Chapters · Fish-Man Island › Fish-Man Island

Chapter 652: A Premonition of Stormy Seas

Arc: Fish-Man Island · Saga: Fish-Man Island · Released: 2011-11-21

Summary

At Ryugu Palace, King Neptune and Jinbei discuss Fish-Man Island’s safety: since Whitebeard’s death the island has survived under Big Mom’s “protection,” with the Sun Pirates working under her jurisdiction and Jinbei as the connecting link. Jinbei reveals he intends to leave Big Mom’s organization — implicitly to accept Luffy’s invitation to join the Straw Hats — even though severing those ties could anger Big Mom and endanger the island; Neptune answers that the island has its own defense and “another flag I would seek to borrow” — the Straw Hat jolly roger — and that 70,000 soldiers from the Fish-Man District just joined them. The Minister of the Right then panics: the Tamatebox, armed with a bomb ten years ago when found empty, was handed to Big Mom along with the tribute treasure, and if she opens it the blast will be read as an attack by Luffy’s crew — a danger compounded by Luffy having just provoked Big Mom by phone. Outside the Sweets Factory, Caribou — robbed of his stolen treasure and “the princess’s secret” — confronts the thief and is defeated by Pekoms, a turtle Zoan and one of Big Mom’s men (bounty 330,000,000). Meanwhile in the New World near the Red Line, Vice-Admiral Smoker and G-5 Captain Tashigi intercept pirate ships rising from Fish-Man Island; the captured pirates, freed slaves from a civil war below, reveal it was the Straw Hat Pirates.

New reveals

• Fish-Man Island has been under Big Mom’s protection since Whitebeard’s death in the war; the Sun Pirates work under her jurisdiction, and Jinbei is the connection that keeps the island safe (pp. 2-3).
• Jinbei intends to leave Big Mom’s organization — “I think that I will soon be leaving Big Mom’s organization” — implicitly to accept Luffy’s invitation to join his crew; cutting old ties means going back on his word and could anger Big Mom against the island (pp. 3-4). See Straw Hat Recruitment Pattern.
• Neptune: if they lose Big Mom’s flag, “there is another I would seek to borrow” — revealed as a jolly roger bearing a straw hat; the crown also gained 70,000 soldiers from the Fish-Man District this day (p. 4).
• The Tamatebox was armed with a bomb ten years ago when it was found empty; it will explode when opened. It was given to Big Mom along with the tribute treasure (pp. 5-8).
• Pekoms — one of Big Mom’s men, bounty 330,000,000 — is a turtle Zoan Devil Fruit user who curls into an impervious shell and fights in a lion-like form; he defeats Caribou (pp. 11-13).
• Caribou had stolen treasure “in one hand and the princess’s secret in the other,” meaning to curry favor with “a certain someone” (pp. 9-10); his treasure was stolen by Pekoms and he is beaten. On-page his bounty poster reads ~200 million (p. 10).
• Smoker is now a Vice-Admiral and Tashigi a Captain of G-5 (Grand Line Naval Base 5), a lawless Marine unit that ignores HQ orders; they operate in the New World near the Red Line (pp. 14-17).
• The pirates rising from Fish-Man Island are freed slaves from “a big civil war down” below; the Straw Hats freed them (pp. 16-17).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

Jinbei · King Neptune · Big Mom · Luffy · Nami · Usopp · Minister of the Right · Caribou · Pekoms (first appearance) · Smoker · Tashigi · Hody Jones (referenced) · Whitebeard (referenced) · Fisher Tiger (referenced) · Shirahoshi (referenced via “the princess’s secret”) · Sun Pirates · Tamatebox · G-5 (first named) · Numa Numa no Mi · cover: Chimney, Gonbe

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page. Cover story “Decks of the World, Vol. 34 — ‘Shift Station: Sunday Special, Stationmaster Chimney’”: Chimney in a stationmaster’s cap and cloak with Gonbe at her side.
• Page 4 — The Straw Hat jolly roger revealed as the flag Neptune would “borrow” (BOOM).
• Page 11 — Pekoms transforms into an impervious turtle shell (“A turtle?!” / “Devil Fruit powers?!”).
• Page 13 — Pekoms data box: bounty 330,000,000; “Logia types that think they’re invincible don’t last long in the wild.”
• Page 16 — Caption reveal: “Grand Line Naval Base 5 — G-5 Captain Tashigi”; Smoker named (Vice-Admiral context).
• Page 18 — “Coloring Corner” fan lineart (not a color spread): Luffy centered before a straw-hat jolly roger, ringed by the other Supernova-generation rookies.

Open questions raised

• Will Big Mom open the bomb-armed Tamatebox, and will the blast be blamed on Luffy?
• Will Jinbei actually leave Big Mom and join the Straw Hats, and how will Big Mom retaliate against Fish-Man Island?
• Who is the “certain someone” Caribou meant to curry favor with using the princess’s secret?
• What is Pekoms’s connection to Big Mom, and who is his egg-themed companion?