Okay, I’m not saying that the mysterious Elbaph Silhouette is actually Scopper. And I’m not saying that’s it’s not, either. This post is mostly about brain-storming what someone LIKE Scopper could potentially bring to the story, if they were to show up, hypothetically.
Because, it does seem fairly likely that we will meet another member of Roger’s crew, at some point in the story. We met Crocus when the Strawhats first entered the Grand Line at Reverse Mountain. And we met Rayleigh at the midpoint of the Grand Line at the Sabaody Archipeligo. So, it does kind of make sense that we could meet a third member of Gol D. Roger’s crew at the tail end of the Grand Line. Either here on Elbaph or on Lodestar. MAYBE on Hachinosu, if Scopper feels like getting drunk with a bunch of fellow pirates? If we’re going to meet a third member of Roger’s crew, it’s going to have to be relatively soon. We’re running out of islands, honestly.
And with Crocus, he warned the Strawhats about how weird and dangerous the islands of the Grand Line could be. And then gave them a Log Pose to help them on their journey. He completely avoided talking about the One Piece Treasure at all, but he was the first person to ever mention “Raftel” in the manga (Chapter 105).
And with Rayleigh, he helped the Strawhats the the bubble coating on their ship so they could travel underwater to Fishman Island. And also gave Luffy a crash course on the basics of Haki. And he offered to tell them about the One Piece Treasure, but gave them a choice.
So, we seem to have a bit of a pattern with the old members of Roger’s crew. They all seem to have “jobs” dealing with the rising sea level of the world. They tend to give the Strawhats advice. And they also usually give the Strawhats a physical “gift” of some sort, in order to help them on their journey. And they have seem to have different ways of treating the information about the One Piece Treasure.
The the thing is, we’re SO CLOSE to getting to Laugh Tale. Anyone who’s gotten this far is probably pretty strong. So, what piece of advice or gift could someone like Scopper Gaban possibly give the Strawhats that would help them at this stage of their adventure? What would Scopper Gaban be like, if we met him? What could he possibly give the Strawhats they they would need RIGHT before they make their way to Laugh Tale, that they wouldn’t already have?
Well, personality-wise, I think it’d make for a pretty good running gag if Scopper is actually a bit of a blabbermouth. Like, he keeps TRYING to tell the Strawhats what the One Piece Treasure actually is, and Luffy and the rest of the crew have to keep stopping him, so that he doesn’t accidentally spoil the reveal in the story. Like, Luffy’s one word away from knocking this guy clean out, just so he doesn’t spoil the Treasure reveal for him.
As for his “job”…hmmm…I kind of like the idea of a Scuba Instructor, for reasons we’ll get into more later. But, I could see him as some sort of airplane pilot maybe? It’d be unexpected. Having this guy run a cargo plane service between the sea and sky islands. Maybe something with a zepplin, instead? That way we could have an aerial dogfight between Scopper’s Zeppelin and Big News Morgan’s Zepplin, in order to rescue Vivi.
But, the most interesting part of meeting another member of Roger’s crew is probably the “gift” and “advice” they’ll give to the Strawhats. What does Unca Gaban bring the Strawhats for presents? I have a few different ideas for how this could play out.
Option 1: String Theory!
String! They’ll be as happy as kittens in a yarn factory…if the yarn were actually fuses for dynamite!
AKA: Time for a time-out so the Strawhats can take a class on Haki Knots at the local community center!
Chances are Haki Knots are probably going to be important to the story in the future. We’ve seen Emeth the Ancient Giant Robot use one. And I doubt that’s the ONLY time in the story where they’ll show up. You can read more about my thoughts on Haki Knots here:
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...al-the-one-piece-knot-what-we-expected.58965/
But, the Strawhats themselves don’t really know anything about this “technique” yet. They might (k)not have even noticed Emeth using his Haki Knot. So, supposedly, the Strawhats will have to have someone teach them what this even is and how to use it for themselves.
And Scopper Gaban is as good a person as any to teach them about this. You use a lot of knots and rope onboard a sailing ship. Chances are he could, in theory, know about this.
Plus, I kind of have to wonder if Haki Knots could also be a key for Zoro to finally get his Black Blade.
Because take a look at Mihawk’s Yoru for a minute. Do you notice anything? Look closer at the handle of the sword. You see that? The handle of the sword is all wrapped up. Is this not…a knot?! Could a key part of creating a Black Blade be that you “trap” Haki inside of it, much like with Joyboy’s Haki Knot?
And actually, knots and string seem to be a key part of making the grip and handle wrapping on a lot of swords. Knots have ALWAYS been a key part of making a sword. The making of the wrapping even has a special word in Japanese, Tsukamaki.
https://katanaswords.info/katana/tsukamaki/
https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/wire-wrapped-sword-grips-of-9th-11th-century/
https://internalwudangstore.net/product/sweat-absorbent-sword-handle-tape-saber-grip-wrap-band/
https://digitalambler.com/materia/ritual-sword/
https://www.mandarinmansion.com/restoration/grip-wrapping
http://www.paracordguild.com/make-paracord-sword-wrap/
https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/sword-handle-wrap.html
https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/leather-handle-wrapping-techniques.html
So, at the very least, teaching the Strawhats how to imbue Haki into different objects could be a key thing that Scopper Gaban could teach them. It’d be a sort of “Advanced Haki Class” compared to Rayleigh’s “Introduction to Haki Class”.
Option 2: Achilles’ Healing Factor Techniques!
Zombie Survival Classes! They’ll learn to heal so much that it hurts!
AKA: How to survive the Zombie Gorosei Outbreak in 3 easy steps!
So, we’ve seen that the Strawhats are a bit outmatched by the Gorosei in some ways. Oh, don’t get me wrong, most of them can hold their own. It’s just that the Gorosei (and supposedly Imu) can keep regenerating with seemingly no downside. It’s hard to defeat ANYONE when they can just heal any damage you do to them.
Well, I have to wonder if Scopper couldn’t teach the Strawhats some special technique to deal with the Gorosei? Some way to damage the Gorosei even though they constantly heal.
This could take several different forms. Some sort of Anti-Haki, so that they can destroy the Gorosei’s buffs. Some sort of special weapon, that keeps doing damage after they strike them. Poison. Some way to “cut” the connection between Imu and the Gorosei so that age catches up to them. Something like that.
Because, Scopper Gaban seems to like his axes. So, I’m guessing he knows how to deal with “zombies” in a real GROOVY way. He strikes me as the kind of guy who would know a LOT of ways to attack people. And I could see him passing this knowledge along to the Strawhats.
Now, I have my own personal theory for how you defeat the Gorosei. It’s by making them smile. Since they never seem to show much in the way of emotion, and Luffy is supposed to bring “Joy” to the world, it kind of makes sense. But, this is a shonen manga. Some sort of special attack might be more exciting for the audience.
Plus, it’d be doubly useful if this same technique for damaging the Gorosei and Imu ALSO ends up working on Blackbeard, too.
Maybe some sort of ice attack? That way, maybe we could tie this technique back to Oars being frozen in ice and the Frozen Giant Straw Hat that Imu has.
Option 3: Fast Travel!
The Fast Travel System! Now they have to backtrack to EVERYWHERE they’ve ever gone!
AKA: It’s almost the end of the game, I guess we can just let you guys teleport anywhere you want!
It’s a fairly well-speculated idea that both Shanks and Blackbeard are both using some sort of Fast Travel System in order to pop up around the world in record time. For example, somehow Shanks managed to from the New World fighting Kaido ALL the way to Marineford in the course of a day (Chapter 580). And Blackbeard’s been popping up all over, somehow.
Now there’s a couple different possibilities for what it actually is. It could be the undersea currents, like what Franky explained (Chapter 604). Or could be the Sun Stone Painters (Chapter 1132). This would explain Shank’s connection to Elbaph, but it wouldn’t explain why we never see a Rainbow around when Shanks shows up.
Or it could be something completely new. It’s hard to say.
But, if the Strawhats are going to learn about some way to get around the world quickly, they’re going to have to find out about it pretty soon. Again, we’re running out of islands. And learning this from Scopper Gaban probably would also make sense, since the Oro Jackson likely had access to this Fast Travel System as well. Whatever it turns out to be.
Plus, this would give us a quick and easy way for the Strawhats to go back to any old islands they need to. Maybe they missed something the first time around and they need to backtrack to collect something? Or maybe they could just use it to get over the Red Line and Mariejois? Or maybe it’ll just be used in the epilogue chapters, so the Strawhats can have a victory lap around the world.
Option 4: Scuba Diving Lessons!
Scuba Lessons! Think of all the beautiful fish they could see…and punch!
AKA: Teaching the “hammers” how to deal with being moist.
With the rising sea levels, it’s pretty likely that the Strawhats will probably have to deal with more fights in or around the water. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the One Piece Treasure is actually on the “original surface” far beneath the sea. Which means, in order to find the One Piece Treasure, the Strawhats might have to go deep underwater.
And Devil Fruit Users are famously weak towards water. So, how do you fix this?
Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some special form of Armament Haki that Devil Fruit users could learn that protects them from the water for a short amount of time. A way to keep their Devil Fruit powers and physical strength while they’re underwater. Like how you can get rid of Devil Fruit effects, if your willpower is strong enough, only working FOR the Devil Fruit users instead of against them.
It’s also possible there’s some piece of Ancient Kigndom Technology that could have this same effect. An Ancient Scuba Diving Outfit for Devil Fruit Users.
Or maybe there’s some sort of sea creature that has a similar effect. A jellyfish that puts up a layer between the Devil Fruit user and the sea.
Just, something like that, so that the Devil Fruit Users on the crew can deal with being underwater long enough to get their hands on the Treasure.
Option 5: JRPG Class Changes!
New Jobs! The Weaklings finally get a raise!
AKA: Usopp and the Weaklings FINALLY get an upgrade!
You know how in a JRPG, sometimes you have a party member who just seems COMPLETELY worthless? A character that’s so frail and weak that you wish you could replace them with someone else? But then, you finally get far enough into the story that you get access to something that lets you upgrade them, and they kind of become the strongest character in the game. Like upgrading your frail White Mage into a heavy-hitting Sage. Or evolving your Magikarp into a Gyarados. Or your Bard getting ridiculously OP.
Well, I’m thinking Scopper could do something similar for the weaker members of the Strawhats. Unlocking their full potential, like Grand Elder Guru on Namek in Dragon Ball Z.
Maybe there’s a special Haki technique that Scopper Gaban can only teach the members of the crew who DON’T have Devil Fruits. Maybe Devil Fruits, with another “will” being present in the body, lack the “focus” to achieve true Haki Mastery of some sort.
So, Usopp, Nami, Jinbe and the others could get crazy-strong Haki on par with Shanks, or something. Mind, this would probably also work for Zoro and Sanji who are already the strongest members of the crew. And it would mean poor Brook or Chopper would get left out, too. But, thems the breaks.
But, I do feel like it’s telling that Roger’s crew didn’t really seem to have many Devil Fruit users. And the same seems to be true of Shank’s crew. So, maybe there’s a reason for that? Maybe if you don’t have a Devil Fruit, you can get MUCH stronger in other ways?
Plus, it’d just be nice if some of the weaker members of the crew got upgrades. Even if it’s only some of them. And even if it’s all en masse instead of individually. At least it would be something. It would just be nice for someone other than Luffy to get a powerup for once.
Option 6: A Brand New Ship!
A Nice Boat! Why sail only one ship when you can sail TWO ships?!
AKA: They’re getting the pink slip to the Oro Jackson!
Again, I have my OWN theory about what happened to the Oro Jackson. But, there HAS been a lot of speculation about Scopper Gaban being the Man Marked By Flames, potentially piloting the Oro Jackson.
So…maybe Scopper just gives the Oro Jackson itself to the Strawhats as their “present”?
It would work as a ship for the Strawhat Grand Fleet, if they ever show up. And Franky could mod the Oro Jackson so that it could combine with the Sunny to form a giant SUPER Ship!
I don’t know. It’s unlikely. But, not impossible.
Option 7: The Present IS his prescence!
A New Cabin Boy! Scopper’s joining the Strawhats!
AKA: Scopper Gaban’s inviting himself along…whether the Strawhats want him to or not!
This is probably the MOST unlikely scenario on this list. And this includes String and several magic fighting techniques.
But, it’s possible that Scopper Gaban would just decide to bring himself along for the ride. He’s probably a strong guy. And if he’s kind of a boisterious battle-maniac, he might want to relive his glory days back when he was fighting non-stop all around the world.
I can’t imagine the Strawhat’s being happy about this. They probably don’t want a old geezer tagging along on their adventure. They already have Brook and Jinbe for that!
But, I don’t know if he’d give them a choice. And if it’s his “dream”…Luffy might get peer pressured into letting this guy join them on their journey to Laugh Tale.
Option 8: Shock Aborbers for the Sunny!
Ship Shock Absorbers! Because the Strawhats are going down the hole!
AKA: Mods for the Sunny so it can survive falling into one of the Holes in the Ocean!
There is a non-zero chance that the Strawhats could end up purposely going into a hole in the ocean that Uranos makes so that they’ll be able to find the One Piece Treasure.
It’d just be interesting to see what’s down there. And, Scopper might already KNOW they need to go there to find the Treasure. So, maybe he can give them something that can help the Sunny bounce or survive a fall that far.
Option 9: Gravity Training!
Gravity Training! They’ll be able to survive under (water) pressure!
AKA: We’re stealing plot points from Dragon Ball Z!
Again, we might be going underwater in order to find the One Piece Tresure. That means surviving deep-sea water pressure levels.
So, that probably means we have to learn some special form of Armament Haki in order to survive down the floor of the ocean.
Honestly, we might even be going farther than that. Because I have a feeling that the holes in the ocean actually lead to the center of the planet. So, that means, they’ll have to survive someplace near the Core of World. Which again, would probably require special training of some kind. Or a special piece of equipment for the Sunny to pressurize them. Or something!
Option 10: Medicine! Open wide!
Medicine! So they’ll be healthy right before they enter the Final War!
AKA: Take this pill so you don’t get “I can’t go to that island” disease!
This is mostly me thinking about Buggy’s strange illness he got RIGHT before Roger landed on Laugh Tale.
It’s possible there really is some sort of disease that infects some people the closer they get to the island. So, it’s possible that Scopper Gaban needs to give the Strawhats something so that they all don’t get sick.
This is fairly unlikely, since Scopper wasn’t the Doctor on Roger’s crew. So, I don’t know WHY Scopper would be the one handing out the medicine. But still, it’s a non-zero possibility.
Option 11: A Literal Clock!
A Clock! A Pirate is never late or early, they arrive PRECISELY when they need to!
AKA: Roger arrived too early, so Scopper Gaban wants to make sure the Strawhats don’t arrive too late.
Yes, that’s right! A literal clock! How exciting, I know!
But, it kind of makes sense. Gol D Roger arrived too early on Laugh Tale. And it’s theoretically possible to arrive too late. Somehow or another, time seems to be an important key factor for actually being able to claim the One Piece Treasure.
So, honestly, Scopper Gaban giving the Strawhats a special Clock that allows them to know PRECISELY when they need to arrive on Laugh Tale would be a pretty practical gift, all things considered.
Plus, if there’s some sort of Planetary or Celestial Alignment that needs to happen for Laugh Tale to open up, they might need a special clock, just to know when to get there.
Plus, Oda loves his countdowns and ticking clocks. He loves it when the Strawhats need to race the clock or run out the clock in order to achieve a goal. So, giving the Strawhats a LITERAL ticking clock that counts down how long they have left until they need to be on Laugh Tale would be…really on the nose, but also kind of perfect for Oda’s writing style.
Option 12: The Conversation of All Things!
Voices in their Heads! They’ll be able to talk to themselves EXTRA LOUD!
AKA: How’d you like to be able to talk to your Devil Fruit?
There’s one power that no one has any real training in on the Strawhat crew, other than Haki Knots. And that’s The Voice of All Things. Luffy can use it. But, he’s basically just been going on raw instinct this entire time. No one’s really taught him how to use it in detail or how many things he could use it on.
So, maybe Scopper teaches Luffy how to use the Voice of All Things more in depth. Maybe in a fun training sequence, where he challenges Luffy to hear the “voice” of his Axes as he’s attacking him, in order to predict which direction his attacks are going to come from.
Because training like this COULD, in theory, get Luffy more in touch with the “Voice” of his Nika Fruit. So, maybe Luffy could start talking to Nika directly. Like Naruto talking to Kurama the Nine Tailed Fox within him.
It just might be one of the last opportunities to flesh something like this out. An “Awakening” for the Voice of All Things.
But, that’s just a few of my ideas. It could be All of the above! Gaban’s making it RAIN! Which is only making the flooding worse! Or it could be none of the above! Because the Strawhats would rather get a gift card, instead!
Which one would YOU like to see happen for real? Did I miss a obvious "gift" the Strawhats need? It’d actually be interesting to see what everyone can come up with. And if anyone’s even close to being right before Scopper Gaban actually shows up.
This thread is kind of perfect for the holidays. Merry Scop-Mas! Happy Gaban-nukka! And a Joyous Kwanz-pper! May dreams of axes dance in your heads!
Because, it does seem fairly likely that we will meet another member of Roger’s crew, at some point in the story. We met Crocus when the Strawhats first entered the Grand Line at Reverse Mountain. And we met Rayleigh at the midpoint of the Grand Line at the Sabaody Archipeligo. So, it does kind of make sense that we could meet a third member of Gol D. Roger’s crew at the tail end of the Grand Line. Either here on Elbaph or on Lodestar. MAYBE on Hachinosu, if Scopper feels like getting drunk with a bunch of fellow pirates? If we’re going to meet a third member of Roger’s crew, it’s going to have to be relatively soon. We’re running out of islands, honestly.
And with Crocus, he warned the Strawhats about how weird and dangerous the islands of the Grand Line could be. And then gave them a Log Pose to help them on their journey. He completely avoided talking about the One Piece Treasure at all, but he was the first person to ever mention “Raftel” in the manga (Chapter 105).
And with Rayleigh, he helped the Strawhats the the bubble coating on their ship so they could travel underwater to Fishman Island. And also gave Luffy a crash course on the basics of Haki. And he offered to tell them about the One Piece Treasure, but gave them a choice.
So, we seem to have a bit of a pattern with the old members of Roger’s crew. They all seem to have “jobs” dealing with the rising sea level of the world. They tend to give the Strawhats advice. And they also usually give the Strawhats a physical “gift” of some sort, in order to help them on their journey. And they have seem to have different ways of treating the information about the One Piece Treasure.
The the thing is, we’re SO CLOSE to getting to Laugh Tale. Anyone who’s gotten this far is probably pretty strong. So, what piece of advice or gift could someone like Scopper Gaban possibly give the Strawhats that would help them at this stage of their adventure? What would Scopper Gaban be like, if we met him? What could he possibly give the Strawhats they they would need RIGHT before they make their way to Laugh Tale, that they wouldn’t already have?
Well, personality-wise, I think it’d make for a pretty good running gag if Scopper is actually a bit of a blabbermouth. Like, he keeps TRYING to tell the Strawhats what the One Piece Treasure actually is, and Luffy and the rest of the crew have to keep stopping him, so that he doesn’t accidentally spoil the reveal in the story. Like, Luffy’s one word away from knocking this guy clean out, just so he doesn’t spoil the Treasure reveal for him.
As for his “job”…hmmm…I kind of like the idea of a Scuba Instructor, for reasons we’ll get into more later. But, I could see him as some sort of airplane pilot maybe? It’d be unexpected. Having this guy run a cargo plane service between the sea and sky islands. Maybe something with a zepplin, instead? That way we could have an aerial dogfight between Scopper’s Zeppelin and Big News Morgan’s Zepplin, in order to rescue Vivi.
But, the most interesting part of meeting another member of Roger’s crew is probably the “gift” and “advice” they’ll give to the Strawhats. What does Unca Gaban bring the Strawhats for presents? I have a few different ideas for how this could play out.
Option 1: String Theory!
String! They’ll be as happy as kittens in a yarn factory…if the yarn were actually fuses for dynamite!
AKA: Time for a time-out so the Strawhats can take a class on Haki Knots at the local community center!
Chances are Haki Knots are probably going to be important to the story in the future. We’ve seen Emeth the Ancient Giant Robot use one. And I doubt that’s the ONLY time in the story where they’ll show up. You can read more about my thoughts on Haki Knots here:
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...al-the-one-piece-knot-what-we-expected.58965/
But, the Strawhats themselves don’t really know anything about this “technique” yet. They might (k)not have even noticed Emeth using his Haki Knot. So, supposedly, the Strawhats will have to have someone teach them what this even is and how to use it for themselves.
And Scopper Gaban is as good a person as any to teach them about this. You use a lot of knots and rope onboard a sailing ship. Chances are he could, in theory, know about this.
Plus, I kind of have to wonder if Haki Knots could also be a key for Zoro to finally get his Black Blade.
Because take a look at Mihawk’s Yoru for a minute. Do you notice anything? Look closer at the handle of the sword. You see that? The handle of the sword is all wrapped up. Is this not…a knot?! Could a key part of creating a Black Blade be that you “trap” Haki inside of it, much like with Joyboy’s Haki Knot?
And actually, knots and string seem to be a key part of making the grip and handle wrapping on a lot of swords. Knots have ALWAYS been a key part of making a sword. The making of the wrapping even has a special word in Japanese, Tsukamaki.
https://katanaswords.info/katana/tsukamaki/
https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/wire-wrapped-sword-grips-of-9th-11th-century/
https://internalwudangstore.net/product/sweat-absorbent-sword-handle-tape-saber-grip-wrap-band/
https://digitalambler.com/materia/ritual-sword/
https://www.mandarinmansion.com/restoration/grip-wrapping
http://www.paracordguild.com/make-paracord-sword-wrap/
https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/sword-handle-wrap.html
https://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/leather-handle-wrapping-techniques.html
So, at the very least, teaching the Strawhats how to imbue Haki into different objects could be a key thing that Scopper Gaban could teach them. It’d be a sort of “Advanced Haki Class” compared to Rayleigh’s “Introduction to Haki Class”.
Option 2: Achilles’ Healing Factor Techniques!
Zombie Survival Classes! They’ll learn to heal so much that it hurts!
AKA: How to survive the Zombie Gorosei Outbreak in 3 easy steps!
So, we’ve seen that the Strawhats are a bit outmatched by the Gorosei in some ways. Oh, don’t get me wrong, most of them can hold their own. It’s just that the Gorosei (and supposedly Imu) can keep regenerating with seemingly no downside. It’s hard to defeat ANYONE when they can just heal any damage you do to them.
Well, I have to wonder if Scopper couldn’t teach the Strawhats some special technique to deal with the Gorosei? Some way to damage the Gorosei even though they constantly heal.
This could take several different forms. Some sort of Anti-Haki, so that they can destroy the Gorosei’s buffs. Some sort of special weapon, that keeps doing damage after they strike them. Poison. Some way to “cut” the connection between Imu and the Gorosei so that age catches up to them. Something like that.
Because, Scopper Gaban seems to like his axes. So, I’m guessing he knows how to deal with “zombies” in a real GROOVY way. He strikes me as the kind of guy who would know a LOT of ways to attack people. And I could see him passing this knowledge along to the Strawhats.
Now, I have my own personal theory for how you defeat the Gorosei. It’s by making them smile. Since they never seem to show much in the way of emotion, and Luffy is supposed to bring “Joy” to the world, it kind of makes sense. But, this is a shonen manga. Some sort of special attack might be more exciting for the audience.
Plus, it’d be doubly useful if this same technique for damaging the Gorosei and Imu ALSO ends up working on Blackbeard, too.
Maybe some sort of ice attack? That way, maybe we could tie this technique back to Oars being frozen in ice and the Frozen Giant Straw Hat that Imu has.
Option 3: Fast Travel!
The Fast Travel System! Now they have to backtrack to EVERYWHERE they’ve ever gone!
AKA: It’s almost the end of the game, I guess we can just let you guys teleport anywhere you want!
It’s a fairly well-speculated idea that both Shanks and Blackbeard are both using some sort of Fast Travel System in order to pop up around the world in record time. For example, somehow Shanks managed to from the New World fighting Kaido ALL the way to Marineford in the course of a day (Chapter 580). And Blackbeard’s been popping up all over, somehow.
Now there’s a couple different possibilities for what it actually is. It could be the undersea currents, like what Franky explained (Chapter 604). Or could be the Sun Stone Painters (Chapter 1132). This would explain Shank’s connection to Elbaph, but it wouldn’t explain why we never see a Rainbow around when Shanks shows up.
Or it could be something completely new. It’s hard to say.
But, if the Strawhats are going to learn about some way to get around the world quickly, they’re going to have to find out about it pretty soon. Again, we’re running out of islands. And learning this from Scopper Gaban probably would also make sense, since the Oro Jackson likely had access to this Fast Travel System as well. Whatever it turns out to be.
Plus, this would give us a quick and easy way for the Strawhats to go back to any old islands they need to. Maybe they missed something the first time around and they need to backtrack to collect something? Or maybe they could just use it to get over the Red Line and Mariejois? Or maybe it’ll just be used in the epilogue chapters, so the Strawhats can have a victory lap around the world.
Option 4: Scuba Diving Lessons!
Scuba Lessons! Think of all the beautiful fish they could see…and punch!
AKA: Teaching the “hammers” how to deal with being moist.
With the rising sea levels, it’s pretty likely that the Strawhats will probably have to deal with more fights in or around the water. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the One Piece Treasure is actually on the “original surface” far beneath the sea. Which means, in order to find the One Piece Treasure, the Strawhats might have to go deep underwater.
And Devil Fruit Users are famously weak towards water. So, how do you fix this?
Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some special form of Armament Haki that Devil Fruit users could learn that protects them from the water for a short amount of time. A way to keep their Devil Fruit powers and physical strength while they’re underwater. Like how you can get rid of Devil Fruit effects, if your willpower is strong enough, only working FOR the Devil Fruit users instead of against them.
It’s also possible there’s some piece of Ancient Kigndom Technology that could have this same effect. An Ancient Scuba Diving Outfit for Devil Fruit Users.
Or maybe there’s some sort of sea creature that has a similar effect. A jellyfish that puts up a layer between the Devil Fruit user and the sea.
Just, something like that, so that the Devil Fruit Users on the crew can deal with being underwater long enough to get their hands on the Treasure.
Option 5: JRPG Class Changes!
New Jobs! The Weaklings finally get a raise!
AKA: Usopp and the Weaklings FINALLY get an upgrade!
You know how in a JRPG, sometimes you have a party member who just seems COMPLETELY worthless? A character that’s so frail and weak that you wish you could replace them with someone else? But then, you finally get far enough into the story that you get access to something that lets you upgrade them, and they kind of become the strongest character in the game. Like upgrading your frail White Mage into a heavy-hitting Sage. Or evolving your Magikarp into a Gyarados. Or your Bard getting ridiculously OP.
Well, I’m thinking Scopper could do something similar for the weaker members of the Strawhats. Unlocking their full potential, like Grand Elder Guru on Namek in Dragon Ball Z.
Maybe there’s a special Haki technique that Scopper Gaban can only teach the members of the crew who DON’T have Devil Fruits. Maybe Devil Fruits, with another “will” being present in the body, lack the “focus” to achieve true Haki Mastery of some sort.
So, Usopp, Nami, Jinbe and the others could get crazy-strong Haki on par with Shanks, or something. Mind, this would probably also work for Zoro and Sanji who are already the strongest members of the crew. And it would mean poor Brook or Chopper would get left out, too. But, thems the breaks.
But, I do feel like it’s telling that Roger’s crew didn’t really seem to have many Devil Fruit users. And the same seems to be true of Shank’s crew. So, maybe there’s a reason for that? Maybe if you don’t have a Devil Fruit, you can get MUCH stronger in other ways?
Plus, it’d just be nice if some of the weaker members of the crew got upgrades. Even if it’s only some of them. And even if it’s all en masse instead of individually. At least it would be something. It would just be nice for someone other than Luffy to get a powerup for once.
Option 6: A Brand New Ship!
A Nice Boat! Why sail only one ship when you can sail TWO ships?!
AKA: They’re getting the pink slip to the Oro Jackson!
Again, I have my OWN theory about what happened to the Oro Jackson. But, there HAS been a lot of speculation about Scopper Gaban being the Man Marked By Flames, potentially piloting the Oro Jackson.
So…maybe Scopper just gives the Oro Jackson itself to the Strawhats as their “present”?
It would work as a ship for the Strawhat Grand Fleet, if they ever show up. And Franky could mod the Oro Jackson so that it could combine with the Sunny to form a giant SUPER Ship!
I don’t know. It’s unlikely. But, not impossible.
Option 7: The Present IS his prescence!
A New Cabin Boy! Scopper’s joining the Strawhats!
AKA: Scopper Gaban’s inviting himself along…whether the Strawhats want him to or not!
This is probably the MOST unlikely scenario on this list. And this includes String and several magic fighting techniques.
But, it’s possible that Scopper Gaban would just decide to bring himself along for the ride. He’s probably a strong guy. And if he’s kind of a boisterious battle-maniac, he might want to relive his glory days back when he was fighting non-stop all around the world.
I can’t imagine the Strawhat’s being happy about this. They probably don’t want a old geezer tagging along on their adventure. They already have Brook and Jinbe for that!
But, I don’t know if he’d give them a choice. And if it’s his “dream”…Luffy might get peer pressured into letting this guy join them on their journey to Laugh Tale.
Option 8: Shock Aborbers for the Sunny!
Ship Shock Absorbers! Because the Strawhats are going down the hole!
AKA: Mods for the Sunny so it can survive falling into one of the Holes in the Ocean!
There is a non-zero chance that the Strawhats could end up purposely going into a hole in the ocean that Uranos makes so that they’ll be able to find the One Piece Treasure.
It’d just be interesting to see what’s down there. And, Scopper might already KNOW they need to go there to find the Treasure. So, maybe he can give them something that can help the Sunny bounce or survive a fall that far.
Option 9: Gravity Training!
Gravity Training! They’ll be able to survive under (water) pressure!
AKA: We’re stealing plot points from Dragon Ball Z!
Again, we might be going underwater in order to find the One Piece Tresure. That means surviving deep-sea water pressure levels.
So, that probably means we have to learn some special form of Armament Haki in order to survive down the floor of the ocean.
Honestly, we might even be going farther than that. Because I have a feeling that the holes in the ocean actually lead to the center of the planet. So, that means, they’ll have to survive someplace near the Core of World. Which again, would probably require special training of some kind. Or a special piece of equipment for the Sunny to pressurize them. Or something!
Option 10: Medicine! Open wide!
Medicine! So they’ll be healthy right before they enter the Final War!
AKA: Take this pill so you don’t get “I can’t go to that island” disease!
This is mostly me thinking about Buggy’s strange illness he got RIGHT before Roger landed on Laugh Tale.
It’s possible there really is some sort of disease that infects some people the closer they get to the island. So, it’s possible that Scopper Gaban needs to give the Strawhats something so that they all don’t get sick.
This is fairly unlikely, since Scopper wasn’t the Doctor on Roger’s crew. So, I don’t know WHY Scopper would be the one handing out the medicine. But still, it’s a non-zero possibility.
Option 11: A Literal Clock!
A Clock! A Pirate is never late or early, they arrive PRECISELY when they need to!
AKA: Roger arrived too early, so Scopper Gaban wants to make sure the Strawhats don’t arrive too late.
Yes, that’s right! A literal clock! How exciting, I know!
But, it kind of makes sense. Gol D Roger arrived too early on Laugh Tale. And it’s theoretically possible to arrive too late. Somehow or another, time seems to be an important key factor for actually being able to claim the One Piece Treasure.
So, honestly, Scopper Gaban giving the Strawhats a special Clock that allows them to know PRECISELY when they need to arrive on Laugh Tale would be a pretty practical gift, all things considered.
Plus, if there’s some sort of Planetary or Celestial Alignment that needs to happen for Laugh Tale to open up, they might need a special clock, just to know when to get there.
Plus, Oda loves his countdowns and ticking clocks. He loves it when the Strawhats need to race the clock or run out the clock in order to achieve a goal. So, giving the Strawhats a LITERAL ticking clock that counts down how long they have left until they need to be on Laugh Tale would be…really on the nose, but also kind of perfect for Oda’s writing style.
Option 12: The Conversation of All Things!
Voices in their Heads! They’ll be able to talk to themselves EXTRA LOUD!
AKA: How’d you like to be able to talk to your Devil Fruit?
There’s one power that no one has any real training in on the Strawhat crew, other than Haki Knots. And that’s The Voice of All Things. Luffy can use it. But, he’s basically just been going on raw instinct this entire time. No one’s really taught him how to use it in detail or how many things he could use it on.
So, maybe Scopper teaches Luffy how to use the Voice of All Things more in depth. Maybe in a fun training sequence, where he challenges Luffy to hear the “voice” of his Axes as he’s attacking him, in order to predict which direction his attacks are going to come from.
Because training like this COULD, in theory, get Luffy more in touch with the “Voice” of his Nika Fruit. So, maybe Luffy could start talking to Nika directly. Like Naruto talking to Kurama the Nine Tailed Fox within him.
It just might be one of the last opportunities to flesh something like this out. An “Awakening” for the Voice of All Things.
But, that’s just a few of my ideas. It could be All of the above! Gaban’s making it RAIN! Which is only making the flooding worse! Or it could be none of the above! Because the Strawhats would rather get a gift card, instead!
Which one would YOU like to see happen for real? Did I miss a obvious "gift" the Strawhats need? It’d actually be interesting to see what everyone can come up with. And if anyone’s even close to being right before Scopper Gaban actually shows up.
This thread is kind of perfect for the holidays. Merry Scop-Mas! Happy Gaban-nukka! And a Joyous Kwanz-pper! May dreams of axes dance in your heads!
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