Originally Posted by Chikmagnet7
Hey guys, I'm new to these forums, but here's my take on it.
! FACTS:
! 1. It was Rayleigh's "plan" that would allow Luffy access to SA without as much of a risk to himself and his crew. The initial interpretation of this proposal was simply that Luffy had to get stronger. But there are other options (or combinations of options).
! 2. The world knowing about it (through the "news") is a part of the plan (we find this out from the revolutionaries + Crocodile). In other words, Rayleigh was counting on the fact that this huge "incident" would be picked up by the newspapers.
! 3. Chopper's reaction tells us it's something outrageous, and his words can be translated as either "why again!!?" or "what now!!?"
! 4. Sanji's reaction is that of surprise.
! 5. Robin's reaction is that of amusement.
! 6. A revolutionary described it as a "big incident."
! 7. Iva-san's reaction was that of surprise and said that Luffy's actions reminded him of Dragon's antics.
! 8. Vivi asked, "is it for fashion? no it can't be… it's Luffy after all"
! 9. Croc's reaction to it was "Right after getting their lives saved…just what are these idiots thinking? They must be planning something. If not, they've gone mad."
! 10. Daz bones reaction: "strawboy is wounded. Do wounds disappear that easily?"
! Oda did a great job of telling us a lot whilst telling us nothing at all.
! ANALYSIS:
! From Crocodile's and Daz's reactions (9 & 10), we can conclude that whatever Luffy was reported doing (or having done) in the paper was extremely dangerous and would require a healthy Luffy. We know that it has been 3 weeks since the WB war ended and one week since we last saw Luffy with Rayleigh. That means they have had 1 week to carry out their "plan." We know that Trafalgar Law told Rayleigh that Luffy would have to stay put for another two weeks in order to heal. This leaves us with two options (that I can think of):
! 1. Luffy did in fact do something outrageously dangerous, and he healed in half the time,
! or
! 2. Luffy has not done anything outrageously dangerous, but it was just reported that he did.
! Fact #2, along with Law's warning about Luffy's health, leads me to believe option 2 is more likely.
! But whichever it is, the purpose is ultimately the same: to allow Luffy an opportunity to meet up with his crew and continue on his journey without having to go through the same problems he and his crew encountered on SA (namely admirals, Pacifista, general marine/WG involvement). Remember, the world government and marines know what happened to the strawhats – that they were sent flying by Kuma to distant lands (even if they don't know specifically what lands they were). This was part of (if not entirely) the reason why Kuma was altered by Dr. Vegapunk in the first place. That being said, the WG and marines know that the Thousand Sunny is harbored on SA, and they may be waiting for Luffy and his crew to return to their ship unless….
! Luffy is off (or at least reported to be) causing mayhem to some WG island that would cause the WG to shift its attention away from SA and towards another island or area on the seas. This is also supported by Iva's statement (7) about the similarities to Dragon, who no doubt constantly fought against (and continues to fight against) the WG. This is also supported by the revolutionary, who called what Luffy has been reported as doing a "big incident" (6).
! THEORY:
! AL is technically a government-allied island, as it it home to the royal shichibukai, Boa Hancock. I believe that it was reported in the news that Luffy declared an attack on Kuja Island and its princess Hebihime. This is not to say that it was announced Luffy necessarily "took over" the island, but instead that he was launching a powerful attack with the help of Jimbei and other allies. Thus, it would not seem unreasonable or make Hancock look weak if she called out to the WG for help/backup against the powerful enemies. An attack on Boa and her island is technically a call to war against the WG and marines. This would explain a number of comments and reactions from people we've seen (3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10).
! That leaves Robin and Vivi.
! Robin could be amused for any number of reasons. She may think the picture of Luffy is funny. I personally think that she is amused because threatening an entire island controlled by a shichibukai with deep connections to the WG is such a strange thing to do (I can imagine it accompanied by a picture of Luffy with a really serious face), and it sort of brings back those weird memories of her ridiculous captain.
! As for Vivi, I think people are reading too much into this. I don't think her reaction is as important to the content of the article as some of the other reactions. But her reaction could be based on a couple of things. It could be something as simple as the photo of Luffy having him wearing some new AL clothes (possibly with frills?). But here's what I honestly think: Vivi's words can be interpreted as pondering whether Luffy's actions were based on "fashion," "style," or general outward appearances. But then she says to herself "no it can't be, it's Luffy after all." Vivi knows Luffy, and Luffy usually never does anything for purposes of looks, fashion, style, or any form of outward appearance; that's just not the kind of man he is. But her facial expression and confusion belie what she's saying to herself; it's as if she can't believe what she's reading and is attempting to convince herself that it is something Luffy would do and not simply something for style or appearance's sake.
! But of course it is for appearance's sake, as it will give Luffy time to reach SA without the government's tail and with limited interference. He may already be near or approaching SA with Jimbei (and Rayleigh?) since it's been a whole week. Meanwhile, the government is notified of strawhat's (and his allies') attack on Kuja kingdom (with a pretend photo–possibly funny/stylish--taken as evidence). Therefore, the government disregards SA as the place where the strawhats will be and focuses on Kuja Kingdom. By the time marine reinforcements arrive, Boa will simply claim that Luffy and company escaped by stealing a ship after causing massive damage and stealing some treasure. Of course, she will tell the government they went in a direction away from SA. This will ensure Boa keeps her title as Shichibukai as well, since she fought off Luffy.
! Obviously, Oda could pretty much do anything, but currently I believe this to be the likeliest scenario.
! Thoughts?
Really well thought out and explained theory, and I like it very much. I think it’s one of the more solid ideas floating around myself, and even suggested a staged story with a reported friend of Rayleigh’s myself, although I didn’t go nearly as far into it as you. Bravo. It’s even supported, potentially by Boa herself telling the WG she was chasing Luffy after he escaped in Law’s sub.
_So—possible holes:
- Remember that SA is right next to the HQ of the marines—I’m betting they have more than enough man power and a spare admiral or vice admiral or two to keep the SA well guarded even if they should send troops to AL on Boa’s request. Luffy just isn't strong enough to take them on, so back to square one
- The WG obviously knows the ship is in SA, so that’s an obvious place to guard and watch for the SH’s, regardless of what might be in the paper about Luffy.
- I would think the WG would be plain stupid not to be on the lookout for SH’s, even if they think Luffy himself is elsewhere, since they could see for themselves that the other SHs were not with Luffy in ID or at the war._