X Never Marks the Spot

On a completely unrelated note: Assuming that is, indeed, Blood- I love your icon! ^_^ That's the first time I've seen anyone else with something from that series. *excited (for no reason)*

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I... I... my brain is not able to deal with this much at once! Water 7's got to be one of the absolutely COOLEST arcs so far, and I'm SO glad I started following it weekly before they got here and OMG!!11!22! I can't even sum up all of this into a little squeeing or, or... it's... WAAA~!

No, I CAN sum it up. Here it is:

Oda-sensei is a totally unpredictable and utterly amazing genious. There.

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Also - whee! Thank you!! *huggles* Too sweet!

...PAULIE, YAY! May we soon get an official spelling on his name. ^^; I'm so HAPPY! ^_____^ Except of course for the bit where I'm still busy doing this face -> O_o and funny noises at what I just... not even read, just looked through and picked out words from!

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*squeak* *cling* waaaaah too intense brain no longer working!! Luffy~~~!

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Luffy in bondage! *distracts brain*

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Aw, come on, Iceberg's trusted foremen turncoat and now you wanna take away his loyal Paulie? I'd feel bad for him if that happened. Hell, I already feel bad for him (somewhere under my glee at the cool plot twists. XD;)

So, is the GM really wrecked or not? It's possible Kaku set them up to abandon their ship so they'd be stuck there and framed, but it's also possible Oda wants us to think that and it's really wrecked. Who can I trust?!

I'm sticking with Usopp on this one. If it's broken, it can be fixed, if it's not broken, even better.

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ex-pinkocrac87.livejournal.com

WAAAHHH I don't know! At this point - in THIS arc - I don't even like speculating. Because what Oda's coming up with is getting BETTER and BETTER.

I think Iceberg's gonna die. Somehow. And then Pauley's gon' be PIST.

That's the only speculation I'll give.

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Poor lipsticked, curly purple-haired Iceberg. ;_;

I'm amazed that Oda can have a character with permanent bedhair be hurt and have it be dramatic. He's become a master of making us take things seriously.

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Ah, he's been doing that since Usopp, at least!

Tho' yah, Iceberg...loving him much. Don't want anything worse to happen to him - but I'm sure he'll want Pauley to go with them, to fulfill Pauley's dream (whatever that may be). The shipyard can be rebuilt, but opportunities like Luffy don't come along more than once in a lifetime...

and I had the same thought about Kaku lying about the Merry. Waah! Who DO we trust? Not Oda-sensei, that's for damn sure!! (love him, yes. trust him, no way!)

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Yeah, Usopp's been great practice for him. He can now do -anything- with character design and we'll still take it seriously. ^^

My concern isn't over what Iceberg wants. I think Paulie won't want to abandon Iceberg at this time. That's the point behind the manly tied up heart to heart he and Luffy are having. Of course, he may want to join Luffy out of gratitude for his help ... but I'm still not convinced he's the new shipwright, and won't be unless he joins.

How do you tell the -bottom- of a ship is broken just from walking around the top, anyway? I've been wondering that for a while. Maybe he went below without us seeing it.

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Iceberg in particular looks to hale from the long & distinguished line of 'parent figures who appear to be utter lunatics until you are given no choice but to love them'. I mean, Gen-san's pinwheel practically brings tears to one's eye by the end. To say nothing of Zeff, with the hat, and that mustache, and the peg leg which is no cheap pirate joke by the end of the arc...
Oda-sensei gets way too much of a charge out of deceiving appearances. >_>

I'm not 100% convinced of Pauley's nakamaship, but it is looking very likely to me...I think if they fix everything up properly Iceberg will be able to convince Pauley to go. If it is what he wants to do, in his heart of hearts. But, yah, can't predict. Tho' if Luffy declares him to be nakama I'd say it's a done deal, no matter what Pauley says (I hope he resists. those are always the funniest moments!) And Luffy was looking a touch sparkly about the rope no yatsu by the end there...

The only reason I'd question whether Kaku was lying about the Merry is that I can't see what it would gain them; CP9 hasn't shown any interest in the Strawhats except as scapegoats. Unless it was to provide a reasonable motive for Luffy to attack Iceberg...?
(...so were they CP9 all along, and just happened to be genius shipwrights to boot? or did CP9 recruit them especially because of their shipwrighting skillz? or were they faking the shipwrighting? inquiring minds want to know!)

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Yeah, it's such a Zeff and Sanji thing, which is why I think it'll Paulie, not Iceberg, who objects to him leaving. I still just can't see Paulie fitting in. But that's just me, some people say they can see him fitting in perfectly.

At the end, Kaku says they were never working for Iceberg, that they were working for the government all along. As to their skills, Paulie learned shipbuilding from Iceberg, so it's possible they all apprenticed under him. Which would be even more Ouch.

Possible reasons to fake a broken GM:
Gives the strawhats a motive to hurt Iceberg
Makes them think they can't escape on their ship
Distraction to keep them from going after Robin.

These all did happen, but weren't neccessarily planned. I wanna keep the GM, tho. If only because that means we keep Usopp. ^^

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To be honest I'm not sure how Pauley would fit in with the crew myself, but then I wasn't sure how a two-foot-tall blue-nosed reindeer could possibly be a nakama, and now I can't imagine them without Chopper, so...

Ouch indeed. Poor Iceberg. I wonder how long they've been working under him...? (and yes, I agree it would be hard for Pauley to go...I don't think Sanji would've left so easily if all the chefs had suddenly turned on Zeff. Tho' depending on how the arc's resolved...)

Hmm, but why would CP9 care if Luffy-tachi escaped?
For that matter...why'd they shoot Iceberg to begin with? They didn't kill him because they weren't sure where the plans were, I'm guessing, but why give him that kind of warning? then they wouldn't have had to battle their way through half the population of the town keen on protecting their mayor. Unless they were hoping to flush the plans by scaring him enough to go running for them (and we still don't know where they are, do we...hmm...) (Or am I missing something totally obvious? I need to reread all the arc thus far, I keep losing track of details. there's a lot to keep track of here! ^^;)

and I'd like to keep the GM, too, but I don't think Usopp's staying is dependent on it staying...I sure as hell hope not. Losing the GM I can take; losing Usopp...not so much!

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Didn't they just show up & injure Iceberg purposly to set up Robin as the attacker? And with her, the Strawhat pirates? That's what I thought... And now I'm all afraid of hoping the GM might come out of this okay, because I was just getting used to the thought of losing it. (Which hurt, but not as much as losing Usopp would!)

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Yup, they were trying to flush out the plans. But Iceberg, fortunately, wasn't stupid enough to fall for that.

Well, I dunno. They could've gotten the straw hats to show up just by using Robin, so I guess we'll have to wait and see so far as the GM. But it certainly gives credence to Usopp's "You're trusting strangers!" remarks.

I trust that we're keeping Usopp, but for that to happen the GM thing has to resolve somehow, so that's just one way. ^^

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That's yet another thing I never would have figured - Usopp wasn't just overreacting, he was right. At least about trusting the first shipwright they came across, even though he probably never imagined anything like this...

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Yeah, poor Luffy's gonna love hearing that... oh well, so long as it leads to make up sex.

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BWAH! With fangirls around, what doesn't? ^_~

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don't think Iceberg's gonna die, but I'm suspicious that anyone will - Oda-sensei hasn't killed anyone yet, and I personally have no interest in seeing him start. Besides, if Iceberg dies, Pauley will have to stay behind to rebuild the shipyard...

--but I totally agree, no predicting Oda, and NO predicting this arc. Except I do think, with absolute conviction, that it will get better still. Because so far he's gone no where but up...

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And on break. For a week. Don't forget that bit - so he can be absolutely sure our brains are well and truly broken by the time he unleashes the next bit of this story on us...

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*bursts into anguished tears*

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*clings*

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Ok, it is now officially your fault I spent my entire lunch reading manga (read: looking at the pretty pictures). ^_^ Thank you~ (Um... is it sad I just spent a few minutes drooling over Trapped!Luffy? ¬_¬) Wow... He's good. Really good. I so totally didn't see that coming. Kalifa, maybe- there's been enough speculation there, but... O_O Damn.

Also, read Naye's fic the other day. Thank you for getting another year older so that lovely piece was created. ^_^ (Oh, and Happy Birthday, too. ^_~)

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oohh, I hope it's not sad. I would be doing more of just that if I didn't have work and a lack of breaks, due to taking them to read (...so what am I doing on lj right now? the world may never know! unless of course I get my ass fired, upon which I am suing Oda-sensei for producing addictive substances without proper warning :P)
Oh he is SO good. frickin' genius...!

& thanks! another year older...and not any less a fan. thank goodness ^_^ but if you like Naye's fic now, wait 'til it really gets going! ^^

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Oh, I can imagine- the sheer number of possibilities that lay before that last chapter… Mmmm

I don’t know- with the manga providing us with Bondage!Luffy (and, Paulie of course) coupled with Naye’s offering of a relatively helpless Sanji, all in one week? *squeals in fangirlish glee* How much can a girl take? (I’m certainly willing to find out.) ^_~

Hmmm…. Sanji at Zoro’s [dubious] mercy… Oops. Sorry- had to revisit that thought for a minute. Anyway- ya… being on the computer at work is bad *coughs* _ Not like I wasn’t doing myself all day… *laughs* Hope you don’t get caught.

Now, back to the Luffy (Paulie) Bondage for a minute [now that I no longer feel bad for drooling over it]… A thought occurred to me sometime earlier today [about the time I was standing out in the cold waiting to be told the building didn’t really need to be evacuated, and I could go back to my desk already] is it just me, or has, like, every member of the crew been, at one point or another, in Bondage? I mean… even Vivi, kinda. (Zoro more than the rest, now that I think of it… Hmmm. One begins to wonder if he LIKES it? [not that I’d complain… makes for good screenshots ^_^])

Ooh. I almost forgot. I owe you bear pic’s yet… *goes off to do that*

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Hmmm. Zoro when Luffy first meets him, and then he as well as Nami & Vivi with the wax; also Vivi with Crocodile; Usopp...hmmm...crucified in Movie 2, along with Sanji & Zoro, plus Sanji is tied up...like a package...flopping like a fish...which is the half the reason that's my favorite of the movies. And Luffy ends up in cages and nets a lot, plus him and Paulie now. Robin? Have we seen Robin in bondage? No? Paulie, rectify this unfortunate situation! Not Chopper, either, that I can think of, but let the reindeer be...

but Zoro...yah, it is disproportionate. one does wonder...boy's got a lot of worrying traits! that one doesn't worry me nearly as much as how good he looks covered in blood, and it doesn't seem to matter whose blood it is... ^^;

are we thinking about this too much? ^^;

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...naaah. Don't think it is possible to think about this too much! XD

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Thanks for the review! Made me very very happy. ^_________^

And, no. Not sad. Not sad at all, because... um. Yes. And Paulie too! Don't forget Paulie. (Who uses ropes, and... um. Probably shouldn't go there. ^^;;)

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Pleased to oblige- provide me with more chapters, and I'll happily give you more reviews, too. ^_~

Hmmm.... no, can't forget Paulie- who could forget Paulie? As for the ropes- please, by all means, go there- won't hurt me. ^___^

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shayera.livejournal.com

Waah! I lovelovelovelove this arc!

I so did not see that coming.

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Yes, now you know why I spammed you with random babbling and OMGODACHI!!! ^_^ Such an evil genius, that man.

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inu-neko.livejournal.com

B-but, I liked Lucci and Kaku! :( And what the hell is that Blueno guy doing there?! o_O;; WEIRD.

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look on the bright side - they're not dead! ^_^ and they might have reasons for it...who knows! (except for Oda-sensei, of course, damn the man...!)

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I liked all of them! Well, except Bruno (?), because - huh? Who? What? But... but... no! They can't be... They're not evil. I mean, what they're trying to accomplish isn't... really... um... Okay, what they did to Iceberg was pretty much the worse thing that's happened to anyone outside of a flashback, but besides that! Maybe they, uh, are really nice...? *whimper* My head!

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gnine.livejournal.com

Can't say I saw it coming...at all...but then again, this is Oda...we should be used to this state of constant shock by now! ;)

...and is it just me or were Paulie and Luffy being utterly utterly ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The way they keep asking if each other is okay and how they're both so determined to fight and just how wonderful they look tied up on the floor...err...*cough*

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YES!!! ^______^ (And, um. I think I'm emphasizing that last bit too much, maybe.)

But - yes! You could absolutely see some similarities there, and the spirit Paulie shows - nakama material for sure!! But so cute! Paulie wanting to get up and fight and Luffy worrying about him because of the state he's in and... I think I've seen exchanges like that somewhere else. They usually end with the bad guys getting their asses kicked! Except... the enemies, they're actually... they were friends, so... ow. Poor Paulie. Poor Iceberg!!

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Yes, fighting his friends wouldn't be easy...hmm, didn't think of that, but is there any chance Pauley guesses who it is? We saw him fight Lucci before...even if he's fighting differently now, might Pauley recognize some of his style, masked or not? of course he might not believe it anyway...wonder how long they've been pretending to be Galley-la members.

and yes. way too adorable ^___^

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They weren't using the same styles they did when they showed off before, though!! It's confusing! Califa was shown to use kicking attacks - now she's using that thorn whip. It's the same with the others - it's like they're all devil fruit eaters, or have special powers that nobody else who wasn't in CP9 knew about! So I think it might come as a surprise - but most of that will probably just be because they're his friends, and they're doing *this*. Gah. It's pretty horrible... Iceberg...! I get the feeling they've been around for a while - they all have top positions in the company... (Everyone in Water 7 recognizes them on sight too, if that says anything?)

Hehe. The adorable made me squee so much... ^____^

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Califa better go back to her kicks a bit at least. I wanna see her face off with Sanji so bad...!

So we are gonna get a showdown with the Galley-la after all, maybe? this is gonna be interesting...

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Oh, *yes*. It's one of those things I've always wanted to see, and now it finally feels as if it might happen, and it's got to, I need to see that...!

Yup, a showdown does also seem as if it's getting more likely... wonder how they'd end up facing off? We don't really know who's the most powerful of them, do we? Or whose powers would work against whom?

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absenceofmind.livejournal.com

*grins* you know, not that i have any idea about this series at all, but i'm so glad that your nakama-related angst is gone? *warm fuzzies* you can handle any sudden plot-twists with a full crew on board, deshou?

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...actually that angst is still going on. it's just that there's so much else going on that I'm momentary distracted, and also, because there hasn't been too much emphasis placed on that situation lately, we're mostly of the opinion that it will be resolved. Otherwise Oda-sensei would be milking it more.

Seriously, I don't know if I've ever read a manga or watched a series that's this nerve-wracking, this continuously. We're going on like a dozen consecutive totally-unpredicted knock-your-socks-off plot-twists. Oda-sensei is a genius and frankly I shouldn't be fic'ing for this series at all, because I am so totally not worthy it's not funny...but I'm too deep in to extricate myself now, and besides it hasn't stopped any dj'ers ^^;;

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I'd like to take a moment to veto that last though RIGHT now. o_O Must keep writing for OP - you're one of the best. ^_^ (And you've got me so very addicted to your style... Gah!)

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