#knojas

slaxtheraven answered: So Capone Bege’s devil fruit is Shiro Shiro no Mi. +1 point to OP knowledge! Speaking of, if a person was to read this whole blog once it’s complete, they would know basically everything about One Piece. It’s kinda like a wikipedia but everything’s chronological lol. You’re doing an awesome job!

Shiro Shiro no Mi. I will try to remember that. It’s funny, I usually have no bother using the Japanese names when I can google them right away. It’s so hard remembering them with only the subtitles to go on.

And thanks! The wikipedia aspects of the blog are definitely down to you guys.  It’s always nice when other OP fans say, “Hey, I didn’t know that about X plot point” when it’s pointed out by you guys. And everyone has a different area of expertise. It’s brilliant. ^_^

yetimati answered: Btw, I think at this episode it’s safe to tell you this tidbit information about Luffy: Yes! You was right an ep ago, Luffy is a confirmed ‘aromantic, asexual’ character by Oda himself: “Luffy got no interest in girl or romance, he only likes adventure and meat”. He even went as far as correcting Luffy’s behavior with Nami in Alabasta, that Luffy only feigned interest at her body because Usopp and others was there and Luffy just played along with their tendency without actually understand why they acted that way.

Ahhhh, so Luffy’s asexuality is confirmed canon? Love it. I like how Oda justified his behaviour in the earlier chapters (perhaps when Oda hadn’t quite got everything in place?)  It makes a lot of sense, having seen episode 415. “What are you doing with your clothes off? Where’s the food?” xD

paddster answered: there are things about to happen with hancock so I can´t really talk about her or the arc as a whole^^ the only thing that I will say is that in my opinion Boa Hancock doesn´t look that atractive taking into account that she is supposed to be the most beautiful human woman on earth. Perhaps it´s because 90% of the women in OP look like fantasies of how boys imagine a attractive woman to look like. or perhaps it´s her (initial) personality which is a huge turn off. Or it´s because other women in OP are more attractive to me (i.e. Nojiko, Nico Robin) but the way women look in OP in general is a hot topic already so I wont start that discussion now^^

Also about Luffy´s intelligence, He´s definitly not dumb ( i.e. demanding a 1v1 wi Aokiji to ensure that his crew is safe or figuring out the gear “system” or Coby joining the marines thanks to him) it´s just that he acts more on instinct/emotions and is rather naive and innocent( not recognizing Sogeking as Usopp). In that regard he´s very similiar to Chopper and his emotions/instinct is where most of his “dumb” actions come from.(like almost throwing the 100mil case in W7 into the water) Mormonga is another great example of awesome little side characters and the marine has whole lot of them. btw you know the secret about the mark already ;D and it´s kind of sad that you already know the upcoming arcs because that give away at least some things, but hey after sabaody archipel you never know how things will turn out.

I’m guessing the whole horrific slave past is the thing you couldn’t talk about? No wonder. That was a huge twist. Did not see that coming. (Well done, Oda, for tying in Sabaody Archipelago with the following arcs).  I’m with you on Hancock. She’s hot, sure, but I still think Nami is the most beautiful (closely followed by Robin).

Oooh, that is an interesting thing... Luffy is really similar to Chopper. Now I think about it, they always fall for the exact same silly shit. They react similarly in crisis situations too. If Chopper had Luffy’s strength and confidence, he’d be unstoppable. But he’s a quieter, gentler soul and loves his books. (I love Chopper so much. xD)

littlebunny123world answered: Im sure your gonna love Hancock soon enough!

I do now... ;_;

Dat past. I hate the Celestial Dragons. The thought of them makes my skin crawl. They were so lucky Fisher Tiger appeared and busted them out.

supramp9000 answered: While I typically only comment on every other post depending on the contents of the episode, I need to point out that Luffy was not credited for either of his victories over the Shichibukai.  The Government sees them as insults and either gave the credit to someone else(Smoker in Alabasta) or just covered it up for lack of credible witness(on Thriller Bark).

WHAAAAT? So Luffy’s victory over Moria was hushed up too? So the only thing the public knows about is that the Strawhats “trashed” Enies Lobby? That is weaksauce. Shame on you, WG. Luffy’s bounty should be so much higher...

tempus-nexus answered: Heeheehee! Oh, you have no idea. You’re going to love what’s coming. Also, Hancock is… complex. VERY complex. I think that, ultimately, I like her. As a person not quite, but she’s a fantastic character and she’s not without positive traits.

Ultimately, I like her too. Loved that twist with Nyon having acted as a mother figure to her. That was golden. A small detail, but it changed the dynamic of previous scenes. She’s far more complex that I would have thought she’d be. Thanks, Oda. ^_^

sebazu answered: I recommend you watch the next 2 episodes in a row since they have somewhat similar content.

I watched three. I couldn’t wait to find out what the secret was. Pretty shocking, actually, once I found out. :(

celelorien answered: I don’t think Luffy’s a secret mastermind or a total dummy - I tend to fall on the “very good instincts and people reading skills” side of the spectrum. And speaking of spectrums, I love the asexual-Luffy headcanon. I’m not fond of Boa, personally.

He’s definitely a good fighter and has emotional intelligence (though his stubbornness leaves him down a notch from someone like Sanji, who, I think has the highest degree of emotional intelligence on the ship).

I’m also a fan of the asexual-Luffy headcanon now. Especially since it’s been confirmed by Word of GOda.

I like Boa right now. The slave past reveal made her a more rounded, sympathetic character. She has to put up this really tough front, and she’s pretty tough inside too, but way, way, way, way down in the depths of her soul, there’s capacity for empathy. That’s okay with me. :)

nounoursonne answered: ah the next couple of episodes always remind me why I like Luffy so much… Anyway Badass stuff coming, and maybe a little throwback to a moment that happened not so long ago :)

Me too! Luffy was like, the perfect person across episodes 413 - 415. Is the throwback the punching of St Charloss? Because hearing about that will never, ever get old. Hate that guy.

creative-type answered: Minor point I forgot to mention last episode: Nyon is the ex-ex empress of Amazon Lily, so there was a ruler between her and Hancock. It’s a small detail, but may help clear up some things in the next couple of episodes

Oooh, that’s interesting. Weird, I wonder who the interim empress was? I know she found Hancock, Sonia and Mari when they ran from Mariejois. Did someone depose her and Hancock returned to kick ass and take names?

slaxtheraven answered: Character popularity poll time!

There were 5 polls organised by Weekly Shonen Jump in total: 1st one was around Baratie. 2nd was around volume Jaya, 3rd - Enies Lobby, 4th - Thriller Bark, 5th happened a bit over a  year ago.

I’ll list first top 10 characters in each poll: 1st poll - Luffy, Zoro, Shanks, Sanji, Nami, Ben Beckmann, Buggy, Usopp, Kuro, Kuina 2nd poll - Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Nami, Usopp, Shanks, Ace, Mr 2, Vivi 3rd poll - Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Usopp, Nami, Mihawk, Kaku, Ace 4th poll - Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Ace, Nami, Robin, Shanks, Brook, Trafaglar Law

Not going to list characters of the 5th poll because there are some characters you haven’t met yet and some characters would be… unexpected, as of now. However, Luffy was 1st and Boa Hancock was 10th! (goes to show you how much Japanese people adore boobies, eh?)Fun fact: Eiichiro Oda himself appeared in polls 2-5. He was ranked: 25, 48, 31, 50 respectively.If there’s a character you want to know how they ranked, just ask. ;)

Oh man, who the hell is Ben Beckmann? I have forgotten the existence of that guy (whoever he is). I am sorry, Ben Beckmann. xD

Oddly stoked to see Chopper doing consistently well. I have an odd, enduring fondness for him. Also surprised but totally not complaining that Kaku broke into the top ten (but mad that he surpassed Ace). So Trafalgar Law is more popular than Eustass Kidd, eh? Interesting...

littlebunny123world answered: I love the current arc in the manga, the last 20+ chapter have been on a whole new level of awesomness.

You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. Apparently, the pace in the anime slows a bit later on, so I’m happy I have something awesome to look forward to in the future (whenever I catch up. xD)

deesorceress answered: I’m bursting with anticipation at all the predictions you made, I can’t wait until you find out if you’re right.

I was right that Luffy was able to hitch a ride on Hancock’s ship! I guessed something right! (Well, it was hella signposted by Momonga, but damn it if I won’t let myself have it!) xD

fakescorpion answered: Never underestimate Hancock for having a convenient power, her Warlord title is well-deserved and she is definitely one of the strongest woman in OP ;))

I am so glad Oda made such an arrogant, hard-ass ruler of a female character who had a hard start in life and has this empire to juggle and political responsibilities to bear all the while living in a constant state of terror that her secret will be found out and it’ll all crumble. It’s awesome. ^_^

blogquantumreality answered: My personal thought on Luffy is that he is probably very demisexual. If he does experience attraction it’s probably in the context of longstanding interpersonal contact - so Luffy/Nami may be viable - I personally don’t ship them overmuch tho.

Yeah, I agree that Luffy doesn’t experience much in the way of attraction. Luffy/Nami is a nice ship, though. I’ll never forget that moment when he placed his hat on her head after she tried to cut off her Arlong tattoo. ;_;

martyslittleusedblog answered: I’m actually not sure whether or not you’ll bust a gut when you find out where Sanji has landed. o.O  It’s funny, but also kinda creepy…

I am on tenterhooks to see where Sanji landed. Not even kidding. I would gladly skip all the others. xD

leo-regulus answered: ….oh, that’s adorable, you think getting through Chopper’s arc guarantees you’ll get through what’s coming. *pats innocent head* Seriously, though, you’re coming up on some crazy stuff, and I look forward to your reactions! The ride’s only started!

From what I’ve seen, Chopper still wins the “OMG THE TEARS WILL NOT STOP” prize. xD

I am on the cruise now. If the ride’s just started, there ain’t no way in hell I am getting off right now, ahaha. I am in this until the end.

livesmileandstaystrong answered: Glad you found my last post beautiful =) It may be a little bit off-topic, but what do you think about female representation in OP? Now that you’ve met Hancock (the only female Shichibukai) I’d like to know your thoughts on Oda’s female characters.

Right now, Oda has done a great job with his female characters. They’re all different. They’re conflicted. They’re old. They’re young. They’re beaten down by the past, arrogant, pampered, handling unbelievable pressure, lazy, incredibly intelligent, strong-willed, soft-spoken, harsh, beautiful, empresses and everywomen

At this point, Oda has the best representation of female characters out of the major shounen authors I’ve read. Togashi does an okay job, but his female characters are few and far between. (I like Bisky and Cheadle. They’re awesome).

quietlypining4fanfiction answered: I’m really enjoying your predictions.  One thing I love about One Piece is how hard it is to predict where the story will go next.  Here’s an AMV of Sanji’s backstory: youtu.be/WSmI2bq…

You’re not wrong there. I thought Luffy might hitch a ride, but that revelation Hancock and her sisters were escaped slaves... Nope. No way I could have guessed that. I like it, actually. It means I rarely spoil myself. xD

knojas answered: Super congrats on the interview!!! ^_^

Thanks, knojas! If you ever find yourself in that situation, I recommend fine-tuning your presentation skills on print outs of OP characters. (I used Blackbeard and Spandam because they looked hostile). It totally works! xD

thechezto answered: Law’s smirk towards Kid is actually a big glorious middle finger in the manga. ;O

So Law was censored! That kind of sucks because now I feel like I have a better handle on his character. (I like him more, haha).

shashoom2-0 answered: thechezto reminded me to show you this: http://imgur.com/mAAucBB

Aaaaaaaand there it is. The majestic middle finger. xD

scarredtiger answered: This is the exact moment I picked in my end of the year video. Also give you a slight shout-out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cveBBcNCvVM&ab_channel=ShonenJack Be warned, I talk spoilers from 2:00 to 2:55 and 4:10 onward.

That is awesome! Thanks so much for the shout out. I’ve never had a shout out in a YT review before. ;_;  (You have a good quality camera, btw).

Everyone, if you have a moment and are caught up with OP, please do watch scarredtiger’s 12 Days of Anime OP special. I could only watch up to 2:00 but I’m sure the rest of it is great too. The first two minutes focus on the fandom communities available to new OP fans.

doctorvix answered: Can you guess which one of the 3 admirals is about to show up? =)

I was hoping it would be Kizaru (because he’s the only one I hadn’t seen) and Oda delivered! ^_^

deesorceress answered: There’s a running joke  about Luffy punching Charloss so hard they went back to the manga for a moment.Also (small spoiler) this is not the first time we’ve seen Rayleigh. You’ll find out more soon.

Haha, Luffy punched Charloss all the way back to the manga. Love it. xD  And yeah, I have been given all the relevant manga panels and clips. There is no way I would have been able to make that connection all the way back to episode eight. Dat Oda.

x-chick303 answered: Told you Luffy was about as subtle as a punch to the face. :D This action will have dire consequences, but it felt so, so good. As for Kidd’s little speech, he was saying that though he and his crew are blood-thirsty and immoral, at least they’re honest about it. Unlike the World Government who are about as hypocritical as they come. So now you know about Ace’s upcoming execution and the upcoming war. You are so not ready for this, and the other events that are to come. Let’s see, you are currently in the Sabaody Archipelago Arc. Next comes the Amazon Lily Arc, the Impel Down Arc,  the Marineford Arc. and the Post-War Arc. All of these compile the immense barrage of feels that is the Summit War Saga.… I am going to enjoy this. 

Ahahaha, I cannot believe I missed that one too! I swear half the fun of this blog for you guys is trying to squeeze in impossible pun clues. xD

Kidd’s speech makes much more sense when it’s put like that. Why couldn’t CR do that?

So those are the sub-arcs... I have no idea what the Amazon Lily Arc could be. I am foaming with glee at the prospect of the Impel Down sub arc. I have no idea what Marineford could be (I assume it involves the Marines and maybe a war because the next sub arc is called the Post-War Arc). But then the war part could be anywhere across all of those arcs, so Marineford is still a mystery. Sounds like a place, to me. Hmm...

sparktehfox answered: Aye, the most terrible race indeed. What’s more is something you’ll learn about Luffy (among others) in relation to the Tenryuubito, but that’s gonna take some time to get to! As for who might like them, I can remember a horrific fan story where Nami and Robin were sold to him as slaves and the Strawhats replaced them with some rando fan-character. Ugh, makes me sick just thinking about it. Regardless, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that there are some Celestials that all the fandom love and sympathize with. I’m sure you’ll join that group when the time comes as well.

Luffy in relation to the Tenryuubito? (I hope he’s not literally related. I will throw things if he is). As for that fic, I don’t know what’s more offensive: Nami and Robin being sold to Charloss or the author replacing them with a rando. Smh.

But what is this? There are nice Celestials? Are they OP’s equivalent of Princess Jasmine, who dresses as a commoner and frequents the marketplace to escape the pressures of palace life? xD

nounoursonne answered: Glad to see you again !Hope your interview went fine, and merry holidays !First I’d like to say I think meheartonepiece’s commentary is a bit spoilery (like 3 episode ahead but still) I mean you probaly don’t remember and hearing it on the episode has more impact imo, but Do as you want ^^I’ve seen people post the middle finger so yeah I’ll let you enjoy that :3I can’t wait for you to discover Kid and Law’s powers, strenghts and crews ! The Ace execution planned and everything is falling into place but you’ll probably won’t be able to predict how it’s going to unfold !Also about the Shushu cover, I have colored the entire cover story that shows it, it’s chapter title free; so I’ll be sure to leave you a link when you reach the point where you can read it ^^

Thank you, nounoursonne! ^_^  Kid’s and Law’s powers are great. Kid’s is obviously magnetism but Law’s is something else. I have no idea what it is but it looks savage. xD  And Law has a polar bear on his crew. That is awesome.

You coloured the entire Shushu related cover story? Please do send me the link when I can read it.  *_*

saisai-chan answered: a comment about Kid’s speech: he’s basically saying that at least pirates admit to being terrible, while the rulers of the world pretend to be perfect while, in reality, they’re just as bad, if not wose, than the pirates they condemn.

Thanks, saisai-chan. That makes much more sense than the weird jumble of contradictory mess CR gave me. ^_^

zeidoktor answered: The time of the super long call back goes back to Luffy’s fight with Buggy. Note the man who scolds Shanks and Buggy.

That is a subtle one. Dat Oda. There is no way in hell I would have remembered that call back all the way from episode eight. I hardly even recognised Rayleigh (though he does still have the same beard style and round glasses).

cheffailure answered: Glad to have you back.  Was a pleasure to read your reviews again.

So Rayleigh. huh?  That sure is one way to grow a beard.

There was actually a censorship moment that took place in the episode showing Law at the Auction House.  While in the anime he flashed Kidd a cocky smile, the manga had him outright flipping him off.  

Slavery is quite the thing in One Piece, so here’s a price list for image purposes, and translation below (courtesy of One Piece Wiki) for knowledge purposes.  

Humans: 500,000+ Dwarves: 700,000+ Mink Tribe: 700,000+ Longarm Tribe: 700,000+ Longleg Tribe: 700,000+ Snakeneck Tribe: 700,000+ Fishmen: 1,000,000+

Giants:

Male giants: 50,000,000+

Female giants: 10,000,000+

Merfolk:

Unparted female: 70,000,000+

Male: 1,000,000+

Parted female: 10,000,000+

Devil Fruit users: Market price

Lastly, I like your answer a lot.  I can only imagine the countless people who feel the same.

I like to imagine Rayleigh with a lot of intricate beard grooming tools. While the ship is pitching in a storm, he’s just sitting there calmly in front of a mirror, carving intricate patterns into his face hair. xD

Those prices are interesting. Humans are worth the least, probably because they’re more common and, actually, aren’t as much use. Giants and Fishmen are physically stronger and merfolk are faster. I like that Devil Fruit users are unclassified. Someone like Luffy would, of course, be worth much more than someone like Bellamy.

And that censorship of Law was annoying. It took something away from his character. I actually like him more now I’ve seen him flip off Kidd. xD

tempus-nexus answered: Yeah, Rayleigh was present during Buggy’s flashback. You can’t see his face, but you can see his distinctive beard. He was on their ship. Rayleigh… is truly the most badass. Maybe more than Whitebeard,even! I’m not totally sure about that, though.

Rayleigh must be at least on a par (or close) to Whitebeard surely? He was Roger’s first mate and he had his own badass nickname. Being Roger’s first mate is no mean feat. Rayleigh must be a boss in his own right to earn that status.

slaxtheravenanswered: Hope you had a merry Christmas! I wonder if you remember flashback from Buggy arc, back in chapter 19:

Who could this man possibly be?? :P

My Christmas was good, thanks! Hope yours was too. And who could that bespectacled, bearded wonder be??? :D

(And no, I did not make the connection to the Shanks and Buggy flashback. There was no way. I can hardly remember what happened a hundred episodes ago now. xD)

creative-type answered: The Celestial Dragons are certainly hate-able, but it’s an interesting insight about what happens when you give people unlimited power, money, and influence. They think they’re gods, and are willfully ignorant to What horrible people they are.

Yet again, Oda’s art mirrors life and it’s way too close to real life for comfort. xD

sparktehfox answered: It’s so nice to see you again NWOP! And, as promised, here’s another SBS Time!

Let’s start off with some more Strawhat Stuff:

When asked if any of the other Strawhats knew how to cook, Oda responded that each one had a dish they were best at but ultimately the ones who really knew how to cook besides Sanji were Robin, Usopp and Nami. Robin’s best dish is Boiled Paella, a Spanish dish from ancient times consisting of various meats, vegetables and rice. Nami’s best dish would be Duck a’ l’Orange (heh, Sanji’s spirit animal), and Usopp’s best dish is Fish & Chips. After them the skills start to peter out with only Franky and Brook being able to actually make a dish being with Franky’s being American Barbecue and Brook’s being Brazilian Barbecue (also known as Churrasco). Little Chopper, at best, can mix juice which seems to fit with the way he can prepare potions, and Zoro is listed at being good at Sashimi, though considering Sashimi is just raw meat cut up, I’m not sure that’s a complement. Lastly, the extent of Luffy’s cooking knowledge is throwing raw meat onto a plate.

Furthermore, Nami charges a premium fee to cook. This is noted a few times after the crew gets Sanji as Sanji doesn’t charge the crew.

Since we are talking about cooking as well, I’d like to mention that Rika, the girl that was trying to give Zoro rice balls waaay back in East Blue, joined the Marines just as Coby did. She is a chef where she’s stationed and her skills have grown considerably.  

Now, onto the Supernovas!Them as childrenThem GenderswappedAll of the Supernovas are names after real life Pirates and Privateers save for Killer, whom Oda admits was named due to laziness.

The Supernovas wasn’t actually thought up to be part of the story at all until the beginning of this arc and were created when Oda’s editor stated that the arc needed more meat to it.

Urouge is the oldest Supernova (45) and Bege is the shortest (5′5″). Luffy is the youngest Supernova. Killer is the only Supernova (barring the Strawhats) who has had his favorite food revealed. As he does not take off his mask to eat, he prefers stick shaped foods (such as pocky) and noodles with his favorite being saucy spaghetti dishes such as Naporitan, as they get his mask dirty and covered in red stuff. He also regularly drinks alcohol through a straw.

Robin being a good cook totally makes sense. She’s had to rely on herself from a very young age, so it stands to reason she’d cook for herself too. I love paella. One of my favourite dishes. So tasty. Usopp can cook fish and chips for me any time. It’s so British, but I love it.

Aww, it’s lovely to know that Rika joined the Marines and her rice ball making skillz are being put to their best use. ^_^

Dem genderswapped Supernovas. Hawkins, Kidd and Law look great. The Supernovas are one editorial intervention I’m glad they imposed. Luffy was becoming too powerful. He needed some new rivals to level the playing field again. It’s no fun once the hero becomes king.

paddster answered: the ultra long callback ppl are talking about is this scene from volume 3 chapter 19 where you can clearly see Rayleigh: 

also I think the “two legends” wasn´t directed at sabaody archipelago alone. One of them is Rayleigh, yes, but the other is also an old dude wo starts to move. But he isn´t on sabaody. Lastly no reason to apologize for not posting for a little bit, life is more important and I´m sure we all understand that :)

Now I know what Rayleigh looks like, the distinctive bear and round glasses are so obvious but there is no way I could have connected it without knowing the benefit of hindsight. Dat Oda.

And the old dude who starts to move? Must be Whitebeard.

And I found all your advent posts under the tag! Thanks to you, I now realise I got myself in a huge timeline mess. When you posted the stuff when Buggy met Ace, I realised that was after the events at Loguetown, so Buggy escaped the Marines and is on the loose! I convinced myself he had been captured! xD

littlebunny123world answered: hey missed u.

Thanks, littlebunny! I missed you guys and the world of OP too. ^_^

blogquantumreality answered: YAAAAAAAS YOU SAW LUFFY LUMP OUT THE SHITTY TENRYUBITO XD Also, glad to see you’re back in the swing of things on Sabaody Archipelago. As you’ve seen there’s both light and dark in this arc in stark extremes. Also, Doflamingo u bastard.

Yes, he is a bastard! What are you doing selling people, Doflamingo??? D:

martyslittleusedblog answered: Oh, about the “hollow” thing, I wasn’t dropping any hints about the Celestial Dragons; I was more wondering if you knew anything about Undertale. I’m crazy about that game at the moment, TBH.

knojas answered: Ah one of the very rare instances where Sanji calls Zoro by his name! In Oda’s Q&A segment of the manga he once received a letter where someone listed all the names Sanji and Zoro call each other. Zoro has yet to utter Sanji’s name (in the manga at least)! :D

I cannot wait to see the day when Zoro finally calls Sanji by name. I’ll bet it’ll be in dire straits. Like Zoro injured and Sanji having to help him.... ohshit I’m making headcanons already. Stahp! xD

x-chick303 answered: So you’ve met the World Nobles. You say they need a lesson in being human, but they don’t see themselves as humans- they think they’re gods. I can’t wait for you to see how Luffy handles this. Guy IS about as subtle as a punch to the face…

Eww... even Enel had more claim to seeing himself as  god. I’d like to see them last ten seconds with him in a “God vs God competition”.

tempus-nexus answered: Red Sun. It’s a thing. Enough said for now. Moreover, I told you a while ago that there was a 400-episode callback coming up. And it is indeed coming. I’ll tell you when it comes, but it’s definitely not something you’d have noticed.

Yup. It’s definitely a thing. Can’t think of what it might me, though I have a couple of theories...

And definitely tell me when the major foreshadowing comes to fruition. There’s no way I would have noticed something that far back. :)

meheartonepiece answered: The tenryuubito. Need. To fucking to stop, amirite? Bunch of dickheads. All your questions will be answered soon enough, but rest assured that Sabaody has a really Deep story. ;)

They need to stop. Right now. And apologise. Before someone rises up and leads them all to Madame Guillotine. So annoyed the Marines defend their awful behaviour. I smell a huge historical cover-up...

blogquantumreality answered: The Tenryubito are the worst collective bunch of assholes running things as far as I’m concerned. There are definite comparisons to real-world slave societies, such as the Antebellum South of the USA.

I think you’re right about those real-world parallels. When I saw that dude riding the slave like a horse, my lip curled. I just find them so freaking abhorrent. Well done, Oda, on creating a bunch of thoroughly irredeemable shits. xD

nounoursonne answered: HERE THEY COME MY CHILDREN ! Aren’t they cute ? if you think Celestial Dragons are bad now…. well keep Brook’s calming tea nearby :) So many things are teased in Sabaody but all to be answered, can’t wait for you to see what’s behind the Sun tattoo

I have tea on standby. xD

And the Supernovas are wonderful. Jewelry’s acting was Oscar-worthy.

The Sun tattoo definitely means something. Strange from a fishman, who wouldn’t naturally spend lots of time outside water. Hmm....

slaxtheraven answered: This whole arc is all about You Know Who getting lost… xD

It has been amazing so far. If Zoro keeps getting lost, wonderful things will happen. xD

martyslittleusedblog answered: Guh. I think we all know how you feel about the Celestial Dragons. Sometimes, I fantasize about characters from other works smacking the hell out of them, maybe even killing them. FATALITY AFTER FATALITY. …This may be an unhealthy line of thinking.

I wouldn’t mind watching that, either... xD

sparktehfox answered: The most horrible race is here! The Celestial Dragons!

They are such hateful creatures. Ugh. I want someone to punch them so hard.

deesorceress answered: Ahh the Tenryuubito, most villains in One Piece have fans but no one is a fan of the World Nobles. Another blog like your’s always refers to the Celestial Dragons as the Celery Dugongs.

Celstial Douchebags is what I think I might call them. Amongst other things. xD

tempus-nexus answered: Celestial Dragons is a literal and deliberate naming choice by Oda, so you should use that one. WHY that is comes later. But this plot train’s hit the rails and it doesn’t stop for over a hundred episodes. Hope you can handle that! NO BRAKES!

Noted. I’ll use the Celestial Dragons title from now on.

NO BRAKES FOR ZORO! (I wish he had slashed that guy... argh.)

blogquantumreality answered: I will have thoughts on Sabaody Archipelago and a kind of retrospective on arcs previous to S.A. - when you finish this arc I will let you know the tag; I would be curious to have your thoughts!

Am I allowed to check the tag yet? ^_^

paddster: I think I might do ca 10 chapters a blog post for the advents calendar,it´s just that it wouldn´t be finished until christmas but I hope you won´t mind that, ^^ it´s just to tempting to use almost half of every chapter xD

Your OP advent calendar is awesome. I totally wouldn’t mind if you made your own blog post and tagged me in it, if you wanted to spread it among other OP fans. You could reblog your original post and add to it every time (even back date it?) so that every day is covered.

Oh, those panels of Shushu. I loved that little dog. I wonder how he’s doing?

That early design of Buggy is beautiful. I kind of wish Oda had run with it (but then dat nose is part of him and I would never change it. XD)

It’s funny how much Zoro laughed and teased people in the early chapters.

jack-of-all-tales answered: This is honestly my favorite one piece arc, so much world building. Hang on to your heart, cant wait to see your reactions.

I’m loving the grimdark themes already and the Sabaody Archipelago itself (what a great location!) Plus, the eleven supernovae? Yeah, it’s set up to be a great arc so far. ^_^

slaxtheraven answered: There’s a theory saying that Dragon was once an admiral who saw World Nobles and developed a hatred to them and WG, forming the Revolutionary Army.

Mind that positions of Admirals, Shichibukai, Yonko etc. are not forever, they can change. You’ve already met a person who was once an Admiral - Sengoku (he was promoted to Fleet Admiral). Also, as you know Crocodile isn’t a Shichibukai anymore. I wonder if there’ll be more switching positions in the future…

That is an awesome theory. *_*

Switching positions, eh? Well, I already have a good idea that Moria will be out (fingers crossed. He’s too good to hang with those losers).

sparktehfox answered: Ah, another thing. Have you ever thought as to what made Arlong such a fanatical racist? Do you see a pattern between Arlong’s thoughts regarding humans and the dragon’s?

I do see a pattern now, but I can’t quite make the connection. I wonder if the Fishmen resent being trafficked and owned by ‘humans’/dragons? Maybe Arlong was a captive at one point?

deesorceress answered: I would say take a look at the dub of Strong World as well as the sub, but I’m biased because they got my favorite voice actor, Scott McNeil to dub the villian.

Ahhhh, since all you guys are selling it so well, I might take a look at the dub at some point. xD

cheffailure answered: Told you it’d be fun in a different sense.  It’s amazing how Oda can make certain characters almost cartoonishly vile, and yet be a genuinely hateful and threatening presence.

I look forward to the next few episodes.(I heard someone recommend watching the English dub of Strong World.  It is worth a glance at least; the localization team and voice actors have worked really hard on it, and the main villain’s voice is a riot.)

You are not wrong there. Spandam was almost cartoonishly vile (the nastier moments he had in private kept it from being too cartoonish) but Oda did a good job maintaining the perfect balance.

slaxtheraven answered: I’ve never liked any dubs (DBZ, wtf?!), but honestly, the OP funimation dub is sooo good. Oda himself approved some of the voice actors I heard, so you can be sure it’s got some quality!

I can’t watch the subbed DBZ because Goku’s japanese VA annoys me so much. xD

deesorceress answered: First, Shakky and Rayleigh aren’t married, I think they’re just old friends.

Second, I’m so glad you got to the Supernovas, I think everyone forgot that the Straw Hats weren’t the only newbie pirates around.Everyone has their own favorites among the Supernovas, my top three are Eustass Kidd, Trafalgar Law, and Scratchman Apoo. BTW about Apoo, they don’t state it outright but he’s a member of a race of humans called the Longarm Tribe, the Longarm are identical to normal human except they have two elbows and an extra section of arm.

Also, most of the Supernovas are references to real life pirates or criminals, Capone and “Captain” Kidd are just the most obvious.

Damn CR. They keep screwing up their translations. They definitely said Rayleigh was her husband. Fffft....

I totally missed the fact Apoo had massive, articulated arms. xD

And Jewelry Bonney too! (I remember Anne Bonney, the aristocratic female pirate from reading random internet articles).

knojas answered: So you got nothing on Apoo other than the music, huh? Not even that he got freakishly long arms with extra joints? :P

Also, it only says that Urouge is from a Sky Island, not which one. Could be Skypia, could also be Birka (Enel’s home island). Based on the wings it should actually be the latter. But then again, Oda drew the Supernovae as kids once (for his Q&A) and there he looked more Skypian. Btw, do you want to see the supernovae as kids or do you want to get to know them better as adults first? :)

Edit: And to plunge into the marriage debate, I thinks it’s a bit ambiguous. I don’t speak any Japanese, but from what I read she referred to Rayleigh as “a person of her household” which apparently is commonly used to refer to a spouse, but not quite 100% (??). Just make up you own head-canon I suppose. :D

Hahaha, I cannot believe I missed him having freakishly long arms! The fighting all went by so fast. All I saw were piano teeth and headphones. xD  I wonder if Urougue is a ‘monk’, he could belong to the Birkan race? (Maybe no links to supernovae as kids just yet. I want to see them in action first. ^_^)

And that marriage thing! I’m so mad. CR have done it for the second time. First they translate three months as three years, now they have made Rayleigh Shakky’s husband, when he is just a ‘person of her household’. Ffffft.....

nounoursonne answered: The hype is strong indeed !

Supernovas are basicly ADORED by the fandom, I don’t think I have a least favourite among them, wait ‘til you’ll learn a bit more about their power !

About X Drake we learn why he was a marine but you have time before you reach that :p

Next episode : Shit ‘s going down!

Totally encouraging to know these eleven new characters are all fan favourites. This means they’ll be great and I’ll most likely love watching them. ^_^

And shit totally did go down. Boy did it go down...

blogquantumreality answered: The Supernovas WOOHOO :D (and check my eleven-supernovas tag :P )

My personal “mad props for the massive balls he must have” award goes to Urouge. I mean, he left Skypiea, WENT DOWN TEN THOUSAND METERS and maybe not even with the help of a Takoballoon :O and then landed on the Blue Sea with basically nothing because extols are practically worthless.And here he is with a bounty above 100 million beli. Just, mad props, Urouge.

I’m also kind of a fan of Bonney and Law for reasons which will become clear. :)

Shakky was quite amusing when she freaked out Chopper and bantered with the Straw Hats. It was also nice how sweet she could be too; she reassured Chopper the cotton candy was free :)

I know, right? When I realised everything he would have had to have done to make a success of himself on earth, I upgraded him to mid-tier interesting. He should probably be higher. xD

Am I allowed to check the eleven-supernovas tag right now?

paddster answered: advent calendar time

Oh, and there’s the hint about the giant goldfish that came true! ^_^

Reading the Usopp panels makes me feel bad about skipping the last part of that arc. I think I might read the manga to catch up on that. At least so I can spot the lies coming true. Thanks again, paddster! The nostalgia advent calendar is awesome. ^_^

cheffailure answered: Looks like this is time for  me to start flexing some knowledge.Some minor corrections: Urouge actually has a bounty of 108,000,000 (most likely based on the 108 Temptations of Buddha),  Shakky and Rayleigh aren’t married, but they go way back in ways that will be revealed in the next couple of episodes.

As for thoughts, I would like to say that Urouge is more interesting than you would think, based on the shape of his wings - for example, here are the wings of a Shandian.  Here are the wings of Skypeians.  And finally, here are the wings of Birkans, the race Enel and his followers are part of.  Can you make a connection?

Also, just a touch disappointed to see that you already knew of Trafalgar Law. Understandable though, since he’s basically ubiquitous among One Piece merchandise nowadays.  Doesn’t he look like an instant hit with the fandom to you?

And finally, a fun fact:  The Eleven Supernovas are actually a product of executive meddling. Oda’s editor said the Sabaody Archipelago needed more content to make it more interesting.  Three hours later, Oda stepped forward with nine new character designs.

Seriously, CR have been a bit crappy in their translations lately. First three months becomes three years and now someone is a husband when they should be a ‘member of their household’.

I can’t remember what Urougue’s wings look like, argh! xD He looks either Shandian or Birkan to me. I’ll pay closer attention to his wings next time and I’ll see if I can make that connection.

As for Law, I used to post now and again on NarutoForums. They had a One Piece section. Some posters crossed sections and they’d have character based sig and avatar sets. One poster had a Law set for a while. He did look badass in the fanart. Dat fuzzy hat. xD

I don’t often say this but I’m glad the editors decided to intervene. The eleven supernovas have taken the story in a great new direction. It’s always boring when the hero becomes famous and has no rivals. This keeps things interesting. :)

slaxtheraven answered: So somebody made a fanart of Shanks and Luffy meeting in the future…

*kicked right in the feelz*

;_;

doctorvix answered: DUVAL HYPE IS REAL!!!1

IT IS SO REAL. TOO REAL. THE TEARS. xD

nounoursonne answered: All questions about people trading are to be answered, be patient :3, Second HACHI !!!, third : he did say a strawhat ruined his life, not luffy ;) but you’ll see that soon enough. I love this mini arc it’s nice to see you enjoy the beginning of it

Yeah, I don’t know why I assumed that Luffy ruined Duval’s life. Can’t even remember if it was a CR mistake or my own. Probably mine, tbh.

knojas answered: Mhhhhm just who might this mysterious Duval character be? It is quite the enigma! Let’s just hope the Straw Hats are prepared to face this curious foe!

There is no way I could have guessed that. I remember being told Sanji’s daft bounty poster would come up again but I had no idea it would be anything like this! xD

meheartonepiece answered: Ahahaha, the slave buyers… You’ll see. Please, no one say anything about this yet. I’m sure we’d all like the raw reactions to those guys. And Duval… He definitely has one of the strawhats’ FACEs at the front of his mind XDDBrook logic: no panties? Ask for money! XDDD Caimie is really cute :3

OMG, that pun! FFS, I had absolutely no idea. I was like... meheartonepiece said face... that is important, but damn. xD

bigpaw answered: yes DUVAL!!

THE DUVAL HYPE IS REAL. xD

livesmileandstaystrong answered: Oh Gosh. First of all,  I have to say that I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I absolutely adore it! It’s like rewatching my favourite series again. Seeing you trying to guess stuff and making up theories reminds me of when I first watched it. Anyways, just like everyone’s saying, you’ve got NO idea of what’s coming up. Let me tell you, I hardly ever cry with books, movies or shows, but something happens in this arc that made me shed tears. So, get ready!

Thank you! I have fallen hard for One Piece, so I love watching and making crappy theories and discussing OP with all you guys. ^_^ (Still proud I made the Lola/Big Mom theory that caught up OP fans also picked up on).

slaxtheraven answered: Duval is a once-in-a-lifetime opponent - you can tell that by looking at him. It’s written all over his face! And one of the Strawhats got in his face, so they’ll have to face him at one point. But Duval’s not just a pretty face, he’s pretty good.

Written all over his face, eh???? xD I would have been mad at not getting that one, but there is no way in hell I could have guessed Duval would be the spitting image of that crappy artist’s impression. xD

x-chick303 answered: You will be surprised… Duval’s face is one you have seen before, and in the most unlikely of places at that!

You’re right about  it being unlikely! Seriously no way I could have guessed that. Could never forget Sanji’s bounty poster face but was not expecting it to be a major plot point for a mini arc. xD

battlebard answered: Hold on a second, I don’t know how CR is translating Duval’s dialogue, but you are not supposed to know who ‘ruined’ Duval’s life yet. That revelation come a bit later. If CR said Luffy then that’s a mistake.

Yeah, I’m not sure whether it was my mistake or CR’s. I probably assumed it was Luffy. ^_^

blogquantumreality answered: Oh maaaaan this arc. So much stuff gets revealed really quickly, some of it humorous, some of it pretty like grimdark. Camie and Pappug are hilarious XD Duval is like… IDEK what :P But Sabaody Archipelago, geez. I was like slavery, WTF WG???

Yeah, I know right? The slavery thing was unexpected. Seems it’ll be an important theme or plot point later because you guys are keeping it tight under wraps. >:D

paddster answered: weeelll, close but no… twice

There is no way I could have guessed that. Duval is too unique and beautiful a soul. xD

martyslittleusedblog answered: When did Duval say it was Luffy he had a grudge against…? I won’t spoil which man “ruined his life”, but it wasn’t Luffy.

Yeah, I’m not sure whether it was a Crunchyroll translation error or my mistake. I probably just assumed it was Luffy without checking. ^_^

alphaspi answered: the next few episodes are a “blast” enjoy it while you can because it starts to get really dark but at the same time so awesome that i wish you would just sit down and binge watch the saga

Hnnnngh, what I would give to be able to sit down and binge watch an entire saga... *_*

meheartonepiece answered: My brother and I haven’t been watching anime together lately, mostly bc both of us are more into youtubers now. Instead we watch lets plays from the same guys and of games we both like XD And he complains when I don’t tell him there’s been a new Haikyuu!! chapter for him to read XDDDD

Oh man, I used to love youtubers. It always makes me sad when they go awol. There was this guy, KevJumba, I used to watch all the time. I think he’s trying to make in the acting world. I miss his channel. It was so funny!

serrende answered: Usopp vs another great sharpshooter would be awesome, yes!!

Let’s hope Oda makes it happen! Usopp hasn’t really been challenged yet (on an equal footing in his main skill. He did defeat Perona, but no missiles were involved).

slaxtheraven answered: Actually, Oda says OP is finished in over 70% but I think that’s bullshit. There are still at least 6-7 locations Strawhats are very very likely to visit before THE BIG EVENT at the end (can you guess what it will be?). Also, there’s been sooo many places mentioned througout the story that will never probably be fully shown it’s sad =( Oda keeps introducing new places where other characters are doing things but simply doesn’t have time to go in-depth with every one. Oh well, there’s at least 10 more years of One Piece to go, so enjoy the ride! (Saying this, I remembered that the recent arc in OP took roughly 30 months… damn)

The Big Event will be Blackbeard vs Luffy when they both crews land at Raftel and Luffy will become the Pirate King! :D

Ten more years would be great! (Though do you think Oda is speeding up at that pace? D:)

infriga answered: I wouldn’t exactly call it importing, since I believe the Strong World movie came out before Shiki actually came up in the series.

I guess Strong World is in a unique position in relation to canon. I’ve never heard anything quite like it before. :)

megazaprat answered: How do you decide how many episodes to liveblog in a sitting? Is it just random? I am just wondering when you will get to certain episodes and revelations. I am hyped for your awesome reactions

It’s fairly random. It’s mostly based on how much time I have. If I don’t have a lot of time, I’ll have to watch one and write. (Writing takes much longer than watching). Sometimes, though, I catch the preview of the next episode or there is a hella cliffhanger and I just can’t resist watching, even if I have no time. xD

It’s usually one or two at a time. Wednesdays and Thursdays are always busy for me, so a post on those days will be rare. ^_^

blogquantumreality answered: Oh yeah, I wanted to say Oda has an interesting gift for bringing back characters; Hatchi, for example. Also, I was v amused at Camie’s verbal tic, which is to add “-chin” to people’s names so I thought his name was Hatchin at first XD

Hahaha, I bet you were as puzzled as Nami, Zoro and Sanji as to the mysterious Hatchin was. xD

sparktehfox answered: Regarding canon, I think it’s best to stick with the term “filler” over blatantly labeling them as non-canon until we get clarification given filler CAN be canon, but it’s not so important to the story that it matters. So far Oda has only stated that Strong World is “Luffy’s last adventure as a 17 year old” and the biggest argument against Strong World is that Zoro isn’t showing his injuries but as you’ll see by this arc, those aren’t holding him back much anyway and he stopped wearing bandages the moment they left Thriller Bark. Regarding Film Z, the movie has a bit of world building but it takes a completely different turn in transitioning from the arcs which literally leave no room for a movie in between. On this Oda had stated that he would have liked for Film Z to be canon, however, to not cause confusion for those following the series, it cannot be. Regarding the upcoming movie, Foxy and crew are going to be the main antagonist by trapping the Strawhats in a Davy Back Fight on an Island where Devil Fruit Powers are nullified. While it’s production looks more like a “TV Special” than a feature length film, the plot seems like it will be interesting.

Luffy’s last adventure as a seventeen year old, eh? I wonder if that’s literal or metaphorical?

As for the upcoming movie, I’m actually alright with the Foxy Pirates. I usually hate it when a crappy movie villain is introduced (there’s always too much hype) only to be defeated in ninety minutes. At least I know there’ll be humour with them. :)

cheffailure answered: Regarding halfway points, as a frame of reference, you would have reached Ch. 491 out of currently 807 chapters.  As for the series’ completion rate, a recent interview with Oda’s editor claimed that One Piece is about 70% done, but given that this was not from Oda himself, I suspect there are still additional concepts waiting to be expanded upon.

I also see that people are arguing about the canon status of Strong World.  I’ll just say that Oda has given it its own Log Book (a magazine series dedicated to One Piece that supplies young, late-to-the-party manga readers with chapters, recap summaries, merchandise, and interviews at a cheaper price).  An interview inside has Oda state: “And as far as something that will hold true for both the comic and the anime, (Strong World) will be Luffy’s [REDACTED FOR SPOILERS]…” 

Arguments for Strong World being canon include the above quote, Oda’s special treatment for it (including said Log Book), the main villain having been mentioned in the Manga, Chapter 0, and interviews stating that he didn’t have the time to do this story, but presenting it as a movie was a golden opportunity.

Arguments against Strong World being canon include translation issues and ambiguity of said quote, continuity errors, potential plotholes, little mention of Strong World elsewhere in the Manga, and whether or not Oda’s involvement in the film is proof of validation (as many filler characters were designed by the man himself).

All in all, it’s up to you to decide.

Fun Fact:  Oda initially planned for One Piece to last just five years. It wasn’t long before he realized he was having too much fun to stop.

It was only Oda’s editor who claimed OP was 70% done? That’s a relief. I’d like it to go on for ages yet. (I could tolerate a short ten years. xD)

That Log Book sounds ideal for noobs like me. If only I could read Japanese. :( At least I know roughly where Strong World stands: in a sort of It Could Be Canon/Is Not Canon no man’s land. I suppose I can decide once I’ve finally watched it. :)

Five years? That would have been a crime! Can you imagine how much we would have missed? What a horrible thought. D:

desumeowmeownekokitty-chan answered: Here’s something we ALL need to address. The anime starts getting really shitty around the next arc, with terrible pacing and piss-poor animation. So should we switch over to the manga? I can’t imagine how slow the war will go in anime episodes.

knojas said: You know… The idea about Moria helping the Straw Hats out against Kaido is pretty neat. :O I had never considered that. Mhhhmmm well we will all see I guess!

I am oddly proud I thought of a thing a caught-up OP fan has not considered. xD (I will cross my fingers because I want it to happen!)

sebazu answered: Wait, so you’d be okay with Moria carrying hundreds of stolen shadows all the time? You monster.

I would be totally okay with that.

I clearly have a huge, moral blind spot where Moria is concerned. xD

littlebunny123world answered: The Yonkos are very strong, they can probably all take out the admirals 1vs3.

Have you ever noticed the pandaman? hes in like every arc  vignette3.wikia.nocooki… vignette4.wikia.nocooki…

Hell, that is strong. Is there even a pirate out there who can take on a Yonko one on one? (If there is, don’t tell me! Leave me hanging, even though it hurts. xD)

Missed the pandaman answer the last time, for some reason! And I know of the existence of pandaman. I was told very early on and I have missed him every single goddamned time. I’ll have to rewatch specifically for pandaman. xD

martyslittleusedblog answered: This doesn’t really have anything to do with the current arc, but have you ever pictured any crossovers between One Piece and…whatever other series?

I haven’t considered a crossover, but since you asked, I’ve been trying to think of other pirate related stuff and could only come up with Pirates of the Caribbean. Just thinking about Jack Sparrow trying his shit with Moria, Crocodile or Lucci makes me laugh because he’d suffer the biggest ass-kicking. Moria would probably just toss his shadow. Or put it in a house plant. xD

slaxtheraven answered: It’s not just you who wants Moriah to help fighting Kaido! :P There are a lot of theories of him returning. PS: Check out this halloweeny AMV! youtu.be/LQSSOhS… It’s a part of my “One Piece’s AMV Full Course”

Ooooh, so this is a thing other people want. It now gives me hope that Moria is not dead! ^_^

And that AMV is genius, btw. I don’t normally like them. Find them a bit samey and cheesy. This is Halloween is perfect for it. It was really well edited too. Instant fave. ^_^

antleredoctopus answered: It warms my heart to see Moria gain more fans… ♥ He’s still unpopular, but at least nowadays not all the search results for him are just people talking on forums about how much they hate him/how weak he is.

Glad to find someone else who appreciates Moria too. Had no idea he would barge his way onto my favourites list. Caught me off guard. I thought he was annoying at first. xD People who hate him because he’s weak are daft. He’s pretty complex when you delve beneath the weird surface. ^_^

meheartonepiece said: Ahaha~ I’m happy someone noticed my pun! I’ve been in a very punny mood ever since I met Undertale ;P (the last yonko’s name is Big Mom btw)

Big Mom! That’s it. I knew I had been told, but I forgot. (And what is this about Undertale? Everyone on tumblr is talking about it? I should look into it. Google should be safe for Undertale. Unlike OP. Spoilers abound. Couldn’t even look up the Yonkos. xD)

Mihawk’s Boat Chat:

luckybreak91 answered: I have a theory as to how Mihawk get’s around and got back into East Blue. His boat is a paddle boat. He has sails, but they are always up so we know he doesn’t use them. He has hidden paddles and that’s how he gets over the calm belt without wind.

Ooooh, good shout! I never even thought of that. I’ll bet the paddles are at the bottom of his goth raft. Hidden away so the mystery remains intact.

blogquantumreality answered: Seems reasonable that Mihawk must have some kind of propulsion for his boat. After all, look at Ace’s fly-as-fuck boat :D

tempus-nexus said: Kuma’s definitely one of the more ambiguous characters, in terms of motive, power AND personality. And we’re not gonna get any real answers for a long time. He’s very unusual, even as far as One Piece goes.

From what the others were saying, even caught-up readers like yourself don’t know much about him.

Seriously, what is that guy’s game? Is he even more mysterious than Aokiji? Surely not! D:

meheartonepiece said: Moria probably became a shichibukai bc then he’d have free rein to create his zombie army whereas the gov would have tried to stop him as a regular pirate. He just has to listen to them once in a while, so it all works out for him, right?

And I’ll bet the WG would love nothing more than to get their grubby mitts on Moria’s work...

doctorvix said: Shichibukais are not working for the government, they’re only using it…

So what’s Kuma’s deal then? I was clearly focusing on the wrong Shichibukai there. Kuma is the anomaly. Why does he do the WG’s bidding, while the rest couldn’t care less?

greatninjadragon said: There’s a great contrast between Moria and Kuma. Moria’s loud, prideful, arrogant, will toy with his enemy, and is over the top. While Kuma’s quiet, humble and rational enough to understand a threat, calm, and ends things quickly

That is a really good point. I hadn’t noticed that.

Moria and Kuma sound like a sitcom waiting to happen, to be honest. xD

sparktehfox said: You’re gonna love Kuma’s power just as much as you’re going to be confused at its potential. And sooner than you think!

I’m going to see in in action soon?

The Plot Gods have smiled upon me. *_*

blogquantumreality said: It’s episodes like this that reveal that some Shichibukai really like the fact that the WG lets them run their own off-the-books private operations. Also, I have to admit I never really thought about how much babysitting Oars would need! XD

I’ll bet the WG wanted to use Moria’s army if he ever got it up and running.

Moria said he’d show the Strawhats a real nightmare. He should have just handed Oars over to them for a day. “I’M HUNGRY. I’M BORED.” Can you imagine? xD

nounoursonne said: Ah Kuma, a whole lot of mystery…. So many things going on now right ? IF only you knew ! We must keep it to ourselves, let’s just say I can’t wait for you to see a lot of things ! The team work in the arc is great you’re going to see more soon :D

There is obviously some major shit going on with Kuma, so I shall be patient.

*gnaws*

The teamwerk was strong in 370 and 371. So strong, it had to have its own heading. xD  It was a shame, really. The Strawhats were fab. Moria was just too tricky for them.

supramp9000 said: Kuma powers are a special case, even among the Shichibukai.  The “trip” question is more of a formality than anything else.  Without spoiling too much, you can be certain that Kuma is by far the strongest on Thriller Bark.  Even considering Oars.

So Kuma is even stronger than Moria? That’s interesting to know... Hmm... Dat vanishing power must be really something.

meheartonepiece said: Ahaha, I love when we make puns about future events and you don’t notice it XDDD We still don’t rly know why Kuma’s name is “The Tyrant” or a lot about him actually. His bible could be the map to the One Piece for all we know XDD Oh, and the Oars fight is sure to exceed your expectations by a hundred, no, a thousand times! XD

I read each and every single answer and I am full of rage that I cannot figure out who made the pun about the future. xD

I have a crack theory I came up with on the train back from Edinburgh last night that Kuma’s Bible represents being “purified” of whatever Deadly Sin he represents by his service to the WG. Absolutely no evidence for it, so utter crack, but I like it so far. xD

celelorien said: YAAAASS you like WoT too?! You’re definitely one of my favorite people now, ahahaha! (And no worries - Robert Jordan may not have been able to finish out the last three books, but he DID write the last chapters of the last book ahead of time, so the ending IS definitely HIS ending, and Brandon Sanderson does a really fantastic job with filling out the rest of the bits RJ didn’t get to.) Back on topic, Kuma is veerryyy interesting. I really hope we learn more about his past as we go on, ahaha!

WoT is fantastic. I’ve only read books one and two. I would like to read three, but I made this stupid promise to support local libraries. They’re making it really difficult to stick to it. It has taken over a month to deliver the book from a library ten minutes away. When it had reached the three-week mark, I called and said I’d travel to pick it up because... it’s ten minutes away. They said I can’t because it’s “in transit”.

blogquantumreality said: The Bible made me think of various motifs in Christian religious thinking, like the concept of all being sinners, substitutionary atonement, and so on and so forth. It seems rather incongruous in the OP world though, where what religion there is seems to be pretty downplayed. In thinking about Skypiea again I think the two saddest tales are the native Skypieans fighting for 400 years for their own land, and the saga of Calgara and Montblanc Norland.

There was a lot of religion in Skypiea, but those guys had Pagan gods. I mentioned to meheartonepiece that I had a crack theory about Kuma’s Bible. It might represent Kuma being “purified” of whatever Deadly Sin he used to represent by his service to the WG. No evidence for it, so crack, etc. but I like it. xD

sparktehfox said: Ah, something I forgot to mention of the previous SBS Time, When asked how Nami would have reacted had she been hit with a Negative Hollow her VA replied, “I’m sorry I’m so beautiful!” Oda’s response was, “That’s not negative at all!”

Hahaha, I think her VA knows Nami pretty well. xD

knojas said: It’s funny to look back at the crews reactions to Luffy punching Laboon in the eye and stabbing him with the mast. Back then they were all flipping out about it, I guess they wouldn’t even bet an eye about it now. :’D

I know, it was weird to look back on that and realise just how far they’ve come. Now it would just be another damned Tuesday with Luffy doing something stupid but dangerous (not too dangerous now, though. I’m sure they could handle Laboon, unless Laboon has been doing that whale training. xD)

slaxtheraven answered: I got goosebumps by merely reading and thinking about Laboon (I almost spelled his name Balloon). I love that whale, his and Brook’s histories are very, very sad.

Same here. Laboon’s story is so sad it makes you typo. It is a sadness that reaches out, breaks the fourth wall and causes your fingers to malfunction.

deesorceress answered: The fight with Perona and *spoilers* is one of my favorite fights, the solution to the negative ghosts is great!

There was no way in hell I could have seen that coming. Usopp’s confidence in his underconfidence saved the day! xD

buttplunderer answered: The flashback that was in a square frame (with a map background) is like that because they literally just took a scene from an earlier episode, which was broadcasted before the switch to widescreen/HD TV, so the aspect ratio/resolution was different.

Ahhh... it was a technical thing. Thanks very much for explaining that, buttplunderer. I wondered why they had been doing that (since it’s not the first time I’ve seen it happen). ^_^

blogquantumreality answered: More feels! Brook could look totally different and all he’d need to do is play tunes on his violin, I bet, and Laboon would know him right away! But the afro is a very important symbol for Brook, because it represents an unfulfilled promise. Incidentally to get a bit meta, I think the idea of promises and the importance of fulfilling them is a motif that shows up a few times in OP. Luffy and Zoro, for example, have made explicit promises they intend to keep no matter what.

Argh, I want that scene to happen! I just want Brook to come sailing up on the Sunny, playing his violin and Laboon turns round with whale tears in his whale eyes and makes a happy little peeping noise, just like he did when he was but a young nipper, full of the joys of life. ;_;

I like your comment about the promises. I am certain Luffy, Zoro and Brook will fulfill them one day (or I’d like to think so). Luffy’s and Zoro’s are more difficult to achieve, but Brook will definitely reunite with Laboon one day. *hopes fervently*

greatninjadragon said: This makes me wonder what the 4kids dub would do if they were still dubbing OP. The Laboon arc was completely cut and replaced with this short scene of them destroying an iceberg. Admittedly Brook didn’t exist yet but it would’ve been awkward.

What reason did 4kids give for not continuing with OP? I’ll bet they realised they had fucked up big time and quit before they really made themselves look like idiots.

tempus-nexus answered: The way they beat Perona’s ghosts is one of the best parts of this arc, and a legendary scene for the Strawhat who actually pulls it off. Enjoy!

It was freaking amazing. I enjoyed every second of it. Loved how they tried to cheer Usopp up but he was having none of it. NONE OF IT. xD

nounoursonne answered: Everyone said it Perona’s fight is really awesome, the strawhat’s reaction to Oars is pretty awesome too, get ready for the ride ! (I don’t remember if you talked about it but Brook’s “death isn’t an apology” got a huge impact on me)

I can’t remember if I talked about it or not, but that is a beautiful line, and if I missed it, I shouldn’t have. Argh, Brook! ;_;

quietlypining4fanfiction answered: This arc has some great fights, but the fight with Perona is probably my favorite.

It is hilarious (and also weirdly sad for Usopp, but at least he’s confident about his lack of self-esteem, so it’s a huge win for him for a change!) ^_^

blogquantumreality said: FMA: B is pretty cool I think. I’ve watched a few eps already and it’s definitely intriguing.

Oooh, so you are a newcomer to FMA too? (Not that I’m watching it yet. OP is taking up alll of my time just now. ^_^)

half-man-half-lime said: …That’s assuming Kuma is actually wrath… Which he might be???

Ahhh, there was another wrath suggestion doctorvix made. Doflamingo, was it? He does seem like he could be the type. He was full of sass at that meeting...

meheartonepiece said: Kuma and wrath is kinda eeehhh, since he really is pretty chill. Maybe BB or Doflamingo would be more appropriate for that? Idk

Kuma didn’t seem particularly filled with rage at the meeting. Maybe he used to be angry and has chilled out a lot since being domesticated by the WG?

doctorvix said: Kuma being a “wrath” is just my assumption, he still is a mystery to us… But how the other describes him and his epic epithet makes me think he qualifies… He is a pretty chill dude now tho… I know i am late to the party but: FMA Brotherhood is a bloody amazing series, i rewatched it like 5 times… Wrath and Greed are the best!

I love it when characters are revealed to still be a mystery to caught up manga readers. ^_^  He did seem chill at the meeting when Laffite showed up.

I think I’ll have to watch FMA Brotherhood next. Everyone has recommended it. It’s not often something gets such a consistent rec rate. ^_^

tempus-nexus said: Longest plot point to date? Nah, there’s something that was shown in EPISODE 8 that won’t be referenced until like episode 400. It’s a minor background thing, but it’s really damn important. We’ll tell you when you get to it.

EPISODE EIGHT??? D:  I have no idea what it is and I have definitely forgotten whatever background detail was referenced. It’d be totally rad if I accidentally caught it, though. Might go back and check my rubbish early entry for eight... >:D

deesorceress said: I think that Kuma does qualify as wrath when you consider what his title is and his reputation was. Everyone who has watched One Piece should know what I’m talking about, but I don’t want to spoil you (though it is a tiny spoiler.)

BTW have you had a chance to look at the CP9 cover story?

That’s the reference to Kuma the Tyrant, right? I only remember him from the meeting when Laffite showed up. He seemed chill back then.

I haven’t looked at the CP9 cover story yet! Couldn’t find a copy without chapter titles.

tempus-nexus said: And you really think you’re done with the tears? You may have cried when you learned that Brook died before returning to Laboon, but you haven’t SEEN him die yet. The death of the Rumbar Pirates is still untold.

Yes, I honestly thought I was done for this arc and I could sit back and enjoy the lulz. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ;_;

sparktehfox said: Kuma’s epithet was “Kuma the Tyrant”, before he was enlisted as a Warlord. And I assume that the Strawhats don’t write home as the Marines are pretty bad about people in cahoots with infamous pirates. The newspapers can be seen as their letters.

Aww... I guess that makes sense. (Surely they could sneak a message to Laboon somehow? A ‘Burn this on reading’ letter with a photo of them and Brook that Laboon can keep? I am too hung up on this whale. xD)

Kuma the Tyrant, eh? I wouldn’t have thought it from his chilled demeanor at the shichibukai meeting when Laffite showed up.

paddster said: I imagine you already have a long list of anime recommendations but I just can’t resist throwing mine in too^^ : - FMA is a must see, although I can only speak for the manga, but it’s amazing and it’s my 2nd favorite shounen manga after OP. - Great Teacher Onizuka: again I only read the manga, but I heard good things about the anime too. It’s comedy pure with a healthy dose of badassery. - Monster: I hope you also enjoy Seinen manga/anime, otherwise this might not be to your liking, Essentially it’s a thriller with amazing characters, story and and the art of the manga is so incredible bc it feels like reading a movie with fantastic angles and great transitions.

I have read Monster. It is *stunning*. I devoured the anime in a week and emerged, dazed, wondering what the hell just happened.

I’ve heard awesome things about Great Teacher Onizuka. Comedy plus badassery sounds like a brilliant mix. ^_^