Manga: Chapter 624 (SPOILERS)

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

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Summary
Johnny and Yosaku see success in fishing at Cocoyashi Village.

(Flashback)

Due to the citizens request to remove their names from the petition, an upset Queen Otohime gives a speech to the kingdom.

Jimbei accepts the request to become one of the Seven Warlords.

After being imprison, Arlong is released and eventually the Sun Pirates split off to three different groups.

A wreaked shipped with Celestial Dragons aboard heads over to Fishman Island.

Thoughts 

Young Shira is cute. You have to admit that.

This chapter seem to have a slow start to it which is okay since I don't expect every chapter to be running on its legs straight out of the gate. It just that recently it been feeling like some things could be extended or given more time to explain. It feels like we are rushing though this flashback. Just in this same chapter we saw Arlong imprison and then later in the chapter we saw him getting out of Impel Down. The sense of time felt a bit off and I wish that we would have seen this chapter expanded upon thus leaving the split of the Sun Pirates to be in the next chapter. That way the drama between Arlong and Jimbei could have been drawn out. The fight between Arlong and Jimbei cold have been fleshed out instead of being a simple slap fight.

The set up for the chapter was nice but it didn't felt like important setup. It just felt like we were being told what was happening instead of being shown. Most of this flashback has been told like this but it felt really bad in this one. It nice to see Otohime doing all of this since it helped built up to the drama on Fishman Island but personally I felt like it was overshadowed due to what happen afterward and such.

Still let get to the meat and potatoes.

It seems like the people of Merman Island have decided to just give Otohime the cold shoulder. Now only did the people who sign her petition wanted to take their signatures back but they want her to shut up. That is a horrible thing to hear. No wonder she broke down and went on a drinking spree when she got home. Especially since she been promising her kids a better future.

Oda is doing a great job in developing Otohime. He just just building her up and tearing up her esteem at whatever moment he is getting. He made it to where Otohime knew about what Tiger had gone though but at the same time given her the chance to enjoy the children that she has. Apparently they have grown a bit since the last time we saw them.

"It's because there's a little bit of 'light' and 'air' here, isn't it?"
-Queen Otohime

Those words really hit the spot. Some may not agree that they are as touching as the events from last week but I felt touched. Otohime brought many good points on why the people of the Fishman Island should strive to have a life above the ocean. There is a reason why they are living under the light of the Eve Tree. The kids run up to take a look at Sabaody Park just to see what they are missing out. Why should the fishmen only settle for a little bit when there is plenty of all that they every wanted so close. It really makes you wonder why such beings as the fishmen settle for this when they can get everything they ever wanted if they just head to the surface.

Wonder what the kids thought of this little speech since it looked like they could have been awake during it. A future where change could happen.

A few interesting things to note in the part where Jimbei considers being a Warlord. First off it seems like notices for Warlordship are sent via a bat. Now remember before the time skip that a bat had arrive to give Buggy a message from the World Government? Looks like this is how the World Government send their notices via bats. More evidence that Buggy was offer to become a member of the Warlords. Things surely seem to be getting interesting in the present.

Another thing to notice that the fishmen that were telling Arlong to not take up the offer were people who would later split away from the Sun Pirates which in this case were Chu and Macro. They wanted Jimbei to keep causing trouble but it seems like Jimbei is going to take this moment to try to improve the relationship between humans and fishman. A surprise to some people in his crew. Seems like Jimbei wants to try to put an end to running away for some of the slaves that are part of his crew since some of them were only part of the Sun Pirates because they have no other place to go.

Lastly, it seems like Hodi has made his move by joining the army. He had an interesting face which I guess was due to the new that Arlong could possibly be released if Jimbei takes the position as Warlord. There is no way to tell since we got little to no detail about what the letter detailed. (Way to go in leaving us in the dark Oda.) Still nice to see that Hodi is doing well and out of that awkward teenage phase.

Prison has made Arlong rougher...also more of a jerk as well

So we finally get the reason why the Sun Pirates split up and while Jimbei 'released' Arlong on to East Blue. It seems like Arlong and Jimbei didn't see eye to eye on things and thus lead Arlong wanting to quit the Sun Pirates and start up his old pirate crew again. Macro looks like he didn't want to be part of the awkward situation and decided to get out while the getting was good.

So technically Jimbei didn't order Arlong to do anything in East Blue but I can see why he feels responsible. It would seems like he asked for a pardon to release Arlong from prison when he accepted the title of Warlord. Once that happen Arlong felt as if he should split off and do his own thing. From there it led to what we know now such as having parallels to Saboady and things that could be very close to slavery. Jimbei must feel that if he never took the title of Warlord and gotten a pardon for Arlong that the events at Cocoyashi Village would have never happen. Not what most people predicted but it makes sense if you view it from Jimbei's point of view.

Lastly the chapter closes on the arrival of the Celestial Dragons coming to Fishman Island. This surely won't end well since every time the Celestial Dragons come something bad happens. Remember what happen to Sabo? Sigh....Still we see. Maybe it isn't the Celestial Dragons but Decken posing as them. We haven't seen that crazy guy at all during this flashback and I am guessing he was the reason why Shira is now motherless and has a stalker lover. Either way something bad is going to happen.

Till next time true believers!