#mostly around zou and wci | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dittolicous · 3 months

Text

Saw some takes on One Piece x Pokemon so I thought I'd throw in my own two cents, seeing as giving characters Pokemon is my FAVORITE thing (just look at my fucking Submas fic, so many Pokeymans.... ehem).

First, to note that I'm working under the idea of 'One Piece where everything is exactly the same as Canon except Pokemon are also there'. How? Eh, its anime, baby, we don't need too much logic! They're just like a split off from regular animals - perhaps animals naturally enfused with Devil Fruit-like powers or something? IDK.

(That said, Pokemon cannot gain Devil Fruit powers like a regular animal can. There are many studies why but no 100% conclusive answer.)

Luffy:

1) Tangela ♀️ -> Tangrowth

Met on/at: Dawn Island

Background: Met when Luffy was young, in the mountain forest after befriending Ace and Sabo. They bonded over both having stretchy limbs. Constantly got tangled up in each other.

Evolved: During Marineford while trying to save Ace.

Reasoning: Stretchy limbs, a little goofy looking, but can become a strong fighter.

2) Mudkip ♂️ -> Marshtomp -> Swampert

Met on/at: Alabasta.

Background: Often hung out with the Kung-Fu Dugong for a fun brawl and was impressed by Luffy. Followed the Strawhats by sneaking into their luggage afterwards. Helped Luffy against Crocodile.

Evolved: First at Enies Lobby then finally over the timeskip while training with Luffy. Was supplied with a Megastone by Boa. First use was during Dressrosa.

Reasoning: Mega evolution similar to Luffy's Gear 3-4 appearances. Also completes the starter trio with Zoro and Sanji.

3) Aipom ♀️ -> Ambipom

Met on/at: Skypiea.

Background: Liked Luffy's singing, followed him around and snuck on board the Merry when it went to leave Skypiea.

Evolved: At Thriller Bark, trying to protect Luffy from Kuma.

Reasoning: Goofy monkey. “It uses its tails for everything. If it wraps both of its tails around you and gives you a squeeze, that's proof it really likes you.”

4) Drampa ♂️

Met on/at: Sabaody, pre-timeskip.

Background: Was entertaining kids at the theme-park when Luffy's group bumped into them. Became distraught that Camie was kidnapped and tried to help them find her. Was upset they couldn't protect Luffy or the Strawhats when the navy showed up, thus watching over Sunny during the two years to make up for it. Officially joined when they reunited.

Reasoning: Goofy. Fluffy white hair, similar to Gear 5. Kind to children, will become violent to protect or avenge them - think Momo, Tama, and Bonnie.

5) Lombre ♂️ -> Ludicolo

Met on/at: Dressrossa.

Background: Often snuck in to watch Colosseum fights. Didn't really understand why everyone always got so mad (mostly at Rebecca) but thought the fights seemed fun. Was inspired by Luffy's battles and defeating Doflamingo and really liked the party thrown afterwards.

Evolved: Accidentally, on the way to WCI, after touching a waterstone while playing around in Nami's treasure (with Gholdengo).

Reasoning: “Upon hearing an upbeat and cheerful rhythm, the cells in Ludicolo's body become very energetic and active. Even in battle, this Pokémon will exhibit an amazing amount of power.” Festive music makes it stronger, comparable to Drums of Liberation. Also goofy, likes to party.

6) Egg -> Riolu ♂️ -> Lucario

Met on/at: Zou.

Background: Was accidentally grabbed when the egg got packed with their supplies during the rush to WCI. Was nearly eaten by Luffy but Chopper recognized it as a viable Pokemon egg. Hatched aboard the Sunny when Luffy cried out to Sanji, feeling his emotions despite the distance. Intensely attached to Luffy as a result.

Evolved: At Wano during the Onigashima battle.

Reasoning: Use of aura similar to Ryuo Haki.

And, lol whoops, since this is gunna be LONG the rest of the Strawhats are going under the cut!

Zoro:

1) Scyther ♂️ -> Kleavor

Met on/at: Shimotsuki Village.

Background: Often fought each other while Zoro trained to beat Kuina. Was thrown off when Zoro came after him viciously one day, until he broke down mid fight and told him about Kuina, her death, and their promise. Joined Zoro when he eventually left the village.

Evolved: Found Black Augurite way back at Little Garden but was not aware of its use nor cared to evolve until Wano, after seeing Tonoyasu's execution.

Reasoning: Knife arms. Kleavor chosen over Scizor because Scizor is more claw or clamp-like while Kleavor keeps the sharp weaponry arms (just axes instead of swords). Kleavor also more old-fashioned, less fancy than Scizor, mirroring Zoro's simple ideology. Big, scary looking.

2) Magikarp ♂️ -> Gyarados

Met on/at: East Blue sea.

Background: Came across Zoro while he was lost at Sea. Helped lead him to land but was stunned by how he kept getting immediately lost and stuck with him to keep him from dying at sea. Likes to meditate with him. Dreams of swimming up a giant water. Love at first sight with Sanji's Feebas. Get clumsy and shy under her attention. Nearly went belly up when she evolved. Becomes a mated pair after Little Garden. Neither Zoro or Sanji are aware.

Evolved: To help them escape Enies Lobby whirlpools. Was given a Mega-stone much later at Wano, by Hiyori.

Reasoning: Unexpected powerhouse. Connects to Wano via ‘koi that climbs a waterfall’ and becomes a dragon. Mirrors Sanji's Feebas/Milotic.

3) Zangoose ♀️

Met on/at: Random East Blue island.

Background: Caught while roaming as a bounty hunter. Was terrorizing a local town until Zoro beat them. Has an explosive temper and can be difficult to control at times. More controlled after the timeskip but can still be egged into fits.

Reasoning: Sharp, mean-looking face. Has a long-term rivalry with another Pokemon (Seviper). Mark over left eye.

4) Treecko ♂️ -> Grovyle -> Sceptile

Met on/at: Long Ring Long Land Island.

Background: Watched their Davy Back fight. Thought they were kinda stupid ultimately liked their vibes and forced their way onto Zoro's team afterwards. Chose Zoro on a whim but it worked as they often nap together. Very chill, go-with-the-flow type.

Evolved: First at Sabaody while protecting Zoro from Kuma then finally over the timeskip. Was sneakily given a Mega-stone by Mihawk when the two years were up.

Reasoning: Green. Cutting attacks. Completes the Starter Trio with Luffy and Sanji.

5) Charcadet ♂️ -> Ceruledge

Met on/at: Thriller Bark.

Background: Was helping them from the shadows as they were too weak to take on Moria straight on. Saw the confrontation with Kuma and was greatly moved. Wants to be trained by Zoro.

Evolved: Over the timeskip.

Reasoning: Sword arms. Got stronger via cursed artifacts like Zoro's swords.

6) Applin ♀️ -> Dipplin -> Hydrapple

Met on/at: Wano.

Background: Saw Zoro as he pretended to be a traveling ronin in the capital. Became completely enamored by him. Kept following him and randomly popping out to give him food or lead him places. Young powerhouse. Really wants to protect and impress him.

Evolved: First when Toko gave Zoro a candied apple which Zoro then gave to them (since he doesn't like sweets). Had no idea it could evolve them. Then finally during the Onigashima battle.

Reasoning: Multi-headed dragon similar to three-sword style. Also funny for him to have a sweets-based Pokemon despite disliking sweets. Draws parallel to his friendship with Chopper.

Nami:

1) Meowth ♂️ -> Persian

Met on/at: Random East Blue Island.

Background: Caught in an attempt to abuse Pay Day. Wasn't efficient, only upsetting both of them, and gave them a rough start. Eventually grew to understand and trust each other. Becomes very spoiled later on, as Nami wants to give them a good life.

Evolved: While fighting Baroque Works in the final Alabasta battle.

Reasoning: Money cat.

2) Absol ♀️ (shiny) ⭐️

Met on/at: Random pirate ship in the East Blue.

Background: Freed them from a poacher while working for Arlong. Bonded over being considered bad omens (or so they believed). Helps her recognize warning signs of oncoming natural disasters.

Evolved: Found a Mega-stone in treasure at Thriller Bark. Only achieved it after the timeskip.

Reasoning: Ability to sense on-coming disasters similar to Nami being able to spot storms and her navigation capabilities. Shiny to match her hair.

3) Gimmighoul ⚧️ -> Gholdengo

Met on/at: Skypiea.

Background: Found roaming form in treasure from Skypiea. Freaked out before taking up residence in Nami's treasure. Very good at keeping it organized and safe for her. Not much of a fighter but focuses on keeping the ship safe when the crew is on land. Likes to watch her draw maps.

Evolved: Entirely by accident while trying to protect their treasure at Thriller Bark. Was not looking forward to having Nami find out some of the treasure was now part of their body.

Reasoning: Treasure, gold.

4) Castform ♂️

Met on/at: Weatheria.

Background: Lived with the Weather Wizards to aid them in their studies. Was moved by Nami's drive to help Luffy and then by her bountiful knowledge and skill. Helps her improve Clima-Tact range. Chose to go with her so they could become stronger together as well as see her achieve her dream. Later becomes BFFs with Zeus.

Reasoning: Weather-based abilities.

5) Wattrel ♀️ -> Kilowattrel

Met on/at: Weatheria.

Background: Befriended the entire flock while practicing lightning attacks. Chose to stay with her to keep ‘playing’. A little air-headed but well-meaning. Also BFFs with Zeus.

Evolved: At Dressrossa, while fighting Giolla. Not good at remembering their much bigger now and keeps trying to sit on Nami's shoulder.

Reasoning: Electric bird. Comparable to Nami's favorite attack with Thunder Tempo.

6) Dratini ♂️ -> Dragonair -> Dragonite

Met on/at: On the way to Fish-man Island.

Background: A scardy-cat but still tries to keep sailors safe. Got caught up in the mess with the kraken and volcano on the journey to the island. Stuck with Nami because she let them curl around her shoulders when they got scared. Officially joined at the end of the arc.

Evolved: First during the escape from WCI and then finally during the battle at Onigashima while desperately trying to protect Nami.

Reasoning: Saves sailors from storms and wrecks just like Nami navigates them to safety. Kindhearted.

Special Note: Nami is afraid of Bug Type Pokemon.

Usopp:

1) Spinarak ♂️ -> Ariados

Met on/at: Syrup Village.

Background: First friend, partners in crime. Helped back-up Usopp's lies however they could. Desperately wants to befriend Nami and Sanji (going slowly).

Evolved: During the timeskip. Took so long to evolve because of their personal fear they weren't going to be good enough to help Usopp achieve his dream.

Reasoning: Usopp claims to have played with spiders as a kid.

2) Remoraid ♀️ -> Octillary

Met on/at: Seas of Alabasta.

Background: Fished up on the way to Alabasta. Was too scrawny to eat, took offense to that, and made it their problem until caught by Usopp. Constantly disobeyed him, causing trouble and spitting water at them. Only grew to respect and listen to him in Enies Lobby, both out of his love for Merry and his strength to stand up for Robin.

Evolved: While protecting them at Enies Lobby, when they were stuck on the platform.

Reasoning: Gun fish for the sniper.

3) Finizin ♂️ -> Palafin

Met on/at: Water 7.

Background: Met while he tried to fix Merry. Usopp would talk to Merry and his voice drew in some wild sea Pokemon. Thought it was touching how much he cared for the ship. Saw him and Franky get kidnapped by CP-9, chasing after the sea train. Saw the ‘birth’ of and idolizes Sogeking.

Evolved: As they were leaving Water 7, hyped up by Usopp returning to his friends and wanting to protect them from Garp.

Reasoning: Superhero Pokemon = Sogeking.

4) Dreepy ♀️ -> Drakloak -> Dragapult

Met on/at: Thriller Bark.

Background: Followed them out of curiosity. Got slingshot-ed away by Usopp by accident when he panicked thanks to the zombies. Turned out to love being launched by Usopp's slingshot, kept coming back to him and even offering to help if he kept doing it. Refused to leave.

Evolved: First during the timeskip and then again at Dressrosa, during the final battle.

Reasoning: Likes being shot around. Good for a sniper. Also funny since Usopp is scared of ghosts.

5) Toedscool ♂️ -> Toedscruel

Met on/at: Boin Archipelago.

Background: Tried to kill Usopp at first but had a change of heart when Usopp accidentally saved them both from being eaten by the island. Helped him hone his skills and ammunition, then joined after two years.

Evolved: Over the two years.

Reasoning: Goofy, good at running away really fast. Draws comparisons to Usopp's use of plants and the like later.

6) Floragato ♂️ -> Meowscarada

Met on/at: Dressrosa.

Background: Was particularly feisty and troublesome and thus was turned into a toy by Sugar. Witnessed the God Usopp fight. Was more baffled then moved, choosing to follow Usopp out of morbid curiosity. Respect was grudgingly won when they watched him prepare his attack to protect Luffy from Sugar later on.

Evolved: During the battle at Onigashima.

Reasoning: Uses sleight of hand, showy, like Usopp. Similar to Palafin and Sogeking.

Special Note: Afraid of Ghost Type Pokemon. Still startles around Robin's.

Sanji:

1) Rattata ♂️ (shiny) ⭐️

Met on/at: Germa Kingdom.

Background: One of the rats he fed. Found Sanji in the dungeon and kept him company. Escaped with him, officially being caught once on the ship. Only survived the shipwreck because Sanji forced them to stay in their Pokeball, which kept them in a decent enough stasis until they were found, but only just barely. Has refused to return to their ball ever since.

Evolved: No. Refuses to evolve out of fear of becoming too big to hide on Sanji's person.

Reasoning: Sanji fed mice. Shiny to look more like his hair and play off the idea of a ‘waste of a shiny’. IE a weak or non-viable fighter Pokemon getting a shiny spawn instead of a cooler Pokemon, making the bad shiny more insulting. Sanji was a failure because he didn't mutate, Rattata was a failure because it did mutate.

2) Torchic ♀️ -> Combusken -> Blaziken

Met on/at: Baratie.

Background: A gift from Zeff when he started teaching him how to fight. Sparring partners. Doesn't tolerate Sanji's nonsense with women and will drag him away if they need to. Assists him in the kitchen as well.

Evolved: First evolves at Arlong Park then finally at Enies Lobby. Gifted a Mega-stone by Iva during the timeskip.

Reasoning: Fire-type kicking Pokemon. Completes the Starter Trio with Luffy and Zoro.

3) Feebas ♀️ -> Milotic

Met on/at: Baratie.

Background: Met after opening the Baratie, trying to steal scraps from trash because they were having trouble finding food thanks to being so weak. Sanji cooked them something fresh and told them they could always come to him if they were hungry. Doted on over the years as Sanji honed his cooking. Believes in his dream of the All Blue. Becomes intensely protective of him upon evolving. Love at first sight with Zoro's Magikarp/Gyarados. Thinks he's a real charmer even as a Magikarp. Was starstruck when he evolved. Becomes a mated pair after Little Garden. Neither Sanji or Zoro are aware.

Evolved: To protect him when Don Kreig attacked.

Reasoning: Hard to find yet very pathetic and weak Pokemon in first stage Originally evolves by increasing beauty stat via feeding poffins/special food. Mirrors Zoro's Magikarp/Gyarados.

4) Milcery ♀️ -> Alcremie (Love-Sweet, Matcha)

Met on/at: Kamabakka Kingdom.

Background: Aided him in improving his cooking and fighting skills. Let him vent about Iva and the others, eventually then about the Strawhats and his worries. Prefers cooking to fighting but doesn't shy away from a fight. Very calm and collected.

Evolved: Over the two years. Sanji picked her up while talking/venting over a long night and started gushing. Did his spinny thing.

Reasoning: Food Pokemon.

5) Type: Null ⚧️ -> Silvally

Met on/at: Germa Kingdom.

Background: Found in the Germa cloning lab being experimented on during WCI. Broke them free out of rage during his fight with his siblings, telling it to run. It ran off but found him and Luffy later, tentatively joining them because it didn't know where to go. Sanji had a difficult time looking at them at first but they were able to bond over time. Treats Rattata like an older sibling.

Evolved: During the fight with Queen in Wano. Was brought to tears as Queen tried to kill them and berated them on being Judge's work, given hope when Sanji denied him. Broke their helmet to stand with him.

Reasoning: Artificially created based on a God (Arceus), comparable to the theory that the Vinsmokes were trying to recreate Devil Fruit abilities (hence the swirl brows). Also, helmet, and the symbology of destroying the helmet thanks to friendship and to become stronger. “Through the bond it formed with its Trainer, its will was strengthened, and it was able to destroy its control mask.”

6) Bounsweet ♀️ -> Steenee -> Tsareena

Met on/at: Wano.

Background: Lived in the flower capital of Wano. Hung out around Sanji's noodle stand after he opened it. Befriended Rattata and snuck into Sanji's pocket with them. Didn't really have a reason, very air-headed and doofy. Not a single thought in their head. Doted on by Sanji nonetheless. Surprisingly vicious in a fight upon evolving.

Evolved: First during the battle at Onigashima, then again later at Egghead Island.

Reasoning: Leggy Pokemon.

Special Note: Afraid of Bug Type Pokemon.

Chopper:

1) Egg -> Happiny ♀️ -> Chansey -> Blissey

Met on/at: Jaya.

Background: Found as an egg in the forest of Jaya, while they were looking for a South Bird. Hatched during the freedom party in Skypiea and imprinted on Chopper. Likes to hide under his hat or in his backpack before evolving.

Evolved: First evolved over the timeskip and then again at Wano.

Reasoning: OG healing Pokemon. Pink.

2) Audino ♀️

Met on/at: Torino Kingdom.

Background: Was learning medicine alongside Chopper. Chose to go with him after being told stories of the Strawhats’ adventures by Chopper (half out of admiration, half out of horror over the injuries gotten).

Evolved: Gifted a Mega-stone by the birds (it was in their shiny stash).

Reasoning: Another good nurse Pokemon. Mega-evolves like Chopper's forms.

3) Smoliv ♂️ -> Dolliv -> Arboliva

Met on/at: Zou.

Background: Was touched by the Strawhats saving the Minks. Wants to help people like Chopper does. Doesn't like fighting. Helps tend to Chopper's medicinal garden.

Evolved: For the first time at WCI and then again later while breaking Luffy out of jail in Wano.

Reasoning: Kind Pokemon. Seed Sower ability causes healing. Good support for medical care.

Special Note: Chopper isn't wholly comfortable with having Pokemon partners thanks to his own animal nature. The three he has wouldn't take no for an answer. He treats them more like students or assistants. He can understand Pokemon-speak though it's like deciphering a very thick accent.

Robin:

1) Budew ♀️ (Shiny) ⭐️ -> Roselia -> Roserade

Met on/at: Ohara

Background: Only friend before Saul arrived. Escaped with her when Ohara burned. Extremely protective of her, slow to trust others. Will have no mercy on those that betray or threaten Robin. Relaxes a bit after Enies Lobby, trusting the Strawhats unconditionally to have their back.

Evolved: First evolved not long after escaping Ohara, while protecting a sleeping Robin. Evolved again a couple years down the line when she started going through pirate crews.

Reasoning: Comparable to Robin's Devil Fruit. Shiny colors for darker feelings.

2) Galarian Yamask ♂️ -> Runerigus

Met on/at: Random Ruins

Background: Met in some ruins during her travels to find the Poneglyphs. Likes to people watch. Tends to accidentally creep on others without meaning too, forgetting that ghost powers frighten people.

Evolved: Before joining Crocodile.

Reasoning: Runes. History based and creepy.

3) Cofagrigus ♀️

Met on/at: Random Ruins.

Background: Similar to above. Tried to lure her to her death but was soundly defeated. Was told her goals, piquing their curiosity, and decided to join her. Likes when Robin reads to them or talks about her latest discoveries. Also likes pranking/scaring Usopp, Chopper, and Brook.

Evolved: Before meeting Robin.

Reasoning: Sarcophagus. History stuff. Lottsa hands.

4) Unown (D) ⚧️

Met on/at: Skypiea.

Background: Met while looking through the ruins. Helped her figure out where the bell and Poneglyph were. Feels a pull towards Poneglyphs but cannot explain why. Often seems nervous for no particular reason.

Reasoning: Mysterious. D.

5) Zorua ♀️ (Hisuian) -> Zoroark

Met on/at: Random Island.

Background: Met while traveling with the Revolutionary Army. Was a rescue from an island ravaged by bad marines. Originally meant to be given to the marines in a trade before the RA showed up. Apparently was a regular dark type at that point but died in the ensuing chaos, then somehow came back. Was feral and lashing out in the RA's care but Robin was able to get through to them. Bonded over their painful histories. Wants to help see Robin's dream through.

Evolved: Over the two years.

Reasoning: History of Zoroarks being hunted similar to Robin being hunted by marines. Contrast between Unovan and Hisuian, pairs well with Robin originally seeking death before the Strawhats. Illusions good for evading people.

6) Houndour ♂️

Met on/at: Wano.

Background: Belonged to the Beast Pirates. Was newly hatched when it witnessed Robin fight Black Maria. Felt safe and confused Robin for their mother. Tried to protect her from Brooke when she passed out afterwards. Very cuddly. Loves kisses. Gets dressed up in little outfits.

Evolved: No. Too baby.

Reasoning: Demon dog but actually very sweet. Demonic doesn’t mean evil or bad. Similar to Robin's demon form.

Franky:

1) Squirtle ♂️ -> Wartortle -> Blastoise

Met on/at: Outskirts of Water 7.

Background: Was one of the kids of the Blastoise that saved Franky after being thrown overboard. Was fascinated by him. Stuck around and help fish him out again after being hit by the train.

Evolved: First evolved while trying to pull Franky to safety after the train accident. Later evolved again while running the Franky Family.

Reasoning: Canons. Big, sturdy Pokemon.

2) Golett ⚧️ -> Golurk

Met on/at: The junk ship.

Background: Met after Franky was hit by the train. Was haunting around the scrap heap. Was inspired by how Franky rebuilt himself. Likes to have funky designs painted on their armor, like Franky's star arm tattoos.

Evolved: At Thriller Bark.

Reasoning: Toy-robot like.

3) Galarian Zigzagoon ♀️ (Shiny) ⭐️ -> Linoone -> Obstagoon

Met on/at: Water 7

Background: Stray that he picked up after returning to Water 7. Escaped from visiting pirates. Part of the Franky Family gang, helping steal from pirates. Loves parties and loud music. Leaps before looking.

Evolved: Evolves for the first time while infiltrating Enies Lobby to save Franky and Robin. Evolves again at Dressrosa.

Reasoning: Gang-related (via Sw/Sh), loud and unapologetic. Actually not a bad guy. Shiny as the bright colors match Frank better and stand out more. Goofy.

4) Varoom ♀️ -> Revavroom

Met on/at: Water 7.

Background: Picked up by the Franky Family. Helped power-up Franky's bigger inventions. Can join together with General Franky to give him a boost in strength as well as some poison abilities, and with the Sunny for an emergency boost if low on cola.

Evolved: During the timeskip.

Reasoning: Car. Gang-related (via Sc/Vi). Still not the bad guys. Mechanical.

5) Miraidon ⚧️

Met on/at: Baldimore.

Background: Met at Vegapunk's abandoned lab. Inspired many of Franky's updates and inventions. Timid around new people. Likes Franky because he smells like metal and oil. Is introduced to burgers by Franky, having an enlightening moment. Can be bribed with promises of burgers or fries. Is capable of connecting to any Vegapunk system to download or transfer data. Does not necessarily understand what it means or how to decrypt it.

Reasoning: Motorcycle. Extremely technologically advanced. No line between machine and beast/man. Sandwich gag. Relation to famous scientist.

6) Tinkatink ♀️ -> Tinkatuff -> Tinkaton

Met on/at: Dressrosa.

Background: Was confused as a toy at first. Kept trying to use parts of Franky to make a hammer. Constantly following him and almost getting hurt during the big battle. He liked their spunk. Cannot be left unsupervised in the workshop or they'll keep making bigger and bigger hammers from whatever it finds.

Evolved: First by the end of Dressrosa and then again Egghead Island.

Reasoning: Goofy but strong.

Brook:

1) Chatot ♂️

Met on/at: Random passing ship.

Background: Met while drifting at sea. Their old partner was killed, so they found comfort in each other. Liked Brooke's singing. Officially joined him after Thriller Bark.

Reasoning: Parrot+Pirate=✅️. Musical.

2) Cubone ♂️ -> Alolan Marowak

Met on/at: Thriller Bark.

Background: Lost their family and original partner. Joined Brook tentatively after seeing him mourn his crew in front of their grave.

Evolved: During the two years. One of the few Ghosts Brook isn't afraid of.

Reasoning: Dead friends. “This Pokémon sets the bone it holds on fire and dances through the night as a way to mourn its fallen allies.” Reminds me of Brook's big attack in WCI.

3) Sewaddle ♂️ -> Swadloon -> Leavanny

Met on/at: Sabaody.

Background: Fell onto Brook while they were running from Kuma, was sent with him during the split. Was comforted by Brook and eventually partnered with him. Reminds Brook of his late partner Kricketune. Likes to dance when Brook plays music. Sadly not very good at making music or playing any instrument despite practice but has fun all the same.

Evolved: Both over the timeskip.

Reasoning: Similar to a Kricketune. Agile, light, with sword arms. Similar to Brook.

4) Toxtricity ♀️

Met on/at: Random Island.

Background: Met while touring during the two years. Helped Brook explore more modern music methods. Played back-up while he toured. Tends to accidentally shock Brook when excited. Gets along very well with Franky's Obstagoon.

Evolved: Before meeting Brook.

Reasoning: Represents Brook's electric guitar.

5) Popplio ♀️ -> Brionne -> Primerina

Met on/at: Fish-man Island.

Background: Originally apprenticing with the mermaid cafe/dancers. Heard Brook's music and wanted to learn from him. Thinks he's hilarious, though they don't know what panties are. Will show him random items when he asks to see someones. Gossip buddies with Sanji's Milotic.

Evolved: During the fight with Giolla and again at WCI.

Reasoning: Singer. Also mermaid related, goes well with his perv nature/gags.

6) Fuecoco ♂️ -> Crocalor -> Skeledirge

Met on/at: Dressrosa.

Background: Big Soul King Brook fan. Recognized the Strawhats at Dressrosa and followed them. Sneaks aboard to Zou to meet Brook. Was disappointed by his frazzled appearance at Zou at first but stuck around. Was won over by his dedication on WCI. Strong but prefers making music to fighting.

Evolved: First on WCI then again during the Onigashima battle.

Reasoning: “Skeledirge’s gentle singing soothes the souls of all that hear it.” Also goes well with his electric guitar.

Special Note: He did have another team before his death but they too passed away. He also refuses to have a Wailmer/Wailord on his team as it would feel disrespectful, like trying to replace Laboon (a normal whale). Afraid of Ghost type Pokemon - takes time to adjust to Robin's team.

Jimbe:

1) Basculin ♂️ -> Basculegion

Met on/at: Fish-man Island.

Background: Childhood partner. Has always been by his side. Very honorable and willing to sacrifice for the greater good, though they're not always sure what that is exactly.

Evolved: Evolved fighting off bad human pirates, almost dying. Before Jimbe joined the royal guards.

Reasoning: Old-man fish. Can embody loss and perseverance against racism.

2) Oshawott ♂️ -> Dewott -> Hisuian Samurott

Met on/at: Fish-man Island.

Background: Met when he joined the royal guards. Belonged to them in general. Was partnered up with Jimbe. Didn't get along at first but grew to understand each other. Didn't really agree with leaving the guard or trust Arlong but respected Jimbe and went with him to expand their horizons.

Evolved: First while working as the royal guards and then evolved again while sailing under Fisher-Tiger.

Reasoning: Honorable, samurai-like.

3) Poliwhirl ♂️ -> Poliwrath

Met on/at: Random sea.

Background: Met after becoming a pirate. Had anger issues and went with Jimbe after losing to him, wanting revenge. Calmed with age but will blow a fuse if pushed hard enough.

Evolved: While sailing under Fisher-Tiger. Stole a Waterstone off a marine ship.

Reasoning: Fighting. Similar rage to Jimbe in his youth.

4) Kubfu ♀️ -> Rapid-Strike Urshifu

Met on/at: Random Island.

Background: Joined after Jimbe became a Warlord. Met him as he traveled the lands. Tried to pick a fight but was no match. Was taught Fish-man Karate by Jimbe.

Evolved: After mastering Fish-man Karate and being gifted a Water Scroll.

Reasoning: Represents Jimbe opening himself to humanity after Fisher-Tiger and Koala. Water based fighter. Karate.

5) Herdier ♂️ -> Stoutland

Met on/at: WCI.

Background: Met during WCI. Had bumped into him in passing a couple times before and witnessed his showdown with Big Mom. Was greatly moved by his resolve. Having slowly built up resentment for Big Mom's treatment of her family and disregard for life, they defected and aided their escape. Partnered with Jimbe but was requested to go ahead with the Strawhats both as proof they'd meet again and so he'd know they're being watched over by such an honorable soul.

Evolved: After Jimbe returned, at the Onigashima battle.

Reasoning: “This extremely wise Pokémon excels at rescuing people stranded at sea or in the mountains.” Similar honorable/proud nature. Dependable like Jimbe.

Special Note: Jimbe still has space for one more Pokemon to represent how new he is to the Strawhats and is still carving his place. Will fill the space in time.

#One Piece #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #blackleg sanji #vinsmoke sanji #pokemon #cat burglar nami #god usopp #ditto rambles #BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS

54 notes · View notes

tinukis · 4 months

Text

(OKAY. I KINDA GOT CARRIED AWAY (i got REALLY carried away.) AND NOW I WILL PROVIDE VERY FEW INFO ON SABOSAN HISTORY AS EARLY AS 2014.)

sabosan existing on here since at least 2017 is crazy

(it's ask blogs and im lazy to know the lore but all ik is that sabo and sanji have kids while sanji is in extreme denial abt being gay)

i wanna know how far back sabosan goes... like at leasT 2015 or 2016??? (anime timeline) and maybe 2014 (manga timeline) idk im just guessing bc i dont know what year sabo returned so

OK BUT THE SLIM CHANCE THAT SABOSAN BECAME A THING LIKE ALMOST A DECADE AGO DRIVES ME INSANE I NEED TO INVESTIGATE WAIT

on pixiv in the sabosan tag (サボサン) the oldest works on there is from 2015. (i mean when u look up サボサン you get this cactus mascot which is p hilarious)

i theorize that sabosan became recognized because of zou/wci. bc thats when we learn about sanji's history. i notice that it seem to be more recognized by a few fans as early as 2016 (when wci started)

so those big brained individuals were onto something then. they saw two blonde characters that shared similar histories and went. "wait a minute. i can cook something with this"

and you know what sanji's good at? taking any ingredients and making something amazing out of it. thats what early sabosan fans did

there are Very Little content of them/i cant read japanese and i just mostly find the cactus mascot, but they were there. at Least as early as sabo's return. and at that time, fans did not receive sanji's past. they just took these guys like barbie dolls and made them kiss... anyway i need them to meet and i want to see the longtime fans react as theyve waited nearly a decade for that very moment

(kinda doubtful but let me dream!!!)

OKAY ANOTHER UPDATE (YES IM TYPING EVERYTHING IN ONE POST) i learned how to search dates on the bird app once more and. im seeing posts from jpn about sabosan !!!

one of my favorite ones:

the people understanding since 2016... that sanji goes well with ASL brothers :'D

ok found another tweet (and the users are still active !!) and translation seems butchered so im not gonna share but from what i could understand, this other user also likes sanji with ASL... this is amazing. LIKE im aware of the impact acesan had, especially bc of the anime including ace in alabasta (i understand deeply. i mean have you SEEN the way ace acted around sanji⁉️⁉️ lighting his cigarette... smirking at him when sanji turns his back... i know what you are. they Definitely spent an entire night (or more) alone together <3) but for sabo to be included to since this long ago, esp considering the two never met?!?? and the one connection is being royal blood...

again i cannot include everything, esp long posts bc the translation gets butchered but aaahh just ppl talk about the pairing, any potentials about it makes me happy... and gives me hope for the agenda to spread wider lol. what looks like that has been said is that a couple of people really like pairing sanji with multiple characters, esp ASL... and i understand so well. theres just something about sanji being so shippable

there are also fans speaking to other sanji ships fans, and they ask/say "i want to see your sabosan !!" it's great...

ahahhaa AHAHAHA FOUND ANOTHER POST I CAN SHARE:

sabo POP figure from 2016 (aaah i want it so bad...)

and the suit he wears in this figure, it does look like sanji's fit now that the user mentioned it 👀👀

okay i dug a little more and found another sabosan fan! at first i was unsure as they could be talking about another user or a cactus or something. but as it turns out, they are indeed a sabosan fan! they've said things like "i wish sabosan was more popular"/"i wish for sabosan" and this is dated back in 2016! plus one of my favorite posts (translated into deepL as i had a feeling that twt had butchered the translation and...)

they get it. they got it. as i mentioned earlier, the fans definitely knew what was up when wci happened. THEY WERE COOKING BACK IN 2016!!! which... i believe i should now start digging as early as i can. maybe for zou or dressrosa years!! bc certainly, this pairing was actually talked about during 2016-2017. it was wonderful to see!

oh my goodness... i decided to look from start of 2015 to the end, and so far in late 2015, the same user from the above translation, has been talking about them still! they mentioned sabosan fanworks, and how they read a heartbreaking fic⁉️⁉️ i cant tell you how happy i was to read that. sabosan being a thing and having angst works, even if i can't read them. (never mess with one piece fans, especially if they are fujoshi !! they'll find their ways. im honestly fascinated. i love fandom history if you couldnt tell by this post!)

plus, some fans calling themselves delusional for thinking of this pairing... if only i could be there with you, longtime fan.

and i'll be real here, i dont know of the popularities back then but the comparison of sanji and sabo being nobles are great :] (maybe bc i've just seen ppl being mean to sabo recently 😔)

okay im sure this post is getting wayyy too long so i'll try to wrap up my investigations. bc there are many posts to look through but sabosan being talked about as early as 2015 (as i write this) is just... very joyous news to me ;w;

im sure i will be missing lots of good posts (despite the horrible machine translations) but i am shaking hands with 2015-2017 fans in solidarity... at most 9 years later

!!! GREAT NEWS. 2014 posting!!

original tweet and deepL translation... dated mid december 2014. nearly a whole decade ago. i swear sabosan will go viral, way more than when zou/wci was in progress. im sure of it

i really cant put into words how im feeling or what im really thinking. just know im happy to find fans from 2014 !!

OH MY GOD.

⁉️⁉️⁉️ AUGUST 2014 BTW. and im assuming its supposed to be "sabo started with" or something but... the content. sabosan content. 2014. it's out there. SHAKES YOU. THE CRUMBS (also this user is a sabosan fan and i think acesan fan too as i did see mentjons of them... so this just...)

THEYVE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME AAAAAHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭

NOW IM CURIOUS WITH HOW MANY POSTS IVE BEEN MISSING⁉️⁉️ yall the agenda must spread farther

ASL/sanji mentioned! august 2014

omg again from the same user

shaking your hand in spirit (april 2014!!!)

there have been fans of this pairing as early as april 2014!!!! and have been manifesting for their popularity for awhile 😭😭😭 (plus this user is still active! im not sure if theyre still into one piece but... i hope for the longtime/past fans to see it all soon)

i think my investigation into sabosan history ends here after a long post and hours of searching... unless i somehow find something earlier than april 2014, the earliest moment that sabosan was first talked about was in the year 2014. Q2 2014. back when dressrosa was still ongoing. do you know how insane that is? before wci.

i think we can come to a conclusion that sabosan was a concept as early as 2014 was all becaude of acesan. thats the pattern i noticed. ace/acesan was often mentioned. and i believe it's bc not only are ace and sabo brothers, but bc sabo aimed to eat the mera mera no mi. and if sanji were to meet sabo, sanji would be reminded of his late lover, ace. and the angst potential is so real... sanji looking at sabo... just as a replacement for ace? ouch

i know the fans were having a field day when they learned about sanji's blood family :']

side note: there are likely things lost due to users deactivating or whatnot... and i doubt i'd be able to search via wayback machine. and as much as i dont like pinterest for reposting art, there are pieces of the two ive never seen before

16 notes · View notes

fivedayslater · 8 months

Note

Idk if you'd be up to it. But for a while, I've been off the Zosan train. They were my favorite. I'd like to get back, but to be honest, whole cake was really the damaging blow. The separation was tough but there was still hope on Zou. So what I'm trying to say is, how do I comprehend whole cake from a shipper side. Just wondering but I guess, at the end, it's mostly a me thing, and maybe I'll get back there. Still enjoy the ship. I wouldn't want to see them without the other, but... (choose to ignore if you want)

Well, shipping goggles secure on my face, here’s how I look at whole cake island/Zoro staying behind

It’s clear on Zou that Zoro is a) worried about Sanji after hearing about what happened and b) angry at Sanji for making them deal with Big Mom right before having to face Kaido

Both emotions come from a place of caring. He cares about Sanji and is worried about his situation, he cares about Sanji so is angry that he left.

As for why Zoro didn’t go to Whole Cake Island despite caring a lot about Sanji, there can be a few reasons for that

1) Zoro takes his role as crew protector seriously. Someone needs to look out for the half of the crew going straight to Wano, and with both Luffy and Sanji on WCI, that someone has to be Zoro. And Zoro knows that if something happened to the others while he was on WCI saving Sanji, Sanji would never forgive him for picking him over them — self sacrificial bastard that he is— so Zoro goes to Wano.

2) Zoro is angry. Sanji ran off to get married to Big Mom’s daughter, so his anger — at both Sanji and the situation — is understandable. The initial plan on WCI is to sneak in, get Sanji, and sneak back out, so Zoro feels his anger would hinder that.

Zoro’s anger here does come from a place of love. He’s angry because he loves Sanji, and Sanji ran off to get married. Zoro needs some space to clear his head, and is taking the time going to Wano to do that.

(Also as far as why Sanji left to get married is concerned, remember that he never planned on getting married. He agreed to go with Bege to protect the rest of the crew, and planned to just tell Judge to fuck off and go home. He only agreed after Judge threatened Zeff and shackled his hands, putting him in a desperate situation that he felt there was no way out of.)

3) Zoro trusts Luffy to bring him home. Zoro feels he doesn’t need to go to WCI because he knows and trusts Sanji will come back. Sanji said in his note that he would come back, and Zoro has no reason to doubt him. He trusts Sanji to do what he has to to deal with his past, and then come back to him. He doesn’t mind being separate from Sanji for a bit, because he knows Sanji will always come back to him

And I think how they act around each other when they finally do reunite in Wano, between easily falling back into their bickering/fighting side by side song and dance while saving Toko, watching each others backs during the King and Queen fight, the Death Pact, says it all. They missed each other during their separation, the trust and love they have for each other is still there, and they’re more than happy to pick up right where they left off.

Also if you’re in the market for Zoro Does Go to WCI fics, I highly recommend To Have and To Hold by Hazel Athena

#one piece #zosan #anon ask #I hope this makes sense I have a lot of feelings about them

42 notes · View notes

akaiuchiha · 4 months

Text

Chapter 7 (English): A Long Journey, A Father's Worry and New Plan

Before you read the chapter, here are some timeline explanation because it is a mess and even I don't know how to work with it.

When Zeff saw the Newspaper back in East Blue, the Strawhats had just defeated Doflamingo. Sanji, Nami, Brook, Chopper and Cesar were on their way to Zou (not sure if they had arrived or not but I think it’s no?). The Newspaper hadn’t reached the Thousand Sunny, which means Sanji was still not aware of it.

When Zeff crossed the Grand Line, Sanji had left Zou with Bege. I know the prologue is not clear about that and I will change it so it follows my timeline (which is a real mess) and I hope it makes things a little more understandable. I have to confirm something, Zeff will not reach Whole Cake Island on time. It’s way too far and the event of WCI happened in a span of like, 3 days give or take. BUT it doesn’t mean that Whole Cake Island won’t have any consequences. Just more angst and hurt/comfort probably. Anyway, I hope it’s more logical this way. In this chapter, Sanji is almost in WCI and his crew is on its way. I have written down my ideas on how things are going to evolve but just like the title, this is mostly Zeff centric and his adventures. I hope this chapter will please you!

------------------

Alabasta was a hot country. There was sand everywhere, sandstorms at random moments of the day and a local life really different from what the Baratie staff knew.

Zeff walked, his hands behind his back and his eyes scanning the stall. They were about to leave and he was becoming more and more anxious. Aryn hadn’t returned from his search for an Eternal Pose to Water 7 and Zeff didn’t know if he had managed to at least find a map to guide them.

The pantry was packed with food, even overloaded. The chef didn’t know when they were going to reach land again after their departure and he wasn’t going to play with food shortage.

His eyes locked on a shop similar to a post office which meant they probably sold Newspapers or at least knew what was going on. It was a bit unnerving to never really know what was happening and how long he had left before his son became a sacrificial lamb.

He entered and looked around before he spotted the Newspaper on the counter.

“Excuse me sir, may I take a look at your Newspaper?” Zeff asked.

“Mh? Oh, of course, I’m done reading it if you want to take it.” The man answered.

“I just need to see something.”

Zeff took the paper in his hands and flipped the pages to find the right article. He finally found it and the article was long enough it took both pages on the newspaper.

The chef quickly started his reading. From what he could see, Germa kingdom was finally in Totoland. Zeff inhaled sharply and tried to keep his focus. He was too late, they were too late. Now his son would have to face this nightmare and he had no way to contact him.

The man behind the counter raised an eyebrow and worry was written all over his face.

“Is something wrong sir?”

“A lot of things are wrong but it doesn't concern you. Thank you for the paper.”

Zeff almost slammed it down on the wood and left the post office.

Outside, everything was too loud, too bright. He could feel his heart beating and his hands trembling. Zeff knew it deep down, that it was impossible to cross the entire Grand Line in less than two weeks.

He was walking back to Baratie with his hopes completely crushed. When he entered the restaurant, he let himself fall on a chair and raised a hand to his forehead.

Now what should he do? Sanji was in a large mess, with his probably confirmed shitty family and Zeff was too far away to help him.

He couldn't just go and tell everyone that it was the end of their journey, not after they finally seemed to adapt to the Grand Line. And he couldn't go and tell Koil and Aryn that they were free to stay here because everything was useless now.

Departure was right behind the corner, Zeff could hear his staff working to prepare the ship. He sighed and stood up. They had to continue their journey, even if they didn't reach Sanji in time.

He heard voices coming from the entrance of the ship and went to see what all this fuss was about. What he saw almost made him freeze.

Aryn was back and he was followed by Koil (who hadn't put a foot on the ship before) and by Kehos. But what surprised him the most was what Aryn was holding. On one hand, he had a map and on the other hand, an Eternal Log Pose. The fisherman finally spotted him and waved before joining him.

“You managed to find an Eternal Log Pose as I can see.”

“Yes and I have good and bad news. What do you prefer?” Aryn questioned.

“The bad news first, I already know that our journey is almost impossible to realise.”

“Well… you're right. It's impossible to reach Totoland in such a short span of time and I'm sure whatever your son is in will have ended before we even reach Sabaody Archipelago. However, this map leads us to Water 7 and this Eternal Log Pose to Sabaody. I know it's nothing big but I studied the map and with luck, we can reach Water 7 in a week. If you know someone there that could help improve your ship, then you can win more time. But travelling without a Log Pose is extremely dangerous and if we don't make it in time then…”

Aryn didn't finish his sentence but Zeff understood him nonetheless. The chef clenched his fist before quickly relaxing his fingers. A cook should take care of his hands, no matter what.

Koil and Kehos joined them but Koil didn't stay with them.

“Then you should leave now and not lose any more time.” Kehos said while looking at Zeff.

“And can you tell me what the hell you're doing here? I thought you and your friends didn't want to have anything else to do with us.” Zeff crossed his arms and responded.

“I..”

“You?”

“I decided to follow you!” The younger man answered, his cheeks a light shade of pink.

Zeff glanced at Aryn who smiled awkwardly at him. Kehos didn't look any better, with his hands fidgeting and his embarrassment barely hidden.

What a hassle.

“You're sure about that?” Zeff finally questioned.

“Yes. And my friends all agreed.”

“Then I suppose you have everything packed and on the deck.”

“Yes sir.”

“Then we're leaving in five minutes.” Zeff then turned around and yelled at his crew. “You heard me slackers, prepare the ship to set sail, we're leaving Alabasta. Aryn, lead him to the dormitory then come back, you'll lead us.”

Aryn and Kehos squealed with joy and quickly left him to his thoughts.

Even if he couldn't reach Totoland in time, Zeff would make sure to land a kick right in Sanji's blood father's face. And after that, he'll reach Sanji, tackle him, reprimand him and hold him tight against him because he knew damn well how necessary it would be at this moment.

As he had told his crew, they were leaving five minutes after he had told them.

On the shore, Tara, Eri and Yan were waving at Kehos and Koil. Kehos was waving back with a big smile and fat tears sliding down his cheeks while Koil just rolled his eyes.

Aryn appeared next to Zeff with the map in his hands.

“I think we should take a look at the map, sir.”

“Yes yes, go on I'm listening.”

While everyone was running around to get the ship safely out of the dock, Aryn and Zeff went near the railing to have a quieter space. Zeff didn't want to go to his office, not yet. The room was too small for him right now.

“So? What's our course?”

“You see, there's quite a lot of islands before we reach Water 7. As you can see here, one of the next islands we can dock at is Jaya whose rumour can lead to sky islands.”

“Yes and we will make sure not to get caught in whatever takes people high up in the sky, understood?”

“Yes!” Aryn quickly said, nervosity clearly visible.

“Okay go on.”

“Well…there are other islands on the way to Water 7, like Long Ring but we can avoid them if we have enough food. If we can't then we can restock there.”

Aryn pointed at an island, smaller than the rest of them. It was situated between Long Ring and Water 7 and apparently had an impressive market. From what his new navigator said, the island provided some resources to Water 7, like many others. If they ran short on food, then they could make a quick stop there before sailing again.

“What's your suggestion?”

“I think we should restock one last time at Jaya and then try to go directly to Water 7. I'll try to navigate us through the Grand Line and we'll have to make sure we can see an island at some point because it will be one of our major landmarks.”

“And if it doesn't work, we'll use the Eternal Log Pose to Sabaody. Both are in the same direction if I recall.”

“Yes you're right so we are not totally lost.” Aryn concluded.

Zeff nodded his approval and with all the interaction he had had with Aryn wince they met were confirming his choice. He knew what he was doing and it was a blessing for Zeff. Now he didn't have to worry about someone getting sick or hurt and accidently killing one of his men.

Worry was still sitting in his stomach though and Zeff knew he wouldn't be able to escape it. He just had to trust everyone, and his son, for the near future.

He was the captain, but a captain needed men to take him to his destination and to have men, you needed trust.

He trusted them just like they trusted him with their lives.

And maybe he should start training them soon because the New World wouldn't be as kind as Paradise.

Zeff was aware of that.

#fanfiction #one piece #sanji #spoilers #zeff's adventures on the grand line #found family #red leg zeff #strawhat pirates #judge is not sanji's father #wano #whole cake island #chapter 7 #english

4 notes · View notes

supernovaken · 3 years

Text

Why I don’t like Sanji - One Piece Discussion

Sanji used to be one of my favourite characters up there with the other two-thirds of the monster trio, mostly because of his calm attitude, debonair persona and strategic thinking. A lot of people enjoy the swagger he brings to the Straw-Hat crew’s dynamic, and the way his personality compares and contrasts with everyone's favourite swordsman Roronoa Zoro.

Don’t get me wrong, this post isn’t a Sanji bash, and it certainly isn’t the Sanji vs Zoro toxic rant that we have in the fan base, so if that’s what you came here looking for it may be best to click away now. Hopefully I still get the click bait credit hahahaha [laughs in evil].

All I'm trying to do here is delve into Sanji as a character; from his introduction into the storyline through to his current state of characterisation, along with how my impression of Sanji has changed over the course of the so far 1000 One Piece chapters GOda has blessed the world with.

I work on the rule that once a chapter is animated it is no longer considered spoiler territory and my main focus will be on the Whole Cake Island Arc and the character nuances presented leading up to that. I’ll be avoiding discussing anything happening in Wano mainly due to the fact that I haven’t seen much in terms of new characterisation for Sanji - so before anyone jumps down the comments with the argument that it all makes sense during Wano, i’d say just give that one a miss.

Anyone who isn’t caught up with the anime, here’s your fair warning…

Let me tell you Why I Don’t Like Sanji

Throughout the story Sanji has always been the more aloof, somewhat guarded character in the crew - at least on a surface level. His introduction was as the charming pirate restaurant chef that had a way with words and a ferocity when it came to his food. The Baratie Arc is where we were introduced to the rough and tumble fighting chef and most importantly where we were shown his passion; for women, family, life and of course food. Skip forward an odd 800 chapters and although we are shown moments that may have seemed slightly off putting for the character (don’t even get me started)... where I really lost touch with Sanji was during the Whole Cake Island Arc (WCI).

Caveat

Now I've had a few back and forths over this online so I want to make a few things clear from the offset. The issues that I will be delving into are all from a character and characterization point of view.

I have no issues with the plot of WCI but I did feel that Sanji wasn’t being himself (or at least the version of Sanji as a character that I along with many other fans had gotten to know up til this point).

I’ll be breaking down my understanding of the plot as best I can going off all the information we have on it and I'll be evidencing what I say with Manga panels to reduce the amount of dispute I'm likely to get from this.

Saying that, I will ask that as you run through this you allow a little room for perspective. I will be commenting on Sanji and the decisions he made at the point in time that he was making them, this means that we’ll need to come from a perspective of understanding all the information that was available to Sanji at the time, not just what the audience knew or what other characters were planning or doing. In order to comment on Sanji's behaviour we have to go off what he knows in the moments he takes action.

Whole Cake Island

Before I go into Sanji's character throughout the story here's a quick synopsis of everything that happens in the WCI

After arriving at Zou and dealing with a few Beast Pirate stragglers, Sanji was essentially taken hostage; physically through the Power of Bege’s Castle-Castle Fruit, then later with the use of the exploding cuffs, and taken hostage emotionally through the threat made on Zeffs life and the immediate threat Bege posed on the members of the Straw-Hat crew that were there at the time.

The plan was to use Sanji in a political wedding to unite the Charlotte Family/Big Mom Pirates with the Vinsmoke Family. Being a political wedding there were motivations on boths sides to attain the power offered by the other; and thanks to an underlying conspiracy plot led by Big Mom, the plan was to kill Sanji along with the Vinsmoke family and take their technology.

Fortunately the plan was ruined by non-other than our very own Straw-Hat Luffy and his pals (after an initial skirmish with Sanji's Black leg), and Sanji returned to the crew as they escaped a rampaging Big Mom.

My issues with Sanji that crept up over the course of the arc:-

Sanji left the crew (albeit to protect Zeff but more on this later)

Sanji attacked his Captain

The timing for when Sanji returned to the crew (AFTER he discovered pudding was gonna betray him)

For that third point I'd like to put heavy emphasis on ‘timing’. I don’t have any issue with the fact that he returned, I love Sanji as a member of the Straw-Hat Pirates and it’s clear the dynamic is not the same without him. I also don’t have an issue with how he returned to the crew as the way he broke down in front of Luffy was one of the most heart-string pulling, tear-jerking scenes of WCI (although I will be getting into his apology/ lack of one in that scene). But the timing of his decision to return to the crew really irritated me as a long time fan of the character, all I could ask was, after everything that’s happened, why now?

Leaving the Crew

Pre timeskip the story addresses a lot of themes surrounding the topic of what it meant to be a Straw-Hat pirate. All the way back in East blue where the story of the Straw-Hat crew was born we were given storylines around the value of friendship (NAKAMA!!), the important roles each member had, their individual struggles against adversity up to the point Luffy came to save their spirits and ignite their dreams. And we had all that both for Sanji and with Sanji as he experienced the emotional battles every member of the crew faced when they came into contact with their soon to be Captain, (including Usopp's turmoil at Water 7).

He knew what it meant for each member to join Luffy and he knew what it meant to leave the crew. He experienced first hand with Nami, Luffy didn’t believe Nami would steal from them and kill Usopp even though she had only been with him for a short time. And he waited for her response to challenge Arlong.

When Usopp clashed with Luffy at Water 7, Sanji was there knowing what it meant for a crewmate to clash with his captain and the weight of leaving the crew. He lashed out at Luffy when he was about to say something reckless,

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji lashes out at Luffy's reckless speaking, Chapter 331 page 15]

and after showing he understood Usopp's feelings of inadequacy within the crew he made it clear that everyone has something they can do best when supporting Luffy and the crew. Even still he later agreed with Zoro's reasoning in the epic speech given to Luffy about the importance of respecting your Captain as these are not Pirate games they are playing.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji agrees with Zoro, Chapter 438 page 5]

When Robin left the crew Sanji saw how Luffy responded and without hesitating he was there to challenge an entity as great as the World Government (WG) just to bring her back. He wasn’t even patient enough to wait for the crew on the Sea Train because as Luffy said to Zoro, would any of them have been able to sit back and wait.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji impatient to challenge the World Government, Chapter 367 page 12]

These moments, for me, shaped a character trait in Sanji showing how much he values his crewmates but also shows how relentless both he and Luffy are when it comes to getting someone back. So I couldn’t reconcile this character that we’ve been shown across the story with the one in Zou who thinks it's ok to leave the crew on a false promise to return and think no one in the crew would challenge that decision. A lot of people say that he was planning to come back but even in the moment it was clear to the crew that Sanji was lying.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji’s lie, Chapter 813 page 17]

Nico Robin

I want to compare Sanji’s plan to leave and save the crew against Robin's plan during the Water 7 arc. My aim is to show how similar their reasoning is but why the decision only makes sense from Robin's perspective as a character at the time of her decision and not for Sanji during WCI.

When Robin left the crew it really was to protect a group of people she only just became acquainted with so understandably would not want them facing a power as huge as the World Government or alternatively resenting her for staying with the crew as she’s experienced in the past. Her sacrifice was to protect a crew of 6 people from the full power of the World Government. She had seen their power destroy her home ISLAND in the past so it is very understandable to assume the crew wouldn’t have a chance in hell of surviving an attack.

Robin didn’t know the capability of the Straw-Hats and their willingness to challenge a huge organisation like the World Government. What she did know was the power of the WG and that a normal crew would not survive the immediate threat of a Buster Call along with the power of the CP9 at Water 7.

Robin's wish was for them to be able to leave Water 7 safely which is why Lucci spared them during their battle in Icebergs mansion. Some fans question if the WG would have actioned a Buster Call on Water 7 because without it there was still an option to escape, plus the CP9 were on the island undercover. Why would the government destroy it? Why wouldn’t Robin just run from Water 7 and let the Straw-Hats escape?.

Enies Lobby is a much more important location to the WG than Water 7 due to its position in the world as the Judiciary island. It’s a symbol of the World Governments power. CP-9 were in Ohara when a buster call was actioned which goes to show the lack of hesitation the government had during these attacks, even when its own personnel are on the Island. Also CP-9 as well as a number of government officials, and their families that lived on the island, were on Enies Lobby at the time and in both cases they still attacked without hesitation, they still attacked the island indiscriminately. They had no reason not to attack Water 7 if a buster call was issued, so I don’t see how calling one on Water 7 would have been impossible.

At that time Robin was already aware of that scary power and it had haunted her her entire life, so if it were called on Water 7 assuming the Straw-Hats didn’t chase her (she wouldn’t have accounted for this at the time) it makes sense for her to want to save them from it. Let’s not forget that they really only escaped the Buster Call thanks to a massive Deux Ex Machina. I can suspend disbelief long enough to say a worn down ship was able to traverse ‘Aqua Laguna storm level waves’ and reach another island with no crew or navigator thanks to the power of friendship but damn, lets just call it what it is, Shonen Magic.

CP-9 weren’t on Water 7 to get Robin, they were there on an undercover mission to get the Pluton blueprints from Iceberg, so I’m guessing rather than snatching her and potentially blowing their cover too soon, they met with her to explain the threat they could be to the Straw-Hats and pressure her into coming with them peacefully which was an added benefit of their mission. A well calculated move from Lucci. Also remember that they had recently just lost to Aokiji, who was the shadow behind the threat since a buster call can only be issued on his authority as an Admiral (he gave permission to Spandam after encountering the Straw-Hats). In the end they had to escalate the plan and force Iceburg to give them the blueprints rather than wait for him to hand it over to an apprentice, they assumed if they threatened his life he would hand it over sooner to Paulie, then in the middle of their attack deduced that he had already handed it to Franky years beforehand. (Off topic but basically they had a plan and Robin landing on Water 7 was just a perk they took advantage of).

The bond she got with Luffy and the crew came from having nowhere else to go after Luffy saved her from killing herself at Alabasta, then was reinforced when she realised her dreams weren’t dead in Skypiea with the revelation that the true history of the void century does exist and she only needs to follow the log to the end of the grand line to find it. Even though it was a small timeframe she was able to build that bond with them, but even still it was clear that not enough had happened for her to ever think the Straw-Hats were any match for the WG.

In-world no one would believe that, this is why the Straw-Hats are the only pirates to ever attack Enies Lobby. Even Yonko crews don’t attack the WG without reason or backup of more than a 6 person crew. Even though they survived in the end, at the time it was a deal to protect the crew at the cost of her life so it made sense.

We can see afterwards that she’s grown out of not believing in them as when they got to Zou, Neko and Duke said she’d be a target for being able to read the Poneglyphs - to which she replied it’ll be fine because she had her crew to protect her.

Her deal made all the sense in the world.

Sanji on the other hand benefitted from a much longer, much deeper experience with Luffy and the crew by the time it came to his ‘ultimate sacrifice’. He was there at Water 7 when the entire crew rejected Robin's reasoning (even Usopp) for leaving the crew. He chased her onto the Government filled Train with no guarantees, no background and no hesitation with the greatest takeaway from that arc being to believe in Luffy. That belief in the captain wasn't there when it came to facing off against a member of the Yonko and protecting his extended family - a huge character step back I think.

Sanji's downfall here was not believing in his crew even after experiencing the other side of things with Robin. Why wouldn’t Luffy come for him? He’s never experienced Big Moms power (not that he needed to) in the same way Robin was traumatised by the WG’s display of power in her childhood. He knows enough about his captain to know Luffy would still challenge Big Mom as Luffy had already said he was planning to challenge each member of the Yonko. He had already challenged Big Mom on Fishman Island and the plan to challenge Kaido was already in motion. I understand challenging both at the same time might make him think it’s a bit much, but I disagree with him not bringing the issue to his crew considering all they had been through. It shows the biggest problem of Sanji not believing in Luffy and the crew.

His Faith Wavered

Protecting Zeff

At the time Sanji made the decision to leave the crew he thought Zeff was in danger, a threat delivered by Big Mom. He also believes Big Mom herself would be an added threat too difficult for the Straw-Hats at this time.

I don’t want us to get bogged down in the details of Big Moms plan. I very much agree with the point that she truly didn’t care about Zeff at the Baratie, she only threatened Zeff to get Sanji to the wedding (A Big Mom Tea Party Invitation Standard) in order to lay the trap for Germa.

But character moments all come from the decisions they make based on the information they have at the time. At the time Sanji made the decision to leave the crew, the threat on Zeff was real enough to him so in Sanji’s mind if he ran from the wedding or challenged Bege and Big Mom she probably would have actioned the threat. To Sanji, his only option here was to go along with the wedding.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Vito informing Sanji about the threat on Zeff, Chapter 813 page 9]

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Baron Tamago of the Big Mom pirates giving Judge the leverage they have over Sanji, Chapter 839 page 12]

Battling Luffy

Sanji understood that by getting married he’d automatically force the Straw-Hats into being subordinates of the Big Mom crew. Initially he thought saying he’d handle it himself would be enough to stop Luffy from coming and by officially leaving the crew he’d absolve them from a fate as underlings similar to the portrayal of Bege at the time. (Going back to my initial point I think this reasoning doesn’t make sense as we all know Luffy's character). This is why after Luffy came after him he tried to make it clearer that he'd left the crew and Sanji did this by fighting Luffy and telling him to leave.

When he battled Luffy (who didn’t fight back) it wasn’t over a huge disagreement and insecurity in his own strength like Usopp's battle with Luffy. In fact if we compare this to Usopp's moment when both he and Luffy got heated and ended in a similar battle of pride/ clashing views I see no reason why Sanjis isn’t as bad.

The Luffy vs Sanji clash came about due to a lack of understanding which came about because Sanji had not been clear in explaining his position and why he made this choice to leave the crew, instead he kicked sand in the face of his crew and captain.

I believe he went too far here, although he deep down had good intentions, I see it as a clear showing disrespect. It was all an act with a brave face from Sanji's point of view and Luffy could tell straight away.

Comparatively, Usopp also put on a brave face with an understandable battle for him to establish his place as a pirate, but it was the challenge of Luffy’s authority in itself that was a showing of disrespect to the captain.

In essence it was a clash of pride where Sanji challenged his captain’s abilities, with the belief that his method of dealing with the issue was right and Luffy’s was wrong.

His Respect Wavered.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji vs Luffy, Chapter 843 page 19]

Returning to the Crew

Redemption is a huge part of character development and usually always comes from a lie the character has told to themselves they battle to make a reality. Any story worth its ink will give us characters with strong traits and equally strong flaws that they later resolve within themselves and grow from.

Sanji had a lot of character development during the WCI arc including accepting his past/background, dealing with the trauma caused by his father, his siblings and the death of his mother, and probably quite importantly, believing in himself, his crew and his captain. But there was one character moment that I feel was flawed enough to reduce the impact of his redemption moment and therefore reduce his standing as a character for me… His reconciliation with Luffy.

During the Arlong Park arc Nami lied about her feelings toward the crew and her village. Her redemption came in the form of saving Usopp from death at the hands of Arlong by stabbing through her hand and facilitating his escape, this showed how much she cared about the crew. And her lie towards the villagers was resolved when her backstory was established and showed her intentions to protect them, the redemption here came the moment she asked Luffy for help and also established her belief in her new Captain.

At Enies Lobby Robin lied about her desire to die so as to not live in a world where no one cares for her and see her as a burden. Her redemption came when she acknowledged she does have a place in the world and had finally found people who care about her. She immediately screamed from the top of her lungs that she wanted to live and in doing so established her new found belief in her crew and Captain.

The segmented parts of Water 7 displayed Usopp's lie about being too weak to be part of a crew of ‘monsters’ along with his fear of being discarded due to his lack of belief in his own abilities and the strength of his friendship/place in the crew. His redemption came when he acknowledged that everyone has something they can do that makes them strong even if it's not physically, and his unyielding resolve to save his crew mates when he tagged along for the mission to rescue Robin. Notice that Usopp's flaws never included losing faith in Luffy, his flaw was always pride and the redemption note for his pride was different to Nami and Robins. Usopp had to apologise, direct and on his knees before he could be fully redeemed as a character.

Sanji's storyline in WCI came with a double whammy. Not only did he show a lack of faith in his captain, he also allowed his pride get in the way of showing respect to his captain. A pirate no go area.

Before overhearing Pudding he was resolved to getting married and living his life with her, but when he found out it was a lie why did this change his resolve of protecting the crew and Zeff. I’d say all other factors *at this point* are exactly the same for Sanji and he had already accepted his death (or a version of it through his freedom and his cooking being taken away).

First, technically Zeff was still in danger as far as he knew. ReijI didn’t say Zeff was safe, she asked him to escape, let Germa die and figure it out [what to do about Zeff] afterwards, her reasoning was Big Mom had no interest in Zeff as long as she got Germa, but Sanji wanted to save both. So in Sanji's mind Zeff is still in danger, but now he has an added problem as he wants to save Germa.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Reiju explains the threat on Zeff still exist unless Big Mom gets Germa, Chapter 852 page 16]

Secondly the crew still can’t challenge Big Mom head on. If he had continued with his plan to go through with the wedding, whether they got married or he was killed, his plan still would have worked. Zeff and the Straw-Hats would be safe. The same way Robin would have died at Enies Lobby and Nami would have given her freedom to forever be part of Arlong's crew. At the cost of Sanji’s life his plan would have worked and made sense.

So should I now take this to mean that he really wasn’t resolved to dying for his ideals. (I’m not saying he should have, the entire point of Luffy’s character is a challenge to this statement, believe in Luffy and he’ll fix it)

But for some reason, the moment he discovers the wedding is a sham and Germa is doomed he decides out of desperation that now is the time to return to the crew and ask Luffy for help. It’s not only hypocritical but it’s shameful and damaged Sanji as a character for me.

During his reconciliation with Luffy I’m sure Sanji acknowledges these points when discussing why he can’t go back but he isn’t held accountable for it.

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji 3 reasons Chapter 856 page 12]

[Eiichiro Oda 'One Piece' (1997) Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump - Sanji 3 reasons Chapter 856 page 13]

Sanji’s redemption, like Nami and Robin, included a moment where he had to re-establish his belief in Luffy and the rest of the crew. But I argue that his cause for losing faith in Luffy was, in the first place, unwarranted and a step backwards for the character.

And unlike Usopps, his redemption did not include a moment of humility where he would need to swallow his pride and apologise to Luffy for putting his own ideals before his captains.

I know in the end everything worked out but at the time Sanji’s actions didn’t make sense for the character I had come to know throughout the story and there was not enough impact in his redeeming moment to allow me to see the character as he once was. Now he’s just that badass monster fighter on the crew and he’ll forever be removed from my list of favourite Straw-Hats. Black Leg Sanji.

#one piece #vinsmoke sanji #nico robin #monkey d luffy #pirate hunter zoro #big mom #charlotte linlin

6 notes · View notes

sanjiafsincedayone · 6 years

Text

One Piece 892 – Review/Thoughts

I am back with a review for chapter 892 – Recognized as a strong enemy, because how could I not? A lot of things happen in this chapter, and I think it was a really good read despite being quite short. Also a lot of small interesting choices made by Oda that has me curious to see what he’s up to next. On with the review!

Now, of course there will be spoilers under this cut.

The chapter starts with the strawhats seeing the ship with Sanji and the cake. He brings them hope where they barely had any left, and once again I love Sanji getting to be a last minute savior.

Of course Mama also notice them, or rather the cake, and she turns her attention away from the strawhats. Meaning the plan of the cake has at least for now gotten Big Mom’s threat away from them. Tthen we get to Bege who is commenting on the rather horrible situation the strawhats are currently in; being chased by the whole fleet. He also comments on the Sunny being in horrible shape, something I hope won’t come back and get even worse. Just having Bege comment on it makes me nervous for some reason. Please leave Sunny alone, she has suffered enough!

Anyways, Bege is preparing his men, and meanwhile what is Sanji doing? Well, he’s turned into a love-struck noodle of course. Personally I found the contrast between serious Bege and dancing Sanji very funny, and I think it’s completely in Sanji’s character to act this way. He’s been thinking about Nami while they were separated and now he’s coming to her (and the others’) rescue.

However, it also takes away a bit of the edge from the serious situation. Sanji at this point can see and hear Bege talk about how bad the situation is. Though I suspect Oda might have done this to intentionally lighten the then chapter. I don’t know, I thought it was funny (for once), but it feels a bit out of place. But I guess Sanji’s job in bringing the cake is done and Big Mom is already be heading that way, so I guess the situation is temporarily already calm enough for him to act like this. Of course he’s also very very excited to finally be with Nami again, something I don’t think anyone could miss.

This is Sanji finally acting like himself again, and to quote Luffy from chapter 857, I guess I am oddly relieved. Especially since Sanji’s love-cook side has been very toned down around Purin, almost weirdly so. And I suppose that is another point here, that Oda might want to show that Sanji won’t forget his nakama and Nami just because Purin seems to like him.

What I find interesting is Nami sensing Sanji’s love from afar. Jinbei says it’s not haki, so I guess that means Nami sensing it isn’t haki either (though one can always hope). I do realize this is most likely just a joke, but at the same time it is not the first time that Sanji and Nami has been connected through feelings. But it is the first time that Nami has been the one sensing something. It probably means nothing, but I still think it reflects this arc and the developments of Sanji and Nami as we have started to see much more of a response from Nami’s side compared to before. The amount of hearts from Sanji and Jinbei’s reaction is also funny. I look forward to see serious Jinbei react more to the strawhats’ dorky sides.

Meanwhile Prospero is freaking out not sure what to do. To destroy the cake or not? Is it poisoned or not? It’s a bit funny with his spiral eyes, but honestly I don’t like Prospero at all, so I’ll be happy to see him mostly gone from the main action... At least Big Mom stopped her attack and it’s a good thing looking at Chopper’s damaged state.

Then we have some more serious interactions between Sanji and Bege, and I must say I love them a lot. I’ve always loved how Oda writes them to have this calm respect for each other despite not liking one another, ever since Zou. Bege is an unlikely ally, and as a person or even character I don’t really like him that much, but I do love his talks with Sanji. I am a bit sad that we didn’t get a final fanboy moment from Vito though, as this is their last interaction from what I can tell.

Also, I am a bit curious about Bege’s comment about Big Mom, but I’ll talk more about that further down.

Sanji feels his part of the mission is done and I must say I think it says a lot that the mission was simply to calm Big Mom down, and not kill her. I think Chiffon and Purin still have some attachment to their mother, despite how horrible she can be. I feel this also points at the possibility of Big Mom turning “good”.

Then Purin (who keeps being her split self) calls for Sanji and they head off to the Sunny together.

Big Mom goes after the cake and we can say that Sanji, Purin and Chiffon has partly already succeeded by simply getting her away from Sunny. I must say I am pretty happy with the cake part being over (mostly), but I look forward to seeing her reaction to eating it though. Also, Big Mom looks pretty creepy in this panel.

Sanji’s entrance as he finally (after years!) is back onboard the Sunny is great! I really love this panel of him. And the Guruwara crew are all really happy to see him of course. I do think it’s interesting that Brook is so friendly towards Purin though, I mean the others didn’t make a big deal out of the things she have done earlier either, but at least they seemed cautious. This is Brook’s first meeting with her since she turned good again. He wasn’t even there when she came back and got Sanji to bake the cake. I guess the others simply told them she is on their side and he took their word for it, but still a bit odd.

So Sanji is back, and they all feel relieved to be saved from Big Mom. Then what happens?

Well he gets jumped by the Guruwara crew and it’s so nice to see them all hug it out. What’s nice is Oda showing just how much they have all missed Sanji as well as how happy they are to be saved by him. I think Oda’s done a good job in showcasing their bond to Sanji throughout this arc, especially in Brook and Nami’s case. Of course Nami hugging Sanji is quite a big deal for him, so his reaction is to be expected. That shocked face is hilarious.

Sanji is sweating, and having Nami looking up at him like that I can’t really blame him. Nami is really cute in this panel. Also it’s something that hasn’t really happened before (at least not since Baratie when they didn’t know each other yet), so I’m not surprised that he would react this strongly from getting a hug from her.

We get a “I love you too Nami” from Sanji, which reminds me of his old “do you love me Nami?”. It’s a small step, and might mostly be a gag, but none the less it’s moments like these and things like the hug itself that keeps happening more and more that makes it seem that Oda might have some intentions with them. I would expect Purin to react to it, considering she seems pretty smitten with Sanji, but this chapter she didn’t really show any reactions. I guess we’ll see if this is something Oda will bring up at all later on.

Then Sanji is back in serious mode and tells the others that Bege and co are planning to lure Big Mom away. Acting as bait more or less. What I am curious about is why they want to get her to an island for eating the cake? Wouldn’t it be better to give it to her directly? I am guessing it’s for the safety of their ship?

Anyways, Sanji was told earlier that they might still plan on assassinating Big Mom, but I think it’s pretty clear that’s not Bege’s intention. I’m not sure why they lied about it to Sanji, but perhaps it’s because of the usual tsundere reasons that male characters doesn’t want other male characters to show they care/are kind? Or perhaps because they don’t want to worry the strawhats? Who knows. More on Bege in a moment.

Now, it’s interesting that Brook lied about Pedro (and Carrot). Especially since it seemed as if Nami was about to tell him. I assume it’s because he doesn’t want Sanji to blame himself and pushes it off for later when things have calmed down. We know Brook knows Sanji well and simply wants to spare him the guilt he would probably put on himself. Even though it was Pedro’s own decision to come along I think Sanji still will feel bad since they only came to WCI to get him. I also suppose we can’t really put in a proper emotional (sad) moment in the chapter without it feeling a bit sudden, but still… I wonder what Oda will do with this.

Then we cut back to Bege who is taunting Perospero to make him follow them instead of the strawhats. And as a person who hasn’t really liked Bege I must say these two latest chapters I’ve quite enjoyed him.

So the strawhats are out of the clutches of Big Mom and Perospero, but then enters Smoothie! Thank you Oda for giving her more time! We also get introduced to what I believe are her triplet sisters, Citron and Cinnamon. I like their designs though Smoothie is still my favorite, and Citron seriously looks like a lemon, lol. But I’ve always liked the long-leg tribe so the more the merrier. All I’m worried about it an all female crew chasing them, since Sanji obviously can’t fight them, he can only defend. This must be an intentional choice by Oda, so maybe he also has some more plans for Sanji’s inability to fight women to be explored even further?

Sanji and the crew talks about their situation and I honestly can’t believe that Jinbei is surprised that the Big Mom pirates are taking them seriously. I mean, earlier sure, but not at this point and after everything that has happened. But oh well… Oda is really building up the hopeless situations here.

Then back to Bege and Chiffon again. Is it just me or is this chapter jumping back and forwards a lot? Seriously though, Chiffon is not surprisingly the one behind the Tank Pirates helping the Strawhats. She also calls Sanji awesome. I think it’s nice how Oda shows that Bege really loves his wife, because it’s things like this that make characters more fleshed out. He’s not just a bad person that happens to help the strawhats for the sake of a common goal, he does it for his kind wife.

Sanji has a plan! It’s so nice to see him immediately step in, take charge and already have a plan of action. I these small moments get me really hyped for what’s to come. I just hope the plan isn’t to abandon ship temporarily (they have the means to since Jinbei can swim/summon whalesharks, Sanji can skywalk and Purin has Rabian with her.)

It could also perhaps involve contacting the Germa66? But I doubt Sanji would be very keen on seeing them again. But no doubt would it make sense in a story perspective to have them back, considering Sanji’s family otherwise seem to fade away a little too easily without proper resolution if they truly have no further roles in this arc. Either way I’m excited to see what the plan is!

Honestly, the fleet here impressed me. Even though they’re most likely not exactly the top fighters. But I really don’t know how Oda is planning to solve this in a satisfying manner. Everyone has pretty much gathered at Cakao Island, and even though Oven haven’t impressed that much he’s not a weakling, and he’s not the only one there.

The idea of there being only one mirror makes me feel that Luffy might get out while Katakuri gets trapped inside...

Luffy gets shot in the leg, and even though Katakuri lets us know that Luffy’s haki is getting closer to his own I really doubt that Luffy can defeat Katakuri in his state. His best option in my opinion would be to flee out the one mirror. But on the other hand Luffy himself was the one stubborn enough to say he wants to beat him and not just run away. I don’t know… I feel this fight is going to require a power-up that might seem a bit forced from Luffy. Either that, run away or somehow he gets help.

Because look at this!

That wound is not a joke. I mean, Luffy has surely gotten worse through the years, but this is still a big deal. Also I know some speculate this isn’t real, but I really see no reason for Oda to draw it like this and make it a cliffhanger just to show it was only a premonition by haki in the next chapter. He also had Flampe laugh about it, so it feels like it definitely happened. My guess is that the next chapter will show us more of Luffy vs Katakuri and hopefully tgat will bring us clearity to the situation.

Things doesn’t look good for Luffy, but I personally thought this was a really good and entertaining chapter if perhaps a little bit jumpy. What it really succeeded with was to get me excited for what’s to come, something I personally haven’t felt in a while (which is partly why I had to write a review for it), so I really appreciate this chapter a lot. Thanks for reading! :)

56 notes · View notes

monkeydluffy19920 · 6 years

Text

Respond: SaNami in the New World pt. 5 (1/3) - Totto Land

So, this series is starting to catch up with the recent chapters so here we have finally another part where we analyze the development of the relationship between Sanji and Nami and how it has made huge step of developments during the time they have spent in the New World. The previous parts of these series are about Fishman Island, Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, and Zou. Each of these arcs has offered us a lot and as the story keeps on going, there are still lots of possible hints and moments what could indicate them to become an actual canon pairing.

Since there are lots to talk about this part of the series will be split into three smaller parts. The first part will handle chapters 824 - 844 and the second and third parts will be done later, most likely after this arc is over. Some of these points have been presented earlier in the reviews and my mates’ posts, so I’ll try to add references as much as I rember. Also, since this is a long-lasting arc, this post going to be a long one and obviously, there might be points that I‘ve completely forgotten to add or didn’t notice so feel free to make additions and throw ideas and opinions in general :)

Special thanks again to my mate @pernanegra who has inspired and helped me with this project! He has already assembled some SaNami hints and analyzed them in Oro Jackson forum and I recommend to read his amazing thoughts (part 1, part 2 , part 3, part 4 and part 5).

Also big thanks to my fellow SaNami-shippers around Tumblr and OJ with whom I have discussed with about these exciting happenings in WCI!!

As a disclaimer (to avoid ship wars), these are again just some fanmade observations from one point of view. In other words, it’s just entertainment and some opinions in thousand seas and definitely, the goal is not trying to bash anyone else’s pairings. We all know that only Oda-sensei can decide whether there will be any canon romance inside the Straw Hat in long run.

Before we start I want to throw again some big apologize because I haven’t been that active recently here, it’s due all the hurries outside Tumblr :< Anyways, these thoughts are mostly based on Mangastream’s translations but let’s hope there are not that many errors that might affect on the interpretation. Well enough with blabber and let’s get going!

1. Destination Totland!

Starting from chapter 825 where both Sanji and his retrieval team are on their way to Totto Land. Understandably Sanji isn’t excited to be around and no wonder, he is sailing on a weird ship and on his way to meet his faith (all this so suddenly). Like mentioned in earlier parts, Sanji was against this marriage from the very beginning. It’s not only because he doesn’t have the warmest bonds with his relatives but also because he is still young, only 21 years old and definitely not ready to take such a big step with someone he doesn’t even know. However, he is really pleased to see the picture of his wife-to-be Pudding and it’s also a normal reaction for a guy who easily falls in love. Besides, at that point, he had no idea what a gloomy future would be ahead.

Elsewhere the retrieval team is about to starve because of Luffy’s kitchen skills but they survive thanks to Nami who is practically the only one capable to cook among the group who is left after they separated after Dressrosa (according to SBS). This is just a headcanon but the idea of Sanji teaching Nami how to cook or even her just following him preparing food is kinda cute :> No didn’t want to bring this up only because of shippish ideas but because we have been discussing in earlier parts about Nami feeling responsible about Sanji’s disappearance and how she again took the lead once she saw that bad times were ahead of them.

In chapter 826 the retrieval team bumps into Sanji’s siblings Reiju and Yonji and they actually mistook the brother for Sanji (because of the swirls). Then Nami does some quick calculations and figures out that Yonji is a younger sibling. Funny enough Sanji’s brother is falling for Nami with the first glance, just like Sanji did back in Baratie ::D However looks like Yonji stands no chance because his arrogance annoys Nami a lot and no wonder, their captain is half dead and this dude refuses to help.

Also, one scene that definitely has been brought up to spotlight was the CPR Reiju gave to Luffy and we’ve seen lots of fans arguing whether Nami is jealous or not. First, about the blush, I think that is a very natural reaction for anyone who sees people going too smoochy. Secondly, the blush might be caused partly because it’s (at least for me) hard to imagine Luffy in such intimate situation since he is one of the most innocent minded characters in the whole series and suddenly his lips get gobbled by a stranger. Toei even threw more gas into flames by making it probably one of the smexiest scenes ever (with moans and salivas and stuff xD). I personally doubt that Nami would be jealous because first of all if she was she would have shown at least some annoyance after Reiju gobbled the poison out of Luffy. Secondly, yes Nami held Luffy’s hand and was worried to death before that scene but I bet Robin (or other crew mates) would have done the exact same because obviously, you feel worried about your captain if he is in the verge of death and Brook if someone knows this very well. Not sure if I’m able to explain it well but what also makes me sceptic about the jealousy argument is that Nami never was "highlighted” in the manga panels which means there was not spent any individual panels to Nami’s reaction to the kiss and she wasn’t first to react (when Reiju started the CPR, Chopper was the one to comment but well he is the doctor of the ship and then when Luffy wakes up its Carrot and Chopper who cry out of joy first). Well ok, it would be quite obvious shipping hint and maybe even out of character if Nami was jealous and suddenly showed that straightly to others or jumped to Luffy’s neck. Since Oda and Toei keep teasing the fans I doubt there will be any too direct hints or who knows). Then, when Luffy wakes up and is not even aware what has happened Nami scolds him a lot which is very understandable because he is their captain his hunger could have cost his life and it would have been quite hard to explain to the rest of the crew if he really died so there are really many reasons for her to be angry. Again, it’s hard to see this from the romantic perspective but as said, shippers are free to interpret the scenes how they feel. Anyways, when Reiju walks off instead of showing any grudge towards Sanji’s sister the navigator is just thankful without saying it out and then asks whether they have seen so Nami still keeps her focus on the main mission, finding Sanji.

2. First encounter with Pudding

So, the retrieval team finally found their way to Totland, a heaven on earth for sugar tooths! It doesn’t take long before Luffy and others are in trouble but they are saved by the cafe Caramel owner Pudding who seems to be a sweet little girl next door. They get invited to her cafeteria where they get to know her better. As you can see, Nami pay lots of attention to her speeches. We don’t know what the navigator is thinking of between those dots in her speech bubble but maybe as a strategist, she calculates whether Pudding is reliable and what kind of person she is? (by the way, most of the shippers have paid attention to that clock above Nami that says it’s 3′o clock and in the anime, that clock is either broken or they just move with the speed of light since the pointers aren’t moving at all.)

They enjoy small talking but it’s clear that Nami wouldn’t mind if the retrieval team could proceed. She keeps telling that they are thankful for her kindness but that their team should be already moving on, there is something urgent where they have to be, finding Sanji. I just recently realized that Pudding actually kind of ignored Nami’s comment and offered some tea, it almost sounds like she tries to avoid that topic but it can be just me?

Then they find out that they are actually talking with Sanji’s future wife, the 35th daughter of Charlotte family and as result, they are all dumbfounded. Pudding seems to freak out because Mama’s wrath is horrible. There one guy who doesn’t believe her at all, Pedro, who reminds his team that they are dealing with Charlotte Linlin’s daughter and since that mink has a history with Big Mom Pirates, he knows they should be a bit on their toes.

After things calm down Pudding explains about her mothers’ arranged marriages and that she has lots of siblings. When she mentions one sister who ran away Nami is all ears up, she knows that it’s about her friend Lola. Then the topic changes to Sanji and Pudding talks a lot and in such awe. Well, Luffy is being Luffy but Nami drops a big question, all of sudden. From the shipping perspective, this is quite interesting because we know that when Sanji flirts with Nami she enjoys it but still keeps the certain distance between them. I don’t know if jealousy is the right term but she seems to be somehow more interested than usual about this whole case and now asking such things, kind of makes me think that this really is a big deal for her after all.

Nami even listens closely when Pudding starts to wonder what kind of a guy she’d marry. Pudding describes Sanji as we could imagine someone describing him from the first glance, handsome and polite and even told that she felt like there was some chemistry between them but then she drops the big news.

This surprises the Straw Hats and even though Luffy’s comment about Sanji turning down a woman is probably mostly a gag, it has an important point. Oda has been showing various times that marriage in One Piece can be interpreted as an opposite of freedom and this is actually what this whole arc is about, Sanji will end up fighting for his freedom.

In the end, they befriend with Pudding and get a map drawn by her so they are ready to head up to the next destination. Again pointing up on this but Nami takes this case extremely seriously, so seriously that she would prefer that the others would be again focused on the main point instead of wasting time on gazing at the choco delicacies.

Back in Sunny Pekom’s is gone but they keep on sailing. It’s a funny but a minor detail that Nami tells Luffy to go towards the 3′o clock, punny or not they are now on their way!

Another thing I saw just after re-reading was in the same chapter (829) that it seems like Nami and Luffy are arguing about the cooking and that Luffy has surprisingly sharp memory. He can remember that Nami is willing to make food but they need to pay for it and now that they don’t have Sanji on board and Nami has been the substitute chef he’d rather make the food for the gang (to avoid fees) but Nami refuses and surprisingly tells that she isn’t going to charge which completely dumbfounds the crew. In general, again another good point that indicates that Nami isn’t a greedy anymore as some people might to think.

3. Troubles ahead in Seducing Woods

So now they have finally arrived at the Whole Cake Island. Luffy starts calling Sanji and Pudding and told others that he is sure about that he saw them. However, Nami is very skeptical and keeps on worrying about schedules and their plan whereas Luffy trusts his intuitions. She keeps questioning why Sanji would like to play hide and seek at times like this if he knew his friends would go after him.

Nami’s instincts were right, they end up getting lost and meeting weird creatures such a buried beard dude and a talking crocodile. Really confusing situation indeed but again, Nami constantly have doubts about the Seducing Woods and she also tries to keep their focus on their mission, finding Sanji and she keeps repeating her points which means she takes this case very seriously. Therefore she finds it hard to fall into the clone trap and she keeps questioning why would Sanji play games with them.

There was a really interesting theory in chapter 835 which we discussed in OJ with fellow shippers. A member who didn’t want to be namedropped created an “Owl and the cat” theory which was about symbolism and how that panel reminded about a poem by Edward Lear and you can read about this theory from Pernanegra’s post.

3. Stuck in Germa Kingdom

Meanwhile, the retrieval team is facing a bunch of troubles and separated from each other Sanji is back with his “family” and extremely stressed (he usually ruffles his hair when he is frustrated). He has already stated many times that the marriage isn’t what he wants and still he gets pushed about it. Definitely not having it easy there, remembering what a bunch of douchebag brothers and father he grew with. It’s sad to see that nothing has changed (seriously after their mother died I think Reiju is the only one at least a bit human there) plus he has the dangerous handcuffs on his hands. This has been pointed out by various Tumblers but yes, Sani is pretty much cornered because of the threats. Hands are his everything and so are his friends so if he wants to save everything he needs to accept his faith.

(by the way, I still am interested in whether that mask Reiju gave for Sanji to hide his swollen face will have any particular meaning in later chapters, since the retrieval team know nothing about it)

I’ve been explained it more widely in Reasons why SaNami could happen part 4.- they are same but still different, they complete each other-post but in short summary, it’s been interesting to notice how Nami’s and Sanji’s pasts have been quite opposite to each other from their childhoods into the turning points of their lives (Sanji regaining the freedom from his abusive family and Nami losing her freedom after living with loving family).

4. Reunion with Sanji

Luffy and Nami meet quite a bunch of difficulties on their way but later they finally meet Sanji and as expected, he isn’t jumping for joy (unlike his captain and Nami). Sanji has received lots of critics because of the way he treated his nakama. Let me drop a friendly reminder again that Sanji was blackmailed. Oda reminds us of it once again with these panels where Sanji is struggling to find a quick plan for this unplanned encounter. It’s obvious that Sanji is under a huge pressure and therefore couldn’t act his normal when meeting others.

There is also no doubt that Nami and Luffy wouldn’t be dumbfounded by this sudden cold and distant welcome. With the last pieces of hope, Nami still tries to reason both of her friends so the duel could be avoided. However, this is when Luffy tells her not to interrupt and all she can do is to watch two nakama fighting with each other (must’ve been so painful to watch since she probably never forgets how tense Luffy and Usopp's friendship ended up in Water 7). Sanji definitely didn’t want to hurt neither of them verbally or physically but just like Robin, he wanted to protect everything he held dear (Zeff and others were obviously targeted if he misbehaved). He tried his best to keep them away and to make his poit clear, he even had to glare coldly at Nami which he wouldn’t do on normal occasions (you can tell it from Nami’s shocked reaction)

For most of the fans, it was quite a sad day to witness the Luffy vs Sanji fight but SaNami fans received even gloomier times when Nami had enough of Sanji’s acting and slapped him. Emotional slaps in One Piece is a long post written by me (with the help of the fellow shippers) and there are lots of thoughts why the slap was remarkable not only from the shipping goggles but also in general. To sum up those thoughts, I don’t believe Oda adds such serious things in the plot if they didn’t mean a thing for characters (note: not counting here those punches that are clearly only for gag purposes). Actually, there have been only a few slaps in these almost 900 chapters and like said, there have always been valid reasons behind those emotional slaps.

Therefore, it is really hard to believe these “the slap didn’t mean anything”-kind of arguments while even unbiased non-shippers have noticed that Nami was clearly upset. More remarkable was that she even dropped the -kun suffix away which at least for a shipper sounds important. Watching Nami being hurt is hurting but also looking at Sanji who tries to keep his poker face (in order to save everything he loves) and who is later bursting into tears at the wagon after hurting his dear friends and hearing how his stubborn captain who has been beaten into pulp stands up with his last powers and not only starts a hunger strike but also declares the loyalty by telling how he needs each of his crew to become a Pirate King, that’s what I call a one way ticket to Feelsville with the train of feels

So, the first part ends into the dramatical Luffy vs Sanji chapter but already lots of things has happened. In conclusion, no matter how much people debate about this I think it’s very reasonable to say that Nami has done much in this arc for Sanji’s sake. Borrowing my fellow mates Pernanegra’s words but it was her who pushed them forward and kept telling there is no time to waste. Without her, they might’ve stayed at Pudding’s coffee shop much longer or they would be still picking up the candies from the street booths and ever since the Zou arc, Oda keeps reminding that it was Nami who constantly reminds others about Sanji.

63 notes · View notes