Pays off the long “why is this beloved shipwright so dangerous” negative-space build (Lucci spoke only via Hattori, never fought directly until Ch. 347).
The payoff
The full transformed Zoan were-leopard form and the fruit’s name (Neko Neko no Mi, Model Leopard) are revealed on-page Ch. 349 — that is where the “Lucci is a Devil Fruit user” beat itself pays off. The threat-arc closure lands Ch. 427:
Earliest known caller
(unknown)
Why this matters
A textbook Oda prop-tell / silhouette / chekhov-explicit cliffhanger: the arc’s apex antagonist withholds his single defining power across the entire arc (the pigeon-mouthpiece gag substituting for any display of strength), then detonates it on a volume-ending page. The transformation cliffhanger pays off the long negative-space mystery of why this “shipwright” is the deadliest enemy of Water Seven. Cross-link Rob Lucci, CP9, Six Powers (Rokushiki).