Official translation for chapter 955 - ENMA out now.
https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/viewer/1003793 https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/one-piece
Official translation for chapter 955 - ENMA out now.
https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/viewer/1003793 https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/one-piece
So Franky is actually readying to carry 100,000 people instead of 10,000???
And I don't know if I missed the information on the fan translations, but I am glad Zoro mentioned he never used Sunacchi. The fact it came out of nowhere despite he never using it was something that always bothered me whenever the word was brought up.
@.access:
So Franky is actually readying to carry 100,000 people instead of 10,000???
And I don't know if I missed the information on the fan translations, but I am glad Zoro mentioned he never used Sunacchi. The fact it came out of nowhere despite he never using it was something that always bothered me whenever the word was brought up.
I completely agree, it did bug me a little.
Also Orochi's words are a lot clearer in this translation.
So Kuina has ties with Wano probably being possibly the granddaughter of that swordsmith.
I guess Law and Drake will ambush Orochi. There is no way they are postponig today's operation to another day.
I reckon Oda might do a little bit of a plot twist here and have the alliance already found out the traitor off screen, so he can pull a big surprise. That - in my theory - is also why it is so clearly shown here already that the whole plan has been leaked to Orochi and is bound to fail - so he can subvert the expectation when the scabbards seemingly get ambushed at Tokage Port, but then appear at a different port instead. Notice how both times Kinemon mentions the port this chapter he never directly calls it by name ("Tokage Port")?
Maybe Law in reality has gotten in contact with them and shared the traitor's identity, though Kinemon obviously would state the opposite in front of the one - he explicitly mentions Law in front of Okiku and Shinobu this chapter.
Okay, I've been thinking long and hard about this and I've come to two conclusions:
1-Whoever is leaking the plans has nothing to do with Jack finding Zou
2-The snitch is Hiyori and Kyoshiro is her middle man.
Orochi is clearly receiving information from the leaker, but he has no idea that Raizo and Co. are back so he's not the one that sent Jack to Zou looking for him. I'm sure we could make up a more complex explanation to justify this but there's no need to. We all thought that, since the alliance apparently got betrayed twice, that it'd have the same origin. A reasonable assumption, but just that: an assumption. There's actually no real connection between the two incidents nor a reason to think there's one beyond the villains knowing things they shouldn't, but it's not even the same villains or the same things.
Now about Hiyori and Kyoshiro. If you recall, this was actually already hinted at when the plan first got leaked. In that same chapter we saw Kyoshiro holding the message, and we know he got it from Komurasaki's dead body. Of course, everyone thought it was a red herring at the time. But let's look at the information Orochi has this chapter:
-Hiyori's location: When Inuarashi asks Kawamatsu where is Hiyori, he doesn't answer. Instead he just says she's safe and there's no need to worry. Now, he could have told everyone at any moment during these days, but I feel like this would have been the appropriate time to have that conversation? And if he didn't, then that's pretty damning, because the only people that should know are Zoro, Kawamatsu and Hiyori herself. Zoro is obviously not the traitor and Kawamatsu was still in jail the first time the plan got leaked, so it can't be him either. That only leaves Hiyori.
-He knows that Udon has fallen but not that the guards are under Tama's control: There's one person that would have this incomplete information: Kawamatsu, because he left right after they took over the prison but before Tama started working her magic. Again, he has an alibi, but he met with Hiyori shortly afterwards, so he could have told her. In fact I'd say it's pretty likely considering their relationship.
-The port switch: This one I can't really pin on her. She was present at Yasu's execution but that doesn't really leads to her being in the know about the change of plans. That said, this is the easiest information to get, because all you need is the modified message and anyone in Wano would understand.
Those are my two cents. The obvious objection is 'why'. Why would Hiyori betray the alliance and even inform Orochi of her own location? And to be honest I have no clue. I can only assume she's playing 4D chess or something. But I feel pretty confident about this. I think I'm onto something here.
Okay, I've been thinking long and hard about this and I've come to two conclusions:
1-Whoever is leaking the plans has nothing to do with Jack finding Zou
2-The snitch is Hiyori and Kyoshiro is her middle man.
Orochi is clearly receiving information from the leaker, but he has no idea that Raizo and Co. are back so he's not the one that sent Jack to Zou looking for him. I'm sure we could make up a more complex explanation to justify this but there's no need to. We all thought that, since the alliance apparently got betrayed twice, that it'd have the same origin. A reasonable assumption, but just that: an assumption. There's actually no real connection between the two incidents nor a reason to think there's one beyond the villains knowing things they shouldn't, but it's not even the same villains or the same things.
Now about Hiyori and Kyoshiro. If you recall, this was actually already hinted at when the plan first got leaked. In that same chapter we saw Kyoshiro holding the message, and we know he got it from Komurasaki's dead body. Of course, everyone thought it was a red herring at the time. But let's look at the information Orochi has this chapter:
-Hiyori's location: When Inuarashi asks Kawamatsu where is Hiyori, he doesn't answer. Instead he just says she's safe and there's no need to worry. Now, he could have told everyone at any moment during these days, but I feel like this would have been the appropriate time to have that conversation? And if he didn't, then that's pretty damning, because the only people that should know are Zoro, Kawamatsu and Hiyori herself. Zoro is obviously not the traitor and Kawamatsu was still in jail the first time the plan got leaked, so it can't be him either. That only leaves Hiyori.
-He knows that Udon has fallen but not that the guards are under Tama's control: There's one person that would have this incomplete information: Kawamatsu, because he left right after they took over the prison but before Tama started working her magic. Again, he has an alibi, but he met with Hiyori shortly afterwards, so he could have told her. In fact I'd say it's pretty likely considering their relationship.
-The port switch: This one I can't really pin on her. She was present at Yasu's execution but that doesn't really leads to her being in the know about the change of plans. That said, this is the easiest information to get, because all you need is the modified message and anyone in Wano would understand.
Those are my two cents. The obvious objection is 'why'. Why would Hiyori betray the alliance and even inform Orochi of her own location? And to be honest I have no clue. I can only assume she's playing 4D chess or something. But I feel pretty confident about this. I think I'm onto something here.
Sorry but it simply does not make sense for Hiyori to give away her own location to the man 50% responsible for the deaths of Oden and Lady Toki.
All good points, but just pointing out Cho went to Ringo to retreive the swords Onimaru collected, so even if Kawamatsu didn't mention the place Hiyori was himself it's possible all those people came in contact with her and the information spreaded (he also mentions she is safe wherever she is, so she probably wasn't left alone).
Regardless of whether you like it or not, it's a power up. That's not exactly up for debate.
And I'm not saying Sanji shouldn't care, although I don't really care myself. I'm saying that it's weird to suddenly gripe about it when he's literally never been shown training before, and has gotten his respective power up before both Zoro and Luffy. And just like the two of them, he'll have his fair share of the action in this war arc.
Lastly, the Page One fight you deride as being skipped straight up has Sanji go over what the raid suit does.
It's the way things are presented. Both Luffy and Zoro are preparing for the big fight. Whether Sanji is preparing or isn't is unimportant. It's that Oda doesn't take time to show it. Not even a single panel of Sanji looking at his suit in canister form and smoking a cigarette.
Wonder how Sanji's action bits will compare to some of other more prominent actors in this arc. Competition is pretty big.
Yeah, that going over part was pretty lazy. Why not take a little time to figure out some tricks. Especially since we don't see it in action for long.
It's the way things are presented. Both Luffy and Zoro are preparing for the big fight. Whether Sanji is preparing or isn't is unimportant. It's that Oda doesn't take time to show it. Not even a single panel of Sanji looking at his suit in canister form and smoking a cigarette.
Wonder how Sanji's action bits will compare to some of other more prominent actors in this arc. Competition is pretty big.
Yeah, that going over part was pretty lazy. Why not take a little time to figure out some tricks. Especially since we don't see it in action for long.
Tbh and in 955 chapters of non-constant training from Sanji.
His biggest feat is always been pulling off power ups out of his royal ass.
Why are we assuming that Orochi doesn't know that the scabbards are in the scene?
We don't know what information Orochi knows and what he doesn't.
Why are we assuming that Orochi doesn't know that the scabbards are in the scene?
We don't know what information Orochi knows and what he doesn't.
Because at the banquet he kept going off about how they would return according to the prophecy and whatnot. That's not how he would talk if he knew for a fact they are back. I guess he could have learnt that info since, but he definitely couldn't have known when Jack attacked Zou.
As I thought, Shusui hit a sealing (smh ceiling) and Enma hasn't. It felt weird seeing some confuse a Black Blade with a Supreme Grade Blade
Seems with Enma its intended to make the Swords more interesting again, giving them special abbilites.
It's the way things are presented. Both Luffy and Zoro are preparing for the big fight. Whether Sanji is preparing or isn't is unimportant. It's that Oda doesn't take time to show it. Not even a single panel of Sanji looking at his suit in canister form and smoking a cigarette.
Because it's not necessary. He didn't take the time to show it because he's never done so before in the first place. And I know you earlier snarked a bit that Oda made space to show off the secondary characters/civilians, but my stance is that that was more important to show and set the tone for this chapter. Namely the juxtaposition between their lack of hope and the Scabbards marching onwards looking very determined, I thought that was well done, and preferable to basic training panels from the others that we don't actually need to see. Only Luffy and to a lesser extent Zoro have a specific thing they're training towards achieving in those last few days before the festival.
But seriously, something like him simply staring at his cannister would've satisfied you? From what I've seen, you've made it clear that you harbor a (understandable) negative bias towards the character, and I frankly don't feel like anything less than a proper full-fledged fight would do the trick for you anyhow. Otherwise I don't see why you need to nitpick him not training, when again, he's literally never done so before.
If this arc so far only had Zoro and Luffy gain power ups at this point in time, where Sanji didn't have his new raid suit, I'd completely agree with your cynical assertion that Oda's perception of him has clearly changed. But that isn't what happened, not to mention we just came off an Sanji-centered arc where Luffy went to go and retrieve him in part due to needing his strength for the upcoming war.
As for Sanji having competition, I'm really not worried.
Why would Hiyori betray the alliance and even inform Orochi of her own location?
I feel like this in particular makes your theory fall apart. Why would Hiyori, who is considered dead as "Komurasaki", reveal to Orochi where she is in a report? It doesn't make any sense. Orochi in the official release very plainly calls the presumed leaker an "untrustworthy" fool. This clearly implies that the leaker and Hiyori are not the same person, as the report definitely does not come across as Hiyori speaking of herself in the 3rd person.
Aside from that, I still completely disagree with any theories that label Hiyori as an outright traitor. She's been nothing but helpful, she told Zoro her true identity for no benefit to her, gave him a better sword, cried over the SMILE tragedy, etc. etc.
Having her own agenda is one thing that I'm keeping an open mind to, but directly conspiring with Orochi? I can't see it happening.
Come to think that the probable reason why we haven't seen the other 4 members of the Six Flying Fuckers is probably because they weren't even on the Island but instead around the NW guarding the other islands from Kaido's territory, and we could get to see him arrive Wano next chapter similar to how vice admirals were arriving Marine HQ before Ace's execution.
Along with Scotch of course who's been weirdly out of the picture this far.
I didn't see Ussop in this chapter, maybe he's back on the Sunny and is working on Sanji's suit and new weapons or something.
So why is next weeks chapter also apparently officially releasing on friday? Some holiday in japan?
So why is next weeks chapter also apparently officially releasing on friday? Some holiday in japan?
Autumn Equinox Day on the 23th
Oh yea, are we really thinking Franky is building for 100,000 ships? I know it's the official release, but that can't be right…
Oh yea, are we really thinking Franky is building for 100,000 ships? I know it's the official release, but that can't be right…
Not ships, capacity for people.
Not ships, capacity for people.
Oops, I meant to say people, my bad. But yea, 100,000 people doesn't sound right…
EDIT: Only thing I can think of to fill that number is for everyone in Wano to board those ships. Which may not be impossible, depending on who Oda wants present for when Kaido is inevitably defeated.
They will need those ships when Green Bull & Friends proceed to bustercall the Island.
It's definitely not a translation mistake. It's 100.000. This rules out the possibility of the grand fleet arriving at the night of the fire festival, because the implication here is that the 100.000 will gather before the ships set sail. and the condition is for them to be on those ships during the raid. From a timframe standpoint, there's no way the Grand fleet can show up in that short amount of time. Though, the Grand fleet may still come to Wano at some point (they probably won't enter the actual island but provide support against the invading outside forces).
This chapter ends the second act of Wano, so I should leave my thoughts on the story up to this point.
If Oda suddenly appeared in front of me a year ago telling me his ideas for Wano and showing me all his notebooks, I would be completely excited about almost everything. The story is pretty good overall, the characters from Wano are all interesting, and it's really cool that the alliance had to perform all these logistical tasks in order to fight Kaidou: recruiting people, finding weapons, finding the blueprint of Kaidou's mansion and some other stuff. Not to mention the natural hype of going against Kaidou, a super powerful Yonkou that is behind other interesting parties like Orochi and his subordinates.
Nonetheless, as much as I can praise the story itself, the actual writing was really disappointing to me. Most of the most relevant subplots were completely rushed, not to mention the ones that basically happened offscreen.
Let's just think about Shutenmaru for a second. This character was introduced in the story burdening a conflict against his comrades that disappeared 20 years ago, which is a sentiment that have a lot of potential for good storytelling. However, this entire subplot happened in the dark, with a few pages scattered across many different chapters only to explain the offscreen facts that convinced Shutenmaru to accept Kinnemon again. So what's the point, really? Why should we have this subplot at all if it's just gonna happen offscreen? Oda should have erased this conflict from the story and made Shutenmaru join the alliance from the beginning… or else actually show it.
This may be only one example, but that's my feeling for most of the second act. For example, maybe the most important event that happened was Yusuie's death, which was done fairly well, but the story didn't care at all to introduce him properly before his grandiose execution. He first appeared out of nowhere with Zoro in a scene that consisted of Yasu recalling how they met, which is a shitty way to spare Oda of the trouble of actually showing their first meeting. But that's not the only problem, since we barely spent any time with him after that. Yasuie's only character trait was his constant laughter despite his misery, and yet this behavior was also shared by all citizens from Ebisu Town. And then suddenly Oda decides to show us in one chapter that Yasu is a super loved guy by the people of his town and in the next he is suddenly being crucified by Orochi... what? That escalated far too quickly, and so the death that was supposed to be a meaningful moment lost half of its emotional impact because Yasu was nobody to the readers.
The funny thing is that Yasuie is from the Shimotsuki family, the same people that made Zoro's Wado Ichimonji (and now Enma), a family possibly related to Koushiro and Kuina, and even Ryuuma was a Shimotsuki. So just imagine how much Yasu could have talked about with Zoro when they first met! All these details that could have made him feel more like a real character.
Meanwhile all these meaningful subplots poorly handled (especially the ones with the Strawhats), we have Luffy defeating all of Udon's goons one after the other. Remember when I said at the beginning that I would be excited about almost everything? Well, there is a subplot that I actually detest, and that's the Udon subplot. Honestly, I don't have the energy right now to show my hate for this prison and everything that happened there, but it's insane how much time we spent there watching that disaster unfold while the good stuff outside was being rushed.
I'm still hyped about the next acts, but I'm not really happy about the last 30 chapters.
I'm really convinced that the beef between Law and Shinobu is gon be used to dramatize about the actual traitor.
Say the guy who freed Law told him about a snitch along their lines, Law's been probably trying to figure who that is.
Once he does, he comes and attacks instert traitor being cut into pieces by Law
And Shinobu instantly going all out; I knew it!!! You're a dick!!
Then Law calmly explains he attacked X person for betraying the alliance.
Whom I still believe is probably O-kiku.
@.access:
So Franky is actually readying to carry 100,000 people instead of 10,000???
And I don't know if I missed the information on the fan translations, but I am glad Zoro mentioned he never used Sunacchi. The fact it came out of nowhere despite he never using it was something that always bothered me whenever the word was brought up.
Well part of sunnachi is surrender your name
Zoro wanted his name to reach the heavens
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Also franky saying he wants ships for 100,000 is his super attittude. Stephen himself points put the discourse about what makes more sense, is meaningless because its a gag
Emma makes me think of the guy from dragonball. I prefer Shushui aesthetic and name but Enma does offer a more interesting avenue for Zoro since every swing with it is basically training.
I am now hoping that Law and Kidd have met and we'll get to see some interaction between them.
Because at the banquet he kept going off about how they would return according to the prophecy and whatnot. That's not how he would talk if he knew for a fact they are back. I guess he could have learnt that info since, but he definitely couldn't have known when Jack attacked Zou.
Well, when Jack attacked Zou, the one who had the information was Kaidou (because his crew spotted Kinnemon and cia leaving the island), not the traitor. We don't know exactly how much information Orochi and Kaidou share between themselves, because maybe they don't get along very well, so maybe that's why Orochi didn't have proof of the scabbards being back. Actually, even if he already knew everything, he could still be talking about the prophecy and whatever else because he believes in it.
We don't know when this traitor started to feed Orochi with information, or who he is, so we don't know what Orochi knows for sure, but there is no need to assume that Orochi still doesn't know about the scabbards… even more so because Orochi would probably guess that the scabbards were responsible for the rebellion because of the prophecy.
Finally! The end of Act Two! Things are really picking up now, and what an excellent chapter to end on. My only real complaint about the series at the minute has nothing to do with the chapter at all, it's just the way they teased the volume 84 cover in Jump but didn't follow it up with the full reveal on the official website like they normally do after it makes it into the magazine. Where's the cover, Shueisha? You're killing me over here.
The alliance feels 90% ready to go to Onigashima by this point. The army is gathered, the heavy hitters have new toys to play with, the prophecy seems close to fulfilled and everyone's out of the enemy's line of sight (at least until the last page). The only loose end is the samurai imprisoned in the capitol, but I don't think they're likely to stay there long. If I was a betting man I'd say when we cut back for Act Three it'll begin in medias res with an operation to break them out on the evening of the raid, just in time to join the fight. But of course, we're a bit too ready for action right now. The raid is going to go wrong hard and fast after the action starts, because that's just how stories go. Right now, there's not any real sense of tension (anticipation, certainly, because this is going to be a spectacular set piece, but our guys don't feel like they're in real danger going into it) and we haven't yet had our darkest hour.
Franky anticipating such a huge number of soldiers obviously indicates surprise reinforcements at a critical moment, but I don't think it'll be the Grand Fleet, despite Oda's recent comments. I'm still pretty sure their big moment will have something to do with the Reverie rather than Luffy personally, but we'll see. Catviper's arrival, Marco showing up, turncoats from Orochi's people who decide they'd rather support the old dynasty or a full uprising from the commonfolk are more likely to fill those extra ships in my opinion.
Carrot made her first appearance in a while, and to be honest I'm underwhelmed. Getting ready to fight in front of Pedro's grave should be a huge emotional moment, but what's with that expression. She looks so neutral. Not sad. Not particularly determined. There's just not much of anything to read into that face. The march of the red scabbards on the previous page, however, is a beautiful and powerful moment. It's been nearly seven years since Kinemon and the samurai subplot were first introduced, and now it's all coming to a conclusion. The final pages of the chapter make it clear the result of this battle is going to a turning point for the One Piece universe, but really it's a turning point for the manga as well. Almost a decade we've been building to this conflict, so the series can't possibly be the same after it's done.
Law being shown after Orochi gets intel from the traitor is an obvious red herring. I'm inclined to stand by the theories saying its Kanjuro. Just based on who knows what about the plan and what information has been leaked recently and in the past, he makes the most sense. I'm sure he'll have his reasons/redemption arc though.
A final note: funny how it hasn't been explicitly stated yet that Komurasaki and Hyori are the same person. You would almost think there's something to that, but we see in the last page here that Hyori has taken the place of Komurasaki playing the act out. Oda's obviously not trying to hide that they're the same person, so maybe he just thinks its so obvious it doesn't need to be stated. Still, a throwaway "I disguised myself as a courteasan all those years" would be nice just to get it all swept away. Unless there's another twist coming, like Komurasaki is just faking being Hyori or something. I'm probably overthinking things.
Very excited for next week. I'm guessing the intermission will be at most a single chapter, same as last time. I've said elsewhere I don't think we'll be shown the Reverie directly, we'll only get hints of it through newspapers and tangentially related characters hearing news. It's going to be the ultimate long-haul tease until Wano is over and done with.
I don't know what it is about this arc that's keeping me from loving it. I really like it and I don't hate any character, but something isn't clicking with me. Hope Act Three draws me back in.
This chapter ends the second act of Wano, so I should leave my thoughts on the story up to this point.
If Oda suddenly appeared in front of me a year ago telling me his ideas for Wano and showing me all his notebooks, I would be completely excited about almost everything. The story is pretty good overall, the characters from Wano are all interesting, and it's really cool that the alliance had to perform all these logistical tasks in order to fight Kaidou: recruiting people, finding weapons, finding the blueprint of Kaidou's mansion and some other stuff. Not to mention the natural hype of going against Kaidou, a super powerful Yonkou that is behind other interesting parties like Orochi and his subordinates.
Nonetheless, as much as I can praise the story itself, the actual writing was really disappointing to me. Most of the most relevant subplots were completely rushed, not to mention the ones that basically happened offscreen.
Let's just think about Shutenmaru for a second. This character was introduced in the story burdening a conflict against his comrades that disappeared 20 years ago, which is a sentiment that have a lot of potential for good storytelling. However, this entire subplot happened in the dark, with a few pages scattered across many different chapters only to explain the offscreen facts that convinced Shutenmaru to accept Kinnemon again. So what's the point, really? Why should we have this subplot at all if it's just gonna happen offscreen? Oda should have erased this conflict from the story and made Shutenmaru join the alliance from the beginning… or else actually show it.
This may be only one example, but that's my feeling for most of the second act. For example, maybe the most important event that happened was Yusuie's death, which was done fairly well, but the story didn't care at all to introduce him properly before his grandiose execution. He first appeared out of nowhere with Zoro in a scene that consisted of Yasu recalling how they met, which is a shitty way to spare Oda of the trouble of actually showing their first meeting. But that's not the only problem, since we barely spent any time with him after that. Yasuie's only character trait was his constant laughter despite his misery, and yet this behavior was also shared by all citizens from Ebisu Town. And then suddenly Oda decides to show us in one chapter that Yasu is a super loved guy by the people of his town and in the next he is suddenly being crucified by Orochi... what? That escalated far too quickly, and so the death that was supposed to be a meaningful moment lost half of its emotional impact because Yasu was nobody to the readers.
The funny thing is that Yasuie is from the Shimotsuki family, the same people that made Zoro's Wado Ichimonji (and now Enma), a family possibly related to Koushiro and Kuina, and even Ryuuma was a Shimotsuki. So just imagine how much Yasu could have talked about with Zoro when they first met! All these details that could have made him feel more like a real character.
Meanwhile all these meaningful subplots poorly handled (especially the ones with the Strawhats), we have Luffy defeating all of Udon's goons one after the other. Remember when I said at the beginning that I would be excited about almost everything? Well, there is a subplot that I actually detest, and that's the Udon subplot. Honestly, I don't have the energy right now to show my hate for this prison and everything that happened there, but it's insane how much time we spent there watching that disaster unfold while the good stuff outside was being rushed.
I'm still hyped about the next acts, but I'm not really happy about the last 30 chapters.
Totally with you on this. I genuinely think Oda should take another 1~2 break after Wano ends like he did for the timeskip. I think the writing would benefit a lot from Oda soft-resetting (actually, every mangaka should take a month break every year. It's ridiculous when you think those people publish for years non-stop without ever having the right to vacations).
Emma makes me think of the guy from dragonball.
Not a coincidence, Enma is the ruler of "hells" in Budhism. You remember his representation in Dragon Ball, he was also there in Yu Yu Hakusho as Koenma's (literally "Little Enma" or "Enma Jr.") father. Budhism being a popular religion in Japan, Enma is a very common reference/presence in anime.
@.access:
Totally with you on this. I genuinely think Oda should take another 1~2 break after Wano ends like he did for the timeskip. I think the writing would benefit a lot from Oda soft-resetting (actually, every mangaka should take a month break every year. It's ridiculous when you think those people publish for years non-stop without ever having the right to vacations).
I actually think the reason the arc is so weird is because it's Japon. It is dreched in many aspects that I believe would connect with his compatriots but not so much to people outside the culture. He's not failing at being classic Oda he's to be different to truly get the feel of his culture and things that appeal to him.
Not a coincidence, Enma is the ruler of "hells" in Budhism. You remember his representation in Dragon Ball, he was also there in Yu Yu Hakusho as Koenma's (literally "Little Enma" or "Enma Jr.") father. Budhism being a popular religion in Japan, Enma is a very common reference/presence in anime.
I knew Enma was connected to the afterlife and Toriyama didn't invent him but I didn't know he was connected to hells specifically(or that there's several). Is the other sword name connecte to a heaven ruler or something similar?
If forging a blade black can increase its rank, then what is the rank of a Supreme Grade blade (like Whitebeard's Murakomugiri for example) after it's forged black?
Would it basically be considered Supreme Grade "plus" or would that create an entirely new rank that doesn't officialy exist yet (which would contradict the term "supreme" though) because either no one has ever achieved this feat yet or it happened only very recently compared to when this grade system was first established, potentially hundreds of years ago?
I bring this up because I wonder what grade Mihawk's sword Yoru was before he forged it black, Great or Supreme?
I'd like to think the latter is true. After all he is the strongest swordsman in the world, it would be appropriate for him to have the strongest blade. And according to him, that is indeed the case.
[HIDE][/HIDE]
A few more random questions out of many:
Regarding Shimotsuki Kozaburo, was he also the one who brought Sandai Kitetsu to the East Blue? If so, how and why? Was it taken from Hitetsu or did he give it away voluntarily? And how exactly did it end up in Ipponmatsu's shop? Is he also a descendant from Wano?
Now that it's almost confirmed that Koshiro and Kuina are Shimotsuki's, are we going to find out that Tashigi is one as well and that's why she looks like Kuina?
I think this next act might reveal more about cursed blades, Kokeshi dolls, PG, each clan's importance, etc as they dig deeper into Wano lore. We learned a bit about black blades and graded swords. Zoro tested his luck against Sandai and he won. Maybe Nidai is a whole different monster. When Luffy took it, Kaido almost killed half the crew and he ended up in Udon after a big L. Keep in mind that Luffy's luck is supposed to be top tier in the series. Maybe Luffy getting Nidai served that purpose as well
The biggest and most critical problem with this arc is simply that Oda bit more than he could chew building it up. This is an arc that culminates half of a saga; a quarter of the entire series ends here. And it's obvious that he's being rushed through it – be it from outside sources or himself (as well he should be; OP can't last another decade). He's introduced so many main and secondary and tertiary and background characters for it that they're overflowing and it's impossible to give them a satisfying story with the allotted time they get. Just think of characters like Kanjuro.. has that guy said more than 3 words this whole arc?
This next lil "act" is gonna be either the best thing OP has had or the biggest trainwreck yet. No middle sliders here.
Chapter comparisons to close out Act 2.
A note + thoughts from me: all three translations have Hitetsu state that, if Zoro turns Enma black, that'll raise its "rank". That doesn't strike me, though, as saying that that would move it from the "21 Excellent Grade" to the "12 Supreme Grade"; I feel like he'd need to say that turning Enma black would "raise its grade" to have that meaning. Plus, otherwise you'd think there wouldn't be a set number of Skillful/Excellent/Supreme Grade swords if turning a blade black changed it from one to another. I'm guessing that, even in the same Grade, there are some swords that are "better" or more prestigious/strong than others (and Enma seems to be one such), so they're even "ranked" compared to each other, and so if Zoro turns Enma black, it'll be an even more prized and special Excellent Grade sword than it already is.
I think Oda/editors might have fucked it up. The size of Luffy's fist seems to be too small for King Kong Gun.
The fact that he's still ok (doesn't fall out of G4) and doesn't have to increase the size of his arm (if it's not a mistake) after performing King Kong Gun should be taken into consideration
Yeah this making it black upgrading the rank is strange.
WBs Bisento isn't black so what will happen if it turns black ?
Because it's not necessary. He didn't take the time to show it because he's never done so before in the first place. And I know you earlier snarked a bit that Oda made space to show off the secondary characters/civilians, but my stance is that that was more important to show and set the tone for this chapter. Namely the juxtaposition between their lack of hope and the Scabbards marching onwards looking very determined, I thought that was well done, and preferable to basic training panels from the others that we don't actually need to see. Only Luffy and to a lesser extent Zoro have a specific thing they're training towards achieving in those last few days before the festival.
I'm arguing he's being sidelined because Oda doesn't take time to show him, or to spend as much time on his perspective as he does on Luffy's and Zoro's. Well that goes for most of Strawhats here. Oda is focusing on these new characters and in the process SH have become almost secondary characters in their own damn story.
But seriously, something like him simply staring at his cannister would've satisfied you? From what I've seen, you've made it clear that you harbor a (understandable) negative bias towards the character, and I frankly don't feel like anything less than a proper full-fledged fight would do the trick for you anyhow. Otherwise I don't see why you need to nitpick him not training, when again, he's literally never done so before.
I feel like you're stubbornly refusing to understand what I'm saying. Don't have negative bias toward Sanji. Sanji is a fictional character. My problem is Oda sidelining him and others in favor of new characters. Well of course I want Sanji to have an epic fight. Fights are a big part of One Piece. Most of important characters are strong fighters.
If this arc so far only had Zoro and Luffy gain power ups at this point in time, where Sanji didn't have his new raid suit, I'd completely agree with your cynical assertion that Oda's perception of him has clearly changed. But that isn't what happened, not to mention we just came off an Sanji-centered arc where Luffy went to go and retrieve him in part due to needing his strength for the upcoming war.
Luffy - went all out on Kaido, lost badly, got imprisoned, started focusing on learning new skill, met a man who could help him develop it, proceeds to spend all his time perfecting it so he can have a fighting chance
Zoro - got in couple skirmishes, gets in a fight with a weapon collector, fights to save on of central characters in this arc, gets wounded, heals, observes an execution, gets emotional, has a skirmish with one of central characters in this arc, escapes with one of central characters in this arc, fights some more, loses one of his swords, gets a new sword, trains to use it better for a coming battle. Oh right, turns out Zoro's origins might be in Wano as well, and he's now using the sword his potential ancestor made…
Sanji - gets a raid suit from his villainous family which he despises, promises never to use it, gets into a jam where he needs to hide his face and, instead of using any piece of cloth to hide his face, he uses the suit which he happened to be carrying with him all the time despite saying he'll never use it. But it's kinda cool because he can turn invisible and it helps his dream of being a stalker...
Which of these was most lazily handled in your opinion?
So much potential to show off Sanji's new skills, especially from someone as imaginative as Oda, and he ends up resorting to a stat boosting suit.
As for Sanji having competition, I'm really not worried.
Well I am. Apart from Luffy and Zoro hogging all the glory, we have rest of the Strawhats, we have 9 Scabbards, Law, rest of Supernova which might swing either way, potential Jinbe and Marco appearances…
Again, I disagree with your argument because we just came off of WCI, an arc centered around Sanji, and the fact that alongside Luffy and Zoro, Sanji has received his own respective power up, making it clear Oda hasn't forgotten about Sanji. Hell, this supposedly sidelined character has done enough already to have also gained his own reputation in Wano, his being "Soba Mask". You may disagree with the execution of some things like the raid suit, or bemoan the fact that Zoro overall does indeed have a bigger role this arc, but at the end of the day, that is not the same thing as being actually sidelined. We're just not going to agree on that. Also the way you describe what Sanji has done so far in this arc is exactly what I'm talking about when I say you have a noticeable negative bias towards the character lol
Well either way, there's nothing else left to say really, agree to disagree and all that.
actually, to be more accurate, all the monster trio only having their own power up when they landed here at wano.
but theres still possibility that sanji might not using the raid suit during battle in this arc. because he doesn't need to hide his face anymore.
and lastly, sanji raid suit specialty is invisibility aside from bullet proof and speed. means, no 'power up' actually for sanji for this arc yet.
Again, I disagree with your argument because we just came off of WCI, an arc centered around Sanji, and the fact that alongside Luffy and Zoro, Sanji has received his own respective power up, making it clear Oda hasn't forgotten about Sanji. Hell, this supposedly sidelined character has done enough already to have also gained his own reputation in Wano, his being "Soba Mask". You may disagree with the execution of some things like the raid suit, or bemoan the fact that Zoro overall does indeed have a bigger role this arc, but at the end of the day, that is not the same thing as being actually sidelined. We're just not going to agree on that. Also the way you describe what Sanji has done so far in this arc is exactly what I'm talking about when I say you have a noticeable negative bias towards the character lol
Well either way, there's nothing else left to say really, agree to disagree and all that.
An arc centered around Sanji in which his greatest feat was baking a cake and the most beating he gave was towards his own captain. WCI left much to be desired, especially where Sanji is concerned.
Again with that noticeable negative bias crap… Acknowledging an author has been doing a piss poor job with a character is not a negative bias.
and lastly, sanji raid suit specialty is invisibility aside from bullet proof and speed. means, no 'power up' actually for sanji for this arc yet.
This is misinformation. It's already been established in WCI that the raid suit also enhances you physically. Germa 66 bemoaned the fact that they weren't able to match up to the BM Pirates without their suits right as they were about to be murdered. Then once they put it on, we see that they were then clearly able to pose a threat. Even before that, in Chapter 833, the Germa soldiers comment on Sanji's strength, remarking how tough he is despite not having a raid suit on. Even taking the Soba Mask chapter in isolation, it clearly increased his durability as he barely felt Page One's attack.
why need such hate towards oda storyline?
of course there's reason and story build up within the said arc to another arc.
An arc centered around Sanji in which his greatest feat was baking a cake and the most beating he gave was towards his own captain. WCI left much to be desired, especially where Sanji is concerned.
Again with that noticeable negative bias crap… Acknowledging an author has been doing a piss poor job with a character is not a negative bias.
But WCI was also an arc where every single character kept going on and on about how great Sanji is and the guy that criticizes him (Judge) gets consistently humilliated for it. Seriously, that arc was basically Oda giving the middle finger to anyone that has ever talked crap about Sanji in a borderline vindictive way.
You can dislike the way it was handled, but saying things like the author doesn't care about Sanji or has it out for him after that is honestly ridiculous.
This is misinformation. It's already been established in WCI that the raid suit also enhances you physically. Germa 66 bemoaned the fact that they weren't able to match up to the BM Pirates without their suits right as they were about to be murdered. Then once they put it on, we see that they were then clearly able to pose a threat. Even before that, in Chapter 833, the Germa soldiers comment on Sanji's strength, remarking how tough he is despite not having a raid suit on. Even taking the Soba Mask chapter in isolation, it clearly increased his durability as he barely felt Page One's attack.
is that the reason sanji able to damaging yonji because yonji did not put raid suit and physically, without suit, sanji is stronger than any of his siblings?