Zoro’s Madder Than Usual
Orochi may think that he’s won with the death of Yasuie, but all he’s done is sign his death warrant. In this chapter, we watch as the biggest cracks in Orochi’s regime appear. And it is glorious.
Recap
As unhappy as Zoro and Sanji are being reunited, they’re both livid at Orochi. Enraged at Yasuie’s death, Zoro goes right for Orochi. Just when it looks like he may get him, Kyoshiro intervenes, and Orochi runs back to his mansion like a coward. The Straw Hats that are in the Flower Capital jump in to provide a distraction so that their friends can escape with Toko and her father’s body. Soon, the entire area’s in chaos.
Back in Udon Prison, Luffy knows his friends will get out of this mess, but he’s still in hot water with the death sumo battle. To make matters worse, the escaped Kid has been recaptured and brought in, along with Kamazo. To everyone’s horror, it’s revealed that Kamazo’s actually Kid’s crewmember, Killer. After being beaten and captured by Kaido, Killer was fed a faulty SMILE fruit, leaving him cursed to laugh and smile despite hating his own laugh.
Just to be a jerk, Queen has Kid and Killer sentenced to water torture. As long as Luffy and Hyogoro are alive, they’ll remain underwater until they drown. So, either way, it looks one pair is going to die.
At that very moment, though, Big Mom starts attacking the prison in search of her promised Oshiruko. She’s not in a good mood.
Review
I have been saying it for the last several chapters, but I will say it again: Luffy’s freedom is imminent! Now that Big Mom and Chopper’s group have begun their attack on Udon Prison, I calculate that it will only be a few chapters before Luffy and Hyogoro are freed from their restraints. After that, we all know it’s only a matter of time before Luffy breaks out every last person in Udon Prison. Fifty thousand people, an army big enough to destroy Orochi.
Speaking of Orochi, that man’s every bit the coward that I thought he would be. If Kyoshiro hadn’t interfered, I think Zoro could have killed Orochi right then and there. But that would be too easy. I want to see one of the Kozuki retainers, or better yet, Momonouske, end his pathetic life.
As for the riot now taking place in the capital, this would be the perfect opportunity for the Alliance to free their captured allies. Little by little, Orochi and Kaido’s regime is starting to crumble, and it will soon come to a head.
I have said that the Wano Arc has been my favorite story line in One Piece, and it has not disappointed me so far. It keeps building to an amazing climax, and this chapter’s already making me excited for next week. PRISON BREAK!
Of course, we also have to worry about how Big Mom will react to seeing Luffy, or learning that he ate all the Oshiruko. Oh well, Luffy will find a way out of this mess, so I’m not worried.
I Give “Partner” a 4.5/5
30 Day Marvel Challenge, Day 1- Favorite Character
If you read my blog, you know that I’m a big fan of superheroes. From the ones made by Marvel and DC to those made by others, I love superheroes. I still have all my comics (I call it my retirement insurance). After seeing my friend Jirayan start something called the 30-Day Marvel Challenge, I knew I wanted in. I know I’m a days behind, but that’s not gonna stop me. So let’s start with day 1- my favorite character
Hope Summers, The Mutant Messiah
It would be so easy to say someone like Captain America or Spider-Man, but I don’t want easy! My favorite character has to be Hope Summers, the Mutant Messiah.
If you don’t know who she is, I don’t blame you. She’s not seen that often outside the comics. Nonetheless, she had a big role to play in the Marvel Universe.
Here’s the story: back in 2004, Scarlet Witch’s powers went nuts and started altering reality in the event known as “Avengers: Disassembled” forcing her teammates in the Avengers to take her down teammate down. Afterwards, the X-Men and Avengers decided she was now too dangerous to live. Before they could do anything, though, she used her powers to rewrite reality into one known as “The House of M”
In this new reality, Magneto ruled a world where mutants were the majority, and all the heroes had their greatest desires fulfilled. Thanks to the efforts of Wolverine, the House of M was undone and reality restored to normal. However, Wanda used her powers once more, uttering three words that would have devastating consequences:
As a result, 99% of all mutants in the Marvel Universe were de-powered into normal humans. Only 198 were left, and thanks to Wanda, no more mutants could be born. Or so it seemed. One year after the mutant decimation, the impossible happened, and a mutant child was born.The X-Men waged a war to protect this child, who had the potential to save their species. In the end, the baby was taken into the future by the time-traveling hero Cable, who raised her as his daughter and gave her her name: Hope Summers.
Eventually, Cable and Hope chose to return to the present, kick starting the “X-Men: Second Coming” story line. The X-Men waged a war against the Sentinel Bastion and his army of mutant haters to protect Hope. In the final battle in San Francisco, Hope demonstrated her ability to copy and use the powers of any mutant, and with her full power unleashed, Bastion’s plans for mutant genocide came to an end.
In the aftermath, more mutants began to appear, and for a time, it looked like Hope would save mutantkind from extinction. Then things get weirder. The cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force started making its way to Earth in search of Hope, who it had chosen to be its next host. While the X-Men see this as a a chance to revive their race, the Avengers don’t want to take any chances.
This leads to the war between the biggest superhero teams in Marvel, Avengers vs. X-Men, and thanks to the meddling of the Avengers, the Phoenix Force is split between five of the X-Men. Predictably, they all become corrupted by the Phoenix’s power, culminating in Cyclops becoming Dark Phoenix.
In a poetic way to end the saga that began with “House of M”, Hope teams up with a repentant Scarlet Witch to defeat Dark Phoenix and finally inherit the Phoenix Force. She then uses it to undo Wanda’s spell and restore mutantkind, fulfilling her destiny as the Mutant Messiah.
Hope Summers may not be the most important character in the Marvel Universe, or the most well-known, but I consider her my favorite because of the amazing story she has. Born in spite of a spell so powerful it was woven into the fabric of reality, hunted across the space-time continuum before returning to the present to save her people. The whole thing just sounds so amazing to me. Plus there are her powers. She can copy and use the powers of any mutant in the Marvel Universe. If she used them to the fullest, she could become the strongest person in the Marvel Universe!
Following her story was the reason why I started seriously collecting comic books, and I do not regret it for a second. If you haven’t read her story yet, you should. It’s some of the best X-Men stories in the last twenty years. I wish they would adapt the whole thing into an animated mini-series. I would watch it.
If you want to learn more about the events mentioned here, click these links:
Putting the “Pop” in Pop Culture!
