@Warp:
Wasn't there a short chapter somewhere at the start of the colosseum?
Actually, 4 short chapters. 702, 706, 707 and 708 are all 15 pages long (707 is actually 15 pages + a colorspread, so there's that). And a couple Marineford chapters were also 15 pages long, though that was justified in the massive use of doublespreads.
I think though there has never been a 13 page chapter before, but I'm not sure.
@Daz:
The thing is, 8 year Doffy didn't want all that power in order to use it. He wanted his birthright because it was his birthright, to be a World Noble for its own sake. He didn't storm back to Marijois because he had dreams of world domination and needed the World Noble status in order to get it (I mean, he was 8!), he did it because he missed his slaves and people talking back to him was annoying.
Now, if this snub had let to Doffy declaring "Well, I'll just be a self made man then, and get my OWN lifestyle of excess! With blackjack! And hookers!" that I'd be fine with- but 8-year old Doffy resolves to "DESTROY THE WORLD!", and even now, as he's pushing fifty, he brings up this defining moment in his life with a straight face. I mean, the "spoiled entitlement" angle was even used previously on Wapol, a total joke villain.
Yeah, you're right, that seems to be what his 8 year old self misses, but I don't know. . .I mean, his hatred continues, of course, but nowadays Dofla has basically acquired all that :owns several businesses, one of them slave trade related, and can and does basically shot down/maim/amputate anyone who looks at him funny. I don't think that's what he misses "now", more like he felt insulted and, as he said this chapter, "looked down upon". It's the grudge what remains, for being looked down upon, for being dissrespected and dishonoured, not what he "misses". And he just prepared the biggest tantrum ever. . .yeah, that part is certainly ridiculous. What I mean is, what we saw is what 8 yo Dofla felt was missing in his life, not the whole drive behind his grudge. It's the fact that he wasn't allowed to be a part of Club Bildelberg even when by all acounts he was invited to it since birth.
But still, if Oda wanted to show the other part of the whole being a CD bargain, then Dofla would be basically god. The final boss of the manga. So, yeah, I just wanted to point out that being a CD is not just slaves, guns and hookers. Cause Dofla has all that already, and probably in better quality and quantity. . .
Yeah, I know… more details will be added eventually, I've just really grown to bristle at the "It'll surely be better later, wait and see arguments". I mean, in weekly chapter discussions, I gotta work with what is presented to me that week. I'm possibly jumping the gun on Doffy here, but I'd rather be proven wrong as the story goes along than wait who knows how many chapters until the arcs conclusion before forming opinions, thats my philosophy.
Yeah, analizing on a weekly basis is part of the product packaging here, so of course we're ranking the chapters as they come, which is fair game.
What I meant was that, even if it stays more or less like this and no further complicated issues appear for Doffy, more characterization for his family and fleshing things out a bit more might help his case a bit. This week's "damage" is done, yeah, no denying that, but more development might help here, like we can take a couple new characters from this flashback (Daddymingo and Coramingo) we can feel empathy for and that might help hammer the point that Dofla is just really messed up and nasty, not just from being spoiled and not being able (or willing) to adapt to poverty (maybe showing Corazon actually adapting to the new environment?). Not saying this would make this chapter better, or Dofla a better character, or his motivations more compelling, just that it would. . .help develop the whole issue and give us something else to chew on.
But of course if this week's chapter didn't work for you that won't be changed in the future.
I know, sorry to be such a grumpy gus upon returning from my little hiatus. It's not like OP is devoid of stuff I like; Usopps recent moment was great even if the tension with the citizens was contrived (really, Doffys whole Stars game was very ineff- Ack! You were being positive Daz! Snap out of it!), and I really like Jinbes coverstory, as he's basically a Superhero, swimming around helping strangers.
I think the citizens thingie was mostly ok during chapter 758, and it seemed to go somewhere, and it had some build up to it. It was just smashed during this week's chapter. And not in a good way. That was quite the ball droping Oda did in there. If he at least showed us Fuji and Dold being the ones to talk sense into the population, but as things stand now, it all took place within the citizens minds in a matter of a couple minutes. "That's what we'll do, ok? It might be harsh, but that's the decision we've taken! No turning back!" 1 minute later "Nah, we actually have no idea what we're doing. We're droping that plan, we'll just sit here and stay quiet, apologies for any inconvenience. . .". That was just weak, no whats or ifs. Might have something to do with this chapter being only 13 pages? I don't know. Maybe the other 4-6 pages we would've usually goten would've been used to develop that scene a bit more? Who knows. As things stand now, that scene was one of the weakest in the whole manga, imho.
And most surprisingly of all, something I never thought was possible has happened: I've warmed to Law. His Punk Hazard shenanigans are still completely insufferable to me, but currently, I like him way more than Zoro, Sabo or Kyros for instance. And not simply because "he got beat up lol take that Law", but because the adversity thrown his way made him more human. When Law sits in Doffys chair and smirks before cutting trebol its kind of cool because you feel he's earned it for his troubles, whereas with insufferable smuglord Punk Hazard Law it would have been frustrating.
Yup. Also his character is softer, he's allowed a couple of great lines, like missing the confortability of Ucy's back or entering a competition of "whose grudge runs the longest?" with Kyros. Some facefaults here and there, and there you go, totally different from PH Law, to be honest. Don't know why Oda felt the need to write him like a known-it-all insufferable smug brat to begin with, but during Dressrosa he's felt much more human and tolerable.
And, on a side and really, really shallow note, even during Punk Hazard, Law has served the purpose of providing the reader with tons of eye candy. I feel like this doesn't receive enough praise just because the one responsible for those scenes was Law, but eye candy is eye candy, and good art is good art. Lifting a ship off the sea, cutting it and reassembling it around, cutting a mountain in half, redirectioning meteors, shamblin' shit around while trying to escape from Dofla and saving Sanji. . .overpowered or what have you, those scenes had great visual flair and worked well as pure "shit, will you look at that!" factor. Give the man at least that. . . .