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To avoid spoiling the chapter for those who havenβt read it yet, the main post will be below.
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I'll start with the beauty β Robin and Chopper were shown in this chapter :3
Robin says she needs Chopper in the Library.
Why?
I can only see two possibilities.
First β someone is injured, and Chopper is needed to treat them.
This option is ruled out, because it's clearly not Saul β he is shown to be healthy.
We also saw Biblo in chapter 1182, and he looked fine.
Chapter 1182.
The second option β Chopper is needed to "translate" what Biblo is trying to say.
After all, this chapter explicitly reminded us that Chopper can "understand" the language of animals.
I still wouldn't rule out the possibility of a "clash" between Robin and Biblo. Because we don't know exactly how he is acting right now or what he wants to say.
Though I admit the likelihood of this outcome is now lower.
I'm very curious about what will happen next, so I'll be waiting for the next chapters.
Upd.
I probably should have started with this, but I forgotβ¦
Chapter Cover.
Nami is scolding Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, who have been turned into monkeys.
This is one of the most famous moral allegories in Japan (or rather, one that came to Japan and became especially popular there) β "The Three Wise Monkeys."
Luffy β covering his eyes β Mizaru (θ¦γγ) β "see no evil."
Sanji β covering his ears β Kikazaru (θγγγ) β "hear no evil."
Zoro β covering his mouth β Iwazaru (θ¨γγγ) β "speak no evil."
Most often, they are understood as "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."
However, the original meaning was a bit deeper:
"Do not let evil into your heart, and do not spread it further."
Luffy β "see no evil." He often ignores social differences, titles, or backgrounds. He judges people by their actions, not by their appearance or status.
Sanji β "hear no evil." This is most likely a pure gag. There is women's underwear hanging on the clothesline, and Nami seems to be yelling something. Sanji is covering his ears as if he doesn't want to listen to her scolding, completely absorbed in his fantasies (the hearts over his head clearly emphasize this).
Zoro β "speak no evil." This is perhaps the most accurate match. Zoro is a man of few words who prefers actions over speech. His famous "Nothing happened" immediately comes to mind.
In other words, Oda didn't just recreate the composition of "The Three Wise Monkeys"; he also cleverly played into the characters' personalities.
Several weapons were used in this chapter.
Imu used the Axe of Xingtian.
Kirringham received the Spear of Longinus.
Sommers received the Sword of "Wrath and Love" β "Gram."
Fragarach is a legendary sword from Irish mythology and a popular magical item in Japanese media. Its name means "The Answerer" or "The Whisperer."
It belonged to the sea god ManannΓ‘n mac Lir and was later passed down to Lugh, the god of light and the sun.
The blade could pierce any armor, no one could withstand it, and wounds inflicted by it were fatal. It also had the power to force people to speak the truth when held to their throat.
The Japanese scans actually feature the name of this axe.
Imu summons the Axe of Xingtian β "Heaven's Punishment."
In Chinese culture, the Axe of Xingtian (the great Yue axe) is a symbol of eternal resistance, unyielding will, and fury. In ancient China, this type of axe was used not only in battle but also for ritual executions, which highlights the punishing and menacing nature of the character.
Xingtian was a giant and a musician at the court of the Flame Emperor (Yan Di). When Yan Di lost the war to the Yellow Emperor (Huang Di), Xingtian held a grudge. He took a massive axe and shield, and marched alone to storm the heavenly palace.
Huang Di and Xingtian clashed in a brutal battle on Mount Changyang. Being the more experienced warrior, Huang Di caught the giant off guard and cut off his head.
Even without his head, the giant refused to die. Through the sheer force of his indescribable fury, he turned his nipples into eyes and his belly button into a mouth.
It's not the prettiest sight, so I won't post a pictureβ¦
Becoming a headless monster, he raised his axe and shield once more, furiously swinging them in the air in an eternal dance of war against the heavens themselves.
In Chinese culture, Xingtian is the ultimate symbol of an unyielding will, defiance, and fighting to the bitter end β refusing to bow even to the gods!
It's a highly iconic imagery.
And this lore of Xingtian resonates perfectly with the concept of "Heaven's Punishment."
I also noticed β whether by coincidence or design β that it is Gaban who stands against this axe.
A man who fights with dual axes.
Gaban the one who lost his "head" β his Captain, Gol D. Roger!
Incredibly symbolic, don't you think?
The Spear of Longinus (also known as the Holy Lance) is one of the most famous relics in Christian tradition.
According to Christian lore, when Jesus was crucified on the cross, a Roman soldier named Longinus pierced His side with a spear to ensure that He was dead.
The spear is considered "holy" because it came into contact with the body of Christ. According to one legend, Longinus himself came to believe in Christ after the crucifixion and was later canonized as a saint.
In other words, the very man who pierced Jesus later became a martyr for the Christian faith.
This is a very powerful motif of transformation.
In theology, the strike of the spear is sometimes interpreted as the ultimate confirmation of truth. After it, there is no denying what happened. Therefore, the spear is sometimes associated not just with violence, but with revelation.
Over time, numerous myths have emerged around the spear:
The owner of the spear is supposedly invincible;
it grants the right to rule;
and as long as the ruler possesses the spear, their state will endure.
So Oda really does incorporate Christian themes into his workβ¦
You would think that given Sommers' "biblical motifs" and the fact that his opponent is Zoro, the Spear of Longinus would suit him better, right?
But what if I told you β no!
The sword "Gram" fits much better, and choosing this weapon against Zoro was likely no coincidence!
Sommers wields the Sword of "Wrath and Love," named "Gram" β one of the most famous swords in Norse mythology.
And this is where it gets incredibly interesting!
Gram (Gramr) is the legendary sword of the hero Sigurd. It is the very sword Sigurd used to slay the dragon Fafnir, which is one of the central plots of the VΓΆlsunga saga and the Poetic Edda. Before Sigurd, the sword belonged to his father, Sigmund.
The legend of this sword is very similar to the legend of Excalibur, though the tale of Gram is significantly older!
King VΓΆlsung held a grand wedding feast in honor of his daughter.
At the height of the festivities, a strange, tall, one-eyed old man wearing a cloak and a hood entered the banqueting hall β the god Odin himself. He silently walked over to the Barnstokk tree, drove a magnificent sword deep into its trunk right up to the hilt, and announced: "He who draws this sword shall have it as a gift, and he shall see for himself that he has never held a better weapon." After that, the old man vanished.
All the noble guests tried to pull the blade out, but to no avail. Only VΓΆlsung's youngest son, Sigmund, was able to do it with ease.
For many years, Sigmund defeated his enemies while wielding the legendary sword Gram. However, in his final battle, Odin himself appeared on the battlefield, taking the form of a one-eyed old man with the spear Gungnir.
When Sigmund struck Odin's spear with Gram, the blade shattered in two. Having lost his weapon, Sigmund was mortally wounded. Before dying, he gathered the shards of Gram and passed them to his wife, HjΓΆrdis, instructing her to keep them for their unborn son. He prophesied that one day a new, even more powerful sword would be forged from these fragments, and with it, his son would achieve great deeds.
Years later, the blacksmith Regin reforged the shards, restoring Gram. Sigurd β Sigmund's son β became the new owner of the sword, destined to slay the dragon Fafnir and become one of the greatest heroes of Norse mythology.
Zoro uses his "103 Mercies" attack, which once again links us back to the Dragon, Ryuma, and the battle against King on Onigashima.
I actually wrote about this right here.
In chapter 1183, Imu used this exact same sword against the Dragon Loki!
Armed with Gram, Sigurd set out for Gnitaheide (Gnita-heath), the lair of the dragon. The blacksmith Regin was treacherous: he advised Sigurd to simply dig a single pit along the dragon's path, hide inside, and pierce Fafnir when he went to drink water. However, this plan would have doomed the hero to death.
As Sigurd was digging the pit, an unknown old man approached him. He asked what the youth was doing, and after hearing the plan, called it foolish. The old man explained that Fafnir was immense, and once Sigurd pierced his heart, rivers of black, venomous dragon blood would pour from the wound. In a single pit, Sigurd would simply drown and perish.
The old man advised him to dig several interconnected pits and trenches, using the trenches as drains where all the monster's toxic blood would flow away, while staying in the main pit to wait for the strike.
This old man was Odin himself!
In some retellings, Odin also gave Sigurd a second crucial piece of advice:
Right after the victory, Odin advised Sigurd to roast Fafnir's heart for the blacksmith Regin. While cooking, Sigurd accidentally burned his finger, tasted the dragon's blood, and suddenly gained the ability to understand the language of birds. Hearing their conversation, he learned that Regin was planning to kill him to seize Fafnir's treasure. Thanks to this warning, Sigurd preempted the traitor and saved his own life.
Chapters 656/657.
If you remember, back on Punk Hazard, Zoro killed a dragon, and then they ate it!
Why is "Gram" called the Sword of "Wrath and Love"? This is where it gets incredibly interesting!
As it turns out, the sword Gram is deeply tied to one of the most tragic love stories in Norse mythology β the fate of Sigurd and the Valkyrie Brynhild.
Brynhild had been punished by Odin for her disobedience and cast into a magical sleep(!!!). She slumbered within a hall surrounded by a ring of blazing fire, a barrier that only a fearless hero could breach.
Riding his horse Grani, Sigurd managed to pass through the wall of flame. Inside the hall, he found the sleeping Valkyrie clad in enchanted chainmail that seemed fused to her skin. Using the sword Gram, Sigurd sliced through the armor, freeing Brynhild from the spell.
Upon waking, Brynhild instantly recognized him as a great hero. Love sparked between them, and they exchanged vows of eternal fidelity, completely unaware of the tragic end fate had in store for them.
Later, under the influence of a magical potion of forgetfulness, Sigurd forgot Brynhild and married Gudrun. Shortly after, he agreed to help his brother-in-law, Gunnar, win the Valkyrieβs hand. Disguising himself as Gunnar through magic, Sigurd once again crossed the ring of blazing fire and spent three nights alongside Brynhild while she believed him to be her future husband.
However, Sigurd did not compromise his honor. Every night, he placed the unsheathed Gram between himself and Brynhild, signaling that he would not touch her. The sword became a symbol of his duty and his word.
Eventually, the deception was revealed. Overwhelmed by despair, love, and a burning desire for revenge upon realizing she had been tricked, Brynhildβs intense emotions drove her to plot Sigurd's death.
Yet, she could not bear to live without him. Following his murder, Brynhild took her own life and requested that they be buried on the exact same funeral pyre. According to her final wish, the bare blade of Gram was once again placed between their bodies β just as it had divided their bed during those three nights. Thus, Gram became not only the weapon of the ultimate hero, but an eternal symbol of their tragic love, uniting Sigurd and Brynhild even in death.
Don't you think Brynhildβs story is incredibly similar to Sleeping Beauty?
Now you see why I found this so fascinating!
You can even see thorn-like spikes on Sommers' sword, just like a briar thicket!
I will never tire of shouting out the amazing posts by @hapifangurl
(and plugging my own reblog just a little bit too~)
Tumblr is a place to express yourself, discover yourself, and bond over the stuff you love. It's where your interests connect you with your
π¬ 11Β Β π 9Β Β β€οΈ 21Β Β·Β TumblrΒ Β·Β @wolfbart @nickgrasl @hapifangurl I really loved reading your comments and, of course, the post itself!
Do you
I find it interesting that the Sword Gram was broken, and Sigmund was defeated by the one-eyed man(Odin). And now Sommers is actually fighting the one-eyed man...
Zoro will be fighting against the Sword of "Wrath and Love."
Which is strange, because Zoro has never fallen into a rage over loveβ¦
I couldn't draw my idea properly so I decided to commission someone instead who DID AN AMAZING JOB SO NOW I WILL SHARE WITH THE ZOROBIN COMMUNITY TOO ππ
Thank you for the birthday wishes !! Woke up today to see Elbaf Zorobin eyecatchers and a post by @kushinauwu was so special <3
Artist: 倧鼻εε ε
Feel free to use it~ I have this as my phone BG for a month+ now
2 hours of bad sleep will have you thinking things like 'i am a stranded whale and i need to be covered in dynamite in an ill-advised attempt to clear the beach'
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