I wasn't really excited about the Straw Hats teaming up with CP-0, and the scene played out as expected. Zoro is suspicious of them, Kaku is trying to deceive the Straw Hats, and Luffy and Lucci are straightforward with their intentions. Luffy is naive, while Lucci is honest about his desire for vengeance and his willingness to fight Luffy again. They come to a quasi agreement that Lucci won't go after the Straw Hats or the Vegapunks, but Luffy can defeat Lucci whenever he wants. Lucci is angry and denies this, deciding to challenge Luffy. It is revealed that S-Hawk has Mr. 1's Supa-Supa no Mi, allowing him to turn his limbs into swords. Luffy frees the CP-0 agents just as S-Bear attacks with an Ursus Shock. Luffy uses Gear Fourth: Kong Gun and Lucci uses Rokuougan on S-Bear, while Zoro uses Purgatory Onigiri and Kaku uses Rankyaku: White Thunder on S-Hawk. The two Seraphims are beaten down but not defeated. Then we get to see where the Stella Vegapunk is, though not really the identity of his kidnapper. It kind of almost confirms that it isn't Caribou, Kizaru or Saint Saturn, though, since the same guy that kidnapped Stella Vegapunk is also the one responsible for shoving the CP5, CP7 and CP8 agents... who was mentioned when Lucci talked to Shaka and Lilith earlier this arc. With the generic agents claiming that they were attacked by Sea Beasts, it really does put into mind that one of the Satellite Vegapunks is the one responsible for all of this going on. Vegapunk also drops another bombshell -- about how he was researching Poneglyphs and word of that has leaked to the government.
Oh, and then we cut to 100 ships heading from the G-9 base to Egghead, so that's like ten Buster Calls all at once. Man, they really are basically sending everything the Marines have towards Egghead, huh?
And then we surprisingly spend the rest of the chapter in... Elbaf! And we get like a recreation of chapter 1, with a Giant Lady Bartender (a.k.a. Not-Makino) telling a Giant Bratty Kid (a.k.a. Not-Luffy) who wants to follow Shanks to sea. Does this happen in all islands that Shanks makes into his base? Anyway, Rockstar arrives to tell the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates, who are gorging on like, giant meat and stuff, that Kid is attacking their 'youngsters'. Shanks is drinking from a sake cup as big as he is tall, and mentions that he's catching up with old friends that he thought were dead.
Next, we discover the location of Stella Vegapunk, but not the identity of his kidnapper. However, it is likely not Caribou, Kizaru or Saint Saturn, as the same person responsible for kidnapping Stella Vegapunk is also responsible for attacking the CP5, CP7 and CP8 agents. This person was previously mentioned when Lucci spoke to Shaka and Lilith earlier in the arc. The generic agents claim that they were attacked by Sea Beasts, leading to the suspicion that one of the Satellite Vegapunks is responsible for the chaos. Vegapunk also reveals that he has been researching Poneglyphs, and the information has leaked to the government. Additionally, 100 ships are heading from the G-9 base to Egghead, which is like ten Buster Calls at once. The Marines are sending everything they have towards Egghead.
Surprisingly, the rest of the chapter takes place in Elbaf, with a recreation of chapter 1. A Giant Lady Bartender (a.k.a. Not-Makino) tells a Giant Bratty Kid (a.k.a. Not-Luffy) who wants to follow Shanks to sea. It is unknown if this happens on all islands that Shanks uses as his base. Rockstar arrives to inform the Red-Haired Pirates, who are feasting on giant meat, that Kid is attacking their "youngsters." Shanks is drinking from a massive sake cup and mentions that he is catching up with old friends he believed were dead.
Then we get to see where the Stella Vegapunk is, though not really the identity of his kidnapper. It kind of almost confirms that it isn't Caribou, Kizaru or Saint Saturn, though, since the same guy that kidnapped Stella Vegapunk is also the one responsible for shoving the CP5, CP7 and CP8 agents... who was mentioned when Lucci talked to Shaka and Lilith earlier this arc. With the generic agents claiming that they were attacked by Sea Beasts, it really does put into mind that one of the Satellite Vegapunks is the one responsible for all of this going on. Vegapunk also drops another bombshell -- about how he was researching Poneglyphs and word of that has leaked to the government.
Oh, and then we cut to 100 ships heading from the G-9 base to Egghead, so that's like ten Buster Calls all at once. Man, they really are basically sending everything the Marines have towards Egghead, huh?
And then we surprisingly spend the rest of the chapter in... Elbaf! And we get like a recreation of chapter 1, with a Giant Lady Bartender (a.k.a. Not-Makino) telling a Giant Bratty Kid (a.k.a. Not-Luffy) who wants to follow Shanks to sea. Does this happen in all islands that Shanks makes into his base? Anyway, Rockstar arrives to tell the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates, who are gorging on like, giant meat and stuff, that Kid is attacking their 'youngsters'. Shanks is drinking from a sake cup as big as he is tall, and mentions that he's catching up with old friends that he thought were dead.
I truly appreciate this scenario, as it resembles the epic battles between Law and Blackbeard or Garp preparing to attack Hachinosu. However, while those fights could have gone either way with a 50/50 or 40/60 chance, with my inclination towards Blackbeard's victory due to narrative demands, there seems to be no chance for Kid in this situation. He's not only facing a Yonko but an entire crew of the Yonko and their colossal allies, including their allied ships. Despite Kid's power-up and the fandom's tendency to underestimate him due to his performance compared to Luffy and even Law, this is SHANKS we're talking about. Although I don't envision Shanks outright killing Kid, I can't imagine a scenario where Kid manages to triumph over Shanks and his companions. It's unfortunate for Kid, but he seems to keep getting the short end of the stick.
Chapter Notes
- An amusing detail is that Zoro saves Kaku from S-Hawk's Supa Supa no Mi attack by grabbing his nose.
- At one point, S-Hawk appears to use Rankyaku, doesn't he?
- During a conversation that lasts two full pages, Luffy, Zoro, and the others talk freely while the two Seraphim simply listen. While S-Bear charges up his Ursus Shock, S-Hawk doesn't seem to have any excuse for not attacking.
- Although we don't get to see Shanks's (presumably) allied crews, we do catch a glimpse of their ships, which feature a polar bear figurehead (that looks like Bepo!) and a black demon-like figurehead. To maintain the element of surprise for a few more panels, the text box covers the Red Force's figurehead.
- Killer confirms that the Kid Pirates never encountered Shanks when Kid lost his arm. Lucky Roo's dialogue suggests that it was Benn Beckman who actually took Kid's arm.
- Is it possible that Oimon and Kasshi visited Little Garden to inform Dorry and Brogy of the real reason behind their fight, ultimately resolving the conflict with a hearty laugh?
- In a cute moment, Shanks walks through town, surrounded by adoring women. The Red-Haired Pirates reject an offer of protection money from a grateful passerby.