@Mad:
Do you really think Luffy can beat Smoker already? :getlost: He might be able to beat some Vice Admirals but definitely not the top tier ones like Smoker
I always figured Luffy and Smoker would be like Roger and Garp, both growing together and always stalemating.
I think the idea is it is not obvious, so that only the crew gets it. He did not take the photo of himself, reporters did. But only people that know him well would notice that the tatoo is out of place
Well Zik, I don't really think it's likely that hancock will join the crew, but she isn't just a throw away character either. She has a unique ability that really only the best of the best can defend against, similar to Perona. I seriously doubt that Oda just included her as a plot device for luffy, there are less contrived ways to do this in story telling, especially since everything she helped him with were problems occuring only after meeting her. She is a shichibukai and even more, she is in love with Luffy. She isnt just going to go away. Oda rarely just introduces characters for random plot twists and then forgets about them. They always come back
I don't think the message means a come in 2 years though, because just a few chapters back Luffy expressed his need to see his crew. It isn't like the characters know that if they wait two years, they will all get stronger. That's just something we know as readers of anime. To them, waiting that long would be totally pointless. So if there is a wait, then there must be some reason behind the wait other than a vague "I'm gonna get stronger" idea. He could be saying he will wait 2 years for them. But I think its pretty much given that he would wait forever for them.
So if he is saying wait 2 years, where do you think he will be going in the meantime? And why can't he wait for them to come first?
Thinking about Coby and his Haki developments, I think he'll be a force to be reckoned with sooner or later. He seems to have an inherent talent for Haki manipulation, considering that among all the tens of thousands of Marines at Marineford without Haki, his was the only one to awaken so fiercely, and his is the first instance of especially Mantra-like abilities we've seen since Skypiea. After some more extensive training with Garp, Coby will probably play a pivotal role in the second half of the tale.
I really like how we're seeing more characters than just the Straw Hats, and I hope this will continue throughout the New World. I still hope to see the Straw Hats as the main focus of the story, but it's a shame to leave the adventures of the other characters to the cover-stories and post-arc reaction chapters.
I agree and i think it might happen as well. As luffy and crew become more influential in the world and more connected with it's players, everything they do will affect more and more people. And also vice versa, so I think in the New World we will be seeing more about what everyone is up to as opposed to just the mugiwaras.
Perona
Trafalgar Law
Doc Q
Brooke
Captain Smoker
Jango
Kuma
Robin
Kaku
Hancock
