Anime

[Superomegaprime]

The other day, I started rewatching Brave King GaoGaiGar, its just one of those series I like to come back and watch over, despite knowing how it plays out, but then a Super robot that pretty much doesn't waste time with a sword summoning and just ploughs into the enemy mech to snatch the core, is strangely satifying, of course, I know later on, it gets a massive arm carrying a bloody grit hammer, thou I think having a hammer for a weapon on a giant robot, makes for something intersting, of course, with this series, it has a awesome theme song that pretty catchy!

 

[Fero McPigletron]

I made a meme and I wanna share it, haha

 

[Dekafox]

The other day, I started rewatching Brave King GaoGaiGar, its just one of those series I like to come back and watch over, despite knowing how it plays out, but then a Super robot that pretty much doesn't waste time with a sword summoning and just ploughs into the enemy mech to snatch the core, is strangely satifying, of course, I know later on, it gets a massive arm carrying a bloody grit hammer, thou I think having a hammer for a weapon on a giant robot, makes for something intersting, of course, with this series, it has a awesome theme song that pretty catchy!

If you like GGG you may want to check out some of the other Brave series. Most of them are available fully fansubbed, apart from Might Gaine, which has been cursed by subninjas to always have the final arc in crabstick subs.

Da Garn is usually compared fairly favorably to GGG, and Might Gaine(despite the crabsticks) has the main hero Maito voiced by the same person who voiced Guy and is fairly popular over in Japan(and is getting a BD release over there soon). FIghbird is the source of the "Is this a pigeon" meme, and very episodic, but also very amusing. Dagwon is basically Super Sentai crossed with Masterforce. J-Decker is extremely character-oriented, and police procedural-like ala Dekaranger, and made it into SRW 30. Exkaiser is basically a rebranded Transformers series. As for Goldran.. that's one you have to see for yourself, I can't describe it well.

The Eldran series are in a similar vein if you've watched all those and want more. Raijin-Oh was actually licensed, and both Ganbaruger and Gosaurer have fansubs I believe. Raijin-Oh is fairly basic character-focused series with the youngest set of kids of the three. Ganbaruger focuses more on the main trio and relies more on humor IMO. Gosaurer is the most plot-heavy of the three and feels similar to GGG in some respects, though it's still kids whose school transforms into giant robots. Also it has the most hilariously overblown and awesome stock footage sequences.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Okay, the latest chapter of One Piece just came out and I kind of want to talk about it. Things have been HAPPENING in One Piece lately. Plot points are moving faster than I really expected.

And the live-action series is coming eventually. There's card games and video games and movies and...

I'm just curious. Would people want there to be a separate One Piece thread or do we want to keep it in here? I know there's a few people who are following along with One Piece, but I'm not sure there's enough people to really justify it. So...I'll just ask. Do we want a dedicated One Piece thread? What's everyone's opinion?

There's so many theories I want to discuss, but I don't know if want to spam this thread with them. On the other hand...this thread was on the third page before I bumped it. Spamming it could actually give it a little more life.

Anyway, Spoilers for Chapter 1073...

Spoiler

We FINALLY learn ONE of the Five Elder Stars/Gorosei's names!

...I know for the people not following One Piece that doesn't SOUND like a big deal. Here's the thing: Do you know long we've known these characters?

I looked it up. They first appeared back in Chapter 233...we are currently on Chapter 1073...

They first appeared back on June 10...2002! These guys have been sitting around plotting mysteriously in the background of the story...for the past 21 YEARS. And we finally learn ONE of their names!

It just blows my mind a little, okay?

 

[MEDdMI]

Stumbled across "Tomo-chan is a Girl!" on Crunchyroll. Loved the manga, it's doing good so far as an anime adaptation. It's a very cute romance/slice of life with fun characters.

Binged Romantic Killer on Netflix lately, another romanctic comedy with an unusual heroine. Got a tad overdramatic at the end, but otherwise it's pretty funny. A bit disappointed that the MC gets girlier.

 

[Confuzor]

I dont think theres enough people on here following One Piece to need its own thread, unfortunately.

But since the Wano arc ended its been a rollercoaster. Oda is SERIOUS about trying to end the series soon and you can feel it in the pace of the story. Mysteries are being payed off, sometimes multiple ones per chapter, things that would normally linger in the background for months or years are being addressed withij chapters. Its a grand old time.

Spoiler

Tho I'm a bit miffed the only new crewmember weve added since the time skip is Jimbe, who agreed to to join at the end of Fisman island like 10 years ago, Im amused at the gag of suddenly 7 Vegapunks, probably Bonney, likely Stussey and maybe even the Seraphim cramming themselves onboard suddenly.

 

[Superomegaprime]

I dont think theres enough people on here following One Piece to need its own thread, unfortunately.

But since the Wano arc ended its been a rollercoaster. Oda is SERIOUS about trying to end the series soon and you can feel it in the pace of the story. Mysteries are being payed off, sometimes multiple ones per chapter, things that would normally linger in the background for months or years are being addressed withij chapters. Its a grand old time.

Spoiler

Tho I'm a bit miffed the only new crewmember weve added since the time skip is Jimbe, who agreed to to join at the end of Fisman island like 10 years ago, Im amused at the gag of suddenly 7 Vegapunks, probably Bonney, likely Stussey and maybe even the Seraphim cramming themselves onboard suddenly.

Oda has been working on this series for at least twenty odd years now and I wouldn't blame him for wanting to retire but he clearly feels that he owes his fans answers to the mysteries he has teased over the years and trying to balance pace and good storytelling, of course, everyone is looking for the answer to the biggest mystery of the series "What is the One piece?"



Danmachi season 4 has been pretty good so far, its first half built up pretty well to the cliffhanger that part 1 left on and part 2 has been pretty good so far with every main character in the dungeon having red flags against them due to events that have transpired during the season.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Alright, I'll keep my musings on One Piece in here, whenever the mood strikes me.

Spoiler

But since the Wano arc ended its been a rollercoaster.

Agreed. Egghead has been crazy. And it seems to be setting up some sort of huge war between ALL the remaining characters in the story. I kind of wonder if we'll be seeing a "War of 20 Fleets" in order to parallel the 20 founders of the World Government and the 20 Doctors of Drum Island. 20 seems to have some importance to One Piece. I think that's why we've gotten so many cameos from all these other characters in every chapter of this arc. They're ALL coming back for a giant battle royale for the One Piece.

And we still haven't dealt with what happened to Sabo. I doubt he's actually dead, I feel like Oda wants Luffy to save Sabo to "atone" for not being able to save Ace...and I'm wondering if that beam was actually some sort of Star Trek style transporter instead of a death laser...but Luffy's going to have to find out what happened SOMEHOW. And I'm just waiting for THAT shoe to drop. But, I think once Luffy finds out about Sabo, we'll be in for another Marineford-style arc.

But, yeah, I think Oda wants to end this sooner rather than later. We probably still have...maybe 2 or 3 years left of the story, but not much more than that. He's been pretty consistent about ending it by 2024, but it might bleed into 2025. Weekly serialization can DESTROY your body. Just look at what happened to Togashi, the author of Hunter x Hunter. So, we probably won't QUITE make it to the 30th anniversary in the manga...but the anime MIGHT.

Tho I'm a bit miffed the only new crewmember weve added since the time skip is Jimbe, who agreed to to join at the end of Fisman island like 10 years ago

It kind of makes sense, when you look how the story's been structured.

Everything pre-timeskip was about building up the crew and telling their stories. It was much more character-focused.

Everything post-timeskip has been about world-building and hinting at the seeds of mysteries and lore. It's been a lot more event-focused.

Plus, I do kind of feel for Oda. This cast is already huge. And a lot of characters don't get a lot to do. Adding more characters to the crew would only make things harder, and they might just end up as background props.

...That said, I'll admit to missing Carrot. I never really expected any of the samurai to stick around, but Carrot stuck with the crew for a good long line. Mostly because of how long Wano was, but still. But, she had a interesting relationship with Chopper that I would have liked to see grow.

 

[Confuzor]

Alright, I'll keep my musings on One Piece in here, whenever the mood strikes me.

Spoiler

Agreed. Egghead has been crazy. And it seems to be setting up some sort of huge war between ALL the remaining characters in the story. I kind of wonder if we'll be seeing a "War of 20 Fleets" in order to parallel the 20 founders of the World Government and the 20 Doctors of Drum Island. 20 seems to have some importance to One Piece. I think that's why we've gotten so many cameos from all these other characters in every chapter of this arc. They're ALL coming back for a giant battle royale for the One Piece.

And we still haven't dealt with what happened to Sabo. I doubt he's actually dead, I feel like Oda wants Luffy to save Sabo to "atone" for not being able to save Ace...and I'm wondering if that beam was actually some sort of Star Trek style transporter instead of a death laser...but Luffy's going to have to find out what happened SOMEHOW. And I'm just waiting for THAT shoe to drop. But, I think once Luffy finds out about Sabo, we'll be in for another Marineford-style arc.

But, yeah, I think Oda wants to end this sooner rather than later. We probably still have...maybe 2 or 3 years left of the story, but not much more than that. He's been pretty consistent about ending it by 2024, but it might bleed into 2025. Weekly serialization can DESTROY your body. Just look at what happened to Togashi, the author of Hunter x Hunter. So, we probably won't QUITE make it to the 30th anniversary in the manga...but the anime MIGHT.



It kind of makes sense, when you look how the story's been structured.

Everything pre-timeskip was about building up the crew and telling their stories. It was much more character-focused.

Everything post-timeskip has been about world-building and hinting at the seeds of mysteries and lore. It's been a lot more event-focused.

Plus, I do kind of feel for Oda. This cast is already huge. And a lot of characters don't get a lot to do. Adding more characters to the crew would only make things harder, and they might just end up as background props.

...That said, I'll admit to missing Carrot. I never really expected any of the samurai to stick around, but Carrot stuck with the crew for a good long line. Mostly because of how long Wano was, but still. But, she had a interesting relationship with Chopper that I would have liked to see grow.

Spoiler

Man I really wanted Carrot to join too. Since her introduction she struck me as someone that was going to be more important. The ln she stowed away and eventually we got her "sad backstory" in realtime with Pedro's death. Then she showed off the Sulong transformation and it felt like a lock, my intuion confirmed!

But then Wano started and she got shuffled to the backety background. But the Raid started and there she is! Sailing with the Crew when Jimbe showed up, as intended. She has a few chapters where shes just pallin around like normal and Yamato is introduce. Suddenyl Carrot gets sidelined hard for the newest hotness. Only showing up to have one cool showing, then getting jobbed so the big strong Cat can fight her battle for her.

And suddenly shes the Queen of the Minks. Like what?! What kinda consolation is that? Sure its a nice rank, and places her squarely into a position to rally her people in Luffy's eventual cause in the future, but at no point was she ever shown to be a leader, or show any incliniation toward that being something she was striving for. She didnt even get a goodbye scene. And then Yamato didnt join either. -____-

At least the Vegapunks are fun.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

I'm watching Food wars. Easy to watch, funny, fan-servicey.

Food Wars is pretty great. It's one of those shows that make you want to DO the thing the characters are doing. Like Gundam Build Fighters making you want to build model kits, or Yu-Gi-Oh making you want to get into card games.

More One Piece stuff below:

Spoiler

And suddenly shes the Queen of the Minks. Like what?!

Yeah...it's pretty obvious Oda kind of just wanted to trim back the cast a little, I think. Such a weird development. But...maybe it'll make sense in a 100 chapters, knowing Oda it's possible. *shrug*

BUT, there is a possibility that he's setting something up. Just about every island we've visited has left behind some sort of ally who's usually a woman.

Spoiler

Foosha Village (Luffy's Hometown)-Curly Dadan and Makino (barworkers)

Shell Town (Where Zoro was tied up)-Rika (the little girl who gave Zoro rice balls)

Orange Town (Where they fought Buggy the first time)-Chouchou the dog and Boodle the mayor. (...Yeah, this breaks the "pattern" pretty early, but still. They could always retocn Chouchou into a girl?).

Syrup Village (Usopp's hometown)-Kaya (the bedridden girl Usopp told stories to, who is also the richest woman in town).

Beratie (Sanji's "home" restaurant)-Chef Zeff (Which again breaks my "pattern", but this isn't technically a island, either.)

Arlong Park (Nami's village)-Nojiko (Nami's sister).

Loguetown-No one....unless we want to count Monkey D Dragon, but he didn't stay there.

Reverse Mountain-Laboon the whale.

Whiskey Peak-No one.

Little Garden-Brogy and Dorry the giants.

Drum Island-Doctor Kureha

Alabasta-Vivi (The first one who really felt like part of the crew).

Jaya/Mock Town-Mont Blanc Cricket (Noland the Liar's descendant...but he left on a journey of his own, so he really doesn't count)

Skypeia-Conis and Aisa (Aisa in particular MAY have the Voice of All Things)

Long Ring Long Land (Davy Back)-No one.

Water 7-Kokoro and Chimney on the Sea Train.

Enies Lobby-No one.

Thriller Bark-Perona MAY end up counting. (...After paling around with Mihawk, I feel like Perona almost could have fit on the crew).

Sabody Archipelago-Shakuyaku (the bar owner) and Silvers Rayleigh ...and Duval (The Sanji-lookalike)

Amazon Lily-Boa Hancock and her entire island.

Impel Down-Mr 2/Bon Kurei/Bentham.

Marineford-No one....although Great Staff Officer Tsuru MAY play a part.


POST-TIMESKIP!


Fishman Island-Shirahoshi and Camie (Camie felt like she could have been a part of the crew).

Punk Hazard-No one, but Mocha the little-giant experimented-on girl COULD count.

Dressrosa-Rebecca and Mansherry

Zou-Carrot and Wanda (Carrot DEFINITELY felt like she might join the crew)

Whole Cake Island-Charlotte Pudding and Vinsmoke Reiju/Poison Pink.

Wano-Yamato and Tama and Kozuki Hyori (I feel like everyone WANTED Yamato to join the crew)

Egghead-I doubt anyone will get left behind but ALL the Vegapunk Satellite bodies: Lilith, Atlas (she might get remade), and York. And maybe Clone-Succubus Stussy the way things are turning out.


....Y'know we've gotten far FEWER arcs post-timeskip, but they've been MUCH longer, haven't they?

ESPECIALLY post-timeskip, we've been getting fairly memorable female characters...who just so happen to stay on all these island. Part of it's just the formula. The girls probably represent the "good" parts of the islands and their people that are worth saving and protecting. Oda found a formula that works and he's been abusing it a little.

But, it's possible Oda's planning on a BIG HERO moment where EVERYONE the Strawhats have saved come in to save them. Or they're going to be used by Imu somehow. I could see all of them getting mind-controlled or something and being used against their islands in the last arc as blackmail against the Strawhats. (How scary would a mind-controlled Yamato be?).

It's hard to say. I think it's almost definitely a conscious choice, at this point, though. Oda's up to...something. I'm just not sure what.




And, as a bonus, who's ready for a crazy random thought?

...Too bad you're getting one anyway.

Spoilers for Chapter 1073, I'm going to be talking about the Five Elder Stars/Gorosei.

Spoiler

Okay, so the only Gorosei we know the name of is Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.

Or...Saint...Saturn.

So I got to thinking...is it possible...that the Gorosei are actually...

Spoiler

One big Saint Seiya reference?

You have 5 space-themed guys who all serve a all-powerful authority figure. The 5 constellation-themed main Saints of Saint Seiya all work for Athena. The 5 (So far Planet/God themed going off of "Saturn") Elder Stars all work for Imu.

And it'd be pretty easy for Oda to give the Gorosei a new "Special" form of Armament Haki that looks like really cool armor...

This...probably isn't going to come to anything. But...I can't help but see some slight similarities. We got Sentai/Power Rangers with the Germa 66, would it really be so weird for the Gorosei to end up being a nod to a classic Shonen Jump manga?

Mind you, this kind of dovetails into my theory about who the Gorosei really are...which I might go into later.

 

[Confuzor]

First promo images of Netflix One Piece!

 

[ZakuConvoy]

It's actually looking pretty good.

I just worry about how they're going to pack 11 volumes worth of manga (or 45 episodes of the anime) into 10 episodes.

IF they're doing Arlong Park in the first season, anyway. Maybe they'll just tease Arlong for the next season?

 

[Confuzor]

Word is theyre doing all of East Blue in 10 eps.

 

[spikeriley]

It's actually looking pretty good.

I just worry about how they're going to pack 11 volumes worth of manga (or 45 episodes of the anime) into 10 episodes.

IF they're doing Arlong Park in the first season, anyway. Maybe they'll just tease Arlong for the next season?

My main concern is whether this series will be better than the Cowboy Bebop live-action adaptation that is hated by everyone (even the creator of Cowboy Bebop himself) that it only lasted one season.

 

[MEDdMI]

I liked it.

 

[Blot]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1620243690823516161

 

[Superomegaprime]

My main concern is whether this series will be better than the Cowboy Bebop live-action adaptation that is hated by everyone (even the creator of Cowboy Bebop himself) that it only lasted one season.

For now, remain open minded, but don't get your hopes up to high, or you'll be disapointed, its very far that animation adapted to live action works, so I'm remaining open minded but not having high hopes

 

[ZakuConvoy]

I kind of promised to talk about my theory about who the Gorosei/Five Elder Stars of One Piece really are, so let's do that now.

....Before it get's 100% de-confirmed.

The True Identities of the Gorosei!

Spoiler

I think the Gorosei are Joyboy's crew. I think these guys are Joyboy's original crew who mutinied against him, killed him, and will basically act as dark reflections of the Strawhats.

Why? Because we really haven't seen a ENTIRE crew turn on their captain yet. We got a little bit of that with Whitebeard at Marineford. But, we've never seen a entire crew turn on their captain. For a manga about Pirates, mutinies are really rather rare in this world.

And I can't think of a more tragic ending for Joyboy, someone who literally wanted to bring joy to the whole world, than to get betrayed by those he trusted most. And One Piece LOVES it's tragic backstories. Joyboy needs to have one of the most tragic backstory in all of One Piece, just because of how important he is to the backstory.

I think that one SBS where we saw the alternate futures of the Strawhats was a hint at something. Oda mentioned the Strawhats having to make a choice leading to a "good" and "bad" timeline. I think Joyboy and the Gorosei were faced with the SAME choice...and that lead to them killing their captain.

And, since Luffy's crew is 10 people strong, and the Gorosei are 5 people, I think they'll have 2 "jobs" of each of the other Strawhats.

So, for Saint Jay Garcia Saturn, I think he might be a Musician like Brook and maybe a Helmsman like Jinbe, just for a example. He is the one sailing out first, and he is named after Jerry Garcia, a famous musician, after all.

One will probably just be a Swordsman and face Zoro.

So, I think the other 3 will be a combination of Cook, Historian, Navigator, Doctor, Sniper, and Shipbuilder.

Now, WHY would Joyboy's crew betray him? What was the choice they had to make? Well...I might get into that later. My theory ties into the TRUE NATURE OF THE ONE PIECE WORLD!

And as a bonus, The Secret of the Treasure of Mariejois!

Spoiler

I actually think we've seen what that is...partially. Remember the gigantic frozen straw hat that Imu was keeping under her castle? Yeah, I think that was a BIG hint.

I think it's Joyboy's body.

It's been mentioned that you need Law's Ope-Ope no Mi in order to use the treasure under Mariejois. Why would that be?

Well, what if the Gorosei chopped up Joyboy's body and buried it underneath their castle. Their entire government is literally built on top of the bones of their betrayed friend.

So...if someone wanted to use Joyboy's power again, they'd have to use the "Room" ability to put the frozen body back together again. And then they could use the Ope-Ope no Mi's OTHER power, and place someone's soul into the dead body. Like how Law switched the Strawhat's souls back on Punk Hazard.

Then you'd have access to the most powerful body in history.

And this might sound VERY similar to what happened with Luffy's shadow and Oars back on Thriller Bark...and that's on purpose. Because, I agree with the idea that Joyboy was actually Oars the First. The Oars from Thriller Bark was likely Oars the Second. Either that or Oars the First also had the Nika Fruit.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Let's move on to the next part of my One Piece megatheory...

You're going to have to forgive me on this one. There's going to be a LOT of BIG leaps of logic, since we just don't have a lot of information on some of this stuff. Still, I think this is a interesting enough idea to share with others.

...It's also going to get LONG, so buckle up!

The True Nature of the One Piece World!

Spoiler

You're going to have to stay with me on this one...but let's talk about space for a second.

It's pretty clear that Oda has SOMETHING planned with space. Enel traveled to the moon in the cover pages (...and doesn't even need a helmet to breathe in space...hmmm) The Lunarians seem to COME from the Moon, or at least have a base there. There are Space Pirates. The Gorosei are literally NAMED after other planets. Something's definitely up with space.

And then there's the Planetarium we saw in Ohara. It had 5 planets surrounding the One Piece World. Which nicely parallels the 5 Elder Stars surrounding Imu. It's also worth noting that this apparently reflects real-world history. For a long time, we only knew about the 5 planets closest to us in the solar system, and originally we thought Earth was the center of the solar system. We didn't find out about the other 3 planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto...which line up with the Ancient Weapons Uranos, Poseidon, and Pluton) until later.

So...is the One Piece World actually Earth or not? I find it especially interesting that Wano...actually has a MT Fuji. It's literally CALLED MT Fuji in the story. They don't really focus on it, but it's right there. So, I think it's VERY possible that the One Piece World is just a future-Earth that got Waterworld-ed.



BUT...I have a pet theory that I just find more interesting than that. Even though there is FAR less evidence for it.

Let's time out to talk about Inherited Will for a second. Inherited Will has become a VERY important part of One Piece's story. The idea that a person's desires can be so strong that they can survive after someone's death and be carried forward by another generation, either by inspiring them or possibly even influencing them more directly with Devil Fruits, is probably going to greatly inform the story going forward.

So...here's a question? Is it possible for a entire PLANET to "inherit the will" of a different planet?

What I'm proposing is...what if this ISN'T Earth....but instead a attempt to re-create Earth? What if THIS planet has "Inherited the Will" of Earth?

What if Earthlings...possibly having lost their home (more on that in a second) attempted to re-create their home planet on a different, possibly already inhabited planet?

They'd need the DNA of animals, and plants, and data on objects and elements and ideas that all made up the original Earth...which just so happens to be what Devil Fruits basically are! Or at least...the memories or ideas of all those things...

What if Devil Fruits are basically a advanced form of terra-forming a planet? A way of turning a non-Earth planet into something closer to Earth, which Earthlings could then live on?

Which potentially means...humans might not be native to the One Piece World at all.



So, let's back up again. I mentioned that humans might have lost their home-planet, Earth, somehow? Why would I think that? Well...let's talk about what I'm going to call...the TRUE Celestial Dragons.

The Celestial Dragons that we know in the story so far are a group of elitist, spoiled, out-of-touch man-children. They see themselves as "owning" the world and all the people therein as their playthings. BUT...they've also shown a interest in actual, literal dragons, like the ones we see being created on Punk Hazard.

And then there's Vegapunk's lab in Egghead. At one point, we see a Giant Robot opposite a Giant Antenna-sporting Dragon. A very ALIEN looking dragon, if I say so myself. And we later find out that the Giant Robot is a remnant of the Ancient Civilization. So that MIGHT mean that Dragon represents something, too.

So, what if our Celestial Dragons...actually took their name from the TRUE Celestial Dragons. A literal alien species that so happens to LOOK like Dragons....and who might be the secret villain behind all of One Piece. A Intergalactic Empire enslaving people across the universe!

Here's what I think happened: Earth found itself at war with these alien Dragons...and lost. It's possible Earth was destroyed. Humanity became the slaves of these Dragons. Somehow, a group of humans might have escaped and stolen some of the Dragon's technology...and figured out a way to create the Devil Fruits (They were probably CALLED something else, originally.)

This group of humans eventually find a planet suitable enough that they can transform into a copy of Earth...but there's already living, intelligent life on the planet. If I had to guess, I'm guessing the angelic Lunarians and the devilish Oni (Oar's race) were the two races already living on this world originally.

The Humans then use the Devil Fruits to fundamentally change the World. All the animals and the plants mutate into something a little closer to Earth, based on humanity's remaining memories and stories of the original Earth. Which...might explain why everything in this world is a *little* cartoony. It's all based on children's stories and faded memories.

Everything in this world is basically mutated...except the water itself...which MIGHT be why water affects Devil Fruit users the way it does. Maybe the water is the only thing that hasn't had it's "gravity" or "nature" mutated and is still a natural part of the original version of this world.

The Humans then establish the Ancient Civilization and some humans try to make allies on this new world. Some make strong friendships with the original inhabitants of this world. Some even join their pirate crews to explore this new world...like the Gorosei do.

But, of course, the Dragons eventually find them...but the Dragons offer the humans a deal. They'll let them keep their new planet...but only if they complete what they've done and get rid of the Lunarians and Oni, becoming the rulers of this planet. It's a sick joke by the Dragons. Either turn on those who took you in...or fight a war against a Intergalactic Empire they have NO HOPE of winning.

Some of their new friends, like Joyboy are willing to fight with the Humans...but most of the Humans lose hope and decide to take the Dragon's offer. Then begins the war. Most of the Lunarians and Oni die, but some are sealed away in a prison deep in the center of the planet. This is what's at the bottom of Enies Lobby, the hole in the ocean. It's a prison where the last remaining members of the original inhabitants of this planet still live...waiting to see the sun once more.

(Also, this is probably where I'm betting Big Mom and Kaido are RIGHT NOW. The center of the Earth is hollow...and it's full of "Devils"...or Oni, which both Big Mom and Kaido might be descended from)




So, the Humans form the World Government and rewrite history. There never was anyone else who lived on this planet. Humans were NEVER slaves. The World Government never did anything wrong...and THEY are the Celestial Dragons...there is no one out there they need to fear.

There were SOME Humans who sided with the Lunarians and Oni, though. They saved those they could. Some fell in love, even. These were deemed traitors to the new World Government and are marked with the D initial. We know the D means "Danger"...but it could potentially stand for "Demi" or half-breed. The joke being...after a few centuries just about EVERYONE on the One Piece World is a half-breed somehow. These were just the first families to betray the "purity" of humanity.

But, the truth is the World STILL isn't safe. Because if anyone ever overthrows the World Government, the Dragons will return and enslave them all again. The True Celestial Dragons have the benefit of time to wait for their toys to fail in their little game. So, whenever there is a light that threatens to alert the Dragons that the World Government has lost of control...it must be extinguished for the good of all.




TLDR? So...basically it's Gurren Lagann. With the World Government being Lord Genome and the True Celestial Dragons being the Antispiral. *shrug* What can I say, I like what I like.

I also think the Oni and MAYBE the Lunarians will end up being metaphors for the Ainu people. The original inhabitants of the island of Japan that the people from the mainland killed off and then turned into "demons" in their stories.

Japan’s Latest Punch in the Face to the Ainu People | Olympics 2020

A list of punches delivered to the Ainu people by the Japanese ‘wajin’ government throughout history.

raestea.medium.com

But, that does raise a question...if all that's true...then who's Imu?

Which brings us to...

The Identity of Imu!

Spoiler

I'll try to keep this one relatively short.

Basically, I think she's the last remaining PURE human from Earth. Possibly the leader of the escape from the True Celestial Dragons.

And...wouldn't it just be trippy if Oda drew her as a hyper-realistic "normal" human unlike the more cartoony humans in One Piece? I just think that'd be a mind-blowing reveal.

And I DO think Imu is a woman. There's some parallel's connecting her to Robin. And she might represent "Mother Nature" or "Mother Ocean" in this story. If I'm wrong about EVERYTHING else, I'm still pretty sure that Imu WILL be a woman.

Also, if ANYONE has a Moon-God Fruit, it's probably her. She might be able to control the tides and thus the water with it, like how the moon "controls" the ocean tides in the real world. (Imu is "Umi" spelled backwards, which is Japanese for "Sea", after all). I know a lot of people think Blackbeard is the Moon to be the opposite of Luffy's Sun-God powers...but I think that's the wrong "opposite" to be looking for. Also, it's possible her powers include slowing or freezing time...but only around her, explaining why the human-Celestial Dragons don't age but only in the "air around Marie Geosie". Maybe that's part of the "gravity" of the Moon-fruit or maybe it's a separate ability or technology she has.

She MIGHT even have a moment where she admits "I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO DIE!" Like how Robin admitted she wanted to live at Enies Lobby. She might HATE that she has to keep hurting people to make sure the Dragons don't return, but she's too afraid to try and fight them. She doesn’t WANT anyone to have to die in order to assure peace in the world. She doesn’t WANT any harm to come to anyone. So..ironically, she’s keeping some people from ever growing up or letting things change.


Oh and I think the human-Celestial Dragons are going to turn out to be the children of her friends that she coddled and spoiled. She turned a blind eye to all of their wrongs, because she still sees them as the little children they originally were. This power of hers most likely only works in a certain area around her…but I could see her wanting to spread her influence around the WHOLE WORLD. Kind of freezing everyone and giving everyone immortality…in a kind of twisted Victory Gundam way, where everyone turns into immobile drugged out, braindead babies.


BUT, I think her true endgame goal MIGHT be...to create a SECOND Red Line. Right where the Grand Line currently is. Everyone's just getting too wild, and she's worried it's going to draw the Dragon's attention, so she might be planning on slapping another "handcuff" around the planet and get rid of all the pirates that currently make the Grand Line their home. That's why the World Government is trying to clone or create new giants like we saw at Punk Hazard...they're trying to create new continent-pullers in order to replace the Oni and drag a bunch of islands into place to form another GIANT WALL around the world...keeping people apart even more than before.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

And part 2, because I wrote too much. Go back a page if you want to read my theory on the History of the One Piece World and Imu's identity.

And as a bonus...What is...The ONE PIECE!?

Spoiler

IT'S BOOZE!

Yeah, I'm still of the opinion that it's Bink's Sake. It's just too perfect a fit. (Did you know that Luffy's Gear 5/Nika form's heartbeats actually have the same beat as the "Yo-ho-ho-ho" part of that song? Apparently, it does in the Japanese version!)

But...how about I put a little spin on it?

What if the One Piece isn't JUST booze...but a booze that is ALSO A MAN?!

What if one of Joyboy's crew ate the Sake-Sake no Mi Fruit and became a Alcohol-man? What if the treasure isn't just Bink's Sake...but Binks himself? What if the reason why Gol D. Roger was "too early" was because that Sake-Sake no Mi user still had to "age" like a fine wine in a barrel for a certain amount of time in order to gain more powers?

I imagine it's kind of like those old "Living Buddha"s in Japan, where a living monk will bury himself underground to become a mummy to prove their devotion. This practice is called "SokuShinbutsu" or "Instantly Advanced to Buddhahood"...and it'd be just a PERFECT pun to change that into "Sake-Shinbutsu" or "Advanced to Buddhahood by booze". (I have no idea if that pun actually works in Japanese).

So, yeah, I'm really guessing that the One Piece is basically a Boozy Kool-Aid Man. Oda loves adding characters to this story. The treasure at the end actually BEING yet another new character just kind of feels right to me.

That would ALSO allow someone to TELL the Strawhats about the history of the world, instead of Robin having to read it to them off a wall or something. It'd just be more interesting to hear the story from someone who really was there.



But, that's not all. After all, sake alone isn't really "everything in the world" like Roger claimed the One Piece is. So...what if the sake also has a special power?

You know how some people see Pink Elephants when they're drunk? Well, what if there was a alcohol that was so strong...the Pink Elephants stuck around after you sobered up?
So, if your desire is strong enough that you can see a hallucination of something when you're drunk...the Sake-Sake no Mi allows that alcohol-induced hallucination to become reality.

That way it could ALSO create Chopper's panacea. Or a awesome sword for Zoro. Or a statue for Luffy. Anything they want can be drunk into reality, if they want it enough.

This sake MIGHT even be the "true form" of SAD. The material that forms the basis of the Devil Fruits in the first place, which contains information on the DNA of animals and data on objects. That's right...sake MIGHT be the One Piece World's version of "primordial ooze" from which everything else springs.



Is this especially likely? I have no idea. But, I just think it's a neat idea.

So, next time...I don't know. Maybe I'll talk about what the deal is with Blackbeard, maybe touching on Rocks a bit? I was kind of expecting a new chapter this week to maybe guide how I order this, but it got delayed so...any requests?