User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 473: Red Lightning, Review./@comment-1248963-20160217091753/@comment-5303512-20160217145258

Even if Hiro doesn't plan much ahead, he does make things interesting when he makes connects and how he connects them to older points in the story. I also am interested how he will show the significance of the 12 in the Spriggan 12 based on what he wrote, But I digress.

Freed is indeed stronger, but I doubt that strength is a factor here when it comes to MBP unless it had to be something else that made him go that long because I personally think that there cannot be that huge a difference between him Bickslow and Evergreen when the latter two collapse almost simultaneously.