Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 8 - Onigashima)

[Coookie]

@Wintermute:

Unique. Tell me to draw Kaido's daughter. A copy of his father's fighting technique with an ordinary Onigashima female head. Ok, Oden's clothes… which is another copy. BM had more unique offsprings. Guess who showed them who's boss? A certain Mink.

We're talking about the physical design of characters, not their fighting techniques. How many women with red horns and white hair that turns green have you seen that you think it's ordinary? And how the hell do Carrot's actions in relation to completely different characters factor into this argument? You're building straw men here lol

[fana]

This chapter is for me another step into Yamato joining the crew.

I like that Yamato returned the journal to Momo. The only way I could really see her not joining is that if she decided to go on an adventure following Oden's travel log instead of following Luffy.

But now I can't see her leaving Wano (definitely going to) and choose not to go with Luffy, especially with the admiration she already has for him.

Regarding Luffy wanting to avoid spoilers, I'm pretty sure the journal don't have the BIG ones so it should be fine.

The adventure already took a shortcut anyway with the crew learning about the red poneglyphs in Zou so it's not like Luffy would visit all the islands Oden saw in his adventures with Roger and WB.

As for Carrot, while I'm sure that she won't join (nothing so far convinced me of the possibility), I'm still wondering what she will do after this arc.

I'm wondering if part of the Minks will resurrect the Nox Pirates and become the 8th crew under Luffy for the final war. My theory being that Luffy will end up with enough "sons" to make Usopp biggest lie true in the final arc so I expect more than the Dressrosa 7 to join the army (maybe the Sun Pirates will be the 9th). If it happens, Carrot would surely join that new Mink crew.

[Shift]

@Solid:

how is the tama and ace connection a shorthand when they were connected way back in marineford thanks to the amigasa hats, and since tama's introduction nearly a 100 chapters ago. come on!

Tama at least has the benefit of actually being in the arc from the start. But no, she wasn't foreshadowed just because Ace learned hat weaving in Wano, the same way Yamato wasn't foreshadowed just because it turns out Ace got the Vivre Card from him. They filled in spots in history that could have gone to just about anyone.

[Coookie]

@BobLoblaw:

If Yamato had sharp teeth, a scar, and some other defining features in addition to the horns, then I'd be much more accepting of his potential as a NN (foreshadowing notwithstanding).

I'll remember to ask you about this when we inevitably see Yamato's transformation about which we already know that he gets sharp teeth

[SeaOfHope]

As I have seen so far, I see no reason why Carrot won't just continue following the Straw Hats, especially after Chapter 877 and considering she was doing that during the raid prelude.

She doesn't stay with her military group or her leader, actively follows the Straw Hats around on her own accord, and on more than one occasion, mostly in WCI and transit to Wano, following their orders and instructions. There's no feasible way I can see her leading anyone or being with a group that isn't with the Straw Hats considering she is 15 and lacks seniority, authority, or experience among her tribe and has been far more heavily involved with the crew as opposed to her peers to simply be a "member" of a crew which no longer needs to exist.

Contrary to what Shift believes, I'm of the belief that Carrot doesn't officially join the crew when Wano concludes, but will stowaway (again), follow them to the next island which hopefully will be Elbaf so that her interest in giants might be shown, and by then we'll have more insight into her end goal as well as purpose. She needs time to develop, maybe she'll grow more than we hypothesize in this arc, but I fail to understand how she won't continue being around the Straw Hats when Pedro's last words were to know their significance and then peeps are saying she simply goes away thereafter.

[Syphin]

@Monquito:

@Wintermute:

Show me one character that looks like Carrot. While our second most appearing character in this manga, has the same face as Yamato.

This rag doll

I did mention this almost 2 years ago:
@Syphin:

That ninja from the Orochi Oniwabanshu also reminded me of Carrot in terms of character design. Would definitely prefer a character more creative and unique as the next Straw Hat Pirate nakama. An elemental Viking who wants to become a great farmer and solve world hunger perhaps. O.o.

This manga needs more Yuki-Onna Megane Harpy =).

[Logia]

@Wintermute:

Show me one character that looks like Carrot. While our second most appearing character in this manga, has the same face as Yamato.

While not a perfect match, Cindry from Thriller Bark.

[Smiley]

Yeah after this chapter, Yamato

! With him knowing Luffy's other dream and all is definitely joining, the only thing that I could see make Yamato stay in Wano was if the Scarabads died and since they all still breathing.
So to me Yamto joins and Carrot pulls a Oden.:ninja:

[flagandhat]

@Syphin:

Well barring the obvious obstacles, if Oda requires a megane character that is potentially versed in ornithology, astronomy, biology, chemistry and has expertise in working as an undercover spy, secretary, and scout, with insane research skills and strong fighting capabilities that is the only female character in the manga with a Logia Devil Fruit ability and has likely met Vegapunk before on top of being interested in the "Pirate King" title, Monet exist :ninja:.

Yes!. But we have more questions to solve, for example. My girlfriend says that Monet and sugar have to meet again. If we think carefully, doflamingo says that sugar and monet had a very diffucult past. And, if you read again dressrosa for example, the only two characters in donquixote PIRATES without a complete flashback were Monet and sugar. We saw, the past of all the crew. But, Monet only appears with sugar so many time later. We don´t know the sad past that DONQUIXOTE says. Is the only past that Oda din´t reveal to us… Is so interesting... Isn´t it?. This is one reason that Monet will be again in the story...
The other idea, is mine... Well, in punk hazard. The note which chooper reads. Monet, looks back to him when he run away. Many people think, and I respect other opinions, that was law who throw the letter. But in my opinion, it makes no sense. If law throw the letter. FIRST, he had to write with chains in his body and with his hands in his back. And, he had to had a pen with him. IS SO DIFFICULT DO THAT. In my opinion, the only one who could move, had a pen and write without chains. Is monet. Is the easiest way!!!!!!!... This is the second main idea to think tha monet is important... The first, the sad past with sugar. The second place, the rescue note with chopper. And well, the final idea is a theory with my girlfriend.
Well, is only a theory, i will be wrong. Who knows. Teach, have a book and he knows all the devil fruits in the world. And, sugar, the monet little sister. Have a very powerfull and a very strange power. She cans transform other people in toys and the rest of the world start to forget the identity of the guy who becomes a toy... Why not teach will try and search to this character in order to take his power to his pirate band?????. Oda, is in my opinion a very inteligent guy. And, if he put a monet a sister with a very terrible power... Is with intention of future... Well, is only my opinion.
Other one, if yo read the sbs. We can read two things about Monet. The first, says that her final destination isnt clarified. And the second one, is that caesar only atack hers but it didnt says if she is ok or not. So, Oda intention is make Monet a mistery with a very strange final destinition. So, why oda wanted to do that with this character??????!!!!!!!
Well, and is the only girl and character who knows astrology. And Enel is outside of the earth and in the past, astrology was very important to sailers...
So, I have four reasons to defend monet like nakama. The first one, is my girlfriend theory. Is very strange, that oda din´t reveal the sad past and nowadays is a mistery. The second one, is that MONET WAS WHO WRITE THE NOTE TO CHOOPER. (Well, is my opinion). Third, sugar, her little sister, has a ver terrible power and maybe teach wants it. The fourth, the sbs says that monet final destination isnt clarified. And final, is the only whoe knows astrology. And, in the crew only is a member someone with very specials skills... Like nami or robin with their special jobs like geography or archelogy...

Happy year to all the members of arlong park forums...!

[Shiebs]

I know I said I wanted a logia user but I didn’t think people were going back to Monet

If we’re gonna go for a logia user who were also once a villain I’d much rather have Sir Crocodile

Or hell just give someone Caribou’s fruit, cause I really love it

[BobLoblaw]

@Coookie:

I'll remember to ask you about this when we inevitably see Yamato's transformation about which we already know that he gets sharp teeth

That's fine, but we're talking about the form that he'll be in 99% of the time (chapters, cover spreads, merchandise). When we talk about Chopper, we don't talk about Monster Point Chopper.

[theackwardstation]

People's opinions on design remind me of my high school days when I used to scribble characters on my notebook to pass the time during classes. As an amateur with a little bit of skill, I'd just keep adding detail to make them cooler, so the characters would end up full of shit haha (sometimes the result was pretty cool though). I guess random people could think that I put a lot of thought/effort into those characters just because of how complicated they ended up being… but it's actually easy and fast to add detail, and I never tried to improve those characters after the first drawing (so not a lot of thought). They were just bursts of improvisation.

Unlike myself, Oda puts efforts and thought into all of his characters. You'll find even random ones who show up only for a page that have very intricate or unique designs, so the fact that Oda would not put an effort into a major characters is just insane, and the fact that this is presumed because of simplicity is just wrong. Imagine creating the main mink character of the series, who will be a major ally for an entire saga (at least), one of the top 20 characters in total chapters inclusions, but not putting a lot of thought into that mink design… Nah, that's not how things work, lol, unless the author had a stroke of inspiration and was finished in a few minutes, but very happy with it.

Oda probably had to draw Carrot many times until he got her right, changing hairstyle and eye shape, experimenting with sharper lines or rounder lines, trying between more animalistic features or a more human look, changing the clothes and having the idea for the weapon/gloves, and many other minor things that we take for granted but an illustrator has to ponder over, and all of this have to be considered in conjuction with what'll be the character personality, role and behavior. That's a lot of work that doesn't happen without a lot of thought... and it's not more effort to add a scar or a random detail, especially considering these kind of additions may be a bad idea if they don't reflect the ulterior vibe of the character.

Carrot's simplicity in design goes along with the fact that she's a young and inexperienced girl from a small country, and it's good technique to draw such characters with rounder lines and minimalistic features. And yet Carrot's face is unique and unmistakable even in close up, which shows good balance and judgement by Oda. Her short hair is puffy on the sides, which is different from any other hairstyle in the series that I can remember, and her battle gloves are unique. Above all else, Carrot is a bunny-girl, which sets her apart anybody else by nature, so the author doesn't need to go a long way to try to make her more distinguishable than she needs to be. It's totally okay to take advantage of the specific traits that are unique to the character (bunny-ears, tail and nose) in order to have them be the differential.

In comparison, it's much more important for Yamato to have more details since her template is Nami's face, so there's a little bit more of a struggle there. You need to add stuff to hide the similarities, which is a good and a bad thing. For what it's worth, I like Yamato's design a lot, but there's this "uncanny valley" feeling that I have any time I look at him, so it pisses me off a little bit that Oda couldn't have given a different face to Yamato. But I like all that's new there. I just want to see him in a different outfit to make sure that Yamato is different enough from Nami.

Another important thing about character design is the sillhouette, like being recognizable only through your shape, like that game "who is that pokemon?" from the anime back in the day. Carrot has a distinguishable sillhouette, not only for obvious reasons (bunny ears and tail), but because of her hands (the gloves make them big) and because of her many action-cute poses. Yamato also passes the test because of his club and the clothes.

All in all, it's essential to have your main characters looking distinct and memorable, but this is not done simply by adding more detail. It all depends, and a lot of it comes down to the character being recognizable. Sometimes distinction happens strictly because of the author's art style, and then any of your characters are unique because of that. You'll find many MCs in manga/anime who look basically the same, but the art style of the authors is different as well as the outfit, so it works. Oda gave Luffy the straw hat and the eye scar, so he looks more unique than usual for that type of boy protagonist. On the other hand, Nami is extremely simple and the main girl of the series. So you can see that Oda works in both spectrums. What seems to be the rule is that Oda opts for relatable main characters with charming designs for a teenager audience.

As far as I can tell, both Carrot and Yamato have designs good enough for next Strawhat.

[Monquito]

@Wintermute:

Unique. Tell me to draw Kaido's daughter. A copy of his father's fighting technique with an ordinary Onigashima female head. Ok, Oden's clothes… which is another copy. BM had more unique offsprings. Guess who showed them who's boss? A certain Mink.

It would take you longer to correctly color Yamato's hair, than to entirely draw Carrot.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@SeaOfHope:

She doesn't stay with her military group or her leader.

She's been with Wanda for the last 6 chaps straight, and no SH's around her.

She also spent her two weeks(?) Of preparations with the Minks all the time, during acts 1 and 2.

So that's pretty much a lie.

[Coookie]

@theackwardstation:

People's opinions on design remind me of my high school days when I used to scribble characters on my notebook to pass the time during classes. As an amateur with a little bit of skill, I'd just keep adding detail to make them cooler, so the characters would end up full of shit haha (sometimes the result was pretty cool though). I guess random people could think that I put a lot of thought/effort into those characters just because of how complicated they ended up being… but it's actually easy and fast to add detail, and I never tried to improve those characters after the first drawing (so not a lot of thought). They were just bursts of improvisation.

Unlike myself, Oda puts efforts and thought into all of his characters. You'll find even random ones who show up only for a page that have very intricate or unique designs, so the fact that Oda would not put an effort into a major characters is just insane, and the fact that this is presumed because of simplicity is just wrong. Imagine creating the main mink character of the series, who will be a major ally for an entire saga (at least), one of the top 20 characters in total chapters inclusions, but not putting a lot of thought into that mink design… Nah, that's not how things work, lol, unless the author had a stroke of inspiration and was finished in a few minutes, but very happy with it.

Oda probably had to draw Carrot many times until he got her right, changing hairstyle and eye shape, experimenting with sharper lines or rounder lines, trying between more animalistic features or a more human look, changing the clothes and having the idea for the weapon/gloves, and many other minor things that we take for granted but an illustrator has to ponder over, and all of this have to be considered in conjuction with what'll be the character personality, role and behavior. That's a lot of work that doesn't happen without a lot of thought... and it's not more effort to add a scar or a random detail, especially considering these kind of additions may be a bad idea if they don't reflect the ulterior vibe of the character.

Carrot's simplicity in design goes along with the fact that she's a young and inexperienced girl from a small country, and it's good technique to draw such characters with rounder lines and minimalistic features. And yet Carrot's face is unique and unmistakable even in close up, which shows good balance and judgement by Oda. Her short hair is puffy on the sides, which is different from any other hairstyle in the series that I can remember, and her battle gloves are unique. Above all else, Carrot is a bunny-girl, which sets her apart anybody else by nature, so the author doesn't need to go a long way to try to make her more distinguishable than she needs to be. It's totally okay to take advantage of the specific traits that are unique to the character (bunny-ears, tail and nose) in order to have them be the differential.

In comparison, it's much more important for Yamato to have more details since her template is Nami's face, so there's a little bit more of a struggle there. You need to add stuff to hide the similarities, which is a good and a bad thing. For what it's worth, I like Yamato's design a lot, but there's this "uncanny valley" feeling that I have any time I look at him, so it pisses me off a little bit that Oda couldn't have given a different face to Yamato. But I like all that's new there. I just want to see him in a different outfit to make sure that Yamato is different enough from Nami.

Another important thing about character design is the sillhouette, like being recognizable only through your shape, like that game "who is that pokemon?" from the anime back in the day. Carrot has a distinguishable sillhouette, not only for obvious reasons (bunny ears and tail), but because of her hands (the gloves make them big) and because of her many action-cute poses. Yamato also passes the test because of his club and the clothes.

All in all, it's essential to have your main characters looking distinct and memorable, but this is not done simply by adding more detail. It all depends, and a lot of it comes down to the character being recognizable. Sometimes distinction happens strictly because of the author's art style, and then any of your characters are unique because of that. You'll find many MCs in manga/anime who look basically the same, but the art style of the authors is different as well as the outfit, so it works. Oda gave Luffy the straw hat and the eye scar, so he looks more unique than usual for that type of boy protagonist. On the other hand, Nami is extremely simple and the main girl of the series. So you can see that Oda works in both spectrums. What seems to be the rule is that Oda opts for relatable main characters with charming designs for a teenager audience.

As far as I can tell, both Carrot and Yamato have designs good enough for next Strawhat.

You see, a lot of your points also apply to pre-timeskip Chopper who was a 15-year-old, inexperienced boy from a small country that already stands out in group shots by virtue of being the only reindeer human. Yet Oda added a few small details to add depth to the character and hint at a backstory. It's not about mindlessly adding features for the sake of intricacy. To me, it's about creating a sense of curiosity and interest in the reader about this character, tying it back to the statement that each Straw Hat could be the protagonist of his own story. I don't get that vibe from Carrot's.
Of course Oda spent time on Carrot's design and experimented a bit with different hairstyles and facial features, I never meant to say that he didn't. I just don't get the feeling that he spent the same amount of time on Carrot as he did on the Straw Hats, not by a long shot. But this is something that maybe only Greg could answer with certainty, so everything we can do is speculate.

[SeaOfHope]

@Monquito:

She's been with Wanda for the last 6 chaps straight, and no SH's around her.

She also spent her two weeks(?) Of preparations with the Minks all the time, during acts 1 and 2.

So that's pretty much a lie.

Kin'emon's plan involved Chopper and Carrot going with the Minks to avoid arousing suspicion, Chopper only got detoured because of Tama getting wrecked by Kaido.

Come time of the raid, Shishillian states he takes charge of the Minks in Inuarashi's stead. Guess what Carrot does? Disguises as a Beast Pirate and rolls with the Straw Hats, joins Nami to rescue Momonosuke alongside Shinobu, and basically regrouped with the other Straw Hats prior to fleeing off when she somehow spotted Perospero outside the dome where Wanda magically appears from nowhere. She wasn't following Wanda when she left.

So no, I'm not lying.

[Deicide]

I still remember when Chapter 345 came out with "the" moment that convinced me Paulie was sure going to join the Straw Hats.

Wow, a new strong character, with a unique fighting style, an interesting design, a shipwright like the crew was looking for, and then a moment in which he impressed Luffy? Sure, a SH! Franky wasn't even seen as a good guy at that point, some people were expecting Kaku or whoever, but sure, Paulie was "it".

Then it was actually Franky, and Paulie's role ended up way minor than expected.

So, I'm extra careful nowadays. I feel Yamato is quickly rising in chances, but there's still too many things that don't align. I think it's more likely that Yamato and Tama will meet each other and stay together. Maybe even Carrot could join then in a "crew".

So, I'm waiting to see…

[Syphin]

@flagandhat:

Happy year to all the members of arlong park forums…!

Happy new year to you as well =).

Regarding the note Chopper received, while I was initially confused when I first read the chapter, I believe the sound effects of the note appearing supports Law being the one to have "thrown" the note to Chopper using his Room ability. I understand it would have been hard for Law to write in that position but the only person who had the ability and reason to pass a note to Chopper was Law. Monet did notice Chopper run of the room later but there is nothing to suggest Monet threw the note beside ambiguity and specific interpretation.

Agree with you on the lack of Monet and Sugar interaction when they were sisters who grew up in a terrible environment (no interaction in the manga at all). Did Oda really need to make them sisters? He could have not mentioned their relation in the SBS and nothing would have changed in the story.

Aside from Astronomy, Monet was also shown with a book labelled antico[don]. Monet appeared to be interested in a variety of scientific fields as well as being interested in birds. If Oda wants to incorporate a character that is learned in the fields of astronomy and biology (Devil Fruits, manipulation of RNA and DNA), Monet is there. And if the Giant Egg the Roger Pirates had on their ship turns out to be a Giant Bird, there is a character in the story who is implied to be passionate about birds.

As for Sugar's Devil Fruit, it is insanely broken and given its immense plot trolling, I find it hard to believe it will be used by one of the major powers in the story going forward - it would complicate things too much. Though if the World Government were smart, they would use the Hobi Hobi no Mi to "erase" any problematic individuals from the world's memory.

@Shiebs:

I know I said I wanted a logia user but I didn’t think people were going back to Monet

Ignoring Monet's nakama chances because obvious obstacles are obvious, what I am arguing is that if Oda does intend to bring Monet back into the story, there is place for her to be relevant. I believe there is genuine reason to advocate for her reappearance :ninja:. Whether in a cover story or some role during the Vegapunk story arc (which would also be when Caesar reappears).

[Monquito]

@SeaOfHope:

Kin'emon's plan involved Chopper and Carrot going with the Minks to avoid arousing suspicion, Chopper only got detoured because of Tama getting wrecked by Kaido.

Come time of the raid, Shishillian states he takes charge of the Minks in Inuarashi's stead. Guess what Carrot does? Disguises as a Beast Pirate and rolls with the Straw Hats, joins Nami to rescue Momonosuke alongside Shinobu, and basically regrouped with the other Straw Hats prior to fleeing off when she somehow spotted Perospero outside the dome where Wanda magically appears from nowhere. She wasn't following Wanda when she left.

So no, I'm not lying.

Yes it is, you don't override two weeks with just 15 minutes. and if Chopper didn't follow instructions, there was never an excuse for Carrot either.

[SeaOfHope]

@Monquito:

Yes it is, you don't override two weeks with just 15 minutes. and if Chopper didn't follow instructions, there was never an excuse for Carrot either.

You mean outside sticking to the plan? What was Carrot going to do? Chopper's the doctor, he has that leeway. Besides, it was another way for Oda to allow Tama and Chopper into Udon, who both served their roles their for treating Luffy of the plague spread by Queen and Tama to take over the prison with her danger manipulating the SMILE fruit users.

Don't act on hindsight bias.

[Monquito]

@SeaOfHope:

You mean outside sticking to the plan? What was Carrot going to do? Chopper's the doctor, he has that leeway. Besides, it was another way for Oda to allow Tama and Chopper into Udon, who both served their roles their for treating Luffy of the plague spread by Queen and Tama to take over the prison with her danger manipulating the SMILE fruit users.

Don't act on hindsight bias.

I'm just proving you wrong about who she spends the most time with.

Its the Minks.

that's all.

[Shiebs]

@Syphin:

Ignoring Monet's nakama chances because obvious obstacles are obvious, what I am arguing is that if Oda does intend to bring Monet back into the story, there is place for her to be relevant. I believe there is genuine reason to advocate for her reappearance :ninja:. Whether in a cover story or some role during the Vegapunk story arc (which would also be when Caesar reappears).

Okay, this I totally agree with

we never saw how she lost her arms and got her wings, she has a connection with her sister Sugar so they really need to be reunited, and has another dream she wants fulfilled I believe just like all the Barouqe Works agents or other characters who got cover stories

I personally think it will be a cover story, unless she decides to find all of Vergo parts and go break Doffy and his crew out of Impel Down, which I could totally see happening, I don't think Oda's done with Doffy, he'll reappear again, just not as an arc villain, like Crocodile and Rob Lucci

[SeaOfHope]

@Monquito:

I'm just proving you wrong about who she spends the most time with.

Its the Minks.

that's all.

If you want to be technical about it, then yeah, she spent 2 weeks with the Minks. However, it was following the plan Kin'emon spread out, taking into account the close natured view of the Wano citizens. We've seen just that with Inu, Neko, and Kawa, which was the point of hiding. Also, their participation in framing Asura Doji of stealing food from the Beast Pirates to coerce him to assist the resistance was also part of Kin'emon plan, self-admitted by him, which he got understandably hit for by said mountain bandits. So also technically speaking, my quote still stands.

She doesn't stay with her military group or her leader, actively follows the Straw Hats around on her own accord, and on more than one occasion, mostly in WCI and transit to Wano, following their orders and instructions.

Maybe I should have specified "during the raid." That said, your comment is still valid.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Logia:

While not a perfect match, Cindry from Thriller Bark.

Not even close.

! Taken straight from the wiki.

[theackwardstation]

@Coookie:

You see, a lot of your points also apply to pre-timeskip Chopper who was a 15-year-old, inexperienced boy from a small country that already stands out in group shots by virtue of being the only reindeer human. Yet Oda added a few small details to add depth to the character and hint at a backstory. It's not about mindlessly adding features for the sake of intricacy. To me, it's about creating a sense of curiosity and interest in the reader about this character, tying it back to the statement that each Straw Hat could be the protagonist of his own story. I don't get that vibe from Carrot's.
Of course Oda spent time on Carrot's design and experimented a bit with different hairstyles and facial features, I never meant to say that he didn't. I just don't get the feeling that he spent the same amount of time on Carrot as he did on the Straw Hats, not by a long shot. But this is something that maybe only Greg could answer with certainty, so everything we can do is speculate.

Chopper's introduction is obviously genius, but design-wise the great idea was making his hybrid form a teddy bear/mascot, and because of that he is among the most outlandish strawhats' designs, but his physical features are very standard and obvious for what he's supposed to be (a teddy bear). Still a brilliant design though, very well done and unique in the context of One Piece, and it was a homerun from a marketing perspective. Some other crewmates are more simple, though, and Carrot is still a very appealing design despite not being something as crazy as a teddy bear.

Besides design, what I can say is that Chopper had a lot more depth upon introduction than Carrot, so that's true, but you can also see it as just a matter of how Oda is planning/organizing the storytelling (in case Carrot is supposed to join). While Chopper was introduced in a simpler time when Oda would give a focused story arc to the new crewmate, Carrot is part of this convoluted and crazy new world, and Oda may have found more interesting and refreshing to make her development spread through multiple arcs with key scenes that build her up (one of them being a current-time traumatic experience) while she bonds with the crew in a prominent supporting role. That's cool to me, although right now her momentum has gone downhill… so her chances are slipping and her character getting smaller.

[DarthAsthma]

If Carrot is going to join Oda has to stop using Yamato every chapter soonish. If the next 5 chapters aren't featuring Carrot in some major way I feel like the train is leaving the station.

[Dorob333Neko]

Carrot need to win her fight solo, has to then cry out to Luffy that he has to beat Kaido and Big Mom, get a dream, learn a pirate job and show that she knew Ace and wants to see Luffy's real dream all within the next 5 chapters?

[SeaOfHope]

I can understand discourse surrounding Carrot nakama discussions. Its mainly because there is so much ammunition used against her joining that is valid for many reasons that have been reiterated for close to 5 years now within the community. I don't necessarily agree with these assertions, but I don't disagree that there is some merit to their criticisms, especially with how Oda sparsely uses Carrot, neglecting to expand her character, or explain why she does the things she does in the story. I don't think she's irrelevant, but I do see why many people do. It's not like I don't see how many disagree with her being a nakama or viewing her character as underwhelming. I'm not gonna act like there aren't cons to the argument.

My main frustration with these discussions however comes in with the diatribe arguments that have been disingenuous for years in these kinds of threads. The ones I bullet-pointed earlier, so quick to lash out only to be proven wrong later. Subjective opinions like she's there for marketing/fanservice despite no proof of merchandise sales on her, editor favoritism being factually incorrect, posters conjuring up headcannon on Oda putting no thought behind her design despite him having different prototype character designs for her outfits and hairstyle and stating in an info card on Carrot about the intention behind her design. This has been a thing for the past almost 5 years and a lot of us Carrot4Nakama supporters still say the same thing we said in 2016, but the argument against Carrot always changes, ignoring points that are raised in defense, and constant dismissal despite it being very strange for a character like her to exist this long. Seriously, she's been present, regardless of impact, for 97 chapters in the story (not including color spreads), being the 16th most prominent character based on chapter presence despite being the latest one in the Top 20 introduced and the argument is still "it means nothing?" The bar always shifts and while I can't blame the skepticism, some of the posts here are very disingenuous and have been, seeing as a lot of the dated ones in previous nakama threads have been proven false by this point.

[DarthAsthma]

I don't see it like that(as in all of that has to happen in the next 5 chapters) but there is no way around the fact that if Oda isn't going to highlight Carrot soon in some way I think her chances get slimmer every chapter that passes where she isn't getting a moment. Like personally I don't care that much between Carrot or Yamato but whoever joins has to make a big impression this arc and get a fucking Strawhat moment. Whoever joins has to make a big splash or they're always going to be the Strawhat with the worst leadup arc.
Like people call Yamato a red herring but I'm not sure Oda is the type to do that kind of mislead. It's getting ridiculous with how much Yamato has been featured since introduction.
Like we could play the game each week right now is Yamato in the next chapter? Yes/No?

[theackwardstation]

@DarthAsthma:

If Carrot is going to join Oda has to stop using Yamato every chapter soonish. If the next 5 chapters aren't featuring Carrot in some major way I feel like the train is leaving the station.

Maybe you're right, but I never understood this immediatism as if the story didn't have well organized sections. Wano is a big arc with a lot to come still, and many of subplots. The question to me is where Carrot fits best to get the spotlight and end her graduation… which I believe is when the Dawn theme comes to the forefront, then it'll be clearer what Carrot's role is to the story, if it's to join or to do something else.

And it's only assumption that Carrot is competing with Yamato since both could join, even if unlikely. Yamato has the momentum right now, but he's also the one who's being introduced very late into the saga.

[BobLoblaw]

@DarthAsthma:

If Carrot is going to join Oda has to stop using Yamato every chapter soonish. If the next 5 chapters aren't featuring Carrot in some major way I feel like the train is leaving the station.

Oda needed a mechanism to tie current Wano to past Wano (with Ace, Oden, Roger, Kaido, etc.). Yamato and the journal are those mechanisms. Tama is too young (and her plot fruit was needed for something else), so the options were pretty limited. Yamato is essentially an info dump to help set up the following acts imo and post-Wano.

[DarthAsthma]

@theackwardstation:

Maybe you're right, but I never understood this immediatism as if the story didn't have well organized sections. Wano is a big arc with a lot to come still, and many of subplots. The question to me is where Carrot fits best to get the spotlight and end her graduation… which I believe is when the Dawn theme comes to the forefront, then it'll be clearer what Carrot's role is to the story, if it's to join or to do something else.

And it's only assumption that Carrot is competing with Yamato since both could join, even if unlikely. Yamato has the momentum right now, but he's also the one who's being introduced very late into the saga.

I mean to me the train hasn't left yet but a big reason why I say 5 chapters is that I strongly expect Wano to end in 2021.
Like we got almost all our setups for matchups. Oda is probably blitzing through most fights with 1 chapter each except Luffy and the Luffy fight is probably going to run for 10ish or more chapters with a lot of things going on on the side similar to how Katakuri vs Luffy went.
That's like ~20 chapters dealing with action and the whole Onigashima falling plot. Then we have like maybe 2.5 chapters of Kaido flashback and 3-4 chapters of wrapup. Even if we are less conservative and think Oda will indulge a bit more in the action I still don't see Wano lasting that much more than another 30 chapters.
@BobLoblaw:

Oda needed a mechanism to tie current Wano to past Wano (with Ace, Oden, Roger, Kaido, etc.). Yamato and the journal are those mechanisms. Tama is too young (and her plot fruit was needed for something else), so the options were pretty limited. Yamato is essentially an info dump to help set up the following acts imo and post-Wano.

shrug not sure how it relates to the hard to deny fact that if Oda isn't using Carrot in a major way very soon I think her joining will be extremely unlikely. Like I hope we all at least agree that any potential new strawhat has to make a splash this arc no way around it.

–----
If Wano doesn't somehow end this year all I have to say is OMEGALUL 5 year plan Oda.

[theackwardstation]

@DarthAsthma:

I mean to me the train hasn't left yet but a big reason why I say 5 chapters is that I strongly expect Wano to end in 2021.
Like we got almost all our setups for matchups. Oda is probably blitzing through most fights with 1 chapter each except Luffy and the Luffy fight is probably going to run for 10ish or more chapters with a lot of things going on on the side similar to how Katakuri vs Luffy went.
That's like ~20 chapters dealing with action and the whole Onigashima falling plot. Then we have like maybe 2.5 chapters of Kaido flashback and 3-4 chapters of wrapup. Even if we are less conservative and think Oda will indulge a bit more in the action I still don't see Wano lasting that much more than another 30 chapters.

I think Wano will go for more 40~50 chapters. Regardless of that, in regards to Carrot, if it happens that she'll get the spotlight, it could be anywhere along those 50 chapters depending on when the dawn thing will be fleshed out. It could even be after Kaido's defeat during the post-arc with all the poneglyph reading and lore revelation. Obviously, if it's something that late, I expect Carrot to do a little more during the war to not let her participation go to waste. Let's see how much she'll engage in the battle besides the Perospero fight (which is already kinda big if it goes anywhere).

[DarthAsthma]

@theackwardstation:

I think Wano will go for more 40~50 chapters. Regardless of that, in regards to Carrot, if it happens that she'll get the spotlight, it could be anywhere along those 50 chapters depending on when the dawn thing will be fleshed out. It could even be after Kaido's defeat during the post-arc with all the poneglyph reading and lore revelation. Obviously, if it's something that late, I expect Carrot to do a little more during the war to not let her participation go to waste. Let's see how much she'll engage in the battle besides the Perospero fight (which is already kinda big if it goes anywhere).

But why would you think that? Like what do you expect to take that many more chapters? Like try to give a rough calculation of what Oda is going to need that extra 10-20 chapters for to resolve Wano? I really think any rough estimate going that high up is pretty off.
Like I used to think Wano would go maybe into 2022 but honestly I recommend looking at WCI, Dressrosa and what Oda handles in 30 chapters, you'd be surprised at how much Oda goes through especially since he isn't one to give you 2-3 chapter long fights for anyone not named Luffy. Oda is not going to indulge to that extent in the action pretty sure especially given how much Oda has already cut corners.

• again Oda's statement about 5 years would be just so comically off if Wano doesn't finish in 2021. We get ~39 chapters per year.

[Shirogami]

Speaking about design, I cant deny that yamato face similar with nami face. Feels like it was made from nami template. No matter how tall is he or different color hair or has horn, the face is the same.

If he really join SHs I just hope oda do some duval or denjiro treatment to yamato. I just could not dare enough to see his face design together with nami face design like in the sketch

Plus, it makes me wonder how many times is yamato design was sketched and about hiyori who is literaly a princess of this arc does not have nami template nor robin template
Maybe it is hiyori who will join SHs

I know it's just merchandise thing, does not mean much XD. But look hiyori fit really well with nami and robin

[DarthAsthma]

For reference 770 to 800 is Luffy clashing with Bellamy to having the sake exchange. That is basically all of the dressrosa fights(Pica, Diamante, pinneedle guy, Lao G, Senior Pink + Flashback) + Dressrosa aftermath.
870 to 900 is the first Big Mom escape with Bege, the entirety of the Katakuri fight, the second escape with Luffy and Big Mom eaten her chococake.
There just isn't anything in my opinion that is just going to take away whole 10 to 20 chapters from the raid to bring Wano up to another 40-50 chapters.

[Rean]

IMO, There are 2 potential nakamas for Wano: Tama and Yamato.

The reason I am even saying this is because it's been very explicitly stated that Ace promised both of them spots on his crew at some future point, and Luffy has been fulfilling Ace's little promises and wills all over Wano ever since he got to the island. Both are characters that add interesting movesets (Tama finding different animals and maybe doing some kunoichi stuff, and Yamato is pretty powerful and has a cool moveset so far + a potential hidden ability in the works, whether DF or otherwise).

I do feel Carrot was planned at some point, but I suspect that the big problem facing Oda was how limited she is when it comes to showcasing shonen-like moves, she has Electro and Sulong, both of which are literally shared amongst like 20 characters so far. A shonen hero character needs more than that to sustain interest in battles that rely on constant incremental upgrades. Oda even had to give Nekomamushi and Inuarashi some cool prosthetic weapons to make them stand out from the other minks. Plus, I think her personal arc is set to end in Wano (not neessarily in terms of dying or whatever, but in terms of avenging Pedro and contributing to Luffy's dawn etc etc).

ETA: I think Wano ends in 20-30 chapters at most, anymore and this arc outstays its welcome tbh.

[theackwardstation]

@DarthAsthma:

But why would you think that? Like what do you expect to take that many more chapters?
Like I used to think Wano would go maybe into 2022 but honestly I recommend looking at WCI, Dressrosa and what Oda handles in 30 chapters, you'd be surprised at how much Oda goes through especially since he isn't one to give you 2-3 chapter long fights for anyone not named Luffy. Oda is not going to indulge to that extent in the action pretty sure especially given how much Oda has already cut corners.

Yes, you're not wrong. In fact, twenty chapters is actually a lot already and any manga could make leaps in a year story-wise, but the time spent in an arc is very relative to the amount of characters and the type of content it is portraying. For example, Water 7 has a lot more content than Enies Lobby if you think about it, but EL is actually longer than W7.

While Marineford was a short arc despite the amount of characters, only a few of them were actually at the spotlight, and there was no standard type of fighting to drag the progression. On the other hand, Onigashima is more like Enies Lobby, and I expect many full-blown shonen fights as oldschool One Piece. Some of them will be short like you said (only 1 chapter in total), but others will probably take two chapters or more, like the fights against Queen and King. And we're ignoring all the distractions, switcharoos and basic stalling that will happen, not to mention that Oda will spend pages in all of these chapters just updating the status of other characters. On top of that, it's hard to predict how long a fight against the Yonkou is supposed to take after more than a decade of build up to it.

And Wano is also super story-heavy, so we'll have chapters focused on themes and drama and lore and characters and whatever. Maybe Orochi is alive too, so there's that. And will Hiyori play a role before Kaido and Orochi's defeat? Will the battle be dragged out to mainland Wano? There's just so much!

When the post-arc comes, I also expect at least as many chapters as post-EL. There's just too much lore and Poneglyph reading in Wano, and many characters to end their personal stories.

So yes, around 40 chapters to me.

[SeaOfHope]

Let's try not to put arbitrary deadlines on when a certain character's presence in the narrative needs to be made based on our arc length perceptions. This seriously reminds me of the WCI Nakama thread discussions. Oda will put Carrot in prominence when he feels its appropriate. I admit Oda's trying my patience in regards to it, but when it happens, it happens.

The final match-ups are not even made. Seriously y'all, cool your jets.

[DarthAsthma]

Hot take I'm not on the train that Carrot is "limited" in showing off shonen like fights. You could play around a lot with Electro and claw glove weapons it's just Oda just doesn't care that much about fights.
Again talk about limited look at all the Zoro fights and tell me straight up that's a peak of highlighting shonen swordfights, especially for a guy that uses something unique as 3 swords you'd think the choreography would be more varied than it is. Thing is in the end it doesn't matter because Oda has made you care about characters enough that you'll still get hyped at Zoro blitz slashing or Iai-ing some schmucks.

[Jaime]

@DarthAsthma:

shrug not sure how it relates to the hard to deny fact that if Oda isn't using Carrot in a major way very soon I think her joining will be extremely unlikely.

This is true I don't get why a lot of people just seem to deny this, I even brought up Shift own post about how important Chapter 998-1000 will/would be important for Carrots chances to join and as we saw Carrot neither showed up and the one that was featured prominently was Yamato heck saying how the 10th cremate time to shine was when Luffy reached the top like Yamato was, but just said he was off a few chapters.

I'll quote it incase you didn't see it DarthAsthma:

My gut feeling is that the next three chapters will be vital for Carrot. She's one of the few characters we didn't see when the island started rising, which tells me we'll be getting a proper update of the battle with Peros soon. If we don't see them in 998, we 100% will in 999. I don't logically want to hang my hopes on anything big happening with her in 1000, since that'd be begging for disappointment. But my pure instinct is that if the tenth crewmate is to shine anytime this arc, the same chapter as Luffy's arrival to the roof to face Kaido would be a great time.

Maybe its just me but some are just really balsa about Carrot lack of really anything in Wano and it doesn't look like it will be improving really, like you said nigh everything is setup for the final act/last stage of the arc and Want will end this year (shanks teasing and everything) and I'm sorry at this point I don't see why some people are so adamant we are gonna get a lot of carrot coming up, I remember when people (not nesciarily here) were playing up Carrot was gonna play a big role in Wano, heck even some tried to spin Odens story into being good for Carrot chances to join (online not here) yet none of this has really panned out and denying that and what you said above with Oda not using Carrot it just seems like some are just sticking there heads in the sands just waiting….and waiting....and waiting...

Its fine to want Carrot to join the crew, but you can also not deny Carrot chances/appearances and utilization in Wano was been bad and not good for her at all.

And thoughts yourself?

And I will say after playing Pirate Warriors 4, if the game started development later Carrot would have played no role in that ending and would be a lot different and shaped by Yamato.

[DarthAsthma]

Seeing Wano end this year is not putting an arbitrary deadline on things at all. It's recognizing that Oda isn't going to be in Wano for another 2 years and that we're heading into the action part of the arc. If Carrot doesn't get a strong highlight in this part of Wano there is just no way her joining would be satisfying.
And this isn't limited to Carrot. If Yamato just sits with Momo for another 10 chapters without getting back into the fray it would be the same. The next Strawhat has to make a splash in this section imo. Can't join if you don't leave your mark in a way that doesn't make you shine more than freaking Kinemon.

[SeaOfHope]

@Jaime:

This is true I don't get why a lot of people just seem to deny this, I even brought up Shift own post about how important Chapter 998-1000 will/would be important for Carrots chances to join and as we saw Carrot neither showed up and the one that was featured prominently was Yamato heck saying how the 10th cremate time to shine was when Luffy reached the top like Yamato was, but just said he was off a few chapters.

I'll quote it incase you didn't see it DarthAsthma:

Maybe its just me but some are just really balsa about Carrot lack of really anything in Wano and it doesn't look like it will be improving really, like you said nigh everything is setup for the final act/last stage of the arc and Want will end this year (shanks teasing and everything) and I'm sorry at this point I don't see why some people are so adamant we are gonna get a lot of carrot coming up, I remember when people (not nesciarily here) were playing up Carrot was gonna play a big role in Wano, heck even some tried to spin Odens story into being good for Carrot chances to join (online not here) yet none of this has really panned out and denying that and what you said above with Oda not using Carrot it just seems like some are just sticking there heads in the sands just waiting….and waiting....and waiting...

Its fine to want Carrot to join the crew, but you can also not deny Carrot chances/appearances and utilization in Wano was been bad and not good for her at all.

And thoughts yourself?

And I will say after playing Pirate Warriors 4, if the game started development later Carrot would have played no role in that ending and would be a lot different and shaped by Yamato.

Saying things like its too late for Carrot to be useful or be prominent definitely wasn't a good argument that aged well in the WCI nakama thread discussion and by the time she became the highlight of Chapter 888, about 13 chapters before the arc concluded, the discussion morphed into ignoring that and how instead her transformation why just hype tool and potential power-up for Chopper. The expectation that a certain character had to do something by a certain deadline by our own preconceptions of when it was appropriate seems to count within the context of our logic and not when the arc is actually complete.

I will admit Carrot's utilization has been poor so far, but thinking its too late because she didn't rise to prominence when we expected her too? That's a bit foolish. I'm suspect of this, too.

Here's the things that are present with Carrot right now as we are here in the raid: fight with Perospero, resolution with Pedro's sacrifice, and her learning the Straw Hats significance and potentially the Dawn of the World. Who knows what happens after that. Those are plotlines still connected to her character and regardless how it may be paced, that's something that the narrative has carried over to Wano. It's better to see in retrospect when the arc is actually complete or better yet, when the final match-ups are even set. Like seriously guys, the main fight only just started and others def have not.

[Monquito]

Well since Carrot hasn't decided which will to inherit, there's still the will to search Poneglyphs in the table, which is a much better will than, blowing yourself up when things don't work out.

Like seriously, there's a load of Minks all around good and ready for Nox 2.0, and doing the actual math, it seems that Robin(and this is counting the Poneglyphs from WCI and Wano) has only read around 12 Poneglyphs, 3 of which are Road Poneglyphs.

1 Road Poneglyph is missing, and there's a total of 30 according to Tamago, so if the SH´s are to surpass Roger, then they should read every single one of them, and as a matter of a fact, not only the Nox 2.0 should be looking for the rest, but the entire Grand Fleet should be given this mission, in order for Robin to unlock the entire history, as it seems The Roger Pirates didn't, which is what Raleigh implied back then when he said they had their own interpetration of things, but the SH´s might get a different answer.

they might find one more in Elbaf and one more in Lodestar, but that still leaves like 15 stones to be found yet, they're not going to be kept unread until the very end, are they?

[SeaOfHope]

@DarthAsthma:

Seeing Wano end this year is not putting an arbitrary deadline on things at all. It's recognizing that Oda isn't going to be in Wano for another 2 years and that we're heading into the action part of the arc. If Carrot doesn't get a strong highlight in this part of Wano there is just no way her joining would be satisfying.
And this isn't limited to Carrot. If Yamato just sits with Momo for another 10 chapters without getting back into the fray it would be the same. The next Strawhat has to make a splash in this section imo. Can't join if you don't leave your mark in a way that doesn't make you shine more than freaking Kinemon.

Its an arbitrary deadline to expect when a character is going to do something. I'm not going to bother with estimating how many more chapters we have left, Wano is already going to superceed Dressorsa in Chapter length and Luffy and the other members of the Supernovas just engaged Kaido and Big Mom. Meanwhile, Jinbe is the only SH that seems to have solidified his match-up. Things are still happening and the more we think we know how much time Oda has to show or say something, the more close minded we'd become of things to come or things unforeseen.

Don't forget we are following a Kabuki theatre and we have yet to conclude Act 3 with 2 more Acts to follow, each took at least 20 chapters, yeah? Not including the Intermissions between the Acts.

[theackwardstation]

@Jaime:

Maybe its just me but some are just really balsa about Carrot lack of really anything in Wano and it doesn't look like it will be improving really, like you said nigh everything is setup for the final act/last stage of the arc and Want will end this year (shanks teasing and everything) and I'm sorry at this point I don't see why some people are so adamant we are gonna get a lot of carrot coming up, I remember when people (not nesciarily here) were playing up Carrot was gonna play a big role in Wano, heck even some tried to spin Odens story into being good for Carrot chances to join (online not here) yet none of this has really panned out and denying that and what you said above with Oda not using Carrot it just seems like some are just sticking there heads in the sands just waiting….and waiting....and waiting...

Its fine to want Carrot to join the crew, but you can also not deny Carrot chances/appearances and utilization in Wano was been bad and not good for her at all.

And thoughts yourself?

And I will say after playing Pirate Warriors 4, if the game started development later Carrot would have played no role in that ending and would be a lot different and shaped by Yamato.

Of course Carrot's underutilization and even her current flanderization hurts her chances of joining. This has been said by Carrot supporters and deniers alike.

And it's not that the supporters are waiting for "a lot of Carrot coming up" - the year of Carrot. No, lol. What's expected, regardless of her chances of joining at the end, is closure to a storyline that Oda himself started when he made Carrot stow away in the Sunny for selfish reasons, without any obvious ulterior motive to move the plot, only to see her mentor sacrifice himself after telling her that one day she would understand the importance of letting the Strawhats move forward to bring the Dawn. It's the minumum to expect that said day will be properly told in the story since it was blatantly foreshadowed, and it is expected that this will bring some development and focus to her character, even if briefly, but nonetheless impactful. She's a character with a lot of build up behind her too (during WCI), not only in her future.

While you corretly point out that some hasty Carrot supporters have failed in their predictions before, it's also true that many of them have been getting things right, more recently the fact that she would fight Perospero to avenge Pedro, which many people were denying and handwaving.

[DarthAsthma]

@SeaOfHope:

Its an arbitrary deadline to expect when a character is going to do something. I'm not going to bother with estimating how many more chapters we have left, Wano is already going to superceed Dressorsa in Chapter length and Luffy and the other members of the Supernovas just engaged Kaido and Big Mom. Meanwhile, Jinbe is the only SH that seems to have solidified his match-up. Things are still happening and the more we think we know how much time Oda has to show or say something, the more close minded we'd become of things to come or things unforeseen.

Don't forget we are following a Kabuki theatre and we have yet to conclude Act 3 with 2 more Acts to follow, each took at least 20 chapters, yeah? Not including the Intermissions between the Acts.

Again I already laid out how much more I expect of Wano being left. There is nothing arbitrary about seeing the writing on the wall. With that kind of logic could just extend this beyond Wano. Carrot can still join when the Strawhats are in Elbaf!! Oda can still highlight her there! Let's not put arbitrary deadlines on when it needs to happen! Honestly even when the Strawhats reach Lodestar it could still happen!
See how that doesn't work. You either strongly disagree on Wano taking a lot more time than I think it will or you realize that something has to happen soon.

[Jaime]

@Shirogami:

Maybe it is hiyori who will join SHs

God no, Hiyori has nothing this arc as the princess with less to do then Rebecca, Shirahoshi, Reiju, Pudding, Mocha, etc.

She's such a non presence no way she joins its a joke, almost as funny as people still thinking about Monet.

@DarthAsthma:

Can't join if you don't leave your mark in a way that doesn't make you shine more than freaking Kinemon.

Hey Kinemon been awesome this year/last year

[DarthAsthma]

@Jaime:

Hey Kinemon been awesome this year/last year

He has and Kinemon is a sidecharacter. If you can't outshine a sidecharacter you aren't Strawhat material imo. Also Kinemon didn't shine because he's been part of the journey for so long. It's basically the Oden flashback, his misread on the meeting point and his shared scabbards vs Kaido chapter that really pushed him last year.
That's just very concentrated awesomeness and it really isn't too much to ask from a new crewmate to surpass those type of moments.

[SeaOfHope]

@DarthAsthma:

Again I already laid out how much more I expect of Wano being left. There is nothing arbitrary about seeing the writing on the wall. With that kind of logic could just extend this beyond Wano. Carrot can still join when the Strawhats are in Elbaf!! Oda can still highlight her there! Let's not put arbitrary deadlines on when it needs to happen! Honestly even when the Strawhats reach Lodestar it could still happen!
See how that doesn't work. You either strongly disagree on Wano taking a lot more time than I think it will or you realize that something has to happen soon.

I just see there's going to be a lot to unpack. Take into consideration this:

• Final Match-Ups for the Straw Hats are still being set.
• Events going on in the Dome, including the fights and anything else.
• Whatever climactic finisher that ends the fighting, spanning who knows how many chapters.
• Celebration
• Opening Wano's borders and the fallout that commences soon afterwards
• Arc's conclusion that rushes us to the Final Saga.

Also keep in mind of Oda's schedule, his frequent breaks that have resulted in lower volumes released, the intermissions between Acts, and the amount of things we can expect from the end and you can expect that we may not get through Wano this year. Keep also in mind how COVID threw plans awry. Yeah, I'm going to be realistic about this.

[Jaime]

@DarthAsthma:

Again I already laid out how much more I expect of Wano being left. There is nothing arbitrary about seeing the writing on the wall. With that kind of logic could just extend this beyond Wano. Carrot can still join when the Strawhats are in Elbaf!! Oda can still highlight her there! Let's not put arbitrary deadlines on when it needs to happen! Honestly even when the Strawhats reach Lodestar it could still happen!
See how that doesn't work. You either strongly disagree on Wano taking a lot more time than I think it will or you realize that something has to happen soon.

Pretty much, I do like your example which I think fits for some in this thread.

Just stretch it out, ohh the Strawhats are climbing the giant tree/Yggdrasil of Elbaf can't wait for Carrot to beat the Strawhats up top!!!

[Shiebs]

I just really hope if carrot doesn’t join after Wano we don’t have people still claiming she’ll come back into the story at some point and will become a straw hat then

I know most Carrot fans wouldn’t do that, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a few did

I mean we have seen that before