User blog comment:Ghmorello/Chapter 909: Welcome To Wano Country/@comment-24850639-20180629165029

Again, lot of small things to unpack here:

- A part of me is willing to bet that the island Orlumbus attacked with his new Pirate Fleet is of some kind of importance. If all the Straw Hat Grand Fleet members are going to be given similar amounts of shine, then it doesn't make sense for Orlumbus arc to end without him having done something slightly significant to impact the One Piece world. I'll admit that Cavendish & Suleiman's story appear to be an exception here, but perhaps they are currently headed somewhere significant.

- The way Inu/Neko tell the story, they make it sound as if the Payback War was a result of Marco seeking out and charging at Blackbeard full of emotion and desire for revenge. Marco's version makes it seem more like Blackbeard attacked the place as part of his campaign to take Whitebeard's territory, and the crew simply stepped up to defend the village as an homage to their former captain.

- Seeing Marco heal the manticore, I initially thought that was Marco regenerating Neko's lost arm! He mentioned his healing powers are limited when it comes to using it on others, but I was hoping that might be an exception. Ah well. Interesting though that manticore seems to roam freely on this island, even befriending humans. Interesting that Big Mom considered them rare enough to keep in one of Mont D'Or's books.

- It appears that ANY country has the capability of being a part of the World Government, as long as they are wealthy enough to pay this tribute of heavenly gold, and aren't directly affiliated with any of their enemies. This had been mentioned/hinted at before when the Revo Commanders made their debut, but with the way it was told this chapter, the World Government immediately looks A LOT less like this altruistic organization that is out to keep the peace, and more like a huge private security firm that offers its services as long as you can pay up. Oda has now unequivocally painted the World Government as a duplicitous organization that has its own secret motives and intentions, while putting up the front of keeping the world safe. I see now why the Revolutionaries don't focus their efforts on the Marines, but rather the actual organization that runs it all, and specifically the corrupt individuals who run this organization. This makes me SO HYPE to see the rest of the Reverie, so I sincerely hope Oda isn't gonna leave us hanging there.

- THAT'S LITTLE WHITEBEARD! With the "power" shirt and holding the stick in that flashback. I wonder if those other kids ended up being important in some kind of way? The girl behind him specifically reminds me of one of the little girls from Sheep's House in Big Mom's flashback......

- I'm pretty sure Ace and Whitebeard aren't actually buried here in this village, but a small neighboring island.

- Here's the big one: Marco said Bakkin was a pirate 40 years ago......know who else was a pirate 40 years ago? Shakky......and I do recall Shakky saying in Sabaody that Garp used to chase her 40 years ago......Garp, who said the time of "Rocks" was 40 years ago! Are you freaking telling me Whitebeard was on this damn "Rocks" crew too?!?? This just keeps getting crazier! I still submit to the theory that as someone who valued family so much, Whitebeard wouldn't just up and abandon a son with his actual blood in him, but clearly there is more to this story than we can even imagine right now. Bring on the Rocks backstory!

- Marco vs. Weevil incoming, with potentially Marco's death. The fact that Marco has a  message for Luffy, but isn't coming to Wano, is extremely foreboding to me. I suppose Marco's story would be full circle with that, whatever his final mesage to Luffy is. The fact that he asked a clarifying question of if they're going to Wano first, to me directly implies that he is aware of Luffy's intentions to battle Kaido. Maybe it's a warning, maybe it's someone who wants Luffy to meet in Wano, idk, but I believe it will be quite important.

- Wano Kuni's layout is as amazing as I expected it to be, and I wonder what we will learn of it's geography and history. The tree that the Shogun/Kaido's palace rests on seems like it has some deeper history, like the Whale Tree. I'll have to brush up on my feudal Japan lore, but I'm pretty sure that bridge is significant as well, and we might even see the "Rashomon" gate that Zoro's Nitoryu attack is inspired by. I can't tell if that's actual snow or Cherry/Sakura blossoms blowing everywhere.

- The guy that Franky is working with appears to have some kind of Paramecia Devil Fruit power that allows him to produce.....carpentry equipment? I'm used to seeing people hold nails in their mouths while they set up where they are putting them, but it looks like he pushed his nose and a nail came out of there too. Usopp's occupation makes perfect sense to me too, but I wonder where exactly he's getting these products from. He doesn't seem like the type to cut himself willingly like that, that was quite a surprise. Robin's bit was rather interesing, and it implies that she has a secret plan to infiltrate the Shogun's personal quarters somehow. Maybe that's a phase of their plan? I thought the lady playing the guitar at the onset of Wano's intro was Robin, but I guess not. Wonder if that person will be significant?

- There's a ton to unpack with Zoro's bit. He's identified as a Ronin.....which means a samurai with no lord (Feudal Lord) or master. In a country of Samurai and Feudal Lords, wasn't Zoro already sticking out like a sore thumb? If he's actually walking around considering himself a Samurai, isn't someone gonna run his credentials? Kin'emon "disguising" him as a rogue samurai just sounds like a bad idea from the jump, but of course I know nothing about how society is structured quite yet. More importantly, Zoro's actual code as a swordsman was never fully elaborated on, just bits here and there of his overall philosophy. Is it Bushido? Does he actually consider himself a Samurai? When he identified Shusui in his battle against Ryuma, he specifically said that having such an exceptional blade makes sense "for someone who calls themselves a samurai". Even if Zoro doesn't consider himself one, he seemed rather knowledgable of them. So that just made it more interesting to me that the magistrate officials said things like, "If you consider yourself a samurai...." and "This is the most important duty for a samurai". If part of this arc will also be Zoro actually exploring his own philosophies as a swordsman, I am SO down with that. For the time being though, its rather clear that he was framed, and these people have had their eyes on him with sinister intentions. We can't blame Zoro for getting into the trouble this time, corrupt officials are trying to claim Shusui. Can't to unpack more of Zoro's story!