@Tomatosoup:
Jabra: Don't want to quote you because so long of a post, but that's a really cool observation
Thank you! Took some time to find the panels again, but I think it makes alot of sense and explains well why Oda paired Sanji with Jinbe.
@TheCrystalShip:
I feel like Luffy is Shichi-level now, and the only Shichi whom Sanji could defeat,have probably grown much stronger over the timeskip, just like he did.
Yeah, I think Sanji/Zoro could defeat pre-ts Moriah or pre-ts Crocodile in a plot battle. But at least Crocodile is officially set up to be a major player again, and he did extremely well in the war (and he actually engaged dangerous opponents)
@BinSquarr:
@Jabra - you killed it with that post up there. There's no way that Sanji could be Shichibukai-level. Luffy's Shichibukai-level, and I'mma' say that's only been post-TS. Yes, he's cained Croc + Moria, but the 1st time he frankly was lucky that he didn't die twice and was doubly lucky that he was bleeding (or was that sweating…?) like fxck, the 2nd occasion he'd been powered up by 300 shadows(?). To add to this, Moria got demoted, which clarifies the fact that he's a level below his former colleagues. If Sanji could take out Law, for instance, right now, then so could Zoro, and with that, so could 10's of other tough pirates, and if that was the case, the very nature of the Shichibukai'd be directly undermined. Most of them've been seen to travel alone, so if 30% of any half-decent crew could take them out, individually, then you're not only cheapening the total value of the 7 Warlords, but that of the WG and the Yonkou. The power lies between these 3 parties, and with that being the case, joined by the fact that the WG refused to reveal information about Moria's beatdown to the World suggests that each of the Warlords harbour a tremendous amount of power. If any old Tom, Dick or Sanji were to be that powerful then shxt'd be fxcked up. What's more, there'd be no more buildings and shxt - because with that many tough cxnts knocking about civilization'd surely end.
Sigh, thank you. I fully agree, no one says that Zoro and Sanji are weak or anything, but at this point in the series it would be weird for them to match figures like Mihawk, Hancock, Jinbe or Law.
@RomanceDawn - Yeah man, exactly, the fact that the WB Elites could take on Shichibukai is a 'precursor' on Zoro and Sanji's strength. I do not believe that those 2 could not axe a Warlord to shxt come the manga's finale, but now, that'd be fxcked up. @TheCrystalShip - There are different levels of power within the Shichibukai, hence the fact that Moria got demoted, but they're all of a very similar level, unlike the fluctuating power levels of the SH. The balance World power depends on these guys - - they have to be something special. @CaptainKidd - Crocodile's hard as nails and you know it. He didn't need Haki back on Alabasta because he was the master of his DF. Now in the NW, I'm sure that he's developed his skills. Equally, he went 1-to-1 with Doflamingo @ Marineford. Moria only got demoted because he lost his crew, which would quite easily denote his weakness, however, if TB shows anything, it shows that Moria was just lazy as fxck. With that, and a loss of his crew, the man became immediately too weak for the Shichibukai. His strength, fxck it, his DF, lends itself to having a powerful crew - It's part of his power. Meanwhile, Mihawk floats about in a coffin because he can render a boat halved in 1 slash. Would this make him more powerful? In a singular sense, yes, however, what the fxck's Mihawk gonna' do w/o a shadow? All these guys're powerful, they must be the cream of piracy. The WG has access to loads of insanely strong pirates @ Impel Down, and think of how many of them'd wish to be free from the daily torture they face to be promoted to 'Government Dog'. That's quite a number, right? And still these guys're on top.
**I agree with all of that. Of course there are differences between them, and some might have the edge over others (Jinbe could probably defeat Crocodile due the water weakness, while the latter could do better against Doflamingo). But over all, there is nothing that indicates major differences between them. Moriah is the only one who got officially singled out because he got lazy, Crocodile got demoted because he tried to overthrow Alabasta (Shichi's are allowed to do a lot of illegal stuff, but actually attacking the government they are working for? Bye Bye.)
Whatever. I understand why people deem them weaker than the others. I don't agree for Crocodile (for various reasons), but at least I can comprehend why - they simply failed at one point, not talking about circumstances.
Now to something that I just don't get, why do people believe that Jinbe is weaker than the rest? I'm really the only one who realizes that Oda desperately keeps him on a leash? That he is saving his true strength for "something" coughbigmumwarcough?
Let's take a look, after all he is around for quite some time now.
Impel Down.
He fights his way through all 6 hell's, together with Luffy and Crocodile. The fodder is taken care of as always, and the feared Demon Guards are defeated in a similiar fashion.
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Alright, next they meet Blackbeard. Jinbe is the voice of reason and stops Luffy from engaging in combat, because they have a greater goal: saving Ace - in time.
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Perfectly explaining why 3 Shichibukai level characters (Ivankov, Jinbe + Croc) and pre time skip Luffy don't even dare to battle Magellan. Yes, his power is insane, but I doubt he could easily handle all four of them. Ivankov told them that getting infected by his poison means certain death, sooner or later, and the grand goal is to kill Whitebeard, or support Whitebeard, and ultimately saving Ace. It would have made no sense to engage him, not even after Jinbe got actually access to water.
Which brings me to Oda's next tease: Jinbe is in his element and could, in theory, even attack Magellan with ranged water attacks and dodge anything Magellan had to offer. He had the advantage. But again, it was not the goal to defeat the warden. Making it to the execution platform in time was.
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Leaving us with Jinbe not able to show his true power. Oda even teases us with him accidently going overboard. Everyone pretty much knows the panel I'm talking about. Here is it anyway.
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This was it for the Impel Down arc. I try the best I can, but I can see no weakness**.
Only Oda keeping him on a leash.**
Now to the war of the best.
Amazing, an island surrounded by lots of water, even perfectly shaped to utilize it on the battlefield (the middle):
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But no, f§$% that. No water for you Jinbe.
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From here on, everything Jinbe does is considered "on land", where Jinbe claims that he is "useless".
Let's see how useless he is.
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Probably the scene most Moriah fans hate the most, because it was likely one of the reasons why the Government deemed him as "too weak". He was no victim of a surprise attack there (like Crocodile/Jozu), or had to handle multiple opponents (Aokiji vs WB + Jozu). Moriah made the call in an empowered shadowform and got his ass handed to him by Jinbe. It doesn't matter that he was back up a few chapters later, all that matters is the message behind it - Moriah doesn't cut it anymore.
Personally I believe that he will make a grand come back in the NW, but lets stick with Jinbe for the moment.
His next moment is also well known, and probably one of the most impressive feats in the series so far. It isn't as flashy as, lets say, turning into a burning blue phoenix, but he did something only 3 other characters accomplished so far, WB, Shanks and Aokiji - the absolute top dogs in the OP world.
And now everybody knows what comes next:
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Jinbe blocked an attack of the absolute highest tier there is, from a character that is speculated to be the main villain of the series (alongside Blackbeard). With one. Damn. Hand. In a condition he himself considers "suboptimal".
Now, Jinbe goes "crazy heroic deosn't make sense" mode.
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At this point it is impossible to properly judge. It is the same nonsense as with Ace throwing himself in front of Akainu, instead of launching a real attack to block him.
Anyway, Jinbe turns his back against a freaking Admiral, arguably the strongest of the three, and runs away with an unconscious Luffy in his arms, taking any attack the others couldn't block. I don't say that he would have won against an Admiral, in my book none of the Shchi's can, but no one can deny that there was a proper handycap. Be it mentally or physically.
So, that was it for Marineford. Jinbe holding his own against anyone, while trashing a former Shichi, and sacrificing himself at the end. He couldn't uitilize his element, his "devil fruit", so to say, and still showed no sign of weakness.
Again, even at the war of the best, Oda kept him on a leash.
Next, the fishmen island arc. Here I thought we would see the full extent of what Jinbe is capable of. His "real arc".
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And that is exactly what happened. He let Luffy take down Hody. He let Luffy, a devil fruit user, fight a drugged fishmen underwater (despite Jinbe cursing the water weakness of Luffy time and time again in the past).
Like it or not, the plan was to let the SH's shine, not "Boss" Jinbe, who is already well respected. And it worked in the end.
But again, Oda kept him on a leash. In all three arcs was always "something" that prevented him from going all out, while always holding his own against anyone in his league (means anything below Admiral).
Like many speculate, the Big Mum arc is where it will probably all unload, at least that is how I see it.
In any case, I see no reason to place Jinbe below any other Shichibukai introduced so far, bar Moriah for obvious reasons.
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And I don't think Oda does as well.**