@danie I agree. If we accept that are closing in towards the ending, it just seems to me that if an admiral gets "eliminated" there's not enough time to replace him. And it would make sense to have a couple of excellent players (like one or more emperors) out of the game before the ending, it would be silly to have everyone still at their best for a (too) huge final battle

It's hard to tell. Sure there's been much anticipation, but as of now it doesn't look to me as big as Wano. Sure it could lead to some big revelations (Saul and the books of Ohara), but it hasn't any known enemy for the moment, contrary to Wano which was the final showdown against Kaido (and then BigMom too).

And yeah, it might sound stupid but it's really gonna be challenging for Oda having to draw the small SH in a huge environment...

@electricmastro said in Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 10 - Egghead):

@The-Light-of-Shandora said in Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 10 - Egghead):

Are there any positions on a ship which aren't covered by current members of the crew, this could hint at another crew member.

I think a rearguard or some sort of dedicated extra hand would be nice, especially in light of what’s going on with Saturn.

I still think a logbook keeper (like Oden) is a possible role, making a parallel with Roger's crew

Isn't there a popular theory that seems to constantly come back that mentions Kuma's DF (Nikyu-nikyu no mi, ni-kyu being 2-9) as having the only 2 numbers "missing" among the SH's DF? (Gomu-Gomu 5-6, Hito-Hito 1-10, Hana-Hana 8-7, Yomi-Yomi 4-3).

Having said that, I don't believe Kuma has a chance of joining. Maybe Bonney, but as of now I don't see it.

@Dahaka Yeah, I think this is the key. So far the Seraphim have been considered by everyone in the OP universe basically as robots/weapons/replicants but not as living beings with their own emotions, etc. That's why the moral problem doesn't seem to be an issue (then again, if we make a parallel with Blade Runner well, THAT was actually the issue) and kind of "justifies" why nobody is addressing it... we'll see if there's a further explanation, maybe in Oda's original plan they were much more similar to the other Pacifistas...

@danie I agree. If we accept that are closing in towards the ending, it just seems to me that if an admiral gets "eliminated" there's not enough time to replace him. And it would make sense to have a couple of excellent players (like one or more emperors) out of the game before the ending, it would be silly to have everyone still at their best for a (too) huge final battle

Given that we don't know her past and especially the "task/role" she was playing for the WG it's too early to tell. If it was something really important (it seems that way) she could become an ally of the SH along with Vegapunk...

Whatever is going to happen I hope someone is gonna turn the tables, because at the moment I don't see how "team Straw Hat" has even a slight chance of losing. I mean, we have the full SH, Bonney, Stussy, the Vegapunks and PXs and possibly Lucci and Kaku on one side, and the Seraphim, Kizaru, fodder Marines and one of the Gorosei on the others. Sure it seems a tight battle but: 1. the Seraphim have been shown to be really tough, however until now they don't seem a threat for someone at the SH level. 2. Kizaru is here only because his ass is gonna be finally whooped as a revenge from Sabaody. 3. The Gorosei have "incredibly mysterious power" but so far 5 of them and Imu together have been barely able to kill a crippled Cobra and let Sabo escape... So, maybe the arrival of the BB pirates could change the situation

@electricmastro what about the three-eyed tribe? We haven't really seen one except Pudding who's only half-breed

Oda is getting tired and would like to wrap things up... however, he's a very stoic worker and (I believe) he loves One Piece and (also) his work, so I honeslty doubt he would "skip" or "cut" parts of the story in order to finish quicker. This will probably be his only big manga, I think he wants to give it a proper treatment until the end without regrets. So, as for when will it end I can see at least 5-6 years minimum. I also don't understand the reason why he should finish for the "30th" anniversary as if it's something more special than finishing it at 33 or 38... I mean, every anniversay of OP is special, so even he finishes at the "36th" it's gonna be a huge celebration anyway

Oh right, time for "Absurd theory number 23489109"

I personally believe that Bonney is gonna play a decisive role in the current arc. I mean, her connection to Kuma has been known for a while and for as "moving" as it could be it's pretty much pointless to the whole story, so there has to be something more. We know that Bonney served a role (Akainu was "glad to get her back to the WG after she escaped", the CP-0 is now here to kill her cause she's "no longer needed"...) and I think she's in this arc because this finally has to be adressed.

Now, a very popular theory when she was recovered by Akainu is that she could have been, given her power, the person who rejuvenated the Gorosei or Imu making them basically immortals. (by the way later we had the revelation of Law's fruit being one that can also grant immortality, but since he wasn't really chased by the WG I interpet it as he wasn't needed). However, in the last few chapters Bonney stated that the effects of her fruit only works temporarily on living things, which seems to finally disprove the popular theory.

BUT. Why would Oda have Bonney explain specifically that her power on living things is temporary? It seems to me an unnecessary clarification done for the sole purpose of disproving that theory. So I think he's purposley misleading us... I mean, he's not lying, he's just not telling us the whole thing. That clarification seems to imply that on non-living things her power are actually not temporary, hence eternal. So, what if the Gorosei or Imu are actually NON LIVING things? Now I don't mean rocks that came to life, but what if they were actually DEAD and her power is able to make them go back in time when they were alive? Basically, resuscitating people... Given that they were dead (so non-living), this means that their resuscitation would last forever.

In the specific case of Imu, the timeline tells us this:
-Bonney is captured, so the WG is relieved
-Imu appears
-Bonney is no longer needed, so she is to be killed off
So, a further explanation could be that she was chased by the WG so that she could resuscitate Imu at a specific time, which could explain:

1. Why Imu didn't appear in the first half of the manga.
2. Why Imu was seen in a frozen room: that's were their body was preserved until it was time to resuscitate them.
3. Imu is back at this specific time because they have the power needed to destroy everything---> thanks to Vegapunk's weapon.

Sorry, it was a long post with a lot of BS but that's my crazy theory...