One Piece 42
This one might be a bit rough in terms of proofreading, but I'll hope for the best! I haven't started 43 yet.
As I thought, a lot of shounen fighting in this one. A few good moments too though. :-)
Volume 42: Pirates Vs. CP9
400
[Cover Arc: the full Baroque Works reunion in prison.]
Rocketman is headed straight for the wall of the Tower of Law.
[I love that absolutely nothing scares Chimney and Gonbe… even though that shot of the waterfall plunging into the abyss is actually pretty scary.]
Kokoro is thinking back to the good old days of Tom's Workers. Luffy reminds her of Roger, the man Tom once said he was proud to have helped.
"We Tom's Workers, we never learn. Always sticking our necks out for pirate brats (海賊小僧). You would've done the same, eh? Tom-san."
[This little speech may be the more effective for drunk slurring, or less. Hard to tell.]
The train punches through the wall.
Spandam starts dragging Robin toward the Gates of Justice, ordering Lucci to stay with him. ("Protect my life at all costs!") He orders the rest of CP9 to deal with the pirates.
Robin wishes she could just get free of the kairouseki cuffs.
[I find it kind of fascinating that the seastone cuffs have barely been mentioned up to now, but now they become the main focus of the plot. Before, they were irrelevant because Robin was so mentally cowed.]
Spandam summons Funkfreed, who unexpectedly… turns into a sword.
[Haha, such a great moment. Funkfreed - a SWORD who ate the elephant-elephant fruit - is Spandam's special sword. Also, if you're wondering how a sword can eat a fruit, you and ten million fans are not alone.]
Left behind at the courthouse, the Franky Family are cheering for their aniki. "Go get 'em, bro!"
Franky is anxiously trying to revive Kokoro and the little ones (I love that he calls Chimney and Gonbe chibi-domo). "Hey, old lady, kids, hang in there! Don't die!"
["Baba~" is really hard to translate. It seems way too affectionate for "old bat" and too coarse for "granny."]
It turns out the three of them just have identical nosebleeds. Franky says they're freaks (okashii). Normal people don't come out of an accident like that with a nosebleed.
Luffy climbs out cheerfully, thanks "monster granny" (怪物のバーさん) and tells everyone else to hurry up and get moving.
A shaky voice says "We're not made of rubber. There's no way flesh-and-blood people like us… could SURVIVE!" (They all look full of pep.)
Franky: "You're all freaks (okashii). Just so you know."
Fukurou suddenly shows up. (I'm not sure why he likes to stick to walls like a bat. Because he's an "owl"?]
Fukurou (who never can keep his mouth shut) tells them that Lucci went with Robin to the gates of justice. ("Oh yeah, the director went with them too.")
He shows off a key, saying that they need a key to unlock Robin's seastone handcuffs.
[Nami hastily explains seastone cuffs to Chopper, for those of us who may not have remembered that seastone has barely been mentioned since VOLUME 20. As explained during Alabasta, kairouseki has the same weakening effect on devil fruit users that sea-water does.]
Fukurou boasts that they'll never be able to free Robin unless they defeat all five of the remaining CP9 first. Each of the five CP9 in the Tower of Law is holding a key, and only one of them fits Robin's seastone cuffs.
(LOL at Franky randomly posing while Fukurou is trying to explain the key thing.)
Nami thinks they could recapture Robin first and worry about the keys later, but Fukurou threatens to throw the key in the ocean if they don't hurry.
Luffy wants to attack, but Zoro restrains him long enough for them to come up with a plan. (Or rather, Sanji comes up with a plan while Luffy attempts to strangle himself getting free from Zoro's hold. Is Usopp helping hold Luffy down? It's kind of hard to tell from the picture.)
They all agree Luffy should go after Robin, since Lucci is with her, while the rest of them split up to find and defeat the other five CP9 agents and get their keys.
Zoro: "Losing will cost us time. So you all make damn sure you win!"
[The key mechanism is kind of a cheesy plot trick, and I don't love the long strings of shounen fights, but at the same time I kind of love that setups like this both force them all to individually draw on their own strengths, and force them to work together at the same time. Such great nakama moments!]
Spandam is gloating as they descend a long staircase. The Strawhats will never catch up with them. They don't even know how to get to the Gates of Justice!
Luffy is rushing up the stairs, thinking he'll surely run into them on the way.
[Leaving Luffy to FIND Robin was kind of a flaw in Sanji's plan, but fortunately it all works out. Luffy has good luck!]
Franky runs into Fukurou as he is on his way to the kitchen to restock his cola supplies. He can't fight CP9 without a full tank.
LOL, Fukurou (re)introduces himself as "Silent-as-the-grave Fukurou who just can't resist a rumor" (噂が大好き「音無しのフクロウ」). "Otonashi(i)" (大人しい) would normally mean "obedient, biddable," not "soundless" (音無し).
Usopp is searching room after room for CP9 agents (and is secretly relieved when he doesn't find any), until he finally stumbles over Jabura taking a nap. There is a key lying next to him on the grass.
Nami is running through an underground tunnel, and runs right into Kumadori.
[I take back what I said before about him not being hard to understand - he must just have been saving the classical quotations until now. I barely understood one word in three he said throughout this entire volume, but fortunately I don't think it mattered much. I love that Nami's first reaction to his speech pattern is "Urusai!" (How annoying!)]
Sanji walks into a luxuriously appointed room which appears to be empty, until Kalifa shows up and offers him tea. (He accepts with pleasure, of course.)
Zoro finds Kaku sitting quietly in a chair. Kaku comments that Zoro has already drawn his sword.
Zoro: "It's snarling that it's hungry for blood."
[This sounds way cooler in Japanese, for some reason. 血を吸いてーと 唸るもんで. Wonder if that's the cursed sword in particular?]
401
Luffy gets to the top of the tower without ever running into Robin. But he figures it shouldn't matter; he knows which way they're headed - the Gates of Justice.
[Question for debate: did he go back down the stairs, or out the window on the opposite side from the Courthouse? I'm kind of thinking the latter, but the manga never actually shows us either way, I don't think. Out the window seems way more Luffy-like to me.]
Zoro asks Kaku if by any chance he'd like to just hand over the key he's carrying, but Kaku says he's actually been looking forward to meeting Zoro in a real battle of strength.
Zoro says he's stronger now than he was on Water 7, and Kaku says he can sense that.
[気が満ちとる… 魔獣の様な気が. Literally, "spirit like that of a demon beast." Does Kaku sense the cursed sword's energy? Again, the text doesn't say that specifically.]
When Kaku pulls his swords, Zoro thinks he's a "two sword style" user, but Kaku demonstrates that with rankyaku, "Actually, sorry, but it's four sword style."
[This would probably be more impressive if I weren't reminded of Luffy trying to use "Four sword style" as an insult back in volume 24.]
Zoro and Kaku prove to be equally matched as swordsman.
[Their fight is totally my favorite of all the fights, overall. Sorry, Luffy!]
Finally, Kaku says since Zoro seems to be in a hurry, he'll show off his new "ability." [This is a clear cue that we're finally going to see the effect of his devil fruit.]
Something is happening in the background, and Zoro reacts with shock.
[Time to place those bets! What is Kaku's new ability? ^___^]
Usopp is amazed by the appearance of the room he's in, which is like a full-scale Japanese garden, but forces his mind back to the task at hand.
He tries to sneak up on the sleeping Jabura…
["I'll get out of here without a scratch! Lucky King, that's me!" LOL: ラッキーキング.]
…but is distracted by a rooster which looks like it's about to crow.
When the rooster finally "chirps" instead of crowing, Usopp is the one who wakes Jabura up with all his yelling. "WHAT KIND OF A ROOSTER ARE YOU!?"
Jabura easily pulverizes Usopp with his very first punch. Recognizing him from the flag burning incident, he comments that he's certainly an amazing sniper, but not much of a fighter.
He apologizes for not going all out to start with. (His shape transforms.)
He prefers to tear his victim's throat out and end it quickly. No need to make a person suffer.
Jabura's devil fruit ability is the inu-inu fruit, wolf model. He's nearly as big as Lucci.
[Was it clear before that he has a "wolf" (狼) tattoo on his upper left chest? It's visible now. Also, I didn't want to point it out for fear of spoilers, but in some of the earlier shots of the room, you can see a sign that says "wolf" on the wall.]
To his shock, Usopp seems determined to fight despite the impossibly unequal odds. But just then, the ceiling starts to crumble.
Zoro and Kaku (now in full giraffe form) fall through the ceiling.
Kaku: "Crap! I was going for human-giraffe form, but I went all the way!"
Jabura is laughing himself into a fit. "Kaku, your devil fruit is the BEST!"
Zoro: "First a giraffe, now a wolf? What is this place, a zoo?"
[BEST REVEAL IN ENIES LOBBY, Y/N? OMG, I love giraffe Kaku so much.]
[SBS: Yay that Iceberg is running the SBS, but where is the mouse?]
402
[Cover Arc: Six people and one 丁 make their escape. And, uh, just because, Japanese counters, I either love you or hate you, here is WWWJDIC's entry in full: "丁: counter for long and narrow things such as guns, scissors, spades, hoes, inksticks, palanquins, candles, jinrikishas, shamisen, oars, etc." That's AFTER the fact that the same counter is used for blocks of tofu, and you want to know what's sad, I knew that. "A block of tofu is escaping with them? I'm confused."]
Tower of Law, Wolf Room: Zoro & Sogeking vs. Kaku & Jabura.
Kaku and Jabura are fighting over the fact that Jabura think his giraffe form is fricking hilarious, but Kaku insists he LIKES it.
Zoro is starting to wonder if EVERYONE in CP9 has a Zoan type.
Usopp is plotting to let Zoro do most of the fighting in this match-off, but then he happens to notice a safe with handcuffs in it.
Kaku is furious when Zoro gets impatient with him. "I'll show you the fathomless destructive power of the giraffe!"
[OMG, lines that could occur only in One Piece.]
Kaku transforms into his human-giraffe form.
"My power… has been reborn!"
Zoro: "OMG, that is so LAME!" (かっこ悪〜！)
Kaku is FURIOUS. Jabura is practically peeing himself laughing.
Zoro is angry with himself for being momentarily distracted.
(LOL, I know this is just supposed to be a commentary on how a swordsman shouldn't let anything throw him off balance - like, oh, HIS OPPONENT TURNING INTO A GIRAFFE - but dear god, this conversation was MADE for fanfic. Zoro: "I can't believe I just said that!!" And yes, there are some pretty good Zoro/Kaku fanfics.)
Kaku is now yelling at Jabura ("STOP LAUGHING!!!") but Jabura wants to know why Kaku is still square in that form.
Just then, Zoro discovers that a pair of (seastone) handcuffs has locked onto his wrist.
Usopp is frantically apologetic. "I'm sorry! I thought we could restrain their devil fruit forms! But his giraffe face was so funny, it threw off my aim!"
Kaku: "Oh, that is IT." (おのれ、どいつもこいつも！)
[Poor, poor Kaku. I tell you, I feel for him.]
Kaku goes into a giraffe-style rankyaku. Zoro barely manages to take Usopp out of the line of fire in time.
With grudging admiration, Zoro realizes that Kaku is using a giraffe's extended length to make his slicing kick infinitely stronger.
[I think this is what Lucci meant by saying "A devil fruit power depends on how you use it." Transforming into a giraffe might be the stupidest power imaginable for a swordsman, of all people… unless you can figure out how to make the best use of it.]
Usopp is puzzled at first that Kaku's kick doesn't seem to have cut anything, until Zoro points at the roof.
Usopp: "Hey, was the sky there before? GAHHHH!"
Kaku's newly enhanced rankyaku sliced the top neatly off the building, shifting it several feet over (it hasn't actually fallen off).
Kaku and Jabura are fighting again (Kaku: "I LIKE GIRAFFES, OK"), but just then Zoro notices that he and Usopp are now handcuffed together.
[Does Oda do consultations with fanfic writers? Mind you, even I can't make Zoro/Usopp work in my head. Though I think a few people have tried. But imagine if it was Zoro/Sanji![
Now Kaku and Jabura are the ones staring at Zoro and Usopp fighting. (……)
Patiently, Usopp tries to explain: he and Zoro are now in the same fix as Robin. They need the right key to unlock the handcuffs.
Meanwhile, Kaku and Jabura are arguing over who gets to take out the prey if they're chained together.
They offer to turn over the key if they have it, but unfortunately it turns out neither one has key #2. All the handcuffs are identified by number.
[Handy information to have. How did these guys ever manage to survive so long as secret agents?]
They both decide that it'll just be a race - whoever kills the both of them first wins.
Usopp and Zoro run screaming.
Meanwhile, Chopper is trying to get down the now mis-aligned stairs (good thing the top part of the building didn't actually fall off).
He sees Zoro and Usopp, and think their arm-waving is a fun game. (LOL)
While running away, Zoro and Usopp manage to explain to Chopper that they need him to find the other Strawhats and see who has key #2.
"You're our only hope!"
Chopper: "That doesn't make me happy at all!"
[You think his shy form is disturbing with that face, just wait until *spoiler* about three hundred chapters from now.]
Thinking it through logically, Chopper figures Sanji would be the first to finish his fight. [Oh, dear.]
Chopper: "I'll work hard! I'm the "hope"!" (The quote marks around hope may be the most adorable thing ever.)
Meanwhile, Luffy is staring disconsolately across a body of water at the Gates of Justice. He figured at least there would be some sort of bridge. But, he has to get there somehow.
[There is rowboat tied up in front of a churning sea. Let us pause to consider the many, many ways in which this could go wrong.]
Nami is fighting Kumadori, but she keeps getting tangled up in his hair.
Franky is trying to get past Fukurou to get to the kitchen. Fukurou is shocked by the strength of his punch.
Franky: "You may have 'iron body,' but my fists are made of REAL iron."
After three cups of tea, Sanji finally realizes that he's fallen into a trap.
[Poor, poor Sanji.]
Kalifa offers to let him search her "body" for the hidden key, which naturally makes a lust-addled Sanji easy prey for her attack.
Kalifa is contemptuous. Sanji: "I'm such a fool!"
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[Haha, I just noticed this chapter is called "Mr Kishidou." Nice call-back to Alabasta! Vivi used to call Zoro "Mr Bushidou."]
[Cover Arc: apparently Crocodile and Mr. 1 just didn't feel like escaping. That accounts for the other six people. Admit it, you went back and counted eight people in the reunion scene. Am I right?]
Kalifa taunts Sanji with the fact that even now, Robin is probably approaching the Gates of Justice. "Or maybe I should call it the gates of hell, for her."
She invites Sanji to do his worst ("Don't worry about the fact that I'm a woman"), but Sanji just can't bring himself to strike a killing blow.
[He keeps acting like he's in a karate match, where "almost" scoring a hit would be enough to score a point. Kalifa, naturally, isn't playing by those rules.]
Finally, she grabs him by the tie.
"I'll show you something amusing. If you don't fight back, you won't survive."
Nami is trying to make her escape from Kumadori, but Kumadori catches up with her again.
Kumadori is threatening to take Nami out with a combination of strangulation and incomprehensible poetry, but Chopper interrupts with his "Kokutei Roseo" hoof attack.
Kumadori is knocked out. Nami says they should escape while they can. When Chopper asks about the key, she says she already pick-pocketed it (but then she couldn't get away).
Chopper asks her to check the number, but unfortunately it's number 3 (not the one Chopper needed).
Chopper and Nami stumble across Sanji, who has inexplicably been transformed into something like a rubbery-glass doll.
Nami (rightly) deduces that he didn't fight with his full strength, and is angry. "It was that woman, wasn't it?"
Sanji apologizes for not getting the key, but Nami says that wasn't the point. "You could have DIED!"
Sanji says it's not like he wants to die, but it's been beaten into him since he was a kid (たたき込まれて育った) - never kick a woman.
[Random, but it never occurred to me until this moment to wonder if this is a hint at his past BEFORE he came to Zeff's restaurant. I don't remember seeing any extraordinary sign of chivalry in Zeff or the other cooks - courtesy to paying guests, maybe, but not chivalry. It would be interesting to someday discover that Sanji's "stupid" chivalry has much deeper roots than we ever thought.]
"Even if I die, I'll never kick a woman."
Nami gruffly says that maybe he should consider including RUNNING AWAY in his chivalric code, then. There's no point in dying for no reason.
She says she'll take care of "that woman." And - reluctantly? - she admits she sees his "chivalry" a little differently, now.
[Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this, but… oh, well. Leaving that one open for future discussion.]
Nami, to Kalifa: "I won't go easy on you."
Kalifa: "We should suit each other just fine."
Meanwhile, Kumadori is awake again. Chopper says he'll deal with him.
Luffy is drowning as his rowboat goes down for the last time. [Hands up, everyone who saw this one coming.]
Fortunately for him, Chimney and Gonbe manage to pull him out of the water. They say they overheard Spandam boasting about where he was going.
[That child's sharpness of perception is seriously unnatural. How did they manage to pick up Spandam's trail so quickly?]
Chimney: "That servant of Lucci's was so loud, we heard him and followed him. Lucci and the black-haired lady were with him, too." (LOL at "that servant of Lucci's" label pointing to a picture of Spandam.)
They lead Luffy down into an underground tunnel and to a door of iron.
While Chimney is still searching for the lock, Luffy bites his thumb. "GEAR THIRD." [Again, ギア３, glossed サード (third).]
He busts his way right through the door.
Inexplicably, he is now smaller than Chimney.
[LOL forever. So stupid. So awesome. Everyone should listen to his post-Gear Third voice in the anime. This particular one is raw, but who needs dialogue?]
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[Cover Arc: Miss G-W uses her Colors Trap powers to give everyone the perfect disguise (CT 夢の虹色 思い描く理想に変身). Am I understanding this correctly to mean "the disguise everyone would have secretly wished for"? Because LOL, if so. Literally, "The Colors Trap Rainbow-colored Dream - Ideal Disguise Drawn with Emotion." See the next few cover arc images to see what everyone's secret identity was.]
In the underground tunnel, Luffy's body soon returns to normal.
Chimney, staring after him: "Funny guy, that pirate niichan."
Luffy: "Wait for me, Robin! Pigeon dude! I'm gonna KICK YOUR ASS!"
Spandam wonders if he imagined just hearing a really loud explosion.
Lucci: "The sound of one of those pirates breaking the door down?"
Spandam doesn't believe him.
Robin: ……
Lucci says they probably did know where to look, since the kid and her pet were following them.
Spandam is furious that Lucci didn't do something about them.
Lucci: "You didn't tell me to."
[This is odd for Lucci, but my theory is that he enjoyed spiting Spandam, whom he despises, rather than that he was showing any mercy to Chimney and Gonbe.]
Franky is still fighting Fukurou.
They keep taunting each other about the other's "wimpy punches," until finally they end up inside the kitchen.
Just as Franky is about to raid the fridge, Kumadori busts through the wall, punching Chopper (who is severely overmatched).
Chopper is cursing himself for taking the rumble ball too soon. His three minutes are already up.
Franky: "Is that the gorilla devil fruit user?" [LOL]
Chopper manages to trap Kumadori in the giant refrigerator, to his great relief (until Franky complains that he needed to get INTO that refrigerator).
Chopper (seeing Franky and Fukurou): "Uwa! CP9 and the hoodlum (チンピラ)!"
Franky: "The name is FRANKY! And I'm on your side!"
*beat, beat*
Chopper: "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GORILLA?" (Franky: "You just figured that out!?")
[LOL, this whole sequence between Chopper and Franky kills me. They never seem more like quarreling siblings. It's like, just for a little while, Chopper is the four-year-old brother looking at the baby his parents just brought home and going "You had to bring THAT into the house!?"]
Chopper says he's with Luffy - he hasn't forgiven Franky for the fact that Usopp left them because of him.
[Franky (muttering): "But you're still together…"]
Franky manages to distract Chopper by pointing out that the main goal is to rescue Robin. And he needs cola to power up.
Chopper is outraged by the idea that anyone could find cola NOURISHING. (LOL, there's a doctor for you. Franky: "Shut up! I do, OK!")
When Fukurou attacks again, Chopper decides he should do as Franky asks and get him something from the fridge.
[Kumadori is happy when the door opens, but it takes him so long to say "The door OP-EN-ED!" that it closes again before he can get out.]
Chopper tosses some bottles in Franky's direction.
Franky: "FRESSHHH!"
[LOL, OMG, I totally forgot this part.]
Franky's hair is an… interesting shape. His attack on Fukurou is a complete failure.
Franky, to Chopper: "That was VEGETABLE juice!" "You said you were thirsty!" "Who asked for something HEALTHY!"
Chopper tosses Franky some more bottles.
Franky is suddenly very relaxed. (His hair mimics the steaming appearance of hot tea.)
"Ahhh, there's nothing like a nice cup of tea when you're tillin' the fields."
He screams at Chopper again (and even more when he suspects Chopper of feeding him weird drinks on purpose to see what he'll do NEXT).
"I'm giving you one last chance, deer! It's gotta be COLA!!"
Chopper tosses him more bottles, swearing it's definitely cola this time.
Fukurou is getting ready to knock Franky out again.
"SUUUUUUPERRRRR!"
This time, Franky knocks Fukurou out easily.
"Sorry. My punch WAS pretty wimpy, before."
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Chopper explains the key situation to Franky, but before they can search Fukurou's body, Fukurou is on his feet again.
Franky uses guns that are built into his shoulders (which Chopper thinks is pretty cool until Franky complains about how much it hurts).
Chopper is also impressed by the idea of "target-seeking missiles", until it turns out that Franky's idea of target-seeking = "I chase the target around."
Fukurou disappears and starts boasting about how his prey never sees him until he swoops down and -
Chopper: "He's over here!"
Fukurou manages to knock both Franky and himself into the sea. He figures he himself can escape easily enough using moonwalk.
Meanwhile, Kumadori emerges from the fridge. (It seems he ate all the food.)
Franky uses his "Franky Butterfly" stroke to make for the shore. (LOL, well, he was the one who taught Yokozuna to do the crawl.)
He and Fukurou kick each other back and forth some more. Finally, as Fukurou is trying to kick him over the waterfall, Franky manages to grab his leg.
Now, when Fukurou uses moonwalk to pull himself up, he can't help taking Franky with him. And he can't fight Franky properly while carrying his weight.
Each of them is trying to figure out how to take the other out in mid-air.
406
[Cover Arc: Miss Merry Christmas is a princess, Miss G-W is a painter, and Miss Doublefinger is Paula the Bartender.]
After an extended mid-air battle, Franky manages to punch Fukurou into the ground.
"SUUUUPERRRR!"
(His body hits the ground a moment later.)
Usopp and Zoro are running for their lives. Usopp says he's tired and wants a piggyback ride. Zoro: "Oh HELL no." (知るか！)
Jabura and Kaku start squabbling again. Meanwhile, Zoro is trying to get Usopp to do jan-ken-pon to see which of them should cut his own hand off.
(He has it all planned out! They just need to pick up the hand and run to Chopper so he can sew it back on. Usopp Expresses Skepticism Regarding This Plan.)
Zoro decides he has another idea. Usopp is now THE SWORD (in his right hand).
Usopp: "Somebody call a lawyer. I am so going to SUE YOUR ASS. CHOPPER!! Hurry up!"
Back in the kitchen, Chopper is scolding Kumadori for his "lack of self-control" (sighhhh) but Kumadori demonstrates his ability to digest food at will. In so doing, he inadvertently reveals the source of his power to Chopper (who recognizes it as a variety of "biofeedback"… er, ok. Kumadori seems to have the ability to channel energy throughout the cells of his body, and his hair, at will.).
Finding himself increasingly outmatched, Chopper resorts to a second rumble ball, even though he knows that he won't be able to control the order of his transformations if he takes a second one within less than six hours. (And a third one will render him "unconscious" and unable to fight.)
As expected, not being able to summon the form he needs (Arm Point) when he needs it is a disaster. Kumadori is still wiping the floor with him.
407
[Cover Arc: I'm not quite sure why Miss Valentine dreams of being a patissier, but the hilarity of Mr. 5 being a fireman and Mr. 4 being a pizza deliveryman is fairly self evident. (I love the "within 30 hours" tagline on his shirt. This is in English in the original, BTW.)]
Chopper is losing badly against Kumadori, because he can't summon Arm Point at will. He switches into something else so often that he almost misses it when the roll of the dice finally gives him the form he needed.
He summons all his strength for his best attack, but it's not enough to take Kumadori out permanently.
[I have, at this point, entirely given up any hope of understanding anything Kumadori says in Japanese. I think Chopper's despair is catching.]
Chopper knows he has nothing left. He flashes back to the one time he ever risked using a third rumble ball.
In his flashback, he's in bed with no memory of what happened, but Dr. Kureha says he destroyed an entire village. The country is in an uproar. She's just grateful no one got killed.
He may have inherited his "parent's" love for experimentation, but there are limits!
"You inherited EVERYTHING from that quack doctor. Including being a pain in my ass."
[Haha, this doesn't translate very well literally. まったく、人騒がせな所まで あのヤブ医者から全部受け継いじまいやがって！)
Chopper tearfully begs her not to throw him out. He'll never do it again. (Aw, Chopper!)
Kureha gruffly tells him to rest up. "Dummy, I ain't gonna sell you in the marketplace."
[Did I misinterpret this line? Viz has "You made such a mess, I can't even go out to replenish supplies." But given that selling people into slavery is a theme elsewhere in the series… well. "I can't even go shopping" seems like kind of a non sequitur.]
Back in the present, Kumadori is getting ready to deal the final blow. Chopper figures he has nothing to lose at this point. He takes his third rumble ball.
Silently, he just prays that no one else will come into the room.
He remembers Dr. Kureha telling him that after he lost consciousness, it was as if his devil fruit ran wild. He has no ability to distinguish between friend and foe, can't even sense danger to his own body. In this form, he becomes a true monster (kaijuu).
[This form is accordingly called Chopper's "Monster Form."]
Franky painfully gets himself up with the key he recovered from Fukurou's unconscious form (unfortunately it is #4, not the #2 key "swordsman and nose" needed). Since Fukurou had #4 and Kumadori had #3, that means that Kalifa must have #2.
He starts climbing the wall.
Kalifa is in a bubble bath (…), taunting Nami who is lying boneless on the floor.
It infuriates Nami that Kalifa, now a devil fruit user, would use a bath in front of an enemy. Even a bath reduces, although it doesn't eliminate, the devil fruit user's power.
[I would have thought it was only salt water that would affect an ability user, but at some point a SBS discussion seemed to confirm that any body of water that covers more than half the body counts - rain doesn't, apparently. Oh well, whatever.]
Kalifa leaves the bath and begins dressing behind a screen.
Nami reasons that Kalifa must have used her ability on both herself and Sanji, but she doesn't know what it was. Her strength is slowly returning.
Nami attacks Kalifa with her Klima-tact, summoning Thunderbolt Tempo.
408
[Cover Arc: Crocodile is Pirate King (LOL), Mr. 1 is some kind of caped superhero (double LOL).]
Kalifa protects herself against Nami's attack by enclosing herself in… a bar of soap? The soap dissolves into bubbles.
Kalifa smugly says Nami hasn't got a chance of winning if she can't guess the nature of her power.
Nami guesses (correctly) that Kalifa ate the awa-awa (foam-foam) fruit that transforms her into a soap-person.
[LOL at Nami's reaction to Kalifa's dismay: "I guessed RIGHT!?" Also, I am officially proclaiming this the winner of my own personal "stupidest devil fruit" contest.]
Nami is momentarily possessed by her inner oyaji (???) and wishes she had a sexy secretary like that.
[And in addition to "stupidest devil fruit," I will state for the record that I find this form of sexism on Oda's part FAR more disturbing than anything Sanji has ever said. EW.]
Nami says that it doesn't seem like a very useful power in battle, but Kalifa points out that she can shape the foam that emerges from her body into any shape she wishes. For instance: SOAP SHEEP!
[OK, OK, the soap sheep is funny.]
But the true danger of her soap-form is only revealed when she fires the bubbles in Nami's direction. Anything her "awa" makes contact with loses all power.
Too late, Nami realizes that this was the power that knocked her out when she entered the room (the floor was covered with suds when she walked in).
When the foam dissipates, Nami is able to counterattack, but Kalifa switches to an attack at close range.
Her "golden shower" (the direct application of soap to the victim's body) transforms Nami into a rubbery doll, just like Sanji.
[SO GROSS on so many levels, I just can't even.]
Down in the kitchen, Kumadori is no match for Chopper's monster form.
Franky arrives at the top of the wall just in time to discover a monstrous reindeer tossing Kumadori's unconscious body into the far distance.
Franky notices that the monster is wearing the same hat Chopper was. "Hey, you that deer-gorilla from before?"
Chopper-monster promptly attacks him.
On the main island, the marines are shocked to discover Kumadori's unconscious form.
Monster Chopper starts climbing the tower, King-Kong-style.
In the tunnel leading to the Gates of Justice, Spandam is berating Robin for stopping. "Lucci! Drag her by her hair if you have to!"
Spandam laughs at her for actually expecting "those weak pirates" to save her.
A diagram shows the way ahead of them - a tower staircase leading to the Bridge of Hesitation before the Gates of Justice.
"You'll spend the rest of your life paying for the crime of having survived this long! Nico Robin!"
Luffy is in hot pursuit, yelling "ROBIIIIN!".
When she hears him, Robin smiles. (Aw!)
Lucci tells Spandam to escort Robin; he'll deal with Strawhat Luffy.
Lucci meets up with Luffy in a wide-open room (from a later diagram, this seems to be the room at the base of the tower staircase leading up to the bridge above).
"PIGEON GUY!"
409
[Cover Arc: the fugitive BW agents find themselves at a broken down place called the Cactus Salon.]
A helpful diagram points out to us where all the ongoing battles are taking place:
Zoro & Sogeking vs Jabura (#1 key) and Kaku (#5 key), 4th floor of the Tower of Law [I have so much love for this pictogram]
Sanji, passed out on the first floor of the Tower of Law
Monster Chopper, scaling the outer wall of the Tower of Law
Kalifa (#2 key) vs Nami (#3 key), 5th floor of the Tower of Law
Franky (#4 key, passed out outside the Tower of Law)
[For the record, I would like to thank Oda for keeping track of the keys, because I am running out of index cards.]
Base of the tower leading up to the Bridge of Hesitation: Luffy vs. Rob Lucci.
Spandam is dragging Robin up the stairs to the bridge.
He tries to raise the other CP9 agents on his den-den mushi.
Robin's horrified reaction alerts him to his mistake - he pushed the button on the golden den-den mushi by accident.
At marine headquarters, the silver den-den mushi rings, summoning a Buster Call.
Ten battleships and five vice-admirals prepare to set sail from headquarters, the closest location to the target, Enies Lobby.
Spandam finally manages to find his baby den-den mushi and make contact with Kalifa.
While screeching over the baby den-den mushi about his mistake in summoning the Buster Call, Spandam somehow manages to broadcast his message to the entire island of Enies Lobby.
(I don't really understand why the Director's personal phone was tied into the PA announcement system of Enies Lobby, but hey.]
Luffy and Lucci, too, can hear Robin's voice begging Spandam to call it off immediately. So can the entire Franky Family and the members of Galley-La (who are by now in marine custody). And, of course, the Marines.
Everyone can hear Spandam boasting to Robin about how a Buster Call is no big deal. It'll wipe out the pirates, after all! He doesn't care if it kills thousands of marines, too. A sacrifice for the future! (And he should get a promotion out of it, too.)
Robin asks if he doesn't care about human life, but Spandam points out that the whole point of Cipher Pol's existence is to eliminate the few who might pose a threat to the many. Those marines are to blame for not preventing the pirates from getting to Enies Lobby in the first place.
Robin finally notices that the den-den mushi is still broadcasting.
Spandam tries to pretend (in vain) that it was Strawhat Luffy speaking.
Robin tries to warn everyone listening to flee the island, but Spandam kicks her down the stairs.
The connection abruptly terminates, leaving everyone on the island in shock.
Kaku and Jabura: "What on earth is that man doing?"
Zoro: "This looks bad."
Usopp (being waved around as a sword): "Looks bad for ME, you mean!"
Kalifa condescendingly pities Nami. "You poor things."
Nami: "Save your sympathy. We're used to this sort of thing!" (LOL)
Kokoro is laughing herself sick. "Pirate brat, just what kind of star were you born under? We're closing the circle**… now things are getting interesting!"
**Speculations as to what this means? Japanese: また輪をかけて. Viz has "He's stirred things up again," which seems weak to me. The original line seemed to me more a reference to something being revived from the past, but maybe I'm over-interpreting?
The marines are fleeing Enies Lobby in terror.
The Franky Family/Galley-La prisoners, left alone, start working on freeing themselves.
Spandam prepares to resume dragging Robin to her fate.
Luffy is facing off with Lucci in the base of the bridge-tower.
They appear to be evenly matched.
TBC
As I thought, a lot of shounen fighting in this one. A few good moments too though. :-)
Volume 42: Pirates Vs. CP9
400
[Cover Arc: the full Baroque Works reunion in prison.]
Rocketman is headed straight for the wall of the Tower of Law.
[I love that absolutely nothing scares Chimney and Gonbe… even though that shot of the waterfall plunging into the abyss is actually pretty scary.]
Kokoro is thinking back to the good old days of Tom's Workers. Luffy reminds her of Roger, the man Tom once said he was proud to have helped.
"We Tom's Workers, we never learn. Always sticking our necks out for pirate brats (海賊小僧). You would've done the same, eh? Tom-san."
[This little speech may be the more effective for drunk slurring, or less. Hard to tell.]
The train punches through the wall.
Spandam starts dragging Robin toward the Gates of Justice, ordering Lucci to stay with him. ("Protect my life at all costs!") He orders the rest of CP9 to deal with the pirates.
Robin wishes she could just get free of the kairouseki cuffs.
[I find it kind of fascinating that the seastone cuffs have barely been mentioned up to now, but now they become the main focus of the plot. Before, they were irrelevant because Robin was so mentally cowed.]
Spandam summons Funkfreed, who unexpectedly… turns into a sword.
[Haha, such a great moment. Funkfreed - a SWORD who ate the elephant-elephant fruit - is Spandam's special sword. Also, if you're wondering how a sword can eat a fruit, you and ten million fans are not alone.]
Left behind at the courthouse, the Franky Family are cheering for their aniki. "Go get 'em, bro!"
Franky is anxiously trying to revive Kokoro and the little ones (I love that he calls Chimney and Gonbe chibi-domo). "Hey, old lady, kids, hang in there! Don't die!"
["Baba~" is really hard to translate. It seems way too affectionate for "old bat" and too coarse for "granny."]
It turns out the three of them just have identical nosebleeds. Franky says they're freaks (okashii). Normal people don't come out of an accident like that with a nosebleed.
Luffy climbs out cheerfully, thanks "monster granny" (怪物のバーさん) and tells everyone else to hurry up and get moving.
A shaky voice says "We're not made of rubber. There's no way flesh-and-blood people like us… could SURVIVE!" (They all look full of pep.)
Franky: "You're all freaks (okashii). Just so you know."
Fukurou suddenly shows up. (I'm not sure why he likes to stick to walls like a bat. Because he's an "owl"?]
Fukurou (who never can keep his mouth shut) tells them that Lucci went with Robin to the gates of justice. ("Oh yeah, the director went with them too.")
He shows off a key, saying that they need a key to unlock Robin's seastone handcuffs.
[Nami hastily explains seastone cuffs to Chopper, for those of us who may not have remembered that seastone has barely been mentioned since VOLUME 20. As explained during Alabasta, kairouseki has the same weakening effect on devil fruit users that sea-water does.]
Fukurou boasts that they'll never be able to free Robin unless they defeat all five of the remaining CP9 first. Each of the five CP9 in the Tower of Law is holding a key, and only one of them fits Robin's seastone cuffs.
(LOL at Franky randomly posing while Fukurou is trying to explain the key thing.)
Nami thinks they could recapture Robin first and worry about the keys later, but Fukurou threatens to throw the key in the ocean if they don't hurry.
Luffy wants to attack, but Zoro restrains him long enough for them to come up with a plan. (Or rather, Sanji comes up with a plan while Luffy attempts to strangle himself getting free from Zoro's hold. Is Usopp helping hold Luffy down? It's kind of hard to tell from the picture.)
They all agree Luffy should go after Robin, since Lucci is with her, while the rest of them split up to find and defeat the other five CP9 agents and get their keys.
Zoro: "Losing will cost us time. So you all make damn sure you win!"
[The key mechanism is kind of a cheesy plot trick, and I don't love the long strings of shounen fights, but at the same time I kind of love that setups like this both force them all to individually draw on their own strengths, and force them to work together at the same time. Such great nakama moments!]
Spandam is gloating as they descend a long staircase. The Strawhats will never catch up with them. They don't even know how to get to the Gates of Justice!
Luffy is rushing up the stairs, thinking he'll surely run into them on the way.
[Leaving Luffy to FIND Robin was kind of a flaw in Sanji's plan, but fortunately it all works out. Luffy has good luck!]
Franky runs into Fukurou as he is on his way to the kitchen to restock his cola supplies. He can't fight CP9 without a full tank.
LOL, Fukurou (re)introduces himself as "Silent-as-the-grave Fukurou who just can't resist a rumor" (噂が大好き「音無しのフクロウ」). "Otonashi(i)" (大人しい) would normally mean "obedient, biddable," not "soundless" (音無し).
Usopp is searching room after room for CP9 agents (and is secretly relieved when he doesn't find any), until he finally stumbles over Jabura taking a nap. There is a key lying next to him on the grass.
Nami is running through an underground tunnel, and runs right into Kumadori.
[I take back what I said before about him not being hard to understand - he must just have been saving the classical quotations until now. I barely understood one word in three he said throughout this entire volume, but fortunately I don't think it mattered much. I love that Nami's first reaction to his speech pattern is "Urusai!" (How annoying!)]
Sanji walks into a luxuriously appointed room which appears to be empty, until Kalifa shows up and offers him tea. (He accepts with pleasure, of course.)
Zoro finds Kaku sitting quietly in a chair. Kaku comments that Zoro has already drawn his sword.
Zoro: "It's snarling that it's hungry for blood."
[This sounds way cooler in Japanese, for some reason. 血を吸いてーと 唸るもんで. Wonder if that's the cursed sword in particular?]
401
Luffy gets to the top of the tower without ever running into Robin. But he figures it shouldn't matter; he knows which way they're headed - the Gates of Justice.
[Question for debate: did he go back down the stairs, or out the window on the opposite side from the Courthouse? I'm kind of thinking the latter, but the manga never actually shows us either way, I don't think. Out the window seems way more Luffy-like to me.]
Zoro asks Kaku if by any chance he'd like to just hand over the key he's carrying, but Kaku says he's actually been looking forward to meeting Zoro in a real battle of strength.
Zoro says he's stronger now than he was on Water 7, and Kaku says he can sense that.
[気が満ちとる… 魔獣の様な気が. Literally, "spirit like that of a demon beast." Does Kaku sense the cursed sword's energy? Again, the text doesn't say that specifically.]
When Kaku pulls his swords, Zoro thinks he's a "two sword style" user, but Kaku demonstrates that with rankyaku, "Actually, sorry, but it's four sword style."
[This would probably be more impressive if I weren't reminded of Luffy trying to use "Four sword style" as an insult back in volume 24.]
Zoro and Kaku prove to be equally matched as swordsman.
[Their fight is totally my favorite of all the fights, overall. Sorry, Luffy!]
Finally, Kaku says since Zoro seems to be in a hurry, he'll show off his new "ability." [This is a clear cue that we're finally going to see the effect of his devil fruit.]
Something is happening in the background, and Zoro reacts with shock.
[Time to place those bets! What is Kaku's new ability? ^___^]
Usopp is amazed by the appearance of the room he's in, which is like a full-scale Japanese garden, but forces his mind back to the task at hand.
He tries to sneak up on the sleeping Jabura…
["I'll get out of here without a scratch! Lucky King, that's me!" LOL: ラッキーキング.]
…but is distracted by a rooster which looks like it's about to crow.
When the rooster finally "chirps" instead of crowing, Usopp is the one who wakes Jabura up with all his yelling. "WHAT KIND OF A ROOSTER ARE YOU!?"
Jabura easily pulverizes Usopp with his very first punch. Recognizing him from the flag burning incident, he comments that he's certainly an amazing sniper, but not much of a fighter.
He apologizes for not going all out to start with. (His shape transforms.)
He prefers to tear his victim's throat out and end it quickly. No need to make a person suffer.
Jabura's devil fruit ability is the inu-inu fruit, wolf model. He's nearly as big as Lucci.
[Was it clear before that he has a "wolf" (狼) tattoo on his upper left chest? It's visible now. Also, I didn't want to point it out for fear of spoilers, but in some of the earlier shots of the room, you can see a sign that says "wolf" on the wall.]
To his shock, Usopp seems determined to fight despite the impossibly unequal odds. But just then, the ceiling starts to crumble.
Zoro and Kaku (now in full giraffe form) fall through the ceiling.
Kaku: "Crap! I was going for human-giraffe form, but I went all the way!"
Jabura is laughing himself into a fit. "Kaku, your devil fruit is the BEST!"
Zoro: "First a giraffe, now a wolf? What is this place, a zoo?"
[BEST REVEAL IN ENIES LOBBY, Y/N? OMG, I love giraffe Kaku so much.]
[SBS: Yay that Iceberg is running the SBS, but where is the mouse?]
402
[Cover Arc: Six people and one 丁 make their escape. And, uh, just because, Japanese counters, I either love you or hate you, here is WWWJDIC's entry in full: "丁: counter for long and narrow things such as guns, scissors, spades, hoes, inksticks, palanquins, candles, jinrikishas, shamisen, oars, etc." That's AFTER the fact that the same counter is used for blocks of tofu, and you want to know what's sad, I knew that. "A block of tofu is escaping with them? I'm confused."]
Tower of Law, Wolf Room: Zoro & Sogeking vs. Kaku & Jabura.
Kaku and Jabura are fighting over the fact that Jabura think his giraffe form is fricking hilarious, but Kaku insists he LIKES it.
Zoro is starting to wonder if EVERYONE in CP9 has a Zoan type.
Usopp is plotting to let Zoro do most of the fighting in this match-off, but then he happens to notice a safe with handcuffs in it.
Kaku is furious when Zoro gets impatient with him. "I'll show you the fathomless destructive power of the giraffe!"
[OMG, lines that could occur only in One Piece.]
Kaku transforms into his human-giraffe form.
"My power… has been reborn!"
Zoro: "OMG, that is so LAME!" (かっこ悪〜！)
Kaku is FURIOUS. Jabura is practically peeing himself laughing.
Zoro is angry with himself for being momentarily distracted.
(LOL, I know this is just supposed to be a commentary on how a swordsman shouldn't let anything throw him off balance - like, oh, HIS OPPONENT TURNING INTO A GIRAFFE - but dear god, this conversation was MADE for fanfic. Zoro: "I can't believe I just said that!!" And yes, there are some pretty good Zoro/Kaku fanfics.)
Kaku is now yelling at Jabura ("STOP LAUGHING!!!") but Jabura wants to know why Kaku is still square in that form.
Just then, Zoro discovers that a pair of (seastone) handcuffs has locked onto his wrist.
Usopp is frantically apologetic. "I'm sorry! I thought we could restrain their devil fruit forms! But his giraffe face was so funny, it threw off my aim!"
Kaku: "Oh, that is IT." (おのれ、どいつもこいつも！)
[Poor, poor Kaku. I tell you, I feel for him.]
Kaku goes into a giraffe-style rankyaku. Zoro barely manages to take Usopp out of the line of fire in time.
With grudging admiration, Zoro realizes that Kaku is using a giraffe's extended length to make his slicing kick infinitely stronger.
[I think this is what Lucci meant by saying "A devil fruit power depends on how you use it." Transforming into a giraffe might be the stupidest power imaginable for a swordsman, of all people… unless you can figure out how to make the best use of it.]
Usopp is puzzled at first that Kaku's kick doesn't seem to have cut anything, until Zoro points at the roof.
Usopp: "Hey, was the sky there before? GAHHHH!"
Kaku's newly enhanced rankyaku sliced the top neatly off the building, shifting it several feet over (it hasn't actually fallen off).
Kaku and Jabura are fighting again (Kaku: "I LIKE GIRAFFES, OK"), but just then Zoro notices that he and Usopp are now handcuffed together.
[Does Oda do consultations with fanfic writers? Mind you, even I can't make Zoro/Usopp work in my head. Though I think a few people have tried. But imagine if it was Zoro/Sanji![
Now Kaku and Jabura are the ones staring at Zoro and Usopp fighting. (……)
Patiently, Usopp tries to explain: he and Zoro are now in the same fix as Robin. They need the right key to unlock the handcuffs.
Meanwhile, Kaku and Jabura are arguing over who gets to take out the prey if they're chained together.
They offer to turn over the key if they have it, but unfortunately it turns out neither one has key #2. All the handcuffs are identified by number.
[Handy information to have. How did these guys ever manage to survive so long as secret agents?]
They both decide that it'll just be a race - whoever kills the both of them first wins.
Usopp and Zoro run screaming.
Meanwhile, Chopper is trying to get down the now mis-aligned stairs (good thing the top part of the building didn't actually fall off).
He sees Zoro and Usopp, and think their arm-waving is a fun game. (LOL)
While running away, Zoro and Usopp manage to explain to Chopper that they need him to find the other Strawhats and see who has key #2.
"You're our only hope!"
Chopper: "That doesn't make me happy at all!"
[You think his shy form is disturbing with that face, just wait until *spoiler* about three hundred chapters from now.]
Thinking it through logically, Chopper figures Sanji would be the first to finish his fight. [Oh, dear.]
Chopper: "I'll work hard! I'm the "hope"!" (The quote marks around hope may be the most adorable thing ever.)
Meanwhile, Luffy is staring disconsolately across a body of water at the Gates of Justice. He figured at least there would be some sort of bridge. But, he has to get there somehow.
[There is rowboat tied up in front of a churning sea. Let us pause to consider the many, many ways in which this could go wrong.]
Nami is fighting Kumadori, but she keeps getting tangled up in his hair.
Franky is trying to get past Fukurou to get to the kitchen. Fukurou is shocked by the strength of his punch.
Franky: "You may have 'iron body,' but my fists are made of REAL iron."
After three cups of tea, Sanji finally realizes that he's fallen into a trap.
[Poor, poor Sanji.]
Kalifa offers to let him search her "body" for the hidden key, which naturally makes a lust-addled Sanji easy prey for her attack.
Kalifa is contemptuous. Sanji: "I'm such a fool!"
403
[Haha, I just noticed this chapter is called "Mr Kishidou." Nice call-back to Alabasta! Vivi used to call Zoro "Mr Bushidou."]
[Cover Arc: apparently Crocodile and Mr. 1 just didn't feel like escaping. That accounts for the other six people. Admit it, you went back and counted eight people in the reunion scene. Am I right?]
Kalifa taunts Sanji with the fact that even now, Robin is probably approaching the Gates of Justice. "Or maybe I should call it the gates of hell, for her."
She invites Sanji to do his worst ("Don't worry about the fact that I'm a woman"), but Sanji just can't bring himself to strike a killing blow.
[He keeps acting like he's in a karate match, where "almost" scoring a hit would be enough to score a point. Kalifa, naturally, isn't playing by those rules.]
Finally, she grabs him by the tie.
"I'll show you something amusing. If you don't fight back, you won't survive."
Nami is trying to make her escape from Kumadori, but Kumadori catches up with her again.
Kumadori is threatening to take Nami out with a combination of strangulation and incomprehensible poetry, but Chopper interrupts with his "Kokutei Roseo" hoof attack.
Kumadori is knocked out. Nami says they should escape while they can. When Chopper asks about the key, she says she already pick-pocketed it (but then she couldn't get away).
Chopper asks her to check the number, but unfortunately it's number 3 (not the one Chopper needed).
Chopper and Nami stumble across Sanji, who has inexplicably been transformed into something like a rubbery-glass doll.
Nami (rightly) deduces that he didn't fight with his full strength, and is angry. "It was that woman, wasn't it?"
Sanji apologizes for not getting the key, but Nami says that wasn't the point. "You could have DIED!"
Sanji says it's not like he wants to die, but it's been beaten into him since he was a kid (たたき込まれて育った) - never kick a woman.
[Random, but it never occurred to me until this moment to wonder if this is a hint at his past BEFORE he came to Zeff's restaurant. I don't remember seeing any extraordinary sign of chivalry in Zeff or the other cooks - courtesy to paying guests, maybe, but not chivalry. It would be interesting to someday discover that Sanji's "stupid" chivalry has much deeper roots than we ever thought.]
"Even if I die, I'll never kick a woman."
Nami gruffly says that maybe he should consider including RUNNING AWAY in his chivalric code, then. There's no point in dying for no reason.
She says she'll take care of "that woman." And - reluctantly? - she admits she sees his "chivalry" a little differently, now.
[Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this, but… oh, well. Leaving that one open for future discussion.]
Nami, to Kalifa: "I won't go easy on you."
Kalifa: "We should suit each other just fine."
Meanwhile, Kumadori is awake again. Chopper says he'll deal with him.
Luffy is drowning as his rowboat goes down for the last time. [Hands up, everyone who saw this one coming.]
Fortunately for him, Chimney and Gonbe manage to pull him out of the water. They say they overheard Spandam boasting about where he was going.
[That child's sharpness of perception is seriously unnatural. How did they manage to pick up Spandam's trail so quickly?]
Chimney: "That servant of Lucci's was so loud, we heard him and followed him. Lucci and the black-haired lady were with him, too." (LOL at "that servant of Lucci's" label pointing to a picture of Spandam.)
They lead Luffy down into an underground tunnel and to a door of iron.
While Chimney is still searching for the lock, Luffy bites his thumb. "GEAR THIRD." [Again, ギア３, glossed サード (third).]
He busts his way right through the door.
Inexplicably, he is now smaller than Chimney.
[LOL forever. So stupid. So awesome. Everyone should listen to his post-Gear Third voice in the anime. This particular one is raw, but who needs dialogue?]
404
[Cover Arc: Miss G-W uses her Colors Trap powers to give everyone the perfect disguise (CT 夢の虹色 思い描く理想に変身). Am I understanding this correctly to mean "the disguise everyone would have secretly wished for"? Because LOL, if so. Literally, "The Colors Trap Rainbow-colored Dream - Ideal Disguise Drawn with Emotion." See the next few cover arc images to see what everyone's secret identity was.]
In the underground tunnel, Luffy's body soon returns to normal.
Chimney, staring after him: "Funny guy, that pirate niichan."
Luffy: "Wait for me, Robin! Pigeon dude! I'm gonna KICK YOUR ASS!"
Spandam wonders if he imagined just hearing a really loud explosion.
Lucci: "The sound of one of those pirates breaking the door down?"
Spandam doesn't believe him.
Robin: ……
Lucci says they probably did know where to look, since the kid and her pet were following them.
Spandam is furious that Lucci didn't do something about them.
Lucci: "You didn't tell me to."
[This is odd for Lucci, but my theory is that he enjoyed spiting Spandam, whom he despises, rather than that he was showing any mercy to Chimney and Gonbe.]
Franky is still fighting Fukurou.
They keep taunting each other about the other's "wimpy punches," until finally they end up inside the kitchen.
Just as Franky is about to raid the fridge, Kumadori busts through the wall, punching Chopper (who is severely overmatched).
Chopper is cursing himself for taking the rumble ball too soon. His three minutes are already up.
Franky: "Is that the gorilla devil fruit user?" [LOL]
Chopper manages to trap Kumadori in the giant refrigerator, to his great relief (until Franky complains that he needed to get INTO that refrigerator).
Chopper (seeing Franky and Fukurou): "Uwa! CP9 and the hoodlum (チンピラ)!"
Franky: "The name is FRANKY! And I'm on your side!"
*beat, beat*
Chopper: "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GORILLA?" (Franky: "You just figured that out!?")
[LOL, this whole sequence between Chopper and Franky kills me. They never seem more like quarreling siblings. It's like, just for a little while, Chopper is the four-year-old brother looking at the baby his parents just brought home and going "You had to bring THAT into the house!?"]
Chopper says he's with Luffy - he hasn't forgiven Franky for the fact that Usopp left them because of him.
[Franky (muttering): "But you're still together…"]
Franky manages to distract Chopper by pointing out that the main goal is to rescue Robin. And he needs cola to power up.
Chopper is outraged by the idea that anyone could find cola NOURISHING. (LOL, there's a doctor for you. Franky: "Shut up! I do, OK!")
When Fukurou attacks again, Chopper decides he should do as Franky asks and get him something from the fridge.
[Kumadori is happy when the door opens, but it takes him so long to say "The door OP-EN-ED!" that it closes again before he can get out.]
Chopper tosses some bottles in Franky's direction.
Franky: "FRESSHHH!"
[LOL, OMG, I totally forgot this part.]
Franky's hair is an… interesting shape. His attack on Fukurou is a complete failure.
Franky, to Chopper: "That was VEGETABLE juice!" "You said you were thirsty!" "Who asked for something HEALTHY!"
Chopper tosses Franky some more bottles.
Franky is suddenly very relaxed. (His hair mimics the steaming appearance of hot tea.)
"Ahhh, there's nothing like a nice cup of tea when you're tillin' the fields."
He screams at Chopper again (and even more when he suspects Chopper of feeding him weird drinks on purpose to see what he'll do NEXT).
"I'm giving you one last chance, deer! It's gotta be COLA!!"
Chopper tosses him more bottles, swearing it's definitely cola this time.
Fukurou is getting ready to knock Franky out again.
"SUUUUUUPERRRRR!"
This time, Franky knocks Fukurou out easily.
"Sorry. My punch WAS pretty wimpy, before."
405
Chopper explains the key situation to Franky, but before they can search Fukurou's body, Fukurou is on his feet again.
Franky uses guns that are built into his shoulders (which Chopper thinks is pretty cool until Franky complains about how much it hurts).
Chopper is also impressed by the idea of "target-seeking missiles", until it turns out that Franky's idea of target-seeking = "I chase the target around."
Fukurou disappears and starts boasting about how his prey never sees him until he swoops down and -
Chopper: "He's over here!"
Fukurou manages to knock both Franky and himself into the sea. He figures he himself can escape easily enough using moonwalk.
Meanwhile, Kumadori emerges from the fridge. (It seems he ate all the food.)
Franky uses his "Franky Butterfly" stroke to make for the shore. (LOL, well, he was the one who taught Yokozuna to do the crawl.)
He and Fukurou kick each other back and forth some more. Finally, as Fukurou is trying to kick him over the waterfall, Franky manages to grab his leg.
Now, when Fukurou uses moonwalk to pull himself up, he can't help taking Franky with him. And he can't fight Franky properly while carrying his weight.
Each of them is trying to figure out how to take the other out in mid-air.
406
[Cover Arc: Miss Merry Christmas is a princess, Miss G-W is a painter, and Miss Doublefinger is Paula the Bartender.]
After an extended mid-air battle, Franky manages to punch Fukurou into the ground.
"SUUUUPERRRR!"
(His body hits the ground a moment later.)
Usopp and Zoro are running for their lives. Usopp says he's tired and wants a piggyback ride. Zoro: "Oh HELL no." (知るか！)
Jabura and Kaku start squabbling again. Meanwhile, Zoro is trying to get Usopp to do jan-ken-pon to see which of them should cut his own hand off.
(He has it all planned out! They just need to pick up the hand and run to Chopper so he can sew it back on. Usopp Expresses Skepticism Regarding This Plan.)
Zoro decides he has another idea. Usopp is now THE SWORD (in his right hand).
Usopp: "Somebody call a lawyer. I am so going to SUE YOUR ASS. CHOPPER!! Hurry up!"
Back in the kitchen, Chopper is scolding Kumadori for his "lack of self-control" (sighhhh) but Kumadori demonstrates his ability to digest food at will. In so doing, he inadvertently reveals the source of his power to Chopper (who recognizes it as a variety of "biofeedback"… er, ok. Kumadori seems to have the ability to channel energy throughout the cells of his body, and his hair, at will.).
Finding himself increasingly outmatched, Chopper resorts to a second rumble ball, even though he knows that he won't be able to control the order of his transformations if he takes a second one within less than six hours. (And a third one will render him "unconscious" and unable to fight.)
As expected, not being able to summon the form he needs (Arm Point) when he needs it is a disaster. Kumadori is still wiping the floor with him.
407
[Cover Arc: I'm not quite sure why Miss Valentine dreams of being a patissier, but the hilarity of Mr. 5 being a fireman and Mr. 4 being a pizza deliveryman is fairly self evident. (I love the "within 30 hours" tagline on his shirt. This is in English in the original, BTW.)]
Chopper is losing badly against Kumadori, because he can't summon Arm Point at will. He switches into something else so often that he almost misses it when the roll of the dice finally gives him the form he needed.
He summons all his strength for his best attack, but it's not enough to take Kumadori out permanently.
[I have, at this point, entirely given up any hope of understanding anything Kumadori says in Japanese. I think Chopper's despair is catching.]
Chopper knows he has nothing left. He flashes back to the one time he ever risked using a third rumble ball.
In his flashback, he's in bed with no memory of what happened, but Dr. Kureha says he destroyed an entire village. The country is in an uproar. She's just grateful no one got killed.
He may have inherited his "parent's" love for experimentation, but there are limits!
"You inherited EVERYTHING from that quack doctor. Including being a pain in my ass."
[Haha, this doesn't translate very well literally. まったく、人騒がせな所まで あのヤブ医者から全部受け継いじまいやがって！)
Chopper tearfully begs her not to throw him out. He'll never do it again. (Aw, Chopper!)
Kureha gruffly tells him to rest up. "Dummy, I ain't gonna sell you in the marketplace."
[Did I misinterpret this line? Viz has "You made such a mess, I can't even go out to replenish supplies." But given that selling people into slavery is a theme elsewhere in the series… well. "I can't even go shopping" seems like kind of a non sequitur.]
Back in the present, Kumadori is getting ready to deal the final blow. Chopper figures he has nothing to lose at this point. He takes his third rumble ball.
Silently, he just prays that no one else will come into the room.
He remembers Dr. Kureha telling him that after he lost consciousness, it was as if his devil fruit ran wild. He has no ability to distinguish between friend and foe, can't even sense danger to his own body. In this form, he becomes a true monster (kaijuu).
[This form is accordingly called Chopper's "Monster Form."]
Franky painfully gets himself up with the key he recovered from Fukurou's unconscious form (unfortunately it is #4, not the #2 key "swordsman and nose" needed). Since Fukurou had #4 and Kumadori had #3, that means that Kalifa must have #2.
He starts climbing the wall.
Kalifa is in a bubble bath (…), taunting Nami who is lying boneless on the floor.
It infuriates Nami that Kalifa, now a devil fruit user, would use a bath in front of an enemy. Even a bath reduces, although it doesn't eliminate, the devil fruit user's power.
[I would have thought it was only salt water that would affect an ability user, but at some point a SBS discussion seemed to confirm that any body of water that covers more than half the body counts - rain doesn't, apparently. Oh well, whatever.]
Kalifa leaves the bath and begins dressing behind a screen.
Nami reasons that Kalifa must have used her ability on both herself and Sanji, but she doesn't know what it was. Her strength is slowly returning.
Nami attacks Kalifa with her Klima-tact, summoning Thunderbolt Tempo.
408
[Cover Arc: Crocodile is Pirate King (LOL), Mr. 1 is some kind of caped superhero (double LOL).]
Kalifa protects herself against Nami's attack by enclosing herself in… a bar of soap? The soap dissolves into bubbles.
Kalifa smugly says Nami hasn't got a chance of winning if she can't guess the nature of her power.
Nami guesses (correctly) that Kalifa ate the awa-awa (foam-foam) fruit that transforms her into a soap-person.
[LOL at Nami's reaction to Kalifa's dismay: "I guessed RIGHT!?" Also, I am officially proclaiming this the winner of my own personal "stupidest devil fruit" contest.]
Nami is momentarily possessed by her inner oyaji (???) and wishes she had a sexy secretary like that.
[And in addition to "stupidest devil fruit," I will state for the record that I find this form of sexism on Oda's part FAR more disturbing than anything Sanji has ever said. EW.]
Nami says that it doesn't seem like a very useful power in battle, but Kalifa points out that she can shape the foam that emerges from her body into any shape she wishes. For instance: SOAP SHEEP!
[OK, OK, the soap sheep is funny.]
But the true danger of her soap-form is only revealed when she fires the bubbles in Nami's direction. Anything her "awa" makes contact with loses all power.
Too late, Nami realizes that this was the power that knocked her out when she entered the room (the floor was covered with suds when she walked in).
When the foam dissipates, Nami is able to counterattack, but Kalifa switches to an attack at close range.
Her "golden shower" (the direct application of soap to the victim's body) transforms Nami into a rubbery doll, just like Sanji.
[SO GROSS on so many levels, I just can't even.]
Down in the kitchen, Kumadori is no match for Chopper's monster form.
Franky arrives at the top of the wall just in time to discover a monstrous reindeer tossing Kumadori's unconscious body into the far distance.
Franky notices that the monster is wearing the same hat Chopper was. "Hey, you that deer-gorilla from before?"
Chopper-monster promptly attacks him.
On the main island, the marines are shocked to discover Kumadori's unconscious form.
Monster Chopper starts climbing the tower, King-Kong-style.
In the tunnel leading to the Gates of Justice, Spandam is berating Robin for stopping. "Lucci! Drag her by her hair if you have to!"
Spandam laughs at her for actually expecting "those weak pirates" to save her.
A diagram shows the way ahead of them - a tower staircase leading to the Bridge of Hesitation before the Gates of Justice.
"You'll spend the rest of your life paying for the crime of having survived this long! Nico Robin!"
Luffy is in hot pursuit, yelling "ROBIIIIN!".
When she hears him, Robin smiles. (Aw!)
Lucci tells Spandam to escort Robin; he'll deal with Strawhat Luffy.
Lucci meets up with Luffy in a wide-open room (from a later diagram, this seems to be the room at the base of the tower staircase leading up to the bridge above).
"PIGEON GUY!"
409
[Cover Arc: the fugitive BW agents find themselves at a broken down place called the Cactus Salon.]
A helpful diagram points out to us where all the ongoing battles are taking place:
Zoro & Sogeking vs Jabura (#1 key) and Kaku (#5 key), 4th floor of the Tower of Law [I have so much love for this pictogram]
Sanji, passed out on the first floor of the Tower of Law
Monster Chopper, scaling the outer wall of the Tower of Law
Kalifa (#2 key) vs Nami (#3 key), 5th floor of the Tower of Law
Franky (#4 key, passed out outside the Tower of Law)
[For the record, I would like to thank Oda for keeping track of the keys, because I am running out of index cards.]
Base of the tower leading up to the Bridge of Hesitation: Luffy vs. Rob Lucci.
Spandam is dragging Robin up the stairs to the bridge.
He tries to raise the other CP9 agents on his den-den mushi.
Robin's horrified reaction alerts him to his mistake - he pushed the button on the golden den-den mushi by accident.
At marine headquarters, the silver den-den mushi rings, summoning a Buster Call.
Ten battleships and five vice-admirals prepare to set sail from headquarters, the closest location to the target, Enies Lobby.
Spandam finally manages to find his baby den-den mushi and make contact with Kalifa.
While screeching over the baby den-den mushi about his mistake in summoning the Buster Call, Spandam somehow manages to broadcast his message to the entire island of Enies Lobby.
(I don't really understand why the Director's personal phone was tied into the PA announcement system of Enies Lobby, but hey.]
Luffy and Lucci, too, can hear Robin's voice begging Spandam to call it off immediately. So can the entire Franky Family and the members of Galley-La (who are by now in marine custody). And, of course, the Marines.
Everyone can hear Spandam boasting to Robin about how a Buster Call is no big deal. It'll wipe out the pirates, after all! He doesn't care if it kills thousands of marines, too. A sacrifice for the future! (And he should get a promotion out of it, too.)
Robin asks if he doesn't care about human life, but Spandam points out that the whole point of Cipher Pol's existence is to eliminate the few who might pose a threat to the many. Those marines are to blame for not preventing the pirates from getting to Enies Lobby in the first place.
Robin finally notices that the den-den mushi is still broadcasting.
Spandam tries to pretend (in vain) that it was Strawhat Luffy speaking.
Robin tries to warn everyone listening to flee the island, but Spandam kicks her down the stairs.
The connection abruptly terminates, leaving everyone on the island in shock.
Kaku and Jabura: "What on earth is that man doing?"
Zoro: "This looks bad."
Usopp (being waved around as a sword): "Looks bad for ME, you mean!"
Kalifa condescendingly pities Nami. "You poor things."
Nami: "Save your sympathy. We're used to this sort of thing!" (LOL)
Kokoro is laughing herself sick. "Pirate brat, just what kind of star were you born under? We're closing the circle**… now things are getting interesting!"
**Speculations as to what this means? Japanese: また輪をかけて. Viz has "He's stirred things up again," which seems weak to me. The original line seemed to me more a reference to something being revived from the past, but maybe I'm over-interpreting?
The marines are fleeing Enies Lobby in terror.
The Franky Family/Galley-La prisoners, left alone, start working on freeing themselves.
Spandam prepares to resume dragging Robin to her fate.
Luffy is facing off with Lucci in the base of the bridge-tower.
They appear to be evenly matched.
TBC