Sanji / Germa 66 — March 2018 — Did They Always Have Emotions?
Germa 66 suddenly looks absurdly strong in Chapter 898.
Too strong — strong enough to make readers question everything they thought they knew.
Were they always this powerful, or is Oda bending the scale for the escape?
Japanese fans didn’t ask “how strong are they” — they asked why now.
- Germa 66 and Hidden Emotions
- Are the Vinsmokes Actually That Strong?
- Big Mom Pirates Underperforming?
- Sanji’s Trust and Role After Katakuri
- 👉Why Japanese fans think this way
- 👉 Trust Over Power — Why Chapter 898 Hits Different
- Germa’s “emotions” theory
- Chapter title dread + Germa hype
- Ichiji scene, “did it pierce him?” and power talk
- “Big Mom Pirates aren’t weak, Germa is strong” vs skepticism
- “Eye beam” gag + robot hype
- Smoothie/Snack “useless?” debate
- “Oven didn’t just get folded” + Germa durability
- Sanji’s standing (Luffy/Zoro trust)
- Where’s Judge?
- Whole Cake Island status map (as of 898)
- Oven’s lack of payoff debate
- Escape tension and Smoothie looming
- Katakuri’s defeat being made public
- Reiju’s poison and science questions
- “Sanji goes back again?” theory
- Reiju’s feelings and Sanji possibly returning
- Luffy sleeping after Katakuri
- Ichiji’s laser tech and cyborg theory
- Why Big Mom wanted Germa
- “Katakuri isn’t that separate” counterargument
- Tactical criticism of Big Mom Pirates
- Yonji’s technique criticism
- Germa techniques list
- Tea Party inconsistency complaints
- General Germa hype (short reactions)
- Oven’s Devil Fruit classification debate
- Manga panel reaction & mirror world logistics
- Germa abilities breakdown & bloodline factor
- Bounty speculation after the incident
- “They won’t reach the ship cleanly” predictions
- Final take on Germa vs Sanji strength gap
- 👉Why Japanese fans think this way
- 👉 Trust Over Power — Why Chapter 898 Hits Different
Germa’s “emotions” theory
22: Anonymous Pirate
Did the brothers get inspired by Sanji and start growing emotions?
238: Anonymous Pirate
Probably as they grew up they ended up having some human emotions, at least a bit.
But they kept it totally hidden and never showed it.
Even Reiju didn’t notice.
That’s what I’m guessing.
After the fighting settles, they’ll probably mention it super casually themselves.
Also they were “trapped” by Perospero’s candy and got saved by Sanji, but honestly, even if Sanji didn’t come, I think they could’ve handled it on their own.
These guys are good at little stage acting.
240: Anonymous Pirate
>>238
Not impossible there was some program that gets解除’d when Judge dies or something.
365: Anonymous Pirate
>>238
Same.
A bunch of stuff felt unnatural.
Like “we’re stuck in candy and can’t move” was weirdly forced, and they acted worried when Reiju and Judge got hit.
I’m predicting the real best actors weren’t Pudding, it’s the Vinsmoke siblings.
Chapter title dread + Germa hype
28: Anonymous Pirate
This chapter title being “I Will Definitely Return” feels ominous…
Hope it’s fine as long as it’s after they get away.
29: Anonymous Pirate
Germa is strong as hell!!!
Feels like they could wipe out something like the Whitebeard Pirates.
32: Anonymous Pirate
>>29
They were originally a cheat setting that can destroy countries, so yeah.
34: Anonymous Pirate
Seems like word got around that Katakuri lost too, and the members linked up.
41: Anonymous Pirate
The only ones Germa lost to were Big Mom and Katakuri who’s the strongest Sweet Commander.
So yeah they’re strong.
Ichiji scene, “did it pierce him?” and power talk
42: Anonymous Pirate
Ichiji’s attack looks like it straight-up pierced the stomach. Dude goes “Gafuh” and collapses.
Also seeing Ichiji reminded me of Masaru-san.
48: Anonymous Pirate
>>42
Isn’t that just an effect?
If it really pierced his stomach it’d be way more fatal.
And looking at Oven after, there’s no “stomach got pierced” vibe at all.
“Big Mom Pirates aren’t weak, Germa is strong” vs skepticism
57: Anonymous Pirate
It’s not that Big Mom Pirates are weak, it’s that Germa is strong.
This is nation vs nation warfare and Ichiji + Niji basically ended it with just two guys, right?
Last time it was more like guerrilla stuff so they didn’t show their full power, but each of them probably has strength that’s only a bit below a Sweet Commander.
64: Anonymous Pirate
>>57
If they were only “a bit weaker” there’s no way Katakuri would’ve instant-killed them.
72: Anonymous Pirate
>>64
Katakuri is just on a different tier, right?
He probably sparred with the other Sweet Commanders too, and he’s still undefeated, so it’s like that.
81: Anonymous Pirate
>>72
Even if he’s the strongest, it doesn’t mean he’s wildly above the others.
Look at Cracker vs Luffy, it’s not some massive gap.
You’re dreaming too hard about Germa.
84: Anonymous Pirate
>>81
If it wasn’t a real gap then someone would’ve made him kneel at least once.
But the understanding is he’s never even taken a knee, so the gap should exist.
“Eye beam” gag + robot hype
58: Anonymous Pirate
Ichiji shooting a beam from his eyes is insane lol
63: Anonymous Pirate
>>58
It’s funny because it’s basically the same vibe as dudes seeing a robot and their eyes sparkle.
Smoothie/Snack “useless?” debate
82: Anonymous Pirate
What is the 932 million berry big-shot even doing?
If he’s been standing there this long it’s honestly a turn-off.
88: Anonymous Pirate
>>82
He just got big, that’s all.
94: Anonymous Pirate
Oven has had zero good moments, like seriously.
96: Anonymous Pirate
Calling Smoothie and Snack useless… at least wait until the Whole Cake arc is fully over.
We don’t know what’s coming.
That take is shallow.
101: Anonymous Pirate
I don’t expect “ability-based combat” from Smoothie, and since she’s a swordswoman she’s probably Zoro’s opponent, but Zoro isn’t here, so there’s no way to use her well.
So people end up calling her useless.
108: Anonymous Pirate
>>101
If you can’t fight with your ability, there’s no way you reach 900M.
125: Anonymous Pirate
>>108
But like… an ability that’s basically “squeeze and drink” — how do you even use that?
Do you make it so you can squeeze out someone’s traits or abilities too?
130: Anonymous Pirate
>>125
They’ve probably already thought about that. Maybe.
“Oven didn’t just get folded” + Germa durability
106: Anonymous Pirate
I thought tough-guy Oven was gonna go down instantly, but nah.
It was a cheap shot eye poke into a laser attack.
Can’t blame him.
119: Anonymous Pirate
Germa can block normal bullets even without the suits, and the suits are also tough because science.
So right now it’s like double-layer defense.
Sanji’s standing (Luffy/Zoro trust)
121: Anonymous Pirate
Are you forgetting Sanji is trusted like crazy by Luffy who can use Observation Haki and calls him “a thousand men worth,” and Zoro sees him as a rival?
Up until now he just didn’t get the right situations to show what he can do.
Even without a power-up, if he’s not held back by “protecting Luffy,” he can fight more than enough.
126: Anonymous Pirate
>>121
Yeah, he doesn’t really need a power-up.
Where’s Judge?
123: Anonymous Pirate
Where did Judge go?
129: Anonymous Pirate
>>123
Knocked out by Big Mom’s punch.
Whole Cake Island status map (as of 898)
131: Anonymous Pirate
[Whole Cake Island Situation Summary] as of Chapter 898
——— Cacao Island / Chocolat Town ———
Pekoms
■ Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Yonji
■ Oven, Raisin, Yuen, “Myuukle”, Decuplets
■ Brûlée
Pudding, Nitro, Rabiyan
Pound [alive/dead unknown]
——— Offshore Cacao Island ———
■ Luffy, Sanji
■ Smoothie, Citron, Cinnamon, Daifuku, Snack, Brownie, Joconde
——— Thousand Sunny ———
■ Nami, Chopper, Brook, Jinbe, Carrot
Zeus [restrained]
——— Mirror World ———
Mascarpone, Joscarpone, Diesel
Katakuri, Flampe, Randolph, “Noble Crocodile” [unable to fight]
——— Nostra Castello ———
Bege, Vito, Gotti, Chiffon, Pez
→ heading to Fluffy Island with the cake
“Bush”
——— Totto Land sea / underwater ———
Big Mom, Napoleon, Prometheus
→ chasing Bege’s ship to eat the cake
Perospero, Bavarois
→ chasing Big Mom and Bege
Aladine, Praline
——— Nuts Island ———
Amande
——— Whole Cake Island ———
■ Compote, Mont d’Or, Baron Tamago
Stussy, Morgans
“Lady Tree”
Pedro [alive/dead unknown]
Streusen, Opera, Nusstorte, Bobbin, King Baum [unable to fight]
——— Current location unknown ———
Judge [unable to fight]
Caesar → escaped (destination unknown)
Galette, Counter, Cadenza, Cavaletta, Dolce, Dragée, Anglais, Ananas
Drag Peclo, Giberson, Umit
Wadatsumi
Cracker, Moscato, Du Feld, Jigra [unable to fight]
Oven’s lack of payoff debate
132: Anonymous Pirate
Man, even though Oven got a decent amount of screen time, he really didn’t have any good moments.
135: Anonymous Pirate
>>132
He stopped Pekoms from going Sulong though.
And he’s not even officially taken out yet.
146: Anonymous Pirate
>>132
That “eyes go KAA!” move also got stolen by Ichiji next chapter.
It’s sad on multiple levels.
Escape tension and Smoothie looming
133: Anonymous Pirate
If they escape on the Sunny like this, Smoothie is still right in front of them, right?
Since it’s Smoothie, they’ll probably get away, but next chapter feels like the real climax.
Katakuri’s defeat being made public
202: Anonymous Pirate
Brûlée what are you doing…
If you’d just kept quiet, Katakuri’s undefeated legend wouldn’t have been damaged.
Announcing it that loudly means it’ll be in tomorrow’s paper and spread worldwide.
I like Katakuri, so I really wanted the collapse of his undefeated myth to not spread.
206: Anonymous Pirate
>>202
From Katakuri’s point of view, he lost fair and square, so making it public is probably what he wants.
He’d hate being lied for.
210: Anonymous Pirate
>>202
That “undefeated legend” was nothing but pressure for Katakuri anyway.
It’s fine if it gets damaged.
He finally got freed from it, so covering it up isn’t something he’d want.
Reiju’s poison and science questions
143: Anonymous Pirate
I still don’t get why Reiju can spread poison even though she’s not a Devil Fruit user.
Is the poison also science-based?
“Sanji goes back again?” theory
149: Anonymous Pirate
After delivering Luffy to the ship, Sanji will probably go back to Cacao Island alone to save his family.
Pudding or maybe Caesar who everyone thinks left could end up being the final key.
170: Anonymous Pirate
>>149
If they do that again I’m seriously gonna say “enough already” lol
Escape, save, escape, save — are we really doing that loop forever?
At that point it’s not kindness, it’s just stupidity.
Reiju’s feelings and Sanji possibly returning
184: Anonymous Pirate
Seeing Reiju fight while remembering letting Sanji escape is heartbreaking.
But it also feels like Sanji might come back again.
Luffy sleeping after Katakuri
185: Anonymous Pirate
They’re letting Luffy sleep, but are they setting him up to fight someone one more time?
190: Anonymous Pirate
>>185
It’s to give Germa their spotlight.
From Luffy’s perspective Oven or Snack are just small fry anyway.
And he probably feels totally safe knowing Sanji will definitely help.
192: Anonymous Pirate
>>185
Letting Luffy sleep after a boss fight is nothing new.
Crocodile, Doflamingo — same pattern.
194: Anonymous Pirate
>>185
It shows how much Luffy trusts Sanji.
Trusting him enough to sleep soundly in a battlefield.
Luffy’s job ends once he gets out of the mirror.
200: Anonymous Pirate
>>194
Luffy:
“(If it’s just running away, Sanji can do that.
Actually, at least do that much.
I beat Cracker and Katakuri because you couldn’t.
What’s so amazing about you.
Do your job too.) falls asleep”
Ichiji’s laser tech and cyborg theory
208: Anonymous Pirate
Laser beams from the eyes —
something even Franky or Caesar couldn’t pull off.
Ichiji might literally be a modified human.
Isn’t this beyond genetic modification and straight-up cyborg territory?
Why Big Mom wanted Germa
215: Anonymous Pirate
Now I really get why Big Mom wanted Germa.
In terms of combat power, only Big Mom and Katakuri are completely on another level,
and there’s a massive gap between them and everyone else.
Smoothie and Cracker (and maybe Snack) sit in the middle,
so she wanted to reinforce that layer.
221: Anonymous Pirate
>>215
Hold on.
Isn’t it too early to write off Daifuku (3rd son) and Oven (4th son)?
They might still show their true strength.
225: Anonymous Pirate
>>221
Even just based on what we know now they’re pretty strong,
but from what we saw this chapter, doesn’t Germa look stronger?
At least those two don’t seem Sweet Commander level.
243: Anonymous Pirate
>>225
Based on this chapter, you can’t really lump Germa together as one group.
Niji is still unclear, but
Ichiji fought Oven (right below Sweet Commander),
Yonji fought Yuen (strong but young),
Reiju fought someone who might not even be a Charlotte.
There’s a noticeable gap among them.
“Katakuri isn’t that separate” counterargument
228: Anonymous Pirate
That logic works for Big Mom, but Katakuri is still just classified as a Sweet Commander.
There’s only about a 100M difference between him and Smoothie despite a 10-year age gap.
Calling him “separate tier” is exaggeration.
If he really was that special, he’d be vice-captain like Beckman.
233: Anonymous Pirate
>>233
Even keeping in mind that we haven’t seen everything yet,
honestly Perospero still feels stronger to me…
Tactical criticism of Big Mom Pirates
244: Anonymous Pirate
With this level of forces, forget Roger —
even current Luffy in perfect Gear 4 condition could escape Cacao Island if he focused on running.
This is a total formation failure.
They knew Luffy would appear, so why not stack Smoothie and Snack at the mirror?
They’re useless at sea anyway.
And Mont d’Or who’s great at capture should’ve been on the front line instead of messing around.
247: Anonymous Pirate
>>244
Maybe they committed their top forces to holding down Pekoms and Germa,
which left the Black Leg encirclement thin.
262: Anonymous Pirate
>>247
Sanji was the groom and the main figure of the tea party after all.
Well, actually not —
Sanji and Germa were the ones who got set up.
Yonji’s technique criticism
450: Anonymous Pirate
Looking closely, doesn’t Yonji’s move look kinda lame compared to the others?
I mean his hand situation is weird, but still.
Feels like even the rope guy from Galley-La could do something similar.
461: Anonymous Pirate
>>450
He smashed flying enemies using Geppo with an upward hammer,
grabbed them by the neck and spun them around.
As a technique it’s terrifying.
Germa techniques list
269: Anonymous Pirate
Ichiji → Sparkling Red
Yonji → Winch Danton
Niji → Lightspeed Sword, Electrified Sword
Reiju → Pink Poison Arrow
Sanji → Near the Sunny and Germa ships
Left is Judge.
Tea Party inconsistency complaints
290: Anonymous Pirate
Ichiji’s portrayal during the tea party was awful.
No suit, trapped by candy, completely helpless.
After putting on the suit, he only lands a surprise punch on Perospero and it ends with “that hurt.”
Then he challenges Katakuri and gets instantly crushed.
So why is he suddenly fighting so well now? It makes no sense.
293: Anonymous Pirate
>>290
It’s just that Katakuri and Perospero were way too strong.
Plus, against Oven he only landed a surprise hit.
In a straight 1v1 Oven might actually be stronger.
294: Anonymous Pirate
Germa looks strong, but if you break it down:
Ichiji → surprise laser on Oven who was about to attack Sanji
Niji → grabbed Sanji and ran
Yonji → surprise attack on Yuen who was about to attack Sanji
Reiju → just beating fodder
Honestly it’s more about presentation.
I don’t think Oda changed Germa’s actual strength at all.
298: Anonymous Pirate
>>294
Too many people ignore this context.
General Germa hype (short reactions)
209: Anonymous Pirate
Damn, Germa really is strong.
Oven’s Devil Fruit classification debate
438: Anonymous Pirate
Oven’s Netsu Netsu is supposed to be Logia, right?
But somehow it looks weaker than Paramecia stuff like Mochi or Biscuit.
449: Anonymous Pirate
>>438
It’s a Paramecia that controls heat.
He can’t become heat itself, can he?
Manga panel reaction & mirror world logistics
524: Anonymous Pirate
529: Anonymous Pirate
>>524
At this point it’s basically a gag.
Thinking about it, Pekoms warps around way too much too.
How did he even get into the mirror world in the first place?
533: Anonymous Pirate
>>529
Brûlée pulled 10,000 soldiers into the mirror world to chase the Straw Hats.
Pekoms and Flampe were probably among them.
Then Brûlée got captured by Luffy midway, so they couldn’t get out.
537: Anonymous Pirate
>>529
Mascarpone and the fodder go in and out of the mirror world all the time,
and Katakuri’s cooks entered midway too.
Either Brûlée was moving around insanely precisely,
or there are mirrors on Whole Cake Island that let you enter even without Brûlée.
Germa abilities breakdown & bloodline factor
465: Anonymous Pirate
Ichiji controls light flashes.
Niji controls electricity.
Yonji has monstrous strength plus stretchy arms.
Reiju controls poison.
Are Yonji’s arms also the result of Lineage Factor modification?
471: Anonymous Pirate
Even among modified humans, the eldest son is the strongest lol.
481: Anonymous Pirate
>>471
You say “eldest is strongest,” but Big Mom’s masterpiece Katakuri is the second son.
So it’s not like firstborns are always the strongest.
490: Anonymous Pirate
>>481
True lol.
And Luffy is another example.
There are plenty of younger brothers who surpass the older ones.
This one’s only by marriage though.
Bounty speculation after the incident
605: Anonymous Pirate
This incident is definitely gonna get written up by Morgans.
Luffy’s bounty will probably break 1 billion.
Urouge at 700 million.
608: Anonymous Pirate
Honestly, I thought Katakuri getting defeated wouldn’t be made public.
“They won’t reach the ship cleanly” predictions
159: Anonymous Pirate
Since it ended right as they were about to reach the ship,
something that prevents them from reaching it feels inevitable.
What kind of thing could happen?
165: Anonymous Pirate
>>159
Even if Germa is landing surprise attacks,
if a huge fleet is running openly above them and no one can shoot them down,
that’s just incompetence at this point.
166: Anonymous Pirate
>>159
Ending with a smiling line like “I can see the Sunny”
basically guarantees they won’t make it.
With Germa’s castle right in front of the Sunny and Sanji returning,
something’s gonna happen here and lead to a reunion with Judge.
172: Anonymous Pirate
>>166
This is a Snack interference flag.
Snack already noticed disguised Sanji early on,
and him not appearing this chapter feels unnatural.
236: Anonymous Pirate
>>207
In the chapter where Sanji was disguised,
Snack’s face shows up near the end, right?
Final take on Germa vs Sanji strength gap
459: Anonymous Pirate
When Sanji fought Yonji before,
I thought Sanji was just confused by the science and would win seriously.
But now Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji all look insanely strong,
and that honestly shocked me.
👉Why Japanese fans think this way
apanese readers care a lot about presentation consistency.
When a character suddenly looks stronger,
they assume there’s a hidden reason —
acting, holding back, or deliberately hiding strength.
That’s why the idea
“Germa was always this strong”
feels natural instead of forced in Japan.
👉 Trust Over Power — Why Chapter 898 Hits Different
Chapter 898 isn’t really about power scaling.
It’s about trust.
Sanji trusts his family just enough to turn his back.
And Luffy trusts Sanji so completely
that he can fall asleep in the middle of a battlefield.
Germa’s strength feels shocking
because this is the first time
the story lets them fight without emotional restraint.
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