#ch223

[opbackgrounds]

The crazy thing about Oda's worldbuilding is that the architecture and window design makes this island immediately recognizable as Jaya

[abybweisse]

Ch223 (p4), Passion

Modri is adamant this time about going next, but who would stop him anyway?

Fairchild probably never takes a turn at the wheel, and John Brown isn't likely to volunteer. Nor does Victoria seem interested in having him tell one; I wonder why. Perhaps John ends up with a turn anyway, but it's not necessary.

It lands on "Passion" after a particularly long spin.

Modri says it has two meanings (for him), that of passionate emotion and that of Christ's suffering. Then he introduces himself.

He starts his tale explaining that he was an orphan taken in by a kind man, who shared his food and wine.

We see in his memories that the man had a family, and his was not a particularly wealthy family, though they lived in a "manor", but they did well enough and shared what they had.

Then we cut to Modri as a young man, and he's dressed nicely, perhaps for a ball.

Then he's at what looks like a ball at a castle. Are we to believe the man asking the lady for a dance is the "snake" he's referring to? If so, is that brunette lady the same girl from his earlier memories, years later?

And since the scene changes again so quickly... are those bodies that same brunette girl and the blond boy from the same family? Without introducing any of them, and with the time skip, it's hard to think otherwise.

Some in the fandom will be quick to assume this is really Sebastian's true form, but I don't think so. I doubt Yana-san would finally give us that only for it to be through the POV of another person, not our earl. It would be easier for her to give another demon a similar look, when it appears in inky form.

Modri doesn't recognize Sebastian by appearance or name, only by what the un-shown people in his hotel suite claim... about his smell and so forth. But what if all demons smell similar, say to reapers, and that person just assumes it's him because he smells like a demon?

Also, if Sebastian follows his own aesthetics, he really won't have two contracts going at once, and he would have devoured the souls of his previous contractors. I don't think Modri's a bizarre doll, either, since his IV pole appears to have medicine or something, not blood for transfusions. So, he shouldn't be the walking corpse of a past contractor, which Sebastian should have remembered. Plus, Sebastian knew something was up with Agares when he touched him to help him stand back up, so now that things are getting tough for him, too, not just for his young master... Sebastian should have told him something was off about this guy as soon as he grabbed Sebastian (if Modri had no soul).

I believe Sebastian when he says he doesn't recognize Modri by face or name, and I believe Sebastian would remember him if they did have any contact (contract or otherwise) before.

So... this has got to be a different demon, and someone is giving Modri false information. Is that by accident or on purpose?

What if Modri's story ends up leading to John Brown's true identity reveal? (I kind of hope so.)

[everybbpirate]

[halfway-2-forever]

ok fujimoto

also like

the role reversal is sick

i had accidentally seen some people’s posts before i read the ch and they were calling yoru the protag, which, yeah, i totally see it

[kazumasamaanime]

Good news that the next chapter is April 5, we won't wait long for the sequel ;).

[every-sanji]

Pwease pwotect us sanji we cant possibwy pwotect ouwsewves

[iiloffy]

for @goldenclasp

[abybweisse]

Who is the demon in Modri's tale? (If undecided or someone else, please elaborate in the comments section.)

Sebastian Michaelis

John Brown

Someone else we've already seen or heard of in the manga

An entirely new character

Claude Faustus from season 2

Someone else from season 2

I have no idea or can't decide (50/50)

Someone else not covered by the other options (like an OVA only character)

Voting ended onMar 1

If you think it's someone else from the manga, besides Sebastian or John, I'd love to hear ideas on who else it could be!

I'll leave this open for a week, in case you want to weigh in but haven't finished ch223 yet.