One Piece Vol 18

[sara_tanaquil]

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.

Comments

[mangaroo]

And if you're thinking that a bandage around the arm is kind of a weak test... keep reading.

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.

[sara_tanaquil]

Oops, sorry about the spoiler. *^_^* I wouldn't have said anything, but you seemed so confused by Zoro's "strategy." I will try to be more careful and not drop hints in future.

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.