Posts made by tolazy

The big difference between Momo and Carrot as leaders of their nations is that Momo wants to lead, he time and again stated that even though the task itself is much too big for him, whereas Carrot never showed interest in leading.
Adding the whole "you gara are carrying Pedro's will" doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because I don't associate that with being the next leader of Wano.

Pedro set out to find more poneglyphes, so that he could help the person following in Rogers's footsteps and thus help bring the dawn.

But then again that whole "dawn concept" is so vague it could be many things.

No idea how it is in other countries but the german publisher, which publishes One Piece, hands out a mini poster of the covers 99-101 if you buy the first edition of volume 101

One of the reasons I have trouble with Yamato is the whole Oden identity debacle. I constantly wonder if something is Yamato's wish or a wish of Yamoden. As we met Yamato, we didn't know for how long this whole Oden-hero-worship-to-the-point-of-taking-on-the-idols-identity has been going on. (And I have to be honest at this point: the hero-worship to the point of denying their own identity was a huge turn off for me. It neither managed to make me like the character nor endear him to me in any way or form. Instead, it left a lingering bitter taste.) Chapters later we learn that Yamato started to identify as Oden as a child. So, it's safe to assume that it has going on for roughly 20 years now! That's a very long time. And I just wonder what behaviour we have seen of Yamato is Yamato and what is Yamoden.

Another issue I am wondering about iswhat Yamato's dream is supposed to be?
They want to protect Wano from Kaido and open Wanos border because of what is written in Oden's journal. Once the raid is over Kaido should be defeated and/or leave Wano giving whoever takes over as a leader - I will not participate in the discussion of who should be shogun - the change to open the borders of Wano. You could say: mission accomplished!

What does this leave to Yamato?
Leaving with Luffy? But why? Because Luffy is so similar in his beliefs and views to Roger, who's they learned through the journal? So they are following Luffy, because he is like a person they read about? For me, that's more than just a little shallow.
Or do they want to travel in Roger and Oden's footprints? Make the same journey? Visit the same places? See the same things? That's….lame? That's trying to relive another person's life for me.

If the Yamato under the Oden surface wishes to leave and have adventures on the sea Luffy and the Strawhats aren't needed. I don't see any reason, that says it must be the strawhats. Yamato can join up with anybody they want.

Maybe I am reading it wrong, but the whole reasoning behind why Yamato wish to leave with Luffy is up to two points:

1. Oden travelled with Roger -> Yamato is Oden -> should travel with Roger -> Roger is dead -> should travel with Ace because he was Roger's son -> Ace is dead -> travel with Luffy because he is Ace's brother. That's the explanation we got right in one of the first chapters with Yamato. I never liked that reasoning because it felt like Yamato didn't appreciate Luffy as a person, but he was more of a makeshift because the person he really wishes to travel with isn't available.
2. Oden wrote something about Roger in his journal and as Ace talked about Luffy they recognized the similarity between Roger and Luffy. But unfortunately, this once again makes me feel like Yamato doesn't see Luffy as his own person.

I know all of this is more or less based on my feelings and the bad first impression I got from Yamato as Oda introduced them. Because Oda really did butch the introduction of them for me. I couldn't feel the excitement others felt about this new character that appeared and looked like the perfect new and last crew member. Like I already said the Oden-imitation was a huge downturner for me. Neither design nor fighting style does anything for me. Devil fruit - with the whole "Oh, hey that's a deity of Wano" but we never heard of it - is just another mess. And the connection with Ace is nothing special in this arc. (Ace feels like glue for this arc with how often Oda uses him.) Do I feel sorry for Yamato because of what they went through as a child and later on… eh, maybe? I can't say it.
All I can say is that nothing Oda has shown of Yamato has been able to redeem the first impression and the resulting negative feeling I got for this character so far. It's a hard verdict, but it is how it is. I won't try to convince anybody to join my side.

Personal I would prefer it if Yamato first leaves and figures out who and what they want to be! Have some adventures on their own.
If they end up joining they will - probably - for the longest time be my least favourite Strawhat. I would even be willing to take Tama over Yamato, even though I stand by "No-children-on-a-pirate-ship". And that is just one of the many, many characters I would prefer over the new perfect crewmember Yamato.

Gosh, I already start to sound bitter.
I will stop now.
Take that however you will. Most of what I have written here are personal feelings and opinions.

Team "Hate it, horrible retcon!"

It was obvious from the ending of chapter 1043 that we would get the awakening. And the visuals of the fight was great; the Loony Toons effect made me laugh.
But -and that's a giant BUT - I hate the classification change of Luffy's devil fruit. Luffy's devil fruit powers are no longer special to me, even though the new class itself now is supposed to be super rare. I just hate it. I prefer good old, boring, useless gum-gum fruit snufflebecause Luffy managed to make it into something special. Luffy already had a lot of skills/abilities (special family with Garp, Dragon, Ace and Sabo; VOAT, all three hakis, being a D), which made him special. His devil fruit being so lame and seemingly useless was a good counter to all that. That's - for me - now lost. Now every aspect of Luffy is special, even his devil fruit we have known since the beginning. And after more than 1000 chapters into the story, it's also painful. I feel like I was lied to the whole time and that hurts.
I could have lived with a change to special paramecia like Katakuri got (and that was a blunder, too). At least it would still be in the paramecia category…

@astagadragon:

Agree with Solid. If it not for Tama, the alliance would be ganked by Grifters. It would be very bad.

But doesn't it show how arc-specific Tamas powers are?

Don't get me wrong, what Tama did was very important for the raid and reduced the number of enemies significantly. It would be foolish to disregard the impact of Tamas action on the future success of the raid. But that's it. Tamas powers are really useful for this arc. If Oda wants to use an animal as a supporter of the strawhats - well Nami, Luffy and Chopper did a quite good job at taming animals so far (and that without grey-brainwashing-letting-feelings-of-attachment-grow or however Tamas powers work).

And Solid does have a point by saying in any arc are animals which Tama could tame to fight with them.
But can somebody name one animal which in a serious fight didn't get fodderized?
Because of the top of my head, I can't remember any animal (and with that I mean a real-world animal and not something like an artificial dragon like the two back in PH) in the manga being shown as a dangerous opponent. If I remember it correct no animal has ever been portraited as a real threat in a serious fight. The big ones looked impressive, got a few good hits in but still end up getting beaten pretty easy.
So fighting alongside an animal won't help Tama much. She would still need more fighting prowess herself to stand a chance in a serious fight. Or does anybody want to see the probably only serious one-on-one fight of Tama to be a gag fight????

Of course, it would be something new if an animal turns out to be an actual threat and Tama could tame it for her fight. Oda has never done something like this. But after more than a thousand chapters the chances seem to be slim for something like this to happen.

But that's just my opinion on the matter…

@Captain:

Wasn't it stated that every one of the Tobi Roppo was once a captain? Drake's crew and Ulti and Page One's people are presumably out there as well.

I don't think we'll see much of any of them though. They would all probably just be assimilated into the fodder of the Beasts Pirates. I think that detail was just to show that Kaido's always tried to break and recruit his enemies like he did for Luffy and Kid, not set up a future plot point.

A good inclusion would be the mostly-unseen figure in the striped kimono who arrived with Marco and Izo. The one potentially seen drinking with Crocus earlier in the story.

I do wonder… will this end up being a SBS question, because there is a high possibility that figure was simply Izo and some people refuse to see it? I'm not saying that is a fact, but I believe it was Izo until proven wrong.

Funkfreed is 1st in Europe and Bourbon Jr. in LatAm&Caribbean:blink:

Shushu is first in Middle East and second in Japan. Furthermore, together with Robin (first) and Hancock he broke the hold Sanji, Luffy, Zoro and Law seem to have on the top 3 in Japan.

@auem:

Elizabeth from Knoxville would like a refund.:ninja:

https://twitter.com/holmescnn/status/1346987917273608194

I thought American history lessons cover revolutions and civil wars pretty well… did she sleep through these lessons or why is she so surprised for getting "maced" after trying to participate in a "revolution"?:ninja:

I feel sorry for the four people that died because of the delusion of one man and now there are four families that lost beloved ones. But I refuse to have even an ounce of pity for every person, who participated in this riot and got maced or something else. They decided to do listen to a lying, mad man so they can bear the consequences of their action.

---

On another note, because it is so horrible what has happened it is even more shocking that there are barely any arrests. This is shocking me right now nearly as much as that those people seriously tried to stop the count of the Electoral College, which wouldn't have changed anything because Trump fucking LOST!
And this is far from over... 20th of January will be another wild day. Hopefully, police forces will be better prepared than yesterday!

@wolfwood:

Feels weird that no one has been shot yet.

Appearently somebody got shot…

What the hell is happening at capital hill??? Like serious! This is INSANE!

@Solid:

Just for arguments sake, she said in chapter 999 she has been working on becoming a kunoichi, so maybe we will see some ninja techniques soon :ninja:

Just for argument's sake, it's still just something we are being told… how well versed Tama is in regards to ninja techniques and how strong these remain to be (maybe) seen at a future point.:ninja:

But I'm not really interested in getting into a discussion with you, because I know you support Tama and you are free to do that.
So I will simply disagree with you.

@Robby:

The arc is still going and they're going to have a weeklong party after the fight is over if it follows the same trend as most of the series.

Er… I'm going to quote myself from the same post:

@tolazy:

And I am not foolish enough to think there isn't enough time for Yamato to bond with the crew. But if it ends up Yamato barely interacting with the crew until (meaning not while they are fighting - because they protect Momo and has his own fight somewhere else - and only at) the big feast after all the fights are done and them joining afterward… That will still feel iffy to me.

I think I acknowledge that there is still a chance for Yamato to spend a reasonable amount of time in-universe time with the other Strawhats. But if that time will be mainly at the big weeklong party… As also stated by me: in that case will feel iffy to me.
I am purely talking about the time spent with a Strawhat up to chapter 1000 and not up to chapter 1040 or whenever the Wano arc will be ending.

Brook was asked to join the crew after about ten seconds.

That aside, Yamato has had years to know about and follow Luffy thanks to Ace, and that he kne Franky on sight means he's been keeping up with the news about Luffy. And we have no idea how much time he spent with Ace.

Regarding Brook's "first joining" that was - while at the end serious - at the moment it happened more a joke which got repeated within the arc (how many zombies did Luffy ask? 2?3?). Also, Brook got more interaction with different crewmembers and took part in the fighting. (It still felt strange to me that Brook joined at the end and took some time getting used to him.)
And yes… the arc is still ongoing and everything can still change. I'm not denying that.

Still, everything Yamato knows about Luffy and the Strawhats is hearsay (enough of Ace's stories to annoy them and the newspaper/bounty posters) because they spent time collecting this secondhand information.
Marco also knew of Luffy because Ace told stories of him but up to the point in Marineford where he met Luffy in person, he only had secondhand information.
The whole world knows of the Strawhats/their escapades and are able to recognize them because of the newspaper/bounty posters. Just like Yamato!

But I will be denying to accept Yamato as a sure-fire new nakama until they sail out of Wano on the Sunny with a toast and everything at the end of the arc.
Does it mean, I set a higher bar for Yamato to be accepted by me? Yes.
Do I care? No, because I made my bet and I'm going to stick to that. But I still try to see all the points the story tells why Yamato is the last member.

The only dead sure thing is that Yamato is going to leave once everything is said and done!

So… I made up my mind. No matter, what the manga tells I will refuse to accept Yamato as the new - and more important last - nakama until they sail off with the Thousand Sunny. I made my bet regarding who will join next months ago and I am going to stick with that decision. And if my ship is sinking so be it but I will go down proudly believing there is still a chance of Carrot joining until the Sunny leaves without the bunny mink.

That Yamato will leave Wano is obvious (this tidbit was stated too often for them to change their mind), but I still find it hard to believe they will join the crew. Something about Yamato is simply not sitting right with me. Furthermore, how much time in-universe did Yamato actually spent with the crew? Like 10 min with Luffy and one with Franky? Don't get me wrong but each and everyone, who joined so far at least spent some time with a good part of the crew beforehand ( - aside from Robin... She is a dealbreaker I know! On the other side Robin only became really a part of the crew after Enies Lobby...). Yamato has stories about Luffy from Ace and whatever they read in the newspapers about the Strawhats. That's not what I would call a personal bond based on interaction.
As it stands so far, Yamato is doing more bonding with Momo than the Strawhats.
And I am not foolish enough to think there isn't enough time for Yamato to bond with the crew. But if it ends up Yamato barely interacting with the crew until (meaning not while they are fighting - because they protect Momo and has his own fight somewhere else - and only at) the big feast after all the fights are done and them joining afterward… That will still feel iffy to me.

As much as Carrot's chances are sinking, there is one point where she is toping the other two most discussed contenders for the last crewmember, and that is interaction with the crew! She sailed with half the crew for more than a month and at least met the other half personally at one point or another.
Tama has the second most interaction with the crew (mostly Luffy, Zorro and Chopper iirc). But being honest, I don't believe there is a real chance for Tama to join. She is too young - which is a sure No for me personally, plus it goes against the established point Shanks made: kids don't belong on a pirate ship -, has shown no fighting skills (there has been a lot of talks about said skills, but so far all the fighting for Tama has been done by her tamed animals or somebody else) and I don't know how going the Strawhats is going to help her achieve her dream of becoming a bewitching kunoichi. The most likely thing to joining I can see happening is Luffy renewing Ace's promise to Tama.
And well... Yamato... Like said above Luffy and briefly Franky...

---

By the way, isn't there a threat where it would be possible to discuss how long One Piece will be running and what's going to happen? :wassat: This topic keeps popping up in different threats but I can't remember if there is in regards to the subject itself.

@Deicide:

I'm going with Staff Officer/Chief of Staff/Quartermaster, which is essentially the one responsible to make sure the ship is in order and everyone is doing their duties?

Not a very highlighted function, but one that has been presented since the beginning with characters like Cabaji, Chess and even Sabo.

So far, Nami has been doing this function in the ship due to the unruly crew always getting into trouble, but she should be focusing on navigation as the seas get more dangerous. We've seen her taking misteps a few times in that regard, like when she left the crew alone to bath after they left Fishman Island, or when she let Luffy cook before Whole Cake. I can totally see Jinbe calling the crew's attention to the need of someone that can place order on the ship and, specially, that Luffy would listen to.

But how could any newcomer be able to boss around the crew? Well, what if it's a character that is very persuasive?

A newcomer would have a lot of trouble bossing the crew around.
But a known and already by the crew respected character, now that would be something else. Out of my head there is only one such character and as much as I dislike to say it, it's Vivi. She already "teached" Luffy back in Drum and iirc tired to keep the crew in check all the way to/through Alabasta.

Hm… Well, the Yamato-train is rolling full speed.
But somehow, I can’t see this train deliver Yamato to the Thousand Sunny as safely as many believe and that is for two reasons:

1. Odens diary
We don't know what exactly is written in that diary, but we know Yamato read it. And seeing how Yamato reference to the diary as their bible, I'm willing to assume, that they read it quite a lot and knows the contant pretty well. Even if Oden didn't write down what One Piece is he still wrote down his experience and how he felt about these, because this is the usage of a diary! If Luffy (Yamato showed the diary to Luffy so he knows it is in Yamatos possession) feels like whatever is written in Odens diary will cheapen his experience of finding the One Piece, it will heavily impact Yamatos chances of joining (just look at chapter 507).

2. Luffy is a substitute
I don't have the text at hand right now, but iirc than Yamato ask Luffy to allow them to join, because Luffy is Ace brother, who was Rogers son and Oden sailed with Roger thus Yamato as Oden should also sail on Luffy ship. This reasoning, will sounding logical, doesn't really sound like a reasoning for joining the crew. (also, Yamatos Oden schtik comes into play here.) No other strawhat joint with such a reasoning. It was always Luffy allowing them to follow their dreams. It also - at least to me - feels like Luffy and the strawhats are of a substitute for Yamato, because they are unable to join who they really want (doesn't matter whether these being the Roger pirates or the Spade Pirates doesn't matter really).
And yes, this can chance in the cruise of the story. Because Yamato starts to appreciate the strawhats for who they really are (a group of misfits chasing their dreams together) and wish to fulfil their dreams alongside the others.
But right now that’s not what I’m seeing.

The only clear thing is that Yamato will leave Wano once the fight is over. But as a strawhat? I'm not sure.

… and is already hospitalized.
Have you all seen where he has been in the past two weeks? Giuliani has been all over the US.

And Trump continues to dig his hole…. why is the man still allowed to hold a press conference?
(And I only watch like 30 seconds of that press conference)

So happy to see the forum back.
Thanks for working hard to bring it back.

Could be wrong, but the error message indicated that there were some problems with the server itself and not another copyright claim.

@Demon:

I was ready for a lot of things here but Rudy Giuliani going on TV and just fucking melting was not one of them.

It would be hilarious if the whole thing wouldn’t be so pathetic.

So… Marco can do more than flying around and kicking ships. By the look of it, he knocked out Prometheus.
It was great to see Carrot and Wanda cut Peros faces. May it scar...
And damn, they look good in sulong form.

I don't really care for the ice-oni-plot... feels like a way to stall some characters.
But what I find interesting is how Chopper doesn't seem to notice that he got infected until Robin pointed it out, just as he himself was figuring out how the virus works. He's whole arm and shoulder are already covered in ice and he DIDN'T notice it? I could be wrong, but I seem to recall that other victims notice it right away.

Right now, I'm getting a little bit annoyed with Oda constantly cutting things off or off-panaling.
Really would have liked to see Nami&Usopp vs. Ulti&PayPay. That really promised to be a entertaining match-up, but it obviously wasn't meant to be.
I personal prefer the official translation of Nami’s statement. If you don't read the scan and so see it for the first time, it seems like Nami is giving in and then she change the text. But it would be more impactful if there would be more built-up to the moment.

Kids don't belong in a war - be it fiction or real live.
We already have Momo and now Tama?
I get that her powers are an advantage for the good guys, but I still don't like her turning up on the battlefield. And I am strongly against her being able to tame zoan user. If Tama somehow tames all the smile users, it will be another plus for the alliance surrounding Luffy. Furthermore, Tama lacks fighting skills - as implicated by Hitetsu in chapter 934 she barely has any to name - and will be in need for somebody to protect her just like Momo who has his shining warrior Yamato and Shinobu.

@starlalilymoon:

Should I be scared of getting Covid since on Saturday my neighbor threw a party and there were multiple people coming from and back? She lives on the second and I on the first, so to get to hers you have to past mine. I'm a bit concerned about this to be honest, what should I do? Get myself tested just in case or not worry?

If you didn't go there yourself, there is absolute no reason for you to worry.
But if it will help you feel better, go and get some desinfectant to clean your door handle and such. Just check the label to make sure it is virucidal.

I am very happy for you guys! The wait for this moment has been taxing.

I just hope it will stay peaceful, because Trump sure as hell will fight until the last moment.

We are back!:wub: Really missed this place.
Thank you to the admin-team for their hard work to bring the forum back up!!!

I don't find wearing a mask as troublesome as some people do. The masks you are required to wear are either surgical masks or everyday masks made of clothe (so that you can wash and reuse them).

It's like MiyamotoMasashi said. FFP2 or FFP3 masks are troublesome, but not required. (I don’t understand why some people think they need them. They are important for medical use so no need for the general public to buy them.)

@starlalilymoon:

https://i.imgur.com/ZDhBMS0.jpg

I would like a halberd or a lucerne hammer.

I have said for month that Trump is too dumb to catch the corona virus…. looks like I was wrong... :blink:

@gyuukarubi:

Why do they so easily dismiss two Yonkou getting into contact with each other? When Big Mom and Kaido linked, the Marines called a state of emergency.
It's because Shanks sent an envoy and the Gorosei clearly doesn't view him as a threat to world order.

You are comparing two situations which surroundings conditions are totally different.
There is no way for the Gorosei to know why Shanks sent a messenger, all they know he did it and it could possibly be bad. And yes, they dismiss Shanks in that situation based on what they know about him because they have more urgent matters to attend. If they need to the marines are able to send out fleets to try to stop whatever happens.

If you really want to read the scene like Shanks has some shady business whit the WG, than that’s how you want to read it. But I will not agree with you, because for the above stated reason.

And there is the different between the situation in which Shanks contacted Whitebeard and as Big Mom called Kaido.
The marines a freaking out because all their powers right now a tied due to the reverie. They have no men to spare in this situation. And by the way, Sakazuki, fleet admiral, is not only once but repeatedly refusing to send out troops because whatever happens between Big Mom and Kaido is happening out of the WG jurisdiction in Wano. Even through it is a big deal and spells trouble for the WG nobody takes action to stop the two from getting together.

So… are Big Mom and Kaido also on WG payroll?
Ups... sorry, you already answered that question... The weapons dealing of Wano and drug dealings of big Mom (which I totally don't remember).:ninja:

They want to keep balance in the world through the three powers. Please reread the line — I think it's less ambiguous than you think:
“The destruction of the three great powers would reverberate throughout the world. They must be protected.”
This is the line, verbatim. They say they want to protect the three great powers — not dismantle any of them.

I stand what I said. They want to keep the status quo through maintaining the system of the three powers, because it allows the Gorosei (and the WG) to somewhat to stay on top of things. Thus, they also protect themself.
This has less to do with Shanks than you make out of it.

Because Whitebeard arrogantly wanted to do what he wanted to do. His ship operates like a family and they have a code of conduct. He sent Ace after Blackbeard to take him out and refused to call him back.

You may wanna go back to chapter 552!
Whitebeard is covering Aces ass with a blatant lie.

! Flashback!Pirates: Don't do it!!! / Ace!!! Calm down, would you?!!! // The old man said this is a special case!!! / You don't have to go after Teach!!
Flashback!Ace: Get off me!!! He's a member of my division!!! / What's going to become of poor Satch's soul if I just let his killer go?!!!
Flashback!Whitebeard: Ace… that's enough. Just this once......... // I have a very bad feeling about all this...
Flashback!Ace: He killed his own crewmate and fled the ship!!! After being in your care for how many decades… // He ran away and brought shame to us all!!! // How am I supposed to just do nothing... / ...when my father's name is at stake?! / I am going to settle this!!!
Flashback!Whitebeard: .........
Flashback!Pirates: Wait!!! Come back!!! Ace!!!
Ace: ......!!!
! Ace: ...............!! // Old man......... // Guys......... // Even after I ignored your warnings and ran out on my own… // Why couldn't you have just forgotten about me?!!! / It's my own fault I ended up like this…......!!!
Whitebeard: .................. // No... // As I recall, it was I who told you to go after him, my son.
Ace: ?!!
! Ace: ...............?!! / ......!! You liar…...!!!
Pirates: …...............
Ace: What the hell are you talking about?!!! I ran out back then even though you told me to -
Whitebeard: I told him to go. Isn't that right, Marco?
Marco: Indeed. I heard it with my own ears!! / We're sorry for putting you through this trouble, Ace!! // I think everyone in the whole wide ocean ought to know... // Just what happens to any damned fool... / ...who lays a hand on a member of our crew!!!
! (translation by cnet128)
Whoever is to fault for the war is a different matter and has nothing to do with Shanks.
Shanks foresaw a bad outcome and wanted to warn Whitebeard based on his own experience. (A warning that was unneeded as shown in the scene I provided above, because Whitebeard himself had a bad feeling about Teach.)

Whitebeard could have called off Ace at anytime and chose not to out of pride. The WG certainly wasn't concerned with Whitebeard's operations prior to this, as he was able to operate for more than 20 years after Roger's death. Whitebeard may have broken a social contract here — one in which all of the Yonkou have entered. It wouldn't be the first time he rebelled against authority (a la Rocks).

Whitebeard tiered to stop Ace from going after Teach, but Ace didn't listen. Once again: reread chapter 552! Whitebeard is covering for Ace.
How are we to judge if the WG was concerned by prior operations of Whitebeard or not, if we didn't see any of said operations or reactions to said operations.
And we are getting off topic here.

That's exactly how I read it as well. Why?
Think about how feared the WG is by EVERYONE in the series. They commit genocide on a whim. Why is Shanks so nonchalant? Seemingly, because he isn't worried about the potential backlash.
Is this because Shanks is just that strong? Or is it because he knows he won't be punished? Something similar happened when he asked Sengoku for Ace and Whitebeard's bodies.

Shanks isn't worried about the backlash, because yes, he is that strong! He is one of the Yonkos!
No need to make anything more ambiguous as you are trying to make it sound.
Case closed for me.

Heck, maybe Shanks is a part of Sword? 類

Nowadays everybody is sword member, right?:ninja:

Shanks knew that a fight between BB and Ace would end badly for Ace. Hence the warning.
I agree that Shanks was concerned about the new era, but we can't rule out that this was prophecy. After all, Shanks first attempted to speak with Whitebeard all the way back in Jaya. Maybe he knew something. We still don't know what happened between him and Kaido.

I would say we are here in an agreement, so case closed.

Is this really that far-fetched? Katakuri can see the future. Shyarly too. Everything Usopp has lied about has eventually come true. The power exists in this world.

To answer your question: Yes, based on my understanding of how future sight works. It allows you to see a potential future, seconds to may a minute away, which gives somebody an advantage in a fight. That's what Katakuri did and Luffy learnt.

Shiralys prediction has nothing to do with future sight. Just like Usopps lies. He told fantastic tales, which now start to turn up true. I would be more inclined to say Usopp was using his imagination very well. I don't see there any connection between the tales of a 17-year-old, who lived his whole live on a peaceful island in the backwaters of the east blue and haki.

Initially, but they eventually move to destroy the Shichibukai after the system has been rocked too hard. We know that currently, the Shichibukai are awaiting Buster Calls. The system can no longer be maintained due to Luffy, whom they've been keeping tabs on since their first appearance.

At that point, the Gorosei still wanted to keep the system of the three powers going with the Shichibukai. That is the scene you have quoted. What happened to them years later in the story with the Shichibukai is irrelevant. The main point is remains that they are searching for replacements.

Go back to 594 — the Gorosei are discussing who the frontrunner for Whitebeard's replacement in the Yonkou will be. They settle between either Blackbeard or Marco + Whitebeard Pirates.
Then what happens during the 2 year timeskip? Marco is defeated by the Blackbeard pirates, cementing the latter's status. We have no clue if he was appointed, but he seems to be living comfortably.

Er… No, they are commenting on the happenings in the New World and how BB is the frontrunner for Whitebeards spot as Yonko based on his knowledge of his former captains’ territories. And then they start to wonder who could possibly stop BB and concluded it are the other Yonkos or Marco with the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.

! Gorousei: …............... // Blackbeard has already begun to take action in the New World... / ...and one of those rookies exceeding a hundred million in bounty has already fallen prey to him. // He is all too familiar with the territory that Whitebeard controlled. // Amongst those pirates striving to fill the vacant seat in the Yonkou... / ...he has a clear head start. There is, after all, no record of any man before him successfully consuming two Devil's Fruits. // If anybody can put a stop to his advance, it would have to be the Yonkou themselves… // ...or else Marco the Phoenix and the other remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. // It is always those with the D who cause such trouble… Just like Portgas... // It would seem that the name has become rather too exposed at this point...
(translation by cnet128)
And yes, this leads to the a fight between BB and Marco which ended up cementing BB status as Yonko.

Young Buggy seems to really dislike Shanks, who has done something unforgivable. Buggy also laments that Shanks used Buggy as an errand boy — which seemingly happened in the past, too.

No, there was no real bad blood between Buggy and Shanks until one - ONE - incident, which chanced Buggys life dramatically!

I went back and looked Buggys flashback up. (Chapter 19) Unfortunately I don't have a good English translation for you and I'm too lazy to translate half of the chapter out of the volume from my native langue to English. Aside from that, it would be a translation of a translation, which is always bad. But here is a summary of what happens:
Buggy and Shanks seem to argue a lot about insignificant things based on the comments of the other Roger Pirates, but still got along. Buggy even states, that he would recruit Shanks if he wasn't such a dreamer. Prior to this the Roger Pirates did a raid and Buggy found a treasure map, which he hides from his fellow comrades. Shanks tells Buggy that they found a devil fruit, which has a value of 100 million bellies. Buggy fakes the devil fruit, acts like he eats it and silently enjoys that he was able to fool the others because now he has a treasure map and the devil fruit. Furthermore, he plans to leave the ship and form his own piratecrew. But then Shanks surprise him, Buggy hides the fruit by shoving it into his mouth and Shanks surprise him a second time which cause Buggy to swallow the fruit. Buggy is angered, because he just swallows the fruit and then also lose the treasure map. He jumps after the map, but because he consumed the devil fruit is no longer able to swim and Shanks jumps after him to rescue Buggy.

So Buggy faults Shanks for three things: the loss of the treasure map, that he ate valuable devil fruit, which also results in him losing the ability to swim (and search for treasure by diving - at least this way it is stated in the volume I own.)

Shanks may prove to be a manipulative person; we'll see.

Yes, we'll see.

Just to circle back on this, recall chapter 96: entitled "The Greatest Evil in the East". What do you make of this menacing face, covered in shadow?

That you take the face out of context by ignoring the text and the situation.
Shanks waited for 10 years to finally hear that Luffy set out to sea. Shanks seems to be thrilled/excited to hear from Luffy.
There is nothing menacing.

Okay, I took out my volumes and looked at the scenses you provided.

@gyuukarubi:

Gorosei, Ch. 233:
“The destruction of the three great powers would reverberate throughout the world. They must be protected.”

The Triumvirate:

• Shichibukai
• Marines
• Yonkou

So the Gorosei want to protect the current system, including the Yonkou.

I feel like the Gorosei are mostly commenting on what has happened and what it means for the system of the three powers. The content of the discussion between the Gorosei are two things: Shanks and what he is up to and the search for a replacement for Crocodile. In my volume they dismiss Shanks and what he is doing at that time, after they hear he only sent a messenger. To close the opening in the Shichibukai is more important to them.
They want to keep the balance of the three powers intact, not the Yonkos themself! The system of the three powers are nothing more than a means of keeping the status quo, which also means the WG stays - somewhat - on top of things. If anything, the scene shows how fragile the system of the three powers is and how important it is that everything stays exactly the same, because if even one player within the system falls out of his role everything gets destabilized. And at the moment the three powers are overbalanced after what happened with Crocodile and then Shanks takes for some reason action.
By the way, just because the Yonkos are considered one of the three powers of the world doesn't mean the Yonkos care about it or that the Gorosei aren't willing to erase one of said powers if it is convenience for them.
Or why did they allow the marines to go to war with Whitebeard over Ace, if they want to protect the Yonko as part of the system?

Red Hair Pirates, Ch. 234:
Lucky Roo: “What now, cap’n?”
Shanks: “I’ll go to Whitebeard. Prepare to set sail!”
Ben Beckmann: “Won’t the government try to stop us?”
Shanks: “Maybe. But we’re going anyway. We’ll deal with them when the time comes!!”

Shanks is awfully nonplussed about the World Government interfering. He may have them on his leash.

Really?Because it sounds and looks like Shanks doesn't really care whether the WG will interfere or not. But that is how I read and interpret the scene.

Ch. 434:
Whitebeard: “Your duel with Hawkeye is still fresh in my memory. Everyone was surprised beyond their imagination when you came back from East Blue missing an arm. What enemy did you give that left arm to?”
Shanks: “This?”
Luffy (flashback): “One day, I’ll have a ship and crew better than yours! I’m gonna be Pirate King!”
Shanks (smirking; eyes hidden): “I gave it up for the sake of the new era.”

Shanks clearly knows something here. Does he really care about a new era of Pirate? Or is his observation haki so advanced that he perceived the future, even back during the encounter with Higuma?

Moreover, he’s concerned that “no one will be able to stop this new era from spiraling into chaos,” and warns Whitebeard. He saw it coming.

Huch? He knows something? Well… he remembers how he lost his arm. Nothing special her for me.
You are also leaving out the reason for Shanks to seek out Whitebeard: to warn him form BB and to persuade him to call back Ace for the time being. Shanks even states that he has only one scar which still hurt, and that said scar was caused by Teach. So, Shanks simply took what he knew from personal experience, what he knew of Ace and concluded, that a fight between BB and Ace would end bad for one of the two. This has nothing to do with haki. It's plain old logic. Hell, the first time i read that whole scene I thought 'uho... doesn't sound good.'
I agree with you, that Shanks is concerned about the new era and the possibility of it spiralling into chaos. But how did he see it coming? I would say he used once again plain old logic.

Are you seriously want me to believe, that Shanks has advanced observation haki, which allows him to see a future many year away?? How do you even get that out of the scene you quoted?

Gorosei, Ch. 594:
“The balance of the three great powers cannot be depended on any longer. Who can we use to fill the Seven Warlords’ empty seats?”

So now, the Gorosei are questioning the legitimacy of the Triumvirate.

“We should wait for further developments in the New World. The balance of power among the pirates will be shifting soon. We must pick the ones who have the greatest influence.”
This is what led to the new appointments in the Shichibukai — notably, Buggy the Clown. He holds influence because of his status as a former chore boy on the Pirate King’s crew.

Yes, the Gorosei are questioning the current system, but at the same time they are thinking on how to fill the openings within Shichibukai. They are still intent to keep the system of the three powers in the way they can do it: appointing new members for the Shichibukai.

_“Blackbeard has already begun his rampage in the New World. He’s already taken out one of the rookies worth over 100 million. He knows Whitebeard’s territories through and through.”

“Of the pirate candidates for the Four Emperors, he is the frontrunner. There is no historical precedent for a man who’s eaten two Devil Fruits. Only the remaining Four Emperors themselves could possibly defeat him… and maybe Marco the Phoenix with Whitebeard’s crew.”_
Doesn’t this give you pause? The Gorosei are talking about appointing a new Yonkou — almost as if it’s an official position conferred rather than a moniker given by Morgans (as was done with Luffy).

To answer your question: No! Because the Gorosei don't appoint a Yonko.
IIRC, somebody "gains" the title of a Yonko if he/she is recognized as a ruler of the New World by the WG and other pirates (which is the reason why Luffy's title als Yonko isn't legitimate). It took BB a war against Marco and the remains of the Whitebeard Pirates to be recognized as a Yonko. And he had two devil fruits, powerful crewmembers and he knew the Whitebeards territories very throughly. So knowlegde and power are not enough to become a Yonko without being recognized as the absolute top tier.
Furthermore, the Gorosei are commenting on the happenings within the pirate world and BB chances as a potentional new Yonko, which they can't really influence contrary to who gets a place within the Shichibukai or what the marines do.

Something we do know about Shanks: he was very manipulative in his youth. Despite being the same age as Buggy, Shanks clearly dominated the clown and used him as a pawn. It’s like a Luffy and Usopp friendship gone wrong.

Yeah, Shanks did use Buggy and his ability there. But dont't forget the panel on the next page where Buggy realize that Shanks is his ticket out of Marineford. So Buggy is just as much using Shanks as Shanks is using him.
Can't right now remember where a young Shanks was shown to manipulate Buggy.

I fear my take not only on the scenes is very different from yours, but also my view on Shanks. You see something dark (I don’t want to say sinister or evil) in Shanks character and what he does.Whereas I see a character with an unknown agenda/motivation, maybe with some grey areas in the moral department, but general considered as one of the good guys. This view of course affects how we look and interpret this scene.

I feel a lot regarding Shanks and what/why he does is still up for interpretation because his motivation is unknown to us. Whether Shanks is truly a good guy or a bad guy looking like a good guy is something we as reader can only decide once we learn of Shanks motivation.

@gyuukarubi:

Some pirates are employed by the state for controlled chaos. The Shichibukai, one of the Triumvirate, is an example of this. The Gorosei allude to the possibility of the Yonkou being the same — leashed dogs with a propensity to bite back.

And now the system aims to dismantle these groups they allowed to flourish, as has been hinted at since the Jaya arc.

Yes, the Shichibuaki were leashed dogs to counter together with marines the power of the Yonkos. But where was it hinted that the Yonkos are "leashed dogs" of the WG? Could you please point me to the chapter, because I can't remember ever reading something hinting to it.
And the Shichibukai system now mainly got abolished because of King Cobra and King Riku (with backing from Issho iirc) convinced the other kings at the reverie to do so.

Shanks has no ambition to rule the world, find One Piece, etc. But what has he consistently done?

That's what I meant as I wrote that we don't know Shanks agenda. We don't know Shanks ambition or whatever he is up to. All we can say is that he is powerful enough the become a Yonko, his crewmembers apparently are also very strong (don't remember right now if it was Brandnew or Sengoku who said the Redhair Pirates are the most balanced Yonko crew) and he is apparently also very good at reading the chess board to draw his own conclusions from what is happening around the world. And it are probably these conclusions which decide whether he takes action or not. Put this is pure speculations on my part because we know less about Shanks and his overall agenda/motivation/ambition than we think.

@gyuukarubi:

Haven’t you wondered why certain fruits give life to the consumer?

Lassoo.
Funkfreed.
Smiley.
Bunbuku.

Could it be that a soul was bestowed upon these objects from within the Devil Fruit? Do Devil Fruits carry the souls of previous users?

Vegapunk knows.

With that post it's getting really hard for me to take you seriously, because… just NO! I don't even know how to counter this, because it sounds so wrong to me and I really don't want to insult you but NO!

@gyuukarubi:

Yet Shanks aims to preserve balance? Why?

Where is all this "Shanks aims to preserve balance" nonsense coming from?
Sorry, but I don't really see it in the manga.

It's the same with the Shanks is an evil end boss or whatever theory, that poped up… Where are you people getting that?

Shanks is a pirat - a Yonko, one of the absolute top tiers in the pirate world, not a saint. Just like Luffy or Law or Ace or every other damn pirate in the manga.
Does he has his own agenda? Of course!
But what do we now about Shanks agenda in gerneral?
We know two years ago he was against Ace chasing Teach, because he thought it is too dangerous at the time for this two to fight. So, he tiered to stop it, consequences be damned (as shown in chapter 234). At the end he failed.
We know he intercepted Kaidou as Whitebeard was on the way to Marineford to rescue Ace. And we know he later turned up at Marineford and was able to stop useless killing. Is that seriously a bad thing??? We don't know if there is a specific reason why Sengoku was willing to listen to Shanks. All we know is that he did it and the war ended.
Hell, we don't even know why Shanks thought he should interfere with the whole affair. He could very well have gone "I warned you, you didn't listen, now see how you are able to rescue your crew member, Whitebeard". All we can do is try to read between the lines why Shanks warned Whitebeard and interfered in the war. (And yes, I get that it looks like he is making sure the balance of the three powers stays intact. But where are the evidence, that this was really the reason…)
And after the TS... Is it really surprising that Shanks - I would say he looks like a mixture of pissed and exited - doesn´t throw a party for Luffy 1.5B berry bounty at the end of chapter 903 like he did for Luffys first bounty, because if you remember the cover of the chapters 873 and 875 where - oh... how was this guy called again, that practical deified Luffy... Bartolomeo! - wracked havoc on one of Shanks island. There is already trouble between Shanks and Luffy brewing, but only Shanks knows of it.
And Shanks turning up at Mary Geoise right at the reverie to talk about one specific pirate with the gorosei. Is it suspicious? Yes, but it doesn't make Shanks evil or means that he works with the WG, because we don't know who the pirate is, he wanted to talk about! It could be Luffy or BB or Wevil or some other pirate. Furthermore, isn't it also dangerous for a pirate like Shanks to walk straight into the lion’s den of Mary Geoise while the reverie is underway as practical all the powerhouse of the marines are assembled there at the time. Alone! We don't know the reason why Shanks took the risk, we just know he did it and it was because of a pirate.

Shanks is a part of the story right from the beginning, we know of him know for nearly 1000 chapters, but we don't know a lot about him or his agenda. So, we try to fill the blank pages of the enigma called Shanks with assumptions and speculations.

@FatDogForMidTerms:

And I don't mean to sound like a dick, I blame these pauses between chapters, everyone is bored, minds run wild, theories run amok, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

The bold one.
Some of the theories that are voiced now are so far stretched its hard to even warp one's head around it.

@Deicide:

It's one thing to say that Hancock may not join even if she's about to return to the story and has a flashback to be told. We've seen non-SH characters with flashbacks, like Wiper, Kyros and Law, after all.

It's another to believe that Oda won't show Fisher Tiger's greatest achievement, and from the emotional perspective of the slaves he was freeing, no less.

As for me, I will double the bet by saying that Hancock's flashback will also cover Fisher Tiger's and Koala's time as a slave, as their three stories intertwine in captivity.

After meeting Koala again back in Dress Rosa I believe we will see the liberation of the slaves by Fisher Tiger in a flashback of Koala once we meet the revolutionary. Koala meeting Jinbei again, who sailed together with her under Fisher Tiger could possibly trigger this flashback. Let us not forget, that Tiger not only freed Koala, he and his crew also taught her again what it means to not be a slave and brought her back to her family. What the sun pirates did for Koala had a great impact on her (or I'm confusing something right now) and lead to her joining the revolutionary.

Aside from that, I simply can't and never have been able to see Hancock as a potential SH.
And on a more personal note the whole love illness gag ruined her to some degree for me. I was so happy as Hancock was introduced and she was this strong, fearless (at least superficial, because… tragic backstory and her constant fear that somebody will figure out her shameful past as a slave) fighter that I liked her a lot. But her falling in love with Luffy and doing practical everything just to please him… it makes me cringe just by thinking about it. Having to see it until the EoS will probably just make it worse for me. But that is just my very personal opinion and as long as Hancock doesn't interact with Luffy its okay for me. I'm still able to appreciate her as a strong fighter, but... well, like I already said: her character is to some degree ruined for me.

@Joy:

I'm imagining a battle royal between all sides. Luffy doesnt exactly need a clean win here. I mean Kaido and Mom fight each other, Luffy tries to butt in, Kaido in the end comes on top but is also so severely beaten that Luffy manages to come on top.

Ah… okay. So, the crucial point is the alliance between Kaido and Big Mom, which pretends the three-way fight.
Okay. Thank you for your answer.

@JohnTnaig:

The protagonist struggling is what makes it fun. You want to see the hero face major obstacles and overcome them. Luffy finally beating Lucci was so cathartic because it was such a difficult battle so seeing him finally take him out was satisfying. That's all I want here I'm not upset that Kaido and Big Mom are getting that argument completely misses the point. I know they're going to get beat but I want our heroes to struggle first. When they beat the enemies so easily its boring and unfortunately that's whats happening here. The alliance of 2 emperors should be the greatest threat these guys have ever faced and yet its like a walk in the park for them. There is zero tension and zero stakes.

How do you know this raid will be like a walk in the park for the SH and their allis? I mean, the fights haven't even really started. So far, we had confrontations with fodders and a few short clashes with as strong introduced characters of the opposite side.
I would be willing to go even so far as to say that at this point we don't really know what Kaidou, the main villain of the arc, is really capital of (spites fire, clubs you with a club and is able to tank a lot… did I forget something... oh yeah, sobers up when fighting:ninja:).
With Big Mom we have already seen what she can do in Totland, but I still expect her to have a few other aces up her sleeves to push the SH into a corner.

@wolfwood:

I think it's more that when you assign levels or grades to characters and calculate from them you end up in places where you have painted yourself into a corner and can't calculate your way out of there without upsetting your fight math. Which can be a problem for an individual reader, but as Oda has demonstrated repeatedly that type of thing isn't even on his horizon, he clearly finds no problem in Jinbro judo flipping BM and writes his battles free from any limitation like an A can't be thrown by a B or any arithmetic like that

Honestly, I don't get this whole if character A beats character B, which means A is better than B and can't be beaten by character C.
Most fights in One Piece are set up that way, that the winning side has the skillset to beat his/her opponent based on skills or is able to find a strategy to use a weakness to his/her favour and not pure strength. This makes the fights a lot more interesting at least for me and is one of the reasons why I still follow One Piece for 17( ? not sure, but should be around this number of years) years now.
I imagine the same will happen to all the fights in Wano, but there will still be a struggle until the SH and their allis find a way to defeat their opponents. But I don't spent time on trying to figure out who will be Zoros or Sanjis opponent. I'm kind of lazy regarding this point.

@Joy:

There is only one sensible way for Kaido and Big Mom to fall down in this arc and that is them fighting each other. Yeah you guys will speak of a cheap win from Luffy but it doesn't make sense for 2 Yonko to lose in a fair situation. That would make the rest of the series uninteresting a boring because the straw hats are way too strong.

So… you want/wish/imagine a battle royal between two Yonkos, who go all out against each other and after this fight Luffy sweeps in and fights the - probably heavily wounded - winner of said battle royal?

I'm just trying to understand your disappointment because your understanding/reading of the story varies greatly from my own.

@lix:

I feel like the biggest problem with Big Moms "danger level" isn´t that she looks like a fool - because she doesn´t…

...it´s people being unable to deal with the fact that we´re not following the same crew anymore. This isn´t the crew that struggled with "guy who goes a little bit fast" and "guy who wears armor" anymore.

This is a crew that took down warlords, waged war with Yonkou, fought of Admirals, trained with legends and saved countries. Many of the enemies they´ve faced early in the series would have shat themselves if they heard that the Strawhats - like they are now - are out for them. It´s a crew that 99% of everybody who sails the seas would NOT try to mess with because they know they´re in another league.

The top fighters are absolute monsters and - way more important, even the absolute "weakest" members are still a very, very, VERY credible threat to most crews out there.

Big Mom is still leagues above them and she´s obviously above Luffy, too, but it´s also not a surprise that not even she can ignore and shrug off the Strawhats at this point. Hell, I´d bet my left asscheck that even Whitebeard, as much as I love the guy - seriously, he´s one of my favorite characters of all time - could ignore them…

This!
The SH now are a different crew than pre ts.
A lot of members here expect the final/end game to start after Wano, but the SH can't be an important part of it, if they are not able to hold their own against the top tiers in the (pirate) world. The SH have had stepped up their game or the New World would eat them up alive. Oda has speed up the pace (partly also because he wishes to end One Piece), but I imagine also because things will happen into quick succession. I even imagine the big party in Wano to be the last "slow down" before things speed up once again into a world-shaking storm.

@ Joy Boy and JohnTnaig
I have a question for you: How do you want to see the Yonkos being defeated?
Because Luffy stated his desire to defeat all Yonkos in Punk Hazard.
Do you wish for an extended training arc before the SH fight against a Yonko and their crew + allis?
Because the closed thing to a training arc we ever got to see was the end of After Marineford with Rayleigh starting to train Luffy and the rest of the crew starting their training in their designated places and here in Wano for some SH (Luffy in Udon, Zoro with Enma, Nami got Ninja-training from Shinobu) while the preparations for the raids were underway.

I'm just curios, because you are so vocal in how unhappy you are that the SH are able to stall a Yonko like Big Mom how you thought things would go.

On the matter of Big Moms defeat – and I will probably get ripped apart by more than one person – ever since that article from Morgans I thought that there is a possibility of the SH dethroning Big Mom by continuing to thrash her reputation as a Yonko by stalling her and/or evading her revenge instead of a purely (emphasizing purely) physical defeat with a fight (there is always a physical confrontation in the cards). A large part of the reputation of a Yonko is that if you mess with/anger them, they come after you merciless. If the SH continue to shit on Big Moms reputation, it will destroy her credibility as this unbeatable merciless top pirate.
But that would mean dragging Big Mom into future arcs, which I simply cannot see happening.

It's just a little theory of me…

@Jabra:

Thinking about it, fighting Shanks must be a real nightmare after the introduction of all these new Haki abilities. If we assume he's top tier in all areas (we have all reason to):

1. He knocks out fodder and ruins your interieur just by existing
2. He can look several seconds into the future
3. He's immune to Devil Fruit hax abilities
4. Comes with at least Cracker-level hardening
5. Is able to conjure invisible walls (Bartolomeo had to eat a fruit for this…)
6. Destroys your insides on contact
7. Can't be disabled through Sea Stone or water

Seriously, who would want to fight this shit? I would rather take on Akainu or Kaido instead of these broken shenanigans.

I would be seriously disappointed if Shanks isn't able to do at least halve of the things listed here.

The red Scabbards not getting close enough to Kaidou and at least one hit at him - after everything they went through to get to this point - would be inconsistent writing. It wouldn´t honor all the pain and suffering the Scrabbards endured, some of them for 20 years.
Facing of agianst Kaidou and getting just one hit in - that is all about being close a seemly impossible goal against all odds (freeing Wano of Kaidou and Orochi and opening it´s borders as Oden wished). It´s an ambition that powered them through all their struggles time and time again. Power levels mean nothing at this moment.
This is pure One Piece in my opinion.

@Berry:

Plus, she's a child. Isn't she around Luffy's age when he was hanging with Shanks? Ace left her as well because she's young. I don't see why Luffy doesn't do the same.

Well, the problem with Tama's age is… Shanks himself throws a future-Yonko-size hole into the whole "she-is-to-young" - argument by being a pirate apprentice at the tender age of what? - 9 years? - on Roger's ship.

Something else that is bothering me in regards to Tama is how will she learn all this wonderful ninja technics to become a bewitching kunoichi, if she goes traveling with the Strawhats.
So far all Strawhats had have an mentor/teacher, which at least touched him/her the basics on the field he/she wish to excellent at. I can´t recall her using any ninja technics or training even through it was stated that she is training to become a bewitching kunoichi.
Even Momo has shown more spirit to become better in swordmanship.

It´s back! I´m so very happy. Thanks to Brennen and everybody invoveld to bringing the site back.

@.access:

That's probably because, similar to South Korea, Germany is properly testing everyone. This means that (1) the sheer number of infected will be much higher than most countries who only test grave cases and (2) the % of death (and of positives) will be much lower since the light cases are being included.

Er…. No. To get tested you have to call your doctor (because for the past two weeks you aren´t "allowed" to visit a doctor's office if you have a suspicion that you have Covid-19), who will inform the local health authority, who will inform you when and where you are able to do the test in on of the drive-through testing stations. (At least thats how I remember reading it in a newspaper.) And than - if you are a responsible person - you stay at home until your test results are out.

Unfortunately, a lot of the population in germany acts as if they are on a holidays at the moment thus it will only be a matter of time before we here go formal into confinement modus.

Are we going into another delay or will it be a No-Deal-Brexit…? So many questions.:blink:

Well… This is all good, but don´t forget the reason why the EU gave the UK "only" until the 31st of October. On the 1st of November the new parliament of the EU starts its work and if the UK hasn´t left until then, their elected representatives will also be a part of the parliament and "have to work together" with all the other members. Not sure that will work well.

This is developing into a spiral of new date of leave, the UK stuck into indecision, extension from the EU, new date of leave, the UK stuck into indecision, extension from the EU,…

I´m one of this lurker members of the forum, but reading Taktos postings for the past weeks I feel compelled to reply.
Beforehand, it might be important to mention that I´m not an American citizen, but from Germany. Still I have been following the presidency of Donald Trump with a degree of worrying.
So I will try to voice my opionen on a few matters….

@Takto:

[…]. Its quite fascinating how extreme opinions can differ. Anti-Trumper are for me like Flat Earthers . They make no sense, dont have a clue, they are hypocrites, not worth a discussion because they only reason with feelings and beliefs. People believe what they want to believe and it is quite interesting how far people go to justify their belief.
Maybe i am on the wrong side? Cant i see that i am wrong about trump? What do i dont see what others see? Imo, im not the "black or white" guy. My thoughts are in the grey area. I can be convinced, i also accept mistakes and so on. So i personally do not believe that i am wrong about trump. My opinion is formed by things i see, hear and experience. And what i see of Trump is positive. He gets it done even though he has an extremely worthless congress. What i see of the democratic party is outrage over nothing, obstruction, mad mad people, orange man bad, physical harassment, violence, false accusations and so on.

Reading your post makes it difficult for me to believe the blackend part of the quote. It appears as if your opionen is not in the grey area as you call it but heavently leaning only to one side, the Trump side. Watching statements made by the president and reading your post feels like the content is the same, even if the words differ. To be even more direct, it feels like you only repeat what Donald Trump says or praise what he appears to do, but you never define why you think it is good or right. You only state or praise. Do you seriously believe it is a good thing if the president, the most powerful person of the country, tells members of the opposing party to "leave the country" and "go back to where they came from", even through they are American citizens? Is this the behaviour acceptable of somebody as powerful as the president of the United States?
I didn´t catch the reason for the fight between the president and the "Squad" and honestly it doesn´t matter much to me (if somebody will enlight me it would be nice), but I still think it is an inappropriate behaviour of a person in a postion like the president of the U.S. and it shows also what kind of person Donald Trump is. Most of the time, I get the impression, that Trump sortes people into two categories: either they are with him and agree onto everything he does/says orthey are against him, in which case he attacks them without mercy. I also often have the impression, that Trump is a lot of talking, but unable to enforce his words with action. And don´t go blaming the Democrates for this. Not even in the first two years of his presidency Trump was really able to fullfil one of his election pledges as the Republicans hold the majority within the house and in senate. So why wasn´t he able to kill Obamacare or get all the money he wants for his beloved border wall???

And the border wall is something that is really bothering me.
Please, Takto explain to me why it is/will be good to built a wall on the border to Mexico??? Do you really believe it will stop the immigrants from crossing the border to America or will they search for another, probably more dangerous way into the States for example by boat? And if you have finished the border wall you will also have to protect it. How do you intent to do it? Will there be armed forces? Will this forces use every possible means to stop people to cross the wall?
If you take a look into history, you will see that walls never lasted. And it was also the cause of much grieve and many more conflicts until the wall was destroyed.
I already have stated, that I`m from Germany, and while our wall divided our nation after the second world war and not one nation from another, it was a horrible construction, which cause (as stated before) much grieve and even deaths, because people tried to cross into the western part of Germany. It may also be this historical background, that is the reason for me to dislike the idea of a border wall.
Another thing I would like to know from you is how this wall will be paid. Trump promised Mexico will pay for the wall, but so far taxpayers are paying the bill. Or where do you think the funds from the Pentagon come from? This funds come from taxes all the American citizens pay. Furthermore, it is a smart move to remove funds from the Pentagon? I don´t want to use some cliché, but aren´t you guy quite proud of your military force… and then you go and remove funds right from the military?

! And just to rob you of your chance to tell me Trumps claims about how Germany should improve its military forces and how European is depending on the U.S. for protection…. That is probably true. No need to deny it, but the way Trump goes about this matter is - how to put it - not very presidentical??? Or the way you treat an alli! One the other side, it maybe be a good thing if we are force to improve our military and handle our protection ourself:sideways: Another aspect would be how will Trump force Mexico to pay the bill? Does Trump expect Mexicans will transfer billions of dollars for the wall once the check is send?
I - personal - find the whole "Mexico will pay for the wall" matter quite laughable and to believe this claim you have to be very gullible.
In addition, wouldn´t it be better to figure out why so many people from south and middle America leave their homes and try to reach the U.S. and try to find a solution for this sources. It would be a better usage of the how many billions of dollars - 8,5 billions? - instead of renewing already built parts of a dump wall. Or let´s put it like this: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." (Quote by Maimonides)

And how do you view Trumps opinion on the matter of global warming?
He doesn´t believe it and canceled the Climate Agreement of Paris. Do you think this was the right move and what kind of evidence do you have to prove this to us? Is it really wise to put economical interests before the future of our children and grandchildren? It sounds quite selfish to me.

On one hand I`m a person of science and thus believe climate researcher if they claim that the average temperature of earth is rising in an unnatural way with potential horrible aftermath. On the other I´m able to see changes in our local weather. And what is with this state of emergency because of extrem heat this weekend in New York? Is this normal for the U.S.???

Then there is the matter of Trump stirring up trouble with Iran.
Already there has nearly been a military attack on Iran. Trump may stopped it for whatever vague reasoning, but it is a very dangerous situation. And what caused it? Oh, right Trump claims Iran is responsible for attacks on oil-tankers and revoke the Uran Agreement with Iran. Do we real need another part of the world thrown into war? The Iranian government might be not the best, but the country is "stable". More stable than other countries of the Middle East.
Do you know how difficult it has been to negotiate the agreement between Iran, European States and the U.S.? It might be not good, but it was and is still better than Iran doing things in the dark.

Being honest, I´m afraid of another war breaking out, potential spreading all over the world. Especially seeing how Trump change his opionen on different issues within hours sometimes and seemly likes to cuddle up to people like Putin or Kim Jong-un, only to threat them in the next moment. Do you believe this is a wise diplomatic behaviour?

@Takto:

[…]Democrats stick together. They have one mindset. […]

Do you know how political partys work?
Of course Democates stick together. They have similary views, hence the reason WHY they are members of the SAME PARTY and support each other by voting or defending members.
It´s the same for Republicans. They also stick together and defent each other (even Trump).
And there is something called "voting along the party lines", which is quite often used by votes as far as I know. So Democrates and Republicans voting along the lines of their party should be that surprising.

! I don´t know how it is to only be able to choose between two parties because the others are to weak to gain any real influence. At the moment we have six different parties within the parliament and there are a lot more parties in Germany. Which system is better is up for discussion, but not here.

@Takto:

I may continue to make some statements. Discussion is pointless to me. I am honest again, i dont deem anyone worthy whom gets their stuff from the fake news media. I have the impression that the thread is flooded from people like that. Pointless…

What will be the purpose of you making "some statements", if not discussing the matters? Especially, if you get your informations from "serious news media". Sounds like you are not abel to defend your postion, so why bother with statements?
This is also the reason why it is so difficult for the other participant of this threat to dicuss the policy of the administration with you. There is no denying that practicall everybody is unsatisfied with the president and his administration, but they are also not happy with the way Democrate are handling the situation if you read the posts carefully. (At least it is my impression. I don´t want to put words into another persons mouth.:ninja:)

@RedGreenBlue

Allow me to try to rephrase you, to make your point maybe a little bit clearer….
Humanity developed over a long time in diffrent visions (Neanderthals and so on), but at the end of a long cycle of trail and error one vision proofed to be best fit so surrive on the earth: that was the homo sapiens- or easier said: us. And why did our ancestor surrive this battle of nature? Because they had proofed to have the ability (high developed thinking skills and flexibility to chancing conditions are just two examples of said skills) to be able to overcome all difficulties nature throws at them. And we startet so spread all over the planet.
So, yes we are a part and a product of nature. We were a part of overall picture and left our mark´s in nature. But it stayed within a narrow line of being okay for nature.

(And now to more my own point of view)
Unfortunaly nature isn´t able to control how humanity uses it´s high developed skills. For a long time humans lived in balance with nature and the repercussions of your action were very small, mostly due to the small cuts into the overall picture of nature and them developing over a long periode of time. But for the last 150 years we got very arrogant. We stopped paying attention to our envionrment and nature itself. We developed things like cars and toke whatever we felt we needed to live a confortable live from nature. Humanity developed in a way that had for the rest of nature bad repercussions. Our planet is no longer able to keep up with all our (selfish) errors. And if humans don´t change their way of living very fast, humanity itself will fell all the repercussions (even more - because there is no way in denying that we are already feeling the first repercussions) of its selfish action.

As to behaviour of humanity: Nature doesn´t have much to do with our behaviour, sorry. A lot of our behaviour has to do with conscious decion making. Nature doesn´t make sombody use a car merely to drive to the bakery two streets farther, but the decision "I´m to lazy to use a bicycle". Try talking with an ethologist. Humans don´t have much instincts left. And because of this humans need to learn a lot of behaviour to surrive, hence the reasons why we need such a long time to reach adulthood (one of the longest of all living beings).

The german defence is really bad…:getlost:

@Monquito:

ughh I want to stay positive for Mexico but against Germany..️

Then stay postive. Germany is beatable.

I totally support Iceland. Have to love the underdogs:wub:

@Kaiolino:

It's real.

Should I facepalm, cry or laughing??? (At the moment i tend to facepalming)

[Hide] [/Hide]

@Kaiolino:

lol

https://i.imgur.com/XNd8MiC.jpg

Somebody please tell me that this - THIS - thing isn´t real!
It sounds like one gigant slap in the face mashed up with a threat…. I mean... "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours a so massiv and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used." How dump do you have to be, to write something like this in a letter were you cancel a meeting a better part of the world was fussing over???

@Satsuki:

Hence Merkel should be like spanking all of them.

Er… No. Merkel won´t spank anybody. She is "political supporting the decision of the USA, France and the UK for doing a military operation".