Edit: Eh, somehow this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. Anyway, @herr:
[hide]@herr_sebbe:
Robin's the exception to everything and Brook's being out of date is very much a relevant topic here. […] the rest of the Strawhats have made their fame from their time in Luffy's crew.
So your argument isn't about being rookies, but about the source of their infamy? In either case, Brook is yet another exception, as is Franky to a much, much lesser degree. Brook's current and only fame is from his time as a Captain, not his time with the Strawhat crew. Franky's infamy is split into two parts, Cutty Flam and "Cyborg" Franky; Cutty Flam is officially 'dead', while "Cyborg" Franky's bounty comes from Enies Lobby, an event related to the crew but not as a part of it. Given the nature of your argument, however, we can exclude Franky from the list if you like. The important point is…
@herr_sebbe:
That's what I mean by "main point". Robin is again the exception, though, but when discussing crew members, Robin is not a good example.
… when you have a weak argument like "rookies" or "gained their fame", you really need to have 100% accuracy. Once you have an exception (Robin), you are in no position to say there cannot be another exception; even less so when you consider this large timeskip, where a lot is changed.
@herr_sebbe:
I don't know what else to say about Jinbei. I just don't see any of the hints why he would ever join, but the forum still sees him as top candidate somehow. To me, it could be someone suggesting Ivankov for crewmember.
I'm not even sure I want to go through all of the motions because logic tells me you will once again disregard it and ask this same question at a later time, but the simplest argument is this: Jinbei is guaranteed more development at Fishman Island, and per his relationship with Arlong and his relationship with Fisher Tiger, there is a LARGE possibility he will have a flashback. It's possible, yes, that a flashback will only include him, but it is much more likely (IMO) it will be personal and revolve around him. I say more likely because Oda has had Jinbei planned out since Chapter 69 at least, and clearly plans to expand on his past per Chapter 549. I'm sure Oda would rather write a personally tragic flashback over one that covers an entire race but nobody specific; imagine Robin's flashback without the focus on Robin. A secondary argument would be Jinbei's wanted status, while Jinbei's promise with Ace is another still. Actually, I might as well note that I originally suggested Jinbei might be an abnormal Fishman in that he harbors no hate for humans, and that perhaps his dream revolves around improving relations with them– this based off of him disbanding the Fishman Pirates and becoming a Warlord. So far that suggestion is holding strong per Chapter 594.
@herr_sebbe:
If he goes along, it's just for the heck of it, and not because he has something he wants to accomplish in the world. He's got an island to free and protect. Adventure lust, does he even know what that means?
Have you ever considered the possibility that Oda has held back a major portion of Jinbei's character development because the core of it revolves around Fishman Island? There's a time and place, and neither Impel Down nor the war were appropriate. You are ultimately judging his character before we even know what it is. Oda's dropped hints, like I suggested above, and given he has that samurai-like character archetype it should come as no surprise that he maintained a more serious demeanor during the war. More or less one-dimensional for the moment, but appropriately in character given the mood of things.[/hide]