This episode has a lot to sit on. Firstly, Doflamingo had sent a string puppet to confront Law and Luffy, stating that he had come there to save them and even later suggesting he was going to give something to Law. Just as he chose to shoot Law with a golden gun, perhaps he wants to kill Law with an ounce of respect. Not while he sits in a puddle defenseless. And most importantly, he needs to be the one to kill Law. I couldn’t help but get the sense that he’s jealous of Luffy. He saw Law as a little brother, as someone that was like him, as someone that would become his right hand man, someone with potential, someone cunning. But Law rejected him. He chose to team up with Luffy, this idiot of all people. He’s certainly treated him with some care even while hunting him down and the amount of criticism he’s casually tossed towards Luffy throughout the recent two arcs has me think this way. Further, Doflamingo suggested that Law used to be more ruthless than he is now and Law angrily told him that he will not become like Doflamingo. Rather he was saved, possibly literally, but also metaphorically by Corazon, saved from a fate like becoming such a man. This was interesting to me because I still view Law and cold and ruthless, the way he cruelly disregards people’s emotions like Tashigi, threatens lives like Smoker’s, takes joy in taking life like Monet’s, seems like he may be willing to let people die as collateral damage. But, he distinctly separates himself from Doflamingo, despite at one point as a child, fresh from this mysterious Flevance, he was brimming to destroy everything. Something Doflamingo could deeply relate with from his troubled past.
The ending of this episode continued this tangled mess of relationships. It was honestly the most atmospheric I think One Piece has ended. The droning machines getting louder and closer together until they were blaring and overlapping, mystery of what Law went through in his town, if it was by the hand of Doflamingo, and especially cutting to quite the pondering Doflamingo. He looked far more introspective than usual as he reflected on their first meeting with Law, back when he saw him as someone with great potential. It feels as though Law was more than family to Doflamingo, despite all he’s done, I’d argue he found it easier to, in a sense, kill Monet and Vergo. It’s notable that Law came in with the threat of suicide bombing already resigned to death and with an insatiable desire for destruction. Until we get a flashback arc tying everything together there will certainly be a lot of mystery but it feels as though the culmination of this arc will be very emotional. As a side note, Law had his hat as a child meaning it wasn’t a gift from Corazon or anything to our knowledge. Maybe it was a gift from someone important to him in his town.
To talk on a lighter note, Abdullah and Jeet fought to save Luffy’s life as if to give us even more reason to love those goons. Luffy has to see them as friends now and they’ve been left to take care of poor Moocy who was nearly killed by Doflamingo. Kyros had a touching scene where an elderly man fought to save his life but at the same time felt the need to try and capture him. Kyros was able to walk right up to him to win his trust in this battle. I must say, Kyros’ voice actor is phenomenal, it captures the sincere and heartfelt and straight forward nature of Kyros. It’s a powerful voice. Luffy showed us why he’s able to say so blatantly that everything will work out, because even if he’s forced into a dead end on the lie that it was a shortcut, he will make a shortcut out of it. He’s that flexible, shattering from the well up to the current battlefield. Now he’s met with his army as well as Dellinger, Machvise, Baby 5, Lao G, and Gladius. Sabo and Fujitora fought some more, there wasn’t too much new information but they showed respect for each others skill and for the moment it’s a stalemate. Franky’s fight got some advancement with the Tontatta making a plan to get the factory open as he keeps Senor Pink busy. Bartolomeo was finally able to be gross again, he’s been too cute for too long, and he pissed on his foes while hovering because he couldn’t cross his fingers. Amazing. Lastly and most interesting for me, despite Bellamy being gone for awhile, he’s finally back and ready to confront Doflamingo, as hurt and angry as ever. His story is being continued. I wonder if he had to build up the courage or if he was doing something else in the background. |