In the cover story we see...some guys. If we're supposed to know or care about these guys, I've forgotten them, I'll admit. Looking up some members of the Beast Pirates, it looks like at least one of them might be from the old Armored Division? Or maybe they're new guys completely? I honestly can't tell.
So, we learn that King Harald died 14 years ago. And Loki was only captured by Shanks 6 years ago. That means Loki was on the loose for 8 years. That's potentially interesting to keep in mind in the future.
I'm glad we finally got some confirmation about the Ancient Giants having connections to the Giants. That was...admittedly obvious. But, I'm glad it got spelled out. It's a known thing.
We get a flashback for Road! I really wasn't expecting to bother with that. But, it's nice. Lil' Hajrudin does have Luffy vibes.
Hajrudin's mom sounds ominously important. I guess it kind of makes sense for Elbaph Giants to not want to marry other Giants from outside the country, if they're trying to retain some of the Ancient Giant's blood. It might be a way to keep some of that power around and to not dilute it, I suppose. Something to keep in mind.
King Harald ripping is own horns out, rejecting his bloodline, is all very "Hellboy". However, he does kind of have the design of a villain. That cape with shoulder spikes just screams "villain", to me. Well, either that or "Batman", I guess. But, given how much he seemed to hate his own horns, I wonder if he forcefully tried or succeeded in removing Loki's horns. Maybe that's why Loki wears that helmet. Because he lost his original horns, and this is his way of getting them back? Showing pride in his ancestry that his father was ashamed of for himself.
We finally learn what Gunko's Fruit is. The Arrow Fruit! So, it doesn't strictly have anything to do with cloth or clothes. Even though, that seems to be what she mostly uses it for. And it's interesting that she can use it to see the future a bit. A variant on Future Sight, perhaps? Directly manifesting the future that she sees into reality? Feels like there could be something more there, but maybe not.
I really wasn't expecting all of Loki's pets to get crushed. I honestly thought the Strawhats would get to Loki before most of them got wounded. I kind of feel bad for them.
But, the most interesting moment of the chapter..."Pranks" is finally revealed!
Shamrock! He's got a bit of the Irish in him! I'll admit, I'm a little amused that everyone was so off about his potential name. And it kind of makes sense, in retrospect. Since Shanks is probably a reference to another plant, the Red Shank.
https://smmtc.org/plantofthemonth/Redshank.php
I'm not totally sure how "Garling" fits into this seeming plant-based naming scheme, though. I don't think "Garling" is a name of a plant. Maybe "garland". Or "garlic". But, "Garling" doesn't really seem to be anything. I'll have to try to look into it more.
And Shamrock's the new Captain of the God's Knights! And his intro screen doesn't list a Devil Fruit. So, he might not even have a Devil Fruit. Or we'll learn more about it later. But, honestly, I'm just glad we finally have this guy's name.
And hey! War were declared! Warland's going to live up to it's name, after all!