The new cover story ( ch 613+ )

[Tias]

I thought it'd be better to make a seperate thread for this instead of discussing this.

As people know, with chapter 613 started a new cover story, those stories we always see after some arcs ( like how buggy got his body back, Enel flying to the moon, CP9 escaping the buster call and ace looking for teach and etc.)

I'm not sure, since it's been a long time i've read the old chapters, but those cover stories usually happen after a arc is over, and is kind of like a "sequal" to the arcs.
And our last big arc was of course the rescue attempt of Ace.

So yeah, i believe that the baby that we see on the cover of chapter 614 is Ace's son. At least i hope it is. Some suggest it's a random baby, or Shanks child. I just don't see how it'd be special if it was Shank's child. We haven't even seen much of him ( but then again there is a higher chance of him being on the island than Ace, but still )

It would be a lot more, well, plot relevant if that child would be Ace's son/daughter.
Gol. D Rogers & Ace's legacy still living on. And imagine the faces of the Marines if they found out that the "cursed" blood of Gol. D Roger is still flowing?
I can see how it'd be important for Luffy to protect his brothers child.
I can imagine something like "i couldn't protect your father but i'll definitely protect you"

Maybe i'm just wishing for too much right now? = /
Now i'm actually looking more forward to the cover pages than the actual chapter =o

But i'd like to hear what other people think so far ( i know we can't come with much since we haven't seen much of it yet )

[Freid]

Nah, I don't think you are wishing for too much. I also think the child Makino is holding is Ace's. It would hold much more significance than if it were Makino's, in which case I would not really be interested in it. I'm definitely banking in on it being Ace's. Makino could go to hell lol

So it seems like Oda is intending on showing each of the strawhat's respective villages reactions first before he gets to the pirates, which is probably what everybody is longing to see. Their new designs would also be interesting.

[Geez]

I agree, this child must be important ! Saying he's Ace's is really tempting but up until now - at least until his execution - Ace despised his own life and bloodline. So why would he perpetuate his blood by making a girl pregnant ? Maybe i just over think the situation.

I know it may really seem unimportant to you but, can someone help me to recognize what's drawn in the page ? Between the old angry man's knee and Makino's dress we can see guys in the background but i can't figure what is drawn on their waist level

[bittman]

Oh god, really? Few people jumping the gun here. Makino holding a baby means nothing, she's always been the sort of person to act as a mother to Luffy and Ace, even in her younger years. Could be anyone's baby.

IT COULD BE DADAN'S BABY! OH GOD THE HORROR!

But anyway, nothing in this page told me the baby was important. If the cover story's title had been "Baby in Fuschia Village", then sure, let's Theory-piece the crap out of that baby. As it is, it just said Fuschia village and gave us a snapshot of whats going on. Makino is still like a big babysitter, Woop Slap is still angry and the rest of the village is still a bunch of over-celebratory drunks.

And now, it's time for some maths:
Time Ace has been away from village = 3 years
Time Ace has been dead = 2 years
Age of baby < 1 year
Only possibility of a plausible explanation is Garp throwing babies around again. But he definitely didnt conceive that kid there on the island. Else the baby's mother makes Rogue look like a wimp.

And if it was Ace's son, it's not important to the story. Might make you come up with all these great ideas, but ultimately One Piece isn't going to last 18 more years and Luffy will not return to Fuschia until the last chapter or so (if at all).

The only way for this baby to become somehow important is for Kuma to teleport that baby to Luffy which would be the biggest child abuse moment in the history of manga.

Anyway: just saying, dont jump the gun. I'm not sure where this is going, but to me it would appear to be just "showing" everyone's hometown or something along those lines. Wouldn't be surprised if next chapter was Kuina's father / Zoro's dojo master, thats what I expect.

[Anduren]

I understand the temptation for theorizing... But I have to agree with bittman. Also I kinda want to point out something: The baby's hair seems like a light color, not black. This drops the chances of him/her belonging to Ace OR Makino by 75% and Shanks by 25% (Genetics and all).

[Geez]

Yup i don't think it will be a story either, just images from places where the news is spread. About the baby matter, it does feel weird... you convinced me on the fact that he may not be that important, since Oda often tricks us to look in the wrong direction.

I thought drawing this scene, only to underline Makino's personality was kinda clumsy. But i didn't think it could be his way to re-introduce former characters from the first half of one piece. So this "mini story" is not an epilogue of the last arc but a simple reminder of old faces

Damn, you gotta be really bored to write all of this just to make fun of a speculation. You need love man.

[kkck]

Unless makino pulled a rogue (ace's mom) it is impossible for that to be ace's son assuming that image we saw is of the current timeline. More importantly, wouldn't it be kinda weird for makino to have had such a relationship with ace? She seems far to old for such a thing, who knows how many years older than ace she is. EVen then, when would have makino been visited by ace for such a thing to be possible? Ace has been in the grand line for quite a while now and has spent the entire duration of the series looking for BB. In that sense, there is no plausible scenario where it would make sense for ace to have gone back and unknowingly father a kid. There is no time and the kid is not old enough. It would be interested if ace left a kid behind somewhere else though.

[Shiki_Dance]

I agree with the statements made by bittman and kkck.

We don't know the age of the baby so we can't be sure, but it looks to me like it's too young to even have the possibility of being Ace's. And secondly, as stated, why would Ace have ever left the Grand Line? Oda has made the point within the series that biological bloodline is not what's important. To that end, Luffy is the one carrying on those family bonds, and the idea of Ace having had a child somewhat upsets that. But that's my opinion.

I will, however, state that Oda clearly made the conscious decision to have the baby not look like Makino, so that there's definitely the possibility that the baby's parentage is of some significance.

That said, I also believe many people are trying to read way too much into this. I don't think it will make much of an impact on Luffy's story. I accept that I could be wrong, but I find it more likely that this cover issue is a way of saying "And meanwhile, two years later, life still goes on in East Blue..."

I also expect (and hope to) to see Shimotsuki Village next.

[Tias]

Don't crush my hopes! xD

But yeah, it might also just be a random baby and we're not speculating to much into it.
But if so, damn oda for putting a baby in there =A=
He could just have had Makino serving beer to everyone instead ._.

[chess4]

i think oda is justing showing the reactions of each of the hometowns about the strawhats being back. the cover stories are quick and easy way to show each of the towns again without taking up chapter pages. if im not mistaken the last time they showed was after the ennies lobby arc which was a LONG TIME AGO.

so as it stands we will probably not see anyting form robin or brook since we dont know there home towns. there is a long shot that we see a cover of the RA cheering for robin or the people on thriller bark cheering for brook

[luffyg2]

i dont think its ace if its a follow up to last week<s cover story they are just showing us reaction to the news that the strawhat are back.. you can see the old man in the back with a newpaper too.. and i dont even think she knew ace as a baby... its luffy that was raised in the village and then moved to the mountain with ace that was alredy there

[Razh]

So yeah, i believe that the baby that we see on the cover of chapter 614 is Ace's son. At least i hope it is. Some suggest it's a random baby, or Shanks child. I just don't see how it'd be special if it was Shank's child. We haven't even seen much of him ( but then again there is a higher chance of him being on the island than Ace, but still )

Why does the baby have to be special in any way? The page displays some of the residents of Fuhscia village celebrating upon hearing that Luffy is back on rampage. It's a continuation of the last week's page, where we see those birds carrying news around. It probably is Makino's child. She looks more mature, with her clothes and all, and she can't stay single all her life.

Anyway, it's impossible that Makino had Ace's child, just as it is very unlikely that Shanks is the father. Ace hasn't been home since he left to become a pirate and by the time Luffy sailed out, he was probably already hunting Blackbeard.
If he does have a child somewhere, I don't see how that child would just end up in Makino's arms about 2 years later.

Shanks on the other hand was more than likely busy trying to keep things in balance in the New World. I don't feel like I should especially elaborate on this.

Anyway, I think the father is probably someone who's not really a major character.

But as I wrote before, in chapter discussion, it's also possible that Garp has settled down there, and that he has married Makino. Doesn't sit well with me, I admit, but whatever. It's not like it would be the weirdest of things in One Piece.
And lol, maybe Garp, after failing at raising strong Marines 3 times in a row, just decided to give one more try.

Seriously though, that kid being Ace's or Shanks' has no real basis. In fact, the chances are greater that it's Garp's kid.

[Nonlife]

We'll probably see someone else hearing about the news - maybe the shadow silhouettes of Cody & Helmeppo.

[Mad Wanze]

Seriously though, that kid being Ace's or Shanks' has no real basis. In fact, the chances are greater that it's Garp's kid.

That would make that kid Dragon's brother... and D Luffy's uncle! And tath would also make of Garp a disgusting old pig! And Makino a slut! And her bar a brothel! And the Major a pimp! xD

Anyway, for me he is just Makino's baby, but if he must be Luffy's brother kid, I'd think Sabo is more probable than Ace

[luffyg2]

Its probably makino and some random guy's child... what the cover was showing us was their reaction to the news that the sh are back.. never though people would argue that much about the baby...

and this being ace's kid would be kind of gross.. she was like a mother figure to him and luffy... and how the hell would this be aces child.. ace spent months looking for BB before getting cought and dying 2 years ago... when did he had time to go back and make a baby with her when the baby look like it has maximum 2 years old