We have a color page! What secrets lie hidden within?! Usopp's hanging onto Luffy for dear life. Could that be foreshadowing that Usopp will be the first to share in the power of Gear 5? Could we get Nika-powered Usopp in this arc? Who knows?
"This is the first I've ever seen one moving around for real" That...kind of implies something a bit dark. That means Lil' Loki's seen a human...who wasn't moving anymore. Hmm...
So Rocks DOES have a sword. Where was he hiding that thing?! (Maybe that hints that he actually has Caribou's Swamp Fruit with it's pocket dimension? Probably not, but it's good to keep a open mind.)
Rocks hurting Lil' Loki just to draw out Harald does feel like it's pointing to Rocks being a bad guy. That's a point in the "villain" column, I'll admit.
We get Rock's laugh style. (Voha Ha Ha!). I'm curious if there's anything we can learn from that. Nothing comes to mind, but I wonder if someone else can shed some light on if that could have a deeper meaning.
So, Rocks kidnapped five Kings at the Reverie. We're slowly getting the lore, here. And Imu...doesn't seem to care. Interesting to note.
But, this means...Rocks has MET Imu! Wow, okay. We're going there. Imu doesn't even seem that bothered by the intrusion. Odd.
And we see Imu's "assistant" for the first time. And it sure does look like it's Gunko. Or maybe another member of her family? She's got longer hair, and a different sense of style, so it could just be a "sister" or something. But, they both have "light" hair and heterochromia. So, it's probably just Gunko who's been hanging out with Imu in the butterfly garden this entire time. Makes sense, since Gunko's almost as old as Brook.
And Rocks is....A Davy Jonesian Pirate! (Dun-duh-duh!)...Whatever that means. It's probably VERY important. And I guess that means Blackbeard's family started the Davy Back Fight? We're getting a lot of new races, recently.
Also Rocks has a gun out while talking to Imu. I'm not sure if that means anything, but I'm just noting it. It might be important to keep in mind for later. Rocks has a sword AND a gun. Not unusual, but worth keeping in mind.
"Just wait, one day...I'll be back!" That definitely feels like it's hinting that Blackbeard has the "spirit" of Rocks within him. Possibly explaining why he can use multiple Devil Fruits. Feels like it could be a hint, at least.
Rocks is able to match Harald's strength! Okay, I guess Rocks is just freakishly strong. I'm not sure if that strength comes from him being a "Davy Jonesian", his Devil Fruit, or if this is just shonen battle manga rule-of-cool at play.
Rocks actually seems to help Harald escape by giving him advice. So...he's not a totally bad guy. That's one point in the "decent guy" column.
We STILL don't learn Rock's bounty, which is frustrating. I want to know what his "number" is so we can see what it could mean via Goroawase number-puns. Personally, I'm betting on "2" being prominent.
Rocks...DESTROYED the Gates of Justice?! The giant ones at Enies Lobby?! How?! And how did the World Government manage to rebuild those things?! Personally, I was kind of thinking those things were probably ancient artifacts from the Void Century that the World Government stole for their own use. But...I guess not, if they can repair them relatively quickly. The World Government just has the resources to BUILD stuff that big, I guess. That's one head-canon down the drain.
We get confirmation that Rocks DID use the Davy Back Fights to build his crew. That's one long-standing fan-theory confirmed this chapter! That probably explains why Whitebeard's on his crew, he just has no choice but to follow this guy.
Hmm...Rocks hurting Loki lead to Loki realizing his father actually cares about him. That's...ALMOST something like what Luffy would do, in a twisted way. I guess that's another point in the "decent guy" column?
Rock's crew is a lot like Blackbeard's, which makes sense. They're all out for themselves, only united by their shared greed.
Hachinosu used to be known as the "Isle of Exiles". That seems like a VERY important nugget of lore that just got dropped. So, were the Buccaneers and/or Davy Jonesians exiled to that island, originally?
We FINALLY see Ochoku! WANG ZHI IS REAL!!! (Tekking will be so happy!) Finally this manga has the Wang it desperately needed! (He even kind of looks like a Wang, honestly.). He's the "Pirate Prophet". Not sure what that means, exactly, but it's interesting. Is he more of a "forecaster" or does he actually have some Future Sight related powers?
Blackbeard really does seem like he's just picking up where Rocks left off. That's...interesting. "This is just the prologue to my life". I wonder how literally we should be taking that...again, I feel like it's hinting that Rock's "spirit" is at least inside of Blackbeard.
"There's no such thing as power that lasts forever" That sounds like a dramatically ironic statement that will end up turning on him down the road. Also, I wonder if that's hinting about the end of Devil Fruits? I doubt it, but, again, I'm trying to keep a open mind. Although, THIS philosophy kind of contradicts Blackbeard's philosophy that "A man's dream can never die!".
And we now have a outline of what Blackbeard's future plans are, given Rock's monologuing to Harald. Blackbeard's already taken over Hachinosu and turned it into a pirate paradise, just as Rocks planned. Next he's going to crush the Marines (Which Cross Guild's Marine Bounties might actually be helping him with). Then bring Mariejois crashing down (perhaps literally, given it's high up on the Red Line?). Then King of the World time! It's more of a vague outline than a plan, but it gives us a idea what Blackbeard will likely be up to.
Still no hint of what Rock's Fruit is, if he even has one. But, this was a interesting chapter. It's a bunch of lore nuggets strung together, but they're interesting little nuggets to tease things out.
