@Shift:
I'm a bit confused. Have I not being fair with how I'm evaluating Yamato vs Carrot?
My point about the apprentice thing is simply that whoever joins won't have it as their job title. Yamato has a lot of things going for him than just being a rookie pirate, same as Chopper and as Carrot.
No, I don't think Yamato will join, but I've said that by and large, he's got a lot of the pieces of a crewmate. He's strong, he's loyal, his design largely works. It's nearly too perfect, which rasies my suspicions, but I could certainly be paranoid on that.
My main issue is that Oda had his crew planned for a long time, and Jinbe, as you likely understand, was in the cards from the very beginning despite all the time it took to get him here. I can't accept the idea that Oda would just whip up a new Straw Hat from thin air during a story's climax, nor can I believe Yamato was ever planned with the crew considering how rushed Oda made his intro into the story despite having years to at least introduce the concept of Kaido's son. No matter how impressive or touching Yamato may turn out to be, it feels too simple after all the time he took on Jinbe.
Sorry if that came off wrong but that's not to suggest you're not being fair between the characters but rather if it's just as you pointed out with Jinbe who was planned from the first sketch, yet took a sort of very long round about way to finally joining, then certainly Yamato's lack of foreshadowing or sudden importance to the narrative of Wano and the story at large shouldn't be dismissed as mere red herring or misdirection on Oda's part, especially this late in the game.
We here can agree on one thing , after Vivi left and Robin joined or maybe even Franky for that matter, Oda's way of recruitment hasn't been as straight forward. The similar story beats are there. Sad past, social outcast to society based on a particular circumstance or ongoing problem. Role model or Mentor who motivated them and made a sacrifice that shaped them moving forward in their lives. The Dream to fulfill being the final outlier.
These arcs of the crew are often similar to the Blues. If they were, certain music always plays the same sound but never the same song. If each character was an instrument , Oda uses each of them to play the Blues differently.
How it concerns Apprenticeship I honestly think it's just as straight forward as you can get with Yamato , who apart from being a standout fighter is really naive to the world outside of Wano's borders. She'd be just barely taking the steps to walk the path of a Pirate , with for all intents and purposes makes her a rookie. Not like Cavendish either , more like all the crew members when they first left their respective Island. Specifically the first five members, Robin had been around the block, Franky is arguable because he was already a mafia boss but how it concerns piracy they were all viewed as rookies two years ago. Except Brook and Jinbe obviously , who are true blue veterans.
Don't get me wrong , Oda could easily tack her on as another Fighter, but with how particular he's been it just seems to make the most literary sense especially since the position was subtly implied throughout Wano's reflections of the past or flashback through Sengoku and Oden. Which seems like something that hasn't happened since Brook.
Who was apart of a Pirate crew of musicians , kinda on the nose, no? How could he not be the musician of the crew , right? OR Franky being a former Shipright's apprentice when the crew needed one really bad, or when Nami was sick and they needed a Doctor and they just so happen to wash up on an island full of them. Recruiting the cook Sanji at a sea diner. Coincidentally running into the son of one of the greatest snipers in the world. Finding a Map and weather nerd like Nami to be your navigator and finally someone completely obsessed with fighting as your First Mate. Even Robin's role on the crew became essential unknowingly to the Strawhats , or the readers. It just wasn't revealed until a more crucial point in the story.
The roles in the crew have ranged from essential necessity to the said person's or Luffy's owns desire to have them as Nakama.
Things obviously evolved when Jinbe is finally introduced, or to be more precise the stakes evolved. Instead of an almost casual adventurous travel with his friends from Island to Island righting past wrongs, Luffy finds himself separated from his newly formed crew and desperate to infiltrate a great underwater prison to rescue his own brother for once, a first in the story something has been so personal, anyway if we imagine the crew had been with him yet separated from the Sunny, Jinbe's later revealed expertise how it concerns everything ocean and Helmsmanship would've come off a lot more essential , wouldn't? I doubt there would've even been a debate what his role would be much less the question in he'd join.
I think where the disconnect with the apprentice role is for one we automatically equate it with kids, or younger naive characters like Chopper. Or on the strength spectrum we assume they have to be at certain lower level compared to the established members where as Yamato comes off as a monster but again Luffy's crew isn't like most crews out there.
We have to remember that when Oden , Izo, Neko and Inu joined Whitebeard they were all technically Apprentices despite their status on Wano as badass Daimyo and retainers. And Luffy for whatever reason seemed to take Shanks views on bringing kids aboard a pirate ship to heart so I doubt he'll ever allow it. As we both said Chopper is the closest but he's literally their Doctor.
All I'm saying, is if the Straw hats did ever have an Apprentice , big if , I know. It's more in the vein and style of Luffy's weird tastes and how events seem to unfold in his favor if it's Yonko's monster child who's never seen or experienced the outside world before. Especially if said character's dream and goal is write and chronicle her own Journey like Oden did once upon a time.
I could be wrong though of course.