Personally, I think genderbent Zoro would be hotter, but I'd prefer the package deal.
Moving on.
...
At their core, Zoro and Sanji are defined by the deaths of Kuina and Sora, respectively.
Kuina's death molded Zoro into the man he is, a swordsman who wishes to have his name reach the heavens to honor his friend, Kuina.
Sora's death moved Sanji to always be considerate, and never allow himself to become heartless, and cruel.
Kuina's fear was weakness, that she could not be strong, because of her gender. Sora's fear was strength, that her son would become a heartless monster.
Zoro's hatred for Sanji comes purely from this; Sanji's pity towards women. Zoro refused to pity Kuina when she lamented her fate as a swordswoman, telling her that she was his rival. To Zoro, Kuina's gender NEVER mattered, while, to Sanji, gender matters more than anything else.
To Sanji, hitting women is an insult to them. To Zoro, refusing to hit women is an insult to them. Their mindsets are incompatible.
But, Oda has clearly showcased which one of these mindsets is correct; characters like Ulti prove that Sanji's mindset is flawed.
Gender is a scale, not two denominators, which is why humans are sometimes born with both genitals (and tragically often sexually mutilated as a result). Look at Ivankov: on some level, Sanji's treatment of Ivankov is horribly hypocritical. Iva clearly enjoys experiencing both genders, yet Sanji does what? Since Oda is clearly investing some time into trans politics into this series, we have to accept that... well... Sanji has gotten a lot of focus in these elements. No character in the Straw Hats has more borderline trans moments.
So, in a search for Sanji to be able to fight women without breaking his code to Zeff, I had a simple idea:
I mean, it would technically be a work around.
And it's not like Sanji's never embraced his inner woman before:
Look at Sanji, in his natural environment.
Zoro doesn't talk about his past, so, no one on the crew even knows who Kuina is. And Zoro wasn't at Whole cake, sooooooo, Zoro has no idea what Sanji's past is like, either. Both have no idea the suffering the other has gone through.
So, what happens when they find out?
I think they'll have some drinks, and a nice long cry together. Finally, Sanji will understand Zoro, the man who respects women from the bottom of his heart and views them as powerful and worthy or respect and compassion, and Zoro with understand Sanji, the man who cannot hurt women because of his step-father Zeff and his mother Sora's kindness and tragic death.
However, I believe the root cause of all of this romance will be Doc Q.
Law is also a Swordsmen who uses a Cursed Blade, and was made "sick" by Doc Q. turning him and his crew into a women. Many were grossed out by this concept, and I believe Zoro will be as well.
Zoro is constantly tied to Death, look at after his fight with King with the Grim Reaper, while Doc Q represents death as he used a scythe like the reaper, is a doctor who kills with poisoned/exploding apples, and rides on a pale horse, like death.
So, Zoro clashing with Doc Q is foreshadowed. And, Sanji has turned into a woman once before in the Kamabakka Kingdom, so, it happening again is likely.
If Zoro were to be turned into a woman by Doc Q, and it was treated as a disease, I suspect Zoro would be PISSED that Doc Q was saying that being a women is like a disease that makes you weaker.
And that is when Sanji will fall in love with Zoro: when Zoro, as a woman, defeats Doc Q. We know Sanji naturally simps for beautiful women, and genderbent Zoro would be attractive. But, Sanji will eventually still have those feelings after Zoro returns to being a man. And that is when Sanji will track down Ivankov, and finally realize, that, deep down, he loves both ladies... and Zoro.
This doesn't mean Sanji has to be a lady all the time, mind you, just that, when he needs to fight women, he could take some special Vegadrugs or Ivankov Hormone supplements, so Sanji can turn into a woman, and kick women, without breaking his oath to Zeff as a man.
Who was Sanji's first serious opponent in the series, in a true 1v1 fight?
Bon Kurei... an Okama who accepts his male form, but identifies as a woman at heart. Despite meeting Ivankov, Bon-chan's hero, Bon-chan never asked to change his gender, showcasing he already believed himself to be a woman at heart.
This clears up Luffy x Nami, but, I don't think any of the crew will get together until post.
In fact, once Sanji falls for Zoro, Zoro most likely will not notice, at all.
Zoro: "Huh. Sanji's not plotting anything, is he? The guy's been really nice to me, lately... it's kinda creeping me out."
Nami: "Heh. Yep, Sanji's got his eye on you."
Zoro: "I knew it... what's he up to?"
Nami: "Oh, he's just planning on stealing your heart."
Zoro: "W-What, like, cutting it out in the middle of the night? So, he's trying to get on my good side, to lure me into a sense of false security?!?"
Nami: (Bursts into laughter)
Zoro: "HEY, ARE YOU JUST MESSING WITH ME, NAMI?!?"
Expect Zoro x Sanji fanfiction coming soon.
Think I'm joking? Guess again, Oda's already confirmed through drawing the genderbent Straw Hat's that F-Zoro has resting Nami-face:
But, how will Sanjel win Zoro over?
The same way he defeated Big Mom.
Through his stomach. Through... SAKE!
Sanji is the World's Greatest Cook, why wouldn't he brew the world's best Sake?
...
To be real, though, this would be a very interesting and controversial place to take Sanji's character; make him gender fluid. Sanji has the mind of a man, but, the heart of a woman.
I prefer Zoro x Tashigi and (hehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) Sanji x Pudding, but hell, if Oda wants to go crazy, the plot material for Zoro x Sanji is there.
...
Ah, fuck it. GANBARE, SANJEL! BREW THE SAKE THAT WILL MAKE ZORO-SAN FALL SCABBARDS OVER HEELS FOR YOU!
Imagine Yamato isn't trans and Sanji is.......... hoooooooooooooooooooo boy.
I can't wait for genderbent Sanji and Zoro after genderbent Law.
Oda, give us Sanji's titties. Zoro will definitely have bigger boobs, though.
Alright, go nuts, rip me apart.
Moving on.
...
At their core, Zoro and Sanji are defined by the deaths of Kuina and Sora, respectively.
Kuina's death molded Zoro into the man he is, a swordsman who wishes to have his name reach the heavens to honor his friend, Kuina.
Sora's death moved Sanji to always be considerate, and never allow himself to become heartless, and cruel.
Kuina's fear was weakness, that she could not be strong, because of her gender. Sora's fear was strength, that her son would become a heartless monster.
Zoro's hatred for Sanji comes purely from this; Sanji's pity towards women. Zoro refused to pity Kuina when she lamented her fate as a swordswoman, telling her that she was his rival. To Zoro, Kuina's gender NEVER mattered, while, to Sanji, gender matters more than anything else.
To Sanji, hitting women is an insult to them. To Zoro, refusing to hit women is an insult to them. Their mindsets are incompatible.
But, Oda has clearly showcased which one of these mindsets is correct; characters like Ulti prove that Sanji's mindset is flawed.
Gender is a scale, not two denominators, which is why humans are sometimes born with both genitals (and tragically often sexually mutilated as a result). Look at Ivankov: on some level, Sanji's treatment of Ivankov is horribly hypocritical. Iva clearly enjoys experiencing both genders, yet Sanji does what? Since Oda is clearly investing some time into trans politics into this series, we have to accept that... well... Sanji has gotten a lot of focus in these elements. No character in the Straw Hats has more borderline trans moments.
So, in a search for Sanji to be able to fight women without breaking his code to Zeff, I had a simple idea:
If Sanji was a woman, he wouldn't be breaking his own moral code of men hitting women if he hit women
I mean, it would technically be a work around.
And it's not like Sanji's never embraced his inner woman before:
Look at Sanji, in his natural environment.
Zoro doesn't talk about his past, so, no one on the crew even knows who Kuina is. And Zoro wasn't at Whole cake, sooooooo, Zoro has no idea what Sanji's past is like, either. Both have no idea the suffering the other has gone through.
So, what happens when they find out?
I think they'll have some drinks, and a nice long cry together. Finally, Sanji will understand Zoro, the man who respects women from the bottom of his heart and views them as powerful and worthy or respect and compassion, and Zoro with understand Sanji, the man who cannot hurt women because of his step-father Zeff and his mother Sora's kindness and tragic death.
However, I believe the root cause of all of this romance will be Doc Q.
Law is also a Swordsmen who uses a Cursed Blade, and was made "sick" by Doc Q. turning him and his crew into a women. Many were grossed out by this concept, and I believe Zoro will be as well.
Zoro is constantly tied to Death, look at after his fight with King with the Grim Reaper, while Doc Q represents death as he used a scythe like the reaper, is a doctor who kills with poisoned/exploding apples, and rides on a pale horse, like death.
So, Zoro clashing with Doc Q is foreshadowed. And, Sanji has turned into a woman once before in the Kamabakka Kingdom, so, it happening again is likely.
If Zoro were to be turned into a woman by Doc Q, and it was treated as a disease, I suspect Zoro would be PISSED that Doc Q was saying that being a women is like a disease that makes you weaker.
And that is when Sanji will fall in love with Zoro: when Zoro, as a woman, defeats Doc Q. We know Sanji naturally simps for beautiful women, and genderbent Zoro would be attractive. But, Sanji will eventually still have those feelings after Zoro returns to being a man. And that is when Sanji will track down Ivankov, and finally realize, that, deep down, he loves both ladies... and Zoro.
This doesn't mean Sanji has to be a lady all the time, mind you, just that, when he needs to fight women, he could take some special Vegadrugs or Ivankov Hormone supplements, so Sanji can turn into a woman, and kick women, without breaking his oath to Zeff as a man.
Who was Sanji's first serious opponent in the series, in a true 1v1 fight?
Bon Kurei... an Okama who accepts his male form, but identifies as a woman at heart. Despite meeting Ivankov, Bon-chan's hero, Bon-chan never asked to change his gender, showcasing he already believed himself to be a woman at heart.
This clears up Luffy x Nami, but, I don't think any of the crew will get together until post.
In fact, once Sanji falls for Zoro, Zoro most likely will not notice, at all.
Zoro: "Huh. Sanji's not plotting anything, is he? The guy's been really nice to me, lately... it's kinda creeping me out."
Nami: "Heh. Yep, Sanji's got his eye on you."
Zoro: "I knew it... what's he up to?"
Nami: "Oh, he's just planning on stealing your heart."
Zoro: "W-What, like, cutting it out in the middle of the night? So, he's trying to get on my good side, to lure me into a sense of false security?!?"
Nami: (Bursts into laughter)
Zoro: "HEY, ARE YOU JUST MESSING WITH ME, NAMI?!?"
Expect Zoro x Sanji fanfiction coming soon.
Think I'm joking? Guess again, Oda's already confirmed through drawing the genderbent Straw Hat's that F-Zoro has resting Nami-face:
But, how will Sanjel win Zoro over?
The same way he defeated Big Mom.
Through his stomach. Through... SAKE!
Sanji is the World's Greatest Cook, why wouldn't he brew the world's best Sake?
...
To be real, though, this would be a very interesting and controversial place to take Sanji's character; make him gender fluid. Sanji has the mind of a man, but, the heart of a woman.
I prefer Zoro x Tashigi and (hehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) Sanji x Pudding, but hell, if Oda wants to go crazy, the plot material for Zoro x Sanji is there.
...
Ah, fuck it. GANBARE, SANJEL! BREW THE SAKE THAT WILL MAKE ZORO-SAN FALL SCABBARDS OVER HEELS FOR YOU!
Imagine Yamato isn't trans and Sanji is.......... hoooooooooooooooooooo boy.
I can't wait for genderbent Sanji and Zoro after genderbent Law.
Oda, give us Sanji's titties. Zoro will definitely have bigger boobs, though.
Alright, go nuts, rip me apart.
