Zoro and Kuma.

[theinvisibleworm]

When Zoro decides to sacrifice himself for Luffy, Zoro makes a statement before willingly taking all of Luffy's pain and vice, which Kuma guarantees will eventually lead to his death. Zoro says something like "Just let me choose the place."

Does this mean that Zoro's life is marked, and that at some point impending death will hit him from this attack of Kuma's, I don't think that the effects of that attack are anywhere near over, I think that it's going to be a very serious problem later on, possibly at a critical moment.

Did anyone else understand that statement in a different way than me? I took it to mean that Zoro was going to die, but not immediately, perhaps after Luffy is Pirate King, perhaps after he beats Mihawk, but that he will die from Kuma's attack (if nothing is done to save him, that is). Kuma said he was impressed but it wasn't like with Mihawk, where Mihawk let Zoro live, Kuma didn't weaken his attack at all for Zoro, he just noted the greatness of the crew and captain and kept his word.

Also, what chapter was that on, and what are your thoughts?

[VL7]

Interesting, though I assumed he wanted to choose a place that would be worthy of his sacrifice, thats why he wanted to die in the forest, kinnda like the time he wanted his wax sculpture to have a cool pose.

[Cyanotic]

Or maybe he just didn't want to take it in front of Kuma because then Kuma would realized he wouldn't be killed by it. Though for that to make sense he had to know he'd survive. Hm.

[theinvisibleworm]

I really doubt that Zoro would essentially lie to Kuma and pretend to believe that he was killing himself to save the crew. I'm rather positive that he really believed/believes Kuma's attack was/is lethal, and that he willingly walked into it under the impression that he would/will die.

I'm just wondering if by surviving it there, he really has overcome all the effects of the attack. There have been hints of lingering effects in the past several chapters, and I wonder if it's going to create a problem for Zoro later on.

It's just a thought, I mean he says "Just let me choose the location" and I wonder what he means by that.

[Chastity-Autumn]

That's a really interesting point!
At first I thought he'd picked out a place away from the rest of the crew in order for it not to happen in front of them- or prevent anyone getting up (as Sanji did) and try to stop him…That's what I thought at first anyway. oO;

However, I'm highly doubting that he'll die in the future because

! I think it was Hawkins (correct me if i'm wrong) who said that he doesn't see death in Zoro's future.

Nevertheless, the after effects of the battle with Kuma may not kill him, but indeed, may affect him later on in a different way…But I do believe that Zoro genuinely believed he was going to die.

[Gorlom]

I thought the pain stuff should have killed him there and that he will recover from it completly, not that it would affect him like a disease and shorten his lifespan.

I'm just wondering if by surviving it there, he really has overcome all the effects of the attack. There have been hints of lingering effects in the past several chapters, and I wonder if it's going to create a problem for Zoro later on.

He had a recovery phase after Mihawk cut him too.

[ramza85]

No. I do not foresee death in the future of Zoro.
If anyone been keeping track it was through injuries and near death experiences that Zoro grow in his the superhuman will and increasingly power aura.

If this chapter were to mean anything, it would be that Luffy had been able to sustain and endure this level of injuries and pain.. And with the passing on of this to Zoro it would only mean that Zoro will grow tremendously in strength and endurance as he recover…

[theinvisibleworm]

I don't think Zoro will actually die, but I do think that this will have unexpected malingering effects on him, and that later on, it might suddenly reappear viciously and he'll have to defeat it somehow (via Chopper or something).

We don't know the extent of the effects that these injuries would have had on Luffy because he was unconscious and alive, I would say that Zoro handled it better than Luffy as he maintained consciousness and he took in all of Luffy's damage despite the fact that he had already taken a large amount himself.

But ya, I don't think he'll die either, but I do think that statement was talking about more than where he'd walk into the bubble.

[ThunderEarthFire]

@theinvisibleworm:

When Zoro decides to sacrifice himself for Luffy, Zoro makes a statement before willingly taking all of Luffy's pain and vice, which Kuma guarantees will eventually lead to his death. Zoro says something like "Just let me choose the place."

Does this mean that Zoro's life is marked, and that at some point impending death will hit him from this attack of Kuma's, I don't think that the effects of that attack are anywhere near over, I think that it's going to be a very serious problem later on, possibly at a critical moment.

Did anyone else understand that statement in a different way than me? I took it to mean that Zoro was going to die, but not immediately, perhaps after Luffy is Pirate King, perhaps after he beats Mihawk, but that he will die from Kuma's attack (if nothing is done to save him, that is). Kuma said he was impressed but it wasn't like with Mihawk, where Mihawk let Zoro live, Kuma didn't weaken his attack at all for Zoro, he just noted the greatness of the crew and captain and kept his word.

Also, what chapter was that on, and what are your thoughts?

Okay where does Kuma guarantee it will lead to Zoro's death? I don't remember that part. I thought he just believed it would kill him, then at the end realizes he was wrong. That's why he leaves, because he knew that Zoro had survived it while keeping his promise to take the attack. Otherwise he would have made sure that zoro was dead so that he could bring him brought in to the Marine HQ.

[Chastity-Autumn]

^I thought whether Kuma knew or not was still unknown? oO;

[Ryuksgelus]

@ramza85:

No. I do not foresee death in the future of Zoro.
If anyone been keeping track it was through injuries and near death experiences that Zoro grow in his the superhuman will and increasingly power aura.

If this chapter were to mean anything, it would be that Luffy had been able to sustain and endure this level of injuries and pain.. And with the passing on of this to Zoro it would only mean that Zoro will grow tremendously in strength and endurance as he recover…

Exactly. In the beginning of he series Zoro&Luffy were rivals in strength, but then it changed to Sanji&Zoro with Luffy way ahead. After reading that chapter I hoped enduring all of Luffy's damage on top of his own was Oda bringing Zoro back to around luffy's level. After the scene with all the Nova commenting on Zoro it seems Oda didn't disappoint.

[grandjedi]

On one hand, Zoro surviving is kinda illogical and there could be some mysterious theory like yours that will explain it in the future.

On the other hand, Pell surviving also didn't make any sense yet Oda expected us to go along with it. So this might be nothing more than Oda being Oda

[FireFistAce 0]

According to the scripts:

Kuma: What I have just expelled from his body
is his "pain" and "fatigue."
It is all of the damage he accumulated during his fight with Moria and his people.
If you wish to take his place, that means you must accept his suffering.
You are close enough to death already that you cannot survive this added damage.
You will die.

Kuma said he'll die. He didn't say when. Which means that the damage may not have killed him immediately, but will have long term effects on Zoro.

As for the the "Let me choose my location", it's actually:

Zoro: Zehh.
Gahk!
Just let me… change locations...
Hahh...
...Hahh...
Hahh...

He meant he wanted to move away from everyone so they didn't have to see him like that.

So, the short answer is we don't know the second half of the exchange, why Kuma left without killing Zoro and why he agreed to that sort of deal, but we can assume that Zoro WILL die sometime in the near future because of his injuries.

[King Kobra]

All the restrain on Zoro's heart because of Luffy's Gears surely shortened his life span a lot.

[Gorlom]

You and I intemperate that same script differently FFA.

The "You are close enough to death already that you cannot survive this added damage." part suggests to me that Kuma is talking about "before the day is over" kind of timeframe, not some undefined time in the future when he has had time to rest and recover.

[BetterBetterNoMi]

I think that:
You are close enough to death already that you cannot survive this added damage.
You will die.

obviously means Kuma thought Zoro would die out of his attakc, and did not mean any long-term damage or leading ot death stuff.

[FireFistAce 0]

Not necessarily. I'm interpreting it more metaphorically than literally. I'm taking it under the impression that Kuma is saying "Luffy's injuries were so great that this will kill you sooner or later.", meaning that Zoro could still be suffering from internal injuries or bleeding that have not and will not fully heal.

I'm sure Kuma didn't expect Zoro to live through it at all, but it doesn't mean that it didn't cause irreparable damage inside him.

Think of it like the Mihawk Injury. Zoro didn't pass out until after Arlong was defeated, but the whole time in Arlong Park he kept his cool, despite his injuries. That is, until Arlong ripped his bandages off and reopened the shitty attempt by Yosaku and Johnny to patch him up, causing his wounds to bleed again. This caused him to faint.

Since they have Chopper now, I'm sure Chopper could quickly repair the external injuries, but he may still be suffering from internal bleeding that will kill him.

[theinvisibleworm]

@Fire Fist:

According to the scripts:

Kuma: What I have just expelled from his body
is his "pain" and "fatigue."
It is all of the damage he accumulated during his fight with Moria and his people.
If you wish to take his place, that means you must accept his suffering.
You are close enough to death already that you cannot survive this added damage.
You will die.

Kuma said he'll die. He didn't say when. Which means that the damage may not have killed him immediately, but will have long term effects on Zoro.

As for the the "Let me choose my location", it's actually:

Zoro: Zehh.
Gahk!
Just let me… change locations...
Hahh...
...Hahh...
Hahh...

He meant he wanted to move away from everyone so they didn't have to see him like that.

So, the short answer is we don't know the second half of the exchange, why Kuma left without killing Zoro and why he agreed to that sort of deal, but we can assume that Zoro WILL die sometime in the near future because of his injuries.

Thanks for the clarification, by the way, is that Stephen's script, because I trust his translations the most, the one I read actually said "Just let me choose the location" but that was from onemanga and I didn't see who the translator was.

I took it metaphorically as well, because it says that not only will he suffer Luffy's pain and suffering, but his fatigue. He sucked the life out of Zoro and injured him to an unbelievable extreme, I find the fact that Zoro stays silent on what really happened even to Sanji and Brooke, who at least have an idea. When Brooke saves Zoro in one of the following chapters, it's not just that Zoro is injured that is slowing him down, he's literally just slower than he used to be because of what Kuma did to him, at least that's how I understood it.

Trafalgar did not see death for Zoro on that day, he didn't mean that he never saw Zoro dying.

Anyway, like I said I don't think he will die but I do think that it will be a plot point later on, just as Mihawk's wound was, and I would say that Kuma injured Zoro at the very least as much as that black sword did. I think it will be a plot point if Zoro has to go up against the fighting crewman of Captain Kid's crew, MassacreMan.

By the way who was that axe guy at the very beginning of this archipeleggo arc, the dude in all black with the big axe and the twisted face who talked about the cowardly imprisoned pirate who was begging not to be killed and whatnot? Is that still up in the air, I don't remember seeing anyone like that before.

[Gorlom]

Trafalgar did not see death for Zoro on that day, he didn't mean that he never saw Zoro dying.

Trafalgar hasn't seen Zoro yet. It was Hawkins, and he just seems to talk funny to me. Seriously… What destiny can pasta and clothes have? I doubt he can read fates or any such thing.

[theinvisibleworm]

I doubt he can as well, and my mistake, I meant Hawkins. So far all of his "fortunes" have come after the event already occured (spaghetti on the clothes, zoro surviving).

[Don Quichotte De Flamingo]

@Fire Fist:

Since they have Chopper now, I'm sure Chopper could quickly repair the external injuries, but he may still be suffering from internal bleeding that will kill him.

no way…when zoro dies they will find out that the cause was the damage from kuma....
and what is than with chopper....his dream is to become a great doctor...but having not seen \recognize that zoro was in serious trouble ,is like a slap in his face and maybe the end for his dream...don`t think our little friend could handle that his friend died, and he knowing that he was the 1 who MUST have seen this as the ship doctor....:getlost:

mhh and in my opinion zoro took the pain to save the crew....willingly to die
and the hole situation was like luffy vs. aokiji
zoro rescued his crew cause he made a deal with kuma...so kuma couldnt go after the rest of the crew..and also against zoro..the "deal " was that zoro had to stand still when kuma transfer luffys pain.-..nothing more...so even if kuma saw zoro isnt dead...he hadnt be allowed to make another attack...and i for myself believe kuma is still a pirate (or WG-marionette) with a lot of proud..

but sure we will see that zoro suddenly go down in the next fight vs a strong villain cause of the aftereffects...
but i rly dont believe that he will now suffer a slow dead:grin: would be idiotic....when the attack not instantly kill him than it wont be later...but sure in real life it could happen so but like said before...when pell survive...zoro will also(also that rule oda will never brake:killing 1 of the SH:getlost:

[Vanessa]

@theinvisibleworm:

When Zoro decides to sacrifice himself for Luffy, Zoro makes a statement before willingly taking all of Luffy's pain and vice, which Kuma guarantees will eventually lead to his death. Zoro says something like "Just let me choose the place."

I thought of it more like how wild animals close to death go to a secluded area away from anyone. Oh and Kuma guaranteed that it would in fact kill him then and there, not that it'll eventually kill him like some disease. Obviously we know that it didn't though.

Does this mean that Zoro's life is marked, and that at some point impending death will hit him from this attack of Kuma's, I don't think that the effects of that attack are anywhere near over, I think that it's going to be a very serious problem later on, possibly at a critical moment.

It'll likely be a problem during this current arc and probably Fishman Island. I doubt it'll have any actual long term effects later on during the Strawhats' journey. Besides, we already saw it affect Zoro during the attack on Duval's headquarters.

Did anyone else understand that statement in a different way than me? I took it to mean that Zoro was going to die, but not immediately, perhaps after Luffy is Pirate King, perhaps after he beats Mihawk, but that he will die from Kuma's attack (if nothing is done to save him, that is). Kuma said he was impressed but it wasn't like with Mihawk, where Mihawk let Zoro live, Kuma didn't weaken his attack at all for Zoro, he just noted the greatness of the crew and captain and kept his word.

I mean taking all of that pain and sending it to an already weakened crewmember i.e. Zoro, of course Kuma is going to assume it'll kill him. So I don't think Kuma even knows Zoro is alive since he didn't stay to see the giant paw's effect.

[DarkHamster]

This post is deleted!

[boiga]

I agree with Gorlom and Kidany that Kuma thought Zoro would die then and there from the damage he inflicted, but only underestimated Zoro's durability. Kuma agreed to use only that one attack, so once Zoro had survived it, he was bound on his honor to leave him be. Zoro was simply tougher than Kuma expected.

One thing that people are forgetting is that Luffy was never actually damaged by Moria during that entire fight. All of Odz' attacks were blunt, which has little effect on Luffy, and the only real attack that moria landed was to to crush Luffy in a box… but he can't be crushed either.

So, the only damage that Zoro took from Kuma in that moment was the wear and tear from the 1000 shadow buff and the residual damage from using Gears. I never really thought that this would be enough to harm Zoro, and I honestly expected him to bounce back sooner than it took. That amount of damage is minuscule compared to be split near in half by Mihawk.

My interpretation is that Zoro is at 100% by now and there should not be any lingering effects from Kuma's attack.

[theinvisibleworm]

Considering the way Zoro reacted to the small bubble of the effect I'm going to have to disagree with you on the idea of Kuma's damage being miniscule in comparison to Mihawk's final attack, especially on seeing the after-effects and the way Sanji reacted to Zoro's situation immediately following it all.

I don't think Zoro owes Kuma any debt whatsoever, he didn't do Zoro a favor, it was a condition of honor between the two of them and Kuma only obliged because of his own ethic and the way he was impressed by Zoro's willingness to sacrifice his own very ambitious dream for another's.

[ramza85]

I firmly believe tat through this "damage" tat Zoro took willingly, it will bring his strength and endurance to another level..
Shortening his lifespan?
He was having fever and a big stitched up wound when fighting Arlong, and those who study med is well aware of what u are doing to ur heart when u over-exert urself when u are having a fever.. U weaken it..
Did tat fight weaken Zoro?

So far it was through injuries and pain that the StrawHats crew been gaining strength and endurance.. I see tis event as a blessing instead of a curse..

[Neomaster121]

@ramza85:

I firmly believe tat through this "damage" tat Zoro took willingly, it will bring his strength and endurance to another level..
Shortening his lifespan?
He was having fever and a big stitched up wound when fighting Arlong, and those who study med is well aware of what u are doing to ur heart when u over-exert urself when u are having a fever.. U weaken it..
Did tat fight weaken Zoro?

So far it was through injuries and pain that the StrawHats crew been gaining strength and endurance.. I see tis event as a blessing instead of a curse..

yea that what i was thinking when after a few weeks

i also think we will be seeing Zoro vs Kuma in the fishman arc to show how taken on the pain of his captain dream and responisblities to protect all the dreams of the crew (just like mi hawk made zoro feel the pain of his dream)
I tihnk that even more that round 2 is soon with the altest infors coming through abou tthe war. I believe luffy's crew will split the force of the marines sending 2 shibackis to deal with them Kuma and Jembei. With the lost of these 2 powers plus ace's release will make the wg increase luffy's n co's bountys extremely just as they enter the new world.

[NANLIT]

If Zoro does comfront Kuma again, I think it'll be when Kuma's complete.

[Gorlom]

I read that as "comfort"… =P

What do you mean by "when Kuma is complete"?

[Gaiyae]

@NANLIT:

If Zoro does comfront Kuma again, I think it'll be when Kuma's complete.

Although it's probably wishfull thinking.. I kind of hope that if one SH will fight Kuma it'll be Franky. Just because i can't stand the fact that there is a cyborg stronger then Franky

But upgraded with one of the ancient weapons.. Who knows..
Maybe he'll end up becoming incredible strong, and go berserk.
And it'll take every SH to beat him.

[Neomaster121]

@Gaiyae:

Although it's probably wishfull thinking.. I kind of hope that if one SH will fight Kuma it'll be Franky. Just because i can't stand the fact that there is a cyborg stronger then Franky

But upgraded with one of the ancient weapons.. Who knows..
Maybe he'll end up becoming incredible strong, and go berserk.
And it'll take every SH to beat him.

the encounter of mi hawk n zoro and Kuma n Zoro are so simular that i just think Zoro would take him on himself n alone no matter what upgrade kuma gets

[NANLIT]

@Gorlom:

I read that as "comfort"… =P

What do you mean by "when Kuma is complete"?

http://www.onemanga.com/One_Piece/485/09/

Kuma says that he is a pacifista, an incomplete human weapon created by the WG.

[notactuallytom]

@theinvisibleworm:

I really doubt that Zoro would essentially lie to Kuma and pretend to believe that he was killing himself to save the crew. I'm rather positive that he really believed/believes Kuma's attack was/is lethal, and that he willingly walked into it under the impression that he would/will die.

I'm just wondering if by surviving it there, he really has overcome all the effects of the attack. There have been hints of lingering effects in the past several chapters, and I wonder if it's going to create a problem for Zoro later on.

It's just a thought, I mean he says "Just let me choose the location" and I wonder what he means by that.

I think he meant change location of the pain. So he chose to focus the pain in his hands to make him a stronger swordsman. Kuma was wrong. He thought zoro would die, but he's too tough. It's just pain, it doesn't make any sense for it to kill him years later.

[Vash The Stampede]

along with others, I agree that Kuma meant immediate damage. as in, zoro is hurt, he is getting all of luffy's current pains and fatigue, it will be too much for zoro. sure there can be lingering effects, as in Son goku's kaioken, or luffy's gears, but we cant take any truths on that from Kuma's comment.

People have said that this damage will help him grow, again kinda sayajin style. dont think anyone took this further saying, that this is Zoro's massive increase in ability, just before the new world. luffy's are the gears, I guess, following his defeat by aokiji and realising he has to get strong for his crew. this is zoro's part. he realised how mch damage and fatigue the captain took, and wants to get stronger, to get closer to that level. the new world will obviously bring great challenges, and Luffy already realsed he needss to boost his techniques. so far zoro has just been throwing random food nmes at us, an mumbling a bit about sword-philosophy (cutting iron, etc) he'll prob get an awesome upgrade soon. the asura didn' seem like it, mabe just the top of this levels fighting abilities.

guess sanji, frustrated at being beaten down in front of kuma, and not wanting to be left behind, maybe in particular cause of his bounty and poster, will have an amazing powerup of some sort after zoro, could be in gfighting technique, could be in using knowledge to boost technique, we'll see.

can anyone argue with that? come up with counterpoints?

[pritesh]

@ramza85:

If this chapter were to mean anything, it would be that Luffy had been able to sustain and endure this level of injuries and pain.. And with the passing on of this to Zoro it would only mean that Zoro will grow tremendously in strength and endurance as he recover…

This is similar to what I was going to say, this probably showed how much strength both Luffy and Zoro have, which means that Zoro is probably equal to Luffy (remember in the baroks works saga?) in a way. This also kinda shows that if Luffy is to become the pirate king, Zoro will no doubt be able to defeat Mihawk as Zoro is 2nd in command (or IMO I'd say his in 2nd of command). Lets see what Oda has in plan.

I'd say Zoro is probably stronger than Luffy, since considering that Luffy's organs are pretty much rubber and means he would absorb alot of impact and pain, whereas Zoro is just… human (or super human :X).

[smurfx]

well kuma probably left zoro alone after he saw he took luffy's damage and survived. they agreed that zoro would take luffy's damage and he did and survived. if kuma had finished him off he would of broken the agreement. i think kuma underestimated zoro's will and that's why later on he says that luffy has a really great crew.

[BetterBetterNoMi]

pritesh don't forget endurance isn't the only factor on "strong" I don't think Zoro is stronger the nLuffy (however beating him ain aa battle is a different story which I will not discuss because this is a different topic)

[Gekko135]

I feel that this whole damage concept will strengthen the swordsman.. but it might hamper him for a bit, since it hasen't really stated if he is COMPLETELY healed yet. His next fight will tell. I think it will happen since a reoccurring theme with him is Handicaps during fights. Many of his fights have required him to overcome an enemy that either hampers his skill or has a serious advantage over his current state. (I.E: being injured, missing Katana's, long range foes, etc..)

[Desperado]

My opinion. Oda will use Zorros aditional strain to give him a huge power boost along with his new sword.

[Gaiyae]

I'm actually hoping for some inner resolve.. I would actually like to see him die almost due to the strain. And then have some inner diaologue with Kuina. Just to remind him some more of the reason why he wants to become the best swordmaster.

[Chastity-Autumn]

^ That would be awesome! I bet it'd make a great scene in the anime, too.

[Neomaster121]

Lol so much of whats been said in the last 5 posts or so have been things i've said about a week or 2 after that chapter came out

people were so quick to put me down -__-

the inner talk with Kuina was something i had predicted might happened as well as a major power boost as Zoro realised he would have to be as strong as luffy to survive

[Gekko135]

hmmm.. a near death experience (hah.. zoro and near death experiences are like peanut butter and jelly) and dialogue with Kuina would be amazing!

[Hinscher]

I agree with those that think it will be just another handicap for Zoro. I don't understand how any of you can honestly believe Zoro will die in the future because of Kuma. Firstly if Pell didn't die, no main crewmate will ever. not saying no one ever will, in future someone may die (ace, wb wahtever) but no strawhat ever will.

And like someone else said, how often is Zoro ever not handicapped.

1. Cpt. Morgan - 21 days without food
2. Cabaji fight - wound from Buggy
3. Dyubin brothers - only 1 sword
4. Hawkeyes - was fair 100%
5. Hatchi/Arlong - barely conscious from hawkeyes attack
6. Mr. 1 - Couldn't cut steel
7. Shandian dude/Ohm -pistol/long range warfare
8. Kaku - handcuffed to Usopp (later when free beats him relatively easy IMO)
9. Ryuma - 2 swords
10. Odz - new sword, needs to master (not saying he could be it alone, but still something)
11. Kuma - barely conscious from Odz fight

And now he has that new damage from Kuma. basically the only time he was healthy or not handicapped was during the baroque works fight on first island. its just a reaccuring theme for him. I mean besides Franky (runs low on cola seems like before big fight) everyone is usually 100% with no handicaps. Except vs. Logias, and luffy's gold ball

[Gekko135]

Hinscher. That's exactly what I was saying! But you made a cool list, so you're awsome! I'm glad someone agrees that most (if not all) of Zoro's fights have the Odds stacked against him, which he overcomes by exceeding himself. I feel the same will happen in this arc against whoever (my bet is Killer). Zoro will try to go all out and realize he's still recovering, or whatever (not as fast, strong, etc..). But that's Zoro, he wont sweat it!

@Hinscher:

4. Hawkeyes - was fair 100%

heh, if you want to call a fight with Mihawk fair. But Zoro was defiantly at 100%

[Neomaster121]

@Gekko135:

Hinscher. That's exactly what I was saying! But you made a cool list, so you're awsome! I'm glad someone agrees that most (if not all) of Zoro's fights have the Odds stacked against him, which he overcomes by exceeding himself. I feel the same will happen in this arc against whoever (my bet is Killer). Zoro will try to go all out and realize he's still recovering, or whatever (not as fast, strong, etc..). But that's Zoro, he wont sweat it!

heh, if you want to call a fight with Mihawk fair. But Zoro was defiantly at 100%

i think it will be either law or kid Zoro fights the reason i say law is because i saw him about to draw a sword i assume he will say something offending luffys honour and Zoro will take high offense to it due to what he had gone through with kuma

[Gekko135]

perhaps. I just don't really see Law as much of a fighter yet. He seems to be a prime candidate for a DF user though. He'll need to be one to be able to handle Zoro. I dunno.. don't kill me but I feel Law is a bit hyped solely because of his character design. But who knows.. Oda has turned me into a hypocrite and made me love characters that I disliked beforehand!

[dinty]

@theinvisibleworm:

Did anyone else understand that statement in a different way than me?

If I remember correctly, it was Aldrich who first posed the idea that immediately after Zoro defeats Mihawk, he (Zoro) drops dead – not from any wound that Mihawk gave him, but from the long-term effects of his run-in with Kuma.

@Gaiyae:

I'm actually hoping for some inner resolve.. I would actually like to see him die almost due to the strain. And then have some inner diaologue with Kuina. Just to remind him some more of the reason why he wants to become the best swordmaster.

I have two problems with this idea: (1) Zoro has never lacked resolve before, so why would he suddenly change? and (2) Zoro hasn't forgotten his goal or his promise to Kuina before – so what would be the point of a pep-talk from her? ... other than to squeeze some tears from sentimental fans?

[That said though, one of my all-time favorite doujin excerpts involves Zoro being haunted by Kuina's ghost. But the reason why this doujin succeeds is because it's not sentimental: Kuina basically shows up, taunts Zoro for hesitating on a battlefield, and then dares him to catch up with her. Since their relationship was always adversarial at best, this kind of scenario rings more true to me than a more conventional inner conversation].

Oh, hey, great coloring job in your avatar (in spite of the fact that you've made him an Inter fan…)

[Admiral Wolfpox]

At first I was like, "Wow, what a great interpretation!"
But after reading the comments I'm thinking, "Nah, no way in hell is it long-term."

…Although, I must say, it would be very awesome if that massive plot-point actually was more significant than simply creating suspense for one chapter.

[King Kobra]

Is not this just like that time Mihawk kicked Zoro's ass? It's not gonna last forever, but it will stay "there" as another reminiscent of Zoro's loyalty towards Luffy