all good dead men

Summit War Saga

Sabaody Archipelago Arc (Ch 490 - 513)

me: hoe don't do it

Luffy: does it

me: oh my god

Oh boy, here's a long and heavy saga, in case you couldn't tell from the entry title. This arc seemed like a jam packed intro so I'm gonna break it down. First they meet a mermaid and rescue a former Arlong pirate. This I like because first of all, they're finally back at the Red Line and it was the Arlong Park Arc that finished off the very first saga. And secondly, these enemies are not even worth their time - it's basically a chance to show off the whole crew now plus Brook. And I love it. It's so great watching the squad be badass without worrying about anyone dying (and it's only gonna last for like 2 chapters so).

The glimpses of the Supernovas are interesting, and Rayleigh is a cool Badass Old Man. Sabaody as a location was average. What was the most hilarious was I actually thought they might get through it without incident. Like how much it was impressed on them that attacking nobles were A Very Bad Idea. That admirals were gonna come, and I was like no way they're gonna fight admirals now. That just goes against the level up progression of shounen! Even after the Enies Lobby incident they weren't really chased by the government 24/7. And plus Bonney stops Zoro, and Nami comes up with a plan to avoid conflict, and Luffy literally promising, appearing to understand, to not attack a noble even if someone was shot... I'm like it'll probably be fine...haha...

I can't believe I was naive enough to believe that typical shounen story tropes would prevent Luffy from ignoring a Bad Guy. Naive enough to see his crew backing him up like they always do that they would somehow escape together towards the next adventure like they always do. Naive to think that Luffy's shounen hero declaration of adventure would guarantee the freedom he was talking about. But you know, if it were that easy to predict, well, I don't want to read about a boring adventure like that.

Amazon Lily Arc (Ch 514 - 524)

He's in love...with adventure!

I like Boa actually, as much as I hate romance and strong female characters being weak because they're in love. I don't know if its the emptiness of Luffy's stare that tells us that he doesn't even know what romance means or if it's because it's what brings Boa's pride down a notch, but it's funny.

The beginning of this arc was a little weird and not my deal. The highlight was Luffy's fight against the two Gorgon Sisters. It's cute how his super power has the 'men fearing' Amazons worrying about him (the super power by the way is friendship), and how he reciprocates it by getting all serious business only when a friend is in trouble. His sincerity could recruit a nation and it pretty much does.

I love serious captain mode Luffy where he's genuinely angry about a leader abusing her power. I love beaming sunshine mode Luffy the instant someone's nice to him even if they were an enemy 2.5 seconds ago. I love 'that's not food why are you naked' Luffy where he's like 'that's not food why are you naked'. I love this kid so much like is it really any wonder Boa fell so hard? She's actually super cute.

Impel Down Arc (Ch 525 - 549)

Move bitch get out the way

This arc ran a little long for me...the fights mostly...too long. Unlike the previous arcs I can't even remember the names of the enemies they fought, or actually what their powers even were. Luffy and Boa smuggling into Impel Down was cute, anything involving Ace is terrible, just terrible like a big fuck you to whoever already read ahead. Blackbeard was already like fuck this guy because you can just tell he's going to bring bad vibes and sadness to this series. The worst (and maybe the most interesting) part about him is that he does the whole shounen believe in your dreams thing except coming out of him its corrupt and twisted.

I really liked Luffy teaming up with #ThrowbackThursday villains like Buggy and Crocodile. It's funny how the low level villains are totally ready to betray him but are destroyed by Luffy's total innocence and trust at the end. And Croc is so cool in this arc and the next one you almost forget he ran a cartel for bounty hunters, killed hundreds of people, incited civil war for his own gains and nearly destroyed a country. In comparison Buggy in this arc and the next was like eh whatever. I don't particularly like him. But at least both he and the readers get to see Luffy's progression of badassery from 'minor incident with clown' to 'I'll burn down your flag, break into your prison, punch a VIP, destroy your government like I don't give a fuck'. [YAH YOU AINT REALLY FUCK WITH ME WAY BACK THEN WELL HOW ABOUT NOW - COZ IM UP RIGHT NOW - AND YOU STUCK RIGHT NOW]

Bon as an 'okama' character I don't particularly like but as one of Luffy's friendship is magic representatives yeah he's pretty cool. The whole okama underground group was pretty average for me. This arc could've been way shorter but I guess it just hits home that feeling of gruelling, literally hours of struggle to get to Ace. And of course he's gone by the time they get there. As if this whole saga isn't enough of a fuck you to your expectations.

Marineford Arc (Ch 550 - 580)

It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight

'Say the name of your father' SHUSHSUSHUT UP
'My little brother talks about you all the time' so I must journey through wind and snow to meet one of the deadliest pirates in the world to thank you HOW CUTE CAN YOU BE
'Ace...that's enough...just this once..' LISTEN TO YOUR FUCKING FATHER GOD FUCKING DAMNIT AND WHITEBEARD YOU'RE LIKE THE FUCKING RULER OF THE SEA TRY SLIGHTLY HARDER TO STOP YOUR CHILD
'But I can't say the same for family...!" OH GOD GARP MAN I CRY FOR U
Luffy coming in like a shounen dork flailing, his speech motivating everyone, then doing that big damn heroes pose like MY POOR CHILD WITH NO IDEA WHAT'S ABLE TO HAPPEN
(But god DAMn entering a war between the greatest powers in the world and every single one of them reacting to him)
'This is the one guy Ace really cares about' so even though I know nothing about you I must protect one of the deadliest pirates in the world HOW CUTE THESE BROTHERS
'Cause I'm your brother!!!"FUCK THESE BROTHERS
"That is no skill or technique...but the simple ability to turn those around him into his allies...I would call that the most dangerous ability in this entire ocean!" POWER OF FRIENDSHIP MOTHERFUCKERS
Some guy betraying Whitebeard because of Akainu: What the fuck is this. Don't bring that shit in here get the fuck out of here.
"I want to live."
Luffy using Conqueror's Haki and people simultanously going 'HOLY. SHIT."
Ace and Luffy's back to back badass: WHY MUST YOU HURT ME LIKE THIS
"He's mocking my old man" SHIT ACE I LOVE YOU BUT YOU RIGHTEOUS HERO TYPES ARE COMPLETE DUMBASSES FUCK WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST WALKED AWAY
"Thank you for loving me."

things we lost to the flames, things we'll never see again
the future's in our hands and we'll never be the same again
(I didn't use the picture of Ace's last words because I wanted to be able to re-read this post without crying)

And there you have it my play by play commentary on the Battle of Marineford (The parts with no commentary are the parts where I'm crying too hard to speak). This was an intense arc and I can't read it without sobbing my eyes out. There were a ton of two page spreads that were amazingly detailed and it really hits home the scale of this war. The outrageous amount of characters involved both in the war and in the flashbacks of the past. All the fights and all the action, but never did it feel like arc fatigue. It was all tension, waiting to see where this action would take us next.

In hindsight, in the bigger picture, it makes sense for Ace not to make it out of there. The flashbacks they had to the era of Gol D. Roger, Ace was the last of his bloodline, the last tie to the legend. Ace's connection was to the old era, of Gold Rogers and Whitebeard and Garp. But there's a new world and a new pirate king in the making. It's being made by the new generation. Luffy's ties are to the new era, of Blackbeard and Smoker and Coby and Law and the Supernovas. The old world has to be destroyed for the new one to take it's place...but it doesn't mean it hurts any less.

Ch.572 The Times They Are A-Changing

you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone

the loser now will be later to win

 there's a battle outside ragin', it'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls

your sons and your daughters are beyond your command, your old road is rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one, if you can't lend your hand

the order is rapidly falling and the first one now will later be last

Everything leading up to Ace's death made it seem like he was going to live. From making a promise with his brother, to finding out that vivre cards would repair itself if the person got better, to Bon's sacrifice in Impel Down, to the miracles that Luffy encountered on his way to the execution, to the fact that we've barely even seen him in action, to the fact that above all for a triumphant moment: he really was saved. After all that sacrifice, where you knew that Whitebeard was going to die because he was an Old Mentor Figure, but it didn't matter because Luffy had finally saved Ace and now they were together and what could possibly stand in the way of these two amazing brothers joining forces?

But that's probably why it hurt as much as it did to see him die. Because despite all the symbolism about ties to the past, it hurt to see Whitebeard and Garp having to watch Ace die. Because despite all the story tropes about rescues and big damn heroes, it hurts to see those boys cry. Because all throughout the arc we wanted Ace to live, wanted him to know that he was loved. Because in the end this war wasn't about symbolism, or tropes, or statistics; it never is. War is fought by the people, the people who grow and cry and love. "He was so young and this is so wrong. But that is the lament of all men isn't it?"
For Ace, who didn't feel like he deserved the right to live at the beginning of the arc, to become someone who finally accepted all that love and wanted to live, it must of seemed like irony that he would discover that answer just before dying. But if Ace can die with a smile on his face, maybe that's a little closure for the readers too.
"Realistically, the face of pain, burning, hurting, feeling bad, and not wanting to die. Still, the feeling of having no regrets. He probably tries to tell that is how he truly feels to Luffy. And that's what his smile is. When a person cradles a crying baby, he/she always smiles, right? Same as that. Because he wants the person to smile, he dies with a peaceful smile in the end, and I think that shows us his kindness." - Oda Eiichiro (SBS Ch.598) 

Post-War Arc (Ch 581 - 597)

I do believe in the light, raise your hands into the sky
The fight is done, the war is won, lift your hands toward the sun
It's a brave new world

Finally falling action, phew. So as my gross sobbing becomes gross sniffles, so we see how the rest of the world is dealing with the aftermath of the war.

I'm not sure how I feel about Sabo for now. I've just finished falling in love with Ace only for the series to break my fucking heart in the next second. I'm dealing with loss here too okay? So forgive me if I don't suddenly warm up to this new kid who's only now showing up in some flashbacks and is also apparently soooo important to Luffy and Ace.
"When your old man died, he died bringing in a whole new age!! I won't have you running off to your death until you're a great enough man to do the same!!" As much as I would like to think Ace managed that, it was really Whitebeard's death that ushered in the new era. But that's the point, Ace was great but he could've been greater. Now we'll never know.

All throughout this arc, we've seen so many different sides of Luffy. We've seen him his typical hero self, making typical shounen speeches about his dreams and his goals. But we've also seen him as we've never seen before. We saw him desperately give the order to retreat and we saw him defeated by an enemy he couldn't even touch. We've seen him rescue a precious person as he has done time and time again before this, but we also saw him contending with the fact that he lost him. All throughout the series we've heard him say he's going to be the pirate king. He said it to Whitebeard, in the middle of a war, amongst the strongest players in the game. But here, all alone, without a crew or family, he says the opposite. Here, he's no shounen hero built up with friendship speeches and fighting tropes, he's just a boy.

The Straw Hats inspire everyone they meet to live, and their own captain is no exception. They promised Ace to look after Luffy, and even when separated they are still keeping that promise. And now Luffy can keep the promise he made to Ace, to live his own adventure. They were just boys, but they were heroes too. Heroes fight to protect their loved ones, greet death with smiles on their faces and most importantly, heroes never stop getting back up.