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.

nounoursonne answered: Oh CP9, notgoing to see that before long (like us) and you got spoiled with the name of the arc omg u_u before there a sort of mini arc ? 385-405 I remember all the phases “interesting…Oh…OMG ODA…*excited*…ugh wait… speechless” wait and see

I know, CR are a bit thoughtless doing that, aren’t they? Oh well. At least I don’t know what’s coming up in the mini arcs. ^_^

doctorvix answered: Paramount War, Marineford, Whitebeard War, War of the Best is comming… in about ~70 eps tho. So dont worry there are plenty of calm episodes before shit REALLY hits the fan…

Whitebeard War, you say? *chopper sparkle*

ask-moria answered: I believe the murals on the moon hint at the common ancestry between Shandians, Skypieans, and Birkans, all of whom played a part in the Skypiea arc.

Now I regret not paying more attention to that cover story. My indifference to Enel has come back to bite me. It’ll be like when I skipped the last couple of episodes of Usopp’s recruitment arc all over again. -_-

slaxtheraven answered: CR you spoilery shit. Nonetheless, welcome to the Summit War Saga Of Hype, where every episode will make you question the whole-ity of One Piece and what the f**k just happened. Nevermind the 3D2Y thing for now. BTW how much can we swear here?

You can swear all you want. Go for it! It’s not a family friendly blog, or anything. ^_^

An entire saga of hype? *sparkles like Chopper*

greatninjadragon answered: Not much to the fillers, except Brook’s, but they serve as nice breathers to what the last arc and the heavy stuff coming up.

Yeah, I’d agree. They were okay. Not the most offensive but not amazing either (I’ve been spoiled by the Commander Jonathan arc, haha).

blogquantumreality answered: I’ve never read the Enel thing! I really liked the Brook filler especially, since it’s a great look at how the Straw Hats aren’t superhumans, they’re just ordinary folks who happen to do extraordinary things. Brook has the best nakama ever. :)

You haven’t read the Enel cover story? For some reason, this astounds me. xD shashoom and ask-moria both have theories that the murals are important clues to the history and culture of the OPverse, so I’ll probably go back and read it again more closely. :)

knojas: Yay, now you are ready for the next arc! In the next couple of episodes the Straw Hats will come face to face with a truly exceptional character! Be prepared!

I am not prepared.

half-man-half-lime answered: Dammit Crunchyroll!!! I just hope you don’t catch on to the meaning of 3D2Y too early…

I hope not. If I do, then I am going to have a word with CR about their spoilerific dropdown menus. >:|

megazaprat answered: Did you know One Piece: Strong World is the only One Piece movie to be canon? Film Z was also supposed to be canon, but evidently Oda changed his mind about that later in the manga.

I think someone has told me that before but it is exciting. It’s not often that happens. ^_^ (It’s only made me more excited to watch it). Did Oda write it?

blogquantumreality answered: I agree Sanji got a bit creeptastic with that devil fruit thingo in TB. There are some times when characters do or say something that seems kind of out of left field, and this was one of them.

It was a shame, really. I swear Oda just meant it as a jokey moment but it didn’t come off too well. The more he uses Sanji’s chivalrous side as a joke, the worse it makes Sanji look. :(

littlebunny123world answered: Guide to watching one piece says strong world is to be watched after episode 426

Thanks, littlebunny! I didn’t know there was a guide. That’s good to know it confirms I shouldn’t watch it until after 426. :)

knojas said: Hngggggh!! I see you’re pumped for Strong World. Okay sooooo… apparently there are also 4 Filler Episodes that lead into the movie. Those would be 426-429. I haven’t seen them, but they would most definitely be disrupting the plot that is going on at that time. Maybe someone who has seen them can give a little more input if they are worth watching? [On a sidenote, they also did some filler for the next movie, Film Z, which were utter garbage (0/10, do not recommend).] In my humble opinion, a good entry point to Strong World would be episode 431. That’s because the antagonist of the movie is actually mentioned here - in canon! That being said… it’s totally possible for you to watch Strong World now and watch the backstory special later. I just think it has way more impact if watched together. I feel kinda like a mom that says: “You can only eat your candy if you do your homework first!”. Only that the homework in this case is watching 50 anime-episodes. xD Let’s do it this way: If you want to watch the movie really badly and at a time where it would fit chronologically: Do it now and watch the backstory special around episode 431. If you want to have a wholesome movie-experience, watch them both together later (maybe also the filler, if it’s any good. I would check it out for you before then ;D). I would personally recommend the latter, but others might disagree. I hope this helps a little bit. ^^

I feel kinda like a mom that says: “You can only eat your candy if you do your homework first!”. Only that the homework in this case is watching 50 anime-episodes. xD

That is the best kind of homework. xD

I decided it would be best to wait for Strong World. I’m pretty good at delayed gratification, so even though the anticipation is so strong right now omg, I will be patient. Watching it will be all the sweeter. *_*

tempus-nexus answered: Strong World is up to you, but I still heavily suggest you watch Movie 6. It predates the Enies Lobby arc, and it’s fucking wild. Whether or not you watch Strong World now, please consider watching 6.

I watched it! You guys have been hyping six for a while now. Since I couldn’t watch Strong World, I dived straight it. Damn, it was unexpectedly creepy. o_o

sparktehfox said: Chapter 0 is the video/chapter you are referring to. You probably shouldn’t watch this until after episode 415, it is a flashback for the antagonist of Strong World but it is not necessary to enjoy Strong World itself.

I’m not sure about the whole Chapter 0 thing but I got the feeling I should exercise delayed gratification and wait for the magic of Strong World (and it’s canon. Argh!) ^_^

half-man-half-lime answered: Hey, if you’re gonna watch the movies I’d still recommend 4 and 6 as the best ones, and probably 7 which is fun in an Indiana Jones kind of way (and features a lot of Nami IIRC)?

Since you guys have been recommending six for a while now, I watched it! It was a bit like Thriller Bark with plant-based zombies and a thoroughly broken antagonist.

meheartonepiece said: I think it would be more interesting to watch episode 0 after having watched Strong World, bc we can fill up most doubts you may have after watching it and it’s really worth it X3333 episode 0 fill in the blanks, but I really want you to watch it X3333

I know, argh, it is so hard! Especially since Strong World is canon!!!

But I will be patient. And I will wait for my canon. And it will be awesome. *_*

cheffailure said: Normally I hold the manga in much, much higher regard (especially now that the anime is going at such a slow pace that, the one time I recently bothered watching an episode, I was skipping ahead to get to the good parts), but your review of Brook’s filler episode remind me why the anime is still something that cannot be ignored.  However, it’s a real shame I can’t read about your reactions to the various color spreads Oda does for the manga (Chapter 489 is the one you would have seen - here it is).

As for the Spa Island episodes, I have never confirmed it, but they are likely based on panels Oda usually puts in-between story arcs to indicate sailing and passing of time, including circular rainbows, sea tanuki, and candy rain.  The candy rain itself is a joke on the fact that “candy” and “rain” are homonyms in Japanese. Wordplay like this are freaking everywhere in One Piece.

I really wouldn’t recommend that you listen to the One Piece Podcast anytime soon. They are an insightful bunch who dissect scenes with scalpels, but they are too up-to-date for people like you.  Even the recaps will have you lost down the line.  Funnily enough though, it was an article written by one of those guys that led me to your blog.

Oh, and don’t let us oversell movies too much.  I’ve seen what hype can do.

Oh, wow. What a beautiful colour spread. *_* I’d love to have a version of it as my desktop wallpaper. (Though I’d like a spoiler free Christmas OP wallpaper, if such a thing exists).

I guess I’ll never pick up on those things, not being a manga reader. I was actually thinking about starting a OP collection. Enies Lobby has been the bst so far, so I’m considering buying those volumes. And thank you for the linguistic information. I never knew candy and rain were homonyms in Japanese.

But wait, the One Piece Podcast people are talking about this blog? I am now filled with fear. xD

paddster said: sucks that CR spoiled you =( but hey, titles can be deceiving (like little garden ,god and his priests or gol d roger etc) also I believe oda “only” wrote the lyrics and a musician friend of his wrote the song. Actually I would suggest to hold off the movies until either a certain point in the story or even until you caught up because that would make a lot of the movies kind of nostalgic ( like the different size of the SH crew depending on the movie). But If you´re eager to watch a movie, it should be movie 6 (Baron Omatsuri) and movie 4 (Dead End Race) since movie 10 (strong world) has 1ep that leads kind of up to the movie but spoils around 2 major and 4 side characters for you at the moment. I think strong world was released around ep427. Lastly about the OPPodcast Readthrough, I listened to the East Blue part one today and in the non-spoiler section were no hints about things you don´t already know. I´m gonna check Thriller Bark, too. so don´t listen to it yet just to be safe. Oh and to anti-hype strong world, the main villain should have been way more powerful… or should he? (cue mysterious sound effect)

That’s still excellent that Oda wrote the lyrics to the song. That guy really does put absolutely everything into his creation. It’s admirable.

Since most of you guys have been recommending movies four and six, I ended up watching that instead. Damn, it took an unexpectedly creepy turn. o_o  Apparently, the One Piece Guide says to wait until at least 426. I will be patient and wait for my canon. xD

Ooooh, mystery hype? (Or was it...?) xD

allblau said: Hmm, should I perhaps point out that I made puns in my first post? Probably not… ^^

Re. the OPP: I listened in on the Thriller Bark readthrough and there be spoilers (or at least one, I listened only to the beginning…) And while it isn’t a massive spoiler, it is something that becomes a plot-point later on and is one of those nice details that interconnect the whole story. I don’t know how you’ll see that, but I would not have liked to be spoiled for that one…

As for movies, I would watch movie 6, if I were you. It is well worth the watch and fits quite nicely between Thriller Bark and the coming arc even though that is not its intended place. And this way you can save Strong World for after you have seen its back-story, which in my opinion makes the film better. Also, while it is rather jarring to watch Strong World in chronological order of the releases as there are many things happening in the story at that point, it is also a nice little respite to see the crew up to their old tricks… :)

Have fun with the next couple of episodes! :)

Puns? Not you too! D: *so glad I have tagged every OP fan so their posts are easy to find*

If the OP Podcast does have a few spoilers, I’ll wait until I’m caught up. It’s probably safer that way. I enjoy making theories that are wrong, anyway. And I like it even better when I stumble on ones that even caught up OP fans make (still proud of catching the possible Big Mom connection).

quietlypining4fanfiction answered: I might be remembering wrong, but doesn’t Strong World open with a reference to some of the events of the Summit War, before flashing back to the story?

Obviously have no idea, but the other OP fans could probably confirm. ^_^

serrende answered: Agree with you so much. Everything about Brook’s flashback, his joining the crew and his little moment with the shrine and Zoro were handled so incredibly well in the anime as well as in the manga, with the bonus of actual music in the anime. (Though I felt Oda did such a good job telling the story in the manga that the silent pages were practically singing, too!!) Loved a lot of other details too like Luffy chilling on top of the piano in a pose that should be uncomfortable but because it’s Luffy, it looks like he’s just hanging out (he’s like Snoopy lying on the top of his doghouse!), the not-quite-unconscious (?) smile of Zoro listening to the music, Sanji joining in with Luffy and Usopp to tell Brook about Laboon, Luffy and Usopp dancing with their arms around each other, and all the intercuts between the past and the now, Brook’s old crew singing Binks’ Sake and his new crew and Lola’s band around them, showing what must have gone through Brook’s mind clearly.

I wonder if these chapters in the manga, and these episodes in the anime, aren’t the most pure version of a character coming to terms with the sadness of their past and choosing to let it lie behind them, being able to leave it behind now with their blessing, looking ahead to the new future that is to come. This is something Strawhats in general go through, though the pattern is a little different each time. But with Brook it’s so extra clear and beautifully told - and like you point out, not too overstated.

(And I love the reveal about the Tone Dial! I think that has got to count as Brook’s most important treasure, more even than his violin, since he’s able to play any instrument, or his cool swordcane. His old crew are finally led to their rest now, yet a part of them keep sailing with him so he can redeem their mutual promise one day. That too seems to say something essential about how the themes of memory and ties to the past are presented in One Piece, and it’s just so beautiful! (Brook had better make it back to Laboon one day!!!)

Damn, that was a beautiful analysis of Brook’s character. I agree with every word you said, especially the part when you referred to those episodes as the purest representation of a character coming to terms with their past and being able to move on. That was beautifully put.

I wanted to make more of those intercuts between Brook’s happier past, his solitary hell and the present because Bink’s Sake is the song that tied everything together. It is associated with happy and terrible memories, with loved ones near and far, and strangers in the moment. Most of the Strawhats seem to know the song, so it probably unites most pirates. Hell, you could write an entire analysis on that one song! xD

And I agree. If Brook doesn’t make it back to Laboon, I will be so mad... xD

sebazu answered: The next 3 episodes are filler, so you should just watch them all at once.

Done! Thanks for the heads-up. ^_^

greatninjadragon answered: Now that Brook joined, the running gag about Luffy wanting a musician is now dead. I waited years to make that joke. So worth it.

Your joke was beautiful and well worth the wait. xD

x-chick303 answered: Personally, I think Brook is a little insane. You cannot be along for that long with losing it a little bit. Anyway, Bink’s Sake! Brook’s English VA is Ian Sinclair, and he totally does the song justice. I’m glad you liked it.

If he is insane, he’s harmless insane. Just a bit eccentric. He does enjoy making right angles. That is a bit crazy. xD  I do love Bink’s Sake. It has been stuck in my head since yesterday. I keep humming “Yo ho ho ho, yo ho ho ho.”

nounoursonne answered: Brook is really important… Brook is a pure ball of happiness, even after all that’s happened he is optimistic and joyful. He is a true role model I think. 384 is Brook centric filler so enjoy that x) Next arc is a roller coaster though, be prepared

Oh, I loved that Brook-centric filler (almost too real at points, though. Damn...) Brook’s optimism and sunny disposition is something I admire. Imagine being as happy and friendly and talented and kind as Brook. I think he might have supplanted Jack Skellington as my favourite fictional skeleton. :O

desumeowmeownekokitty-chan answered: Brook is definitely off his rocker. Considering he’s 88 when the Straw Hats meet him and he’s spent most of his life alone, it’s good to think of him as a doddering old man. Very kind and gentle and very broken. I love him down to the bones.

I love that description of him: ‘Very kind and gentle and very broken’. Oh, I hope the Strawhats are able to put him back together again. He is so lovely, I would hate to see anything hurt him.

blogquantumreality answered: Mega feels barrage! I rewatched these eps recently and I was NOT PREPARED. And yes, Laboon is just an adorable lil guy, isn’t he? :D Finally, you’re not the only one who wonders about Lola and Big Mom. :)

I am strangely proud I picked up on a caught-up fan theory. I kind of hope it comes true now. ^_^ (Though the only reason I could do it was because you guys warned me about Big Mom and Kaido. Otherwise, I doubt I would have picked up on it).

slaxtheraven answered: Here’s the funimation dub version of Binks Brew song: https://youtu.be/lbY60BrqmOU just don’t look at anything else that could be spoilers lol Also the Big Mom is Lola’s Mom Theory. Congratulations, you’ve made it to this point! But there are two more characters that could possibly be related to Big Mom, one just appeared in the manga and the other one is in next arc. So please go to the next arc ASAP! IMO it’s as good as Enies Lobby.

Damn it, even the dub made me tear again. It’s that song. It’s such a happy song and they’re singing it at such a horrible time. Dat cruel  juxtaposition. ;_;

Oooh, there are other characters who could be related to Big Mom? And one is in the next arc, you say? Yeah, don’t worry, I’m moving on to the next arc ASAP. I have the feeling it’s going to be a good one (but that my feelz will be put through the wringer).

meheartonepiece answered: Brook is definitely a little insane, and yet he’s still as much as a gentleman as he can be when asking for girls’ panties. Those flashback scenes while he’s alone on the boat broke my heart ;-; And I remember that when my brother and I were watching these eps we also took a screenshot of the pirates’ reaction to tiny Laboon XDDDD

Oh, and you are not ready for Ace. No one ever is.

Hahaha, it is the best reaction shot, isn’t it? XDDD I like to think of Brook as insane in the way that most musicians are. A bit eccentric but essentially harmless. ^_^

Urgh, Ace...

allblau: Sorry, I’m new to tumblr, and the site doesn’t want what I want… :/ ^^ I’ll just post the whole text again:

Hey there, I love your blog! It’s like discovering this marvelous story all over again.. :) As for coming episodes: From here on out things get slightly fishy as the next three episodes are fillers. But no need to see red yet, for at least episode 384 is in my opinion one of the better fillers, and after that you are in for some beautiful pictures… :)

Thank you allblau (I love that blog name!) and welcome to Tumblr. ^_^ It’s a weird system they have, isn’t it? I don’t think I understand it myself yet. xD

I’ve already watched the fillers and I am not ready for the next arc! >:D

eloarei answered: Watching you go through older episodes is great, because you always mention little details and make connections I never would have thought of!

Thank you, eloarei! I get more wrong than I get right but I have the other OP fans to keep me on the straight and narrow so I don’t go too far off the rails. XD

theshittymarimo answered: All right! Now you’ve seen it! And I’m glad you agree that Brook’s past is one of the saddest. Because really, being alone on that ship with the memories of his old crew (the scenes in between with him alone on that ship killed me ;__; trying to be cheerful while those memories and the guilt ran through his head) is a special kind of hell. And for so long! I have no doubt that he is a bit mad, who wouldn’t be after something like that? Definitely one of the scenes that makes me cry ;__; And yes, it was beautifully made. This is why Bink’s Sake is so happy and yet sad at the same time. So complicated. Yohohoho~~

The cruel dreams were the worst. Seeing Brook wake up, eager to see his friends again, then have his hopes shattered time and again was too much. I’m so glad he met the Strawhats. ;_;

creative-type answered: I was wondering your opinions on Binks Sake as a song (still can’t believe Oda wrote that!) and if you’ve listened to Oceans Guide yet. It’s from Film Z, and it’s basically the marines funeral hymn. There should be spoiler free version on YouTube.

Oda wrote Bink’s Sake? Seriously? I absolutely love it. The melody is so simple and cheerful but the lyrics are more complicated and deal with the partings that are central to a life on the ocean waves. It’s been stuck in my head since yesterday and I’m trying to learn how to play it. ^_^

thedarkghostlygothgirl answered: Enjoy the calm while you can. Because the feels aren’t going to stop any time soon. it’ll be like a giant whole straight through you..

I know there’s a war coming up (thanks, CR!) Knowing that, I’m guessing there will be some intense moments. If it’s anything like Enies Lobby, it’ll be a hell of a ride. ^_^

saisai-chan answered: about the One Piece Pocast readthrough–it’s all spoiler free until the end, where they have a Reverie segment about comparing the arc to past and future stuff. but you can skip that part to avoid spoilers

Ahh, so I can just skip the segment at the end that contains the comparisons? That’s really kind of them to cater to new fans like that. ^_^

knojas answered: Concerning Morias animal theme: GecKO MORIa -> “koumori”, which means “bat”! ;)

So I can ditch the gecko interpretation? Yay! ^_^

x-chick303 answered: Hey, I just went back and looked at the episode post before this… what makes you think Buggy is in Impel Down? There has been nothing to indicate that.

Hmm.. you’re right. I don’t have any hard evidence because I haven’t seen him since he met Ace, but weren’t Buggy and Alvida captured by Smoker? That’s what’s made me lean towards Buggy being in Impel Down. Smoker’s no slouch. It’s hard to believe he’d let Buggy get away like that.

littlebunny123world answered: I never watched one piece but i heard that the animation and pacing becomes really bad in like 150 episodes or something.They start doing 1 episode/1chapter instead of 1episode/2chapter. Whats your plans for that.

Yeah, I have been warned about this. I think I’ll try to watch two episodes at a time. It’ll be less boring for me and you guys if there’s more to discuss. ^_^

sparktehfox answered: Just a heads up. There is nothing subtle about Sanji’s “flanderisation”. It will happen and the way you view it will depend on how you perceive what causes it and whether you deem Sanji in the wrong for what happened or if you think he himself was wronged.

The flanderisation may not be subtle but the way you worded that was admirably so. xD  I swear I will make up my own mind on it. I do like Sanji, so I always try to see the good. It’s only when it endangers other people that I get mad. ^_^

tempus-nexus answered: MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES. I don’t know if you’ll have started the next arc by now but this is THE TIME to watch the movies, since the next story arc is one of the longest and you won’t be able to take a break for a long time. PLZ WATCH MOVIES

Oh man, I just said I would move onto the next arc but that is such a good idea. I can finally put @sparktehfox‘s gift to use! ^_^

blogquantumreality answered: Oh, I meant to put after “It’s also why I think that …” Demon Wind Zoro is a much better moniker than Pirate Hunter :P

Totally agreed! Pirate Hunter doesn’t really fit Zoro anymore. It was always more of a job title than reflective of his talents. xD

allblau answered: Regarding the OnePiecePodcast: I wouldn’t listen to that yet if I were you. They do make rather interesting observations and often point out details and implications that are really hard to notice, but while they do split their readthroughs into a non-spoilery and a spoilery segment, they tend to hint heavily even in the supposed non-spoilery part… As such, my advice would be: Don’t listen to it yet but definitely keep it in mind for a time when you are caught up. :) Btw: Damn, you’re at it again… :D

Ahhhh, okay. Thanks for the warning. I’m the sort of paranoid over-thinker who would notice the hints and spoil myself. xD

themajorspike9000 answered: A little late but, CONGRATULATIONS you are far enough into the story to watch ONE PIECE : STRONG WORLD without spoilers! How do you feel about this momentous occasion?

Argh, I am hyped for Strong World because everyone has said how awesome it is but apparently I have to hold off for a bit longer because there is something I should watch along with it and that something contains characters I haven’t met yet. ^_^

fuzzyzergling answered: People are all hyping up Sanji getting the Flander’s treatment, but I haven’t really noticed it? Maybe I’m just blind :3

You might be right and it’s only noticeable to people who are analysing every detail in every panel or frame (like most of us here, to be fair... xD) Maybe you’re just too busy enjoying the story. ^_^

cheffailure answered: I am actually part of the camp that doesn’t find Sanji’s characterization all that bad (in fact, I only discovered his behavior was controversial when I read about it).  It’s mostly personal opinion that decides whether what he does is serious or harmless.  If you preferred his original characterization though, then I’ll just say there seems to be gradual return to form later in the story.  It’s not going to happen for a while, and it’s subtle, but it’s there.  Just keep a good eye out.

Aside from that, why don’t you draw a full comparison between Sanji and Zoro? Guess their philosophies, their attitudes towards a particular subject, their ways of life, everything. The two couldn’t be more different than if one were to suddenly possess long hair and breasts.

Also, now that Brook has officially joined the Straw Hats, you are now capable of watching the movie Strong World without being spoiled for anything.  I think I am speaking for a lot of people when I say that you would give it an interesting review.  Mostly self-contained, yet canon, so why not give it a go?

I’m actually glad to see that not everyone agrees that Sanji’s character has slid into the gutter lately. It lets me cling to a little hope. The only time I really got mad with Sanji was when he refused to fight Kalifa. That put Robin, himself, and all the other Strawhats in danger. Not good. When he’s just being a bit pervy, I sigh, roll my eyes and usually laugh. (Got a bit weird in Thriller Bark, though, with Absalom).

A full comparison between Sanji and Zoro? I don’t even know if I could do that yet! I feel I don’t know enough about them, funnily enough. Would it be any subject? It might be more interesting to see what they have in common, since they’re so different. ^_^

I am hyped for Strong World. Everyone has said how good it is! Though apparently, there’s an accompanying text which I should probably read with it but can’t because it contains characters I haven’t met yet. :)

aoitsukikage answered: yeah, opinions on Sanji are quite divisive especially in future arcs, but rest assured that the interesting/positive character traits he’s exhibited since his introduction remain consistent, which is why I at least still enjoy his character!

Oh, I’m so glad his positive character traits are still firmly in place. I always try to see the good in Sanji (actually not that hard to find). It just annoys me when Oda uses his chivalry for comedy. It only really bothers me when it puts Sanji and the other Strawhats in danger (like when he refused to fight Kalifa).

paddster answered: the One Piece Readthrough Podcasts are divided in a non-spoiler section (called the red line) and a spoiler section (reverie) at the end. Thriller Bark: http://media.blubrry.com/one_piece_podcast/p/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/215083113-onepiecepodcast-opreadthrough-9-thriller-bark.m4a East Blue Saga(Part One): http://media.blubrry.com/one_piece_podcast/p/media.onepiecepodcast.com/audio/OP-Readthrough-01.m4a

OOOH... Dare I? DARE I? D: (Apparently, there are hints...)

slaxtheraven answered: One Piece: Strong World is one of the best OP movies! I think it doesn’t have spoilers so you can watch it, and please, review it! I also loved OP: Film Z but this one is spoilery.

Argh, I want to watch it.... *gnaw*

shashoom2-0 answered: Something to say about Sanji: Your fear of him going bad actually made you look at a great scene of his as bad. Rather than going off on these peoples words, form your own opinion. He doesn’t go bad, imo, form your own opinion, Sanji is still great.

I think you might be right. Sanji interrupting Zoro did irritate me a bit but it might have made me less mad if I didn’t know. Nah, I was mad at the time, but I understood Sanji’s motivations better with the context in the following episode.

Interesting to know that not everyone thinks Sanji’s character has slid into the gutter. I have a little more hope now. ^_^

knojas answered: I see some people recommending you to watch the movie Strong World now, but I would advise you not to do it yet! Even though the movie itself should be spoiler free (I think?), Oda drew an extra chapter (called “Chapter 0″) as a promotion for the movie. In this, he goes 20 years into the past to give some backstory to the main antagonist of the movie. This chapter was also adapted into a special anime episode and it’s pretty damn cool and I would suggest watching it before you watch Strong World. HOWEVER, this episode is showing a lot of characters that you have not seen yet and thus, you shouldn’t watch it yet! So either you watch the movie without the backstory (and while it’s not really necessary to do so, it’s a cool little extra), or you continue to watch the anime until you reach a certain point…

People are right though, chronologically the movie would fit into the canon right after Thriller Bark. It’s up to you, I just wanted to give you some info on the matter. :)

Edit: Also, Strong World is a damn awesome movie! ;D

ARGH, everyone is hyping Strong World. This is torture! xD  If you can tell me, which episode do I have to wait until before I can watch Strong World complete with the special anime episode?

desumeowmeownekokitty-chan answered: For me, Sanji got bad in this arc. He and Absalom are both gross perverts. Sure, Absa is a bit worse, but it feels weird when the unsympathetic villain and the hero have the exact same motivations.

I do agree, Sanji did get weird in Thriller Bark. It didn’t annoy me as much as when he refused to fight Kalifa in Enies Lobby (because he put himself, the other Strawhats and everyone who came along for the ride in danger). I get that Sanji’s pervyness was being used for comedy but it sort of came off as just creepy. A dud gag from Oda, maybe?

meheartonepiece said: I’m pretty sure Luffy called Moria “giant” bc he was really big for a human. He could also mean “fat”, but just plain big was probably what sprang to his mind when he first met Moria. Btw, Moria is right about the New World; there is a reason why the half of the Grand Line they’re in rn is called “paradise”. Imagine everything that has happened so far, every danger, every storm, but taken up to eleven. That’s an approximation of how the New World is.

Yeah, I have no idea what the exact words Luffy used were and I don’t know enough Japanese to find out. It could just have mean ‘giant’. Moria is huge. I remember him standing behind Robin and I made a ‘ho shit’ face.

So this New World, eh? Sounds hellish. I wonder...

half-man-half-lime said: Actually, I think Moria’s activities count as standard pirating, and are therefore legal for a Shichibukai.

Yeah, after 375 and 376 I can see that now. That random shadowless Marine must have been fuming when he complained to HR and found out they could do nothing about it. xD

nounoursonne said: *must not talk* *can’t wait* Anyway~ What did you think of that new opening ? nostalgic isn’t it ? :D

The episodes on CR never had a new opening! D:  (Or did I skip 376 in my haste?)

slaxtheraven said: I’ve never thought about Kuma helping with Moria’s defeat! Talking about Seven Deadly Sins, I caught up to that manga recently xD It’s good, not my fav tho. Do you think Strawhats are ready to enter the scary New World? Moria got his ass rekt there.

Not sure if I can say Kuma meant to rile Moria into recklessness. He probably just wanted to help and was, unfortunately, a little too honest. It might be deleeshus, deleeshus irony.

As for the scary New World, I don’t know. The rational part of my brain tells me the Strawhats are the main characters and therefore possess impenetrable plot shields, but...

j03man said: I don’t think you can put Moria’s downfall on Kuma. What did Kuma spur him on to do differently? Enter Oars belly? if moria doesn’t enter Oars belly the crew a-salts him and no more oars. Is your case that Moria lost his cool because of Kuma? Moria had and lost his cool several times throughout the fight which makes it hard to make the case that kuma’s “disrespectful” comment had any effect that the strawhats’ disrespectful attitude didn’t. maybe stuff goes down a little differently w/out kuma but I don’t think he really tipped the balance of the fight in a meaningful way.

Well, I was thinking before Kuma injured Moria’s pride, Moria had tricked Luffy and left him lost in the forest. Moria then swanned off back to his mansion. He didn’t show any signs of wanting to engage with the Strawhats at that point. He had his fun with Luffy, so he could kick back and wait for the dawn. Even if the Strawhats a-salted Oars (lol, love it), Moria was the one they always had to take down. If Moria had stuck to his plan of messing with them and avoiding them, the dawn would have come. I’m not saying there was no way the Strawhats could have won even then, but Moria could have picked them off while the shadowless SHs were at their weakest. And Kuma was there too.

But Kuma put his foot in it and made Moria so mad he wanted to prove he still had what it takes. So he engaged the Strawhats directly. If he had stuck to his original strategy (trickery and dodging) he would have had an easier time.

It might not be true at all. That’s just how I saw it going down. More of a turning point, than anything. Kuma was the one who pushed Moria to come out from the shadows and face the SHs directly. I don’t think Kuma meant to do it, though. It was an accident.

paddster said: I think you misunderstood the thing about Kaido beating Moriah. We are only told that Kaido crushed Moriah not that Moria was on the same level. It could have been but I personally think it might have been more on the lines of Bellamy vs Luffy. Also keep in mind what Moriah´s last words are  because it´s not just bitterness that made him say it ;)

Ahhh... okay. I thought they were roughly on a par. Aw, man. Imagine being like Bellamy. Ugh. xD

I am getting hefty ominous New World vibes. Whitebeard and Shanks hang out there, though, so it can’t be all bad, can it?

blogquantumreality said: I have to say I really do like the way you highlight things I’ve totally glossed over or missed! TBH I don’t really like or care for Moria, so imagining him as a quasi-ally to the Straw Hats is kind of odd. That said being a neutral party wouldn’t break my heart overmuch :) I also hadn’t considered that Kuma could’ve been egging Moria on in this arc, but looking back it is entirely possible one catalyst was Moria taking umbrage at Kuma’s remarks.The Shichibukai are a very mercurial lot, that’s for sure. I can’t even imagine two giant egoes like Moria and Crocodile managing to sit down and cooperate for more than five minutes.

Neutral party would be better, actually. I’d prefer that too. I don’t think Moria’s ego could take to being allied with the Strawhats. ^_^

Don’t know if Kuma meant to push Moria into action. Might have been the accidental result of being a bit too honest. Haha, the thought of Moria and Crocodile in the same room is too much. They’re both really prideful, actually. It’s strange how similar they are...

doctorvix answered: Yeah, no. Not even prime Roger can defeat all 3 admirals. NO ONE in OP world can defeat an admiral and not being one step in the grave…

Sometimes I ask myself One Piece related questions. One of my favourites is: who have I met so far could be strong enough to beat Aokiji. I can only think of Ace, actually. He’s probably a bad match for Aokiji. The rest... it’s sketchy, tbh. Even Blackbeard might have problems.

slaxtheraven answered: About Yonkos vs Admirals - that was just pure speculation. OP community is full of “can XXX defeat YYY” things, and Yonkos vs Admirals is one of them. Oh yeah, you’ve still got to meet 2 admirals in current timeline, right?

Ah, I get it. I used to go on NarutoForums, so I know all about the power tier and X vs Y obsessions of shounen manga fans. xD  Yeah, I’ve only seen Kuzan/Aokiji in the current timeline. Akainu in a flashback. The other one, I haven’t met at all. (Kizaru?)

littlebunny123world answered: Yonko are pretty strong, they rule the sea and have thousand of pirates under their names.

Thousands of pirates? Shit, they’re like full-blown mercenary armies! Whitebeard has a pretty big crew, come to think of it. They’re split into divisions, aren’t they? Shanks’ crew doesn’t seem to be massive, though. (Or is it?)

celelorien said: Uhh not to be spoilery, but for those of us caught up, it’s fairly clear what happened to Moriah… 8T Though idk I suppose you could still make a case for him. Weirder and more stretchy things have happened! And yeah, THAT. Nothing. Happened. >:T Oh wait! I went and relooked and I forgot a thing. So yeah, Moriah, we have no idea about him, apparently. XD Curiouser and curiouser! (Though letting him mooch people’s shadows is still pretty morally dubious, lol.)

My heart almost stopped for a moment. That sounded ominous. But now I am relieved. I guess I’ll find out shortly what you’re talking about. ^_^ (Must be to do with the ‘further measures’ the WG Mystery Dude talked about over the DDM to Kuma in episode 375).

And yeah, having him mooch people’s shadows is totally immoral. I have a problematic fave. xD

antleredoctopus answered: I don’t think Moria’s weak, but even if he was, that just doesn’t seem like a good excuse to hate a character. His wonderful complexity is one of the reasons why I still love to talk about him even after so many years.

I don’t think he’s weak at all! He’s just out of practice. I mean seriously, his Devil Fruit has so much potential, it’s kind of scary when you think what it can do. If he steals the shadow of a great swordsman, Moria can become a great swordsman for a while. That is awesome.

luckybreak91 answered: In your first post you said the art style put you off. I was wondering if that had changed at all in this past year of watching. Do you still dislike the art or has it grown on you?

I cannot believe I ever thought that. I was a clueless, young padawan. I shake my head at my former self. I definitely don’t dislike the art style any longer. It’s grown on me to the point that I appreciate it now. ^_^

<Ace’s Achingly Awesome Boat Chat>

meheartonepiece said: Ace’s boat was powered by his flaming feet, so it didn’t have a paddle. Unless there was one in case of an emergency? But we don’t know that.

tempus-nexus answered: Nope, Ace just rides a surfboard with funnels on the bottom for him to use his flames like jet boosters. Self-powered rocket surfboard.

blogquantumreality answered: Yeah, Ace’s fire ability allows him to propel his boat. It’s pretty neat, actually. Also, to get a bit possibly NSFW meta for a second, perhaps Ace and Mihawk don’t need to overcompensate for anything. ;-P

I didn’t think it was possible for Ace to be more awesome, but fireboy has gone and done it again. xD

So the smaller the boat the bigger the... skillz? :D

</Ace’s Achingly Awesome Boat Chat>

<Crossover Chat>

half-man-half-lime said: I just read and am in the process of rereading the webfiction Worm, and I’m craving a crossover, Nami and Tattletale teaching each other tricks, Usopp teaming up with Skitter, Crocodile and Coil acting friendly but racing to backstab each other…

I have neither read nor heard of Worm. Yet another one to add to the list to read once I finish the Wheel of Time (which the library have still not found for me, dammit!)

fuzzyzergling answered: Undertale is an RPG with a lot of neat characters, I’d highly recommend it.

Yeah, everyone’s talking about it on Tumblr. I used to love RPGs. Might give it a go later. I don’t have a Steam account, though. D:

deesorceress answered: Undertale is a new RPG on Steam. (It’s really good you should check it out!) One of the more popular characters is a skeleton that makes skele-puns.

A skeleton that makes skeleton puns? I wonder if the developers are OP fans? ^_^

martyslittleusedblog answered: One Piece did have some crossover specials with Dragonball and Toriko, two other Shonen Jump manga. These crossover chapters were called Cross Epoch, and they had each been animated. :D The Toriko one even got a prequel animation special.

I have just read the DBZ crossover. My life is now complete. xD

sparktehfox said: @martyslittleusedblog Correction. Cross Epoch was the only one in manga format illustrated by both Oda and Toriyama. There was a separate crossover between Dragonball, One Piece, and Toriko which was written and animated by Toei. You can read Cross Epoch here (it’s spoiler free): LINK

As for the DBZ, OP, Toriko crossover, you’ll need to catch up before you can watch it.

Seeing Sanji team up with Master Roshi is golden. They both have similar... tastes. xD Slightly offended that Chopper was teamed with Kuririn. Chopper is way more useful. (Sorry, Kuririn). Zoro and Piccolo are both totally surly and harsh, but I’m glad Zoro got them lost. And of course Vegeta would be captain of his own crew. I totally lost it when Buggy appeared. The end made me strangely hungry. xD

</Crossover Chat>

meheartonepiece said: I love the part when Usopp is debating against himself, then the Sogeking music slowly comes until HE’S HEREEEE XDDDDDD And I LOVED Perona’s fight, like the part she says she’ll squeeze his heart, then says “lol I can’t do that tho”, then blocks his view until he runs into a column. Personally, I love her laugh, but many others find it annoying :( the negative ghosts are also really cute X33 Also, I think that when the government gets a Devil Fruit, it registers it into the encyclopedia, but a lot of Devil Fruits are still unknown, are in the hands of pirates or have already been eaten, so those couldn’t be registered.

I loved that scene when Perona pretended to be able to squeeze Usopp’s heart. It was pure evil. It also shows that Usopp is made of stronger stuff. He didn’t faint when he believed Perona had stabbed him and was about to crush his heart. She freaked out over a couple of cockroaches and a hammer.

Ah, so that’s how the encyclopedia came into being! I guess it makes sense. Spandam had access to Devil Fruits to give to his faves, so when they come in, they must be recorded before they’re handed to a Spandam to dish out to whichever loyal lackey the WG decides is worthy.

slaxtheraven said: Stop forgetting the ?’s, uh XD Also Moria looked awesome in the last picture.

I didn’t forget last time, honest! I saved the post as a draft and then Tumblr wouldn’t let me add the ? at the end. :\

And he did, didn’t he? (Totally love Moria now. Fallen for yet another villain. There is no hope for me.)

x-chick303 said: Haha, Sogeking! I told you someone important would be back, and the anime delivered! Bet you weren’t expecting it!

Did not expect Sogeking at all. Then again, I couldn’t think who the important person could have been! Why didn’t I think of Sogeking?? xD

serrende said: Yes!! That was so interesting. Usopp freezes up/freaks out/tries to run away a lot in fight because he constantly has to struggle against a sense of what he thinks of as realism, which is very negative about his chances to win. Even though he’s won in hard fights against powerful enemies before, he finds it hard to stop thinking of himself as “weak” and a “normal person with no chance against the strong ones”. So a lot of the time fighting for him is to keep going until his brain just comes to the point where he doesn’t care what happens anymore, he just can’t run away… which is when he’ll actually start to think of strategies to win. (I’m simplifying a lot, but this does seem like a common pattern.)

But sometimes like here he gets too backed into a corner and still can’t see what to do. The way the Sogeking thing works out here is that he compartmentalises in order to help himself get out of that panicked point and get to the figure-out-what-to-do point. I think.

Of course, this time around the part of him that tends to hold him back is suddenly also his greatest strength!

Argh, that is such a lovely analysis of Usopp’s character (I have tagged it, for future reference). I never considered that compartmentalising is what helps him. Get rid of the fear with the character so you don’t have to think about that and free your mind to get on with what’s really important: a strategy to survive.

Hell, a lot of the time Usopp has to fight against himself first. (I’ve always liked Usopp. He’s so interesting. He generates almost as much chat as Sanji! xD)

sparktehfox said: I thought the exact same thing about Ryuuma myself! Zoro/Luffy fusion! Regarding the spelling, the “U” is drawn out with a special character, so in reality it should be Ryūma but that’s hard to do. It’s simpler just to add another “U”.

Ahhh, so it is a long u. The fight’s over now, but if he appears again, I’ll spell it that way from now on (I can’t figure out how to use unicode shortcuts in tumblr. Too much hassle. Will just add the extra u. ^_^)

meheartonepiece said: Oh btw, in the latest arcs the anime really fucks up the pacing of the story,doing episodes that only cover one chapter each bc they’re catching up to the manga. It really sucks and I think you should switch to the manga then,but it’s your choice :)

shashoom2-0 answered: You’re surprised Oda planned ahead? *Laughs uncontrollably* Boy, you have NO idea how far ahead Oda plans things. Just think about the fact that from the moment Ace was introduced, BB had also been set up; everything that follows has been planned.

The Ace and Blackbeard thing, I get, because Ace outright said he was going after Blackbeard. I knew it would happen one day (and what an episode that was, hnnngh.) This, though? Not a hint of resolution until Brook said “LABOON”. And I lost my shit. xD

deesorceress answered: This was what I was waiting for. Didn’t I tell you how beautiful Brook’s promise is? I also love how all the Straw Hats who disliked Brook immediately changed thier tune when they heard about Laboon. Also Brook has a bigger reason to protect his afro

It is beautiful. It is the most beautiful promise. How can you not like someone who is friends with Laboon? (And I just learned of Brook’s reason to protect his afro. It resembles Laboon and reminds him of his former life with his whale friend. Too many feels.)

nounoursonne answered: BROOK !!!!!!!! I love him so much !!! :3 Laboon you didn’t expect it did you ?? It was hard not to tell you Laboon was still cared for :3

Did not expect it at all. When Brook said, “LABOON”, I swear you could have heard the clang as my jaw hit the floor. xD  You guys definitely deserve medals for keeping the Laboon and Brook connection under wraps.

salamandersocks answered: Ahhh I love Brook’s backstory. I cried ugly gross tears over it. Also waking up the monster trio was great and Usopp is so clutch.

Crying gross ugly tears over whales as cute as Laboon is entirely normal. I will defend this opinion until death. xD

meheartonepiece said: Oh man, tiny Laboon is adorable X333333 I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed when they finally come back! X33 Also, I just want to say that the last time you tagged Laboon was almost a year ago. It’s amazing how much time has passed, hasn’t it?

Tiny Laboon is quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen animated. I cannot wait to see Laboon’s reaction when the Strawhats come back. (They will). Can’t they send the old dude a letter, or something, that he can read out to Laboon and let him know they’re all okay?

And I’ve been doing this for a year? No way... I actually had no idea. D:

knojas said: Isn’t it beautiful? *sniffle* Too bad the animation team was too lazy/cheap to reanimate those flash back scenes of the crew meeting Laboon. But anyways, if you needed any more reason to love Brook, there it is! Not even death is an excuse for him.

Yeah, they stuck the flashback in a tiny square with a massive border. :\

Honestly, though, after this, I don’t think Brook could go any higher in my estimations. He is an awesome character with the biggest heart. I want to see him reunited with Laboon so badly, augh...

slaxtheraven answered: Labooooooon! Oda never fails to deliver. By the way, Luffy told Laboon they’re gonna have a rematch. I don’t think Brook’s gonna like it. xD

Oh, crap. I forgot about the rematch. I bet Laboon’s in training right now, doing whale lifts and whale pilates and whale MMA, ready for the big fight. xD

x-chick303 answered: Now you see why everyone told you not to judge Laboon’s friends too harshly! Also… BABY LABOON SO KAWAII!

Now I know, yes! Only a year and almost three hundred episodes later. xD

Baby Laboon is the kawaiiest thing I have ever seen. Nothing is cuter. NOTHING.

theshittymarimo said: You got to the Laboon part!!! asdfghjkl Do you have any idea how hard it was to not say anything when you raged about that crew who dared to abandon that cute whale? Very hard! I’m sure you realize how hard as you seem to like brook as much as we do now. And, and … it’s not the worst part. I know, I know, it should be impossible but… it’s really not the worst part D: be prepared!! (tho it’s not until the end of this arc) And you, of course the afro is the source of brook’s power -  duh, don’t you remember luffy’s short career as a boxer? ;) “A HOT MASTER SWORDSWOMAN WITH MEAT IS HERE!” *sits back and waits for the monster trio to come to me* (brilliant, truly one of usopp’s most brilliant moments. and chopper’s reaction! “they’re hopeless!” xD)

Lol, I did rage pretty hard. It was the only time OP really made me rage like that. The abandonment of cute whales must be a flash point for me. Who knew? xD Seriously, though, you guys definitely deserve medals for not revealing that plot resolution between Brook and Laboon.

(The way Usopp summoned the monster trio was hilarious. xD)

blogquantumreality said: Go back and watch Chopper’s Drum Island scenes - the first time he meets one of the Straw Hats he tries to hide only he can still be seen XD

How did I not notice that Chopper cannot hide? I love Chopper! xD

meheartonepiece said: Yaay!!! I really like Haikyuu, it’s such a cute series X3333 and I totally understand being scared off by Dio, although I was reading the manga so I wasn’t really hearing the shouting XDDD Oh, and one thing I love about FMA along with the great plot and characters is the art. Arakawa’s art is really pretty and recognisable X333

Everyone seems to be recommending FMA, so I’ll definitely give that one a shot. (Re-watching NGE just now. Shinji needs to get in that robot, dammit.)

sparktehfox said: I think Absalom’s decision to become a Frankenstein is also linked to his past. As a child, he is depicted as being incredibly frail and prone to bullying. He also appears to have idolized lions as a symbol of strength.

I guess he’s less frail now, but is still prone to bullying (if you can equate abduction with bullying. Probably several floors higher up the asshole tower). I guess bullied kids are always in danger of becoming bullies themselves when they’re adults.

half-man-half-lime said: Uh, actually wrath is a spoiler too, that’s pretty much confirmed. There’s three deadly sins that are blatant enough to consider canon, and the other two besides Moria are spoilers. Funny it’s been brought up at the same time as FMA! Also, maybe consider Alive: The Final Evolution? It’s dark, and was never fully translated into English (the writer died right after finishing so no anime either) but it’s got a great villain, among other things.

So Kuma is a pretty angry dude? I cannot wait to meet him properly. He seemed chill during the meeting. I’m guessing the final shichibukai I’m yet to meet is represented by lust? I can’t think of any I’ve met so far who would tick that box. If Alive: The Final Evolution has a great villain, I am likely to check it out. xD

meheartonepiece said: Oh, and Chopper hiding the wrong way behind stuff happens all the time, it’s just not commented upon anymore XDDDDD