With every crest of a wave, there is the inevitably trough. The defeat of Fabiano signals this moment although considering the ease with which he was dispatched, he may as well have been inconsequential to the Oceans 6. In actuality what led to the subsidence of the Oceans was the element of wind that causes the motion of the waves. The winds of Eden ended the resistance of the Oceans. As the situation presents itself, only Shura and Nero remain as executives of the Imperial Army whom have yet to be defeated. Ijuna is playing her own game and was on the mark about the inability of the Oceans. Their defeat now motions her intentions into action and those intention certainly go against what Shura plans. The High Tide is moments away but so to is the climax of the arc.
Fabiano truly was handled like fodder, he barely put up any resistance against Jaguar and only served to highlight how delusional the Oceans 6 were in terms of their capabilities relative to the powers that exist within the expansive cosmos Edens Zero is set in. Jaguar put on a masterclass of savagery and when it came to Fabiano, he wasted no time in tearing down Fabiano’s “hardened” body and putting to shame the strongest soldier the Aoi Cosmos boast. It is comical how outclassed Fabiano was. After the praise the Imperial Army soldiers gave the old generation of Oceans 6 and the experience Fabiano seemingly held, he ended up embodying nothing more than a door mat to welcome the Beast Lord, Jaguar. Such a display by the final standing member of the Oceans 6 drives deeper the comment Ijuna made in the previous chapter – they were useless.
Jaguar’s Ether transforms has me wondering how far Mashima-sensei will take animal transformations within Edens Zero and whether there will be categorizations of Ether powers to come that classes different types of Ether powers within different categories. There are clearly different ways Ether affects the user so it would make sense for their to be a directory analysing such scope. Will Hermit, Sister or Witch expand on Ether powers more in the future as they definitely know more about it than what they have revealed so far. I also wonder if there will come a point where someone with flesh and blood arrives wielding more than one Ether power. Witch wields several Ether elements, so know it is possible but is that limited to only androids? Could Hybrids like Jinn also handle several elements?
I have no idea what Poseidon Nero is planning but the fate he places in his dice is certainly on display. The arrival of Ziggy as well as his presence as an enemy provided no surprise to Nero. He anticipated it and likely prepared for it. What does Nero have planned and how does he plan to survive against Ziggy and Jaguar? In addition, there is one other party that has yet to show up on Nero 1 and that is the Captain of the Skull Fairy, the Armored Space Pirate, Elsie Crimson. Elsie also represents the enemy of the Interstellar Union Army and Ziggy so such an appearance can complicate the situation and throw it further into disarray.
Shura’s reaction to the pleas from the Nero 1 base was so on point for his character. It was as juvenile as you would expect from Shura. He is so lost within his own ego and arrogance that he fails to conceptualise how disastrous the situation before him is. ‘Go exactly the way I wanted”, of course he would say when his mind is only focused on such a narrow viewpoint. Poseidon Nero being defeated would leave the seat of sovereignty void but there are deeper and more serious implications at play currently. Has Shura really thought how he would rebuild the Aoi Cosmos when it has become so divided or how he would deal with the Interstellar Union Army once Poseidon Nero is defeated? Once Nero is gone, he wouldn’t last long against the might of the Interstellar Union Army. He is barely keeping the current forces of the Interstellar Union Army at bay and that at present is only a fraction of their full arsenal. Each second that elapses brings with it a lesser Imperial Army force. The Beat Squad shown so far have been defeated or captured and the Oceans 6 are done. How does Shura plan to fend off the Interstellar Union Army, Oasis Rebellion and the Edens Zero?
Honestly, the irony in seeing Shura laugh his ass off when he is the central subject to the joke carries with it such a immense level of pity for him. He has so much desire yet he is oblivious to what he truly needs. From a certain angle, the treatment he received from Nero or the lack thereof is what has defined such a void within his heart. Desire, anger and his expression of superiority through the use of his power are what is now being used by Shura to fill that hole within his heart. Would things have gone differently if Nero showed Shura more love and affection? Would Shura have been different if Nero treated him like a son? Regardless, Shura is who he now is. What he claims makes him human is the very thing that deviates him from humanity. His treatment of Witch is unforgivable and he deserves everything that is coming for him. Hopefully after his defeat, a new perspective on life and himself is born.
Redemption may be a platform too far for Shura to reach after all that he has done but that shouldn’t mean the desire for redemption shouldn’t be sought. I don’t know if Shura will change but a defeat would provide Shura with an experience he has to encounter. An encounter that may open his eyes he is remains alive after these events. Very much looking forward to the next chapter! And it was great to see Xiaomei again in this chapter.
12Dimension 