Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara
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I now have a theory. The name of the ancient kingdom is One Piece. It may not be far fetched any more...
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Ohara won. There's nothing to add.
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Yeah, I don’t think Saul being alive ruins Robin’s story, like how some say Pell ruined Vivi’s story. Clover was pretty much Robin’s “Shanks figure” that she bonded with enough to realize a common interest/dream and be her catalyst to sail after they died and tried carrying on their will. Saul’s fate, although also meaningful, doesn’t really change that either way.
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The revolutionaries are lucky the WG is so incredibly stupid
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@wolfwood said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
The revolutionaries are lucky the WG is so incredibly stupid
Team Alzheimer blasts off at the speed of light!
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I wonder if a previous user of the Ope Ope fruit helped with Vegapunk's operation, given that his bodies are still interconnected and his head is open.
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@wolfwood said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
The revolutionaries are lucky the WG is so incredibly stupid
I get the feeling that the Elders assumed the books were destroyed in the blast so much so that they didn’t even bother to ask the Marines about them, and likewise the Marines didn’t bother asking about the books either since they must have figured the water would just rot them all away despite knowing the scholars threw them out of the windows.
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I don't think Saul being alive ruins Robin's story, still not sure if I like it, though. Depends how his story goes I guess, if he is the man with the burn scar that's already intriguing.
I'm also a little biased regarding his survival cause I really disliked the theory about him being alive cause it was mainly based on something that's just not true. ("Ice Time Capsule" is the attack Kuzan uses to immobilize Saul (chapter 397, p 13), the attack he uses to 'kill' him is "Ice Time" (page 15). He uses that attack vs Luffy for example. Of course Luffy survived it as well, and the Island being literally on fire makes it entirely possible that the ice melted and he survived. But I don't like that the Ice Time Capsule people turned out to be right about his survival.Other than that, 10/10 chapter.
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@cavendishsama said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
I don't think Saul being alive ruins Robin's story, still not sure if I like it, though. Depends how his story goes I guess, if he is the man with the burn scar that's already intriguing.
I'm also a little biased regarding his survival cause I really disliked the theory about him being alive cause it was mainly based on something that's just not true. ("Ice Time Capsule" is the attack Kuzan uses to immobilize Saul (chapter 397, p 13), the attack he uses to 'kill' him is "Ice Time" (page 15). He uses that attack vs Luffy for example. Of course Luffy survived it as well, and the Island being literally on fire makes it entirely possible that the ice melted and he survived. But I don't like that the Ice Time Capsule people turned out to be right about his survival.Other than that, 10/10 chapter.
I suppose issue could be taken with the idea of “Well if Saul could survive, then why not Olvia and Clover? Why couldn’t Saul just pick them up and run out of there?” But I guess that will be answered too.
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@electricmastro I mean they could be alive if Oda really wants it, tho I hope not, but the tree and most of the interior of the island is already on fire before Kuzan even freezes Saul, by the time he got thawed they might already have been dead. Both were also injured even before the Buster Call (Clover was shot and Olvia got Fingerpistol'd.)
What I'm more curious about is Saul's connection to Elbaf, since he previously made it seem like he wasn't from there.
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@cavendishsama said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
@electricmastro I mean they could be alive if Oda really wants it, tho I hope not, but the tree and most of the interior of the island is already on fire before Kuzan even freezes Saul, by the time he got thawed they might already have been dead. Both were also injured even before the Buster Call (Clover was shot and Olvia got Fingerpistol'd.)
What I'm more curious about is Saul's connection to Elbaf, since he previously made it seem like he wasn't from there.
Not sure what good it would do to the story to bring Clover, Olvia, and the others back like that. Robin’s catalyst for sailing the seas just wouldn’t feel as strong at that point.
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Vegapunk can probably read the ancient language and knows the name of the kingdom.
@cavendishsama said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
What I'm more curious about is Saul's connection to Elbaf, since he previously made it seem like he wasn't from there.
I think the main reason he went to Elbaf is simply because it's the best place to hide from the government. It's the most powerful nation in the world and he would stick out too much in other places.
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Some appropriate scripture for my WG bros out there
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Just bolting in to say that Stephen's translation is waaaaay better in conveying info than all fanslations I've read of this chapter.
Robin chapter = a victory of the people. Love it to bits to see her ugly crying.
Oda's hand was kinda heavy on Gifters when drawing fb!Stella, but nowadays design just hit the mark. Yes, Einstein was a low hanging fruit, but he delivered it in a fun way.
I'm inocuous to Saul rn, want to see where Oda is heading with him.
More Dragon is good in my book. He's so secretive that I can't help but expect some major fuck up in his organization due to it. WG must have a rival even in that lane...
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@puffing-cinema said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
Just bolting in to say that Stephen's translation is waaaaay better in conveying info than all fanslations I've read of this chapter.
Robin chapter = a victory of the people. Love it to bits to see her ugly crying.
Oda's hand was kinda heavy on Gifters when drawing fb!Stella, but nowadays design just hit the mark. Yes, Einstein was a low hanging fruit, but he delivered it in a fun way.
I'm inocuous to Saul rn, want to see where Oda is heading with him.
More Dragon is good in my book. He's so secretive that I can't help but expect some major fuck up in his organization due to it. WG must have a rival even in that lane...
Ah, it was always Ohara’s win since Robin and it’s knowledge lived on. All the more so since Saul did too!
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I think Saul being alive works quite well. Some really satisfying payoff imo. It's one fake-out death that actually works. The will of Ohara lives on. :') a very nice chapter.
The only downside is that I feel like the WG keeps coming off as...not as efficient as they used to appear.
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I'm gonna stay out of the flashback stuff and just say it doesn't really matter much to me. It gives us some legitimate stuff to look forward to come Elbaf instead of just speculations, but that's future stuff.
Shaka honestly comes across as pretty suspicious to me. It feels like he's just reciting facts from his databanks that he knows will immediately make Robin trust him rather than actually have strong feelings on the topic. Guess we'll have to see what Shaka wants to show them, but my guess is it'll be some historic stuff he needs Robin's help translating.
As expected, Luffy immediately stumbles upon a source that's gonna tell him the "real issues" going on here. OG Vegapunk looks great, and he's immediately displaying the eccentric somewhat unhinged personality I'd expect from someone who split his brain off into 6 other "efficient" bodies. Seeing how friendly he comes across makes him seem immediately trustworthy, so it should be interesting to see how the interaction with Bonney is gonna go.
I'm speculating that OG Punk is gonna tell us Kuma's mind can be saved, but some of the other 6 are against saving a criminal and it's gonna turn into a Vegapunk civil war. It'd probably be the most logical way to get control of the Seraphims passed on to the Government and removed from the Vegapunks too.
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This is a sweet, feel good chapter that might finally help me heal my burnout of Wano. Heck, it's a payoff I never even knew we were going to get. Ohara and the Ancient Kingdom were always going to get expanded on, but to find out that it's tied to Vegapunk, Drangon, and a revived Saul is a lot to take in. This was a high value chapter.
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@onemoment said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
This is a sweet, feel good chapter that might finally help me heal my burnout of Wano. Heck, it's a payoff I never even knew we were going to get. Ohara and the Ancient Kingdom were always going to get expanded on, but to find out that it's tied to Vegapunk, Drangon, and a revived Saul is a lot to take in. This was a high value chapter.
Actually, since Egghead is basically a break, like Chapter 1057 mentioned, I suppose even Oda was wanting to move other things along before getting back to Wano stuff. lol
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@El-Matematico said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
I wonder if a previous user of the Ope Ope fruit helped with Vegapunk's operation, given that his bodies are still interconnected and his head is open.
That's very unlikely. It looks like Vegapunk still had his big head when Caesar blew up Punk Hazard, and by the time that happened Law already had the Ope Ope Fruit.
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At this point I think it's safe to say all the brainwashing from hypnosis that moon-rabbit is clearly using has deteriorated the ability of anyone in the WG's to think for themselves.
Either that or inbreeding is contagious like Covid and the Celestial Dragons have gotten everyone sick from it through mere exposure (the bubble heads were a half-assed attempted at masking.)
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I think the soldiers reported the finding if the books to Kuzan who didn't tell anyone else as a favor to Saul, so it was brushed aside.
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Wonderful chapter! I got goosebumps when I read the chapter title, because I did not anticipate Ohara figuring into things so strongly. I mean, obviously Ohara being obliterated by the WG for their knowledge was always a big thing, but seeing it tied into the plots of several different characters, particularly it being the incident that drove Dragon into creating the Revolutionary Army, is some awesome wordbuilding. That's how you create a fictional world that really feels alive. The purpose of Ohara's story wasn't just to provide Robin with an emotional backstory and to hint at the secrets of the WG, it impacted the One Piece world and the people who live in it in several different ways.
But while of this is fascinating to learn, the chapter wouldn't be as effective or engaging if it wasn't all centered on Robin and her emotional reactions to what she is hearing. Robin really is such a great character. Due to her overall quiet and subdued personality, she can sometimes disappear into the background when the more zany and extroverted Strawhats are around, but whenever she gets some focus, it's always really good and I love what Oda has been doing with her lately. Very much appreciated!
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I complain about Vegapunk unloading info for no reason and get a reason for it. That's nice.
Really liked this chapter. I've wanted straw hat focused content and this is exactly it. Saul being alive is surprisingly okay. Robin's been through so much already and it makes me even more hyped for Elbaf. The connections between Dragon, Vegapunk and Clover are all nice. Love, love, love that Ohara was what led to the creation of the revolutionaties.
I dig Vegapunk's old man design too. All the Punks have been good so far but THIS is what I expected. It's surreal that we're finally meeting this character. How many years has it been.
On to the obligatory nitpicks:
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Really Dragon, you didn't mention any of this to Robin? Jerk.
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The WG wants to keep a secret so bad they obliterate an island and all civilians, but don't bother to send in an experienced clean-up crew to snuff out any places the scholars might've hidden knowledge? C'mon.
I hope at least the last point gets expanded upon. Maybe Kuzan was sent to check up on the place and made a false report out of spite.
But the good outweighted the bad by a huge margin. Wish it was all paced better, but for a weekly chapter I can't be happier. So glad to see Robin finally get some happiness.
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Clover being a pirate kinda suprised me. Not saying i don't love lt. Just suprised me
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Honestly, everything Oda has done with Clover reminds me of how underdevloped Olvia was and how much improved she would have been if you gave the stuff he does to her. She should have been the one to give the big explanation to the Elders because we knew she had been outside studying history (and we didn't know he did at the time, just that he was an armchair historian) with the bombshell being her more recent finding was learning the Ancient Kingdom's name. Same could be said here. Granted Dragon knowing Robin's mom and not bringing it up is it's own can of worms but... only in degree instead of kind.
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I still dunno if I like the idea of Saul actually being alive...on one hand it's a treat to see Robin so happy, and maybe years of following this series has numbed me to the idea of ever having people die....but it comes with this "have my cake and eat it too" kinda of thinking. Granted being frozen by a reluctant friend /=/ being shot by a malicious enemy, but at the time, even when Pell living was a thing(?) were people guessing he'd survive all this time later?
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The hits just keep on coming. And I thought the last chapter's talk of the Ancient Kingdom's technology was a big one, but this week blows it out of the water. The story really is pulling together now.
The Water Seven Saga remains my favourite part of this story, even after all these years, and Robin's flashback building up to her "I want to live" scene is one of its greatest highlights, so it warms my heart to see Ohara and its legacy made so central to the current plot. Despite what some around the internet are saying, it's pretty reasonable that both Saul and Ohara's books would survive. Robin and Vegapunk make it clear this week that it takes exhaustive study of historical reference material from around the world to piece together than the Ancient Kingdom existed and was erased from history. No one book from the massive library they'd compiled was illegal or worthy of destruction. You can imagine the method of research involved hours of poring over texts and comparing records for inconsistencies that could only be explained by a coverup. All the things there that were specifically against the rules were the texts that related directly to the Poneglyphs in the underground chamber - and you can look back to the flashback and see that those are what the Navy was told to seek out and destroy.
It's easy to imagine the Navy men checking out the island after seeing the lakebed pile of books, including even popular texts like Brag Men, thinking about how quickly they would degrade underwater, and calling it a day, having been told that objectionable material was burned first in the secret room. It's not suspicious that the scholars would try to save the rest - these are still cultural materials for countless nations that have self-evident value even if you couldn't piece together the existence of the Ancient Kingdom with them.
We finally learn a tiny little bit more about the conflict of the Void Century. It's been a given since Ohara that the Ancient Kingdom was annihilated by the World Government, but for the first time here we have the implication that the century was a protracted war rather than a one-sided genocide. We also learn that the World Government's motives are more to do with erasing the Ancient Kingdom's ideology than covering up their own crimes, as I had previously assumed. So the next burning question becomes what ideology did this kingdom have that the WG found so objectionable. It would have to be something that would resonate with Luffy and Roger too, I think. So big on freedom, liberty, and worldwide parties.
This also makes me all the more curious about the line from Oden's flashback that lives rent-free in my head: "It's not the weapons we're after, it's the people who called them weapons." Maybe we assume now that the Ancient Weapons predate the Ancient Kingdom and it was the war that forced one side or the other to weaponise them.
Saul's survival, while something I would have bet against a week ago, does make sense considering who "killed" him and how. It was theorised for years. I'm not expecting any other revivals from Ohara though. Olvia and Clover were both inside the burning Tree of Knowledge when it collapsed, and with no way to get off the island alone, Saul must have remained frozen until long after the fires died down and the Navy did that final inspection in which they glimpsed the lakebed pile of books.
And hey, meeting Saul again should be fun. It'll be a good Robin moment, and his connections with Elbaf and the other giants are going to be interesting to explore. How'd he end up in the Navy? Was he one of Caramel's trafficked giant kids like John Giant? The (now-totally inevitable) Elbaf arc will be fun.
The first half of the chapter alone could have satisfied me for a week, but then we keep going with the young Vegapunk and a cameo from Dragon. Punk's design is a certified Oda classic, while Dragon seems to have had a pair of pants he liked so much he got their design as a tattoo. Or maybe it's a legband with some other meaning, a symbol of the Freedom Fighters perhaps. I'm not sure where to sit on Vegapunk morally, knowing he put the money it would take fully capitalise on his ideas ahead of opposing the tyrannical World Government. But on the other hand, he's obviously kept in touch with Dragon and still shares his sentiments, and the efforts to reach reasonable voices within the organisation are admirable (if a tad misguided inside a hegemony where those people won't ever get to be decision-makers).
I love that Ohara turns out to be the spark that ignited the Revolutionary Army. I think the original flashback was one of One Piece's darkest scenes, and is the moment I think the series well and truly gets political. We're told in the flashback that the World Government was looking for an excuse to connect Ohara to Poneglyph research so they could make an example of them, and it certainly seems like their efforts had that impact, both in and out of universe.
I'll be curious, when we get to Dragon, to learn more about the Freedom Fighters and what it was about them that fell short of what he needed to oppose the World Government, and how the Revolutionaries differ.
Robin's face when she connects the dots that Saul made it out gives me great joy. To repeat myself, Elbaf's gonna be something else. And still Vegapunk has more to show us...
The final scene is a light and funny introduction to the main body. The perfect follow-up to seeing Vegapunk's absurd head in the past is seeing that it was apparently sectioned off to make his clone squad. The absurdity of this guy. But the fact that he showed up in an apparent warping experiment is pretty concerning. That would be a rough one for the World Government to get their hands on, especially with the new Seraphim to drop instantly anywhere around the world. But it could also be setup for the Strawhats method of getting everywhere they'll need to go before the final battle in a reasonable timeframe. Or it could be another one of those things that still doesn't work outside Egghead's controlled environment, and I'm overthinking it all. Still one to keep an eye on.
I've got nothing else to say. This is exactly the kind of lore and big reveals I've been hoping for in a One Piece finale. My hopes for next week are through the freaking roof here.
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Passing through walls. Passing through rusty robo kun. VP probably uses a similar tactic to experiment with DF. If Wano follows old ways, it can explain how Bunbuku exist in an isolated country. Another basis would be Brook's soul passing through his body or even his control of that practice. His guitar and sword are capable of letting off similar energy through his use anyway.
Distortion in time is why Newton question why apples fall straight down and Albert followed that up with mass finding the shortest path and that it curves spacetime. What would cause a DF to behave the same once the user dies? Same as Brook's soul leaving the body as he dies due to his DF. but had to search for a long time.
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So, the final Road Poneglyph is on Elbaf then?
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Saul being alive is probably the first time in the series that a fake out death worked extremely well and perfectly served the narrative. It's the type that when you go back and read, you're instantly aware of how plausible it is. I have no problem with him not reaching out to Robin afterwards, given how volatile her business relationships have been and how much of a fugitive he would be if the WG knows he was still alive.
Oh, and Vegapunk's design is absolutely a banger. The past version of him is completely absurd and the present version is the Einstein payoff that only Oda could have come up with. Just absolutely smashing shite.
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@andre said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
Saul being alive is probably the first time in the series that a fake out death worked extremely well and perfectly served the narrative. It's the type that when you go back and read, you're instantly aware of how plausible it is. I have no problem with him not reaching out to Robin afterwards, given how volatile her business relationships have been and how much of a fugitive he would be if the WG knows he was still alive.
Oh, and Vegapunk's design is absolutely a banger. The past version of him is completely absurd and the present version is the Einstein payoff that only Oda could have come up with. Just absolutely smashing shite.
Then again, it could turn out that Pell lived specifically to combat against Cobra's killer. Hmm...
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Oda is going no-holds-barred on character design this arc.
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@Satsuki said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
Oda is going no-holds-barred on character design this arc.
Agreed.
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@Bugs There's still a plot thread that the flashback doesn't really answer about her. We know Spandine wanted to bring her alive because he needed to ask her "something" only she knew about.
Not sure if it's gonna be picked up, but considering Oda remembered those books at all probably means the flashback is still fresh on his mind.
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@King-Cannon said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
considering Oda remembered those books at all
As if to say it was certain the books would never be remembered and brought up again?
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@wolfwood Chapter says he was an adventurer a la Pedro and Noland.
Not that it matters for the WG. You seek history. Boom. You're a pirate now. We don't make the rules, except when we do.
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I like the the idea that Vegapunk split his brain into 6 or 7 to make his different bodies. Him being so smart that 1/7 of him is still a genius is really cool.
Dragon becoming a revolutionary because of an atrocity by the government rather then some secret from the past is something I like much more.
The Robin scene was visually emotional.
If you burning a whole island to kill a couple dozen scholars. You not gonna get lazy about the collection of work the scholars leave behind. You'd collect or destroy them.
I dont like flashback character coming back alive in the first place. But one from before the timeskip makes it more annoying. If the rules changed then fine. But leave the pre timeskip stuff alone.
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@wolfwood said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
Clover being a pirate kinda suprised me. Not saying i don't love lt. Just suprised me
In this world every good guy seem to have pirate at some point. Its a rite of passage. Establish your commitment to freedom.
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He wanted to bring her back alive because he wanted to know where Saul was, that's all there is to it
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Honestly, Vegapunk looking foolish like this is one of the moments where I really feel applauding to Oda and say "you still got it". I mean it's not the first time that we get a reveal like this where he toys with our expectations, but this huge head is just so otherworldly I never saw it comming and yet when it happened the only thing I could say in approval is "of course!" Liked that a lot.
Also I like Vegapunks info dump actually serving a purpose, which is he himself wanting his hypothesis confirmed. That's good storytelling.
What I didn't like so much is that Saul is alive. It's just personal preference. It's not the first time in storytelling that a long believed to be dead important person comes back. But it just has this TV drama flair to it that I personally don't like seeing it. But at least it's not something that's impossible. As a matter of fact, I will have to give props to whoever it was back in the day who was arguing that Saul might be still alive because the ice most likely has molten in a country that's set ablaze. Don't know who that was but Sir/Man hat's off to you. You were right.
@King-Cannon said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
@Bugs There's still a plot thread that the flashback doesn't really answer about her. We know Spandine wanted to bring her alive because he needed to ask her "something" only she knew about.
I'm quite sure that Spandain just wanted to ask her about Saul's whereabouts since they both escaped together. But once he revealed his presence at Ohara to everyone by attacking the battleships that mission became pointless. It's been a while since I've read this but I'm quite sure that that's what it was about.
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Oops, it seems Bugs already covered that one. :) -
Amazing chapter. I legit cried a little. So much lore and pieces being tied together. I never realized until this moment that Oda had subtly tied Sanji into caring at least a little about the Revos due to knowing Icanokov for two years... even if he never knew that fact. Neat!
So, Saul "died" in chapter 397, (in a flashback no less!) in 2006.
669 chapters and 16 years later, that's certainly the new record. The old record that was held by Mister 9 , who died in 103 and came back in 632 after 12 years, and easily eclipses Bellamy's second place 303-704 for 10 years.
Monet and Vergo were finally starting to approach the record, having "died" in 694 and at nine years currently, but I think they have till the end of the series now if Oda remains even remotely within his hoped timeframe. And Pedro and Pekoms REALLY have time to spare.
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I instantly wanted a Luffy, Chopper, and Vegapunk adventure as soon as I saw them blasting off... Two adventurous kids who happen to be zoans with the mad scientist... Just pure fun.
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@danie said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
I instantly wanted a Luffy, Chopper, and Vegapunk adventure as soon as I saw them blasting off... Two adventurous kids who happen to be zoans with the mad scientist... Just pure fun.
Franky being left out of the fun once again. >:(
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@electricmastro Err, Franky is fine with Shaka... Leave the fooling around to the adventurous kids and the zany scientist.
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@wolfwood said in Chapter 1066: The Will of Ohara:
The revolutionaries are lucky the WG is so incredibly stupid
It's not avengers level of stupid with thanos shooting down the avengers base and everyone survives or stormtroopers can't aim, but I guess it's the price to pay for villains saved later on, if they played it smart nika would not get out of paradise.
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Saul is a D, right?
Would that explain why he survived?
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i think it is more linked to the fact he is a giant than a D.
I'm in the team that is not bothered by the fact he is not dead. I have reread Robin's flashback last chapter after this one and knowing he is not dead has not diminished my appreciation of the scene. The message he sends to Robin is still strong and I'm rather happy they will see each other again soon.
It seems we have yet a lot of explanations to get and we are just at the beginning of the revelations.
I wonder what is the mysterious machine Shaka talk about. Will he explain what is the history of Egghead island. Did he come here after reading from the island from one of Ohara's book ?
Also, I hope we will learn of Kuma soon so that Franky and Bonney can understand what happened.