Chapter 423 "Mermaid Legend" Discussion

[Pipboy]

Kami-e form is a speed form. Given that during gear 2 luffy was out speeding lucchi, this is a counter to that possibilty. OF course there are tradeoffs, chances are the Speed Form can't take as much damage, so when luffy hits him with a finisher it will stick.

On an related note I was hoping for this sort of thing from the moment I saw the spotting on Lucchi's shoulders when he landed on the mast coming out of leopard mode. Now that he and luffy are physically shaped the same and fast we cann expect a blazing finish.

Oh and… .... I don't say this often but damn Lucchi is a badass. His ass is so bad it has its own ass, which is itself bad. I am amazed that Oda can do such a thing as make Chew toy versus leopard god convincing.

[Voodzik]

Forget 4kids, man.

Alright, still not happy that the man who looked like the most likely contender to fight Usopp is gone, and so easily too. Come on Oda, Usopp needs his moment!

As for Kokoro,I loved her mer-form. As little as I like seeing that much of her body, we've seen frieks galore before, it's no worse than Blackbeard's open shirt (THE HAIR! THE HAIR!)

[sabret00the]

@Selph:

I see so with Life Returns he can manipulate his devil fruit forms making him slimmer/more muscular. This new "Kami-e Form" will prove to be very hard I presume. But what I have learned, that whenever the main villains pull out a new weapon (Arlong's Sword, Croc's knife under the hook, Enel's god-form and now Lucci's Kami-e Form) Luffy gets rid of them as fast as he can. So yeah, next chapter we will see the fall of Rob Lucci, the bloodthirsty warrior. The chapter will probably end with the new trick so the chapter after that should be Enies Lobby: Getaway and the VAs' reactions.

You make a very good point there Selph, i actually forgot about that, though with Enel, Crocodile and Arlong, those were moves of desperation, with Lucci, it was just that he wanted to savour the kill.

[theinvisibleworm]

Am I misreading the part where Franky says to forget the escort ship, and that he'll 'make' their escape route?

I'd say that while Lucci thought he was just savouring the kill, his new style came right before we were made aware of how severe his injuries from that hit in gear third were.

[ITSALION]

@GODA_8000:

I know I'm looking way too far into this but I wonder how 4kids deals with Kokoro mermaid form.:wassat:

al Kahn will edit it out completely, and superimpose Kokoro's head on a dachsund.

[myogatheflea]

@theinvisibleworm:

Am I misreading the part where Franky says to forget the escort ship, and that he'll 'make' their escape route?

Refering to this:

@ooshi78:

franky: i'm a man who's died once before. if the strawhats can leave here alive, i don't mind throwing my life again!!!
franky: give up the escort ship–--------!! i'll make their escape route!!!

He's saying that to all to the marines…and it is the pwnage.

[Elric]

I am sorry for funk freed, the scene reminds me of poor MooMoo getting mistreated at arlong park.One must inform animal welfare about One Piece.

Department for weapon-zoan fusions and sea cows^^

@Pipboy:

Oh and… .... I don't say this often but damn Lucchi is a badass. His ass is so bad it has its own ass, which is itself bad.

True.I would be surprised if we were to see a more accomplished, robust and persistent martial artist in the near future in action.

[Caracal]

@rusashi:

Gear 2nd finishing move would suffice, Gomu Gomu no Jet Storm ftw.

I so want to see Jet Storm.

I love the twist on Gear 3, making the chibi form we saw earlier and mistook for Gear 3 as mearly the end result of using the form. Excellent writting on Oda's part.

As for Kokoro….

.....

Moving on, at one point in the chapter I actually though Franky might die at some point soon, at least based around what he said. Of course this is unlikely but if Oda were to do that, I wouldn't be as surprised as a result.

And I wonder if the Vivi spread is a sign she'll return soon. fingers crossed

@Voodzik:

Alright, still not happy that the man who looked like the most likely contender to fight Usopp is gone, and so easily too. Come on Oda, Usopp needs his moment

Agreed.

[Pipboy]

Frankly thats one edit I can live with.

[Juicy]

Finally Lucci is finally showing some weakening and Luffy has a time of it in his chibi form. All I can say about mermaid Kokero is if 4Kids gets to the Enies Lobby arc I WOULD DEFINATLY NOT MIND IF HER CLEAVAGE IS EDITED.

[myogatheflea]

@Caracal:

I actually thought Franky might die at some point soon, at least based around what he said. Of course this is unlikely but if Oda were to do that, I wouldn't be as surprised as a result.

I would. Franky is just basically saying he would die for the Straw-Hats because they helped him utterly defeat the man that destroyed his life.

Plus, bringing his family to Enies Lobby and freeing him…then the whole Nico Robin and Usopp thing...

[sabret00the]

@Pipboy:

Kami-e form is a speed form. Given that during gear 2 luffy was out speeding lucchi, this is a counter to that possibilty. OF course there are tradeoffs, chances are the Speed Form can't take as much damage, so when luffy hits him with a finisher it will stick.

it does seem the logical conclusion given the name and all.

[ModernRomeo]

Am I the only person who thinks Robin will actually fulfill her original bounty reason (destroying 6 Buster Call ships)?

And for some reason I've been thinking that the Mugiwara's are gonna go to Arabasta again very soon.

Good chapter though, was pleasantly surprised that the 'Chibi' form was the drawback of Gear 3, but I want him to finish Lucci with Jet Rifle. Cause that would have to hurt like a bitch.

[Caracal]

@myogatheflea:

I would. Franky is just basically saying he would die for the Straw-Hats because they helped him utterly defeat the man that destroyed his life.

Guess I was just reading into it to much.

But I don't know. I feel that's the kind of comment that could lead to a heroic sacrifice.

[myogatheflea]

@Caracal:

I feel that's the kind of comment that could lead to a heroic sacrifice.

This is true, so you could still be right. But I hope not!

[Pipboy]

I call it a speed form, thats just its function. A dodgin instead of blocking form, instanced by teh use of the technique Kami-e which is a primarily dodging maneuver. Furthermore the smaller leaner power of this form is angled obviously towards mobilty, as opposed to the hulking power of the other form.

On an unrelated note I am glad that Kami-e is getting some attention. It is a underused abilty so far.

[ITSALION]

Lucci using Life Return. Hands up everybody who saw that one coming.
crickets chirping
Thought so. God bless Oda.

[Pipboy]

Yeah, that was a little out of no where. However if you think about it, it is a great way to sneak a powerup to a villian without making it a cliched, "and now for my hidden form!" bit. We area already familar with Life Returns and it is like Rokushiki a technique not a unique abilty.

[Nefyme]

laughs
Great chapter. Does anyone have an anime picture of kokoro? I am SO going to color that spread, but I have no idea what her basic colors are like =_=.
gah…

[Setzer]

I think it's a testament to how superior Lucci is to the rest of CP9. It took Kumadori god knows how long in medatation to learn that, and Lucci's only 28.

[The_green_samurai_ranger]

I wouldn't mind seeing Vivi back, BUT she would be placed in terrible danger.

My theory is that Oda is hinting at something, maybe like a Vivi rescue of the Straw Hats?

Yea I know that it is stupid but still, having Vivi on the cover is kind of weird. Unless the next cover story is aboot vivi after the Straw Hat's left her.

[ITSALION]

Or…
VIVI-CHAN'S QUEST TO MEET UP WITH THE MUGIWARA!!
DODONNN!!
Hehe. Sorry.

[Setzer]

I would be amused if Vivi somehow heard about what was going on a Enies Lobby, and is currently riding Pell towards it for a daring rescue attempt.

[Parz]

But, just how the hell would she know?

[Setzer]

Not a clue.

But, by if some chance the Gorosei know about the the Straw Hats declaring war, they may have relayed it by Den Den Mushi to the leaders of the major countries, which would include King Cobra.

So, it's very unlikely, but she might know.

[KamenRiderNeko]

oh….my.....god. that has got to be the most shocking spread i have ever seen. augh.. my eyes!! XD Way to go Oda, that is just...too awesome for words.

I think I had a double-take when I saw that, I was like "Eh!!!?!?"

sweet chapter, thanks guys ^^

[CP9_agent]

OK So I was thinking about it today….someone mentioned in the comments that Spandam's eyes aren't whited out yet. I'm gonna make a call which usually doesnt happen but why not. Next chapter Spandam will reveal Tom is alive in Impel Down. This will allow him time to get away. Just a thought but I could see it happening.

[Setzer]

I have a feeling Spanda's down, for good. Even if he's not, he'll have quite a problem getting that elephant off of him long enough to talk.

[ModernRomeo]

Impel down is also where all the captured bad guys from One Piece are.

Croc, Das Bones, Bon Clay, most of the important Agents that weren't released when Golden Week broke in. So if they do go to Impel Down to rescue Tom (if he is indeed alive), it could give us rematches of the Arabasta fights.

Course knowning 4kids, Tom is alive and well, and more than likely in Impel Down, making said scenario possible…

[Falcore]

Wouldnt Luffy in chibi form be almost tekkai-like hard? Since mass is conserved he would still weigh the same but be incredibly compressed and dense. So he would be pretty resistant to any damage but unable to attack effectively.

[odlam]

I dunno, I honestly can't see Gear 2 or Gear 3 being used to finish Lucci at this point. They've both been had tremendous displays.

I'm calling either a Gear 4 with a different emphasis than strength and speed, or something else unpredictable happens to Lucci. But a simple 2 page spread of a punch hitting him won't work, we've already seen that.

Lucci seems to be starting to run dry too though, so its possible Luffy will finish him off "as is" without any gears, and Luffy will simply have to do something insanely crazy - maybe a new "base" move that could later be used in conjunction with the gears.

[Schuyler]

make sense snice tom was a merman nods

[Ivotas]

Thanks for the raw Battle Franky.

[gogoedward]

Dewgong…....this is my favorite 2 page spread yet! What a fun chapter, with a hilarious ending.

Did Luffy and Lucci end up inside the Bridge of Hesitation? Looks like it. And with Kokoro pulling everyone else to safety hopefully within the next 2 chapters everyone will be reunited!

And then they'll all rush the escape ship together. (I hope Chopper wakes up soon so he can help out, what if he has a Zoro "what's going on?" moment when he wakes up)

edit: nvm, looks like Chopper woke up in the spread (eyes WIDE open in shock)

[HTC]

It looks like Kokoro is an Oda version of Daryl Hanna (in Splash) with a small difference: she only transforms whey she's wet by salt water (Daryl could transform in the tub).

Very nice chapter

As for Lucci's legs hurting, one Rankyaku too many?

[Pipboy]

One gigantic fist to the internal organs too much methinks….

[cdjgamer]

i thought gear 3 would have a delay effect franky rocks in this chapter

[gogoedward]

http://apforums.net/showthread.php?p=324066#post324066

Does my post on that page count as calling something? As far as the Kokoro riding goes…..its sorta riding on her (well being pulled, riding on her clothes anyway)

And the return of Vivi? Maybe they'll run into her one day (she is a diplomat which requires travel)

Maybe Oda just considers her a part of the crew still. I still do anyways , along with JOhnny and Yosaku. (Come on Oda, let's get Johnny and Yosaku on a cover!)

[raj]

Am I mistaken or has Vivi had a cover page in the past after Alabasta and sans the Skypiea priest's side story?

[ModernRomeo]

@odlam:

I dunno, I honestly can't see Gear 2 or Gear 3 being used to finish Lucci at this point. They've both been had tremendous displays.

I'm calling either a Gear 4 with a different emphasis than strength and speed, or something else unpredictable happens to Lucci. But a simple 2 page spread of a punch hitting him won't work, we've already seen that.

Lucci seems to be starting to run dry too though, so its possible Luffy will finish him off "as is" without any gears, and Luffy will simply have to do something insanely crazy - maybe a new "base" move that could later be used in conjunction with the gears.

If Oda finishes the battle with Gear 4, I will cry.

[gogoedward]

@786110:

Am I mistaken or has Vivi had a cover page in the past after Alabasta and sans the Skypiea priest's side story?

I don't recall one…..heck, did she even get a regular cover (non color spread) during her time with the Strawhats?

[Myoti]

Just so awesome. And hopefully we'll be seeing Luffy finish Lucci next chapter (with NO Gears =D ).

sanji: everyone's gonna drown to death soon!!! which is worse than what'll happen to you if you're thinking of using this translation for scanlation…

Wow, that's an interesting thing for him to say… XD

[Cap'n Carter]

Remember the time when there was a Vivi cover in Skypiea and she flew in on her flying carpet and saved all of the Strawhats from Raigoh?

[Taleran]

@Caracal:

I so want to see Jet Storm.

but everyone would prefer Gear 3 Storm since jet Storm would be the same thing as Storm just you don't see it, Hurricane (or big storm) would be massive

[AuRoN]

@786110:

Am I mistaken or has Vivi had a cover page in the past after Alabasta and sans the Skypiea priest's side story?

[Retro]

To Quote Sandler from Buffy: "Okay can I be blind, I wanna be blind too."

I mean…it was a surprise and Oda once again shock but...there are no words for it. XP Though can't say I didn't get a good laugh from it. XD

But other then that, excellent speech by Franky, I swear Oda really teasing us if he'll join or not though this seems to be 100% pointed in that direction though jugding from what he said he also might make a sacrifice. Here hoping for the former.

And looks like the L&L fight winding down though I was hoping it'd be still on the ship surronded by flames while it was sinking but I guess that'd be too much like the Krieg fight. Still looks like both guys are back to full strength and Lucci about to be put on the spot. Methinks the final strike is near.

Man this getting exciting with everyone headed toward Robin and Franky but alas gotta hold out till next week.

[onemoment]

Hey, Chopper's awake.:happy:

Anyway, awesome chapter. Now I know what that "purpose" of Funkfreed is, to be a convinent heavy object to throw on Spandam! Nice.

Meanwhile, Lucci knows Life return too, confirming someones suggestion that Life Return could be used to make new zoan forms. I wonder what "Kamie form" will do.

It looks like Lucci vs. Luffy will end next week. Lucci is vulnerable and Luffy is ready to strike, but what attack is we going to use. Let me run this past ya:

Gear 3, Luffy makes both his arms giant and pulls the Gate of Justice off it's hinges and crushes Lucci with those giant metal doors. I mean, gear 2 isn't strong enough to badly hurt Lucci, and gear 3 is too slow. This seems like a way to get past that.

Of course, Lucci's legs are weakened right now, so maybe there's no need for that. I think it will involve gear 3 and Luffy being giant though, as a send off to Saul or something. MAybe he can use Gear 3 and gear 2 to become a full giant for a second.

And yeah, Kokoro's ugly.

[raj]

@|AuRoN|:

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/7296/onepiece27101ki7.th.jpg

Thank you.

Anyway. Another tease with regards to Franky's status. I mean, if nothing else Robin has got to be extremely thankful to him. Hopefully Franky won't pull a Pell or anything before arc's end. Again, I hope he joins.

As for Luffy and Lucci, part of me wants to see Gear 2.5, you know going extremely fast and punching Lucci to a pulp and somehow ending the barrage with a big fist. But that's just silly.

[FlapperPrower]

@onemoment:

Hey, Chopper's awake.:happy:

Anyway, awesome chapter. Now I know what that "purpose" of Funkfreed is, to be a convinent heavy object to throw on Spandam! Nice.

Meanwhile, Lucci knows Life return too, confirming someones suggestion that Life Return could be used to make new zoan forms. I wonder what "Kamie form" will do.

It looks like Lucci vs. Luffy will end next week. Lucci is vulnerable and Luffy is ready to strike, but what attack is we going to use. Let me run this past ya:

Gear 3, Luffy makes both his arms giant and pulls the Gate of Justice off it's hinges and crushes Lucci with those giant metal doors. I mean, gear 2 isn't strong enough to badly hurt Lucci, and gear 3 is too slow. This seems like a way to get past that.

Of course, Lucci's legs are weakened right now, so maybe there's no need for that. I think it will involve gear 3 and Luffy being giant though, as a send off to Saul or something. MAybe he can use Gear 3 and gear 2 to become a full giant for a second.

And yeah, Kokoro's ugly.

Gomu Gomu no Bone Bazooka anyone?

[Setzer]

One things for sure, if we don't get a "Dereshishi" out of Robin when this is all over, I'll be irked.