I don't see this as being inevitable, I'm personally hovering at around a 60% chance of this being possible. You've already covered the main weakness with SH Smoker, being that there still hasn't been a "straw that broke the camel's back" moment for him. I believe that Egghead (if he travels there) will be that moment, as it would conflict with his personal justice. Now, is it possible for him to instead join SWORD? Sure, it's possible. Even him remaining a normal marine is possible. I just don't think that those two options are quite as effective in completing his arc as a character.
First off, comparing the Egghead incident with the God Valley incident is a false equivalency. The Egghead incident is a pirate protecting a benign scientist from an entire fleet. God Valley is a Marine and a pirate working together to defeat a malicious pirate. The two events simply don't compare.
In regards to Garp and Smoker's similarities, I believe they differ in that Garp hasn't been framed in the same manner that Smoker has. Most of the arcs Smoker plays a role in ultimately end in disappointment for him due to his own lack of agency within the Marines. This gives Kuzan's lines in Chp 699 much more meaning. In regards to "Smoker being Luffy's Garp", I feel that there's multiple problems with this, like:
1. Powercreep; tbh, Smoker really hasn't been on Luffy's level ever since Post-TS, being ragdolled by way too many characters (ie Law, Vergo, Doflamingo) to be that "big strong Marine" that Garp represents. Luffy on the other hand has been gaining a billion powerups to cement himself as a top tier in the OPverse. If Luffy and Smoker were to fight, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being just like Luffy vs Lucci, where he just gets utterly destroyed.
2. Smoker has never been seen as the main "hero of the Marines". If anyone is most likely to fit that role (at least post-war) it's Koby, who has way superior portrayal in this regard.
All in all, Smoker simply isn't Garp. They're both different characters, each with their own arcs and traits. I won't even begin to go into discussing the other admirals mentioned, as they're clearly different from Smoker.
Smoker's own arc is him realizing that being a pirate doesn't make one inherently evil, and being a marine doesn't make one inherently good. Realizing that one can achieve justice no matter their label, and joining the SHs for this purpose. Would be a nice parallel to Kuzan joining the BB pirates and would allow for both of them to interact more once the two crews brawl.
First off, comparing the Egghead incident with the God Valley incident is a false equivalency. The Egghead incident is a pirate protecting a benign scientist from an entire fleet. God Valley is a Marine and a pirate working together to defeat a malicious pirate. The two events simply don't compare.
In regards to Garp and Smoker's similarities, I believe they differ in that Garp hasn't been framed in the same manner that Smoker has. Most of the arcs Smoker plays a role in ultimately end in disappointment for him due to his own lack of agency within the Marines. This gives Kuzan's lines in Chp 699 much more meaning. In regards to "Smoker being Luffy's Garp", I feel that there's multiple problems with this, like:
1. Powercreep; tbh, Smoker really hasn't been on Luffy's level ever since Post-TS, being ragdolled by way too many characters (ie Law, Vergo, Doflamingo) to be that "big strong Marine" that Garp represents. Luffy on the other hand has been gaining a billion powerups to cement himself as a top tier in the OPverse. If Luffy and Smoker were to fight, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being just like Luffy vs Lucci, where he just gets utterly destroyed.
2. Smoker has never been seen as the main "hero of the Marines". If anyone is most likely to fit that role (at least post-war) it's Koby, who has way superior portrayal in this regard.
All in all, Smoker simply isn't Garp. They're both different characters, each with their own arcs and traits. I won't even begin to go into discussing the other admirals mentioned, as they're clearly different from Smoker.
Smoker's own arc is him realizing that being a pirate doesn't make one inherently evil, and being a marine doesn't make one inherently good. Realizing that one can achieve justice no matter their label, and joining the SHs for this purpose. Would be a nice parallel to Kuzan joining the BB pirates and would allow for both of them to interact more once the two crews brawl.
this was a troll thread
