Also the clothes he was wearing when he pushed Bartolomeo are pretty much the same.

 

He's the only person who has a hat shaped like that. He wore a cravat as part of his outfit, and the person is wearing a cravat now, and a functionally identical, if obviously much larger, coattails suit. The list of people that Luffy was close enough to that are (presumed) dead for that sort of reaction to be warranted is about three people long, and that includes Ace. The closing chapter shot is of three drinking bowls at Whitebeard's grave that mirrors the ones Luffy, Sabo, and Ace drank out of to cement their friendship. The stranger was also apparently close enough to Ace that he would care about "inheriting Ace's Will," and Luffy also has no problem with that happening.

It literally could only be either Sabo or Ace. And Luffy would have reacted with a lot more tears if it had been Ace.

We're 99% certain it's Sabo. There's a 1% chance Tite is trolling the living hell out of us, and he's certainly done it before, but there are too many hints lined up in a row. It's either Sabo, a returned from the grave Ace that speaks in third person, or Luffy's mysterious cousin that we've never heard of who loves to dress exactly like Sabo used to and supposedly died offscreen for some reason but actually didn't.

 

Oda, not Tite.

Tite is Bleach.

 

Just got round to reading this and OMFG.

 

Perhaps Tite's upped his game.


Anyway I suspected that Sabo had been saved by Dragon and that he was with the Revolutionaries. Didn't see them making an appearance here though. Yonkou, Admiral, Shichibukai, and Revolutionaries? Oda's not playing around.

 

Well this one seems rather empty.
...Bellamy for next strawhat? It almost seems like it'll go that way, given how sympathetic they're making him.

 

I could see it happening, but I don't feel like we'd be getting a new Strawhat in this arc.

 

Perhaps, but we're due for one, I think--it's been how long since we've added a crew member?
Over 2 years going by in-story time. Unless Kin'emon joined at some point instead of just being friends.

 

How about Sabo? Wont he join after this arc? Or maybe he will die.

And what abt Bartholomew? I think he would make a good strawhat.

 

I think with the big reveal about Sabo, Luffy won't be in any sense to have someone join the crew. I think Sabo is going to stay with the Revolutionaries and Bartolomeo will stay with his own crew. Maybe if they end up defeating Big Mom this arc Jinbei will come to meet them a bit down the road. That's my ideal situation.

 

I think the crew is complete, at least as far as main, not-temporary nakama are concerned. The running gag of needing help on the ship and Luffy saying that yeah, a musician would really be awesome, is over. The initial number Luffy gives for members of his crew (9) has been reached. And the new world has been entered.

I believe it's going to be just allies from now on.

 

He said 10 would be a good number at the start.

 

Plus part of the thrill of the series is the excitement about getting a new member, and for some reason I really do like the irony of Bellamy, who I think was universally despised at first, actually ending up as one of the Strawhats, and liked.
But I do admit there's a certain feeling of finality to Luffy finally getting his musician.

Sabo probably will stay with the revolutionaries, though I am curious as to his excuse for not helping during the Ace battle. It better be a f**king good one, too.
"Sorry, Luffy, I was on my way when a black cat cross my way, so I had to go around and double-back across the country."
(Dragon probably didn't let him, but stil.)

 

Isn't it 10 including himself?

 

Well then we're still 1 short. Seeing as theres 9 total.

 

Math... so hard.

 

The Thousand Sunny is the 10th member.

 

...Merry...

 

Holy shit, Kyros is fucking awesome. I loved that backstory so much.

Spoiler

But I'm scared, now. It was a flashback. You know what happens when someone gets a flashback.

 

Don't worry this is One Piece, he won't die or anything