User blog:Xilinoc/Ch. 784 - Rick Roll the Manga

Oda, how could you DO THIS to us?

So we start off with the very first page being Doflamingo falling over with a massive hole in his chest where I imagine his heart and the surrounding major organs used to be. Luffy, seeing that his work is done here, walks away. Of course, since no one ends up saying "Donquixote Doflamingo has died", we'll be listing him as alive until further notice, like that fellow who was blown up and that girl who was stabbed through the heart and THEN blown up. Because no one dies in this series. Not one person.

Next few pages consist of everyone crying in happiness as the Birdcage finally disappears, though Usopp is not pleased when chunks of Machvise start falling on him. Luffy has a flashback to his training with Rayleigh where he first discovered Gear Fourth, though it is only him telling Rayleigh that he has discovered it Rayleigh being like "I'm too old for this shit", and nothing more. In the present, Riku is hailed as king once more and prepares to honor the Straw Hats with a banquet, but it is not to be...

...for they are interrupted by TREBOL, who has survived the explosion he caused due to his Mythical Zoan powers allowing him to regenerate his body with his mucus. Kind of like a gross version of Marco. Trebol reveals that he has sent out a request for aid to "the most powerful man in the world" and that the people still on the island are doomed, but is cut short when he is shot in the head from an impossible distance.

Everyone turns to stare in awe at the lone figure on the horizon. Though his eyes are blind, Fujitora sees with his spirit that the man is none other than Admiral Ryokugyu. Luffy, however, knows him by a far more familiar name: Gaimon. After barrel-rolling onto the King's Plateau where everyone has gathered, Gaimon explains that he saw the Birdcage over Dressrosa from afar and knew something was wrong, so he set off on his trusty seahorse to investigate; upon arriving, he was actually able to enter due to his unique body shape. Gaimon asks Fujitora if he knows who Trebol called (having overheard the latter with his super-hearing brought on by his chest powers, of course), but before Fujitora can respond, an enormous column of magma jets into the sky on one side of the island.

Everyone is shocked to see Fleet Admiral Sakazuki has arrived. Sakazuki reveals that he received a call about the Straw Hats trying to destabilize an entire nation and depose a Shichibukai, so he decided to investigate himself. Upon seeing Luffy, he growls "X marks the spot..." and prepares his magma fist while advancing toward him. Luffy, properly riled up himself by this point, pulls up his sleeves, grits his teeth, and yells "GEAR...FIFTH!" Cue explosion.

Okay, so a pretty polarizing chapter this week. Nice to see Gaimon finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the current Admirals, and Sakazuki's post-timeskip look is pretty neat (digging the Kenzo Tenma hair), but was it really necessary to shaft Gear 4th after all the hype created last chapter just to move onto Gear 5th? C'mon, Oda, you're better than that.

Oh, and the manga's going on an 18-year hiatus while Oda dedicated time to raising a child. Plenty of time to fix up this here wiki, right?

How was this "blog"? Sugoi Why would you play with my emotions like this Kaido/10 Scrubinoc Are you a prophet?