*.:White ShadoW:.*

DAWKNESSbeard! It all makes sense! In the original translations of the Ace v. Blackbeard chapter pre-timeskip Teach said  to Ace that unlike the other fruits the Yami Yami no Mi came from "The Devil Itself".  Once I saw Imu's form and demonic projections everything made sense. The Flame and the Darkness have squared off once again!  I've been saying that Voidbeard has been lead by an ominous "fate" for ages now, and that he might not be the final enemy but just an agent of this mysterious force, which is now clearly Imu. The translation note also stated that when Imu referred to itself as "Mu" in the 3rd person it corresponded to void/ nothingness aspect of the Yami Yami no Mi. Imu might've created that fruit for the sole purpose to have its bidding done without getting their hands dirty, and Xebec was just another unwitting agent.  Marshall D. Teach and Rocks D. Xebec both have/had their own dreams but were likely being manipulated in their own way. 

Also remember the period of time known as the "Void Century" where 100 years of history was erased? The motif of the enemy of dreams and freedom being an absence is quite apparent to me now.  Forget history, forget truth, forget the throne, forget the ONE PIECE...

I obviously have no hard clues to believe it, but I think Lili isn't Imu as many are suspecting. I think she may have been the OG Ope Ope no Mi user who was forced/ cajoled into doing the operation to give Imu their immortality, probably with some threat to her kingdom. Her sacrifice is may be why Alabasta was allowed to retain some of their sovereignty and remain prosperous for centuries. Imu might be a bit sentimental (in their own callous way) as Lili's sacrifice allowed them to retain power over the world.

This also coincides with Doflamingo trying to replicate Imu's gameplan but on a much smaller scale, he needed Law to willingly sacrifice himself with the special operation to grant him immortality as well. 

Now we have God Knights?! I don't think that silhouette is Shanks like the rest of the interwebs are saying, but I do think Shanks has some relation to the Celestial Dragons/ Gorosei. He might be descended from noble stock and not the inbred Tenryuubito stock, but the type to inherit Conqueror Haki and be a part of these God Knight group.  I thought the Gorosei were the ones meant to protect Im on all fronts but maybe the God Knights are the last line of defense. 

I still wonder about Commander-In-Chief Kong, no mention about his prowess and past history in the story. I'm still curious as to how he fit into all this.

And dang, I really wanted Sabo to mention something about discovering Im with some more details. Hopefully we'll get more info next week...

Garp was telling Sengoku to keep holding him down after witnessing Akainu unceremoniously murdered Ace or he'd kill him, we know he wasn't bluffing. Garp wasn't even looking tryhard when he used Galaxy Fist, dude threw that out while laughing without a care in the world.

Kujaku is no slouch, she could sense Pizarro's Island Island fruit ability, which is a pretty broken ability itself, making his ability even more OP than Pica's. I'm still curious about the Glug Glug fruit, if he's able to "drink" anything and recombine it or transmute substances through alcohol. It has some OP potential as well.

The Clay people might be their own race of genetically engineered. It's interesting since the Clay man with the 'Mingo jacket is also a DF user independent from his clay abilities.  This would be the weirdest unheard of race in One Piece by a mile.

Most of all, I'm curious to see Koby's inverse Rokushiki (i.e., he does Rankyaku with his hands and Shigan with his feet, etc.). We got hints of it before but I really like that concept. 

HAKI GOD SHANKS!!!

I've waited years to see a moment like this. What I loved most about this chapter was that Shanks didn't take Kidd lightly and moved with absolute ruthlessness... and of course DIVINE DEPARTURE!!! I remember a debate on whether or not Shanks used diplomacy or just sheer threatening force to make Kaido and his crew retreat, and I guess we can confidently say he could easily use both if he so desired.

Also yeah, one of Blackbeard's lackeys is coming. I'm sure it's for either Vegapunk or his tech. 

I've been hearing this idea, and while nothing's impossible I have a feeling if Oda went that route then he'd most likely create an S-Bon Clay/ Bentham or a Seraphim with his ability especially for the WG's purposes.  It also makes me wonder if Shadowbeard would have the foresight to use Catarina Devon as an agent on his behalf to steal technology or knowledge?

S-Hawk having the Supa Supa no Mi just like I predicted a while back since Daz Bones was imprisoned. This means that Crocodile's and Ivankov's abilities might've been copied as well.

Luffy and Zoro's disgust to eventual shaky compromise with Lucci and Kaku makes me feel a bit emotionally ambivalent. Lucci is a completely irredeemable mass murdering psychopath and if this wasn't OP I'd prefer if he was obliterated outright. If he had shown some acknowledgment of Luffy's Emperor status then gotten ordered around by Luffy and Zoro like a rented mule I'd be more willing, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

As for the traitor, I think maybe one of the Vegapunks has reached a state of super ego individuality, and only cares about itself over the group. I wonder if Vegapunk is in seastone cuffs and if this somehow turns off his ability and his connection to the hive mind? If it is, it's probably the one we least expect. The Plug Vegapunk guy hm...?

And now for the main event! Haki God Shanks. We knew Shanks was a Yonko but this is the first time in the manga where we've seen a fleet of loyalists. Kidd seems to be back for revenge but I  hope he has a solid gameplan since based on the dialogue he lost his arm before he even saw Shanks himself; and nothing Kidd showed during Wano gives me concern for Shanks and his core crew. I wonder if a haki-clad sword can resist the effects of electromagnetism from Kidd's DF though?

Weevil is likely a Frankenstein's monster of cadavers and Whitebeard's lineage factor thrown in, making a  dumb monstrosity. Stussy probably got turned down by Whitebeard one too many times and decided to take matters into her own hands. 

The creation of Edward Weevil could've been done through a trade, her Lineage Factor to the scientists (which created her clone) for a "son" of Whitebeard. The son was most likely hastily created by the group since Stussy was insufferable and they wanted to be rid of her. 

It's interesting that Zoro sensed a trace of humanity in S-Hawk, meaning that in the future some Seraphim might develop a stronger sense of self that can override their programming. I wouldn't be surprised if meeting their originals could trigger that effect.

Kuma OG or S-Kuma could also "push" the mental-blocks out of the Seraphim too, who knows?...

Take the L Rob, it's in your name. Can't take that Luffy is an emperor now. You MAD!

I wonder how much of Kuma's decisions are built in protocols and how much is him actually reacting to the current situation?

Elbaf, the fabled land of Usopp's dreams, I have no clue what to expect there. The last time we were privy to their society was during Big Mom's flashback.  I wonder how much has changed since those decades?

I have a feeling that Garp is going to wreck shop but his need to carry the rest of his Marines is going to work against him against bigger unscrupulous pirates like DocQ, sniper Van Auger and Muscleman Burgess. Garp may no be a pushover but this might be his limit.

I never thought I'd get as emotional about Jaguar D. Saul being alive but I felt Robin's feels. I can't wait for the reunion. The library of Ohara's books will probably be disseminated to the world in future, upending all the efforts of the World Government which would be glorious to see. 

I'll admit, I'm a bit disappointed that Vegapunk's abilities are partially attributed to a DF but it makes sense. He was clearly a genius beforehand anyway.

Like I expected Vegapunk is a perfectionist with his "failed" Devil Fruit being  99% copy of Kaido's was hilarious. Meanwhile, Caesar Clown is celebrating his garbage Smile fruits, the irony. His brain being cloned and gaining the experiences and knowledge of 6 individuals in pretty awesome, I think if this was a different manga this kind of thing would backfire hard with these clones turning on OG Vegapunk at some point but yeah. Logic aka Shakka is easily my favorite of his clones.

This robot being resurrected  after 200 years was probably a response to something involving Fishman island, I think it was programmed to attack the current descendants of those who attacked the advanced civilization since still have the same "lineage signature" as their ancestors. 

The concept of a power source being so advanced even Vegapunk can't comprehend it means that it might be a power that transcends scientific understanding. It might be transcendental in nature like Haki/ life force/ etc. or just a mini-sun, but we'll see.... 

I feel this arc will be instrumental in the Strawhats dealing with the Space Pirates/ Enel and the moon people, since they're definitely connected. 

Van Auger and Aokiji's team up was in the past, I still don't know Kuzan's agenda but I'm sure none of the crew still don't trust him.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see that Oda showed more of the fight between Schwarzbeard and his pirates. Law has definitely levelled up but I think we all know he won't be able to last for long, but a valiant effort especially by his North Blue crew who I thought would have to be completely carried by their captain. Law is likely more aware of Teach's Yami Yami no Mi's abilities than Ace which might be his only way to escape defeat... by fleeing that is.

Zoro and Brook serving as a vanguard for when the CP-0 arrive to assassinate Vegapunk is an exciting setup, I really want to see how a post-Wano Zoro handles them.

Speaking of which Vegapunk not only acknowledging he senses the end is near and being rather resigned to his fate is interesting. I wonder if he committed an actual transgression or just knew too much.

Bonney's ageing ability still intrigues me, it shows a possible future for old Luffy— which based on how much of his lifespan has been sacrificed throughout the series  I don't think he'll make it to 70. Awakened her ability can probably age inanimate objects similar to the Rust Rust fruit which would be pretty cool.

Bartholomew Kuma being of a certain special race? His physiology doesn't look distinct so I'm quite surprised by this. I thought the established races were more than enough but now there might be a brand new one is crazy.

That would make sense except it doesn't appear that Jewelry Bonney was ever imprisoned afterwards, more like rescued and sent on her merry way considering she was able to infiltrate Mariejoa with surprising ease on her own. Also Akainu's temperament in that scene was one more of familiarity than utter contempt like he displays with nearly everyone else. It would be unusual for Oda to show such a scene and have Bonney magically escape without her mentioning it in some way.

As for Kuma losing he personality, now that we know the Punks probably have fragments of Vegapunk's full personality, Kuma's personality is probably deeply supressed a la "The Sunken Place" in Get Out than deleted.

Vegapunk has split his self into multiple parts, but I'm guessing his true self is probably in stasis to preserve his life. He might be too old or exhausted to do any serious grunt work.

Photonic gloves seem like a nice hint of future tech against *certain* adversaries. Franky or Nami could make good use of that weapon. So far Vegapunk's island has lived up to expectations, I can see why Vegapunk split himself as well, he's probably ridiculously lonely on top of being busy. 

It's crazy that the WG/Im have found the greatest genius too much of a liability to keep alive. I guess Im finally got the weapon to end all weapons, or has found another scientist willing to do much more dark research even Vegapunk was against. Unfortunately this kind of move will unwittingly push Vegapunk to the side of the Mugiwaras. 

Luffy being on the cusp of Gear 5 after being duped with the holographic food was funny... I wonder if he can actually transform that easily now or that was just a comedic effect?

What's crazier is finding out Bonney is Kuma's daughter,  I was totally wrong in thinking she was actually an old woman. What makes this confusing is why Akainu rescued her from Wesley-Snipesbeard  when normally he would eradicate all pirates on the spot. This makes me believe that Dragon and Kuma might have a kinship of sorts in that they had relations with Celestial Dragon women or something (essentially making Bonney royalty by birth). Because I can't think of a reason Akainu— who has sanctioned the nuking of islands and killed his own soldiers for desertion would let Jewelry Bonney, daughter of one of the leaders of the Revolutionary Army and a notorious pirate free. 

The fact that Oda made sure to note that her speech patterns were that of an old timer makes me believe either these are M. Bison~esque host bodies— hence the Punk 02 classification. Why would they want to risk any danger to their real and possibly decrepit form anyway?  Although Oda has made false silhouettes before in the past (like Kaido pre-timeskip) I'm pretty sure Vegapunk was named as a man.

Dr. Vegapunk also spoke about the robo-shark as if they failed to manipulate the Lineage Factor to take  away its base shark-like nature. I think there are 2 possible origins of this character.

1. Vegapunk is just a pure genius who somehow figured the nature of Devil Fruits and ancient tech on his/her own and made elaborations on it.

2. Vegapunk is one of the few survivors of the Void Century and witnessed the past tech of that lost civilization. The same civilization responsible for the world-ending tech as well as the Devil Fruits and what we're seeing is not technology that is 500 years ahead but 500 years from the past that got lost to history. 

Jewellery Bonney could also be using her ability to de-age Vegapunk as well, since I still believe her true form is that of an old woman like we saw on Mariejoa.

And in 2 weeks, we'll finally, hopefully get what I've been waiting for all these years, a definite explanation behind Devil Fruits and their origin. 

First thing's first. Im's divine judgment, what a ridiculous display of power. I know that Sabo is alive unless those lasers were infused with haki or seastone energy, I'm pretty sure this was done by Uranus— one of the ancient weapons. I wouldn't surprise me that Im itself has control over it and maybe it was reinvented by Vegapunk. The crazy part is how it was able to mete out punishment so quickly, if it's an airship it was able to reach Lulusia in moment's notice, and if it is a homing weapon then no one is safe.

The second theory is that this is a display of Im's power alone, which is even more terrifying. It would also explain that creature that was so big it made Thriller Bark look like a rubber ducky in the ocean. Im might be able to project its presence anywhere on earth in an instance, but that's a whole other can of worms.

I enjoyed Zoro being the obstinate first mate and using cold hard logic against Luffy and co.'s brash behaviour.  He did the same when Usopp decided to leave the crew back in Water 7 and also when he took Luffy's pain on Thriller Bark. A real G through and through like always.

Jewel Bonney was saved by the heartless Kaido and also seemed to be quite familiar with Mariejoa, so my guess is that she's a former Tenryuubito or affiliated with someone powerful. Since we know Akainu gets a hard on for killing any pirate or person he doesn't like on sight. I can't wait to see what reveals she makes next chapter since she interacted with the Revolutionaries during the reverie and I'm 99% certain her true form is that of the elderly woman, not the kid or "prime" version of herself we've seen.

First off, it seems Pot-Calling-Kettle_Beard has real plan behind collecting these rare Devil Fruits, even if he can't utilize them fully like Boa said he can donate the ability to a suitable crew member or sell it off to the highest bidder. In addition there's also the possibility that he can combine DF abilities simultaneously. Imagine using the vibrations of the Gura Gura no Mi as a medium for the Mero Mero no Mi's petrification! That'd be ridiculously broken and might bypass the need to enchant the opponent.

Mr. Zehahahaha isn't a fool either, him kidnapping Koby (who seems to have Luffy's pure-heartedness and unaffected by the Mero Mero no Mi) might not just be for intel/ransom purposes but also because he can detect his advanced Observation Haki and thinks it might be of some use. Even before Luffy could utilize haki properly back in Impel Down ore-timeskip, he could detect that Luffy's haki had increased. 

Now for my favorite part of the chapter— The new Pacifistas! Very smart on part of the World Government who have have ousted the Shichbukai from their ranks. It seems that Vegapunk has been manipulating the Lineage Factor of certain former slaves (Hancock, King, Kaido, etc.). Cloning King makes sense because of his crazy powerful  race but Hancock is definitely a surprise. With Kaido we can see Vegapunk managed to create a "failed" Uo Uo no Mi fruit that Momo consumed. Makes me wonder if we'll see an ancient giant Pacifista down the line. I'm still patiently waiting for Oda to reveal Vegapunk and finally hear the origin of Devil Fruits after literally 20 years of waiting. 

I loved how Oda just slid in how Shakky was the former princess that fell in love with Rayleigh and which is why he was uncharacteristically welcomed into the island. Now Hancock is afflicted with the same "disease".

Mihawk is the superior swordsman to Yonko Shanks, It's likely that Red-Haired Shanks is primarily a haki specialist aka "Haki God" .  Also Mihawk's 3,590,000,000 Beri bounty solidifies his Yonko tier status.

Buggy's plight and his reaction to the Cross Guild posters showing him as the leader made me literally laugh out loud. I haven't laughed that much at a One Piece chapter since Luffy nonchalantly shoved that emerging zombie's head back into the ground in Thriller Bark. XD

Sanji keeps taking Ls even though he's now officially in the Billion Beri Boy's Club. Usopp keeps inheriting Luffy's old bounties as per usual, although this one doesn't seemed as earned as before this arc. Hopefully he can rise to the occasion next arc.

Shanks apparently has an advanced Conquerors ability where they can cancel out Future Sight Observation Haki! He essentially makes them lose focus so they can't fully utilize Observation Haki. He is named "The Killer of Observation Haki"!