There's some SBS info leaking around already. Nothing too interesting, and not real translations, just general info, but here it is:

@hideoushorrendous said in Chapter 1110: Starfall:

He didn't even honor his hero with the cover page like he did with Kishi

Toriyama's death was announced March 8th. At that point, Ch 1110 was already being printed. It's very likely Ch 1111 was also finished at that point, and its colorspread was probably done way earlier. If there's any homage to Toriyama this week, it will have been added at the last moment.

It's more likely that JUMP will celebrate Toriyama in the issue after next one. Oda will probably draw something there.

@danie I don't ignore any of that, but I do check which events the story is spending time on.

You can see in every interaction that Yamato like Luffy to the point of worship.

But the story has spent no time showing Luffy's friendship with Yamato. That relationship was almost entirely build up off-screen.

That's a clue that the story emphasized Yamato's bonding with Momo way more.

There's a trope in fiction called Law of Conservation of Detail. In essence, what the story actually spends time and effort to flesh out is usually what's important to its resolution. Details that are skipped are more often than not less important, thus that's why there's no need to develop them.

I think Vegapunk is a self-absorbed jerk.

Not evil, not willing to hurt people for nothing, still under some ethics.

But what he cares about is proving himself. He sets a goal, he will lose sight of everything else.

Like, why did he fix the climate in Egghead but not Baldimore? Because all he wanted was prove to himself he could. So, once his work was done in Egghead, he totally forgot Baldimore and went on to other endeavors. That's pretty much what I expect him to be.

Likewise, I think he will challenge the SHs because it's an opportunity to test his inventions against real targets. They are pirates, who care? This is the chance to prove the power of his creations!

Merch is a very poor meter to see who would join. We had it work only once, with the Jinbe coin, and never before or again. Plus, it only worked on the Jinbe coin because the coins for the Straw Hats were gold-colored, and Jinbe was the only non-SH that got a golden coin. It clearly put Jinbe in the same level as the Straw Hats. Sometimes, I think it was a gambit of the company, much like the Yamato towel probably was, and not the result of insider knowledge.

Popular characters seel merch. Merch companies will do anything to boots sales. Shueisha and Toei will too. Yamato's debut in the anime came with a ton of merch, enough to make anyone think Yamato was sure going to be a crewmate. Yamato also got an anniversary post in the official Instagram, something only Straw Hats had gotten so far. But it came right during the full season of Yamato hype.

So, don't trust merch.

@Coookie I don't think there are more.

From a storytelling perspective, I feel the Seraphim are meant to represent the Warlords that the crew wouldn't fight anyway (thought Mihawk is debatable), so it's a way of showing how they'd fare against the crew.

From a in-story perspective, there are probably reasons why there aren't more of them. Maybe:

• There was just no time and money for more
• Doflamingo's may have been veto'ed because he has celestial blood.
• Moria may have been considered too weak and not worth the effort
• Crocodile may have been discarded because they couldn't replicate his logia power, and giving a clone anything else would potentially be subpar, as a fast-grown clone wouldn't have "genetic memory" to use it properly.

The real question is why Oda kept teasing readers while knowing Yamato wasn’t meant to join the crew.

Some details about the timeline:

• Ch 925 says the Revolutionary attack happened in the 4th (of 7) day of Reverie.

• Ch 956 has the "Alabasta incident" soon after the Reverie closed.

• Ch 1054 places the attack hours before the incident.

• Ch 1083 has the attack coming "during the Reverie", confirming Ch 925. Also, everything is in place for Cobra's death to happen soon, as in Ch 1054.

So, was Garp's info wrong?

Maybe it wasn't Oda's mistake, rather Cobra's death was hidden until the Reverie ended?

---

Another small detail most will miss: this helps us clarify the time passed since Luffy woke up.

• The Revolutionary attack happened in the 4th day of Reverie.
• 10 days later (7 after Reverie), there was the Onigashima raid.
• Luffy and Zoro woke up another 7 days later. Big party.
• Then the Straw Hats stayed in Wano for "a few days" before leaving.
• Then, we got another "a few days later" between them leaving and reaching Egghead.

This means the two small timeskips must have been at least 13 days in sum, but it probably took a bit more. Something between 2 and 3 weeks?

• I believe Shimotsuki history will keep being developed in both Wano and the Revolutionary storyline.

• SBS hints that Sanji's whirlbrow shenanigans will keep being relevant

• I still think extending Wano for one more chapter to cover some questions (like Tama's lineage, Yamato's resolution, Carrot's farewell) would have benefitted the overall story

• I like the simplicity of Zoro's lineage. Not everyone needs famous fathers.

  I'd love to know more about the Roronoa side of the story. Also, Zoro's mother Tera seems like she has an interesting history.

@kevo_koma said in Chapter 1098: Bonney's Birth:

Also, who do you guys Bonney's true dad is?

I don't think the dad will be important, but if it must be a known character, I'd say only Saturn or Garling make sense right now.

---

@kevo_koma said in Chapter 1098: Bonney's Birth:

Just a quick question, what's the point of assistants if its not to cover for stuff like this?

Assistants also need time. If Oda is late, the work they can do before deadline is limited.

I think the heavy emotions in this chapter slowed Oda down. This was a painful read, and I bet it was a painful work to create as well.

@kevo_koma said in Chapter 1098: Bonney's Birth:

I never actually thought that authors/creatives get emotionally invested in their creations like that.

When I write heavily emotional text I do feel some of that emotion. Oda has also said things like that. He almost got late with the Chapter with Rebecca and Kyros reunion, and that was one time he said he doesn't write sad moments just to make the audience cry, because he also cries in them.

Planning the story is one thing. Actually fleshing it out into words or images kinda has an emotional toll on authors.

@Razh said in Chapter 1111: Sun-Shield:

I find the whole Gorosei confrontation a little off-beat. On one hand, they have crazy devil fruits and insane Haki and are supposed to be perceived as at least an admiral level threat. And on the other they aren't given much space to breathe and are bunched up together, facing a laughing Luffy.

To me, their threat has already been undermined because their results so far have been pretty weak. Sure, Nusjuro was cool disabling the Pacifistas, but Luffy was one-shotting them 500 chapters ago. Mars has at least been shown to be competent, though he has no impressive feats so far (pushing through the barrier is easy when you can regenerate).

Saturn has been a let down through and through, to the point Luffy was handling him and Kizaru at the sabe time. His only successful attack so far has been piercing Vegapunk (after failing to pierce Luffy, Bonney, and Kuma). He was demolished by a single punch from Kuma. He was pushed aside by Luffy a few times.

Warcury shouts a "conqueroar" but what are the results? Random marine fodder fainting. It failed to do anything to any enemy. Then he attacks Dorry and Broggy and... they block him and push him aside. Who looks good after that?

Ju Peter was decapitated then disappeared for a whole chapter.

Really, it feels like these guys are not that strong. If not for their apparent immortality, 2 of them would be defeated already.

Vegapunk's interrupted message:

"To those scattered throughout the world who bear the name of D, within you is a (..........) that name (.........) but actually nothing of the sort. (.........) which might consider a will inherited through the years (.........) can only pray that those at the mercy of this reason will be able to hear this message."

With Wano probably ending really soon, we are about to get in the first truly new arc in a long while. The destination wasn't revealed yet, we don't know the plot, and no companions with lots of baggage and ongoing plotlines tagging along. Just the crew for a while!

What do you think this is going to be? Where are we going? What will be the main plot?

My expectation is that the next big plot will send the crew to Mary Geoise. I mean, that's not the location the log is pointing to, of course, but after a mini-arc like Jaya, they'll have to go to Mary Geoise.

It really feels like the Reverie was meant to prepare us to see this place.

My guess is that Hancock's capture will be the trigger. As her secret is revealed to the world and she's returned as property to the Celestial Dragons, Luffy will decide to rescue her.

But where is the log currently pointing to? My guess is Vira/Vila.

I think Vira is town Buggy and Shanks stayed in while Roger went to Laugh Tale. We know Vira had a fairly big city in it, and that it suffered a coup d'etat two years ago, so I guess the place is in the hands of the Revolutionaries. With Sabo's current status, I feel it will be there that the Straw Hats will get the resources to go back to the Red Line and infiltrate Mary Geoise. A small breather mini-arc that will also update us on the rest of the world much like Jaya did.

As for Mary Geoise itself, while I think Hancock will be reason we go there, it will also be the place where the Straw Hats will find Vivi again, as Imu's prisoner. And it will be where we get a lot of answers about the Void Century and the World Government's origin, through Robin, but also by Imu explaining things to Vivi.

Those are my guesses, what are yours?

Elbaf? Hachinosu/Fullalead? Sphynx? Vegapunk's lab? Somewhere else?

@theackwardstation said in Chapter 1057: The End:

As for the twist itself of Yamato staying, my opinion is that Oda did it too late.

I don't think it's too late, but that the lack of Yamato's perspective made it too jarring.

For a long time I thought we'd get an Yamato exploration chapter, in which we delve into his mind, past and dreams, he finds an epiphany about himself, and makes his final decision.

The thing is, that chapter was completely skipped. So his decision feels like a middle finger to the reader.

Still, I hope we get at least a flashback to his talk with Luffy and the others.

@puffing-cinema said in Official Wano Thread:

how the f Jinbei and the Sun Pirates survived Linlin's chase

I don't know why people linger so much on that. To me, it was pretty obvious that out of everyone helping the Straw Hats escape, Jinbe and the Sun Pirates always had the best chance of escaping.

They were fishman fighting in the sea, after all. Their objective was to stall the pursuing forces and run for it. They can escape to the depths and most DFs couldn't do a thing to stop them. They didn't need a ship for their escape, unlike every other party around.

To me, Jinbe's explanation is pretty clear: once the Straw Hats were far enough, the Sun Pirates bolted from there. Many of them were hurt, thought, so Jinbe stayed with them until they recovered, then they had a farewell party for Jinbe.

I don't see why we would need more answers than that. I find Germa Kingdom escaping way more head-scratching-worthy.

@black-leg-jex Sandman just clarified to me on Twitter that the official translation is the accurate one.

One line I saw suggested in Reddit was "Kurozumi wouldn't be charcoal if it didn't burn" ("Oden wouldn't be Oden if it wasn't boiled.")

@electricmastro said in Chapter 1084: The Attempted Murder of a Celestial Dragon:

The fact that Yamato uses both "Oden" and "Yamato" in introductions could be telling enough that Yamato is trying to juggle the identities of both Yamato the woman and Oden the man, but is just more vocal about Oden in order to give more hope.

I felt that Yamato presents himself as "Yamato" when he's confident, and uses "Oden" when he's less sure of himself and decides to use a more "impressive" moniker.

He meets Luffy. This is the day he waited for four years. He just saved Luffy and is full of himself, so he's Yamato.

Luffy orders him to help Momo and Shinobu, Yamato feels far less confident, even hesitant, so he calls himself Oden.

He finally meets the Straw Hats, barging in as a stranger while they are all together and with Luffy uncounscious. He's unsure and wants to give them a good impression, so he's Oden again.

He faces an Admiral with the Scabbards. He feels more like Yamato, as being the Son of Kaido would be more intimidating at that point.

It's just my impression, but it kinda fits.

But I don't think he ties his gender to such presentations. Even as "Yamato", he's still "Kaido's son". And the bath scene speaks volumes.

But Oda did give Yamato a very clear feminine design, and doesn't shy away to exploit that for fanservice. So, it's... ambiguous. And confusing.

Strawhat Jedi's logic is very good:

• We didn't see Carrot's decision
• Carrot's apparent conclusion does not fit her character arc
• Pedro's will is vague enough to mean "keep going with Luffy"
• We didn't see Carrot's farewell

What's against it is the huge amount of off-screening Wano got, specially in its conclusion.

Under normal circunstances, the chances of Carrot popping up would be overwhelmingly good.

But Wano's ending is just so underwhelmingly put together that it could have been Carrot's conclusion and we are just meant to take it as done.

If she doesn't pop up in the next chapters to clarify either outcome, God knows when her supporters will feel like all the chances have been spent.

• This chapter ruled out the “Imu is Lily” hypothesis. So, what happened to Lily? Erased…? Or formed a new tribe…?

• The Elders and Imu reveals were ominous, but not particularly impressive. Sabo still managed to both surprise them and escape a 1v6. It didn't particularly made them any more fearsome than admirals, for instance. Of course, this may have happened for plot convenience, just like Vivi and Wapol escaping CP-0. We all know Jabra or Kalifa could easily outspeed Wapol... Still, not a very impressive first outing for the Elders, IMO.

• Guessing, from left to right:

  • Saturn - Demon zoan, tail striked Cobra
  • Bland Blonde - Logia (acid?)
  • Blade Ghandi - Mythic human zoan
  • Longbeard Granpa - Gryphon or cockatrice zoan
  • Mustache Gorbachev - Mythic pig/boar zoan?

• When I think about Imu's power, he seems some sort of dragon-like being, more like the western dragons than the eastern ones. There's one more reason for me to think it may be a western dragon: when we go back to Punk Hazard, Brownbeard said about Dragon Number 13 that "the Celestial Dragons liked it so much, they gave it a name... which I forgot".

• Back to the main reveal, Cobra's message was that by finding the truth he finally knew which way Alabasta should follow. Vivi's meant to be queen to lead the country to the Dawn. This makes me think Vivi is not the 11th Straw Hat. She's nakama, of course, but her role is special, like Momonosuke.

• With both Vivi and Sabo back in the spotlight, can't stop thinking about Oda's words way back in 2019...
  “Sabo will…”
  “Vivi will…”
  “Hancock will…”

Can’t wait to return to Egghead!

I feel Oda gave Yamato the desire to "go out to sea with Luffy" just to immediately hook readers to the character, as there was no time to spare in Onigashima to do a careful exploration of Yamato's background.

Baiting the audience is not a problem by itself. What I find weird is how Oda kept pushing that until the very end, instead of slowly telling the story of Yamato's goal change. Maybe Oda wanted to dabble with the resolution, as it's his usual style to only reveal the full picture of any mystery near the end.

Oda did leave a few hints that Yamato was staying, as I and others were able to see those. But I feel he did not do that in the best way. Yamato staying should be way clearer by the time Kaido fell, but Oda kept hiding it, and by rushing Wano's epilogue he did a very poor job of showing Yamato's change of heart.

The simple fact that Imu hides himself behind a veil of deception and lies implies he fears for his life. He's "god" only to believers, he knows the world would rise up if the truth was revealed. To me, he's the ultimate pretender, a cowardly usurper.

I believe the he first joined an alliance to defeat an Ancient Evil. Then he convinced 19 other kings to betray that alliance and seize power to themselves. Then, when the 20 kings decided no one would rule alone, he waited all his peers to die out so he could seize the throne. And even THEN, he made his existence a secret, because if he was revealed as the ruler of the world, others would challenge him for his position.

You list the exceptions but dismiss the exceptions?

Most characters don't stick long enough, plus eating a DF does not mean the character will be good at using it or even understand its new powers. Unless that's actually the plot (and Momonosuke already got throught a plot about learning how to use his power), I don't see any reason to show characters eating DFs during the story, much less it needing to happen often.

@andre Since Imu is hearing the report, it must be a government ship sent to evaluate the damage caused by the weapon.

This also fits with the Elders "changing their mind" about killing York. Imu probably realized this is the same damage the Ancient Weapons could do, so he requested the Elders for more Mother Flame. York asking "a request from who?" is a hint of that.

Things to consider:

• For a long time, characters have not needed to join the crew in order to travel with it, have major storylines around them or appear in multiple arcs. Vivi was the prime example, but in the last 10 years we also got Law, Rebecca/Kyros, Carrot, Momonosuke, Kin'emon and Yamato.
• Oda loves throwing a curveball. So, maybe we are looking at the wrong angle? After repeating a formula at least partially for 8 out of 9 crewmembers (Robin being the one exception), we may again be surprised by a character that Oda is purposefully not calling attention to. If so, most of its story will only become relevant after the character joins.
• Given how long Oda waits to explore certain storylines, I feel whoever is meant to join is not only a character planned for a long time, but created with the intention of being a crewmate all along. As such, I'm suspicious against characters that we know have not been planned long before their debuts. For instance, no matter how much Law got important or popular, he was created one week before his debut. He may have inherited traits from other planned characters, but this makes him unlikely to be the future crewmate.
• Something I feel about the last crewmate is that, rather than the story stressing how important the character is for the last saga, it may instead focus on how much the crew needs that character's skills to complete its dynamic and sail the seas ahead.

@triangular_maze He has been excluding some crewmates lately. In this one we lack Franky and Robin. In 1086, he excluded Zoro and Jinbe. In 1081, it was Nami and Robin.

Third drought week, so here's another One Piece discussion!

Egghead's Chekhov's Arsenal!

There's a trope called "Chekhov's Gun", which states that an introduced element will probably be important later. Like, if a gun is shown, then it's likely to be used eventually.

For instance, Tenguyama Hitetsu's early introduction in Wano eventually led to a huge Pluton reveal at the end of the arc. Could you foresee that?

So, this thread will be about elements that were introduced or highlighted during Egghead and will probably be important later.

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1- Luffy's dream

In Ch 1060, Luffy's dream feels unrelated to everything else in the arc, unlike all the other elements presented in that chapter, like the news Robin's telling to the crew.

It may be that Luffy's dream may be still revealed during this arc.

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2- The Warm Eddy

Some may think the Eddy's purpose was just to reveal Bonney, but there may be more to it.

Considering how "energy" has been a recurring theme to this arc (we will see it several times in elements ahead), the origin of the Eddy may be very important.

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3- Caribou

Caribou appears so little in this arc we often forgot he's in it. He not only learned of Poseidon and Plutton, but he may also have heard Luffy's dream!

The story is setting up some role for him. Maybe he will save the day, or maybe he will lead us to a future arc.

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4- Bonney's powers

Isn't it interesting that so far Bonney's powers have had little impact in the story?

But be assured, they'll be essential to its development at some point. Just like Shinobu's power was essential for Wano.

Maybe she will turn the Seraphim into adults?

---

5- Holograms

Egghead established that Vegapunk's science is so advanced he can create holograms. Don't be fooled by how they were used so far, such technology will probably play a key role later.

Don't be surprised if they get weaponized. But against the marines? Or the crew?

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6- Island A.C.

Egghead should be a winter island, but the "Island Air Conditioning" allowed it to be turned into a tropical place.

But there's more to it: for it to work, it needs to sense the life patterns of everything in the island. That sure can be used against enemies...

And the usefulness of the Island A.C. doesn't end there yet.

It's throught it that Egghead can synthetize island clouds. And its effects allow the hover boots or the Vegaforce robot to fly!

So, whoever controls the Island A.C. can control all of those effects!

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7- Light-pressure gloves

With this invention, one can physically interact with light.

It will probably play a role at some point. Maybe against Kizaru?

Or maybe against those weaponized holograms we talked earlier?

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8- Recycollie

Call me paranoid, but I feel there's a reason Oda gave this little good boy a panel. This feels a lot like a Chekov's Gun waiting to be fired!

Maybe the Recycollies, beyond eating scrap for recycling, could work as spies all over the island?

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9- Automated cooking machine

This may be a minor one, but I doubt it won't come out at some point. Most likely, it will be used to refuel Luffy after he has spent too much stamina.

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10- "Fire"

Egghead's powered by "fire". Again, we return to the theme of energy, and Lilith talks of an "Undying Flame", which may be Vegapunk's dream of unlimited energy.

Could this be related to the Warm Eddy's origin? Or Imu's dreaded "Mother Flame/Frame"?

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11- Intangibility

This has been explored very little, but Vegapunk has been able to turn solid objects intangible... Or maybe that's an hologram made tangible?

This could be related to weaponizing holograms, or it may be weaponized in its own way.

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12- Hover shoes' maglock mode

Hover shoes can be used to fly around, but they can also be magnetically locked to the ground to trap people!

Plus, Luffy broke his shoes... which probably means he will be the only one to avoid the trap entirely.

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13- The Iron Giant

This may be two (or more) Chekhov's Guns in one!

I wouldn't be surprised if the Iron Giant manages to move again at some point.

But also the cause of its awakening 200 years ago, as well as why it ran out of energy, may be important plot points to explore.

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14- Kuma's contraption

When Kuma was under revolutionary custody, they plugged him to a computer-like contraption. What is that? Where it came from? And maybe it has something to do with Kuma's odd behavior?

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15- Devil Fruit's origins

This has long been teased, even in a SBS, but I'm sure Ch 1069's explanation on DF origins is just an appetizer. This will certainly be explored more before the arc is over.

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16- Pacifista MK III

The newest model Pacifistas have been deployed to delay the marines. But is this really their function in this arc?

They may be used in unexpected ways. And that bubble shield (which can drain strength from DF users) certainly make them a great obstacle.

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17- Captured agents

The captured agents were already fired as a Chekhov's Gun because the info on their disappearance was important to foreshadow a traitor Vegapunk.

But it may not end there. The agents are kept alive for some reason, and we are yet to learn what it is.

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18- Lab stuff

We saw several scientific developments: weapons research, artificial diamonds, man-made organs, swappable body parts...

Any or all of those may have importance to the plot, especially since York wants some places in the lab to not be trashed by the Seraphim...

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19- Kuma's race

Bonney revealed Kuma comes from a "special race". There's no way this won't be important later.

---

And... that's it! 19 plot points that may be very important later. These could be the source of plot twists or big revelations!

I probably overlooked some, and I didn't cover Chekhov's Guns that seemed already fired (like, for instance, the Sea Beasts' malfunction actually being York's programming, or the Frontier Dome later being used to trap everyone in Labophase).

So, what do you think? How do you expect these plot points to pay off later?

@Captain-M Yeah, people forget the kinds of unbelievable coincidences that allow Luffy to triumph over impossible odds. Not everyone can count on a ship coming back to life and self-steering itself to the rescue, or expect some Pirate Empress to fall in love with them, or ate the fated Sun God Devil Fruit without knowing it.

Luffy is unbelievably lucky, no matter how you strike it. Just the amount of coincidences and fortuitous events that allowed him to save Robin in Enies Lobby is astounding.

Dragon's actions are perfectly rational, and for all we know, for every Fisher Tiger that manages to break into and out of Mary Geoise, there may be dozens or hundreds that failed.

Some more SBS leaks. Source: Emunopla's Twitter. I just copied and pasted automated translations, so they seem a bit off.

What could Kuma being near Windmill Village mean? We know the village is fine. We know Dadan's gang is fine. We know Luffy never met Kuma until Sabaody.

What's Kuma's mission? The government would have no way to know about Luffy having the Gomu fruit yet.

I think Kuma being near Windmill is just to indicate his overall vicinity. And a way for a landmark Chapter like 1100 to have Luffy in it in some shape. I feel this may be setting up a Kuma vs Dragon fight instead. But how? And why?

I think Kuma will be sent to deal with a revolution nearby. And that will put him in conflict with Belo Betty. It will then be revealed that Dragon was nearby, maybe watching over Luffy in secret. Dragon intervenes and fights Kuma so the Revolutionaries can escape.

I find it a possibility because seeing Kuma fighting someone he admires would bring the weight of his decisions. A fallout between friends. But it's also a way to showcase Dragon, as well as a way for Dragon to learn Kuma's decision and Kuma to learn about Luffy.

We know that Kuma knew about Luffy before even Ivankov. I can totally see Kuma revealing he did everything for Bonney and the price he has to pay, and then Dragon saying he understands, because he also chose to never meet his son as well to protect the child.

I think that simple confrontation could bring a lot to the table: we see Dragon in action (finally), we feel the weight of Kuma's choice, we see friends fighting, we get Dragon's perspective. It could be a fit final event before the story flash-forwards to the present.

I expect the completed crew to be either confirmed by Word of God, or in-story by some sort of toast or Luffy acknowledgement that he finally got his 10 men or his crew feels complete or something like that.

• Dragon sacrificed being father for the greater cause, but his parental insticts haven't vanished after all. I love how he's actually right. Bonney was Kuma's weakness. Kuma sacrificed both the cause and his own fate for her.

• Luffy heard the snail call, but this also implies his undeveloped observation haki as he "felt something that made him shiver". This go nicely with my interpretation about haki pre-timeskip. I always felt his "Instict" moment against Mr 3 in Little Garden was a sign of haki as well.

• While the government is despicable, at least they weren't sending Kuma to do dirty stuff. He was meant to be a public face to the Pacifista project and the Warlords, after all, so I assume he was mostly helping people and beating up criminals.

• I can't overstate how much I came to care about the people of Sorbet, despite their roles being so small. Old Queen Conney started as a mystery, then a joke, but right now she's the goat.

• I'm not sure what to think of Bonney's Distorted Future technique. I don't think it's as versatile as some people believe. It actually feels pretty consistent with other portrayals of it: Bonney just grows big and muscular.

  Remember that biology in One Piece is quite flexible... Just look at Duval or Wanze becoming beautiful, or powers like Life Return, or Lao G becoming buff, or Nyon and Ms Bucking shrinking of old age...

  I think Bonney can only goes as far as what she can train herself to naturally become. Need to jump a pit? "Distorted Future: Jumping athlete". Climb a tower? "Distorted Future: Climbing champion". She can essentially become as fit as possible for any physical task she has to overcome. She reaches decades of training with a simple wish.

Guys, I found out something that may be HUGE... For me, at least.

It's about that Blackbeard ship we saw approaching Egghead.

Since this may spoil a future plot twist very few may see coming, I'll spoiler-tag it.

BTW, isn't it ironic (or poetic) that Luffy is talking about being strong to protect his crew just as the guy that will split his crew in the future is eavesdropping?

An Amazon Lily/Kuma/Revolutionary Army/Luffy/Ace timeline, just because:

-47: Kuma's birth

-43: Kuma's family is enslaved

-42 (Presumed): Gloriosa joins Rocks. Shakuyaku becomes empress

-38: God Valley Incident

-31: Boa Hancock's birth

-???: Roger and Kuja Pirates meet at some point, Shakky falls in love.

-25: Roger Pirates disband. Rayleigh retires.

-24: Gold Roger's execution

-???: Shakky retires, Toritoma takes the mantle

-???: Rayleigh and Shakky live together in Sabaody Archilpelago.

-22: Ohara Incident
Sorbet revolt, Kuma joins the Revolutionary Army

-19: Boa Hancock and her sisters are kidnapped aboard the Kuja ship.
Luffy's birth

-15: Fisher Tiger releases the slaves.
Boa sisters reach Sabaody, get sheltered by Nyon, Shakky and Rayleigh.
Nyon takes Boa Sisters to Amazon Lily.
Toritoma allows Nyon to live in the outskirts of the village.

-14: Ginny is enslaved.

-13: Empress Toritoma dies. Hancock becomes empress
Hancock becomes a Warlord.
Shanks arrives in Windmill Village

-12: Luffy eats the Gomu Gomu Fruit
Shanks loses his arm
Luffy is taken to Dadan, meets Ace and Sabo
Gray Terminal incident
Sabo's incident, saved by Dragon
Bonney's birth
Ginny is released. Ginny's death

-6: 2nd Sorbet Revolt, Kuma becomes king
Kuma becomes a pirate
Kuma spends 2 years seeking Bonney's cure

-5: Ace becomes a pirate.

-4: Punk Hazard explosion, Vegapunk moves to future Egghead
Ace attacks Onigashima
Ace defeats Warlord Hanafuda
Ace fights Jinbe
Ace joins the Whitebeard Pirates
Dragon and Kuma meet at sea
Kuma visits Vegapunk
6 months later, Kuma becomes a Warlord
Bonney returns to Sorbet

-3: Kuma sees Luffy near Windmill Village
Bonney is cured and escapes custody

-2: Pre-timeskip story

@Nectar said in Chapter 1106: On Your Side:

I think some fans overestimate how much they influence Oda, especially us non-Japanese fans. Oda's smart enough to not let the inmates run the asylum.

Frankly, any author that changes plans because a portion of the audience figure out or randomly guess a resolution is a very terrible storyteller. You can’t really lay out clues and be upset people figured them out, nor you can expect no one in millions of fans will ever guess an outcome. Changing things does not retroactively changes past build-up, you end up messing your whole story.

I see a lot of people comparing Loki’s situation to Zoro’s introduction, but they forget Luffy didn’t free Zoro immediately, he first judged Zoro’s character. It was only after talking to Zoro, seeing Zoro eat Rika’s riceball and finally learning the truth from Rika and Helmeppo that Luffy decided to free him.

@Cyan-D-Funk She looks fine to me.

Actually, except nose and teeth, it feels like she’s a little prettier every time she appears. I still remember her original design, with square jaw and receding hairline.

It’s clear Oda wanted a way for bad guys to override good guys’ orders, but deny the good guys the same advantage. The problem is that it makes no sense.

This chapter does not deserve a review.

Vegapunk's plan makes no sense.

There's no reason to not plan for the Satellite's survival if only Stella's death is necessary.

They may not be able to undo what York did, but they should take care of her for the damage she's yet to inflict.

I'll just repost this:

So let's revise Vegapunk's plan:

• Imprison or eliminate the traitor so she stops feeding info to the WG.
• Fortify Egghead by reprogramming Pacifistas and Seraphims, deploying holograms for decoy tactics, and employing bubble traps to nullify DF users.
• Contact Dragon early and ask for help/send info.
• Send some of the Satellites away so they are safe.
• Warn Sentomaru early so he can help planning defenses.
• Prepare a broadcast to show the government's actions to the world live.
• Create a trigger to broadcast the Void Century info in case of his death.
• Erase his own memory so he forgets everything and let the traitor do as she pleases.

Thoughts:

• This is the 4th week with the disappearances plot for Yamato. The cover story has been a bit slow, but I'm very curious about this plot and hope it leads into we seeing some Beasts Pirates back. Holdem was never beaten for good in the main story, for instance, and we never learned the fates of the Tobiroppo.

• Is the sword in Nami's back supposed to be a morphed Climatact? It consistently disappears whenever Nami pulls the Climatact out.

• Luffy calling Gear 4 is clearly a mistake, since he does not transform. This is just basic Gear 3.

• The amount of continuity mistakes in this chapter (like Luffy having a sword in a moment, then nothing in his back, then it's an axe) is making some people think this is all an allucination. However, having the people of the village reacting to the events with no Straw Hat nearby to interact with them makes this all very real, though I guess some details could still be illusions.

• As I said in the spoiler, thread, I don't think these people in the village are giants. Oda is just playing with expectations and perspective to make them seem big, but there are consistent signs that they are human-sized:

  1- They are dwarfed by the buildings, which are also made of lego.

  

  2- They are not much bigger than the bees. (This panel also ommits anything that could give us an idea of distance between the man and the bee, if he were much bigger you'd need a lower PoV to show him).

  

  3- They feel dwarfed by a rabbit.

  

  4- Nami is not dwarfed by the bees. She's pretty close to one of them (see bumps on the floor), and kneeled. She's taller than a bee.

  

  5- The castle is fit for human-size characters. See height of battlements:

  

  6- The town bellow does not have houses that dwarf the castle. We also don't see a single giant down there, and look at the size of the cat's damage in the tower. (On another note, the perspective on the tree may be wonky, but it doesn't feel like the giant tree we saw in Elbaf, this one seems way smaller)

  

  7- The Straw Hats clothes must come from somewhere. Given their drunk rampage, they likely got the clothes from the village bellow.

  

This place looks like a giant's playground, or maybe it's a village for humans made from giant's toy pieces. These guys may be serfs or servants allowed to live under a local lord.

It's not clear if this is Elbaf as well. It may be, but considering the Straw Hats seem to have gone on a drunken adventure rather than kidnapped, they may have landed on an island on the way to Elbaf. This would fit perfectly with Oda's words at last year's JUMP Festa: "I was planning to not go there, but Luffy can't be controlled" or something like that.

@Captain-M I saw a theory in Reddit that this "Yggdrasil" may be just a branch of the real tree, not its canopy. I think it made a lot of sense, since we know Elbaf is a nation in a bigger whole called Warland. So, this may be another nation in Warland, but it's not Elbaf.

It also matches perfectly with Franky's description of the Adam Tree:

A few words on Carrot...

This last development for her feels so... hollow! There's something wrong about it, and I want to address it, as well as share some thoughts on Carrot's future.

Carrot started as a very simple character. A fun young rabbit mink, she hopped into the Sunny and has been considered a strong candidate for crewmate ever since.

Personally, I never felt she was meant to be a crewmate. There was something lacking in that regard. Her personality sure fits the crew really well, there's no doubt at that. She acts like the young sister of the Straw Hat family: energetic, fun-loving, careless to an extent. She interacts really well with Luffy, Chopper and Nami, and bonded with Jinbe, Brook and Sanji.

What she lacked, IMO, was direction. She felt like a temporary companion to compensate the reduced crew size in WCI. She had no clear purpose, personal objective or higher drive of her own, thought. She was there for fun, and, as such, I expected her arc would be about maturing.

She also clearly was meant to showcase what the minks can do. We saw most of mink's skills through her, specially the sulong transformation.

So, in my mind, her role was to tag along, to help crew interaction, to mature, and to show what the minks can do. She'd eventually leave.

Pedro's death added more to her. It gave her a kind of a sad backstory. It was just being built in the present rather than be a reveal about her past. And his words to her hinted at an improved role ahead:

"Keep going forward."
"Everyone has its chance to shine."

Still, I never thought she'd join the crew. After her strong showing in WCI, thought, I was sure she'd have a great conclusion in Wano.

Except it never happened. To me, Carrot was one of the worst handled characters lately. I felt Oda did a big disservice for her fans.

Despite, or maybe because, her arc being mishandled in Onigashima, I wouldn't bat an eye if Carrot's next development were to return to Zou. Maybe she had enough adventure and just wanted to be with the minks again, to rest and gain strength for the future.

But what we got in Ch 1056 makes no sense at all. Mink ruler? Why?

Her character arc wasn't about gaining or showing leadership. She had no personal drive nor meaningful moments to build that up.

This conclusion feels displaced. And she doesn't feel happy about it either.

So, this gives me the feeling that Carrot's character arc isn't over yet. Because this development does not fit her nor is wanted by her, it really feels like Oda is just giving her a new reason to stow away in the Sunny again: to mature further and become worthy of her position.

Maybe Oda is just mishandling things again. Maybe Carrot will accept her duty and return to Zou to lead the minks. But it feels so wrong! It feels like a setup for something else!

Let's be clear: I'm still not in the "Carrot will join" camp, but I'm less sure of it than I was before 1056. I'm now intrigued by her fate.

So, if we see Carrot accepting her duty and waving goodbye to the Straw Hats before they leave Wano, it's over. Her arc will have a really weak conclusion, but the deal is done.

But if we don't see her again before the end of Wano, hen the chances that she will pop up again in the Sunny will be really really high. (Which doesn't mean she joins the crew yet, but her chances for joining will keep going until it's made official)

"But if she stows away again, she's a traitor to the minks and will feel an undeserving crewmate to the audience."

One Piece is about freedom. If she chooses to go, I'm sure the minks will be shown to be unsurprised and understanding, because that's where Carrot's heart is. That's why, for example, I always said Yamato would stay in Wano by his own will, not because of any duty or pity. I see Yamato's journey as he befriending Momonosuke and in the end happily choosing to be by his friend's side.

So, TLDR: Carrot's character arc does not seem to have reached its conclusion, and I, even thought I still place more chance of her not going with the crew right now, I wouldn't be surprised if Oda ends up keeping her around after Ch 1056.

Liked: the farewell to Momo, the pirates leaving, the final samurai image (thought I wish it was a two-page spread).

Didn't like: No exploration of Yamato. Hiyori's speech being unnecessarily morally ambiguous (thought I assume the best meaning).

I wish Oda had freed 4 pages (two of the speaker's theatrical narration, and Hiyori's double page) and instead had used them for fleshing out Yamato's decision and a Zoro/Hiyori moment.

However, that final theatrical display was probably Oda's teased final scene of Wano, so he couldn't help but fulfill his vision.

Despite being over, Wano still left hanging a lot of plot threads that I feel will still get covered.

In 1058, I could see one or two pages for flashbacks of both Carrot's and Yamato's talks with the crew, just to put those threads to rest. That, of course, assuming Carrot is not stowing away in the Sunny again.

I really hope Carrot's situation is made 100% clear ASAP.

Like, if she's in the ship, then reveal her right away.
If she's not, then add a scene of her leaving with the Minks and promising she'll do her best to back the Straw Hats up, as Pedro wanted.

I just hope we don't linger on it, leaving the situation ambiguous for God knows how long while some readers keep hoping beyond reason.

@danie if Hancock gets a more active role in the story, her power will be nerfed, like Law’s or Robin’s were.

I think there’s three levels for Hancock’s power:

• Temptation (Love Love Beam): You can avoid it entirely by resisting temptation (through fear, pain or drive). Also (IMO), Conqueror Haki should resist it. It can also be dodged/blocked.
• Ranged attacks (Slave Arrow, Pistol Kiss): Projectiles that petrify by hitting the target. Can affect even inanimate objects. Needs to be dodged or blocked. However (IMO) if they need to pierce, maybe armament haki can also resist them.
• Melee attacks (Perfume Femur): Partial petrification of area hit. I believe they only affect you if the attack hurts you. As such, may be resisted with armament haki.

So, I theorize Hancock tries the first as it’s the most effective, then the second. If all else fails, she goes melee and relies in her martial training and haki.

@Kurloz Oda himself "confirmed" an 11th crewmate when Gatz said Blackbeard had 10 Titanic Captains, despite us only knowing 9 of them.

Then as recently as Road to Laugh Tale, it was reinforced that there's an unknown 11th Blackbeard Pirate around.

Oda could end all discussion by just having Luffy and crew celebrating "we are finally a whole crew" while toasting to Jinbe upon his return, before they reached Onigashima.

The point is: there has been a suspicion raised by Oda himself since Ch 1, when Luffy said he wanted 10 people, and then the count started with Zoro as the 1st person a few chapters later.

Some thoughts:

• Egghead seems to be the New World’s Sabaody arc. I’m not sure we wll have more than an apetizer of Kizaru’s clashing with the SH. I feel we are going to get some more players moving and then a few shot(er) arcs building towards a big event in Elbaf.

• As expected Lucci is able to fight Luffy, at least for a while. I thought he'd be around pre-ACoC Luffy's level, and this chapter makes it likely. I don't think Lucci can win in a straight match, but he's smart and tactical and can cause enough trouble while he's standing.

• I really like Devil Fruits are supernatural, rather than just some "ancient technology" product. Their supernatural nature made them wondrous. And each being unique and able to reincarnate would be hard to explain as science. Now they are literal inherited dreams. I love it!

• So much for Sentomaru having "the world's strongest defense". I expected more from you, Sentomaru...

• It's so weird and frustrating to see S-Snake on the chapter but no sign of the real Boa Hancock. Still, I think she's going to appear in person soon.

@The-Light-of-Shandora
Thanks!

Even if doesn't end up in her actually joining the crew, I think the odds of an arc centered on Hancock are pretty high!

After writing up my theory, I actually found two more "Meta-hints" for it. One is this inner cover of One Piede Doors! Vol. 3. This is a book for collecting cover pages and cover stories. The inner covers always featured the crew, Vivi, Karoo and some other characters to fill up space. Volume 3 was the last for now, and we got this:

And then there's the Number Theory. If we consider "Nika" cheated the theory by changing Luffy's DF number from 5.6 to 2.9, then Hancock's Mero Mero can fill up the missing 5.6.

Full explanation: