One Piece - Chapter 666 [manga]

[marvelB]

^I wasn't just talking about named characters, but even unnamed background characters, as well. Like for instance, we saw one of the underlings of the bandit leader I mentioned before get shot dead by Lucky Roux. Or remember when Buggy actually blasted one of his own crewmen with his cannons when he was first introduced? After that, Oda mainly teased us with vague "death" scenes but revealed the characters to be still alive later on (the most infamous examples being Pell and Conis' father in Skypiea).



But that seems to have changed since the war. I mean, after the skip we had crazy stuff like Caribou burying marines alive, Hody Jones destroying that one pirate crew by himself, or CC sacrificing his own servants for the sake of his experiments. Add to that the recent cases of drug abuse and it really seems that Oda's being less relenting by this point.....

[grey_1960]

^
I agree with that. Two I think personally it will be better for the story if things start getting serious. This arch alone has some very dark theme to it. Like CC giving drugged candy to the kids. I hope there will be in the future a no win situation for the Straw hats, throw in a tie, or a story that is not so black and white on the issue. In all of the arch besides the War, Luffy has always come out on top or the readers knew who the enemy was. There was know question in the Straw Hats mind who was wrong and who was right. During and after the war I expect there will be more deaths due to the fact that there is more at stake now for everyone.

[holypanl]

^
I used to get very worked up about how One Piece isn't serious enough, and whatnot, but eventually I realized that Oda, no matter how much potential there is for a darker themed manga, will not go there -- once in a while, an arc will have a somber tone, but immediately after, things will get laissez-faire again.

For the most part, it works, but for example, Impel Down is one of the arcs that, no matter what, or how you look at it though, should have been a bit more desperate and serious. Magellan alone is what saved Impel Down's reputation for the readers.

...I gave up on the idea of having Oda move into a grave plot -- just NOT GONNA HAPPEN BRAH

[marvelB]

Now don't get me wrong.... even now, I believe that OP will ultimately remain a lighthearted series through and through. But I do think that it's a nice touch that Oda is slightly stepping up his game for the second stage of the series. But still, I'd actually be turned off if the series suddenly became too deep and dark. I want my One Piece to stay as One Piece. It doesn't need to turn into freaking Watchmen.....

[grey_1960]

Originally Posted by holypanl

^
I used to get very worked up about how One Piece isn't serious enough, and whatnot, but eventually I realized that Oda, no matter how much potential there is for a darker themed manga, will not go there -- once in a while, an arc will have a somber tone, but immediately after, things will get laissez-faire again.

For the most part, it works, but for example, Impel Down is one of the arcs that, no matter what, or how you look at it though, should have been a bit more desperate and serious. Magellan alone is what saved Impel Down's reputation for the readers.

...I gave up on the idea of having Oda move into a grave plot -- just NOT GONNA HAPPEN BRAH

Environment and the Mood
Oda does not have to make the whole series dark but the tone for the manga will probably get serious in some of the arches. Look at the Marine Ford Arch, Oda killed two very well known characters in war. Diamond Jozu lost his left arm in the war. Things will get serious for the Straw hats because they will dealing with the same people who took out Ace and White Beard. Also look at some of the character in the who come from the worst generation. Do you think Kidd is a guy you could truly get along with and call an alley like Law? Admiral Akainu also became Fleet Admiral, he is the most extreme out of Akijio and Kizaru. I personally think the story will get intense because Luffy's enemies are just that intense. There is a strong chance of Oda killing people in these arch more often. Look at Black Beard he got the quake fruit from White Beard after his death. Jimbi just told Straw hat crew that Black Beard is going devil fruit hunting. If death is the only way to acquire someone's fruit, then there will be deaths. Black Beard is looking for powerful devil fruits. Logia classes are one of the strongest, then you have mythical zoan (Marco), and many more. The odds of people or characters in arch dying are a lot greater now that we know some of the characters the Straw Hats will be facing.

Second look who is all in the New World. Marine HQ, Yonkou, Worst Generation, Dragon, and many more. Every character from Rayliegh to Moria who have been in the New World have said it is unforgiving and challenging. So what we saw in paradise (First half of the Grandline) should not be compared to the New World so easily.

[randomlex]

Just realized that Monet had normal limbs when Law arrived (not in the present - should've paid more attention to the background ). Seeing as she is a lot like Robin when she was working with Crocodile, I wonder if she'll be evil in the end - agree with CC's experiments instead of helping his newfound enemies.

Kind of like an alternate reality Robin (damn, I'm too tired to explain it well). I don't see her joining the SH crew, since she's basically Nami+Robin in one package :-D, but I wouldn't mind it either.

As for One Piece - it's a story about ambition, drive and fun, not PEP (Pessimistic Emo Pussiness - a term coined for Heroes seasons 3 and 4, but which can be easily applied to late Naruto - RIP ).

It doesn't have to get dark and negative - even the Bible has a happy ending, and having fun and not giving up even when things are super serious is the best way to go - don't believe me, listen to Einstein, Branson, Gates, Carnegie and most of the other great minds of our generation.

I seriously don't understand why some people want One Piece to "grow up" and "be more serious" ...

[ronin myael]

who said one piece is not serious enough? maybe it does not exude enough grit, darkness and emo-ness, but it is pretty serious to me. the themes in one piece are far more darker, intriguing and socially relevant than in most shonen series. i heard some fans say naruto and bleach are more serious because of their "darker" themes while one piece is for kids. only someone who hasn't really "read" one piece would say that. slavery, discrimination, poverty, corruption, injustice, oppression, rebellion, genocide are just some of the issues tackled in the series. if that's not serious enough then i don't know what is.

i guess the reason why most people fail to see that is because of the way oda delivers these issues. he presents them in a light-hearted manner that even little kids could relate to. that's the beauty of it. i like it that no matter how dark or serious it gets, oda always finds a way to bring comedy and positivity into his story. so you cry buckets of tears when something horrible happens, but it doesn't last very long, it doesn't get you down. oda always makes sure that you don't get too immersed in the tension. none of the characters stay emo, they learn from the experience, they get stronger and they move on, and they can even afford to make a joke about it. so life sucks, deal with it, make the most out of it and then laugh about it. you won't accomplish anything by turning emo. that's the true message of op. if you want something grittier and darker, read deadman wonderland. op is just not that kind of series and it never will be. i like deadman wonderland too but i like op just the way it is.

[Darmill]

Originally Posted by randomlex

Just realized that Monet had normal limbs when Law arrived (not in the present - should've paid more attention to the background ). Seeing as she is a lot like Robin when she was working with Crocodile, I wonder if she'll be evil in the end - agree with CC's experiments instead of helping his newfound enemies.

Agreed. Monet does appear to be a counterpart or duplicate of Robin, like our archeologist she probably knows about her boss' weakness and how to antagonize him effectively. Nothing against her joining the SHs, but I also don't think we need a fusion of Nami & Robin. It's also worth mentioning that the design of her glasses suits her presence as a chaos themed character (Harpy) perfectly.

Now that our beloved Zori has passed away, I'll attend to his & Sanji's burial. Sorry Brook, but the fact that you've been dead once, I'm not fond of going to the same funeral twice...

Well jokes apart, I guess Law might be able to revive our friends by using some antidote, that would be awesome.

Originally Posted by ronin myael

[...] he presents them in a light-hearted manner that even little kids could relate to. that's the beauty of it. i like it that no matter how dark or serious it gets, oda always finds a way to bring comedy and positivity into his story. so you cry buckets of tears when something horrible happens, but it doesn't last very long, it doesn't get you down. [...]

Well said man. One Piece will remain a adventure based manga which simultaneously reflects the social and global problems of our time. That being said, as dark as the storyline sometimes might get, it normally won't exceed the content that we read in the daily newspaper.

[Poetic Justice]

I think Oda has started killing a lot more people since the war ended. Even villains before like enel were never shown to be killing anyone directly.

[Blackbeard D. Kuma]

Originally Posted by bigdeal000

I was thinking and an ideea hit me.

Spoiler for probably not, but to be safe:

What abilities to mithical harpies have? I mean, besides flying and claws, etc? What if Monet is not another meele zoan but is instead a siren? You know, in greek mithology you have sirens as bird-women who would lure sailors to death by singing. (or something like that) I think Monet would be more interesting like that. Since she's also a researcher so she should be more brain that force, I think.

I like this idea. If anything, Brook would be a good counter to this ability with his enhanced musical senses. I can just imagine him guiding the crew from harm's way by noting the underlying "tones" of death/danger.

[marvelB]

Happy Harpy as a siren, eh? Interesting, but I dunno..... doesn't Hancock's DF work that way to some extent? I mean, she doesn't charm men with her voice, but her ability still works through the powers of attraction....



Edit: BTW, I wonder what became of Kinemon (the samurai)? Did he manage to reconnect with his torso? If so, maybe we'll see him take on the yeti brothers (I really wanted to see more of his DF power in action, anyway). And that's not to mention that we still have no idea what happened to his son......

[golgo13]

Nice chapter. Happy to see Bon clay is alive!!

The fight was pretty interesting although the yeti brothers are pretty elusive.

What was up with caesers comment, "hard to control ppl that think too much"? Law also had a very weird look on his face, is cc using some hypnotic gas on law or something deeply sinister?

I was half expecting to see monet as a human in the flash back, now the question of zoan vs. operation begins. It's difficult to say since she is always in animal form.. I'm not convinced she has a robin/crocodile relationship, I was thinking she may be in love with cc, but she does seem pretty independent..

[holypanl]

Seeing Bon Clay alive is kind of lame, since his death was supposed to be a high impact event. Him having survived is pretty lame :|

[yakumo-chan]

Originally Posted by holypanl

Seeing Bon Clay alive is kind of lame, since his death was supposed to be a high impact event. Him having survived is pretty lame :|

Yeah me too, i also thought it was kinda lame too.
That's the only only problem with Oda, he loves his characters too much that he cant kill them.

I have a theory that ussop will die.
Because if you look closely, ussop's goal is the strangest or should i say the lamest one.
"to become a brave warrior of the sea"
if you compare it to the other crew member's goal, ussop's goal is nothing

i hate to say this but,
The story will be much better or should i say much more dramatic if one of the straw hats die

[marvelB]

Originally Posted by holypanl

Seeing Bon Clay alive is kind of lame, since his death was supposed to be a high impact event. Him having survived is pretty lame :|

Honestly, I probably would've complained about his survival too if he hadn't already went through a similar "sacrifice" scene at the end of Alabasta. And incidentally, his survival from that time was also confirmed through a ministory! But yeah, I still gotta say I'm glad to see him again.

Originally Posted by yakumo-chan

i hate to say this but,
The story will be much better or should i say much more dramatic if one of the straw hats die

We.... just kind of went through this. Maybe we'll see more background fodder characters die, but I doubt the same will be said for any major players. Besides, drama for drama's sake does NOT a good story make.



Oh BTW, next chapter thread should pop up in less than 24 hour's time.....

[Poetic Justice]

Er..Bon Clay was never shown to be killed in the manga.

[Randrak42]

Originally Posted by bigdeal000

Yeah, that's what i was thinking after seeing him sacrificing himself. It would be really lame if he is still alive after all this. But somehow, now i fell good about him surviving. Idk why.

Maybe because, like me, you also love Bon-chan so much that just seeing him alive and well again brings a smile to your face?

Originally Posted by yakumo-chan

I have a theory that ussop will die.
Because if you look closely, ussop's goal is the strangest or should i say the lamest one.
"to become a brave warrior of the sea"
if you compare it to the other crew member's goal, ussop's goal is nothing

Eh...no.
First off, Ussop's first goal was to become a brave man of the sea. However now he also has another goal, to meet the giant warriors at Elbaf.

Secondly...so since in your mind his dream is smaller and easier to achieve than the rest of the crew...he needs to die just to create pointless drama? That makes sense...how?

Thirdly, forgetting his goal of reaching Elbaf, let's take his original goal. So he wants to become a brave man of the sea like his father. Who is his father? A "high ranking" member of Shank's crew...Shanks, one of the emperors that sails the NW, who was able to easily block Akainu AND who's first-mate stopped Kizaru in his tracks just by aiming his gun at him. It is no easy task and Ussop is nowhere near achieving it.
What about Zoro? What about Luffy? They both want to be at the summit of the world (one as the strongest swordsman and the other as pirate king) they are pretty damn similar goals to Ussop's original one...does this mean they too have to die to create the drama you think this show so desperately needs?

Originally Posted by Poetic Justice

Er..Bon Clay was never shown to be killed in the manga.

He was never shown to be alive either (up until now).

[Poetic Justice]

I never even considered he was dead because of the fact that Oda has done character deaths very differently.

[marvelB]

Spoiler's out, which means the birth of a new thread!

[golgo13]

Originally Posted by holypanl

Seeing Bon Clay alive is kind of lame, since his death was supposed to be a high impact event. Him having survived is pretty lame :|

This is one piece, characters rarely die; which at times can be annoying. His situation was pretty hopeless in ID, but he wasnt shown to be killed, also suspect Blackbeard and crew had something to do with him surviving. It will be a long time before he gets out of 5.5.