#ch567

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That we all had grandpas as cool as Whitebeard

[every-sanji]

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This panel is so quietly tragic. Jinbe has declared that he's going to die saving Ace so many times already that it's now being regulated to a tiny panel in the corner of a two page spread

And while Oda's drawing on a lot of yakuza tropes and theming for Jinbe's characterization, with the power of retrospect we can see how much he's being influenced by his past. Both Otohime and Fisher Tiger died trying to achieve their dreams, it's not until he teams up with Luffy that he seems to realize he can try to live for them instead

[opbackgrounds]

Back during Zoro's fight with Mihawk the reader was introduced to the idea that the weak don't get to chose how they die, and it's something that gets sprinkled throughout the series. This is an adjacent idea that really drives Luffy's motivations.

During Arlong Park Luffy admits to being worthless at pretty much everything except for being strong enough to defeat Arlong. He says something similar during the Lucci fight, and eventually Luffy will say the entire reason for him to get stronger is to defend the people he cares about. He's not like Zoro where his dream requires him to be the strongest man in the world, but he knows that his goals will pit him against increasingly strong opponents.

It's a subtle but important difference that informs who Luffy is as a character, and one of the greatest reasons why Ace's death is so devistatingly surprising. Sure, the Straw Hats have lost battles before, but even at Sabaody no one died. This is the first time he's not been strong enough to protect someone he loves.

[opbackgrounds]

For reference, Jinbe is ten feet tall

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This is a very serious moment, but Whitebeard casually holding Luffy by his ankles like a rag doll is hilarious

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This is the second chapter in a row Oda's had a color spread, in addition to all the crazy spreads within the chapter itself. He truly was on demon time during this arc

[opbackgrounds]

It is so tragic that during this arc we never see Mihawk stab anyone with his tiny knife necklace