One Piece 718 – Sucks to be You, Boohoo!

“It’s a pinch alright” – Trafalgar Law has certainly found himself in a tight spot and nothing seems to be working out for him at all! It’s a real shame that we’re not privy to the unraveling of this three-way showdown – much of the ongoing affray has occurred behind the scenes, and the bits and pieces that we’re shown thus far don’t quite do the full picture justice. For starters, Admiral Fujitora has apparently taken a backseat and we have no idea what has become of him in the midst of this epic clash – what we do know for certain though is that the Surgeon of Death is no match for Doflamingo in a physical scuffle and the Joker has proven once again that he’s one step above everyone else. If Doflamingo can deceive the world, playing a bunch of rookies for fools should be a piece of cake, no matter how “super” they are – Luffy has unfortunately fallen into Doflamingo’s trap and the coliseum match is indeed nothing more than a setup, an artifice designed to foil Law’s plan. The Straw Hat-Law Alliance has the worst of both worlds – on one hand, Luffy has himself locked up in an endless death match and on the other, Law is seemingly asking for the impossible. As things stand, the Thousand Sunny is in no shape to set sail and Nami & Co. has quite a handful to deal with already! I don’t think all of this marks a complete impasse just yet, but it remains to be seen how they’ll dig themselves out of this bottomless pit – Doflamingo is truly a dreadful opponent and his defeat, which is in the cards for sure, is not going to come easy!

Speaking of Doflamingo, the Heavenly Yaksha is man of mysteries through and through and his enigmatic origin continues to fascinate me to no end. His seeming ties with the Tenyruubito was just hinted at not too long ago and as it turns out, the bombshell doesn’t stop there – the flamboyant Shichibukai also shares quite a history with the Dwarf at Tontatta Kingdom, an elaborate conflict that dates back to 900 years ago! There are definitely more questions than answers – whether it’s his actual age, his Devil Fruit ability or his connection to Kaidou, the head honcho of the Donquixote family is proving to be a tough nut to crack! A closed book and a mind-boggler, he may be – what’s not in doubt is also the fact that Doflamingo has made plenty of enemies,  from the Dwarf, Trafalgar Law, the Straw Hats, right down to the Living Toys on Dressrosa. An unlikely alliance between the aforementioned parties is slowly but surely coming together, and I’m eager to see what lies ahead for this imminent war. The Dwarves are, needless to say, turning out to be a rather intriguing bunch – Leo is not the only Devil Fruit user that they have in their arsenal and as is often the case, everything about its world-building, the minutiae and the attention to detail, have been nothing less than impressive! Then there’s Luffy and the coliseum match that is quickly entering its final stage. I’m not sure how wise it was for him to unleash his Devil Fruit power in front of such a huge audience – but it sure as hell did pack quite a punch!  A combination of Gear Second and the Busoshoku Haki, the Gomu Gomu no Hawk Rifle was powerful enough to deal Don Chinjao a severe blow – it’s not entirely clear if his victory has been sealed just yet, but Lucy does have the upper hand at this juncture, a silver lining in an otherwise bleak outlook for the good guys!

Random tidbits:

• “I need to get something off my chest” – It’s a great day to be a Dwarf! Can you blame the old guy? Robin’s mune looks so comfy.
• “It’s like we’re royalty!” – The honorable Queen of Hotness, Nico Robin sama, I bow to your unrivaled charm and elegance.
• It’s a bug’s life in Tontatta Kingdom – Please let there be a Mushi Mushi no Mi, Model Kumo (Spider), One Piece is in need of its very own Spiderman!
• “Sugar”? I wonder who might that be – A Donquixote Pirate, I presumed?
• The Champion, Jesus Burgess, makes an appearance! I can’t wait to see what kind of carnage he brings to the table.
• “I have to get back to the Sunny quick!” – Zoro no Bakaaa… He has completely forgotten about Nami & Co.! This is precisely why Sanji would make a superior boyfriend.
• “Little People?” – Derp face, take one! Derp face, take two! I think I like Franky’s better.
• “Who are you calling a super model?” – The Ato Ato no Mi sure is a pain in the ass! Surprisingly enough, Nami & Co. are faring pretty well, they’ve even managed to destroy Jora’s ship!

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – #OnePiece 718: “Sucks to be you” – The Joker has proven once again he’s one step above everyone else #Manga