sanjiluffyacerobinzoro

Portgas D. Ace:

One Piece ワンピース : The Ōka Shichibukai

“The reason the Grand Line is called the ‘Pirates’ Graveyard’, is because of the Three Great Powers that rule over it. One of them, is the Ōka Shichibukai. They’re seven Pirate Warlords that are officially authorized by the World Government. The Shichibukai inhabit wild regions of the seas and as long as they give a cut of their loot obtained from marauding & pillaging, the World Government sanctions their actions. Other pirates may look down on them and call them ‘Government Dogs’, but they’re among the strongest the Grand Line has to offer!!” 

Thus ends my journey with the Shichibukai. It was fun & arduous while it lasted and I had a hell of a great time re-reading some of the most epic and sad moments in One Piece. I’ve compiled all the gifs into a short video in the order of the manga’s storyline, so enjoy this final treat me buckos! A big thank you to all who stuck with me till the end & to all who joined in on the fun!! Oda has given us so many fantastic characters & memories it’s hard to wait a week for each chapter but it is always worth the wait. I can’t wait to see what else the sensei has in store for us!! 

…and really appreciate Oda-sensei for this chapter?

Despite having only been with the Strawhats for an extremely short period of time (by my estimates, only a few days leading up to the Strawhats’ separation during the timeskip and approx. 2 weeks since their reunion,) Brook makes some incredibly insightful and perceptive observations about Sanji in this chapter:

It’s because, in chapter 486, he acknowledges that he witnessed Sanji’s offer to Kuma to exchange his own life for Zoro’s.

The scene in reference (from chapter 485):

…and Brook’s admission (from chapter 486):

Chapter 485 was released on January 21, 2008.

In other words, almost nine years following its publication, Oda-sensei finally gives Brook purpose for bearing witness to the events on Thriller Bark, 366 chapters later, in chapter 851.

The payoff and satisfaction the audience gets for Oda’s painstaking patience in his storytelling comes to fruition in moments like this.  Love it, love it, love it.  (And I’m loving Brook – I mean, I probably enjoy the skull jokes more than most, but I am also loving his serious side.)