Okay, see this is what makes Mother Carmel's omission from this flashback more jarring than it already was. Because you can't talk about John Giant without bringing up the reason why he's even in the Navy, which is Mother Carmel.
With how beloved she was by Elbaf plus how her "trade over plunder" philosophy is word-for-word what Harald's credo became, it's just weird that they never interacted once, at least that we see. And it isn't like they wouldn't have had a chance to meet. Harald was away when Mother Carmel and the orphans had to leave Elbaf right around when Loki was born, but she was already stationed in Elbaf for years before that.
Anyway, back onto John Giant, there's an implication that Mother Carmel trafficked him to the marines under Elbaf's nose when he was a child. Which would make sense as children are easier to indoctrinate. But Harald knowing about it... well that raises some questions. If Mother Carmel lied that John was being adopted by a family, didn't Harald raise an eyebrow when this young giant was later a marine recruit? Was he under the assumption that John joined the marines later in life? And if it was made transparent that John Giant was going with the marines from the start, that means Harald was okay with a giant child essentially becoming a child soldier because the Navy has a reputation of helping people. Which, that's a major yikes.
So here's one of One Piece's obscure characters. This guy first appears in chapter 96, right before Loguetown. And though it's hard to tell from the way he's drawn, this is John Giant, the first giant and vice-admiral we see in the story.
He shows up briefly in Ennies Lobby and fights against Whitebeard at Marineford.
He's also mentioned in Big Mom's flashback as the first giant who joined the Marines.
473-474: “The Encircling Walls Activated! the Whitebeard Pirates Backed into a Corner!” and “Execution Order Issued! Break Through the Encircling Walls!”
Outrageous, Doflamingo? I think the word you are looking for is awesome.
I’m glad I watched two episodes this time. 473 seemed to be a prep episode and the dramatic payoff was delivered in 474. Like Whitebeard, I’m having a bad feeling about three (potential) foreshadowing moments in 474. I hope I’m wrong, but Oda has been hammering home the message for a while now and it conforms with a well-worn trope. 474 wasn’t all doom and gloom, though. There was an amazing revival and a scene that genuinely made me say “Wow...” out loud.
You just can’t rely on tech, Sengoku.
For most of 473, the Marine’s Advanced Wall Tech fell victim to Aokiji doing his job a little too well. Sengoku ordered the raising of the Encircling Walls. Except, Aokiji’s vast sheet of ice made it difficult for the mechanism raising the wall to work. Sengoku spent 473 sweatdropping at the fact Whitebeard was charging straight at the scaffold. He had faith that the tech would work, however, and the Marines gradually stole away inside, leaving Kumas and Pirates on the battlefield.
While charging after Luffy, Ivankov noticed this (as only a season Revolutionary Army commander could, I suppose). Jimbei acknowledged it, but what could they do about it?
Sengoku continued to sweatdrop. “Are they ready yet?” he kept asking, as the distant dot that was a raging Whitebeard grew larger. But the ice would not budge. The gears were not grinding, though Sengoku’s certainly were.
Enter Vice-Admiral John Giant, who decided to act as hype fodder for Whitebeard buy Sengoku time and have a swing at Whitebeard. I loved the guy’s name and I loved this whole sequence. John Giant and Whitebeard clashed blades. Whitebeard told him to move it, then pulled off a literal power move. He grabbed the fabric of reality with his bare hands, tore it and the earth literally shifted. Then he air-crack punched John Giant so hard he was sent screaming back towards Sengoku. The only reason the scaffold wasn’t destroyed was because the Admirals deflected the human missile.
Courtesy of Whitebeard, Marineford is ruined, the land is tilting at a very strange angle, many ships were sunk and Luffy almost fell into a chasm, only to be saved by Jimbei. Again. xD
(What would happen if Luffy fell into a hole like that? Would he bounce? I’m still uncertain why he wasn’t able to stretch out his arms to full capacity to pull himself back out. Is he tired?)
Amidst the chaos, Doflamingo laughed maniacally, as you would if you were a few ants short of a picnic.
I loved how the Admirals bickered among themselves when John Giant fell victim to Whitebeard hype:
Aokiji: “The walls aren’t ready yet. That’s what’s causing this mess.”
Akainu: “Your ice is blocking them!”
Kizaru: “Can’t you just melt it?”
Or... you could have Sengoku order full power directed to the walls, which did the job in the end. Well, sort of. The vast, steel walls reinforced to counter Whitebeard’s power, and kitted out with hundreds of cannons looked pretty impenetrable. Then Sengoku turned to Akainu and said, “Do it.”
I thought, oh, that’s an interesting order. Another scheme cooked up between the two Absolute Justice Friends. Akainu’s trick was awesome, I have to admit. When the Fiery Fists of Justice rained down from above, the anime team went mad with red-tinged frames, flashes of white and images of pirates being punched to oblivion, boiled by lava-melted ice, caught by cannon fire or predatory kumas. The Whitebeard Pirates and Allies did look on the ropes and I did worry for a moment.
Thank goodness Little Oars Jr was slumped over the final panel, leaking blood into the mechanism, eh?
Trapped!
It was round about this time in episode 474 that the Ominous Foreshadowing moments appeared.
The action briefly cut to The Rest of the World Via Sabaody. Turns out the other Rookie crews had gathered clandestinely to watch the war (it sounds so weird saying that, like they’re watching a World Cup match and people aren’t dying). I liked seeing the reactions of some of the captains. Bonney seemed to be devastated by the news Whitebeard sold out his allies. Trafalgar Law didn’t believe a word. Apoo was aware of World Government propaganda and knew why the feed had been cut. I can’t remember what Kidd said. But Hawkins drawing the Death card is ominous.
I don’t know anything about tarot, so I had to google it. Apparently, cards have different meanings if they’re upside down or not. Hawkin’s card is not upside down, so it could mean:
- the ending of a major phase or aspect of your life that may bring about the beginning of something far more valuable and important
- a time of significant transformation, change and transition
- elements of a sudden and unexpected change. You may feel as though you are caught in the path of sweeping change and cannot escape its effects. Though the immediate thought is toward the negative, an end need not mean failure.
At first, I thought, how does this apply to Luffy? But then I realised it might be more appropriate to apply it to the future of Piracy as a whole. Doflamingo is obsessed with the New Era and how dreams are obsolete. Blackbeard thinks that’s a load of old shite, but both he and his crew are obsessed with fate and being caught paths of sweeping change, unable to escape their effects. Everyone needs to move on after this and where the future will take pirates, no one knows, but I’m guessing there will be major changes afoot. Maybe some of the hot shit new rookies will take up the mantle and drive it forward. Who knows?
This made it more obvious that change is afoot.
That moment was sad. I wanted to reach through the screen and punch Akainu for bombing the Moby Dick. I’m still not over Merry and seeing a ship that was symbolic of the absolute pinnacle of piracy: of freedom, comradeship, power and discovery actually made me die inside a little. Not to mention the very symbol of Whitebeard snapped off in the flames and was trampled on the ground. That is a big giveaway.
Whitebeard looked back, his eyes reflecting the firelight and said, “I’m sorry...” to his grand, old faithful ship and... Ugh.
I wonder what the little ship spirit said back?
I have the funniest feeling the Death card could also be interpreted literally. Like, Whitebeard is going to die, which I don’t really want but all the flags are there. He’s old, not what he used to be, he’s just been stabbed through the chest, his Jolly Roger is in flames, trampled on the ground and his ship - the symbol of his glory - is a smoldering wreck at the bottom of the sea.
But then again...
Oars is Alive: Death or Glory!
The fact that Oars is alive gives me hope that all the death foreshadowing this episode might amount to nothing. I was wrong about Oars (nice time to take a nap btw, Oars, ffs).
I did like when Marco said to Squard, “Oars is still fighting” even though he was flat out, basically hinting, “Get out there, stop crying and make it up to Whitebeard.” Oars resolve was also symbolic in a way. His path and the literal blood he shed was the only way forward. When Luffy made his last forward charge down the only narrow opening left, the anime team even backlit Oars’ body to resemble a fiery light at the end of the tunnel. Death or glory!
Ace is still not having a great time. He couldn’t watch as Luffy was blasted away by cannon fire and sunk into the water in front of his. Only Jimbei’s timely response saved Luffy from drowning. (Jimbei for Man of the Match, honestly. I wonder how many times he’s saved Luffy so far?)
It fell to Jimbei again when Luffy realised he had no hope of charging straight into cannon fire with as much aforethought an angry rhinoceros.
That moment when Luffy appeared in front of the Admirals in a pillar of water, swinging a chunk of mast genuinely made me say, “Wow...” aloud. I bet the screenshot above was taken from the manga. It looks like it should have been. A lot of care’s gone into it. It looks great.
Again, the Admirals’ reactions were interesting.
Akainu: You're standing tall, Dragon's son. I praise you just for your tenacity.
Kizaru: What makes you think you can beat us?
Aokiji: You’ve not leveled up enough to have a crack at us yet, son.
Well, Luffy’s gonna try! That frozen mast shattered into pieces by a Stamp Gatling might give him enough cover to pull off a miracle.
Looking forward to the next one now. Now Luffy’s at the scaffold, it’s getting good.
After rehearsing for weeks in Akainu’s bedroom, Sengoku finally lets the Admirals show off their dance routine.
