Chapter 349: Ordinary Citizens

Arc: Water Seven · Saga: Water Seven · Released: 2005-02-21

Summary

Galley-La HQ burns and the workers flee, crying out for Mr. Iceberg trapped on the upper floors. Inside the inferno, Rob Lucci has transformed into a towering leopard-man and reveals his Devil Fruit — the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model Leopard — prompting an on-page lecture on the three Devil Fruit types: Logia, Zoan, and Paramythia, with carnivorous Zoan singled out as the most aggressive and ever-strengthening combat type. Lucci kicks (Tempest Kick / Rankyaku) and detonates the third floor; the collapse showers debris on the fleeing crowd, scattering Nami and Chopper. Paulie, badly wounded, refuses to abandon “Boss” Iceberg and faces Lucci, who replies “The feeling’s not mutual” before brutally beating Luffy back with Finger Pistol (Shigan) and Iron Body (Tekkai), then hurling him clear off the building and the island into the sea. Zoro is likewise blasted out, and both wash into the canals. Outside, Marines and townsfolk pin a fallen girl — Nico Robin — and identify her as one of the Straw Hats, moving to arrest her. As the mansion is consumed, the CP9 narration declares that no ordinary citizen can defy the will of the World Government; Lucci, Kaku, and Kalifa stand silhouetted before the flames, and Lucci orders the squad to recover the blueprints from Tom’s other disciple — “Franky. No… Cutty Flam.”

New reveals

• Lucci’s Devil Fruit is named on-page: the Cat-Cat Fruit (Neko Neko no Mi), Model Leopard — a carnivorous Zoan (pp. 4–5).
• Devil Fruit classification taught on-page: three types — Logia, Zoan, Paramythia — and that carnivorous Zoan grow more ferocious, with the Zoan type being “the strongest for aggressive attacks; the more you train, the more your power is amplified” (p. 6).
• Lucci speaks for himself for the first time in full leopard-man form; no Hattori ventriloquism (pp. 7, 11, 12).
• CP9’s mission restated: recover the (real Pluton) blueprints from “Tom’s other disciple” — confirmed by Lucci as Franky / Cutty Flam (p. 19).
• The three CP9 cell leads — Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa — are shown together as silhouettes, mission accomplished, walking away from the burning HQ (pp. 18–19).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Mentions / appearances

• Rob Lucci — full leopard-man Zoan form; Devil Fruit named; uses Rankyaku/Shigan/Tekkai; speaks directly; sets the next objective (pp. 4–19).
• Luffy — beaten by Lucci with Shigan and Tekkai, hurled off the island into the sea (pp. 11–15).
• Zoro — blasted clear of the building, washed into the canals (pp. 14–15).
• Nami — caught in the third-floor collapse with Chopper (pp. 8–10, 16).
• Sanji — reacts to Luffy being thrown off (“Luffy!!”, p. 14).
• Nico Robin — the “girl” who fell from an upper story; pinned and identified as a Straw Hat by Marines/townsfolk, about to be arrested (pp. 16, 18).
• Kaku — silhouetted with Lucci and Kalifa before the burning HQ (pp. 18–19).
• Kalifa — silhouetted with Lucci and Kaku before the burning HQ (pp. 18–19).
• Blueno — among CP9 (referenced as part of the squad context).
• Paulie — wounded, refuses to abandon Iceberg, confronts Lucci (“deep down inside, I feel like we’re still comrades!!”); answered with “The feeling’s not mutual” (pp. 10–11).
• Iceberg — trapped/unaccounted-for in the burning mansion; townsfolk cry out for him (pp. 1–3, 16–17).
• Tilestone — Galley-La foreman among the fleeing crowd (named; loud reactions).
• Franky / Cutty Flam — named as the CP9 target (“Tom’s other disciple”, p. 19).
• Tom — referenced as the master of two disciples (p. 19).
• CP9 · Galley-La Company · Water Seven
• Neko Neko no Mi, Model Leopard — named on-page (“The Cat-Cat Fruit. Leopard… Model.”, pp. 4–5).

Notable panels

• Page 1 (cover) — Cover-story chapter title page: Luffy sitting cross-legged at a pottery wheel beside a sheep/ram-headed potter character throwing clay; calligraphy scroll on the wall. Decorative title splash (not a B-plot cover-comic with page count; the volume coloring page is the back-matter, see p. 20).
• Pages 4–5 — Lucci’s reveal in full leopard-man form; “The Cat-Cat Fruit. Leopard… Model.” Claw close-up (KRIK KRIK). (Towering-beast + fruit-name caption + DOOM unveiling composition — restaged for his awakened form Ch. 1069 p7; see Lucci Leopard-Form Reveal Composition Restaged For His Awakening.)
• Page 6 — The Logia / Zoan / Paramythia lecture; “For aggressive attacks, the Zoan-type is the strongest!! The more you train, the more your power is amplified.”
• Page 7 — Lucci’s Rankyaku (“Tempest Kick”, WHISH) detonates the third floor.
• Page 8 — “BOOOM” — Galley-La HQ third floor collapses over the GALLEY-LA COMPANY sign.
• Pages 10–11 — Paulie refuses to leave Iceberg; Lucci: “The feeling’s not mutual.”
• Page 12 — Shigan (“Finger Pistol”, BL-AM / SHUNK) on Luffy.
• Pages 13–14 — Lucci hurls Luffy “off the island”; Tekkai (“Iron Body”) to deflect; Luffy blasted clear.
• Page 15 — Both Luffy and Zoro splash into the sea/canals.
• Pages 18–19 — Lucci/Kaku/Kalifa silhouetted before the inferno; CP9 narration: “No ordinary citizen can defy… the will of the World Government!”; Lucci: “Franky. No… Cutty Flam.”
• Page 20 — Volume coloring page (back matter): “Mugiwara Pirates Venture to Water 7” — line-art group spread of the Straw Hats (Luffy in a SUNNY-pattern shirt, Chopper, Nami, Robin, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp) plus a Yagara Bull. Decorative coloring page, not a foreshadowing color spread.

Open questions raised

• Will Iceberg survive the fire, or is the burning HQ his apparent death (framed by CP9 to “fade into darkness”)?
• Now that Robin has been caught by the Marines/townsfolk as “one of the Straw Hats,” is her capture genuine or part of her arrangement with CP9?
• Where do Luffy and Zoro wash up after being thrown into the sea, and how do they regroup?
• How will CP9 find and extract the real Pluton blueprints from Franky / Cutty Flam?