One Piece, Chapter 1107: I've Been Looking For You
Gloriously, we get a reaction from Usopp, who sees the giant rampaging through his binoculars, and he's crying in joy but also in confusion. Nami offers an explanation-by-inference, noting that Oimo and Kasshi must have picked up their two ex-captains sometime between their last meeting. I really do appreciate Usopp's reaction, and I do like the little bit of anxiety where Usopp noted that he was worried that he would've gone and visited Elbaf without meeting the two giants that made him want to go to Elbaf in the first place.
Edison also notes about how the news have been covering the whole Egghead siege, and they would've painted the World Government in a good light, as usual. But Usopp realizes that, of course, the Elbaf giants came not to make war, but to help them escape.
We check in a bit with some other characters. Brook and Lilith are still sliding, and Brook has resorted to drinking tea in complete and utter carefreeness, leaving Lilith to take charge. Jinbe is flying with the antigravity boots, going on the way to grab Zoro back. Speaking of Zoro, he's still clashing with Rob Lucci... in a manner of speaking of course. Despite panting and talking about the urgency, Zoro isn't even using three swords style. Heck, he doesn't even have his bandana on, meaning that he's not really taking this fight super-seriously. This is a bit of a better narrative excuse than Luffy being tossed here and there while Gear Fifth is on cooldown, I suppose, though I can't say I'm the happiest with the Zoro/Lucci not-fight.
Also, the Marines are at least not being completely helpless, with one of the vice admirals, named in this chapter as Redking, being able to take down one of the Pacifistas with the cannons on his ships.
We then cut to the big battle between the Straw Hats against Saturn and Kizaru. And we get the titular "I've been waiting for you" sequence, with Bonney crying as she witnesses Gear Fifth Luffy, talking about how she's been waiting for Sun God Nika... to which, of course, Luffy gives zero shits about. I love this. I love how little respect Luffy puts into the whole 'chosen one' narrative, and I really do hope this is how it'll be until the end of One Piece.
Luffy then prepares to punch Saturn, and we get a bit of Saturn activating his ability (presumably Haki-based?) and causing Luffy to very briefly spit up blood... but he then snaps back, and unleashes a barrage of giant rubbery Haki'd up fists, bashing Saturn with a Dawn Gatling. It's not quite as satisfying as Kuma's initial punch, but Luffy's wacky spinning around bashes Saturn through a bunch of buildings and out of the battlefield.
Franky and Atlas prepare to evacuate everyone out, but Stella Vegapunk tells them to leave him behind -- he's so wounded that moving him would mean death. Kizaru zips in to laser-beam Vegapunk and Bonney, and I think these couple last chapters can really put to rest any arguments about Kizaru's loyalty. Sanji zooms in and KICKS THE LASER. I mean, he kinda did too last chapter, but it's so hidden in the background that I was left questioning if I saw what I did. Kizaru is genuinely shocked, with a glorious reaction expression, and his response is something along the lines of "they have to scrap the physics textbooks and start from scratch." Kizaru my man, physics have nothing to do with anything that goes on in this manga. Franky, Atlas, Bonney and Kuma evacuate, and Kizaru faces off against Sanji and Luffy -- still bouncing around -- standing in front of the Stella Vegapunk. I do hope we get to see a bit more of this fight, too.
Meanwhile, though, far more exciting... Saturn is starting to scuttle back up, but two figures walk up to him. And here is where the Blackbeard Pirates make their move. Catarina Devon and... Van Augur? Not Laffite, leaving him completely unaccounted for as of this chapter. Van Augur makes sense to show up, admittedly, since with his Warp-Warp Fruit he can really travel almost anywhere in a short amount of time.
Catarina Devon mocks Saturn of the Gorosei for mucking around with the mortals, taps him in his giant spider leg and notes that her mission is complete. So I guess the Kitsune fruit works similarly to Mr. 2's Mane Mane Fruit, where it requires Catarina touching someone to transform into them? That's mostly conjecture, since we don't see Catarina using her abilities, but we can assume it.
Saturn, who doesn't seem to be able to move after Luffy bashed him around, tries to mock Catarina, noting that a Level 6 Impel Down prisoner like her shouldn't have chosen the life of a subordinate. But Catarina's response? "Teach is special". It's something that I think is a nice parallel to a bunch of captains who actually did become subordinates to characters like Luffy and Whitebeard. Saturn also ominously notes that Blackbeard's lineage is also special, which... I think the only choices right now is him being the son of Rocks or another Celestial Dragon, I guess?
Saturn asks Augur and Catarina what they get out of this. Augur's badass answer? "The world." It's at this point that Saturn finally decides to attack with his spider legs, but Augur just warps away. We learn a bit of the limitations of his ability, where he still hasn't mastered the Warp-Warp Fruit, leading into what seems to be a nice limitation to his otherwise potentially world-breaking ability.
But then who is there to show up but everyone's favourite muck-swamp man who's been around us ever since the timeskip? Mother. Fucking. Caribou. I've been wondering just how and when Oda's going to fire off the gigantic Chekov's gun that is Caribou, who's overheard almost every huge secret that the Straw Hats have found out. He knows all about both Poseidon/Shirahoshi and that Pluton is in Wano, for one! Turns out that Caribou is a gigantic Blackbeard fanboy, and he set sail because he idolized Blackbeard. So yeah, one of the biggest wildcards is finally being moved and have met one of the actually large players... I'm actually far more excited about this development than anything else!
Random Notes:
- I really have no idea what Bepo is trying to do to the sleeping snow leopard in the cover story. Is he like, trying to pour in some hot, boiling water through a funnel into the leopard's mouth to wake him up or something? Why is he holding a club, too?
- I do really like the dual meaning of the "I've been looking for you" title. It works for Bonney's literal line as he says that to Nika-Luffy, but it also applies to Caribou at the end.
- Some nice little continuity that Usopp and Nami both know everything that's going on, but Chopper -- who wasn't part of the crew in Little Garden, going "Oimo! Kasshi!" and only recognizing the two Enies Lobby giants.
- Despite there being a perfect setup for a 'brainless' joke, Brook doesn't take it. Dang, Brook.
- Vice Admiral Redking is a reference to the Ultraman kaiju of the same name. To be fair, I wouldn't have looked at that design and go "oh, he's got multiple chins", but I can totally respect Oda taking a meme and going with it.
- I really think Stella Vegapunk should die in this arc, from a narrative standpoint... but with Gear Fifth toon force Luffy around, it's not out of the question for him to save Vegapunk with some awakened hijinks.
- So Caribou is to Blackbeard what Bartolomeo is to Luffy? That actually tracks.
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