Who will be the next Strawhat


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I really dont get what youre getting at with involving Carrot now, if it was Momo for example id understand, but Carrot? What would the story gain from Luffy and Carrot additional sub plot in the middle of his fight vs Kaido?
The Luffy vs Kaido round is finished IMO. This isn't a pause in the fighting like you're suggesting. It's the end of it. Round 2 is done and Luffy lost. Obviously Luffy will come back for round 3 like he's always done, but not before a short reset. Now what would the story gain from having Carrot save him?

It allows for a potentially interesting development of the theme of trusting in Luffy. This has been in the story from day 1 and repeated in basically every arc since, but this is one of the very rare moments in the series where Luffy actually loses and doesn't live up to the trust people placed in him. This is relevant to Carrot because her mentor's dying wish was placing trust in Luffy and the straw hats to be the ones to bring in the dawn. Pedro's a nice guy but he didn't just give his life for him out of generosity. He did it specifically because of what he trusted that they would go on to do. He then believed that Carrot herself would one day fully understand the true importance of this. Over 100 chapters later and she still doesn't fully comprehend the scale or purpose.

During her fight with Perospero she was getting consumed by anger and was stuck in the past which was the exact opposite of Pedro telling her to "move forward". As a result she was beaten. Now if she were to see Luffy falling unconscious and rush to go save him it would serve as a reminder of what she's really supposed to be doing and could allow for her to better understand why Pedro trusted in them to bring the dawn.

Both of them are fresh from a defeat that they personally felt they really needed to win. Carrot growing to looking beyond revenge and believing in Luffy would act as a nice segway into Luffy picking himself back up and heading back for Round 3. Trusting in Luffy is about more than just trusting in his strength. It's the whole package, and therefore development needs to be made in the other areas too.
We dont know as of yet why Oda made Luffy fall, but do people forget the man can fly himself? Does he need to be saved?
Obviously we don't know for sure yet, but we can have a pretty damn good idea. Oda's a very formulaic writer. He does shit once and then you'll see him doing that same thing 1000 chapters later. Oda kicked Luffy off Onigashima to stall before the big final confrontation, just like in almost every arc. This is the moment where Luffy was trapped by the bow in Syrup Village...

The moment where he was stuck underwater in Arlong Park
The moment where he was stuck under the bones in Little Garden
The moment where he was stabbed and left to die in the desert by Crocodile in Alabasta
The moment where he was stuck in the snake in Skypeia
The moment he was chucked into the trash where he found Momo in Punk Hazard
The moment when his haki ran out in Dressrosa
Etc.

Some of these have lasted longer than others, but they're often used to develop a relationship (Aisa, Momo and Robin) or provide time for other characters to have some spotlight whilst all the fighting's going on elsewhere.

Of course Luffy can fly but he's knocked out right now so a lot of good that's gonna do him. That, along with Kaido reverting back to base form and his words after marked the clear end of their round. So no, Luffy's not going to immediately return.
if i had to guess, Luffy is back up immediately after Yamato and Kaido are done talking/she needs be saved
Then we're on the same page. I only expect Luffy to be off Onigashima for a short while, not some long subplot. Kaido is going to talk with Yamao, probably give her a well-deserved spanking and then potentially have his flashback. I can picture a good ol' "help me Lucy" moment for Luffy's grand return at the end of it.
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As much as I would like Carrot to get some shine, her saving Luffy would be really random because there’d be no buildup to it:goatasure:
Even if that was the case then why would that be any reason to doubt its likelihood? Have you been paying attention to the countless shit Oda's pulled out of his ass this arc with no build up to it? That can literally sum up Yamao's entire existence as a character. Or just look at last chapter with shit like "mother mode".
 
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Even if that was the case then why would that be any reason to doubt its likelihood? Have you been paying attention to the countless shit Oda's pulled out of his ass this arc with no build up to it? That can literally sum up Yamao's entire existence as a character. Or just look at last chapter with shit like "mother mode".
Yeah but there’s a difference between pulling a plot convenience out of your ass vs doing the same for a sub plot that has been going on for over 100 chapters. Pulling something out of his ass for Carrot’s arc would be very unsatisfying. I’d at LEAST need to see carrot’s realization first or a scene of her seeing luffy fall instead of her just popping up and saving him out of nowhere

I guess the build up would be that she seemingly chose to tag along to avenge her Pedro and Big Mom and the BPM are still kicking.
I think it would be a plausible outcome of her story I would just need to see a little more before it happens
 
Yeah but there’s a difference between pulling a plot convenience out of your ass vs doing the same for a sub plot that has been going on for over 100 chapters. Pulling something out of his ass for Carrot’s arc would be very unsatisfying. I’d at LEAST need to see carrot’s realization first or a scene of her seeing luffy fall instead of her just popping up and saving him out of nowhere
I don't get what you mean? IIRC Carrot and Wanda are the only characters in the entirety of Onigashima that are outside. People talk about Momo, Yamao and Sanji coming to save Luffy but they're all inside the castle doing things. In order for them to save Luffy they'd have to basically teleport. Whereas Carrot is right outside, not doing anything and could've just looked up to see Luffy falling. We already know for a fact that she can float, so it's all within the realms of possibility.
 

Cinera

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐭
Yamao are candidates in name only.
I genuinely do not understand this. Why do you think Yamato is not a legitimate candidate to join the crew?
  • She asked Luffy to let her onboard
  • She's been the focus of Onigashima since her introduction:
    • There have been 5 chapters that had titles named after her or her actions/behaviour in the chapter.
      • Yes, I've gone through every chapter she's appeared in.
    • Compare her prominence and dominance in the plot to Carrot's lack thereof.
  • She's had extensive interactions with Luffy:
    • She rescued Luffy from Ulti.
    • She fought Luffy until he agreed to listen to her.
    • She shared her life story with Luffy.
    • She asked Luffy to let her onboard his crew.
    • Luffy freed her from her prison of 20 years.
    • She spent several chapters running around together with Luffy.
    • Luffy entrusted her to protect Momonosuke.
    • Luffy gave her a pet nickname.
    • She actually bonded with Luffy.
  • She's had an extensive back story with Ace
    • It spans three chapters from the end of 998 to the middle of 1000.
    • Ace wanted to take her out to sea, but she had to decline because of the shackles that bound her.
      • Luffy did what Ace could not do and removed her shackles.
  • As for her role she could be the "combatant".
  • She fits really strongly, the pattern of the third recruit:
    1. Introduce themselves on higher elevation while looking below at Luffy
    - Nami : roof
    - Robin : railing of the Going Merry
    - Yamato : ceiling (and she's taller)
    2. They needed to convince Luffy to join first
    - Nami : ask to partner
    - Robin : invite herself in
    - Yamato : request to board the ship
    3. They're related to other crews who is the main antagonist of an arc
    - Nami : Arlong Pirates
    - Robin : Baroque Works
    - Yamato : Beast Pirates
    4. They experienced a great conflict at a young age related to their hometown
    - Nami : village domination
    - Robin : Ohara incident
    - Yamato : Wano coup
    5. Luffy helps overcome their burden related to their past
    - Nami : wrecks her maps & defeating Arlong
    - Robin : survived Buster Call & declares war against World Government
    - Yamato : destroy her shackles & defeating Kaido
    6. Their dreams are inspired/related by paper-based work
    - Nami : maps
    - Robin : books
    - Yamato : journal
    7. Their dreams require them to explore the world
    - Nami : draws world maps
    - Robin : searching for Poneg & true history
    - Yamato : going out & experience the outside world
    8. Linked to the concept of freedom & liberation
    - Nami : freeing the village out of invader's occupation
    - Robin : dubbed as the Light of Revolution
    - Yamato : free herself from her caged life & opening Wano's border
I understand not wanting Yamato to join.
I understand thinking that Carrot is more likely to join than Yamato.
I understand thinking that Yamato is ultimately more likely not to join than to join.

I disagree with all the above but I understand them.

What I don't understand — what I cannot fathom — is how you can read the 30+ chapters since Yamato was first introduced and conclude that she's not even a real contender for the next Nakama?


I really don't get it. If you're willing to explain, I'd like to hear why you think Yamato is ineligible.
 
I don't get what you mean? IIRC Carrot and Wanda are the only characters in the entirety of Onigashima that are outside. People talk about Momo, Yamao and Sanji coming to save Luffy but they're all inside the castle doing things. In order for them to save Luffy they'd have to basically teleport. Whereas Carrot is right outside, not doing anything and could've just looked up to see Luffy falling. We already know for a fact that she can float, so it's all within the realms of possibility.
I’m not saying it’s not possible, I agree that carrot has the capability to do it, I’m just saying it seems unlikely to me because there hasn’t been any evidence that anyone has actually seen luffy fall
 
I understand not wanting Yamato to join.
I understand thinking that Carrot is more likely to join than Yamato.
I understand thinking that Yamato is ultimately more likely not to join than to join.

I disagree with all the above but I understand them.

What I don't understand — what I cannot fathom — is how you can read the 30+ chapters since Yamato was first introduced and conclude that she's not even a real contender for the next Nakama?


I really don't get it. If you're willing to explain, I'd like to hear why you think Yamato is ineligible.
Sure.

A candidate is someone with potential to achieve a certain position. The following 3 points are not going to change and each one on their own is a heavy blow to her chances, but all 3 together? Yeah...extremely unlikely.

1. Insanely late introduction
2. Lack of a proper mentor relationship
3. Nami face

There are many other reasons to suggest why she won't join, but these are the hard ones that make it very unlikely.
1. Insanely late introduction
There's never a case in which a straw hat is introduced so late into an arc and then joined at the end of that arc. And this isn't just some random pattern either. It's done so that readers have the biggest impression of those characters since they are some of the first things seen of the new island. In addition to allowing for way more time for development of the character throughout the arc.

Let's provide some proof:

Romance Dawn - Chapters 1-7
Zoro - Name dropped chapter 2, Introduced chapter 3

Orange Town - Chapters 8-21
Nami - First appearance chapter 1 colour spread, Introduced chapter 8

Syrup Village - Chapters 23-41
Usopp - Introduced chapter 23

Baratie - Chapters 42-68
Sanji - Introduced chapter 43

Drum Kingdom - Chapters 130-154
Chopper - Introduced chapter 134

Alabasta - Chapters 155-217
Robin - Introduced chapter 114, multiple arcs in advance

Water 7 - Chapters 322-374
Franky - Name dropped chapter 327, Half intro chapter 329, Full intro chapter 335

Thriller Bark - Chapters 442-489
Brook - Introduced Chapter 442

WCI - Chapters 825-902
Jinbe - Name dropped chapter 69, Introduced chapter 528, waaaay in advance

In some cases, straw hats are introduced way before the arc they join. But they are NEVER introduced late into the arc. And as mentioned above, there's specific reasons that's the case. Just look at the scabbards. 5 of them were introduced before Wano even began. Kiku was introduced extremely early in the arc and then the Kawamatsu, Denjiro and Ashura Doji were all foreshadowed early on and were then teased even further with Holdem mentioning AD before his intro, Kawamatsu's constant silhouettes and Denjiro being Kyoshiro all along.

Things would be a bit better if Yamato was supposed to be some secret child that people didn't know about. It would explain why there wasn't a single mention of her for 70 chapters. But that's not the case. Everyone knows about Yamato, including BP fodders, Ulti talks about Kaido's family issues as if it is a regular occurrence, yet there were no name drops, mysterious appearances or anything regarding Yamato. Yamato only being mentioned a measly 4 chapters before appearing, despite the arc being 70 chapters long already. Pudding, a character in the exact same situation as Yamato as a daughter of a yonko was shown waaaay in advance all the way back at Fishman Island with intriguing ellipses and an apparent disgust towards Big Mom.
Ain't none of that for Yamato.

Compare that to Carrot...Zou arc started chapter 802, they arrived on Zou in chapter 804, which was also the same chapter Carrot was introduced in.

The last straw hat has to the toughest job of trying to feel like a real member of the crew that has shared in their experiences, despite joining the latest. We're so far into the game and they've missed so much already that it would only make sense for Oda to try and include them in as much of the journey as possible. A character joining the crew that was introduced in Wano was already tough enough since so much has happened, but for that character to be introduced this late into the arc, also with practically zero foreshadowing and build up is simply taking the mic. Carrot's been with the crew since Zou and has fought an emperor with them and saved their lives fighting a fleet singlehandedly for them. It's clear which character Oda's been working on for a long time in building relationships both with the crew and with the readers. And it's not the one first introduced 75 chapters into the damn arc. :seriously:
Again, this isn't just some random pattern or coincidence. It's intentional that important characters are introduced early or alluded to in advance of their relevance. Think of literally any arc. Wyper, Kyros, Pudding etc. All the important characters that shape the plot are introduced, foreshadowed or alluded to very early in the arc. And it's especially the case for straw hats. The number chapters into the arc till their introduction:

Zoro - 2
Nami - 1
Usopp - 1
Sanji - 2
Chopper - 5
Robin - (6)
Franky - 6
Brook - 1
Jinbe - (3)
Yamao - 68!!
2. Lack of a proper mentor
Everybody knows that all the straw hats have their respective mentors. People they loved, looked up to and shaped them to who they are today. Yamao simply doesn't have that. People always jump on Oden, but their relationship is nonexistent. Oden never even knew Yamao existed. The actual mentor/mentee relationship was instead given to the scabbards.

All straw hats can look back on their time with their mentors, except Yamao, because they never actually had a time together. And it would've been very easy to do too. Whilst Oden was twerking around Wano Oda could've had him run into Yamao with her mask on. They could've talked as she was trying to understand what he was doing and then developed an actual relationship. Perhaps even treating her like his own kid, or at least another one of his followers. This would've made her biological ultimately killing Oden actually tragic and also further explain her desire to protect Momo back then. Instead you got nothing. Yamao was just another fodder in the crowd watching the event and crying like every single other Wano citizen. At the end of the day, Oden has less of a connection to Yamao than he does to Momo, Hiyori, Shinobu, all damn 10 of those scabbards including Kanjuro. Heck even the unnamed Hyogoro's wife.

I simply can't imagine Oda giving that little care to a straw hat mentor relationship in which even a tertiary character is more important to them than the supposed straw hat. And there's no way something like that can change over time with more context and info since we know they had no prior relationship.
3. Nami face
This ones pretty straightforward. All the straw hats have unique designs. There's not a single straw hat you could confuse for another. Not from any angle. However for pretty female characters, (often princesses), Oda just uses Nami or Robin as a template and then makes some changes from there to create a new character. He's acknowledged in the past that he has issues drawing beautiful women, which would explain why some look similar. But the key point is that Nami and Robin, the protagonists are the originals.

For example if it wasn't for the snake you could at first glance mistake Hancock for Robin in this.
It's the same deal with Yamao. She just looks far too similar to Nami for them to be in the same group in close proximity. Half the fandom calls her Nami with horns, because that's exactly what she looks like. It would only be worse if she was wearing casual clothing like Nami does on the ship.

If Oda was going to have Yamao become a straw hat he would've given a clearer distinction between the two than some horns which aren't always even visible in the panel. With Robin her dark hair immediately sets the two apart above all else. Oda could've given Yamao her father's darker complexion. The shading could've made a difference. But he didn't.
Again, there are many other reasons to suggest why she won't join the crew, but these are ones that make it extremely unlikely.
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I’m not saying it’s not possible, I agree that carrot has the capability to do it, I’m just saying it seems unlikely to me because there hasn’t been any evidence that anyone has actually seen luffy fall
But there hasn't been any evidence of anything. There's no evidence that Law's submarine saw them or has even caught up in all the strong currents. There's no evidence that they're above Wano mainland right this moment. Etc. They're all simply within the realms of possibility...just like Carrot spotting Luffy.

The only outcome that according to what you're saying would have build up to it would be Luffy suddenly waking up and flying back up.
 
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Jew D. Boy

I Can Go Lower
Been around long enough to remember when people thought Paulie was gonna join after Water 7/Enies Lobby, there were still contingents of the fandom calling for it even after Franky rocketed past him in terms of viability just because he had a connection to a “mentor” in Iceburg and a unique design/fighting style (with absolutely no other indicators that he ever had an actual shot). Keep shouting into the void about Carrot, Oda’s bound to hear you eventually!! :gokulaugh:
 

Cinera

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐭
The Luffy vs Kaido round is finished IMO. This isn't a pause in the fighting like you're suggesting. It's the end of it. Round 2 is done and Luffy lost. Obviously Luffy will come back for round 3 like he's always done, but not before a short reset. Now what would the story gain from having Carrot save him?

It allows for a potentially interesting development of the theme of trusting in Luffy. This has been in the story from day 1 and repeated in basically every arc since, but this is one of the very rare moments in the series where Luffy actually loses and doesn't live up to the trust people placed in him. This is relevant to Carrot because her mentor's dying wish was placing trust in Luffy and the straw hats to be the ones to bring in the dawn. Pedro's a nice guy but he didn't just give his life for him out of generosity. He did it specifically because of what he trusted that they would go on to do. He then believed that Carrot herself would one day fully understand the true importance of this. Over 100 chapters later and she still doesn't fully comprehend the scale or purpose.

During her fight with Perospero she was getting consumed by anger and was stuck in the past which was the exact opposite of Pedro telling her to "move forward". As a result she was beaten. Now if she were to see Luffy falling unconscious and rush to go save him it would serve as a reminder of what she's really supposed to be doing and could allow for her to better understand why Pedro trusted in them to bring the dawn.

Both of them are fresh from a defeat that they personally felt they really needed to win. Carrot growing to looking beyond revenge and believing in Luffy would act as a nice segway into Luffy picking himself back up and heading back for Round 3. Trusting in Luffy is about more than just trusting in his strength. It's the whole package, and therefore development needs to be made in the other areas too.

Obviously we don't know for sure yet, but we can have a pretty damn good idea. Oda's a very formulaic writer. He does shit once and then you'll see him doing that same thing 1000 chapters later. Oda kicked Luffy off Onigashima to stall before the big final confrontation, just like in almost every arc. This is the moment where Luffy was trapped by the bow in Syrup Village...

The moment where he was stuck underwater in Arlong Park
The moment where he was stuck under the bones in Little Garden
The moment where he was stabbed and left to die in the desert by Crocodile in Alabasta
The moment where he was stuck in the snake in Skypeia
The moment he was chucked into the trash where he found Momo in Punk Hazard
The moment when his haki ran out in Dressrosa
Etc.

Some of these have lasted longer than others, but they're often used to develop a relationship (Aisa, Momo and Robin) or provide time for other characters to have some spotlight whilst all the fighting's going on elsewhere.

Of course Luffy can fly but he's knocked out right now so a lot of good that's gonna do him. That, along with Kaido reverting back to base form and his words after marked the clear end of their round. So no, Luffy's not going to immediately return.

Then we're on the same page. I only expect Luffy to be off Onigashima for a short while, not some long subplot. Kaido is going to talk with Yamao, probably give her a well-deserved spanking and then potentially have his flashback. I can picture a good ol' "help me Lucy" moment for Luffy's grand return at the end of it.
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Even if that was the case then why would that be any reason to doubt its likelihood? Have you been paying attention to the countless shit Oda's pulled out of his ass this arc with no build up to it? That can literally sum up Yamao's entire existence as a character. Or just look at last chapter with shit like "mother mode".
Okay, this is pretty persuasive. If Carrot saves Luffy and gets a bonding moment, I will sharply revise my estimates of her joining the crew from "underdog" to "major contender".


What would make you change your mind on Yamato?
 
Sure.

A candidate is someone with potential to achieve a certain position. The following 3 points are not going to change and each one on their own is a heavy blow to her chances, but all 3 together? Yeah...extremely unlikely.

1. Insanely late introduction
2. Lack of a proper mentor relationship
3. Nami face

There are many other reasons to suggest why she won't join, but these are the hard ones that make it very unlikely.
1. Insanely late introduction
Again, this isn't just some random pattern or coincidence. It's intentional that important characters are introduced early or alluded to in advance of their relevance. Think of literally any arc. Wyper, Kyros, Pudding etc. All the important characters that shape the plot are introduced, foreshadowed or alluded to very early in the arc. And it's especially the case for straw hats:

Zoro - 2
Nami - 1
Usopp - 1
Sanji - 2
Chopper - 5
Robin - (6)
Franky - 6
Brook - 1
Jinbe - (3)
Yamao - 68!!
2. Lack of a proper mentor
Everybody knows that all the straw hats have their respective mentors. People they loved, looked up to and shaped them to who they are today. Yamao simply doesn't have that. People always jump on Oden, but their relationship is nonexistent. Oden never even knew Yamao existed. The actual mentor/mentee relationship was instead given to the scabbards.

All straw hats can look back on their time with their mentors, except Yamao, because they never actually had a time together. And it would've been very easy to do too. Whilst Oden was twerking around Wano Oda could've had him run into Yamao with her mask on. They could've talked as she was trying to understand what he was doing and then developed an actual relationship. Perhaps even treating her like his own kid, or at least another one of his followers. This would've made her biological ultimately killing Oden actually tragic and also further explain her desire to protect Momo back then. Instead you got nothing. Yamao was just another fodder in the crowd watching the event and crying like every single other Wano citizen. At the end of the day, Oden has less of a connection to Yamao than he does to Momo, Hiyori, Shinobu, all damn 10 of those scabbards including Kanjuro. Heck even the unnamed Hyogoro's wife.

I simply can't imagine Oda giving that little care to a straw hat mentor relationship in which even a tertiary character is more important to them than the supposed straw hat. And there's no way something like that can change over time with more context and info since we know they had no prior relationship.
3. Nami face
This ones pretty straightforward. All the straw hats have unique designs. There's not a single straw hat you could confuse for another. Not from any angle. However for pretty female characters, (often princesses), Oda just uses Nami or Robin as a template and then makes some changes from there to create a new character. He's acknowledged in the past that he has issues drawing beautiful women, which would explain why some look similar. But the key point is that Nami and Robin, the protagonists are the originals.

For example if it wasn't for the snake you could at first glance mistake Hancock for Robin in this.
It's the same deal with Yamao. She just looks far too similar to Nami for them to be in the same group in close proximity. Half the fandom calls her Nami with horns, because that's exactly what she looks like. It would only be worse if she was wearing casual clothing like Nami does on the ship.

If Oda was going to have Yamao become a straw hat he would've given a clearer distinction between the two than some horns which aren't always even visible in the panel. With Robin her dark hair immediately sets the two apart above all else. Oda could've given Yamao her father's darker complexion. The shading could've made a difference. But he didn't.
Again, there are many other reasons to suggest why she won't join the crew, but these are ones that make it extremely unlikely.
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But there hasn't been any evidence of anything. There's no evidence that Law's submarine saw them or has even caught up in all the strong currents. There's no evidence that they're above Wano mainland right this moment. Etc. They're all simply within the realms of possibility...just like Carrot spotting Luffy.

The only outcome that according to what you're saying would have build up to it would be Luffy suddenly waking up and flying back up.
To your three points:

1. the late introduction seems partially because the completely insane length of Wano. If you consider Wano and Onigashima as two separate islands it really doesnt seem like that long since Yamatos introduction due to his allusion at the beginning of the raid as well as complete introduction not long after.

2. Yamato does have a mentor. A mentor is someone who through their impact pushed a character to being who they are today. Many characters get that through their mentors death and Yamato is no different. They’re just the only one who learned from their mentor after their mentors death.

3. Design, same could be said of vivi who also bore some striking similarities to namis face. However, I also think it’s possible that this is not Yamato’s true face. We don’t really know who Yamato is yet for all we know they have a true face beyond the one we’re being shown (similar to Gyukimaru)
 
@Cinera This right here is what Yamao's "candidacy" feels like to me.

She's a red herring. An increasingly apparent one at that.

Oda knows people are looking for new straw hats. His editors confirm they check fan theories and sites. They know what sort of things we're looking for, and so it's almost like Oda intentionally showed all of them for Yamao so that people immediately jumped at her.

Within her very first chapters we learn that she's "inherited Oden's will". Treats Oden as if he was her mentor. States her dream. States she had a sad backstory. etc. It's all extremely deliberate, culminating in Oda having Yamao straight up talking about her joining the crew. He very much wants you to consider the idea of her joining.

But it just comes off as extremely unnatural and rehearsed. When you actually start looking into all of these "nakama points" you find all the flaws, such as her non existent mentor relationship. The fact that her dream doesn't require her specifically to join the straw hat crew. The fact that all the scabbards inherited more of Oden's will and had a closer bond to him than she did. Her candidacy just crumbles.
Okay, this is pretty persuasive. If Carrot saves Luffy and gets a bonding moment, I will sharply revise my estimates of her joining the crew from "underdog" to "major contender".


What would make you change your mind on Yamato?
You love to see it.

Changing my mind about Yamao is a very hard thing though. Carrot for example has many issues with her candidacy, but these are all things that can be resolved in time. For example fully establishing her dream, or a closer bond with Luffy. Those aren't big deals and Oda can handle them basically whenever he wants.

But how could Oda fix Yamao's problems?

1. Have the raid fail and reset. Then have Yamao immediately start interacting with straw hats. Her late introduction is a killer blow but what's making matters worse is that Oda's kept her almost exclusively to babysitting Momo. He should have her run into some of the crew and find some excuse to have them bond. Then give her a huge moment with Luffy when he returns to face Kaido for the final time.

2. Have Yamao's Mum be her real mentor. Perhaps she's forgotten her out of trauma or as a result of Kaido's beatings, or whatever. But give her an actual mentor. It could explain why she's not a piece of shit like Kaido, but instead has mental issues.

3. Have Kaido scar her drawing the battle. Change up her hairstyle into something unique.

If these things happen (or to that accord) then she'd be back in the running. The one thing however that would instantly get me to believe she's joining would be if she had a Green Room moment. A moment where she's revealed to be extremely skilled in a certain profession or role with its relevance and usefulness to the crew being explicitly highlighted.
 

Cinera

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐭
Thanks for this.

I'll briefly address the points you mentioned:

Insanely late introduction
So I don't think the time of introduction matters all that much. What I think was in common between the Strawhats in their arcs was:
  1. Prominence in the arc
  2. Interactions with Luffy

Yamato has been very prominent since Onigashima began. In fact, after Kaido and Linlin, she was by far the most prominent of the Beast Pirate affiliated individuals in Onigashima.

As an example of her prominence, there have been SIX chapters that had titles referencing Yamato.

Chapter 979
The title is: "Family Problem":

The title references Kaido's issues involving Yamato:



Chapter 983
The title is: "Thunder":

The title references Yamato's Thunder Bagua:

I checked the chapter and there's nothing else the "Thunder" could have been about.

Chapter 984
The title is: "My Bible":

The title references Oden's journal becoming Yamato's Bible:

Chapter 994
The title is: "My Other Name is Yamato":

The title references Yamato's self introduction to Momonosuke:

Chapter 999
The title is: "The Sake I Brewed to Drink With You":

The title references Yamato and Ace's camaraderie:


Chapter 1012
The title is: "Itch":

The title references (among other things) Yamato's itching to fight Kaido:

From the very moment Onigashima began, Yamato became a focal point on the island, with chapter after chapter focusing on events involving or related to her.


As for her interactions with Luffy:
  • She rescued Luffy from Ulti:
  • She fought Luffy until he agreed to listen to her:


  • She shared her life story with Luffy:
  • She told Luffy she wanted to fight on his side:
  • She asked Luffy to let her onboard his ship:
  • Luffy freed her from her prison of 20 years:


  • She and Luffy listened to Kaido's New Onigashima announcement together




  • Luffy entrusted her to protect Momonosuke:

  • Luffy gave her a pet nickname:
  • She actually bonded with Luffy. She was shown to be worried about him as the battle proceeded:



Yamato's entire relationship with Ace (something Oda covered over the course of 3 chapters) is just further development with Luffy by proxy.

I'm running into the image limits, so here's an album that has all their scenes together:

To summarise:
  • Yamato fought with Ace
    • He commented that she was too strong to not be the captain
    • The result of the battle was a stalemate
  • They bonded over their shared resentment for their biological parents.
  • Ace helped her to break free of the Shackles Kaido had placed on her heart.
  • They shared drinks together.
  • They became close friends.
  • Ace offered her to go to sea with him, but she had to decline because of the prison shackles.
  • Ace told her about Luffy.
  • She made Ace's Vivre Card.
  • They promised to meet up again.
  • She later learned of Ace's death and of how Luffy became a Great Pirate.
  • She believes that it was fate that brought Luffy to Onigashima.

Now for how Yamato's relationship with Luffy ties into all of this:
  • Since Ace's death she has been waiting for Luffy for two years.
  • She fought Luffy.
    • She told Luffy that he reminds her of Ace.
  • She asked Luffy to let her aboard his ship.
    • She mentioned her meeting Ace to Luffy and how she couldn't sail with Ace because of her shackles.
  • Luffy offered to remove the shackles Kaido had placed on her.
    • Ace removed the shackles Kaido placed on her heart.
    • Luffy removed the shackles Kaido placed on her body.

This is very important, but if you take a few things alone from this piece, then understand this:
  • After the Yonkou, Yamato has been the most prominent member on the Beast Pirates side with 6 chapters named after her.
  • Yamato had a very fleshed-out character development with Luffy. Most of her dialogue and interactions have been with him.
    • This was very superfluous if Oda intended for her to remain on Onigashima.
  • Yamat had a lengthy backstory with Ace that developed her relationship with Luffy by proxy.
    • Said backstory spanned 3 chapters.
  • For the last 2 years, Yamato has been waiting for Luffy to show up and take her out to sea.
    • Oda created a very prominent character and had them wait for Luffy to come and invite them aboard his ship.
    • Yamato's backstory means that she was designed to be a crewmate. Since before the timeskip, Yamato has been waiting for Luffy to take her out a way. Yes this may involve some undesirable tropes (Yamato is the Princess in the Tower waiting for her Prince Charming to come and whisk her away), but it is what Oda did.
    • Do you really think Oda created a character for Luffy to take onboard his ship only for Luffy to reject her after she asks to join?

Interactions and development with Luffy are ultimately the major determinant of who becomes the next nakama. Yamato has that in spades.


Lack of a proper mentor
I don't think a mentor figure is necessary. For example, who is Brook's mentor?

What most of the Strawhats have is someone dear to them in their life that passed away and whose life (and/or death) profoundly impacted them.

For Zoro, this was Kuina and not Koushiro:
  • It was because of his promise to Kuina that Zoro requested Wado Ichimonji.
  • It was because of his promise to Kuina that Zoro promised to become so great that his name will reach the heavens.
  • It was because of his promise to Kuina that Zoro challenged Mihawk.

Kuina was not Zoro's mentor, but she was his "Bellemere", his "Dr. Hiruluk", etc.


I think this is ultimately superficial given that Yamato was literally created to join the crew.

Regardless though, Yamato's not going to be mistaken for Nami:
  • She's more than twice Nami's height.
  • She has horns.
  • She has a very different hairstyle:
    • Her hair becomes darker half way down
  • She has a very different fashion sense from Nami.
  • She is often accompanied by her Kanabo.
  • She has a very different personality.

She's different enough from Nami, that she's not really Nami with Horns.


God, was this massive.
 
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1. Carrot does not have story central arc that make her focus in any arc she part of. Every arc she has taken part she has been mostly there to be a support character rather being a main character in her own arc.

2. Her flashback is just one page it does not tell us anything remotely herself. It does not mention anything about dawn the pedro spoke of, JAck arrivial. Nor it does not tell us the history with her relationship with Pedro. It tells us what she is not good at and how she obtains her gauntlet. It very similar flashbacks we have seen from characters such as paulie, chew chew, bart, and otama. Is not flashback emphasize her character as whole.

3. Her role as a “lookout” might as well be taken by other characters. Especially characters who are good at observation haki. Characters like ussop, robin, and even sanji would be better look outs by comparison in the future. Robin has her devil fruit. USsop being snipper is more than likely going up against van augar he will be able to improve to see things from far distances. Oda said, in sbs Sanji specialty is observation haki

4. Carrot is kind is weak my opinion to challenge with the best of them. Where in the new world and we are in yonko level territory. Which means that the enemies they are going face are going to be tougher than last. I do not believe her strength will not be enough against upcoming threats lie ahead of them. She could not defeat perospero by herself even with wanda alongside with her. Her being last straw hat I feel would be wasted opportunity for someone else who could be more formula or stronger.
5. She has barley interact with Luffy altogether. All she is done is snuggle on him and bite him on ear. Never tells him anything regarding her personal goals or desires. The filler episode does not count. They way oda has been treating Carrot in comparison Yamato. Carrot is lacking screen time devote to her as character. In terms flesh her out little bit more. She hasn’t even talk Luffy what she wants do with her life.
6. Having Cat Viper “dealing with suppose person responsible for Pedro death “undermine Carrot motivation in actually joining straw hats in the first place. There no motivational scenarios for her to get stronger or be better for Luffy in the future. It feels like she would be better off staying with the minks rather continuing her journey with rest straw hats on their adventures. Put you this way most of the time usually Luffy impacts his crew on personal level by defeating the boss or possible defeating enemy that has troubling them on personal level. With Luffy not fighting against or defeating the enemy that made the person life a misery or sense of turn moil it kind loses weight and purpose. In other words, loses meaning there chance grow from this experience alongside with them is diminish. It’s like rebbeca she couldn’t take down diamante but her father kyros was able to do so with assistance of Robin. AT the end of the arc rebeeca didn’t join the crew she return to her father.

Yamato her joining the crew we need someone like her. To be next the straw-hat in order level plain field moving story forward. IF we end up going up against big mom again or another yonko’s crew later in story we need a stronger character to stand on their two feet is able handle best of them in terms their abilities. With Luffy being passed out of his second round against Kaido. It Leave his crew in a state vulnerability which at any moment Kaido kill any members of crew without him being there. Yamato being the daughter of Kaido she will lose the fight no question about it. However, it gives enough time for luffy and other straw hats to recover from there battles. It does lead to her and father to get a possible flashback between the two characters what their relationship was like. IF Lufy ends coming for the save, he does end up impacting her on personal level. It does lead to her perhaps being last nakama. Usually, last anything for of fiction usually are strongest sometimes it pays off in end.
 
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Been around long enough to remember when people thought Paulie was gonna join after Water 7/Enies Lobby, there were still contingents of the fandom calling for it even after Franky rocketed past him in terms of viability just because he had a connection to a “mentor” in Iceburg and a unique design/fighting style (with absolutely no other indicators that he ever had an actual shot). Keep shouting into the void about Carrot, Oda’s bound to hear you eventually!! :gokulaugh:
I was already week to week then and I never was on the Paulie for nakama train. He just felt like typical Oda side character.
 

Jew D. Boy

I Can Go Lower
I was already week to week then and I never was on the Paulie for nakama train. He just felt like typical Oda side character.
I won’t lie, I was also week-to-week and not fully sold on Franky at the time until the Gates of Justice when he stood with the crew...but a lot of folks were really pulling for the rope guy, I see a lot of parallels between the futility of their cause and that of Carrot4Nakama.
 
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