Dan who Browses

Cover request was kid Luffy and Shanks eating some fish with some cats, which was cute

Imu's axe Xingtian seems to set ablaze (normal fire, not Omen) as it is parried by Gaban's axes

Imu seems unshaken by it though, while Gaban grins widely

The clash's after effect sees the branch Luffy was pinned to split into wedges, eventually falling in a way to unskewer Luffy

Gaban dodges a follow-up, mocking Imu's form and implying it was not born of this world - is Imu an alien? Kinda hope not we already have the Otsusuki from Naruto for that - there are a lot of Naruto fans that get all uppity when they think someone's borrowed an idea from them, even if they haven't

Imu asks who Gaban is, but he only replies that he's someone who 'understands the world'

While Imu glares at him confused, Gaban instead goes to Luffy

There is no soft approach here though, Gaban tears into a very injured Luffy - who consistently tells him that he's in pain

Gaban tells him that he's a disappointment for needing an injured old man to save him, berating him for being cocky because he has a new form and is an emperor

Honestly, I get the tough love but like, Luffy is just know knowing that Imu even exists, he was fighting the Gorosei a few weeks ago

He asks Luffy if he wants to die, which Luffy insists he's not

Gaban asks what'll happen if he dies, which Luffy - furiously - acknowledges that it'd mean he couldn't save his friend's home, and that his crew would be in danger

Gaban reminds him that going to sea means the amount of enemies will only rise, and that the Pirate King will - per the title - be someone where everyone will celebrate their death, since everyone wants that spot

He tells him that if he expected an easy ride then he should go home, and that if he's not up to task then he's in the way - before throwing him away

Honestly, I don't like this interaction, mainly because it's a misinterpretation by Gaban of who we know Luffy is, but I'll explain more later

Gaban steps up again to Imu with an attack; Praying Mantis Plum - which T/N states is a reference to a parable of a mantis trying to stop an emperor's carriage

Imu blocks the attack, asking blankly if Gaban is joking

Gaban notes that Imu wants to kill Luffy, goading Imu by asking if it's because he reminds them of Joy Boy

That seemed to set Imu off, asking again who Gaban is before summoning another sword from the 20 Kings: Honebami Toshirou

T/N says that it's a blade from one of the top 3 Japanese swordsmiths, the 'Bone Eater'

It is hard to glean information about it though, at least from places that aren't sourced from other anime/manga and thus making it unclear what's history and what's fictional lore XD

From what I can confirm is that it was made by a Yoshimitsu Awataguchi, a blade intended to be a Naganita (like Whitebeard's) but it was repurposed into a shortsword. Its name comes from a story when a wielder pretended to cut a friend with it and it cut through their bones and killed them, it had been held by the Otomo clan originally but was claimed in battle (and returned) by the Ashikawa shogunate before gifted to the Toyotomi shogunate where it was lost in battle, found by a farmer, damaged in a fire, then donated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's shrine

In the manga the sword has a cool looking snake hilt, and an omen snake leaking out of it (if anyone reads Swords the Webcomic it's like the sword spirits)

Imu angrily demands to know what Gaban knows, their slash is blocked but the omen snakes manages to cut Gaban in the shoulder

Gaban says he learned it from Joy Boy's own words (from Laugh Tale) but assures Imu that he's not intending to chase after a stranger from old times, he only wants to see his captain's dream come true

Luffy meanwhile, ragebaited by Gaban, keeps trying to will his body to heal, even temporarily

Imu asks who his captain was, with Gaban saying it was Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates, which sets Imu off again - remembering their anger that a D was being called King of the Pirates and demanding that his name gain no further traction (yeah about that...)

Imu asks why a former member of Roger's crew is protecting Luffy, to which Gaban notes that if Imu's trying to kill him that means he's a threat

Remembering Roger's words about being too early (back in Oden's flashback) Gaban claims that Imu's hatred of them marks Luffy as the one Roger and them - and Whitebeard, per his last words - were waiting for

Imu's angry but accepts the logic, admitting to being hasty and foolish to believe coincidences were simply fate

He lines up a Stigma towards the prone Luffy, so Gaban leaps into the air to prepare a big attack

He apologizes to the tree, he didn't want to 'devour' it, his old body aches from the exertion of Conqueror's Haki

Luffy still tries to get up, cussing out Gaban even if he is Rayleigh's friend

Before Imu can activate Stigma, Gaban breaks the line of sight with Kamudo

The slashes are blocked by Imu's omen but the branch they're standing on is sliced apart

Imu acknowledges Gaban's strength despite his age, noting that he's still a part of the King of the Pirates' crew

Gaban and Imu trade attacks; 8000 Slash Grim Throng from Gaban and Honebami from Imu

The attack does draw blood from Imu, and sends the broken branch plummetting down to the Underworld where the log destroys a mountain

With all this cut Adam wood Franky could make some mighty upgrades to the Sunny if he gets it...

The impact could be heard over with Loki, Gerd and the crew

Nami asks if Luffy did that, but Usopp - his haki shining a bit more - notes that it was someone else, someone overwhelmingly strong

We however next see that the damage was done to Gaban, laying down defeated and now without his left arm, incensing Luffy to end the chapter

I feel myself at odds with this chapter ngl

When I say that I don't mean that this chapter was bad. It was a great showing by Gaban as he held his ground better than Loki and Luffy against Imu; showing that Luffy - and the spectating Straw Hats - that they have yet to even touch the power ceiling required. With Gaban's last act being to endorse Luffy but in the end be damaged in a way which will likely weaken him considerably, I'm satisfied with what Gaban has done in the story, regardless of whether he dies or not (though it is iffy that nobody in Elbaf has died yet outside of flashback).

My gripe comes with the way Gaban dresses down Luffy in order to enrage him into bouncing back. I get the intent, and it's consistent with their first encounter of Gaban annoying Luffy while testing him. But telling Luffy that being King will mean everyone will want him dead is in opposition to the way Luffy has operated; Luffy has made more friends than enemies in his journey and that's not something one can easily disregard. Mocking his form and being an Emperor while also telling him to go home if he expects becoming King to be easy is also a little too harsh given that they are fighting the biggest kept secret in the whole damn world! It's not like everyone gunning to be king knows about Imu, they've kept their existence secret from their own establishment. Also Luffy didn't assign himself the role of Emperor, the reason Luffy wants to be King isn't because he wants to rule over anything.

So yeah, I guess it rubs me the wrong way that Gaban's tough love comes from a place where he expects Luffy to know and want things that he doesn't actually know or want, and that it's easy to condescend coming from hindsight. On the plus side, having Luffy acknowledge what'll happen if he fails works as a motivator, but the tough talk was probably better used for the people who are just standing and watching right now.

The other hand of a primarily-Gaban episode is that the remaining players have not moved since. I'm growing increasingly worried about Nami, Jinbe, Franky, and most importantly Usopp being resorted to spectator roles for the remainder of Elbaf. Things might change when Gunko/Shuri awakens or if Gerd is able to heal Loki a little, but right now they need something other than to watch things unfold; be it a crew assault on Imu to back Luffy up or splitting off so someone can handle Zaza and save the children, something's gotta give. We also remain left on read for Zoro and Sanji's fights, as well as Robin calling Chopper over to likely translate for Biblo. Not to mention that Lilith and Bonney have again gone AWOL, and that given that Gaban is likely finished next up to challenge Imu is likely gonna be Hajrudin - and his chances are slim.

With that at least comes intrigue, but Oda's gotta start making moves to justify the intrigue. I can see him aiming for something big for Chapter 1200 but that also requires us to fill 9 more chapters with substance, substance that we definitely have plenty of but needs to be unleashed in the right way.

But yeah, decent chapter, good to show off Gaban's powers - and it was interesting to see Imu show someone who wasn't simply an echo of their past some acknowledgement - but cutting the branch won't stop them for long, they can spawn wings and be back in the fight.

Coming into this series was a bit of a ride itself, I was all in when it was first announced but when Child of Hope released I felt my excitement be tempered a little with how little the story moved along and isolated just Kara. The trailers for the show came along and I felt that they were possibly giving too much away - and in hindsight I am partly right.

There's still plenty of the show that doesn't get given away, but the stuff the trailers do given away from Nawaam's blue lightsaber, the silver lightsaber, Kara's father Lah Zhima being a former Jedi, Kara's lightsaber turning red and even a brief glimpse of Nawaam's face could've been kept better under wraps. It almost felt like marketing wanted to give a lot a way so they wouldn't have to promote another, which is a shame. It may've been a bad idea to release all the episodes in one go too, purely because being allowed to sit on each episode weekly would've allowed the feelings and thoughts to linger than to just binge and risk being forgotten by next week - again a choice that feels almost maliciously done to set it up to fail in hopes nobody will watch it or cate.

I must confess that as we drift into the negatives that perhaps I expected too much from this show; there wasn't anything I truly vehemently hated but things that felt a little bit like a letdown. I am quite tired of the idea that Visions stories feel the need to lean into the old template; the concept was designed to be a different take on the universe I do not need another black masked villain, another old mentor dying, disappearing and becoming a force ghost, another beta level General Grievous, or another kyber-based superweapon. Of them all it was ultimately disappointing to see Juro be killed off, we already lost his cool mask now we lose his cool halo-hilt lightsaber design mainly just to, again, isolate Kara. Kara is a good character, if not a character who is treading a lot of paths already walked - there were also times where the artists drew her eyes a little too big for my liking, it was a little distracting. That said I do think the story should've done better at developing the other characters that'd claim the remaining lightsabers, and make them diverse figures. Sadly most of them are human-looking, except Homen who spent all season just nodding along to what everyone says; Ethan meanwhile was in desperate need of some character development and really was reduced to hammering a kyber crystal alongside Bee-Toh and Homen - no major fights (Bee-Toh, the bounty hunter who kidnapped Lah in the Visions episode, entrapped into a life debt by Kara, was promised fights against strong enemies and got none), no personal journey, even his infiltration of Nawaam's base was just to relay messages, and when it was time to go Lah freed himself and helped him escape. I also would've liked to have seen more of Tafflah, Kwana, and Bee-Toh in general, Tafflah could've accompanied the crew until the mini timeskip and Bee-Toh and Eht would've been better adversaries than... I literally forgot his name but the red-haired dude with the big eyes who looks more cosplayer than general. Tafflah could've also been shown to fight, she only ignites her lightsaber once at the very end, she, Kwana and Danbiel - the other lightsaber holder, generally uninteresting but would've worked as a sovereign to a safe zone - were reduced mainly to sitting/standing in a ship come the finale.

Our main antagonist Nawaam, meanwhile, was a slow decline. He was interesting as a character who seemed like he was calm, collected, respectful, leaderly, astute, and a Jedi believing he was in the right. However upon being unmasked - with your traditional prettyboy look - he just kinda became less interesting and his motivation, and the silver lightsaber's existence, being an emotionless void just hits a little off the mark; you don't want an enemy who's just a wall of wet paint who can fight. The stinger at the end of the season hints he may go against type and not be someone who can be redeemed, and honestly I hope that we do. He also needs to surround himself with more interesting henchmen because Gennoh also started strong but devolved into a - as aforementioned - beta-Grievous who was ultimately dogwalked.

The original story in Visions S1 also added the unique lore that Lah's lightsabers would reflect the feelings and personality of its wielders, and while we kept that in the colour I felt disappointed that we only kept it to the colour. In a story with a lot of flavour and style going for it we decided not to give anyone except Kara and her dad flavour in their lightsabers; most of them simply being a blue beam. Kwana had swords so we could've given him a crossguard hilt, Bee-Toh only used the blade for quick stabs so we could've made it dagger-sized, just small tweaks would've added to the personality - and personally I would've preferred Kara to have reverted to her translucent green in the Visions ep than pure green, especially given her newfound skill to instantly short out the blade rather than make a killing blow.

Admittedly, I'm not quite in love with the idea of Kara's dad being this dangerously powerful jedi. I dunno, as much as it explains how he can be such a capable sabersmith it does put into question how Eht and Bee-Toh were able to capture him so easily? I think maybe I miss the idea that he was a man of a humble profession and quiet life looking to be exploited rather than a jedi that Nawaam as a child idolized by misinterpreting his silver lightsaber and killing of Reno as an act of true serenity and power.

I suppose my final critique would be that it felt like the show rushed to a destination it should've taken more time to achieve. The eight episodes killed off a major character, did a timeskip, returned to where it all began, then restored the Jedi Order again all in eight episodes, but why not trust yourselves into making that a multi-season story? Thereby allowing each character to flesh out and earn that destination. Because things needed to get from A to B it did sometimes feel like we glossed over the journey; Reno turning dark and Lah having to kill him, Kara turning dark (personally I would've preferred the red to have been shown when she pulled the blade out of the guy who surrendered, oblivious to it due to the red lighting rather than walking entirely through the dark forest without looking down and noticing the red glow) due to vengeance, Ethan's infiltration of Nawaan's ranks, and as I mentioned before, more time to give Kwana, Homen, and Tafflah things to do, heck they could've all just worked together to destroy that giant droid with the shield rather than let Kara solo it. Even the final battle felt a bit rushed since none of the massive fleet decided to stop Nawaan's tractor beam of the giant kyber crystal until after he started mining - it's just those fine tweaks.

However, this is still a series I'd recommend and happily welcome a continuation.

The worldbuilding still feels rich and unique to its own little world, with its own little design styles as well. I enjoyed the creativity when it came to Nawaam's droids and his almost tong-looking ships, as well as the mining ships being built within asteroids. In Child of Hope I did criticize the cheap look of the CGI and thankfully it seems they've worked on it to blend a lot more - smoke is still an issue but there's a cool explosion in the season to balance it out. There are some great environments as well given the different planets we venture to, I particularly liked the lush jungle.

I do have to give the show credit for avoiding some major pitfalls too. There was a point where Ethan was relaying his discoveries to Juro and his communicator fritzed out, but we didn't make it a full miscommunication thing; the characters absorbed the information they had and considered it rationally. I also liked that we didn't drag out the reality that Lah killed his master Reno justly, because Tafflah's story did hint that Reno was underhandedly brokering peace by eliminating obstacles, the fact that Kara found the carbonite vault and the group, again, absorbed, assessed and considered things rationally is something to appreciate over needless and almost patronizing melodrama. One must also highlight that there is some great choreography in the fights; mainly fast-paced and exciting, a lot of the animation deserves props with how fluidly they allow characters to be and at such speeds. Kara, Nawaam and Lah move with a speed and grace similar to that of F in The Village Bride/The Lost Ones (another set of episodes I'd hope to see further adapted), the space fight in the final episodes was also dynamic and with variety and strategy - save for just letting the tractor beam put Nawaam's forces in control of the kyber crystal they want to mine - but I think I really enjoyed Kara's fight with Eht the most, the quick-draw parries combined with Kara's absolute calmness and precognition due to the Force was done really well. Before we touch further on Kara I must also add that the sfx was also on point; the silver blades almost singing, and as much as I gripe about the Kyber Cannon's blatant similarity to the Death Star, the sound it made was excellent - like piercing, horrific screams to sell it as an abhorrent, inhumane abomination that shouldn't exist.

Though I have criticisms of Kara, I do appreciate how her arc shied away from the idea that to be a Jedi she had to be emotionless. There was of course a temptation towards selling the silver blade as the peak of lightsaber combat, being one with everything and nothing at the same time, but instead the story opted to remind us that emotions are not the enemy in Star Wars; there were times when Kara felt angry and hateful but it was simply not allowing those emotions to overwhelm her own self of self, she wasn't a Sith purely because her lightsaber turned red, she wasn't purely emotionless when it turned silver, she was capable and free to express and master her own emotions which was the true serenity - compared to Nawaam's attempt to completely shut down any and every feeling he had.

The biggest plus I can give the season is that I want to see it get another season. It's not perfect and I perhaps came in with too high expectations, but it's a good show to watch and one where the issues it has can easily be fixed by dedicating more episodes towards it - which I hope they do. The season doing well also is encouraging towards seeing other Visions episodes get further adapted, not just the Ronin's story or F's as I mentioned earlier but perhaps Lop & Ocho, Aau's Song, The Spy Dancer, The Smuggler, The Bounty Hunters, Journey to the Dark Head, and Screecher's Reach.

Our cover page is of Nami angry at her paint-covered (judging by the paint can) laundry with 3 paint-covered monkeys doing the see/hear/speak no evil

The monkeys are also the Monster Trio; Luffy's see no evil with the Gear Fifth pose, Zoro is speak no evil and Sanji is hear no evil simping over Nami

Author's note also has Oda giving some praise to the Heroines episode that released a few weeks ago, having watched it with his daughter who loved it - hopefully we'll see more of the short stories done

But right back to where we were, Luffy reels from the impaling

And Imu isn't done, driving the sword (Vohu) into a branch to pin Luffy to it

From afar, Usopp's seldom-used Observation Haki pings

I've heard fandom be a bit salty about that tbf, but those same people are quick to make something of Sanji waking up in the scene after Luffy went Gear Fifth in Wano...

Nami asks what's wrong, as Usopp expresses worry for Luffy

Nami refutes his worries as ominous, but Jinbe does remind her that his opponent also defeated a giant

Tsundere Loki is quick to claim he's not yet defeated, but his claims are ignored, Jinbe can only say that Luffy's haki has weakened right now

Franky and Brook tend to Gunko/Shuri, fully out of the ice (Oda why can't you let Usopp just use Ragnir, it'd be cool I promise!)

Franky warns Brook against warming her too quickly - legitimate reason, heating someone up too quickly can lead to shock - but Brook reminds him that he has no body heat - another callback to Wano

Brook asks Gunko/Shuri for answers about what happened in the past, but she's yet to come to

Ragnir seems angry but the crew don't understand him, Usopp's also on guard unless Gunko awakens rather than Shuri

From afar though, Hajrudin is hastily rowing on a Svard towards them - crashing into the already injured Loki

I feel like Loki's been just as damaged by his allies than his enemies at this point XD

Chopper and Gerd are here too, the former using Guard point to prevent the latter's collision into Loki's groin, the Svard is split in half by hitting Loki's face which sends Hajrudin toppling

Gerd thanks Chopper for the save, but then immediately tends to Loki while Chopper's doing his 'that doesn't make me happy' dance

Gerd worries about Loki's blood loss, but Loki points out that she's done more damage and demands to know why they're here

We the audience are told through Hajrudin's flashback, Jarul telling him to back up Loki

Hajrudin wanted to save the kids, but Jarul points out that saving the kids is just a smaller step to the enemy's wider goal, and that Imu (that man) is at the heart of it

Hajrudin asks Loki if he has any idea who Imu is, and surprisingly Loki does

Back with Imu, they reveal that Vohu feeds on life force - which is ominous given how much Luffy cut his own lifespan pre-Timeskip

They also draw another sword, asking how many slashes he can endure before dying

Imu says that Luffy's name is detestable to him - because of the D. - but also drags Luffy's brothers into it too; one killed by the navy and another a revolutionary

Luffy's expression turns into a glare, but he's stabbed by the other sword: Fragarach

Mythology Lore time because I know about Fragarach: Irish myth this one, 'The Retaliator' is an apt title for the situation, this is the sword of the Irish sea god Manann, designed to weaken its foes and pierce through any armour. The first high king Nuada gave the sword among other objects from the otherworld to Lugh, his chosen successor, before battling the Fomarions and the Demon King Balor

Ironically Lugh never really used Fragarach, he favoured his flaming sentient spear Lúin of Celtchar and 'Lugh's Chain'; a rainbow/milky way sling which he used to strike Balor's eye

But given Imu's weapon names we've had Aztec (Tzitzimitl), Greek (Nemesis), Hebrew (Vohu), Norse (Garam/Gram) and now Irish deities, we have a little pattern with Imu's weapon names, not all seem to be connected to the sun though

Side Sidebar: Vohu meanwhile was Hebrew for the pre-light void, maybe it's taking from all gods since Fragarach = Sea God = Zaza?

Imu continues to mock Luffy and his siblings as we go back to Loki

Loki reveals that Shanks warned him about Imu, flashing back to the post-Harald death interaction

There Shanks noted that Loki wasn't strong enough, which Loki mistook as him saying not to try and avenge his father - before Shanks elaborates

Shanks tries to have Loki prepare for war, given that the WG attempted to take over Elbaf through Harald, but Loki refuses stating that he's only after revenge

Shanks tries to rationalize with him, noting that his enemy is the World Government, and thus the one who tried to control Harald was the King of the World

Jarul is shocked that there's such a being, since it contradicts the foundation of the World Government

It also seems that Gaban tried to dissuade him from further elaboration but Loki dismisses the threat as simply a 'secret king' to kill

Shanks notes that he's sensed Imu's power already and it's immeasurable, noting - with an image of Rocks to double down - that only one was able to make it far enough to be in a room with them, so they can't rush in

Is this why Shanks has been biding his time I wonder? Is chasing the One Piece now what's needed to push Luffy to the level of facing Imu together?

Loki brushes off the warnings again, Jarul tells him not to be stupid but the flashback ends before any follow up

Loki in present notes that he left the country, but was never able to make it to Imu, however, he also frames Imu's arrival as an opportunity to face them

Hajrudin calls Loki simple minded, but he doesn't disagree, insisting that he'll take down their father's enemy

The rest of the Straw Hats - sans Brook and Chopper - absorb the new information, wondering what role the Gorosei serve then

Brook and Chopper aren't listening because Brook is trying to ward off Ragnir while Chopper translates, with Ragnir noting that she's dangerous

Brook snaps back that it's not her fault and that she was controlled, claiming Shuri was like a daughter to him - which confuses Ragnir

Anyone else a little worried about how hard we're drilling in the 'she wasn't in her right mind' thing? I mean she was Domi Reversi'd and we've seen Shuri break out from Gunko but idk it feels like Oda's setting something up

Robin's back! Wifey! It's been too long! Well, half of her, she's done her Dressrosa thing of appearing

She asks for Chopper to come to the library, where Saul is also waving him over, what for however she does not say

Back with Imu and now they've pulled out an axe, seeming almost apologetic that this is the next weapon

The Axe is called Xingtian, there's no further explanation though

Lore time part 2, sponsored by google searching without AI: unsurprisingly from Chinese myth, Xingtian means 'Punishing Heaven', and was a divine being that fights the Supreme Divinity, refusing to give up even when decapitated. It got beheaded but still fights 'with its nipples as eyes and belly button as a mouth'

Given that description I would suppose the axe is designed to leave you alive

Over to Zoro vs Super Sommers, Zoro uses 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation - the same technique he beat King with, but Sommers invokes Gram

Sommers reveals the truth behind Imu's weapons; these swords (and axe) are from the 19 kings around the empty throne

The wording that the 19 kings made a vow makes it sound very much like a Covenant. Thinking about it, Imu could make 13 God's Knights right? plus the 5 Gorosei, can Imu's contract limit be in relation to the 19 (intended 20) they made with the Kings?

Sommers knocks Zoro back, gloating that when Imu revived them with Omen they gave them access to the weapons (in power I would suspect since Gram before was a twin blade in Imu's hands and Sommers' sword hasn't changed)

Sommers also names some other swords; Iohu, Longinus, Muramasa (Bohu is probably Vohu)

I can't figure out Iohu - unless that's Tohu to relate to 'Tohu wa Bohu' though the exclamation point cuts it off - but I do know Longinus and Muramasa

Lore Corner #3: Longinus was the Roman soldier from Christianity that stabs Jesus on the cross, the spear he uses is called the Holy Lance/Spear of Destiny. The reason why a man stabbing Jesus is revered is because Longinus was blind and Jesus' blood from the wound cured him, which converted him to Christianity

Muramasa is Japanese ofc, a common name usage like Hattori Hanzo, Sengo Muramasa was a renowned swordsmith; blades known for exquisite sharpness though his swords were favoured by Ieyasu, his katanas were an anti-Tokugawa symbol (a Muramasa was used in the deaths of Ieyasu's father, grandfather and son) and thus mythologized as demonic blades, claiming the swords were cursed

Also for comic nerds a Muramasa blade was one of the few weapons that could cut through Adamantium

Sommers also claims that Gram is the sword of House Shepherd, so it's his family blade

At the same time, Killingham invokes his family 'sword', the spear Longinus

Seeing it here it's possible that simply Sommers replaced the hilt because Killingham's weapon no longer looks like a trident

Back to Imu and Luffy, Imu claims that Luffy should be honoured to die at his hand

But before the final strike Gaban swoops in! There's only room for one axe wielder I guess

Another break next week before a big 1190

Oda, sir, we need to talk about your breaks. Rest is important for sure, and last week's break made sense for the cliffhanger but also, COME ON MAN! We wanna see what's next!

I would rather we just announce a 2 week break and get 3 consecutive chapters than get a week break between 2 chapters, that might be just me but the breaks do hamper the pace a little.

Pushing that aside for now we also need to talk about Usopp, you keep giving us tiny crumbs but not the full meal with him. He can sense something's wrong with Luffy but what is he gonna do about it?

Hell what is Luffy gonna do right now? He's double pinned to a wall right now - so much for a nice 29th birthday for him eh? XD His life force might be draining (though I think Vohu might drain per slash) Gear Fifth is still on a timer, and Imu is talking ill about his brothers. Again I don't think Luffy needs to win, but he needs to stand his ground because if a non-100% Gaban is holding the line we need something fast. Hajrudin also looks to join the fight which worries me, one of those two just waved a massive death flag. I am glad at least Oda's choosing to give them something to do, but I also think that fighting Imu is beyond Hajrudin's skill, unless he wields Ragnir as well or taps into the same grit he used to beat Machvise it can go real badly for him and I kinda want him to prove himself still.

I'm on the fence with Chopper and Gerd's arrival too; one would make more sense since both were tending to the wounded in Ouest village. Ripley and the other parents/guardians were risking reopening their wounds to fight Zaza and we're just letting both doctors go to the other side of the branch? Seems too risky, Ripley's hot ass better not die. Chopper being called over to Robin in the library is curious though, does she need him to talk to Biblo maybe? She seems rather calm right now so I'm hoping this leads to something tangible for Robin and Chopper. I've spoken already on my wondering about Shanks' endgame, and I still wonder at what point did this lead to Shanks hunting down Loki himself to leave him chained to Elbaf, but I do wonder if Jarul's presence in the chapter will amount to something too, he is the senior figure and will probably have to die if Hajrudin takes the throne? Does he pull out the sword in his head to fight Zaza? It's a strange one with her because putting Killingham on the ropes will make her less in his control but right now there are few names that can rise to the occasion in warding her off now that Chopper and Hajrudin have left the village.

Brook and Gunko/Shuri seems delayed until she wakes, Brook defending her from Ragnir does show his seriousness but again, what will it amount to? I fear Oda's gonna try and turn things and maybe we have to fight a weakened Gunko to break Shuri out a bit more, it'd at least give Brook a proper fight but we're still without something for Jinbe, Nami and Usopp - now that Gerd's protecting Loki at least.

Outside of Luffy needing to step up, I love the idea of Imu using weapons from the 19 kingdoms. It continues to show the levels the Void Century were fighting at, Imu needed all of this to defeat Joy Boy. I have to wonder as well if the Nefertari have a weapon of similar power? Or was Pluton their weapon? Are the Ancient Weapons the weapons of Joy Boy's allies? Also does that mean there are unused/unconfirmed Manmayer, Satchels, Figarland, Rosward, Bavette, and Donquixote weapons (not to mention Topman, Markus, Jay Garcia and Ethan Baron families)? Is Shamrock's Cerberus the Figarland one? would Doflamingo if given the chance to return to Marejois like he wanted wield his family's weapon? Is V. Nusjuro's the Shodai Kitetsu or is there something stronger out there?

Tangenting a little but while we're on Imu I don't quite buy this parrot theory that gains traction, not quite yet at least this just feels like hearing hoofbeats and expecting a zebra rather than a horse. I also don't think that we can do another timeskip right now, because that'd mean changing the board we've already been setting up and shaking up since we got back. Shanks is after the One Piece, the Cross Guild are targeting the Marines, the Revolutionary Army are active, the Celestial Dragons are starving, York is building the Mother Flame to use the superweapon with, Vegapunk's message does not allow for us to take several years off to train, I don't think it should be done - nor should we pull out some Hyperbolic Time Chamber stuff - we need to build on the strengths we have right now and genuinely work on them rather than skip over the hard work. Which does lead into my next thing.

There's also another reason I like that it's from the 19 kingdoms and it's that this power doesn't fully belong to Imu. While the weapons may be inherent to the Shepherd and Rimoshifu family name, Zoro and Sanji hone their strength from their adopted family name; for Sanji it's Zeff and his fighting style and for Zoro the Shimotsuki blades (via Wado and Enma), but it's weapons they've honed to themselves, it's not borrowed power like Sommers and Killingham, and that may be the decisive factor.

Also also, I feel a little vindicated because I was partly right, Imu's omen is transporting weapons from a cache of sorts, and probably using his powers to empower them further and give them sentience. So I'm gonna take that as a win. Plus I like being the DiCaprio meme when I recognize the weapon names.

That said a win is what the Giants and Straw Hats need right now, we have another break to wait and see if Gaban can provide that opening. Luffy's pinned down but he's still wriggling, there's fight in him yet

Oh 3 things, I did see the colour spread; the crew is underwater with a turtle, Nami's in a bikini looking hot, Sanji's jealous of the turtle getting her attention, Zoro is sleeping on the turtle in a bubble with Luffy, Chopper and Brook, Jinbe's getting a guard of honour with sharks, Usopp's being chased by a shark, and Frobin get their own bubble ¬u¬

We begin in darkness, a message reaches out between strangers

Imu answers one end and asks for who the other is, they say they're Joy Boy

Not to play the silhouette game with Oda but the image of Joy Boy looks very much like Luffy

In the present, Imu however reiterates that Joy Boy is dead, so why does Luffy's appearance stir them so?

Luffy doesn't know what Imu's on about, remaining oblivious to the Nika and Joy Boy stuff

Imu coats their arm in Omen and swings, but Luffy stretches his head low to dodge it

The Omen however note that he dodged it and say to move downwards, redirecting the attack to bonk Luffy in the head and knock him into the floor (well, the tree branch in Elbaf) with an explosion

Luffy, covered in soot, pops back up, swings and misses

Imu tries to stab with the spear, also misses

Imu hears a tapping and manages to block a bazooka, Luffy's annoyed because he thought he had Imu there

Imu fires some mini explosive Omens, which Luffy runs from before they set off

Luffy notices that they're chasing him and sets them off with a gatling, Imu meanwhile looks unimpressed

The first thing I was spoiled on is next, Gomu Gomu no Majin, where Luffy inexplicably turns into a giant genie with the gauntlets and a giant beard like Franky currently has, I do like the little bit of meat on his turban XD

Luffy notes that he did notice Imu's tactics against Loki, and that he won't let his death be in vain

Loki's quick to remind him that he's still alive XD 'sometimes I still hear his voice...'

Imu fires two more omens to try and finish off Loki

Ragnir looks to meat shield it, but Jinbe jumps in with Arabesque Tile Punch

Jinbe offers to guard Loki for them, which Luffy and Ragnir appreciate (Loki is tsundere about it and calls Luffy a runt for calling him his buddy)

Nami and Usopp spot Imu, Brook noting how much stronger than the God's Knights they are

Usopp suggests that they're just the leader of the God's Knights, since nobody is above the Gorosei in the WG, but Brook coldly notes how the WG is full of mysteries

Franky returns Brook's attention to Gunko/Shuri, the hit melted some of the ice but not all the way

They wonder what to do with a frozen person, prompting Nami and Usopp to mention the time Luffy and Robin got frozen, which the two were unaware of

Imu seems perterbed that Gunko hasn't broken out of the ice, and that there's a man with an afro calling her Princess Shuri, they seem like they might remember Brook but seem in disbelief

They block Genie Luffy's giant 'Gomu Gomu no Sucker Punching Bullet' with one hand

Before reminding Luffy what he said about Luffy and setting up another Stigma

the flames target the middle of the chest but Luffy poofs out of the form to dodge

They fire more mini omens that Luffy runs from after

With a moment to themselves, Imu changes tactics

Dispelling their spear - which turns into a small omen flame - Imu summons a sword from his evil eye halo

The Sword of Wailing Void, in reference to the title, leaks with omen flames and all the trees - the giant Adam wood trees the Sunny is made from to remind everyone - around it wilts

Luffy notices it and Imu replies that 'the view is improving', but Luffy thinks it was fine the way it was

Luffy charges in, Imu acknowledging that Luffy isn't Joy Boy

but then for the second spoiler, a couple of Omen pop out and Luffy is shown drawn through with Imu's sword

Imu notes that Joy Boy would never be this weak as we end on a ciffhanger

And a week break just to make the cliffhanger worse

Guys, it's not looking good for Luffy

I anticipated that Imu would be stronger, and that this'd show the Straw Hats the full ceiling they need to reach, but I didn't think it was by this much! Imu is barely trying, though the Omen are like helping him via their sentience but Imu alone blocked that giant fist without looking with one hand! Joy Boy's haki knot made this sweat and freak out? What pool of power have we yet to tap into? The similarities to Luffy being impaled by Crocodile are not lost on me either, that's the gif I wanted to use but none had the 'who do you think I am' quote beforehand. It's a clever nod since Crocodile wanted to make a utopia in his image too, and seemed untouchable at the time, but Luffy's resolve to defeat and surpass him shone through, and it'll need to shine through again.

Do I think Luffy is done? No, Luffy is in fact best when he's feral and refusing to die, but he won't be able to do this alone. Whether that's the remaining crew present - I kinda hope so but they're kinda on defending Loki and Ice Cube duty - Gaban, Saul & Robin, Dorry & Brogy, Jarul? Someone needs to help run Imu's clock. Imu does seem curious about Brook and since Gunko/Shuri isn't fully out of the ice Ragnir's services might be needed again.

We didn't get much on the others, but if it's leading to everyone vs Imu it'd be a worthy finale to Elbaf where the crew realise how much stronger they need to be. Next chapter better get back to this but also maybe give us some answers on Robin, Saul and Biblo, Gaban's location, what team Ice Cube are gonna do, and who's gonna save the kids from Zaza - Sanji and Zoro's fights can wait for the chapter after. I feel additionally bad for Chopper though, he's gonna be run rugged with all these people that need healing XD

There's not really much else to cover in this chapter, it does seem Imu has more of an arsenal behind them through the Omen, Gomu Gomu no Majin was fun to look at but didn't amount to much; think it's just more Oda wanting to draw a genie again after Daifuku, who knows maybe he watched Disney's Aladdin with his daughter around the same time, you do see a lot of Disney movie influences in OP from time to time (the youtube channel SortaStupid realised that recently after reacting to Peter Pan).

Our cover today is my sweet and lovely Baeju protecting the Sanji duckling from the mean bully Vinsmoke swans, kinda ironic since Sanji calls women with a 'swan' honorific sometimes

We pick up right were we left off, Loki shocked as Luffy smacked Imu away

But Imu, bleeding but also undeterred, fires off two mini Omens with mischievous faces towards them

As Imu crashes into some trees, Loki commends Luffy for landing a solid blow...but only because he softened Imu up first, obviously

Luffy suggests that Loki rest from the damage he's taken, but Loki takes offence

The two spot the mini omens, that latch onto them both

Luffy tries to pat out the omen, noting how it doesn't burn to the touch as Imu flies back

Imu makes another omen in his hand gesture, and it turns into a small bell like you see on jingle bells

The omen on Loki seems to split in two, and converses with each other!

Their orders were to aim above the belly where Imu's Nemesis sword pierced him

Loki tries to paw them away as Luffy charges in but Imu rings the bell, encanting 'Stigma' (t/n says 'Resentful Demon Sword')

From the omens bursts out a massive sword - and I'm talking massive it's longer than Loki's height - to impale Loki again

Makes me wonder about my theory on Omen being a teleportation of weaponry infused with Imu's abyss powers and Haki, the way Stigma was used may disprove that since it felt like the Omens were used to line up the sword with the bell, mght be clearer when animated...next year or so XD

Other with Team Ice Block, everyone's trying to break Gunko/Shuri out of the ice, but to no avail

They note its toughness, with Franky saying it's almost like a diamond - which sets Nami off a little

Brook however notes that the ice still feels cold to the touch - a fun little 'ouch' 'dummy!' exchange in between

But then he second guesses himself, surprising Nami, then Franky does the same, sensing something different about the ice

As Nami infers that the two are being dumb and it's just because they're a cyborg and skeleton, Usopp addresses Loki falling towards them

Loki crashes into the ice block, but it doesn't crack nor budge

The group express surprise that Loki was defeated, as he slumps down a nearby hill

Ragnir however also falls, and when it hits the block part of the ice does melt!

Curious that the ice melts on contact rather than breaks...

Ragnir runs to Loki while Brook continues to try and reach out to Shuri; the ice is part melted but not enough to free any part of her as it stands (depends if the melting is still in process)

Back to Luffy and he's up a tree

Imu rings his bell again, but Luffy rips off his cloak with the Omen on it

It's not a blade this time, it looks more like a drill, but it does emit from Imu's hand towards where the omen is

Imu seems surprised that Luffy figured that out so quickly

Over to Ouest Village port now (I know they translate it to something else but I am too used to this one, also Gurou? Stephen you could've done Gurro to match with Gunko, seems like a similar miss with Lily not being Lili to match with Titi and Vivi) with Zoro and Sommers crossing paths

Sommers asks why Zoro - perched atop the bow of a log house - has shown up and if he's after a beating

Zoro notes how the God's Knights ruined their feast with their buddies, which Sommers apologizes for and claims once they've kidnapped 10 or 20 kids they'll be out of his hair

Zoro however notes how it's a coincidence that he's got someone in the village trying to kidnap kids, since he knows someone on the way there, and he doubts Sommers' guy will come back: because he'll be dead

Do love it when Zoro and Sanji give each other props, but I know a rant is gonna come soon from something I was spoiled on

Sommers lunges for the attack, insisting that they don't know how strong they are with the Omen halo around them

Over to Sanji's part of the village, with Killingham, Chopper, the kids, the parents, and nightmare Zaza

Sanji runs down the situation; a giant monster is kidnapping kids, causing their mothers (he specifies mothers because, ladies) to cry out

but he's in a predicament; the monster is a lady and he cannot kick a woman and save the kids, but the warriors - as shown with Zaza under attack - won't idly stand by and let them be taken

Ripley, too injured to fight, cries out for Colon, who also tearfully apologizes for getting caught again

Sanji however notes problem 3: he cannot stop the women from crying without fighting women...but he can subvert both by fighting Killingham! Which he does with a strike against his trident

Killingham had been trying to make an escape, but Sanji has kept in pursuit of him, which Killingham does commend his toughness over

He confirms that defeating him would dissipate Zaza, however, there's a difference between durable and immortal as he continues to order Zaza to take the kids

Sanji notes that he knows their weakness, but Killingham mockingly asks him if he has Conqueror's Haki, challenging Sanji to kill him then before knocking Sanji back with his Omen-powered trident

Sanji thinks back however to what Gaban told Zoro about refining his Conqueror's Haki, and him asking Gaban if he had it

In new dialogue however (I went back and checked) Gaban notes that Sanji has 'traits' of one who might, but he's 'burdened by painful uncertainty' and that Sanji must become a king to make Luffy king

Gear Fifth Luffy stands down Imu, who claims that Joy Boy has finally revealed themselves

In a rare - maybe even first - occurrence, Oda also gives us the vs name plates; Saint Nerona Imu vs Monkey D. Luffy

Luffy tells Imu not to call him what he wants, he's Luffy and he's gonna be King of the Pirates

Okay, great chapter, but let's just get the rant out of the way.

I'm not sure I like the way we're gonna give Sanji Conqueror's Haki. Revealing some additional dialogue from a conversation that happened 30 chapters ago feels more like an 'alright geez, here' moment. Also, even if he does unlock it, why would he suddenly learn how to coat it to kill Killingham? It was a focused effort for both Zoro and Luffy in Wano, even if Zoro was doing it without knowing it was Conqueror's Haki and simply 'if I die then I fucking die', so if Sanji achieves coating as well it just kinda feels like plot armour and a means to keep Sanji up with the other two. Also getting Conqueror's Haki feels like a cheaper solution than Sanji finding a newer never-before-seen way to kill a God's Knight, if anything Sanji being less of a creep towards women would be better development than getting Conqueror's Haki. And frankly, while I feel like Zoro and Sanji should be seen as equals, I don't think that Sanji should be an equal fighter to Zoro. Not once have we seen Sanji train, his last upgrade came from biological upgrades from the raid suit that he did not earn. Meanwhile we see Zoro train a lot, we see him refine his body and skills often, so it just feels like a disservice to then have Sanji up and do the bare minimum to get a power up. It may sound mean spirited, but to me Sanji should be the better tactician, because all his pre-timeskip sneaking off was invaluable to the crew in its own right, of the two Zoro should be the stronger fighter but Sanji should be the more intelligent fighter.

I'm on the fence about Gaban's rationale too. He basically hit Sanji with the 'you just gotta believe'; Sanji who was frothing to be the one with Conqueror's Haki to one-up Zoro and Jinbe apparently doesn't believe in himself enough to have it? I dunno about that, his family doubts were resolved back in Wano so it can't just be him afraid to follow in Judge's footsteps, and he only went to Whole Cake with the resolve that Luffy will be King, so I don't know how we achieve this in a way that feels satisfying to anyone other than the rabid Sanji stans. On the other hand though, this may play into my old theory about how Conqueror's Haki isn't a born-with ability, and that everyone can use all Haki but descriptions and lines were drawn to limit people into thinking they couldn't have it. If Sanji only needs to believe himself to become a king and get Conqueror's Haki then why can't Usopp 'King of the Snipers' do it too? I also wonder what Sanji would try to declare himself a king of, food? love? problematic lecherous behaviour? Regardless, it does fuel my idea that anyone could in fact have Conqueror's Haki if they believe in themselves enough to have it.

Also mini rant, I'd be much more invested in Robin getting Haki than Sanji getting Conqueror's Haki ngl, part of it because Robin deserves it and is overdue it but also because Sanji glazers are extremely obnoxious like I cannot with the BlueLeg and DemonLeg folks over there. Zoro stans are annoying too but Sanji glazers just feel like Enel glazers for me - he is not fucking coming back from the moon guys, why would he?

With those rants done, this was a great chapter. Loki seems out for the count now, with an attack worthy of defeating his already weakened state. Imu continues to be incredibly versatile and dangerous with his abilities and now that he's set to rumble with Luffy we're probably going to see the highest ceiling of power in One Piece. That said, while I don't see Luffy losing I don't also see him winning, I still maintain that Imu may end up simply having to tactically retreat because of their time limit before being able to properly finish off Luffy. One thing that may add to that limit is the deaths of Killingham and Sommers, which are victories I do expect from Sanji and Zoro - also I enjoyed that Zoro gives Sanji props when he's not in earshot. I do understand why some people feel the Monster Trio favouritism coming out of this chapter though, given that the remaining crew are either with Ripley powerless against Zaza, with Biblo waiting for that info to come to light, or dealing with an ice cube.

On the latter, it's a shame that none of the crew could break Ragnir's ice, it does expose that they're still very weak even with Franky's upgrade a few chapters ago. Ragnir's ice potentially not being ice could be interesting, unless it is indeed a gag that Franky and Brook can't feel the cold due to their bodies. I don't think Shuri/Gunko is fully free though, I kinda hope that Usopp is able to take up Ragnir in Loki's place - let Usopp shine already Oda! - to free her and let Brook confront Shuri/Gunko while the rest of the crew set off for more important matters. I do have to reiterate that several characters feel in a limbo below their skill rating; Gaban is just chilling, Robin should be off doing something now that the books are confirmed safe, Dorry, Brogy and Jarul are legendary warriors that have done little at the moment in the grand scheme, Lilith and Bonney are somewhere I'm sure. Since Chopper's a DF user I can't see him fighting Zaza - plus we need answers to why he could knock out Domi Reversi so easily - but Nami, Jinbe, and/or Hajrudin could play into that if they move that direction. Robin, Usopp and Franky meanwhile would still need something, so either Oda leaves them high and dry or he needs to include something else to warrant involvement from them - involvement of equal value to that of Sanji and Zoro's fights, even if it is to help out in those fights and have all the crew acknowledge how much stronger they need to be.

I will give props at least for Sanji not going full mellorine on Zaza even if he does acknowledge that it's a woman he cannot hit, but yeah I am curious how Oda plays this - and how he plays the Omen-buffed God's Knights that have already been beaten before.

So last post I did mention that I may do these splitting off into the smaller groups and...yeah nix that this feels easier to do given how the Convergence did help with character growth and changing some perceptions. Ironically though we start with the character we won't see in future episodes

Teor Pridesire - Paladin (Oath of Glory) - Soldiers -> Deceased After the Overture I did mention how we needed more of Teor in the arcs to follow, but Travis did stay out the limelight a lot with our Lion Man. Teor remained a strong and stoic sideman but also provided some fun comedy moments with 'Only Teor is Teor', his fear of climbing trees, and being threatened by a redcap. It was nice to see them achieve in rescuing their brother, for however brief it was, and to be almost the bridge between getting Thimble and Wick to get along and Kattigan to bond with the group. However, Obrimus Manor was where both he and his brother would fall; honestly, it's a familiar situation I had with FCG wherein their death made them more interesting, I suppose it was only when he died that I realised how much of a glue he was to the Soldiers, and what his name meant to the Torn Banner. Narratively his death felt impactful, one of the last living and commanding bastions of Thjazi's rebellion gone. Alas, those are how the dice are rolled, we will have to wait and see who Travis turns up as next, my gut instinct remains the lizardfolk hotshot in the letter, though with Mara meeting with the Professor also mentioned in the letter it could be him, or neither, there are many options.

Tyranny - Warlock (Fiend) - Soldiers -> Schemers Tyranny continues to be entertaining to me, but while I do definitely continue to enjoy her dynamic with Wick I've found myself additionally drawn to her unique bond with Kattigan. The knife incident was telling for both sides, and the aftermath has put them in a somewhat parent-child dynamic where they both trust one another with tragic backstories and reassurance. Tyranny's mysterious nature continues to simmer in the background, not yet ready to boil to the full surface, but there are mentions here and there that suggest that Tyranny by name and behaviour is more than the archetype she feared she was bound to be, and given that her father has voiced approval for her acts against the Creed and that she wields a knife that is meant to hurt those who hurt the ones they love, Tyranny's chaos may in fact be the driving force that'd undo the power structure of the Sundered Houses - but to who's benefit? She's still a demon (and there's nothing wrong with her) with quirks that befit her species but Brennan has done well to emphasise that she's not bound to an alignment, nor are any other demons such as Tsul'rekshi or her chaotically calamitous sisters. Remaining in Dol Makjar does mean she's close to the danger that the Creed and her family may be involved in, but it also allows her to further engage with mortal customs and culture, while also thrive in subterfuge and rebellion.

Murray Mag'nesson - Wizard (Divination) - Schemers At the end of the Overture I enjoyed Murray, but following the Convergence I think she's my favourite character right now. Remaining consistently funny and quotable, her intelligence thrives in Scheming especially when she doesn't have to engage with Dean Kora. The combat encounters during the Schemers arc also proved how capable she can be provided that she gets Invisibility up first to spare her low as fuck AC from inevitable damage. Her relationships with Azune, which I can't quite lock down whether it's all platonic or not, and Demodus Blix also add to her 'more tough love but soft on the inside' mannerisms, as well as her strong sense of morality and equality as she champions magic being available to all who wish to learn it. I additionally love how Marisha describes her using Divination magic, as if to resonate with the frequencies of time and the weave - I can already hear the chorus of 'what's sexier than wizards?' - but in the many situations Murray has been put in to either glean, present or collect information she's rose to the task. Staying in Dol-Makjar is of course the right choice for her at the moment; she cannot leave the Pentreval without raising suspicion and the network of their Tiding of Magpies (even if the Sundered Houses are aware of them) is still young, with Wick and Tyranny added to their group it'll be interesting how she engages with the Sorcerer Halovar heir - especially compared to how she was with Occtis. Also can Brennan throw her a bone and let her get some stress relief, nothing wrong with King Gus being gay but ass steaks can only feed a girl for so long XD

Thaisha Lloy - Druid (Circle of Land) - Seekers -> Soldiers Thaisha went through it a lot with the Seekers arc; unable to find her son, at odds with her fellow Old Path Druids, attacked by demons, attacked by birds, having to enter Tannessar and find a fountain of Orc blood, it was only natural that Thaisha was consistently on edge. It was saddening how such stress was aimed at Occtis, given how close the two were following the Overture, but the Convergence was able to allow Thaisha to have a few wins and release the tension she had been shouldering. That said, she still absolutely kicks ass; maybe not with a giant crossbow but she's proven to be an incredible presence against the Halovars; from standing down Zebani, infiltrating the Villa Aurora with Hala in snake form, and terrorizing Tyranny's sisters. The ritual at the Hallowed Round was also a big moment for her, allowing Aabria to powerfully express the cultural significance of not only the play and the ritual but also the scene where she needn't reshape the Pariah Blades since through Hal and Shadia they have already been reshaped. Being then able to guide the fallen souls of past rebellions from the Orcish afterlife to a nicer destination through Thjazi's ritual served as a beautiful moment, creating new angels (Kaedra) and strengthening the Old Path in a cathartic moment after several episodes of knowing that it is under threat of the Tachonis. Thaisha is the beating heart of the culture that runs through Aramán, but as Aabria rightfully takes some time off to take care of baby Wizard See, Thaisha is in for a long and perhaps uncomfortable journey to Dol-Rungja as she belatedly accepts her grandmother's summons. We may not see Thaisha so frequently in this phase, but the floor is set for when she does to continue being a powerful presence in the story.

Sir Julien Davinos - Fighter (Daredevil)/Rogue - Seekers I noted before that the person Julien could become was more interesting to me than who he was during the Overture, and to be fair the same is true, but on the plus side we are getting there. It does serve that for a lot of the Seekers arc Julien has been less of an asshole at unnecessary times; there are times where his assholery has been justified and targeted at people who deserve it - like Frons Tachonis, basically bullied off a cliff, and Koral Tachonis, danced till he was dead - but we've also seen him soften to his companions, and show off his more charming and flirty attitudes such as with Ingrid 'I have the blood of giants, I can fix him' Einfasen. His dynamic with Occtis grows more intriguing, the argument outside Obrimus Manor hinted that despite his insistence that Occtis is merely his bait for other Tachonis he has grown a little fond of him, though it's told only through mannerisms than words that he is still very reluctant to admit. His unique situation of being cursed with Thjazi bound to his shadow makes for some more very interesting dynamics as he has to effectively live with his nemesis - who he technically saved from their common enemy thanks to old magic - and he's gonna continue to be surrounded by those Thjazi is close to because of that. While his decision to leave the Pridesires to fight his undead father robbed audiences of a Father-Son battle and drew ire for those who (wrongly) blame Julien for Teor's death, it was telling to learn more about Julien's family from his intimidating mother, Maya, and his sickly sister who he now has the means to heal. It's still a slow growth for Julien, but he's just gotta keep riding that edge and hope he doesn't fall over it.

Bolaire Lathalia - Warlock (Mask) - Schemers -> Seekers Bolaire's another character where my stance hasn't quite changed. Overall I still don't trust him as far as I can throw him, and given that he's a sentient mask I can throw him pretty far - like a frisbee. It's not to say that Bolaire hasn't had his moments; namely his relationship and admiration for young Demodus Blix - and his illusionary familiar, Figment - but otherwise Bolaire's role in the Schemers and Convergence arc is to frighten, kill, and deceive. When I've said in other people's posts that Bolaire is more a villain entrapped on the side of heroes I don't mean it jokingly, there's a lot about Bolaire that's useful but also incredibly dark and villainous, it's only a benefit to the heroes that Bolaire values them - even if it's not enough to give them all the information that'd be important to them - and in rare cases can be charmed or sweet-talked into liking people. Bolaire's story however feels catapulted into the foray by his more interesting but also more dangerous sister, Termina, who is now bound to the already ultra-powerful Amirya Cormoray and has now accidentally been led towards aiding the villains in becoming a god while also being convinced against not trusting their brother. Bolaire leaves a dangerous wake in departing Dol Makjar in hopes that Termina will follow, but also is in search of his family of other masks who he now seeks out after Termina called him out about it, whether that's for better or worse remains to be seen, especially given how Thjazi's ritual may require a sibling to be a component for another anchor. The biggest problem with Bolaire right now is that, ironically, we have to take everything he says at face value; we had hoped when he crossed paths with Thimble that there would be more explanation towards his hatred of Thjazi, but the Convergence arc only sought to vindicate Thjazi while leaving Bolaire's hatred for him a big ol' question mark, and that's harming his character the longer this reluctance to elaborate goes on.

Vaelus - Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) - Seekers While Vaelus was one of my favourites coming out of Overture, it was a mixed venture going into the Seekers arc with her. At the time it wasn't made clear exactly why she was mourning Sylandri, and the more we learned about how oppressive and controlling Sylandri could be the harder it felt to rationalize why she would want someone like that back. The uncertainty only truly eased when Ashley - in the Seekers arc rundown - clarified that Sylandri's return would only be a means to an end, and it was her sisters that she truly mourned and wished to restore. Vaelus was still a cool character, despite unfortunately dreadful rolls by Ashley, remaining as someone who knew when to stand her ground; but while Vaelus' bonds with Thaisha, Julien and Occtis seemed to broaden her understandings it was her bond with the druid NPC Hannan in the Convergence arc that truly shone with her development. While also learning more about elves in Aramán - including how Sylandri made them unable to breed and thus a technically extinct albeit unaging race - Vaelus allowed herself to change, find perspective, and achieve a little more closure in accepting that Sylandri was wrong. The biggest test of the ritual and having to choose between allowing it to continue or to hijack it and save her family emphasised Vaelus' position as a kind and selfless character that has changed from leaving her cloister and engaged with a greater variety of people. The sudden death of Hannan at the hands of Primus inside Obrimus Manor (I am begging Brennan to have set up some Xenia/Hospitality druidic old law that curses Primus for killing a guest in his home) is a sad end to a blooming relationship (platonic or not) which looked to focus Vaelus on finding another means of guiding her family to the afterlife - one that could be achieved by continuing Thjazi's plan - and it'll likely have similar ripples to that of Vaelus and Occtis' friendship, hopefully less so because I do enjoy the sleepless goths, now that the Stone of Nightsong is destroyed and bound to neither of them. It'll also be interesting to see if Vaelus' Oath is affected by her denouncing Sylandri and whether the Seekers group will splinter off into two so she will have backup confronting her fellow sisters at Mournvale.

Occtis Tachonis - Wizard (Necromancy) - Seekers The hollow prince may not be in the top 2 of my personal rankings but he still remains up high. Alex had mentioned many times before that just because Occtis is the black sheep of an evil doesn't mean he doesn't have his own dark sides, and there have been times where Occtis' Tachonis behaviour has come into play for the morally grey. That said, Occtis learned a lot about his murder through the Seekers arc, not that it was much comfort to know that you were killed to become a murder angel but he took it well all things considered. The Seekers arc was rough on Occtis' relationship with a slow rift forming between him and Thaisha, but the Convergence managed to restore it when both had a moment to relax and acknowledge how much stress they were under. Much like Murray I've enjoyed when Alex goes into detail with his magic, the descriptive elements of how he is doing what he's doing, it works for Wizards because they have to study this rather than it coming naturally to them. While there have been times when Occtis has had a manic look about him performing Necromancy, there is still a heart in there; Occtis is of course much different to Laudna in that he's still figuring a lot of his body out, but I do like how there are some behaviours and reactions that seem less of the body and more of the soul; his worry and relief around Thimble, his discomfort after seeing ghouls, even if the body is dead the soul is still very much alive and hanging onto life. While Occtis has also hoped for the comfort of having not all his family be awful, he has also managed to gain a lot of support through Thimble, Thaisha, Vaelus (despite the aforementioned friction after the stone's destruction) and Julien, and I feel like as he travels with the Seekers to the Golden Orchard (and maybe Mournvale) by way of Timmony alongside the new set of Seekers we can see Occtis grow more confident and more capable of defending himself with the people who see only the 'Tachonis son'.

Kattigan Vale - Ranger (Beast Master) - Soldiers -> Seekers Kat has been a bit of a sleeper character for me. Much like the Overture he like Teor liked to sit on the sidelines for much for the narrative. That said as I mentioned with Tyranny his bond with the demon is unique and kinda sweet; his anger towards her about the knife was justified but also opened the door for a character who is extremely closed off. It's only later that we confirm that for good reason; a wife and daughter gone, likely dead, without a trace and only the face of Primus Tachonis as a clue. Despite such a sad and dark backstory while will hopefully come to a head with a multi-person stompdown of the old bastard (likely in an antimagic field just to be safe) however, Kat's inability to socialize has also provided some genuinely funny moments, where we'll be thinking about apple pies without the apples for a while. Post-Convergence he's back on the road again which'll be his more natural environment, and with Thimble alongside him they could perhaps help each other mourn his 'battle-buddy' Teor and try to help complete Thjazi's master plan. It is curious how he'll fare alongside Julien, both of whom are vengeful fighters who want to kill Primus, both have grieved lost family, and both have fallen into the bottle to quiet the voice that tells them they aren't who they were meant to be, there's a lot of parallels that can be made that I'd like to see explored.

Halandil Fang - Bard (College of Eloquence) - Schemers After the Overture I did express that Hal was in a place of inaction, a watcher rather than a doer. The Schemers arc further explored Hal's feelings as more of Thjazi's plans were coming to light; struggling between the frustrations of being excluded and the burdens as being the one who has to pick up where he left off. It was a slow build with a great payoff though, because for all the wonders of what Thjazi's play was the answer was that the play was the play. The opening night at the Hallowed Round became a culmination and cathartic moment for Thaisha as well as Hal, not only being able to express his culture but also be vindicated that - despite Bolaire's snipes - his brother wasn't up to something potentially nefarious. Liam has been able to put all his theatre kid energy into Hal which has worked well in the theatre, but Hal will continue to be forced into unfamiliar territory which he is yet to adapt to. It'll be interesting however how he'll be in the next Schemers arc; he's most certainly in the Halovar's corsairs, and he has some history with Wick, and as mentioned the Sundered Houses know about the magpies which means everyone associated is in danger, but without Bolaire in his ear would he be more willing to plunge into Thjazi's unknown dealings? And now that the Hallowed Round is Hallowed, Mara's warning about all faiths looking to target it will likely come to light.

Azune Nayar - Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline?)/Paladin - Schemers Luis has rose high in the ranks thanks to his lies work in the Schemers arc. Still carrying the burdens and grief hard, to the point where he is out-sadboying Liam, Azune is carrying more and more pressure the deeper into the rabbit hole he goes. His lies have been of a great benefit to the Schemers, and his relationship with Murray and Hal have served to keep him from completely crumbling under it, with Wick and Tyranny now being a potential throughline to sow misinfirmation to the Halovars that burden may be eased a little but there are further mysteries at hand. There has however been additional concerns for Azune outside of the scheming following the surprise return of his sister Mayali on the side of the Argosian assassins attacking King Gus and Yanessa Halovar (though the latter was likely part of the plan), while the trail has gone cold the shock revelation will still linger on his mind. Also we have to address the elephant in the room...or well, the dragon in the lake! The implications that Azune's sorcery comes from a Draconic bloodline is very interesting, especially since the lore puts dragons as pre-Shapers, what does that mean for his family? his people? His allegiances? The Einfasen descend from pre-Shaper entities too but we don't know what the relationship of wind elementals, giants and dragons were, plus Azune has put a lot of work into making the Einfasen believe that his bloodline may descend from theirs. Despite the dizzying amount of lies Luis is playing Azune phenomenally - alongside a lot of phenomenal rolls - and now that there's more lore to descend into it feels like it's just a matter of when Azune will unearth it rather than if.

Wicander Halovar - Sorcerer (Clockwork) - Soldiers -> Schemers Similarly to Azune, Wick is feeling the weight of his lies, deception and newfound powers. After the Overture I was curious where Wick's culture shock would take him and the answer was through the wringer; downed several times, kicked in the dirt, sleeping in the wild or in places where there are no beds, not to mention upon his return to Dol Makjar he's been threatened by Zebani and Primus. Wick has had to confront his own sense of innocence and purity multiple times, compromising such values to survive, and it is definitely weighing on him. It's not all been doom and gloom though; Wick has managed to prove himself sly and persuasive even against his own grandmother, a fantastic monologue earning a no-roll nat 20, and his innocence and kindness has warmed him to his other companions who didn't like him so much at the beginning. As much as Sam has done both sides of the holy man character in C3, Sam is seeming to thrive more as a tainted soul using their corruption for good than a pure goody two-shoes archetype, using the inherent goodness to catch those who underestimate him in a trap or a loophole. He's still prissy, entitled, and used to a certain comfort lifestyle, but Wick is also shown that he can be a valuable ally so long as he has people who can support him when the burdens feel too heavy to bear. Staying in Dol Makjar as I mentioned would help with spying on the Halovars, less so the Tachonis given Primus' warnings but when have daughters ever listened to their dad when he tells them to 'stay away from that boy'?, but he also has his former flame to cross paths or at least get information on. It'll be interesting to see how his dynamic with Hal is, given how he is the benefactor to the Hallowed Round, and how Teor's death will motivate him going forward.

Our cover request this time is a cute one of kid Loki drawing a picture of Ida in the Realm of the Dead, while Ida herself visits to secretly give him and his animal buddies food

Esperia still continues to fight for its independence, but people are being shot down

Brook is however taken aback, bamboozled even, from what he's seeing

In denial, he rushes to Reuven, calling for a medic and trying to bring his 'big bro' to consciousness

Also Mars is shadowy because he's not on the wheel, as a shadowy thread of Imu peers out from their head

Imu seems captivated by Brook's desperation, his memories of their meeting as reality continues to surface

It seems psychically Imu shuts the door and sipells, calling Brook's intrusion an inconvenience

Shuri points out that Reuven's dead, but instead of 'dad' or 'father' like she usually does, she calls him 'that guy'

This angers Brook, who demands to know what the God's Knight did to Shuri

He emphasises that he's watched her grow up and knows she's not capable of this

Shuri however counters, asking if he knew she was a Celestial Dragon, that 'this guy' (Reuven) wasn't her real father

Brook didn't and refutes it, but Shuri asks for proof, noting that the last 16 years were a waste and she should've been raised a celestial dragon - which she claims justifies her anger

She also claims that the 1000 slave demand was false, the true price the WG asked was to hand over Shuri

She claims Reuven's a good-for-nothing king who led their people to their doom, and thus she killed him to end the war - not caring that Brook notes that defeat leads Esperia into lawlessness

The God's Knight finally speaks up, Manmayer Groh, he says he remembers Brook now when he was a kid, and that Brook wasn't allowed near him

His eyes under his cap confirm the truth, heterochromia just like Shuri

Brook is shook from realising the truth

Groh notes how it's abnormal for them to come in person to retrieve Shuri, but the fact that she has those eyes - a rare trait - means that Imu wants her

'I didn't awaken it myself but...' so the eyes have a certain power maybe?

Groh almost elaborates but Imu tells him that he's said too much then infers that Shuri kill Brook

Brook still feels in denial, claiming to know everything about her having been there since birth

Shuri however claims he's pathetic for crying, and deserves stronger protection that Marejois provides: she doesn't need him anymore

Brook laments on memories; unable to protect Reuven, how a child he saw as an angel is now the appearance of a demon

With his own (or maybe Candelle's taught) technique, Gavotte Bond en Avant, Shuri stabs Brook in the head, Brook didn't even attempt to defend, only singing to himself the song 'Only Bones Get Left Behind'

When he wakes surrounded by his corps they say it's a miracle, and it is: he survived a stab in the head without a helmet to protect him like Jarul

Though this would explain the fuzzy memories, major blood vessels were missed but it's likely he had brain damage (and now he no longer has a brain yohoho)

Brook however asks about the king since he can't remember, the corps try to not tell him but he demands to know

An eyewitness saw Shuri board a government ship, most of the country's survivors have fled as refugees

Brook's memories show snippets, he yells in anguish, reopening his wounds

And then we return to the present

Back then Brook didn't know about devil fruits, and he felt that the devilish appearance was merely a hallucination from his grief

With the information he has now though regarding Domi Reversi, he tearfully asks the crew if he can put his faith in Shuri once more, that if she is indeed a victim he wants to save her

He asks for their combined strength, and they don't need to be asked twice

The first plan is breaking the ice; Nami considers lightning while Franky - still full of tears - considers a radical beam, Usopp is in a panic because he knows explosives won't work but wants to contribute

Brook however dashes ahead of them, likely to Gunko's direction

At the school Luffy's finished eating, and the chanclas are out so you know he means business

Echoing Zoro's comment to Goldberg, Luffy rationalizes that if Imu's Elbaf's enemy then they're his enemy too

If any other protagonist said 'I don't think I can lose' I would worry but Luffy? There's always hope for Luffy

Back to Loki vs Imu and Loki accuses Imu of foul play by kidnapping kids

Imu however is surprised Loki doesn't know: 800 years ago the giants were defeated trying to rescue their children, this is just those tactics again

With the children taken the giants will bend the knee, and thus Imu believes they've already won - that history always repeats itself

We also get a look at Zaza taking children and Brogy and Hajrudin looking to be the ones focused on dealing with it

However, Luffy has arrived

And with only a 'get off of Elbaf' smacks Imu square in the face, just like he did to Charloss

Being right is a blessing and a curse sometimes XD

Shuri was indeed not Reuven's, and a Manmayer - Groh's to be specific - from Candelle's 'bedridden illness' mentioned last chapter. The implications are nasty but the God's Knights are nasty fucks so it does track.

There's a lot of heartbreak with Brook from this flashback; his scar is from Shuri stabbing him in the head, he's likely been brain damaged all this time and his confusion turned into hate from the face value of what happened. It's fortunate that Imu doesn't recognize him, nor he remember Imu to be fair, but I wouldn't eliminate the possibility of Groh being alive just so Brook can get some payback on him later down the line.

Interestingly, this chapter Reuven didn't have the Domi Reversi appearance, so it's unclear what actually went down, but it's also something Shuri/Gunko could elaborate on if freed from Ragnir's ice. Her words do feel like the personality shift of Domi Reversi, but it probably was tied into some shock with learning that Reuven wasn't her biological father too. I feel like the WG demanding Shuri instead of 1000 slaves could be true - though I wouldn't rule out that the WG engineered the plague so they could demand this either.

It seems Shuri's eyes are important though, either because Imu has a heterochromia kink or something deep and powerful can be tapped in, maybe she can indeed see the future rather than just advanced Observation Haki? It wouldn't be too out there, Big Mom wanted the three-eyed people because they could allegedly read Poneglyphs once their eyes 'awakened', this could be a similar case.

But yeah, the flashback was short as expected and could only pick up again for Shuri's side of the story, and now we can return to the action and there is a lot. I do feel like, while the solidarity was correct from the crew, Jinbe, Nami, Franky and Usopp don't all need to be on ice breaking duty. There's probably gonna be more to it but it feels like they could do with giving the others something else, especially Usopp because it's Elbaf.

We do still need to deal with Zaza but if it is Hajrudin's role to do that I think that could work, but the giant parents and Chopper are likely gonna help too and I dunno how you fight a rain goddess, Sanji's about to see a giant god woman en route to Killingham so that we should prepare for some eye rolling in the upcoming chapters. Zoro will fight Sommers while Luffy and Loki are facing Imu, but how much Loki has in the tank remains to be seen, in fact how much Imu has in the tank remains to be seen because we know they have a time limit and Luffy's not yet using Gear Fifth.

Also there's the Biblo question with Robin we shouldn't forget about, also I find it interesting how we have Nico 'those who don't learn from history is doomed to repeat it' Robin and Nerona 'history will always repeat itself' Imu; two conflicting views and yet they've never truly crossed paths. We shouldn't neglect Lilith and Bonney, Jarul, or Gaban either, who have an empty dance card atm, feels like we could do something with them, and we can't also rule out reinforcements from the WG side...