That chapter. My goodness that chapter. What an unbelievably incredibly electrifying read. I loved it. My body was not ready for how amped up it would now be. Ahhh, how glorious. The threads of the journey unfolding throughout the manga have now found themselves converging at a point tying together a new thread on which the path forward has been constructed. The satisfying nature of payoff is a magical experience in how something so consuming and defined can yet surprise the avenues of the mind when the moment is presented in the manner as it was in this chapter. Certain elements were expected but the way they aligned and cascaded alongside each other, such a feeling evoked is indescribable. But if a word was to be placed reflecting the spirit of its conveyance – exhilarating,
Sanji may be right, unlike his siblings, he may not be modified in the same manner but I wonder if enhancements to his biological structure were still carried out by Judge. We know that Judge, Vegapunk and the rest of MADS were conducting research on the Lineage Factor. Such research allowed Vegapunk to create an Artificial Devil Fruit and provide the base on which Caesar could create the SMILE Fruits. It also assisted Queen in developing his viruses that affected the biological structure of his victims. What if Judge took it further and rather than create the Fruit, he used the components that would provide the Fruit with a power and incorporated it directly into a human subject i.e. his children and in particular, Sanji. Could Judge have gotten his hands on the DNA of a Lunarian subject and infused it with Sanji’s biological structure? Such a modification could be allowing Sanji to burn with passion hotter than the heat of flames.
If this is the case, it does raise the question, could what gives the Devil Fruit their powers be the DNA of elements the Fruits are exposed to. For example, the Mera Mera no Mi, could it have something to do with the Lunarian people and their ability to burst into flames? Could a member of the Lunarian race have indirectly created the Mera Mera no Mi via their DNA as it merged with the tree/fruit that grew. Would the coalescence be natural or the result of a certain power i.e. Uranus. Could the Ancient Civilisation have created a device to lock a certain power within a Fruit. The people of D could be responsible for the items known as Devil Fruits. Similar to how Vegapunk discovered how to “feed” a Devil Fruit to an inanimate object, the Ancient Cvilisation had a way of encapsulating a Fruit with a particular power.
Going even further, Yamato’s Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami, it looks awfully a lot like a Sulong awakened Mink. What if a Mink from the past was indirectly responsible for the Devil Fruit’s existence? Such an honoured Devil Fruit within the Wano Kuni culture also being linked to the Mink would make a lot of sense. The reason for its worship could be its known connection to the Mink or at the very least, a indirect response from the Wano people’s inherent bond with the Mink. Is this why Oda has avoided having Mink encounter Yamato? In order to avoid a scenario he wishes to save for later? Could Yamato not only be the representative for Wano Kuni but also the Mink through the Okuchi no Makami form he possesses sourced from the Devil Fruit he consumed? I find it possible but I really do wonder.
Inuarashi’s comments about the Dawn is very curious. To the Mink, does bringing about the Dawn refer to Wano Kuni opening their borders? Is the event they wish to come about different from what will happen when someone finds One Piece and accomplishes what Joy Boy and Roger left unfinished? Or is it the same? If it is not, what happens to Zou and the Mink when a liberated Wano Kuni opens their borders and the Dawn they refer to is brought about with the dawning of the new day? Would the opening of Wano Kuni also free Zunesha from the sentence they were subjected to for committing a certain crime in the distant past? If this isn’t the case, what will their role be going forward – guardians of Wano Kuni? Questions keep accruing as the end of the Wano Kuni Arc draws nearer.
Momonosuke looks spectacular in his Dragon form. Majestic and glorious. Shinobu’s comments has me wondering, who was she referring to when she reacted to how Momonosuke looked at 28 years old. Did she want to say Oden? Or Kaido? Considering the reaction, it seems likely Momonosuke’s as an adult shares a resemblance with Oden, especially with Momonosuke being his son and the focus on Oden through the actions of the Akazaya Samurai. With Momonosuke taking on an adult form will he subsequently come to wield Ame no Habakiri? He would have the form to do so but when it comes to his fortitude, will he manage to handle such a blade? Zoro struggled initially and I can’t imagine Momonosuke being able to control such a power from the onset. If the Ame no Habakiri is to be brought into the battle against Kaido, I can see another character that is able to wield the blade using it against Kaido.
I am also curious about Marco’s memories of Whitebeard’s comments about the Red Line. What did Whitebeard mean about the land of Gods being atop the Red Line in the past? Did the Tenryuubito destroy the Lunarian race in order to position themselves as the “top” of the world to appease their superiority complex? In order to satisfy their desire of being ‘Gods’, they could not have anyone else above them and as such took issue with a land that was referred to as the land of Gods. Were the Tenryuubito unaware of the Sky Islands at that point in time? That does seem to be the case. The existence of the Sky Island may have come at a later point. Further, given how the people of the Sky Islands aren’t even recognised as a people within the World Government’s eyes, it seems likely that they wished to keep their existence hidden from the rest of the world. The World Government are certainly aware of the existence of the Sky Islands and the communities that exist there. If they recognised those cultures, they would have brought them into the World Governments fold as a member nation. Seeing as that is not the case, the World Government wants to keep knowledge of their existence hidden. Which leads me to believe that the Lunarian people are connected to the Sky people who came from the Moon. The race name, their wings, the past that likely happened with the Tenryuubito and Whitebeard’s comments, everything about them screams connection to the Ancient Civilisation.
If the Lunarian people were connected to the Ancient Civilisation, how much does King know about the history of his people? Is this how Kaido came to know about Joy Boy – through King? And what about Yamato, what stories and knowledge did King share with him? By interpreting such information through the filter of Oden’s journal what conclusion did Yamato arrive at and how has it affected the approach with which he navigates his decisions? And let’s also not forget that Momonosuke consumed an Artificial Devil Fruit that may or may not have involve side-effects in the user. Very much looking forward to the next chapter.
12Dimension 