To clarify something right off the bat, I personally believe that the Straw Hat crew is finished. I think it's possible that Vivi and maybe Law will sail with the crew during some of the arcs related to the World Government, but I think Jinbe is the very last crew member. I believe that at least 2 of the respective enemy groups that I mention will be opponents for the Straw Hats. Now, this leaves 10 Straw Hats.
1. Blackbeard Pirates.
I feel like this is obvious, but I am of the belief that before the final climatic clash between the Straw Hats and the Blackbeard Pirates, that Kuzan will betray the Blackbeard Pirates and be defeated by Teach. Or, he'll be defeated by a different opponent that's not a member of the main crew. The point is, this will leave the main crew count at 10, equaling the number of Straw Hats. I won't speculate on the individual matchups, but I think it is safe to say that the Straw Hats will each get a fight against one of the Titanic Captains.
2. Red Hair Pirates.
The Red Hair Pirates have 11 named members. However, two of them stand out for reasons: Monster is not a human, and it's implied that he's part of Bonk Punch's(the big bald dude)'s style, just like Doc Q and Stronger for example, and the other, Rockstar, is not classified as a senior officer like the rest. Either way, the important thing is that you could in theory matchup 10 prominent RHPs with the 10 Straw Hats. I do not personally think the RHPs will fight the Straw Hats, but I acknowledge the possibility of a Davy Back Fight or a storyline that involves an antagonistic Shanks.
3. Zodiac Marines.
The Zodiac Marine theory is that there exists 12 strong marines, Admiral and Vice Admiral who each have code names that combine a color and a zodiac animal(i.e, Black Horse, Yellow Monkey). One of them, the one who represents the Rooster, Kuzan(Blue-Pheasant/Aokiji), is most likely not going to be involved in any plausible arcs where the Straw Hats vs the Zodiacs happens, which leaves 1 extra marine. The number could be reduced to a solid 10 if either: Borsalino is defeated at Egghead, or if Issho betrays the World Government. Both could happen imo, but I believe that Issho is too morally good of a character to end up as an arc opponent.
4. Imu and the Holy Knights.
My reasoning behind this is brief, and could be proven incorrect with future information. It seems like the Holy Knights are being set up to be a powerful and important group of characters, and the silhouettes we've been given show 9 of them. 9 Holy Knights + Imu versus Luffy and his 9 crewmates matches up perfectly. That being said, I can totally see there being more than 9 Holy Knights, and I'm not sure if they will be more than a WG equivalent of the Numbers.
Thoughts on this thread? Apologies for any errors.
@Shiroyru @Paperchampion23 @Blother Fertitta @Jailer etc etc
1. Blackbeard Pirates.
I feel like this is obvious, but I am of the belief that before the final climatic clash between the Straw Hats and the Blackbeard Pirates, that Kuzan will betray the Blackbeard Pirates and be defeated by Teach. Or, he'll be defeated by a different opponent that's not a member of the main crew. The point is, this will leave the main crew count at 10, equaling the number of Straw Hats. I won't speculate on the individual matchups, but I think it is safe to say that the Straw Hats will each get a fight against one of the Titanic Captains.
2. Red Hair Pirates.
The Red Hair Pirates have 11 named members. However, two of them stand out for reasons: Monster is not a human, and it's implied that he's part of Bonk Punch's(the big bald dude)'s style, just like Doc Q and Stronger for example, and the other, Rockstar, is not classified as a senior officer like the rest. Either way, the important thing is that you could in theory matchup 10 prominent RHPs with the 10 Straw Hats. I do not personally think the RHPs will fight the Straw Hats, but I acknowledge the possibility of a Davy Back Fight or a storyline that involves an antagonistic Shanks.
3. Zodiac Marines.
The Zodiac Marine theory is that there exists 12 strong marines, Admiral and Vice Admiral who each have code names that combine a color and a zodiac animal(i.e, Black Horse, Yellow Monkey). One of them, the one who represents the Rooster, Kuzan(Blue-Pheasant/Aokiji), is most likely not going to be involved in any plausible arcs where the Straw Hats vs the Zodiacs happens, which leaves 1 extra marine. The number could be reduced to a solid 10 if either: Borsalino is defeated at Egghead, or if Issho betrays the World Government. Both could happen imo, but I believe that Issho is too morally good of a character to end up as an arc opponent.
4. Imu and the Holy Knights.
My reasoning behind this is brief, and could be proven incorrect with future information. It seems like the Holy Knights are being set up to be a powerful and important group of characters, and the silhouettes we've been given show 9 of them. 9 Holy Knights + Imu versus Luffy and his 9 crewmates matches up perfectly. That being said, I can totally see there being more than 9 Holy Knights, and I'm not sure if they will be more than a WG equivalent of the Numbers.
Thoughts on this thread? Apologies for any errors.
@Shiroyru @Paperchampion23 @Blother Fertitta @Jailer etc etc