It’s definitely not the blockbuster that the last two chapters were, but the rollercoaster had to peak somewhere, and I don’t think there’s many who’d complain about getting a Scopper Gaban reveal. Even with a shorter pagecount and break week to really make things feel like old times.

I’m on record somewhere on the internet saying I didn’t see where the fanbase’s obsession with Scopper Gaban comes from. Like yeah, any member of the Roger Pirates who shows up is automatically going to be a big deal, but a lot of the discussions on the topic treated the character like he has some kind of established personality and role to fill despite his having maybe two or three lines in total. Yes, he was most likely, being one of the few recognisable in Buggy’s flashback from way back when, but the material before now was thin enough that you could elevate any member of the crew. But it’s Scopper! And now that he’s here he can start being built into an actual character.

The early pages put a big spotlight on the summoning circle, but they don’t really tell us much we didn’t already know. Rodo’s never been in the castle, so he couldn’t say if it predates the current day or not (although Scopper implies he’s been through here before and doesn’t make any remark on it). There’s no debris on top of it, but I’d say it’s fairly likely the plumes of smoke and fire we see when they activate could push obstructions aside to let the user through. Or it’s just an aesthetic choice from Oda to ensure the design sticks out. All of the Elders’ circles remained totally clear despite Egghead Island literally falling apart around them. We’ll have to keep waiting for any real info on how these things work.

My first impression of Scopper is that he seems fun. A little similar to Rayleigh, but I can live with that. The flying axe that precedes him is proportioned to Rodo, not the humans, and he easily picks up the giant-scale key at the end of the chapter, so I’m wondering if he’ll have a fighting style centred around oversize weapons. The training regiment could involve using a giant’s weapon until you can swing it as easily as you would a human one. The scar on his head is certainly an attention grabber – and we know from that cover story that he’s known to leave Elbaph and travel the seas, so it’s feeling pretty reasonable this is the burn scar man with the last Poneglyph. And as exciting as that is, it substantially raises the odds that Elbaph is the last regular arc before things get very final war-y. I didn’t mind the idea of one final voyage to track down the last piece of the map, but I’m sure it’s all part of the plan.

Scopper drops some interesting lore as well. Mainly that Buccaneers are a mixed blood race. But of what? Partly human, obviously, but aside from being fairly bulky and tough they don’t have physical characteristics to align them with anything we’ve seen so far. Sticking a pin in that.

Also it’s interesting that Collun seemingly got the full giant lifespan. That must make a very interesting father-son dynamic. I wonder if Luffy’ll try telling him to step up because he’s older than he is later on. And on the topic of family dynamics, it threw me for a loop that Rodo calls Scopper Ripley’s husband and he talks about marrying a giant like he’s done it, rather than it being something he would or wouldn’t do. I had to look back a few chapters to double check Ripley identifying herself as his “common law wife.” And I understand that term, I do, but we use a different phrase for that kind of partnership where I live, and the people under it wouldn’t describe themselves directly as husband and wife like that.

I’m not expecting much more than a skirmish from Luffy fighting Scopper over the key, just enough to prove he’s on the level and get Scopper to internally make the obvious comparisons to Roger and Rayleigh, and maybe identify a final area of weakness or absent technique to mentor Luffy through. Still, that should be pretty damn exciting just on its own, even if it’s only a chapter. What’s the bet the arrival of the third Holy Knight interrupts the bout though?

It’s crazy to think we’re only reaching the halfway point of volume 112 in this chapter. That book is going to end up being one of the most absolutely stacked tones in the whole series even if nothing else happens for the next five chapters (which I seriously doubt). And there’s almost no one important to these chapters you could put on the cover without someone crying foul about spoilers. But the possibilities there make good thought fodder as we go into the break.