One Piece/WMG/Jossed

=== This is a page for wild mass guesses from the series One Piece which have been Jossed by the series or Word of God. If a WMG on one of the open pages is Jossed, please move it here. ===

Please add new Jossed entries to the bottom of the page.

Whitebeard will ask Luffy to join his crew
It would be in-character for someone like Whitebeard and it looks like he now considers Luffy to be worth protecting. Of course Luffy will refuse and insist that he's Whitebeard's rival for the position of King of Pirates, but still...
 * Jossed.

The Straw Hats will reunite with Luffy in the order of their Cover Arcs
While the order of the cover arcs may seem random, it actually makes sense in terms of how Luffy could possibly reunite with his friends}: Sanji is currently on Kamabakka Island, the homeland of Iva and his people. Therefore, if Luffy agrees to escort Iva and the rest of the okamas home, he'll meet up with Sanji. Robin is currently with the Revolutionaries and Iva is a Revolutionary him/herself. So after dropping off all the okamas that don't want to join the Revolutionary Army, Iva, Inazuma, and Luffy will travel to the nearest Revolutionary base where hopefully Robin will be waiting. And so on.
 * As of the latest arc, this idea has been completely shot. Sorry.

Sengoku and Whitebeard will live
It's believe the 10th One Piece movie will be canon, due to Oda writing it along with Gold Lion, Kinjishi being the villain, and was mention in the manga. In the trailers, there's Brook telling it happened sometime after Thriller Bark. The entire crew is together, so unless it's directly after Thriller Bark, or sometime after the Whitebeard War saga. Also in the trailer, Whitebeard and Sengoku are among the people who recalls Kinjishi, thus they survive the war, if this movie is canon.
 * Hate to burst your bubble, but it's highly unlikely anything in that trailer will appear or play out exactly like that in the actual movie. The animation style is completely different, as are the character designs and outfits (the Gold Lion that appears on Oda's recent poster looks absolutely nothing like the one seen in the trailer). That teaser was obviously put together just to get something out, and Whitebeard and Sengoku's presence was an extremely straightforward way of hyping up Gold Lion.
 * Looks to be averted. Look's like whitebeard is prepared to lose his life in order for ace and his crew to escape. he's taking on all the admirals, all the warlords, every last marine there and a pissed off sengoku all by himself knowing full well the outcome.
 * Jossed as of 576,

Sengoku and Whitebeard will do battle
Whitebeard named Sengoku as one of the people who remembered the seas during Gold Roger's day, Sengoku was a Admiral even when Aokiji and Akainu were Vice-Admirals, and Whitebeard's words in the recent chapter imply the two are familiar with each other. Who would be a better opponent for Whitebeard then the Fleet Admiral himself? Well...maybe '' "
 * Jossed

Whitebeard will die, but Ace will take his place as captain of the Whitebeard pirates and continue Whitebeard's quest of becoming King of the Pirates
Whitebeard's support of Ace all this time was to make Ace his heir, hence his confidence in Ace's ability against Blackbeard. Therefore his dying wish will be to make Ace captain of his crew. This will prevent Fishman Island from losing its protection and keep the balance between the World Government and the Four Emperors. This will also set Ace up as Luffy's future rival for Pirate King.
 * Jossed.

Kuma whispers to Rayleigh at Sabaody that Ace is Roger's son.
Given the one year gap between the disbanding and the execution, Rayleigh would have no idea. His reaction afterwards is only natural.
 * Jossed.

Crocodile is much younger than he looks
Iva knows a secret of Crocodile's. Given how everyone's attention is on Iva's ability to genderbend people, Crocodile being a woman-turned-man is one of the more obvious conclusions. However, predicting where Oda is going has rarely been so easy, so in an attempt to make a less obvious guess: hormones are also responsible for puberty and general growth. Say Crocodile is, in reality, about Luffy's age or younger, but got Iva to make him mature faster. Having a Logia ability and an adult's body, he set out to become the Pirate King, but found out he was still not strong enough. So he decided to try another way: Pluton.
 * Or on the other hand he is insanely old but aged back to his prime.
 * Word of God confirmed he is 44, which he does look a bit younger then.

Drake is...Drake
In many of the filler arcs and movies, the Straw Hats are pursued by a Marine named Drake. He never confronts them directly. In the latest manga arc, a pirate shows up named X (pronounced "Diez") Drake. X is a former marine. He also wears a helmet, so his features are hard to discern; but in closeups, it's possible to see he has the other Drake's special sideburns. X Drake is therefore a Canon Immigrant, having been kicked out of the marines for his failed pursuit of the Straw Hats.
 * Seems confirmed. In 508, Drake runs into Admiral Kizaru, who refers to him as 'Rear Admiral Drake'.
 * Jossed. Not only do the two have different ranks, but Lieutenant Drake was seen accompanioning Jonathan at Marineford in the anime. They do share the same seiyuu, though.

Luffy will be the key to Ace's grudging acknowledgment of Dragon
Given that Ace seems very protective of his idiotic and naive little brother, the only possible way for Dragon to get into his eldest son's good graces is by showing that he cares enough about Luffy to put his life or at least his freedom on the line.
 * Jossed

Kuma isn't a revolutionary, but secretly wants Luffy and Dragon to succeed so he can get revenge on the World Government for turning him into a Pacifista.
We know Kuma was once an incredibly vicious tyrant of a pirate, but now he is a gentle and loyal Warlord of the Sea. It's entirely possible the World Government did not do something so trivial as ask his permission before turning him into a Pacifista, seeing a chance to turn a powerful and incredibly dangerous pirate into a loyal enforcer. Kuma knows full well what they did to him, although perhaps some element of programming is preventing him from taking revenge himself. As such, he instead pretends to be loyal to the government while covertly assisting the Monkey family in hopes Luffy or Dragon will overthrow the government. This would explain why a "loyal" Warlord of the Sea would allow Luffy, who openly declared war on the World Government, go free not once but twice, and thought about Dragon when Zoro was willing to lay down his life for Luffy.
 * The problem with this idea is that Kuma should be able to remove any such programmed loyalty using his Devil Fruit power. The Nikyu Nikyu no Mi can, in addition to its typical use of creating a teleportation-like effect, push abstract things like pain and fatigue out of a body. There's no reason that Kuma wouldn't be able to use that aspect of its power on himself, so even if the World Government programmed him to be loyal when they made him a cyborg, he could "push" the programming away.

Blackbeard is Usopp's real father.
Their eyes and nose are similar, and both have drawn lips as opposed to most characters in One Piece. Even their hair is similar. Yasopp is probably just another relative.
 * As of chapter 551 Usopp's physical development seems further support for this WMG.

Ace and Luffy are going to fight immediately after the Whitebeard Arc
It would fit into the general tone and humor of One Piece and allow Ace to regain some of his dignity after his Embarrassing Rescue. They'll laugh it off afterward in true brotherly form and go their separate ways.
 * Kind of hard to do now given that, y'know,.

Buggy will kill Whitebeard and become an Emperor.
Self-explanatory. While Jinbe and Crocodile no doubt fight each other to determine Whitebeard's fate, Buggy will stab Whitebeard in the back, or maybe even take him in a one on one fight in a Crowning Moment of Awesome.

The remaining non-fruit users of the Strawhat crew will get their hands on devil fruits
When you think about it, eating a devil fruit seems to be the easiest way to take a level in badass. The biggest problem is to find one in the first place. Considering that this might not be a far stretch.
 * Jossed after the Time Skip.

Gold Roger's One Piece is
Think about it; it is said that One Piece was something that Gold Roger valued above all else. If that is so, wouldn't that be  If this is so, then Gold Roger's Raftel "One Piece" is a reward for brave, daring pirates and their captains who are crowned (metaphorically) as the Pirate King, while his own is
 * No,.

Dandan is X Drake
Dandan is never shown, even in profile the way earlier important figures were introduced in One Piece. This might just be because he was already introduced under another name. As X Drake was formerly part of the Marines, he might have been a friend that Garp trusted enough to leave Ace and Luffy in his care. While he was introduced as originating from the North Blue, Drake might have been stationed in the East Blue for long enough to serve as Ace and Luffy's guardian. The X is actually pronounced "Diez," so Dandan could just be a fond nickname given to Drake by Garp and later adopted by people of Fuschia. When confronted by Kizaru, the Admiral noted that Drake became a pirate to "see what it was like on the other side." His Face Heel Turn to piracy could just be a way to reunite with the boys that he helped raise or, Kizaru suggested, an attempt to understand them.
 * Completly and utterly Jossed.

, was controlled by Doflamingo.
Well, he has the power to control people and he hasn't shown up in the last chapter...
 * Jossed, see below.

Alternatively,

 * After all, . Maybe that guy was just waiting for the right moment   all this time. And what better way to   on every level than to have him suffer  ?
 * Both of the above

Marco's going to carry Luffy to the execution platform
Based on past climactic battles he's fought in, Luffy's usually gotten to the Big Bad/rescue via a friendly winged ally. Who better than the resident Badass Phoenix Logia?
 * Jossed,.

When Luffy and Crew return to Sadabody, Johnny and Yosaku will be waiting for them with a large fleet of ships crewed by all the people they have helped in the first half of the series
After The Whitebeard vs World Goverment arc concludes, Ace is going to be primed to take over the White Beard pirates and assume the position as an Emperor, which makes Ace a direct rival of Luffy. Now while the Strawhats are awesome they are not going to be able to overcome an entire fleet with just one ship, and since Oda has made minor seemingly, oneshot characters become important to the storyline, I don't see why he couldn't pull a whole bunch of them together to give Luffy a navy.
 * Too convenient.
 * I've been thinking that the various strawhats will get help from those people on their ways back to Sadabody, finally resulting in the strawhats re-uniting with a second ship and enough people to crew it (which will probably then get sent off to do other things while the story remains with the main charaters) My vote's for Vivi as the second ships commander.
 * Jossed as of Chapter 598.

Ace will turn revolutionary.
After Whitebeard dies and Ace is rescued, he will become disillusioned with the path of the pirate king set out for him by Whitebeard, and begin to focus full bore on tearing down the World Government that killed him, assuming the mantle of one of the most feared revolutionaries ever to take sail. He'll leave the adventurous antics to his little brother and, with words of encouragement and thanks, leave Luffy to press on across the New World towards One Piece without him.

Usopp is already in Elbaf.
The land of the giants teems with appropriately oversized insects and plants as well as other savage jungle beasts, much like Strong World. Soon, Usopp will try to investigate strange distant rumblings in the forest by cautiously peeking from behind a tree and suddenly spotting with equal parts terror and delight the gargantuan warriors he so admires sparring with each other. The giants will cotton on to Usopp's newfound boldness and teach him the secret techniques of their homeland, upon which no other puny human dares tread.
 * Jossed, he's in some sort of living plant island.

The title of chapter 574 means
.
 * Please please please, I desperately hope so....
 * Jossed

574?
Spoiler Title be damned; that's what you call trolling the fanbase. C'mon, we all know  That's GOTTA be a Chekhov's Gun.


 * Jossed

Dragon is the fourth emperor.
Kind of surprised no one's posted this idea yet. Probably too straightforward and boring for a WMG entry, I suppose.
 * I'm surprised too... But it seems too obvious for Oda.
 * Dragon doesn't look like any of the Four Emperors. Look at Garp's exposition.
 * Jossed. The fourth Emperor is Big Mom.

Another Emperor's coming.

 * Wouldn't it just be awesome, after
 * Jossed..
 * Jossed..

Brook is effectively immortal.
He's eighty eight years old yet still seems to have the physical abilities he had fifty years previously. His body doesn't really age in the same way a normal human's would. It's not like his body builds up toxins or his organs deteriorate. It's likely that he could live almost forever so long as he isn't destroyed. His bones would probably bleach and grow brittle eventually, but not even at the same rate that those of a corpse would due to his devil fruit taking up the slack in normal body maintenance.
 * Franky can coat his bones in Wapol Steel, like Wolverine from the X Men. And he will learn ninjutsu, thus becoming a Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot.
 * Jossed all the way back in the second chapter Brook ever appeared in: "I don't know if I'll meet him by the end of my second life..." and all other discussion referred to it as "two lives" or "a second lifespan." Rather than live forever (which would really suck for him to watch everyone he knows die...again), he just seems to be on a timer that will someday run out.
 * Effectively, Brook IS immortal, what with his body being nothing but bones (and an afro), but he can still die by drowning due to the ocean nullifying a fruit user's powers. Plus, if his body got completely disintegrated somehow, it could happen...

Sanji is going to be one of the first ones to reunite with Luffy.
Seeing as how Ivankov and the newkama seem to be headed for Kamabakka Kingdom, Sanji might find out about the war from one of them and hitch a ride to Amazon Lily somehow.
 * And in order to enter Amazon Lilly, Sanji will have Ivankov Gender Flip huim. Come on, how else is he gonna get on the 'No Man' island to find him? :)
 * As of Chapter 591 both Chopper and Usopp have been seen trying to get off their respective islands, presumably heading towards the Sabaody Archipelago, as they dont know where Luffy is. My guess is they will all meet up at the Sabaody Archipelago, each having to fight their was past various obstacles
 * As of Chapter 598, all the Straw Hats reunite with Luffy about the same time, although was the first one to make it back to Saobody Archipelago.

Curly Dadan is Big Mom
An alternative spelling of her name is Kali, a hindu mother goddess, she is luffy and Ace's foster mother, and is freakin huge. I know Lola's mom is much more likely but it would be hilarious to have her character pop up again.
 * Jossed as of Chapter 590.

Crocodile will join...
Buggy. Crocodile and mr. 1 will join him as is second in command, and throw himself into making buggy the pirate king. and when buggy is inches away from claiming one piece, croc will smile to himself...and kill him, becoming pirate king himself
 * jossed. Crocodile is heading out to the new world with mr. 1 as his first mate.

The Crew will Reunite in Chapter 600
It's nearing a chapter 600...
 * Close: they start reuniting in Chapter 598.

Whitebeard's coat was actually near-impenetrable armor.
He ran away plenty, the coat just never let his back get injured.
 * Squard's sword easily pierced his coat.
 * And

Sanji will return as a female.
The last master of Okama Kempo on the island is probably Iva hirself, who probably wouldn't be able to resist turning Sanji into a girl...who keeps all of her attitudes towards women. Rule of Les Yay.
 * Apparently he's trying to avoid being crossdressed . Anyway, he might fail, but he'll still be male. At least in body. :P
 * Jossed.According to the time skip he's manlier now and the first he does is flirt with the women in SA and rush to look for nami and robin.
 * Don't worry, he's just overcompensating. But seriously, think about it, he's showing the other side of his face, meaning he has accepted a new side of himself...I don't even believe this myself.

Kuma's fruit is actually a Push-Bear Mythic Zoan.
Wherein the Push-Bear was an ancient invincible beast that could cause massive shockwaves with a single swipe of the paw, or even relieve the pain and suffering of whatever being it wished. Which means Kuma could turn into a full-on cyborg bear.
 * Jossed by the One Piece Wikia site, which expressedly identifies Kuma's fruit as a Paramecia-type. It's just that he's trained it to mastery-level.

Fishman Island WON'T be the next destination.
Then again, it could also be that they get sidetracked in other underwater cities or ruins.
 * As of Chapter 607, they're on the outskirts of Fishman Island.

The World Nobles really aren't really descendants of the original World Government

 * Their ancestors just stole the title somewhere along the line during the Void Century. The real descendants? The D.'s.
 * Just one thing-the World Government was only founded at the end of the Void Century.
 * Knowing the World Government, it's possibly the Void Century involves a huge usurping of power, where the original Government existed before the Century ended but was founded by the D.'s, who only wanted everyone to be free. The current World Government spread lies about the D.'s and killed them off and proclaimed themselves as the heroes and established the real World Government. And that's why they would consider most of anyone with the D. to be dangerous: they thought they got rid of them years ago, but they still persist to cause problems.
 * Ah. Crap. Guess I should have looked some stuff up XD
 * Then why did the Marines let Monkey D. Garp join?
 * Possibly trying to control the D.s. After all, Saul was also a Marine, and they tried to give Ace the title of Warlord of the Sea once. After all, the enemy I know is safer than the enemy I do not. But their D. heritage kicked in at the right moment, allowing Garp to get pushed down by Luffy(well, more like their inherently kind nature, barring the obvious Blackbeard) and rescue Ace (however brief it was), as wel as Saul(his helping Robin survive despite his orders). If that's the case then it seems the D.'s just won't be controlled by the Marines.

The captain of the Flying Dutchman is "Davy Jones."

 * While his name isn't that, the legend of what happened to him could have had his name mutate over time into Davy Jones, and he acquired at least a portion of his treasure that he got after being banished to the sea from Davy Back Fight coin tosses. Fishman Island's just his next stop.
 * The Flying Dutchman in the real-life legend is also captained by a Van der Decken, so I don't think Davy Jones is involved at all.
 * The captain's name is Van der Decken. See Chapter 606.
 * which is the same as in the original myth, another sign that Oda has doen a lot of research.

Kuma's 'send people flying' thing is affected by what the person is thinking at the time.
... And since he prefaces it half the time with "If you went on a trip, where would you like to go?" they end up in oddly convenient places.
 * Or it might send the person to the exact opposite of where they're thinking of. (I doubt Sanji  or Robin
 * The way I figure it, Kuma sends people flying exactly where he wants to, and just has an incredibly detailed knowledge of the Grand Line and its islands. He is a cyborg, after all. Perona, he sent exactly where she said she wanted to be. As for the Straw Hats, since he was actually saving them, he sent them all to places that would be useful to them. Luffy found Amazon Lily. The islands that Nami, Franky, and Usopp flew to are all very convenient for their respective fighting styles. The rest of the crew isn't so obvious, but I figure Oda has something in mind.
 * Brook, the musician, was sent to a village being ravaged by bandits who are from music-powered Supernova Apoo's tribe. Zoro, the cockiest of the Straw Hats, was sent to Perona, who can directly attack his confidence. Most likely he'll need to learn some humility and inner peace before he can leave. The bridge-nation that Robin was sent to has been in construction for hundreds of years, so the ultimate destination the bridge is meant to connect to probably has great historical significance. Also, he may have wanted her to help the slaves if she gets the chance. As for Sanji, aside from getting a chance to get in touch with his feminine side, being chased around 24/7 is bound to give him CRAZY leg strength beyond his already Charles Atlas Superpower levels. Chopper is harder to guess, but he may be able to find something to help his medical training on that island. Or at least the constant threat of being eaten may lead to him attaining an awakened Zoan form consciously.
 * This troper has a theory about Zoro: Zoro is one of the few people in One Piece to actually have a family name (which, in ancient Japan, were reserved for people of status), so maybe... he's really from a family of high wealth/position that lost it for one reason or another. This happened when he was a baby, so his parents escaped from their homeland, taking him with them, and retreated to the East Blue. The castle that Kuma sent him to once belonged to his family, but has been long abandoned.
 * Jossed:

Luffy will age ten years thanks to Iva's constant Vigor Hormone treatment
Oda stated in a recent interview that. Luffy's change in age won't be due to an in-canon birthday or a convenient Time Skip, but rather because he will physically age due to Iva's help in battle.
 * Oda said that about Strong World, which takes place (so far as we know) BEFORE Shabody. Which means his fights at Shabody should already be when he's 18. With all the non-events everything else is it's likely Oda didn't see the big deal in it.
 * At some point we'll see a colorspread of the crew celebrating Luffy's birthday.
 * With Luffy hogging all the cake to himself.
 * Jossed: Luffy aged normally through the time skip.

Kuma was the one who sent Mr. 3 to the scaffold

 * Jossed:

Luffy will star in cover stories while the main manga follows the rest of the crew
While Luffy is recovering from the war, the main story will follow the rest of the Strawhats attempts to get back to Luffy. Also it will go in order that they joined the crew, but it will be reverse order. While they are getting back we will see how Luffy is doing via the cover stories.
 * At the very least he will be reunited with them in reverse order, ending with Zoro.
 * Especially since Zoro could get lost in a straight line. But if Nami doesn't get there first, she should clearly be fired.
 * Oh, God, no. Please, no. Oda said that he would not kill characters in order to simply provoke an emotional response. Whitebeard clearly died to advance the plot- it's Blackbeard time. Why did Ace die? One, so that Luffy wouldn't have to feel guilt, and two, TO ADVANCE LUFFY'S CHARACTER. This is Luffy's time to deal with utter failure- not a minor setback, not a temporary failure, but complete, absolute, utter failure. ACE. IS. DEAD. Luffy must deal with failure, and I sure as hell don't want to see him dealing with it through title covers.
 * I do believe that they are referring to Luffy's physical recovery, as he's pretty much in a coma at the moment. This will allow Oda to run small plots to rejoin the crew so that way they can support Luffy and stuff.
 * Jossed: He was shown recovering normally in certain chapters before the skip, and they all just kinda met each other after the skip.

Celestial Dragon Breather Arc
In chapter 514, Saint Sharlia was vowing to get her revenge on the Straw Hats for the auction house fiasco, promising ot make them "experience Hell". So once the Straw Hats/their allies reunite on Sabaody, there will be a Breather Arc dealing with her Sharlia's revenge scheme to show off their new powers and gizmos, and possibly break in a new potential Straw Hat or some such. Kuma's appearance can be tied to this as well. If the Celestial Dragons can get the government to move around Admirals, there's no reason why they can't do the same for a mindless Warlord. He may have been sent to the Sunny as a trap, to steal the ship itself to use as bait, or something else relating to the scheme.
 * Jossed: They reunite without Celestial Dragon interference and proceed to Fishman Island as planned.

Every Strawhat crewmember will obtain a bounty of over 100 million before they reach Shabody Archipelago
When we first see Shabody island, a big deal is made about the supernova rookies. Each of them had a bounty of over 100 million, which was what made them a big deal in the eyes of others. The strawhat crew.
 * So Chopper will finally get the bounty he deserves ? Lets hope so.
 * Jossed: Luffy's might have risen based on comments made by Fake Luffy, but most of the others descended into obscurity when they were seperated, except for Brook, and the Marines didn't figure out that the world-famous "Soul King Brook" was the same "Humming Brook" that was a bountied pirate until he came to Sabaody too. Doubtlessly they were holding the Idiot Ball for two years.
 * May be justified in that Brook's bounty was over 50 years old and depicted someone who wasn't a walking skeleton. Given that they were split up so soon after Brook joined the crew it's possible that the Marines weren't even aware that "Humming Brook" was still active, let alone that he was a Straw Hat.

This isn't the last we'll see of
is dead. This is true. But who else do we know who died yet still fights?

Kuma.

The pirates seem to have left  body behind (for obvious reasons - I doubt that Akainu will let anyone pick it up). So they'll leave - but remember how insistent Akainu was about Luffy's death? And with the damage done here they might decide to make a new unit. Who better to hunt down the one who exacerbated the damage so than the one who knows him the best?


 * Alternatively, Geko Moria could use Ace's corpse to create another zombie.
 * Perhaps
 * Jossed. Shanks retrives the body and gives it a proper burial.

Kingdom Adonis
Inevitably, Sanji is going to snap and beat the collective crap out of the residents of Kamabakka, so that by the time he leaves the island, he will leave behind an island of super-Bishonen that could genuinely pass for women without all the...accessories... and... stuff...
 * Jossed. He is escorted to Shaboady by the still transvestite residents.

Nami intends to lambaste Jimbe for Arlong's actions
As of the (at the time of this writing) latest chapter, Chapter 618, Nami is on her way to the Sea Forest with Carnie, because she wants to find out the whole story behind the actions of the current arc from Jinbe. Actually, she intends to take the opportunity to completely chew Jinbe a new one for all the anguish Arlong put her through, especially since she knows Jinbe used to be connected to Arlong. Worst-case scenario, she might try to physically assault him as revenge.
 * Well, Jimbe's copping to his role in unleashing Arlong on the world, so that might not be necessary.
 * Jossed..

The whole group of Impel Down runaways will join Luffy
With Buggy, Jinbe, Hancock, Crocodile, and Daz Bonez as division commanders.
 * Or some variation thereof. It's safe to assume that at least one will join.
 * HAAAAANCOOOOOCK. Also, Crocodile.
 * Jinbe seems most likely to join Luffy, as he promised to wait for the Straw Hats at Fishman Isle, promised Ace that he would protect Luffy, and would also add Fishman strength to the crew in preparation for entry into the New World. Hancock can't openly support Luffy due to her position as Warlord of the Sea and her reasons for holding said position (protecting Amazon Lily from outside attacks); Crocodile is currently entering the New World on his own with Daz Bones as his right-hand man, and Buggy is...well, Buggy.
 * Jossed. After the Marineford War, we see neither hide nor hair of any of them. Except for Jimbei and Hancock, but that's another story altogether.

The reason why Jinbe said Luffy not to attack Hodi Jones is....
Big Mum's "candy" factory is a front for selling ES, and Jones is her favorite customer for buying so much of them & frequently. Hence, if he's taken down, Linlin loses a vital customer, and that won't do for her.
 * Alternately, Jinbe wants to give Jones and co. the opportunity to learn the truth behind Tiger's death and give them a chance to have a Heel Face Turn.
 * Jossed: The reason was that Jinbe wants to be the one to take down Hordi, because he thinks if Luffy beats Hordi, the people of Fishmen Island will interpret that action as another instance of humans oppressing Fishmen.

Van Der Decken killed Otohime... on accident
When you eat a fevil fruit without consulting a guide, you don't instantly realize what it can do. It's likely that Decken, after touching Shirahoshi, likely got angry and threw something using the hand with Shirahoshi's flesh memory. Otohime saw whatever it was, got in the way, and... that was it. If this is true, Van Der Decken likely doesn't know this, as he would be driven to constant guilt.
 * Jossed: her death was either a coincidence that Decken took advantage of, or was plotted by him, but it was not directly executed by him, and either way it certainly wasn't accidental. (Note: anyone who reads this later, please clarify Decken's reasoning).

All their power-ups will go something like this...

 * Chopper: The whole 'Chopper will learn to fly' guess seems to be the most effective for the bird island he is on, that or he will become more independent and brave.
 * Jossed, he seems instead to have developed a new martial arts style for himself.
 * And double-jossed, as the one who learns to fly is.
 * Robin: She will get smarter then she already is and become a great tactician or.. something(sorry, not much I could think of, besides being with a group of clever revolutionaries).
 * Jossed in that her main upgrade seems to be new abilities (such as going up to 1000 hana-hanas, or being able to duplicate herself entirely)
 * Sanji: The other guesses (able to hit women, running will make his legs stronger) work.
 * Jossed, no super-speed, just better strength altogether.
 * Jossed, no super-speed, just better strength altogether.

No-one who has appeared during the fishman island was really behind
Just think about it, Otohime died eleven years ago, the slave market on Sabody Archipelago will have been at the height of buisness, with fishman and merpeople slaves going for up to 70,000,000 beli. As such, were Fishman Island given absolute civil rights status and a place in Reverie (which appears to be essentially the U.N of One Piece), the human auction house would stand to lose a vast portion of its income. This would also explain why the human Hordy found, who had had no prior appearance in the series or flashbacks, may have shot her her, his body had moved against his will!.
 * Jossed; Hody did it.

Before leaving for the New World, Luffy will make a point of Gatling gunning an entire congregation of World Nobles--even better if they'd convened to figure out what to do about him.
A fan can dream. Oh, what could be...what could be...
 * Jossed: They beat up some Pacifistas, but no nobles were present

Wapol will pull a Heel Face Turn
His life after Luffy beats him is much better than his plans would've made him, so if he ever meets him again, he'll be grateful to Luffy and help him out. He'll also take a level in badass by eating a Pacifista
 * Eating... a... Pacifista. MAKE THIS HAPPEN ODA
 * Jossed: This one's kind of interesting actually. On one of the "From the decks of the World" covers showed that Wapol, who had actually become a nice-guy temporarily in his own cover story (where he had discovered he was good at making toys for children, then became rich off of that and married a supermodel), he has now gone back to being evil, because as a corporate tycoon he was able to get recognition from the World Government, and has been designated the ruler of "Black Drum Kingdom."

Otohime was killed by Vander Decken.
She was assassinated in broad daylight ten years ago, the same time when Decken took interest in Shirahoshi. Prehaps she was killed protecting her daughter.
 * Jossed: It was Hody.

Hody Jones is part human.
Ashamed of his heratige, Hody takes the pro-fishman philosophy to an extreme to compensate. He'll prove to the world he is a fishman, by becoming it's hero in the fight against the humans. By killing humans, he is killing the human part of himself. His self hatred explains his lack of concern about the side effects of the energy steroids. His uncaring feelings for fishman life shows how much damage this internal struggle has done to his mind.
 * Kind of like Loki then.
 * A fishman equivalent of Adolf Hitler, who was apparently part Jewish himself.
 * I began to suspect something like this when I saw chapter 641 where one of the princes said he knows Hody's "true form." It makes me think Hody has some sort of connection with humans he'd rather deny or suppress, and personally I'd often thought his face had a more human look to it than most other fishmen we've met... Actually my first thought after reading chapter 641 was that Hody had eaten some sort of Zoan fruit (Fish Fish fruit: white shark model?). I know it doesn't seem possible since Hody isn't crippled by the sea, but the prince does keep asking Hody "What are you?" ...Now this has me coming up with a whole different WMG about fishmen and devil fruits, but I think that would best go into the silly catigory as it's probably way wrong.
 * Jossed: Hody Jones hates humans for no direct reason at all. He's simply a product of the culture he immersed in as a child.

Doflamingo was full of shit when he said that was the real Kuma
He's a big enough bastard that he would tell Ivankov that one of the Pacifistas was the real Kuma just to mess with him once he found out they knew each other. The real Kuma warped himself out of the archipeligo after openly defying Kizaru, and is laying low. Not wanting to lose face, the World Government grabbed a Pacifista and said that Kuma fully cyberized, and this is him.
 * Probably not. Where did this Pacifista get Kuma's devil fruit powers?
 * Could very well be a weapon designed to look like Kuma's devil fruit powers, like the mouth beam is designed to look like Kizaru's light-based attacks. We're talking about Vegapunk here, the guy who developed almost every technology used by the World Government, I'm willing to bet it wouldn't be that hard for him.
 * Jossed. The "final request" bit after the Time Skip pretty much seals the fact that it was definitely the real Kuma.

Due to constant exposure to Perona's negative ghosts, Zoro's spirit and self-esteem are going to take a massive (and sometimes hilarious) plunge
It's very likely Perona is going to be constantly sicing her negative ghosts on him, he's already been through a rather humiliating defeat at least in his own eyes, and she's probably not going to be giving his weapons (including his beloved Wado) back. By the time we see him again, he'll still be his badass self, but with a heaping helping of self-esteem issues both new and old-but-finally-brought-to-the-surface that won't go away for a while. Whenever something even slightly negative happens or is said to him, he'll spiral into the hilarious depression ever, muttering about how useless and weak he is. (a swift kick in the head and a cry of "Cut the weepy-ass crap!" would bring him back on track) So, Zoro will be like Simon for the Rule of Funny, but in reverse order of character development?
 * One of the splash pages has shown Zoro leaving with his swords, so there's a few possibilities. Either he's somehow managed to befriend Perona and convince her to let him go, or annoy so much that she wanted to get rid of him. Or else he's somehow managed to become resistant to her power. Given the willpower-based powers we've seen in the series, and Asura in particular, this seems like a setup for a training/power-up arc for him. Of course, this is Oda, so the most likely explanation is probably not the correct one.
 * Jossed. If anything, he's even more full of himself than ever.

Nami is not human, but the child of a mermaid and a fishman
We don't know who her biological parents are. Early on, Sanji speculated dreamily if Nami were a mermaid. Her character is strongly associated with the fishmen as a group. The reason she looks human is because she has the top half of a mermaid and the bottom half of a fishwoman.
 * This can't work, seeing as mermaids don't get legs until the age of 30, and Nami had legs when she was 6.
 * Chimney is 1/4 mermaid and all she has to show for it seems to be above average swimming ability. If Nami were to be half-mermaid, she could well have been born with legs. Also, pay attention: the OP specifically said that Nami might have the top of a mermaid and the bottom of a fishwoman. Fishmen have legs.
 * The Fishman Island Saga explained how Fishmen/Merfolk genetics work: the daughter of a Mermaid and a Fishman will either be a Mermaid or a Fishwoman herself, with her fish type depending on her ancestors. Since Nami looks totally human and she doesn't have webbed hands or feet, I think this WMG to be jossed.

Makino is Luffy's mom
It's a wonder this wasn't here already. Maybe everyone thought it was too obvious to add, or something.
 * Back when Shanks was widely believed to be Luffy's father, this would've seemed obvious. Now, less so since there's no evidence that Makino has ever met Dragon.
 * The One Piece Wikia site states that Makino is simply a good friend of Luffy and Ace, who aided in their upbringing.
 * This was by Chapter 0 where Makino was shown as a young child three years before Luffy was born.

The Impel Down Arc will culminate in a major case of Nice Job Breaking It, Hero
Specifically, Luffy will accidentally cause Whitebeard's death, throwing all the islands he claimed into chaos and ruin while successfully rescuing Ace.
 * And then, the stress from discovering Whitebeard's death will throw Ace over the edge, making him lose the will to live, and die in Luffy's arms. Do the Trauma Conga Line, my candies!
 * Sorta averted...

Brownbeard will be a Breather Boss when the Straw Hats reunite
It's been seen that, so maybe he'll get cocky, invade Fishman Island and he and his crew will be defeated hard as a showcase of the Straw Hats' new abilities. Until the real Big Bad of the arc shows up, maybe a couple of.
 * Probably Jossed..
 * Fully jossed now.

Sea stone cuffs turn would Chopper back into a normal reindeer
Which can be so many kinds of Nightmare Fuel; ''he wouldn't be able to speak or be a doctor like a human. Not only would be vulnerable, so would the other strawhats who might need medical attention.''
 * Man, I don't even want to think what would happen if they got Brook.
 * Too late...I'm already imagining it...
 * Sea stone cuffs would have the same effect as the sea, which turns him into hybrid no matter which form he is.

In the opposite of Bruce. San Juan Wolf has a DF that enables him to increase in size.
Makes sense on how he was able to be placed in Impel Down, and why he's so big.
 * Call that one as good as Jossed, considering that he has to swim alongside the Blackbeard Pirates' raft because he's too big for it.

Boa's acting motherly to Luffy is how people in the One Piece world date.
First she wins him over by taking care of him, then (because this is a No Hugging, No Kissing world) she lays her eggs and he swims over to fertilize them.
 * A whole world of human beings acting like fish? Excuse me... But seriously, wouldn't be a little weird for an artist who loves having sex to make a world where people don't do the same?
 * Also Luffy can't swim he ate a devil fruit.
 * Same with Boa, I think.
 * Sanji wouldn't approve. Hasn't pregnancy/birth been mentioned, anyway? I haven't gotten far.
 * Oh hell yes it has.
 * I'd like to expand on my idea: in this world, food and flirting are related. Sanji makes food, and it's somehow related to winning girls. Luffy is a huge lech - he greedily accepts and eats food, and it's a huge kink. Big eaters are big perverts. And they're not fish people: Fish people are figh people, not people people. No, people people in One Piece swim in the air, or burrow underground.
 * Um, what? Something is very wrong with that theory, and I'm not sure I can say what is wrong with it.
 * Jossed, we see a woman pregnant and give birth.

Luffy is not a D
He started calling himself that after his grandpa, because he thought it sounded cool and tough; Garp simply feels no need to correct him. This would fit in with the recurring theme that you don't need to be born special or have a special power to be successful.
 * Whitebeard explicitly calls him a D. and so do Garp and Sengoku. All three would know better if he weren't.

The purpose of the Tequila Wolf bridge is to connect the Red Line to the New World.
A bridge that's remained unfinished for 300 years despite a slave force of what I presume is in the millions must be phenomenally long. What use would the World Government have for a bridge that long? Safe passage into the Grand Line without the use of Reverse Mountain, coated ships, Fishman Island, Seastone, or even a nautical vessel. Tequila Wolf, if finished, would bisect the North Blue. The reason why there isn't an equivalent bridge being built in the South Blue is because there is something in the New World that makes it much harder to access than Paradise. It may lead directly to the Ancient Kingdom, for instance.
 * The Red Line is already connected to the New World. In fact passing through Mariejois is the only way to get to the New World without having to go through Fishman Island. Furthermore, Mariejois is stated to be the only known entrance to the Grand Line itself besides Reverse Mountain.

The "Assassination in Broady Daylight" of Otohime was done by the Tenryuubito
As we've seen, the World Nobles have a right to do pretty much whatever they want, and killing the queen of Fishman Island isn't outside of their moral code (if they have one). Since Otohime came rushing to aid them when the ship was attacked recently, it would suggest that this is the case. Alternativley...
 * Jossed,
 * Fully Jossed,

The end of the Pirates vs Marines battle will have an unusual end.
won't cause a Heroic BSOD, but rather and Unstoppable Rage in Luffy. The combination of all those crazy hormones, a fresh dose of rage and adrenaline, and apparently vast potential in the use of Haki will cause Luffy to essentially hulk out. He'll begin attacking wildly and not even Logia types will be safe. He'll kill Akainu with his bare hands. The casualties will be enormous to all sides and both Garp and Whitebeard will make a Heroic Sacrifice to stop him and get him out of there.
 * Did you see his face after ? Perfect setup for that...
 * Well, not for Luffy as, but.

Sanji will follow Luffy's lead and raid Impel Down with his Kamabakka cohorts to save Mr. 2.
Magellan didn't kill Bon-chan; rather, he tossed him into a horrendous torture chamber as what he perceived to be a more fitting punishment. Sanji will learn of Luffy's escapades via neswpaper and, inspired by his bravery, foment the queers of the pink rainbow isle to invade the undersea prison, whose defenses were already weakened by Blackbeard's own invasion. This could be ample cover story series material.
 * This never happened and Sanji would clearly never willingly go back to Kamabakka.

Whitebeard's downfall will come when somebody points out that he has no beard at all.
It's an Emperors New Clothes thing.
 * Really though, Whitebeard's name in Japanese is "Shirohige" which better translates to "White-Facial-Hair." Since, by my understanding, there is no actual Japanese word for "beard" in this context, "facial hair" is used. Like wise, Blackbeard in the Japanese is "Kurohige."

Sengoku has another trick up his sleeve: a surprise summoning of a CP unit.
We know there are other CP units besides CP 9. Perhaps one of those units isn't currently engaged in covert ops, and could have been enlisted by the Marines beforehand to strike Whitebeard's most important crewmates when they least expect it.

Haki not only allows the user to hit Logia-class Devil Fruit users, but also the user some control over Devil Fruit powers he or she doesn't have yet.
Even without the exact specifics on how this would work, recall Zoro's Asura technique. This was stated (not sure who said it, though) to be some sort of Haki-based illusion technique. Consider this: he used Haki to create the illusion of having grown extra appendages to assist him in battle...while trying to save the character whose Devil Fruit lets her create extra appendages to assist her in battle. Simple coincidence? I think not!
 * Oda made no such statement. Also Jossed as we now know specifically what Haki does.

Impel Down will turn out be camouflage intended to hide the third ancient weapon.
Blackbeard invaded Impel Down in order to steal it. And just to further the Wild Mass Guessiness, it will need Blackbeard's Yami-Yami Fruit in order to work (thus explaining why the World Government didn't activate it themselves, and why Blackbeard wanted the Fruit so badly), will serve to amplifiy those same powers, will be shaped like a floating black tower, and it will be named Zeus.
 * Or perhaps Hades
 * But wouldn't that be Pluton? ... Actually, come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Pluton. Just to screw with Croc'.

Eneru was involved with blasting Buggy with lightning
Buggy was way too slow in executing Luffy, so, Eneru decided to kill Luffy his way, even if Buggy was shocked.
 * But Eneru didn't even know about Luffy before the Skypeia arc...

Arlong is a former slave of the Tenryuubito
Arlong could have been a slave for the Tenryuubito considering the fact he has the tattoo, also, where else could he have gotten his fantastic racism? Being mistreated for that long can do that to you, and he was with Fisher Tiger at some point, meaning Fisher could have rubbed off on him.
 * Jossed. Arlong was a pirate while Fisher Tiger was in Mariejois, and simply hates humans because of the struggle between the two races.

Some thoughts on Iva-sama, the Okama queen

 * Iva's a Devil Fruit user. His/Her power is the ability make things go the opposite way: reversing the path of the cannonball and switching the prince's gender, and possibly switching it back.
 * Iva's powers are reversable. Ivy's follower Inazuma has a masculine apperance when he rescues Bon Clay and Luffy, but a feminine one when talking to Bon Kurei later on. Either that or there are two Inazumas...
 * (from ADTRW) Iva's "treatment" for Luffy's poison is to turn him female and back again, possibly several times! It would explain the screams and why he's locked up so tightly... and it's also Rule of Funny.
 * Iva isn't as good as s/he appears. In addition to the contradictory way Iva talks ("I-- I'm-- I WON'T DIE!"), it's implied that s/he might have turned a king into a woman against his will, as demonstrated with his vengeful son who immidiately took on a girly attitude after becoming female ("Kyaaa~, I'm so embarassed!"). Being a Dr. Frank N. Furter expy doesn't help.
 * If the above is true there will be a huge Broken Pedestal moment for Bon Clay. The idealistic Clay would probably find turning someone the opposite sex against their will to be against the "Okama Way".
 * As of the most recent chapter, Iva's powers have been revealed to be

Luffy will be severely weakened
One Piece has been getting team battles lately -. This will be Luffy's new fighting method: find out enemy weaknesses and direct his friends to attack the weak spot. His  will definitely help, since one of its perks seems to be the ability to foretell your opponent's moves. Besides, this gives Luffy the distinction of being one of the few Shonen protagonists who gets weakened and needs to live with it.
 * This is a distinct possibility, considering how it's strongly hinted that his new powers are going to severely mess up his body.
 * Oz was far stronger than Moriah himself before using Shadow Asgard (who was still far less durable) and the Pacifista are based on Kuma, who seems to be one of the stronger Shichibukai. Minotauros is a creature employed by the WG in their most secure, brutal prison. So while it's possible, it looks more like the crew (who is still developing and getting stronger) has just been pitted against high tier enemies in the middle of the series. That, and everyone loves team attacks.
 * I very much doubt that he will be weakened because there are so many strong opponents ahead. First, the New World won't be easy, simply for the sheer number of high bounty pirates. Second he'll have to face the Yonkou at some point. Third he has to get past whatever it is the Yonkou can't beat to get to Raftel. And finally he has to beat Blackbeard. The man's got enough on his plate without losing his ability to fight.

The Crystal Ship and Nami
For those who haven't been following, the tenth One Piece movie's story is being handled on some level by Oda himself, whether it was pitching the story to Toei or writing the script himself. The villain, Gold Lion Shiki, recently got a mention in the manga, leading to the idea that the characters and elements, if not the story, are Canon within the manga as per the God Created Canon Foreigner trope. Now, in the movie, Shiki appears to be after something called the Crystal Ship, and Nami seems to leave the crew and go over to his side for whatever reason. Considering what happened the last time someone tried doing that, one has to wonder what the motivations will be....

Nami's hometown, the one that was ravaged by pirates, is/was something like the Water 7 of cartography and/or navigation and, like Water 7's Pluton blueprints, has a connection with the Crystal Ship, whether it be a hidden treasure or some such. This would fit with how most of the crew come from a place that is specialized in what they do - Zoro from a sword fighting dojo, Sanji from a restaurant, Chopper from an island known for its medicine, Robin from an island of scholars, and Franky from an island of shipwrights.

Luffy's gonna get laid
Boa Hancock There's even a Fanfic about this already.
 * HOLY SHIT!! LINK, PLEASE!?
 * The subject is obviously tantalizing for Ecchi doujin artists, ESPECIALLY what exactly 'happens' during the trip to Impel down. This Troper can name almost a dozen ones from the last two Comikets alone.
 * It always seemed to me that as Pirates, who have at least gone as throwing drunken parties, that at least one of them shacked up after saving the day.
 * the others, maybe (well, probably in some cases). luffy seems to be genuinly not interested, as can be seen on the island of women. he could have done the entire friggin island if he wanted to, especially Hancock and margaret. this may be a good thing though, given his status as a Magnetic Hero. can you say, Power Perversion Potential ?
 * Jossed before hand by word of God.

The Kraken is really a Fishman with a Mythical Zoan.
Pretty much I'm saying a Fishman ate a Kraken Kraken no Mi or something to that extent. First of all, this is related to the post I made above here, where the Kraken will be the next crewmate. The Fishman will be able to travel with the crew easily AND battle with San Juan Wolf when the time comes. Also, the DF he ate did not take away his ability to breath underwater. However, it did take away his ability to swim so he may be using his tentacles to hold onto the walls of the "waterfall" to avoid sinking to the deep ocean. Once Luffy uses his haki on him, he will revert back to his Fishman form and Luffy will catch him before he falls. They go on an adventure on Fishman Island, and the Fishman/Kraken joins the crew at the end.
 * No. He's just a Kraken; it's even pointed out that he came from the Arctic, where there are a lot more just like him.

Buggy will become an Emperor...
... Except not through any effort or talent on his own part. He's been steadily becoming more and more infamous since Impel Down through sheer coincidence. The World Government will horribly overestimate his potential and give him a ludicrously high bounty. The bounty and rumors of his "incredible" power will draw more and more pirates to his banner (ones that actually are strong), and in time, he will end up ruling over a segment of the New World completely by accident, with all of those stronger pirates enforcing his rule for him.
 * The Straw Hat crew will then have to fight all of those stronger pirates just so that Luffy can beat up Buggy. This will make Luffy an Emperor.

The World Government officially recognizes Buggy as one of the Four Emperors
Whitebeard is dead. The balance of power has shifted dramatically. Buggy has inspired an armada-sized crew from former high security Impel Down prisoners, all of whom are completely unaware as to his actual weaksauce power, the same of which goes to for the WG. It seems to this troper that the mysterious message sent by the WG could only be conveying this message to him.
 * On top of that, Buggy would be in the same position of power as his rival Shanks.
 * The World Government doesn't decide who the Four Emperors are; power does, which Buggy doesn't have, Impel Down prisoners or no. His Memetic Badass status certainly makes him a prime Warlord candidate, though.

Caribou is going to save everybody's butts.
Luffy won't be able to stop Noah from falling onto Fishman Island. Caribou doesn't want Fishman Island destroyed either, if only because there'd be no more mermaids to sell. So at the very last second, Caribou is going to spread his swamp all over Fishman Island and absorb in Noah. It'll be the absolute capacity he can hold, so he'll have to eject everything and everyone he has before he does so. Caribou will be considered a hero among fishmen and get a chapter title page story.
 * And all the marmaids he could ever want to mistreat and sell as slaves, I suppose...YEEAH. I'm sorry, Lady or Gentleman, but your argument is weak. If there are no more mermaids, that would mean the ones he already has will be the last ones ever gotten out of Fishman's Island. Their price will go up to the clouds, making Caribou filthy rich for the rest of his life.Also, his first appatition showed him burying people alive, a person like that has no respect for anything outsied himself.
 * Jossed..

Luffy will be counted as a member of the Yonkou.
Let's consider the factors for this, first of all: He's defeated two Shichibukai (Sir Crocodile and Gecko Moria); stormed Enies Lobby and defeated CP9, the most feared assassin group in the World Government's employ at the time; assaulted a World Noble; stormed Impel Down and Marineford; ; he has established connections with notable pirates and other criminal, including Red-Leg Zeff; his father is the most wanted man in the world; he has (unknown to the general populace) support from various quarters, including the royal family of Alabasta and the populace of Water 7, Amazon Lily, and (at the moment) Fishman Island; ; and. As far as his current crew strength goes, he's got a Blood Knight swordsman who's already infamous in his own right ; his cook has ties to the aforementioned Zeff ; he has a Badass Bookworm who's both a global pariah and has the ability to access knowledge that could potentially wreak havoc on the world; his shipwright has close connections to Water 7's residents and mayor; his musician is knowledgeable of Gold Roger's days of piracy and has ties to an as-yet unidentified kingdom; his doctor has ties to the Drum Kingdom; and his navigator and sniper have skills that are touted as nigh-unearthly. On top of that, Luffy has a known Berserk Button where you should not harm anyone he considers his friend; if any place where he's made close ties should be assaulted by anyone, there will potentially be hell to pay. And he's got a major inspiration in Shanks, an established Yonkou !
 * Jossed in Chapter 650..

The real Big Bad isn't Jones, Decken, Caribou, Neptune, any allied Captain/s of Big Mum or anybody else like that
He/She is the "shadow" Camie alluded to, the one paying off the ministers (If they aren't the shadows themselves) to weaken Neptune's reign via lying to him about things, the one selling Jones his pills, and the one paying off/holding someone/thing dear to Madame Shirley hostage to make up that prediction so Luffy will serve as the trigger to have all these forces collide while another spy destroys Big Mum's candy factory, bringing any allied Captains that serve as security into the fold, forcing her to cut her losses, while the figure gains control of the Island as all the sides destroy themselves.
 * Jossed, it was just Jones.

The destroyed Fishman Island that Madame Shirly saw was the result of the ship that Vander Decken threw hitting the island
Not too long ago, we saw that our old pal Vander Decken had just seemingly pushed a really huge ship, thereby "throwing" it. He stated that it was roughly half the size of fishman island and would destroy everything on it, including his love Shirahoshi. Madame Shirly saw Luffy in the vision because he just happened to be there after the ship hit the island.


 * The events occurring now could only be a result of Luffy's actions since he and his crew entered Fishman Island. Who convinced Shirahoshi to leave the safety of her tower? Who was the one that invited Vander Decken's wrath by placing himself between the psycho and his love, curb-stomping him, and pushing the guy over the edge? If it had not been for Straw Hat things would be going very differently on Fishman Island right now.
 * Jossed. The Fishman District was shut down, but the island was not destroyed, and not because of Decken's casting of Noah.

Noah was suppossed to take all the residents of Fishman Island to the surface.
It's certainly large enough to carry everyone, and Neptune wants to leave it undamaged as much as possible because destroying it would crush Otohime's dream.
 * Jossed:

Vander Decken will join the Straw Hats
He likely has a traumatic past stemming from him being the only known Fishman so far who has consumed a Devil Fruit, which would likely make him a pariah of sorts among the Fishmen populace because their primary strength comes from being able to swim. In which case, he'll have a Heel Face Turn, back out of his current deal with Hoody Jones, and join the Straw Hats as their newest member and as the resident Fishman. Additionally, he would not be the first one who had initial antagonism toward the crew (both Robin and Franky started out as enemies), and he's got a special quirk (the aforementioned being a Fishman who ate a Devil Fruit) like the Straw Hats that makes him unique and interesting. "Decken: You take the guys on the left. I'll handle the right..
 * But, he's been threatening Shirahoshi non-stop for 10 years and now promises death for her if she doesn't marry him. At least Sanji alone is going to want to whoop that [bottom] if he ever hears about it & meets him.
 * Franky and his Water 7 group were causing trouble for their local residents before the Straw Hats came along, and opposed the Straw Hats prior to the alliance formed to storm Enies Lobby. Robin served Crocodile in Baroque Works for four years prior to meeting and eventually joining the Straw Hats, and that included antagonizing Vivi and the country of Alabasta. Very likely the same will be true of Decken (besides, considering Neptune and co. know how to find Decken's crew, if they really wanted to be rid of him, they likely would have done it long before the Straw Hats' arrival at Fishman Island).
 * It's possible that Jones will attempt to kill the Princess, which will lead to him having an epiphany-if he really cares about her, he'll save her, and that could lead to him defecting to the Straw Hats. Then again, he'd STILL probably get beat up by Sanji.
 * Another point, adding to the "unique quirk" point raised above: Each of the current Straw Hats has at least one quirk that makes them stand out. Luffy is a Rubber Man; Zoro a three-sword-using Blood Knight; Nami a compulsive thief; Usopp a blatant liar; Sanji a Chivalrous Pervert and kicking specialist; Chopper a human-reindeer hybrid (basically) and a pariah among his fellow reindeer; Robin a global pariah; Franky a cyborg; and Brook an undead skeleton. Among them, Decken would be, as mentioned already, a Fishman and the only known one to have eaten a Devil Fruit, which would make him stand out, plus he's got four natural legs (a definite eye-catcher).
 * He's also a creepy stalker who willingly aligned himself with a quasi-Nazi Fishman to destroy the Kingdom & kill Neptune for purely petty reasons (At least Jones dreams big). He's a pure villain like Jones & Caribou, and won't be likely redeemed.
 * Robin had allied herself with a Magnificent[Illegitimate child] to cause total anarchy in an entire nation (albeit for her own reasons), and it wasn't until we learned of her Dark and Troubled Past that we understood fully why she did what she did. And she's a full-fledged member of the crew now.
 * No Accounting for Taste, I suppose. Specially, since his motive is love (albeit twisted), which is probably the only thing that can be used as group fuel, which isn't even that enough to really be conniving, what with wanting to kill her, proving he isn't noble about his love, if she ever went with another man.
 * All issues of morality aside, the biggest reason for Decken to not become a Strawhat is because his Devil Fruit powers are too similar to Usopp's sniping skills.
 * ..............d'oh.
 * He could do some EPIC tag team battles alongside Usopp, however.

Mook: Wait-but they're on opposite-

(Decken tosses a weapon that swerves around and hits the Mooks to the right, and Usopp uses Kabuto to hit the ones on the left.)"

He will ultimatley save the princess from harm and join the strawhats in the final fight, later joining our heroes to chase his new found dream of discovering how best to express his love to Shirahoshi, or something to that effect.
 * Fridge Logic response to the above point about Decken's targeting power being too similar to Usopp's sniping skills: (1) both Zoro and Brook are swordsmen of respectable skill, but Zoro is the crew's "official" swordsman; (2) both Franky and Brook are musicians (Franky plays a guitar), but Brook is the crew's "official" musician; (3) both Sanji and Nami are excellent cooks (as revealed in one of the short One Piece TV specials), but Sanji is the crew's "official" cook (since Nami charges exorbitant fees for her meals anyway); (4) both Franky and Usopp have degrees of knowledge of carpentry, but Franky is the crew's "official" shipwright since Usopp's carpentry skills suck. And, too, snipers are snipers because they shoot at things, which Usopp does...but we have yet to see Decken shoot anything (be it with a gun, slingshot or any other weapon that fires projectiles) with aid from his Target-Target fruit ability; he's only used his power to throw things so far.
 * Im willing to bet fishing is going to be a lot tougher in the new world,what with the bizzare habitats, if Van Der Decken was to join the straw hats his ability would become incredibly usefull in catching fish, making his team job 'fisherman' (which also adds a pun, and we know oda loves puns).
 * The only challenge, then, would be to give Decken a reason to leave his current crew. At least Franky had a reason to leave his gang behind--they actually wanted him to go with the Straw Hats to give him some measure of protection from the World Government, which would be nil if he remained in Water 7.
 * From the original poster: this may be jossed as of Chapter 615.
 * Ah but Robin practically broke Pell's spine and Franky had his family beat Usopp to a pulp, so i wouldnt say has pushed him so far over the Moral Event Horizon that he cannot be redeemed.
 * As to a reason for Decken to leave his crew, im going to guess that his madness/obsession with Shirahoshi will lead to Hodi deeming him a danger to the mission, betraying him, and his crew will loose faith in him and join Hodi's ranks.
 * Nah, Decken would need a better dream than that, methinks. Consider the Straw Hat crew's dreams: Luffy, to find One Piece and become Pirate King; Zoro, to defeat Mihawk and become the world's strongest swordsman; Nami, to draw a map of the world; Usopp, to become a fearless man of the sea like his father; Sanji, to find All Blue and become the greatest chef; Chopper; to become the greatest doctor who can cure any illness; Robin, to find the Rio Poneglyph and learn about the Blank Century ; Franky, to see his constructed ship sail to the end of the Grand Line; and Brook, to reunite with Laboon. So if Decken does join the Straw Hats, he'll need a dream that's a little less superficial than just finding ways to express love for Shirahoshi.
 * Further note: Re the examples about Pell and the Franky family...well, Pell did eventually recover and Vivi is well aware of Robin being with the Straw Hats, and the Franky family pulled a mass Heel Face Turn and buried the hatchet with the Straw Hats and the Galley-La shipwrights, so it may not be too far-fetched that could be forgiven, as well. Just to let you know that I'm taking that into account.
 * After Chapter 618, I'd say any chance of this WMG being true has been blown to kingdome come.
 * Chapter 625 shows that Decken's motive for pursuing Shirahoshi is anything but love. He seems to be more interested in her legendary power. It certainly explains why he'll kill her if she goes off with someone else. His mindframe is one of "If I can't have her power, no one can."
 * With Chapter 626, Decken is shown to have crossed the Moral Event Horizon way back in the past . Hence, any chance of him being eligible for entry into the Straw Hat crew is thoroughly and irrevocably JOSSED.
 * Chapter 632 reveals that . I still think that Decken is not suited for the Straw Hats, though. Hell, in that same chapter
 * Sorry to say this, but this whole Wall of Text is pretty much jossed now, seeing as, you know,
 * That doesn't mean he's out of it yet; after all, . But the evidence is weighing pretty heavily against Decken joining at this point, in any case.
 * Pretty sure it does, Chapter 638 has, and now in Chapter 639
 * We actually don't really know what would happen to a cursed fishman in the ocean. He'll probably be sapped of his strength and may be unable to swim, but he probably can still breath. It would be like a human "drowning" while exposed to sea stone.
 * Nope, final and official Joss. Chapter 640.

Jinbe will join the Straw Hat Pirates.
First, look at Blackbeard's new crew. Who's gonna mirror that huge guy? Jinbe. And now that he's given up his title of Warlord, where else is there for him to go? Other than the obvious answer, home, it seems likely he would join Whitebeard now. But now that it looks like Whitebeard's going down, and Luffy's going to be SO PISSED, Jinbe might wish to lend him a hand. Alternatively, Whitebeard could survive and encourage Jinbe to join Luffy, now that he seems to be rather fond of him and has made a connection with him.
 * Jinbe becoming the newest Straw Hat is likely, though, since he did promise Ace he would take care of Luffy in case anything happened to Ace . Also, Jinbe promised Luffy he would wait for him at Fishman Isle, where the crew has just reached as of Chapter 607.
 * To be precise, as of the two latest chapters (613 and 614), Jinbe's waiting for Luffy at the Sea Forest, where he still is just now.
 * Just a random thought: assuming Jinbe is in fact the next designated crew member, a few fun points will eventually be taken into consideration, as has been done for each of the canonical Straw Hats (and outlined on the One Piece Wiki website). So, if Jinbe should be the next member, these are what I theorize would be his following characteristics:
 * ANIMAL RESEMBLANCE: Whale (since he's a whale shark Fishman) or Lion
 * NUMBER: 10
 * FAVORITE TYPE OF ISLAND: Autumn on a Summer Island
 * IDENTIFYING COLOR: Turquoise/Orange
 * SCENT: Salt
 * FAVORITE FOOD: Vegetables (I'm not sure, but do Fishmen eat fish?)
 * FAMILY ROLE: Uncle
 * NATIONALITY IN THE REAL WORLD: Italian
 * INNER BRAIN: Honor, Honor, Honor, Strength, Pride
 * SUITED FLOWER: Lily (no special reason for this choice, just random)
 * And in addition to my suggestions given above, two additional points: (1) as of the most recent manga chapters, Jinbe has fulfilled the Straw Hat recruitment requirement by having suffered trauma in his past (in his case, losing both his island's queen and his former crew's captain to death); (2) very likely, albeit this just being a guess, he'll have inherited Queen Otohime's dream of seeing Fishmen and humans coexisting in peace (and each Straw Hat has a dream they seek to fulfill). So, then all that's left is for Luffy to invite him to join the crew, or for himself to ask Luffy if he can join, and also to determine what role he would fill on the crew (my personal guess is he could be helmsman, battle tactician, or even 2nd mate).
 * What role Jinbe would fill on the crew doesn't have that much bearing on having him join. Luffy recruited Zoro because he was strong, and while he's been called the First Mate in speculation, this has never been said outright. Usopp joined because they were friends, only deciding later to have him be the ship's gunner. Robin joined the crew because she also had nowhere else to go, which could be precedence for having Jinbe join.
 * Responding to the above point: there's also the fact that Luffy had Chopper join the crew because he was "a cool reindeer that can transform," and this was before he found out Chopper was trained as a doctor.
 * The WMG has been further strengthened by the most recent manga chapters, from #634 ("100,000 vs. 10") onward, with Jinbe fighting alongside the Straw Hats as one of the titular 10 to protect both Shirahoshi and the residents of Fishman Island from Hodi Jones and his gang.
 * Further strength comes from chapter 639 in which both he and Sanji will be fighting one of Hodi Jones' henchmen, complete with "______ vs. ______" intro card for them.
 * I read somewhere, I think somewhere on this site, that all Straw Hat crew have something about their left side that makes them a bit asymmetrical . Looking through pictures, Jinbe has a scar of some sort cutting across his left eye. Looks like that's another check towards Jinbe being the next Straw Hat. Personally I was really hoping it would be Shirahoshi....
 * You're forgetting the biggest thing: what would his dream be? Considering he was a Death Seeker up until right before the Time Skip, he didn't likely have one during that time, and the only ones I can think of that he might have now would involve Fishman Island managing to integrate with humanity, in which case he would be much better off staying right where he is.
 * The above point about what Jinbe's likely dream would be has already been explored a few points further up: that he'd likely wish to see peaceful coexistence between the Fishman race and humans. After all, this was a dream that Queen Otohime truly wanted to see come to pass, with the queen actively lobbying among Fishman Island's people for support to bring about peaceful coexistence despite her own frail health . There's also the matter of Jinbe's promise to Ace that he'd look out for Luffy's well-being in case anything ever happened to Ace.
 * Which again brings up the point of how heading off into the farthest reaches of the New World is going to help him accomplish that. As for looking out for Luffy, he already fulfilled that promise by  Luffy's as strong as Jimbe now; he doesn't need the guy coddling him.
 * The argument about "not coddling" falls flat when you realize that that's basically what the more mature members of the crew have been doing with Luffy for the longest time. The strongest case-in-point for this would be Zoro, who told Luffy off for letting childish sentiment get in the way of him exercising his rightful authority as a captain (at the end of the Enies Lobby arc) . There's also Luffy's own argument way back during the crew's fight vs. the Arlong Pirates, when he acknowledged that he wouldn't be able to get as far as he'd get without his True Companions helping him along the way. Plus all of the Straw Hats, not just Luffy, Took a Level In Badass during the Time Skip, so it would only be fair to say that all nine Straw Hats are (at least roughly) on par with Jinbe at this point. As for how going with Luffy could help Jinbe accomplish that kind of dream for unity between humans and Fishmen...technically speaking, Robin wouldn't have to be on Luffy's crew to fulfill her dream of finding the Rio Poneglyph, nor would Chopper have to be on the crew to fulfill his dream of increasing his medical skills; it's simply that being with Luffy provides them the best available opportunity to do that, plus it gives them a place to belong. Likewise, going with Luffy would perhaps provide assurance (through Jinbe) that Otohime's dream will remain strong, and he'd serve as a sort of ambassador from Fishman Island to the rest of the world through the Straw Hats.
 * The other Straw Hats's protecting of Luffy mostly amounts to making sure he doesn't do stupid crap, and they have that down about as well one could possibly expect considering this is Luffy; they don't really need another person around to help them do that. As for his dream, again, seriously missing the point here. Yes, most of Luffy's crew don't have to be on his crew to achieve their dreams, but most of them do need to go to the New World(not sure in Chopper's case, but considering the how the New World's been shown thus far, it seems likely that an exotic herb grows only there that Chopper will need), which is the whole point; going to the New World would actually be detrimental to Jinbe's dream as it's been theorized to be here. Going around as an ambassador isn't particularly useful in the New World, as it's mainly ruled by the Four Emperors, who, as far as we've been shown, have absolutely no problems with the Fishmen at all.
 * Well, . I'll trust in Oda's judgement, but I really hope that Jinbe gets a little more characterization if he becomes a member of the crew.
 * ]
 * In my view, Jinbe's role is more akin to that of Vivi, that of someone who is an important ally and comrade of the Strawhat Pirates, to the point of being considered a member of the crew, but also someone who can't actually come along for the voyage. In all likelihood, I suspect that Luffy will do something similar to Whitebeard and declare that Fishman Island is his territory and then go off on his adventure while "leaving" Jinbe behind in order to look after the place and make sure that no other pirates try to bother its people.
 * That won't be very feasible--remember, Jinbe's no longer a member of the Shichibukai, so the World Government will very likely send their forces after him for refusing to fight for their side during the Whitebeard War arc. And the World Government knows Jinbe allied with Luffy, unlike Vivi (who the World Government officially doesn't know is/was an ally of the Straw Hats). If the World Government were to send forces to seek out Jinbe, and he's still at Fishman Island, then King Neptune and the entire royal family will be put in the line of fire. Better, then, for Jinbe to stick with the Straw Hats.
 * As of chapter 649, Luffy has asked, but Jinbe refused. Instead he promised to meet the crew at some point in the future.
 * Let's remember that the majority of Luffy's crew each initially declined his first invitation for reasons of their own (except Usopp, who accepted immediately, and Robin, who invited herself on the crew and had to convince them to let her stay). That could turn out to be the same for Jinbe--we may soon learn just what it is he feels he needs to accomplish (which in turn could lead to a revelation of his dream/ambition), and circumstances will lead to him joining the crew far sooner than even he thinks.
 * Adding to the point immediately above, it's been mentioned that Big Mom (one of the Yonkou) is now protecting Fishman Island in place of Whitebeard . It's als been mentioned that the island's newest addition is a candy factory (since she always asks to be paid in candy, due to having a sweet tooth). Perhaps whatever Jinbe has to settle involves her in some way.

All WMG's concerning the next strawhat are pretty much Jossed / Confirmed, its Shirahoshi Ladies and Gentlemen
Personally i was rooting for Van Der Decken, but i guess his power was too limited in it appliances, and his potential for the job as fisherman/guard against seakings pales in comparison to the princess's power to directly command them. This is a particualrly interesting ability, as while you'd think it was a massive Story Breaker Power, how many proper fights have the Strawhats actually had at sea?, not to mention she is clearly still too young to have complete control. Also, depending on Fishman Islands standing with the government at this point, Shirahoshi could be used as a 'hostage' to ward off Marines (like in the G8 arc), who would be cautious to attack lest they create a diplomatic incident.
 * Though of course her main reason for being a Strawhat is that with luffy 'guiding' her, her powers will be incredibly usefull when luffy decides to join his father in bringing sbout the 'Great change' that Otohime mentioned.
 * Yep, I brought this up some distance up there on the list.
 * I still believe Jinbe will be the next Straw Hat. Shirahoshi, as royalty to Fishman Island and heir to the kingdom, will be needed to protect the nation from the ravages of persons seeking to capture Fishmen and mermaids as slaves, and her powers, once developed, would be very useful to that end; for now, though, she's not strong enough to keep going with the Straw Hats, and she'd be a liability as a mermaid anyway. Plus, Jinbe would be much more useful to the Straw Hats and has a LOT more to offer, and he also satisfies the joining conditions (as outlined further up in the WMG "Jinbe will join the Straw Hats").
 * This troper (original poster) has never been happy with the prospect of Jinbe joining the Strawhats for a number of reasons.
 * First, He's a shichibukai,it took the combined efforts of all the Strawhats to defeat Moria who many consider to be the least 'effective' of them, so having Jinbei on the team drastically changes the balance of power No matter how much stronger they have meant to become in two years i doubt they are meant to be that strong. It would be stupid if for instance, Zorro could beat Mihawk already, as he would have no goal in life.
 * Second, his fishman karate would vastly overshadow Sanji and Chopper's fighting abilities, making them redundant apart from being just the medic/cook.
 * Third, his personallity is too flat and stoic (and to be honest quite bland)to mix well with the Strawhats, we already have stoic but gets angry Zorro and stoic and secretive/knowing/Robin. The man has nothing to add to the Camaraderie past being protective and being grateful, but every character does that and more.
 * Fourth, the mans as funny as a ran over kitten. All the Strawhats, no matter how serious they get, have a humerous aspect to them, which is part of the dynamic of the series. Even Robin can be funny with her morbid sense of humour.
 * Fith,The only real goal, or at least the only goal he should have, is protecting Fishman island, and hes not going to do that by spending half a year sailing to Raftel.
 * Lastly, he has no The Psycho Rangers counterpart in Blackbeards crew, admittedly we have not seen all their powers yet but Shirihoshi's seakings are the logical foil to Sanjuan Wolf.

And to further counter the arguments against Shirahoshi, apart from the rather obvious pointer of Otohimes prophesy that someone (luffy) will lead her to start a 'great change'(revolution), her being royalty doesnt matter so much she hs three brothers to protect the kingdom, not to mention Jinbei is much more suited to the task. Her travelling with the strawhats is actually safer for her than staying at fishman island, the government will hear of her ability and will try to take control of her so it is better for her to keep moving so she may as well stay with luffy. Her going with luffy is safer for the island as whenever the seakings come to her due to an uncontrolled burst of her power, they will cause untold property damage and prbably deaths, while the thousand sunny is a smaller and more able to defend itself/recover from seaking damage. Her being weak but having summoning powers is a good thing in terms of team dynamics and story telling, (not to mention thats shes massive so she might not e that weak physically).There is no reason why her being a mermaid would make her a liability,we know mermaids can breath fine on land and as we have to skilled inventors on the Strawhat crew there is reason why she wont be able to walk. And even if she cant im sure Oda will write in a few more naval battles or have her stay in the sea playing with her shark while the others are on land, san juan wolf cant really go on land either.

Sorry for the Wall of Text


 * To respond to the points against Jinbe (from the poster supporting him):
 * He renounced his Shichibukai status during the Whitebeard War.
 * There is no way his Fishman Karate skills would overshadow Sanji or Chopper, or really any of the other major fighters on the crew. He's shown to be at least on par with Luffy pre-Time Skip (though granted, this was during a fight to calm down a rampaging Luffy ), and Zoro is the only other crew member who's been explicitly shown to be able to keep up with Luffy in a battle (the Whiskey Peak incident). As far as Sanji and Chopper go, they've both shown themselves to have gotten much stronger post-Time Skip, so there's no fear of them being majorly overshadowed by Jinbe or anyone else. Plus, it's balanced out by Jinbe's statement that he's not as good in land battles as sea battles (despite being able to hold his own fairly well on land).
 * Jinbe has shown himself to be Not So Stoic, and is in fact capable of showing other expressions for comic relief (note his Jaw Drop / Oh Crap reaction to seeing Shirahoshi outside of the palace).
 * As noted elsewhere on this page, he would likely share Otohime's dream that humans and Fishmen be able to coexist in peace. Just like Robin's dream to unveil the Void Century, Jinbe could certainly fulfill that dream over a period of time through association with the Straw Hats.
 * As has been acknowledged, we know very little about the workings of Blackbeard's crew, including San Juan Wolf. But just becuase Wolf is gigantic doesn't mean Jinbe couldn't be a foil for him--Jinbe was able to take on Gecko Moria, who towers over him by several feet and is physically bigger, during the Whitebeard War.
 * Shirahoshi's powers would be a Game Breaker for sea battles and near-useless for land battles, as she's not shown to have any other sort of battling ability.
 * As far as travelling with the Straw Hats goes, there are bound to be seabound dangers that Shirahoshi wouldn't be able to properly defend herself against, plus she would be FAR too big to fit on board the Thousand Sunny (whereas Jinbe would be able to go on board just fine). It was for this same reason that the Rumbar Pirates had left Laboon behind (that, and he was a baby anyway). Shirahoshi has been cooped up for so long that she has virtually little knowledge of the world outside Fishman Isle and would be endangered consequently; on the other hand, Jinbe has interacted with the outside world already and is perfectly capable of defending himself where necessary(something all the Straw Hats have in common).
 * On a separate point, there is nothing to suggest as yet that the person in Otohime's prophecy about Shirahoshi will be Luffy. That is a separate Wild Mass Guessing in itself.
 * The difference between Shirahoshi and Jinbei joining will hinge on whether Neptune lives or dies. Dead Neptune leads to Queen Shirahoshi (or at least a more politically active princess with one of her brothers taking the helm) who with her powers shall be able to perfectly defend the island. Living Neptune will want his daughter to see the world as per Otohime's wish to have their peoples joined together, with Jinbei staying behind to atone for his sins and build more tolerance in Fishman Island.
 * The theory about what might happen should Neptune die is perfectly plausible. On the other side, though, I posit this view as to what may happen alternatively if he survives: He may hold a coronation later on for Shirahoshi to take her place as the new ruler of Fishman Isle, thus having her remain there under obligation and so that he and his sons (her brothers) can be more sure of her protection and safety. Adding to this, it may happen that Fishman Island winds up rising from the ocean floor due to the current actions taking place there (whether it ends up on the New World side of the Red Line or not is up for separate debate), thus allowing Shirahoshi at least some exposure to life outside the ocean floor. Her staying will likely allow for an opportunity for the royal family to promote Otohime's dream for political alliance with the human world. Meanwhile, Jinbe may wind up traveling with the Straw Hats to fulfill Otohime's dream of showing that Fishmen can coexist with humans, by demonstrating his cohabitation with humans via Luffy and company.
 * Hold on a minute. If I recall, Shirahoshi is the youngest of the royal family siblings. If King Neptune ends up either dying or retiring, wouldn't the duty of ruler get passed on to the eldest sibling? If so, then the oldest of the three brothers, Fukaboshi I think, would become the king of Fishman island. Of course, that's not to say that the new king would have no problem with letting his little sister go off on an adventure with these humans (talking reindeer, cyborg and moving skeleton notwithstanding). With this in mind, there could still be a possibility of Shirahoshi joining up with the Strawhats. No matter how seemingly ridiculous it seems.
 * The language seems to be leaning towards Jinbei again, as of 634, with the chapter entitled "100,000 vs 10" the "Tenth" was really shown to be Jinbei. Still holding out hope for Shirahoshi, though, as this troper feels she'd make a better fit.
 * In chapter 639, Jimbei gets paired up with Sanji to fight Wadatsumi, as the rest of the Straw Hats are paired up to fight a New Fishman pirate. If anything, this seems to be solidifying him joining.
 * Looks like this fanart has the same idea.
 * MUST HAPPEN! MUST HAPPEN! :-D

Big Mom eats candy out of grief.
If we assume that Big Mom IS the mother of Lola, then she would no doubt have Lola's vivre card (as Lola is very familiar with them). The last we saw of Lola was her sailing towards the gigantic monster in the Florian Triangle; she would meet her end there. Big Mom sees Lola's vivre card vanish, determine Lola has died, and is filling the void in her soul with candy. She doesn't care about anyone anymore because she feels her life has no meaning. She agrees to duel with Luffy for the possibile reasons that she is now a Death Seeker or that she somehow knew that the Straw Hat Pirates were the last people Lola talked to before meeting her end. (I haven't seen the latest chapter, so this may have been Jossed already.)
 * As of the cover story of chapter 654, this WMG has been Jossed. Lola made it to Water 7 and is drinking at a bar there.

The dragon is Big Mom with a mythical zoan transformation
Because it really looks like her.
 * Same eyes
 * Same drool
 * Huge mouth
 * Bottom teeth showing
 * Main issue I have with this theory is Big Mom seemed to be farther away from Fishman Island than Punk Hazard Island. Otherwise, yes there are similarities.
 * As of Chapter 656, we now see that it's just an ordinary dragon. No Devil Fruit power or anything...

Shirahoshi will join the Straw Hats, but not the way everyone's been thinking.
The fact that Shirahoshi means she's at risk no matter where she is. If the World Government found out, they'd be after her in a heartbeat. And the Fishman Island Royal Army would be no match for Admirals and the Pacifista. Because of this, her father will ask the Straw Hats to take her with them so they can look after her. Also, Shirahoshi did seem excited about the idea of adventures when she first found out Luffy was a pirate.
 * I was thinking the same thing. This would pretty much be the same way/reason that Franky became part of the crew. The only problem now is how they would fit such a giant mermaid onto a ship that's about the same size she is.
 * Well, she is a mermaid. she could probably just swim alongside the boat. Or maybe ride on the back of a Sea King if she got tired.
 * Would this really work though? Considering that Oda bothered to build up Jinbe's relationships with nearly the whole crew, and doesn't really do this for Shirahoshi, shouldn't that be a sign he probably isn't building her up to have a consistent relationship with them? Also, making her not able to be in the boat in the crew, having to sleep outside, would create an unpleasant sense that she's not really part of the group that I doubt a story like OP would want hanging over the characters' heads. The New World is really, really dangerous, and it just seems like a massive common sense failure to think that a small-ish group of pirates have the time and resources to babysit a really, really sheltered and emotionally fragile teenage girl. Also, making Shirahoshi have to be a constant object of protection for the crew, be an ancient weapon, have an innocent and pure personality (which, trust me, you really can't make her grow out of without making her character unrecognizable), have a really, really broken summon that is hard to make work in the context of a rough and tough pirate crew, would turn OP from a fun adventure fantasy to a painful Mary Sue fanfic.
 * Plus there's the point that, y'know, Luffy hasn't asked her to join his crew, nor has she shown interest in joining them.
 * About the ship thing, remember Franky met Tom's relative and discussed shipbuilding with him. Oda had Kuma seperated the Strawhats as an out-of-story excuse to make them stronger over a timeskip; who's to say Shirahoshi joining them won't be his excuse to redesign the Thousand Sunny, making it big enough for her?
 * He'd need more wood though... And enlarging the ship would mean replacing the keel, which would mean replacing the ship, which they aren't going to do.
 * Also, what about Surume? He's (she? it) not going to be sleeping on the ship. Maybe instead of modifying Sunny, Franky could make a raft house to be either pulled by Sunny or Surume. Maybe Surume could even fit in the raft with Shirahoshi. Or, even less likely, maybe both of them will be kept in bubbles and attached to the ship by string. Special bubbles, obviously, since the others can't leave their island climates.
 * I regret to say that this has been Jossed, at least for now. The Strawhat crew left Fishman Island without any new crew members, so that's the end of that.

Law is dead, and Blackbeard took his power.
The samurai had only heard of Blackbeard when he became a Shichibukai, and didn't know he quit.
 * Jossed he is alive and became a Shichibukai.

Trafalgar Law HASN'T become a Shichibukai.
Law helped Luffy and Jinbe escape the war. With Akainu as Fleet Admiral, I doubt he would let such a person join the Shichibukai, considering how dogged he was in his pursuit of Luffy during the battle.
 * This troper would argue that the Shichibukai positions are important enough for the Gourasai or at least Commander in chief Kong to be given the final verdict, so its most likely not Akianu's decision to make.
 * Jossed he IS a Shichibukai proof.

Shirahoshi will join the Straw Hats.
It's very out there, but she's a candidate as well. She tells Luffy that she wants to see the world and not stay locked up there. In this series, when someone has a noble dream and encounters Luffy, they'll achieve it, one way or another, and the only way she can ever leave the ocean and travel the world is if she joins the Straw Hats, or some other pirate group, and sail the New World. Without any fighting ability or skill to lend to the Straw Hats, though, this is a long shot.
 * They still need a counterpart to San Juan Wolf (unless that's the Kraken, I guess). Sure, it looks like she won't be able to fight for crap, but One Piece has a long and proud history of using the Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass trope.
 * I'm not sure she's that big, but to make her competent in a fight she have to be very much naturally powerful, but since she never fought, can't use her full potential
 * This troper is interested in the WMG as ive been trying to think of jobs new crew members could fullfill, and as a member of royalty she could fill the job of 'Diplomat'.
 * Probably not. Vivi was royalty too, remember?
 * The one problem with having her on the crew is how would you keep her fed? I mean, unless she can catch sea kings by herself....
 * and if vivi had joined the crew that could have been her job.
 * Judging from the scene where Luffy and Shirahoshi meet, Luffy eats just as much as she does. Not to mention we've gotten to the obligatory crewmember flashback, and the smart money is on Shirahoshi's mom dying.
 * In the flashback where Shirahoshi's mom defended the World Noble from the ex-slaves' vengeance, it seemed Deckan's pursuit of her was revealed to be because she has a legendary power that allows her to control sea kings. At the very least, she will prove important to the current arc for this ability. Although personally I would love to see her join the crew. Something about her innocence makes me see her as a female counterpart to Luffy's innocence.
 * Money's on the nose. Shirahoshi's mom is dead.
 * Problem with this: Otohime died while Shirahoshi was still a baby, so the traumatic impact wouldn't be quite so harsh if Shirahoshi didn't have a great number of close moments with her mother (aside from the obligatory mom-bonding-with-baby moment Otohime is given in flashback). Plus, in the present day Shirahoshi has only indicated that she wants to go to the Sea Forest (where she is with Jinbe and the Straw Hats at current); she doesn't have a specified long-term goal or dream that could be fulfilled by traveling with the Straw Hats, and (as mentioned above) she doesn't appear to have any fighting skill, otherwise they wouldn't have locked her up in the tower and she would be able to fend for herself against Vander Decken's assassination attempts.
 * As of chapter 626, Shirahoshi watched her mom die of a gunshot to the chest when she was 6 years old, old enough to remember it.
 * She has that legendary power to control the sea kings, and according to Otohime in chapter 626, Shirahoshi doesn't even know she has such a power. Her mother also said it was the most "fearsome ability in the world" and that Shirahoshi could cause everything to sink into the ocean by sending the sea kings on a rampage. Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass indeed.
 * As of Chapter 648, Luffy has extended an offer to Jimbe. Not quite willing to count this one out yet, but let's wait a week, shall we?
 * As of Chapter 649, Jimbe said "No, but maybe in the future." However the chapter ends with the revelation that
 * Jossed: at least for now, they left Fishman Island without her.

Both Jinbe and Shirahoshi will join the crew
Shirahoshi will ask to join and Jinbe will me along to protect her.
 * That would certainly be a compromise to satisfy the above suggestions pertaining to either Shirahoshi OR Jinbe joining the crew. Only problem is (as has been outlined above), what position on the crew could Shirahoshi possibly fill? Also, in the latest chapter, she's had to have her life saved by someone else (multiple times) instead of defending herself. At least Jinbe has been shown capable of protecting both himself and others, and as has been said above, he could be the crew's helmsman or some other such position.
 * If she gets her powers under control, she could repel Sea Kings. And/or she could pull the ship, though that would defeat the point of Sunny's paddle wheels.
 * That just screams of Game Breaker. Where would the challenge be, then, whether for comical effect or plot reasons? As Luffy said, "I don't want to go on a boring adventure like that!".
 * Jossed: Again, as of the end of Fishman Island arc, this WMG can be safely put to rest, though not with 100% certainty.

Jimbei is the next Strawhat
Chapter 590 is about all the proof this troper needs. Jimbei made a promise to Ace that he'd protect Luffy. What better way to protect him than to join his crew?
 * He was seen with some Helmsman skills during the trip to Maineford and can be written off for being too powerful for the Straw Hats via heart problems from protecting Luffy from Akainu as well.
 * He did promise Luffy he'd wait for him at Fishman Isle. Maybe he'll join up then.
 * Jossed: Yet again, a safe assumption that this will remain untrue as of the end of Fishman Island arc.

The Straw hats who have been swapped wont realize they've been swapped
Rule of Funny
 * Jossed. Everyone is completely aware that they have been switched, especially Sanji and Nami.

The Eighty Cool Brothers are Johnny and Yosaku
Mainly because we haven't seen them since the Arlong arc, and considering what Caesar Clown did to the kids it stands to reason he'd genetically manipulate some fighters as well. And if they were someone at least one of Zoro, Sanji, or Brook knew it would help explain how all three were defeated off-panel.
 * While it seems possible, especially based on the poses and weapons the Eighty Cool Brothers seem to carry, personally I find it hard to believe they would just attack their old friend Zoro like that without any sort of conversation first. Unless they've somehow been enslaved, or had their minds altered or something....
 * Problem. We DID already see them. They're still in Cocoyashi village, and they are fishermen now.
 * And final joss. They are properly titled the YETI Cool Brothers, and they are not Johnny and Yosaku, they are yetis.

Concerning the mysterious half-man in Punk Hazard
Hmm, now where else have we seen a  individual who can split himself cleanly, showing no marks of a cut?

A man who decided to wait two years before entering the new world the same as luffy and so it would make perfect sense for him to have passed through fishman island recently and thus already arrived at one of the next islands?
 * Lol, i think maybe you are forgetting a man who more specifically has the power to divide people and objects up and attach them together?
 * While Law would make sense, he didn't wait two years to enter the New World, he just waited until Luffy was well enough to be left in Rayleigh's hands (So, about a week after Kidd, Bonney, Apoo, etc.). Why would he hang around at the very start?

The last we saw of him was leaving amazon lilly saying h would wait for the 'right time' to enter the new world. Either one of us could be right, but based on his facination with Luffy this troper has assumed he meant to wait until Luffy was going to enter. As im about to detail below, he would have hung around to make a big enough fuss to be offered a shichibukai position, had he gone to the new world he would have been beyond the marine's jurisdiction.
 * When did we see Law entering the new world? and by what information do you perceive he was waiting for luffy to get better?
 * It seems obvious that the legs are part of the that Sanji and the others found. However, it seems unlikely that he was done in by Law, as he specifically said he was "cut."
 * Law cuts up his opponets too. He first activates his DF power THEN slice up his opponets whith his nodachi ,and finally, rearranges their bodyparts in amusing ways.
 * Law and Buggy could both be shichibukai, but it seems more likely that Law is responsible for the samurai.
 * Jossed: It was Law. and he is a Shichibukai

Law is working for M
I'm unsure why he's doing it but it's prety obvious that he serves as a cover and bodyguard for those guys. Moreover probably has been helping with their experiments, that would explain the centaurs.
 * Considering this is Law, mister "rip-100-hearts-of-pirates-and-send-them-to-the-gov" we're talking about, I'd say he's collaborating, but not exactly taking orders.
 * Jossed. He was working with Caesar Clown, not for him (and even that dissolves with his apparent alliance with Luffy and the Straw-Hats).

== We have already seen that by partially recreating the effects of the light light devil fruit,( a proccess Franky has managed to replicate) Vegapunk has given the Pacifistas Kizaru's lazer beams, the Denizens of Punk Hazard are the result of Vegapunks (Failed) experiments into replicating zoan devil fruits powers, perhaps even attmepting to make new ones ==

Oda has of course said that Vegapunk knows what devil fruits 'actually are'.

It has been stated that 4 years ago the Island became a wasteland due to Vegapunk's failed experiments, we have seen centaurs, a harpy lady and now as of chapter 659, we have seen the masked men in fact have horns, im betting these will be revealed to be Satyr's. We have heard the denizens refer to Vegapunk with disdain, this is probably becuase they are whats left of Vegapunks research team who were on the island when the accident happened, it was this accident that lead to them stuck into them all being 'half zoans'.

The leader of the Satyrs, the weird talking gas or liquid, is possibly like that as the same thing has happened to him except with a Logia fruit, as such he is stuck in elemental form.

This would also explain why the Island was sealed off even before the admiral's fight, to hide the result of Vegapunk's failure.
 * Jossed: They were made into centaurs by Law because they had been paralyzed by a poison gas.

The Devil Fruit Reveal...
Will happen on chapter 666. Ok, it's a big hazard, but come on! It'll surely be suitable, don't you think?
 * Considering we just had chapter 663, and Smoker revealed the mysterious figure Law is working with is likely this actually seems possible. Either way, we don't have too much longer to wait before we find out if you're right.
 * Jossed, there's hardly any mention of devil fruit other than Law's ability. However, the cover did have which makes some sense if you consider that 666 is a lucky number in some Eastern cultures. (I know it is in China but I'm not completely sure if it's lucky in Japanese too.)

The Emperor Law wants to take down is Shanks.

 * How would this work?
 * It has to be Big Mom or Blackbeard. It is not known what Law said, but to make Luffy eager to take on the idea, it would have to be someone Luffy had a pre-existing problem with. Logic dictates furthering the clash with Big Mom which is pre-established, since Blackbeard is being set up as a series-wide Big Bad.
 * Unsurprisingly jossed : Law told Luffy and Nami who was the Emperor he wanted to take down, and Luffy accepted. If it was Shanks, he would have refused.