Impression
I don’t know whether it was just me, but those magic tools seemed to be awfully powerful – admittedly the pirates had Aladdin as a hostage, but they were still going up against a Fanalis and two metal vessel users. Maybe it was just the way they were used… the air bubble thing suits the pirates rather well after all. Either way, the shady nature of what’s being produced at Magnostadt (and who it gets distributed to) adds even more foreshadowing to some of the later events in the show. Hakuryuu really managed to shine this episode! Despite having only recently received Zagan, he’s already able to command his djinn’s power to such a great extent – and unfortunately for poor Alibaba, he might even be able to use djinn equip. I think Hakuryuu’s always had a certain level of skill, but it just goes to show how high your power level can jump if you’re able to access a metal vessel (or even a household vessel). While Amon is very orientated towards offence, Zagan can get more diverse when combined with Hakuryuu’s magoi manipulation.
So… not only are these pirates after loot – they’re after children as well. If they weren’t children themselves, we’d definitely be stepping into dangerous territory there. You don’t have to read the manga to realize that these kids are all brainwashed somehow; they go into the caves crying, get fattened up by the food there and eventually get converted (through shady means) into obedient slaves of Aum Madaura, who has decided to fashion themselves as their “mother”. She says she loves them, but if they’re expendable enough to be used as sources of magoi, I very much doubt this is the case. These brainwashed children decide to get new children, who are then brainwashed to get even more children. Orba (who’s fashioned himself as their ringleader) is probably from the original batch. The red markings on their faces seem to only appear on those who are initiated, by the way. It’s unlikely that any metal vessel possesses this sort of ability, so it’s probably a magic tool of some sort. From Magnostadt, of course. Why Aum Madaura would want an army of children is beyond me – presumably the magic tool works on adults as well.
The way Actia’s navy acted was unsurprisingly like how things were in Balbadd – the monarchy and those high up on the social ladder are the only ones who will ever profit, while the poor are left to fend for themselves. Despite knowing the pirates are damaging to both the citizens’ welfare and their trade routes, the navy aren’t acting because of some flimsy, cowardly excuse. Sindria seems to be part of a minority in that there is no tyranny of the minority in place; Sinbad and the Eight Generals are actually well-liked by the people, and the country itself is prosperous. It looks like our protagonists are going to have to step in and save the day once more 😀