Manga: Chapter 598 (SPOILERS)

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!

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The New Looks:

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Superneku: All I can say is...WOW. Everyone looks great! Usopp's new look is probably my favorite, it looks more modern yet...badass. This whole fake Straw Hat sideplot has also got me interested, so its pretty much a given that the real Straw Hats are gonna settle this mistake soon. Also I'm curious to see what Zoro and Franky are up to as well seeing more of the Straw Hat's new prowess. I'm so excited for this brand new adventure we'll be seeing soon!

Mikey: So with this chapter we get a full colorspread of everybody's new look Some of them have had radical changes while others got light touch ups. Most of them seems good and others are just meh. Personally I am not that interested in how much the StrawHats have change. Fun to look for the changes but I just hold off on full judgment until we get full glamor shots to appreciate how everybody looks. Below are some of my thoughts.

Luffy: As a Luffy cosplay I have to make some notes to alter/change my cosplay in the future. Not sure when would cosplaying the new looking StrawHats but looks like I got some work ahead of myself. Got to get a new shirt with four buttons on it and a scar on my chest. Personally I am not a chest showing man so I may just leave the shirt button up. Better then making a bad fake scar. haha

Zoro: Now he seems to be sporting an eye scar similar to Raleigh. I am guessing that is to make a connection that Zoro holds the same position as the Dark King. Also proof of his training with Mihawk. Though I am wondering about the eye with the scar. Is that eye still usable or did he lose it during his training?

Chopper: At first I thought Chopper got a new hat which got me a bit mad since I always thought the hat had sentimental value since Hiluluk gave him the hat. Then I realize the blue thing is just covering it up and bending the side. Still seems like Chopper's cute factor rose.

Franky: Aww...He got a hair cut. I like his hair. Still it seems like Franky is more mechanical now by looking at his arm. I am guessing he took a lot of Vegapunk's stuff and applied it to himself. There seem to be a bit of the cyborg gorilla in his new look. Most importantly, Franky got skin again. haha

Nami: Longer hair and bigger boobs. What is there not to like from a guy's point of view? haha I have to say that Nami clearly looks older and a bit more mature but still has a bit of cuteness. The waves in her hair is a nice touch and I am wonder how Oda is going to handle the styling of her hair in the future.

Side Note: Usopp is a very lucky man to be able to get an up close and personal view of Nami's new 'assets'. Clearly she has gone up a level. haha

Sanji: OH! Under his hair was....ANOTHER EYE! haha Still it is nice to see what was under the hair and I find it funny that the curl on the eyebrow is actually on the right side instead on the left side of the eyebrow. Interesting.

Usopp: He still looks weak but clearly a bit more developed on the muscles. Nice. The hat is cool. Not much to say though for me. Funny to see that he was scared of Fake Luffy and SniperKing after saying he has became a warrior. haha

Robin and Brook (Yes...I am lazy for a good reason): Not much change in them. If anything I am predicting that Brook will change outfits sometime before they enter the New World or at the beginning. That outfit doesn't look too travel worthy. Robin is still hot.

Also something to note. The colorspread in this chapter seems similar to the colorspread in the first chapter (Romance Dawn). Luffy with his arms out wide with Nami jumping in the background can be seen in both. Guessing this is just keeping up the theme of everything starting over again. Look below to see.

Chapter: Two Years Later

So after a break that felt like years (for the impatient fans), One Piece has return back to the manga-waves. All our favorite StrawHats are back with new and improve abilities. Though clearly by just looking at Nami and Usopp that the StrawHats have improved over the last two years. Interesting little thing is that Usopp is able to control plants which everybody could have sort of guess but this one guy on Arlong Park Forums seem to have hit the nail on the head. Interesting how Usopp did it and I am hoping it involved his slingshot abilities because if so then that would be really cool. Then it seems like Brook has gain something, knowledge. I am thinking that touring has allow Brook learn about the time period that he is in now. The guy missed out on fifty years of the world. Whitebeard was at least a rookie pirate when Brook and his gang were roaming the seas. So I am guessing that he has maybe caught up to the news of the world by now. If not then he had some fun touring and making a name of himself as SOUL KING!

Did I ever announce my love of Nami's control over the weather and how she can use it as a weapon? If not then that was some sly moving on Nami's behalf. Really cool. 

The Fake StrawHats seem to be an interesting thing. They are all an ugly looking bunch and it kind of annoys me that Chopper can't tell the different between his friends that he has been on a ship for who knows how long from these fakes (I mean doesn't he know how to smell at least?). Still they seem to be causing trouble in the name of the StrawHats and kind of feel like what real pirates should be doing. Shooting people and all that stuff. If anything these guys remind me of the mountain bandits from Chapter 1 or at least look like them.

This 'Luffy' sure is dirtying Luffy's name. He is doing everything that the real Luffy wouldn't do. Most of the time Luffy just keeps to himself and enjoy the moment. He doesn't like drawing attention to himself and for sure doesn't brag about his status.

Though I have to admit they put me in for a loop when I heard that the 'StrawHats' were looking for recruits. When I first read that I was thinking that something was fishy. Why would Luffy want to recruit people if he just asked his crew to spend the last two years to train and get better. If they get new people then it would have been pointless to get better if they have to take care of new people who are most likely not even at their level of power. Then I saw the Fake StrawHats and understood at once. Glad that matter was settled.

Facial hair looks nice.

This was a great chapter and I really did enjoy it but there are some complaints I have about it. It was nice to see most of the StrawHats but everything felt very compact. We only got small pieces of what everybody is doing at the moment and felt rushed. To tell the truth, I was a bit bored with the reintroductions of everybody. It was cool to see how some of them have changed in the last few years but it was a bit lacking in information. This could have really been seen towards the end of the chapter with Robin just wondering around. I feel that this could have been fitted into the next chapter while giving some of the other StrawHats that did appear in this chapter some more attention. We already have one reason to look forward to next week's chapter because everybody wants to see Zoro and Franky. haha I am sure people are just waiting to see what stupid thing Franky has done based on the laughs he gave us the last time we saw him. haha

Speaking of Robin, seems like she is on the run. Either these are World Government men after her or what I hope are Revolutionaries. If they are Revolutionaries then they could be chasing after her because either Robin ran away from them because they don't want to let Robin go or they are in charge in guarding her on her way to rejoin Luffy. Either one could work. Though I did mistaken Robin for Hancock when she first appear in the chapter. Got to say they do look similar now.

To tell the truth I just want to see how much the world has changed. It is nice to see the StrawHats kind of back together but I just really want to see the world. I got a bit excited hearing that they changed the location of Marine HQ and how Marineford is now G1. It makes lots of sense to move Marine HQ into the New World since that proves the Marines have gotten much more powerful in order to place their own HQ in the place with the most powerful pirates. Also it seems like Vice Admiral Momonga got a promotion of sorts. You can see him a bit in the chapter but still he can be missed if you don't look closely. Still these type of things interest me the most. I want to see some of the new powerful rookies that are on Sabaody right now along with the Luffy Pirates. I want to see who is the new Fleet Admiral. Heck tell me what happen to Sengoku and Garp then that would be cool.

This surely feel like it is going to get predictable. The StrawHats would get together just in time to take down these Fake StrawHats thus allowing them to show what they have been doing for the last two years. Then the Marines will come and the the StrawHats would either fight them or run. I say run just because it sounds more funny and in the StrawHats's nature. haha Though I am sure this will be fun to watch.

Still things clearly have changed and we are starting over again. That means learning about this world and all that is in it all over again. Heck we didn't know much about this world before and now we stuck learning it all over again. haha Things are slowly picking up as the Fake StrawHats are unknowing looking for the real StrawHats. Though it is great to have the StrawHats back and I can't wait for them to get back to the business of adventure!