The real vice captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, explained

This article contains spoilers from the latest episode of One Piece.

Key Takeaways

• Zoro is not the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. The crew does not have an official vice captain.
• The crew acts like a family, with various members taking the lead in various situations.
• Luffy relies heavily on his companions, who are all equally important. They guide each other on the road to One Piece.

The Straw Hat Pirates are a gang of Yonko and are certainly one of the most powerful gangs in the world. one piece. This crew is from East Blue and has been making history in unprecedented ways since setting sail. Now this group of pirates plans to conquer the seas and make Captain Luffy the Pirate King. Of course, everyone knows who the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates is. However, there has often been misunderstanding among fans surrounding the vice-captain position. one piece.

The position of Vice Captain is important to many pirate crews crossing the seas, and the Straw Hat Pirates certainly have their own take on this position.

Misconceptions surrounding the Vice Captain and First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates

• Zoro joined Luffy before anyone else.
• Fans mistakenly call Zoro the first mate

The first thing fans should keep in mind about the Vice Captain and First Mate scenarios is that both positions are synonymous. Fans often have misconceptions about this position. Many fans believe that First Mate literally means the first person to join the crew. Unfortunately, they couldn't be more wrong. First Mate is not the first person to join a pirate crew. The term First Mate is a person who officially serves as the second captain of a crew. This simply means that First Mate and Vice Captain have the same meaning and are interchangeable terms. Unlike the Roger Pirates or the Red Hair Pirates, the Straw Hat Pirates do not have a first mate.

It is no exaggeration to say that there is a widespread misunderstanding among fans. one piece Regarding the position of Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Naturally, most fans assume that Zoro is the crew's vice-captain. However, it is safe to say that this is not true. Zoro was never depicted as the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates by Oda, so fans who claim that Zoro is the vice-captain are unfortunately misinformed. This misunderstanding occurs in two ways. The first way this misconception was formed was when fans simply assumed Zoro was the vice-captain due to the idea that every crew member in the One Piece universe has a vice-captain. It's true that many pirate teams in One Piece have vice-captains, but not all pirate teams have the same role. In particular, the Straw Hat Pirates are significantly different from other pirate groups that appear in One Piece, and Zoro does not serve as the vice-captain at all in this pirate group.

The second way this misunderstanding developed was through statements, or more accurately, mistranslations in both manga and anime fan subscriptions. In the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, Urouge refers to Zoro as the first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates in certain translations of the manga, including Viz's. At the same time, some fan-translated fansubs also refer to Zoro as the first mate here. However, the actual translation is completely different. The actual word Urouge used here is 2番手. Literally translated, it means the second best member of the crew. This is not inaccurate, as we all know that Zoro is arguably the second strongest person after Luffy.

Bartolomeo, another pirate from the New World, also refers to Zorro as the vice-captain of his crew, but Bartolomeo clearly states that Zorro is the vice-captain in his mind, and this is not a generalized statement that any of Zorro can accept. . one piece world. In particular, for the Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro does not play the role of vice-captain at all. That's not to say that Zorro doesn't have a specific role. Zoro has an official role in: one piece This was officially stated by Oda himself. This role is called 戦闘員 or Sentō-in, which literally translates to combatant. Essentially, Zoro is a combatant for the Straw Hat Pirates, and his role does not extend beyond that.

In fact, in response to a question about the color spread in episode 1031, Oda himself revealed that Zoro is not the vice-captain or first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates. one piece. There, Oda drew Number Two from various groups, and here's what he had to say:

Hello, Odachi! If you look at the cover of Episode 1031, it looks like Bepo is second in the Heart Pirates!? I was surprised because I thought Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo were all tied for second place! Are you saying that Bepo (along with Seollong?) is the strongest among them? PN pudding

O: That’s the cover, right? Like Zoro, not all characters have the title First Mate (Vice Captain). I chose number 2 because I thought it was suitable. Shachi and Penguin are usually more trustworthy, but after seeing Bepo's sultry appearance, the two are no match for Bepo in terms of combat power…! I recognize him.

The actual vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

The Straw Hat Pirates do not have a vice captain.

Now that it has been revealed that Zoro is not the vice-captain or first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates, you may be wondering who will be in charge of these positions. The clear answer to this is that the Straw Hat Pirates do not have a vice captain or first mate. This group functions like a family. This means that different characters have different roles and there is no special leader other than Luffy. Luffy is the only captain of the crew, the rest are his family. Of course, there are different scenarios led by different characters. For example, Jinbe, Sanji, and even Nami are more trustworthy than Zoro when it comes to making decisions in most situations.

Jinbe is usually the most experienced one, like Robin. These two are very reliable in many situations. Sanji is a strong candidate for strategy, and is often depicted as the Straw Hat Pirates' strategist. He is often more ordinary than Luffy. Zoro is the most dependable in battle and holds his own importance within the crew, proving to be a leader on many occasions as well as the others. When it comes to exploration and many other things, Robin can be seen as the leader of the crew.

All straw hats are equally important

The Straw Hat Pirates certainly have many trustworthy leaders, all of whom are capable in their own way. Because the Straw Hat Pirates have a close family relationship, they do not operate unlike other pirate groups. one piece world. They do not have a hierarchy of commands, and need other characters to take orders depending on the situation. This sometimes results in the character controlling Luffy simply because he doesn't know how to navigate certain situations.

In fact, Luffy is a captain unlike any other. He clearly stated that without his crew he could not have crossed the first half of the Grand Line. Luffy gets many qualities from his peers and relies heavily on them. A crew member is there to guide him. one piece Luffy guides and protects them in his own way. This is a family I will never see again. one piece That's why this family values ​​every member equally. Fans should always remember that Luffy values ​​them all equally and they are all equally loyal to him.

One Piece can be read via Viz Media. The series is officially available for fans to read for free through Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date of One Piece 1129, the next chapter of One Piece, is scheduled for October 13, 2024.