#chapter 1022

Okay, you’re all there and all hyped for the KidLaw moment, right?

Remember, if anyone knows about Hawkins’ use of the lives of crew members to gain advantage, it’s Law. I hope we get to see the two of them against Big Mom.

And if KidLaw’s not your thing, then don’t forget about KidKil:

Hawkins’ a real right bastard, innit he?

And really, no flippant commentary is replete without a sketchy shot of the heart pirates and Luffy in his prime:

Caribou’s in despair at his own personal internal famine.

Marco’s exactly how I imagine him.

❗❗ one piece chapter 1022 spoilers ❗❗

we're all down, I'm thinking someone needs to help us from king or Queens attack and in my mind zoro is going to stop the attack or sanji or whoever and then WHITEBEARD PIRATES SECOND HAND MAN MR MARCOOOO COMES IN AT CLUTCH AND DOES IT AGAIN! I JUST NEED THIS ANIMATED ASAP

and then he says, and I quote: "it's time for the stars to take the stage" ITS TIME FOR THE STARS TO TAKE THE DAMN STAGE AND TAKE THE STAGE THEY DID WITH THE SIMULTANEOUS ATTACK

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the war on Onigashima might have showed some of the shortest fights for the Strawhats in modern One Piece. This has really been on my mind. Up until 1022, I was fully expecting all of the Tobi Roppo to get up and keep fighting and even bring out bigger, badder techniques.

So what’s with this? I think that Oda sped up their defeats for a reason.

First, who are the Tobi Roppo? They’re defeated captains. Not only defeated, but recruited to work for the man who brought them down. On one hand, I think that this literally pounded respect for Kaido into their skulls. On the other, I don’t think that this made them devoted. They have, however, repeated their faith in Kaido over and over. But so have the Strawhats (and that’s the real kicker).

Ulti, for instance, threatened to kill Nami unless she admitted that Luffy wouldn’t become the Pirate King. Did she do this to assert that it would be Kaido instead? I doubt it. It was because SHE had lost her chance to reach this dream. Next, Black Maria mocked Sanji’s capabilities and Robin’s own worth. This one might have been more in line with showing pride in the Beast Pirates, but it came across as desperate and petty. As though she was anxious to steal something that would give them an advantage (Robin) and finally make her feel proud to be on Kaido’s side. The nine red scabbards also stand to juxtapose the Tobi Roppo in terms of faith. Their leader had been dead for 20 years and they needed no show of power to keep them moving forward. It seems to me that the Tobi Roppo fully represent the undevoted follower. They are a crew clinging to personal pride and self pity, not strength of will. Faith in their captain? They have it only because he forced them to believe it.

And he wanted me to color a panel