#and not only because it shows perfectly usopp's role in the crew

[lunaticus]

it was usopp's idea to do this jump together, someone hold me

[sanaserena]

Yay, finally I'm posting the screenshots from Episode 7! This is Part 1. Had I been less busy lately, this would have been sooner. Congrats to SAG-AFTRA for securing a new deal and to the end of the strike! This happened a week ago, but still, this is good news for OPLA!

For the other parts see: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

So, Episode 7 is one of my favourites, even though OPLA's version of Nami's arc is both honoured and perhaps also my least favourite interpretation adaption. BUT, even so, I can never stop myself from watching the whole episode through because it has so many great moments.

Immediately, I love Sanji's dynamic with the crew. I do wish he's more present, but he is also only introduced in episode 5. But for the time we see him, he gets some good moments with Luffy (love the fishing scene) and with Zoro (over a woman no less), and later with Usopp.

I can't. Buggy's head is great. That shanty he sings is even better!

I wanted to get more screenshots of Jacob as Usopp, because he's such a good choice. I hope we get to see more Usopp development properly in Season 2. He has some in Season 1, but not as much as we'd expect. Usopp has never been a big favourite Strawhat for me, but I do admire his growth throughout the series! OPLA Usopp feels a bit more relateable, but I look forward (hopefully) to Water 7.

Chioma Umeala does a wonderful job as her version of Nojiko. She's not exactly the same as Nojiko that we know in the manga, but I was sold her version.

As always, I love the dynamic between the Strawhats in this episode. One of my favourite moments (among many others for this episode) is when Zoro holds Luffy to tell Genzo why they're here looking for Nojiko. I love how Sanji uses his skills as a way to get Nojiko to share Nami's story. And I love Usopp's way of persuading Nojiko.

The banter is great. It's fun to see the adaptation's version of some of my favourite dynamics.

I love the tension and onscreen chemistry between Nami and Luffy during the scene where he confronts her the first time - and then bam! later in the same episode we have progress in the chemistry between Zoro and Luffy. OPLA has its faults, but it's undeniable how they show the progression of trust between members of the crew. If you remember, previously, Luffy didn't talk to Zoro about something important like "feelings" or his "thoughts". For 8 episodes, this feels like a natural progression.

The child actors also do great in their roles. They do their best and they should be praised for that. For sure, I could never do that. So props to them for bring young Nami and Nojiko to life!

It's interesting how OPLA brings about the link to the tangerines and windmills. Only manga and anime fans would note the significance of the windmill on Genzo's hat that we see in the flashback. In the OPLA adaptation, present day Genzo no longer has the windmill in his hat, which makes sense as OPLA chose not to adapt the key plot point where the villagers of Coco Village knew Nami was trying to buy back the village. It's also interesting that Nami's tattoo later on is implied to be because of the tangerine windmills she makes with her sister and her mother.

Emily is great as Nami. There are so many nuanced expressions that I had to capture because of what they say about Nami. I think she did the "Help Me" scene perfectly. And I loved how Luffy/Inaki gives back the perfect amount of emotion.

(Okay, my only gripe with how Nami's backstory is adapted is that it makes no sense for young Nami to visit Arlong and show him her map without him having seen her work beforehand and commenting on it. As in, no one to acknowledge that her maps are "better than the ones adults make", since as we know, adults alike are infamous for not taking children seriously. While I can understand that they wanted to have young Nami be more proactive, there is no guarantee before this point that her map wouldn't be rejected - again, because a child drew it, and there was no vocal validation that her maps were "good". If we had been given a small scene of Arlong noticing a "good map" in Bellemere's home just before he kills her, it would have made more sense. This was one of my main nitpick of Nami's arc, among a few other things! )

[roseaesynstylae]

Thoughts About OPLA

I like it a lot. It's not perfect, but what is? It's easily the best live-action manga adaptation. The actors are perfect, the effects are excellent, everyone involved clearly loves One Piece, the plot is well-translated, and the changes actually make it more interesting in my opinion. I don't mind the extra gore; in some ways, I feel that it fits this version of One Piece even better that if it was kept similar to the anime/manga. I also like that, unlike Oda, the show has no qualms about killing off minor characters. My only quibble is that, in the future, I'm hoping there are more episodes in a season. There's a lot of One Piece, and there's only so much that can be removed without unbalancing the story.

Random, specific things I like:

The actor who plays Koby. They were practically born for the role and they make the character even more adorable.

Krieg getting killed off. He's easily my least favorite part of the East Blue Saga and him getting axed was rather satisfying.

The bounty posters that show up with various pirates' first appearances. I love the way they look, the fun and slightly intimidating way they blow across the screen, the person with the bounty casually destroying them.

The set design is magnificent.

Helmeppo's bare ass, not as a form of fanservice, but for the sheer WTF-ness of the whole scene. Seeing a single picture of it makes me laugh hysterically. I'm calling it now: That scene is in the top 10 Funniest Scenes in One Piece, if someone will compile that list.

Buggy. Jeff Ward shines as him, they made him surprisingly scary while still foreshadowing his humorous turn, the make-up is wonderful, they got his Devil Fruit right, and I love him the way he looks when Luffy tells him that he can't make people love him.

I like that they showed Mr. 7. I don't know why; I just do.

Inaki (I can't figure out how to add the tilde to his name) is perfect as Luffy. I mean, everyone is perfectly cast, but he stands out. He captures the innate "no brain-cells" look of the character.

Usopp and Kaya becoming officially a couple.

Kaya in general, really.

Stuff I hope to see in future seasons (mostly pre-timeskip, because if I listed everything, this would go on forever):

The Eleven Supernovas. Several of them are some of my favorite One Piece characters, period, so I'm excited by the mere idea. Very specifically, I think that once I see their bounty posters with them in their introductions, I'll expire from bliss. I'm particularly interested in how they'll portray Law, Kid, Killer, and Drake. I think it would be cool if in, I'm guessing season 3 or 4, each episode has a stinger featuring one of them and their crew, with Law being the last. The best part is, if they stick to the eight episode seasons, they'll be able to feature each of them anyway, as Kid and Killer are part of the same crew.

Camie. Hopefully, Hatchan being adapted out doesn't mean she won't show up. She is my all-time favorite minor character, after all.

I can't make up my mind about what the best way to portray Chopper would be. Maybe a combination of all of them?

I can't wait to see Ace!!

With things being bloodier, Marineford is going to be even worse.

[zinogirl]

The straw hats are a crew that really has 3 captains

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji

Luffy leads from the front, Zoro from the back, and Sanji is part of the glue keeping the straw hats together.

Luffy is brash, impulsive, dumb, but incredibly good at reading people. He follows his heart, and has complete and utter faith in his crew. He doesn't lead them into danger because he's reckless, he leads them into danger because he is 100% sure they'll make it out, one way or another.

Zoro acts as a protector of the crew, moreso than even Luffy. He takes his role as luffy's right hand very seriously, demonstrated when he offers his life, in place of luffy's, to kuma. Luffy isn't an incompetent captain, but he is an idiot. I mean that lovingly, He's stupid, but he has very good instincts. Zoro backs him up, and acts as a leader when Luffy falters, such as when Usopp left the crew. He takes on the underground heavy shit, so that Luffy can focus on the above ground heavy shit.

Sanji is a cook, another protector of the crew, and an all purpose utility for every situation. He's perceptive, intelligent, emotionally vulnerable, and just as powerful as zoro. You'll notice a trend in a lot of arcs where sanji will split off from the group, doing things to help ensure their victory. In Alabasta, posing as "Mr. Prince" to lure crocodile out, and in Enies Lobby. He also is a capable leader, shown when he, nami, chopper, brook, and Momonosuke split off from the crew during Dressrosa.

Zoro and Sanji also mirror Luffy's dream, in a way.

Zoro wants to become the strongest swordsman in the world. A completely ridiculous thing to strive for, but it's still achievable, with the only requirement being that you have to defeat Dracule Mihawk, the current strongest swordsman. And that is a tall task, something that could be described as driving one to stand at the top of the world. Zoro reflects Luffy's will to become stronger, to stand at the top, in order to become the Pirate King.

Sanji wants to find the All Blue, a fantasy sea said to contain fish from all over the world; a dream befitting a cook. It's a complete fantasy, and ridiculed by everyone. Sanji reflects Luffy's will to keep his belief that the One Piece is real, which is also necessary to become Pirate King.

They really are the perfect wings of the future Pirate King

They have an almost symbiotic relationship in battle, barely needing to speak to be perfectly coordinated.

The Davy Back Fight, and the beginning of their fights against King and Queen, show this perfectly.

The moment the two agreed to work together during Davy Back, they became an unstoppable force, not needing to speak a word.

And during during the raid, Zoro and Sanji were keenly aware of each other, having each other's backs without needing to speak, and Zoro being the only one to notice when Sanji's body started acting up.

[duckielover151]

THE ONE PIECE DIARIES

Episode Count: 119

All right... This will probably be a big one... I kept trying to decide where I wanted to stop this one to organize my thoughts and eventually decided to get through everyone's individual battles and just save my thoughts on Luffy for the very end.

This has been a good round of battles. I really liked seeing how each of those match-ups shaped up. I'll start with Sanji's fight, because I have the least to say about it.

Actually... I don't have much to say at all about Sanji. Every time Bon Clay's on screen, it's like I have to do some self-reflection. In an 'Am I the Asshole?' sort of way. I mean, those sorts of jokes would have been some real low-hanging fruit, but I was kind of proud of Sanji for not making a single rude remark about his appearance. I was waiting for it.

But more so than that... I was impressed Bon Clay actually put up a fight. His devil fruit ability is both fun and a little sinister, but I was expecting him to have use primarily as a spy. I really should have known better. Ballerinas go through some kickass physical conditioning, and I really enjoyed seeing how he matched up to be Sanji's perfect opponent in a lot of ways.

Next for me is Chopper and Usopp's battle... I'm simultaneously proud and a little conflicted. Just plain proud of Chopper. I always manage to forget that he's a competent fighter as well as a trained doctor. His default form is just so small and cute. But his ability to switch between all his forms and his knowledge of how to best use each one based on what's going on in the battle is just really impressive.

I am... still torn on Usopp. This was a huge step for him. There was that moment where he almost ran away. But he stood his ground like the warrior he so desperately wants to be... and is looking pretty rough at the end of it. I'm just at odds with Usopp's pride. Because the thing is... I love the kinds of characters who've always got a trick up their sleeve. Who may not be the most traditionally strong, but who use the skills they do have in clever ways. That's the kind of character I want Usopp to be.

The problem is... Usopp wants to be someone like Zoro or Luffy or Sanji... Someone who is traditionally strong and can push himself to unreasonable limits and survive literally anything... I just don't know. I was proud of him for sticking it out and winning this fight. I'm just not sure where Usopp's character goes from here. He'll have to go through some pretty intense training to get stronger the way he wants to. And I believe he could do it. But I don't want to lose the potential he's got as their inventor-type, you know?

On the other hand, Zoro's go-to solution for any problem has always been to try and brute force his way through it. Which is why his fight was really interesting. (And a lot shorter than I'd expected it to be.) I'm not sure I've entirely absorbed what his whole zen, a-sword-can-cut-nothing lesson was supposed to be yet... But I don't feel like he totally gets it himself yet, so that's okay. It made me excited to see him grow, though, in a way I haven't really been thus far. He's another one whose pride I've been at odds with in the past.

And finally Nami. Hands down my favorite of the fights because you just don't expect it from her. I totally expected Zoro to take them both on. I love seeing someone who's usually not a combatant step up and kick ass. It doesn't have to be perfectly executed. Hers certainly wasn't. But I love the road she's going down. Because it really would have been okay if she never stepped into this position. One Piece isn't a show where only the fighters are likable, well-developed characters. She would still be really central to the crew even if her only role was as their navigator. But I'm not gonna pretend I didn't love to see it.

[xruffyx]

I WANT KATAKURI TO BE MUGIWARA, BUT...:

DISCLAIMER! Before I say anything, please keep in mind that these are my personal subjective observations. I am not stating anything. 

I just wanted to say some of the things that I thought about one of the greatest characters so far -- Charlotte Katakuri. In particular, whether he would make sense being a part of the Mugiwara crew. 

So first, Katakuri’s past perfectly matches to be one of the crewmembers. Growing up in the anti utopic world the second Charlotte’s son was greatly mentally abused and bullied by others for having a scary mouth. While at first, he did not care how people treated him, he later realized that his beloved people, like Brulee, could get hurt! However, taking into account that he is the second son and the strongest man, why would Kata still hide his mouth? I think that he is traumatized by being horribly treated that he cannot just simply reveal his “true” self to other people. That being said, all Mugiwaras had a tragic story. He never really did anything evil in his past because... he is not evil.

Secondly, Katakuri’s personality fits for Mugiwaras -- he is generous, loyal, caring, noble...and funny. Usually, whenever Oda would show an asshole, he would make a character kill/kick others for a no valid reason. Katakuri, even though his personal cooks brought him a cold tea, just calmly accepted it. The only reason why he killed those servants is that his privacy was violated by Luffy and he got out of himself. The proof is that Luffy could attack him because he was not calm to see the future! Though that does not make him evil (Franky also beat Usopp really badly).

Katakuri wants to protect his family, despite how he is treated (ex: Flambe), and that is the only motivation he needs. He cares for everyone’s safety. Then Katakuri does not like fighting dirty; when he found out that Flambe cheaply helped her brother to hurt Luffy, despite how much he cares about his fragile true self, he was not afraid to even everything, by stabbing himself and revealing his look. Katakuri is not selfish and shows respect to those who deserve it. 

I can even imagine this scene between Luffy and Katakuri, which could be identical to the one between Pudding and Sanji. Katakuri, telling Luffy that his mouth is scary, but the Mugiwara instead says that it is cool. Eventually, they could become friends...

BUT... why doesn’t it work?

The most obvious thing I can think about is that each member of the Straw Hat crew has a specific role: Luffy - the captain, Zoro - the captain’s right hand, Nami - the navigator, Sanji - the cook, etc. Katakuri is the general of Charlotte’s family, which probably means that, besides being strong, he probably has some leadership and tactical skills. Though this is Zoro’s place; the swordsman always protected his captain’s honor and sometimes he would be the voice of truth (ex: after Ennies Lobby it was Zoro who told everyone that Usopp must apologize to return). If Katakuri would join, then Zoro would lose his value as a Strawhat member.  - Since the beginning, Zoro was always second to Luffy in terms of the power. I don’t think that there is a huge power gap between the two of them (I even think that Zoro is stronger than Luffy in certain situations and vice-versa). Zoro is basically the muscles. If Katakuri joins, it is most likely that he is as strong or even stronger than Zoro. Hell, he even has the same type as Zoro -- both of them appear very serious but in reality, they have their quirks.  Also, Sanji is weaker than Zoro for the simple fact that he is a cook; mostly he spends his time cooking and sometimes training, while the swordsman constantly trains. There is no way for Sanji to catch up on Zoro’s pace of training. Plus, Sanji’s primary objective is to feed everybody, not to protect his melorine crewmates.  - Katakuri is simply as dominant as Luffy. I cannot really imagine Katakuri being submissive nor Luffy. I do not even think that Luffy is actually stronger than him? He was lucky that Brulle was nearby so he could chill for 10 min to restore his Haki powers. Seriously, Katakuri could’ve killed Luffy many times. Even when he fell on his back, Katakuri probably did this on purpose. Why would he ask if Luffy would come back to defeat Big mom? Either because he wants Luffy to become stronger and fight him again some other time or he does not fully agree with what Big Mom does (he has experienced the flaws of her “utopia”) and perhaps Luffy would change that. 

The other reason is that all Mugiwaras have their own motivation to join Luffy. We do not really know what Katakuri wants. Thinking about new crewmates - Jimbe and Carrot (possibly) - both of them are perfect. Jimbe knows how to best sail (Franky is only good at building ships and maintaining Sunny! That does not make him a good sailor!) and he wants Luffy to become the pirate king. Carrot never saw the world outside (her objective) and she could be a... “squire”?

To conclude, Katakuri has the potential to become a Mugiwara due to his backstory and personality. However, he still lacks any reason why would he want to leave Big Mom and what he wants to do for himself. If Katakuri would join, then it would mess Zoro’s role in the crew and bring chaos, rather than support and additional aid to them.

I really do like Katakuri. I love his wonderful relationship with complicated dynamics with himself and his family. Seriously, I never really liked secondary characters (there are some but I do not tend to think much about them). Katakuri is really well made detailed. I wish I could get more of him in the future. 

[recentanimenews]

The 4Kids One Piece Rap Is Mankind's Greatest Musical Achievement

  What is mankind's greatest musical achievement? Mozart's Symphony No. 41? Bach's Violin Concerto in E Major? Lizzo's "Juice"? No. As an anime fan and a scholar, I know it to be none of these gorgeous works. It is in fact 4Kids Entertainment's "One Piece Rap," a song that precluded a short-lived English dub of One Piece. With the One Piece rap, we as a species reached the pinnacle of both music and the arts as a whole. It's all been downhill since.

  "But isn't the One Piece rap, like, bad?" you might ask, and that's a perfectly valid question. Most people have treated the One Piece rap like we treat minor epidemics over the last decade and a half. But allow me to rewire your brain for a bit. Allow me to show you why the song is actually very good.

      We start with narration (akin to the narration found in "We Are!", the first Japanese opening) by Eric Stuart, who you may recognize as the voice of Brock in the Pokemon anime. This is the national treasure that entered our hearts with lines like "I'll use my trusty frying pan as a drying pan!", so who better to provide an authoritative voice to lay out the final historical moments of "Gold Roger" and set the course for the series itself? He is, in essence, the Walter Cronkite of the One Piece world, a trusted name and voice that immediately lends value to whatever he is involved with.

  "YO! YA-YO YA-YO"

Ah, this line is like a songbird in the morning. It wakes you gently in a way that only "YA-YO YA-YO" can, rousing you from the slumber that is your preconceived notions about art and opening your mind to new possibilities.

    "DREAMIN'! DON'T GIVE IT UP, LUFFY! DREAMIN'! DON'T GIVE IT UP, ZORO! DREAMIN'! DON'T GIVE IT UP, NAMI!"

  With utter confidence, the One Piece rap dives into a major theme of the series: Dreams and how we must never abandon them. And by shouting these words of encouragement to three of the main characters, it also dives into another theme about how support from your family and friends is crucial in accomplishing anything.

  "DON'T GIVE IT UP GIVE IT UP GIVE IT UP GIVE IT UP...."

Watch how "Don't give it up" slowly melds into an overwhelming chant of "give it up!" Almost imperceptibly, we are treated to a discourse on the duality of man. As Joseph Conrad wrote in 1899's Heart of Darkness, "I saw the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no restraint, no faith, and no fear, yet struggling blindly with itself." This kind of theme took that pathetic author 188 pages to convey in full, but it took the author of the One Piece rap a mere seven words. And yet, only one of these works is taught in schools. Just something to think about...

    "Here's how the story goes, we find out 'bout a treasure in the Grand Line, there's no doubt/The pirate whose eye is on it, he'll sing 'I'll be King of the Pirates, I'm gonna be King!'"

  This basically repeats the points found in the narration, and to the layman, it might appear to be a useless part of the verse. But instead consider it like Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, which can both be heard in the oral tradition of the epic poems of ancient Greece and read as a narrative adventure tale. It is both song and story.

  Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo... oh-ho...

  Like Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" or Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," "YA-YO, YA-YO" is a chorus to remember, a cry into the night to be heard and to be loved.

    "His name is Luffy (That's Monkey D. Luffy!) Gonna be king of the pirates! / He's made of rubber! (How did that happen?) Yo-ho-ho, he took a bite of Gum Gum!"

  Here we are introduced to our main protagonist with scant details aside from his aspirations. That is because we are meant to identify with Luffy and his goals. Luffy is less a character here than a vision of the heart. Deep down, we are all Luffy. Also, he took a bite of Gum Gum and that's how he got his rubber limbs. That is important, too.

  "His name's Zolo, he's just like a samurai / And a L-A-D-Y Nami's not shy / Usopp's doin' that marksman thing / Sanji's cookin', Chopper's doctoring!"

  One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long been applauded for his ability to foreshadow parts of One Piece a decade or more in advance, but we should also consider 4Kids' use of "just like a samurai" to hint at the epic Wano arc that would come fourteen years after it was broadcast. And by calling him "Zoro" in the beginning, but "Zolo" here, they provide an abridged version of the character growth that he will undergo in the series.

    Nami's section provides a spelling lesson, Usopp's vague "marksman thing" indicates his early role in the crew as both sniper, carpenter and repairman, Sanji's "cookin'" represents his tireless devotion to the Straw Hats as their number one provider of sustenance and Chopper's "doctoring" is simply about doctoring. Don't look into things more than you need to.

"Set sail for One Piece! It's the name of the treasure in the Grand Line! / Ya-yo, ya-yo...Set sail for One Piece!"

  As the song ends, the "Ya-yo Ya-yo" is the broken bottle that christens the departing ship. We get one more reminder of what the One Piece is and where it is, hinting that time is imperceivable and that the beginning of an experience is just as important as the end. It all comes back to the One Piece and the Grand Line. We are trapped there, in a prison of Eiichiro Oda's creativity. May our joyous shackles remain firmly locked.

  What other anime dubs have similarly glorious openings? What's your favorite One Piece opening? Let us know in the comments!

    ---------------------

  Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[kenbunshokus]

Why is zosan so popular? I mean sure that they are on par with each other but zoro doesn't acknowledge sanji right? (I think) I don't know how this pairing could possible work, so could you please explain? I am just curious of its popularity and I really respect this ship even though I don't really have a ship much

i have to strongly disagree with your underlying assumption that Zoro doesn’t acknowledge Sanji !!

in fact I’d even argue that he already acknowledged Sanji as early as Arlong Park, when they fought the fishmen together. Zoro first saw Sanji’s full power in Chapter 83, and by Chapter 88 he already saw Sanji as a trustworthy partner in a fight and believed Sanji could save a drowning Luffy as he stalled for time

at the Reverse Mountain, when Luffy went missing with Laboon, he shared the leadership position with Sanji instead of trying to command him 

they have been equals ever since, even until the most recent arc: Zoro calming Usopp down when he’s scared that the Swirlyhats would die by saying “don’t worry, Curlybrows is with them. he won’t let anything happen to them.”

for Zoro, I’d say all of these are indisputable signs of acknowledgment – of Sanji’s character, power, and position in the crew

by the time Little Garden rolled around, not only Zoro has seen Sanji as his equal, I’d argue he got more into this rivalry thing a little bit more than Sanji did. reminder that Zoro was the one who started their entire rivalry – meaning that Zoro was the one who first recognized Sanji as his equal, and someone worthy competing against. this is a meta that explains better on how Zoro is super invested in his rivalry, vis-à-vis Sanji who is never particularly competitive in the first place. Zoro’s the one who starts arguments and gets really worked up over where he stands in relation to Sanji (”I’m worth 2,000 men”), while I see Sanji as more reactionary, always raising to the bait, but without the streak of competitiveness that Zoro exhibits. I could go on, but that’s a different meta for a different day

so to answer your question: this pairing can work because Zoro has acknowledged Sanji, as early as 20 chapters after Sanji’s introduction, and they’re equals who continue to trust each other, understand each other more than anything else, and push each other to be a better version of themselves – among many, many other reasons. I can list some fics if you ever want to check this ship out, but my number one go-to fic that perfectly shows how well they get along is goings on by clarify

now to answer your other question: why are they so popular?

well, other than the fact that They’re a Good Ship, Brent, their base dynamics appeal to a lot of people. we’ve seen similar archetypes becoming popular ships in different fandoms – dean/cas from spn, keith/lance from voltron, dou/wata from xxxholic, kuro/fai from trc, kirk/spock from st, sou/koku from bsd, the list goes on forever. people love the “seemingly opposites on the outside but actually very similar inside” dynamics, and for good reasons – conflicts make interesting narratives, banter is entertaining to read, and the underlying mutual respect between the characters in canon helps in imagining them eventually becoming a good couple

not to mention the complex nature of their relationship – the fact that they’re so similar in principles and roles but complete opposites in their lines of thinking –  allow them to become a very versatile ship. there are some ooc aus out there, of course, just like any other ships, but if you get their core personalities, you can make a very convincing case to fit them in any au. seriously. any au. try me. here’s one where Zoro is a carnival performer and Sanji’s a baker. no, you didn’t read that wrong, and yes, really, it’s good

(also the thing with popularity is that it can be a luck-based fiasco that has nothing to do with whether a ship ‘works’ or not – we have the likes of clint/coulson + mc/hanzo, who have little to zero interaction in canon, and still became Very popular ships in their respective fandoms. i can go on and on about fandom subculture with respect to popularity, but again, this is a different beast for a different day)

so to sum up, Zoro not acknowledging Sanji is a weird myth in EN fandom that I’m forever ready to argue against, this pairing can work, and popularity is a fickle god that thankfully decided to bless this ship. if you’re ever up for this ship, you can always start here