motivational poster for when you, too, need a dazai osamu in your brain speaking words of wisdom to help you through times of trouble
You know, after Wano and Egghead where little girls were charging into battle against brutal pirates and demonic entities left and right and to a lesser extent Zou where even the baby minks were throwing paws with the Beast Pirates during Jack's invasion, you almost forget "oh yeah, no sane adult would let kids get involved in fights like this"
A century ago, the giants of Elbaf would probably be a little more open to letting Colon participate in the battle but that's definitely not happening now in their pacifist era.
Although the giant's wording is a bit interesting because he could also be inferring that Colon specifically is not suited for the battlefield. The kid's got plenty of fighting spirit, yes, but like most children he probably has very little idea of what the true gravity of going into battle actually means. He's treating it like a game, calling dibs on being the captain and making up his own pirate crew.
Up until now, Colon has probably viewed violence and warfare as something fun. Something you rush into without thinking because a sword swipe solves everything. His only experience with combat is likely from Ripley and Gaban training him. He's never fought against killer nightmare monsters or anyone who truly wants him dead. He's never seen the people he loves put in danger like what's likely going to happen to his parents if Sommers decides to play his little thorn game with Colon as the pawn. Colon is made to be a foil to young Luffy and Luffy eventually saw firsthand just how bloody and spine-chilling and complicated the world of piracy can be.
Now that being said, the end goal of Elbaf's narrative is blatantly leaning in favor of the giants not giving up their warrior ways, but what I think may be happening is something of an hourglass plot between Colon and his extreme pacifist classmates.
While the other giant kids will likely take more pride in their warrior heritage as they learn the importance of defending yourself, Colon is going to come to the realization that battle is not something you take lightly and that there's nothing wrong with striving towards a peaceful life. Not that Colon will give up his dreams of being a pirate warrior altogether, he's clearly got his heart set on that. But he'll come out of this experience a more level-headed kid with a greater understanding as to why the adults in his life are so protective.
I also think no matter what happens Usopp is going to be the one who inspires both Colon and the Walrus School kids to be brave because inspiring children with heroic feats is kind of Usopp's bread and butter.
I'm not a hater but so much shit is stupid
Since Teruko's story was revealed, I've seen some people saying that she wasn't twelve years old in the present day, but in the Great War, and since that was my first impression when I read the chapter, I wanted to talk a little bit about why this wouldn't make sense if we take into account the timeline that had already been established by the manga up to that point.
Because of Yosano's backstory, we know that the Great War began fourteen years before the current timeline, assuming that Mori recruited Yosano at the beginning of the conflict. (It's said that she was eleven years old when she entered the war, and as she is currently twenty-five years old, it is safe to assume that the war began, at least, fourteen years ago. Mori's age also agrees with this assumption.)
Back to Teruko's backstory, we are told that she started fighting in the war in her first months of life, as her ability meant that she could mature her body and mind, so she was already considered fit to be a soldier even though he was literally a baby. Just like Yosano, it's never stated that she was there from the beginning, and the chapter itself refutes this later, somewhat.
At the beginning of her flashback, the narrator talks about how Teruko's only childish characteristic is her appearance, which imply the idea that she is an adult today, and even the speech that she is only twelve years old, that she really is a child, can also be ambiguous as the scene changes to show Teruko during the war, giving the idea that during the war she had a childlike appearance because she was a child, but that now she uses that form for convenience, or any other unspecified reason.
However, if we consider everything we know about the war and when it occurred, it's possible to see that Teruko couldn't have served in the army while she was only a few months old and be over fourteen/fifteen years old, and we also know that the the war didn't last long enough for Teruko to have joined it when she was a few months old, and be twelve years old when it ended, at least according to what was shown in the manga.
Of course, she could be thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen, but the manga itself states that she is twelve, despite her ability being able to change her physical and mental age, so I see no reason to believe she isn't that age.
Also, the fact that she is twelve now only adds to the tragedy. She is a child who has only known war all her life and who died (as far as we know) to avenge the person who saved her life when she was just a few months old and had already seen people dying, already had to kill enemy soldiers, and was almost killed by them. It was supposed to be something sad, her life was destined to be a fight until the end, and not by her choice, because she had no choice to be here, to begin with.
Bsd doodles part... uhh
Can I talk about the fact Akutagawa doesn’t understand why Atsushi saved him, even though he did the exact same thing for Atsushi. Him using the word 'protect' rather than save is also so powerful to me because that's inherently what Akutagawa always has been- a protector. He was born with his ability and he protected his sister, the other kids in the slums with it. He sacrificed himself so Atsushi could leave the ship. And now, we've yet to see how Bram's wish will play out, but he was asked to protect Aya. Rashomon is shaped like knight armour on him at this exact moment.
And yet he can't understand why someone would do the same for him???? Absolutely INSANE. He's spent so long protecting others and then trying to better himself for approval, to be able to survive on his own by sheer violence that he can't fathom anyone doing the same for him. It was probably the same when Higuchi and the black lizards saved him when he was comatose.
And likely, he knows Atsushi views him as immoral and his actions as abhorrent, and is stuck on the fact Atsushi has had a sudden switch (sudden to him) in such a huge way that he'd die for him, since Atsushi has never been shy about telling Akutagawa just what he thinks of him. He can’t fathom Atsushi seeing his violence and hatred toward him and knowing him so deeply without understanding him and also choosing to save him.
Asagiri you're insane for this truly.
Mihawk and his spotlights
494 posts