Nami and Usopp stand off against Caesar Clown.

——

In this chapter, Caesar Clown quickly defeats Nami, Usopp, and Brownbeard, who is revealed to have survived the Yeti Brothers’ attack. He retrieves the children, who are still suffering from withdrawals, and contacts his customers – including the silhouette of one Eustass Kidd – to tell them he plans on testing his revolutionary poison gas weapon on the island intruders.

I was somewhat disappointed in Nami and Usopp’s pathetic stand against Caesar Clown. Yes, they’ve always been the two weakest links in the Straw Hats, but they grew out of those roles and have since proved their fighting abilities. The fact that they were heartened by Brownbeard’s appearance, half-dead and holding a giant pipe, isn’t a great reflection on them. However, their situation set the tone of the chapter and contributed a feeling of hopelessness that any good story has before the heroes turn the tables, so it’s a minor qualm.

Unsurprisingly, Brownbeard survived and attempts to save the day by whacking Caesar with a pipe. Brownbeard’s role in this arc seems to embody the contrast between expectations of the New World and the harsh realities. He started out at the same time as the other Supernovas, but has fallen far in terms of strength and infamy. We’ve seen so many pirates in this series, some who dream of sailing to the New World and some who are grateful to have returned alive. With the appearance of Eustass Kidd, who most likely belongs on the positive side of the spectrum, we will possibly be able to gauge the level of caliber needed in the New World, and judge for ourselves whether or not the Straw Hats are prepared.

All in all, not a very exciting chapter this week. The reappearance of Eustass Kidd was enough of a cliffhanger to leave fans on the edges of their seats for next week’s chapter, but this chapter was lacking in substance. The beginning reinforced the children’s plight and presented a hopeless battle, plus a tidbit of information about Caesar’s Gas-Gas powers. However, Caesar’s announcement and the formation of Smiley does give a sense that the arc is steadily progressing towards its climax, so hopefully we’ll be seeing some great action from our tag-teams soon.

GO Rating: 2.5/5

[KissManga]