Well this explains why the last arc feels like it dragged on for so long.

 

Unfortunately One Piece has jumped the shark and gone full naruto/MC is the messiah with godly powers who is also a hocrux for a god route.

 

Shonen gotta shonen.

I don't mind it, really. Power-ups were definitely going to be needed going into the end-game, and this one was foreshadowed as early as 2003.

 

You should know by now that tropes have nothing to do with writing quality. Utilizing a trope doesn't mean it will be bad.

Inherited Will is has always been a core concept of One Piece.

 

There is a difference between inherited will and being a super god, because you were chosen by the super god fruit.

Luffy following in Roger's footsteps and sharing a similar dream is inherited will.

Luffy becoming a super god who can seemingly do anything. Whose power was actually pretty different from what was established in 1000 chapters. Literally embodying something else.
All these are bullshit. They were never set up in the story and it basically devolves to the typical boring trope that only special people can achieve their dreams.

Luffy is no longer a simple kid with big dreams and a weak power that he made strong through training and determination.

He is now the super special kid that was chosen by a god power. That god power gave him near immortality. That's why he could always get back up after being beaten down. Unlike other people.
He is no longer just rubber, he is now a god that can do anything. Because lol, gods can do anything. No limits


But let's agree to disagree on this. I have learned to accept it.
I just keep reading now because of sunk cost. But the story to me has gone the route of bleach and naruto

 

Dressrosa showed the concept of 'Awakening' powers many, many years ago.

 

Luffy hasn't been a simple kid for years. He's the grandson of the government's greatest hero, the son of the world's most wanted man, the adopted brother of Roger's son, he's the successor of Shanks (or whatever it is that the hat signifies) and he's a D., a born enemy of the World Nobles.

The second coming of Joy Boy was first brought up over a decade ago. That's hardly out of nowhere.

You really should never get attached to the idea of shonen protagonists being underdogs from normal backgrounds. They never are.

The message of One Piece is that you should follow your dreams, not anyone can achieve their dreams if they put in the work.

 

I'll be honest, I don't mind it that much in Luffy's case.

He made it all the way to challenge the emperors under the assumption (just like everybody else) that he's a simple rubber man with simple rubber powers, which they frankly were up until this point. Couple that with the fact that everything else was grit, determination, and luck and suddenly it isn't such an issue.

Being the grandson of Garp and the son of Dragon isn't such a boon either given the way he was forced to grow up (training from hell justifies his power and determination) and that top marines consider him too dangerous to live.
Plus punching that World Noble was all Luffy.

 

The thing is, we now know that the reason Luffy could always get back up isn't grit. It was because he had a specific god power that gave him insane god like durability.

 

Kindly remind when Joy boy was foreshadowed decades ago.

Also those relationships have never been an advantage to Luffy.
The one time it was. Was impel down.

But even then. Coming from a certain lineage is fine.

Being the chosen one just feels so...I don't know redundant
I just thought one piece was different..

Now the story has turned one of it's biggest appeals, simple rubber boy becomes great, into boy gets chosen by special god fruit and goes on to do special things.

But like I said. This is something that genuinely bothered me a few months ago

And like you said, shounen gonna shounen I have accepted it
Just thought one piece was different

 

Yes it did.
But it did not introduce the concept of literal god fruits.
Luffy turning his environment into rubber was always a given for his awakening
The rest..meh

It reeks of Ichigo being every type in bleach or Naruto being the reincarnation of a god.
I don't know. It just felt unnecessary to me.

But it does make me respect his creemates more. Zoro, nami, Franky, ussop, chopper.

 

Luffy is hardly what you would call a super-god. Even with an awakening which had been foreshadowed a long time back

Spoiler

he barely managed to eke out a victory against a yonko. And let's face it the odds would still favour Kaido if it was a one on one, even after all his power boosts.

At best it levels the playing field somewhat and no real decisive advantage... Yet.

Spoiler

Moreover, during his final clash with Kaido, it was a case of his will prevailing over Kaido's and not his 'superior' devil fruit.

As for Luffy being a 'Chosen One'. Oda seems to be doing something interesting here.

Spoiler

Don't want to go into all the speculations right now, but there are hints that Luffy isn't Joyboy but rather Joyboy is Luffy.

 

Back on Fishman Island. Joy Boy left a letter apologising to the Fishmen for breaking his promise and saying that someone would come and fulfill it in 800 years. I'll admit it's not much, but it's there.

 

Nika the sun god was also shown in the Enel arc, IIRC.

 

I think it's safe to say that the Wano arc is finally, mercifully over.

Good riddance. Here's hoping for some plot to happen now that things have been shook up.

 

It turns out that the one saving grace of the Wano arc, the inclusion of Yamato in the crew, was another red herring.

I don't know why I'm surprised at this point.

 

... Ugh. I don't know that I'd go so far as to shit on Wano that hard, but yeah, having Yamato not join the crew is such a weird decision at this point. We just had that admiral fight where Yamato gets told to stay out of it because those staying need to be able to stand on their own without the Straw Hats.

 

NGL this feels like it was literally decided this week that Yamato shouldn't go along for A/B/C reason when it was planned that she would before now.

 

Jinbei eventually joined up. I don't see why Yamato would be different.

 

It's meant to be the last arc starting now. Even if it will probably last some 4-5 years still, I see little chance that she joins as an actual crewmate and not some reunion of old allies before the end.

That's some hardcore bait and switch here. Maybe they got shit from the furries over the last chapter and decided to inverse everything, so we'll learn Carrot sneaked onto the Sunny.