In the latest chapter we see Carrot racing off to ‘avenge Pedro’s death’, which we can assume to mean, face Perospero. Wanda pops up out of nowhere after disappearing for the past 15 chapters.
Personally, I’m hoping she doesn’t play a major part in the battle against Perospero. Wanda is really a peripheral character at this point, and avenging Pedro could be a significant character moment for Carrot.
I believe Carrot is likely to join the Straw Hat Pirates, so I think it’s significant Oda is setting her up for a prominent moment of her own during the story arc. Carrot didn’t use her Sulong transformation yet, which could potentially put her on a level playing field with Perospero. The fact that Oda has singled her out seems significant, but Wanda’s presence does put that into question.
I believe the narrative role of the tragic flashback to instill a motivating desire in members of the crew was filled for Carrot by Pedro’s death on Whole Cake Island. His dying words stressed the important role Luffy and the Straw Hats are meant to fill by bringing the light of the New Dawn.
Pedro passed on to Carrot the message that every person has their time to shine, words spoken to him directly by the Pirate King. Roger’s message was passed on to Carrot and now, she may take center stage in a fight against Perospero, the one ultimately responsible for Pedro’s death.
I also think the panel progression at the bottom of page 2 is interesting. We see in two vertically aligned panels, Carrot and Luffy rushing off from the performance area where the Straw Hats were assembled, which could be a simple visual cue she is meant to join the Straw hats.
*Theory by StrawHatJedi
