One Piece Chapter 804 – The Mink Of Zou

Good work Ryuunosuke!

Overcoming the limitations of its existence, this brave soul pushed himself beyond his capabilities driven by the duty etched into its soul by its creator. A noble and honorable soul using everything it had to scale the massive hind leg of an Ancient Elephant in order to deliver its friends, the Straw Hat Pirates and Law, to the top. Regardless of fatigue, it broke past the barrier of impossibility and successfully saw to it that the Straw Hat Pirates reached the top. A hero in name, form and action, Ryuunosuke the dragon will forever be remembered for what it accomplished during its trying journey towards the enigmatic Zou. RIP Ryuunosuke.

Bleach Chapter 648 – Shadow Play IV [Abyss]

Shunsui actives his Third Dan ability, Dangyo’s Abyss

The wait was worth it. Oh, how satisfying it is to see Shunsui’s Bankai and what it is capable of and despite seeing a good portion of what it can do, Shunsui is still not done revealing exactly what it is capable of. Even with the ability to pierce anything and to distort injuries to himself, Lille is currently overwhelmed by the mysterious and intense nature of Shunsui’s Bankai. With every action of Lille’s having a shadowed consequence, can he even do anything to escape the madness he has found himself submerged in?

Bleach Chapter 647 – Shadow Play III [Bankai]

BAN-KAIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been waiting for this moment, this epic, soul-shattering moment that unleashes a Bankai that couldn’t be released in fear of dragging fellow allies into its enigmatic effects. For Shunsui to consider his Bankai his last resort, what exactly is the nature of it and how severe are its exact effects on those caught up in its rules? The reluctance of Shunsui wanting to unleash it and instead opting to try any tactic not his Bankai has me incredibly intrigued in what happens now with it unleashed. Lille may perceive himself some holy entity, but that smug arrogance he has deluding his sensibilities has him destined for a dramatically intense defeat.

One Piece Chapter 802-803 – The Island On The Back Of An Elephant

It’s cute, but I can’t help but pity it

Zou has finally be revealed and true to its name, it definitely has something to do with an Elephant, more so than I had initially expected. After chapter 795, I had suspected that the Island the Curly Hat Pirates land on was an Island that could possibly rest on the back of a massive animal carrying it, but I expected a giant whale or sea king, not really a thousand-year old Elephant casually cruising in the oceans like it was nothing. With the setting of the next arc being that of this ancient giant elephant, I am curious as to the origins of this elephant and its longevity. Hopefully as we learn about the residents of Zou – the Mink – we also learn about this enigmatic ancient elephant.

Bleach Chapter 646 – Shadow Play II [X-Axis]

The man behind the shadow

As expected the fight has begun it’s back and forth cycle of one party having an edge over the other until they don’t. Shinsui having the edge over Lille with his shadow play now turns into Lille seemingly having the edge over Shinsui with his “second” eye. Ultimately Lille will fall, the moment Shinsui became his opponent, he was destined to fall. No matter how strong or “godlike” Lille’s ability is, there is no way Kubo-sensei is going to have Shinsui fall before even giving him a serious battle to be highlighted in as the Captain Commander. I am quite certain a second Captain Commander won’t fall to the Quincy.

Bleach Chapter 645 – Shadow Play I [Rules]

What a dangerous ability Shunsui has…not only to his opponent but to himself as well

Even though Shunsui basically educated Lille on the functionality of his zanpakutou, I don’t really mind. The situation and Shunsui’s zanpakutou warranted Lille needing to know the “rules of the game” in order for Shunsui’s zanpakutou to fully function. And keeping Lille in the dark about the abilities of his zanpakutou wouldn’t have helped as Lille had expressly mentioned that the Sternritter had done comprehensive research on the Shinigami’s zanpakutou’s and their abilities shown throughout the battles they have had so far (information gathered from the Spirit King’s palace?). With both parties restricted by the “rules”, the victor will be decided on how one plays the specific game.