第43回：Gorilla gorilla gorilla

We first saw this fella pop up in the colosseum when he was changed back into your average neighborhood gorilla and now it seems Sengoku has taken a shining to him, even going so far as to share his ’okaki’ rice crackers with him! Seriously Sengoku, what’s with all the monkey business!? (yes, monkeys and gorillas are a different genus, come on people, live a little)

Did he have an off-screen battle with Sengoku where the former Fleet Admiral established his dominance? That’s possible, but then again it’s odd that the gorilla isn’t showing any signs of being roughed up. Maybe they were just arm wrestling like the cover of Chapter 670?

Anyway, Sengoku once again befriending an animal after his long absent goat makes for a pairing that exceeds reason and delights readers. Let’s just hope he doesn’t bring the primate into Marine HQ for questioning; I’ve heard it’s hard to ’gorilla’ ape for answers. (Thank you, thank you. Don’t forget to tip your waitresses.)

AHA! I see what you did there, Oda-sensei! While as of this writing we don’t know how Luffy will react to the sub-crew proposition, one way or another Luffy has himself a loyal and devoted following of 5,640 grizzled pirates and warriors!

And if that number rings a familiar bell consider yourself a devoted One Piece fan as it’s closely related to one of Luffy’s image numbers, 56. In Japanese that’s ’go’ and ’mu’ or ’gomu’ ^_^

As for the Fujitora front, may we assume that the visions of running villagers that Fujitora had are thanks to Colors of Observation? If so, it’s interesting that he doesn’t see the figures in as much detail as Usopp did when he first utilized Haki.

Is this because Usopp has an extremely acute form of Colors of Observation *OR* is it because Fujitora is dividing his Colors of Observation amongst so many moving individuals at once? The mystery of Haki continues!

Whoah! A location mentioned *only* in the anime during a scene that is otherwise based solely on material from the comic?

Of course, I’m referring to Doflamingo’s statement during the dinner scene where he names ’the next target’, a town called Rakesh. The decision to add this original tidbit served two purposes; it helped flesh out the plot of the episode while offering a dash of foreshadowing.

First, it gave some framework to the port town assault led by the Donquixote Family which served as the backdrop for the retelling of Flevance’s history.

Second, Donquixote mentioning the reason *for* the assault (betrayal) is a theme we’ll revisit several times before this arc is through.

Did you notice this reoccurring and unsettling screen of slowly creeping white?

This represents the growth and progression of Law’s Amber Lead Syndrome throughout his time with the Donquixote Family.

If the screen turns entirely white that can only mean Law’s life is at its end…

On a significantly less macabre note, MINGO’S GLASSES ARE OFF!!! ZOOM IN! ZOOM IN!

Yargh…*still* can’t see ’em. Is Oda-sensei ever going to show us Doflamingo without sunglasses? T^T