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Chapter 864: The Vinsmoke Massacre Plot

Arc: Whole Cake Island · Saga: Four Emperors (Yonko) · Released: 2017-04-24

Summary

The tea-party assassination kicks off. The disguised “fake Straw Hat” who smashes Mother Carmel’s portrait is revealed to be Brook (Soul King), peeling off his face-disguise to the crowd’s horror (pp. 2-4). The shattered portrait should trigger Big Mom’s wits-losing scream — the cue for Bege’s coup and the crew’s escape — but the scream never comes; Big Mom (Charlotte Linlin) instead lapses into a confused, rage-dazed state, unsure what to be furious about first (pp. 5, 14-15). In the chaos Pudding drops her sweet-bride mask to Sanji’s face — third eye open — and opens fire on him, calling her deceit “my true nature” (p. 6); her brother Charlotte Daifuku (3rd son, Minister of Beans) scolds her and summons a war-genie with his Puff-Puff Fruit (p. 7-8). Pedro clashes with Charlotte Oven (4th son, Minister of Baking), whose Heat-Heat Fruit lets him cook a blade red-hot; Oven names Pedro as Pekoms’s old brother-in-arms “who lost his eye and life span” (p. 10). Bege, as head of security (“Rook”), seizes Luffy under cover of arresting him (p. 9). Meanwhile the Vinsmokes — disarmed and stuck in Perospero’s candy — turn their (smuggled) guns on Big Mom only to find themselves the helpless targets of her own massacre trap; Reiju tells Judge that he long ago carved the emotion out of his own sons, who won’t even flinch at their own deaths, while Judge weeps that he gave everything for the Germa Empire’s return and vengeance on the North Blue (pp. 12-14). As the plan teeters, Katakuri turns pale, having glimpsed “a future of impending disaster,” and the allies scramble to re-show Big Mom the smashed portrait and deploy Bege’s “Invisible Symphonia” earplug gambit (pp. 15-17). The chapter closes on the SBS Question Corner (p. 18).

New reveals

• Brook is the portrait-smasher. The “fake Straw Hat” who shattered Mother Carmel’s photo is Brook in disguise; he rips off the face-mask, is recognized as the world-famous “Soul King,” and quips he died “a long time ago” (pp. 2-4).
• Charlotte Daifuku debuts — Third son of Charlotte, Minister of Beans. Rubs his own body to conjure a war-genie (Puff-Puff Fruit / Hoya Hoya no Mi); genie technique “Rage Split” (pp. 7-8).
• Charlotte Oven debuts — Fourth son of Charlotte, Minister of Baking. Heat-Heat Fruit (Netsu Netsu no Mi): superheats objects and his sword; “I’ll cook you to death!!” (p. 10).
• Pudding’s third eye, weaponized at Sanji. She abandons the act to his face, fires on him, and brags she has “fooled plenty of people before” (p. 6).
• The Vinsmokes are trapped. Weapons and raid suits were confiscated at the entrance; Perospero’s candy pins them in place — Big Mom’s massacre plan has them cornered (p. 12).
• Reiju on Germa’s emotionless sons. Judge “took all emotion from your sons” — they “don’t even feel human” and won’t react to their own deaths (p. 13).
• Judge’s stated purpose: revive the Germa Empire and take vengeance on the nations of the North Blue (p. 14).
• Big Mom doesn’t scream — she dazes. The portrait-smash sends her into a confused, peaked-rage stupor instead of the expected scream-fit; the plan begins to misfire (pp. 5, 11, 14-15).
• Katakuri’s future-sight, first hint. He turns pale having “seen a future of impending disaster” (pp. 15, 17).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

Big Mom · Brook · Sanji · Luffy · Charlotte Pudding · Charlotte Katakuri · Charlotte Daifuku (first appearance) · Charlotte Oven (first appearance) · Charlotte Perospero · Charlotte Brulee · Capone Bege · Pedro · Pekoms (mentioned) · Jinbei · Vinsmoke Judge · Vinsmoke Reiju · Vinsmoke Ichiji · Vinsmoke Niji · Vinsmoke Yonji · Mother Carmel (mentioned, via portrait) · Cavendish (cover) · Hoya Hoya no Mi (first named) · Netsu Netsu no Mi (first named) · Big Mom Pirates · Firetank Pirates · Straw Hat Pirates · Beautiful Pirates (cover) · Charlotte · Vinsmoke · Germa 66 · Three-Eye Tribe · Minks · Whole Cake Chateau · Mirro-World

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page / Limited Cover Series No. 23: “The Saga of the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Fleet, Vol. 1 — The Beautiful Pirates Beautifully Sail the Beautiful Seas.” B/W cover-story art of the Beautiful Pirates’ galleon (horse figurehead, “Beautiful Pirates”/“Popularity” sails). Start of a new cover series spotlighting the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
• Page 4 — Brook tears off his disguise-face, recognized by the crowd as the “Soul King.”
• Page 6 — Pudding’s third eye open, firing on Sanji (“This is my true nature!!”); Sanji’s stunned “Even your—self… Pudding?”
• Page 7 — Charlotte Daifuku label-caption + “BW-OOF” genie summon.
• Page 10 — Charlotte Oven label-caption; superheated sword; “I’ll cook you to death!!!”
• Page 12 — The Vinsmokes turn guns on Big Mom yet sit candy-pinned and disarmed; Judge’s “I trusted you!!!”
• Page 14 — Judge weeps over the Germa Empire; Perospero notes “Mama’s rage meter has peaked.”
• Page 17 — “Everyone has an equal right… to change the future!!!” — thematic counter to Katakuri’s foresight.
• Page 18 — SBS Question Corner (Vol. 86): Oda on terse “Thanks,” transponder-snail silent mode, and the closing gag “Everyone has an equal right to change the channel!!!” mirroring p. 17.

Open questions raised

• What exactly is Katakuri’s “future-sight,” and what are its limits? (First hint here.)
• Will Big Mom’s daze resolve into the scream the plotters need — or something worse?
• How did Pedro lose “his eye and life span,” and to whom/what did he trade his years?
• Can the Vinsmokes survive Big Mom’s massacre trap now that they are disarmed and candy-pinned?