User blog comment:Kaido King of the Beasts/Chapter 882: Trident Mochi Bubblegum/@comment-24850639-20171020141401

Niji's impersonating act gave me Mr. Prince vibes, never a wasted scene with Oda, I tell you. Chopper's comment about seeing a merman/fishman doing something underwater turned out to be significant with the sea slugs this chapter just as everyone thought, so don't believe for one second that Big Mom's sudden attention to Nuts Island (where Amande is in command) won't end up being significant.

Speaking of not wasting scenes, I knew there was a good reason Oda was keeping Brulee around so closely. On top of giving the ever-needed hype of Luffy's current opponent, she also kept the rest of the Straw Hats relevant by overhearing their plans. Now trouble will come their way and we get to continue to see the other Straw Hats shine this arc. I'm glad Oda is making sure that they still have chances to pile on to their accomplishments for this storyline, even though Luffy and Sanji are doing the major heavy lifting as the arc draws to a close.

Another aspect of this Luffy v. Katakuri fight that I'm just now starting to pick up on......Katakuri has only been able to hurt Luffy in situations where he's been caught off guard by something he didn't expect.

- Didn't expect him to keep up with, and predict Gear 2nd's speed

- Didn't expect him to produce an even bigger Elephant Gun

- Didn't expect him to produce a more arms for a way more efficient Gatling Gun

- Got blindsided trying to break the mirror Mascarpone and Joscarpone had

- Wasn't expecting the ground to turn into mochi and trap him when trying to run away to talk to his crew

- Took his focus off Katakuri trying to shut Brulee up

Sure, a part of this is Luffy needing to realize where he is and who's fighting, he should know by now that base Gear 2nd speed and and haki-imbued Gear 3rd are child's play to the big boys. But it's also always been a part of his feeling out process for his oppenent. However, Luffy has been able to dodge Katakuri's attacks when he's focused on Katakuri and nothing else, and Katakuri even confirmed this himself this chapter. Although it's not confirmed that all those Charlotte Family distractions are gone, this fight should get a lot more interesting from here on out. I've already stated before that mochi lacking the natural elasticity of rubber will prevent Katakuri from being able to copy anything Gear 4th-related, but him being able to turn all his surroundings into mochi will certainly pose a challenge if Luffy can't keep himself airborne, or devise a counter for the stickiness of mochi. Can't wait!