Review: One Piece Chapter 767

Cora and Doflamingo

Full spoilers follow.

Well, we knew it was coming. From Law's fight with Doflamingo earlier in the arc, we knew that Corazon would meet his fate at the hands of his own brother. Still, despite knowing it was coming, Oda handled Cora's death excellently, showing once again that he is the master of tragic backstories.

Cora's plan of hiding Law in a treasure chest was very smart, yet also very simple. Although it kind of depended on Law's self-control. I was half-afraid that Law would ruin everything by running out to try to save Corazon, or at least try to see him one last time. Not that I would have blamed him. Still, the fact that he had so much self-control at such a young age says a lot about him.

And once again Corazon showed just how useful his ability is. Oda really knows how to utilize powers in One Piece for maximum effect. Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised after he made Blueno's Door-Door ability incredibly useful.

It's also worth noting that Doflamingo stated he was reluctant to kill his father, and his brother. It shows that despite the Warlord's absolutely malicious personality, he does care on some level about his family. Of course, this was evident earlier in the arc when he stated that his Officers were family to him.

This didn't keep him from doing the deed, though. The flashback in the flashback at the chapter's beginning showed the circumstances behind Doflamingo's patricide, which was appropriately brutal. It says a lot about Doflamingo's father that he smiled and apologized to his son even as he was about to be gunned down. Still, I don't think his father had anything to apologize for. He wanted to live among the people, and lessen the gap between the Celestial Dragons and the general populace. It wasn't his fault that the people essentially lynched his family. The complexity of the whole situation really shows just how cruel the world can be.

It's also interesting to note that Vergo has been with Doflamingo since he was a child, as was Trebol. If anything, I expected Pica or Diamante to have been with him longer. It also has to do with Vergo's position in the Family. Since he always operates separately from them, and he was introduced in the Punk Hazard arc before the Don Quixote Family was established, I've never really associated him with the rest of them. But perhaps, since he was with Doflamingo so long, that is why he was trusted to infiltrate the Navy.

The moment leading up to Corazon's death was great, and Cora knocking his head against the chest so that Law knew that he was talking to him was a nice touch. And the fact that Cora forced himself to stay alive so that Law's sound buffer would stay in place was incredibly touching. The snow that slowly covered his body was also a beautiful effect on Oda's part.

And I realize that the Don Quixote Family was under attack by Tsuru's Marines, but it seemed odd that none of them noticed Law walking away from the pile of treasure. Most of the characters in the series are so ridiculously powerful and smart, that I'm surprised when they don't notice things like that. I guess it's worth keeping in mind that powerful characters aren't omniscient. However, the final panel, showing Law's cries drowned out by the explosions of Tsuru's cannon fire was great.

It was also touching how the chapter showed that Sengoku took in Corazon after Doflamingo killed their father. It says a lot about a character we really haven't seen in a few years.

Did you notice that this was
X Drake?

One of the most understated elements in this chapter was the character Drie. I'll be honest, I had no idea who he was as I read the chapter. Obviously he was important, and I wondered what the significance of him being taken in by the Navy was. It wasn't until I went on the One Piece Wiki that I found out that apparently Drie is X Drake. I didn't even notice the "x" shaped scar on his chin. So now we know that Drake and Law, two of the Eleven Supernovas, came close to crossing paths in the past.

I really don't know where this Jimbei cover story is going. These cover stories seem to range from entirely unimportant (Gedatsu) to foreshadowing of future events (Buggy). Considering Jimbei's importance, I'm willing to bet that something important will happen.

I'm curious if this will be the last chapter in Law's flashback, or if perhaps we'll get one more showing his life between Cora's death and him becoming Captain of the Heart Pirates. Either way, the Dressrosa arc still has a lot of life left in it.