Of the many characters we’ve seen allied to the Straw Hat pirates, there’s been wild speculation as to who could join the crew. Princess Vivi is the prime example, but even Pauly in Water 7 was a popular candidate for the shipwright position. With the all but assumed induction of Jinbe into our favorite band of pirates, I’ve been looking back at other potential allies who could’ve fully joined the crew, and I’ve found someone who arguably fits better as a Straw Hat pirate than Jinbe or ‘Soul King’ Brook. Her name is Perona, the subordinate of the Shichibukai Gekko Moriah and friend to Roronoa Zoro. There are three core points that I think makes for an ideal Straw Hat pirate that Perona fulfills whereas other rivals such as Jinbe or even Carrot, frankly fail at. Perona’s rich character and unique set of connections allows her to enjoy a series of advantages that the newer would—be Straw Hats never could.
The greatest attribute for any crew member is, of course, their personality and interactions with other Straw Hats. This includes relationships that can develop, gags, and chemistry between crewmates. An ideal example would be Zoro and Chopper, who frequently are put together in Oda’s free drawings and fanart. Perona would excel in this category, having ties to two Straw Hats already. Perona spent two years with Zoro and Mihawk, being kind enough to hold the newspaper for Zoro early on in their relationship. By the time they would part, Perona remained in Sabaody for days to help Zoro reunite with the other Straw Hats and challenged the marines to ensure an easy get—away. Usopp and Perona likewise would have a very distinct relationship given they fought each other and Usopp’s immunity to Perona’s negative spirits. A bickering, back and forth type of banter could easily spark between them. And without even needing any built up history, Sanji and Perona would naturally attract one another. Perona is a fan of certain sweets and Sanji has a weakness for women. Her haughty, if not bratty, demeanor would surely create tension and cause some conflict on the ship, her devil fruit adding variety to gags. But then again, the most memorable relationship among the Straw Hats is Sanji and Zoro’s precisely for that. I assert that, a crew member who can meld well but still cause a plethora of arguments to swell from their presence is the best for changing the dynamic of the ship. And there is very little reason to add a new crewmate if the mentality and style of the pirates don’t differ, zero impact would sentence that character to an egregious fate.
The second largest factor when looking for new members to join the main cast is naturally to see who can contribute to the crew. Do they have a dream? Do they have unique powers that can help the crew out? Is there something dire the crew needs that this character can manage? This was the case with Sanji, Franky, Nami and Chopper. They check all three of these boxes, however most other characters don’t. Even Robin, Usopp and Brook barely meet two out of three. For Perona, I’d say it’s fair to categorize her with the latter group. She doesn’t have a dream confirmed yet, but her Hori Hori no Mi allows Perona to be a deadly supporter in combat and a brilliant scout. Many who suggest Carrot should join the crew like to say she’d make an excellent look—out. For Perona’s case, she would laugh at Carrot and do so while spinning through solid objects. Her fruit allows Perona to fly free of danger, explore enemy fortresses or battle ships, potentially dive under water if the need calls for it. If the crew ever needed a look—out, they could do no better than Perona.
The final condition that makes for an ideal Straw Hat would be future. While not entirely tied to the idea of a dream, like I said earlier, future has to do with the number of connections to new events in the manga. How relevant will you be in two arcs? How about three? End of the series? For Perona, I’d say she has very surprising staying power. With recent events revealed to us, we know that Gekko Moriah and his trusted invisible subordinate were accosted by Marshall D. Teach, with Gekko Moriah’s status unknown. Given the fact Zoro’s future opponent, Shiryuu of the Rain, is now in possession of the invisibility fruit, it stands to reason that Perona now has a personal vendetta against Blackbeard. While not as great as Luffy’s, this is a development that can give her drive. In the arc that will decide the pirate king, Perona has a stake ensuring that Teach doesn’t win beyond loyalty to Luffy. Furthermore, connections to the world government via Gekko Moriah and her friendship with Mihawk could keep her relevant in the final war. The Gorosei wanted to eliminate her father figure and caused their separation for two years and now hunt Mihawk. She needs little other reason to directly oppose the world government. Compare this to Sanji, who honestly has no reason to do either apart from following Luffy. Come the finale, Perona could be one of the most momentous characters.
Those are my key reasons as to why Perona should be a Straw Hat. Especially over the likes of Jinbe, Carrot or Brook. She has the personality to give the gags we all love new life. Her devil fruit allows for a lot of utility purpose and can be exploited in arcs beyond being a joke, even useful to get the better of powerful opponents. Her friendships with Zoro, Usopp and Sanji are agiven and it would take little more for Nami to befriend Perona. And finally, her surprising amount of relevance end of series surpasses even the likes of Sanji’s. It is one of the biggest missed opportunities to avoid adding Perona as a Straw Hat. She truly deserves it.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thread. I know the font is small, but otherwise it looks ugly with all those words there. With the recent discussion around Jinbe returning, I've been meaning to pump this thread out. Perona, Bonclay and Caesar Clown all would make better recruits than Jinbe or Carrot (or Brook) and I think it's a shame none of them will set sail with Luffy.
So, agree? Would you have liked to see her as a Straw Hat? Disagree, think there's better characters for the coveted slot?
The greatest attribute for any crew member is, of course, their personality and interactions with other Straw Hats. This includes relationships that can develop, gags, and chemistry between crewmates. An ideal example would be Zoro and Chopper, who frequently are put together in Oda’s free drawings and fanart. Perona would excel in this category, having ties to two Straw Hats already. Perona spent two years with Zoro and Mihawk, being kind enough to hold the newspaper for Zoro early on in their relationship. By the time they would part, Perona remained in Sabaody for days to help Zoro reunite with the other Straw Hats and challenged the marines to ensure an easy get—away. Usopp and Perona likewise would have a very distinct relationship given they fought each other and Usopp’s immunity to Perona’s negative spirits. A bickering, back and forth type of banter could easily spark between them. And without even needing any built up history, Sanji and Perona would naturally attract one another. Perona is a fan of certain sweets and Sanji has a weakness for women. Her haughty, if not bratty, demeanor would surely create tension and cause some conflict on the ship, her devil fruit adding variety to gags. But then again, the most memorable relationship among the Straw Hats is Sanji and Zoro’s precisely for that. I assert that, a crew member who can meld well but still cause a plethora of arguments to swell from their presence is the best for changing the dynamic of the ship. And there is very little reason to add a new crewmate if the mentality and style of the pirates don’t differ, zero impact would sentence that character to an egregious fate.
The second largest factor when looking for new members to join the main cast is naturally to see who can contribute to the crew. Do they have a dream? Do they have unique powers that can help the crew out? Is there something dire the crew needs that this character can manage? This was the case with Sanji, Franky, Nami and Chopper. They check all three of these boxes, however most other characters don’t. Even Robin, Usopp and Brook barely meet two out of three. For Perona, I’d say it’s fair to categorize her with the latter group. She doesn’t have a dream confirmed yet, but her Hori Hori no Mi allows Perona to be a deadly supporter in combat and a brilliant scout. Many who suggest Carrot should join the crew like to say she’d make an excellent look—out. For Perona’s case, she would laugh at Carrot and do so while spinning through solid objects. Her fruit allows Perona to fly free of danger, explore enemy fortresses or battle ships, potentially dive under water if the need calls for it. If the crew ever needed a look—out, they could do no better than Perona.
The final condition that makes for an ideal Straw Hat would be future. While not entirely tied to the idea of a dream, like I said earlier, future has to do with the number of connections to new events in the manga. How relevant will you be in two arcs? How about three? End of the series? For Perona, I’d say she has very surprising staying power. With recent events revealed to us, we know that Gekko Moriah and his trusted invisible subordinate were accosted by Marshall D. Teach, with Gekko Moriah’s status unknown. Given the fact Zoro’s future opponent, Shiryuu of the Rain, is now in possession of the invisibility fruit, it stands to reason that Perona now has a personal vendetta against Blackbeard. While not as great as Luffy’s, this is a development that can give her drive. In the arc that will decide the pirate king, Perona has a stake ensuring that Teach doesn’t win beyond loyalty to Luffy. Furthermore, connections to the world government via Gekko Moriah and her friendship with Mihawk could keep her relevant in the final war. The Gorosei wanted to eliminate her father figure and caused their separation for two years and now hunt Mihawk. She needs little other reason to directly oppose the world government. Compare this to Sanji, who honestly has no reason to do either apart from following Luffy. Come the finale, Perona could be one of the most momentous characters.
Those are my key reasons as to why Perona should be a Straw Hat. Especially over the likes of Jinbe, Carrot or Brook. She has the personality to give the gags we all love new life. Her devil fruit allows for a lot of utility purpose and can be exploited in arcs beyond being a joke, even useful to get the better of powerful opponents. Her friendships with Zoro, Usopp and Sanji are agiven and it would take little more for Nami to befriend Perona. And finally, her surprising amount of relevance end of series surpasses even the likes of Sanji’s. It is one of the biggest missed opportunities to avoid adding Perona as a Straw Hat. She truly deserves it.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thread. I know the font is small, but otherwise it looks ugly with all those words there. With the recent discussion around Jinbe returning, I've been meaning to pump this thread out. Perona, Bonclay and Caesar Clown all would make better recruits than Jinbe or Carrot (or Brook) and I think it's a shame none of them will set sail with Luffy.
So, agree? Would you have liked to see her as a Straw Hat? Disagree, think there's better characters for the coveted slot?
And how are we don't even have a Perona Fanclub yet?
Maybe me or 
