Chapter 703: Waiting Room

Arc: Dressrosa · Saga: Dressrosa · Released: 2013-02-04

Summary

A color-spread splash (“We’ll send an SOS to the World”) opens the chapter. In Dressrosa’s town the populace marvels that the Flame-Flame Fruit — Ace’s fruit — exists again: it is stated on-page that when a Devil Fruit’s user dies the fruit regrows somewhere else in the world, and “the young master” tracked the regrown Mera Mera no Mi down to set it as the prize of the Corrida Coliseum tournament. Luffy, recognizing it as the memento of his dead brother Ace, refuses to let anyone else have Ace’s power and resolves to win it himself (he can’t eat it — he already has Gum-Gum powers and would rather be able to swim; Franky declines too). Meanwhile Sanji, separated from a sword-robbed Zoro, is smitten by the dancer Violet, who flees pursuing “policemen,” embraces Sanji to hide, and ultimately begs him to escort her out of town — confessing at the cliffhanger that “there’s a man I need you to kill.” At the Corrida Coliseum, the wanted one-legged toy soldier (“The Angry Thunder Soldier”) taunts the police, who are barred by Don Quixote family law from acting inside the arena. Luffy registers as gladiator No. 0556 “Lucy” (a fake-beard disguise) and, in the sweltering gladiator waiting room, is bullied by the 51-time tourney champion Spartan — whom he flattens with a single quiet punch.

New reveals

• Devil Fruit reincarnation rule, stated on-page: “If the owner of the fruit’s power dies… that fruit will reappear somewhere else in the world” — the same Devil Fruit cannot exist twice at one time, so a regrown fruit only appears after the previous user dies (p. 3).
• The Mera Mera no Mi (Ace’s Flame-Flame Fruit) regrew after Ace’s death and was tracked down by “the young master” to become the Corrida Coliseum tournament prize (p. 3).
• The Corrida Coliseum is governed by special laws enacted by the Don Quixote family: police and navy are forbidden from entering, and may not uphold the law within its walls even against a known criminal (pp. 12-13).
• Luffy enters the tournament disguised as the bearded gladiator “Lucy,” No. 0556 (p. 16) — under one rule: fight all you like, but don’t give away his identity (p. 15).
• Violet, a celebrated Dressrosa dancer, is being hunted; she recruits Sanji and reveals at the cliffhanger that “there’s a man I need you to kill” (pp. 7, 11).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Luffy (as “Lucy,” No. 0556), Sanji, Zoro (sword stolen; offstage), Franky, Violet (debut), Spartan (debut), Thunder Soldier (the one-legged toy soldier, debut), Doflamingo (mentioned, not shown), Ace (mentioned; deceased — his fruit regrew)
• Color-spread crew: Nami, Usopp, Brook, Tony Tony Chopper
• Locations: Dressrosa, Corrida Coliseum (Lover’s Lane named, p. 9)
• Groups: Don Quixote family (rules Dressrosa / enacts Coliseum law)
• Fruit: Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit — the tournament prize)
• Threads: Nature of Devil Fruits

Notable panels

• Pages 1-2 — Color spread: “We’ll send an SOS to the World” (The Police “Message in a Bottle” lyric). Luffy hoists a lifebuoy; Brook’s clothes hang on a line; Nami rides a log/shark; Chopper in a shark’s jaws; Usopp; a school of hammerhead-style sharks. Decorative music-themed spread (no clear foreshadow).
• Page 3 — The Devil-Fruit reincarnation exposition, with fruit-power icons (snake, lightning, fish-shapes) around a townsperson’s face.
• Page 7 — “DANCER VIOLET” full-figure debut splash (polka-dot flamenco dress).
• Page 13 — “ONE-LEGGED SOLDIER (TOY) / AKA: THE ANGRY THUNDER SOLDIER” caption; the toy soldier evades police by Coliseum law.
• Page 16 — “No. 0556 LUCY” — Luffy’s back shows his gladiator number; the sweltering “Gladiator Waiting Room.”
• Page 17 — “SPARTAN — CORRIDA COLISEUM GLADIATOR (51-TIME MONTHLY TOURNEY CHAMP)” caption.
• Pages 18-19 — Luffy quietly flattens Spartan with one punch (“Hiya.”).
• Page 20 — SBS Question Corner (Vol. 71): Law’s favorite food (grilled fish), Robin’s “scary fantasies,” and the Haki-user reveal — Luffy (Supreme King / Conqueror’s), Zoro (Armament), Sanji (Observation). (SBS content — route to SBS archivist; cross-link the Vol-71 SBS note.)
• Page 21 — Next-chapter opener “Chapter 704: Lucy and the Statue of Kyros,” carrying the cover serial “Caribou’s New World Kee Hee Hee, Vol. 24 — Proletariat Riot Suppressed” (belongs to ch 704; cover-tracker to file).

Open questions raised

• Who is “the young master” that hunted down the regrown Mera Mera no Mi, and what is Doflamingo’s stake in the tournament?
• Who is Violet really, who is the man she needs killed, and why are armed men hunting her through Dressrosa?
• Where did Zoro’s stolen sword go — and what is the “fairy/dirty thief” that took it?