Syrup Island Arc- Part III

[we_are]

In this chapter, we will see more of being proactive about the consequences of your actions, exploring more in detail Usopp’s character, Usopp and Nami’s budding relationship, take another peek at Kuro and explore the fascinating character of Jango as he struggles with position and what he wants/what he believes vs. what’s best for the crew. Betcha didn’t think Jango was such an interesting guy, did ya? Well you’d be surprised.

When we last left, Usopp was desperately trying to convince the villagers of Kuro’s plan to kill Kaya and mess up the village. Before we get to that, we first see that Kaya has gotten a present for Khaladore.




Just out of gratitude. It shows how considerate a person Kaya is, but moreover, show how hard Khaladore worked at maintaining this image. Back to Usopp, however, in his bid to undo what he has done.



The villagers are really pissed here—which is another part why I think that, while they did care about Usopp to an extent, he’s not really considered one of them. They are determined to beat the tar out of him because of a perceived lie. Granted, it’s the second one that day and there is a different attitude about it, too. While before Usopp was playful, this time his tone is serious, like he expects them to believe him, and perhaps that more than anything sets them off. Usopp, however, knows a lost battle when he sees one and knows how to prioritize. You also see another of his skills which is his speed. That’ll come in handy later.

We cut to Usopp’s kids, Nami and Zoro who meet Luffy at the beach and Lu tells them of Khaladore’s plans. And Nami says this:



She looks a little proud of Usopp’s actions here, but is closed off at the same time. Note how she tells them to escape and that it’ll be too late when the pirates arrive. She knows this particular situationa ll too well—and not just with Buggy. Also I love Zoro’s posture there. I don’t know why. It’s just dynamic and showing his nature without saying anything at all.



Also, there’s a sense of innocence here. This is dangerous, but it’s as if they don’t really get the full extent of the danger because of what they want to pack, highlighting that they are just kids. Then Luffy remembers that if everyone runs away then they won’t have a chance to get meat from the butcher, highlighting that he is, and always will be, Luffy.

Cut to Usopp on the outside of the mansion.




Her first words are: I didn’t think you’d come back. Which just shows she really does care for him and want him to return and bears him no ill will for what happened. But she’s definitely worried on the lower right hand panel. Already you can tell she won’t believe him. All she says is, what’s wrong. As if she’s assuming he’s lying or exaggerating. You can also see it in her tight smile and the sweatdrop. But Usopp’s face is super serious. (and you can also tell that Odacchi got more used to drawing him.)

As Usopp explains, the nature of the truth is even more unfortunate.



Remember, that Khaladore accused him of doing the same thing. It looks like a lie and maybe Kuro was banking on that. Maybe he didn’t even know but set it up just as a backup plan should things go awry. Of course it’s impossible to say, but it could very easily be that he orchestrated this—plying Kaya with ideas about how bad Usopp is, telling his scheme about being after her for her wealth so if it was overheard and Usopp told her, she wouldn’t believe him. Or it could be that it is just a happy coincidence for Kuro. Either way it looks bad for Usopp.

Kaya is of course, concerned and upset by what Usopp says. Maybe even feeling a little betrayed. Kaya says that she was wrong about Usopp and:



Here she jumps to conclusions. Though it’s at least conclusions based on what she’s seen of Usopp. Yes she’s seen him being friendly and happy toward her. But she’s also seen him be violent and—more importantly, she’s seen him be petulant. On her side, why should she believe him? There is no direct reason to, and as much as she might like him, there is no denying the fact that Kuro has taken care of her for three years while Usopp has only known her one.



Words have power. Kaya took Usopp’s words and turned them into inspiration. And she states the theme right here. She really liked his words until he used them against another person and to cause harm. Also I love Usopp’s expression on the top left. The eyebrow raise but the tension in his shoulders. He can tell that this is going south in a hurry but can’t bring his mind to believe it and is desperate to bring her around to his way of thinking.
Merry comes out, drawn by the noise. The guards capture Usopp.



Words are power, yes, but actions speak louder…and Usopp looks pretty terrifying here as he fights the guards. Kaya assumes the worst, though. Kuro has gotten to her on one level and she’s believed what he’s said. His actions could say: Desperate to get revenge. Or they could say: desperate to have her hear the truth.

Now let’s just take a gander at Usopp being a BAMF.



He’s fighting with the equivalent of marbles, but his aim is fantastic since of course it is. And look at how well he can aim without even having to think. Also dat musculature. Monster he may not be, but Usopp isn’t a complete slouch when it comes right down to the wire. It also shows that Usopp is right handed, since with slingshots, it’s the dominant hand you use to control the angle and strength of the shot. Did I just drop that on you because I had unused slingshot knowledge? Oh yes I did. Also, those bands are thick. Have you ever tried to pull back really thick rubberbands? It’s not easy.

Anyway, Kaya tells him to stop and thinks to herself that this is not the Usopp she used to know.

And here Usopp oversteps himself:



Of course, he’s in a truly desperate situation here. The villagers aren’t kidding around. Usopp is the kind of person who would know how serious they are and they are super freaking serious to have followed him this far. And seeing no other course, he grabs her arm. It’s probably a tight grip, too. Actions are louder and these actions say that he’s terrifying and just about everything Kuro said he was. If he hadn’t nailed Kuro earlier, Kaya might be more inclined to believe him, but the moment he grabbed her, that left. She even tells him to let her go but he just yells that she has to believe him and she slaps him hard.



She’s telling him that he’s going over the line with this lie. She’s hurt beyond words that he would go this far. But I believe some part of her cares about him and likes him still because of what she says. Not that he’s a bastard. Not go away. Not calling for help. Just trying to correct him—just as frantic as he is. Then of course Merry comes out, reacting straight from a place of fear and shoots Usopp even as he bolts, getting him in the arm. And then sending the villagers after him while Kaya yells at him that he nearly shot Usopp and then faints, overcome with all this. Remember that she’s still kind of sick and it’s a lot of strain on her body. Also this.



It’s easy to say, because you lied. You keep having flashbacks about Khaladore saying they won’t believe you. Why do you think? But while it’s true he lied, I think a part of him is really hurt that people don’t know him well enough to know when he is telling the truth. The villagers certainly didn’t and he eventually gave up on them because he wasn’t really that close to them anyway. (and getting attacked doesn’t necessarily mean death whereas Kaya was definitely going to die) but I think he at least expected Kaya to know and understand because they were friends, weren’t they?

Now let’s just take a full page here:



Just look at the atmosphere of this. His slouched posture. Looking back at the village, the place that he loves. Full of frustration both at himself and them and no idea where to even go from here. It’s so evocative and really sad. It also seems to be sunset judging by the shading of the clouds. A definite metaphor for what he’s going through. For things ending, changing. The kids call out to him and because Usopp has to be in control of his own presentation, does this:



He’s okay. Wasn’t crying at all. Though he does break the act a little when he sees that Luffy is alive. Pepper says that they know about the evil butler’s plans and that they have to warn everyone away…and then this:



Man that face is just heartbreaking. Maybe he thinks that the kids, by being associated with him, won’t be believed. Or maybe he thinks that he’s screwed it up by getting Kaya so mad. It’s also possible he’s afraid they could get hurt and so:



Usopp’s lies are almost always for the benefit of someone else. Even lying about lying. And look at what a good actor he is here. Luffy has no idea what he’s doing but doesn’t stop him from doing it, because Luffy tends to let people do what they want. Zoro and Nami, too. Though Zoro is looking more: wtf are you doing and why? Because he knows that Luffy wasn’t lying. And Nami has a carefully closed look.



Just to look at Carrot’s line that show the kids are really just kids and while they understand sort of, they don’t get the full brunt of the situation here. And all Luffy says is eh?? He really doesn’t get it still but he’s pretty relaxed about it with his hands in his pockets. Maybe he sort of figures he’ll understand things eventually. Anyway the kids are pissed that it’s a lie and that Usopp would lie like that to hurt others, much like Kaya, the hurting is what they’re most upset about. It’s not honorable. And, as Usopp said way back at the beginning of the arc, he is an honorable man.



And here is the moment that Usopp grows up. The kids are leaving back to the safety of home and village and Usopp stands apart from them, among people his own age, protecting the kids in the only way he knows how. He’s on the path to becoming an adult and can never return to the neverland where lies about pirates attacking were just fun and games. And, later on, like going through a process of grief, Usopp finally accepts the inevitable truth.



The situation has gone so far, he can’t even lie to himself. As much as he would like to believe that people would know that he was telling the truth just by knowing the sort of person he was, the truth is that that’s not the case. No one believes him and he knows it and knows why. Nevertheless the pirates are going to attack, despite the fact that the villagers think it’s going to be a peaceful day. But it’s not enough to just admit that sort of thing. Usopp is an honorable guy, remember? So he’s going to do the honorable thing:



Declaring his intentions with a DON! He’s not only going to protect the village but the village’s sense of peace. He’s taking responsibility for his lies, but also for Kuro’s actions. Interestingly, while Luffy always says he doesn’t want to be a hero because he doesn’t want to share his meat, being a hero is one thing that’s always tied up in Usopp’s persona, from Sogeking to Hercule. What does a hero do but give up what he wants most, in this case the respect and love of the village, Kaya, and his pirates, for the benefit of all.



Even Luffy is surprised by this declaration of his. It’s such a strong one and such a brave one to go it alone. Zoro’s expression is still not entirely sure what’s going on here, but the hand is resting on his swords like he’s subconsciously already getting himself ready for action. Nami’s expression is closed still. She’s been there. She really has. And you can also sort of read in it, you are a brave kid but you are so screwed.




He adds to this that he really loves his village and wants to protect it. It’s such a strong statement. The village hasn’t given him too much but he loves it just the same. Also look at how he’s presenting his arm. He’s bleeding and hurt because of them but that doesn’t matter. He wants to protect what he loves dearly. What he holds close. Just think about it, too. It takes a person with strong character to protect a village where they’re loved, but even stronger to protect one where they are the outcast.



And yeah he’s at the end of his rope here. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do. He’s desperate but lost and has fought as hard as he knows how in the only way he knows how—but it’s as far as he can go. Nami, again, feels that so hard. She’s holding back because she’s Nami but man if this isn’t hitting her sympathy cards. Also note, Zoro’s hand on his swords.



Did you know that Zoro has a dimple? Cuz he does. And I just [chinhands] every time I see it. Also, he gets it. He does. Motivations having to do with fighting he really understands. And look at his puff of air there. Everything about this panel suggests that Zoro approves of this.



And of course, since he’s gone as far as he can and can fight no longer, Luffy who can fight is stepping in. Nami is not going to fight, her inentions are clear, but she’s setting the contract that she’ll be the one taking the treasure, whatever it is. The boys can do the fighting. She’ll do the navigating and taking the treasure.

Oh and yeah, Usopp was prepared to do this entirely on his own. He knows what Kuro’s fleet is capable of. He knows to be scared of the guy. He knows he’ll be outnumbered and outclassed. Yet he was still going to do it. This guy is brave as balls when he wants to be. Usopp asks why they want to help him and:



Note: Nami doesn’t answer. Also note: Zoro knows that he’s terrified.
Usopp, of course, has to save face. It’s fine for him to tell the truth but he doesn’t want to hear it from others. He wants them to know just what kind of guy he is. He has the blood of Yasopp who was a super brave pirate so, of course, to make him proud, he is, too. But, actions speak louder than words:



He’s caught in his lie by his own body and of course assumes the others will make fun of him for it, though he has a damn good reason for being petrified thank you very much. They can take their sympathetic looks elsewhere. But note what Zoro says. He’s saying Usopp has courage. Zoro knows what bravery looks like. Usopp really is a pretty brave guy. When he does run, it’s usually for a damn good reason as we’ll see. Luffy adds that because Usopp has courage, that’s why they’re risking their lives to help him.

Usopp says they only have one slope so that the pirates will come up from there, so if they guard it, it should be okay, and asks what everyone is good at:



Yeah, they’re going to fight with him, not for him. Though to be honest, I’m not sure if Usopp was saying that’s what he was going to do, or that, in his mind, it’s the only thing he’s good at.

We switch to Kuro and Merry. Kuro hears about the trouble that Usopp caused and is all secretly smirky when Merry says who would believe such a lie…and then he sees the anniversary present that Kaya got him.



Now of course we know that he crushes them, saying that he’ll take his own gifts, and then assaults Merry; but let’s just look at this for a second. Kaya gave them those glasses because his always slip. She’s paying attention to him and noticing the little details. Which says something about her kindness more than words could. But most interestingly here, remember that Kuro adjusts his glasses like he does because of the claw-swords weapon he uses. For three years he’s adjusted his glasses like this. It could be seen as just a habit—but it could also be seen as a conscious effort to remind himself not to go soft—and keep in mind his plans. Kaya gives him glasses that won’t slip, special ordered them so that he wouldn’t have to keep adjusting them. In a way, this can be seen as Kuro’s choice. Because this is all about choice here. He can easily accept her offer, take the glasses and call off the attack. But he chooses instead to crush them, crush anything to do with her and to go ahead with it anyway. We’ll touch more on this a little later, but it’s important to remember this scene, and this one:



Three years is way too long. Why is that, Kuro? Also note the change. His jacket is open from where it was closed and his posture is much more dominant and menacing. We cut to Jango, preparing the KuroNeko pirates to move out.



For such a dork, he can be so smooth. You could even call him a smooth criminal.

Then we switch to Usopp, Luffy, Nami and Zoro going about defending the slope.



Firstly, gosh, I just love the art. There’s so much character here. [chinhands] The top panel with Usopp pushing up his nose like that, and in his imagination he’s alone shooting the guys as they fall down the oil slick. Of course he hasn’t really seen the others fight so he has no idea what they can do really. But also it’s an example of everyone is the hero of their own story. Also the below panel with Luffy playing with the oil slick. He’s such a kid and it’s so adorable. Usopp’s stance like, yep this is a good idea. >B| I am good. And Zoro just sort of watching it like, I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do with this, but whatever.
And just to make a note, yes this would be considered using a trick to fight. Buggy and his cohorts use tricks as well. But the difference here is, Usopp is using them because it’s the only thing he can think of to protect others against an overwhelming force. Buggy used tricks to show off, dominate, and get out of things.



Again, just the mood of it. I love the line of them standing against the sun, Usopp the strongest position because it’s his story, but Zoro with a hand on his sword, ready for action, Luffy with a hand in his pocket just sort of prepared for whatever comes and also a little hungry probably.

Also the below panels with the light and shadow on Kuro and Kaya. You can really tell it’s early morning. But there’s a tension, too. Kuro is smirking out of one side of his mouth. We’ve seen him when he’s really happy about landing a verbal hit, we always see his eyes and it’s a quiet personal triumph. Here his eyes are hidden despite his smile. Also note Jango. Not once has he looked happy about this entire excursion. Unlike Buggy and his pirates who were partying and nasty bastards but at least happy ones, no one really seems really happy about what is going to go down here.

The KuroNeko ship lands but on the north slope instead of the south one where Usopp and the others are standing guard.



Which just goes to show that all the preparations in the world aren’t going to help you if you have the wrong information. Though note that Luffy doesn’t really care that he got it wrong, he just wants to know what he can do to fix it now. He’s already running off while Usopp is still freaking out about the really well laid out preparations that will no longer work. And of course Nami’s main concern is the treasure that she left behind on the ships.

Nami slips on the oil slick and, trying to stop herself drags Zoro with her. I really recommend reading this part because Zoro’s expressions are priceless.




Yeah, on the outside, she kind of looks like a bitch for doing this. And yeah it is a bit ruthless. But first of all, she does say thanks which shows gratitude for using his head as a stepping stone. She also apologizes and explains. Remember, Nami never once said that she’d help protect the village. Her main priority is treasure for her own village. She can’t risk it being in danger for anything since five million is a hell of a lot to get back—and it was a lucky break she got that much in one go to begin with. So ruthless no doubt, but she is because she has to be.



Also, she has confidence in Zoro’s skills to get up anyway. Even Zoro’s own strength comes back to bite him in the end. Here he says he’s going to kill her but /waves hand/ of course we know he doesn’t mean it. He’s just really freaking embarrassed at ending up in a situation like that and being detained from the fight that easily. At any rate, they are all running toward the other slope, or at least the direction they think—where we see Luffy is almost as directionally challenged as Zoro. Almost. Nami is desperate to get her treasure. The pirates are charging up the slope and



Here, of course, another lie to bolster his own confidence, and trying to scare them into retreating. Also note he’s doing all this completely alone since Luffy hasn’t managed to show up yet, but he took out all those guys anyway. There is no running and hiding for him here. Yes, trying to get out of the fight by scaring them off, but nonetheless standing guard over his village. To that end, he tells them that he has 100 million crew waiting to attack. Which Jango believes because he’s dumb, but the rest don’t and are like: are you serious? We’re not two year olds. B| Jango is a little annoyed at being lied to, that bastard! And then one of the guys says they found money on Nami’s ship.



I love Usopp’s startled expression in the top right. But also note that he knows very well that it is their money. And he thinks about it in the left top. His fists are clenched. He’s making a plan but, looking at the body posture, there’s a suggestion that he knows it’s wrong. Instead of fighting, he tries to bribe them off the island. He’s scared of the actual fight, who wouldn’t be? But he’s not even trying to distract them here, but give away something that isn’t even his. He further says he’ll give them the treasure but they must retreat. The Kuroneko pirates look down on him for trying to bribe them. Jango calls him an idiot and then:



For all that Jango might believe Usopp’s lie, he’s definitely not a two year old. This is the adult world and he is a pirate who is strong enough to take what he wants, telling Usopp how it is. Also, noting, that he doesn’t really look too pleased with any of this. But, to Jango’s credit, he tries to hypnotize Usopp to let them pass rather than just killing him, which he can do easily by the way. Fortunately, Nami saves Usopp by smacking him over the head with her staff.




Nami, too, demands something, trying to trick them into doing what she wants. But she’s also bolder here than when she we’ve seen her in the beginning of the Buggy arc, that is because, I believe, she knows she has support with Luffy and (eventually) Zoro so she can be up front and say things like that.

Also, yeah, no Usopp, you kind of deserved that hit. She could have just told you… Trying to duck the responsibility for his action of trying to give away her treasure when we saw he knew full well who it belonged to. Nami’s not fooled either. She goes on to tell him that Jango is a hypnotist. To the first point of expecting support, she asks where Luffy is and Usopp says he doesn’t know cuz Luffy ran ahead and Usopp lost him.



Yeah, she’s worried. She was expecting the backup but the damned backup was lost. To Usopp, however, Nami is the backup. She came here to help so he’s like—yeah you go ahead I’ll get your back. Also, man, the lower right hand panel is so important. This is a shonen series, where usually, physical strength is the utmost importance. But Usopp says: Don’t think just because I’m a man that I’m stronger! Yeah, part of it is cowardice and lack of self confidence—but again, who wouldn’t be afraid in this situation? Usopp has never faced down real pirates before. He has a slingshot. He’s completely alone. He’s a normal guy and most normal people would be scared pissless at such an overwhelming force. But yes, he’s scared, he’s admitting he’s scared and even his legs are shaking. So of course Nami should go ahead. But she can’t beat them because she’s weak and physically on par with Usopp. No really. He may have more upper body strength because of his weapon, but really, their skills are about matched. And, more to the point, neither of them are looked down on for this. It’s not really a joke or a gag. It’s funny but it is an essential part of their characters which is just freaking amazing to me. How often do you see this is in a story aimed at men or women? Damn.

Anyway, the Kuroneko pirates charge:



And when the shit goes down, Usopp and Nami don’t run—they stand their ground, freaking out all the while and find a way to stop them via caltrops. Also note how the Kuroneko pirates who had such a horrible reputation tell Usopp and Nami to get out of their way instead of just mowing them down.


We cut to Zoro who is still trying to charge up the oil slick hill. Finally out of desperation, he uses the two unnamed swords as supports to get up there. Which just shows you how effective that oil ploy would have been considering Zoro’s strength. He makes it and tries to figure out which way north is, while Luffy is still running around trying to find north because they are dumbshits—and Usopp’s directions, while simple, assumed that they actually had common sense upstairs to know simple directions. Though on the other hand, I wouldn’t know north without a compass so it’s not that big a stretch. Usopp would probably be good at basic navigation.
Nami and Usopp are trying to hold the fort, so to speak. Usopp wings one in the face with the namaribashii (bullet) and some of them are stopped by the caltrops.




Two things here:

First, Nami’s tendency to get in over her head, assuming she has backup, realizing she is in over her head without back up and tries to nope out of the situation. But actions=consequences and in her case, she’s forced to accept responsibility whether she wants to or not.

Second, the caltrops, along with the oil and the Buggy canon follow the theme of weapons that you aren’t careful with can get out of your control and can be used against you.

Second point five: Usopp’s attack seem simple, but they require a great deal of precision, skill and knowing where to throw.

A sneaky third. Even as Nami turns to go, Usopp is still there fighting. Anyway, Usopp is distracted by Nami and is whacked hard in the head by a Kuroneko pirate wielding a stone club.



Even Usopp kind of looks good bleeding. /coff. In either case, this is not something he can shake off too easily, because he’s not rubber and hasn’t trained himself constantly in strength since he was ten or eight or seven or whenever it was that Zoro really started. Yet, despite the fact that he’s really freaking wounded here:




He won’t give up, no matter how much he’s clobbered in the head, because he’s decided he’s going to fight for something and so he will, even if the most he can do is hold on to one pirate at a time. This is the core of Usopp’s courage and his courage. When it comes down to it and he has no way out, he’s going to do anything he can do to protect the ones he loves, no matter how desperate or how much it seems he’ll fail. And Nami… Nami I think sees herself in this or at least a reflection. Despite his injury he is hanging on to protect his village. Despite everything he’s not giving up.



And Nami won’t let that go to waste. She has spent her whole life protecting those she loved from pirates and she’s going to protect Usopp. This is super important, too in terms of narratives in general, because it’s a woman protecting a man—with just as much strength as the man has. She’s not someone to be fucked with. It also shows the core of Nami’s character. Thief she may be but once she’s decided to risk her life, she will fight her hardest.
Of course, these are well trained pirates and Nami, though she can hold her own, is more accustomed to running from pirates and gurilla tactics, so she’s beaten and smacked against the cliff wall.



Usopp is surprised she helped him like that enough to get hurt badly. He’s surprised and shocked. This is what caring for someone else is. Granted, Luffy and Zoro already said they would fight, but actions speak louder than words. And says a lot more to fight for someone when you’re outclassed but doing your best at it anyway.

Also, Jango—Man what an interesting guy. As ruthless as we know the KuroNeko’s pirates reputation is, and there is no doubt that it was once upon a time, Jango is captain now—and look at how he reacts when they say might as well kill them. That is a reflection of Kuro. We already know that Jango doesn’t really like unnecessary killing. We’ve seen him say it, and we’ve seen him do it to peacefully hypnotize Usopp out of the way rather than mowing him down. Here, at them mentioning killing, he grits his teeth. But what he says, is a reflection of the two directions that the KuroNeko pirates are being pulled. Ideologically, they’ve never let go of Kuro as captain. And why should they? Despite the fact that they have been following Jango for three years, they’ve been waiting to enact Kuro’s plans. Jango calls Kuro Captain, I believe, half in an effort to distract them from killing those kids. The other reason he calls Kuro captain is because he still views Kuro as the captain, while he himself is still the first mate. No doubt it is slowly changing, but this also talks about the position of first mate—which we will cover.



Also this. Very much this. If they don’t get on with it, Kuro is going to get pissed and Jango knows it. Yeah, he’s trying to protect his own skin, but there’s nothing here to suggest it’s just himself he’s concerned with. No. They’re all in this together and there’s a sense he doesn’t want them to die any more than he wants to die himself. The Kuroneko pirates hear that and are like oh shit yeah better get moving! And charge up the hill. Usopp tries to stop them but is kicked to the side.



And man he’s tried so hard. He’s fought. He’s hung on. He’s got the shit beaten out of him-and all he has left to do is beg desperately. He is at the literal end of his rope.



And the tide of the future has changed. Look at that. Just look at it. The Kuroneko pirates flying back over Usopp’s head as he watches. Nami’s expression as she undoubtedly sees them arrive. The cavalry is here to pick up where Usopp had given his all.



And now: inner dialogue theater
Usopp: Holy crap those guys are strong.
Jango: Shit. We are so screwed if we have to fight these guys and get there on time.
Nami: I thought we were all going to die how dare you worry me. I’m glad you’re here but I’m damn well going to be tsun about it.



Saving the day with a DON!

Zoro’s dialogue tripped me up a bit but I think it’s along the lines of: You’re asking why we’re late? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU EXPECT AFTER WHAT YOU DID.

He’s irritated at being pulled from the fight and was probably worried about what the outcome would be if he didn’t get his ass there. As for how he got there roughly the same time as Luffs, well, I sort of headcanon they ran into each other in a lucky coincidence. Or, he could have just followed the sounds of the fight.

Also Luffy is so cute. That angry face but that little frustrated tear. He spent all that time careening around the village, not even able to help because he didn’t even know where to go. He was probably a little worried himself.

Switching back to Kuro briefly, he’s pissed that they haven’t shown up yet and are mucking with his plans.



Because as you can see, the sun is well up. The longer they wait, the more potential things have to go awry. The more people can see. The greater chance that Merry will be discovered lying there bloodied up by Kuro. But even the best preparations won’t work if you don’t have the right information.

Also, again, we can’t see Kuro’s face as he says he will kill them all. This is just reiterating what Jango says, but you also have to wonder if this is something that he’s 100% on doing. The next chapter reiterates pretty much what I said Luffy and Zoro were thinking more or less. The KuroNeko pirates get up and Luffy has this to say:




He says this a lot. It’s pretty funny. We know that he doesn’t set out to kill anyone. It’s not his style. This is more remarking on the fact that he doesn’t hold back a single bit. Also, Jango is well aware how much deep shit they are currently in. While I don’t think he doesn’t think they can win, he recognizes them as opponents with more or less equal skill level. But they’re on a time limit here, so they can’t afford to not pull out all the stops. He uses his hypnotism to make them think they are stronger and that their wounds are healed.



Oddly, he pulls his hat down here so he isn’t hypnotized himself. That’s because, I believe, this hypnotism makes them a bit berserker and Jango has to be the clearheaded one, both to do what he has to do and to be the strategist. Nami and Usopp are freaking out here. Zoro is already getting prepared to deal with this mess, note the katana in his hand. And Lu, yeah, Lu’s been hypnotized. Whenever you can’t see Luffy’s expression clearly, it’s always something you don’t expect.

The hypnotized KuroNeko pirates show off their increased strength by crushing a side of the cliff wall, a feat which even startles Zoro.



Nami and Usopp are freaking out and—Jango finally gives an order to kill. Why? Because he’s not dumb enough to think they will just move and, in this situation, it’s very much kill or be killed.



Look at this, too. It shows Zoro’s protective nature—but much like Jango, Zoro is very much first mate. Despite the fact that he isn’t listed as such and only as ‘swordsman’, it’s the same reason that Nami isn’t listed as quartermaster, despite the fact that she is the enforcer of the rules. The Straw Hats work differently than the words ‘first mate’ would imply, but he was literally the first mate that Luffy had. And, like Jango, he is protecting his crew.
But yeah, remember how Jango hypnotized his guys to have enhanced strength/no wounds?



Yeahhhh, not being in control of a weapon comes back to bite you in the butt. Even Jango realizes this. The sweat on his face and the way he’s sort of situated in panel, almost as if he’s leaning back. He’s like oh shit. Also note, Nami is helping Usopp off the battlefield. So what? You say. It’s just one person helping another person off the battlefield. Exactly. B|
At any rate, Luffy gatlings the shit out of them and, just because it’s hilarious to see:



Chases them down the hill. Keep in mind—these guys have been hypnotized to be super strong but even they are terrified by super strong Luffy. But in the end, as strong as he is, and dumb as people say he is, knows how to read a battle. He charges past them, grabs the figurehead of the KuroNeko ship, pulls it the fuck off—



And is going to beat the shit out of them with it. If this isn’t hilarious to you, you are reading the wrong manga. And of course, inasmuch as they call Kuro captain, Jango is as much captain in their mind’s eye. The strongest one on the crew and the one that can help them. And Kuro doesn’t hesitate to do so.




First, yep, that’s Luffy, ruiner of plans. And not just antagonist plans, but pretty much every plan ever made.

Second, he looks so freaking adorable sleeping like that. Cheek squishes. Ahhh. He’s also disturbingly pretty like that. Stop that, Lu, my hormones are confused enough by this manga as it is.

Thirdly, Zoro dimple! Hee. Look how damn proud he is , too. He’s like, that’s my captain. Yeah. Scare the shit out of them and try to clobber them with their own damn figurehead. You can even hear him saying, leave the rest up to me. I’ve got this.

Jango realizes he’s still got two aces up his sleeve (though not Ace, thank god, one of them is bad enough) and calls on them. Meanwhile, Kuro, who thinks he is the shit and nothing can disturb his plans:



Doesn’t count on the smallest of wrenches. Onion, who is just as nosy as Usopp.

And for that, we’ll end this part.

Themes


Actions=Consequences: Once you start rolling the ball down the hill, don’t think you can stop it. There’s no need to really go into this part in detail, let’s instead weave it into another theme. So we know that actions=consequences. It’s been drilled into our heads. Even innocent actions can turn out badly. That’s just the way the world works. You can never predict what may happen for even the smallest thing. And taking that we know that, let’s tie it into:

Responsibility: Regardless of what need drove Usopp to lie, regardless of how well intentioned his lies are, in the end, due to forces outside of himself, the lies come back to bite him in the ass. He can’t change it. He can’t just yell at people to believe him. So he acknowledges it and takes responsibility—and takes control of the consequences. To overcome consequences, you have to be proactive. He does this by keeping his pirates safe, by deciding to fight on his own. Even if he had died in fighting them, even if he had lost, he had done his best to keep them back from his village. He’s putting his life on the line for the people that he cares about.

However, if you aren’t proactive about the consequences, the consequences will be proactive about you. Nami preformed the action: saving Usopp, and regardless of the intent, she drew their attention and got drawn into the fight. Rather than be proactive beyond throwing the caltrops, she decides to get out of it only—oops, she can’t. Furthermore, trying to escape the consequences of the actions lead to Usopp getting distracted lead to him getting bludgeoned. When Nami sees his conviction and that he needs protection, she takes the reins of the consequences in her own hands and gets herself involved.

Kuro isn’t terribly proactive about the consequences of his actions because he assumes his plans are too good to be bothered by them.

The Best Laid Plans: To quote the poet Robert Burns: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Tied into the theme of the world is hard, life sucks and, eventually, the sea is unpredictable. We can look in hindsight and say, obviously Kuro wasn’t going to be on the same shore he had the discussion on. But hindsight is twenty-twenty and you can’t always make the right guess even with the best information. No matter how well you plan, there’s always room for error. Though that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t, it means that you had better be prepared to be flexible. When the plan doesn’t work how you want it to, move on and keep trying. Plans should be loose and wobbly, ready for improvisation whenever you need.

Compared to Kuro’s plan that he’s followed strictly for three years and is determined to see to the end no matter what just how he has planned it. Because he thinks that he’s the most intelligent badass on the seas, there is no one who can mess up his plan—Buut there are still other people, factors he doesn’t know and can’t know. He can’t know how strong Luffy is. He can’t know that Onion would sneak out and spy on him. His plan rely fully on his men not being distracted at all. Because there is little flexibility, and he doesn’t see himself failing due to any incompetence on his part, his plan is falling apart right and left.

Be careful of your weapons: Weapons outside of your control come back to bite you in the ass. We have seen it and will see it again and again. Some of it is, life sucks sometimes it just happens. But there’s also a big part of understanding the full impact of what your weapons can do. Jango hadn’t anticipated Luffy getting hypnotized, who knows why, but it was careless either way because he ended up paying for it.

They knew the consequences of the oil slick, while Nami wasn’t entirely careless in slipping, she was careless about using Zoro to get a boost. As a consequence (partly) she and Usopp had to fight on their own and got knocked around.

Usopp’s caltrops got out of his control in Nami’s hands and ended up behind them, trapping them. In this case, they were both a little careless.

Now, keep in mind, that’s not really to vilify anyone or call any of them dumbshits for not realizing this because:

Desperate times, desperate measures:

People lose their minds a little when they get desperate and frantic. Usopp was desperate and frantic when he grabbed Kaya’s arm and paid for it. Nami was desperate to not get her money stolen and ended up in a larger fight than she intended. Jango got desperate not to get his men or himself killed by Kuro and hypnotized Luffy. Luffy, even, got so focused in fighting and getting there in 20 seconds, he ran off and got lost. Zoro wasn’t really desperate for anything because he generally isn’t but is just the consequence of their desperation—which is kind of funny to me in a weird way.

But interestingly, it’s not even coded as necessarily a bad thing. There’s no hidden moral of keeping your head or being cool in the face of danger—But it’s just something that happened. Life sucks and people react like this naturally. It’s commentary on what is rather than commentary on what should be, which I think is important because not everything about people can be improved. Sometimes people are people and that’s okay.

No one is infallible: Not Luffy, not Zoro, not Kuro, not Kaya. Good people make bad decisions or wrong choices. The smartest people miscalculate. The most well meaning people can fail despite their intentions. That's just how it goes sometimes.

Characters:

Usopp: Is brave as fuck, human as fuck and also scared as fuck. Yeah. He’s all that. A walking contradiction also known as a complex character. When he is fighting for his home and the people he loves, when his back is to the wall, he will fight his fiercest. (Also I have the feeling that people may want to bring up a certain part in Dressrosa, but we’ll get there when we get there) He is the kind of strong goodhearted guy who will take responsibility for his actions—eventually. He may not always be the first to turn around or the first to apologize. He may desperately try to fix the situation any means he can first, even if he has to cheat his head off, but in the end, he will always come back and do what’s right. Also, he has a big freaking heart. The village hasn’t given him much to go on. His peer, the one he considered his friend, Kaya, even doubted him. But still he’s going to defend the place he loves with no question. This is a huge quality of being a hero and, as I’ve said, he’s already the most heroic of the Straw Hats, but it’s not something he recognizes in himself.

Also, he definitely arced here. Syrup Island acts as a coming of age arc for him and he’s definitely grown up from an idyllic peaceful childhood. He’s decided to embrace the harshness of the world, not even relying on adults to help. He’s still young. He’s still a tadpole in a pond with an ocean still waiting, but he’s on his way to relying on himself and his peers, discovering himself and what he’s capable of.


Nami: She will do stupid shit for treasure. She’s been this way ever since she stole the map from Buggy. She’s as stupid about treasure as Usopp is about lying. That’s just the way she is. The problem comes in when she uses others to get her treasure. She gets herself into situations that way. She did so with Luffy, relying on kidnapping him to get in good with Buggy to steal his treasure and his map. She did with Zoro, knowing her treasure was in danger; she used him to get ahead. She’ll do this again, too, and every time she does, it’s pushing a ball down the hill into a situation she really doesn’t want to be in and can’t escape from.

At the same time, she has her morals, her strengths. She didn’t offer to fight for Usopp’s village, yes, and why should she? Luffy and Zoro should be strong enough to handle them and, really, Nami is not a fighter by any stretch of the imagination. Nor, at this point, does she want to be. But when her back is to the wall, she won’t let pirates get their way by killing someone innocent or who is trying their level best to stop them. Once she’s decided to fight and has to fight, she will, regardless of how over her head she is.


Zoro: Most of what we’ve learned from Zoro in this segment is that, while level-headed for the most part and outwardly rock solid cool if a little bit of an idiot about some things—he can get embarrassed and flustered pretty easily. I think that most of his anger was because that was a really stupid ass way to be taken from the fight and it was completely out of his control and he was just sliding down because of oil. He could just not get up that damn thing.

He gets over his embarrassment easily, though, and despite being pissed at Nami for accusing him of not doing his job and showing up on time when it was her freaking fault to begin with, when things get serious, so does he. He takes himself and the situation seriously and is ready to fight, letting what happened in the past stay there. He’s also protective of those weaker than he is—and, he understands people on some level—though it takes him longer to fully get it. As we saw when he first heard Usopp lie to the kids, he had no idea what was going on-but when he finally got it, he really got it.


Kuro: An arrogant guy who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else and that his own plans are infallible. So infallible, I think, and we’ll see, that not even he can escape the confines. If he lets go of what he’s held on for three years, what would that say about his own intelligence? No. The plans are going to go according to plan—and if they don’t, the only thing that’s left for him to do is kill them.


Jango: He’s a really freaking interesting guy that is caught on the cusp of a transition. Even if he was okay to how they were before, though that’s doubtful, because as he said, the only reason he followed Kuro was for the rewards—now he’s not okay with it. He doesn’t want to do this. You can see he’s reluctant every step of the way. But if he doesn’t, and you get the sense that even if he speaks against it, Kuro isn’t going to be forgiving. He doesn’t want to die, but also he doesn’t want his men to die. As Usopp is transitioning from boy to man, Jango is transitioning from first mate to captain, not only protecting those who follow him, but giving them orders that follow his own ideals. But in the end he’s still in the shadow of Kuro and has to resort in fighting to kill.

It may also be aside from that that there’s one thing in fighting opponents to the death, and another killing innocents. But, much like Kuro, Jango has a choice. He doesn’t have to continue to follow Kuro. He didn’t even have to come back to the island. What was Kuro going to do if they didn’t? Hire a rowboat? But the fact is that Jango decided to go this road and keeps going along this road. He makes the actions to which the consequences are going to follow. But not all antagonists are irredeemably evil through and through. Not even Kuro is and Jango certainly isn’t—which is why we’ll see him again after this arc.

Relationships:

Usopp x Nami: While Luffy and Usopp are age peers, Nami and Usopp are connected through a similar history and personality. Both are village kids, and both fight for their village. Though, of course, the situation is more complex than that, but we’ll get into a more detailed comparison in the Arlong arc. Moreover, they are both normal people. They are the mirrored set to Luffy and Zoro, who are both strong, both fighters, and on that level they understand each other. Usopp and Nami are both physically weak, both non-fighters for the most part, both driven by desperation and a carefully constructed façade. Though again there is a difference. Usopp wears his façade for various reasons, but it’s always connected to who he is and who he wishes to be. In other words, no matter what Usopp calls himself, he can’t lie about the kind of person he is, you see through him in every action he does to the very core of himself. Nami’s façade acts like an armor. She controls it perfectly and only lets through what she wants unless an act of Luffy or desperation forces her to act otherwise. In that way, as we’ll see, they’ll come to understand one another.

Nami x Zoro: While early in their relationship, you can see the bones of their contention right away. Nami sees Zoro as strong and so overestimates his strength, assuming he will find his own way up and get there on time to help. He’s strong. He’s got no excuse to be late. B| This pisses Zoro off to no end because, by his very nature of wanting to be strong and being protective, he can’t not do what she wants to prove that he’s just as strong as she thinks he is even though it’s really freaking annoying to be used like that. They’re not people that can really understand each other right away because they think on two different wavelengths that don’t always mesh. However the importance here is they are nakama regardless of differences, as we will come to see.

Zoro to Luffy: For as goofy as Luffy is, Zoro is damn proud of him and of following him. He wouldn’t do it otherwise.