436: A Queer's Resolve! Luffy's Final Suicidal Attack
Things have not gone very well for anyone on Level 4. Hannyabal was apparently much stronger than Buggy and Mr. 3 had expected, for the two have been defeated and bound up at the exit to Level 3. Hannyabal isn’t happy at this development either, since his plan to cause trouble for Magellan has been ruined. Luffy’s not doing any better, either, for the poison covering his hands is causing him crippling pain. And Mr. 2 continues to flee, wailing over his helplessness.
Magellan expresses surprise that Luffy had managed to bring him to his knees, but says that it doesn’t matter, as the poison will ensure Luffy’s defeat. Despite the pain, Luffy manages to hit him again with Twin Jet Pistol, dodge a volley of poison spat at him, and get behind the warden. Magellan sends another Hydra head at him, but Luffy manages to blow it apart with Jet Pistol, though doing so causes more poison to splash onto him.
Luffy notes in frustration that that didn’t work, but he’s already fallen into Magellan’s next trap, Doku Gumo (Poison Spider), a poisonous gas cloud which causes his vision to swim and muddle his other senses. He tries to get rid of it by blowing it away, but this naturally backfires, as doing so results in him inhaling even more of the poison. Magellan says that the poison will deprive him of everything as he falls to the ground.
Eyecatches: Brook and Luffy
Back with Hannyabal, he’s about to have Buggy and Mr. 3 carried off when Mr. 2 leaps down from above and takes out the jailers with his martial arts. Hannyabal and Mr. 2 clash, and during their skirmish, Mr. 2 manages to get behind the vice-warden. Hannyabal complements him on his fighting skill, but is suddenly left at a loss for words, since what he’s looking at isn’t the same as before…
Meanwhile, Luffy tries to pull himself together for one last effort, but his blows hit everywhere but his opponent. Magellan tells Luffy that both him and Ace are criminals, that he won’t forgive either of their sins, and that Ace’s execution was predetermined. Luffy yells at him to shut up and throws several more ineffective swings before activating Gear Second again. Magellan responds by producing all three of his Hydra heads. The two stare down before Luffy leaps forward, screaming for them to give Ace back, before the Hydra swallows him.
Magellan stands over the poison-covered Luffy, and states that this is his punishment. He’ll suffer unbearable agony for several hours, and then die.
Surprisingly, this episode only covered half a chapter. So inevitably, some parts of it felt a little bit draggy, though not to the extent of some past episodes. What helped was that the art and animation were much better than last episode, and I really liked some of the effects, such as the slight out-of-focus nature of Magellan's poison cloud and a particular shot of his retracting his Hydra head. Another high point was the episode's end, where they began to play a triumphant victory theme for Luffy's final attack before cutting it off right when he lost.
Plot-wise, I appreciated the extra filler with Mr. 2 engaging Hannyabal, and Magellan was pretty impressive in the fight. He was all business, a guy very dedicated to doing his job, without any ulterior motive like someone like Rob Lucci had. His power is incredibly deadly, so it'll be fun to see the good guys take him on in the future. I'm looking forward to seeing Level 5, how Mr. 2's upcoming rescue attempt is handled, and the chapters beyond that, for we will soon be meeting new characters, and discover new developments.
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