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#what truly sends me is that it's not like zoro's reactions are bigger than the others but oda always starts from him???
franeridan · 8 months
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it could be because I've been obsessed with zolu for over half of my life but every time I reread op I'm always like I'm gonna focus on all zoro and luffy's relationships, not just the zoro-and-luffy one! and then I start rereading !!! and I'm !!! right back !!! on my zolu bullshit !!!!!!
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vinsmokewife · 6 months
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who is this person - chapter four
On a quest to find love on a dating website, Sanji falls head over heels for a woman with an interest in...alternative relationships that sends him down a rabbit hole of completing tasks for a seemingly sadistic mistress. But what happens when she turns out to be more than what she seems? or Zoro pretends to be a female on the internet to talk to Sanji and bad things happen.
Darkfic with themes of internalised homophobia, bad bdsm practices and lying about your identity to strangers on the internet. Please read with caution. This is NOT how BSDM should be practiced. Always practice Sane, Safe and Consensual practicesboarders on being considered dead dove do not eat material
read on ao3
authors note; I'm sorry again this took a while to update. I'm hoping that when kinktober is over, I can focus more on here. Good news is I have mostly planned out every chapter, so I just need to write it. But yeah, should see more updates in November when I'm not writing kinktober drabbles. Anyway, as you know it gets smutty from here on out and zoro and Sanji both suck so hold onto your hats <3 
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LOGGING ON: S POV 
Sanji’s hands were shaking after he sent the video. 
Never in his life had he ever sent something so...erotic in his life. He had never even sent a picture of his dick to anyone before; let alone a whole video where he’s jerking off. It was...wow. It was something else entirely. Sanji was currently sitting on his bed watching the app that they were chatting on. He knew that she had seen it as the app showed that with a little check mark. He knew she was watching and now he had to await her reaction. 
He felt...strange after that but it wasn’t a bad kind of strange. He just felt...odd. It wasn’t something he had experienced before, and he was thinking about it too much. He was thinking too much into this. He had to relax and just be patient.  
So currently, he was sitting in bed with longue pants back on and then a cigarette in one hand while his phone was in the other. He was scrolling through social media while eagerly waiting for the sound of the app to go off and... there it went. 
Z: What a good boy you are. 
Z: Thank you for following your first command. 
Z: I am so lucky to have such a good boy. 
And now his head was going a little fuzzy after being called a good boy. He couldn’t stop the flush that was on his cheeks. She...her calling him a good boy had a bigger effect on him than he thought. All the weird feelings that he had suddenly seemed to decreased. He didn’t feel as weird about it anymore if she enjoyed it. 
S: Hah. Thank you <3 
S: I’ve never done something like that. I am glad you enjoyed. 
He shot back quickly. His emotions still felt all over the place. Not in a bad way now but he felt very.... giddy. Like kicking your feet and twirling your hair kind of giddy. God, it had been a while since he had felt that way about anyone. Not even Nami and Robin, who he adored with all of his heart made him feel this way. 
Z: Oh, you are a natural!  
Z: I’m going to let you take the rest of the night off. But I will be back with you tomorrow to talk about rules and a second command. We can also discuss things that might be fun to try. 
Z: For now, I’m sending you to bed. I need to assure you get a good night's sleep. 
How thoughtful! Oh, wasn’t she just absolutely perfect. Adventurous, dominating and was concerned about his health. Oh, Sanji felt like he was on cloud 9 with this girl. Well and truly in the honeymoon stage but he played it cool with her and shot an answer back.  
S: Of course. 
S: I hope you sleep well. 
S: Wait, what do you want me to call you? 
S: In these types of relationships, don’t they have names? 
Z: Oh yes.  
Z: I like being called master.  
Z: I know it’s not very feminine, but I prefer it to mistress. 
She was right. It wasn’t very feminine which Sanji noticed but he didn’t pay any mind to it. After all, that would suit him fine. She was in charge after all. 
S: Master is fine. 
S: I... don’t know what you want to call me. I don’t really have a preference. 
Z: Hmmm.  
Z: Let me sleep on it.  
Z: Now you! Go to bed. Or else I’ll punish you. 
Sanji couldn’t help but laugh out at that. Oh, how he laughed. In fact, his face was hurting from smiling. Oh, how could one person be so perfect and make him so happy already. He barely knew her and yet he was having so much fun with her. He was looking forward to seeing what kind of things she could come up with for him tomorrow. 
All he knew now was that his dating life was not going to be boring. Not when he had her around. 
S: Okay sorry! 
S: Goodnight, master <3 
Sanji is now offline.  
Sanji felt his head reach the pillow of his head as he looked up to the celling. Sanji had never had a relationship with the intensity that this one had. He didn’t know how he could match to how knowledgeable she seemed to be. He didn’t know how things would go. But he felt...happy. He hadn’t stopped smiling since she had called him a good boy and that was saying something. 
He retired his phone for the night, placing it to the side and finally shutting off. Tomorrow was a free day for him so he would have plenty of time to think about things tomorrow. As his eyes shut, he thought about the woman behind the mask and the possibility of what their relationship was going to turn out to be like. 
LOGGING IN: Z’S POV 
S: Goodnight, master <3 
In all of his life, Zoro had never felt so fucked up in his life. How could this have happened and how could he keep digging his heels in like this? He could have stopped the conversation at any point, but he seemed incapable of doing so at this point. He left the bathroom of the club and walked out into the open. He looked around and noticed how dead everything still seemed. He looked around to see if he could still see Robin...but she was nowhere to be seen. Good, he was kind of hoping that he wouldn’t come across her again. After what had just happened... that would be kind of embarrassing. The last thing he needs is to come across someone he knows. He would just constantly feel like they knew something and that would not be any good at all. 
He supposed that this was it then. He suddenly wasn’t in the mood to drink anymore so he made a quick turn to the exit and into the cool air of the night. The bar was in a hidden location in the middle of down so the outdoor stepped into an alleyway. More often than not, there were people getting a little bit too freaky in the alleyway. Right now, was absolutely no exception but Zoro was not interested in that at all. No, he was interested in his feet taking him home so he can wallow in this confusion some more in a space where he doesn’t feel like people will see. 
His apartment wasn’t too far from here. Only a five minute walk. Once getting there, he took the lift to the top of the stairs and there he was back home.  
His place was modest. Gym equipment seemed to litter the floor a little but on the whole, it was tidy. He walked across the space to get to his bedroom. There was a lack of any sort of decoration or personalisation...well, other than the rack of swords in the room. Zoro was a master swordsman on the side as well as being a personal trainer. 
But that didn’t matter right now. Zoro went to his bed and went to lay down. As much as he wanted to think about anything else, his mind kept wandering back onto that video. Just how...pretty Sanji looked. Face all flushed, a more nervous expression on his face and a whining in his voice. Sounds that Zoro would only ever hear on the phone. A face he would only ever see on the phone. That vulnerability he didn’t know he craved from him that he would never see in real life. 
And... he’s hard thinking about it again. 
Well...it wouldn’t hurt watching it one last time, right? Then, it was off to bed. 
If there was one thing that consisted in his day, it was that at some point of the day, he always ended up with Luffy. Always. The good thing about Luffy was that he didn’t ask questions about anything. Honestly, he didn’t know if he could even see Nami again. Nami would most likely not let the thing go until she’s sure Zoro is over it...and he doesn’t think he’ll be over this mess for a while.  
Luffy has never once asked questions about anything in the time he’s known Luffy. Which is a comfort at least. It’s not that Luffy doesn’t like the conflict or anything. No, that’s not the case. Luffy trusts his friends a lot of the time...which is what makes this...tragic. 
“Zoro...come on, tonight I think Sanji is working,” They were currently talking and walking down the street. Luffy feeling eager to get some lunch from somewhere good. Zoro is just happy to tag along.  
“And you want to ransack the place of free food again,” Zoro played indifference off to Luffy as if he didn’t really care about what they did. Before the whole phone thing, Zoro hadn’t cared...not really anyway. He used to feel very indifferent towards Sanji anyway. Never really caring about what Sanji has to say for himself but recently he’s beginning to see him in a different light and... yeah, this was becoming a problem, “I don’t really care what you do. I wouldn’t go there by choice. I don’t like him anyway,” 
“I never understood why you and Sanji don’t get along...Sanji’s great,” Luffy pouted, thinking about the food that he was going to receive later...and tonight... 
“You just like him because he’s a chef,” Zoro said in response.  
“What? No, Sanji’s cool! Don’t you think Sanji’s cool?”  
“No,” Zoro responded rather bluntly, “I don’t think Sanji is cool at all,” 
Luffy pouted and looked as if he had wanted to say something. Looked up and seen that they were at the café they wanted to be at and suddenly, Luffy forgot what he was saying as he directed Zoro inside. It was a sort of cosy like atmosphere inside and it was quiet, but not for long while Luffy and Zoro was there.  
Just as Luffy was about to offer to pay for something, Zoro interrupted, “Let me...I’ll pay for it,”  
“Thanks, big guy,” And maybe Luffy will forget about their conversation. 
S: Morning Master. How is your morning? <3 
A quiet lunch with his best friend was now ruined by Zoro’s inability to not dig his heels in about a situation. Now, Sanji seems to be awake, and it would just be rude of him not to respond. Not after last night anyway...Zoro can’t stop thinking about that one video. He wanted more. He wanted to see Sanji in different angles, different positions and hear those pretty moans coming from his mouth again. It was the awful truth, but Zoro could not get enough of this right now and wanted more content of Sanji to himself.  
He wondered if he could up the ante.  
“Luffy...” Zoro said getting Luffy’s attention from playing a game on his phone, “I’m going to the bathroom. I won’t be long,”  
“Okay. Don’t expect the cake I bought for you to still be here though,” 
“I had said I didn’t want it... you were just using me as an excuse to buy yourself an extra bit of cake,” Zoro waved him off before getting up and disappearing to the nearest bathroom where he locked himself inside of a cubical. 
Z: Morning <3 
Z: I hope you are ready for your next task? I’m excited to see if you manage.  
Z: I know you will. Since you are such a good boy for me <3 
Good boy. Now why did that work so well? Sanji really was behaving as he expected him to. Following orders as a good boy would. Zoro had yet to engage in the types of BDSM relationships that he saw at the clubs. The dominant and slave kind of relationships that he saw. Those kinds of relationships made him crave something more…something more. Something more typical than your normal relationship.  
He liked to imagine what Sanji and himself would look like to outsiders. Zoro was a lot taller, a lot bulkier and a lot rougher around the edges. Zoro was not a clean cut person while when he saw Sanji, Sanji always looked his best. The clean cut suits, the perfect hair and trimmed facial hair. He didn’t know if it was purposeful but there was a certain perfectionism to the way Sanji looked at all times. It contrasted his own.  
It was honestly recently he wanted to break that. 
Thoughts aside, he felt the buzzing before he saw the message popped up. 
S: I’m free all day.  
S: So don’t worry about bothering me from anything. 
S: What do you have in mind? 
With a bated breath, in and out, Zoro typed out his next reply. It was weird how these conversations got him so…invigorated. The mere act of these conversations was confusingly exciting and so inappropriate. 
Z: So, how far have you gone, sexually? 
S: Well. 
S: I’ve had sex if that’s what you’re asking. 
S: Not like…all the time or anything… 
S: And definitely not the things you’ve probably done! 
Z: Hmmm 
Z: … This might be a weird question but… 
Z: Have you ever let a woman finger you? 
And it begins 
LOGGING IN: S POV 
And that was not the question he was expecting to see.  
Sanji wasn’t stupid when it came to stuff. He knew what she was talking about. He knew that this was something that couples experimented with, and it wasn’t…something he was opposed to. Men were supposed to have spots inside of them that made them feel good. It wasn’t…you know… to get yourself fingered by a woman.  
So, he didn’t really know why it took him such a long time for him to reply to the message. He watched the screen trying to think of what he wanted to say in return because obviously the answer was no. Was…this what she wanted him to do next? It seemed like the natural conclusion for him to come to anyway. He’d already done a video of himself jerking off; he might as well go the extra mile and do that next. 
S: No, I haven’t. 
S: I’ve…been interested in it though. 
Z: Good. 
Z: Do you have lube? 
S: I don’t. 
Z: Well then. I want you to go and get some lube. Then I want a video like before… but this time I want you to finger yourself until you cum. 
Z: Do you think you can do that? 
S: Yes master. 
Z: Good boy.  
Z: I’ll give you have an hour from now to get lube.  
Z: But then afterwards, you’ll have an hour.  
Z: Go on. 
Zoey is now offline. 
And so, Sanji got up to go get his shoes on. He knew that most convenience stores had lube. Usually, you could find it right next to the condoms. There was one maybe ten minutes away. He was quick to put his shoes on and then race downstairs to leave through the door. As he thought, it was only ten minutes away and he went right in and knew exactly what he was looking for so headed to that section right away. 
And of course. He had to choose from flavours, smells and textures too. Just when he was trying to make up his mind about what he wanted, he heard a voice. 
“Sanji?”  
Turning his head to the side, he wouldn’t have mistaken that blue hair anywhere else. It was Vivi. Another one of his friends, although not as close as Nami or Robin was to him, but Vivi was still a pretty good friend. She was Nami’s girlfriend now which was a fact he was still getting adjusted to. A shame because he has a crush on her for the longest time but… regardless, he was happy for Nami and Vivi.  
Not so happy right now because Vivi has now caught him with a strawberry scented lube in his hand. It’s caught her eye and Sanji could only laugh at the awkwardness. 
“I…uh, have a date?” Sanji seemed unsure as he tried to hold it in a more discreet sort of way. Vivi gestured to the snacks and alcohol in her arms. 
“So do it!” She laughed, trying to brush away the awkwardness too.  She then seemed to remember something by the looks on her face, “Nami did say you were trying to get a girlfriend. Is this like something similar?”  
“Aha, yes. I’m trying…think it might be getting serious though,” Why was he so nervous? He lowkey didn’t want Nami getting involved. He knew that she had…disapproved of Zoey for some reason. He had no idea why. She’d never even seen the messages. Was it about the ghosting? He honestly had no idea, but Nami seemed pretty dead set against their relationship. 
“Oh! That sounds fun. I’m glad…” Vivi seemed genuine with her words. She then gestured to her snacks and food, “I’ll let you get back to your big date then. Have fun!” 
Oh, I will. 
“Thanks. Tell Nami I said hi!” He said before turning away to go to check out. It was maybe the most awkward check out experience in his life when he only buying one item…which was lube by the way. It was just incredibly awkward but as soon as it was over, he was marching back to his place with 5 minutes to spare. It was time for him to get set up.  
It was a similar set up as it had been before. He tried to balance his phone on quilts and pillows as he had no real stand to put this on. That was the most awkward part about this whole thing; having to figure out how to lay things out so that she could see everything. He wasn’t much of a cinematographer in that regard but as long as she could see everything... 
Which was a little harder when it was a video of you fingering yourself. Masturbating was easy. It was easier to get everything in the frame, but he had to try and figure things out a bit better for this one. God, it was becoming more of an exercise of trying to look good in the camera. He didn’t want to be one of those guys who just send a dick pic and that was all there was to it. But he would have to make do with sitting with his legs spread open. 
Last night, it had taken him the full hour mainly because he felt incredibly anxious about the whole thing. He felt a little strange sending a video like that. He felt vulnerable but now he felt a new found confidence although he wished he could just masturbate as he normally would as he’d never fingered himself before. 
Either way, he pressed record and went to begin. He looked at the camera and tried to muster up some sort of sexy bravado while he was trying to cover his fingers in lube. He tried to get himself in a position where she could see what he was doing and then his face. Which he could imagine didn’t look as great as he was trying to concentrate on this here right now. 
Sanji wasn’t wearing any pants. When he was setting up, he removed his bottom half and unbuttoned his shirt but left it on. He leaned himself back so she could get a good look at everything. Despite him being nervous about this, his cock was hard. He stroked it a few times to get himself going before he dipped his fingers further down. Sanji’s fingers were thin, but they were rather long. He had quite long fingers. He didn’t know what he would have preferred... probably not his own hand. He had thought about a woman fingering him before and he would have preferred the feel to a ladies delicate fingers rather than his own but beggars cannot be choosers in this moment. So, he dipped his finger down, so it was brushing against his hole. That felt strange...having the cold pad of his finger pressing against his tight puckered hole. He stroked his finger across to get him used to the sensation before he decided to bite the bullet and just... 
“Ah-!”  
It wasn’t painful...not overly painful anyway. What got him was how uncomfortable it was at first. Even though his fingers weren’t that long, the one finger felt like he was really stretching his hole. He let his finger slip in slowly as he hissed from the uncomfortable nature of it. He began to wonder if those truly was supposed to be nice or if it was just one of those things that only looked good in porn. 
He let his finger sit there for a moment. It was an uncomfortable moment, and he was struggling to relax. He felt it was hard having his finger there like a partially welcomed guest. Sanji knew he just had to wait. He could feel that his face was bright red. It wasn’t just the uncomfortable feeling of having a finger in his ass; it was the feeling of being so vulnerable to Zoey. She was going to see every part of him. Sanji must have been wearing the rose tinted glasses not to see how strange this whole thing was...how he didn’t understand why Nami was so concerned... he just didn't’ seem to get it. 
Either way, Sanji started to feel not so bad. He relaxed a little more and he dared to start moving his finger. It... began to feel good. He didn’t think it would, but it was hard to deny the little breathless moans that began to leave him. Especially when he touched that spot. He was well aware that men had a spot inside of them that brought tons of pleasure and Sanji’s pad found that spot and it was obvious because his head leaned a back and... 
“Ah! ~ Fuck...” 
He decided it was perhaps time to add another finger. With his free hand, he got some lube and poured it where his fingers were and slipped a second finger inside. It felt much more pleasurable than putting one finger in and this caused Sanji to start thrusting his fingers in and out pressing against that sensitive spot. The vulnerability started to fade away and Sanji became more confident, and more moans left his mouth. It felt so good...better than anything he’d ever experienced in his life. It felt too good. He was getting into it now and with a flushed face, his fingers moved faster and faster inside of him each time hitting that spot inside of him that was driving him insane.  
Once he felt okay with his balance, he managed to use his free hand to wrap his fingers around his cock and furiously fist his cock in time with his thrusting. His head felt fuzzy. He didn’t know how to describe it but he was completely taken over by his pleasure. His tongue was peeping out and his expression looked absolutely needy for what was happening right now. He couldn’t help it, not when he was so close to cumming and it felt like it was going to be one hell of an orgasm. 
“Fuck...Fuck,” His fingers were almost frantic at this point. He was thrusting in and out of himself at such a desperate pace wanting to make himself cum. He was desperate for it. He wanted nothing else more that to... 
“Fuck!” 
And what an orgasm it was. Almost blinding as his hips nearly came off the bed rutting against his hand as he clenched tight against his hand. His cum shot across his chest in what felt like one of the most powerful orgasms he had for a while... and all that from fingering himself. He pulled his fingers out and fell back on his elbows and continued to stroke his cock until he was completely milked of cum. It was only a few seconds later he suddenly remembered what he was doing... he was making a video.  
His head whipped back to see himself in the camera. His face was all red and his chest was rising and falling quickly...he was a mess. He stared for a second before reaching for his phone to stop recording. He trimmed the start and the end where he was messing around with the camera and then skimmed it. It was weird seeing himself act like this and he couldn’t watch it for too long without feeling embarrassed so he just...sent it. Now, he had to wait to see what she thinks. 
Or not...because he gets the fear of his life put into him when he gets a text but it’s not from Zoey...it’s Nami. 
N: Hey Sanji! 
N: Vivi said she saw you today. 
N: I heard you had a date. That’s exciting! Is it someone new?” 
Sanji felt bad about lying to Nami but for some reason, Nami seemed so against this relationship for reasons he didn’t understand so he shot back. 
S: Yes. It’s a new relationship. 
S: Met her on that dating website. It’s just a small date. Nothing big 😊 
N: It didn’t sound like it was just a small date...if Vivi is correct about that she said ahah! 
Great. Vivi mentioned the lube. Wonderful. 
S: Ahaha! 
S: You got me XD 
S: Anyway, I better get back to my date.  
N: I hope you are having a fun date too. 
S: You too, Nami. 
To which Sanji then laid on his bed. A sinking feeling all because he lied to Nami. He felt awful but
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511-513: "Unexpected Relanding! Luffy, to Marineford!", "With Hopes It Will Reach My Friends! Big News Spreading Fast!" and "Pirates Get On the Move! Astounding New World!"
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Lafitte showing off his soft skills.
Now these three episodes were worth every minute! This is, hand on heart, my favourite part of any arc epilogue: when the seeds of new plots are sown and you get to see what everyone else is up to.
And there was a lot of that in 511-513.
I’m still messing with the format. I’ll stick with the three days a week posts but watching six episodes at a time was too much. The post ended up way too long and I couldn’t get into much speculation (which is the most fun part). Three at a time might be a better balance. :)
Luffy’s Message
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This was the Main Event for me. It was why I was so keen to watch the next lot of episodes. That cliffhanger drawn out over so many episodes! What could have caused the Strawhats to react so spectacularly? What the hell was Rayleigh up to? Why all the secrecy?
And most of all...
Why the hell would Luffy go back to Marineford?
The answer? He wanted to send a message. And Rayleigh had crafted his plan so skillfully that this message would be different depending on which side a character was on.
The build up was great. 511 opened with a Marine debriefing meeting. Marines were getting the hairdryer treatment because Monkey D. Luffy, the notorious rookie pirate, had not only escaped their grasp but had the audacity to return to the scene of the crime with the Traitor Jimbei and The Dark King Rayleigh.
This was not good PR. And we all know the Marines are all about PR.
What happened was this: a lone Marine ship sailed right into the bay without clearance and fired a blank. Then three figures were spotted on board: Luffy, Rayleigh and Jimbei. Of course, they were fired on. The ship caught fire and sunk, but Luffy leapt ashore with Rayleigh and Jimbei and set about... doing some really weird stuff.
He rung the Ox Lloyd’s Bell (a Marine tradition, apparently. It’s rung at New Year: eight times to salute the passing year and another eight to welcome the new). Okay, I thought. I have no idea what this means. Let’s see where this goes.
It became a bit clearer when Luffy walked through the dumbstruck crowd, laid flowers into the chasm and removed his hat in a gesture of respect. Okay, I thought, this is funeral stuff. He’s returning to Marineford to pay his respects to Ace. This was to give Luffy closure so he could continue to live his life without being crippled by guilt and depression.
Except it was bigger than that, but I didn’t realise it until Luffy, Rayleigh and Jimbei exited via getaway whale sharks and the action returned to the debriefing meeting. The Marine in charge was Oda’s mouthpiece. Ringing the Ox Lloyd’s bell was a challenge. Luffy rang out the old Pirate Era and rang in the new one. That Rayleigh (symbol of the Old Era) was at his side was Significant. The Marines believe that Rayleigh has backed Luffy to be Roger’s successor. (This might be true. It was Rayleigh’s plan, after all. He knows all about pirate symbolism and how to make a statement. He was on Roger’s crew.)
Annoyingly, I didn’t realise the Return to Marineford would also be like the bat signal to the Strawhats until Vivi picked up the newspaper and I saw that photo of Luffy (I’m still salty she didn’t join the crew).
And I noticed something interesting. Those tattoos Vivi mentioned. 3D2Y. I have seen that combination of numbers and letters before on the CR arc list. Does this mean Luffy will only reunite with the Strawhats in 3D2Y (whatever that is)? According to the arc list, I have Fishman Island to go first.
I also have no idea what 3D2Y could mean. Maybe it’s a calendar thing? 3D is crossed out (the old pirate era) and 2Y is the new pirate era? Maybe it’s a new model of Star Wars droid. I have no clue.
But I can’t wait to find out! :D
The Strawhats
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Of course, the Strawhats picked up on it right away. (Vivi did too, which is why you should have joined the crew, Vivi, why do you have to be such a good and dutiful noble?)
Zoro’s and Chopper’s reactions to the Marineford Return were most in-depth, so I’ll talk about them here just now. I’m assuming from the 514 preview that we’ll get Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Robin, Franky and Brook later.
They didn’t give us much of Zoro here. It was a short scene but his reaction was the most interesting. While the other Strawhats said: “Awesome, Luffy. Got the message!” Zoro was actually suspicious.
“Luffy doesn’t do sneaky, clever stuff like that!” he said to Perona. “This must be Rayleigh’s plan.”
Clearly, Zoro knows Luffy so well at this point that he can tell Luffy’s style of planning. I liked that.
And Chopper...
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I still have that major soft spot for Chopper. I still cannot watch the flashbacks of his past without tearing up. Every time Chopper cries, I kind of want to take him aside and say, “Shhh, Chopper. I can’t handle your little reindeer tears.”
It was when Chopper returned to Birdie Kingdom that the penny dropped. The Strawhats wouldn’t reunite yet. They all have to go through training. Now everything from the last few episodes made sense. Maybe the Strawhats I thought would get away without training will have to do it after all.
And Chopper definitely got a good deal here. That library! I was as shocked as Chopper (but at least I didn’t say it out loud, haha, that was funny).
Chopper’s loyalty to Luffy and the Strawhats has upped a few levels post-Sabaody. He said something really interesting (and kind of worrying). Remembering his past, when he was reviled as a monster - outcast from human and reindeer society - he never wanted to go through something like Sabaody again and is now willing to “become a real monster for Luffy.”
Wow... Chopper’s about to get an upgrade. I mean, he’s always had so much potential. Monster Point, anyone? Those Rumble Balls? And he’s a great medic? Hopefully, Oda has good things planned for Chopper.
And speaking of plans... not all is well in the World Government hierarchy! I wouldn’t like to say they deserve it, but... they deserve it.
The Gorosei?
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I think that’s who these guys are. I counted five in the shot and they are all old guys in suits, so I’ll go with it for now. There was no confirmation in the episode. Neither were names given, so I’ve made some up. I feel like I need to distinguish them because they all seem to have a different take on the post-Marineford situation.
Ringlets was worried about Luffy. He is a controversial figure. Of course, Luffy is Garp’s grandson, so that is a given.
Saruman was concerned about smoke rising from Mount Doom... Nah, kidding. He’s worried how Luffy knows Rayleigh. He thinks Rayleigh won’t return to centre stage but implies that maybe Rayleigh will support Luffy from the shadows.
Handlebar was salty about Jimbei. Was annoyed he finally turned against them as he was a symbol of intertribal peace. (The ‘finally’ implies they always suspected Jimbei would snap one day.)
Baldy was concerned about the imbalance of power in pirate society. There is a vacant Yonkou seat and THREE to fill in the shichibukai. How to fill those vacancies? Is there anyone qualified left? Glasses was also annoyed that the D. names were receiving so much PR lately and making the WG look bad.
Blonde has his eye on the New World. The power structure imbalance there now Whitebeard is gone is troublesome. They will have to choose the strongest to be Shichibukai. He also gave us an update on Blackbeard, which was nice. Wasn’t expecting to hear from Teach for ages!
Apparently, Teach has already made waves in the New World. He has an advantage over others who want that Yonkou seat because he knows everything there is to know about Whitebeard’s territory.  No one has ever eaten two Devil Fruits in history except for him. Only another Yonkou or Marco and the remaining Whitebeards could take him out. Is that a statement on Blackbeard’s new power level? Is he training too, so he’ll be an effective adversary for Luffy by the time they inevitably clash again the New World?
I have my fingers crossed for it.
And there’s something else the Gorosei should be worried about...
Human Resources Will Be Snowed Under Right Now
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I forgot who Kong-san is, but I bet he has his work cut out for him right now.
There are a lot of changes afoot at WG and Marine HQ. The biggest shocker is that SENGOKU HAS RESIGNED!
I am so happy about this. Now, all he has to do is join the Revolutionary Army and I’m all set.
Garp continues to exasperate. He has “virtually resigned” but lacks whatever he needs to be truly brave and take that final step. He has kept the Vice Admiral title and is now tutoring younger Marines. I suppose it’s good he’s still around to keep whippersnappers like Akainu in check, especially now Sengoku did not recommend Akainu to succeed him.
Aokiji, the mystery wrapped in an enigma, will be Fleet-Admiral.
I... it’s weird. I can’t see it yet, but it’s definitely a better choice than Akainu. Maybe he would’ve been better with Kizaru. Oh well, it’s Sengoku’s choice. I trust him. He’s a wise man. “Old soldiers shouldn’t cling to power,” he said. “Justice is based on values and those change every generation.”
He ain’t wrong.
And I’m guessing now Garp is training young Marines that Coby, WHO HAS AWAKENED HAKI, will be first on the list. Here’s another one who will go through training to become a worthy opponent of Luffy.
Smoker also went to see Aokiji and requested a transfer to G5 branch. Aokiji had doubts. “That’s not a place you go voluntarily.” Apparently, G5 means Grand Line, 5th Branch. It’s in the New World. Smoker wants a New World placement.
I cannot handle this much awesome.
To Top It All Off, The Pink One Is Also Causing Trouble
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How can he sit like that? Surely that is not in any way comfortable?
Remember when he ambushed Moria at Marineford? Turns out he didn’t quite get the job done (phew!) I should stick to my No Corpse, No Death rule more often.
In the words of Doflamingo.... “Poof!”
Moria disappeared just before Doflamingo landed the final blow. He insisted Moria was dying, so even if he did get away, he wouldn’t go far. Unless he came back as a zombie. (You joke, Doflamingo, but I would not put that past Moria for one reason: Hogback!)
The WG official accused him of sloppy work. Then Doflamingo lost his cool. I’ve never seen him act like that before, so it was interesting. “Who do you think you’re talking to? When did you become my boss? When I lose interest in doing business with you guys, I’ll quit being a Shichibukai at any time.”
I guess this really highlights the tenuous relationship the Marines have with these guys. Plus, Doflamingo seems like he’s Mr Chaotic Evil (or at least Mr Neutral Evil) incarnate, so maybe not the best guy to rely on?
Especially when the New World has descended into utter chaos.
So Who’s All Enjoying The New World?
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Everyone who is anyone will head there eventually. Crocodile and Daz Bones will have another crack at it. Law has plans but is content to wait for his time (smart). The Strawhats, obviously, are a Work in Progress.
Buggy has reunited with his old crew (I forgot about Richie the Lion. How dare I?) and also has a massive bunch of Impel Down followers. Maybe he’ll have a crack at it too, now he has Alvida and Galdino to be the strategists? Plus, he just got that letter from the WG. Maybe he’ll end up on the run.
The rest of the Rookies have ventured out.
As for the Supernovas (sans Law and Luffy) I have predictions.
Who Will Make It:
The most obvious candidate is Kidd. He’s made for the cruelty of the New World, has already crushed another crew and has declared himself an enemy of Luffy. Sweet. Battle points.
Hawkins is another one who has crushed a crew. Again, battle points.
Apoo isn’t dumb. He’ll run if he has to. Smart points.
The Jury’s Out:
Urouge has stumbled across The Thunder Plains (from Final Fantasy X) and met some weird old ladies who look like they’ve just stepped out of Macbeth.
Who’s Probably Not Okay:
Gang Bege’s ship is in fragments. X-Drake has just clashed with Kaido’s crew. I don’t see them lasting much longer.
And Jewelry Bonney...
When Your Fave Is Problematic
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Hard pass, Teach. A very hard pass.
I loved how the intro caption to this scene was: “Some Burning Island”. Then I saw the Blackbeards and thought, “Praise Oda! My villainous faves have returned in style!”
I thought the only news I would get on them was from the Gorosei. This was a nice bonus.
Of course, they were bickering. The Blackbeards always bicker and snipe at each other. There was a definite tone change here, though, as though Oda wants to step their villainy up a gear.
Take their argument over the ship they sailed in on. Teach said, “We should have stolen a Marine ship. The Raft wasn’t great.” Shiryu’s retort was tolerated: “You guys don’t prepare for anything.” But Avalo Pizarro’s (I finally know his name!) joke, “Want me to be captain, Teach?” earned him this response from Lafitte: “Shut up or I’ll kill you. We are Blackbeard Pirates.”
Teach is gaining more authority and loyalty from his crew. The ones who have always been with him are fiercely loyal and the newer ones have yet to learn the ropes. Lafitte (is he the first mate?) is also flexing. Do I sense tension between the established and newer members of the crew? Maybe, but they seem to get along well enough.
Among the new ones, I already have the ones I like (Shiryu and Catalina) vs the ones I’m not keen on (Avalo, San Juan and Vasco. Their personalities haven’t really emerged yet, so there’s time).
While the island burned, the Blackbeards stuck around necking Jacky D (haha!) because they were waiting for the Marines.
Why? Were they about to do another deal?
Yeah... but not one I was expecting.
They had crushed Bonney’s crew, chained her up and were about to trade her in for a ship.
That was shocking. I hadn’t expected Bonney to catch up to Teach so quickly and be defeated, but the outcome wasn’t surprising. Of course Teach would do that. He’d done it to Ace before and it worked. Sasuga Teach, I guess. What he did next stepped up his villainy a few notches.
He turned on lech mode, which I didn’t know was in his repertoire.
“I can’t believe they gave you a hundred million bounty! The New World is the sea for the chosen strong ones. You can all the way from South Blue. But you’ll go no further. You’re too weak to join my crew, but you can come with me, if you become my girl.”
Her response was excellent. “SCREW YOU, YOU BEARDED PIG!”
Honestly, Teach. You deserved that. And you were shocked at the rejection? You were going to get the Hard Pass. Apart from being a traitorous, murdering scumbag, you’re also a rubbish flirt. I mean, expecting her to go out with you after you beat up her crew, called her weak and laid her out as bait for the Marines? Not a great sell, Teach. Work on your people skills, like Lafitte.
Their plan went awry when Van Augr spotted Akainu on the approaching ship. Obviously, he would not do any deal (and I bet he’s steaming mad Aokiji will be Fleet Admiral before him). So they scarpered.
I’m worried for Bonney, though. Akainu picking her up? That’s the worst luck... :(
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TEAM SELFIE AFTER A HARD DAY’S PILLAGING! #blackbeards #nofilter #okayonefilter
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