One Piece Vol 18
The Alabasta arc kicks into high gear.
This volume, I can't even. So much going on. So emotionally powerful, although sometimes it's the sort that creeps up on you and kicks you in the stomach only with hindsight.
( VOLUME 18 )
This volume, I can't even. So much going on. So emotionally powerful, although sometimes it's the sort that creeps up on you and kicks you in the stomach only with hindsight.
( VOLUME 18 )
aren't Nami's and Vivi's faces a little too much alike
They really are very similar (though, if you look closely, they tend to have rather different facial expressions -- Vivi's is younger, more open). I use hairstyle to tell the difference if there is any real ambiguity in the scene.
I just want to squeeze Chopper.
Chopper is LOVE! (Hence Chopper x World OTP, because how could anyone resist Chopper?)
And I extra-specially love that he is not only cute overload personified, but a fully developed character in his own right, with flaws, fears, aspirations, etc. It's not his fault everyone thinks he is the Strawhats' pet. (I am *living* for the day the government figures out just how badly they've been underestimating Chopper all this time.)
But…how? What am I missing?
On a basic level, because they know Mr. 2's face and his ability but Mr. 2 doesn't know theirs (yet), they have the advantage of being able to plan ahead and guard against his future attacks. More specifically, it enables them to devise a password test (a sort of nakama shibboleth). And if you're thinking that a bandage around the arm is kind of a weak test... keep reading.
As for Sanji adopting the same badge as the others -- presumably Mr. 2 might have the opportunity to add his likeness at some point in the future, so it makes sense to take precautions. More importantly, the mark of the nakama is a symbol of their fellowship, so all of them take it whether it's strictly necessary or not. I really doubt Mr. 2 is likely to be pretending to be Karoo any time soon.
ASCE?
I'll just be over here in the corner BAWLING.
(Yes, there is an explanation. No, you won't find out what it is for a VERY long time.)
I assumed it's because he was an element, too. Is there something else going on?
The fact that they both have "elemental" devil fruits is part of it, but not the whole explanation. There is another factor in play (at least, I'm pretty sure there is -- I'm only hedging because I can't recall if it is ever made explicit that both Ace and Smoker spoiler spoiler spoiler, or if it's simply something that can reasonably be inferred).
Good manners are so important.
Oh great, now I'm crying again. T_T (The reason is another spoiler.)
WTF? The translation doesn't say that. I hate you, Viz.
Viz' translation is just a little more elliptical than it should be. The original Japanese, literally translated, was:
Sanji: "But, that two brothers would both have eaten a devil fruit..."
Luffy: "Yeah, I was surprised too, haha!"
Usopp: "Huh?"
Luffy: "Back then, he hadn't eaten anything. But even so, I was never once able to beat him. He's strong, that Ace!"
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Your new nickname is spoiler-girl. I always feel bad for chiding you and weekday about this, but hints are usually as good as a full-on reveal. Now I know [this.]there's something under the bandage, like a tattoo or scar, though it seems odd Vivi and Karoo would make a permanent mark. Oda went to all the trouble of trying to convince me it was just the armbands by having everyone repeat "tie it on tightly." Apologize to Oda-sensei!
both Ace and Smoker spoiler spoiler spoiler
[fujoshi reveal]love each other madly?
Viz' translation is just a little more elliptical than it should be.
You're being very generous. I don't have the book with me today, but as I recall, what Luffy said was something like "I was surprised, too! [pause for panel change] Even before he ate the fruit, I could never beat him." There is just no hint that fireAce happened only in the last 3 years. So thank you for noting this particular interaction in your recap, because I think that's kind of important to know, even though Luffy doesn't seem to lend the discovery much significance. Maybe Ace wrote home? "Dear Luffy, Hope you are well. Please stay out of taverns, since you're only 13. By the way, I ate a flame-flame fruit. Ignore the singe marks on the envelope. Your loving brother, Ace."
Random note: In Luffy's childhood flashback, I was under the impression that pirates would be the LAST people to choose to eat a devil fruit, because of the anchor affect. But as the series progresses, it seems like MOSTLY pirates eat them.
Also, thank you for your choice of icon, because I was wondering what Ace's less swastika-like mark of Whitebeard would be. I feel kinda bad for Oda (and, y'know, Buddhism) that all I can see is the Nazi symbol when I assume he's trying to leverage the symbol to say something positive about Whitebeard.
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LOL Ace's "letter home." I would love to read a volume of One Piece Letters from the Front, but oddly, there seems to be little or no evidence of communication by mail. (We see newspapers, but no mail delivery; people often seem to be catching up with what their loved ones are doing solely by reading the newspaper.)
I suspect mostly pirates end up eating devil fruits because they are rare and sought-after, and usually only found at sea (in fact, although we haven't been told this, I get the impression they mainly turn up only on the Grand Line). They tend to get eaten before they can ever fall into the hands of civilians.
Despite the hammer effect (btw, the Japanese word is "kanazuchi" (hammer) rather than anchor per se -- I guess it was translated "anchor" because that's the closest English idiom), there are just enough pirates who want the power the fruit typically confers that they're willing to take the consequences.
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ASCE?
I'll just be over here in the corner BAWLING.
So...I just wanted to thank you for calling this to my attention. I didn't notice it the first time around, but after seeing this comment I was paying more attention during this re-read and...jeez. brb, crying FOREVER
(I even noticed, the first time, that in the cover picture that shows the three of them as they would be in present if they'd all survived, that the tattoo was just "ACE," but I never stopped to think about why. I guess I figured Sabo was with him when he got it and knew how to spell or something, lol.)
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When I first met Ace, when I was watching the anime with gnine, I asked her if the X in the tattoo meant something, and she said yes. So I was looking out for it, but even so, I think I needed someone to point out the signficance of the cover arc image for me -- something on the wiki, or a forum post, or something. T_T
ODA YOU BASTARD
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I'd need to go look again, but I think the tattoo is long enough that you'd be able to see it on Ace's arm even with a T-shirt on, so he would have had to have gotten it later. (Even for One Piece, a 10 year old getting a tattoo seems pretty precocious.)
The other question in my mind is: Ace seems to have spelled his name "Ase" before Sabo's death (unless he really did misspell it in his どくりつする note), so...did he change it to tie in with the tattoo?
[Spoiler (click to open)]
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