#ch160

In the manga, Spinner gets mad after Dabi tells him to drive slower (bc Dabi called him a lizard). And Dabi just replies 'you don't need to flip out'

But in the anime, Dabi retorts back by telling Spinner to shut up and that he shouldn't even be getting mad.

I think it’s the paneling, but this moment feels more genuine and tragic in the manga than the anime counterpart. 

I think it’s the way she’s curled up against the ground, too ashamed to even lift her head, that makes this scene so heartbreaking.

Lucy is still weaker than Natsu and Gray. She’s already stronger than before after the Angel fight, but she’s facing the reality that she’s still incapable of contributing in the most crucial, final moment, and that breaks her. 

But Lucy’s greatest strength has never been in magic capacity or physical strength-- it’s in her ability to touch the hearts of people around her, and connect sincerely with Celestial spirits. 

That’s why in this moment, that part of her comes through and helps her. 

Lucy’s greatest strength has always been centered around being helped by spirits and standing alongside them. 

They’ve been writing each other letters for a while, but I don’t know how long. From 159:

I’m not sure how Lau knew that Haku was sending someone to assassinate our earl, since Haku made up his mind to do so while Lau was in Marseille (ch160, and there’s a typo in the manga)...

...en route to England, but Lau might have been going on a hunch that our earl would become a target, thanks to some knowledge of what was going on with the opium industry in England... and our earl’s role in those changes.

From ch161:

Then later, in ch165:

Lau didn’t know who Owl actually was, but he probably would have heard about Haku’s amazingly talented and skilled sniper. And so he mentioned that in a letter, too.

I don’t know exactly how long ago they started corresponding, but it was after January 1886 (demon contract) and sufficiently before Lau arrives sometime in 1887.