Chapters · Dressrosa › Dressrosa

Chapter 702: Corrida Coliseum

Arc: Dressrosa · Saga: Dressrosa · Released: 2013-03-11

Summary

In the streets of Dressrosa, a “blast of dust” sweeps the crowd and an unnamed elderly stranger — sunglasses, beard, an “infamous” air and clearly possessed of some Devil-Fruit power — pickpockets dozens of bystanders before bumping into Sanji and vanishing (“he ain’t no ordinary guy”). When the dust clears, jackets, wallets, watches — and Zoro’s sword — are gone. The locals shrug it off: invisible “fairies” have stolen things in Dressrosa since the long-distant past, and one must turn a blind eye. Kin’emon is aghast that the missing sword is Shusui, “a national treasure of Wano”; Zoro insists it is his sword, while Kin’emon vows he will one day duel Zoro to return Shusui to Wano where it belongs. Zoro storms off after the thief; Luffy (“Hee hee! This looks fun!!”) chases after Zoro, and the group scatters — Franky declaring he has a “brilliant idea.” Interrogating a captured Don Quixote family thug, the crew learns the man knows nothing of SMILE or any “factory,” only vague orders to chase “some samurai” — and that the entire country is heading to the Corrida Coliseum, where all the family’s leaders will gather for a huge event with a prize “the young master” insists any man alive would want. At the coliseum, the announcer unveils it: the Mera Mera no Mi — the “Flame-Flame Fruit” — the resurrected Devil Fruit of Ace, son of the King of the Pirates, who died at Marineford two years past; “that terrible power has now returned to the world in the form of a devil fruit once again.” Defending the forbidden prize are the Don Quixote family’s gladiator-guardians — Señor Pink, Dellinger, Lao G, Machvise, and the champion Diamante. Luffy stares in shock: Ace’s Flame-Flame Fruit.

New reveals

• The grand prize is Ace’s Mera Mera no Mi. The Corrida Coliseum battle-royale’s reward is the resurrected Flame-Flame Fruit once eaten by Ace — “the 2nd division leader of the infamous Whitebeard crew and son of the king of the pirates,” who “perished in the Paramount War at Marineford two years past” (pp11–12, 15). Doflamingo (“His Majesty”/“the young master”) has summoned “mighty warriors from all over the New World” to fight for it (p12).
• The fruit is named and classed on-page. “THE FLAME-FLAME FRUIT!!!! A fruit of the Logia family, the most powerful of all devil fruits!!!” (pp11–12) — the first on-page utterance of the fruit’s English name, and explicit Logia classification.
• Devil-fruit reincarnation stated outright. “That terrible power has now returned to the world in the form of a devil fruit once again!!!” (p11) — the announcer states the in-world principle that a deceased user’s Devil Fruit power re-manifests as a new fruit somewhere in the world.
• Shusui is a national treasure of Wano, and it’s stolen. Zoro’s sword Shusui is lifted by Dressrosa’s “fairies” (p5). Kin’emon: “That was a national treasure of Wano!!!” Zoro: “Uh, no, it’s MY sword.” Kin’emon vows: “I will one day duel you, that I might return Shusui to Wano where it belongs!!” (p6).
• Dressrosa’s “fairies.” Locals explain that invisible fairies have stolen things and “protected Dressrosa since the long-distant past”; when they make mischief, “there’s no choice but to turn a blind eye” (pp5–6). Named-not-shown.
• SMILE is a compartmentalized secret. A captured Don Quixote thug — “one of Doflamingo’s thugs” — knows nothing of SMILE or any “factory,” only that he was “ordered to chase around some samurai.” Even Doflamingo’s own people don’t know about SMILE (pp8–9), confirming how tightly the production is guarded.
• The Don Quixote family’s gladiator-guardians debut. Defending the prize: Señor Pink, Dellinger, Lao G, Machvise, and “the hero and champion of the coliseum,” Diamante (pp13–15). “The guardians are not our ordinary gladiators… if they seek the most valuable of rewards, they must EARN it!!”
• An infamous stranger in the crowd. An unnamed elderly man — sunglasses, beard — with Devil-Fruit powers and an infamous reputation moves through the crowd, pickpocketing and colliding with Sanji; “whoever he is… he ain’t no ordinary guy” (pp3–4). His line “…would be better off for both of us… not sayin’ that” is left hanging.

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Luffy (disguised), Zoro (“Zolo”), Sanji, Franky, Kin’emon, Diamante (debut), Pink (debut), Dellinger (debut), Lao G (debut), Machvise (debut), Thunder Soldier (first on-page, mobbed by children p10), Doflamingo (“young master,” “mingo,” “His Majesty,” off-page), Ace (named, deceased — his fruit), Whitebeard (mentioned — “infamous Whitebeard crew”), Roger (mentioned indirectly — “son of the king of the pirates”), Caribou (cover story)
• Groups / crews: Straw Hat Pirates, Donquixote Pirates (“the Don Quixote family”), Whitebeard Pirates (mentioned)
• Devil Fruits: Mera Mera no Mi (the prize)
• World-building: SMILE (referenced), Paramount War of Marineford (referenced)
• Locations: Dressrosa, Corrida Coliseum

Notable panels

• Page 1: Chapter title spread “CORRIDA COLISEUM,” carrying the cover story “Caribou’s New World Kee Hee Hee, Vol. 23: ‘Proletariats, Grab Your Weapons!! Captain Gaburu, Child of the Revolution, Has Returned!!!’” — a Che-Guevara-styled revolution banner bearing Gaburu’s face, crowd raising weapons. (cover-tracker.)
• Pages 3–4: The infamous sunglassed old stranger flagged as “no ordinary guy”; Sanji collides with him.
• Pages 5–6: Shusui revealed stolen; the “fairies” superstition; Kin’emon’s vow to reclaim it for Wano.
• Pages 8–9: A captured Don Quixote thug knows nothing of SMILE or the factory — only orders to chase samurai.
• Page 10: Establishing splash — “CORRIDA COLISEUM, DRESSROSA.” The Thunder Soldier mobbed by children; “this is no show for children!!” (mirror — coliseum exterior.)
• Pages 11–12: The prize unveiled — Ace’s Flame-Flame Fruit, Logia, “the most powerful of all devil fruits,” displayed in the ring.
• Page 13: Officer-gladiator banner sequence — Señor Pink, Dellinger, Lao G, Machvise.
• Page 14: Full coliseum interior splash with the prize on its pedestal; “the hero and champion of the coliseum — Diamante!!” (mirror — arena interior.)
• Page 15: Luffy in close-up — ”…Flame-Flame Fruit?! Ace’s…” — recognizing his brother’s fruit.

Open questions raised

• Why has Doflamingo resurrected Ace’s Mera Mera no Mi and offered it as a coliseum prize “for whatever reason”? What is he really fishing for by drawing “all the family’s leaders” and New World fighters to one arena?
• Who is the infamous elderly stranger with Devil-Fruit powers, and what did “would be better off for both of us” mean?
• What are Dressrosa’s invisible “fairies” — literal beings or cover for something else — and how have they “protected Dressrosa since the long-distant past”?
• Will Luffy enter the tournament to win back Ace’s fruit, and will Zoro recover Shusui before Kin’emon can reclaim it for Wano?
• If even Doflamingo’s own men don’t know what SMILE or the “factory” is, where and by whom is it actually produced now that Caesar is captured?