Takada is a 5th grade transfer student, and Nishimura is a bit of a gloomy girl that everyone else calls "The Grim Reaper." Takada is determined to figure how what makes her so special to get such a cool nickname, and what he finds is an awesome friend and someone who makes him happy to be around. Other classmates try to make fun of Takada for being around Nishimura, but Takada's carefree attitude turns all their jabs around and makes everything backfire. Nishimura finds herself with a friend at last, but can't help feeling like her first friend is a little clueless to all the bullying going around. Takada likens several bully tactics to video game or RPG storylines, and the two also find out that they could have been childhood neighbors had things gone differently.
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The battle with Arlong concludes, and Luffy realizes how he can free Nami from her trap. But, in doing so, he manages to tick off the local naval officer who was doing business with Arlong for many years. Thus, Luffy gets a price on his head of 30 million berries, far more than Arlong, Don Krieg, or Kudo. The crew finally sail off towards the Grand Line, but decide to make one more stop at Roguetown, the site of the execution of Gold Roger, the original King of the Pirates, but another chance for them to stock up on provisions and other supplies. Luffy stops off at the site of the Pirate King’s execution and runs into some old foes who have partaken in the Devil’s fruits themselves and undergone some transformation. Their altercation brings out the local soldiers, but Nami’s keen senses helps her realize a storm is rolling in on the island.
It’s the end of the Strongest under the Heavens tournament, and it’s no surprise that Goku and Kuririn have made it through to the finals. Also in the finals are some colorful side characters, including Bacterium, who dispatches his opponents with his lack of bathing, and Jackie Chen, who faces off against Kuririn. Back again is Yamcha, who is also in the finals. Goku and Kuririn learn some valuable moral lessons during the tournament and have some great reflection time with Master Roshi afterwards. After the tournament, Goku decides it’s time to go after the dragon balls again because he wants the one his grandpa left him, not because he wants a wish. He sets off alone with Bulma’s radar to guide him, and he soon finds out that he is not the only one seeking the dragon balls. His quest sets him up against the Red Ribbon Army, an organized, well funded crime group that has a less sophisticated radar and no morals when it comes to achieving their goals.
Illustrated by Miya Tashiro
Mio and Yuri make their escape through the currents and end up in Millicuffs, the kingdom to the south, rather than Aquatia! Mio is rather unhurt, but Yuri needs medical attention, and Mio racks up quite the debt from an unhuman doctor. She goes to town to try to earn some money and does so with one of the only skills she knows — healing people. This also makes her a big target, as the inhumane here know that means she’s probably very valuable. Mio also meets another powerful unhuman who tells her she, and everyone else, would be much safer if she returned to the sea and learned to embrace her true powers. As it is, she may be putting everyone in danger! This volume also has Part two of Eno’s Flight.
Laios confides in Shuro, one of their former party members and the man in love with Falin, but it backfires and Shuro is appalled by what kind of magic Marcille used to resurrect their fallen party mate. The large group’s resting activities gain the attention of monsters in the area, including a certain human-chimera they’re searching for, and Shuro’s worst fears are realized. After the fight, Shuro decides to report Marcille to the Elves of the West. Laios’s party make up their minds to venture father in to confront the Lunatic Magician to see if there is any way to save Falin, or if they’ll have to rectify their wrong. They head down to level 6, where the monsters are all about mind games. While on this floor, they are joined by a member of Shuro’s party - Izutsumi, who has some special traits and reasons of her own for finding the Lunatic Magician.
Illustrated by Tsukasa Abe
Frieren, Fern, and Stark hear about Denken’s past with the Golden Valley and why he wants to visit his village. He explains a bit of the history behind his relationship with the demon, Macht, who has turned everything and everyone to gold. Frieren has battled with Macht before and tells her companions that she doesn’t believe they will win a battle with Macht, even if they all fight him all together. Denken tells them that they should all go to the castle for tea instead.
Nami is finally beaten by Arlong and realizes that he’s never going to set her free nor free her town from his control. She breaks down and asks Luffy for help. The crew springs into action, as does the town. It turns out that the hunters, Johnny and Yosaku, never fully left the island. They bar the villages from needlessly throwing their lives away urge them to wait for the crew before attacking the fish-men. Sanji and Zolo arrive first and take on two of Arlong’s men while Usopp kind of runs away but still has to take on one of Arlong’s officers anyway. Luffy initially enters the fray but is sidelined by being captured thrown into the ocean.
The final fight between Shishitoren and Furin begins, and Umemiya sees right through Toriyama's façade. He breaks down what Toriyama has been hiding behind as the Top for Shishitoren, trying to prioritize having fun and being free instead of building up those below him and truly making his organization powerful. After the fighting is over, Umemiya calls for a celebration back at the diner, and wants to talk with Sakura to dissect his fight and who Sakura is. Sakura tells Umemiya his plans to become the Top of Furin and attests that he had no plan of trusting anyone, but Umemiya says Sakura's actions since arriving bely that intention.
After an encounter with the Lunatic Magician, the party recovers in the care of a group of orcs. In another part of the dungeon, another party is revived and tries to figure out why all of their food is gone but none of their money. One member, Kabru, thinks it might have something to do with Laios. They dodge some body snatchers who were sent to retrieve their dead corpses, then join another group, led by Shuro, who is seeking out Falin. Back with our adventuring group on Level 5, they've decided to go back to the surface and report what they’ve seen to the Lord of the Island, and perhaps come back a little more prepared to take on the Lunatic Magician. But, the dungeon is moving, which is making getting back to the surface near impossible.
Nami continues to be torn between Arlong’s crew, her love for her village, and the fleeting loyalty she still has for Luffy and his crew. In another epic flashback, we see Nami as a child with her stepsister and their adoptive mother, who was once a pirate soldier who rescued the two young babies and decided to raise them on the island. Bellemére didn’t have much for them and scraped by as a tangerine farmer until the fateful day when Arlong’s fish-men crew raided the town and demanded a toll for every person in it. Arlong discovered young Nami’s gift for drawing maps, and she enters a fool’s deal with the pirate to buy her village from him while drawing navigational maps in his service.
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About MeI've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students. Search this siteRatings, Audience, and Subject Tags
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