I have a simple rule when it comes to One Piece: if i don't understand something, it's a mystery. Therefore, Jimbei used a mystery punch.

@Orris:

Mr. 1 has a big scar over his eye now–Zoro didn't give it to him, I wonder where it's from.

Maybe he got it from head-butting that guy in chapter 533.

Well, you have to admit, that's a viable summary of Vegapunk. Not only did the guy figure out how to have items absorb devil fruits, but he also turned Kuma into some kind of mega-cyborg, infused him with Kizaru's laser powers, and then made a whole sodding line of them. You gotta imagine what other awesome crap he's already made.

Incidently, i recall an SBS from WAAAAY early in the series, fielding the question of who was the smartest in One Piece. Oda answered it only in terms of who had already appeared (Ben Beckman, Nami, and Kuro, in that order, if i recall right), meaning there was going to be at least one person who'd upset that little list. I think Vegapunk would totally land right up there on number one.

Yeah, if Hil were that stacked, i think Billy would'a stuck with her.

I haven't been insane about it, or nothing, but i've gotten all of the thus-far translated compilation volumes, and i plan to keep up with it. Of course, this is taking into account Viz's punishing lack of urgency in translating it, so there's not really much to keep up with.

I also bought Grand Battle (Rush) for the PS2 when i saw it, but stayed away from the other games for distaste of the translation and editing. I'd probably also buy the color walks and data books if i knew where to get them.

Whoever's fingers is on those scans, he needs to clip his nails.

As far as people joining Luffy's crew, the only viable one is Mr. 2. Mr. 3 will scarper as soon as he can, odds are Crocodile will stay where he is, with Mr. 1 following his lead, Buggy and Ace have their own crew to attend to, and Jimbei'll probably go right back to his underwater fish city, if only to attempt to defend it should the Navy or World Government get a bug up their ass about it.

As far as Hancock goes, i figure she'd end up as about the same as Clara from Skies of Arcadia: chasing after Luffy along the grand line in the name of love.

Wikipedia, i guess? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Wukong) I'm not sure where to find a copy of the book on the internet, so this'll have to do. You could always look for a copy at your local library, though.

Yeah, it's the respect he commands that makes me unsure of myself, although some of that could be due to his position as head of the navy. Conversely, Nami, Ussop, and Chopper usually act frightened in certain scenerios, which would lend weight to their personal sense of weakness, regardless of how good they are with climate, accuracy, and medicine, respectively. This is opposed to Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, who tend to have a determined strength when things go bad. I suppose the others, too, but they haven't had as many grim, bloody showdowns as the three lead males. My point is his flimsy nature, as least as shown when dealing with his day-to-day matters, lends weight to the idea that he himself isn't all that powerful.

Admittedly, thinking an admiral might be weak after seeing the monster strength of Kizaru and Aokiji seems impossible, but we've yet to see how Akuinu handles things. As far as we know, he could be another semi-normal human, if not flat-out average in terms of physical power and battle ability. Besides, it could be that pirates were weaker back when Sengoku rose through the ranks, and thus strength wasn't as much of an issue.

All in all, i'd have to go against the tide and say that he can't fight; at least, not on the same level as the Shichibukai or the stronger pirate captains. I have two decent reasons for this assuption, although i'm not sure if they match up to some of the reasons already given.

First, the navy, while a militaristic organization in nature, isn't all about strength. Captain Nezumi, that rat-fink who bargined with Arlong, was just a normal human, while Smoker, at that time of equal rank, is obviously much stronger; also in that area of the story was Commodore Purin-Purin, who's ship was easily sunk by Arlong's underlings despite his superior rank. Therefore, we can't assume that, just because Sengoku holds the highest position and at least two of the three admirals directly below him are insanely powerful, that he himself could kick their asses easily.

My other point is his attitude. He brushes aside underlying tasks when something big's on the way, and he gets annoyed at Garp when said vice-admiral acts care-free. This is the sort of attitude that seems to show up a bit in the weaker characters in One Piece, where they can't quite seem to handle the idiocy of the people around them and otherwise lose their cool. Spandam was shown the same way, being annoyed at his fellow CP9 members at times and bossing around his underlings elsewise, seemingly under the impression that his rank actually merited respect and complience. Nezumi also acted that way, at least when he was yelling about Luffy's bounty after having his ass handed to him. As opposed to the people confident in thier strength, Sengoku seems mostly anxious about these things, as if his power isnt enough.

The thing that worries me, though, is his nickname. Since Luffy was, in part, based off of Journey To The West's main character Sun Wukong, who was himself trapped under a mountain by the buddha long before the journey itself started, i can't help but feel that, at some point, Sengoku's gonna lock Luffy up by showing how he got to be called the buddha. Of course, it could also be that he was called that because of his nature, but seeing how he acts, i find that hard to imagine.

Wow, Urouge went Xyber Huge. His bigness is perfection.

@Fire Fist:

The only six-fingered Pirate I can think of was Westley from the Princess Bride.

This was three days ago, but i refuse to let it go. Westley, the pirate in question, was the protagonist; the six-fingered man, Count Tyrone Rugen, was the villian that Inigo Montoya swore vengeance against. They're not the same person, and therefore you know of no six-fingered pirates.

As for the Buggy vs. Law bit, i'd like to add to what Blue said: there's hidden powers to these fruits, and i feel that, with enough time or maybe plot twists, Buggy will be able to split himself apart smaller and smaller, perhaps even to the point of splitting down to the molecule. Then there's be millions upon millions of bits to him. He could turn a hand into virtually mist, send it inside someone, and reform it, expanding and busting said organ. Admittedly, this is probably going a little (more like a lot) too far with the idea, but my point is there's definitely hidden potential to Buggy's power.

On that note, i'm now thinking of a spear made of Buggy's limbs, with a hand at the end holding a dagger as the spearhead.