The New Lords Across the Land
Yamato’s Cover Page Series Vol. 32: “Raizo, Lord of Udon, expresses his gratitude.”
Komi has Denjiro, Kuri has Inuarashi, and Udon has Raizo as their respective lords.
Yamato’s journey has only Hakumai and Ringo remaining. The Lord of Ringo will probably be Kawamatsu — it’s the land with memories of Onimaru. That would make Kiku the Lord of Hakumai.
If so, the descendants of Omusubi and Tenpura may never make an appearance…
Whole Cake Island Arc Homage
Last chapter, Ulti was a homage to Pekoms from the Zou arc. This chapter continues that thread — a compressed homage to the stretch where Luffy departs Zou and heads to Whole Cake Island.
They’re given plenty of food and seen off by Raizo — and come to think of it, Raizo himself first appeared in Zou while imprisoned. The arc that followed Zou — the Whole Cake Island arc — was full of homages, and this chapter picks them all up:
- Nami captured and bound by an enemy
- Brook favored by a powerful enemy and nearly taken away
- Brook coolly addressing the powerful enemy as “mademoiselle”
- A monster army closing in slowly
- A terrifying, burning old woman destroying the ship
- Introduction of many children
- Last week, Brook was electrocuted by Zeus while acting as Nami’s decoy
Will Gunco Become the Next Pudding?
Gunco had been assumed to be a Brook fan, but when she finally met him, there was no dramatic change. Like a Celestial Dragon who treats the lower classes as objects, she commanded him as if ownership were a given. No matter how skillfully the lower classes perform music she enjoys, they remain merely fans-slash-reserve-slaves — she sees no reason to lower her own standing.
Still, the scene where Gunco kicks Brook away and then clutches her chest with a sound effect — “gyuu” — is suggestive. As a God’s Knight ranking even above ordinary Celestial Dragons, being rejected this flatly is almost certainly a first for her. She has no immunity to it.
With what may be her first heartbreak, Gunco is clutching her chest. Where will this go?
This chapter was broadly a Whole Cake Island arc homage, so there’s a real possibility that Gunco, like Pudding, will betray her side for Brook’s sake.
Gunco’s line — “Become my slave (thing)!” — is itself a Whole Cake Island homage. In Nami’s case, Zeus came following tasty bait and she recruited him from above with “Become my servant.” Yet casually saying “Want to become my servant?” to a creature imbued with Emperor Big Mom’s soul, with a bright smile on her face — Nami really is terrifying. Truly worthy of being a future Pirate King’s crewmate.
If Oda were to draw “something scary,” I wonder if he’d draw Nami.