Chapter 712: Violet

Arc: Dressrosa · Saga: Dressrosa · Released: 2013-05-27

Summary

Thirty minutes before the Caesar hand-off, the captured Sanji is being beaten and mind-read by the Donquixote Family (Trebol Army) assassin Violet, whose Glare-Glare Fruit lets her see through lies and peer into minds. She tries to extract why Law and the Straw Hats allied and what they want in Dressrosa — but Sanji’s mind is so saturated with perverted thoughts of her that she recoils, and his sincere belief in her tears breaks her. Violet defects: she blasts the Trebol Army with her Hierro Lagrima (Tear-Whales), shows Sanji the memory proving the alliance walked into a trap, and urges him to flee and warn his friends. Meanwhile in Dressrosa, the World Government’s elite Cipher Pol Aigis Zero arrives and orders the crowd to treat Doflamingo’s resignation news as a “false report” / “mistake” — a correction to be printed at 3 PM. On Greenbit, Robin (via Hana-Hana through the ground), Franky and Law overhear Sanji and prepare to flee; Law parts ways and confronts Doflamingo in person. Doflamingo, having bent the entire World Government to retract his abdication, taunts Law that only a Celestial Dragon could pull off such a feat — “you know nothing of Joker’s past.” At the Corrida Colosseum, the Block C battle royale (139 fighters) erupts with Luffy in the ring.

New reveals

• Violet is a Donquixote Family / Trebol Army assassin (p. 3 caption “DON QUIXOTE FAMILY (★TREBOL ARMY) ASSASSIN — VIOLET”), wielding the Glare-Glare Fruit — clairvoyance / lie-detection / mind-reading (“an eagle-eyed seer at the falsehoods within your mind,” p. 5).
• Violet’s named techniques: Peeping Mind (mind-reading, p. 6) and Hierro Lagrima / Tear-Whales (tear-projectile attack, p. 8).
• Violet defects — turns on the Trebol Army, frees and warns Sanji, and reveals the alliance was caught in Doflamingo’s trap “from the instant you brought Caesar to this island” (p. 9).
• Sanji’s bounty: 77,000,000 berries (“A 77-million-berry bounty from the Straw Hat crew,” p. 8).
• Cipher Pol Aigis Zero — “agents of the World Nobles” (p. 10) — appears in Dressrosa and orders the resignation news suppressed as a “false report / mistake,” to be corrected at 3 PM “as if nothing ever happened” (pp. 10-11).
• The World Government retracts Doflamingo’s abdication worldwide (Extra edition, “Major retraction issued,” p. 18) — confirming the resignation was never real.
• Sakazuki (Fleet Admiral) is on his way to speak with the Five Elders in Mariejois; HQ was “also duped by a bad report” (p. 12).
• Doflamingo hints at his hidden origin: only a Celestial Dragon could command the World Government so — “you know nothing of Joker’s past” (p. 19).
• Corrida Colosseum Block C battle royale begins — 139 fighters, Luffy in the ring (pp. 16-17).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Mentions / appearances

Sanji · Violet · Trebol · Doflamingo · Trafalgar Law · Nico Robin · Franky · Caesar Clown (captive, voice on Greenbit) · Usopp (“the nose,” referenced, not shown) · Fujitora (the naval admiral, talking to Sakazuki) · Sakazuki (voice / referenced) · Cavendish · Luffy (in the Block C ring) · CP-0 · Donquixote Pirates · Giro Giro no Mi · Dressrosa · Greenbit · Corrida Colosseum · Mariejois · Seven Warlords of the Sea · Celestial Dragons · Five Elders

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Chapter title page “Chapter 712: VIOLET.” Cover-story inset: Caribou’s New World Kee Hee Hee, Vol. 30 — “Run, Gaburu!” / “If you insist!!” (a large cloud-patterned old woman flees a vault door past a small figure; a giant dark silhouette looms at right).
• Page 3 — Splash caption “DON QUIXOTE FAMILY (★TREBOL ARMY) ASSASSIN — VIOLET” over Violet in her polka-dot flamenco dress.
• Page 5 — Violet names the Glare-Glare Fruit and her “eagle-eyed seer” power.
• Page 6 — “PEEPING MIND!!!” — Violet reads Sanji’s mind and recoils at its “vulgarity / perversion.”
• Page 8 — “Hierro Lagrima!!! / TEAR-WHALES!!!” — Violet attacks the Trebol Army; Sanji’s bounty (77M) stated.
• Pages 10-11 — CP-0 arrives; the cross-stitched-mouth agent orders the resignation cover-up.
• Pages 14-15 — Law (Heart Pirates coat) faces Doflamingo on the Greenbit beach: “JOKERRR!!”
• Page 19 — Doflamingo’s “he’d have to be a Celestial Dragon!!” line.
• Page 20 — SBS Question Corner (cross-references Vol. 31 p. 128 and Chapter 713; the “JK” shirt and “Pluton = croutons” gags) — flag for SBS archivist.

Open questions raised

• What is Doflamingo’s “past” that lets him command the World Government — is he a Celestial Dragon?
• Why does Violet need “a man killed,” and who is it?
• How did Doflamingo turn Law’s own ultimatum (quit by tomorrow’s paper) back on the alliance?
• What does CP-0 / the World Nobles want preserved in Dressrosa badly enough to lie to the whole world?
• Who is the bearded contender raising his arms in Block C (p. 17)? (Unidentified this chapter.)