Volume 98 is upon us, so you know what that means! AP is still down for the moment, so I went elsewhere to get this info. Credit still goes to Redon, though:
-First up is....
FUTURE SANJI!!! 
-Yamato's birthday is November 3rd.
-A fan asks if Luffy has a fifth gear. Oda answers this in a roundabout way, saying that the characters reflect the author's present time. The heroes are currently battling the man who's known to be "the strongest in the world". Likewise, in the real world, we're transitioning from "4G" to "5G" technology. And surely, the "G" must stand for "Gear", right? So, it looks like it's (semi) official:
Gear 5 is coming!!!
-Someone asks if the Hundred Beast Pirate's officers have names based on card games. Oda confirms that yes, they do for the most part, the exceptions being the recently recruited supernovas (Drake, Hawkins, Apoo). Here, he reveals something interesting: Doflamingo, who used the alias "Joker", shared the card theme because Oda
originally planned for him to fight alongside Kaidou at Wano as his most powerful ally! But as we already know, "Joker" ended up meeting his downfall at Dressrosa.
-Another interesting one: A fan from an Asian forum asks what DF powers Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Franky would have (no, they didn't ask about Jinbei). Oda responds:
Quote:
Zoro: Uo Uo (fish) no Mi, Mythical type, Model Seiryuu, aka Kaidou's fruit! However, Oda thinks it would be cooler if one of Zoro's swords ate the fruit.
Nami: Goro Goro (rumble) no Mi, aka Eneru's thunder Logia! Oda says that power, combined with her weather knowledge, would make Nami the strongest in the crew, Luffy notwithstanding.
Usopp: Poke Poke (pocket) no Mi, the power used by Blamenco, the sixth division commander of the Whitebeard pirates. Perfect for someone who always keeps their tools handy.
Sanji: Sui Sui (swim) no Mi, aka Senor Pink's DF! Being able to swim through floors and walls can help prevent catastrophes (and I guess because the raid suit makes his previous desire for the invisibility fruit moot, lol).
Franky: Buki Buki (weapon) no Mi, aka Baby 5's fruit! What better fit for our cyborg friend? 
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-A fan points out that in chapter 962, we see Kiku holding a gun while Izou holds a katana..... yet in the present, their weapon preferences are reversed. Oda is surprised that people noticed that detail, but the truth is that while Kiku held the gun, she wasn't actually using it. He then explains their background a bit, revealing that their father was a criminal, and were forced to live in poverty. They made a living entertaining adults, but received cruel treatment in return. Izou's acts involved using guns, which he was more comfortable with compared to the blade. Later, after boarding Whitebeard's ship, he was entertaining the crew with his marksman skills one day when Vista told him to protect others with what he's good at. That made Izou ponder: If a samurai's duty is to protect their lord, then what's the point of carrying a katana if they have no skill with it? From that moment onward, he gave up the blade in favor of firearms.
-The horns seen on Kaidou's SMILE users are merely for show, they're not real.
-Remember that story about how Kid and Killer had a rivalry over their first love during their childhood? Well, here's the girl in question:
-The name of that one retainer of shogun Sukiyaki (that dude with glasses) introduced in chapter 960 is named
Banzaburou. For those who forgot, it's this guy:
-And to round things off.... here's Law with a sour face:
That's about it for now! My, I found this to be a fun SBS!
