Vibes for this chapter:
Now that my hands have stopped shaking, here are my main take aways. This is gonna be a super long word vomit, so just be prepared:
Shamrock is aware of Shanks (they might have met) and seems disappointed that Shanks likes chilling with ✨the commoners✨
If Shamrock’s sword has the Cerberus-Cerberus Fruit, that means that the theory of Blackbeard having it is debunked
The Shiki-looking figure made a reappearance when Luffy was talking about Shank’s family and seems to be approaching the castle, so we might meet them soon
THE MURAL AND HARLEY
I wonder if there will be a specific character that made the mural, who we’ll be introduced to later. Ripley’s line about “a child’s dream” stood out to me
Due to the “Three Worlds” that Robin reads about, I’m assuming that it’s basically confirmed that there have been 3 holders of the Nika fruit, that coincided with the 3 world-changing events (the first Nika, Joyboy, and now Luffy)
There are 3 demon-like figures, one for each world. I assume they represent the foe that each Nika rose up against, but are they different? Are they the same? Are they all Imu? Only Oda can tell
And here’s everything I took note of on the mural:
The First World
The forbidden sun — power source? Devil Fruits???
Seems like it caused the separation of the earth and the sky/heavens
Lots of factory imagery
Who were the slavers?
The figures (the slaves) carry sun/starburst things. Are these the forbidden sun? Devil fruits? They seem to be throwing them toward the Second World part of the mural, where “embers of war” are mentioned
BIG SNAKE, SERPENT OF HELL, WHO ARE YOU???
The Second World
“The God of the Forest sent forth demons” — is this about devil fruits? Fruits grow on trees (duh) and then obviously demons = devils. And later, it talks about the Sea becoming enraged
Mentions of people belonging to the Half-Moon and the Moon. What is the difference? Is this referencing the Lunarians?
“Humanity killed the Sun, and then ascended to divinity” — they killed Nika or Joyboy? Seems to be about the Celestial Dragons
“The God of the Sea became enraged” — about the rising of the sea levels?
bruh, the boats look like Enel’s ship. If Enel comes back, I’ll lose my mind
The Third World
Where we are now. The final arc. What we should expect. The future.
References the Void Century and how the Elders and Imu remember what happened and what might happen (“the day of promise”)
“They will surely meet again” Who? The reunion of everything that was separated in the First and Second Worlds? The reunion of all the gods that were mentioned?
The mural is amazing and there are so many details throughout, but especially in this section
Obviously there’s Nika/Joyboy (Luffy) leading an army against a figure that’s probably Imu
Under Imu, there’s a boat with figures in white uniforms — Marines/the World Gov
In Nika’s army, there are figures that represent: giants, minks, lunarians, mermaids and fishmen, samurai/ninja/people from Wano, a robot (Emet?), dwarves/tontatta, Sea Kings/Laboon (the whale), and a ship with a flag that looks like the Alabasta kingdom’s flag (@sabo-torao’s post brought my attention to that, shoutout to them)
There are so many details that I probably missed and so many things that Oda probably hasn’t explored yet, but will and I’m so excited
But TLDR: Oda cooked, Lore Piece is real, this chapter was fantastic, and the final war arc is gonna blow my mind
Obsessed with how buggy kept his apprenticeship with Roger a secret. You'd think a guy who calls himself flashy would be as vocal as possible about his captain, the adventures they had, his connection to an emperor. But no, he never talked about it, and it's not just because he's a coward.
Buggy stayed in the same sea where his captain was killed for over a decade, the weakest sea in the world. He sought a lesser treasure no one cared about, terrorized small towns that couldn't fight back, didn't stay in contact with his former crew. These aren't the actions of a man seeking fame and fortune. If anything, he was actively sweeping himself under the rug of history.
Buggy wasn't biding his time in east blue, he was hiding. And now we know he was hiding because he didn't believe he deserved to chase his real dreams when Shanks existed, who had so much potential. So he stayed stagnant and comfortable in his little corner of the world, pretending he was satisfied, until a rubber boy jolted him out of his complacency, wearing a familiar straw hat...
I find it really funny how Poe is basically the ada's emergency contact
smth smth bsd’s recurring theme of your past not defining who you are but facing your past being necessary to move on anyway. the symbolism of atsushi’s abuser being the one to push him forward despite atsushi’s dislike for him—you cannot get rid of him. you cannot stop caring. you will cry when your father dies and you will hate him for it. you will never get rid of the ghost that haunts you but sometimes acknowledging it is the first step to healing. can anyone hear me
For those who haven't seen it yet, the official translation is already on mangadex!
(this translation may be incorrect, so if you read this remember to check the official translation! This post only has the pages with dialogue, also, read from left to right)
Dazai: Think about it. It's what people do to remember the past.
Atsushi: H-here is... the agency?!
Dazai: Physical distance doesn't matter in the fourth dimension.
Dazai: To get from point A to point B on this sheet in the quickest way... what should be done?
Atsushi: ? Go in a straight line, of course...
Dazai: Normally, but we are in a higher dimension.
Dazai: Just do it like this.
Dazai: It is possible to intercept all the places here... and attack the origin point, which is ame-no-gozen.
Atsushi: Will you do the same with me?
Dazai: If you understood, let's fly.
Dazai: Focus.
Atsushi: Dazai-san! You...!
Dazai: Just look...
Past Dazai: I want to recruit you for the Port Mafia
Akutagawa: Jinko...
Akutagawa: Why did... you protect me?
Dazai: I want to recruit you for the Port Mafia
Akutagawa: Why am I... remembering this now?
Akutagawa: I just... hated... this world that let my street friends die for nothing.
Akutagawa: I wanted revenge... for being born into this world.
Dazai: If you're ready... I'll give you what you want.
Akutagawa: What I want? Are you... able to give me a meaning to live?
Dazai: I am.
Atsushi: Akutagawa...
Dazai: It's taking too long to activate your ability! You won't survive like this in the organization!
Akutagawa: I didn't feel any pain. Dazai-san was the one who gave me a meaning to live. But...
Akutagawa: ...He disappeared without any explanation
Akutagawa: And when we met again, he had a new subordinate.
Dazai: "My new subordinate is much better than you"
Akutagawa: Jinko! Jinko! Jinko! Jinko!
Akutagawa: Feeling humiliated and resentful… I feared I would never be accepted. This motivated my heart. And I bet everything on the tiger's execution.
Akutagawa: And then.. then...
Akutagawa: Fool... go now
Dazai: We arrived.
Dazai: The true body of the god is beyond this door.
Atsushi: Where are we?
Atsushi: It's big. And it's completely sealed…
Atsushi: It doesn't work, it's too heavy. It doesn't even move.
Orphanage director: You stupid brat. No one will save you.
Orphanage director: You don't deserve to live.
Dazai: I can only get you this far.
Atsushi: Thank you. I couldn't have gotten this far alone.
Dazai: I was the one who called you to the agency. Who brought you into a dangerous world. It's the least I can do.
Atsushi: No. You are not Dazai-san.
Atsushi: Because of the nullification ability… he couldn't become an illusion and talk to me. And you sometimes… didn't behave like Dazai-san.
Atsushi: You thought I wouldn't listen to you… if it wasn't in this form, didn't you?
Atsushi: You're right…
Atsushi: Director. When your illusion disappeared… I started seeing Dazai-san. Then…
Director: It was… the only way.
Director: I don't have… the right to talk to you. That's why…
Atsushi: You are just a shadow… created as a consequence of Q's ability.
Director: Yes. The real me is already dead. But…
Atsushi: Enough. I don't want to talk to you.
Atsushi: It's no use. It's not moving at all. But… if I don't defeat the god behind this door, everyone will…
Oh boy I thought people were over the Rayleigh-Zoro parallel being a 1 for 1 thing. But I see with this chapter they're not and now they're doing the same with Sanji and Gabán.
Rayleigh was a parallel to both Zoro and Sanji and Gaban's the same.
Rayleigh's a swordsman but he also uses his legs to fight while Gabán uses two axes (which ironically makes for 3 weapons + 1 pair of legs, it's probably just chance but who knows with Oda).
Rayleigh made fun of Zoro's stupidity the same way Sanji would, he's got a got a scar similar to Zoro's.
Rayleigh's a big drinker like Zoro and Gaban's very into love like Sanji.
Gaban's linked to Wano like Zoro and they both like to stir shit up.
Both Sanji-Zoro and Gabán-Rayleigh will not hesitate to argue against their captains if they feel like it's needed, so far Gabán and Zoro have only been shown to do it when they're particularly worried (both shown in chapter 1139), meanwhile Sanji and Rayleigh will scold Luffy-Roger for more mundane stuff as much as when they're worried.
So like outwardly Gabán-Sanji and Zoro-Rayleigh parallels are super obvious but in truth it's a mix because Luffy's crew is not just a copy of Roger's.
(also don't comment by saying that both Rayleigh and Zoro are 1st mate/Vice Captain as a parallel, Oda confirmed in vol. 102's SBS Zoro isn't, which we've been knew but apparently not everyone, anyway the idea of the Strawhats having a 1st mate is just weird when them not caring about hierarchy bc they're a family is so important)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST DETECTIVE IN THE WORLD!! Hope you get all the candies, sweets and appreciation you deserve!!
i was gonna make a joke like how does hallucination dazai know the status of kyoka and lucy but no actually how does hallucination dazai(?) know the the status of kyoka and lucy???
One of things I love about Dazai's past is how it forces you to rethink the idea that "X character is irredeemable", because whilst all characters in BSD are morally grey, Dazai is one of the best examples of it.
Everything every "evil" or "bad" character has done in BSD Dazai has probably also done, and if he hasn't, he's fully capable of doing it, if he wanted to. We especially see that in the Beast timeline, but main timeline Dazai isn't above underhanded tactics, manipulation and criminal activities if it serves him and the people he cares about.
Yet, he's one of the "good guys", we root for him because he's in the Agency and fighting for the light.
You can't say Mori or Fyodor, or Ace, or Fukuchi, or Gide, or Verlaine, or Rimbaud, or any other antagonist is irredeemable without also labeling Dazai as irredeemable.
The Dazai we see in the current manga is still the same person who committed all those awful acts in the past. The only reason he's helping people now because it was a dying friend's request and then he realized he likes doing it.
His "redemption" is a completely selfish one and BSD says that's okay. He does it for himself and he didn't actually pay any penance for the crimes he committed.
To accept that Dazai gets to do this, means accepting that every antagonist, every "evil" character has the right to that opportunity too. Like how Mori gets that opportunity in the Beast timeline. The only thing stopping a character's redemption is their own choices.
"today is christmas!" wrong, today is the death anniversary of this two mfs
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