still valid in-universe, take gear 2 for instance.

The whole of Fishman karate is madness .
Think about having a martial art that allow you to damage a person because of water\blood in there system and you don't even need to be close lol.

[Blissed]

@.access:

Actually, that move was kinda dumb. It is something that only worked because the plot demanded, but if people are going to read into it to justify it… no.

For Jinbe's throw to work in that position and while Big Mom was performing a downward attack like that, it would be required for his physical strength to be much higher than hers since she was actually applying her force on the opposite direction. And then after overpowering her, he would need enough strength left to lift her humongous body and throw it.
To make matters worse, Jinbe had absolutely no footing since he is shorter than BM and wasn't even touching the ground as he forced her backwards, so he actually had to overcome greatly her physical strength without even a proper stance to help him (and we know from their clash back in WCI she has higher physical strength).

If would be different if he threw her to the side/front, that way her own strength would help him destabilize her. If it was that way, then yes, it would be feasible with his own strength plus her own used in his favor. But the way Oda did it, nah... it would require him to be a lot stronger than her for that move to work.

It is just one of those "just go with it and don't think too hard" scenes.

She hadn't swung yet though it seems, though I guess one could argue it's one of those manga things where time is wonky. And physical strength isn't an issue for the strongest Fishman we've seen thus far, on top of her being caught off guard. I dunno, I don't want to delve too much into it given that the series can freely operate on cartoon logic at times, though I guess that's on us for bringing it up to begin with.

I just wanted to make the basic point that Jinbe certainly has enough strength to credibly lift a distracted Big Mom given his past feats and mastery of a fictional martial art.

[Jabra]

@wolfwood:

Investing yourself so heavily in the villains and sort of rooting for them against the mains is sort of setting oneself up for disappointment in my opinion. e

NoOoooOo Jacku will prove himself against these lying and scheming Minks!

[wolfwood]

Biting down on a sword handle and trying to stab someone with it would actually give shitty results

[tolazy]

@Joy:

I'm imagining a battle royal between all sides. Luffy doesnt exactly need a clean win here. I mean Kaido and Mom fight each other, Luffy tries to butt in, Kaido in the end comes on top but is also so severely beaten that Luffy manages to come on top.

Ah… okay. So, the crucial point is the alliance between Kaido and Big Mom, which pretends the three-way fight.
Okay. Thank you for your answer.

@JohnTnaig:

The protagonist struggling is what makes it fun. You want to see the hero face major obstacles and overcome them. Luffy finally beating Lucci was so cathartic because it was such a difficult battle so seeing him finally take him out was satisfying. That's all I want here I'm not upset that Kaido and Big Mom are getting that argument completely misses the point. I know they're going to get beat but I want our heroes to struggle first. When they beat the enemies so easily its boring and unfortunately that's whats happening here. The alliance of 2 emperors should be the greatest threat these guys have ever faced and yet its like a walk in the park for them. There is zero tension and zero stakes.

How do you know this raid will be like a walk in the park for the SH and their allis? I mean, the fights haven't even really started. So far, we had confrontations with fodders and a few short clashes with as strong introduced characters of the opposite side.
I would be willing to go even so far as to say that at this point we don't really know what Kaidou, the main villain of the arc, is really capital of (spites fire, clubs you with a club and is able to tank a lot… did I forget something... oh yeah, sobers up when fighting:ninja:).
With Big Mom we have already seen what she can do in Totland, but I still expect her to have a few other aces up her sleeves to push the SH into a corner.

@wolfwood:

I think it's more that when you assign levels or grades to characters and calculate from them you end up in places where you have painted yourself into a corner and can't calculate your way out of there without upsetting your fight math. Which can be a problem for an individual reader, but as Oda has demonstrated repeatedly that type of thing isn't even on his horizon, he clearly finds no problem in Jinbro judo flipping BM and writes his battles free from any limitation like an A can't be thrown by a B or any arithmetic like that

Honestly, I don't get this whole if character A beats character B, which means A is better than B and can't be beaten by character C.
Most fights in One Piece are set up that way, that the winning side has the skillset to beat his/her opponent based on skills or is able to find a strategy to use a weakness to his/her favour and not pure strength. This makes the fights a lot more interesting at least for me and is one of the reasons why I still follow One Piece for 17( ? not sure, but should be around this number of years) years now.
I imagine the same will happen to all the fights in Wano, but there will still be a struggle until the SH and their allis find a way to defeat their opponents. But I don't spent time on trying to figure out who will be Zoros or Sanjis opponent. I'm kind of lazy regarding this point.

[King Cannon]

I thought Fishman Jujutsu was for those techniques that Jinbe literally manipulated water, Avatar-style.

But I guess it's more for grappling techniques, I think? Would make sense considering Karate doesn't have grappling.

[theackwardstation]

@.access:

For Jinbe's throw to work in that position and while Big Mom was performing a downward attack like that, it would be required for his physical strength to be much higher than hers since she was actually applying her force on the opposite direction.

If you want to go down this route, then that's not what happened. Her attack would have downward force once it started moving, but her arm was just on her back, inert, before the actual move, so just the perfect position for a judo ippon.

[Miss Saturday]

What if Big Mom comes running back and instantly kills Jinbe lmfao can you imagine? The Jinbe fanboys waited for like a decade and then he's instantly one-shot to death by her. Chad Mama strikes again.

That might sound like just joking but um… I really hope at least ONE person dies before the end of the arc. They have to, even this chapter's title is teasing something like that. Hopefully Oda got a taste for blood after Pedro and the train keeps rollin.

[Wintermute]

Proposing Jimbei's death after that chapter is one of the evillest and vilest things I ever read. Holy. Shit. Props to you Miss Savagery.

[Sengokusgoat]

@Miss:

What if Big Mom comes running back and instantly kills Jinbe lmfao can you imagine? The Jinbe fanboys waited for like a decade and then he's instantly one-shot to death by her. Chad Mama strikes again.

That might sound like just joking but um… I really hope at least ONE person dies before the end of the arc. They have to, even this chapter's title is teasing something like that. Hopefully Oda got a taste for blood after Pedro and the train keeps rollin.

We've forgotten Yasu already?

[Miss Saturday]

@Sengokusgoat:

We've forgotten Yasu already?

You know what? I sure have. I sure did forget poor old' Yasu.
Alright, MORE BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD

[KageKageKing]

Orochi and Kanjuro are still dead until Oda says otherwise.

Just like Monet and Vergo.

[Sengokusgoat]

I wonder why #10 looks so animalistic. Like, the others are deformed but their features are recognizably anthropomorphic, at least by One Piece standards. #10 looks like some weird chimera creature with that snout and the different horns.

[Monquito]

People have survived a ton worse than Kanjuro, he's fine.

A decapitation in the other hand… Yup, Orochi's gone. But no worrries, the Kurozomi bloodline still lives through Tama.

[andy]

This not the last arc no SH dying but anyone else can be fair game .

[.access timeco.]

@wolfwood:

Well i mean the vulcan neck pinch doesn't make people pass out in real life either. But in-universe it certainly does. So i don't know why you would approach this made up martial art like a real world physics problem. I'm sure you could fill a swimming pool with all the non-scientific or unfounded bullshit that is still valid in-universe, take gear 2 for instance.

That's why I said "just go with it and don't think too hard".

Because it works in the realm of "suspension of disbelief". But if people are in to say "it makes sense because martial arts and technique", then… no.

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

@theackwardstation:

If you want to go down this route, then that's not what happened. Her attack would have downward force once it started moving, but her arm was just on her back, inert, before the actual move, so just the perfect position for a judo ippon.

… although there's that. If it was when she was "spreading" and he caught her before she started applying force... yeah, you are right.

Like Blissed said, it can fall under "wonky time" and it actually happened much faster than it seemed.

[gyuukarubi]

Did Old Man Hyo use Ryuuou in tip of his sword? If so… Zoro should learn that.

LOL @Luffy and Zoro trying to just walk past Queen.

Iconic spread. The Straw Hat Crew didn’t pull up to lose. They assembled ready.

More Jinbe and Robin flirtation. ニコRobin ;)

[Johnny B. Decent]

I wonder if Oda will retcon Hatcha to look more monstrous in the Volume, as he looks so different to the others now.

[theackwardstation]

@Johnny:

I wonder if Oda will retcon Hatcha to look more monstrous in the Volume, as he looks so different to the others now.

The silhouette from the Numbers who appeared in this chapter had already been revealed since the beginning, so Oda had their designs figured out months before he introduced Hatcha. It was a deliberated decision.

[Monquito]

@Miss:

What if Big Mom comes running back and instantly kills Jinbe lmfao can you imagine? The Jinbe fanboys waited for like a decade and then he's instantly one-shot to death by her. Chad Mama strikes again.

That might sound like just joking but um… I really hope at least ONE person dies before the end of the arc. They have to, even this chapter's title is teasing something like that. Hopefully Oda got a taste for blood after Pedro and the train keeps rollin.

Jinbe's really never going to die.

It's almost guaranteed that the entrance or the road to Laugh Tale would require huge helmsman skills.

[Jabra]

@Johnny:

I wonder if Oda will retcon Hatcha to look more monstrous in the Volume, as he looks so different to the others now.

Hatcha's tame look serves as a reminder that the Numbers are failures. Now the question would be who is considered the biggest failure among them - the human-looking Hatcha or the most aberrant looking giant?

[Captain M]

Another fantastic chapter. Oda's killing it well into his second Onigashima volume, and there's no reason to think this hot streak won't continue.

This cover story has to be going somewhere, right? The huge and extremely aggressive Navy presence might be an indication of the post-Reverie climate. Bege reached the Redline while the Reverie was in progress, but given that it lasts a week (and Zou was a week's sail from Dressrosa when Luffy's group arrived there, and Tottoland a few days away from that, it's likely that he showed up for the tail and of it, not the start. Maybe his cover story is leading into a reveal of the SSG's big Warlord-replacement weapon, and the Firetank family's fate is going to left uncertain as the World Government begins its endgame purge.

Luffy uses the right pronouns for Yamato because he's a good person. I know that technically he would be using neutral pronouns most accurately translated as "this guy" or "this person" in the Japanese, but as a translation choice it definitely captures Luffy's attitude and the way everyone else including Yamato himself as spoken about Yamato. There's a few people who could stand to pay attention to what our captain is doing here.

Apparently all the Tobi Roppo are dinosaurs. That's good speculation fodder, and I look forward to seeing what kinds of guesses people come up with. Although, it wouldn't shock me if Oda just means "prehistoric" and there's a mix of big flying and swimming reptiles that aren't technically dinosaurs in there as well.

Franky doesn't get enough love. He and Brook are so easily forgotten but so often come in clutch with arc-saving moves. With this declaration, I don't think there can be any doubt that we're toppling Emperors this arc. The crew are ready for this, not individually, but as a unified force. They were big fish in a small pond for a long time, no matter how hard the narrative worked to play them as the underdogs, but now they're fighting for real in their own weight class.

And then we have the Numbers! Finally, some designs that live up to the silhouettes from the last act a little better. I don't know if I would have called them Oars-sized compared to normal giants just from the art, but we all know Oda likes to play with scale, so it's good he had Franky and Nami confirm it.

And then Big Mom drops some lore. Wow, so the World Government was trying to recreate Ancient Giants on Punk Hazard and Kaido's crew has ties to those experiments. I made a post a couple of years ago talking about this kind of thing (and a whole lot of other wild conjecture) before we even knew they were called Ancient Giants. I'm far from the only person to guess it, but it still feels pretty validating.

@Captain:

first we have to talk about Punk Hazard.

The World Government was doing giantification experiments on Punk Hazard, among other things. We’ve been told that repeatedly. They want giant soldiers because the strength of Giants is unmatched, and they would probably want to move from there to Continent Puller soldiers, knowing how effective they were in the Moon War. Wanting to go from Giants to Continent Pullers isn’t conjecture either - the warning signs outside Punk Hazard feature a skull with distinct Continent Puller horns on it, and Luffy’s group discovers a skull too large to belong to a giant. We can’t see it in full, but it seems to have a curved horn coming off it as well. Continent Pullers were obviously part of the plan. There were Continent Puller remains on the island. If they worked with and then killed the Continent Pullers it makes sense that the World Government would know how powerful they are and be trying to recapture that power, and where to find remains for genetic material to work with.

! https://i.imgur.com/qexjUEe.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/rFyvpPi.jpg

As another aside, Kaido is a Giant sized creature with Continent Puller horns. He’s referred to in ever case as a creature, not a human, and has the kind of nigh-invulnerability you would probably want a soldier to have, and the nihilistic attitude of a man traumatised by an upbringing of horrific genetic experiments. And would it work thematically for a human lab rat to have the affinity for animals that he has? Of course. Kaido could very well be a failed and escaped attempt to genetically engineer new Continent Pullers.

! https://i.imgur.com/QQlkm3t.jpg

My prediction for Kaido's backstory remains that he was a lab experiment, and probably the most successful among them despite lacking the size he was supposed to have, and he was rescued and taken in by Rocks. Maybe this happened with all the Numbers, maybe he went back for them later, but that's the bones of the story. This is one of the most exciting mysteries to be coming up on an answer to in my opinion, because I'm pretty sure we're going to find that the Ancient Giants are significant for more than just their size and strength. They would need to wear a pretty large size of hat, that's for certain…

The second half of this chapter has some really weird passage of time from the moment Franky shoots Jaki onward. I think Oda was trying to show that a lot of things happened all at once, but the result is that the Number seems to fall in slow motion. On page 7 he's shot, bottom of page 13 he seems to be falling backward, to land in the middle of General Franky's transformation on page 14. Which is especially weird given that Franky has time to set around thanking Jinbe and Robin for their help on page 10. He should be already rushing over to meet the Brachio Tank if he wants to start transforming before Jaki hits the floor. It really all does not line up, which is an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise fantastic chapter.

I did enjoy Jinbe and Robin teaming up on Big Mom. I hope this is how the fight with her goes forward, with all kinds of Straw Hat combos. The same method was incredibly satisfying to watch back in Tottoland too. Remeber, the crew isn't stronger than Big Mom and they're probably not going to be, given that she's a natural monster. What they can be is smarter, more skillful and more versatile. There's a strange fixation in this fanbase on who's the strongest fighter as opposed to who's the best fighter. Lucky Oda knows which one is more important.

Oh, another structurally odd moment. Why have Queen stop Luffy and Zoro and then have King arrive to block the skies? Him and his flying Gifters are kinda superfluous as far as tension goes, with Luffy already pretty effectively blocked. Wouldn't it have been better for the flyers to block Luffy and Zoro first, then have Queen use his long neck to dunk them back to the floor out of nowhere as they get pushed back or prepare to fight? A small niggle, but it does stand out.

And shouldn't Kaido be feeling a little inferior at the moment? After all, he's only got a Flying Six, and we haven't seen a single one of them fly yet. But King swoops in with a whole Flying Nine and they don't even need to justify themselves with several chapters of built up! In all seriousness, while Stephen's missed a few marks in terms of names this arc, I think going with Tobi Roppo is one that has worked out pretty well. While Tobi Roppo doesn't mean too much to me, a non-Japanese speaker, the Flying Six alternative feels like an increasingly poor descriptor.

Finally, the money shot. Been waiting a long time for this one and it does not disappoint! Having it happen in the middle of a battle feels very… well...

I can hear the theme music already.

We're about half way through volume 98 now, so I imagine this is the point where the story zeroes in on the Straw Hats fighting, with maybe little cutaways to allies like Law, Kid and Hyo elsewhere in the dome. I'm expecting a big focus on team-ups and coordinated attacks as they fight Big Mom, Queen, King and the Numbers. And they're going to win these fights too, taking at least the rest of this volume to do so. This big reunion, like the one at Fishman Island, has to lead into a skills showcase. Things aren't going to get really desperate until the crew has a bit of a wining streak going and we cut back to see how the Scabbards are doing with Kaido on the roof, only to find devastation.

That's my guess anyway. I'm glad I've got a busy week ahead to make the time go fast between now and the next chapter!

[Ivotas]

With all this talk about Big Mom being defeated I'd just like to add that I never though this would happen. Even before Tottoland I thought that at some point her conflict with Luffy will end because they suddenly become allies and even now I think that's what we are heading for. I just don't have the slightest idea how such a turn would actually happen.

[RomanceDawn]

God I love One Piece!!!

I can't imagine Big Mom would actually be hurt by Franky's beam but it certainly is possible. What ever the case look how unsure she is about it, she picks up a Homie as if to use it as a shield.

I didn't even realize these giants were Oars sized until the english reread. Getting a little more lore about the world is always fascinating and the history about these particular giants will probably be fleshed out at Elbaf. Not fully but I'm sure a large chunk of it.

Franky just accepting hugs like a big boss is awesome. Him more or less toppling a living Oars type giant in one blow just shows how far the crew has come! And oh man, the random grunts marveling with sparkle eyes at the radical beam is so good!

Look at my big boy! How he smiles at Robin. I hated Robin in the beginning but after learning her story I wanted her to be happy and love every aspect about her. Her being with the Straw Hats is heart warming. I didn't hate Jimbei at first but I certainly didn't like him. After learning about his life and what he went through I again just wanted this new character to be happy. He gave one of the Four Emperors the old heave-ho and just smiles about how she'll retaliate! Ah the life of a Straw Hat! It changes a person! That's the life for me!

[Kaworu]

Seminal/legendary chapter.
I am going to again say it took WAY too much buildup to get here.
Buuuuut with each passing moment the payoffs are getting more robust and juicier.
I'm easily enjoying this as much as W7/EL, Marineford, Impel Down, etc.
Oh, and I recognize bait when I see it. It's how I knew Marco would come to Wano when everyone thought he wouldn't. They bit the bait. The bait here being Big Mom getting tossed around… but not physically damaged.

I was already quite scared for our protagonists but the chapter title now pushes that to full-on terror. :P

[Johnny B. Decent]

@Jabra:

Hatcha's tame look serves as a reminder that the Numbers are failures. Now the question would be who is considered the biggest failure among them - the human-looking Hatcha or the most aberrant looking giant?

Well, the only two known Ancient Giants are Oars and his grandson, and they look pretty monstrous.

…..So, Hatcha. :ninja: