One Piece Theory: The Last Straw Hat Had a Surprisingly Early Reveal

For years, fans have been trying to figure out who the foreshadowed final Straw Hat would be, but One Piece may have revealed this decades ago.

For years now, One Piece fans have been trying to decipher the identity of the next member of the Straw Hat Pirates. While this tends to happen during every arc whenever an important or interesting character is introduced, the hype over the next addition to the team grew exponentially in 2020. At the beginning of the series, Luffy said that he was going to recruit 10 members to his crew, but around three years ago in the official One Piece magazine, it was confirmed that these 10 wouldn't include himself, meaning there is still one Straw Hat left.

With the "Wano" arc still going strong at the time, many believed that this mystery member would be the then-recently revealed Yamato, or even Carrot, who had been traveling with Luffy since the end of the "Zou" arc. Even now, many believe that this final member will be Dr. Vegapunk, who has even asked Luffy directly to let him tag along on their ship. However, based on the most recent chapters of One Piece, it seems more and more likely that the final Straw Hat actually joined the crew long ago.

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As strange as it might seem, the most likely candidate to be the next and final Straw Hat is Nefertari Vivi, the princess of Alabasta. Fans are always delighted and excited to see how Vivi is doing since she decided to stay behind on Alabasta, as the way the story of One Piece has progressed, the Straw Hats kept sailing further and further away from her. This made many believe that the odds of her rejoining the crew as a full-fledged member are unlikely at best, though given recent chapters, those odds have now changed drastically.

Since the "Reverie" arc, Vivi's importance to the story has grown immensely, with her participation at the arc's titular event being a rather sizable one. She not only defied the Celestial Dragons but also disappeared after her father was assassinated. While it was recently revealed that she was saved and is being hidden by Big News Morgans, the fact that she needed to be safeguarded at all is a big deal. It was also implied that the World Government's secret king, Imu, has a specific interest in her, leaving her picture unharmed while cutting up those of Luffy, the mermaid princess/Ancient Weapon "Poseidon" Shirahoshi and Blackbeard.

As revealed by Eichiro Oda, One Piece has started its final saga, meaning everything that's currently going on will likely have a direct impact on the ending of the series. This means that it is unlikely for Vivi to have been brought back into the story with such great importance without legitimate reason, as well as for her to not reunite at some point with the other Straw Hats. Given Imu's actions with the photos, it seems as though Vivi also has some connection to Luffy beyond just their travels together, making her soon rejoining the Straw Hats even more likely.

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The Straw Hat Pirates are considered to be one of the greatest and strongest crews in the New World, with a massive fleet as well as alliances with multiple important nations that might as well be considered territories at this point, such as Fishman Island and Wano. It might be hard for some to see what Vivi could really bring to the crew, but in reality, she has a lot to offer. As a princess, Vivi has a power that could be considered greater than any pirate in the world. She has vast resources awarded to royalty, as well as an incredible amount of influence due to her reputation as a princess who helped save her country from pirates. In addition, she has a deep understanding of how the world operates politically.

Vivi also has a good amount of combat training and was considered a capable enough fighter to be a Mr. 9's partner when she was undercover in Baroque Works, proving that she's not useless in combat, even though that isn't her true strength. Just by associating with the Straw Hats, Vivi legitimizes them as more than simply pirates or even Yonkos, but good people, which goes completely against the propaganda released by the World Government and the Navy. It's also likely that Vivi has some secret power that has yet to be revealed, given Imu's interest in her. Whether this power is something tangible or maybe even symbolic is currently unknown, but if it does exist, it's likely to be something that will benefit whoever she decides to fight alongside.

With One Piece supposedly ending in roughly five years, it's likely that the final Straw Hat will be revealed soon. Considering that the most recent chapters have focused specifically on the Reverie and the connection between Alabasta and the Void Century, it seems especially likely that Vivi's role in the future of the story will become apparent before long. As it currently stands though, it seems more and more probable that Vivi is another example of Oda's expertise at foreshadowing, as one way or another, Vivi is poised to reunite and sail with her friends once again.

Guive is a Freelance Feature Writer for CBR. On almost any occasion, he can be found lost in his own daydreams instead of doing what he should be. Spending his childhood idolizing superheroes, it didn't take long for him to start reading comics on a weekly basis, as well as branch out into video games and anime/manga. Nowadays, Guive spends most of his free time keeping up to date with all the latest comics, games and anime he can.