Mods knew day one. Hell, the idea of alternate account was Robby's. He came up with it around christmas.
Mostly because of all the bile associated with "Darth".
Of course you were meant to die for our sins, then return.
You know, like Jesus.
Mods knew day one. Hell, the idea of alternate account was Robby's. He came up with it around christmas.
Mostly because of all the bile associated with "Darth".
Of course you were meant to die for our sins, then return.
You know, like Jesus.
Oh yes absolutely. Not in a Vivi sense where she can't hold her own with the best but more like Franky. We need to see this former Warlord completely outclassed and have Luffy do what he can't.
I don't know how I feel about that, it ruined Ace for me. Though that could have been his needy whining. I see Jinbe as an elder statesman. Sort of a consigliere for Luffy. Getting caught like that, with all the prior warning we know he has rubs me the wrong way.
I should have known Wadatsumi was going to accompany Jinbe. No need to call whale sharks now, just strap the Poneglyph to Wadatsumi. Then there is the time of day, its morning, a day after the Adventure on Dressrosa. Then again what if the cage is broken and Luffy battles Doffy over night? I doubt it but something to think about.
Maybe it was very deliberate that Jinbe's story is going ahead in the time line. The Fishman Island battle was on the same day of the 4 day Tea Party mark.
3 Days til Tea Party - The following day(Camie is working again as before she had the day off) the crew set sail, met Laboon's family and made it to Punk Hazard on the same day. We know its the same day because the girls didn't change clothes. Well to be precise Robin didn't, Nami did but only because she took a mid day bath. Punk Hazard finishes and Doffy is given until the next days newspaper to quit the Warlords, most of the crew sleeps.
2 Days til Tea Party - The crew sees the paper, they mingle in Dressrosa's affairs. Jinbe also sees the very same news paper and after the mini adventure parties into the night.
1 Day til Tea Party - The next day before setting out Wadatsumi asks to join Jinbe in his travels.
At this point I'm doubting Jinbe finding the Swirly Hats and just making it to Big Mom at the all important Tea Party with his triple whammy. No Fishman island sweets, a bomb within the treasure, and then asking to leave her to join the crew that "planted" said bomb. None of these things are his responsibility but we can all guess how the characters will view these coincidences.
You think Jinbe will be the next damsel in distress?
Any thing you keep on one drive is as good as lost. The key to backups is having at least three copies with one remote in case your house burns or you're robbed etc. Of course this can get expensive but if this stuff is really important to you there is no other way.
If you want to outsource this; there are services like http://www.carbonite.com/ or https://spideroak.com/ these deal with the redundancy if you choose to trust them.
Or you can do it yourself and have 3 copies of all your important files on your own hard drives or NAS or even use something like dropbox or google drive for one of the copies.
There are programs to help you keep this straight. They are not terribly user friendly though. https://git-annex.branchable.com/ is one such program. It works best on Macs or Linux and is a bit crippled on Windows. You also need to understand git http://git-scm.com/ upon which it is built. The best way to use it is via the command line but there is a somewhat crippled graphical interface that might be easy to use even on Windows. http://blog.bacula.org/ is another backup program that is even harder to use and configure.
The reason I mention automation solutions here is because backups especially redundant backups are extremely boring and tedious so if you don't automate them you will not do them.
Also stay clear of Lacie drives they are the worse. If you want studies of drive life see this. https://www.backblaze.com/blog/what-hard-drive-should-i-buy/
good luck you are going to need it.
@Monkey:
I'm not sure you know what secular means? It has nothing to do with closeness to the old regime or not.
Yes and that's part of why this isn't as alarming as it would be elsewhere. Tunisia is the Yugoslavia of the Arab world in terms of communist government, or post 56' revolution Hungary. (Syria and/or Iraq is the Yugoslavia in the uh…other sense...)
Sudan, Syria and Iraq sure. But Libya is not as bad as any of them or close. Libya belongs maybe in a category down with Yemen and Algeria. And right now Algeria is fine, though I think your referencing their 90's violence. Which I assume you mean with Lebanon too with their 80's.
Lebanon's dissimilarity is that it's much more cosmopolitan and demographically diverse proportion wise. It's a really bizarre country.
I find it funny that the two historical power bases of Phoenicians are the most liberal and democratic in the Arab world, but maybe that's not so strange.Corrupt semi-democratic countries don't usually have this issue with power like that. Tunisia resembles more Eastern Europe to me, and lacking anything as nasty as Milosevic or even Lukashenko. The Tunisian dictatorship was not as iron clad and ideologically tied to faux historical relevance as the East Bloc was. It was just some corrupt mafia family.
Best of all you don't have a decaying bitter former imperial overlord with motive to hold you back from progress in Tunisia as Eastern Europe has Russia.I hate to tell you this but elections are dirty filithy money backed propaganda fests everywhere.
Why do you have to assume stupidity? I know what a secular is. There were three major secular parties composed of actual activists who suffered under Bin Ali just as the Islamic opposition did. They range from center left to hard core labor socialists and unionists. But the point is they are real. They fought Bin Ali since the 80's and payed for it just like the Islamists. I think they got a total of 5 seats between all three of them. Beji isn't a secularists he doesn't believe in anything aside from gaining power. That was my point.
As for imperial overload I think that part is being played by the rich gulf states. Hell, they are sending troupes into Libya if you believe the Libyans "historically not very accurate".
@Monkey:
What does that mean "real secularist". This sounds like you're complaining that a North African country hasn't fielded a secular party as secular as say Sweden would or something.
Complete guttings of old regimes rarely end well. The US did that with Iraq after our bungle there, sure worked out.
Meanwhile old regime elements have participated in democratization processes before in many cases, namely South Korea and Taiwan.
There have been no observers saying the election showed any irregularity, there's no indication that there was rigging. This puts it ahead of South Korea in the late 80's to say the least.
Corrupt businessmen are going to haunt things for awhile because that's what they do in emerging countries like this, ask any Eastern European nation.
And as for the comparison to Sisi? Huh? The dude pulled a coup, brutalized his enemies, and then held a completely transparently bullshit election.
How is that in any way comparable because of two related former posts?This is actually extremely par for the course. I don't know why everyone and their mother was so quick to think regional democratization always looks like the East Bloc in 1989 and not Western Europe in 1848.
Damn it stop being so reasonable. By real seculars I mean people who were opposed to Bin Ali. People who were thrown in jail and tortured. People I can trust. Not some past goon.
And I know that even Patton didn't remove all the Nazis from government. I understand that need for expertise, for bureaucrats. But this smell really bad.
Tunisia was never as brutal as Egypt. Since the sixties perhaps even beyond the fucked up Arab violence continuum goes like this:
category 1) loads of death everywhere no reasons required:
Algeria, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as well, but Lebanon is weird; it is very dissimilar to these other ones except violent death per capita.
category 2) lots of executions if you opposed the government:
pretty much Egypt. Though this was getting better under Mubarak and slipping to category 3. Not any more.
category 3) Lots of prison and torture with occasional execution and "accidental death" which seems to be an occupational hazard for torturers or as I like to call it "premature execution".
Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain.
This is not exhaustive and not up to date; Kuwait is graduating into C3 for example.
So naturally any retreat from democracy in Tunisia is going to be less ugly and less violent and obvious than Egypt. But mark my words this "Party" is not going to give up power in the foreseeable future elections or no elections. No real opposition will be allowed to exist either.
I dearly hope I'm wrong. But I have a first row seat watching the incredible amount of money and propaganda being thrown behind this "election" and other "corrections" in the region. I might as well be passing the coffins and neck shackles myself.
@Monkey:
In positive news, Tunisia has just held it's most recent parliamentary elections. And things went super smoothly, the main secular party gained the most seats I believe, and the Islamic party that had been in power before that peacefully conceded to the results as well.
I guess you haven't been watching this closely and frankly I don't blame you. Look at this bland bbc coverage http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29828706 yay secularists how mild and modern. Except the real secular parties got only a couple of seats each. Nidda Tunis that won https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Tunisia is this massive refugee camp of former members of the ruling regime and corrupt businessmen. lead by Beji Caid el Sebsi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beji_Caid_el_Sebsi who used to be Bourguiba's defense minister. Hmm.. Why does that sound familiar? Oh right Sisi used to be a defense minister too. How did that turn out for Egypt I wonder?
The only difference is that Beji is an old fart (nothing says change like an octogenarian) While Sisi is a new one. Speaking of farts… "The Arab Spring" is now officially a fart in the wind. It's like it never happened. unless you count the hundred thousands of the dead.
I can't reconcile Law's fascination with the will of D, his ambition to be the pirate king with this desire to avenge a celestial dragon! He seems politically confused for an allegedly smart guy. Luffy by contrast appears far more coherent and that is saying something.
Possible motivation for Mingo. If he was blackmailing the WG by being the head of the Donquixote family. It makes sense that he would kill his brother if he feared the WG would make a deal to make Cora the new head and get rid of troublesome Mingo.
Interesting points in the admirals, but I can't see Kizaru as the Corrupt one, knowing Oda he wouldn't have made him so… dumb and enigmatic. If I were to pin down the corrupt one I'd have to guess Green Bull as the other just don't look the part.
Kizaru is the "I'm doing my job" guy.
He is not stupid. Just technically challenged. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made it far in the marines. Obviously I can't claim certainty here. but there many hints.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Like killing his former master without a shred of remorse it seems.
He was just "following orders", the type of people I hate the most.
what are you talking about?
This is an interesting chapter, because it lies at the very end of the setup part of the arc. Things remain unclear just before the final fights, and this uncertainty is precisely what I find interesting about this chapter. I’d like to explain general ideas about the roles of the marines, pirates and revolutionaries in one piece, particularly as they pertain to current events and to help predict possible outcomes in this arc.
First Fujitora and by association the marines and WG.
! If we look at the past known admirals. Akainu represents the hardliners. In essence he is a reaction to the pirate age. Instead of seeing piracy as a symptom of a much larger problem of corruption, feudalism and lack of freedom. His adage becomes if violence is not solving your problems you’re simply not using enough of it. Whereas Aokiji is more aware and increasingly frustrated by the shortcomings of the WG. Which leaves Kizaru, who is an enigma, yet there are subtle hints that he represents the corruption. His enthusiasm in avenging the CDs. Manipulation of Arlong to maximize animosity between fishman and WG. Suggest that he is subverting the elder stars, arguably the more reasonable faction of the WG, O’Hara notwithstanding. Perhaps he works for another faction within the WG. One more hardline and corrupt. Obviously, there are no hard facts to support this but perhaps this same faction is the one backing Mingo.
! Which brings us to Fujitora, who is no fool, by now he knows that some major force is backing Mingo. I think he was already suspicious since his stated goal is to abolish the Shichibukai. Perhaps the entire institution was created to cover Mingo’s connections to the WG. So Fujitora, as a member of a bureaucracy, can’t remove another member without first discerning who is behind said member. Either way, Oda has milked the Shichibukai for all they are worth. 2 defeated plus one more this arc. 3 secret allies to SHs, 1 not so secret. Buggy, need I say more. Regardless of the seventh mysterious one. Simply having an admiral state his desire to abolish the Shichibukai, along with the imminent fall of Mingo, who I think is the reason they exist, and a very close reverie seems enough foreshadowing to believe that indeed the Shichibukai will be abolished.
! So Fujitora, seen by many as the representative of the good marines, is facing a dilemma. Should he attack Mingo, perhaps threatening his chances of destroying the Shichibukai by premature action. Or should he let the chips fall where they may. Giving Mingo enough rope to hang himself and embarrass his mysterious backers. He is troubled by civilian loss, no doubt. But his internal conflict between his values and the necessities of his position hasn’t reached the boiling point yet. He isn’t Aokiji who has harbored guilt over O’Hara for decades. Then again he might still attack Mingo before knowing who exactly is backing him, we simply don’t know, yet. The most important indicator of his loyalties and indeed the state of his internal conflict is whether he agrees to the inevitable cover up or not. In fact the best thing Fujitora can do for his cause right now is disrupt the jamming of communications and let the world know what Mingo is doing. Perhaps a certain invisible journalist is on his way to help on that end?
! Now on to the inevitable analogies to Crocodile and his deposition. Croc’s crime was not killing civilians, that is not high on WG priorities, unless it involves backlash if said killings become public knowledge. He attacked a member country of the WG. A founding member we later find out. And there is irrefutable evidence, thanks to Smoker, that he used Dance Powder, an arguably bigger offense since it has the potential for greater instability. For that is the real enemy of the WG, instability, they are protectors of the status quo regardless of the morality. Mingo, on the other hand, deposed king Riku ten years ago. The WG did nothing about it. And would be implicated if news of how it failed to defend a member country against pirate conspiracy came out. Thus, that particular crime of Mingo's no longer concerns the WG. Nor does the killings if properly covered up. The real problem is the stuff Mingo went out of his way to conceal. Namely the broker activities particularly SMILES. There are theories that the WG is using Mingo to shore up Kaidu against the other Yonko to further sustain the stalemate in the NW. I doubt that. More likely Mingo is playing both sides. The coming chapters will reveal to us and possibly to Fujitora and Akainu how far the WG is willing to look the other way as far as Mingo is concerned and further erode Fujitora's belief in the system. But selling SMILES to Kaidu will probably be the straw that brakes the camel's back. So, If communications are restored either via Fujitora's work or the ever dependable chaos and destruction in Luffy's wake. Then news of the smile factory and authorization for Mingo's deposition can go back and forth. The problem is all of this will take time. While Luffy is already moving. Thus, showing the marines as ineffectual which is a major theme of the story.
So, Whatever happens we are bound to know more about the structure of the various factions of the WG. Through their answers to Akainu's questions and their responses to Mingo's situation and demise. Perhaps, dare I hope, Kizaru's position on the matter will be revealed?
On to the pirates.
! I doubt it's a coincidence that whenever Mingo crosses paths with the SHs Blackbeard or in this case his representative is around. It reinforces comparisons between the three pirates. I called them the good, the bad and the ugly while discussing an earlier chapter, in punk hazard if memory serves. The Good, Luffy representing freedom and rebellion against the despotism of the WG. The bad, BlackBeard a violent and despotic lashing out at the WG replacing it with an even worse situation of absolute lawlessness. And the ugly, Mingo parasitically using the WG and Yonko from the shadows to further his cause without too much confrontation. I still don't know what cause that may be. It seems illogical for an associate of the CDs to want to be pirate king and reveal his kin's deepest secrets. Then again it would seem illogical for him to be a pirate in the first place or be supported in that endeavor by the CDs??!
! In any case Mingo's situation is going from bad to worse. Beginning at punk hazard and the loss of Caesar, Virgo and Monet. The fact that he had to use CP0 to cover up his trap for Law is one of his biggest loses. It revealed his unique position to Akainu, that along with Smoker's report is enough to create a powerful enemy one that has no problem burning innards. The fainting of Sugar is an even greater blow. If Mingo wants to return to the status quo he needs to turn the entire island into toys. A despot losing the illusion of peace and having to enforce his rule through naked display of force is already losing one important layer of protection, ignorance and will only regain this ignorance if he lives long enough to see the next generation of subjects. Thus the only remaining layers of protection are fear and division. And you can see Mingo installing fear and division beautifully. Where the ex toys were united now they are divided. He does not need them all to fall for his game. Simply preventing them from uniting against him is a win. He is buying time. Time necessary to create a new status quo. If he can crush the SHs challenge, while keeping SMILEs secret he might weasel his way back into the WG good graces and if not he might seek Kaido's protection and forsake the Shichibukai. And if All fails he will return to the sea, where he started. But he'd rather not go back to the drawing board if he can help it. So he salvaging what can be salvaged. Doing damage control if you will. Hoping the SHs do enough damage that he can blame the whole damn mess on them or at least muddy the waters enough to allow a biased observer some wiggle room in the interpretation. It's not the first time the WG blamed the SHs for what others did. In this regard lifting the SMILE factory up into the open seems rather dumb. I would have buried it deeper instead, for now.
Finally the revolutionaries are by far the most interesting part of this arc. If king Riku lives and returns to the throne. What will his reaction be vis-a-vis the failure of the WG to protect his throne and more importantly his people in contrast to the revolutionary army's active role in protecting them? Will we see our first country flipping sides? How will that change the balance of power in the new world?