#vivi is a great addition to the crew and i love her so so so much but i do know she doesn't stay so i'm looking forward to robin joining

[arataka-reigen]

Can't wait for you to meet a certain Archeologist, i think you're going to love her :)

Well she did already show up (to kill Vivi's friend lmao) and I already love her!! I can't wait for her to become more important in the story!!

[hrodvitnon]

Revisiting the ‘Godzilla gets made fun off for liking white meat’ post with some more kaiju favored food ideas!

Mothra loves her fruits and veggies. While she’s not fully vegen she definitely prefers plant-based stuff. It explains why Godzilla teased her with a fruit-filled breakfast in Shamhat.

Rodan and Shimo are rather… deceptive with their favorites. Once she gets a taste of it- Shimo can’t get off the spicy food train. On the other side of the coin, Rodan’s actually never been a fan of spicy food. He actually prefers the BBQ taste- and basically fell in love with Korean BBQ once Vivi showed him it.

For Kong, we’ve covered how he prefers fish over land meat, but the more surprising part of him is actually his favorite beverage. One morning, Kong seemed particularly worn out, probably from the- packed itinerary- on Infant Island, and his general inexperience leading to have not great stamina. Seeing this, Chen slipped him a coffee while she was making her own. Oh man, he was hooked immediately. Drink that tastes awesome, gives him a shitload of energy, and can be made like 1000 different ways? Suffice to say he had a new favorite. His respective partner for the day also probably felt the difference in him too…

Ghidorah’s favorite food is also one of their darkest secrets. Pretty early into their relationship, Maia caught on to San having a pesky sweet tooth. This made sense for San given his nature and Maia found it quite cute. However, when San started dating Rodan in addition (because I think you mentioned that was going to happen at some point?) and he found out- he thought of a crazy possibility… through an experiment involving Vivienne calling in an airdrop of donuts, a hidden camera, and a 4 am stakeout from himself and Godzilla; they found out that all three Ghidorah brothers share a powerful sweet tooth. Ichi and Ni both tore into and devoured all 12 Vivienne had gotten in less than 2 minutes. Ghidorah’s always had a huge weakness for pastries. None of them have idea why, but they all have varying degrees of disdain for their quirk. San’s a tad embarrassed about it, Ni will deny it at every turn, and Ichi gets actively furious at himself whenever he gets a craving like that. Either way, they all have the perception that it’s weak to love and crave something so sweet. After learning this, Rodan seriously considered picking up baking- mainly to be a little shit and further tempt the golden trio; secretly because he wants them to have nice things.

I approve the various tastes in foods our monstrous paramours possess. As for Rodan and Ghidorah, I legitimately forgot about them getting intimate at some point - maybe they'll be a boyfriend on the side while Vivi's the main squeeze?

It's actually mentioned at the end of Chapter 4 that Infant Island is Monarch's best kept secret and that Goji and Mothra have made it a "home away from home," and that the Chens know more about it than Serizawa (or the Legacy of Monsters crew for that matter). The implication being that its location has been handed down throughout the Chen family for generations owing to their connection to Mothra; the small "resort" area has been updated and renovated over time, and it's only now being used as a hub of monsterfucking now that Titans are returning to the world. Specifically it's the sight of an old temple dedicated to one of Mothra's spiritual domains: Fertility.

[sanjiafsincedayone]

Why SaNa over other ships?

Now, this is not to hate on other ships or downplay them, because what shipping really comes down to is often simply preference. What characters or dynamics you enjoy and what reasons you might have for liking different things. 

No, this is simply my own reasons for why I like SaNa and also why I think they could make sense and thirdly why it’s possible Oda could be setting it up to actually happen in canon. It’s all just my views and I apologize if I forget a moment or add something that is more head canon, but again, this is my reasons and they will always be partially biased. (And there are too many to remember them all properly, so if you want to add feel welcome to do so.)

I think Sanji and Nami is a lovely ship even based just on fan content and the community. But we also get some great moments in the manga, and I personally think there is potential for Oda to make an actual romance work between them.

1. Why I like Sanji and Nami

I personally fell in love with Sanji before I even started to watch or read One Piece, simply based on his voice actor (Hiroaki Hirata), his design and his fighting style. So obviously I already have a bias towards Sanji (SanjiAFsincedayone having a bias towards Sanji? Who knew?). I didn’t ship Sanji with Nami from the start and even now I am a multi shipper who enjoys fan content with Sanji as a main part of several pairs, most prominently ZoSan.

So, when did I fall for SaNa then? Well, I have talked about it in various posts before which you can find in my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone, but for me shipping Sanji and Nami more seriously didn’t start until Thriller Bark. 

Sanji took a knife in the back for her as she is dressed in a wedding dress, even this one scene is enough to explain why someone might like to ship them together.

I for sure saw many SaNa moments before that, and felt Nami seemed special to Sanji, but I didn’t think it would have a big chance of happening and I preferred other ships above it when consuming fan material. Again, shipping is after all mostly fantasy and wanting more of something in a romantic/sexual way. Thriller Bark was when Sanji and Nami’s interactions caught my attention properly and I started to look a bit closer and actually note the way Oda wrote them and their moments. Going back after and rereading I think there is a lot of interesting things even before that. But the wedding theme and bridal carry and how Oda showed them in Thriller Bark was just too on the nose to ignore.

What got me into shipping Sanji with Nami were mainly three things. 

1. Their dynamics getting more interesting over time and Sanji and Nami being two of the most well written and interesting characters in One Piece. 2. Sanji consistently seeming to have a preference for Nami in combination with my belief that he is after true love and isn’t just a pervert forever doomed to be alone. 3.  The manga showing the potential of it actually happening and them finally catching my attention in Thriller Bark. Basically there are moments to follow and look at in the actual story as well, which in turn also leads to more fan content and material for shippers.

So point 1 and 2 really is mostly about my preference and how much I enjoy watching them together and how well I imagine they would fit together. I think their personalities and desires overlap well with them being able to understand and compromise for each other while aslo being on a similar level of intelligence and communication. They also have their kindness and empathy as a highlighted shared theme for their characters.

Them talking about the Children in Punk Hazard or Sanji helping Nami turn in the argument between both Luffy and Vivi and Luffy and Usopp are some examples. Or Nami letting Sanji smoke in her body because she knows how hard it is for him. Small gestures like this show both understanding and a willingness to compromise.

I think they are fun and have a relationship that right now might need working on, but it’s clear how much they care for each other and how they actually appriciate each other a lot.

Simply put I think they are interesting together and I think they could work as a romantic couple in the future, where their dreams and family oriented views migh allign. Again, from how I view them as characters and interpret their wants and possible futures I think Sanji and Nami is a good match. They can have a restaurant either traveling the world or docked close to both Cocoyashi and Zeff, Nami can tend to her mikans together with Sanji and they can manage a restaurant for a living. I also think they are the most parental members in the crew and has shown some possible signs of wanting to settle down with families. This would also work well as a final contrast to their less than happy childhoods (You might also want to check out my post (Part 3) Sanji x Nami hints - Thematic parallels).

There is a lot of potential in their dynamics and how different they seem while they also seem willing to adapt and try to understand each other that make them interesting as characters of romantic plots. At the same time they have enough in common to relate to each other and work well together. Again, as a fictional ship within the fandom there is a lot of great artists, writers etc. that truly explore them and make Sanji and Nami a great and fun ship with an active fandom to engage with.

Of course there are more shallow reasons like them matching in age and being good-looking but really I could ship Sanji with almost any woman if it was only about the looks. I mean, Purin is basically made to be a perfect match for Sanji, but I personally find his dynamic with Nami much more interesting and his dedication to Nami is of course unpraralleled thanks to the time Oda has spent on them over many years.

I love Sanji and Nami as individual characters and with the amount of moments between them there is also a lot to explore and enjoy in the manga. It makes them interesting in a third aspect for me, which is of course analysis and the potential of them actually ending up together and looking closer at the way Oda writes them from a story perspective. For me what we have gotten from Oda in terms of Sanji x Nami moments is very interesting and I see potential there even though it would need more development to truly work for the current story.

But, again shipping doesn’t have to mean anything for the actual story... There are crack ships or slash ships that surely will never happen but that could still be great and fun to explore for the fans. Honestly, everyone is free to ship whatever they want. We all have different taste after all.

So, what about the manga then? 

2. Why do I think they could make sense as a romantic couple even in canon?

First, my own view is that Sanji is someone who seeks true love, and as briefly shown with both Violet and Purin it seems like he would take an actual relationship seriously if given the chance. I also think it would make him happy and thus as Oda might want to create happy resolutions for the strawhats I think Sanji ending up with someone has quite a big chance of happening. This is combination with his preference for Nami and in turn Nami truly caring for him (though not yet in a romantic way) is something that makes me think it could happen. Other ships have potential too depending on how Oda decides to develop them, but considering how he keeps adding moments for SaNa in the way he does as of now I still think SaNa is the most likely ship for Sanji.

As I mentioned earlier I also think Nami has shown some possible inclinations for wanting a family (or at least being a great mother if we look at her with children in many arc, not the least Punk Hazard) and maybe even getting married eventually. 

If she ends up with someone we will need to see a more obvious attraction and want for romance from her no matter what ship we might consider. She has at this point not shown a lot, but I do think the thematic parallels she shares with Sanji in combination with how their moments are written has the potential to grow into something more. 

As a romantic pair I think Sanji and Nami would be happy, he would adore her and take care of her and both of them would probably find that ideal. In fact it’s already a big part of their dynamics and seem to make them both happy. They also seem to try to understand and show interest in knowing each other as seen with several scenes and general attention towards each other’s backstories. They also challange each other in different ways and we have seen them compromise a few times. I think compared to many other relationship in the manga Oda has shown more personal moments between them. So a romantic additional aspect is not too far off. Not that Oda would make it happen now, but that he would lay down the groundwork for it to work by the end of the series.

In short I think they would make each other happy, but also challange and grow thanks to the other. I think their dreams of traveling the world with Nami drawing her map and Sanji cooking on all the seas and finding All Blue and then settiling down together close to both their “homes” in East Blue with a restaurant and family seems to fit them both. It wouldn’t always be easy, but I think they would actually enjoy their dynamics with Nami bossing Sanji around most of the time.

Now this all sounds nice and all, but it’s of course just my imagination based on biased interpretations of the manga. So where do I get it from?

3. The way SaNa is portrayed by Oda

Now this is really the biggest point... Because again, I can ship whatever characters I want and it is just for fun. It doesn’t have to happen for me to enjoy it or I wouldn’t ship Sanji with Zoro. But with Sanji and Nami there are legit reasons in addition to my preference that makes me think it could happen in the manga.

It might take years to actually go through it all in order with my additional interpretations, but I will try to go through the basics themes and moments that to me could indicate SaNa over any other Sanji or Namji ship.

I think the obvious thing to talk about first is simply how Sanji definitely has a romantic (and sexual) interest in Nami. No matter what other character you might see with either of them, this has been shown consistantly over the whole manga. You may argue that Sanji might be interested in others equally, and though I wouldn’t agree it’s a fair point. However from a story perspective it would still need to be resolved. It’s highly unlikely for Nami to end up with anyone unless Sanji ends up with someone else and gets a happy ending too.

As for Sanji’s interest in Nami I personally think Oda has paid a lot of attention to it in a way that makes it the most likely ship for Sanji. He might yet add moments between other ships and develop them (most notably San/Pu of course), but in my opinion the way Oda has added Nami in other potential romantic moments with Sanji it seems Nami is above every other woman so far.

Most importantly I think we have seen: 

Sanji leave Violet who actually seemed to show interest in him to run off to save Nami (and the crew, but the point is that Oda chose to highlight and add this moment with focus on Nami to begin with).

Sanji being more focused on Nami even when Vivi and Robin has been on the ship or at the same place. Oda definitely puts Sanji with Nami above other women at least in amount of moments and involvment.

Sanji being very concerned with Nami in front of Purin and being shown happy with her (the bridal carry for example) and saying he loves her right in front of Purin.

Sanji having stronger reactions to Nami than other women. This could just be my way of seeing it, but I do think we have seen the strongest reactions from Sanji when it comes to Nami. Not the least with turning into a literal devil when he heard she was kidnapped by Absalom. For example compare Sanji rushing after Nami in both Skypiea and Thriller Bark even to him going after Robin. Or his reaction to Nami getting sick in Drum. We simply have a lot of strong reactions from Sanji towards Nami in different ways and more importantly Oda seeming to add focus on them. 

We also have him reacting to things like “women’s tears” or calls but only indicating Nami might be calling him personally. For example Sanji hearing Tashigi cry or saying he trusts Violet or Robin even though they are lying but for Nami adding things like “I think I heard Nami call out for me” or moments like “I leave my Nami to you”. Basically the way Oda writes it there often seems to be added a more personal stake in Sanji’s reactions and moments with Nami compared to with other women.

So from Sanji’s point of view, and the way Oda has written them so far, I think he puts Nami above every other woman. But more importantly, Oda shows us moments between them that he doesn’t add for other ships as consistantly or in romantic looking ways. Keep in mind that both Nami and Sanji are main characters, but they are not Luffy. Oda choosing to not use Luffy (who will obviously have strong moments with all of his nakama, like how he had his own time with Sanji both in Baratie and WCI) for some of these moments but rather insert Sanji or Nami instead for each other’s stories makes it more relevant. Because it’s not an obvious choice in the same way. It’s a choice based on their characters and dynamics within the world, not because of their roles as main hero or heroine. Here are some examples.

1. Their first meeting. Sanji is for the first time seen in love cook mode and he basically seem ready to leave everything behind for Nami. Right away his reaction to Nami is stronger than what we have seen from him and it seems to hold true even with time.

2. SaNa having interest and plot relevance to each other’s back stories. Sanji getting involved with hearing Nami’s back story and saving his sister.  Also, calling her “sister” which indicates a platonic familiarity where he puts Nami above Nojiko romantically (yes, despite flirting some with her). Nami in turn also getting involved and showing interest in Sanji’s backstory, pushing to go with Luffy to save Sanji and being the one to remind us of Sanji’s past and character traits.

3. Sanji getting personally tantalized by using Nami. This has happened several times, the first with Kuroobi in Arlong Park, but also with Mr. 2 in Alabasta, Absalom in Thriller Bark and then in Fishman Island (Zou too, but that wasn’t just Nami) and on Zou. You can check my post (thought not updated fully) Sanji and Nami – Fights and danger for a more detailed view. (Even in movies like Strong World Sanji has a direct talk with Shiki about Nami and it seems most people are aware of Sanji being extra sensitive to Nami.)

4. Sanji asking Nami if she is jealous or if she loves him, indicating again that he is interested to know is she is interested in him. Once even responding “I love you too”. In general Nami responding in these situations in a more “positive way” or Oda showing Sanji interpreting her actions as more romantic. For example the “proposal” or the hug in WCI.

5. Romantic looking moments or themes. Now this is of couse not something that has been done mutually between them and thus aren’t actually romantic scenes. But the tropes and common use for many of the things that Oda has chosen to use for Sanji and Nami are romantic in nature. Of course the two forced marriages are the strongest examples with them rescuing each other from getting married to someone else. But we also have the switch body trope, the slap and of course smaller gestures like the bridal carries or the way Oda drew the hug between them in WCI. I am not saying that SaNa is the only ship with romantic looking moments, because San/Pu And San/Violet obviously has some as well. However, considering the amount SaNa moments and the fact that he has left Violet and Purin in particular for Nami seems to make the SaNa moments trump any other ship. At least for me personally SaNa as it is now and as Oda has portrayed it in comparison to other Sanji ships gets in the way of Sanji ending up with someone else unless Oda starts to make some changes.

I want to make some emphasis on how Nami and Sanji seem to get some “bigger” moments between them in almost every arc. Again, compare this to Sanji with other women, or even Nami with other crew members.

Baratie - Their first meeting and Sanji’s reaction to Nami and interest gets focus. Arlong Park - Sanji shows interest in Nami’s past and Kuroobi mocks Sanji by specfically mentioning Nami. ( Loguetown Arc, Reverse Mountain Arc, Whiskey Peak Arc and Little Garden mostly have small moments, like Sanji asking if Nami is jealous or Sanji giving Nami his jacket.) Drum Island - Nami is sick and we see Sanji worry and care for her and in the end even sacrificing himself for her. Nami worries about him too. Alabasta - Sanji fighting Mr. 2 looking like Nami and lots of small moments like Sanji asking Nami if she loves him.

Jaya - Nami showing interest in Sanji’s back story. Small things like Nami hiding for the bugs behind Sanji or Sanji. Skypiea - Sanji being hell-bent of saving Nami and making the others look for her. Then him saving Nami and Usopp from Enel and Nami being worried in return. (Both times Sanji gets hit by Enel Nami is there and worries.) Then a lot of small moments like him giving her a flower and Nami pulling Sanji’s ear for flirting with Conis. Long Ring Long Land - Nami encourage Sanji be the ball and win, but mostly small moments like Sanji getting annoyed with Aokiji for flirting with Nami or him sitting next to her and trying to kiss her. Water 7 - Sanji leaving his love letter to Nami and Nami being worried for (and impressed with) Sanji. Enies Lobby - Sanji losing against a woman, Nami being understanding and then stepping in to basically revenge him. Also Sanji hearing it as Nami loving him and then him showing up to save Nami and Usopp from Jyabura.

Post-Enies Lobby - Not much, but Sanji stepping in to make Nami and Zoro stop fighting and make Nami understand Zoro’s pov. Thriller Bark - Sanji just being extremely focused on Nami and worried about her throughout the whole arc. Also him getting specifically selected by Luffy to save Nami. Of course the wedding theme with the bridal carry and Sanji’s reaction to Nami. Also Sanji’s Zombie protecting Nami (and later kicking Robin) and his “obsession with Nami” being mentioned. Sabaody Archipelago - Another smaller arc, but we do get Nami worried about Sanji possibly drowning. And smaller moments like Sanji being angry for Nami being put in danger by the Fishman Riders or him telling Franky to take care of Nami as he runs to protect Zoro. When they return we of course also get the nosebleeds, and Sanji daydreaming about Nami’s development.

Fishman Island - Sanji’s reaction to Jinbei and Arlong. Also the fishmen pointing out that Nami might be their weakness due to Sanji’s “over reaction“ to her falling. Punk Hazard - The body swtich, Sanji’s body saving Nami and Sanji being careful with not hurting her etc. Also them working together to save the children, Sanji listening to Nami’s request and saying he loves her more because of her kindness. Also small things like Sanji giving his jacket to Nami again. Dressrosa - Sanji leaving Violet behind to save Nami, insisting that he should be the one to save her and then him getting attacked by Doflamingo and Nami getting worried and not wanting to leave him. Sanji basically tries to sacrifice himself for Nami for the 4th time (Drum, Skypiea x2, also maybe in Thriller Bark). Zou - We get a lot of focus on Nami and Sanji together, and then of course when Sanji is gone Nami is the driving force for his plot. Once again Nami is also used to taunt Sanji (inside Capone). Then Nami is both the one to mention Sanji being from North Blue and to listen to Pekom’s talk about his family. Not to mention her insisting on going with Luffy to WCI and having a fight with Zoro as she defends Sanji. Whole Cake Island - The way she pushes for them to find Sanji, her hapiness when they find him and her hurt and the slap. We even get something like Nami being tantalized with Sanji by both Purin and Brulee. The only strawhat besides Luffy who gets a personal story thread with Sanji and a personal resolution for their conflict is Nami. The tension seems personal and combined with Sanji having another love interest but choosing Nami above her it does seem like Nami is the more natural choice both for Sanji and for Oda. 

There is also a distinct increase in romantic-looking moments between them, with them touching more than ever before.

Wano - Even after WCI it doesn’t seem like Oda is stopping the SaNa moments. Sanji manages to save and carry Nami three times in the beginning of Wano. On top of that we have the bath scene and of course a lot of small moments and mentions between them like Sanji asking Usopp to take care of “My Nami-san” or Sanji jumping in abobe Nami to save her from arrows. 

How many times have we had Sanji be the one to go after Nami or save her? By his own choice, by being the one present or even by Luffy asking Sanji to go. Oda puts Sanji next to Nami a lot, and I think it’s possible he might be doing it for a reason.

Who knows what we might get, but the fact that we have as much as we do really seems to show Oda having a preference to put them together in various ways.

The point is they have a lot of time and moments dedicated to them from Oda despite them both being secondary characters. At this point it’s possible Sanji is the person Nami has moments with the most in the story besides Luffy (and perhaps Usopp) as they often end up together. Of course this is including them thinking about and talking about each other as well, and not just direct interacting. For example counting the body switch and Nami being worried and focused on Sanji while on Zou. Oda doesn’t have to, but he has chosen to write it like this. On top of that he adds romantic interest from Sanji and romantic looking moments between them.

I could go on, and there are plenty of moments and examples to find between Nami and Sanji that are interesting to look a bit deeper at. You can check out my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone for some of them. But as it is now here are the main points for why I think SaNa at least has a bigger chance to happen than other ships with the two of them as it is now.

One-sided attraction and romantic interest from Sanji’s side that needs to be resolved in one way or another.

Nami seems special to Sanji. Even small things like only using -san for her and -chan for others is a detail that makes her stand out to him.

Great involvement in each other’s stories. Oda likes adding Sanji and Nami in moments together both for interaction and explenation about each other. For example Sanji is also often used to save Nami.

Interactions of understanding and changing dynamics between the two, like them compromising for each other or wanting to know about the other’s past. Matching personalities and a possible future.

Romantic themes and moments, mainly the weddings, but also the amount of times Sanji has saved Nami and things like the hug being drawn in a very romantic looking way with Nami being more focused on.

Tension and urgency. This is basically Sanji and Nami having a lot of focus on each other in dire situations and Oda showing it with specific mentions.

So, to summarize, I like Sanji and Nami both as indvidual characters and together. I enjoy them as a ship and to explore their dynamics in a romantic way no matter what they might end up as in the story. Anyone should be able to respect that people have different preferences. Additionally I think and speculate that they would work well and could happen in the manga as well. This is obviously a biased interpretation and opinion. 

I might be wrong, but you should be able to respect that too as we have yet to get anything objectivly confirming any ship. We don’t know if any ship with end up canon at all. Maybe Sanji and Nami will remain a ship that never becomes canon, but even so they are a ship that is definitely worth enjoying.

I hope you found this post interesting and can enjoy your own ship and fandom while also seeing that it’s ok for others to like something different than you. Thanks for reading.

[monkeydluffy19920]

💩 - Least favorite character? (in general)
🙅 - Least favorite Straw Hat?
😀 - Most favorite Straw Hat?
😍 - OTP?
💀 - NOTP?

One Piece ask-meme - @namibean

💩 - Least favorite character? (in general)

There are so many characters in general and too hard to pick from D’: Let me list few of them: 

- Spandam: That guy was completely nachos and treated people like trash just for his own ambitions 

- Moria: He wasn’t interesting at all as an enemy and reminded me of just a lazy coach potato….

- Judge Vinsmoke: The moment we learned more about Sanji’s biological family I wanted to jump into the panel and throw Judge with some coconuts and tiles because it’s his fault that Sanji’s childhood was a living hell until the little one managed to escape. A father that favored the others and treated the one who didn’t fill the expectations like air is just too much. Well, we kinda should thank him because he forced Sanji to escape, I don’t even want to imagine how broken he would be if he never met Zeff or Luffy.  

🙅 - Least favorite Straw Hat?

Hmmm…. I’d say Franky. I like all of them and I definitely respect how Franky wanted to save those people in Water 7 who were in trouble (forming a family and giving them shelter) but the cyborg is just left too much on the background after he joined. Also, he kind of has already achieved his dream so I don’t if there are any more character developments to be expected :/ 

😀 - Most favorite Straw Hat?

Hnnnnnh, decisions!! *sobs* I'll say two in name of fair game. Without a doubt Luffy!! because he is such a cutie and a relatable dork but also has become smarter and a great leader for his crew. The reason why I want to include Sanji because during this arc he has gotten more spotlight which is good because I’ve wanted to find answers considering him for a long time and this Whole Cake Island has made him appreciate even more (tbh Sanji didn’t manage to impress me completely in his first encounter but he won my heart slowly!) :>

😍 - OTP? Meatloaf (=Luffy x meat), the only canon pair inside the SH crew

In addition to that I also love SanjixNami plus ZoroxRobin, both for various reasons )

💀 - NOTP?

Frankly spoken, I’m not a big fan of shipping Luffy with anyone. There are various reasons listed in Random ponders about Luffy and romance-post but the main things why I can’t see him together with anyone are his strong longing to freedom plus he hasn’t shown any interest in romance (gags are not counted) and always thinks about food instead of that. Maybe he is just way too innocent minded in my eyes but I really can’t imagine him doing any NSFW-stuff. For me, he looks and acts like a little brother for everyone  and his gestures are quite platonic but it all depends on the interpretation and there’s no accounting for taste ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

🐼 - Fave side character? 

Vivi!! I just love how she can balance her soft heart, adventurous soul and responsibilities as being a royalty (who however hasn’t let that go on her head). Besides, that dedication to what she loves the most is incredible! (imagine, that badass joined temporarily the enemy just to save her country!), that girl has some attitude and deserves more screen time! I hope they’d reunite already but it might take some time :

[flimflamfranky]

some predictions or something

I’ve seen some speculation about future arcs floating around and I wanted to add a few cents before the Whole Cake Island Arc ends because I have some Thoughts.

Disclaimer: this is basically stuff that I want to happen and that I think might happen but, of course, there’s no guarantee of any this. I’m just putting this out there so that if something does come true I can say “ha I was right!” and if it doesn’t, I can remember them for fanfics or stuff. Also this is my first meta post (if you can even call it that) so I don’t really know what I’m doing.

Prediction 1 - Vegapunk Arc

Vegapunk has been hinted at and referenced for a long time in One Piece, dating all the way back to Alabasta (maybe even earlier). Not only is he a marine scientist but he's also responsible for some crazy shit, like robots, cyborgs, and basically everything the op world knowns about devil fruits (including inanimate devil fruit users and artificial devil fruit users). Considering how important his presence is and how longs he's been around, it's very likely that he’s gonna pop into the story eventually. And it's probably gonna be some time soon, considering we have now meet two associates of his - his presence is already affecting the story more and more.

The question is how exactly he will show and for what purpose. Which leads me to Franky and Kuma. Now these three characters are already highly related. Franky and Kuma are both cyborgs using Vegapunk’s inventions. If Vegapunk shows up, Kuma will probably follow. Kuma is a big mystery on his own - we know he was part of the revolutionary army at some point but then ended up working for the government. And it's implied that this joining with the marines wasn't exactly willing on Kuma’s part nor was being turned into a cyborg.

I should also mention that I don't think Vega is working with the marines voluntarily either: His backstory with Judge seems to imply that Vega might have been coerced into working with the marines. And based on the morals Vega demonstrated in the Punk Hazard Arc, i don't think Vega would willingly take away someone's free will by turning them into a cyborg (especially since he did deliberately leave some free will with Kuma so that Kuma could oppose the government, at least a little).

Of course, his involvement with Judge and the human cloning stuff indicates that he’s not a completely morally good but we also don’t know his goals or motivations for doing so, so it’s hard to say definitely if he’s good or bad. But given what we’ve seen so far, I’m leaning more to the good side. 

So if Vega and Kuma do show up, they might not be as enemies. I mean, the Straw Hats already owe a great debt to Kuma and I can’t imagine Luffy leaving that to go unpaid (just look at his alliance with Law). They would definitely start out as enemies but they might not stay that way. At the very least, I don't think they'll be entirely antagonistic.

And that leads me to Franky. If we get a Vegapunk arc, I think we'll get a parallel Franky arc. Franky still has some mysteries in his past, namely his parents. Considering some of the other Straw Hats’ pasts have been expanded, I think it's likely that we’re gonna get more on Franky. In addition, backstories and character arcs tend to parallel or mirror the current arc. Just looks at Whole Cake Island - they're dealing with enemies that deal exclusively with food and cooking, and Sanji, the cook, is the one getting the character arc. If we do get an arc about Vegapunk, I think it's logical to assume that we'll probably get one on Franky as well, especially since there is more to be explored. And Franky foils both Vega and Kuma very well. Vega and Franky are both extremely smart scientists that have both dealt with robotics/cybernetics (though obviously Vega has a more expanded repertoire). Not to mention, one is a (maybe) trapped marine while the other is a free pirate. And with Kuma, well, one is a cyborg with free-will and his original personality while the other is a cyborg with no or little free will left (which i really hope they explore cuz that would be an interesting contrast).

I'm not really sure how this arc would come about but it’s possible that it could be related to Kaido. After all, it's his army that uses the artificial devil fruits that Vega invented. So Vega might come up there, though there's not a whole lot of evidence to support this.

But mainly, I really miss my boy and I want an arc about him. Is that too much to ask?

Prediction 2 - Wano / Zoro Arc

I've already seen some speculation about Zoro getting an arc, and i just want to add my two cents to it, considering Wano is coming up next and a Zoro arc is very likely (Wano is the samurai country and Zoro has some heavy samurai themes). We might get some backstory for Zoro, considering we know next to nothing beyond Kuina. It would probably something to do with why he became a swordsman (we know why he wants to be the best but we don’t know why he wanted to a swordsman in the first place), but I'm not really gonna expand on that cuz there’s not much to expand on.

Instead, I’m gonna talk about swords. 

I think that Zoro’s swords will have a heavy focus in Wano (cuz of course they would). Most obviously, Zoro currently has the sword of a very famous Wano samurai, Shusui. This has already been brought up by Kin’emon and i think this will be a major source of tension, considering that the sword is a national treasure of Wano and that Zoro will absolutely not give it up (he earned it a duel, fair and square. As far as he is concerned, the sword is his and I can’t imagine him giving up). I can imagine there being some important and symbolic duel for the sword, with Zoro going up against Wano’s strongest swordsman to keep the sword.

However, i don't think that Shusui is going to be the only important sword. After all, Law is also with the Wano group, and he and Zoro share one very key thing together - they both own cursed swords. There hasn’t really been much focus on these cursed blades expect for when Zoro first got his. Considering we now have two in the country obsessed with swords, I think it's highly likely that they will become important.

Of course, there will be much more to Wano than just this, considering Kaido’s forces are currently there, and the whole political drama with Momonosuke will be extremely important. Needless to say, there will probably be a lot going on, and things are going to go horribly wrong. The whole Wano arc is probably going to be a messy political drama, which will be very interesting. 

I’ll be honest though, the thing I'm most looking forward to is seeing those samurai aesthetics (and seeing all my favs again).

Prediction 3 - The Reverie (and Vivi)

The Reverie has also been hinted at over the past several arcs, and I am 100% certain that we’re getting an arc about it. It's far too important for it not to be.

The Reverie, as far as we know, is a meeting of basically everyone of any political importance - royalty, the government, the whole shebang - to discuss matters of world-wide importance. We already know two characters who are attending who are related to the straw hats - Shirahoshi and her family and, perhaps more importantly, Vivi. And let's face it - the Straw Hats are going to crash this party. It's big, it's important, it's a match made in heaven. And i think a Vivi reunion is a real possibility that I desperately want to happen.

A side from that, I do have theories about how the Reverie will be important. I believe that it's gonna kick off some really big, wide-reaching change, like Whitebeard’s death at Marineford. In fact, it might just kick off the beginning of that huge war that Oda has been hinting at. I mean, this will be the most likely place for it, where a bunch of hugely political people are. The reverie will result in some sort of paradigm shift in the attitudes of the OP world. 

Also the revolutionary army will probably be involved somehow. They have to have some plan for the reverie, it would be the place to get some attention and make a point.

I honestly think that the Straw Hats will get involved for Vivi’s sake. Luffy and the crew don't really care much for politics, and I doubt that they would willingly get involved (though a party might tempt them). In any case, I can only really see the Straw Hats getting involved for a nakama, and since Vivi is a past nakama who will definitely be there, it's very likely that they'll do it for her (also I really want a Vivi reunion dammit). I just hope that nothing bad will happen to Vivi, though I am prepared for the possibility (this is One Piece, where any opportunity to make you cry is taken).

Prediction 4 - Brook

This one is a bit more tenuous, since there's not much to indicate if we'll get another Brook arc. and if we do, I'm not sure what it will be tied to, in terms of events that are happening. but I do think that it’s a strong possibility, considering there’s a trend of Straw Hats getting expanded backstory, and how little we know about him. We know his time in the Rumbar Pirates and that he was a soldier for a ‘certain kingdom’ (and isn't that a statement that begs to be explained). If we do get more Brook backstory, I think it will have to do with this ‘certain kingdom’, possibly why he left and how he joined the Rumbar Pirates. It was probably his time in this certain kingdom where he developed his love of music and it is canonical where he got his sword skills, so it is very important to Brook’s character. i mean, his first backstory was more about how he became a skeleton and his goal (which is to reunite with Laboon), but we don't get much about his motivations outside of that. We don't even know his original goal, the reason he became a pirate in the first place. i mean, I could theorize as to what his original goal was, but we don't have any canon about it. So i really do think that we’ll get more brook backstory cuz there's still so much to explore.

Though again, I don't know what it would tie into. Depending on how important/powerful his kingdom was/is, it might come up during the Reverie, which would be really cool and interesting, but I don't think it that's likely, especially since there will probably be more important matters at hand.

Basically, I would like another Brook arc, but there hasn’t been much to indicate that we’ll get one. 

Misc Predictions

These don’t really have enough to stand on their own so I’m just gonna make a little list of things I think that we could see / things I want to see.

The last ancient weapon, Uranus. Considering the other two have been very important and heavily involved in several arcs, the last one probably will too.  

and related to that, potentially a Robin arc? She got a bunch of character development with one ancient weapon so she might get more with another one (though she didn’t get any with Poseidon so this one’s more unlikely but I can still dream)

I heard somewhere that Oda said there was going to be Elbaf arc, which would also probably mean an Usopp arc, which I would love.   

[sanjiafsincedayone]

One Piece 902 - Review/Thoughts

Chapter 902 – End Roll - What an emotional chapter… I really liked most of it, but I think it was a little bit weird. I’ll just jump in and give my main thoughts about what happened this chapter.

First, I loved the scene with Sanji thinking about Pedro and the kind of solemn expression Oda drew. I am so glad for all the serious moments we have gotten with Sanji this arc.

Then Carrot coming along to comfort him. It is probably the sweetest moment we’ve seen this whole arc and I think it says a lot that Sanji doesn’t keep on blaming himself after Carrot talks to him. It feels like progress to me, even though Sanji does blame himself, he still understands that it’s not really his fault so to speak. 

Carrot crying after trying to comfort Sanji just went straight to my heart. It’s also really cute with them patting each others heads for comfort. A genuine moment that just makes me wish for two things; 1. That Carrot stays with the crew, if not forever at least in a similar manner to Vivi or Law. 2. That Sanji could act like this more often, especially with women. I love his soft side, and I think we have gotten to see it more often this arc due to the seriousness of the situations that Sanji has been in.

Either way I really loved their interaction and both characters are so soft and sweet it makes my heart ache. The scene is really emotional and it was probably my favorite part of the chapter if I’m being honest.

Then we get to hear Big Mom and her homies sing a song, as we see an overview of what’s going on. 

Amongst others we get this´scene of Sanji and Purin, which is mostly build-up for later, it’s all very bittersweet actually. Especially since we have Sanji with Carrot seemingly having mentally left Purin behind, while she obviously is still thinking a lot about him. It’s a weird kind of romantic angst for Oda to write, but more on that later.

I’m not going to lie but I am so tired of Big Mom at this point… She’s back to normal and nothing changed, they’re still going after the strawhats and basically Oda spent years of the manga writing a plot that only delayed Big Mom. Of course I think Oda has some purpose left with Big Mom, and it’s possible the whole divine cake thing will be relevant again then, but at this point I feel like we spent a lof ot time dragging a plot that didn’t make much of a difference. Honestly, things changed so fast between last chapter and this chapter I almost got whiplash. Is the crew suddenly all safe and ok now since they are out of the territory? I can’t be that easy right?

Not to mention both Germa and the Sun Pirates are still fighting, so it feels off to see the strawhats being all content and happy at the same time.

Anyways, moving on to emotional scene part 2 in this chapter. Purin gets a flashback, and we see some of her inner struggles throughout the arc. I genuinely feel bad for her, but I still wish Oda would have played things a bit differently for her. I understand that she was bullied and felt horrible about herself, and I do sympathize with her, but some of Oda’s decisions when it comes Purin’s story actually feels a bit rushed and forced. I think Oda wrote some scenes for her that mostly just complicated things without any real purpuse in the end... Especially with her doing unnecessary damage to Reiju just for a dramatic effect when it didn’t really lead anywhere in the end, and also how long the time of the readers not being able to trust her was. I don’t know, I really like how Oda has written her after a certain point, but it was so much harder to enjoy her character when I didn’t know where to place her. Personally I wish Oda wouldn’t have used her so much for shock value so that I instead could have developed a better understanding and bond with her sooner. I understand her switch, but it all happened really fast and especially if this is supposed to be genuine romantic development it’s been way too rushed for it to develop a strong foundation.

Either way I think Oda has written Purin and Sanji’s relationship with some odd decisions. I still don’t know where this is going, or if it’s now the end of it all together. Somehow this really feels like an end, but at the same time it would be weird for Purin to just disappear crying like this. I like how Sanji’s kindness was highlighted again, to make a change in Purin, just like it did in Gin so many years ago. But at the same time if Oda truly wants Sanji and Purin to happen I think he should have handled it differently, mainly because Sanji has been so strangely detached and unresponsive to a lot of Purin’s interest in him. I don’t really know why Oda would do that if he really wanted to develop Sanji and Purin as a true romance. So, that leaves two options, either Purin’s part in Sanji’s life is over and she will now go on a journey of her own to discover the world isn’t as cruel as she might have thought. Or two, she will come back, but to me a setup for Purin to come back and perhaps be Sanji’s true love-interest in the series I think Oda should have handled a lot of things differently. But enough about general Sanji and Purin discussion and back to the chapter.

I feel the kiss was pretty obvious, and also Purin taking away the memory of it, since Sanji had no reaction earlier. I feel bad for Purin, but that being said, it really does feel like the end for this plot… At least for now.

Also, just a small side-note… I really hate the nickname “Jiji”. It’s what Sanji usually call Zeff (only with shitty added before it), so I don’t see why Oda would pick that name for Purin to call Sanji. Unless it’s with the intention to draw some strange parallel to Zeff, but that in itself is such an odd idea… It’s basically her calling Sanji “Old man”. No, I’m kind of hoping there is something wonky with the translation on this one. Moving on to emotional part nr. 3!

Now, I did not expect this scene with Katakuri and Brulee, but I really liked it a lot. It’s a sweet moment between them and I loved the quiet support and understanding from Brulee and the highlighting of their bond. Seems like yet another case of enemies possibly turning into allies of the strawhats later on too.

The flashback was nice too, though I think we already recieved the message of “being loved for who you are” both in Katakuri’s and Purin’s story even prior to this chapter and even though it was unexpected to be shown their childhood like this, I did like Oda’s inclusion of it. Oda deciding to develop these characters more now when it’s seemingly the end of the arc just makes it all the more likely that they have future roles to play.

And then we are back to Big Mom’s song again and showing the battle still going on… Seriously Oda, it makes me feel really uneasy to end an arc like this. Big Mom is still a huge threat and their allies are fighting for them, so it’s just weird to have the strawhats really be out of the picture when everything isn’t over… The jump to the strawhats on the next page makes it even worse.

I mean, it’s nice to have some lighthearted crew interaction again, I’ve really missed it. And it’s also nice to have Sanji be truly happy again and the parallel with Zeff was a nice addition and I loved the line of father and son. It’s just a little out of place in my opinion. The ending of this arc was just too rushed, especially compared to how Oda has really dragged some portions of the story this arc. To me Oda is making it seem like the arc is over when it can’t be over. I am looking forward to Wano and not having to deal with Big Mom for a while though (hopefully).

So, all in all lots of great moments this chapter, and plenty of emotional scenes, some of which truly touched me a lot. But the timing just seems off, and with the sweet and touching scenes being mixed with crazy Big Mom and the fight still continuing this chapter is just and odd mix which leaves me feeling a bit uneasy about the development and pacing. 

So, an ok chapter with some really great moments is probably my final verdict. Thanks for reading, hope you had fun and feel free to discuss further and explain your thoughts on the chapter!