第125回：A Song Fit for a Queen

Bege may be in a gray area when it comes to having a ‘friendly’ relationship with the Strawhats but I have to admit I felt terrible for him and his crew while they witnessed the destruction of The Nostra Castello.

Maybe it’s just a case of ‘Merry Syndrome’ but seeing a ship go up in flames like that? I just can’t help but consider all of the emotions going through him and his companions. Even when he pleads with Chiffon to leave e specifically says, “…Nostra Castello is dead.”

Not wrecked or burned or destroyed. I wonder…did his ship have a Klabauterman as well?

Here’s our best full-body look at former Sweet Commander Snack during his clash with Judge! I’m interested to see the outcome of this battle since it should give us some idea of how Judge compares to the Supernova in terms of strength. If Urouge managed to walk away from a bout with Snack on the battlefield, Judge might be able to as well, if he’s up to it.

Is this is folks!? Is Jimbei our next Strawhat Crew member? If he makes it out of here alive, it certainly looks that way! Not only do the official One Piece Vivre Cards list Jimbei as a member of the Strawhat Crew, his numerical designation (#10) also places him solidly in order as an active crewmate! Will we see the full crew assembled for the first time in Wano!?

On the heels of ‘BADEND MUSICAL’ we come full circle as the Strawhats’ book-end their adventures in Tottland with the musical number ‘Soul Pocus ~ The Queen’s Song’. Just as with other songs from the arc, the pompous bouncing melody betrays sinister lyrics and plays over scenes of war and devastation.

During the entire sequence my absolute favorite part was the brief interlude spent with Pudding as she played over the events of her shockingly emotional parting with Sanji.

The music box version of the Soul Pocus theme swelling into a full rendition gave me chills, reminding me of similar theme and scene from a certain time-travelling video game. Can’t believe I actually want to see more of Pudding!