The Pirate King, His Wings — and a Queen?
Absolute perfection from the lead color spread.
Seeing them drawn side by side — “The Straw Hats have risen to the level of the legendary crew” — is genuinely moving.
It makes sense that Luffy shares so much with Roger, since he is the future Pirate King. For example:
- The same Straw Hat
- Said “that same phrase”
- Was told “you remind me of Roger” by Gan Fall at Skypiea
- Can hear the Voice of All Things
But five chapters ago, a single panel of Gaban revealed that Roger’s two wings were actually competing with each other.
That raises the question: who held the “Nami position” — the center of that legendary crew?
Could that be what this chapter’s title is pointing at? And as usual, reading the main story tells you what the title and cover mean.
The Kuja Empress
Which means — Hancock, right?
Though Hancock’s beauty is at least partially enhanced by the Mero Mero no Mi — much like Alvida became beautiful from the Sube Sube no Mi.
Shacky, on the other hand, was a non-Devil Fruit user whose natural beauty ranked her as the undisputed number one. Nothing artificial about it.
Just like Hiyori (Komurasaki).
Comparing the two natural beauties — Shacky and Hiyori:
Shacky winked at Rayleigh. Hiyori slept next to Zoro.
Both have an implicit “interest in” the sullen, unromantic right-hand man of the Pirate King.
Shacky ended up with Rayleigh. So Hiyori will likely end up with Zoro too. Momonosuke would certainly approve — and Zoro carries Shimotsuki lineage, meaning he is of noble family. As a match for the daughter of the Kozuki house, there is no better fit.
Conclusion: Shacky = Hiyori’s position — paired with the Pirate King’s right-hand man.
Then who fills the “Nami position” for the legendary generation? Perhaps Rouge, who ultimately bore the Pirate King’s child? If so, does Nami have a hidden “D” in her name?
Women’s Attacks Cannot Be Blocked with Armament Haki
Young Shacky, as the former Kuja empress:
- Kuja warrior
- Peerless beauty
- Hearing her name called drains the enemy’s strength
If you use Armament Haki to block a woman’s attack, the damage bounces back to you — making it an unwinnable fight unless you take the hit unguarded. That is why Sanji’s reaction was shock, not a block.
The Truth of the God Valley Incident
The two Devil Fruits Rocks wanted for his plan to become King of the World: one was “probably on Elbaf” and “only activates its full power when Harald eats it.”
So — a power that grows stronger the bigger the eater? Then it was the right call for Loki, who has grown to Harald’s scale, to eat it.
And Rocks appears to have acquired the second Devil Fruit as well.
What exactly was the “target” the two crews were after? We don’t yet know which fruit, or who ended up with it. It was not the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon — Big Mom gave that to Kaido afterward, so it was probably just a bonus find.
Could it be the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi? Or something else entirely? Whoever got it — that would unlock a lot more theory territory.
Does Loki Have Conqueror’s Haki?
Loki ate the Devil Fruit that Harald was said to be the ideal host for — making him Harald’s successor in that sense.
- Physique rivaling Harald’s
- Has horns
- Remarkable brute strength
Does that extend to Conqueror’s Haki? Unconfirmed.
But the combination of: Harald confirmed to have Conqueror’s Haki + Loki now positioned as Harald’s successor puts the odds somewhere around 50%.
Though, honestly, Conqueror’s Haki is getting saturated at this point… If Sanji ends up without it, that feels unfair. Give him his awakening already.
Continued: The Rocks Pirates
Silver Axe has finally appeared! The gangster rival of Golden Lion Shiki — “Kyo, the Wicked.” Looks formidable.
A kimono-wearing gangster — is this person also from Wano?
The tattoos look a bit like Aramaki (Ryokugyu)’s… and looking closer, not just the tattoos and the entrance composition — the nose and lips are similar too. A parent-child connection?
Though if Aramaki’s roots are in Wano, could he really say “people from non-member nations have no human rights” to fellow countrymen?
Then there’s Barbel, the catfish fishman. Fishman plus karate training, spiky hair, giant prayer bead necklace… that’s Akuma (Gouki) from Street Fighter.
Barbel’s model: Akuma/Gouki.
Oda drew a lead color spread referencing Street Fighter before, so the love for that game runs deep.
The Demon’s Successor
The Roger Pirates member who still interests me: Barrel.
Given the precedent of Golden Lion Shiki going from film villain to main story canon, a film character appearing in the main story is entirely plausible.
Why was Barrel called “the Demon’s Successor” ahead of Rayleigh, Gaban, and Shanks?
Looking forward to seeing that answered in the main story…
Wait — hang on.
