#ch588

[opbackgrounds]

I suppose that Ace did change an entire era before he died, so...

[every-sanji]

[opbackgrounds]

Luffy's got his priorities straight during the royal visit

[opbackgrounds]

Very nice detail for Oda to not show Ace's eyes while leading Sabo's letter until he's shown to be bawling, especially since he's spent this whole flashback chastising Luffy for being a crybaby

After the flashback ends, Shanks will have a whole monologue telling Luffy it's okay for him to cry, which is the closest thing to Oda himself telling his audience it's okay to fully feel their big emotions. That's an important message for the target audience of young boys, and doesn't make the powerful, important characters of the series any less powerful or important.

[opbackgrounds]

This feels like a direct response to the people who were upset about how Ace didn't run away during Marineford. While Ace was rage-baited by Akainu, in the end his main priority was his brother.

Just like his dad

In One Piece, pride is something that is treated positively--to a certain extent. But more important is protecting and caring for your friends. I think this balance is actually best seen with Zoro. Just compare his fight with Mihawk to the end of Thriller Bark. Both are treated as value positive by the narrative, but I'd argue that "Nothing happened" is more impactful.

[opbackgrounds]

This is just the One Piece fandom yelling at Oda after chapter 574

[opbackgrounds]

Situations like these is why you should never skip leg day

[opbackgrounds]

I like the composition of this panel. The use of screentone on the Celestial Dragon's ship adds a really nice contrast to the white space on the other side of the panel. I also like that this explosion doesn't hit Sabo's two(!) pirate flags. The flags are pretty much the only thing on the ship that survives getting hit, other than Sabo's hat (and I suppose Sabo himself), the symbol of Sabo's conviction being stronger than the military might of the Celestial Dragons