Senjumaru Shutara

Senjumaru Shutara is a member of the Royal Guard, holding the title Great Weave Guard. She holds the position of Fourth Officer of the Zero Division as well as Divine General of the North. Senjumaru has the appearance of a slender and very youthful woman with fair skin and long, black hair that is adorned at the back by a large golden ornament in the shape of a crescent moon with numerous small lines radiating outwards. She wears the standard Shinigami uniform beneath a white long-sleeved haori, over which she dons a further white robe fastened at the front near the center of her chest. She also wears a pair of extremely thick-soled okobo. She has 6 long, golden skeletal artificial arms attached to her back that shes uses in place of her real ones. Senjumaru is somewhat playful, providing a fanfare with several musical instruments upon the Royal Guards landing in Soul Society and taunting Mayuri Kurotsuchi. She is also focused on the mission they have been given, seeing it through while other Royal Guard members talk with each other and the Gotei 13. She can be rather forceful as well, to the point of threatening, as she threatened to castrate Renji if he did not take off his fundoshi so she could fully measure his body for a new shihakushō. When referring to herself, Senjumaru uses the archaic pronoun warawa.

Equipment

Artificial Limbs: Attached to her back, Senjumaru has a number of long, golden skeletal arms that can be elongated and manipulated with great dexterity, seemingly using just thought alone. Despite their slender appearance, each arm possesses a considerable amount of physical strength, being able to bear the weight of a fully-grown Shinigami.

Sewing Needle: Senjumaru carries a large sewing needle that she uses in combat.

Powers & Abilities

Immense Spiritual Power: As a captain-class combatant and current member of the Royal Guard, Senjumaru has an immense amount of spiritual power.

Ōken: As one of the Royal Guards, Senjumaru has the Ōken imparted in her bones, which grants her the ability to travel into and out of the Soul King Palace, as well as grant permission to others simply by willing it.

Cloth Manipulation: Senjumaru can create, shape, and manipulate any sort of cloth for various purposes. She has created cloth backdrops in order to mirror the surrounding area. An extension of her abilities to manipulate cloth, she also can manipulate the sewing needles she uses to alter clothing to deal fatal injuries to opponents unfortunate enough to be wearing them. Her ability to manipulate cloth allows her to create elaborate scenarios on her backdrops to simulate real actions and situations.

Sewing Proficiency: Senjumaru has masterful skill and aptitude when it comes to sewing. She created the Ōken Clothing, a special clothing designed to let the wearer safely return to the Seireitei from the Soul King Palace. These clothes are made from the bones and hair of the members of the Royal Guard, and they possess incredible defensive power, allowing the wearer to withstand the friction that results from breaking through the 72 barriers between Soul Society and the Soul King Palace without suffering any damage. She can alter an entire outfit within a matter of seconds without the wearer being aware that she did anything at all. Her swift work is the reason she is called Senjumaru.

Zanpakutō

Shikai: Not Revealed

Bankai: Not Revealed

Ōetsu Nimaiya

Ōetsu Nimaiya is a member of the Royal Guard, holding the title God of the Sword. He holds the position of Third Officer of the Zero Division , as well as Divine General of the West. Nimaiya is a dark-skinned man with thick, black hair that is shaven and dyed green on the sides of his head. He wears a variation of the Shinigami shihakushō, featuring instead a green undergarment, and a shortened hakama that exposes his lower legs. Worn over this is a white, sleeveless puffer jacket that bears the Royal Guard emblem on its back, as well as the alternating circle and diamond pattern of a captain's haori along the bottom. His attire is completed by gold-framed sunglasses with blue lenses, and a pair of green slippers that are gold trimmed and have a shoe-like appearance. According to Kirio Hikifune, he is an unpredictable man. Nimaiya is quite a lively and energetic individual, being prone to grandiose entrances and greetings. He has a tendency of going overboard, as he portrays a certain image as to take away from the fact that he lives in a humble state. In battle, he retains his upbeat demeanor, even while mercilessly slaughtering his opponents, whom he casually banters with at all times. Nimaiya is not above making life-threatening decisions in order to win, such as cutting open his own throat to counter Askin Nakk Le Vaar's The Deathdealing, and is quick-thinking, having Tenjirō Kirinji replace all of the blood in his body as soon as he learned of the seemingly inescapable predicament Askin had put him in. Nimaiya is credited with having created the Zanpakutō, something that even the Soul King recognized as a significant contribution to Soul Society, hence his promotion to the Royal Guard.

Powers & Abilities

Master Swordsmith: Nimaiya is the creator of the Zanpakutō and therefore the foremost authority on its history, construction, and capabilities.  He has the greatest understanding of the Zanpakutō, and is the only individual capable of reforging a broken Zanpakutō. He forges the strongest Zanpakutō, the Asauchi, as they can become anything. He is also able to create swords of such sharpness and cutting ability that no sheath can hold them nor do they ever chip or scratch.

Zanpakutō Sense: He knows the exact position of all the Zanpakutō that he has ever created, no matter how the wielder attained it or who the wielder is.

Master Swordsman: Nimaiya is a master of sword technique, skilled in evasion, offense, defense, and counterattacks. He can dodge swift and direct melee attacks with little to no effort. He can take down his opponent with a single extremely fast strike that cannot be detected or registered until it has already taken place, and he can effortlessly deflect enhanced Heilig Pfeil. He is also extremely agile and possesses incredible reflexes, and can use unorthodox techniques, such as throwing his sword with enough accuracy to pierce a head, to catch his opponents off-guard and prevent them from taking initiative.

Shunpo Expert: Nimaiya is an extremely fast combatant, quickly overwhelming four Sternritter with rapid attacks and movements before most of them could react properly.

Kidō Practitioner: Nimaiya is skilled enough with Kidō to fire a blast from both of his hands simultaneously without an incantation.

Enhanced Endurance: Nimaiya is a considerably resilient combatant. While facing off against Askin Nakk Le Vaar, he cut his own throat to reduce the amount of blood in his body and managed to move behind Askin for a surprise attack while constantly losing blood; Askin noted that Nimaiya should have been unable to stand at that point.

Immense Spiritual Power: As a captain-class combatant and current member of the Royal Guard, Nimaiya has an immense amount of spiritual power, which he demonstrated when he effortlessly defeated three of Yhwach's Schutzstaffel in rapid succession with a single attack each.

Ōken: As one of the Royal Guards, Nimaiya has the Ōken imparted in his bones, which grants him the ability to travel into and out of the Soul King Palace, as well as grant permission to others simply by willing it.

Zanpakutō

Sayafushi and its tank of jelly-like liquid.

Sayafushi :An incredibly sharp sword forged by Nimaiya, its forte is somewhat unstable due to Nimaiya not having drawn it in a long period of time. Nimaiya considers Sayafushi a failed creation because its blade is too sharp and its edge is too smooth; it never chips or scratches from use, and blood slides off it immediately. Because of this, no sheath can hold it, which means it fails to meet the basic definition of a sword.

Shikai: Not Revealed

Bankai: Not Revealed

Kirio Hikifune

Kirio Hikifune s a former captain of the 12th Division and a member of the Royal Guard, holding the title Ruler of Grain. She holds the position of Second Officer of the Zero Division as well as Divine General of the South. Upon her return to Soul Society, Kirio is a plump, purple haired lady with styled swirl-shaped markings on her cheeks and black lips. She has a large silver adornment in her hair and wears the standard Shinigami shihakushō beneath a white, long-sleeved haori decorated with the Royal Guard's emblem. Captain Shinji Hirako noted that her appearance has changed drastically since he last saw her, so much so that he didn't even recognize her. Kirio's true form is a slender and well-endowed version of her plump self with her long hair left down.

She is only plump initially as her cooking technique uses up her entire Reiatsu, forcing her to gain as much weight as possible beforehand in order to ensure that her body is able to endure the process. Hikifune is a cheery individual, and will maintain that demeanor even while lashing out at others over minor slights, such as striking Shinji Hirako for not recognizing her. She, like Ichibē Hyōsube, will often keep her rowdy teammate Tenjirō Kirinji in line with physical force, as well as pick up his slack in regards to explaining things to visitors. She takes great pride and passion in preparing her Reiatsu-enhancing food, While normally upbeat, Hikifune is very serious when warning others about Ōetsu Nimaiya, as he is far and away the most unpredictable member of the Royal Guard. Regardless of her preference for physical punishment and eccentric nature as a chef, Hikifune acted like a mother to Hiyori Sarugaki during her time in the Gotei 13 and displays similar tendencies even while in the Royal Guard, demonstrated when she gave Ichigo Kurosaki some rice balls to eat as he was leaving to rejoin the fight against the Wandenreich. In combat, she is very confident in her abilities and creations, confidently telling the Schutzstaffel that no matter what they do, they cannot escape the Tree of Life she grew to contain them. At some point in the past, Kirio invented the Artificial soul, something the Soul King recognized as a significant contribution to Soul Society, hence her promotion to the Royal Guard. During her time as the captain of the 12th Division, her lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki, became very attached and came to love Kirio as much as she would her own mother. However, approximately 110 years ago, Kirio left the Gotei 13 to take up a position within the Royal Guard. She was soon succeeded by Kisuke Urahara, but failed to attend his inauguration ceremony.

Powers & Abilities

Kirio's cooking.

Master Chef: Kirio is a master chef of the highest caliber. She possesses a skill for culinary cuisine in taste, texture and smell, which allows her to create astonishing foods from the finest ingredients. To Hikifune, controlling food means controlling life; she cooks to give form to life.

Food Enhancement: Using the same logic she used to invent Gikongan, Kirio can imbue the base ingredients of the food she creates by infusing the materials from the onset of growth with her Reiatsu, fundamentally changing the nature and properties. All the ingredients come from her body. Through the use of these ingredients she can augment any food she makes which then empowers anyone who eats it beyond any level they could ever assume. 

Fat Growth/Reduction: Because her method of cooking uses up all of her Reiatsu, Kirio loses most of her weight in the process. As a result, she must bulk up again between feasts.

Shunpo Master: Kirio is fast enough to intercept an attack from Lille Barro, alongside Tenjirō Kirinji, matching his immense speed.

Immense Spiritual Power: As a captain-class combatant and current member of the Royal Guard, Hikifune has an immense amount of spiritual power.

Ōken: As one of the Royal Guards, Hikifune has the Ōken imparted in her bones, which grants her the ability to travel into and out of the Soul King Palace, as well as grant permission to others simply by willing it.

Zanpakutō

The name and abilities of Kirio's Zanpakutō are unknown, as well as its Release Command. It takes the appearance of a large Wok Chuan (spatula), though it is unknown if this is its sealed form or Shikai, or if this shape applies to both.

Shikai: Not Revealed

Bankai: Not Revealed

Tenjirō Kirinji

Tenjirō Kirinji is a member of the Royal Guard, holding the title Hot Spring Demon. He holds the position of First Officer of the Zero Division as well as Divine General of the East. Kirinji is a lean-built and very tall man with black hair arranged into an outlandishly large pompadour, or "regent" hairstyle, with tapered sideburns. He frequently chews on a small stick. Instead of the standard Shinigami shihakushō, he wears a waist-length white jacket that leaves most of his chest exposed but still bears the Royal Guard emblem on its back, as well as the alternating circle and diamond pattern of a captain's haori along the bottom. His attire is completed by a black hakama, a large yellow sash around his waist and a pair of sandals. He speaks of the Gotei 13 as if they are no more than children and is at times condescending to many of his fellow Shinigami, even captains. This patronizing attitude frequently results in him being disciplined by the rest of the Royal Guard, usually through physical force, with a strike to the head. He is also confident in his fighting abilities, being the first member of the Royal Guard to confront Yhwach upon his arrival to the Soul King Palace, and proclaiming that he wouldn't confront him if he didn't think victory was a possibility. Before joining the Royal Guard, Kirinji was a Shinigami captain in Soul Society. At some time in the past, he taught healing techniques to Retsu Unohana.

Powers & Abilities

Master Healer: Kirinji is an incredibly proficient healer, having taught 4th Division Captain Retsu Unohana, who is regarded as the greatest healer in Soul Society, many of her techniques. Furthermore, he was adamant he could heal the grievous injuries of several Shinigami whom Unohana herself was unable to treat. His unique healing method involves a peculiar form of hot spring treatment, using two springs housed in his Kirinden.

Immense Spiritual Power: As a captain-class combatant and current member of the Royal Guard, Kirinji has an immense amount of spiritual power.

Shunpo Master: Kirinji is masterful when it comes to the use of Shunpo. He maneuvered behind 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng, the fastest Shunpo user in the Gotei 13, without her noticing until he actually grabbed her, despite him being a mere few feet directly in front of her. During his time in Soul Society, he was known as "Lightning-Fast Tenjirō" for his skill in Shunpo.

Enhanced Strength: Kirinji possesses a great deal of strength, effortlessly picking up and throwing a grown man several meters away from himself. He can punch with enough force to send someone of Ichigo Kurosaki's stature flying a considerable distance away and send several Soldat flying with a single swing of his sealed Zanpakutō.

Enhanced Durability: Kirinji is durable enough to endure the unique healing properties of his hot springs for an extended period of time, unprotected, without rotting.

Ōken: As one of the Royal Guards, Kirinji has the Ōken imparted in his bones, which grants him the ability to travel into and out of the Soul King Palace, as well as grant permission to others simply by willing it.

Hot Spring Water Manipulation: Kirinji can call forth the water of his specialized hot springs and manipulate its movement and temperature as he desires. The White Bone Hell water envelops the enemy and burns away their bodies with its temperature and special properties, while the Blood Pond Hell water instantly replenishes or replaces any blood his comrades have lost.

Zanpakutō

Kinpika: Its sealed form takes the form of a small blade with a curved tip attached to a long wooden pole. The blade is covered by a wooden sheath with "Kirinji" written on it. When sheathed, Kinpika resembles an Eku.

Shikai: Its release command is "Flash from Illuminating Heavens".Upon release, the blade of Kinpika glows brightly.

Shikai Special Ability: Unknown.

Bankai: Not Revealed

Ichibē Hyōsube

Ichibē Hyōsube is the Leader of the Zero Division holding the title Monk Who Calls the Real Name High Priest. Ichibē is a large and broad individual with a bald head, red eyes, bushy eyebrows and a long black beard. He wears the standard shihakushō beneath a white, long-sleeved haori decorated with the Royal Guard's emblem. The top of his uniform is open enough to expose his hairy chest. He also wears a large set of red prayer beads around his neck and a pair of single-toothed tengu geta. Ichibē is an authoritative Shinigami who remains focused on the mission at hand. He speaks in a loud and upfront manner, and usually has an upbeat expression on his face. However, in battle, he is ruthless and somewhat patronizing, though he constantly smiles throughout his fights. Yhwach notes that he becomes much happier when he has resolved to kill someone. He displays a patronizing kindness toward his opponents, such as when he cut Yhwach's physical and spiritual power in half in order to avoid tarnishing the reputation of the Quincy by defeating him at full power.

Powers & Abilities

True Name Manipulation: Ichibē can manipulate the true names the metaphysical representations of, among other things, sentient beings which grants him power over those he targets with his power. 

Name Identification: Ichibē has the innate ability to determine the true name of all things. He came up with the name "Zanpakutō" and the release names "Shikai" and "Bankai", and he was the first one to choose all the names of all things in Soul Society. Due to this unique skill, Ichibē also knows the names of every Zanpakutō from the time they are handed to a Shinigami as Asauchi created by Ōetsu Nimaiya.

Name Curse: Due to its importance, Ichibē's name carries a curse upon it; those who are unworthy to speak it will lose their voices if they do so.

Self-Reconstitution: If his body is destroyed, Ichibē can completely restore it to its former state and reconstruct every piece of his body that was out of place. He achieves this by stealing a bit of power from someone that says his name to initiate the process; in order to prompt this, he can mentally speak to the individuals around him and ask them to do so.

Spirit Appendage Manifestation: Ichibē can manifest giant representations of his hands and feet in the air. These limbs copy his movements and possess greater strength in proportion to their greater size.

Heavenly Passing Palm of the Thousand Ri: Ichibē manifests a large hand to push his opponent away with extreme force. According to him, it will send his opponent flying 1000 ri away.

Wisdom: As a current commander of the Royal Guard with vast knowledge, understanding, common sense and insight from centuries of service, Ichibē possesses great experience and instincts as a leader, and always acts with optimum judgement of the situation; combining this with his innate ability to see the true nature of his opponent and his diverse skillset, Ichibē is also a very adaptable strategist. His wisdom and common sense have been recognized by the Wandenreich as being potent enough to make him one of the Special War Powers of Soul Society.

Expert Swordsman: Ichibē possesses considerable skill in Zanjutsu, clashing evenly with Yhwach during their battle.

Shunpo Master: Ichibē is highly proficient in Shunpo, appearing next to Yhwach almost immediately after propelling him 1000 ri away with Senri Tsūtenshō. He effortlessly sidestepped a multitude of Heilig Pfeil fired by Yhwach's Sankt Bogen.

Kidō Master: Ichibē possesses considerable skill in Kidō, using mid-level spells to great effect by simply stating the name without incantation, number, or type. Ichibē has used a "secret" Hadō spell that was strong enough to shatter the dome formed by Yhwach's Blut Vene Anhaben, further demonstrating his skill.

Immeasurable Spiritual Power: As a captain-class combatant and commander of the Royal Guard, Ichibē has a colossal amount of spiritual power. Ichibē's power is of such a degree that he was able to fight evenly with Yhwach, who possesses vast Reiryoku himself, with just his sealed Zanpakutō and later Shikai. With his Bankai, Shirafude Ichimonji, Ichibē would have been able to permanently neutralize the Quincy King if the latter had not activated The Almighty.

Enhanced Strength: Ichibē possesses a large amount of physical strength. After pushing Yhwach a large distance away from Soul King Palace with Senri Tsūtenshō, Ichibē sent him flying the same distance back to the palace with a single slash from his brush. He crushed a Reishi attack from Yhwach by merely clasping his hands around it, and reversed the absorbing effects of Yhwach's Blut Vene Anhaben by flexing the muscles on the left side of his body, rupturing the blood vessels in Yhwach's face in the process.

Enhanced Endurance: Ichibē possesses a great tolerance for pain; when Yhwach pierced him with his Reishi Broadsword, Ichibē stood his ground despite considerable blood loss, shrugged off the pain, and kept fighting.

Ōken: As one of the Royal Guards, Hyōsube has the Ōken imparted in his bones, which grants him the ability to travel into and out of the Soul King Palace, as well as grant permission to others simply by willing it.

Zanpakutō

Ichimonji : Its sealed form takes the form of a large calligraphy brush which Ichibē uses to write calligraphic characters.

Calligraphy: Ichibē is an accomplished calligrapher, allowing him to draw characters that carry the power of their meaning.

Conceal : Hides large physical objects, such as the entirety of the Soul King Palace, from view.

Seal: Creates a boundary that cannot be passed.

Name Severing: When used as a weapon, this brush does not cut flesh, but instead names; for example, if Ichibē lands a blow on his opponent's arm, he can reduce the physical capabilities of that arm by half if he cuts its name in half to Ar.

Shikai: Its release command is "Blacken"  Upon release, the brush transforms into a form of a somewhat short glaive, with the top portion taking the form of a short, single edged blade reminiscent of a tip of a chokutō, attached to the long brush handle. Additionally, a large halo of black ink appears in the air behind Ichibē.

Shikai Special Ability: Whenever Ichibē swings Ichimonji, its blade releases ink. Anything that this ink covers loses its name, and thus its powers. Its power is the power of black: every time Ichibē releases Ichimonji, all of the color black from all beings, dead or alive, becomes his power.

Power Absorption Immunity: The power summoned by Ichimonji can be stolen, but it cannot be used by the assailant or used against Ichibē because he controls all of the color black in the universe; as such, it is simply restored to him, proven when Yhwach's Sankt Altar fails to work against him.

Futen Taisatsuryō : Ichibē brings forth a massive amount of blackness from his surroundings and fills a cup with it before drinking from the cup. After chanting an incantation, Ichibē creates a large mausoleum with a fence in front on top of shattered gravestones out of the blackness. This technique takes away all of the darkness in his opponent, including their flesh, blood, and bones, until nothing is left; their destruction is so absolute that they will not even reincarnate.

Shin'uchi: Shirafude Ichimonji: Uniquely, Ichibē activates his Bankai by calling out "Shin'uchi" instead of Bankai, as Ichimonji was the first Zanpakutō to take on an evolved form long before the term "Bankai" existed. Upon activation, the blade of Ichibē's brush turns white and becomes a long, thick thread that coils in the air around him.

Shin'uchi Special Ability: With Shirafude Ichimonji, Ichibē can give and change the name of targets who have been struck by the ink of Ichimonji by writing kanji on their body; doing so gives his target the properties and powers of the name granted. For example, by changing their name to Black Ant his opponent would be as weak and powerless as an ant.

Monkey D. Dragon's Origin Reveals!

Monkey D. Dragon better known as Dragon the Revolutionary and labelled as The World's Worst Criminal. Dragon is one of the most mysterious and hyped character of One Piece. Dragon’s reasons behind his hatred for the Government has never been explained nor mentioned so far in the manga. Some believe Dragon hates the Government because of the nasty things they and the Celestial Dragons  do from time to time over the world. If that’s really the only reason, what about the pirates though? Many pirates are evil to the core and also do terrible things in the world of One Piece. Arlong wrecking havock in East Blue, Crocodile involvement during the Alabasta events, Blackbeard pillaging Drum Islands, Doflamingo being one of the worst evil mastermind in the whole One Piece universe. If malevolent acts from the Government are the real reasons behind Dragon’s hatred for them, why doesn’t he also hate the pirates for doing despicable things too? Isn’t it because the reasons for Dragon’s hatred toward the World Government and the Celestial Dragons have deeper roots?

 

I think his tattoo might be the key to understand his personal reasons. I have one question for you: Why did Dragon decide to wear a tattoo on his face at one point of his life? Do you think it’s because it makes him look cool? Judging by who he is and how stern/serious/cold-blooded he is, it’s probably not the case. The tattoo might have an actual meaning. In the Chapter O, Oda decided to show us that Dragon didn’t always have his tattoo on his face. The only moments we see Dragon without his tattoo is before he started his Revolutionary movement.

Why? Because it’s another hint from Oda that his tattoo is important to him. It clearly implies that Dragon’s tattoo is related to his fight against the World Government and the nobles. Can we push this assumption further and guess what this tattoo means? His tattoo isn’t a random piece of art, it’s actually a Shandia tattoo. Outside of Dragon himself, there are only two major characters with similar tattoos in the One Piece universe: Calgara and Wiper. Bear in mind that Wiper’s and Calgara’s tattoo are quite different, despite them coming from the same tribe. I think Dragon’s tattoo refers to his ancestors. He is of Shandia origin. There are strong chances that Dragon learned what did happen during the Void Century and he also probably learned the origin of the D. Clan at some point. He learned a part of the story, was disgusted by what the Twenty Kingdoms presumably did to his ancestors and decided to mark his face permanently before choosing to fight back and take revenge for his people. It’s not a popular theory, but many people think the D. and the winged people are somewhat related. It’s mostly because of the cover of the volume 27. We see Luffy with a pair of Shandia wings, winking at the reader. On its own, this hint is light, we agree, but there are other hints in the manga that the D. and the winged people are related. It’s not commonly brought up, but Oda also drawn Luffy as a Shandia or using Shandia kind of tools in color spreads quite a few times, while the other members of the crew were depicted normally. The last point is important since Luffy has been drawn as a Samurai, a Knight or many things in color spreads, but in those color spreads the other members of the crews were often depicted in the same way as him. On the color spreads from the chapters 175, 431 and 352, Luffy is the only one depicted as a Shandia or a native indian. We know for a fact that Oda like to use Color Spreads to hide small details and while it could mean nothing, I think it’s still a point to consider.

Irene Cara, Singer-Actress, Dies at 63

Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning singer-actress Irene Cara, who starred and sang the title cut from the 1980 hit movie Fame and then belted out the era-defining hit “Flashdance … What a Feeling” from 1983′s Flashdance, has died. She was 63. Cara died in her Florida home, according to Judith Moose, who posted the death on Twitter on Friday night. The cause of death has not yet been determined. “It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family I announce the passing of Irene Cara,” Moose wrote in the statement. “Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief. She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.” Cara was the unusual performer who was able to attain chart-topping pop success while also shining as an actress.

She won her Oscar for the 1983 hit “Flashdance… What a Feeling” and also sang the title track for the seminal 1980 movie Fame. She also starred in Fame, the dramatic musical that chronicled the struggles of high school students in a performing arts school. Cara, who played Coco Hernandez, sang the title track and “Out Here on My Own,” which both became hit singles and were nominated for the Oscar for best original song, with “Fame” winning. The songs’ success led to Cara getting nominated in 1980 for the Grammys for best new artist and best female pop vocal performance. One of her best-known roles was in the 1976 movie Sparkle, about three singing sisters whose family ties are ruptured as they pursue fame. Born in New York City on March 18, 1959, she began singing and dancing at a young age and made early appearances on programs including Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. In the early 1970s, she made appearances on PBS’ The Electric Company and was a member of the show’s band. She also appeared in Broadway productions including The Me Nobody Knows in 1970 and Via Galactica in 1972 opposite Raul Julia. Cara went on to appear on the CBS daytime soap Love of Life, where she originated the role of Daisy Allen. She followed this with the films Aaron Loves Angela (1975) and Sparkle (1976), along with roles in the television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980). She also created the all-female band Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel and put out a double CD with the single “How Can I Make You Luv Me.” Her movie credits include Sparkle and D.C. Cab.

One Piece Chapter 1068 Release Dates And Prediction: Kuma's Resolve

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece chapter 1068 manga will be taking a one week break. Thankfully, there are a few key reasons why series author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda may have taken this break at such a suspenseful time in the series. Follow along as this article fully breaks down the latest news regarding One Piece chapter 1068’s delay. My first thought at the reveal of punk records was that it would change how the arc goes; at first we thought it'd be the CP0 agents hunting each individual vegapunk body, but now I'm thinking its more like a tower defense situation where the straw hats have to keep vegapunks brain safe otherwise all the satellites go down.

 

What if the robot wasn’t attacking Mariejoies, but instead returning to where it thought it’s creators where? Similar to the green line theory and that the lunarians used to live in an advanced civilization on the green line. So instead of attacking and running out of power it simply returned and shut off, like a roomba to its recharge station. It would make sense especially if Mariejoies is hiding the eve tree, because that could be a source of power as well as lunarian fire. The thing about our understanding of brains is that only our recent history has a semblance of understanding. People of the past barely understood what breathing really was. People still confuse the heart to have emotions to this day. So the brain which would have no safe way to look at directly was a total mystery. Memories and dreams were thought to be supernatural. Basic things like getting hit in the head and suffering minor trauma understandable but what the brain actually does is only a recent thing. I'd guess less than 300 years and I'm being generous. I could be wrong about that timescale, but the point would still stand that humans are dumb. If vegapunk's awakening is sharing his thoughts with everyone, couldn't the voice of all things be an awakened previous user of the Nomi Nomi Nomi who used it on poneglyphs and animals and decided only a few members of the chosen could listen or understand the voice. So they might think it's magical powers, but it's just information being streamed into your brain by a devil fruit. That one sentence where vegapunk said he has something to give to bonney, might be the biggest thing in this arc, could be some memory data of kuma or whatever, and him regaining his memory could be really huge in future. We might even meet dragon in this arc too since kuma surely trying to rush to bonney, but giving that they're like, islands apart so really not likely, but would be cool if we meet them. Thoughts on Vegapunk's dream and if it can be achieved in the story or if the World government would put a stop to it? What connection does the iron giant have with the fishman right movement of 200 years ago? What is happening to Kuma?

 

One Piece 1068 - Who Really is Kuma? 

Kuma was shown to be a brilliant agent of deception, managing to successfully manipulate the World Government from discovering his true affiliation towards the Revolutionary Army for several years, managing to be appointed to the position of Warlord of the Sea (though it does appear that they did eventually become suspicious enough of Kuma to compromise his identity as a double-agent and force him to accept a permanent lobotomy). Despite being perceived as the most dutiful of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Kuma still held enough of his convictions to adamantly refuse to directly address Marines as high-ranked as Admiral Kizaru. He was generally calm and composed in any situation and is subtle in his attaining of goals (such as not revealing to the Straw Hats the exact reasons for testing their power twice and then separating them across the world for future preparation). He also demonstrated great loyalty and honor to his cause in defending the "Thousand Sunny" from a continuous stream of assault over the course of two years, not moving to even recover from his injuries. His combat abilities are also demonstrated with expert use, Kuma using it for offense, defense and travel and often in quick succession of the previous action.

However, at present, the modifications have been completed. In the finalization of the Pacifista project, Kuma (as the original model and the only one to have self-awareness) eventually lost his free will, personality and memory to the modifications, in order to ensure his reliability and continuing services towards the World Government. In this stage, Kuma shares the same mindless intelligence of his fellow Pacifista models, only recognizing individuals as either enemies or allies to the World Government. Doflamingo refers to the original personality as being "dead" though it was later revealed that Kuma and Dr. Vegapunk (the man responsible for his cybernetic implants) made a secret deal to allow for Kuma to have a temporary relapse by rendering his final "free thought" as defending the Thousand Sunny. 

Kuma's Geographical Knowledge

Through his actions, he appears to have great knowledge in geography, as with his powers he knows exactly where he is sending someone seemingly no matter where in the world he is. His degree of knowledge is high enough to perfectly locate even a moving sky island, although his cyborg modifications may have enhanced this ability. This is also shown when he asks people where they would like to go before he pushes them. 

One Piece Chapter 1068 Release Dates

The One Piece manga is on break at the moment and, as such, is scheduled to release in the upcoming issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shounen Jump magazine. According to MangaPlus, One Piece 1068 will be released on December 4, 2022. As always, fans can read the chapters for free on the MangaPlus and the Shonen jump app And One Piece Chapter 1068 Recap Here.

 

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2022 FIFA World Cup New Rules

The nervous tension that comes with extra time and a penalty shootout has led to some of the great World Cup moments over the years. But you’ll have to wait to experience that until the knockout stage. When the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar on November 20, it will be the start of the two-week-long group stage. Meaning that the four teams in each group (lettered A through H) will play a round-robin schedule for the right to advance to the knockout stage. Extra time only comes into play once the knockout round commences in the tournament. At this point of the competition, it’s win or go home for the teams that are still alive in the World Cup. If two teams are still tied by the conclusion of the match, then two full periods of 15 minutes are played between the teams to determine the winner. There is no “Golden Goal” in this scenario, which is conversely more or less a “sudden death” situation where the first goal scored results in the respective team winning the match. In extra time, the two teams are required to play the full two additional 15-minute periods to determine the winner. If after the conclusion of extra time both teams are still tied, then a penalty shoot-out will ultimately determine the winner.

In the group stage, teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a loss. The top-2 teams advance from each group, and goal differential is used as the first tiebreaker. If teams are still tied in the standings then the tiebreaker proceeds to total goals scored, points from matches involving the tied teams and goal differential involving the tied teams (the latter two used for a three-way tie). Disciplinary records and a random drawing are rare but last-resort tiebreakers. But the round-robin setup and tiebreakers negate the need for extra time. And really, you can’t have teams potentially playing three 120-minute games in a single group stage when the point system works just fine for this early round. Besides, even some classic group stage matches have ended in a tie. The 2018 match between Portugal and Spain comes to mind. That’s a totally different story in the knockout stages where someone needs to win to move on, though. We have extra time (two 15-minute halves) and penalties for that.

The Real Life Kaede Rukawa

Dwight Ramos is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for Levanga Hokkaido of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). He has also played for the Philippines national basketball team. While Ramos was still in high school, he was contacted by coach Tab Baldwin who tried to recruit him to play for Ateneo de Manila University's Blue Eagles in the Philippines once he graduates. However he decided to forego from playing for Ateneo to continue his college basketball career in the United States.

Ramos during his attendance at Fullerton campus of California State University played for the Cal State Fullerton Titans basketball team. He suited up for the team in the NCAA Division I from 2016 to 2018. He then went on to play for the Broncos of California State Polytechnic University in Pomona for one season in the NCAA Division II. After playing for the Cal State Pomona Broncos, Ramos went to the Philippines to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP but had to serve residency in 2019 before he could suit up in official UAAP games. He played for Ateneo in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League helping the team clinch the 2019 league title.He was expected to make his UAAP debut for the Blue Eagles in Season 83 which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He became eligible to enter the PBA draft in 2021, but decided to forego from entering for a chance to play alongside his brother in Ateneo. Ramos decided to forgo his one year of eligibility in UAAP and he signed with Toyama Grouses of the Japanese B.League on September 10, 2021. Ramos played only for the 2021–22 season with his team finishing 7th in the west conference. Toyama didn't renew his contract. Ramos remained in the B.League, joining Levanga Hokkaido in May 2022 and is set to play for the team at least for the 2022–23 season. 

 

Kaede Rukawa Trivia

Rukawa chose Shohoku High School because it is close to his home.
    Rukawa's sneakers are Air Jordan V, where Jordan won the 4th scoring title in 1989.
    Rukawa cheered for Hanamichi Sakuragi during the latter's dunk against Shinichi Maki of Kainan.
    Rukawa doesn't seems to notice that Haruko Akagi has a crush on him.
    In his first match as a Shohoku, Rukawa was the starting power forward, thus wearing #10.
    Whenever Sakuragi and/or Nobunaga Kiyota makes an error or are in a funny situation, Rukawa joins in and calls them idiot, moron, or stupid.

    Sakuragi frequently calls Rukawa "Fox" due to his look, and in Sakuragi's opinion, he is very sly and cunning, not only stealing Haruko's attention, but also quite selfish in his playstyle.
    Rukawa is also considered as one of the troublemakers along with Sakuragi, Ryota Miyagi and Mitsui due to their fighting history.
    It is presumed that Rukawa have realized that he doesn't need to go to America in order to become the #1 Basketball player in Japan. At the end of the manga, he was shown wearing an All-Japan Junior Camp Training Shirt at the beach where Sakuragi is.
    Rukawa is likely based on NBA legend Michael Jordan, as he is considered at the end as the strongest player in Japanese High School basketball. They both have the same black armband, style of play and an incredible sense of 1 on 1 that allows them to defeat any opponent. They also have similar moves. In the mobile game, he can learn the switch-handed layup, fadeaway, one-handed double-clutch dunk, self alley-oop reverse dunk, and free-throw line dunk. However, when faced with Eiji Sawakita, he was completely overwhelmed and has to change tactics by passing the ball. The match-up between him and Sawakita somewhat resembles a younger Kobe Bryant vs Michael Jordan who is considered the best player of his time. Also, he doesn't have big hands as he can't quite palm the ball as comfortably as Sakuragi, a trait Jordan has that Kobe doesn't.
    Rukawa's free throws are more closely resembling Larry Bird, who is also a small forward.
    In the English Dub of the anime, most of the English casts had called him Kaeda instead of Kaede.

Egghead Island

Egghead is a winter island in the New World belonging to the World Government, which houses the laboratory of Dr. Vegapunk. It also has the label of Future Island and is said to be "500 years in the future". It is located southeast of Wano Country. It is the primary setting of the Egghead Arc. According to Nami, Egghead is naturally a winter island, but due to Vegapunk's Island A.C. technology, its climate is now closer to that of a tropical rainforest. That said, the waters surrounding Egghead still display elements of its original weather, featuring freezing winds, icebergs and strong currents that even Jinbe, a fish-man helmsman, admitted were too powerful for him to navigate through properly. Furthermore, Warm Eddys that rise several meters upwards (to the point of resembling a waterspout) are found in this area due to the warmed up waters coming from Egghead's inland reacting to its external cold waters. Egghead appears to be a relatively small island dotted with trees, with its most notable feature being a giant, cracked open egg-shaped structure that towers above the clouds (Vegapunk's laboratory). The island also features an underground, man-made tunnel resembling a sewer with metal ladders that lead to the surface.

According to Jewelry Bonney, back when she first visited the island in her childhood, Egghead only featured a standard laboratory. The factory level of the island, the Fabriophase is home to the workers and researchers on the island. It features a futuristic city with buildings resembling glass domes, rockets, and video game controllers, as well as a variety of highly advanced technology such as automatic meal dispensers and holograms depicting giant monster battles. This is the place where Vegapunk's inventions are displayed for public use. The Fabriophase also features a scrapyard where Vegapunk's failed creations are discarded. The laboratory level, the Labophase is within the giant egg that sits on a manufactured Island Cloud. This is where Vegapunk conducts his research projects. As a result of Dr. Vegapunk's tireless research, Egghead's configuration as a island has been heavily modified from its original state. The island is now a high-tech wonderland where Vegapunk tests and exhibits many of his inventions. Despite Vegapunk's achievements and much to his frustration, however, the lack of monetary funds and qualified manpower to iterate his works offsite means a lot of the revolutionary technology employed on the island cannot be mass-produced, limiting their existence to Egghead alone as a result. In fact, due to having so little time and help available, Vegapunk went as far as splitting his own self into six satellite bodies in order to increase his multi-project efficiency and supervision. Some of those satellites also appear to be responsible for testing new technology on and around Egghead. Usually, ships which sail to Egghead never reach the island, as some of Vegapunk's own creations, the Sea Beast Weapons, which are modified and mechanized Sea Beasts from the surrounding sea, roam the waters around Egghead and sink every ship that comes close to the island. Not only does this provide a powerful method of self-protection for Egghead, but it also allows Vegapunk to pillage enemy ships of their valuables in order to amass funds for further scientific projects. 

The Island A.C. is a weather-manipulating system that controls and regulates Egghead's climate, down to the soil temperature. It is because of this technology that Egghead, despite originally being a winter island with harsh frozen seas, currently exhibits a comfortable tropical climate. This system also allows other pieces of technology to properly function by providing them with the necessary atmospheric conditions to do so, such as the Vegaforce-01's jet propulsion and anti-gravity units, and the Island Clouds that support the Labophase.

Notably, Karakuri Island features a similar island-heating project that was left unfinished by Vegapunk during his youth, implying the scientist was eventually able to successfully complete the concept at Egghead.

A Hologram is a tridimensional light projection that simulates a real or imaginary object. It is a technology that is common in science fiction works.

Egghead features various holograms depicting things such as humans, food, aliens and giant robots. Normally, it is impossible for people to interact with the holograms, but thanks to Vegapunk's ingenuity, he was able to develop a special set of Light-Pressure Gloves that allows him to physically touch the light constructs as if they were tangible.

The Automatic Cooking Machine is, as the name implies, a device that automatically prepares a variety of meals (up to five hundred according to Atlas) as long as primary ingredients are available. The machine is interacted through illustrative buttons that, when pressed, provide the corresponding meal on the spot in less than a minute. The resulting trash is then consumed by a nearby Recycle-Wan, apparently for recycling purposes.

The use of those cooking machines is not free however, requiring the consumer to pay for whatever meals they order. Failure to offer payment will be considered theft and lead to a Pacifista being deployed after the offenders.

Standard Pacifista units in armored outfits are employed in Egghead as its primary police force. Should someone violate any of the country's laws, an unit will be sent into the streets in order to locate and attack the offenders. Despite their role as upholders of local order, the Pacifista can still cause major collateral destruction due to their usage of laser weaponry.

Void Century

The Void Century is a century-long gap in recorded and archaeological history, the study of which is forbidden by the World Government. The events of this period are so important and relevant that by learning them, one is said to become aware of the "true history" of the world. 800 years ago, at the end of the Void Century, the World Government was born and took political control of the entire world, uniting all countries and forming the Council of Kings. For the World Government, the events of the Void Century were better left unknown as information linked to it is considered far too dangerous. When the research of the Poneglyphs was outlawed, hundreds of scholars across the world were killed. Since then, a very strict ban on any research at all related to the Void Century has been put in place. At the end of the Void Century, the 20 kingdoms came together to defeat the Ancient Kingdom and then founded what is now known as the World Government. The founding members pledged the equality between their kingdoms in front of the Empty Throne, with each kingdom leaving a weapon of their own next to the throne in order to symbolize its protection. The exact process of how it was founded and how they covered up the 100-year gap remains unknown.

Poneglyphs are mysterious stone blocks with history inscribed onto them, and these blocks are scattered all over the Grand Line. The Government has forbidden anyone to research or study these blocks. They have been said to be unbreakable by Professor Clover. The Ancient Weapons are three weapons of mass destruction that are powerful enough to bring ruin to the entire world. They're known as Pluton, an ancient battleship capable of massive destruction, Poseidon, a Mermaid with the ability to communicate with and control Sea Kings, and Uranus, the properties of which remain unknown. The Ancient Weapons are the argument used by the World Government to forbid the research of the missing years. These events occurred 800 to 900 years before the current storyline. It was hinted at during the Skypiea Arc; the dates were seen in Robin's flashback. This period became known as the Void Century because there is nothing left to acknowledge anything that happened in it, aside from the poneglyphs which are written in a language that only two living people know how to read. However, it causes a problem with the known histories of the world as nothing ties up because of that missing period. Though many seem to know there is a gap in the historical record, virtually everyone is unaware that filling in this gap is possible. For example, Nefertari Cobra, after being told by Nico Robin about this missing period, was completely shocked that a way to "tie the threads of history together" existed. The fact that filling the gap is possible was proven when "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh revealed that the Roger Pirates discovered the true history. The true history of the world apparently contains secrets so dangerous that those who are aware of them, including outlaws, are highly reluctant to talk about them. The Roger Pirates and Edward Newgate did not reveal to the public what lies hidden at Laugh Tale and Kozuki Oden did not reveal to his followers the true history because he considered it a burden. Silvers Rayleigh offered to tell the true history to Nico Robin, but warned her that the way she was then, she would not be able to do anything about it. The most important event during the Void Century has to be the Great War. It ended around 722 with the fall of Shandora. In Enel's cover story, there is an ancient city on the moon with another bunch of identical Automata. There is a painting on the wall that shows a Skypiean with Automata following him on the left while a Shandorian and Birkan work on the right. After resources on the moon ran out, the three races departed for the "Blue Star". One of the three races, the Shandorians, ended up on the isle of Jaya where they built the city of Shandora one thousand years ago. The great city of Shandora collapsed during this war, the Shandorians defended the city against "those who seek the stone". The city collapsed, but the Shandia, who are the descendants of the Shandorians, kept on defending the city for over eight hundred years afterwards. All three races are noted to have wings on their backs (though each has a slightly different shape) and may have even once been the same race. The connection between the sky island of Skypiea and the Void Century is the poneglyph left there for the Shandia and the Shandorians before them to protect. The Great Kingdom was a great and powerful kingdom that was destroyed by the Twenty Kingdoms, who would later evolve into the World Government. The kingdom was so powerful that its existence posed a great threat to the world, and is the reason why studying the poneglyphs is outlawed. In the Great Kingdom's illustration, a few moon-craters are shown, indicating a possible connection of it with the kingdom. The Great Kingdom had a name, which is yet to be revealed. However, Clover stated that its name was of tremendous importance and held the key of understanding the Void Century.

One Piece Chapter 1066 Hottest Spoilers: The Will Of Ohara

Little Spoiler, thanks to redon from Arlong Park Forums.

One Piece Chapter 1,066: "The will of Ohara".

Dragon and Vegapunk were in Ohara after World Government attack. They knew Clover.
After the attack to Ohara, Dragon decided to form an army.
A group of giants carried all Ohara's books to Elbaf. That group was lead by "someone with bandages all over the body". At the end of chapter, Luffy meets real Vegapunk.- Real Vegapunk: "Dragon's son! I know you'd come!!"

redon replying to some comments on the Spanish forum:

Comment: Will the appearance of the real Vegapunk be revealed?

redon: Yeah, we see what he looks like.

Comment: I'm really intrigued by the Dragon - Vegapunk relationship, is it known roughly when Vegapunk started working with the navy? I wonder if it's before the Ohara incident. If so, we could think that Dragon was a marine and after seeing what happened, he decided to rebel... VERY interesting

redon: Everything is explained in the chapter. What I've posted is a short spoiler, it's not everything that appears in the chapter.

Slam Dunk Movie Replace All The Original Voice Actors

The first slam dunk revealed that it had recast its main characters, to the surprise of many fans. Along with the new cast reveal, an official trailer for the film has also been released. The new cast announcement and trailer were released during a recent live stream that featured the film's main cast. Details were also shared on the movie's official twitter account. Once the cast was announced, many fans did not expect the film to replace the original tv anime cast with new voice actors. The first slam dunk is a new movie based on takehiko inoue's iconic manga series, slam dunk. The film is written and directed by inoue himself and features 3dcg animation. Slam dunk is one of the most popular manga of the 90s, helped in part by the tv anime adaptation by toei animation. Toei will handle the production for this upcoming movie again, but it now has 3dcg animation. The move to 3DCG animation might be a bit of a surprise to some, but given the recent anime film trends, it makes sense.

After all, Toei's Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, released earlier this year, also featured 3DCG animation.

As for its cast, the film features:

    Subaru Kimura as Hanamichi Sakuragi
    Shugo Nakamura as Ryota Miyagi
    Jun Kasama as Hisashi Mitsui
    Shin'ichiro Kamio as Kaede Rukawa
    Kenta Miyake as Takenori Akagi

While the film features a cast with some well-known voice actors, this hasn't stopped fans from being surprised, and some were even disappointed with the recasting decision. Toei Animation and DandeLion Animation Studio are producing the movie. The original mangaka Takehiko Inoue is directing and providing the screenplay, with Yasuyuki Ebara as chief animation director and person in charge of the character designs. The movie revealed a teaser visual in December of last year. Takehiko Inoue wrote and illustrated the original Slam Dunk sports manga, and it was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from September 18, 1990, to June 4, 1996. It ran for a total of 276 chapters, which were compiled into 31 volumes. Toei Animation produced the TV anime adaptation, which ran from October 1, 1993, to March 23, 1996 for a total of 101 episodes. In addition to the main anime series, there are also 4 short movies.

Viz Media licensed the manga, and they describe the story:
Hanamichi Sakuragi’s got no game with girls–none at all! It doesn’t help that he’s known for throwing down at a moment’s notice and always coming out on top. A hopeless bruiser, he’s been rejected by 50 girls in a row! All that changes when he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko, and she’s actually not afraid of him! When she introduces him to the game of basketball, his life is changed forever

One Piece 1065 Spoiler: Everything You Need To Know

Here's the hottest and latest official One Piece Chapter 1065 Spoiler comes from our legitimate 100% precise source our own MangaRoyale Headquarters. Let's sit down, relax and enjoy while we read the latest update and information of your favourite One Piece manga/comics!

Little Spoiler, thanks to redon from Arlong Park Forums.

• Chapter 1,065: "Six Vegapunk".

• Color Spread dedicated to One Piece Film Red.

• Seraphim Jinbe attacks Sanji's group.

• We discover the other 3 Vegapunk: Edison and Pythagoras are robots. York is the one that eat for the other Vegapunk.

• “Egghead” is not the island of the future, is the island of the past becouse its technology is similar to “Ancient Kingdom” technology.

• At the end of the chapter, Luffy's group finds some ancient robots.

  
  
  

Additional info(not every detail is 100% confirmed, take this info with the grain of salt):

• Cover: Film RED, Halloween special

• Seraph Jinbei attacks Nami's group

• Nami, Robin, Franky and Usopp tried attacking it, but the Seraph took no damage

• Sanji comes in with a kick

• Sanji broke his leg bone hitting the seraph's skin

• Sanji got heavy damage from Seraphim Jinbei

• Sanji did not use Blue Flame

• It was a regular kick. Sanji's body is dislocated

• Seraph Jinbei tries to attack Sanji

• Three new Vegapunks come in and save Sanji

• Two of those Vegapunk's are robots and one is a big eater

• Edison and Pythagoras are the robots

• York is the Glutton

• Vegapunk knows about Ancient Kingdom

• “Egghead” is not the island of the future, is the island of the past because its technology is similar to “Ancient Kingdom” technology.

• They don't know the entire ancient history of the void century but says that Egghead is less advanced compared to what the ancient kingdom had

• Shakka and Dragon are still talking. We hear the entire conversation.

• At the end of the chapter, Luffy's group finds some ancient robots.

-No break next week

 

One Piece Chapter 1065 Manga Release dates

One Piece Chapter 1065 and information will be officially released on November 4th, 2022. You can read the manga chapters online for free from Shonen Jump, Viz Media and Manga Plus apps and websites. This 1065 chapter is shocking, stunning, big news, morgan style! What if Law used his fruit to modify his crew members, shachi and penguin specifically? Using his room and surgeon skills to replace their lungs with a Fishman's/animal lungs or something of that nature. Also it was nice seeing bepo contribute using his natural mink features(ears).

 

Hopefully he learned to use electro on Zou, if he didn't already have that. Sulong form too. Surprised no one has yet to bring this up but where the hell is Sentomaru?! He was one of our first introduced haki users and he is supposed to be Vegapunk's bodyguard. I think Oda is asking us to consider how Akainu got this info. We don’t see a marine ship anywhere around Law or Blackbeard. Meaning there is POSSIBLY a marine undercover in the area. I’m thinking it’s kuzan who keeps updating the marines. Blackbeard is one of those guys that improvise on the spot, he knows more or less what he needs to do, but doesn't care about the planning or the details, exactly like Luffy. Have we forgotten how he went to Impel Down and just mere seconds in he was going to get defeated by Magellan? He definitely is that kind of guy. I'm guessing Blackbeard didn't have much of a plan because he wasn't 100% sure which crew he was going to be fighting. He had a 1 in 3 chance, and when he saw Law's crew, he probably had a version of a plan for Luffy and Kid, but didn't much care about Law's crew because everyone underestimates them. Law is the big name in the papers, after all, not Penguin or Bepo. One thing I loved was seeing Bonny use a beam sword. We're definitely on a futuristic island. Auger’s Warp fruit makes me so excited for his future fight against Usopp. Usopp wont be able to run and will have to do some insane observation haki sniping to beat his warping. Bonus points if he unlocks future sight in order to see where he’ll warp too. If Franky is able to upgrade the General Franky into a giant robot the size of Vegapunk’s which dwarfs the Sunny. He might get to to fight the “Colossal Battleship” giant on Blackbeard’s crew. It’s kinda nice that Pudding isn’t hiding her third eye behind her bangs now after her encounter with Sanji. Law fruit and doctor knowledge might let him discover the secret of Blackbeard’s body during their fight. Kuma and Blackbeard share some similar features. Maybe they both are a part of whatever this new race is? If Law, Coby and Blackbeard are all together we might get to find out a bit more about the “Rocky Port incident” since they all had some level of involvement in it. Seeing how Blackbeard has got his crew moving seperately to achieve goals for him kinda makes me hope he’s sent Shiryuu to infiltrate Impel Down. Give the invisible man a stealth mission in a location he’s familiar with. Probably to take Magellan’s poison fruit, but also to free Doflamingo. It’d be hard to fit him in the story again but I just kinda want Doflamingo back in some way. He was under Kaidou before. I could maybe kinda see him allying with Blackbeard now. Since Vegapunk has ties to Dragon now maybe Dragon will be able to pull a Palpatine/Order 66 and turn all the Pacafista/Seraphim against the government at some point.

Lacus Clyne

 A popular female vocalist, she became the co-leader of the Clyne Faction and leader of the Three Ships Alliance during the First Alliance-PLANT War.

Personality and Character

At first glance, Lacus appears to be naive and a bit of an airhead, but it is only due to her idealistic and pacifistic nature. Beneath the surface as a pop star and a PLANT idol, she is actually a very deep and philosophical person, as she demonstrates when she delivers speeches throughout the series - mainly about the widening rift between Naturals and Coordinators, the ironies of calling for peace yet doing so with weapons in hand, and the real causes of war as being within the human heart itself. As the leader of the Clyne Faction (and later the Three Ships Alliance and Terminal), Lacus is very charismatic, strong-willed, and determined to see their fight for peace through to the end. Like her father, Siegel Clyne, Lacus wishes to see a world where Naturals and Coordinators would willingly work together and coexist in harmony, disregarding the notion that Coordinators are an evolved species. Being a pacifist, Lacus holds a strong dislike for war, expressing that they are simply started and repeated through a neverending cycle of attack and retaliation.

Skills and Abilities

Because Lacus is a coordinator, her mind and body are enhanced above a normal human's abilities; the full aspects of her abilities are undefined. Lacus' most outstanding talents lie in singing and dancing, as she developed into an influential cultural pop icon in PLANT. She is shown to have a good sense of delegation and command for those that work under her. Lacus Clyne has the ability to enter SEED mode as well. When in SEED mode, her delegation and coordination abilities are enhanced for commanding the Eternal; her full abilities are unknown.

History

First Alliance-PLANT War

Lacus Clyne was born the daughter of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne. She developed a career as an idol singer which brought her enormous popularity in the PLANTs. She was engaged to Athrun Zala for political reasons. Upon their engagement, Athrun went to their home to hand her a bouquet of roses much to her delight. When the First Alliance-PLANT War started, things changed between them as they are both preoccupied with their agendas during the war they rarely got the chance to meet or speak with one another. Despite that, Lacus always anticipated the day she and Athrun will meet again.

Meeting Kira Yamato

When she was dispatched on the civilian space vessel Silverwind to the ruins of Junius Seven for an upcoming memorial service, her vessel was attacked by an Earth Alliance Nelson-class battleship, which was given information by Kenav Luchini to believe that the vessel was actually a military ship. A fight broke out aboard the ship, but not before a life pod carrying Lacus was jettisoned, and departed safely away due to the efforts of Junk Guild tech Lowe Guele in his MBF-P02 Astray Red Frame. Her life pod was subsequently rescued by the Kira Yamato and brought aboard the Archangel.

Even though they are technically enemies, Lacus was kind and respectful towards everybody on board the Archangel, and most of them treated her the same way. (Sai Argyle did question whether the reason she has such a lovely singing voice was due to her genetic alterations.) However, Flay Allster refused to shake hands and scorns her kindness because she was a Coordinator. During her time on the Archangel, Lacus spent a lot of time with Kira and the two started to bond as they saw how kind the other was.

Later, when Flay's father's escort was attacked by ZAFT forces, Flay dragged Lacus to the bridge and said that she would kill Lacus if ZAFT didn't cease their attack at once. Before anyone could react her father dies when his ship, the Montgomery, exploded. Lacus showed compassion towards Flay after her father's death, despite having been threatened by her. As the ZAFT forces continue their assault, Natarle Badgiruel informed them that the Archangel had Lacus on board, thus prompting them to withdraw. When Kira nearly had an emotional breakdown on one of the observation decks due to Flay's abusive words, Lacus comforted him and learned that he shared a friendship with Athrun.

Kira later smuggled Lacus off the Archangel and returned her to Athrun, who once again beseeched him to join ZAFT. As before, Kira turned him down because he wanted to protect his friends on board the Archangel. This saddens Lacus, as she knew that Kira and Athrun are both good people that were forced to fight one another because of this war. As Athrun returned to the Vesalius with Lacus, Rau Le Creuset launched in his ZGMF-515 CGUE to begin an assault on the Archangel. Lacus quickly picked up the intercom and ordered him to stop his aggression at once, due to her being a memorial representative of Junius Seven.

Lacus momentarily stayed on the Vesalius while waiting for the ship to fetch her and return her to PLANTs. She kept on going out of her room and was told to stay there since it was a warship. Athrun then comes over to visit her. She saw Athrun stare at her worriedly and ask him what the matter was. Athrun asks her how she was feeling after being taken as a hostage. Lacus replied that Kira treated her very well, which makes Athrun angry. As he blurted out his disgust about Kira choosing to side with the Earth forces, Lacus tried to comfort him by reaching her hand to his cheek, but Athrun avoided the gesture. He then apologized and bid farewell. Before he left, Lacus pointed out the bitter expression he always had. Athrun replied that he can't exactly fight a war with a big smile on his face and shut the door leaving Lacus stunned.

The next day, Athrun escorted Lacus to the ship. Lacus was disappointed that their meeting was short. Athrun replied that everyone was worried at PLANTs. Before Lacus boarded the ship she told Athrun that she was looking forward to the day they'll meet again.

When Athrun visited Lacus at her home in PLANTs, they discussed Kira and Lacus mentions that she was quite "fond" of Kira, much to Athrun's surprise. The two then spent time walking around the garden talking. Athrun however, was unable to stay for dinner much to Lacus' disappointment since her father was going home and wanted to see him. Athrun reassured her by saying he'll come to visit her again making Lacus' face light up with anticipation and told him she'll look forward to that day. Athrun then leaned forward Lacus (she was surprised at first until she understood the gesture) with her eyes closed. Athrun then kissed her on the lips (on the cheek in the remastered version) and bid her goodbye. As Athrun left, Lacus told Mr. Pink that Athrun was really a busy person.

Second meeting with Kira

Later in the war, a wounded Kira was brought to Lacus' home by Clyne family friend Reverend Malchio. Lacus nursed Kira back to health with the help of her father and Malchio. Kira and Lacus became even closer during his stay. When Kira was unsure if it was alright for him to be there with them, Lacus assured him that he could stay at her home as long as he wanted. However, when Siegel Clyne received word of Patrick Zala's deception - that the target for Operation Spitbreak was the Earth Alliance headquarters JOSH-A in Alaska, instead of the intended Panama Base - Kira wanted to return to Earth to save his friends aboard the Archangel. In response, Lacus provided Kira with a ZAFT Red uniform and helped him steal the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam. Before he left, Lacus granted Kira "her strength" by means of a kiss on his cheek, showing him that he has her support and affection.

Because of her helping Kira, Lacus and her father Siegel were declared traitors. As part of the "Clyne Faction", they tried to inform the people about the genocidal ambitions of Patrick Zala, and Siegel was gunned down by ZAFT soldiers under Patrick Zala's command. While in hiding, Lacus met with Athrun and explained why she helped Kira and that if Athrun kept blindly following the path he was on, she and Kira would ultimately become his enemies. Just then, soldiers of the PLANT radical faction tried to assassinate her, but she and Athrun were saved by members of the Clyne Faction, notably Martin DaCosta.

Athrun Zala

Originally a close friend of Kira Yamato, he later became Kira's rival during the First Alliance-PLANT War, where he participated in the Gundam extortion plan at Heliopolis. He became the pilot of the GAT-X303 Aegis Gundam and waged a fierce fight against Kira. In the later stages of the war, they would return to being friends, as well as being comrades opposed to both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT.

Personality and Character

As seen and even mentioned by Lacus Clyne herself, Athrun is described as a quiet, reserved, and often a benevolent individual. Athrun is shown to have a firm belief that if soldiers follow their orders then eventually the war will end with success. While good at following orders, Athrun has trouble acting as a team leader due to his compassionate outlook in life. In Destiny, Athrun's personality and ideals does not change much, but he does mature in some respects, especially when he rejoins ZAFT at the personal behest of Gilbert Durandal to command and become part of the ZAFT forces as a field commander aboard the Minerva. Due to his status as a hero to the PLANT colonies and ZAFT ace pilot, he somehow instinctively portrays a very professional aura and doesn't hesitate when giving orders that can come off as being harsh or demanding. Despite the former's particular distaste of being ordered around, Athrun still manages to act as a mentor to his young subordinates, such as Shinn Asuka and Lunamaria Hawke.

However, Athrun does have two major flaws, both of which often plague him in both SEED and Destiny. His perseverance to find himself and discern the truth of the moment amidst the chaos in both wars waged in both SEED and Destiny eventually eclipses that flaw. His second flaw is a by-product of his first flaw as his indecisiveness comes off as being labeled as a traitor to either side of the war, much to his frustration and denial. After his defection to Terminal, Athrun seems to regain a sense of what he is fighting for, but it is not clearly portrayed if he has resolved this personal issue.

Skills and Abilities

Before becoming a full-fledged pilot, Athrun had underwent training at the ZAFT military academy. It was there that he showed natural talent as a soldier, ranking 1st in mobile suit piloting, hand-to-hand combat, and knife-fighting, even going as far as to beat the renowned knife-fighting instructor "Fred of the Knife". With his natural experience as a pilot and high scores at the academy, it's very surprising that Kira Yamato was able to match him with skill

alone. His fighting style is not visibly limited in style, his mobile suits, GAT-X303 Aegis Gundam, the ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam and later the ZGMF-X19A ∞ Justice Gundam, are all well-rounded mobile suits that are always equiped with sufficient firepower and a minimum of two beam sabers. Although his style is typically well-rounded, he can also pilot mobile suits with more basic ability, and therefore less strategic uses, such as the ZGMF-1000/M Blaze ZAKU Warrior.

Athrun is also pretty skilled in robotics, as evidenced by his creation of Kira's Birdy and Lacus's Haros.

Athrun's resolve in battle is often profound. He debates "truth", "war" and even the real difference between "right" and "wrong" on the battlefield. These thoughts never cloud his mind in the sense that they hinder his abilities. However, his anger or desire for revenge often make him act in a way that he later regrets. His only weakness as a pilot is his good nature, which leaves him troubled when faced with having to kill Kira, his best friend. Ultimately, his "perfect solider" mentality and his father's expectations blind him to what he truly wants.

History

Athrun was born in December City of the PLANTs on October 29, CE 55. In C.E. 61, Patrick Zala sent Athrun to attend a preparatory school at the lunar city of Copernicus with his mother. There, he met Kira Yamato and the two become close friends. In C.E. 68, Patrick called Athrun back from Copernicus City. Just before he left, Athrun built a robotic pet bird, Birdy (Torii (which means bird) in the Japanese version), and gave it to Kira as a parting gift.

After returning to the PLANTs, Athrun found that his father had arranged an engagement for him to PLANT pop idol Lacus Clyne. Athrun built her Mr. Pink, a pink ball-shaped robotic pet-companion , which she liked very much. In response, he built her a large number of them, which she named based on their colors.

On February 21, C.E. 70, Athrun enrolled in the ZAFT military following his mother's death seven days earlier during the Bloody Valentine tragedy, which was caused by the Earth Alliance. Among the Le Creuset Team members led by Rau Le Creuset, he became friends with Nicol Amalfi and Rusty Mackenzie, and he was the only member whose views on Naturals differ from his parent's. During his time at the ZAFT Military Academy, Athrun was first in almost all of his classes and was the top graduate, just above Yzak Joule. This may account for some of Yzak's hostilities toward Athrun.