This is a really great Observation and point! People were really expecting a Sabaody 2.0 with the Stawhats facing utter defeat/loss (I'm guilty of this too) and for the raid and thus alliancet to fail completely.
Never thought as Big Mom being the Kuma parallel though. I did suspect maybe Jinbei had most of his remaining lifespan taken by Big Mom and this will be his literal last journey in life and it will be with the Straw Hats too ofc, so his final moments, his final act will be the Straw Hats he adores so much especially Luffy ofc and he will get to see his people truly avenged, liberated and thus free and happy eventually, just before his time comes and his work is done. He can finally atone for his own sins in his own eyes too.
I found it suspicious that Jinbei hasn't said why he escaped Big Mom so easily, but I hope with Big Mom being at Wano, this is going to come up very soon. We don't know what happened to the Sun Pirates but now with Jinbei as an official SH, I think they would join the Grand Fleet as a fishman divsion, maybe including mermen and mermaids too ofc, a Fishman Island division even, with the goats Aladdin and Praline leading the division for the fleet.
Someone theorised at the Reverie last night, that maybe Big Mom could end up taking Law's and Kid's souls and Luffy will have to chase her to Elbaf to get them back or something? I don't want Big Mom to overshadow Shanks if it's his arc ofc, she already overshadowed Kaido heavily at Wano, until Oda truly started giving him the spotlight finally.
Also I'm just sick of Big Mom but I know and I hate that she is connected to Elbaf, I don't hate that so specifically but just because it means that she may not go down, may not be defeated until Elbaf itself. And thus YET ANOTHER ARC of Big Meme's bullshit, sigh.
But yeah to get back to what you said
@Roo , I would actually love them stopping her from taking his lifespan. But she relies on fear to take it, so unless she can find a way to scare Luffy somehow, who isn't scared of her, but I had this really good idea with her and the SHs though....
I've wanted a real David vs Goliath moment, the man who took out a giant with a slingshot and who better for that than USOPP ofc?!
Big Mom is not an actual giant ofc, she just wants to be one so maybe she does increase her size somehow but even if she doesn't she's still freaking massive, hence her name Big Mom ofc!
Usopp tends to outsmart people with ridiculously broken DFs using his own cunning and creativity. Just look at Perona and Sugar especially. He's also a complete beast in tanking damage surpisingly as we've seen many times over the series, especially vs Mr 4 and Miss Merry Christmas for example or even vs Ulti and Page One here!
Now, Usopp wants to be a "brave warrior of the seas" and he absolutely adores Elbaf and the giants right? He wants to lead a crew of giants or something too right? Usopp also his infamous for his slingshot skills and thus his Kabuto.
Big Mom steals lifespan through fear and controls her territorries, family and crew with fear too. Imagine Usopp facing her and being one of the most vulnerable, well most vulnerable I'd even say to her fear based soul/life stealing ability? The infamous coward Usopp?
BUT, this time, Usopp realises the gravity of the situation, where he's at and he refuses to let himself be afraid of her, he stands up to her and even tries to terrify her and make her the one to feel fear instead completely ironically. The unstoppable force, the juggernaut that is Big Mom, being made to feel fear by a "mere, lowly, scrawny etc human". How fucking brilliant, epic and poetic would that be?
To make this even "sweeter" (pun intended), imagine it is the Shanks arc too and Yasopp is there to witness his son standing up to another Yonko and not being afraid of her? So not only the giants get to witness "God Usopp" in action and thus maybe the "true Loki the trickster god" too, but the bravest warrior they've seen? Usopp not only becomes the hero and "God" of Dressrosa but thus Elbaf too ofc.
It really fits with the Noland parallels especially what happened with the Tontattas and him ofc, but unlike Noland, I doubt and hope he will not be executed for "being a liar" although, ironically Noland was honest and genuine and Usopp is known for lying lol.
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But the point I wanted to get to, is that Oda is definitely doing parallels with these moments but also subverting our expectations as you said. He's not just repeating history but he's changing it, twisting it. Which I really love, especially with what you just mentioned about Alabasta and Dressrosa, Crocodile and Doflamingo.
:cheers: