As Ziggy’s encounter with Nero grows ever closer, the forces conflicting within the Aoi Cosmos begin to make their move. The Oración Seis Interstellar dispatches Jaguar and Eraser to assist Justice in the battle against the galactic criminals present in the current space. Poseidon Nero in turn with his Cosmos threatened follows the energies guiding his path through his sacred dice. Nero relinquishes his role in the defense of the Aoi Cosmos and instead leaves the responsibility in the hands of his son, Shura, who now has control over Nero’s Elite fighting unit, the Oceans 6. Other forces such as Elsie’s Pirate Fleet and Edens Zero continue their search for Ziggy. Within that objection though, Edens Zero gets a secondary objective through Xenolith who has agreed to train Shiki and help him master the Magimech Gravity Martial Arts.
With Poseidon Nero officially being introduced in this chapter, I was taken aback by how faithful he is. It was a characteristic I genuinely didn’t expect from the remaining members of the Oración Seis Galáctica. Despite the shadowed image presented of Nero during the start of the Aoi Cosmos arc, he is more nuanced than the intial rumors of his reputation lead the readers to believe. Nero and Ziggy will encounter each other but I don’t see Shiki facing off against Nero as the main saga antagonist and defeating him. Rather, Shura will be Shiki’s opponent. Ziggy may defeat Nero or once Shura is defeat, the energies Nero places his faith in will directs Nero away from the Aoi Cosmos throne and on a path separated from it. Whatever fate the dice which his ether is connected to dictates, Nero will obey.
Shura is entirely how he was portrayed during his introduction. Arrogant, childish, sheltered, unstable, narrow-minded and incredulous. Despite having the ability to channel Ether through his physical form and wield the force of Gravity, Shura rejects the belief of his father and the faith Nero places in the forces unable to be comprehended by the mortal mind. Such obliviousness to the energy of the cosmos makes one wonder why Ziggy before his shift chose to mentor Shura and bless him with the Gravity powers. Instead of Ziggy believing in Shura, it seems more logical to conclude Ziggy owed Nero a debt and through a request made by Nero, Ziggy came to be the mentor of Shura. If this is the case, Shura may have the Gravity Ether Powers but the techniques that make up the Magimech Gravity Martial Arts may not have been passed on to Shura – Ziggy only spent a short time learning from Xenolith. There is no question that Shura possesses an immense level of Ether power but if his knowledge of the Magimech Martial Arts is limited, he may have a tough time fighting someone who has begun mastering such techniques (Shiki). Ultimately, it seems Shura is destined to lose to one who has embraced the Magimech Gravity Martial Arts.
The reveal of the Oceans 6 was great. I love new character introductions and the Oceans 6 was no different. Instead of a group of antagonist that serve the purpose of being defeated, the Ocean 6 members were portrayed as characters who are currently on the side opposing the protagonist. The presence of the Ocean 6 members in the saga could lead to expanded focus on the Aoi Cosmos story and space or even extend beyond it to other Cosmos’s if an Ocean 6 member is not native to the Aoi Cosmos. A certain character not native to the Aoi Cosmos could have found their way here through certain circumstances that could be explored deeper in a future story. The members genuinely seem serious about their duty as warriors of the Aoi Cosmos but at the same time they are also aware of who Shura is. The Ocean 6 members don’t question or challenge Shura being their commander but they aren’t all entirely excited about serving under him. None of those serving under Shura feel entirely free. Not even Shura’s secretary, Ijuna. It appears, they are all biting their tongues in the presence of Shura. Holding the words they want to say back. Lyra in particular has a great design, so I am very curious to see where her story leads. Ijuna too has a deeper relevance hidden behind those subservient eyes.
With the Oración Seis Galáctica to concern themselves with, the Interstellar Union Army can do little to focus on “criminals” way down the food chain. As such, the the resources allocated to targeting groups such as the Edens Zero is minimal. Creed and Victory do acknowledge the strange composition of the Edens Zero team but the perceived threat they believe the crew poses is incomparable to that of the Oración Seis Galáctica members and Ziggy. As far as we know, the Edens Zero crew aren’t primary targets of the Interstellar Union Army but I wonder if there is a power moving behind the scenes targeting Shiki and Rebecca – possibly the power that influenced Ziggy’s shift to the dark side? As for Holy, who is she targeting – another Oración Seis Galáctica member or someone else entirely?
It was expected for Xenolith to be the mentor of Shiki but with that now taking place, I am excited to see how Xenolith trains Shiki and how Shiki’s techniques improve. Additionally, how will Shiki evolve Xenolith’s teaching and put his own spine on the Magimech Gravity Martial Arts? Could Xenolith even assist with helping the other members of the Edens Zero crew train or will their time come when other members of the Heavenly Knights of the Dancing Sakura come into focus? I don’t expect all the members to have survived to the current time but they could be a record of members story left behind in some form of text. There is also Rebecca who may be able to traverse space and time to enter a moment when the Heavenly Knights of the Dancing Sakura are alive and in their prime. Very much looking forward to the next chapter.
12Dimension 