Usopp working with Franky to improve his kit. Maybe Franky helps him with the designs but he ultimately puts it all together himself haphazardly. Get him some boots that allow him to get away from close combat quickly, make his weapon literally do anything useful, be it damage or utility. Make him get inspiration from the other Straw Hats like Robin to grow plants on peoples bodies from a range or something. Make him more useful for reconnaissance - he's a sniper, maybe his observation haki allows him to pinpoint people's positions very accurately? Whatever it is, let him be useful or at least interesting in combat in any single way. There's hundreds of ways to do something with him.
Have the Straw Hats engage with Gear 5 beyond just, "oh, Luffy looks weird". *Eyes popping out* "wow?!" Okay, scene's over, cut away...
I can't believe Jinbe saw G5 and just said, "so that's the Warrior of Liberation, huh?" Isn't this a big deal for Jinbe, and moreso the people he's led...? Kind of incredible you happened to pick Luffy to follow and he turns out to be the literal God (Fishmen) slaves have prayed to in their times of suffering. I wonder if he would have anything to feel or express.
Have Luffy himself finally engage with him being Nika. It's absolutely insane that he doesn't even react to people talking about Nika/Joy Boy. It's like he isn't even a character in those moments, he doesn't even respond. And then we're supposed to pretend it makes sense because, "Luffy has always been a plank of wood" or something, which is just not true at all.
I'm so tired of characters conveniently acting like braindead plants when Oda wants to just skip over conversations and interactions for whatever reason. Calling the Straw Hats "characters" is very charitable these days.
Have the Straw Hats engage with Gear 5 beyond just, "oh, Luffy looks weird". *Eyes popping out* "wow?!" Okay, scene's over, cut away...
I can't believe Jinbe saw G5 and just said, "so that's the Warrior of Liberation, huh?" Isn't this a big deal for Jinbe, and moreso the people he's led...? Kind of incredible you happened to pick Luffy to follow and he turns out to be the literal God (Fishmen) slaves have prayed to in their times of suffering. I wonder if he would have anything to feel or express.
Have Luffy himself finally engage with him being Nika. It's absolutely insane that he doesn't even react to people talking about Nika/Joy Boy. It's like he isn't even a character in those moments, he doesn't even respond. And then we're supposed to pretend it makes sense because, "Luffy has always been a plank of wood" or something, which is just not true at all.
I'm so tired of characters conveniently acting like braindead plants when Oda wants to just skip over conversations and interactions for whatever reason. Calling the Straw Hats "characters" is very charitable these days.
