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Chapter 619: At the Forest of the Sea

Arc: Fish-Man Island · Saga: Fish-Man Island · Released: 2011

Summary

At Ryugu Palace, the New Fish-Man Pirates’ assault has the throne room flooding. Zoro (the “one-eyed swordsman”) fights faster than the fish-men can underwater, while an aged King Neptune — body failing him (“I can’t defeat old age!”) — uses Merman Combat (Ultra-Marine) to carve an escape path and evacuate his soldiers toward Fish-Man Island; Brook is among the defenders. Despite the rescue, Neptune is ultimately overpowered and captured by Hody Jones. The scene cuts to the Forest of the Sea, where Franky waits with the coated Thousand Sunny and a fish-man craftsman named Den — Tom’s little brother — is coating the ship. Luffy arrives carrying Shirahoshi (nicknamed “Wimpy”) and a recovering Sanji; Jinbei is there too, and a gravely wounded Hatchan is lowered to Franky. Nico Robin has gone ahead to a grove of coral, “looking for something.” Shirahoshi visits the tomb of her late mother, Queen Otohime, for the first time in years, while Vander Decken IX’s homing weapons keep raining down on her. News spreads that Hody captured the king. Finally Jimbei kneels to apologize to Luffy: eleven years ago, the one who released Arlong into the East Blue — “was I!!”

New reveals

• Jimbei released Arlong into the East Blue. Eleven years ago, Jimbei was the one responsible for unleashing Arlong on the East Blue (pp. 17–18) — the confession that ties him directly to Nami’s suffering at Arlong Park.
• Den — a fish-man coating the Thousand Sunny at the Sea Forest, introduced (by Franky) as the little brother of his master Tom (p. 13). Gushes over Shirahoshi in painterly metaphors (“canvas cannot bear the weight of your pulchritude… the powers of my pigments”).
• Queen Otohime is dead. Shirahoshi’s mother lies in a tomb at the Sea Forest; the princess could not attend the funeral and spent the last ten years inside Shell Tower because of Vander Decken’s attacks (p. 15).
• King Neptune captured. Neptune’s aged body gives out mid-battle; after evacuating his soldiers he is taken by Hody Jones (pp. 6–8, confirmed p. 16: “Father’s been captured?!”).
• Robin is hunting. She has gone to a “big grove of coral” at the Sea Forest, “looking for something” (p. 11).
• Sanji is cured and back to his usual nosebleeding self (pp. 10, 13, 16).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

King Neptune · Zoro · Brook · Hody Jones · New Fish-Man Pirates · Luffy · Tony Tony Chopper · Sanji · Nami · Franky · Nico Robin · Shirahoshi · Jinbei · Hatchan · Den (first appearance) · Tom (mentioned) · Otohime (mentioned — deceased, tomb shown) · Vander Decken IX (mentioned — homing weapons) · Arlong (mentioned) · Thousand Sunny · Forest of the Sea · Ryugu Palace · Shell Tower · Fish-Man Island · East Blue · Fish-Men

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page. Cover serial: “Decks of the World, Vol. 6: Grand Opening in Orange Town of the Giant Pet Food Shop Chouchou” — Chouchou (the Orange Town dog from the Buggy arc) honored with a giant pet-food shop. Cover-story payoff for the long-running Decks of the World serial.
• Page 2 — Zoro fights underwater faster than the fish-men; “How can a human move faster than a fish-man underwater?!” / “What is this rage I sense?!” New Fish-Man Pirates pop “energy steroids.”
• Page 4 — King Neptune’s Ultra-Marine — full-width water blast clearing the palace.
• Page 10 — Wide establishing shot of the Forest of the Sea, the coated Sunny waiting (visually significant; mirror candidate).
• Page 13 — Den introduced as Tom’s little brother, coating the Sunny.
• Page 15 — Queen Otohime’s tomb at the Sea Forest.
• Pages 17–18 — Jimbei’s confession: “…was I!!”
• Page 18 — SBS Question Corner (Vol. 62): Oda on fish-man/merman fins splitting after age 30, King Neptune’s age, the “Sea Knight,” and Mermaid Cove. Route to SBS refresh + Fish-Men racial biology. (technique/sbs-leak)

Open questions raised

• What is Robin looking for in the Sea Forest’s coral grove?
• What does Jimbei still need to tell Luffy “while there’s little time”?
• Where is King Neptune being taken, and what does Hody intend?
• Who/what was the giant whale that thanked Neptune (“You saved me!!”, p. 7)?