Untitled

Ivotas

@jackvance:

Luffy: Everyone that is in his way. The shichibukai, the marine admirals, CP9, blackbeard, whitebeard, maybe even Shanks.

To be honest I see think that it in fact is Shanks. Though I think then I would have to change the term from arch enemy to rival. Shanks is somehow that for Luffy that Mihawk is for Zoro. And yet the relation is still different since Shanks and Luffy know each other for a long time.

Anyways, the whole story we got going in One Piece is about a promise that Luffy made to Shanks and thatÂ´s to surpass him and become the Pirate King. The surpassing Shanks part of the promise gets often ignored or forgotten by most of the fans since Luffy never says "IÂ´m gonna surpass my idol!" but "IÂ´m gonna become the Pirate King!"

Come to think of it I just realized one thing while typing this very lines. Luffy vs. Shanks, surpassing your own idol? Just out of a sudden the names Eiichiro Oda and Akira Toriyama brainstormed into my mind. :idea: Might be a coincidence though.

Don Krieg

What about in those video games?

Irresistiblement

@Don:

What about in those video games?

Are you referring to the 'Round the Land' into? I think it was just there to show splashy fights between the crew and their individual "arc" main enemy fights… (well, in the cases of Usopp, Sanji, Nami, and Chopper), not to specify arch-enemies. Also, not something that you should put too much thought into.

Mafioso11

You know all the Straw Hats seem to have Arch-enemys:
Nami and Arlong
Sanji and Don Kreig
Usopp and Kuro
Zoro and Buggy
Chopper and Wapol
Robin and Crocodile
Luffy and ?

The thing is that the bad guys were all the main enemys of the arc they were in. Since Lucci is the main enemy of the Water 7 arc and Paulie might fight him, they're may be a good chance that he may join.

i see what you mean, and you may be going somewhere with this. although i'd replace buggy with helmeppo who was zoro's enemy during his appearance. i agree with wolfwood about usopp's, chopper's, and sanji's arc enemies. and luffy's would be every main villain in every arc, but his eternal enemy or rival could be many people including buggy, smoker, whitebeard, (pretty much everyone who jackvance suggested). and i agree with paulie's arc enemy being lucci but that doesn't mean he'll fight him. so far, luffy's taken down all the strawhats' arc enemies and i think he'll take out paulie's. and i also think if anyone other than luffy fights him, it will be paulie (not franky), cuz franky's arc enemy isn't lucci but spandam (i think that's obvious). i think franky will fight spandam and win (therefore being the 1st strawhat who beat his arc enemy without luffy's help if he joins). but franky's arc enemy isn't the main enemy here, paulie's arc enemy is. so if you go by this arc enemy theory, paulie has a better chance of joining. although you can't decide on who will join with this theory alone so stay open-minded folks .

Don Krieg

I didn't mean Paulie fighting Lucci alone. Didn't Luffy ask Paulie to fight Lucci with him?

Paulie

I see, in the very very end of One Piece, for Shanks to be the final obstacle for Luffy to overcome… Mihawk'll be there for Zoro, and Yasopp for Usopp...

But I think you're overthinking things with the rivals bit, especially as it seems the only one of those who'll make a big appearance later is Buggy.

Yoska

There's Spandam, who is behind all the mess and Franky has a personal grudge for him - and vice versa.

Anyway, speaking of interaction. I'm expecting cola becoming rahter popular drink among the crew. If Luffy won't steal from Franky at least once I'm disappointed:
http://koti.mbnet.fi/msci/Oi!%20Cola.bmp

Buccaneer

That was just sublime.

CosmicDebris

That picture is scary. XD

I can definately see some Coca-Cola advertising tie-ins with Franky. XD
Well, at least it's cola and not beer. One thing 4Kids won't have to censor…although I wonder about his speedo. :unsure:

Janken Jack

Bike shorts would be what I'd expect. And I think the Square Sisters would be wearing almost identical clothing.

When Franky joins, I could see him being imitated by Luffy where both of his arms gets inflated and his chin is zigzagged.

Matt

@Janken:

Bike shorts would be what I'd expect. And I think the Square Sisters would be wearing almost identical clothing.

I might actually prefer that, his speedo bothers me lol.

theinvisibleworm

Franky will join. If you look at his flashback he used to like building very battle-worthy ships that were capable of taking down sea kings. He was traumatized because they were ultimately a tool in the death/capture of his mentor, but Luffy will cure him of that, most certainly.

I think the reason that Franky stayed on the island when Iceburg told him to leave with the blueprints was because he felt responsible for what had happened. Plus, if you look at how Franky was, he acted a lot like a pirate. The only issue I see is this, will Franky be willing to leave his "crew"? I mean, he does care a lot about them and they are likewise very loyal. So maybe it will be Paulie.

Matt

At first I thought it would be Paulie but I realized he doesn't really have a story/reason for joining and Franky does. Plus, on the title page it said the Mugiwara Pirates vs. blah blah blah and Franky was ther are you know. Since he wasn't currently fighting with the crew in that chapter or had anything to do with them, it would seem odd for putting there if it wasn't a way of revealing the next member.

Plus, he probabley can build them a crazy new ship.

neostar8710

i think franky is a very unique crewmember and will prob be the one who argues with luffy just like sanji and zoro argues. b/c franky did screw up the strawhats with usopp and all and so hes actually a good hearted bad pirate..(doesnt make much sense..contradicts e/o..but w/e)

theinvisibleworm

"i think franky is a very unique crewmember and will prob be the one who argues with luffy just like sanji and zoro argues. b/c franky did screw up the strawhats with usopp and all and so hes actually a good hearted bad pirate..(doesnt make much sense..contradicts e/o..but w/e)"

I understand what you're saying and agree. I agree with the guy before you about the need for a backstory. Note that they always have a backstory for each new member that joins, and they've already given us Franky's.

Robin Stjernberg

Well, Nami got her one a bit after she joined, and Nico's we haven't even seen yet. So if Paulie joined (I think, or is almost sure that franky will join, but have a small feeling Paulie too will join) he could get his right after they leave this arc or in an upcoming arc.

wintergt

Compare:
@theinvisibleworm:

I agree with the guy before you about the need for a backstory. Note that they always have a backstory for each new member that joins

Well, Nami got her one a bit after she joined, and Nico's we haven't even seen yet.

So either it's an exception for the ladies, or both couldn't have joined the crew according to this theory :laugh:

Robin Stjernberg

Uhm, yeah, but maybe… Paulie is a girl!

XD

Paulie

@Robin:

Uhm, yeah, but maybe… Paulie is a girl!

XD

I take offense to that.

Nurlock

@theinvisibleworm:

The only issue I see is this, will Franky be willing to leave his "crew"? I mean, he does care a lot about them and they are likewise very loyal.

The Franky Family could work out just like the Baratie for Sanji or Dr. Kureha for Chopper. A good portion of the current crew left some important people behind to join on Luffy's adventure, so Franky could just as easily do the same.

Yoska

The Family has been together only a couple of years, the members involved are failed shipwrights. Galley-La company sustained damage, it's a safe bet to presume they're lacking personnel. Now the both parties are working together for a common goal, it wouldn't be a surprise if, later, the company offers open positions to the Family and their dream would come true (as often is with One Piece).

igalsfy

i think somebody should make some comparison thread with all the ideas why paulie/franky should or shouldn't join. this way people would stop repeating the same stuff. i think it's possible to find the exact same last 3 pages of this thread at least 10 times somewhere else on the forum. and with at least, i mean AT LEAST

Matt

Yeah but you can't expect people to read all 24 pages before posting when they just wanna say a quick thing. Its something that just happens in big topics.

Irresistiblement

@Yoska:

The Family has been together only a couple of years, the members involved are failed shipwrights. Galley-La company sustained damage, it's a safe bet to presume they're lacking personnel. Now the both parties are working together for a common goal, it wouldn't be a surprise if, later, the company offers open positions to the Family and their dream would come true (as often is with One Piece).

Yes.. I would like to see things turn out like this. Much in the style of One Piece, the two different groups would reunite and join together for the greater good (ie. Alabasta). The real question may be, what will become of Kiwi and Mozu?

On another note, I have to admit that I would be a little sad to see Paulie be left behind (even though I prefer Franky). I've been re-reading the last few volumes and his comedic side is quite refreshing. Though, I must say that I'm not a big fan of the ropes.

theinvisibleworm

@Nurlock:

The Franky Family could work out just like the Baratie for Sanji or Dr. Kureha for Chopper. A good portion of the current crew left some important people behind to join on Luffy's adventure, so Franky could just as easily do the same.

That's very true, but he'd probably at least need the condolences of his men, like Sanji did - although he recieved those condolences in a very odd fashion.

Ashchan

Isn't it possible that the new crewmember could actually be the new boat? I mean, it's pretty obvious they're going to need a new ship.

I reckon it'll be built by Franky, hence his appearance in the colorspread. But I think it'll be more likely to be a boat than the two guys.

But between the two: I'm rooting for Paulie all the way, baby.

Ivotas

@Ashchan:

Isn't it possible that the new crewmember could actually be the new boat? I mean, it's pretty obvious they're going to need a new ship.

Luffy wants a shipwright and he will get one, so thereÂ´s no doubt that the new nakama will be a shipwright.

Yoska

Yeah, they didn't decide to look for a new mate but a shipwright - it would be like looking for a cook and ending up with a fridge. They would eventually need a shipwright anyway, and here's a natural talent practised under the best shipwright of the time.

A random cookie of the day(an old, I admit): OP board game with Franky

GunMetalReloaded

Actually, I think the ropes are the primary reason I want him to join.

From a creative standpoint, I think you can get a lot more in terms of potential storylines and events with a rope master in the crew rather than a cyborg who seems to make up powers and abilities on the fly. Besides having some pretty inventive fight sequences, I just see the ropes playing a role in other areas of the story like island exploration, sea battles, etc.

The one thing that I like about Paulie is that he is human and that any abilities he has are based on a single source in his ropes. In his fights, there would be more drama because you know his limits and we've seen him hurt pretty badly but survive on sheer will power alone.

With Franky, you basically have a person on the crew that is equivalent to Superman: he can breathe fire, shoot things from his arms, create shields and all sorts of things seemingly from nowhere (NOBODY expected to see his Centaur form). Yeah, he has a couple of weaknesesses, but they would definitely get repetitive affter awhile (how many times can he get hit in his back???). Not only does this detract from Usopp's abilities (he should be the creative inventor and only person that could shoot), but I think it takes away from the rest of the Straw Hats as well since you now have one character with MULTIPLE attack patterns and not a single real fighting style.

Finally, we pretty much know everything about Franky save for what he bought with the Straw Hats' money (which will definitely be revealed at the end of the arc and is most likely connected to a new ship). There's alot more storyline potential to have a person on the crew we know relatively little about then someone whose past we know before they join. And after this arc and the impending revelation of Robin's Ohara past, it wouldn't be bad for Oda to have a new character on the crew he can slowly develop over time.

While I think the Color Spread IS an indication Franky will join, I'm hoping Oda goes a different route and only has Franky in there because he needs 8 vs 8 in the image. He would not leave Robin out because she IS a Straw Hat and since Spandam is in there, he might as well include Franky rather than Paulie. That's just my hope anyway.

Ivotas

@Yoska:

… it would be like looking for a cook and ending up with a fridge.

This was funny in more then just the way then you intended it to be Yoska because when you say fridge then I immediately think of the scene where Franky showed Sanji and Usopp, whatÂ´s inside his belly.

A random cookie of the day(an old, I admit): OP board game with Franky

Old one yes, but always nice to see again.

*Vivi*

Well, in actual fact when Water 7 started up I thought Paulie would have joined the crew… but after seeing the colorspread of Chap. 377 and considering how the plot developed... I'm actually more inclined to say Franky now... even though Oda might have more surprises in store...

Ivotas

@GunMetal::

From a creative standpoint, I think you can get a lot more in terms of potential storylines and events with a rope master in the crew rather than a cyborg who seems to make up powers and abilities on the fly. Besides having some pretty inventive fight sequences, I just see the ropes playing a role in other areas of the story like island exploration, sea battles, etc.

Well I think that you can definitely get a lot more creative with a cyborg who still might be hiding something then with a guy where we already know that his primary weapons are ropes. IÂ´m not trying to say which one of them is cooler, IÂ´m just disagreeing on the creativity point.

With Franky, you basically have a person on the crew that is equivalent to Superman: he can breathe fire, shoot things from his arms, create shields and all sorts of things seemingly from nowhere (NOBODY expected to see his Centaur form). Yeah, he has a couple of weaknesesses, but they would definitely get repetitive affter awhile (how many times can he get hit in his back???). Not only does this detract from Usopp's abilities (he should be the creative inventor and only person that could shoot), but I think it takes away from the rest of the Straw Hats as well since you now have one character with MULTIPLE attack patterns and not a single real fighting style.

Franky wonÂ´t take away from any of the Strawhats if he joins the crew. The reason why we get an overhaul of him in this arc is probably because people have to get used to him. This arc started somewhere at chapter 322 if IÂ´m not mistaken which means that most of the other Strawhats had several hundreds of chapters to get attached to the readers already. LetÂ´s just for instance say that One Piece ends somewhere at 750 chapters. Then the carpenter actually already wasnÂ´t present for half of the story. How have do you expect people to say "That is soooo Franky" if he didnÂ´t have time to grow on them?

Best example here are Sanji, Zoro and Chopper. Zoro didnÂ´t have much of growth in his introduction arc. But thatÂ´s because he was there from the beginning. He had lots of time to grow. Sanji already had a little more growth in his introduction arc then Zoro but still it wasnÂ´t an overhaul of him because there was still plenty of time to grow on the readers. Then came Chopper. He definitely had a little more growth in his introduction arc then the others. But not too much. That is because he came a little later but still not too late for the first mega arc. Note: Robin is an exception here and Ive already mentioned why in this thread so Im not gonna repeat it.

And now comes Franky. He already has missed Alabasta and Skypiea arc. And he still isnÂ´t a new cremember in this arc. He has to be overused in this arc where he is the "local anti-hero" in order to grow on the fans. Did Chopper exaggerate his Rumble Ball usage after the Drum arc so that he overshined the otherÂ´s? No! Did SanjiÂ´s All Blue dream and his cooking skills overshine the others? No! I can continue this with all of the Strawhats. In their joining arc they get all a focus. And the later they join the more focus they get because it is closer to the end then the previous arc.
But after each member joined he was an equal of the crew, neither superior nor inferior. And Franky will be no difference. ThatÂ´s why we see so much of him. After all, this is not a mini arc where heÂ´s portrayed. The next crewmember will probably get an even bigger focus because his arc would be even closer to the end then FrankyÂ´s.

GunMetalReloaded

Oh I absolutely agree that Oda needs to have the new crewmember be upfront in this arc. That's why I'm resigned to the fact that it's Franky because he's gotten all of this face time.

However, I have problems with Franky as a character, not with how much face time he is getting. Creativity is a tricky thing. One of the reasons why I've never enjoyed Superman's abilities is because he's basically a god. When you have a character that can pretty much do anything, it gets really repetitive. He always has a solution to a problem that he can just make up spur of the moment.

Let's take the scene with Nero on the Puffing Tom as an example.
Franky: "Oh, that guy is shooting at me. I'll just use my shield which I never showed the readers before to block the bullets!"
Franky: "Oh, this guy is now jumping around and hard to hit. I'll again perform a brand new attack out of nowhere to counter the jumping around and turn into a Centaur to bind him!"
You know it's only a matter of time before he has heat and X-Ray vision as well. Is it really necessary that he breathes fire too? Isn't fire supposed to be Ace's "trick"?

On the other hand, when you have a character who DOES have physical limitations, then it becomes much more interesting to see how he reacts in a given situation. That's what I mean when I am discussing this particular aspect of creativity. It's quite easy to keep coming up with random attacks to counter an opponent. And most people will probably think, "Oh wow! Look at that new move! He can change the Earth's axis now too!" But I just think it's alot more interesting when you have a character with definite limitations and seeing how he reacts in a given life-threatening event.

Ivotas

@GunMetal::

Oh I absolutely agree that Oda needs to have the new crewmember be upfront in this arc. That's why I'm resigned to the fact that it's Franky because he's gotten all of this face time.

However, I have problems with Franky as a character, not with how much face time he is getting. Creativity is a tricky thing. One of the reasons why I've never enjoyed Superman's abilities is because he's basically a god. When you have a character that can pretty much do anything, it gets really repetitive. He always has a solution to a problem that he can just make up spur of the moment.

I wholeheartadly agree on that, since I think exactly the same on Superman and actually even He-Man (IÂ´m a huge fan of Masters of the Universe for all my live). HeroÂ´s with superior strenght are boring to watch because they donÂ´t really have to surpass themselves in order to surpass their adversaryÂ´s. Therefore I understand your whole concern on Franky.

Let's take the scene with Nero on the Puffing Tom as an example.
Franky: "Oh, that guy is shooting at me. I'll just use my shield which I never showed the readers before to block the bullets!"
Franky: "Oh, this guy is now jumping around and hard to hit. I'll again perform a brand new attack out of nowhere to counter the jumping around and turn into a Centaur to bind him!"
You know it's only a matter of time before he has heat and X-Ray vision as well. Is it really necessary that he breathes fire too? Isn't fire supposed to be Ace's "trick"?

Again I understand your concern. It is much, but as I said this is a long arc, so in order to keep him as the hero of this arc and to let him grow on the readers he has to show even more abilities. I agree that it is much. No doubts there, but if this would have been a short arc such as Drum, Jaya or Longring Longland, then IÂ´m sure that we wouldnÂ´t have seen half of this stuff.

And just one more thing. Franky so far did just fight what is considered a weak guy whoÂ´s not worth to be CP9. IÂ´m sure that he will have a hard time in his final battle and it will prove that he is not superman. In fact it will prove the exact same thing as what all the other Strawhats did so far and thatÂ´s that they have to surpass themselves in order to surpass their adversary. And as mentioned above superior characters like Superman or He-Man donÂ´t do that.
And as mentioned in my previous post, if he joins he wonÂ´t be overfocused in comparison to the others. It never happened with any of the other six after they joined.

And as far as the fear breathing is concerned. That is probably a modification of an ability that allows him to weld with his mouth. He can blow nails so if he could weld his mouth would be perfect for a carpenter.
Though I get what youÂ´re trying to say, but if you see it like that, does Chopper really need Arm Point? I mean LuffyÂ´s boxing should be enough so thereÂ´s not much need for this Point in his transformation. But in the complete package that is Chopper it doesnÂ´t matter anyway. And thatÂ´s how Franky should be seen too. It is just overfocusing on one of his powers instead of seeing the complete package that Franky is.
ItÂ´s almost as the argument that he is to weird, while he actually was mostly serious in this arc. If we would go by percentage then IÂ´m sure that he has far more serious moments then the ones where he freaks out. But that gets mostly ignored because people just focus on that what they didnÂ´t like. (IÂ´m not talking about you GunMetal:Reloaded, IÂ´m just mentioning a general problem here).

On the other hand, when you have a character who DOES have physical limitations, then it becomes much more interesting to see how he reacts in a given situation. That's what I mean when I am discussing this particular aspect of creativity. It's quite easy to keep coming up with random attacks to counter an opponent. And most people will probably think, "Oh wow! Look at that new move! He can change the Earth's axis now too!" But I just think it's alot more interesting when you have a character with definite limitations and seeing how he reacts in a given life-threatening event.

Ah, I see your point here. Ok, now I get what you meant. Well thereÂ´s not much to disagree with you here since I actually see it the same. But see it from that point of view. Franky is a FRIGGIN CYBORG!!! How the hell is Luffy not gonna take such a guy when he already has a "super cool mutant" on board. Get where IÂ´m aiming for?

Irresistiblement

I agree with Ivotas about us seeing Franky's true fighting abilities and limitations in the upcoming fight… to prove that he is not just a nearly-invincible fighting machine. I also see how there can be an argument against Franky's somewhat surprising and diverse fighting style- but he is a cyborg! Oda obviously wanted to make a unique and quirky character unlike any other so far, and I believe that his different fighting style fits right in with this type of character that we've never seen before in the One Piece world. Over time, it will continue to feel more and more normal and a definitive style will become apparent. Who knows what else Oda may have in store for Franky as a fighter, and I'm sure that there will be a few more surprises in the future, but I honestly think that his fighting style will become more natural to the readers as time goes on.

I also think that things will continue to work out and fall into place for Franky just like the rest of the Strawhats... if (and when) he joins, he will blend in with the rest of them just like all the previous crewmembers. I mean, did everyone think that a shapeshifting reindeer would immediately fit right in with the others? I'm sure that there were some skeptics that thought that he would distract from the others or just not fit in, but look at what a normal part of the crew Chopper is. I seriously doubt that Franky is going to be spazzing out 24/7- he can be quite serious and emotional at times (many being shown throughout Water 7). But that is usually overshadowed by his more loud moments.

I do like Paulie, don't get me wrong... I just find Franky to be a better "fit" with the other crew members. He already has a forming relationship with Usopp, Sanji, Robin, and to some degree- Luffy. Also, in my opinion, Franky is too unique of a character to just be filed back in the "supporting character" category, which I think Paulie could easily slip into. Not to mention the fact that Franky has a past and a dream, which has been stated here before.

I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers of the Paulie fans, but my opinion stands that Paulie (at least as of right now) can't compete with Franky in this "who will join" question. I would love for both to join, but I just can't see one of the last remaining main Galley-La workers/apprentice to Iceburg AND one of Tom's legendary apprentices/holder of the Pluton plans leaving Water 7, especially in this hectic time the city is going through.

Plus, the 377 colorspread, Fighting for One Piece game, and that board game that Yoska showed us all point to the same thing- Franky getting more publicity as the next crewmember. At least I hope so.

Buccaneer

Franky can't beat Zoro or Luffy, so I don't think too much about him being a Superman.

The ropes have been growing on me, though….

Cap'n Carter

For some reason I want Zambai to join.

CosmicDebris

Hmm…no, don't want Zambai to join.

I thought Franky already showed plenty of limitations when he was fighting with Luffy, and Galley La came in and whooped him pretty good. I'm sure if the fight had continued, Luffy would have beat him. They never did get to finish the fight, but I bet that just seeing what Luffy does with CP9 will make him glad he never did finish it. ;-)

wolfwood

ah your refering to the time that they went 4-on-1 and they only managed to throw him away and then he blew down their shipyard yep he showed plenty of limitations thereXD

Irresistiblement

@wolfwood:

ah your refering to the time that they went 4-on-1 and they only managed to throw him away and then he blew down their shipyard yep he showed plenty of limitations thereXD

He did get knocked down a couple of times… sure it ended in a big Coup de Vent, but I wouldn't call it a TOTAL massacre of Galley-La and it's workers. Plus, the final attack left him totally wiped out.

Buccaneer

Not to mention that he only pulled off the Coup De Vent because they weren't fighting him. His large arsenal only compensates for his third weakness: speed.

Yoska

I understand GunMetal's stand on rope action, a limitation enforce creativity, but after some hentai action from Franky's side I've come to believe how much more interesting his powers are - the Centaur trap was perhaps one of the most sane move in the series so far and I'm looking for more of the same (perhaps next there will be a Minotaur follow up). I do disagree on that we know pretty much everything about Franky. Much like with others, we still don't know his origin (parents etc) or, for example, what he did between those four years he was gone on the sea. About Franky taking Usopp's position: yet I disagree again . If anything, he gives Usopp an opportunity to improve himself as a sniper and an artist, on things his good at. Also, Franky's a mid-range grunt, Usopp's a sniper. Pauly and Robin are both long-range grapplers, they do pretty much the same thing too.

My original reasoning for Franky was that he is a different, and I still believe in it. His a type of guy which would appeal on those who hasn't find their favourite Straw Hat yet, and so with him Oda could broaden the readership of One Piece, unlike Pauly who appeals on those who like Zoro/Sanji type of characters. Also with Franky Oda can do things he hasn't done yet. The whole point of adding a new cast is to extend the story and possibilities, not having more of the same.

Cap'n Carter

I've never enjoyed Superman's abilities is because he's basically a god. When you have a character that can pretty much do anything, it gets really repetitive. He always has a solution to a problem that he can just make up spur of the moment.

You brought up Ace, and coincidentally this is why I despise his character. That and his "coolness" comes off as really forced.

Robin kind of suffers from this moreso than Franky, I think, but hers is more of a foil/comedy thing to show how calm and skilled she is compared to the rest of the goofy-ass crew. Kind of like Baby Turbo and Dr. Slump (for those of you who don't know, Turbo is Dr. Slump's baby son with superpowers, who is smarter and more skilled than his goofyass dad). But I got horribly offsubject and I'll get back to it.

I'm trying hard to think of a character that didn't pull out something new when they were pushed into a corner. I mean, Luffy pulled out all sorts of tricks to evade Enel's mantra, Zoro suddenly remembers what his master said about cutting steel, and so forth. The "shield thing that readers have never seen before" is excusable, I think, because we've only seen Franky fight like once, and the centaur transformation was brilliant because it threw everyone offguard and was used in an unexpected and ingenius way. And hell, every crewmember pulls out a new move as some finisher, so why should Franky be an exception? And why does "godlikeness" suddenly not matter when Zoro can cut a goddamned train in half, or when Luffy and Zoro and burst through a gigantic tsunami?

Plus, as others have said, Franky is hardly godlike. He has a lot of power, but he's slow (as evidenced in his fight with Nero), his backside is very vulnerable, and he has a need for fuel.

I still like Paulie and to all those who said his rope attacks where boring and he would'nt be able to come up with more attacks with it he has been using some new moves in the newest manga.

I never saw Chopper as not fitting in with the crew when I first saw him I knew he was to be a new crew member because I know how Luffy is.Luffy and Paulie have more of a relationship between the two of them then Luffy and Franky.Luffy and Paulie's convo on the floor of Ice Burg's office and then them rushing in to fight CP9,gives me reason to think that Luffy and Paulie have more of a connection.

Ivotas

@luteplayerkei:

I still like Paulie and to all those who said his rope attacks where boring and he would'nt be able to come up with more attacks with it he has been using some new moves in the newest manga.

It was never about being boring it was that they are nothing that Luffy canÂ´t pull with his powers. The 8 knot thing he used in chapter 377 doesnÂ´t set the world on fire for me because itÂ´s nothing that I havenÂ´t seen before already (Gomu Gomu no Gatling Gun). And the latest move where he used the ropes to pull down Karsee, god lord as if Luffy couldnÂ´t pull the same move with his powers.

DonÂ´t misunderstand that, I do love Paulie, but I still stay by the comment that his attacks except for that knife move are nothing that Luffy couldnÂ´t do. I always hear comments how much FrankyÂ´s attacks resemble someone of Strawhats attacks but when Paulie does the same everybody keeps quite about it.

I never saw Chopper as not fitting in with the crew when I first saw him I knew he was to be a new crew member because I know how Luffy is.Luffy and Paulie have more of a relationship between the two of them then Luffy and Franky.Luffy and Paulie's convo on the floor of Ice Burg's office and then them rushing in to fight CP9,gives me reason to think that Luffy and Paulie have more of a connection.

This is another one sided argument. True that Paulie grew with Luffy, Zoro, Chopper and Nami but at the same time Franky grew with Sanji and Usopp and Robin. You know this is the two guys who at the moment arenÂ´t part of the crew and on which everyone asks themselve how they will come back. And so far it appears that Franky is the only one who rang their bell at least a little bit. If thatÂ´s the case then Franky will be an essential part for them to return so he is more important to the whole crew then Paulie who formed a bond with Luffy that was just about ass kicking.

And since weÂ´re on that topic, Paulie just wanted to kick the mysterious guys asses. That was why he formed a bond. After all the revelations he came to realize that he is not fit enough to defeat those guys he confirmed that in chapter 376 himself. So basically that bond he made with Luffy already served itÂ´s purpose. The final thing he has to do for the Strawhats now is just to open that darn island gate and that was it then.

FigureFive

Aw, what the hell, I'll throw in my 2 cents.

This arc has turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment for me since this arc. I've personally been cheering on Paulie since the arc began. Lately, I'm starting to give hope namely because way back in Water 7, it appeared that Paulie had the edge in terms of becoming the new crewmember. We got to see his personality, fighting style, and generally his interaction with the Strawhats.

Ever since the Rocketman scene though, Paulie's character just generally deteriorated as he has been pushed to being another background character like Pell or Dalton. Personally, I'd hate to see Paulie's Rope Action go to waste.

Also, did anyone else think that Paulie was acting out-of-character in comparison to his attitude back in Water 7? I'm saying this because Paulie was displaying alot of stamina and willpower. When he was talking to Luffy, he even said, "I'll keep fighting even if I'm reduced to a single bone!" But then on Rocketman, he basiacally says that he's not strong enough to fight CP9. So where did all of that fighting spirit go then?

Regardless, I'm still hoping that Paulie has his own fight and can prove he is Strawhat material.

Ivotas

I wouldnÂ´t say that Paulie has become a shadow of what he was at the beginning. ItÂ´s just that otherÂ´s grew so much that they out of his league. Back when he wanted to fight the mysterious attackers alongside Luffy he didnÂ´t know who and more importantly "what" they are. They are all superhuman Rokushiki using WG agents. In an instant they surpassed him. But that doesnÂ´t mean that he became weaker. The most rescent chapter still shows that he can kick some giant ass. HeÂ´s just not on the same level as the likes of Lucci etc. I donÂ´t think that this is a bad thing. Viper also wasnÂ´t at the level of Enel but did that stop him from being cool?

Cap'n Carter

Also, did anyone else think that Paulie was acting out-of-character in comparison to his attitude back in Water 7? I'm saying this because Paulie was displaying alot of stamina and willpower. When he was talking to Luffy, he even said, "I'll keep fighting even if I'm reduced to a single bone!" But then on Rocketman, he basiacally says that he's not strong enough to fight CP9. So where did all of that fighting spirit go then?

I think the showdown in the burning Galley-La building was a real wakeup call to him, especially since he nearly lost everything and only lived because the Strawhats are such awesome guys. I think he also saw the amazing feats of power the Strawhats are capable of (Zoro and Luffy freeing themselves, Zoro and Luffy breaking through the Aqua Laguna, Zoro SLICING A TRAIN IN HALF), and realized he couldn't compare. Or something.

Buccaneer

He still has his spirit, he's just cooled down. Not in passion, but he's thinking straight now. He can fight, and wants to, but what good would it be to get his ass kicked? He's helping more here than he would if he took on one of CP9.