Well, this juncture of the raid could be described in many ways, par for the course isn’t one of them. I was pleasantly thrown off by Zunesha’s arrival last week. Germa arrest, The Grim Reaper, Big Mom’s “defeat”, and Izo vs CP0 just continue to add to the never ending catalog of unexpected Onigashima threads.
I realize we meme Raizo a lot, and besides finding his gags slightly amusing, he was the scabbard I least cared for. This stalemate’s gotten me more invested. Impressive display of tenacity. Genuinely interested in how the battle of the millennium will end
I have no read on The Grim Reaper situation. Brook randomly pulling a skull joke prank amid a supposed war, easily passes for the “What’s serious? This manga is about fart and poop jokes” disposition I read One Piece for. Yet, I could just as easily envision it to the contrary. Is it related to forging a black blade? Is it Enma’s demonic spirit? Is Zoro going to literally wrestle with death? Either way, I think Franky will take care of Zoro. For now, I’m leaning away from “supernatural” demons/spirits. But we’ll see.
I enjoyed seeing Law and Kid stand up to Big Mom. I didn’t expect to see her take such damage though. Unlike Kaido, the “mountains and rain” analogy doesn’t apply to Linlin. Kaido’s been tanking ridiculous attacks from top tier fighters for 50 straight chapters. I wonder why no “pLoT ARmOr oDa Shit shOnEN wRiteR” spam? I’ll keep my mouth shut 🤭 I still can’t see her being defeated without Kid and/or Law unlocking a significant new power up. Op Op Awakening + Kid’s Adv CoC might bridge the gap. Albeit, it’ll temporarily knock her down. I don't envision her being out for good after this fight regardless.
Pudding, aka the most misunderstood character in One Piece, has been lying about Sanji. To her family, and more importantly to herself. This circumstance is intense enough to push her into taking a stand. No more accepting death between a rock and a hard place. And I swear if we see Katakuri
I believe Izo vs CP0 will extend beyond simply protecting Robin. I have a feeling some Weevil/Whitebeard/God Valley lore will be revealed during this skirmish.
I have so much to write about Luffy/Kaido/Joy Boy, but I'm swamped this week. And tbh, I'm too lazy to get to it. So hopefully someone picks up on what's actually going on other than powerscale fan talk. Cause it's end game stuff.