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Sahuganis One Piece Review 447
Nothing stands in the way of the mugiwara DF users
Im trust everyone was as frustrated as I was waiting for that RAW to come out and Im sure that you all danced a little when you saw that it was out. I know I did. Even if it was a bit late, at least we can still brag that our manga is still quite regularly the first to produce a RAW of the major 3. Franky House has had some poroblems and so this week my pics come from Kokotas and Cez.
Lightning Strikes Back
the huge ship makes me think they are not so different from Enel
After Last weeks beautiful Viking color cover, we once again return to the cover arc of Enels Moon Adventure. Depending on the translation you read from a few weeks ago, Enel was mad because the space pirates were either ruining his paradise or destroying his Maxim. I went with Franky Houses version with the ship and think that it works better to tie into the events of this week. Enel has arrived and landed on top of the pirates ship and I can only guess as to what hell do next.
Canine Obedience
that's one way to do it
Despite all of the revelations and plot twists that happened later in the chapter, this moment is by far my favorite. It was a pretty close competition between Kaiens Nejibana in Bleach and Luffys dog training for my favorite moment of the week in manga (and I still cant choose). Im not advocating brutally beating your dog to make him obey, but it sure seemed to work for Cerberus. The submission of Cerberus sparks quite an interesting topic even if its main purpose was for laughs. That is whether or not the pooch will join them on their ship. I for one am all for that idea, both in desire and logic. I think it would be so cool for the Mugiwara Pirates to have a pet 3-headed dog (not to mention that it would take the focus off of Chopper as the crews pet). The larger ship with a lawn is even well suited for such a large animal. Also, as I believe Ive made pretty clear since the start of the arc, I highly doubt that Brooke will join the crew and Cerberus would fit in well as a replacement. Although the theory cant be applied fully in this case due the short time Brooke was with them, it is somewhat the same idea as Robins replacement of Vivi. Basically, when Vivi left, the crew no longer seemed complete and so Robins initial role was simply as a replacement to take our minds off of Vivi. In this case, Brookes short stay and the fact that he is a musician placed him in the crew automatically and this is amplified by the size of the new ship as more space is available. Since in my opinion, Brooke will be left behind waving to the crew like Vivi, having the Cerberus would ease the pain. I can quite easily imagine him lying at Robins feet while she scratches all three heads behind the ears and reads a book. The biggest kink would be getting Usopp to trust it, but I think it will work out fine.
Kid in a Candy Shop
this is Luffy's Disneyland
With Cerberus serving as steed to Luffy and Franky, they go exploring the island and encounter even more of the creatures seen earlier by the trio. While not quite as amusing as the scene that preceded it, it does give us both another view of the islands creatures and another glimpse into the crew dynamics. The same living tree and unicorn that were dancing around earlier as Hildons carriage passed by are now enjoying a drink together. It makes me think that the forest party we saw before was an act to scare the trio. Hildons purpose in intercepting them was to take them to Hogback. By showing them the monsters outside basically yelling BOO, Hildon intended to make them afraid of the outside so that their guard would be let down once inside Hogbacks castle. However, Namis change of plans made Hildon doubt that they could be manipulated and so abandoned them to die. Since the two creatures before us now calmly drinking together, I can assume that their lives here are that of a normal person (to an extent) in that they have leisure time and work for Hogback. Other than that little glimpse into the relaxation period of the creatures lives, the scene also let us once again view for our own delight the various ways each member of the crew is dealing with the situation. Luffy once again starts doling out crew invitations to interesting people, Franky becomes Luffys partner in his wondrous exploration, Robin shows sympathy for the beastly Cerberus, Zoro concerns himself with the canines pride, and Sanji doesnt care about anything on the island as he calls for Nami.
Cahooting
i wonder if he knows just how inappropriate Absalom is
Well it is official. Hogback is not the invisible man, but he does seem to be his master. This scene reveals much about the see-through being that I found extremely intriguing, the least of which was his name, Absalom. Unfortunately, the conversation draws Hogback away from the classic version of Dr. Frankenstein as he seems to have embraced his creation while the novels scientist feared it and abandoned it. While the scene does detract from that aspect of my previous theories, it does strengthen other aspects of it. From the tone of the conversation, Absalam treats Hogback as a father figure, which fits in nicely with the idea of him as a creature who is only seeking love and acceptance. This is amplified further by the knowledge that he is looking for a wife. From there, Hogback assigns him to the task of dealing with the high bounty pirates, which to me implies that while Absalom tries to get his fathers acceptance, Hogback only sees him as a henchman whose strength he has faith in. This means two things. First of all, he is likely Hogbacks most powerful creation and I now believe more than ever that he will be Luffys opponent at the end of the arc. Also, it means that his devotion to Hogback is childish and his resolve to fight on his fathers behalf will be extraordinary, further strengthening the previous theory. This conversation reveals more than just the invisible man, but it also brings back the ghost who appeared with Absalom on the Sunny. Between the ghost and Hildon, it seems more solid now that they are key henchmen in a process that is a regular occurrence on the island and are part of a complex system for acquiring bounties and each has his own role. While most times they have faced people who are scared enough to fall to the plan like Usopp and Chopper, they will be completely unprepared for the rest of Luffys crew.
Roaming the Castle
how much money has she gotten from the guys in this way
As the central characters for the arc so far, the major advances to the story occur for Chopper, Usopp, and Nami. As they stroll down the hall, each shares their views on the events occurring on the island. Usopp goes a bit into denial as he cannot accept the existence of zombies and monsters. Chopper once again shows his admiration for Dr. Hogback as he refuses to believe that he has anything to do with the terrors of the island. Nami acts as the voice of reason to bring up what all of the readers are thinking and pointing out the suspiciousness of Hogback (though it evokes some anger from the innocent Chopper). It is important to present the notion of Hogbacks guilt to Chopper because it foreshadows what his stubbornness will bring. From the previous scene we know that Hogback is up to no good and by directly after that displaying Choppers belief in the doctor despite Namis logic, we know that whatever happens in the house or island, Chopper will deny it with some explanation that glorifies Hogback. After we see that, we see more evidence that we now know Chopper will deny.
Monster Mash
this is why animal hide rugs scare me
Hildons appearance marks the start in a chain of encounters that would leave anyone but Chopper certain of Hogbacks guilt in the danger of the island. First of all, the appearance itself should act as proof enough as it shows them once again that he serves Hogback even though he left them in the cemetery full of zombies. After that though, his interaction with the paintings and stitched decorations of the room should only go to convince them more. One little thing I found amusing is that even within the room, Oda still incorporated outside references just as he did for the forest creatures with ancient mythology. The instance Im talking about in the room is the only picture who seems to play a major role, which looks like a stitched version of Mona Lisa before reaching out to grab Chopper. The use of zombies in the pictures somewhat confuses me due to the differences between them and the ones buried outside. These not only are tied to the paintings unlike traditional zombies, but also seem much more violent and directed than those outside, who seemed more comedic. While that seems to support a future (outside) zombie alliance with the strawhats, I am becoming more convinced otherwise due to the span of influence and degree of placement Hogback has set his minions at. The room not only displays the zombie pictures, but also reveals the stuffed pig head to be the boss and the giant bear rug to be the final offence. Because Oinkchuck the pig head uses swords and is one of the leaders among Hogbacks henchmen there is a chance that he could face Zoro, which I find hilarious in one respect and sad in another as I want to see how Oinkchuck would move around and that well Zoro would be fighting a stuffed pig (Im saying there is a chance, but I dont want it). The weakness of the zombies to fire also implies that Usopp will get a major fight later in this arc, which I am looking forward to as he and Robin didnt really get to have CP9 fights (Spandam doesnt count). As the bear rug chases them, they are forced into the fireplace and fall into the passageway that leads to Hogbacks lab. However, before that they find a very strange room.
Shindorys Shrine
can you say obsessed
The trio find a room covered in pictures of an unstitched and smiling Shindory. This sight lends a huge clue to the history and motive behind Hogbacks experiments. Now we seem to have proof that it was the doctors love for her that he started his research into resurrection. The best theory at this point is that she committed suicide from the tragedy of her engagement and the doctor revived her out of a one-sided love. With this in mind, it makes me compare the relationships weve seen between Hogback, Shindory, and Absalom. Absalom looks up to Hogback as a father, yet the doctor treats him as an obedient tool. This is in contrast to Shindori, who despite being cold to the doctors whims, is never victim to his ill will. The desire to revive a loved one will be a reason for Chopper to sympathize with the doctor and begin his road towards dark medicine. The anger Chopper displayed before at the notion of the doctors evil nature will be amplified further as he cannot understand why Nami and Usopp dont see the effort as noble and they will be cast out so that Chopper is forced to come to his later revalation and make his decision on his own.
Overall
This chapter was incredible and definitely worth the wait. Not only did we get to see major plot twists regarding Hogback, Shindory, and Absalom, but the entire Cerberus thing was hilarious. I cannot wait to see what more Oda will do with the doggie. While some people have not been pleased so far with this arc, I think this chapter shows that it is only the beginning and that it can only get better as it moves away from setup and into plot development.
