Carrot supporters:
Carrot adversaries:
Carrot supporters:
Carrot adversaries:
Cookie, at least better than Tama being completely ignored by almost everyone. :getlost:
It'll look great while looking back before her joining,
"Remember all the great discussions we had on the clues of Tama joining the crew?"
No, we were too busy discussing a rabbit named Carrot for the last 4 years.
Coming into this round quite late, but on the question of why Carrot hasn't joined in over 170 chapters, I think the answer is fairly simple: the story hasn't reached the point where she (or anyone else) has had to voice that decision/offer yet.
Monquito was pointing out how we knew the offer was both on the table and practically accepted with Jinbe by the end of Fishman Island, despite the fact that he didn't formally join until later, but I feel the underlying point is that the offer was first extended to him at a point when the business the story arc centered around was finished and the Strawhats were ready to leave (with a few days of recovering and partying first, to be sure) and it became a very real question of whether Jinbe would come with them or be left behind. The offer comes at a point of parting of ways, and the fact that Jinbe's answer amounted to "let me take care of a few things first" doesn't change the answer ultimately meaning "yes".
I would argue that Carrot's story is tied up not simply to any singular arc, but to the saga as a whole: the overarching narrative to bring down Kaidou that has essentially been going on since Punk Hazard. Carrot is a Musketeer in the Mink military forces during a time period when the Minks are being called upon to come to the aid of their Kozuki clan brothers-in-arms for the liberation of Wano. Whatever we may say about Carrot's willingness to abandon her post to go on an adventure, that adventure was helping the Minks' newest allies alongside her kinsman and mentor: that adventure was simply her deciding in what way she would provide aid to the Minks' cause, not whether she would in the first place. By the same token, she was always going to end up in Wano, whether she stayed in Zou with the other Musketeers to prepare for war or not. So the point at which a decision has to be made isn't while she and the Strawhats are escaping Totland (they'd be going to the same place regardless), but rather at the end of Wano when the Strawhats and the Minks are parting ways.
Same could be said of how Vivi was handled: the offer was made only after Alabasta was safe, not during any of the three arcs leading up Crocodile's defeat.
Let's be honest here for one moment.
Every Strawhat had an emotional flashback.What can Carrot's flashback be about? Pedro yelling at her for doing something she shouldn't be?
At best, she could get something like Vivi.
That wasn't enough for Vivi, and won't be enough for Carrot.Carrot lived her life peacefully and isolated, there is nothing really to show.
I have to agree with Shift. I believe the death of Pedro (which I expect to stick) serves as an effective "real-time" tragic backstory that helps shape who Carrot will become, much in the same way the death of Ace helped to shape Luffy even though it wasn't in a flashback.
But then, I've also essentially considered Vivi to be a bonefide Strawhat since the end of Alabasta and wholeheartedly believe the Reverie to be setting up a situation that could quite possibly bring her back into the crew, so take from that what you will.
@Daz:
Pedro didn't really task her with anything at all though? He explained what his motivations were, but he never pushed anything onto Carrot, and she has never been shown to internalize what he said. She was sad he died to protect them, and didn't want that to be in vain, but his actual ambitions and motivation? Shes never shown thinking about that. Really, if you take out of Pedros death, is there anything at all that would be different in her portrayal in the near 100 chapters since? Heck, barring 1 panel of hugging Jinbe, 1 costume change, and 1 panel of her in a tank, would there be anything different if she hadn't been at Whole Cake at all?
Pedro said, "Someday you will understand…" and "Everyone has their moment." Carrot doesn't fully understand yet, hasn't had her time to shine yet, but she will. That's what I'm choosing to take away from those lines Oda wrote. That look she had at Pedro's grave said she was ready to do whatever was needed, which has always been a part of her character.
Something in this battle and its aftermath will make Carrot reevaluate what she needs and wants to do. She's got a chance to face the BM Pirates again, the moon is full, she's still with the crew. Sure, all of that could add up to a big pile of nothing in the end. But I think she's got a big part to play, and that part may be big enough to lead to her joining the crew permanently.
I'm not going to get into whether Pedro was a good mentor or not, which is entirely subjective. I certainly would have liked more, but there's still time for more when, again, Carrot has her time to shine.
Carrot supporters:
[qimg]https://media2.giphy.com/media/eudqDxqzUJfveIaEPy/giphy.gif[/qimg]Carrot adversaries:
[qimg]https://media1.giphy.com/media/ZXKZWB13D6gFO/giphy.gif[/qimg]
Dude, that's been what we Jinbe supporters had to deal with for ten years. I'm a hardened waiting machine.
I have to agree with Shift. I believe the death of Pedro (which I expect to stick) serves as an effective "real-time" tragic backstory that helps shape who Carrot will become, much in the same way the death of Ace helped to shape Luffy even though it wasn't in a flashback.
Thanks for saying that! Your analysis is really spot on, as well.
ok
What is my behavior? What does that have to do with Carrot possibly joining?
Listing things that I see in the manga makes me a supporter?
You making arguments in her favour makes you a supporter, in my eyes.
Nah, the first thing she did was bite her savior's neck over a carrot.
No, first thing she did, was bite him in his ear. And first thing Wanda did was lick his face.
That's some special bond right there, surly not just usual behaviour of the minks.
Not a rule and it's a thing that happens in the writing. Franky was isolated from his group and along with Sogeking and Sanji tried to deal with CP9. Paulie wasn't. He couldn't go too far without his group being right there and sharing his narrative, feelings towards what is going on and being a device to emphasize CP9's effects on Water 7. It happens. Characters are moved away from their initial group and put into other narratives for a reason. Hence why it's part of the criteria that is needed for me to question a character
Why compare anyone with just one character? Makes no sense. This is bending the manga to make up arguments.
If you want to compare the Strawhats do it with something they all have in common. Dreams, past.
Making arguments based on a few of them is pointless.
Yeah, it could be done by anyone. Just like Captain and combatant. Yet, the writer decided to have her shown doing it the most out of every character. Basis is clear and substantial
Why does it matter how many times she's done it?
There are little to no hints in the manga that this role is necessary.
Zeff was better than Sanji. Zoro is said to be a better combatant than Luffy. Reiju (non SH) saved Luffy when Chopper couldn't
Damn, I don't even know what to say. What's up with your comparisons.
Luffy asked Zeff.
Luffy didn't have a cook at all. So any cook is better than no cook.
Combatant vs. captain.
Non doctor vs. doctor. Ok…
Can Nami map the world without Luffy? She'd probably avoid troubles and do it even faster.
No she can't, Laugh Tale is part of the world, without Luffy she wouldn't be able to reach it.
Characterization and focus in the story is a made up criteria? Ok, I will keep that in mind
The question is what is even a criteria. Some Strawhats got less focus than Carrot, so does it really matter?
I'm not convinced, but suspicious of it. If I was convinced, there would be no reason to question or wait on any other evidence. Why would I try to understand the logic of others in this thread, if I was convinced as you say? She might join based on matching some of the criteria. If it's misleading or not is part of questioning something.
For not being convinced, you're trying pretty hard to argue about it.
You making arguments in her favor makes you a supporter, in my eyes.
Supporters want someone to join and there is no way around it. If she doesn't join, a supporter is let down. What I see is some not wanting her to join and anyone who disagrees based on what they've seen, bothering them. We aren't all meant to agree. So, yeah, you are incorrect to refer to me as a supporter. My fav character is already in the crew. Madara and Orochi don't have to be.
No, first thing she did, was bite him in his ear. And first thing Wanda did was lick his face.
That's some special bond right there, surly not just usual behavior of the minks.
Biting his ear is a Mink thing, so when it comes to falling into their pace, that isn't first. The first thing was being childish/selfish enough to bite him over food
Why comapre any one with just one character? Makes no sense. This is bending the manga to make up arguments.
If you want to compare the Strawhats do it with something they all have in common. Dreams, past.
Making arguments based on a few of them is pointless.
It's writing in general and not just the SH crew. Why take Usopp away from his crew and have him team up with Zoro? These are elements that I take note of. There isn't one moment that I made up.
Why does it matter how many times she's done it?
There are little to no hints in the manga that this role is necessary.
Are you saying that I should ignore her being the lookout for longer than anybody else in the crew?
Damn, I don't even know what to say. What's up with your comparisons.
Luffy asked Zeff.
Luffy didn't had a cook at all. So any cook is better than no cook.
Combatant vs. captain.
Non doctor vs. doctor. Ok…
Yes, actual crew members not being exceptional compared to others at points. I will bring it up to put up a mirror of your exact sentiments. If Usopp having better vision is relevant to you, why are you now indifferent to comparisons?
No she can't, Laugh Tale is part of the world, without Luffy she wouldn't be able to reach it.
There are actual Yonko. Yes she can.
The question is what is even a criteria. Some Strawhats got less focus than Carrot, so does it really matter?
You're saying that you don't know what criteria is, but you've referred to it as rules this whole time. You literally said that you have criteria before. Which is it?
For not being convinced, you're trying pretty hard to argue about it.
Restating what happens in the manga is arguing hard? I disagree. It's pretty simple and doesn't take a lot of effort.
Ok, I'm out. No point in going on, if you don't even try to get my point.
I get your point. You just keep going out of the discussion to talk about how hard someone is arguing and behavior. I rather talk about the manga tho
Cookie, at least better than Tama being completely ignored by almost everyone. :getlost:
It'll look great while looking back before her joining,
"Remember all the great discussions we had on the clues of Tama joining the crew?"
No, we were too busy discussing a rabbit named Carrot for the last 4 years.
Tama surviving an attack from a member of Blackbeard crew.
Luffy introducing Tama to shanks and thinking “did you learn nothing when I told you to wait in chapter 1?”
Tama having an attack that doesn’t require a zoo
Tama having a dream that doesn’t involve basic human needs
What Tama needs is to try to rescue a normal childhood out of the wreckage that is Wano, she will be needed to keep the smile users at bay/under control after this arc.
I remember Jinbe reminding everyone that they are in a Yonko's territory and there's no time to cry after Luffy went into the Mirror World. I think he said it was Pedro's victory. If they are on edge and trying their best to survive, is their time to think about other things?
Lets just say Carrot takes half of her mind off being a lookout and being useful in a Yonko's territory, while she is finally realizing that Pedro is gone forever. Now she devotes that other half to trying to think about what Pedro's last words to her were. Does she get to understand what they really mean by doing this? If that is not the purpose of taking half of her brain energy off surviving, then what is the purpose? Just to be mindful of something she doesn't fully comprehend and even Pedro knew this?
She should internalize these thoughts and go nowhere with it. Just question what he said with no real context. That will be useful to the crew. Being mindful of something that you can't figure out at the moment, but it's ok that you're wasting time on that while BM is right on your heels. Carrot has time to do that with the death of her mentor and her saviors at risk. This is the perfect time to internalize what you don't even know. That is a capability of someone who just lost a loved one and is trying not to die. Constantly pondering on something you won't understand, while death is right there. Very possible for someone's first time out
Let's be honest here for one moment.
Every Strawhat had an emotional flashback.What can Carrot's flashback be about? Pedro yelling at her for doing something she shouldn't be?
At best, she could get something like Vivi.
That wasn't enough for Vivi, and won't be enough for Carrot.Carrot lived her life peacefully and isolated, there is nothing really to show.
Okay. Devil advocate's argument. I'm going to answer this with the clear intention that I am not supporting my examples as any sort of prediction, nor do I believe Carrot to join the crew. I am simply answering the question you are proposing - **What can Carrot's flashback be about
Context.** Carrot's flashback would be about giving her character context as to why she is a Musketeer and why she's with the Strawhats on this journey. Right now, we know next to nothing about Carrot. We are 170+ chapters into her having been on the crew, and she hasn't really exposed any of her history or reasons for joining. She is de-facto a side character, a Strawhat ally. This is her current role, this has been her role for the past 3(+) arcs since she joined. She has had very little growth with the crew, with the most being Pedro's sacrifice and even then she wasn't really given much attention or insight.
So is this to be considered wasted potential because she is a character who is established but with no growth? It all depends what Oda has planned for a bigger picture, and if this is intentional or not. I personally think it is too early to tell because Oda is a MASTER at curbing all expectations. He takes a character we think we know everything about due to how the character walks, talks and acts and turns that on a dime in the matter of one simple flashback chapter. Our feelings can go from 'That character is so dumb' to 'OMG why are there tears flowing from my eyes'.
The example I give here is Senor Pink. Consider that before his flashback showing his previous family and why he wears a baby outfit, there was no rhyme or reason for his actions or attitude. We didn't really need to know him to peg him as a mafia dude with a weird kink and a tough attitude. Very 1-dimensional. We didn't even really have to care about this character, since all he was meant to be was an obstacle for Franky. Yet in just one chapter, Oda filled us with a whole bunch of emotions and was able to put everything in the past however many chapters into perspective. We saw a big picture that never existed before. This is an example of how Oda had this character all planned out, and executed a twist that no one really expected.
With Carrot, what we have is a blank slate. Her character is intentionally left 1-dimensional, and this works both against her and to her credit. Oda is able to take her in any direction because we aren't already given a clear history for her that is already set in stone. She doesn't have an oath keeping her with the Minks, she doesn't have a promise to safeguard Zou forever, she wasn't trained for the sole purpose of Zou's defense. We absolutely do not know why she trained as a Musketeer. We just assume that it happened because strong fighter Minks are obviously going to join their military factions, and don't concern ourselves with the 'why'. The key to this is that we don't know, so Oda can easily fill in the blanks if he wants to. That being said, there is also the very clear option for him to not give Carrot's history any attention at all and simply keep her as a 2-dimensional character with no clear history, just like so many other Strawhat Allies before her.
When it comes to asking What can Carrot's flashback be about, then it's obviously going to be about her motivations for going out adventuring and her reasons for joining the Musketeers and become a defender of Zou. These are big character motivations we have absolutely no insight in, and there are huge connections that we've only glimpsed at seeing. We saw her connections with Pedro, and we have Pedro giving his final words directly to her. This could be taken as Pedro's spotlight, but it's just as easily possible to be seeding a bigger Carrot plot. Right now we are too early in the story to know, just like Senor Pink saying he likes Mature Women and we have absolutely no context to understand that it's more than just character exposition - there is a history behind his words that are unveiled through his flashback. With Carrot, there is the potential for her to have a motivation that ties everything that's happened together and put it into proper context. Why did she train so hard to become a Musketeer? Why did she abandon that position to stow away on the Sunny, and why are the Musketeers not surprised or reprimanding her for it? Is there a deeper personal meaning for her in Pedro's words about the Minks helping bring about the New Dawn? These are things that could be left as unexplained for the sake of Oda not caring, and they could be seeds that build towards a bigger narrative. We won't know until it's already happened. And yes, 170+ chapters is a lot of nothing happened, but Oda is intentionally not giving her spotlight because it should never be obvious that Carrot is Nakama material in the first place - She's displayed nothing worth joining for (in terms of motivation and contribution). Yet she has the potential for her to be given something worth joining the Strawhats for, worth contributing a role, worth having a dream to fulfill, as do many characters that we've been introduced to that have little-to-no role or interaction with the crew. Just like how people theorize Drake as potentially joining, or Tama, etc. I believe it's possible for Oda to do all this because he has already done this in the past with Robin and curbing everyone's expectation on the 'Strawhat formula' when all signs pointed at Vivi.
That being said, I don't think Oda would be doing this for Carrot, nor should he. I simply maintain that it's possible until we see otherwise. As I explained in a reply to Monquito, if Oda were to add ANY Mink character to the crew, he would only be able to do it after Jinbe joins the crew. And with Jinbe, there are certain conditions that in the story that needed to be met before he joining, which includes Luffy surpassing Jinbe's Shichibukai rank and bounty. For Mink characters, I think that condition is fully understanding Sulong form and their ties to it. That is why I don't give much fault to Carrot for having to wait so long to join, if Oda is intentionally seeding this. It makes sense from a broader narrative sense, and frankly no one is going to be absolutely distraught if she happens to join just because 'she had no moments or backstory'. All that goes away if a flashback is strong enough to tie her reasons for being on the Sunny, being with the crew and explain what and how she can contribute to it all.
So, character's are limited to the plot they were introduced in? You sure you want to go that route?
Strawhata are developed in places that contain certain amount of contections to them.
Nami in Arlong Park.
Robin in Enies Lobby(Cp9, Aokiji, Buster Call) all the factor that made her suffer in Ohara were there.
Jinbro in both Fishman island and Totto Land, again, super connected.
Carrot has no connections beyond Wano Kuni, the fact that she isn't getting a fb in any of the three arcs she participated in, and one of which one was her homeland, its super telling how much of a secondary charactee she'll remain.
Carrot has no connections beyond Wano Kuni, the fact that she isn't getting a fb in any of the three arcs she participated in, and one of which one was her homeland, its super telling how much of a secondary charactee she'll remain.
Carrot's 'Enies Lobby' hasn't happened yet though. Right now we're still in 'Alabasta'.
She's got a connection to Pedro, and Pedro travelled with the Nox Pirates around the New World. We don't even know what happened to all of the Nox Pirates other than Pekoms. We don't know where else they've travelled other than to WCI.
We will need to find out of Pedro's words have any deeper meaning than simply being a foreshadowing of the Strawhats bringing about the New Dawn.
"You'll realize one day.
Just how important it is to ensure that Luffy and his friends live and get out of here.
Listen up. You lot must keep pushing forward!"
Carrot's 'Enies Lobby' hasn't happened yet though. Right now we're still in 'Alabasta'.
She's got a connection to Pedro, and Pedro travelled with the Nox Pirates around the New World. We don't even know what happened to all of the Nox Pirates other than Pekoms. We don't know where else they've travelled other than to WCI.
We will need to find out of Pedro's words have any deeper meaning than simply being a foreshadowing of the Strawhats bringing about the New Dawn.
"You'll realize one day.
Just how important it is to ensure that Luffy and his friends live and get out of here.
Listen up. You lot must keep pushing forward!"
Yes, Pedro.
Carrot did not.
CP9, Aokiji and Buster Call were all direct connections to Robin, not connections of connections, like "I know a guy who knows a guy".
I don't see how that's giving her a fb. and stop it with the Dawn, the SH´s are gointo get it done, not Carrot, she have shown no interest at all, Pedro just told them to escape Totto Land.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Carrot supporters:
https://media2.giphy.com/media/eudqDxqzUJfveIaEPy/giphy.gifCarrot adversaries:
https://media1.giphy.com/media/ZXKZWB13D6gFO/giphy.gif
This is way more accurate than it should. lmao.
Tama surviving an attack from a member of Blackbeard crew.
Survived Kaido.
Luffy introducing Tama to shanks and thinking “did you learn nothing when I told you to wait in chapter 1?”
Luffy wasn't ready, Tama will be when the arc is over.
Tama having an attack that doesn’t require a zoo
We don't even know the name of her fruit, it could very well provide any other kind of attack or ability that would be useful to her, along with some with her learning some kunoichi skills. Learning and being an apprentice goes hand in hand.
Tama having a dream that doesn’t involve basic human needs
Being with Ace or becoming a bewitching kunoichi? technically every dream involves basic human needs lol
What Tama needs is to try to rescue a normal childhood out of the wreckage that is Wano, she will be needed to keep the smile users at bay/under control after this arc.
she will become a glorified jailor? this is a new one. So that is what all the build up was needed for?
Yes, Pedro.
Carrot did not.
CP9, Aokiji and Buster Call were all direct connections to Robin, not connections of connections, like "I know a guy who knows a guy".
I don't see how that's giving her a fb. and stop it with the Dawn, the SH´s are gointo get it done, not Carrot, she have shown no interest at all, Pedro just told them to escape Totto Land.
Again, we don't know how deep any of those connections go. We only know that Carrot has a deep and personal relationship to Pedro. We've never seen her really bond with many other Minks, so there is precedence for there being new characters introduced that she may know.
Our knowledge of Sanji's history began and ended with Baratie, but got expanded through his Vinsmoke lineage. That is a direct connection that didn't really exist in the world until it was brought to light.
The answer is that any connections for her to the world can be introduced.
Pedro said, "Someday you will understand…" and "Everyone has their moment." Carrot doesn't fully understand yet, hasn't had her time to shine yet, but she will. That's what I'm choosing to take away from those lines Oda wrote. That look she had at Pedro's grave said she was ready to do whatever was needed, which has always been a part of her character.
Something in this battle and its aftermath will make Carrot reevaluate what she needs and wants to do. She's got a chance to face the BM Pirates again, the moon is full, she's still with the crew. Sure, all of that could add up to a big pile of nothing in the end. But I think she's got a big part to play, and that part may be big enough to lead to her joining the crew permanently.
I'm not going to get into whether Pedro was a good mentor or not, which is entirely subjective. I certainly would have liked more, but there's still time for more when, again, Carrot has her time to shine.
Of course, everything in terms of reader response is subjective. Like, I don’t personally care that much for Rocinante and Laws relationship. But what I don’t think you can argue, is that Oda put farrrrrrrrrrr more effort into trying to make one care about Rocinante and Law than Carrot and Pedro. Like, by Odas standards, everything to do with Pedros character is slapdash; just bits and pieces of backstory and relationships thrown here and there, a skeleton without any narrative meat on it.
When you say that Pedro and Carrots bond can be made meaningful later, in retrospect, more than 100 chapters removed from its hurried conception to coincide with Pedros dramatic sacrifice, it just goes to show how lackluster said moment was in terms of providing Carrot with a “real-time tragedy”. And even if the subject somehow gets brought up again, is it not quite, quite late to try and capitalize on that moment? Especially after she has been such a non-presence, with Oda spending the entire arc squandering any and all momentum Carrot could have had off of Pedros death? You (and other Carrot supporters) insist that Oda will make time for a whole ton of Carrot development in this climax, despite her having to fight for said time with a truckload of characters who have been actually present and relevant this arc.
And the only reason this alleged surge of Carrot development has to happen all at end, is that Carrot has been in complete stasis ever since whole cake ended. There has been as many chances to involve Carrot, or showcase her growth as Oda could’ve wanted, and he's taken none of them. As soon as The Crew disperses at the end of act 1, Carrot does not join any of the Straw Hats on their myriad side quests, but goes to the minks, and fades into the background doing general mink duties. At the very least this choice could’ve been dramatized in some way; like, Carrot wants to help her people, but is hesitant to go because she loves the Straw Hats so much now, and theres a few panels of her being a bit conflicted, and looking thoughtfully at them. That would've hinted that there was more to come with the character. But this doesn’t happen. She just defaults to the minks, and no one thinks anything of it.
The death of Pedro was supposedly a groundbreaking moment for her character, the centerpiece of the arguments for her joining, but again, beyond literally visiting Pedros grave, I can’t think of anything in this arc that would’ve been different with Carrot had Pedro not died.
I mean, if Oda really, truly wanted to make meaningful development with Carrot, why not do it at the gravestone scene? Stuff like that is prime material for pathos and character introspection. Imagine how powerful it’d have been if it was JUST Carrot at the grave, if it had been an extended scene with big closeups of her, and some sort of communication of a changing perspective or resolve.
But as is, theres nothing spotlighting her in particular in that scene, which is squished unimpressively at the side of a two-page spread. Carrot gets the exact same exposure as Wanda and Sicilian; theres no framing of Pedro being any more special to her than any of the others, no interior monologue for Carrot, no musings over Pedros final words. Theres a tiny panel of her smiling passively, which you assign considerable weight, but to me is just a tiny panel which isn’t visually framed as particularly significant compared to the others.
Again, we don't know how deep any of those connections go. We only know that Carrot has a deep and personal relationship to Pedro. We've never seen her really bond with many other Minks, so there is precedence for there being new characters introduced that she may know.
Our knowledge of Sanji's history began and ended with Baratie, but got expanded through his Vinsmoke lineage. That is a direct connection that didn't really exist in the world until it was brought to light. The same could be the case for Carrot considering something had to have sparked her want and need to go on adventures, and we don't know if Pedro is that character who does so. Her connection to the world would be opened up if, for example, Oda introduces a Shanks-like father figure that inspires her to go out on adventures. Right now, we all think Pedro is that character, but we don't know the whole of it. That is why we can't simply dismiss the idea that she has no connections in the world. There are other Nox pirates out there, other Minks travelling the world. Pekoms and Bepo are just two examples of the Nox pirate connection.
The answer is that any connections for her to the world can be introduced.
But see how Sanji came up with "I was born in the North".
Robin brought up "I have nowhere else to go"
Or how we knew there was a fisher tiger and Brennen connected it to Jinbro, cause yea, Sun Pirates.
or even Law who's not a SH of course but he came up with "Cora-san" dozen of chaps before we learned of him.
Again, we have no hints of any partiular past of Carrot, neither of a tragic figure and that's in the span of 170 chaps, not a tiny microscopic hint leading us to believe that, pulling arguments of Carrot supposedly getting something out of thin air, just doesn't work.
Carrot should have commented already; "Oh my Rabbit mom, I miss her", or stuff like that, just an example. she had the plenty of exposure after all, the fact that she haven't done it, it really points out to her remaining a secondary character forever.
Well said. I agree with a lot of your assessment on Carrot's missed opportunities and shallow characterization. She is really being written as a sideline character, and I think that's where she ultimately fits in the story. However, I want to chime in on some possibilities.
@Daz:
I mean, if Oda really, truly wanted to make meaningful development with Carrot, why not do it at the gravestone scene?
I do think this is a big moment that could have allowed Carrot to shine and develop. I don't think this is a missed opportunity though, since we could always see this stuff all be put into new context through flashbacks, especially if it's meant to tie in all these events together as a means for a character to join the crew.
What I want to touch on is Oda wanting to make meaningful development for Carrot. We don't know if he is purposefully avoiding it for the sake of keeping her 'secret'. The obvious answer to me is if he gives her plenty of moments and plenty of growth up front in the adventures, then it casts no shadow of doubt on her being an automatic crewmember. Even now, she has almost no real moments to herself and I would consider her one of the stronger candidates (of characters we currently know) to join the crew. It's obvious to the point where the anime even has a filler episode where she asks Luffy to join the crew. That is a real direction that the narrative has indicated, whether intended by Oda or not. Fans have interpreted it this way, and for good reason.
So when it comes to writing a potential crewmember while keeping it secret? I don't know if it's Oda's best interests to shine more spotlights on her. I don't know if he values secrets and plot twists more than character growth for a post-Jinbe character addition. I don't know if he's intentionally seeding many tiny minor plot details only to plan to connect them all in a big scene that ties every bit of narrative together. We've never gotten anything like that before, and at the same time I don't think Oda is infallible in trying to create meaningful character moments and having spotlights shine on them.
I look back and WCI and the whole Year of Sanji as an example of this. My personal take is that Sanji was not given the proper focus that this arc should have given him, even when he got all the moments needed to shine. He settled things with his family, he made the wedding cake that satisfied Big Mom, and he even made things good with Pudding. Yet throughout it all, I still see Brook as having had better moments than Sanji did through the entire arc. It was Year of Brook for me.
Yet it was completely in Oda's intention to sideline Sanji in order to bring it all back to give him a big arc. Before WCI, we went through most of Dressrosa without seeing him at all, then at Zou the most we got were a few flashback scenes of him fighting back Jack's crew and then gone again. And if we include before the time he gets sidelined? He had a moment where he gets his leg bones broken by Vergo's haki… I don't agree with what Oda did for Sanji, but I understand what it means for the bigger story. In an odd way, all of those moments lead to him getting a Raid suit be that much more meaningful and rewarding.
@Vongola_Boss_XI:
Honestly, these arguments seem designed to negate any importance for any possible scene in which Carrot appears. This criteria basically make it impossible for Carrot to join. You set the bar that Carrot cannot just have equal amount of screen time to other Straw Hats, but must have more screen time to be considered a viable candidate then state the reasons that any of the possible ways she could have a role in the story are insufficient for her to join. I think the parameters here are far too limiting.
To be honest, I really don't agree that Carrot needs way more focus than the other Straw Hats. If she has some big moments during the battles, I think that's all that's really needed to seal the deal. She already has all the character buildup.
But in terms of being comparable with the other Straw Hats this arc, Carrot has way less buildup. Shes present at the briefing with Kinemon because she tagged along from Wano, but as soon as the characters disperse, she proceeds fade into the background with the Minks, and do absolutely nothing of significance. She does not join Namis kunoichi missions, shes not there for the soba stand attack, shes not at the prison and she doesn’t get lost with Zoro.
A lot of the Straw Hats haven’t exactly been rolling in exposure lately, but even compared to the underserved Franky and Usopp, Carrot has had absolutely nothing. Caribou has had more going for him this arc than her. She was wholly separated from the crew with nothing to do, and the story did not make this a big deal: that does not put her at equal footing with them at all, hence why theres such a massive pressure on her to perform.
The reasons my parameters are so limiting is because I’m judging Carrots supposed chances based on how the story has presented her for the last 80 chapters, and I’m sorry I just don’t see that those chapters provide a compelling foundation for any supposed big dramatic moments in the climax. Surface level moments yes, like some action beats probably, nothing more than that. And if Carrot joining is supposed to be a big, emotional, crowd pleasing moment, should it not be more than that?
@Vongola_Boss_XI:
I really think it's unfair to expect constant mention of the 'Dawn' as her motivation, when as you say, it doesn't fit contextually. Zoro doesn't drone on about defeating Mihawk. Many of the Straw Hats primary goals go unmentioned for hundreds of chapters. If we even look at Jimbei, his vague goal of restoring Fishman-Human relations is hardly mentioned in most scenes and isn't a primary motivator in most of his battles.
Of course I’m not saying that Carrot should be bringing up the Dawn every other page, what I’m saying is that the goals/dreams/motivation of the Straw Hats do get a lot of focus…at the time when they join. Robin and Frankys dreams are absolutely integral to the CP9 arc, Sanjis to Baratie and so on. Even a weird case like Jinbe has his dream as the literal theme of the arc where he’s asked to join. Point is, its just good storytelling to have a characters motivations and dreams spotlighted and defined if you’re building up to a big dramatic moment of a character joining the main cast. Can you honestly say that anything approaching that has happened with Carrot for the last several years of this arc, where she is to supposedly join?
Vivi's design is more unique than Robin's.
No it's not. Vivi was a straight Nami clone with a bigger forehead due to different haircut.
Robins eyes, nose bridge and facial structure with a much stronger jawline were completely different than any other female character in the series when she was introduced. She didn't look like any attractive girl character prior.
Over the course of 20 years and drawing her thousands of times Oda has gotten lazier about those distinguishing features so she's sort of turned into looking like other characters, especially post time skip when she dropped the Pulp Fiction look. Because, and Oda has admitted this himself, Oda has issues with his ideal of an attractive woman. He CAN draw distinct woen like on Amazon Lilly, but if they need to look pretty he has issues, so Nami and Shirahoshi and Hanock and Viola all look the same… and when he changed Robin's haircut to be like Hancocks, and a decade of redrawing had doned done her facial stucture? Yeah at that point she's drawn pretty much like every other girl with a slight bonus line for her nose... but her original design was absolutely stand out. (As was her initial presentation and mystique.)
But see how Sanji came up with "I was born in the North".
Robin brought up "I have nowhere else to go"
Or how we knew there was a fisher tiger and Brennen connected it to Jinbro, cause yea, Sun Pirates.or even Law who's not a SH of course but he came up with "Cora-san" dozen of chaps before we learned of him.
Again, we have no hints of any partiular past of Carrot, neither of a tragic figure and that's in the span of 170 chaps, not a tiny microscopic hint leading us to believe that, pulling arguments of Carrot supposedly getting something out of thin air, just doesn't work.
Carrot should have commented already; "Oh my Rabbit mom, I miss her", or stuff like that, just an example. she had the plenty of exposure after all, the fact that she haven't done it, it really points out to her remaining a secondary character forever.
Sanji brought up the 'I was born in the North' after he joined the crew.
Robin said 'I have no where else to go' after she joined the crew.
And for these two characters, we only touched on their history many arcs after they already joined and adventured with the crew. Not before, never before. We knew nothing of Sanji's (true) history before Whole Cake Island. We knew nothing of Robin's before Enies Lobby.
So why are you subjecting Carrot to having to answer these when she hasn't joined the crew
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
No it's not. Vivi was a straight Nami clone with a bigger forehead due to different haircut.
Robins eyes, nose bridge and facial structure with a much stronger jawline were completely different than any other female character in the series when she was introduced. She didn't look like any attractive girl character prior.
I agree with what you are saying, but in all honesty when you posted this pic and I was looking to compare Nami and Vivi, I saw Tashigi and honestly thought it was Robin at a glance.
Tashigi even came before Robin, and has a very similar silhouette. The bridge of the nose is a very unique thing, but let's face it, Robin is a very typical 'Oda style woman' otherwise. If we're going to talk about unique designs, then why not Mrs Monday or Mrs Goldenweek, female characters that really break the mold? I'm not suggesting that Oda add these offshoot designs to the crew, but I don't think we're giving credit to how Oda designs 'unique females' if we're not accounting female designs that already curbed the trend.
This is why I don't give much weight to the 'unique design' argument. I don't think this is an issue at all. I think as long as a Strawhat stands out against the rest of the crew, that is all that's really needed. I still think now that Robin is and has become muddied with confusion over other females since the very beginning. Personal anecdote, but I've been getting my wife into One Piece through the anime, and she's even confused side characters with Robin multiple times. Yes, this is the anime we're talking about, but let's face it, Oda didn't need to have Robin design with black hair lop-cut as a 'unique female' design. And to be frank, Carrot would be absolutely unmistakeable if she were on the crew. This is why I don't prefer to go into design discussion, it's absolutely subjective.
Tashigi even came before Robin, and has a very similar silhouette. The bridge of the nose is a very unique thing, but let's face it, Robin is a very typical 'Oda style woman' otherwise. If we're going to talk about unique designs, then why not Mrs Monday or Mrs Goldenweek, female characters that really break the mold?
IMO, Ms Doublefinger is to this day one of the best unique designs for pretty females.
the privilege of having monquito replying to every post you make, im a bit jealous tbh.
last time he replied to me he said everything seemed to point at Tama being Hiyori.
Sanji brought up the 'I was born in the North' after he joined the crew.
Robin said 'I have no where else to go' after she joined the crew.And for these two characters, we only touched on their history many arcs after they already joined and adventured with the crew. Not before, never before. We knew nothing of Sanji's (true) history before Whole Cake Island. We knew nothing of Robin's before Enies Lobby.
So why are you subjecting Carrot to having to answer these when she hasn't joined the crew
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
I agree with what you are saying, but in all honesty when you posted this pic and I was looking to compare Nami and Vivi, I saw Tashigi and honestly thought it was Robin at a glance.
Tashigi even came before Robin, and has a very similar silhouette. The bridge of the nose is a very unique thing, but let's face it, Robin is a very typical 'Oda style woman' otherwise. If we're going to talk about unique designs, then why not Mrs Monday or Mrs Goldenweek, female characters that really break the mold? I'm not suggesting that Oda add these offshoot designs to the crew, but I don't think we're giving credit to how Oda designs 'unique females' if we're not accounting female designs that already curbed the trend.
Robin said that before Luffy allowed her to join.
So it was objetively before joining.
Robin said that before Luffy allowed her to join.
So it was objetively before joining.
Robin had some hints pointing to a bigger story before she appeared on the Merry asking to join the crew. Especially when the marines with Tashigi reckognize her as "Nico Robin" from the "Demons of Ohara", who had a huge bounty (for the time) for destroying several battleships when she was just eight years old. That was screaming "pay attention to this, it will be important later".
And then immediately after she gets on board we get a small flashback to her on the tomb crying about wanting to die because "her dream" had too many enemies.
Carrot has been around for three arcs and her presence only diminished, without any hint of a greater future plot ahead.
Are you really pretending we didn't get the super crucial Sanji/Zeff flashback to make a point as to why its okay that Carrot has no compelling backstory after 200 chapters?
Yeah, Sanji got his second flashback later, but that was hardly his defining point or the origin of his dreams.
And Robin had a crapload of mysteries tied into her throughout Alabasta. Maybe nothing screaming crewmate at the time, but lots of "she's got mysteries and secondary agendas going on"
Robin said that before Luffy allowed her to join.
So it was objetively before joining.
Thank you for correcting me. I would say that this happened at the end of the Arc where Robin joins, right before she joins then.
In comparison, we're no where at that point in Carrot's journey with the Strawhats.
Robin had some hints pointing to a bigger story before she appeared on the Merry asking to join the crew. Especially when the marines with Tashigi reckognize her as "Nico Robin" from the "Demons of Ohara", who had a huge bounty (for the time) for destroying several battleships when she was just eight years old. That was screaming "pay attention to this, it will be important later".
At that point we didn't really know if that it was meant to be 'Pay attention she is potential Nakama' or 'Pay attention, she is potential Major Villain'. Otherwise, good point made.
Carrot has been around for three arcs and her presence only diminished, without any hint of a greater future plot ahead.
I totally agree, and that's why I don't think she will be a future Strawhat.
Are you really pretending we didn't get the super crucial Sanji/Zeff flashback to make a point as to why its okay that Carrot has no compelling backstory after 200 chapters?
And Robin had a crapload of mysteries tied into her throughout Alabasta. Maybe nothing screaming crewmate at the time, but lots of "she's got mysteries and secondary agendas going on"
All which were only realized in retrospect, and all due to the encompassing nature of the narrative being told in full.
Again, I don't know what Oda has planned, which is why I leave the possibility open. We've never had a situation where any Strawhat (other than Jinbe) travels with the crew and joins them many arcs later. The formula we base everything on revolves around Oda seeding a character and having them join within the same arc they are introduced. Carrot doesn't fit that formula at all. Yet I think it's too early to dismiss as though the formula is something concrete.
But like I said in full - I don't believe she is going to join the crew, for many reasons including that which you already point out. I am simply saying we have never had an instance where anyone who has traveled with the crew but is not already on the crew, happens to join. There is no example of that ever happening, and that doesn't mean it never could. I don't know where Oda would plan to unload a bunch of backstory and motivations. I don't think he would or even should. But it's Oda, and I honestly am not one to be able to predict what he has planned for the big picture. I honestly don't even know why Carrot is travelling with the Straw Hats if we're to be very honest. Did we need a side character like her tagging in the first place? Well Oda knows the answer to this, not me. For all I know, Pedro could have been the one to show us Sulong, Pedro could have been buddy-buddy with crewmembers, Pedro could be the one who draws the crewmembers like female manga art. I don't see the importance of Carrot being the one to see things through, especially is she's always sidelined.
At that point we didn't really know if that it was meant to be 'Pay attention she is potential Nakama' or 'Pay attention, she is potential Major Villain'.* Otherwise, good point made.
Yeah, we didn't know what role she would have, but it was hinting that she would definitely have a role. And then, later, when she appeared in the ship, we still weren't sure if she would betray the Strawhats or be a loyal crewmate, but we knew there was a story to be told. This is what Carrot lacks currently.
Even her big "look at this character" chapter (the Sulong one) is more about a power every mink has under very limited circunstances rather than something she's unique at using. It felt more like a chapter to explain the minks' trump card and hype their role in the big battle rather than something about Carrot.
Again, I don't know what Oda has planned, which is why I leave the possibility open.
I'm on the same boat. I don't think she will join, but I don't discard the possibility. The evidence for her is rather thin, thought.
Besides the vast majority of way more relevant characters that are actually getting spotlight.
Let's not forget that Carrot can't mantain Sulong for a long period of time and that she falls asleep after doing it.
So the "opening" where we're supposed to get all that background from Carrot, is far more limited than it appears.
Even in an understandable context just hearing that secret prince/nazi dad schlock being described as Sanjis true history just churns my stomach. Tacking that one on after the beautiful Zeff flashback is borderline criminal
Even in an understandable context just hearing that secret prince/nazi dad schlock being described as Sanjis true history just churns my stomach. Tacking that one on after the beautiful Zeff flashback is borderline criminal
Sanji's true origin is his original flashback. That's the one that defines him as a character. The Germa background was an addition, not a replacement. It's something to tell us what Sanji rejected to become who he is.
Yeah, we didn't know what role she would have, but it was hinting that she would definitely have a role. And then, later, when she appeared in the ship, we still weren't sure if she would betray the Strawhats or be a loyal crewmate, but we knew there was a story to be told. This is what Carrot lacks currently.
I mean, that's a big concern, but I don't think it has weight either. She's a Musketeer, and for all we know that could be her role on the ship. It'd be dumb, I'd agree, but like I said I don't put much thought into shoehorning her into the crew. I think that if it happens it will be done in a more natural way than what we already expect it to be, just like Jinbe was given Helmsman moments before he joins despite there being absolutely no mention of his history or character being good at that role. He just so happened to take control of ships back around Impel Down. It wasn't until we already knew he would join that he was shown taking up that role seriously.
If we want to shoehorn Carrot as lookout, then maybe she gains Future Sight Haki in the big battle, and she'll become the Future Sight Lookout of the crew. I'm really not concerned either way.
Even her big "look at this character" chapter (the Sulong one) is more about a power every mink has under very limited circunstances rather than something she's unique at using. It felt more like a chapter to explain the minks' trump card and hype their role in the big battle rather than something about Carrot.
It depends on whether or not her Sulong is any different than anyone elses. I made this point before, but when she uses Sulong, there is no other Mink present, and the Strawhats know nothing about the form. There is no gauge to her power and we have nothing to compare it to.
If we have a Mink in Wano say 'Carrot is the fastest Mink in Sulong form!' then it'd make her stand out. And it wouldn't be going against anything we've already seen or know about her. She's just more special now because of new information that sets her apart from the rest. Just one little statement can make a big difference.
Even in an understandable context just hearing that secret prince/nazi dad schlock being described as Sanjis true history just churns my stomach. Tacking that one on after the beautiful Zeff flashback is borderline criminal
If I knew it'd churn your stomach I would have said it earlier.
Sanji's true origin is his original flashback. That's the one that defines him as a character. The Germa background was an addition, not a replacement. It's something to tell us what Sanji rejected to become who he is
I agree, but I also think that Sanji is beginning to accept who he is, both as Zeff's apprentice and as a Vinsmoke. Him actually using the Raid suit is one step towards this IMO, at least symbolically. He may outright deny it, but his actions speak more loudly than his words.
Yeah you won't see the Vinsmokes invited to the Sanji Pudding family barbecue like Grandpa Zeff and Uncle Patty and Carne
Gosh I hope Avalo kills Judge.
That'll serve double purpose, getting rid of the evil and confirming Sanji's versus.
what do think about the fact that Carrot shared her introduction panel with Wanda?
Are you really pretending we didn't get the super crucial Sanji/Zeff flashback to make a point as to why its okay that Carrot has no compelling backstory after 200 chapters?
Yeah, Sanji got his second flashback later, but that was hardly his defining point or the origin of his dreams.
And Robin had a crapload of mysteries tied into her throughout Alabasta. Maybe nothing screaming crewmate at the time, but lots of "she's got mysteries and secondary agendas going on"
Carrot doesn't need a tragic backstory. Not every Straw Hat needs a tragic backstory. Carrot never left her hometown and seems to have lived a relatively peaceful life and that's okay. Sometimes authors can deviate ever so slightly from the established formula. Pedro's death in Whole Cake would serve the same narrative purpose as a tragic flashback. The special thing about flashbacks is not that they happened in the past. The special thing is that they have a profound impact on a character.
Gosh I hope Avalo kills Judge.
That'll serve double purpose, getting rid of the evil and confirming Sanji's versus.
Don't be such a downer. We can still hope Judge is already dead.
what do think about the fact that Carrot shared her introduction panel with Wanda?
Franky shared his with Kiwi and Mozu…
But if you want to hit low, you can point out upon seeing them Luffy said "A dog...!?", so his attention seemed to be focused on Wanda and overlooking Carrot.
@.access:
But if you want to hit low, you can point out upon seeing them Luffy said "A dog…!?", so his attention seemed to be focused on Wanda and overlooking Carrot.
How about 'What do you think about her being named after food'?
My shortlist of potential Strawhats consists of characters with no more than two vowels in their name. Tama, Carrot, Drake - OK! But Kinemon? Kawamatsu? Nekomamushi? Heeelll no!
How about 'What do you think about her being named after food'?
Ranging from "irrelevant" to "positive, if anything, considering he is a big DB fan".
Well I can see this forum hasn't changed in the past years. Love the discussion on each side. Anyway, let's join on the beautiful discussion of new Nakama. Perhaps when I have a bit more time I will actually make a bigger text out of it.
Anyway here we go in 2012 I stated: [http://forums.arlongpark.net/showthread.php?t=36966&page=59&p=2592512&viewfull=1#post2592512
Why not Helmsman? The fact he should work togehter with the Navigator makes it more common sense he should be the Helmsman a Fishman and Nami controlling the ship. Yeah that's some sort of sign imo… for the readers :).
W](http://forums.arlongpark.net/showthread.php?t=36966&page=59&p=2592512&viewfull=1#post2592512)hy do I bring that up? Because storywise it made sense that it would go that way. In the end Jinbe, who seemed really boring in some people their eyes with and with no past or dream did end up joining. But much later than we finally expected. One Piece is a story that does follow certain rules in it's telling.
We are currently in the endgame of One Piece. So anyone that will join now has much less screentime and needs more time to get on the level of investment we got with the other Straw Hats. For example think back how people were also still not warming up to Brook for a long while and how an arc like Whole Cake Island changed that very quickly.
But Jinbe had quite a following already. Why is that? Because he was in the story already for a long while and thus we could start bonding with him. In my opinion a new Straw Hat that is going to join is someone we already know.
I still believe that there is a certain pattern that I have simplified beneath:
East Blue
Zoro - Three-styled Swordsman - Master Type
Usopp
Sanji
Nami
Grand Line: Paradise
Chopper
Robin
Franky
Brook - One-styled Swordsman - Speed Type
–-
In each part of the sea we had some commonalities
We had one female joining and we had a swordsman joining. You could even argue that we had a pervert and a mechanic joining in each sea.
Swordusers:
What peaked my interest is that during Zoro vs Ryuma, Brook mentioned something in regards to different swordstyles: Power, Speed and Master. Furthermore, the fact that Zoro uses three swords made me think that a Power Type - Two Sword user would be the logical next step to join the crew.
Female: Well this makes sense Nami and Robin are both females period.
In short, I do believe that we will get a total of four more members in the New World and they are also characters that, in some form, are already known or fleshed out. If you want to push the parallel for now my idea goes with the following:
But honestly the only one that makes most sense to me (storywise) is Carrot. The other three are still interchangeable for me in the story as well.
Why Carrot and Kin'emon(or other Kozuki retainer)?
With the introduction of Oden's past and connection to Roger's Crew I was surprised how intertwined the Kozuki and Minks were with the One Piece.
Storywise it would make sense to have both, someone from Wano as well as a Mink joing the crew of the future Pirate King. Furthermore, the retainers of the Kozuki clan, especially Kin'emon had a larger story that went from the beginning of the New World. Plus with my previous thoughtstream of having the different styles of swordusers as well as the missing two-styled user. Kin'emon was higher on my list for the retainers.
Nami seems to start to fit the role of kunichi in Wano, so I wouldn't be suprised she will learn some things from Wano as well in the rest of their adventures. As of why I haven't add for Raizo. Last but not least, his but as been asked by Luffy to join the crew during Punk Hazard. ;)
With Kin'emon there is counter point as well: his wife is on the island which he hasn't seen for 20 years. So that could also say, there is no way he is joining.
Then lets get the rabbit out of the hat, why Carrot?
Carrot joined the crew in a similar fashion as Nekomamushi and Inurashi joined the Roger Pirates, by being a stoaway. Another reason I think she would fit is yes, I do think she would be a great lookout. But there is another reason, which is story based. She joined the crew to and went to save Sanji this was to let us know her. The thing is… she wasn't important to the story at all and that makes her joining the arc of Whole Cake a reason to join. Without her the story would have been quite the same and other characters could have taken her place. Pedro and Pekoms both where there to show Sulong if needed. So Carrot was put in for a reason.
The first part was to let her get some time with the Straw Hats, secondly to show us that she can fend for herself in the New World. Her dream is simple: To travel and bring the Dawn of the World which will be Dawn that shines a light to the Void Century. The final step of her joining is a second loss: The death of Inurashi. Which has been slightly speculated due to the way his shading has been drawn in several flashback of Oden.
Jinbe, Kin'emon and Carrot all have something in common. The Sun that brings the Dawn. All three either had something to do with a loose connection to Dawn (this is quite speculation as well) (Close to a tinfoil hat ;))
Why Kuzan or Vegapunk?
Lastly, I put in Kuzan and Vegapunk. I believe either of them will join the crew of the Straw Hats near the end of the story. They will travel to see the One Piece and will be fighting Blackbeard there as well. Vegapunk would be the connection with the Revolutionaries (as I think he is part of the Revolutionaries in secret, abiding his time). Plus Vegapunk would be kind of a Jinbe story then as well (being foreshadowed for ages ahaha)
Kuzan is interesting as he is the pheasant that also fits with story of the monkey. Plus having an ex admiral joining the crew would make a lot complete.
I do realise the latter two are less fleshed out and I agree, I still have to look for some symbolism or wait for the story to have advanced if it makes sense to my assumption/idea that I have.
Why Tama or Momo?
In regards to the Cabinboy/girl function on the ship they would both fit the bill as well as the connection with the Kozuki Clan and the fact that Oden lived with his wife on Roger's Ship (yes I am shipping Momo and Tama), plus the fact we had two Cabin crew members on the Roger Pirates it could actually be a possiblity of them joining as well or one of them. Though, I am not sure if the function of Cabin Boy/Girl would fit in the Straw Hat Crew. But again, I wouldnt be suprised if one or both of them join.
In regards to this I want to thank you for reading. I am quite sure people have their own idea on the matter and that is fine. I am not here to convince you otherwise and I am quite sure I can be wrong as well. But due to the fact that we have a crew that is so well known, having new members join and give them slightly more screen time works as well. So a crew of 13 in total seems large, but with the love that we all have for all the Straw Hats, I am quite sure that is possible. Especially if the crew members that join are also somewhat known.
But I do hope it perhaps gave you some other thoughts, Cheers!
P.S:
Lastly, I want to give my thoughts on the Straw Hat that I actually got during the writing of this message… which got larger than expected. The Straw Hat,if you look from above, could actually be related to the sun if you think about it. Then the Dawn of the World the Kozuki's talk about could be talking about the one wearing the Straw Hat that lets the sun shine on the Void Century for the world to see.
P.S.S:
As to stay in theme with Wano I did a Ninja edit to add the Cabin possibilities of Tama and Momo.
You started out with quoting your old post about a cabin boy, and then never even mentioned Tama. disappointed.
You started out with quoting your old post about a cabin boy, and then never even mentioned Tama. disappointed.
Haha, sorry about that. Honestly, I am not sure if the Straw Hat crew would work with one. But I am certainly not against it. Tama or Momo both fit that bill certainly. Especially the connection that Tama had with Ace could have her go on the see. Or some kind of after effect of the Time-Time fruit will actually age Momo and/or Tama which would solve the age and strength issue that they have (just randomly thinking on it). I do wonder what you thought of the rest of the post though.
Plus the me of some years ago certainly has different ideas. I just read one of my posts thinking Kanjouro would eat the Mera Mera no Mi, so lets not go there.
You started out with quoting your old post about a cabin boy, and then never even mentioned Tama. disappointed.
We're not gender fluid, a boy is a boy
Haha, sorry about that. Honestly, I am not sure if the Straw Hat crew would work with one. But I am certainly not against it. Tama or Momo both fit that bill certainly. Especially the connection that Tama had with Ace could have her go on the see. Or some kind of after effect of the Time-Time fruit will actually age Momo and/or Tama which would solve the age and strength issue that they have (just randomly thinking on it). I do wonder what you thought of the rest of the post though.
Plus the me of some years ago certainly has different ideas. I just read one of my posts thinking Kanjouro would eat the Mera Mera no Mi, so lets not go there.
I'm not a big believer in patterns myself, and it does feel kind of rushed to just throw 2-3 members at the end of the series.
Plenty of users have made some good points on why Carrot won't join, there's also some good arguments for her joining I suppose, but she always felt like a side character to me that just happened to get some extra exposure.
As for Kinemon… His climax is coming right now, defeating the invading forces of Wano and opening up the border to Wano as Oden wished, after that, if he still alive, I think his plot line is done. I never got the impression of him being Oden v2, wanting to travel seas or experiencing adventures. But at least his DF power fits within the only pattern I believe in, the devil fruit numbers theory.
As for Kuzan... If he joins we will have four curly black haired in the crew, its small details like this that makes me immediately disregard characters as potential crew members. And his Ice powers will kind of make Brooks ice powers obsolete.
And Vegapunk overlaps with Franky a bit too much regarding their engineering, science and inventing imo.
I remember a strawhat pattern I made all the way back in like 2004 lol it went like this
monster trio:
Luffy
Sanji
Zoro
Mid tier:
Robin
Paulie
new female crewmember
Weak trio:
Chopper
Nami
Usopp
Serious badasses:
Zoro
Sanji
Paulie
3 women:
Nami
Robin
future female member
the three fools:
Luffy
Usopp
Chopper
and the future female member would be a a flying fish fishwoman, fighting with a flute occupying the musician position.
I honestly don’t believe Oda would put a character in the crew without a flashback and a dream
I’m still waiting for Jinbei’s flashback/dream, plus we still need to see how he got his scar
We got his flashback and dream already… wdym
Didn’t we have a discussion about this before? I’m not the best at paraphrasing but someone talked about how it was more of a fishman Island flashback than Jinbei’s, and we still Don’t know how he got his scar, and other stuff about his past
I’ll try to find the original post, I think it might have been Robby, I’m not quite sure