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…Sabo that is. And with that, all my speculations that he was going to die have mostly disappeared. Well, I guess he could still die in the coming chapters, but that’s being a little gloomy. However, if Sabo is still alive and out there to appear in an upcoming arc, he would make an interesting entrance indeed. If he is alive, it’d be funny that Ace and Luffy have never mentioned him in the story so far. Of course, it may just be convenient that Oda didn’t want to reveal him until now, so could you call it clever storytelling? Whereas on the other side of the argument, Oda could have inserted any new character into a flashback just like Sabo and pretend it was all just as planned. It’s not a big deal, but I like to analyze Oda’s skills in storytelling for self interest.
In other news, Ivankov was indeed the other masked figure from the previous chapter, but Dragon’s words this chapter got me thinking again. Is Dragon really a good guy? He wants to change the world, but those types of characters usually have something wrong with them, or some underlying evil intent, or just ignorant. If we’re going for realistic here, “changing” the world isn’t really a simple concept to just go and create, but more belonging in a fantasy story’s ideal ending of some sorts. It’s just something to ponder, but we won’t know until Dragon explains his plans intricately.
Ace also showed off some of his character here, what with his Marty McFly attitude that once provoked, will never back down. Of course, it’s this attitude that let him be captured and eventually killed. Funnily enough, McFly also ruined his future because of this attitude and is what made the plot of the second Back to the Future movie. Ace also showed off his Haki here, presumably being the first time he’s done so, but he wasn’t so shocked when it happened and took it in stride (so it’s possible he’s done it before?). And hey, Dadan’s not such a bad person after all, nor her entire group as they really did save them and take care of them. I’m guessing the next chapter will show why Ace wanted Luffy to apologize to Dadan as he uttered his last words.
Another random thought that popped up while reading, but I noticed all the nobles were drawn extremely ugly looking. Simple reason would be that that makes them easier to hate on, but what if they were drawn attractively? Or even normally? I wonder what kind of effect that would have on the feel of the arc and their actions. Perhaps having them being more attractive would make their actions even more evil, as ugly is usually assigned to stupid, which would dumb down their actions and threats more than they actually are.
“Another random thought that popped up while reading, but I noticed all the nobles were drawn extremely ugly looking.”
generations of incest, my friend.
lol… i wonder when this flashback going to end.
I would say 2 to 3 chapters tops.
its gonna pass 3 chapter i’m sure. i mean they havent even introduce tenryubito guys yet…
Sabo, just as keikaku.
(Oda’s note, keikaku means I-did-not-just-make-shit-up-on-the-spot)
i swear they showed kuma in one of the shots on dragons ship
Yup its kuma
I hope this means that the flashback chapters are over.
I appreciate the info on Luffy’s past but I’m more concerned about his present situation.I think Oda could have done mini-arcs about the flashback arc, like he did with the crew after splitting up.It would definitely have a lesser impact story wise, but he could fill in the blanks later on when we actually see this Sabo(assuming he’s THAT important to the story).
The fact that this flashback is even this long goes to show that Oda really believes this arc is important. I feel it’s important in closing up Ace’s death as well as showing a new character, Sabo, whom probably represents the New World.
Did no one else notice that a Kuma looking figure is on Dragon’s boat? Because that could explain both Ivan’s connection with him and why he sent Luffy’s crew to better their skills.
Wow, I did not notice that, but that’s most likely the original Kuma yeah.. especially since he has the ears on his hood and all.
I wonder why that wasn’t made a big deal even though it seems like a huge development.
True, but maybe it’s one of those small things that you just notice and go “OH SNAP” for. But who knows, he might be “introduced” next chapter with some more prominence.
I don’t think he’ll be introduced in the flashback. Seems like all that’s left for it is to find out what happened to Dadan, Ace & Luffy and probably see the tenryuubito
definitely was a “oh snap!” moment for me, but it was more of a “oh snap, i guessed right” moment. kinda figured he was hanging with dragon and ivan.
totally didnt notice that. that just shows im a horrible manga reader… i tend to not look at the background carefully
Look at Sabo’s flag, then look at Ace’s tattoo (the one in his arm): ASCE
The points of the cross over the S are rounded
BTW, if I remember correctly, Ace wasn’t mentioned either until he showed up, so Sabo might appear in the future (if he doesn’t get killed in the next chapter)
Holy hell, if the crossed out S is actually a tribute to Sabo’s pirate flag, my mind will be blown so hard… (since of course, we all thought it was a tattoo’s mistake, which I always thought was kinda dumb 😛)
Meh… I feel like Sabo’s death is still likely given that anything can happen to him at this point. Will he be successful in escaping the nobles? Who knows :X
Also we got to see some more of Dragon’s strange powers (when the flames dissapeared along a path towards the ship.
This is one of the important flashbacks in One Piece and i hear people keep on complain that they want it too end lol can you really not see that this is not an arc just about Ace and think that now that he is dead this chapters have no importance at all. After all this arc the revolutionaries, the nobles, Sabo ….this arc is so important for what will happen next in the current timeline and it contains many revelations.
the asce tattoo-sabo flag connection and kuma’s shadow on the ship..
crap, my eyes aren’t that sharp anymore.. glad people here are quick to observe.
if that’s true then Oda had planned a big role for Sabo from the start (well atleast from the moment Ace appeared). I don’t wanna think Sabo will die anymore.. that’s just too tragic for Luffy to loose two brothers T_T
Ah, the chnages for Sabos death are now much higher. Does no one noticed that Sabo sailed out on the same time the Tenryu..nobles come. We saw what happens with ppl who just walk in there presence. They probably shoot or capture him atleast.
To bad, i still hope he survives.
I don’t think that the tattoo means anything and I think that everyone is over-analyzing it. What’s the point of putting a crossed out S right after the A? Why not after the C or the E? If the tattoo really had something to do with their brotherhood, I think Ace would have at least included Luffy. I think he just wanted to have his name tattooed on his arm to look cool but had poor literacy skills and realized his spelling mistake halfway through. If the S really has anything to do with the tattoo, I think Oda just happened to notice the S and decided to use it as a plot device. If Oda really had the concept of Sabo from the moment Ace appeared, I believe they would at least mention him once. The only time Sabo is mentioned outside the flashback is during the war when Ace was dying and that was pretty much right before the flashback.
How often have you guys heard Luffy talk about the past? Once when talking about Garp throwing him into jungles? Has there been any other occasion? Why are you expecting Luffy to have spoken of Sabo when Luffy doesn’t dwell in the past, he cares only about the present and becoming the pirate king.
That said, I’m betting Sabo dies still. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tenryuubito do it. This could be a subconscious effect on Luffy punching the shit out of the first one he met on Sabaody.
Luffy himself does not need to talk about Sabo. There are many ways to reference back to a character or a concept with defining it on the dot. Examples are Haki and the character Dadan. The characters never really talked about Dadan but they still referenced her. Before the flashback, you almost know nothing about her except for the fact Dadan is acquainted with Luffy, Ace, Garp and the village elder. It shows that Oda has thought this through so that when he finally shows the flashback, there isn’t some conveniently random character that happened to take care of Luffy and company. Same thing with Haki. Haki didn’t just conveniently appear when a character needed a power up. It is something that was always there and is always referenced but never defined which makes it much more believable when the time comes to define Haki. From these two examples, I get the feeling that Oda likes doing this. He likes giving little hints at concepts or people throughout the story so that the person or concept seems more real and not just convenient. Since Oda didn’t sprinkle his name here or there, it seems like he did not have the concept of Sabo as early as the introduction of Ace.
I hope Sabo lives, I would really like to see grown up Sabo.
I’m going to go out on a limb here, and assume Sabo is Law.
Why? For fun.
Sabo’s death flag was just officially triggered. I mean… he talks about how perfect of a day it is to sail just as he’s about to cross paths with the Tenryubito. Sabo is going to get off’d by them in a way that will allow Ace see it first-hand.
Oh… and 90% of the people in One Piece are ugly as sin, so I think you’re looking into that part a bit too much Kiiragi.
Seriously, people are still complaining about the flashback? There’s no way I’m gonna read anything you guys write, then. If these people in charge of One Piece, we could get away with just saying ROBIN HAD A HARD LIFE AND SHE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF THE BUSTER CALL because really, it’s all stuff we knew already, right?
I mean damn, here’s another: NAMI HAD A HARD LIFE AND NOW MAKES MAPS FOR FISHMEN BUT DOESN’T WANNA. Whoa, I’ve stumbled upon a whole new storytelling technique! It’s all stuff we already knew, so to hell with detail.
Y’know what, let’s do one more involving Berserk’s flashback, since that one goes on for like twelve volumes and that’s way too long for these people.
Show Spoiler ▼
That tells the story so much better than the author did, seriously, I mean it trims out so much of the fat.