The Straw Hat's Journey

One Piece is my favorite anime. I started reading it in the early 2000s, and now the manga is steadily approaching the final arc. It might be a bit early, but I decided to commemorate the launching of this Tumblr by making another one these Hero’s Journey essays.

[I worked really hard on this, so Reblogs are appreciated]

Like before, I’ll start off by reminding people that the Monomyth is not a concrete list of steps that MUST appear in SPECIFIC order. You’ll find that the more complex heroes have phases that overlap and interweave with each other. There are steps that appear on the journey, are skipped over, or apply in a different way. Also, keep in mind, that due to the comedic aspect of One Piece, there are moments that subvert our expectation for a joke.

For starters, as I ruminated about the Hero’s Journey as it applied to the main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, I realized that, in a way, the entire Strawhat Crew is also experiencing the journey with their Captain. Luffy, himself, is their Call to Adventure, and they all cross the threshold together. But, I’m getting ahead of myself…

The ordinary world of One Piece is the East Blue. It is a simple world where it functions that the Marines are Good, and the Pirates are Bad. When we meet Luffy he is already enamored with the idea of life as a Pirate, but he is not set along his path until he meets Shanks. It is really Shanks that is his Call to Adventure. It is not enough to just be a pirate, Shanks tasks Luffy to become a great pirate by giving young Luffy his signature Strawhat as motivation.

Shanks is also Luffy’s mentor figure, and he provides supernatural aid in the form of the Strawhat, but also the Gum Gum Fruit, which would become more significant in his quest later.

You could interpret the first manga chapter as serving as Luffy’s Departure Arc, the first part of the Heroe’s Journey, but as stated before, I think the entire crew is on the journey with him. So, as he travels the East Blue, Luffy represents the Call to Adventure for the other original four members of the crew. (And this also applies to the future members that will join the crew on the Grand Line.)

Zoro was a bounty hunter. Usopp was scared of pirates. Sanji had no interest in anything outside his restaurant. And Nami hated pirates. They all had ordinary lives, had mentors and things they were beholden to. They refused the call of the stranger in the Strawhat, at first, until they decided to take the chances and follow their dreams.

As I reflected on the journey ahead, I couldn’t help but wonder did Luffy ever refuse the call? It would be easy to say no - Luffy has always loved adventure. But, refusing the call, is not just not wanting to go on an adventure, it’s more about weighing the consequences of your actions.

If you keep in mind Luffy’s later flashbacks, when Sabo “died” – it was there that young Luffy saw the real risks of going out to sea, as Dadan said it was the cruel (oppressive) World that killed Sabo. In a way, his brother, Ace, served as a second mentor to Luffy that also guided him on his path to find real freedom in the world.

So, together the Strawhat Crew must leave the ordinary world. They won’t find the All Blue, chart all the oceans, become a brave warrior, etc. piddling around in the East Blue.

But before leaving the familiar world, there are “threshold guardians” that bar the way. This is the incident at Loguetown, where the Buggy’ pirates (and Smoker) try terminate our main characters. Captain Buggy is not just any ordinary pirate either, not only was he BORN on the Grand Line, but he served on the crew of the King of the Pirates. But, the hero is often (secretly) chosen by the Gods, so the wind blows in his favor, and the Strawhat Crew escapes.

The real crossing on the threshold from the Ordinary World to the Special World is known as “the Belly of the Whale,” and this is very clearly represented in Reverse Mountain. Once crossing Reverse Mountain, they cannot go back the East Blue, and are very firmly in the “Special World,” that is the Grand Line, where the real adventure begins. (As if to drive the point home, Oda literally puts them in a belly of a whale, right after this.)

The first half of the Grand Line represents a “Road of Trials” in the Hero’s Journey. Here the cast is learning about this special world, experience new things, find challenges. You meet enemies that become friends, and friends that become enemies. It serves to temper our heroes and is the beginning of transformation.

Once the trials are behind them, the next important step is sometimes called “Approaching the Innermost Cave” or alternatively, “Descending into the Underworld.” All of the trials have been leading to this. This phase overlaps with a few other themes.

The greatest challenge for the Strawhat Crew begins when they arrive in Sabaody Archipelago. This is where we get the first glimpse of the true darkness at the root of the World Government – there is slavery, prejudice, and injustice that the self-styled protectors of the world are not just turning a blind eye, but they’re beholden to in this rigid class system.

Then the crew is separated, and Luffy must continue on his own into the darker depths of the Underworld… fittingly Luffy eventually travels a version of Hell when he arrives at Impel Down, but I’m getting a head of myself. Being separated from his “community” likens this part of Luffy’s journey to a Vision Quest, where he’s going to find the knowledge that they will need for the future.

During his time alone, does experience a few more key events. Arriving in Amazon Lily, Luffy has an encounter with the Goddess / Temptress as Boa fills both rolls at the same time.

The Goddess represents the knowledge that the hero lacks. Not only does she have firsthand experience of the dark side of the World Government, but as one of the Seven Warlords, she is privy to information that others don’t know. It is she that tells Luffy that his brother will be executed, which becomes the actual driving force of these next arcs. And only with her connections and resources can the Hero continue on his quest. But, Boa is also the Temptress. Any lesser man would have fallen for her feminine wiles, but our hero remains immune.

So, in the next arc, Luffy passes through Hell in Impel Down, then emerges at his Supreme Ordeal when he arrives at Marineford.

It is established that the One Piece World is held in balance between three great powers – The 3 Marine Admirals, the 7 Warlords, and the 4 Emperors. So, at the Marineford War, nearly all of them are represented. This is the Abyss, the lowest point in the Hero’s Journey, and represents Death.

To escape the Abyss, the Hero must reach “atonement with the Father.” Again, “Father” is not literal, here the hero must come to a new understanding about the forces that shape the world, and life / death. On one side of the war, we have Whitebeard, whose followers call “father,” and has the power to destroy the world, and on the other there is Sengoku the Buddha, who transcends life/death, and as Marines, fancy themselves as the shield that protects the lives of ordinary people. Then there’s Luffy’s mentor/ father figure who steps in at the last moment to actually preserve the life of everyone.

Of course, Luffy experiences psychological death after the traumatizing experience of watching his brother die. To recover, the hero must answer the questions that started his quest. Luffy wants freedom. (He thinks the King of the Pirates is the freest person in the world.)  But freedom is limited by those strong forces that dominate the world. He doesn’t just want freedom for himself, but for the people that he treasures. So, Luffy recovers by remembering that he still has his friends. But, also sets himself to a new path of becoming stronger to match those great forces and protect those closest to him.

After his experience in the Underworld, the hero receives a great boon. In this case, it’s KNOWLEDGE. If he hopes to stand a chance in the last half of the Grand Line, and fulfill his actual quest of being King of the Pirates, he needs to learn Haki.

At the same time, the rest of the crew experiences their own mini “Vision Quest.” In each of the places they ended up, there is knowledge, but also temptation. It would be easy to embraces where they ended up, and abandon the rest of the crew. No one would ever know. But where they ended up is not their dream or goal. So, they’re going to absorb the knowledge for two years, and then return to the real quest.

The two year training arc coincides with what is called “Refusal of Return.” It’s at this point where the Hero is in a special place outside of the world – growing, learning, experiencing bliss – but not really moving forward, and ignoring the world, which is steadily growing worse. Eventually, they are going to return to the main quest, which they do in the post time skip.

Next half of the Hero’s Journey begins with what sometimes called “The Magic Flight,” and is like a mirror of the original Road of Trials. In many myths, the Magic Flight involves STEALING something from the Gods. And in the last half of the Grand Line, the Strawhat Crew is stealing the Poneglyphs that will open the way Laugh Tale and reveal the One Piece.

Also, at this point, the Heroes receive “Recue from Without,” which is more like receiving aid from other allies. We know that to survive in the Grand Line, you need allies. Luffy allies with Law, creates the Strawhat Grand Fleet, also allies with the Minks/ Samurai, and eventually even the Kid Pirates (albeit briefly).

And that’s technically where we still are.

To complete his quest, the hero must achieve Apotheosis, becoming what the world needs him to be. Luffy wants freedom but he needs to bring that to everyone else in the world. Obviously, Gear 5th is the beginning of Apotheosis, but it’s too early to declare Luffy’s journey as complete. Eventually, they will find the One Piece, and bring the truth of the Void Century to the rest of the world, and deal with the reproductions of that. 

So, here is where this essay will end. (I’ll probably update it when the series is over) But I’ll remind you that the audience is also on a journey with the hero. We tell these stories over and over again because they resonate with us and remind us of the values that we treasure as a culture, whether that be something as broad as freedom or as personal as friendship.

Hellooo I love your writing soooo much >>•<<

Could you please write headcanons of ASL sister introducing Smoker as her fiancé ? Thank you so much !

[One Piece Headcanons] ASL Brothers -> when you introduce Smoker as your fiancé

Characters: Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Smoker

Tags: female reader, overprotective brothers

Author's Note: Thank you for the cute request! I got carried away and added short scenarios for each brother's reaction and a little extra at the end. I hope you like it! 💖

PORTGAS D. ACE

Goes from 😯 to 😡 to 🤬

Ace.exe has stopped working.

He's the 2nd Division Commander of the esteemed Whitebeard Pirates; who in their right mind would think it would be a good idea for him — the son of the late Pirate King — to meet a Marine Vice-Admiral?

Cue war flashbacks of when Garp showered him, Luffy, and Sabo with his "fists of love" for sharing their childhood dreams of becoming pirates.

Goes through all seven stages of grief and complains to Sabo every single time.

Threatens Smoker every chance he gets. The Marine Vice-Admiral repays in kind when you're not around.

Doesn't warm up to the idea of you and Smoker as a couple except on your wedding day.

"Behave yourself," you whisper to your fiancé, soft hands tightly gripping his muscular bicep in warning.

"I'm on my best behavior. It's your brother who needs to behave," Smoker says bluntly, brown eyes observing the freckled pirate's reaction to you and your beau's interlocked arms.

Ace stares, and stares, and stares — at his little sister and the familiar white-haired man he encountered early on during his journey to Alabasta — dumbfounded at the scene before him.

"Fire Fist," the Marine Vice-Admiral calls out, breaking him from his reverie.

"You—" Ace yells, flames erupting from the tips of his fingers to rapidly engulf his entire first.

Before your fiancé can return your fiery brother's sudden display of aggression, you step in between their bodies, eyes alight with fury.

"Stop it!" you scold Ace, extending your pointer finger and thumb to pinch his ear in retaliation.

He frowns at you, but obliges, flames extinguishing from his curled fist. "We need to talk. Now."

Not waiting for your response, Ace saunters off toward his bedroom at the other end of the hallway, posture stiff and robotic. To anyone, outsider or not, it was evident from Ace's appearance and demeanor that the usually friendly pirate was clearly not in a good mood.

"Just wait here. I won't be long," you say to Smoker before dashing off in pursuit of your freckled brother.

When you close the door to his bedroom, Ace begins his tirade, arms crossed against his bare chest as he faces your more petite frame.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

You look at him in bewilderment but don't say a word, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Him! That—that big oaf! There are millions of men in this world! And it has to be him? I don't approve!" Ace doesn't stop himself from frantically gesturing at the closed door — the only piece of barrier, aside from him, of course — separating you from your fiancé.

You frown at Ace's insult, adopting a defensive stance. "Don't call him that! And I don't need your permission, you know. Why are you acting like this?"

"You're my little sister! Of course, I'm concerned!" Ace adjusts himself from the desk he was leaning on. "Do you know what he's done to Luffy?"

You shakily exhale at his accusatory tone. "I know! We've talked about this. He's promised to look the other way when it comes to our family."

"And you believe him?"

"Of course, I do! He hasn't given me any reason to doubt him."

"He's not exactly husband material," Ace interjects, to which you roll your eyes. At this point, it was apparent to you that your big brother was grasping at straws, finding reasons — however shallow they may be — to make you reconsider this marriage.

"He dresses better than you, that's for sure," you say childishly.

Ace's eyebrows furrow, taking great offense to your statement. "What's wrong with the way I dress?"

"Have you seen yourself? You're always strutting around like you own the place. Shirtless and all," you comment, scrunching up your nose in disgust. "Have some common decency at least."

"He's not wearing a shirt either!" Ace says indignantly.

"No, but he has a jacket—"

"That he leaves open all the time, which basically makes it useless," Ace argues, "Why bother if you're not even gonna wear it properly?"

"Argh, forget it. I don't want to talk about this anymore," you say, burying your face in your hands.

Ace takes the hint, feeling guilty as he walks over to your defeated form to rub circles on your back slowly.

A truce, for now.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sometime later, when you return from Ace's bedroom, you find your fiancé calmly sitting on the corner of the couch. Without a word, you plop down beside him and rest your head on the crook of his shoulder.

Smoker takes a deep drag of his cigars, observing your distraught appearance and the lack of a certain cowboy-hat-wearing pirate. "Well, that went well."

SABO

Goes from 😟 to 😩 to 😭

Dies a little bit on the inside.

His precious little sister finally finds love, and who's her betrothed? The infamous White Hunter himself.

He expected this behavior from Ace, but you?

Discreetly pulls you aside to express his disapproval.

Learns to cope and eventually warms up to your relationship with the Marine. How can he not when you look so happy?

De-escalates arguments between Ace and your lover every single time.

"Sabo!" You pull your big brother into an embrace which he reciprocates.

When the blond Revolutionary notices the white-haired man standing behind you, he stiffens, gloved hand reaching behind his back to clasp his metal pipe.

Noticing your older brother's sudden alertness, you nudge his side in reassurance. "This is the fiancé I've been telling you about."

Sabo quickly puts two and two together. All those conversations you've had with him, and not once did you mention that you were engaged to an officer of the Marines. And not just any Marine officer, you were engaged to the Commander of the notorious G-5 base.

In an effort to remain composed, Sabo forces a half-hearted smile — appearing more like a grimace really, but an action you appreciated nonetheless - and extends his right arm to your fiancé for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you."

Ignoring the daggers you were glaring at the side of his face, Smoker hesitantly grips the blond Revolutionary's hand. "Pleasure," he grunts out, letting out a puff of white smoke from his cigars.

For a moment, the two men clasp at each other's hand in a show of fake camaraderie.

Choosing to ignore the growing tension thick in the air, you clap your hands together in mock enthusiasm.

"Great! Let's meet the rest of the family, shall we?"

MONKEY D. LUFFY

Goes from 😁 to 😊 to 🥳

The only one who's okay with your relationship with Smoker.

He's survived having Garp, the Hero of the Marines, as his grandfather; he can certainly handle an additional Marine in the family.

Gets along with your fiancé the best, though Smoker himself denies this.

"Woah, what's Smokey doing here?" Luffy says in awe, looking back and forth between you and the Marine.

You tap your feet in nervousness, gesturing between Smoker and your youngest brother.

"Luffy, this is my fiancé. Smoker, this is my little brother."

"I know who Straw Hat Luffy is," Smoker says impatiently, barely glancing at the pirate standing a few feet in front of him.

"You haven't been formally introduced to each other, have you?" you say indignantly, hips cocked to one side as you stare at your fiancé's tepid behavior.

"In a normal setting, I mean," you clarify, "You chasing him and his crew does NOT count."

Smoker shrugs at your accusation, and you sigh.

Luffy laughs at your scolding, looking up at the Marine. "It's okay. I meant what I said in Alabasta. I don't hate you, y'know?"

You smile at your little brother's statement. You could always count on Luffy to be accepting of your partner, whoever they may be. Also, he wasn't the type to dwell on the past, preferring instead to live in the moment. And that moment was your engagement to the Marine Vice-Admiral, the same man who used to hunt Luffy and his crew throughout the Grand Line for being wanted criminals.

'Tsk' is all Smoker says to the straw hat pirate's proclamation, earning a disapproving pinch to his side from you.

"Be nice," you whisper harshly to your fiancé's ear.

The sound of your little brother's joyous laughter is enough for the normally serious Marine to let out a small smile.

BONUS BELOW LMAO

MONKEY D. GARP

Goes from 😌 to 🥰 to 🤗

T H R I L L E D that his grandson-in-law is a respectable Marine.

The epitome of Proud Father Figure™

Compares the ASL brothers to Smoker every chance he gets during family reunions.

"Y'hear that Luffy? Smoker just caught a band of no-good pirates terrorizing the local townsfolk." Luffy picks his nose in acknowledgment.

Garp points an accusatory finger at Ace. "You damn brat, why couldn't you listen to me and become a Marine like I told you to?"

Garp gives a disapproving glare to Sabo. "And you! Why'd you have to join the shady Revolutionaries and become a wanted criminal like my son?"

Garp proceeds to give the ASL brothers multiple rounds of his fists of love. Meanwhile, he smooches your forehead in happiness for finding a suitable husband.

You and Smoker live happily ever after. The end.

Reading One Piece pt 337: Brothers

Chapter 585

Thoughts:

- Volume 60! (And year 2010. Man, I feel old)

- huh, character page looks totally different. There’s no Shanks, for once, and it looks like the whole volume will be  a Flashback Fest.

At least we know where each of Straw Hats are. Look at that:

Neat (except that Zolo nonsense)

- aww, Magellan and Hannyabal on the cover. I hope Magellan is doing better now, he wasn’t well after that break-out

- wow, humble beginnings of a Gum-Gum Pistol

- lol

- but it’s so nice they train together :)

- children so strong :D

- Narration kicked in, they mention Trash Mountain

- “Another city lies even father north but a huge stone wall blocks the road” wall? *intense Trump flashbacks* put it back, I don’t want it

- “Look! The trash is here! Let’s go treasure hunting!” – Supernatural fandom

- so city is more miserable than a trash mountain?

- “Trash hunters patrol the street” I’m starting to think living in the jungle is a better deal here

- lol, our boys did the “three kids in a trenchcoat” trick :D

- “And in the middle of that, surrounded by a high stone wall, is the highland, where the royal family and the aristocrats live.” Wow. Now I’m thinking Attack of Titan

- “This is the Kingdom of Goa. Thought to be the most beautiful land of the East Blue, it is spotlessly clean. It is considered a successful example of a society where everything unnecessary is removed.” Lies, all of it, aristocrats are still here. Give it a century or two and they’ll have their Red October :(

- so Windmill Village is in the Goa Kingdom but is super isolated? Good for Luffy I think, he had few years of normal childhood

- our kids are wreaking havoc. I kinda wish they didn’t go to the city, especially as CD are supposed to be here too

- “Sabo? Sabo! Wait! You’re alive! Come back home!” “!!” …what?

- “Who is that guy?” “Must have mistook me for somebody else!” LIEEEES give me the drama

- back in the jungle. Now Sabo is facing an interrogation :D

- “You sure you want to have secrets between us? TALK” THE DRAMA

- ! :D

- “You’re the son of an aristocrat?” “I am.” “…so?” …children these days

- “Both my parents are still alive. I’m no orphan. I wasn’t even born on Trash Mountain. That guy back there was my father.” Then why… are you here, Sabo? I mean, how did it even happen?

- “Why would an aristocrat run off to live at Trash Mountain?” right?

- is that a flashback inside a flashback. Did I fall into Naruto Universe

- oh, parents with ambitions. Horrible

- A knife? Yikes

- “All they care about is wealth and status. Not me! If I can’t marry a girl from a royal family, I’m no better than trash. So they forced me to study and take lessons every single day. Then they’d fight if I couldn’t learn fast enough. I was just a nuisance in that house.” so he ran away. Children in One Piece are hardcore

- “I may not be an orphan but I’ve always been alone. The aristocrats look down on Trash Mountain but it’s still better than that suffocating highland, living a strict regimented life year after year.” A golden cage, you say. It’s great Oda put it here but it’s weird to hear all this from a 10 year old

- but it explains the top hat :D

- “I want to see the world and write a book about it! And navigation is the one thing I like to study! Let’s get strong and become pirates!” aww, little Nami protoplast :)

- “You don’t have to convince me! I’m gonna be a pirate and win, win, win! I’ll be famous all over the world! I’ll prove my life’s worth something! No matter how many people in the world don’t approve of me, no matter how many hate me, I’m gonna become a great pirate and show them all!” oh Ace            

- “I won’t run away from anyone! I won’t lose to anyone! I don’t care if they call me a villain! I’ll make the whole world know my name!” is that me or does it sound like Zoro. Luffy really knew who he wanted in his crew, huh?

- well, what are your convictions, Luffy?

- “I want to be…” yes?

- …

- they didn’t tell us. That’s super rude

- but apparently it was funny

- whoops, they all want to be captains :D

- “We’ll decide our future in the future” famous last words, Ace

- excuse me, is that alcohol

- yep, it is

- “If you exchange cups, it makes you brothers.” !

- “When we become pirates, we may not be on the same ship together but the three of us will always be brothers!” this is great

- “No matter where we are or what we do, this bond will never be broken! Starting today… we’re brothers!”

- and so they were brothers

- beautiful montage of their lives together

- honestly, it looks like a good life

- wait, what is it

- Give Sabo back! Bluejam!” “Give him back? What nonsense is this? Sabo is my son!” …what

- HOW IS THAT… NO I DON’T CARE JUST LEAVE SABO ALONE YOU TRASH PARENT

- “I left of my own free will!” “You be quiet!” Where’s Robin when you need her to snap someone’s neck

- now you want to hurt my boys!?

- “Please, don’t hurt them! They’re my precious brothers!” “Sabo!”

From 0 to 100, as always.

rOP 336  rOP 338

Jinbe: ISTJ [Duty-Fulfiller] One Piece

Pensive Fine presents an alternative type.

I would argue Jinbe is an ISTJ. Yes he does want do strongly adhere to a moral code and being authentic but that doesn’t necessary indicate Fi-dom. Consider the way in which he helped Luffy recover after Ace’s death. He does not hesitate to fight back if Luffy attacked him. He says “Don’t count everything is lost, what’s gone is gone! But ask yourself what remains?”. 

He is directive and upfront, with a strong emphasis on laying down the facts. Again he shows this after Pedro dies, telling the crew to focus on the opportunity Pedro provided for them to escape and to not waste it. Whilst Jinbe has shown great empathy, he became that way through his experiences. In flashbacks he is portrayed in quite a gruff and blunt in his speech, skeptical that there was evidence that fisherman would be ever treated with respect for it is not supported by the facts nor past history/interactions with humans (Si-Te). He disagreed with Otohime stems based on this point rather than a clash of opposing values. Later on his interactions with the young Koala makes him reflect upon how change can be frightening and makes him more receptive to accepting alternative possibilities to what he is used to experience (Ne development) Jinbe is quite skilled at giving detailed and specific information on the topic, never losing himself in tangents (Si>Ne). 

Where is his Ne? His feet are firmly rooted in reality- what is plausible without too much regard for meaningless abstraction. He knows how the world works. He is cautious of the future as it has the potential to threaten stability and as a result takes a very deliberate approach towards it, valuing the more secure path (inferior Ne). Although this can be attributed to his experience, he has no problems coming up with delegating tasks to people in, organizing people in an efficient manner and making plans to achieve goals and considering factual data (Te), in fact he seems quite natural at that stuff. Similar to Law, he can be baffled with the Straw Hat’s outlandish behaviour and how they can so easily disregard the cause-effect of their actions. He criticizes Luffy for his lack of responsibility as a captain- falling asleep in the middle of his story and for not keeping up with the news (vital information for anticipating future outcomes). Jinbe does like helping people but he doesn’t do it through visualizing the potential path of growth for people (the way a higher Ne would) but would rather through doing practical things for people in the moment. From observes his patterns of cognition, there is simply stronger evidence a preference of Si>Ne and arguably Te>Fi. To argue for Fi in the dominant position, stronger evidence is required. 

Special thanks to this post here (http://onepieceofmbti.tumblr.com/post/125537320493/jinbe-istj). 

Fictionalcharactermbti Reasoning:

JINBE: INFP [THE HEALER] ONE PIECE 

Introverted Feeling determines subjective values–convictions about how a life is best lived. Such values are trained by direct experience of good and bad behaviors, and they claim us from within. Source: Lenore Thomson

At the end of the day this is Jinbe’s guiding principle of judgement. It is not Te like in an ISTJ. ISTJs use Te to find a place within a system’s values. Jinbe from the start does not fit within any system. We see him slip from group to group. This is because of his Fi. Whether it is his original pirate crew, his nation, the warlords, or Luffy, his judgement guides him to not have strong allegiances to groups. His allegiance is to what is right at the time based on his experiences. That is quintessential introverted feeling.

INFP’s understanding of reality is quite nearly like the one described by mystics, who believe that spiritual energy descends to earth by way of eternal ideals–structural patterns that bring order out of material chaos. By aligning their behaviors with these ideals, mystics can, presumably, bring life into harmony with its divine potential. Source: Lenore Thomson

This is the combination of secondary Ne with the dominant Fi. Jinbe does not get his information from hard facts and concrete realities. Yes, his Fi leads him to be guided by experience, but this is added to more abstract thought. Jinbe is incredibly forward looking and this is seen best in how he plays politics and how he assists Luffy. He is always thinking of the possibilities of the future. How the actions today can create great change within the entire pirate community and way of life. This is what inspires him to teach Luffy. He isn’t convinced by some hard evidence that Luffy is the future Pirate King. An ISTJ would be much more skeptical of such flights of belief. There is a sense of destiny and Jinbe believing in this greater purpose and meaning in the way he helps and guides Luffy. 

Because their ideals are wholistic, INFPs feel responsible not only for their actions but their desire to take action, and they have a nearly karmic idea of balance. If they betray their ideals in either deed or feeling, they try to make restitution. Source: Lenore Thomson

This is the way Jinbe looks at his past. There is clearly guilt there. He is clearly trying to make up for his past, for mistakes whether directly caused be him or not. That doesn’t matter, just as the quote explains. This mentality is exactly why Jinbe breaks vows, breaks honor, breaks allegiances to rescue Luffy from Big Mama. Following the rules, following honor, and the way of the system/rules do not fit well with Jinbe. He will break all of the rules if they don’t sit well with him. He won’t try to navigate a way for the rules to work for him, but straight up break them. 

Contrast this with ISTJs like Fujitora. When Fujitora is faced with the rules not working, he doesn’t head on break them. That goes against ISTJ principles. Rules of the system are still important to an ISTJ. Breaking them fully could tarnish the ideals of those rules and systems in the first place that in general work and need to be upheld. Instead, he finds a way to skirt around and within rules in place. He can get around one exception to the rule while upholding the law as seen in his resolution of the Don Quixote Doflamingo arc.

Jinbe continually has huge defining moments. Moments when he doesn’t consider the rules and systems like Fujitora does. This is because Te is not his more dominant judgement, it is Fi. Everything he does is not attributed to something outside of himself, but his own internal compass. As soon as something doesn’t jive with his inner harmony, he can’t stand by. 

When INFPs spend most of their energy protecting their inner realm from attachment to an imperfect outer situation, their least-developed function, Extraverted Thinking, doesn’t get very conscious. Such types are often excellent at managing time and resources for others but have a harder time structuring and organizing their own lives. Source: Lenore Thomson

This is a part of Jinbe you admit yourself. However, where this behavior is attributed is incorrect. Jinbe is a great leader and is great at helping others. But notice his own life is a little bit of a mess. He keeps acting on his Fi, and this leaves him to having a nomadic life, with no real people to belong to. This would be torture to an ISTJ, but something this INFP is fine with. Maybe not happy, but he would much prefer it than following. 

It is always important to note that INFPs, when they get more unhealthy they look like stereotypical STJs. They can become harsh to others in their words, sharp and biting. INFPs are able to cut deep due to their deep understanding of the emotions of others. We see this when he helps Luffy after the loss of Ace. In moments like this and with typing you have to ask, why? And is this behavior typical? Jinbe is not typically direct and to the point. He can wander, jokes with Luffy’s crew, and enjoys their antics. He is amused with Luffy’s different style and in fact inspired. He becomes direct with Luffy in this crucial moment, because he understands Luffy and what he has been through. He knows what he needs. This is deliberate. INFPs, like any type, can be harsh when they need to. Especially, if harshness at the beginning leads to a decrease in conflict overall. He knows this direct approach in the moment, to force reality in Luffy’s face, is the only way to help Luffy grieve. He isn’t doing it out of an inability to read emotional cues, but because of his strong emotional understanding. He sees Luffy drowning, but showing anger instead of accepting the loss. Jinbe is deliberately confronting Luffy to help him get to the iconic moment of Luffy breaking down, letting go.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SCENE

When typing characters it is important to look at the overall pattern and not the exceptions. The exceptions brought on by different factors of a character’s arc do not speak to a character historically and as a whole. Those exceptions are typically indicative of functions lower in their stack. It is really important to look at Jinbe when he is alone, when he reflects on his life and philosophies. What brings him into these moments. That is why I give examples, but not always incredibly specific examples, because those very tiny details become insignificant when trying to type a character as a whole. They often play too much into stereotypes and lose how dynamic each type can be. 

This is scene in how you first dissect the Luffy scene after Ace’s death. There is too much focus on the one line and not on the overall context of the scene. Once you widen the lens this clearly isn’t a natural harshness of Jinbe’s. In the scene you see Jinbe’s face struggle with the grief he sees in Luffy. He clearly wants to be softer in this moment, but recalling what Ace had told him sucks it in to help Luffy, to give Luffy the help he needs to move from anger into sadness. This take a great emotional intelligence that we can see in functions like dominate Fi.

More random thoughts about Luffy’s hat

So, this post made me think of the continuity/the end of One Piece in general. This whole series practically started from that iconic moment when Luffy received the straw hat from his idol Shanks and ever since that, he has kept it as his most valued treasure. 

Then they made a promise that Luffy would return the hat once he has become the great pirate but the question is, will he be king of the pirates when they meet again or will Luffy first have to battle against Shanks since he happens to be one of the Yonkos?

Many series’ have this “passing the legacy to the next generation”- kind of scene/episode where the main characters’ future is revealed or alternatively the series end at that very scene when the main characters are with their offspring and they tell them to go for new adventures. Well, this kind of happened already with Luffy and Shanks when their paths separated but it leaves to the questions, will this happen again one day? 

One of the main themes of One Piece, that family doesn’t necessarily always mean and need a bloodline connection. Come to think about it, most of the Straw Hats didn’t have a blood-related family. Luffy has grandpa Garp and Dragon but they weren’t much around so he grew with Ace and Sabo who were not his biological brothers. Then Nami has Nojiko as an adoptive sister plus Bell-Mere, Chopper was kicked out of his reindeer herd because of his red nose but Dr. Hiruluk took him as an apprentice and Franky’s parent’s dumped him and he was as well raised by a foster father.

Also, Usopp grew as an orphan basically because his mother Banchina passed away while his father Yasopp was sailing with Shanks’ crew and same goes with Robin whose mother Nico olvia was deceased as well. Sanji still has his biological family unless they didn’t survive Big Mom’s final musical but Sanji made it very clear that he doesn’t consider Judge Vinsmoke as his real father because Zeff who raised him was more father for him than the Germa leader who imprisoned his son because he was a failure in his eyes. So, one of the things One Piece tries to tell us is that family can be also formed by a bunch of friends who are sharing a deep bond and interested in similar things.  

Like said, since we don’t know yet what kind of meeting Luffy and Shanks will have in the future or will Luffy achieve his dreams at all (of course he will, that’s what One Piece is about!) so the destiny of the hat is also quite open and leans currently on the headcanons of the fans. However, thinking about the previous family- theme and the possibilities around the legendary Luffy-Shanks-reunion, would it be possible that the hat is already passed the next when they meet (perhaps after Wano)? or will Luffy still consider himself not being strong enough and will he keep the hat until he finds One Piece, literally?

On the other hand,  what if Luffy could not give Shanks the hat and fulfill their promise at all (because if something happened to him or the captain of Red Hair Pirates)? What would then happen to the hat or where would it end and who would carry it?  

There are countless theories regarding Luffy’s future, some say that he will achieve his dreams, some say he won’t. Some ponder whether Luffy wants a family or not and if he’d become a father himself, would he decide to pass his legacy to his child, which in this case would probably mean passing the hat to this viable offspring but then again, could he even give the hat to his own child if Shanks was still alive or would Shanks want the hat back so badly even if this all happened. 

The reason why this whole thing randomly popped into mind suddenly after that one fanart mentioned in the beginning was that there have been various theories about the baby Makino is holding in chapter 614′s cover page. Obviously, the baby could be anyone’s but many fans keep guessing in different forums whether it’s Shanks’ since they seemed to have nice chemistry based on Luffy’s flashbacks.

So, one the questions that  we might possibly meet later in this series is, that if Oda-sensei confirmed that the father of Makino’s baby really was Shanks and Luffy found out about it, would the Straw Hat captain still keep the treasure until the very end and later in the final chapters pass it forward to this baby? 

496: “To the Sea Someday! the Pledge of the Three Brats!”

... I’m listening.

Another great episode. I think the post-arc fatigue is wearing off.

In another case of Art Imitates Life, we have a tiny Sabo who loathes the privileged society of nobles within which he was raised. Must say that one of my favourite One Piece moments is when Luffy caved in Saint Charloss’ face, so I am all for Oda revisiting this theme.

I also liked the way Sabo’s social status was revealed in small, hinting increments. I didn’t realise what was going on until Sabo himself spelled it out.

The Dine and Dash

This was the first time I realised something was up with Sabo, though I couldn’t put my finger on what it was yet.

After the nice intro showing Luffy’s first attempts at his gomu gomu no pistol attack (awww...), world building began in earnest. If you travel north of Grey Terminal, you will hit a wall. Literally. There is a wall. This wall encloses the Goa Kingdom - a place with a strict immigration policy.

Have you ever wondered why Grey Terminal exists? It’s because the residents inside the wall dump their trash outside the entrance, leaving the cast-offs of society to fight over cast-off scraps. Lovely. 

The poor people of Grey Terminal are sometimes allowed inside to sell recycled items. This exception allowed Ace, Sabo and Luffy managed to sneak in.

Just beyond the gate, is Edge Town, where all the edgy types hang out. Ace, Sabo and Luffy easily dealt with a bunch of muggers. Those muggers knew their names, so our three favourite prospective pirates have obviously won a bit of local notoriety here. I can just picture the headlines: AREA KIDS OUT OF CONTROL. AREA KIDS CAUSE CROCODILE SHORTAGE. AREA KIDS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SOCIAL ILLS.

In the middle of town, there’s another wall. You’d need one to keep out all the Edge. This part of the kingdom is called High Town. There is not a scrap of garbage on the streets here. Apparently, Goa Kingdom is the most beautiful in East Blue. Now we know why. I’m guessing the photographers aren’t taken round Grey Terminal.

And High Town is where the nobles live.

I thought, good, good. Now things are interesting. Is Luffy going to punch out another entitled parasite and form the habit of a lifetime?

The kids sold the crocodile skin and decided to go for ramen. Sabo knew a place. It was a really fancy place. Disguised, they walked in. Sabo demanded a private dining room and flashed a gold locket/pocket watch engraved with a floral emblem. This had the staff fawning all over them. Ace said, “Wow, that thing sure comes in handy!” Sabo was uneasy, “Haha, yeah, I found it on the street one day.”

Being mischievous imps, they had about two hundred bowls of ramen between them, then dined and dashed by jumping out through a fourth floor window. xD

This is when I started thinking: wait... something is up here. 

If Sabo is hard-up, how does this kid know about private dining rooms? How did he know about that fancy restaurant. Why was he so sketchy about finding the locket? He robs people all the time. Why not proudly say you robbed a rich noble? 

But no. I justified it away as nothing. Sabo might have spied and seen nobles demand private rooms. He’d never tried ramen before. Maybe he had a pang of conscience about stealing the locket and said he found it instead.

Then, a random in the street seemed to recognise Sabo. I did not know who he was at the time, so I shall call him Sweaty Chins (due to his multiple chins and excessive perspiration).

“You’re alive!” Sweaty Chins exclaimed. “Let’s go home.”

“Um... that guy’s calling you,” Ace said.

Sabo seemed shaken, then said, “He confused me for someone else.”

They ran for it. One last shot of Sweaty Chins before the scene concluded was ambiguous. I wasn’t sure if he was happy or not to see Sabo.

[Comrade Sabo]

As Ace is not dumb, he suspected something was amiss. Sabo didn’t want to tell, but Ace literally wrung the secret out of him.

“I’m the son of a noble,” Sabo said miserably.

“And?” Luffy and Ace chorused. (I laughed.)

Sabo explained both his parents were alive. He wasn’t an orphan and never grew up in Grey Terminal. Sweaty Chins was his father. He apologised for lying to Ace and Luffy. 

Luffy being Luffy, wanted to forgive him immediately. Ace being Ace was more cautious. “You should wait to hear the motive before you forgive.”

He wanted to know why Sabo was living out on the edge with them if he was from a noble family.

Sabo told his tale.

The flashback opened with a sinister shot of looming, overbearing, lecturing parents. “You need to acquire intelligence and knowledge you need to know as  a noble and become a man that can marry a woman from the royal family,” Mr Sweaty Chins said. “Then we’ll live in security and I’m sure that you will live happily,” Mrs Chins chipped in.

“Are you sure?” Sabo said, unconvinced.

“YEAH, OF COURSE!”

Later, Sweaty Chins received some bad news. An entire cargo ship was lost along with the goods he had invested in. He didn’t give a damn about the crew. The money was the main thing. Oh great, I thought. Sweaty Chins is another callous, noble piece of excrement.

Believe it or not, my opinion sunk even lower.

Little Sabo turned up at his study with a drawing he’d done of his dad. Sweaty Chins took out his anger on Sabo, ripped the drawing in half and said, “I’m exhausted from work. If you have time to draw, you should be studying.”

And little Sabo’s heart just shattered into a million pieces.

Then the popular theory about posh schools breeding psychos also cropped up (thank you, Oda!) As little Sabo walked to his expensive school, a bowl-cut fucknugget approached him. “I’m from the royal family,” he brayed. “I’m related to the king. Give me a piggyback to my house.”

Since Sabo has a backbone and pride, he was like, “Um... no,” and walked on. This did not go down well.

“Are you gonna ignore my royal order?”

And then the kid pulled a knife on him.

Yes. You heard right. This royal, parasitic sponge pulled a knife on Sabo (these nobles really will have to go. They are out of control).

And it gets worse. When Sabo beat up the kid in self-defence, *he* was punished for it! Mrs Chins rushed to the school. Not to aid her son. But to fawn over the poor, injured widdle royal. When Sabo tried to explain he almost got knifed, it earned him a ringing slap across the face.

And in that instant you see the hatred born in Sabo right there.

Fuck that noise, he thought. I am out of here.

And he went to party with the people of Grey Terminal, who had time for him and who told him cool stories of all the places they’d been to out on the open sea.

When his flashback ended, Sabo announced he would go out to sea one day no matter what and write a book about it.

Ace said: “I’m gonna become a pirate and defeat others and become infamous. It doesn’t matter if all the people in the world reject and despise me. I’ll become a great pirate and show them what I can do! I won’t run from anyone or lose to anyone. My name will be known all over!”

If they had shown this just before Ace died, it would have been tears time. ;_;

Sabo realised they had a problem. All of them wanted to be a captain. Ace got round this by stealing some sake from Dadan, and That Scene took place.

“Maybe we’ll set out independently,” he said. “When we become pirates, we might not be on the same ship. But our brotherhood will always be there. So from now on, we’re brothers!”

God, I hope Sabo isn’t dead. Maybe that’s why he fought so hard to save Ace, his last remaining brother.

Underage drinking!

Genre: comedy, action, adventure, fantasy.

It is an ongoing anime. 1. EAST BLUE SAGA The saga starts off with a flashback of Gol D. Roger's execution. Whoever claims the "One Piece" will be named the new pirate king. Before he dies, he tells the crowds to go out and search for his treasure. This sparked the Golden Age of Pirates in which countless pirates raise their flags and set off to find One Piece.

When Monkey D. Luffy was young, a group of pirates came to East Blue and used the place as their base. The captain of the pirates, "Red Haired" Shanks, became Luffy's role model.One day, Luffy ate the Gum Gum Fruit, a treasure Shank's pirates discovered. The Gum Gum Fruit made his body rubbery so he can stretch and twist his body out in any way. He loses his ability to swim though. The same day, mountain bandits came and kidnapped Luffy because he made fun of them. The mountain bandit threw Luffy in the sea and was about to get eaten by a huge sea monster. But Shanks saves him in time, losing his left arm to the sea monster. After that, Shanks crew decided to leave Fuisha Village. Upon leaving, Shanks gives Luffy his prized straw hat. He asks him to one day give it back to him when he becomes a great pirate. With this promise, Luffy is determined to become the Pirate King!He sets off sailing to the Grand Line while recruiting members of his crew.Luffy gets acquainted with an oppressed cabin boy, Coby, who was later set free by Luffy. Coby’s dream is to become a Marine. [Shells Town, a Marine base] Luffy meets the famous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro who hunted down pirates’ head for money. Luffy and Coby bid farewell as the latter wants to pursue his dream to be a Marine. Zoro becomes Luffy’s first crew mate. He wants to become the world's greatest Swordsman because a promise he made to his friend.[he uses Three-Sword-Style, in other words, he uses three swords in combat. He wields the third sword in his mouth, which could be very deadly.] [Orange Town] They meet the pirate Buggy the Clown and his crew. Buggy is also a Devil Fruit eater giving him the power to detach his body parts, separating into sections, rendering him invulnerable against sharp objects such as swords. They also met a girl named Nami who happened to be a specialist at robbing the pirates. Nami "join forces" with Luffy and Zoro shortly after the defeat of Buggy. She didn't want to become a pirate because she hated them (see her past). The reason why she "joined forces" is because they were after the same goal: treasure. But making friends with Luffy changed her view on pirates and officially became part of her crew after the Arlong Arc. Nami becomes the crew's navigator and helps them through the ocean. She dream, when she was young, was to back a map of the whole world.Nami lived in the village of Kokashya, with her foster mother Belmeil and sister Nojiko. One day, the Arlong pirate group invaded the village and took over. Arlong made them pay him money every month, or they would get killed. It was 50,000 berries for a child and 100,000 for an adult. Nami's family was poor, and they only had 100,000. Her mother used that money for her two daughters and she was killed. From then on, Arlong took Nami captive because he saw her map making skills. So she was forced to become a pirate. To save the village, Arlong and Nami made a deal. If Nami could collect 8 Million Berries, Arlong would leave the town for good. So she's been collecting treasures from pirates for 8 years to achieve this goal. [Syrup Village] The trio went there looking for a ship and also met with the local village liar,Usopp whom they befriend with when Luffy discovers he is the son of Yasopp, one of the pirates in Shanks' crew. Usopp’s friends Kara rewarded Luffy’s crew with a ship ‘Going Merry’ for saving the village from the bad pirates.Usopp wanted to sail with Luffy because he wants to meet his father one day. Usopp is the crew's sharpshooter. He can take any sort weapon (gun, cannon, slingshot etc.) and hit its target with ease.  Usopp's main weapon is a slingshot with all different kinds of pellets, like smoke, fire, and pepper. [Baratie Arc] the restaurant ship Baratie, a sort of "floating oasis" in the middle of the ocean where they meet Sanji. However, a pirate admiral named Don Krieg sets his sights on the Baratie as a replacement for his devastated fleet, and the restaurant soon comes under siege. Sanji remembers his dream of the All Blue and finally agrees to join Luffy's crew.He becomes the cook of the Straw Hat crew. Sanji has an amazing talent to make fine dishes, though he very touchy about how you treat his food. Also, he'll do anything for any cute women which sadly is his main weakness. When it comes to fighting though, Sanji lets loose with his impressive kickboxing skills thanks to training his legs to have become lethal weapons. After all, he does need his hands to make his fine cuisines.They met Dracule "Hawk-Eyes" Mihawk, one of the Shichibukai, and the best swordsman in the world. Zoro decides to try and defeat Mihawk to gain the title of the best swordsman in the world but is clearly outmatched by Mihawk's strength.Nami double-crossed them and stole their ship and treasure, to eventually land on a dangerous island. [Arlong Park Arc] The crew pursuing Nami, also land on Cocoyasi Village, Nami's hometown ruled by the tyrannical Fishman Arlong. There, Nami’s past and true motives come into light. [Loguetown Arc] The Straw Hat Pirates stop at the island that the city of Loguetown is on, the birth and death place of Gol D. Roger, to get supplies before heading to the Grand Line.Luffy goes to check the execution stand where Gold Roger was executed. While he climbs and admires the view from the stand, a woman calls out to him, seemingly recognizing Luffy, though he has no idea who she is. When part of the fountain in the town square breaks off and hits her, the debris just slides right off her. She then reveals herself to be Alvida, the first pirate Luffy came across on his trip. Only now, she has eaten the Sube Sube no Mi, causing her figure to change dramatically. She is not alone either, as another familiar pirate makes himself known: Buggy. Cabaji ambushes Luffy on the platform and puts him in shackles, while Buggy's pirates hold the town square hostage. Buggy then explains that this is Luffy's execution.At the Marine base in town, one of the men reports to his captain about the pirate ongoings in town. It is here where we meet Captain Smoker, who never lets a pirate leave his town uncaptured. He decides to wait for Luffy to be executed before moving in.Monkey D. Dragon saves Luffy from Smoke anonymously.

2.  ALABASTA SAGA The Straw Hat pirates finally enter the Grand Line only to be targeted by the criminal organization Baroque Works. They meet Nefeltari Vivi, and decide to help save her country, Alabasta. Making their way across the Grand Line, they fend off Baroque Works' assassination attempts while meeting Luffy's older brother, Portgas D. Ace, as well as a pair of giants named Dorry and Brogy, and gaining a new crew member: Tony Tony Chopper.Tony Tony Chopper, also known as "Cotton Candy Lover" Chopper, is the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. He came from Drum Island where he learned how to be a doctor, which also makes him the only member of the Straw Hat Pirates who was born on the Grand Line. Chopper is a reindeer that ate the Hito Hito no Mi (Human-Human Fruit) which is a devil fruit that allows its user to transform into a human hybrid and a full human at will. He is a Zoolingualism since is originally an animal, Chopper can understand and communicate with other animals, thus allowing him to serve as a translator between animals and humans. Like all Zoan Devil Fruit users, Chopper possesses the ability to turn into three forms. These forms are called Walk Point, his normal form, Brain Point, his human hybrid form, and Heavy Point, his human form. In addition to his three forms granted by his Devil Fruit, Chopper has also invented a yellow jaw-breaker like drug called the "Rumble Ball", through some research. This drug has the power to distort the wavelengths of the Devil Fruit's transformation, allowing him access to additional transformations for three minutes.

3.   SKY ISLAND SAGA Nico Robin joined the Straw Hat Pirates in the beginning of this Saga. In the royal crypt, Nico Robin had lost the will to live when her dream to know about the True History was not realized. But Luffy saved her anyway by taking her away from the crumbling room in the Alabasta royal palace. As a payback, she asks them to join their crew. Robin is interviewed by the Straw Hats in order to know if their former enemy can become one of their crew. Being a clever woman, she succeeds easily.Nico Robin, also known by her epithet "Devil Child" and the "Light of the Revolution", is the archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates. She is the first member to have once been an antagonist (in the Alabastar Saga). Her dream is to find the Rio Poneglyph which tells the true history.She ate the Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit). The Hana Hana no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to replicate and sprout pieces of their body from the surface of any object or living thing. As further allusion to this, pinkish-white petal-like particles form at and then swirl away from where the parts sprout and vanish, as well as around the user itself.  "Hana" is the Japanese word for "Bloom" and "Flower", and reflects the nature of the user's power to sprout their body parts like a blooming flower. A ship hundreds of years old falls from the sky, and from the evidence contained inside, the crew begins to wonder if an island in the sky can really exist as the legends say. With help from Montblanc Cricket in Jaya, the Straw Hat Pirates manage to reach Skypiea. There they face the false God that rules the sky, Enel, who is later defeated by Luffy.

4.    CP9 SAGA (WOLRD GOVERNMENT SAGA) After their adventure in Skypiea, the Straw Hat Pirates land safely back in the Blue Sea, only to find themselves confronting Foxy the Silver Fox in the Davy Back Fight, and soon after, Aokiji, one of the Navy's three Admirals. Narrowly escaping Aokiji, the crew reaches Water 7, a city of carpenters, and begins searching for a shipwright to join the crew.They soon fall into trouble though, making enemies with both the Franky Family: a ship dismantling group, and the Galley-La Company: a shipbuilding company which employs some of the top carpenters in the world. They also learn that the Going Merry is dying, and because of this, Luffy decides to get a new ship. Usopp disagrees with the decision and leaves the crew. Meanwhile, CP9 of the World Government captures Robin by her will and flees to Enies Lobby, while the crew attempts to get Robin back. Finally, they get her free and get a new crewmate: Franky, who is their shipwright. As they are leaving, Usopp apologizes and is welcomed back into the crew, and so the Straw Hat Pirates are ready to set sail with a brand new ship and shipwright, Thousand Sunny and Franky, along with Robin and Usopp back in the crew.

    5. THRILLER BARK SAGA The Straw Hat Pirates travel to the ghost island of Thriller Bark, where they encounter the Shichibukai Gekko Moriah. Using his Devil Fruit abilities and the surgical skills of his subordinate, Dr. Hogback, Moriah uses Luffy's shadow to revive a legendary giant, Oars. With the help of a skeleton named Brook the Straw Hats fight and defeat Moriah and Oars. Brook also reveals himself to be the former captain of the Rumbar Pirates and longtime friend of Laboon, a whale who the Straw Hats met at Reverse Mountain. After Moriah's defeat, Brook joins the Straw Hat Pirates as their musician.

6.  SUMMIT WAR SAGA A massive war unfolds between the World Government and the Whitebeard Pirates, which was set in motion by the defeat of Portgas D. Ace at the hands of Marshall D. Teach, and climaxing at Ace's execution at Marineford. Upon reaching Sabaody Archipelago, they are separated and sent to different parts of the world by Bartholomew Kuma, another Shichibukai. Luffy is sent to Amazon Lily, where he befriends the Shichibukai Boa Hancock, who falls in love with him. Upon learning of his brother's impending execution, Luffy makes the difficult decision of rescuing his brother first before reuniting with his crew. Hancock takes him to Impel Down where Luffy breaks in and, upon discovering he is too late, breaks out of the great prison with the aid of Emporio Ivankov with his Okama party and two former Shichibukai, Crocodile and Jinbe. They escape and arrive at the battle at Marineford, with Luffy allying himself with the Whitebeard Pirates. The war ends with the deaths of Ace and Whitebeard, the former breaking Luffy physically, mentally, and emotionally and the latter creating a change in the world forever. After being rescued and taken back to Amazon Lily, he is shaken away from his depression by Jinbe. Luffy decides to train and become stronger with the aid of Silvers Rayleigh in order to go to the New World. However, before doing this, he sends a message to his crew mates that they must become stronger too, and that they will reunite again at the Sabaody Archipelago after two years of training.

7.  FISHMAN ISLAND SAGA It takes place two years after the Straw Hat Pirates are separated after the events that took place at Marineford. It begins with the Straw Hats reuniting with each other at Sabaody Archipelago to prepare to set sail for the New World, but in order to enter there, they must first go through Fishman Island. They defeat the New Fishman Pirates and Flying Pirates, who planned on conquering and destroying the island, and make a declaration of war to the Yonko, Big Mom. 8. DRESSROSA SAGA The Straw Hat Pirates finally enter the New World, but soon receive a distress call from Punk Hazard island, home to a former laboratory of Dr. Vegapunk. They become entangled in the illegal experiments of Caesar Clown, and form an alliance with Trafalgar Law in preparation for dethroning Kaido of the Yonko. They challenge Donquixote Doflamingo and uncover a decade-long conspiracy on Dressrosa island. Their resulting actions against the Shichibukai send a massive shockwave throughout the world and result in the birth of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.In this saga, Luffy met Rebecca, a female gladiator, during the tournament at the Corroda Coloseum. He decided to participate upon hearing that the prize is Ace’s Devil Fruit Mera-Mera no Mi.  He also made acquaintance withCavendish, the Captain of the Beautiful Pirates.  Luffy also met up with his childhood friend and brother, Sabo who claimed to win the Devil Fruit. Sabo and his girlfriend Koala, who is Robin’s sister, turn out to be from the Revolutionary Army. 9. YONKO SAGA The Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance is formed to take down Kaido of the Yonko and the shogun of Wano Country, and Luffy becomes entangled with another Yonko, Big Mom, as he seeks to retrieve his crewmate Sanji from her plans.

[ongoing saga] - To Be Continued

Reading One Piece pt 239: Comrades

Chapter 486

Thoughts:

- Ok, One Piece wiki tells me we still got 4 chapter (with this one) in this arc but the main action is done. So this is post-Thriller Bark segment. I’m excited, these post-segments are always great

- Chapter title: “Piano” …did Oda named that chapter at random?

- What a daring escape! What a successful heist! Who’s escaping

- Oh, it’s Absalom and Hogback, they’re running from Thriller Bark on a now not-invisible ship. They couldn’t find Perona, so she’s gone forever I guess

- But they got Moria! (How? He’s like, THAT big)

- Hogback is practically a mummy right now. Why are you even alive

- They’re talking about Crocodile and Blackbeard right now. What, do they want to change henchmaster or what

- Absalom got a newspaper. I wish normal mail was as efficient like One Piece mail storks

- !!!!!!!!!!!

- “Captain of Whitebeard Pirates Division Nr 2: “Firefist Ace” is imprisoned in Impel Down” D: D: D:

- So Ace lost his duel with Blackbeard!

- Well, at least we know where we’ll go next? Prison break time!

- I think Hogback and Absalom really will change masters. Or are they bachelors

- With Straw Hats

- Lol, everyone slept whole day in the courtyard

- Hobo Pirates are fine, all of them! And just don’t want to leave outsides. They’re “Sunbathing in tears”! I would too, if I spent three years without sun

- Anyway, Sanji will feed them all!

- Oh wow, look at that! Nami got her treasure! (Perona stashed everything on Sunny when she wanted to run away but as we know, Kuma vanished her)

- Wait. Captain Lola and Nami recognized each other! Even though Nami only met Lola’s shadow! POWER OF FRIENDSHIP

- Oh holy sh*t, Nami is giving away some of her treasure, Power of Friendship really has no bounds

- Hobo Pirates love Straw Hats So MUCH :D

- “Is Zoro awake yet?” ZORO! What about Zoro!?

- “This is the first time I’ve seen so many wounds on Zoro’s body.” Try “on anyone’s body” Chopper

- “Really… he was so close to losing his life. I’m sure something must have happened when we were knocked out.” Yeah

- Why so silent, Brook?

- Wait, Hobo Pirates saw everything? What?

- …Sanji?

- “Why? You were pretty awesome too!” Oh, he doesn’t want everyone to know what happened. Just as Zoro would want it to be. Sanji, you’re a real one

- But they told him about that pain stuff so now Sanji knows

- “Just keep your mounts shut!!” goddammit, it’s amazing, everything here is amazing

- “This guy is super cool!” right?

- Oh, Robin eavesdropped. So she knows too

- Anyway, FEAST TIME!!!

- Brook is so happy :D you go, Grandpa

- Franky and Brook are already on the table and party just started, I just know it will be great

- Zoro sleeps

- DON’T MAKE HIM DRINK WINE WHILE IN COMA LUFFY thought I thing he would appreciate the gesture

- Oh, would you look at that, Brook found some piano! So that’s why chapter title

- “If it’s an instrument, I can play it!” Another genius, I swear, these Straw Hats

- Oh, now Brook tells Sanji he saw/knows everything. That’s 4 out of 9 guys, how long can you keep it a secret from Luffy, really?

- “Comrades… isn’t it such a wonderful thing?” Right?

- So many feeling, so little words

- “Don’t put me and him into the same topic, I’m not an idiot like him” no Sanji, you are, you’re just a bigger tsundere

- And now Brook plays a song :)

- Bink’s Brew, sounds like a good song. Think I saw it somewhere, gotta play it later

- “Hey Brook! I know this song! Shanks and the guys used to sing it!” Luffy :)

- “All pirates sang it in the old days. During hard times and happy times…”  

- “You’re gonna become one of us?” oh, Luffy remembered his Main Objective: Get a Musician

- Brook tells Luffy about Laboon and Luffy says they met him!

- “If Laboon finds out you’re okay… he will be so happy!” oh no, there’s something in my eye

- “You really met Laboon? Even after 50 years, he… He’s waiting for me?” I don’t want to cry but I will. Manga, stop it

- Oh, if Brook’s crying, I can too

- Dammit, not flashback with tiny Laboon

- These pirates played a song JUST FOR HIM

And just like that, they leave everyone in tears.

rOP 238  rOP 240