@Urouge:
It's not about some sort of need. It's a simple matter of location. Either it happens before the Straw Hats leave the general area, or it waits until the end of the series, or the Straw Hats are totally separated from it. Anyone who thinks they'll be involved doesn't really have a lot of choice unless they think it won't occur until the very end of the series. For me, it's been talked about so much in this arc that I think it will happen sooner than later. The cover story is irrelevant to me since the likes of Vivi and Dalton came up as soon as they feasibly could. It could also still easily be more than 40 chapters away and still occur before this saga ends.
Granted travel time doesn't really work out, but let's not forget how quickly Mihawk made it to the New World to talk to Shanks after fighting Zoro. Side characters aren't always bound by the same rules.
I know Shanks's reported turf is largely in the New World, but that doesn't mean he never spends time in the regular ol' Grand Line, does it? Because I don't remember it saying exactly where they were at the time.
I suppose yes, if people expect the crew to have involvement in the Reverie whenever it happens, those are all the possibilities they've got. The more likely scenario to me, however, is that whatever happens at the Reverie will have repercussions on the world at large, maybe even as far-reaching as wherever Luffy and crew will be in the New World at the time. And should the events of the Reverie lead in to some big war, that doesn't mean the Straw Hats have to be there right when it starts. Once they reach Raftel, maybe then they'll find a way to go anyone in the world quickly or something, but until then I don't see any more back-tracking than what they've already done. That goes for Vivi too, because she definitely wouldn't reunite with them until the end anyway.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@Peal:
Sooooo ….
Question, Jinbe supporters; and I seriously need help on this here. Why is it you want him on the crew. I just sort of want to ask that, I don't see it discussed much.
The reason I personally don't see him joining is that he doesn't really bring much new to the table other than fishman karate and being a fishman, and wanting him there just because of that is blatant tokenism. He can bring interaction to the crew, yeah; but honestly it's nothing out of the ordinary, his interactions aren't much different than other people who ally themselves with the Strawhats, only difference is that unlike most Jinbe has incredible fighting prowess thus looking like he's got his shit together.
Now don't get me wrong here, I like Jinbe, he's a pretty compelling character. However, I can't feel for him like I do all the other strawhats, no idea I just don't really see the need for him to tag along, and an excuse like "I need to watch over Luffy-kun!" just seems like a pathetic one at that, one that demeans Luffy's role as a captain. I don't see any drive for Jinbei to become interested in being a crew member, he has no concrete goal to follow, I guess is what I'm trying to say. I love Jinbe as a character.
But honestly.
I read half of these forums posts and all I really get from them is "I want Jinbe in the crew because he is badass and then the crew will be more badass" from what little I see of people wanting him to join, I mean. I can't say that he's unlikely or that I don't see the reason why people want him as a main focus, after all I just said it. I just don't see this looking too well in a story is all.
Now if Oda can actually pull it off well I'll really enjoy Jinbe in the group, but as is I don't really see him joining to play the role of Luffy's nanny that he eventually outgrows.
For many of us, it's not that we personally felt he should join; it's that all the clues building up since Impel Down (and before, as some like brennan noticed) have pointed to it.
Now, I like him because he does offer a new type of personality: one of a stoic, samurai-esque figure who fights for who he respects. He seems kind of similar to Robin in their level-headedness, but in reality they are pretty opposite: while Robin, through necessity, has had to fight strictly for self-preservation before joining, Jinbe has been fighting for everyone but himself up to now. I want to see if he has is own personal desire for what he himself wants, but if it's simply a wish for his race to find understanding that he's after, as the flashback has alluded to, that wouldn't be bad either.