#ch559

It's important that when Ace does die, it's after being freed from the platform. He was able to pass as himself, in his brother's arms, surrounded by the family that would literally go to war on his behalf.

Later on this arc, Mihawk will very astutely mention that Luffy's great strength is not in his physical ability, but his ability to gather allies. Already he's been saved by Iva (more than once), Jinbe (more than once), and Hancock, while being able to win over White beard and--by extension--Buggy. Hancock right now is taking another enormous risk not only for herself, but her homeland. If not for Luffy's supernatural charisma and leadership, he would have been dead half a dozen times already.

I would say that it's impressive for Whitebeard to remember Buggy when he hasn't seen him in over twenty years, but I'm not sure anyone would be able to forget a nose like that.

It's been awhile since I mentioned it, but I enjoy how Oda draws people getting punched in the face. It looks goofy enough to release some tension, but if you've ever seen slow motion of a boxing match or something this is pretty much exactly what it looks like

As much as it pains me to see my beloved Moriah get his ass handed to him, I do appreciate that his poor showing at Marineford has legitimate consequences. The Warlords are supposed to strike fear in other pirates; having one who get dog-walked on world-wide television puts a real damper on that

Hullo, Pandaman.

Betrayal foreshadowing!