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#my friend calls g5 luffy 'cloud luffy' :)
humans-are-tasty · 4 months
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617: "Caesar's Defeat! The Powerful Grizzly Magnum!"
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Basically Caesar: “REEEEEEEEEEEEE, SCIENCE!!!”
Only had time for one episode today but caught a snippet of the preview and it seems like posting for one episode here will fit in terms of the story arc. 
Caesar is down and out, Law has done what he came to do, and Luffy has executed step one of his plan to kick ass and kidnap! Now all he needs is the fantastically badass Usopp to come through with the cuffs and step two will be on the cards!
It’s all a matter of escaping Punk Hazard with Caesar in tow, plus Law, the Strawhats, a bunch of kids and maybe some surviving Minions and the G5 and Smoker and Tashigi and Foxfire and Momonosuke and Brownbeard.
Yeah, I hope Franky has some extra bed rolls hidden away in storage because that is a lot of extra bodies on Sunny.
Sanji will be fine. He worked at Baratie. He’s used to mass catering.
Law Tries Out His Stand Up Material On Vergo
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In other news, Vergo is still alive. I kind of hoped Law might have taken him out but this is One Piece and you guys have always said that Oda sees a future for most of his characters. (Even Wapol. Yes, I am still salty about Wapol.) Smoker was on the ground, breathing hard. Getting fresh air for once, instead of dat tasty tobacco.
Vergo is also still shit-talking. “You broke the gear? There’s no turning back? That’s hysterical.” 
Brave for a guy who was (at that point) in two pieces with a building crumbling rapidly around him. Not to mention the noxious clouds of gas.
Then he used his hands to spring from the ground and attack Law. He was Roomed and doomed in two seconds, chopped into fractions and hung on the railings. (Approaching Nightmare Fuel territory if you think too much about it.)
Vergo totally reminds me of the Black Knight from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. If you’ve never heard of it, he’s basically this dude who keeps getting up and shit-talking his opponents even after the removal of all his limbs. It’s funny. Vergo even made a joke about it. “How will I eat breakfast tomorrow?” Yeah, he almost went full Black Knight there.
Except for the little serious turn when he threatened Law with Doflamingo’s past.
“How dare you, Law? This is an upset. But I know you’re going to regret it. Keep that in mind. You don’t know Joker’s past and that will cost you your life. Upstarts like you can’t hope to take over the world. It’s filled with those who are much stronger. Tell him, Smoker!”
First of all, why was he appealing to Smoker to back him up like a kid in a playground? The brazen cheek of it. As if. I’m glad Smoker blanked him and sparked up a fat Cuban cigar.
Secondly, what is all this about Doflamingo’s past? Why would that matter to Law? I’m trying to think what could possibly affect Law as much as Vergo says and I’m drawing a blank.The only thing that might be a bit meh is if Doflamingo was once a Marine. We already had that twist with Vergo.
At any rate, Law had had enough with Vergo running his mouth, and chopped his head into two pieces.
“Don’t worry about me. Just worry about yourself. This room will explode soon. Goodbye, Vergo the pirate.”
I ain’t bothered about Vergo. That guy is too arrogant for his own good and Law gave him a well-deserved taste of defeat. I just hope Law took Smoker with him.(It’d be hilarious if Law carried Smoker over his shoulder and they ran into Zoro carrying Tashigi over his shoulder. xD)
Speaking of Well-Deserved Tastes of Defeat...
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This guy...
I love a charismatic, melodramatic, total piece of crap villain, but Oda did a great job of making me loathe Caesar here. I think Luffy lamping him square on the chops unhinged him a little. Law destroying the SAD factory and the labs as a result probably finished Caesar off. His arrogance and cruelty was off the charts! I thought Spandam was bad. Caesar makes Spanda look like a playground bully.
I loved how when he realised Law had unleashed merry hell, Caesar’s reaction was, ���Damn! Who caused that? I bet it was Law. What is Vergo doing? You Strawhats RUINED MY PARADISE!”
His paradise. Wow, that sure does give you a little peek into this dude’s mind. 
And it gets better. 
Caesar had a last-ditch plan to defeat Luffy. He called his Minions in the Secret Room. “R-Building, can you hear me? Secret Room, come in! Open the air vents now! Let Shinokuni flow into this room.”
The Minions, understandably, were reticent to do this because they are the kind of people who, like the Strawhats, look after their own. They asked, “but wouldn’t it kill our guys?”
Caesar was like, “Well, I’m a gas man. I’m not gonna die. You’re just guinea pigs. No one would care if hundreds of you died. You are just the dregs of society! What are you doing? Hurry up. I can find replacements for you fools so easily.”
Uh oh. 
The mask came off. Caesar must have been so riled that he didn’t care if everyone saw his true nature. The poor, deluded Minions still clung to their vision of Caesar as their benevolent Master, their saviour.
“Oh, the Master is trying to fool the enemies. He must have a plan to do with the gas. It would hurt him to know we suspected him.”
Hurt him? Mate, Caesar has no feelings to be hurt. He has an ego the size of Laboon. That’s not the same thing.
So, of course the Minions pulled the lever. Shinokuni flowed into the room. And I had a facepalm moment at those poor, brainwashed Minions.
Caesar Does A Moria
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“Yes! About time,” Caesar shouted. “Dregs shouldn’t think. Now, become my power, Shinokuni. Look, Strawhat! Look at his amazing appearance. This is my scientific power. Through this experiment, two countries have already expressed interest in the weapon. They are both quite peaceful but when humans get serious about defending themselves, they’ll look for any way possible to kill their enemies. Everybody needs me! I’ll spread weapons all over the world and become King of the Land of Death.”
There are a couple of things to unpack here.
First of all, Caesar is completely demented. I mean, that was always obvious. But that ambition of his is twisted and terrifying. Worse, that Doflamingo gave him the traction to actually make it happen.
Secondly, he’s insane but he’s not stupid. Caesar has an eye for business and is, weirdly, able to charm people into believing his bullshit. He also knows the darker side of human nature and how to exploit it, like he has done with those peaceful islands. He is also smug in the knowledge that big shots in governments everywhere will always want him in their corner, so there will always be a place for someone like him. That was a definite Art Mirroring Life moment right there. Harsh but true, I guess. The guy who first split the atom and invented the atomic bomb was a hot commodity, right?
Third, Caesar basically did a Gekko Moria. Caesar took it a step further because he actually gleefully killed all his Minions. Moria just took the shadows back from already dead bodies. This was the logical conclusion of Caesar seeing other people as objects or commodities to be manipulated, used or destroyed as he sees fit. The way he happily killed them all was just nasty.  “It’s amazing, if I do say so myself. Look at how fast it acts on their nerves. It’s almost an art!” And when they begged him to stop, “I am your saviour and I can make efficient use of you good-for-nothings. You are just crumbs. You should not stand against your Master. Die like dogs!”
Crumbs. Dogs. Guinea pigs. Caesar always uses dehumanising language on his poor Minions. And everyone else for that matter. He really is a psychotic, nasty piece of work. If this guy is working for Doflamingo, I cannot wait to see what a horrible bastard Doflamingo turns out to be. xD
Caesar’s Off The Deep End Behaviour and his treatment of his own people caused Luffy to have the veiniest, super frown I have seen on his face so far. Luffy does not like people who betray and used their own crew/soldiers/comrades. 
Luffy said to Momo, “Look after Brownbeard.” Then ran in the opposite direction. Of course, I knew Luffy was just looking to gain some distance. Caesar, of course, mistook it for Luffy chickening out all of a sudden.
There was one person who knew with absolute certainty that this was not the case.
Usopp Was Awesome Here
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Can I just talk for a moment about how awesome Usopp was here?
All through this arc, he’s been ridiculously brave. He volunteered to split up with Brook and Foxfire so he could work on his own to find the Sea Prism Stone cuffs for Luffy. He was creeping round the labs on his own and when he found the Secret Room, he did not run upon being confronted with a full squad of Minions. He simply used his smarts to evade capture. Because he knew there was something in there of value and Luffy needed his help. 
When the Minions saw Caesar’s true nature over the DDM feed and were finally like, “OMG this guy is awful.” Usopp just walked up to them and said, “I know you’re all broken hearted here but could I sit in that control seat for a second? I wanna save my friends from the gas.”
See that? Usopp’s loyalty to his friends trumps all sense of fear. 
When the Minions tried to shake Usopp by saying, “Yeah, you’ll never escape because your Captain just cut and run. He left you guys behind.“ Usopp was Not Having One Bit Of It. 
“Whoa, whoa, whoa... Are you dissing our captain right in front of me? If he were the kind of person who’d betray us, this whole thing would’ve been much easier for me. I would’ve just run away with my tail between my legs. But he never, ever stops believing in us. So we have no choice but to support him. We pledged to live up to his expectations as long as we can breathe!”
There you have it. Right from the horse’s mouth. Luffy’s faith in his crew inspires them to greater heights. And in Usopp, this is bravery. Absolutely beautiful. 
And when the Minions said, “But what can we do? We can’t beat such a powerful man?” (Referring to Caesar) Usopp replied, “Yes, you can. You guys should just believe in our Captain. Caesar is the type of person that Luffy hates the most. Luffy won’t forgive Caesar.”
Usopp knows Luffy pretty well.
That Grizzly Magnum was really something else. I was expecting it to take out Caesar straight awayt but I liked that it didn’t. Caesar is the kind of villain who needs to have his pride thoroughly broken and to taste bitter, bitter defeat. If not, he’ll just tank the hit, pick himself up again and it’s back to his same old tricks.
The best portrayal of that was when Caesar was wrestling with Luffy, the Shinokuni slowly turning his hands to white powder, and he screamed, “Kneel before my power!”
Luffy will never kneel to anyone. Now, I’m not sure what those pulses of power were that drove Caesar back (Conqueror’s Haki?) but Luffy’s hit finally landed and, in a perfect moment of symbolism, Caesar’s self-made crown shattered.
He is no longer the tyrannical ruler of Punk Hazard. Caesar’s reign has come to an end.
And I can’t wait to see what happens next, because Doflamingo sent one of his lackeys to help him out. 
The plot chickens.
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Well, you’re gonna kidnap him, so that might be a tough one to get round.
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618: "Raid! An Assassin from Dressrosa!"
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The whole squad catch up at the end of arc wrap party!
Back from the trip, so it’s business as usual again. Will do one episode a post until I get back into the old routine. Will also catch up with all replies this week. The reason I didn’t post yesterday was because I am way too excited about the RE2 remake and watched my first ever Twitch stream. If anyone has any recommendations for good streamers playing the RE2 remake, please pass them on. :)
As for this episode of OP, it follows on from 617 but feels even less like an ending, as Oda is introducing new characters directly and also some new contexts via Caesar’s DDM stream to the brokers. More than ever, Punk Hazard now feels like a prelude of plots to come (this is a good thing because I cannot handle endings).
Plus, I’m sensing another *wild ride* coming up. Haven’t had the joy since Water 7′s Sea Train, so looking forward to that truck busting out of Punk Hazard. :D
Best Captain
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The action picked up where 617 left off. We had a lovely shot of Caesar tanking that massive double punch. But this time, we saw Caesar flying down a rather long tunnel, unconscious and out of sight.
The whole “out of sight” thing would turn out to be... not ideal.
Caesar’s Live-Stream DDM picked up Caesar getting his ass handed to him. The Brokers were disturbed by the turn of events. “What the hell? Is this what they call a public experiment? He kicked Caesar’s ass!” one shouted. Tamago turned to Pekoms and warned that, “Mom should hear about this right away.” 
Another guy in an Abraham Lincoln hat said to a nearby messenger, “Joker is going to take action. Let Jack know about this.” When the messenger said, “Are you sure? It’s not going to be pretty,” he replied, “I think they’ve made an alliance. Let the world know. This is not just an underground problem anymore.”
That one was interesting. I have no idea who Jack is, but he seems a cranky, “head guy” type too. Whoever top hat guy is was important enough to be allowed to deal with plot exposition. (Unless he’s filler, in which case....)  One potential theory: a Jack is a type of card, as is the Joker. Might Jack be connected to Joker? Who knows? Well, you guys do, but that goes without saying.
But the fact the mess on Punk Hazard has been broadcast all over the New World does mean the whole “shaking up the New World” part of Law’s plan was a huge success. Everyone is now after their blood. Love it.
To be honest, I hope Law has a crew to return to after this because I am still wondering where the hell they have been hiding all this time.
At least we know where the other Strawhats are. Usopp played another blinder. He has gone through some major but subtle development this arc. Up in the Secret Room, Usopp took charge of the control panel and communications. He could see the other Strawhats running for cover to the R Building. He spotted Chopper and Mocha first, then Nami and the others. He gave them directions and encouragement. Excellent. 
Not only that, Usopp also is also, if I am not mistaken, about to act as a leader to directionless, crestfallen, used and abused Minions. One guy lamented, “I can’t believe Master was such an awful person. Who will we trust now?”
Usopp. That’s who. The guy who is about to lead you out of the crumbling lab building - though only after he ensures everyone else is on the right track. Not only does Usopp earn major brave points, he also earns leadership points.
I also like how the other Strawhats can act as leaders to other people when Luffy is not around. Nami guided all the kids out. Sanji took charge of the G5 guys. Brook dragged Kinemon out of the gas when the idiot went running in, thinking his spirit would carry him through anything (nope) and Chopper calmed him down and told him what was happening. And Usopp guided them all.
What a guy.
The only two he didn’t help out were Law and Smoker. They already had another plan in the works.
Smoker Has Been Watching Too Much Marie Kondo
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Just when Tashigi was wondering whether Smoker had prevailed in his battle with Vergo, he rocked up to Building R with Law! Three cheers for the existence of “the enemy of my enemy is my (temporary) friend!”
Between them, they dragged a SAD truck, the kind, Law said, that had been used to transport the lucrative substance off Punk Hazard. Law’s plan was to let everyone jump on and they would ride that truck off into the sunset together. Good plan, I thought. Since that building is crumbling faster than an overdunked biscuit, it’s gonna be a wild ride.
When they entered Building R, Luffy was there to greet them. “Tra-guy! Smokey! Didn’t expect you to come from that way!”
Of course, Law is a pragmatist. Concerned about his plan, he glanced round and noticed an important factor was missing. 
“Where’s Caesar?” he asked Luffy.
“I kicked his ass and he got blown that way. How far did he go?”
Law was not pleased. “Our plan was to kidnap him!”
“But I don’t wanna catch that bastard anymore.”
I could hear Law’s internal sigh of despair. “That was the plan whether you like it or not. What are you going to do if he runs?”
“Who cares about that jerk!” Luffy scoffed.
“You think you can just change a plan as you like. I shouldn’t have trusted you. I need to get him.”
At this point, I don’t think Law regretted entering an alliance with the Strawhats. He was maybe regretting trusting Luffy with the whole kidnap part, as it is a delicate operation requiring laying aside morals and grudges for a sneakier purpose. That’s not Luffy’s strong point. He is a straightforward, loyal and faithful kind of guy.
That’s why when Nami looked back and asked Luffy if he thought Chopper, Usopp and Brook were alright, Luffy stared straight ahead and said, determinedly, “I’m sure they’ll get here.”
Meanwhile, outside the lab a couple of others had managed to get there too.
Well, they got close.
Two New Challengers Enter!
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Baby 5 and Buffalo were back, sent by Doflamingo to retrieve Caesar. Baby was still mad about the whole fiance situation. Apparently, Doflamingo killed her “sweet fiance” by burning down an entire town. The weirdly hilarious thing? He has done this eight times.
Reminds me of that line from Chicago: “he ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times.”
But did this guy have it coming?
Yeah....... he kinda did. 
Buffalo (who must have eaten a DF because he is a freaking plane right now) said that Doflamingo did it because he loves Baby like a sister, so he doesn’t begrudge destroying an entire town. Why is Doflamingo like this? Turns out Baby has a hard time saying no to guys she thinks “need her”. She lends too much money and has major 98 million debt. The last guy who proposed to her was majorly skeezy and only after Baby for what he could get out of her. So Doflamingo must have taken him out, just like the others.
That was interesting because, in a very weird, brutal way, Doflamingo is looking out for his useful crew members. You guys have mentioned that Doflamingo was inspired cartels or the mafia. Now I can see it. There’s the “young Master” term they all use to address him, the older people working for him, and now he loves Baby “like a sister.” 
But still, this guy is a villain, so it’ll be a business type family. If you cross him, there’s no way he’d let you away with it. I expect Law knows this and that’s why he was so careful.
While flying over Punk Hazard, they noticed right away that the Shinokuni gas was a problem. Buffalo used a “typhoon-like power” to blow away some of the clouds. This revealed a SAD tanker docked at port. Since they were travelling when Luffy kicked Caesar’s ass on TV, they didn’t know what had happened. They decided to wait until Caesar, Monet and Vergo escaped.
Then there was a loud whoosh, a flash, and a sparkling KABOOM as Caesar tore through the air and slammed into the tanker.
An unorthodox entry, but I liked it. Maybe knock a point off for grace and finesse, but the speed was impressive.
As soon as I saw Caesar sprawled on the dock, I facepalmed. “Luffy,” I thought, “you have just handed them Caesar!”
And that is exactly what Doflamingo thought too.
Buffalo checked in with the boss and was given a new set of orders.
“Joker! This is Buffalo from Punk Hazard. We’ve just arrived but Master Caesar was blown out of the building, injured.”
Doflamingo was shocked, but only for a split second. The guy recovers quickly from setbacks. “Recover Caesar immediately and come back to Dressrosa.”
“Okay,” Buffalo answered. “We’ll recover Caesar. What about Monet and Vergo?”
I didn’t hear Doflamingo’s answer, but Baby said, “There must be a reason. Do as he says.”
I’m guessing Doflamingo has cut Vergo and Monet loose. They are on their own now. Damn, this guy is ruthless. Even Vergo, who served him so faithfully for decades is not immune. The message here is: if you are no longer useful, you are done.
Luckily for Caesar, he’s one of the most useful guys in the OPverse, as Doflamingo himself admitted in a private, villainous monologue.
“Hey, Squirts. Luck is on *my* side. As long as I have Caesar in my custody, he can create SAD for me.”
And this was why Law was so irritated that Luffy had let Caesar out of his sight.
This could go one of two ways. Caesar will slip away from the Strawhat/Heart Pirates alliance and they will be forced to storm Dressrosa to retrieve him. Or the certain robotic someone who has just shrieked back into the plot will save their asses and help them kidnap Caesar. Then Doflamingo will go after them directly.
This is getting good! :D
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Franky is back: freshly waxed and ready to fire.
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611-612: "A Small Dragon! Momonosuke Appears!" and "A Deadly Fight in a Blizzard! the Straw Hats vs. the Snow Woman!"
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Caesar’s Minion: “Wait... Didn’t Vegapunk leave a man made Devil Fruit here.”
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Felt the pace across this pair of episodes was a bit slower. Not a problem, though, because all the loose ends must be tied up. To to this, all plot threads must be lovingly prepared and set in place before the final, arc-ending knot is tied.
So far, Oda’s been great at that, so I’m not worried. Even if some threads are left loose, they’ll just be woven into a future plot because he planned it that way. At least Momonosuke, the last outstanding plot point, has finally wound his way onto the stage. All that remains are those elusive sea prism stone cuffs.
But there was one Huge Reveal here...
MAN MADE DEVIL FRUITS.
THEY ARE A THING.
WTF?
Your Dad Talked Through His Farts
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I loved this weird little meeting between Luffy and Momonosuke.
Luffy worked on his past experience with talking dragons on Punk Hazard. First, he thought  Momonosuke would be edible (nooooooooo!) Then, he figured the child’s voice was coming from someone who was stuck on the dragon’s body and maybe Momonosuke was talking with his farts.
“How rude!”  Momonosuke seethed. These samurai are very proper people, Luffy. Gotta show some class around them, I guess.
Then little  Momonosuke’s tummy rumbled and Luffy realised the dragon kid was starving. That was sad. Instant empathy for dragon child right there.
But Momonosuke was a samurai child. They did not get hungry after only ten days of fasting. (Only ten.)  He asked who Luffy was and why he was there. When Luffy introduced himself, Momonosuke didn’t think he could be a pirate, as pirates were “all big, heavyweight men. More violent and strong-looking.”
I guess he is from an isolated island and has never seen Buggy the Clown and Galdino: the Dream Team.
Once they talked a bit more, Momonosuke said he wanted to get out of the garbage dump to help save the kids trapped in the labs. Why? He overheard Caesar saying something shocking.
On the kidnap ship bound for Punk Hazard, the other kids tried to make friends with shadowy Momonosuke. But he was a samurai type and didn’t appreciate their attempts to “give alms”. Crucially, this meant Momonosuke did not take any of the candy Caesar and Monet offered. (Nice one, Momonosuke.) In fact, he escaped and wandered the lab corridors, looking for an exit, because he had something he needed to do in his home land.
He happened to wander into the Secret Room (that everyone knows about, lol). Starving, he spotted a suspicious looking fruit in a glass cabinet. He took one look at it, smashed the glass and scoffed the fruit.
I knew it was a Devil Fruit. It was purple and had those spots on it. But I was not prepared for what Caesar’s minions would reveal.  It was a Man Made Devi Fruit constructed by none other than Vegapunk himself! The minions heard it was a failure. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, as Momonosuke morphed into a dragon, freaked out and scarpered. Maybe like Caesar’s drug, the man made DFs only work on kids? Or Caesar was lying about the fruit being a failure (seems more likely, knowing Caesar).
But... this is huge.
Man made Devil Fruits. This could turn the whole power structure of the OPverse upside down. Rich pirates could demand and receive whatever power they want. Hell, the WG could have whatever power they wanted at their disposal.
I imagine a man made Devil Fruit could go pretty wrong too. Maybe some wicked side-effects.
Caesar has some world-shattering stuff in that lab. Now I get why he has such a great booze collection. He’s probably swimming in cash from Doflamingo, who is the one who’s managed to secure his services.
And now I know what you guys were talking about when you said to look at the texture of the fruits.  Momonosuke’s man made fruit was SMOOTH. The true Devil Fruit, the one Smiley had eaten, was swirly and textured.
Luffy listened to Momonosuke’s fruit tale and was like, “You’re a Zoan type. Why don’t you just change back?”
Momonosuke didn’t know he could do that. (Maybe he can’t with the man made type?) Still, it wasn’t a priority. He had to get out to tell the other kids what he’d heard.
Caesar Makes People So Angry They Morph Into Popeye
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As Momonosuke was skulking about in his new dragon form, he walked past an open door and heart Caesar and Monet talking. 
“We have another group of obedient kids. The others are growing bigger without problem. But after all, this is an experiment to see the limitations of drug dosing. I don’t think they can take it that long. I assume they’ll all be dead in five years.”
“So we’ll need more kids?” Monet asked.
“Well, experiments come with failures. It’s a necessary sacrifice. Those stupid kids can help the world’s greatest scientist and do good for the world. Even if it’s a short life, they have to be happy with it.”
Holy. Moly.
Those poor kids. It’s lucky Chopper and Nami met them when they did. Hopefully, Chopper will help them get off the drugs and they’ll be well enough to go home. I wonder about the giant kids, though. Will they be giant all their lives? Probably.
Flash forward again and Momonosuke finished his tale. All he wanted to do was save the other kids. He thought Caesar was a doctor but he was a bad man who would let kids die. Momonosuke was on his way to save the kids but fell into the trash heap. It would be a disgrace to his honour as a warrior to not help them.
Luffy’s eyes were shaded. You know when that happens, he is maaaaaaaad.
He decided to climb out of the garbage dump and take Momonosuke with him.
Luckily, he didn’t have to climb anything. Momonosuke had a weird, triggering moment when Luffy said, “Stay with me...” which unleashed a Goku/Monkey style golden cloud power. (Everyone knows from DB and Monkey that you can walk on golden clouds. “Born from an egg on a mountain top. Funkiest Monkey that ever rocked. If you’ve never watched that show, hook yourself up with an episode. It’s hilarious.)
The luck, alas, did not last. Momonosuke came to his senses and they fell back down into the heap. At least Luffy is stretchy, right?
BREAKING NEWS: Caesar Sets Morality Bar Even Lower!
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Meanwhile, Caesar had kicked back in his lab, waiting for the bottleneck gas chamber carnage to unfold. Little Mocha was tearing away from the other kids, who wanted to attack her for the candy.
Naturally, she was distraught. The people she had thought were so nice: Caesar and Monet, turned out to be the worst pieces of actual shit ever.
The flashback of Caesar from Mocha’s point of view actually made my jaw drop.
Every time I think, surely Caesar can’t sink any lower? No, it’s not possible.
In true scientist fashion, Caesar continues to push the boundaries of possibility.
Mocha was one of the first kids to be transported to Punk Hazard, including the blonde kid who’s name I forgot. (Sorry, blonde kid.)
Caesar came to meet them personally when they arrived. He ramped up the charm and faux-concern, of course. “I’m glad that you made it! Good to see you. My name is Caesar Clown. Call me Master. (First red flag right there, imo.) You two are a part of my first generation of patients. I’m looking forward to working with you.” Brief interruption for a hug. I cannot believe he even hugged those kids. He is such a SNAAKE. xD  “I bet you were scared and worried when you heard you were sick out of the blue. But everything is okay now. You don’t have to worry about anything. I will treat you at any cost!” (Technically true but, kids, you will not like the treatment.)
Then he dropped the bomb that actually made me gasp.
“To tell you the truth, I lost my only son to this disease. I never want to see another child suffer from it. I don’t want to see another parent lost their child and have to grieve like me! Oh... Oh, I’m sorry. How embarrassing. I shouldn’t cry in front of you.”
I just... 
I can’t even.
I mean, Caesar is a great villain and all, but damn, Oda,  that is low.
The morality bar has not only been lowered. It is buckling under the sheer weight of Caesar’s evilness and will snap at any moment.
Why Has Zoro Not Yet Kicked Ass and Taken Names?
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Monet pretty much said what I’m thinking right now. She wasn’t sure she could beat Zoro: a swordsman who uses Armament Haki trained by Dracule Mihawk himself. But for some reason, Zoro hasn’t made a move. All he’s done is parry and protect the other Strawhats.
Then again, it is a dangerous environment with a lot of friendly fire concerns. 
The Biscuit Room has devolved into a freaking riot. There are crack-candy addicted kids charging about. Mocha, the one kid who is off the candy, is an ally, so they need to be extra careful around her. Sure, they’re not in the Biscuit Room any longer, but collateral from the fight could take them out. Sanji and his G5 army of fans have appeared. Nami, Robin and Chopper are still around and have been sealed in the room by Monet’s ice wall. 
Plus, Monet is no slouch. She has some blade skills and a good logia fruit to boot.
Nami could be an asset in this fight. The Heat Egg attack has been the only one that’s really put the hurt on Monet so far. (Zoro, use that haki please.) If Nami could power up a strong heat attack, she could take out Monet.
I loved it when Monet was monologuing, debating with Chopper about her being responsible for the kids. Who planted that rebellious spirit in Mocha’s mind? Then Zoro mercilessly cut her short. He does not respect villain speeches. xD
Monet called out the Strawhats for acting like pirates. “Every day we treat the children nicely and allow them to live in great comfort. What you people are trying to do is take away these treasures from us foster parents. You people are like pirates.”
Laying aside the awful issue of gaslighting children,  experimenting on them and claiming you are anything like a foster parent (that could be an entire post in itself), Zoro’s reply was ice cold and straight to the point.
“So you have no problem with it, right?”
There’s the awesome main-character grey morality again. I really do love that about One Piece. Zoro is like Luffy in that regard. The Strawhats are pirates. They will “kidnap” kids if they have to. Though this time, the Strawhats are on the right side of the moral divide. They’re counter-kidnapping the kids to return them to their parents.
But Zoro had better hurry up and make that move against Monet if he wants it to happen any time soon.
The G5′s Grand Entrance
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And I totally was not expecting a comedy gold moment to interrupt a boss battle.
Just as things were getting serious, Zoro heard the sound of Sanji’s voice in the distance. Obviously, this turned Zoro’s head and he was greeted with the sight of Sanji leading a charge of G5 soldiers.
“WHY ARE YOU LEADING THEM?” Zoro yelled.
“Oh, there’s Zoro!” Sanji shouted. “Alright guys, stick out your lower lip and make fun of him.” xD
But Zoro knows Sanji inside out, so he said, “Oi, Nami and Robin went that way.”
Unfortunately, Monet, the feathered siren, proved a distraction. Monet’s flirtatiousness is a big part of her character (she flirted with Law and Luffy for fun). It must be pretty lonely being stuck in Punk Hazard with Caesar, so it made sense that she enjoyed the attention for half a second before getting back to business.
She burned through a couple of fodders with her Ice Form (freezing and biting a chunk out of one’s shoulder was savage).
Then Tashigi made *her* grand entrance.
And she can use haki.
That was a revelation.
She has always been several steps behind Zoro. Teaming up with him to take down a villain might boost her confidence. I sure hope so, anyway.
Meanwhile...
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Usopp, Foxfire and Brook (or should I say “Corpse-dono”) are still charging about, hunting for sea prism stone cuffs. Shinokuni gas is now following them, so they’ll be caught up in Caesar’s bottleneck gas chamber plan.
I’m guessing that’s where they’ll find the cuffs. If Tashigi and the G5 also end up there, Usopp could pilfer or borrow some cuffs from her. I’m just assuming captain-level Marines carry cuffs on them here. The fact Usopp willingly initiated a “let’s split up” plan and offered to work alone was pretty brave of him. Usopp definitely has got stronger and more confident in his abilities.
Must also say there was some really nice art in the Smoker vs Vergo short update in episode 611. Not an artist myself, so I don’t tend to notice or be very good at critiquing these sorts of things. But even I noticed the quality this time. Good job, whichever team worked on it. :)
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There goes the morality bar again, slip slidin’ right into hell...
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