Perospero has dried blood on his face which goes away by the time he enters the hall, and no sign of his facial scratches anymore. This is not a man who avoided a “close call”, he’s eager to fight some more and is about to pick on Marco or King and Queen.
He feels so unthreatened that it’s the main reason he lets Carrot and Wanda go rather than covering them in candy on the spot. What a boss. The tension for how Carrot overcomes this feels real. With all the candy spears on the ground and Wanda’s weapon covered in it too, I would love the anime to fill in a bit of the fight.
Perospero once again iterates that he’s not responsible for Pedro’s suicide. More than a villain claiming moral superiority, it’s time to consider there’s a greater theme Oda is trying to emphasize here. Battles for revenge in One Piece never pan out too well, do they?
- Ace lost to Blackbeard trying to avenge Thatch.
- Law lost to Doflamingo trying to avenge Corazon.
- Red Scabbards lost to Kaido trying to avenge Oden.
- The “Payback War” where the Whitebeard Pirates lost to the Blackbeard Pirates.
Maybe Whitebeard was wise not going after Blackbeard or Wano to avenge his sons. What kind of message does it send that Carrot filled with negative emotions succeeds in a battle to fulfill a grudge?
Pedro told Carrot to move forward, but ironically she’s stuck in a vengeful mindset over his death, leaving the skull to chase down Perospero outside.
Carrot (and Wanda) can only achieve victory by finding a new source inner strength. Rather than fighting for the past with Pedro’s death and engaging in an iffy logic battle over who was right, she should try fighting for present Wano or the future Dawn the minks including Pedro await.
*by Lampyris
