Wow! What a chapter!
Who would’ve thought Oda would throw in One Piece world current events between Wano’s acts? And, what surprises we learn.
First, Absalom is dead. Like, really dead. The type of dead that isn’t ambiguous. For someone to lose their devil fruit they have to die. Absalom is 100% dead. Let’s pour one out for the sexual assaulter. Hm, maybe not. Gecko Moria is back, but is he truly joining Team Blackbeard, or will he scamper off into the sunset? Well, considering the Warlord system might be kaput, he’s gonna need some allies. Even, if he’s an ex-Warlord. Gecko isn’t getting anything done on his own, he needs a crew. And, no, only having Perona won’t do much.
Ladies and gentlemen, Blackbeard makes his time skip debut. And, it’s glorious! The man loves a good party and at the same time, we see he’s keeping tabs on everyone important in the One Piece world. You can tell he’s taking a quick R&R before heading out to Wano to grab Kaido’s fruit in the final inning. Big hug to the folks thinking Shiryu was getting the diamond devil fruit. I’m not one of them, but I’m sure Oda will have some fun in the fated Shiryu VS Zoro fight. Cool appearance by Catarina Devon and her nine tails fruit and Pizarro and his lunch.
Back in Wano, Ashura makes a good point. The roughneck samurai pledged their allegiance to Oden, not his family. Plus, from their eyes, that same family abandoned them twenty years ago. Getting them on board may take a bit more effort than first thought. Or, they simply need an ass-kicking like Oden gave them decades ago. Second verse same as the first and all that jazz.
And, lastly, we’re formally introduced to King and Queen, Kaido’s top two underlings who round out the All Stars/Lead Performers. I like their designs, although, King’s seems more like an Impel Down uniform on crack. Backstory incoming? No doubt he’s got some mythical firebird devil fruit. My favorite design out the two is Queen. I love his body type, hair, and face. That being said, I got no clue what his zoan fruit could be. He’s the one I’m interested in more.
Woo Wee! What a chapter! And, I didn’t even touch on the Revolutionary/Admirals fight at the Reverie. Did they save Kuma? Were they all able to escape? Did Dragon make an appearance? Guess, we’ll learn eventually, but it’s not looking good for the Revolutionaries. They already lost their base, is Oda systematically destroying the entire organization? My guess, yes. I think their best days are gone. They’ll still be around at the series’ end, but they’ll be picking up the pieces of their organization. By them, I mean Sabo, Dragon, Koala, and whoever else doesn’t get stomped between now and the final chapter.
P.S.: Devon’s wearing pants, Y’all! Oda didn’t sex her up into orbit. Now, THAT is the biggest shocker of the entire chapter.
Mammoth Base Opera Castle 