- First let’s explain exactly what Law’s awakening to understand the premise in this thread. Awakening mechanics Pre-Awakening Law has to create a ROOM around himself and his room powers will only function inside of that room which he by necessity has to be part of. Law’s awakening is simply that he can impart his room onto objects or onto people and remove himself from the room such that he can manipulate things from a distance without having to be part of the room itself. It can be a miniature room where he inserts the room on say his sword, K-room, and that sword can then integrate Big Mom or Blackbeard inside that room as seen when the sword phases through them (without stabbing them externally) and then unleashe an internal shockwave as Big Mom and Blackbeard are now part of the miniature room. Likewise, he can impart his room locally around bodies as seen when Big Mom was silenced by being enveloped in a room from where no air vibrations could exist
- Law stated to Kid that awakening only activates when his life is in danger. This means that his paramecia devil fruit itself has a consciousness of its own similair to that of a zoan devil fruit that demonstrate consciousness to transform under extreme stress (see G-5 awakening or how Chopper transformed uncontrollably into his monster form in Ennies Lobby). Law's paramecia has an innate sensing mechanism (that could be part CoO and part primal instinct) to sense danger and reflexively switch-on a protective mode when sensed to be in perilous danger. Law becomes aware when awakening is switched-on even though he is not the initiator of i. Thus, the awakening in Law's case does not function like a button-on switch but a reflexive and involuntary activation when his fruit's survival-instinct judges it to be a last resort measure. However Law becomes aware of when it is activated and can act accordingly. The physics of how Vergo's attack was different. Here are all panels of countershock behaving normally, ie we see electric bolts effects emanating locally from the point of impact. It is like a taser with the electricity emanating from Law's hands.
- Now if we compare all these attacks to Vergo, it becomes patently obvious something far more sinister is at works because unlike these other instances Vergo is enveloped in a type of cloud that is electrical in nature (not to be confused with the same df bubble that envelops Doflamingo if some moron was actually going to suggest that, I never put it past some of you) and as typical (and not to my surprise anymore) no one is trying to come to grips with what this actually means.
- Vergo is fully enveloped in a pretty huge electric bubble which isn't a localised effect, ie where Law's hands meet Vergo, but instead is spread out around Vergo's entire body! That's not how electricity works as if you have an external source of electricity flowing through you it isn't visible as it is an internal discharge, which is exactly what the other panels is depicting it like with bolt-like visual effects for clarity - not a bubble enveloping the victims like we have in the case of Vergo! Oda is consistent here which makes Vergo the outlier, and not just an outlier as if it is a fluke but Vergo’s countershock panel is a very thematic one with strong reactions and sound effects (which I’ll touch on shortly). Vergo: the source of the discharge - not the victim of it. Now here is the scientific explanation for why this is. Vergo is enveloped in what's called corona discharge which is a cloud of plasma that occurs when an electrical field around a conductor is so strong that it ionises the air (strips atoms surrounding the conductor of electrons ie this is high school physics) and that explains this wide glowing phenomenon and why it fully envelops Vergo's entire body - because Vergo himself is the electrical conductor. By using Awakening to impart the room onto Vergo he is able to make Vergo into a conductor and create a strong enough electric field such that it would ionise the air, which would elegantly serve as explanation for the presence of this plasmic glow that's not localised but instead uniformly surrounding the entirety of Vergo.
- If vergo was simply hit with electricity like with the other instances of the Yeti Cool Brother, Doflamingo and Big Mom, electricity would follow the path of least resistance and exit the body through say the feet or hands onto another conductor like the ground as earth is a conductor. Electricity does not behave in such a way that it creates a uniform glow around a person. There is an entry point and an exit point and the current just follows with the path of least resistance, like if you touch a live wire the electricity flows from your hand down your feet. It doesn't create a uniform glow surrounding you or your hand lol. While the others are merely hit by electricity like from a taser gun let’s say, Vergo himself is like a lightning rod generating electricity and becoming the electrical field himself. This also explain why Vergo from being within elbow-striking distance to Law and then suddenly is standing a couple of meters away from him.
- Oda is demonstrating that Law is not the source of electricity; Vergo is the originator of his own electrical damage as through awakening he has become the conductor, independent of Law's physical presence. Someone on the intellectual level of @JoNdule would say it is because Vergo staggered back unlike his precious Big Meme, yet nothing truly indicates this and it really doesn't serve any narrative function as Vergo and BM clearly receive different types of electrical attacks, so why add another variable of vergo staggering back? All to make his favourite characters (all of whom suck) look better... sad but ok let's move on No, Oda highlighted this panel as a vital clue to reveal the nature of the attack being different. This makes the attack that vergo sustained far more deadly than what the others took. And say Unlike Shock Wille that is a shockwave thay originates from Law's sword, in this case Vergo is the originator himself of his own electrical damage which is why the damage must be of a different order of magnitude altogether. It makes sense physically and it makes sense narratively. why Vergo represents a different threat level than Shitmeme.
- There is no comparing Vergo who merely love-taps Law with his chou-kouka haki and produces deep facial cuts, to this fat cow who despite all your excuses had increased her size to giant size for the purpose of increasing her physical power, even sacrificing life span for such a transforming, yet she is caught lacking and falls pitifully short to Vergo. Sacrificing life span still doesn’t earn her what is an extremely casual level of Vergo level DC.
- Awakening didn’t become necessary from the onset because he was in a team effort and Big Meme didn't offer much of a threat until after a dragged out battle. Vergo simply presented a deadly threat from the onset where Law is cornered and literally being battered to death from simple love taps. Of course Law's innate survival instinct kicked in immediately as Vergo was going to batter his brain out if he had kept going with his love tapping punches. What about Blackbeard? Yes, Law instantly went into awakening against Blackbeard simply because Blackbeard is stronger than Big Meme. Big Meme isn't posing the immediate threat like Blackbeard or Vergo does from the onset. Difference in SFX and reactions highlight the difference in weight and gravitas Ok so we know Oda uses these sfx sound effects to highlight scenes he wants to impart onto his readers as important. Now let’s compare Vergo’s scenes with that of Big Mom
- Big Mom’s SFX Sound: "BZZT" or "ZZZZ" (ジジジ) Meaning/Impact: This SFX is used to indicate electric buzzing or crackling. It often represents the sound of electricity flowing or short-circuiting, like a taser or a loose electrical wire Vergo’s SFX Sound: "DODOM" (ドドン) Meaning/Impact: This SFX is often used to represent heavy, impactful, and dramatic moments. It signifies a deep, resonating shockwave or a thunderous impact. Here it is patently obvious Vergo’s scene is of much more significance. Now scroll up to the panel where I highlighted all the exclamation marks and the way Law reacts in utter shock to his attack "not working". Law’s attack against Vergo was clearly of a different order of magnitude and his reaction of despair was due to him expecting the awakened attack he unlocked for the first time to have a much more resounding effect, only he was up against VerGod. The Symbolic significance of this event The corona discharge enveloping Vergo as it is very much distinct from the other Countershock events invokes to me the idea of an electromagnetic or spiritual halo around Vergo. Unlike the others who are simply electrocuted, Vergo by virtue of becoming an electrical conductor becomes not subject to electricity but becomes the epicentre of electricity itself. While the others viscerally react to their electrocutions by crying out and trembling in pain, even being KO’d, Vergo doesn’t scream or flinch: Vergo simply endures it and by not giving in viscerally, he doesn’t give Law the satisfaction of a reaction, as such Vergo ultimately embodies the elemental force of electricity and ultimately this becomes a symbolic victory. One could say that symbolically Vergo becomes the grounding rod for Laws accumulated rage and vengeance against Doflamingo’s entire enterprise, made manifest by Law’s survival instinct in reactance to Vergo’s dangerous presence, but Vergo doesn’t yield; he simply absorbs and embodied the elementary force aimed to destroy him.
- Summary As Law was in a state of imminent threat to his life, the prime-instinct survival mechanism of his fruit that works off of CoO and part survival instinct unlocked awakening then and there by force in a desperate attempt to save his life, which Law understood and thus designed the attack countershock to be amplified with awakening on the spot; by imparting a room onto Vergo, making Vergo the room in effect, making him an electrical node on which electrical charges flow Vergo becomes a electrical conductor himself, not just simply being hit by electricity like BM and the others as if they were hit by a taser gun, while Vergo is a fullblown conductor himself. This would explain the physical phenomenon of the corona discharge, a plasma cloud enveloping Vergo that is only physically feasible if Vergo himself is a conductor of electricity himself, not just being hit by electricity from an external source. The feel and ambiance Oda is clearly establishing with that Vergo panel is that this was an attack of a much more devastating order of magnitude and that Law really had expected a far different outcome. It clearly is supposed to matter why Vergo could withstand that attack and not something as trivial as those countershocks BM ate and screamed from
- Oda I think is clearly playing with symbolism here where Vergo becomes a mythic and stoic pillar of endurance, as Vergo is made to embody and conduct an elementary force of electricity aimed to destroy him, yet Vergo’s will is conducted with a much higher intensity such that while the attack does impart presumably a great deal of damage, Vergo stands as a pillar of immovable will: unflinching and unshaken. Big Meme cries in pain from mere electrocution; Vergo embodies electricity itself and doesn’t flicker, doesn’t give in like yonkous to pain. Such is the power and legend of Vergo.
- Add this panel also, it adds a level of silliness to Big Meme and that she really never was an overwhelming threat due to how easily her attacks can be simply dodged Which just highlights her ineptness compared to Vergo who represents a life threatening obstacle from the very onset Law awakens the very moment Blackbeard shows up and the very moment Vergo starts tapping him
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