After that stupid livestream thread involving the head writer for the...*sigh*....
live action one piece series, I feel the need to properly examine the whole "wings" narrative and why it doesn't refer to Zoro and Sanji being equal in strength.
All the way back in Volume 73 SBS, Oda used the same Japanese kanji to refer to Zoro and Sanji as Luffy's "wings" as Robin did in chapter 1020. You can see this explanation here:
Most English versions of this SBS do not directly include the word "wings" in their description, but rather they say that Zoro and Sanji are "both valuable, trustworthy men who have Luffy's back." The context of the SBS question matters a lot in this case. The reader presented a compilation of every time Zoro and Sanji referred to each other, noting that Zoro has never called Sanji by his name and lamenting the fact that the two of them don't get along. In response, Oda is basically trying to encourage the reader to focus on what they have in common rather than their differences. Here is the full sentence:
"
While they may not get along well, they are both valuable, trustworthy men who have Luffy's back,
so let's forgive them for their squabbling."
Think about this: why would Oda respond to a question complaining about Zoro and Sanji's
personal relationship by power-scaling? "Yeah, they may argue a lot, but they're equally strong!" versus "Yeah, they may argue a lot, but they are both just as fundamental to making Luffy the Pirate King!" Which sounds like a more logical response given the context of the question?
Furthermore, let's examine the context of
Robin's specific statement in the current situation instead of Oda's words from long ago. Why did Oda choose to insert this line here?
- Sanji just experienced one of the lowest moments of the series.
- He was humiliated by Black Maria, forcing him to swallow his pride and call for Robin's help while all of Onigashima heard it. That is just brutal for Oda to do to him. And keep in mind that all of this is happening right during/after the rooftop fight where Luffy and Zoro are getting to fight fricking Kaido and Big Mom. In my opinion, this is Oda's way of saying, "no matter how bad Sanji may look at times, he is still one of Luffy's two most trusted men. He is still part of the monster trio."
- Jinbe just joined the crew
- After Jinbe joined the crew, many people speculated that Sanji's spot in the M3 would be in danger. In fact, some people thought that he would even overtake Zoro as the #2 and RHM. Again, this is Oda's way of saying, "no matter who joins the crew, Zoro and Sanji will be Luffy's top 2 men." Luffy, Zoro, Sanji. That will never change.
- Sanji had several consecutive arcs where Oda seemed to purposely make him look "uncool."
- Even aside from the Black Maria thing, Oda seemed to have no problem with not giving Sanji much shine. He was absent for the majority of Dressrosa and the entirety of Zou. In WCI, even though it was an arc centered around him, it was more meant to show the depth of his character and the beauty of his kindness/personality. He didn't really have many moments that the fanbase would consider "hype."
So why is it Zoro & Sanji and not anyone else if Oda wasn't talking about strength?
Well, strength definitely
does play a role, but it is not the main/only deciding factor. Zoro & Sanji being "valuable, trustworthy men who have Luffy's back" is dependent on them being able to support him in any situation. Someone like Nami, although she is a trusted advisor for Luffy, cannot support him in battle nor can she lead the rest of the crew in battle if Luffy is absent. This is evidenced by Luffy saying in Sabaody that he, Zoro and Sanji needed to split up and lead different groups if they wanted to get out alive.
Both Zoro and Sanji have been shown to be far above the rest of the crew in combat ability that Luffy would trust only them specifically to handle the lives of the rest of the crew. However, they have also been shown to be capable leaders in his absence. While Zoro is obviously the first choice and his status as the "unofficial" vice-captain in the crew shouldn't really be questioned, I don't think anyone disagrees with the fact that Sanji is always the next choice and he tends to serve as the protector of the weak members of the crew. This is evidenced by how he took charge of the rest of the crew during Dressrosa/Zou when Luffy & Zoro were absent. While Luffy & Zoro tend to recklessly bulldoze into battle to find the strong enemies, Sanji tends to stay back and protect. This is essentially exactly what happened at the beginning of the raid.
I have a lot more to potentially add on, but this is basically my two cents on the matter. Thoughts?
