#chromanga

Loved this chapter. Others will cover things in detail, so I'm going to concentrate on one of my favourite pirate crews:

The Kuja Pirates, and its various

empresses. Gloriosa and a very young

future empress, Tritoma (in between Shakky and Boa Hancock). Who is gathering fan mail for

Lady Shakky! Future empress. Roger (and it seems his crew, that's Scopper in the bottom left corner of the picture above) are plaguing the Kuja pirates to

"Davy Jones" Shakky away from the Kuja pirates (Roger looking like Shanks and Ace there). But Gloriosa is in love with Roger. She's powerful too, and I don't know if it's ironic or not, but (separate from Roger Pirate attacks), feels that her beauty is a burden.

(Referring to the same panel as above. BUT, it could be some Boa Hancock hubris. BUT, at the same time, Elder Nyon is wise, and much smaller, and has not kept beauty in the stereotypical way that Shakky has). Anyhoo. On with it! Future Empress Shakky

Lays everyone low with a look (and fighting <- edited in, in case folks thought I didn't notice). A lot more conflict than with Boa Hancock (as in Hancock's victims immediately turn to stone, so don't bicker <-also edited in), I think. And Roger is no match for her (nor Gaban).

Also, awesome speech, Shakky, but also, some horrible foreshadowing regarding Hancock and her sisters:

where Shakky tells a defeated Roger that she'll never submit to another's captivity. Yes. And then takes all of Roger's crews' treasure and food:

Look at her smoking enough to put Sanji to shame too (picture before last). Shakky is maybe top of my goddesses, but they don't have to compete! Also, I know you caught these, but let's highlight:

Pure adulation with Shakky. I'm with you. I am noting that Gloriosa is also adored, but not by

Roger, who, typically, only wants what he can chase after (like Garp!), not who he could actually have. Although, I'm guessing that Rouge blew him away. But Shakky only has deadly eyes for

Rayleigh. Who confirms that he's on a crew of idiots (but both Sanji and Zoro would say that, and they're both right). And Rayleigh thinks he's immune, but he is not, and Shakky has a wink that rivals Iva's. In the aftermath

Gloriosa falls to Love Sickness. Shakky being extremely worried for her. The Kuja themselves seem to only have eyes for their leaders, and well enough! I'm not sure how Gloriosa survived (or how she ended up with Rocks Pirates at the God Valley Incident? Maybe she turned to vengeance against Roger?) and so Shakky is named

the new empress. I'm guessing that both Shakky and Gloriosa left the Kuja for a while, which is how they survived, whereas sweet Tritoma:

-- what happened to her? (Image taken from SBS). ____ Shout out to my story for the One Piece Tarot Zine (zoom in). It features Shakky and touches upon the empresses. It's a short piece, but I think it's powerful. Art to accompany it can be found on AO3 and at this link (it's gorgeous art) 👇

I am bound to be way off track and I'm sure it's been explored and discounted before, and that there is some logistical logical reason why this cannot be, BUT, as far as we know, King is the last of his line, right? (discounting the seraphim for now).

And the Lunarians have the ability to create fire (flame). (chapter 1022 above).

Imu and the Celestial dragons consider themselves God's, and Mary Geoise is called the Holy land (1022, above). Before the holy land it was God’s land ( Marco remembering WB's words: could depend upon translation too). Anyway, back to the flame:

King's attitude is pretty condescending, and the language he uses (in the scans at least) for his attacks is the language of royalty. (chapter 1035). I know that King was caught and tested on for endurance's sake (screen shot below):

But possibly he was tested on for more. I don't think that Kaidou uses similar entitled terms, although he is the one to give King that name. Has King come from or is he of the original Celestial Dragons (like the ones on God’s Land before the 20 families arrived, taking the literal meaning of the word celestial and dragon?) , and did the 20 families, under possible-(traitorous) Lunarian Imu adopt a similar attitude? Imu gaining the family name Nerona along the way? (Edited in).

What if King's ability to create fire beyond (or maybe even linked to) the fire on his back is from the mother flame? That the fire on the back is maybe passed along genetically, as seen by the seraphim, and possibly the ability to create fire also is. HOWEVER, there is only one lunarian (King) and maybe Imu left? Imu left his people to create the World Government. The devil's deal was maybe the loss of this ability, or no-one being around to show Imu how to harness/create this energy? The mother flame comes from a mother? Maybe there is something beyond creating weapons with the energy from the mother flame. Maybe it would also stop the exhaustion that Imu seems to experience when transforming into the akuma no mi (or maybe devil's fruit) form. York is definitely the unreliable scientist in the chain of production of an artificial/replica mother flame.

Does anyone think that the owl (Biblo)

might somehow be, or be connected to

Professor Clou D. Clover?

OR, kinda seems to have a passing semblance to

Ange? (just might be glasses / teacher / librarian / stereotypical bias.

Also, love to see Lilith's Vegapunk brain reminder (and previously, with Franky power-ups)...

BUT, Oda always introduces kickass female characters, and then nerfs them with domesticity.

I am hoping that both Lilith and Bonney get to contribute. Remember Lilith's introduction and impulsiveness?

(chapter 1162) Of course, she was shown to be a contradictory sweetie who mourned the loss of the other satellites, and being over the top was played effectively for laughs, but she definitely was a loose canon, befitting the 'evil' satellite title.

BUT, for sure, she's not in Imu's class (but does have Vegapunk's genius / is Vegapunk). Therefore, I hope that Oda doesn't just token hand-wave towards that situation. He's set it up. Exploit it, lad (or lass). Let Lilith shine. She's hilarious.

Bonney couldn't age-regress Saturn, but she could do this

to Saturn. True, with Luffy's help, but she does have the ability to embody Nika. Again, she's in no way a match for Imu, but she did (help) take out a member of the gorosei, and has always

been clever with her devil fruit. Also, where's Kuma? Just a thought, if Bonney can age-express the Elbaph kids to adults, that would be an extra army of giants who might have more power against Killingham's power, and the God's Knights in general.

While we're talking about cuties, how about this one? (below)

Ragnir seems to have some past connection to Imu, as does Loki's zoan form. Ragnir's not having any of it.

Don't believe the hype, but the God's Knights (or Killingham) seem to think that Gunko might've kicked the bucket:

I'll put the whole page in (above), because there are a few things I want to mention. Brook and Shuri / Gunko need to have a reunion (will she be her actual age?), so I don't think she's dead.

Sommers mentions that Imu's body is not meant to be out and about in the wider world. Very interesting, and -- not least of all, at all, Killingham has summoned this:

The God of Rain, "What I find most scary", Dream demon, Zaza. We're told at the beginning of the chapter that Zaza is an onomatopoeia for the sound of heavy, constant rain.

Zaza is brilliant, isn't she/it/they? And I love that the God's Knights (and Celestial Dragons) have their very own children's fears, as outlined by Rosinante when talking to Law about

about the Will of D, and the warning that holders of that initial bring to the Celestial Dragons (including the God's knights). And how the threat of the Will of D. is used to make children behave.

So, Zaza is maybe the more authentic bogey-being, born from Killingham's fears (although, I would have liked to have seen what his dream/nightmare image of those who hold the intial D might have been), and I can therefore forgive Zaza's sudden appearance and explanation (below)

keeping this childhood fear/manifestation in mind, and also because their design is so cool! Also, new thought, you know who lived above the clouds and who might fear/have feared such a deluge of rain? Perhaps,

Lunarians? Perhaps King is aptly named (I know it's not his birth name). And perhaps the mother flame sought is to replace/replicate that which was lost during a previous Zaza attack (or even of seas rising?) if it’s related to the flames Lunarians have on their beings. Just a digression. That much rain also brings about the need for Noah's ark, right?

Current known count of the holders of the Will of D on Elbaph Island:

2; Jaguar D. Saul, Monkey D. Luffy, and possibly Clou D. Clover if he is somehow embodied in Biblo?!? (just a long shot). Current number of Nika: 2? If Zaza strikes the fear of God into the God's Knights, what might some Ds thrown into the mix do to them, and then a D who is also Nika? Honestly, Zaza they brought upon themselves, but all their fears are ready to 'bring about a storm' (I hope).

Special shout outs, Zoro and Sanji passing each other, with complete trust in each other, living up to being the wings of the Pirate King, yada, yada, yada.

And, Sommers is such a revolting character, but he's also funny a lot of the time (he's not forgiven, though). Love his black 'omen/maki' halo hovering overhead while he declares how great he is (below).

Super Summers it is! Hubris before the fall. His thorns were rolling out behind him in another scene.

(Village scenes with Dr Chopper, and Gerd getting her fingers reattached, and Rodo simping, etc., also good).

Am also definitely agreeing with the folks drawing comparisons between the manifestation of Moria's powers, and the demonic bullets/explosions Imu sends out, although a different end result.

I’ll probably be crucified for this, but I think that Dragon has more parallels with Usopp, or an Usopp-like character, than Luffy in this chapter, and that is in no way an insult to him or Usopp. I think he is, or was, more a lover than a fighter, and more likely to gauge a situation and act when it has absolutely pushed him to the brink.

In 1165, Dragon is rectifying a terrifying situation, but he doesn’t have Garp or Luffy’s instantaneous and almost continual brashness, confidence, and wish/tendency to fight (for fun and fury) at the drop of a hat. (Nor, at the moment, physical strength. Usopp would need to use a weapon too).

But he comes through when he needs to come through, and how. I feel—like Usopp, like Nami, or, more calculated, like Robin (much younger)—he first gauged the situation on God Valley Island after being thrust into it, and tried to make the reality he wished to happen (and believed in) fit into a reality that completely disrupted and disintegrated that belief.

It seems to me that Luffy never had that naivety, or the awareness to have that naivety burst, and Luffy is able to extract himself and others from bad situations fairly quickly (initially anyway), due to this ability to mostly act instinctively. Further to that, he has the strength to forcibly fix a situation (punching a Celestial Dragon), and to be so unaware and so confident that he generally has no fear of what the outcome of such actions might be. (Yes, he was not successful at Marineford or saving his friends at Sabaody, but he did not hesitate to try and change the trajectory in either situation, and did pretty amazingly at Marineford, despite the final and tragic outcome). Dragon knows all too well, from a thousand angles, what the outcome of his actions and inaction could and will be. So I’m pondering if: Luffy instinctively knows what is right and wrong? Garp only thinks he knows? And Dragon is cursed with understanding that actions have repercussions for all involved. I fully condone (to use his words) Dragon’s actions in mutinying in 1165 and, like Jaguar D. Saul after him, acting for the rights and lives of helpless, innocent and persecuted citizens and slaves. However, I feel that that he will still mourn his platoon if they do end up executed due to his actions. Garp is faced with this conundrum, obviously. Luffy chooses not to enter the navy so he’s never faced with this choice (of betraying one group for another; although Bon Kurei’s supposed sacrifice could kind of be analogous). Anyway, that’s a bit of an aside.

Luffy helps others out along his journey, and pledges to help others, like Vegapunk, but has, for example, no interest in understanding the Will of D. or the Void Century (the latter, going from the conversation with Rayleigh in Shakky's bar in Sabaody).

But it seems that Dragon is ultimately all over that (although, considering how earnestly the Revolutionaries were talking about stopping the rise of whoever finds the one piece (after Vegapunk’s transmission) I’m not sure how much he knows).

As seen above, he was at Ohara (after the Buster call) paying tribute to Professor Clover after the World Government executed him. Dragon was a good friend with Vegapunk. He grows into a man who is in the business of knowing what is going on (because once he knew so little).

I feel Garp has some knowledge of these things, given his generation and God Valley, but Luffy’s feet-first and head-strong approach, and competitiveness with rivals, and cavalier attitude toward established (or hidden) history / current affairs / fellow pirates’ names, seems more aligned to Garp (and Roger) than Dragon. True, though, Luffy and Dragon act on injustice when they see it, but we see—and this is what makes young Dragon (and Usopp) so appealing or understandable as characters—they do it scared.

We’re not privy to Dragon’s inner dialogue at present (chapter 1165), and extreme circumstances have driven him to extreme acts (which will save the remaining civilians/prisoners on the island, which is a good thing. And will send a message to the government, which is also a good thing), but he’s still young, and not yet super-powered like Luffy and Garp, so I hope he’s still a little or a lot scared in his braveness (or when he comes down from the adrenaline rush) so that he keeps his humanity.

Also, haven’t seen him pick his nose or have a sleep attack once 😄 Not to say it won’t happen. Luffy has "inherited" a lot of Roger's outlook too, and yeah, maybe Dragon represents those times when Luffy is reflective, and I’m not saying Luffy has to be an exact copy of Dragon, I’m just saying that he’s not that close of a copy for me yet. But, yeah, as said in another meta when Dragon lost Shamrock, I think (or maybe it was in tags), Dragon’s reckoning with the horrors of God Valley and his role as a soldier there (and all that implies), and his loss (of the babies, but also of his belief in himself and the world he had served and seemingly believed in to that point) was his Luffy-overcoming-the-loss-of-Ace / regaining-his-will-to-live-love-and-fight moment, despite the absolute horror he’s witnessed. From Clover, to Sabo, to Kuma, to Logue Town, it seems Dragon’s retained the ability to love. Thank fuck for that.

(but then you don't die) slight 1178 spoilers (cover & visual commentary! updated!)

So, first you have this awesome metal power and you create an awesome metal bull

that gores the fuck out of and is bigger than one of the Emperor's of the sea.

And then you find yourself, despite your love of bulls and hate of bullshit, running from one and same (bull, but what is this bullshit? You know your red coat rocks!)

despite—or maybe because of—your best matador efforts! (That tulip between your teeth really did nothing), and while running, the words of your

bestie (as if!) spring to mind, and you curse him, of course, cos when you're not homo-erotically challenging him, you're cursing him (same thing really), cos' you had

already had an adventure with a hippo, TRAFALGAR! (and, just to be clear, it wasn't a real hippo). MOREOVER, any elephant that stood in your way

wouldn't know what hit it (really, you're just happy to be off the bottom of the ocean).

Kid's ongoing encounters with animals.

Just a few bits here and there because I know how wonderfully in depth some others will go. But first—

Are the group of people on the lower left of the screen cap below the former Domi Reversi’d members of the Davy clan?

I’m assuming not, because that’s more of a fedora than a straw hat, but the stance and sizes are very similar. If it’s not them, what happened to them? If it is them, how did they reverse the curse? Also, if it is them, it means that Teach might not be the only survivor of the clan. Also, yay to Dragon for insubordination, mutiny and treason. Vive la révolution! (although it’s in its nascent stages). His words of asking his former, I guess, marine cohorts, how they can live with themselves against government-sponsored savagery and decimation ring true and strong. I’m guessing he found some bullets for his gun, otherwise the marines on board could easily overpower him. Or maybe they were waiting for someone to step in and force them to aid in stopping the carnage, rather than perpetuating it.

The Ace (Roger) and Luffy (Garp) parallels are undeniable (above), and obviously intentional, physically at least, but also in many personality traits and actions (not all!). The two following pages, which aren’t a double spread (I think) contrast light and dark and balance on the page, and physically, between the two men, in terms of the clothes they wear, or discard, etc. of course it will all be coloured eventually, but the incredible spy vs. spy contrastive monochrome really creates a moral narrative at–and of–an epically visual scale.

Also, Gloriosa teams up with the Roger Pirates, as thought; Rocks is in incredible emotional and mental pain (picture uploaded third-last in this post), and Garp and Roger recognise this, and let Rocks know, thus also informing him that they can hear him.

Gyaban and Rayleigh run back to join the fray, but urge the Roger

Ooh, the cover was so satisfying (although, still not a fan of accepting all mistreatment due to being a more than benvolent heart). I'll taks this as canon, though, thanks!

("Reader request: Loki secretly drawing a portrait of Ida, and Ida secretly being happy about it. Child Loki is smiling, as are all of his animal friends looking on. One is smiling at Ida, due to whatever she has in her basket. Loki has written "Mom" on the picture)

And you know what else was satisfying?!

This rube getting k.o.'d. Okay, we know he hasn't, but he is an arrogant twink. Albeit, kinda powerful He's far more fun when he's prancing around in his chador. Also, still love her (or her design):

Lady Zaza. That's all folks. Brook's back story is gonna look better once animated, I think. Am guessing Shuri's either gonna save Imu at this point (although he might not need saving), or she'll be the one who tips everything in the Straw hats' favour. BTW, love how much Franky cries:

And can anyone let me know what this form of Imu is doing at this point?

Is it his version of Chopper not quite hiding correctly behind the door?

Okay, definitely a peak chapter with a few surprises, or neat ways of wrapping things up. I'm not gonna go in depth, so I'll just touch upon a few things (<--liar, liar, pants on fire).

The Perona cover was cute. I read a meta the other day (and might have reblogged or had it queued) where the author supposed that Mihawk might be the survivor of similar human-hunting games, which is why he calls his own "prey" rabbits (or one Roronoa Zoro at least).

Thinking about that, and also the sick "games" on God's Valley, the cover of Perona chasing the White Rabbit (Alice in Wonderland shout-out), with Mihawk looking on (below) takes on a bit of a darker tone. I don't think the requester meant it to have darker implications, but considering the events it's paired with, parallels will be drawn!

Also, Big Mom gets her height back (almost on par with Whitebeard in the panel below). She's taller than all of these guys, except for perhaps Rocks (in his non-demonized form), and the gorosei, Imu, etc.

Rocks doesn't become a demon not in control of his faculties straight away, and he has a few words for Imu, guessing (or so it seems) that Davy D. Jones was the king of the world (page below). Imu contradicts Rocks, but the World Government (WORLD) also would surely not acknowledge Roger as a true king, so it could play into this. Or it's that the word "World" is carrying a lot of weight at the moment.

I've included the whole page above, because there's a lot of information in there. For sure, why is Imu scared with his claims that Davy's and those bearing the intial "D" mean nothing? Rocks calls him out. The will and promise of Davy that