One Piece -- Discussion

[Kato]

Of course, change is the most powerful weapon there is, it's the power to make your enemy not your enemy anymore.

Or the power to make your friend not your friend anymore... change is weird that way.

[DiscipleofBob]

So, something that's been bugging my mind... Shichibukai.

Pretty sure Blackbeard's just going to fill in the slot for Yonkou for now. He certainly earned the credentials last we saw.

But the Shichibukai last we checked have a lot of roles to fill:

Mihawk and Doflamingo are the only ones still guaranteed to be Shichibukai.

Hancock and Kuma's statuses are still up in the air at this point until they're confirmed to still be shichibukai. I mean Hancock was pretty blatantly betraying the marines to help Straw Hat, so for her it's a matter of whether or not the marines decide to bring it up. Kuma's apparently gone full robot, so I don't see why they need to keep him a shichibukai if he's just an automaton who will do what they say anyway.

Gekko Moria was killed (maybe?) for some reason, and the circumstances of his death/disappearance covered up. Not sure what sort of plans Doflamingo has going on, but his slot needs to be filled.

Jimbei is confirmed gone for good. And unless they reinstate Crocodile's status (which he's not even guaranteed to accept at this point) he's gone too.

So who will the new guys be?

Buggy's all but confirmed. He might be weak personally, but considering his crew at the end of Marineford he's a shoo-in and it'd be foolish of him not to accept.

What about the Supernovas? Luffy and Zoro obviously not. I personally doubt Eustass Kid because of his hatred for marines and authority, and Trafalgar Law played a noticeable role in Marineford, so I'm guessing no to him. Last we saw Bonney she got the tar kicked out of her by Blackbeard, so it's unknown if she even has any standing left as a pirate. That leaves Capone, Urouge, Drake, and Apoo as possibilities.

Also, we don't know what happens to Whitebeard's lieutenants after the war. Are they going to scatter to the wind? Join up with another Yonkou? Maybe Marco or Jozu will be offered a position as shichibukai as a truce thing.

Not likely I know. Just wild mass-guessing over here.

[Gilphon]

I suspect the remaining two spots will be filled by people we're not currently aware of.

[AtlanteanTroll]

No way Drake would go back to the Marines...

[Kato]

Hm... maybe one or the other will fill in, maybe someone we wouldn't ecpect, like Kid, but I really can't see any Whitebeards joining. That would be like pissing on Whitebeard's and Ace' grave. Nope, don't see that happening. Mayve another big gun... or they keep the number low for some reason. (Hancock also might still be in her spot. Nothing seemed like she got kicked out, did it?)

[GloatingSwine]

So, something that's been bugging my mind... Shichibukai.

Pretty sure Blackbeard's just going to fill in the slot for Yonkou for now. He certainly earned the credentials last we saw.

But the Shichibukai last we checked have a lot of roles to fill:

I don't know whether there will be a Shichibukai in the recognisable sense. They were formerly independent agents who were tasked with keeping pirate activity to an acceptable level. In the New World they'll be more like CP9, a strike force. Also, they'll all but certainly have to work together, given that the average Straw Hat now is on the level of the Shichibukai before.

[AtlanteanTroll]

I don't know whether there will be a Shichibukai in the recognisable sense. They were formerly independent agents who were tasked with keeping pirate activity to an acceptable level. In the New World they'll be more like CP9, a strike force. Also, they'll all but certainly have to work together, given that the average Straw Hat now is on the level of the Shichibukai before.

Average Strawhat? Average? None of them are average. Though, I'm still not sure. Luffy, Zolo, Sanji, and Franky are ... And Brook and Chopper (under Monster Point) might be.

Or did they all defeat a Pacifista?

[lord_khaine]

Average Strawhat? Average? None of them are average. Though, I'm still not sure. Luffy, Zolo, Sanji, and Franky are ... And Brook and Chopper (under Monster Point) might be.

Or did they all defeat a Pacifista?

I dont agree with this, Luffy, Zorro and Sanji might be close to the power level of a Shichibukai, but i dont think anyone else in the crew are quite that strong yet.

And so far its only the monster trio who have been beating up pacifista.

[DiscipleofBob]

Depends on what you mean by "power of a Shichibukai."

I'd wager at this point most of the crew are at least on the same power level Crocodile (pre-timeskip at least), Gekko Moria, Jimbei, and Boa Hancock, and might actually win in a fight.

Mihawk, Doflamingo, and Blackbeard are another story though.

[lord_khaine]

Well, thats a wager i would pick up if we had any chance of resolving it.

The reason being that i really dont see anyone but the monster trio having a realistic chance to defeat any of those people (and of those only Luffy and Zorro would stand a living chance against Boa Hancock )

It does also make sense storywise, with 3 people on the level of a Shichibukai Luffy's crew is a rising star, powerfull enough to be noticed by all the other major powers in the world.

If the entire crew had been that powerfull, then the Straw Hat pirates would suddenly be a candidate for a spot among the 4 emperors in the new world.

[Dusk Eclipse]

I am not sure, I think it is implied that the Younko are not only powerful crews in their own right; but they also have enough political power and resources to actually claim territory in the New World.

Though I agree that only Sanji and Zoro should be able to fight on equal grounds with the weaker Shichibukai in a one on one battle.

Having said that I am pretty sure the Strawhats will eventually be recognized as such..probably just before finding Raftel.

[AtlanteanTroll]

I don't know, I'm pretty sure at least Franky could take down a Pacifista.

[lord_khaine]

He could most likely take a Pacifista down, and there are properly also other members of the crew who had a decent chance at doing so, but that doesnt mean they would stand a chance against a Shichibukai.

[Lord of the Helms]

Depends on what you mean by "power of a Shichibukai."

I'd wager at this point most of the crew are at least on the same power level Crocodile (pre-timeskip at least), Gekko Moria, Jimbei, and Boa Hancock, and might actually win in a fight.

Mihawk, Doflamingo, and Blackbeard are another story though.

A big issue with this is that the Shichibukai are varied both in power and in strengths and weaknesses. Crocodile has a very strong Devil fruit that grants excellent offensive and defensive powers and makes him unbeatable by anyone not knowing his weakness or having Haki (and allowed him to face off against Mihawk, Doflamingo and even Akainu), but it was clearly shown in the Alabasta arc that Luffy could beat him in a fist fight even back then, he was scared of getting a thrashing from him at Marineford, and in general when an accomplished brawler is actually able to hit him, he's in trouble (see also Haki user Jozu giving him a beating). Moria likewise was beaten by a pre-timeskip Luffy and also clearly a weaker fighter than Jinbei, so he's almost certainly outclassed by at least half of the post-timeskip Straw Hats, but he was also explicitly referred to as "too weak" to continue as a Warlord. For Hancock, we know she's stronger than Smoker and can take Pacifistas down with relative ease, so she may or may not be up to the top Straw Hats now.

For Mihawk, we know he had Luffy outclassed pretty badly pre-timeskip (also Jinbei according to the anime), and that he only once seemed actually challenged in a fight (by Vista). That, plus by all rights he should be Zoro's final opponent, so Zoro's probably not quite up to his level yet if we still have a few hundred issues of One Piece ahead of us. And for Doflamingo, it's all really hard to estimate; all we know is he has crazy cutting powers and can control the movements of even fairly strong opponents against their will, but there was little revealed about the exact nature and possible weaknesses of his power.

Blackbeard is special in that he was probably power leveling himself during the timeskip, and seems set to be one of the main contenders for Luffy's eventual final opponent, aside from Akainu.

[lord_khaine]

New episode out, and wow, a lot has happend.

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Firstly we have a surprising chance of Navy HQ, with Akainu in charge, and Aokiji gone then the navy command has lost any remaing shreds of decency.

Also, Blackbeard has allready taken the title of emperor in the new world, and he are literaly powerleveling his crew by stealing devil fruits.

And as side note, then it looks like the mud guy will be taking over the role of buggy, as a returning annoyance.

[Vent Reynolt]

OHMIGOSH! New Chapter!

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I'll admit, I was pretty sure that Akainu was gonna be the next Fleet Admiral, but I certainly didn't expect that Aokiji and him would actually fight over the title! What is Aokiji up to now?

Blackbeard's one of the Emperors now! Now very surprising... what is surprising is that he's stealing Devil Fruits powers for himself! This raises some important questions. Are the powers for Blackbeard, or the rest of his crew as well? Can he bypass the normal restriction of one devil fruit each, or is he himself a special case?

Anyway, now there's one last ancient weapon to worry about: Uranus. If its power is on par with Pluton and Poseidon, then could you imagine what would happen if Blackbeard got his hands on Uranus? What about Akainu? *Totally immature joking*

Anyway, we see Caribou trying to kidnap Shirahoshi, and DARN IT ODA, What is it with you and putting Shirahoshi in suggestive scenes? I mean seriously, he only wants to knock her out, and cover her with his swamp goop...

I'm still kinda jokingly hoping that Caribou ends up joining the Straw Hats after many, many failed attempts at killing them, just like how Whitebeard got Ace to join his crew. (Not really, but you never know...)

Lastly, the side effect of the Energy Steroids are finally revealed! In addition, the secret of the Urashima's Casket is revealed. Once again, Zeo is the best one of them all!

Unfortunately, now Fishman Island has to deal with Big Mam! Wait... I don't think that Fishman Island has much to worry about anymore, with Jimbei and Poseidon protecting it.

[DiscipleofBob]

Lots of good plot this chapter, but in some ways it only raises more questions.

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So Shirahoshi is Poseidon, and from past events Nico Robin and Franky should know all about Pluton, Nico Robin having read the poneglyph in Alabasta about it and Franky once having the blueprints.

Forgettable mud guy shows up, gets owned.

Akainu ends up becoming the new fleet admiral and Aokiji has left the navy. What about Kizaru? Is he still just an admiral? Are there replacements for Akainu and Aokiji for the admirals? Do they have awesome Logia-type powers as well?

Blackbeard confirmed for the Yonkou replacement for Whitebeard. It's only natural considering everything. But now he's going around stealing Devil Fruit powers. Does he hoard them all to himself or spread them among his minions? Does he have more minions than before? Are there any drawbacks to this method? Do any possible drawbacks have anything to do with teh fact that he's apparently avoiding the use of Whitebeard's DF power? Exactly what is this Devil Fruit stealing method, and why does only he know about it?

Is Big Mam going to make an appearance now? Is she going to be a villain or just an important NPC? We already know she's the mother of Lola from the Thriller Bark arc, and Lola seemed to vouch for her. Personally, it seems like it would be a really crap move if she ends up blaming the island for not having her sweets when she was supposed to be protecting it in the first place. Of course even if Big Mam does turn out to be not a villain, if her forces are comparable to Whitebeards, then it doesn't mean she doesn't have some high-level subordinates with their own crews who might give the Straw Hats some trouble.

[Kato]

Wow, did I just read one chapter or three?

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Well, most has been said... Akainu winning was to be expected but I was still a bit curious before I got to the reveal. My guess is Aokiji is with the rebels now, but maybe Robin should know about this then... we'll see.

Teach is gathering devil powers... well, that means trouble but I'll guess they#re not going to have a whole arsenal if it's spread out between his team (what I guess it will be)
Him being a Emperor is o wonder, though.

Also, wow, Oda, what did Shirahoshi do to you to turn the manga in an ecchi since she has shown up? I guess it's Caribou's fault but still... WOW.

Haha, Hodi and Co are screwed. I love how the idiot keeps threatening them, though. So pathetic.

And Ma will show up... hm... My guess is there will be no real fighting but if any than only some muscle flexing between her and the Strawhats. We'll see and I'm excited.

[random11]

My guess:
Big mom will come only after the straw hats leave.
In a way, it will fulfill the prophecy that the straw hats destroyed the islans, even if it wasn't their fault.

[Xondoure]

New Chapter: It's funny that after the fighting stops is when One Piece really starts to pick up speed.

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Big Momma is pretty much what I expected. Fighting her crew is going to be fun.

[MagnusExultatio]

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Travel to interesting new places? Check.
Meet new and interesting people? Check.
Declare war on a Warlord because she's about to explodinate the island you just finished saving?

Check.

[Kato]

Well.... I thought Big Mama was more... motherly... but we got some excitement I guess.
My favorite part of the issue though?(except for another Zoro has no sense of direction joke): The animal Strawhats on the first page! Tiger Zoro, hehe

[Dusk Eclipse]

I knew luffy would become (or at least try to) one of the Emperors of the sea eventually, now I really want to see the confrontation between the Strawhats and Big's Momma crew.

[lord_khaine]

Yeah, this is the captain we have grown to love, declaring war on one of the 4 emperors because you dont want her undoing your work

Also, finaly a machup that can deliver a propper challenge for the SH crew.

[Xondoure]

Yeah, this is the captain we have grown to love, declaring war on one of the 4 emperors because you dont want her undoing your work

Also, finaly a machup that can deliver a propper challenge for the SH crew.

And by proper challenge we mean completely unbalanced matchup that forces them to find even more strength than they had before. After all this is shonen.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Good chapter, but was anyone else confused by the splash page? Who's Toshio Asakuma?

[Lord of the Helms]

And by proper challenge we mean completely unbalanced matchup that forces them to find even more strength than they had before. After all this is shonen.

Nah, I figure they'll just have to go all-out this time rather than destroying their opponents with contemptuous ease like in this arc. Think of it as similar to the Baroque works saga pre-timeskip: They don't have to become more powerful per se, but they will face enemies that force them to push themselves to the limit of their current abilities.

Of course, if Big Mam is indeed Lola's mother (judging from her...character it seems somewhat questionable now), it'd be fun to see the Straw Hats beat her, then befriend her afterwards.

Either way, Luffy declaring war on one of the Emperors = win.

As an aside: I take it we are now seeing a guy who's eaten the Neko Neko no mi, model cutesy Lion?

[Xondoure]

Nah, I figure they'll just have to go all-out this time rather than destroying their opponents with contemtuous ease like in this arc. Think of it as similar to the Baroque works saga pre-timeskip: They don't have to become more powerful per se, but they will face enemies that force them to push themselves to the limit of their current abilities.

Of course, if Big Mam is indeed Lola's mother (judging from her...character it seems somewhat questionable now), it'd be fun to see the Straw Hats beat her, then befriend her afterwards.

Either way, Luffy declaring war on one of the Emperors = win.

As an aside: I take it we are now seeing a guy who's eaten the Neko Neko no mi, model cutesy Lion?

That was basically what I meant. Apologies if there was any confusion.

[irenicObserver]

I find the Gratuitous French a little annoying.

[AtlanteanTroll]

New Chapter, yoh.

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So Fishman island will be destroyed because of the Strawhats afterall. And did the dude from the Logleg tribe eat a Tortoise/Turtle type Zoan Fruit?