Reunion at the Paramount War
Yamato’s Cover Page Series Vol. 36: “Daimyo Kikunojo of Bekou and Boss Ochou.”
A long-awaited reunion between Kikunojo and Yamato.
Last chapter’s cover was Little Oars Jr. and Ace (Paramount War arc), so this week I looked at what follows from there.
The memorable happy reunions in the Paramount War arc: Luffy and Ace, and Shanks and Luffy. Kikunojo and Shanks share the commonality of having lost an arm.
There’s another reason I thought the Paramount War homage would continue:
The scene of Luffy getting beaten by Smoker — it looked almost identical to Harald being beaten by Ida.
This week’s main story kicks off from that association.
Hild-in Is Rebecca
Harald being struck by the very Ida he saved — does that make Ida the Kyros of this arc?
Comparing the two characters reveals a remarkable number of parallels:
- A child born with royalty
- The marriage is not recognized by society; cannot live in the castle; raises the child alone
- Loves their child fiercely — almost to overprotection
- The child trains intensely in swordsmanship
- Their partner is killed
Hild-in and Rebecca from Dressrosa ended up in nearly identical circumstances.
As a bonus: both have a royal sibling who is a Devil Fruit user. And both eventually become fans of Luffy.
Loki Is Chopper
Loki, however —
From the moment he was born, he was rejected by his own parent for looking “unnatural” — because his eyes were black.
This backstory is completely identical to Chopper’s.
So the scene of Loki clawing his way up from the underworld by his own strength — that parallels Chopper as well.
And the fact that Chopper is among those listening to this story makes it deeply moving. The moment the flashback ends, Chopper — who just learned that Loki’s childhood was exactly like his own — will probably throw himself at Loki in tears. Just imagining it…
With that framing, Gaban starts to look like Dr. Kureha.
Chopper throwing himself after Gaban without thinking — maybe that was partly because Gaban’s appearance reminded him of Dr. Kureha.
Drum Kingdom Arc Homage
Last week I predicted that Harald’s rotten-king behavior resembling Wapol would lead to a Drum Kingdom arc homage — and it came through.
Comparing Chapter 1153 with the Drum Kingdom arc:
First, a recap of last chapter: a rotten king attacking others while shouting “I slipped!” — that’s Wapol.
A tyrant who meets a sensible woman and learns diplomacy beyond brute force — that’s the Vivi and Luffy arrival at Drum Kingdom.
Harald reflecting, apologizing, steadily becoming a better king — layered on top of this: the future Pirate King.
“The Snake Stained in Blood” Is the Red Line
The meaning of the “blood-stained snake” — a reference standing for about 25 years — is finally confirmed.
Why do the people of Elbaf call the Red Line the “blood-stained snake” or “serpent of blood?”
If the reason lies with the Five Elders, who share a deep history with Elbaf…
…then the Red Line may indeed be an artificial wall constructed by the World Government.
Norse Mythology Homage
Loki’s mother Estrid is a femme fatale with a love of precious metals.
This is a Norse mythology homage — she is probably modeled on Freya.
Incidentally, Freya’s husband’s name is Öd.
The eight-legged horse is Sleipnir, Odin’s beloved horse. The name “Asura” derives from the Sanskrit Asura.
Hostage exchange customs and many other traditions also have roots in Norse mythology.
The cover illustration is by Yoshitaka Amano, the artist behind Final Fantasy and Romancing SaGa — the painter Oda holds in the highest admiration.
And with that, we’re done for today. See you next week.
