The Whitebeard & Rayleigh plushies being positioned side-by-side in the color spread, along with both of them achieving feats against Knights of God members in this chapter, feels very deliberate. Garp had spoken about these two in the same light back in Chapter 501, and he's also flexing in this one. Zoro's T-shirt features a golden bird spreading its wings, similar to his attire in Chapter 1036's color spread. With the recent author's note in Volume 111 mentioning Zoro's thematic connection to a sacrificial bird, I wonder if Oda is cooking something up with it.
It turns out Maffey isn't from the same family as Killingham (the Rimoshifu Family) despite their similar physical traits. I wonder why that is, though I do prefer Killingham having his own distinct family. Garp had the most impressive showing in this one. But notice how Oda didn't draw Whitebeard sweating like Linlin and Kaido when Garp was hunting them. That portrayal, along with Big Mom and Shiki complaining about his destructive strength, shows how much Oda respects Whitebeard. Yet, comparatively, and as usual, he's willing to let Linlin get disrespected. Captain John's lore deepens, and Kidd fans finally have their crumbs. Now, how will it surface in the current story?
Sommers's ruthlessness & taunting make him an entertaining villain, but he's used as the resident jobber of the Knights of God. Rayleigh is the man. His one-liner before his attack is exactly what you would expect from someone called the "Dark King." He saved and won the most sought prize by all parties and even the world. A huge victory that came after a solid build-up. I liked his pose and his attack name. It's a fitting attack name to save Shakky, whose name is also derived from a flower (peony). Plus, the red spider lily has a lot of cultural symbolism in East Asia. There's a whole rabbit hole for it.
The leakers continue to be protective of Roger... Just wait for him to inevitably shine instead of BSing.