‘One Piece’ Dressrosa Saga May Add Unexpected New Member

Since the latest Dressrosa story arc of the One Piece anime started, everyone has been speculating that Luffy is going to end up with a new crew member, but who will it be?

There are only two characters in the current saga that really stand out as possible new crew members for the Staw Hat pirates of the One Pice anime. Trafalgar Law and Bartolomeo. Though fans of One Piece cite other possibilities, Bellamy is the only possible character I did not include in this prediction that would have any loyalty ties to Luffy. Though Bellemy no longer wishes Luffy harm, it is not clear what his new ambitions might entail. Wanting to work for a man like Don Flamingo hints at something in his character that doesn’t coincide with how Luffy does things.

After the flashback to Trafalgar Law’s childhood, a trademark for One Piece future crew members, he seems like the prime candidate. There are a few ways that the One Piece anime introduces a new member to the Straw Hat pirate crew, one of them is through childhood flashbacks. However, One Piece episodes in the Dressrosa saga highlight both Don Flamingo’s life as well as Trafalgar Law’s, so that method of prediction isn’t enough to call it. As previous story arcs of Once Piece, like the One Piece episode 98 of Alabaster, have shown. As a matter of fact, many of the friends Luffy helps and never sees again are featured in story arcs if it is relevant enough to the events unfolding to be included, even some of Luffy’s foes.

It could be said that this One Piece story arc highlights Law’s debt of friendship, a trademark of One Piece that all the crewmembers have towards Luffy. Using this reasoning, Law’s addition to One Piece as a permanent crew member of the Straw Hats is a no brainer. There is, however, one problem that would keep Law from finding his place amongst the Straw Hats. Trafalgar Law is a doctor by trade. In episode 84 of One Piece, The Straw Hats picked up a rather peculiar animal who ate a devil fruit that allowed him to be like a human. Tony Chopper is his name and he became the Staw Hat pirates doctor in episode 91 of One Piece. Luffy already has a doctor so Trafalgar Law’s addition to the Straw Hat Pirates would be redundant, something that Luffy most definitely is not. In Once Piece, Every Staw Hat Pirate member has a specific purpose and role that no one else on the crew could fulfill.

The only character in the Once Piece Dressrosa saga that might fit in with the Straw Hats is Rooster Kun Aka Bartolomeo, Aka the most annoying pirate in history. Before you throw your mouse at me, hear me out. Aside from Bartolomeo pledging his unflinching allegiance to the Straw Hat crew and to Luffy, Nico Robin has given her seal of approval in One Piece episode 695 where Bartolomeo makes a barrier that allows Luffy to quickly ascend to the place Luffy was to battle Don Flamingo in the One Piece episode. Nico Robin was the only one of the Straw Hat pirates who was at the location with Bartolomeo. When Rooster Kun was taunted by Kavendesh, who had his own reasons of fame and glory for aiding Luffy in his quest to defeat Don Flamingo, because Rooster Kun was not protecting himself. The episode ended with Nico Robin saying “Our Captain is worth risking our lives”. Robin used the reference OUR, in referring to Luffy as the captain, instead of MY.

I might be reading too much into it, but there is more that would support this hypothesis. In order for Luffy and the Straw Hats to get to Fishman Island in episode 519 of One Piece, they had to travel underwater in a bubble that coated the Sunny. If you remember in episode 568 of One Piece, after the Fishman island, Jimbei, who has yet to rejoin them, accepted a spot on Luffy’s crew. The last we have seen of Jimbei is when he approached the king of Fishman Island and stated he wanted the island to be under Luffy’s flag.

What does that have to do with being annoying you ask? Absolutely nothing, however, Bartolomeo’s barrier power might just be able to get the Straw Hat pirates to Fishman Island at a whim. Aside from traversing the depths of the ocean to Fishman Island, it could be possible that the Once Piece is buried under the sea, if that is the case Bartolomeo’s power may be essential in attaining this legendary treasure, thought by many of the modern day pirates of the One Piece anime, not to even exist. That, of course, would be the apex of function that would make Bartolomeo extremely useful to the crew. Along the way Bartolomeo’s bubble may mean more adventures under the sea if this prediction is correct.

Believe it or not, there are One Piece predictions with other interesting highlights that add credence to this theory.