#ch489

[opbackgrounds]

The vibes of this panel are immaculate.

[every-sanji]

[everychojuro]

[opbackgrounds]

This sentiment is the logical extreme of what Bellemere said back in Arlong Park: That if you make it through the bad days, the good will surely come. For such an optimistic series, One Piece doesn't shy away from the horrors that people can experience, but by striving and clinging on to life it presents a world where happy endings are possible. Brook literally died, and yet he's still happy and thankful that he kept on existing to the point where he had a chance to meet Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. The shittiest life imaginable is still life, and that's something that's worth clinging to.

[opbackgrounds]

This is a lovely sentiment, but I especially appreciate that Brook gets a moment to say his own private goodbyes to his former crew, and of course that goodbye comes in the form of a song

[opbackgrounds]

I love that the Straw Hats helped put the Rumbar Pirates to rest. I also love that Franky and Usopp worked together on the memorial. After everything that happened on Water 7 it feels especially fitting that Franky would teach his little bro how to properly utilize his ingenuity.

[opbackgrounds]

There are several different theories out there about how Bink's Sake is important to finding the One Piece, but if nothing else it has become thematically relevant to some of the more recent revelations in the manga.

There's also an interesting SBS at the end of the next chapter where Oda says he had the music written well ahead of the Thriller Bark arc, which I think adds credence that it will be important down the road

[opbackgrounds]

I went back and checked, and at the start of the arc Brook was indeed only named via Oda box, not in-universe dialogue. As far as we know, he asked to see Nami's panties, confirmed he did indeed poop, and agreed to join Luffy's crew (the first time) before mentioning his name