Well, if ever there was a chapter to hold me over for two weeks, that was it. This a stand-out chapter, not in that it has great weight for the story, but in that it accomplishes so much.
First, there was the Laura/Nami and co. interaction, which I just love. Nami's quick thinking, Chopper's gullibility, and Laura's emotional release: priceless. And then, seeing them inside of Kumashi, I nearly plotzed. I love how Oda set up Kumashi's unwilling silence; I never saw that coming into play later.
Then, and this was my favorite part, there was Perona and Hildon discussing "Zombie 900." I just can't wait to see what it looks like. I also liked the Perona/Absalom interaction and am greatly looking forward to seeing the Mysterious Four together.
And then there was Brooke. I suppose that in the coming chapters we'll here more about Thriller Bark from him, and if there's a flashback involved…Well, you know where I'm going. Frankly, I don't know (yet) whether or not Brooke will join the crew, nor am I particularly passionate either way. I can live with him not joining, but I can see him fitting in too. Honestly, my gut tends toward the "not joining" side, just because it's so soon. Well, I gues now we wait...and wait...and wait. Is 445 out yet?