Regarding Robin, I assumed her being able to sprout giant limbs and full blown clones of herself counted as an upgrade? Maybe her "final" upgrade is a giant clone of herself?
She's had that since the timeskip though. She hasn't gotten any new making progress updates since.
Of course she also hasn't had any fights. But Nami hasn't either and she got a sentient cloud!
Ever since Carrot went Su Long and Chopper had an interesting panel of him, I've felt Chopper was very suited for it.
The full on clone is definitely new but the main thing Robin has been able to do now is that her limbs can seemingly sprout without needing an anchor or root. The clone is an example but the clearest moment is during the Diamente fight. I mean maybe her hands sprouted off of the petals in the air but she definitely never showed anything like that pre time skip.
I think Blackbeard's crew is a good foreshadowing device. It's not completed yet, there's at least one member we don't know yet, and more could join it. Also, the future Straw Hat may fight one of ther known BB captains, while the last BB captain may fight one of the current SHs.
So, let's put your theories to the teste, who your SH candidate is going to fight on BB's crew?
There's not much point in speculating that because aside from Captain/Captain, Swordsman/Swordsman, Sniper/Sniper, and Doctor/Doctor, we don't really know who the rest of the crew is being paired with. We can make guesses based on appearances or titles or crew roles, but for instance at this point we really don't know if Lafitte is an opponent for Sanji or Brook. Burgess is a big bulky wrestler guy that has already lost to Sabo, so he needs to get a fruit upgrade before the end, but he's Helsmman… does that make him the foe for Jinbe? Or does his upper body strength means he's for leg strength Sanji? San Juan Wold is giant fishman, is he meant to be an ocean fight for Jinbe? Or a boat fight for Franky and the Sunny? And so on. If you go with the group that appeard first and match them to crew members that first appeared in Jaya that narrows it down some, but Oda was playing the long-game with Brook, so...
Avalo Pizarro though, between his horns and king title, might have former connections to Kaidou...
Yeah, I always felt Vasco Shot and Robin would be a good match up, I don't know why though. And there's Avalo Pizarro with his horns:ninja:
Here’s how Naruto should end: Last panel is Naruto standing proudly over Konohagakure. Slowly zoom out to reveal Luffy staring into a snowglobe with a miniature Konoha inside it. Usopp asks him what he’s doing. Luffy replies “Thinkin’ bout ninjas! Ninjas are cool!” and then chucks it off the ship
If memory serves correct, Wolf is a giant, but also ate a DF that allows him to grow in size.
Yeah, I always felt Vasco Shot and Robin would be a good match up, I don't know why though. And there's Avalo Pizarro with his horns:ninja:
Vasco is extraordinary ugly, mentally and physically speaking. So 100% Robin's ballpark.
If that trend continues in Wano (assuming she gets a fight…) then I would consider Vasco vs. Robin a given.
Vasco is extraordinary ugly, mentally and physically speaking. So 100% Robin's ballpark.
If that trend continues in Wano (assuming she gets a fight…) then I would consider Vasco vs. Robin a given.
Yeah, the fight back in Skypeia was always the one indicator for Robin and Vasco for me.
Here’s how Naruto should end: Last panel is Naruto standing proudly over Konohagakure. Slowly zoom out to reveal Luffy staring into a snowglobe with a miniature Konoha inside it. Usopp asks him what he’s doing. Luffy replies “Thinkin’ bout ninjas! Ninjas are cool!” and then chucks it off the ship
I thought Sanji would fight Vasco since it seemed like a food themed thing
I thought Sanji would fight Vasco since it seemed like a food themed thing
Sadly Sanji's fights are rarely food related. His badass one-liners are, but the only real food fight he had was vs. Wanze. Probably my favorite fight in the whole series, next to Robin vs. Yama.
So if we go by themes and trends, Sanji would fight the "martial arts dude" of Blackbeard's crew, which is Burgess. He's even a mirror of Sanji's character, a dark Mr. Prince.
! MR. STORE!
I'm with Robby though, he needs that DF upgrade first. Maybe it will be food related, like the Mochi or Biscuit fruit.
There's not much point in speculating that because aside from Captain/Captain, Swordsman/Swordsman, Sniper/Sniper, and Doctor/Doctor, we don't really know who the rest of the crew is being paired with. We can make guesses based on appearances or titles or crew roles, but for instance at this point we really don't know if Lafitte is an opponent for Sanji or Brook. Burgess is a big bulky wrestler guy that has already lost to Sabo, so he needs to get a fruit upgrade before the end, but he's Helsmman… does that make him the foe for Jinbe? Or does his upper body strength means he's for leg strength Sanji? San Juan Wold is giant fishman, is he meant to be an ocean fight for Jinbe? Or a boat fight for Franky and the Sunny? And so on. If you go with the group that appeard first and match them to crew members that first appeared in Jaya that narrows it down some, but Oda was playing the long-game with Brook, so...
Avalo Pizarro though, between his horns and king title, might have former connections to Kaidou...
It's always fun to see what people expect from the Blackbeard pirates. And. since they are the ultimate Match Up topic, I feel it's cool to see how people match them with current and future Strawhats.
Aside from the obvious ones (Luffy vs. Teach, Zoro vs. Shiryu, Usopp vs. Van Auger, Chopper vs. Doc Q), my guesses that will probably rile up a lot of people are:
That leaves out:
Versus
These last three match-ups are harder to tell. Burgess can get a totally unpredictable power, we know nothing of Avalo Pizarro's powers and history, Sanjuan Wolf does not seem like the kind of character that provides a nice match up and I feel he may be in a sea battle against the Sunny. And the Tenth Titan may be a misdirection from Oda to be replaced by Bakkin, or he could be a real match up if Sanjuan Wolf isn't.
I've heard a theory that Pizarro has some link to Germa, as he comes from the same sea and was known as Corrupt King, and that he may be Sanji's match, but it's hard to tell.
Sometimes I feel Robin will fight whoever steals Aokiji's DF, giving her a personal battle to avenge him. But I have no idea how her powers could match a logia.
Wano predictions: There will be 5 acts; All Straw Hats will get fights, some in Act 4; Big Mom Pirates will arrive; Carrot will have her moment, but won't join; Yamato will be a Kouzuki samurai and Wano's Guardian; Shanks will visit Luffy in Act 5; Next arc is Mary Geoise.
See, I can see Nami versus Catarina Devon just because Catarina's wheelhouse seems to be trickery related and that's partially up Nami's alley, especially since she's been a kunoichi this whole arc.
See, I can see Nami versus Catarina Devon just because Catarina's wheelhouse seems to be trickery related and that's partially up Nami's alley, especially since she's been a kunoichi this whole arc.
I feel Nami's opponent will use more "magical" attacks and remain at distance. While Nami can create illusions, it's mostly to keep away from opponents. Devon seen to be the kind of opponent that liked to use melee weapons, as her spear, sword and moniker indicate.
Wano predictions: There will be 5 acts; All Straw Hats will get fights, some in Act 4; Big Mom Pirates will arrive; Carrot will have her moment, but won't join; Yamato will be a Kouzuki samurai and Wano's Guardian; Shanks will visit Luffy in Act 5; Next arc is Mary Geoise.
Two of Nami's most iconic opponents (Kalifa and Ms. Doublefinger) were both up-close-and-personal combatants. Don't see any reason she couldn't match up against Catarina Devon, given the right circumstances.
Also, the Dragonball vs. Naruto battle theme is too good to pass up.
Lol I always found it funny that Bon Clay had to go through a whole process to turn into someone and Catrina can just turns into whoever she wants and can turn into a Zoan hybrid
I want to see the 10th before predicting fights.
Nami vs Devon is a given just based off Oda will never give Nami anything other than the designated chick fight.
Asides from Zoro going out of his way to fight what ends up being Swordsmen (Pica, really?) and Luffy always tackling the big bad, I don't really see any reason to pit Strawhat vs X as if it's all supposed to line up in a classic 'Good vs Evil' matchup.
The last time it really happened was Fishman Island, and I think that was more to show off what new techniques the crew had to offer after the timeskip. Everything after that was a mish-mash that kind of broke a lot of patterns. Of course you get the odd matchup like Franky vs Senor Pink or Usopp vs Sugar, but for the most part the baddies get matched up against Strawhat allies all the time too. Even top dogs like Diamante ended up facing off against Kyros instead of a Strawhat, and Trebol was taken out by a mix of Luffy and Law.
I could be wrong and maybe the Blackbeard pirates are supposed to mirror the Strawhats, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to just line up everyone as though Chopper will face off Doc Q just because they're both doctors and are matched accordingly. I really hope it doesn't get down to being that predictable. I'd rather see more chaos and matchups being haphazard, like Marineford and how tables got turned every couple chapters.
At least the captain and his fourth big men seem quite clear to me.
!
Teach's higher ranked titans, vs what I believe would be Luffy's biggest rewards. Zoro, Sanji and Jinbro are guaranteed to remain at the top at the end of Wano, Usopp's already part of the 5 biggest bounties atm, and I if he actually pulls off to take down the Numbers(to make true another one of his lies), Drake is right there, and he could continue being in the top 5 bounties, also it seems like he's being built to become a great pirate as well, since the reunion between the SH's and Redhair Pirates should be approaching, Yassop is going to meet a world-renowned pirate that is his son.
Jinbro vs Burguess has much more going for it than Sanji, you have the martial artist, the helmsman, and plus, Sanji never made any kind of emotional connection with Ace while Jinbro did. and Burguess likes to make fun of Ace's fate, so there's no way Burguess will somehow end up fighting Sanji.
We still need to learn more from Avalo, but I don't think Sanji is going to fight anyone outside of the five higher ranked BB's pirates and there's no one else left but him.
anyways, there could be a Pizarros/Vinsmoke conflict since both are from the north blue, and both are apparently royalty, Sanji wouldn't care for this of course UNLESS, Avalo does a bit of murdering to Sanji's family.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Nami vs Devon is a given just based off Oda will never give Nami anything other than the designated chick fight.
yeah, I mean, Robin pulls off to defeat males from time to time, but really one of the reasons I don't see any other female joining the SH's is because I don't see how Oda will on his right mind, allow THREE titans be defeated by females only.
Nami vs Devon is a given just based off Oda will never give Nami anything other than the designated chick fight.
Nami vs. Bakkin would still be a chick fight. 
Two of Nami's most iconic opponents (Kalifa and Ms. Doublefinger) were both up-close-and-personal combatants. Don't see any reason she couldn't match up against Catarina Devon, given the right circumstances.
In both of those cases, Nami's challenge was mostly to survive long enough to pull her big punches, while the enemies were mostly toying with her because they thought her weak. I feel the Blackbeard pirates are meant to be dark mirrors of the SHs, and that they'll be challenge to their skills and dreams. To me, Nami will fight someone who can mirror or counter her clima tact abilities, requiring a lot more effort from her.
time to remind people of Tamas DF and the DF numbers pattern!
quick reminder of the DF pattern:
!
first one and the most likely possibility for Tamas devil fruit to fit into the pattern is, Kyuji Kyuji no mi
!
drawing references to both Momotaro with the kibidango but also Anpanman (Oda had an interview with the author in one of the color walks) who feeds animals and people with his head
!
another possibility is Tsuku Tsuku no mi, derived from natsuku, meaning emotionally attached.
!
this df seems more like a stretch but at the same time it opens up doors for more versatility in her power imo, and if this is indeed the name, then Oda has cleverly put a hint to it in an sbs, where he mentioned how the tanuki tea pot has become emotionally attached to Hitetsu and Tama.
!
both names fit into being the 9 and 2 that are missing in crew as can be seen in the wikis numbers window
!
but I think it's a bit of a stretch to just line up everyone as though Chopper will face off Doc Q just because they're both doctors and are matched accordingly.
Doc Q ALSO has a horse that he works with. So there's some animal hybrid stuff going on there, that also sets him up for CHopper.
Not to mention we have seen Choppers beef to other doctors and scientists with Hogback and Ceasar, that mano o mano has to happen!
I do still love the numbers theory. I'm kinda worried that it might not come to pass since.. well, Oda knows about it. So the question is whether he wants to do it or not, since in a way it'd be kinda predictable. But maybe thats why he's been playing coy with Tama.
Really my favourite part is that when you add all the numbers together you get the Sunny (325), which is just so perfect. I need it in my life.
What other potential devil fruits would work with that, anyway (current and theoretical)? Not saying it'll happen, just curious.
What other potential devil fruits would work with that, anyway (current and theoretical)? Not saying it'll happen, just curious.
Kuma's fruit would work, Kinemons would work
then theres niku which is meat/flesh, neko which is cat
What other potential devil fruits would work with that, anyway (current and theoretical)? Not saying it'll happen, just curious.
Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu and Kinemon's Fuku Fuku are the two big known ones. Some also claim that Monet's Yuki Yuki fits, but that doesn't seem to be as clear.
Too many different permutations to tackle on the "theoretical" side, unfortunately.
I feel Nami's opponent will use more "magical" attacks and remain at distance. While Nami can create illusions, it's mostly to keep away from opponents. Devon seen to be the kind of opponent that liked to use melee weapons, as her spear, sword and moniker indicate.
Devon is literally a magic transforming fox.
What other potential devil fruits would work with that, anyway (current and theoretical)? Not saying it'll happen, just curious.
The funny thing is because there's multiple different characters which can be used for each number, there's a lot of permutations, syllables and meanings… Especially something weird like Paw fruit where it barely describes the actual power at all and just an aspect of it. . But of the sensible ones
Nikyu = paw (kuma)
Niku = meat
Niko = *elephant (zou zou already exists)
Jikyu = persistence
Jiku = axis/axle
Jiko = accident
Fukyu = uncouth
Fuku = clothes (kinemon)
Fuko = *wolf (inu inu: model wolf already exists)
Tama's fruit might be the tsuke tsuke which is "attach", and that would also fit the pattern though it starts getting a little trickier and requires more nuance in the language than I have.
Monet's fruit Yuki Yuki apparently sort of fits but you really have to stretch it and reverse the numbers, or possibly have a bad grasp of japanese to make it work. Not sure which. At this point I'm fairly convinced that's something a monet fan made up five years ago to argue for her joining and it stuck as a taken for granted myth.
It gets worse if you allow 9.2 to be the word instead, because then you get another dozen options, including Kuni (country) which is where they are now, Wano Kuni, suddenly, ball child, lottery, accident, payment... and some other things... but that doesn't allow for the perfect adding up to Su-ni-go which HAS to be intentional, that's just beyond coincidence.
Then it gets REALLY bad because words can stack into other words in weird ways thanks to how kanji works, but I think Oda tends to keep devil fruits simpler, so...
This of course all gets harder if Oda gets really crazy and stretches, and uses the abbreviation of a word instead of a full word to make something.
My grasp of japanese is nowhere near strong enough to make any real examples though.
So Oda could in theory pull out "this is the watermelon fruit. But actually, melon turns into asparagus, which then turns into eighteen, which is of course two times nine!" so there could be any sort of stretch if he wants it so. (The previous sentence is complete nonsense example, none of those words turn into those things.)
I'm actually thinking Tama's fruit will be the Kyuji fruit which is a onomatopoeia of feeding an animal.
I don't believe that Yamato will join simply because she probably knows what One Piece is and all the other stuff about Laugh Tale
Devon is literally a magic transforming fox.
Yes, but not in the sense that she throws ranged magical energy bolts, turns invisible or can control elemental forces like heat, lightning and cold.
Devon's ultimately a physical opponent (melee weapons plus zoan forms) with a shapechanging perk.
It gets worse if you allow 9.2 to be the word instead, because then you get another dozen options, including Kuni (country) which is where they are now, Wano Kuni, suddenly, ball child, lottery, accident, payment… and some other things... but that doesn't allow for the perfect adding up to Su-ni-go which HAS to be intentional, that's just beyond coincidence.
wait, what? :ninja:
and the kanji for kuni, 国, has the kanji for Tama, 玉, in it
Yamato WILL join the SHs.
The situation will be pretty much the same as when Oden joined Whitebeard Pirates : )
I don't believe that Yamato will join simply because she probably knows what One Piece is and all the other stuff about Laugh Tale
Yo but imagine this though
Yamato offers to tell the crew what she knows, and they decline because they all want to find out for themselves, so she stays quiet about it
Then when they reach Laugh Tale, whenever we get a big revelation about something Yamato is just like "yep, knew that already". Kinda like this moment from ch. 603
!
I don't believe that Yamato will join simply because she probably knows what One Piece is and all the other stuff about Laugh Tale
Obviously we don't really know what details Oden wrote in his journal yet, but I imagine that any references to Laugh Tale and One Piece would be roundabout at best - less "this is what we found" and more "because of what we found, this is what I have to do".
The people who made it to Laugh Tale and returned (notably Rayleigh and Crocus) have kept the mystery of what they found there intact, and I expect Oden would have followed suit.
I don't expect major specific details about Laugh Tale or end game stuff tbh. Only thing I'd expect is some history of Wano.
I don't believe that Yamato will join simply because she probably knows what One Piece is and all the other stuff about Laugh Tale
I agree, but only if there is any information about One Piece itself in the diary. If ,however, is only stuff about Wano or where to find the last Road Poneglyph, then I don't see a problem.
Why would Oden write about the contents of Laugh Tale in a diary that anyone could see? I got the feeling that the Roger Pirates were being secretive about the truth about it and had a pact with each other not to tell.
I dont think Yamato will join SHP.
He just want to fulfill Ooden wish to open Wano's border. Not be more than that.
I dont think Yamato will join SHP.
He just want to fulfill Ooden wish to open Wano's border. Not be more than that.
And Franky just wanted to build the pirate king's boat, he never mentioned wanting to sail on it until it was time to join.
Oden's wish will be done at the end of this arc… in like the next 12 hours for the characters. What does Yamato do with their life after that? She doesn't even know Momo and Co are still alive yet!
I find Yamato an interesting case study in inheriting one's will versus taking a will of your own. It's important to see the dreams of others flourish, but what about your own? Figuring out Yamato's own identity might be an interesting take on a new crewmate if she every joins.
The only thing is that is also similar to Usopp's original dream of becoming a "brave warrior of the sea" which to me just means finding your own identity among your travels, but we'll see.
And Franky just wanted to build the pirate king's boat, he never mentioned wanting to sail on it until it was time to join.
Oden's wish will be done at the end of this arc… in like the next 12 hours for the characters. What does Yamato do with their life after that? She doesn't even know Momo and Co are still alive yet!
Yes! And I believe her ties to Wano might not be as set as stone… especially from the dialogue from 984 "Since the Akazaya Nine are dead, someone else has to pick up Oden's will."
I'd personally love if Yamato joined, but… what purpose would she have?
I admit I didn't think of it before the first time Jinbe had piloted the Sunny, but having him be the helmsman makes a ton of sense, and in a way, I feel like the ship itself could never have been complete without him; Nami was always about reading the weather, not the waves.
But everyone on the crew has a clearly defined "purpose" (even if Zoro's is, you know, arguably not function-based but merely strength-based). We need someone who can give the straw hats something they really just don't have yet.
The only thing I've come up with is "scout". A scout would probably need to be able to fly. But if it's really necessary, Brook can fulfill that function alongside his basic function of "musician", so it goes back to me being unable to determine what is needed.
The crew seems complete with Jinbe. If someone comes along that has a unique talent that I truly can't imagine being replicated, that'll be awesome, but I wouldn't expect someone to join at this point to merely provide political power (or raw power). So I picked the last option but would be genuinely surprised if the final answer was neither that nor "other".
Though again, I'd love for Yamato to join already, that'd be sick--I just don't think it's realistic despite her attempts to become Oden and see the world with the pirate king.
Well, if Kaido never allowed Yamato to sail out there, tecnically she wouldn't know how to be a pirate, so Apprentice would fit her well.
I also been thinking that if Yamato has a dinosaur or mythological devil fruit, is going blast her already growing fanbase.
Oda can pull on and make one up for any character he wants, honestly I never got the focus on what there role should be cause its just supplementary as hell even Luffy didn't know Usopp had good canon skills or Chopper was even a doctor
Luffy recruits based on character for the most part, Oda can make an position he wants for a character and have who he wants fill it.
