https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/SBS_Volume_105
In a recent SBS, Oda confirmed something very interesting regarding the Straw Hats and their backstories:
D: Do friends who joined the crew later (Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe) heard stories about the East Blue adventure from the original members (mostly Usopp?) and knew what had happened so far? I am curious! P.N. Seito
O: They either knew or they didn't know. Given the identities of the original members, Luffy and Zoro don't talk about the past. Nami, Sanji, and Chopper will speak if asked. Usopp will speak without being asked, but the adult members can sees through lies, so they ask Nami, Sanji, and Chopper to talk about anything they want to know. However, most of the Straw Hat Pirates don't care about people's past.
Particularly: "Luffy and Zoro don't talk about the past."
What does that mean? That Sanji has NO IDEA Zoro's entire goal is because of his childhood female friend, Kuina. Zoro hates sexism more than anyone in the series, refusing to believe that Kuina was weaker than him because she was a woman. Zoro has no problem fighting Tashigi if necessary, or attacking Monet if he wishes to.
This is the core conflict between Zoro and Sanji:
Zoro is a feminist who believes that men whould view women as equals, and respect the strength of strong women.
Zoro beleives in Vivi's strength, and doesn't act like she's a damsel in distress. Similarly, when Tashigi wanted to fight Monet, and they were both Zoro's enemies, he allowed them duel, only interfering when he felt like it.
Sanji is a feminist who believes men aren't superior to women, but, that men should treat women with kindness and gentleness, even if they're bad people ("A man forgives a woman's lies").
To Zoro, acting like women can't defend themselves from men is misogynist. To Sanji, men being willing to fight women to begin with is misogynist.
The resolution point for this is Zoro sharing his backstory with Sanji, and revealing that his dream is all because of a young woman who was viewed as weaker than men by her own father.
This is why Zoro's backstory hasn't been revealed to the crew: his backstory is necessary for Zoro and Sanji to gain true mutual respect for each other.
I beleive Zoro himself will challenge Sanji as a woman, either via Doc Q or Ivankov (probably Doc Q). But, that's not necessary.
Sanji just needs to realize from Zoro that fighting women is at times ABOUT SHOWING THEM RESPECT.
Kuina's proves Sanji is delusional and dysfunctional. If Zoro had followed Sanji's broken morals, and refused to fight Kuina because she was a girl, nothing could have destroyed her more. No sword wound could have cut as deep as Zoro, Kuina's rival, looking her in the face, and telling her what she was most terrified to hear: that she shouldn't fight because she's a girl. That her gender prevents her from fighting with swords.
If Zoro tells Sanji about Kuina, and Sanji yelled at Zoro for attacking his female friend with real swords as a child, Zoro would lose his shit.
"SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KUINA WAS FEELING! If I had told her that I couldn't fight her, just because she was a girl, I would have been spitting on everything she had built as a swordsman! I would have been a coward, running away from my rival, my friend's feelings, just because I was weaker, and making excuses! I don't care about how you feel about woman, Kuina was my ideal! Like hell I'll spit on her memory, by acting like I should have never fought her in the first place! DON'T INSULT KUINA'S MEMORY, SANJI, OR I'LL ACTUALLY KILL YOU!"
And, finally, Sanji will learn to smack bad ladies, even though they're ladies. Respecting women like Kuina comes from accepting and admiring their strength, not acting like they're weak and need to be protected.
Still torn if I want the first woman Sanji fights to be fem-Zoro, or Big Mom, though.
In a recent SBS, Oda confirmed something very interesting regarding the Straw Hats and their backstories:
D: Do friends who joined the crew later (Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe) heard stories about the East Blue adventure from the original members (mostly Usopp?) and knew what had happened so far? I am curious! P.N. Seito
O: They either knew or they didn't know. Given the identities of the original members, Luffy and Zoro don't talk about the past. Nami, Sanji, and Chopper will speak if asked. Usopp will speak without being asked, but the adult members can sees through lies, so they ask Nami, Sanji, and Chopper to talk about anything they want to know. However, most of the Straw Hat Pirates don't care about people's past.
Particularly: "Luffy and Zoro don't talk about the past."
What does that mean? That Sanji has NO IDEA Zoro's entire goal is because of his childhood female friend, Kuina. Zoro hates sexism more than anyone in the series, refusing to believe that Kuina was weaker than him because she was a woman. Zoro has no problem fighting Tashigi if necessary, or attacking Monet if he wishes to.
This is the core conflict between Zoro and Sanji:
Zoro is a feminist who believes that men whould view women as equals, and respect the strength of strong women.
Zoro beleives in Vivi's strength, and doesn't act like she's a damsel in distress. Similarly, when Tashigi wanted to fight Monet, and they were both Zoro's enemies, he allowed them duel, only interfering when he felt like it.
Sanji is a feminist who believes men aren't superior to women, but, that men should treat women with kindness and gentleness, even if they're bad people ("A man forgives a woman's lies").
To Zoro, acting like women can't defend themselves from men is misogynist. To Sanji, men being willing to fight women to begin with is misogynist.
The resolution point for this is Zoro sharing his backstory with Sanji, and revealing that his dream is all because of a young woman who was viewed as weaker than men by her own father.
This is why Zoro's backstory hasn't been revealed to the crew: his backstory is necessary for Zoro and Sanji to gain true mutual respect for each other.
I beleive Zoro himself will challenge Sanji as a woman, either via Doc Q or Ivankov (probably Doc Q). But, that's not necessary.
Sanji just needs to realize from Zoro that fighting women is at times ABOUT SHOWING THEM RESPECT.
Kuina's proves Sanji is delusional and dysfunctional. If Zoro had followed Sanji's broken morals, and refused to fight Kuina because she was a girl, nothing could have destroyed her more. No sword wound could have cut as deep as Zoro, Kuina's rival, looking her in the face, and telling her what she was most terrified to hear: that she shouldn't fight because she's a girl. That her gender prevents her from fighting with swords.
If Zoro tells Sanji about Kuina, and Sanji yelled at Zoro for attacking his female friend with real swords as a child, Zoro would lose his shit.
"SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KUINA WAS FEELING! If I had told her that I couldn't fight her, just because she was a girl, I would have been spitting on everything she had built as a swordsman! I would have been a coward, running away from my rival, my friend's feelings, just because I was weaker, and making excuses! I don't care about how you feel about woman, Kuina was my ideal! Like hell I'll spit on her memory, by acting like I should have never fought her in the first place! DON'T INSULT KUINA'S MEMORY, SANJI, OR I'LL ACTUALLY KILL YOU!"
And, finally, Sanji will learn to smack bad ladies, even though they're ladies. Respecting women like Kuina comes from accepting and admiring their strength, not acting like they're weak and need to be protected.
Still torn if I want the first woman Sanji fights to be fem-Zoro, or Big Mom, though.
