Usopp Homage
Following last week’s Usopp Hammer homage, this week brought a homage to some of Captain Usopp’s finest moments. Loki stepping up to play the villain in order to protect Harald’s honor is the very image of Usopp in Syrup Village — and the fact that he resolved to set sail immediately after the battle is the same, too.
The Meaning of the Cover Page
So — Zoro wearing cat ears on the cover page is a homage to the Black Cat Pirates!
- Zoro at that time wasn’t especially skilled at one-sword style
- The cat-ear headband references the Nyaban Brothers and the Black Cat Pirates that Zoro struggled against
- The curled cat tail — could it also be a nod to Captain Kuro from Chapter 1090?
By the way, the character on Zoro’s shirt — you might expect a fighter like Zoro to write 戦 (battle), but the character is actually mirrored, so it reads differently. The correct reading is 椫 (tsuge) — boxwood — written with the wood radical combined with 単.
So why was this character chosen? The answer is most likely a tribute to the late Harald. In Europe, there is a tradition where mourners throw boxwood (tsuge) branches into the grave of the deceased.
When Pedro died, and when Atlas died, hibiscus flowers — whose flower language meaning is “courageous action” — were quietly drawn into the cover page illustration. Oda mourning his characters in secret like this… it’s really something.
Loki Can Fly
“Go on ahead — I can fly.”
Another hint about Loki’s ability has emerged. Whatever his Zoan form is, it appears to be a mythical beast with wings. Nidhogg after all?
Punk Hazard Homage
The large dragon that first appeared on Punk Hazard was the spitting image of the Nidhogg drawn by the children of Elbaf — which is why I’ve been predicting Loki’s ability is some kind of dragon-like Nidhogg form. And this chapter, Ragnir’s cry turned out to be the same as the small dragons from Punk Hazard.
Loki resembles the large dragon; his partner Ragnir shares a cry with the small dragons. And if, after this, Loki in dragon form carries Luffy on his back and flies upward — that would recreate the exact same scenario as Punk Hazard: Luffy, deep underground, meeting a prince and riding a flying dragon back to the surface. 龍 (Japanese dragon) and “dragon” are basically the same thing — and they’re both princes!
How Many Attributes Does Ragnir Have?
Punk Hazard — where the frozen Garleya sleeps — is an island whose climate was transformed by the duel between Akainu and Aokiji: the clash of magma and ice. Both of these correspond to realms in Norse mythology. The “Primordial World (Niflheim)” shown this time is the realm of ice — which means there should also be a technique named after Muspelheim, the realm of scorching fire.
Does that mean Ragnir also has a fire attribute? It already has lightning and ice confirmed. If it can use fire on top of that, isn’t that absurdly overpowered?
- The body and raw strength of an Ancient Giant
- Conqueror’s Haki
- Mythical Zoan ability
- A Zoan-eating weapon capable of switching between multiple elemental attributes
…Loki’s power level is completely broken, isn’t it?
That’s all for today. See you next week.