Sea of Souls is a crossover between One Piece and Bleach by Black' Victor Cachat
, writer of Ace Lives, his other popular crossover story Justice, The Second Age of Heroes, and Luffy's Mother is WHO?.
At some point in their journey across the Grand Line, the Straw Hats had seemingly failed to reach the One Piece and died, somehow passing over to another universe where they became Hollows. Unsurprisingly, they get bored of the endless wastes of Hueco Mundo and decide to try and figure out what to do with their new (un)lives, with the resulting shenanigans causing no small amount of headaches for Aizen and Soul Society as they try to discern their motives.
There is also a side-story which details (most) of the Straw Hats' abilities, found here.
You can see the cast’s new appearance’s here.
Can be found on Fanfiction.net or AO3. A Spanish translation can be found here.
Sea of Souls provides examples of:
- Abled in the Adaptation: Nel is fully restored to her former state as an adult thanks to Franky and Chopper.
- Thanks to the Straw Hats presence, not only is Yuzu able to see spirits now instead of blurs, but Karin and Tatsuki are learning to better use their reiatsu compared to canon.
- Achievements in Ignorance:
- Luffy accidentally eats Aizen's proto-Hōgyoku during the Straw Hats' raid on Las Noches after he mistakes it for candy, unknowingly depriving the latter of his most valuable asset in his plan to achieve godhood and putting him back in square one. The Hōgyoku itself also transforms Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats into perfected Arrancar like the rest of Aizen’s forces.
- The sheer amount of Reiatsu emitted by the Straw Hats as they live in Karakura Town causes the spiritual levels of its denizens to rise up, which is slowly causing everyone in town to be less ignorant of the spiritual matters occurring in their town.
- Orihime has been healing people without stopping to think about how she knows only the bare minimum of medicine. Once this is pointed out, they start to study her power more closely.
- Adaptation Deviation: Omake 1 hilariously throws canon out of the window when it comes to the Winter War, with Aizen choking on a chunk of his sandwich after Luffy's sheer stupidity blindsides him, the Straw Hats taking over Hueco Mundo and stopping Ichigo and co.'s attempt to rescue Orihime (who isn't even in danger at this point), and civil war breaking out within Soul Society after Las Noches is teleported into the Rukongai as the new home for its residents while Ichigo's group returns to the human world with the Straw Hats in tow.
- Adaptational Heroism: Starrk and Harribel, as well as their respective Fracción, are never recruited by Aizen and instead join the Straw Hats.
- In general, the laidback and kinder attitudes of the original Straw Hats help mellow out the worst traits of the newcomers, allowing their better ones to shine (mostly). By the time they reach Karakura Town, the Tres Bestias have resolved to ease up their constant fighting, albeit partially out of Pragmatic Heroism, since if beings of their power fight or start leaving dead bodies lying about, people will start fleeing the city they are enjoying.
- Hallibel has also slowly begun letting her emotions become more visible despite mostly keeping her stoic attitude, yet it's obvious she's becoming increasingly more friendly and overall much happier as she lives in the world of the living. Yet she isn't afraid to let her ruthlessness return when it concerns her daughters or newfound nakama.
- Starrk and Lilynette, while remaining mostly the same, have also mellowed out from finally having friends and exploring Karakura Town. While there have been hiccups trying to adapt to socializing with others, the duo are quite happy with this new lifestyle compared to their lonelier days in Hueco Mundo.
- Afro Asskicker: Averted with Zennosuke, who had his cut off by Brook on Luffy's orders, as the Shinigami was unworthy of such a powerful hairpiece. Only time will tell if Brook also proves worthy of his own afro.
- Always Chaotic Evil: Even when Kisuke, Isshin, and Shinji finally conclude that it is unlikely these Arrancar going about like tourists are actually with Aizen, they still believe they are dangerous threats and need to be purified.
- Ambiguously Bi: Tatsuki considers herself straight, but meeting the likes of Nami, Robin, and Halibel makes her question that. Ergo, she may need to preemptively murder Chizuru for possibly corrupting her.
- An Arm and a Leg:
- Aizen 'rewards' Yoruichi for managing to hurt him by cutting off one of her legs to cripple her legendary speed.
- Tousen slices off Zaraki's hands during Aizen's fight against the Gotei 13. Later, he's traumatized and on the verge of despair at the idea of not being able to feel the sensation of cutting people down again. Thankfully for him, Yachiru snaps him out of it, and he starts thinking of new ways to fight.
- Both instances are later reversed by Orihime's powers, however.
- Animal-Motif Team: The Straw Hats serve as one based on their Hollow forms before they became Arrancar:
- Balloon Belly: After having taken a relaxing bath alongside the Tres Bestia, Halibel realizes that she has grown a tubby paunch while looking at herself in a mirror. At first, she thinks this is impossible. Then she remembers how much food and desserts she has been eating since she went to the living world, as well as all of the pants that she has gone through as of late due to them getting tight around her waist and lower body (including the ones that she was wearing before the bath, which she also struggles to fit into afterward). To seal the deal, when her daughters also notice Halilbel’s jelly belly, Sung-Sun asks her if she got pregnant.
- Barrier Maiden: Orihime has her canon barriers but learns to use them in different ways, such as her shield to also block her opponents or her healing bubble to trap people instead. People have grasped her ability to reject reality itself earlier than in canon. But this time, it's more public, leading to Orihime being sought out by different powerful people within the Seireitei, such as the Shihoin clan.
- The Cameo: Robin has a t-shirt with Pandaman in it.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: A battered and furious Aizen considers killing all of the Espada under his command for their colossal failure, until Gin brings up that they're still gonna be needed to help him recover the Hōgyoku that Luffy stole.
- Crippling Overspecialization: Played Straight with the Omake!Ichigo who, while already in over his head, being outnumbered as he was, had no way to fight back against the Straw Hats once they took away Zangetsu. Averted with the mainstream Ichigo, though, who is now learning how to use Kido.
- Curb-Stomp Cushion: Aizen, Gin, and Tousen defeat the Gotei 13 with relative ease, but they take serious injuries in the process and have to lay low for the time being to rest and recover.
- Darker and Edgier: Played With, as the original Straw Hats are all survivors of Hueco Mundo, where the entire populace is violent and cannibalistic, forcing them to become harder and more ruthless than they were when alive. However, in contrast to basically every other Hollow, they, and their newer members, are practically saints in comparison to the rest of their species. Plus, upon arriving within the World of the Living, they are quick to begin relaxing back into their old habits and act like their true carefree selves.
- Yet as noted by Usopp in the side story, they can still be more ruthless than their original counterparts due to being hardened by the harsh realm of Hueco Mundo.
- Didn't See That Coming: No one in Soul Society expected to see Aizen's Negacion be destroyed. They shake off the shock and seize the opportunity to attack them relatively quickly, but the traitors still get away.
- Didn't Think This Through: Omake 1 practically lampshades how ridiculous Ichigo's plan to rescue Orihime is when the Straw Hats find out that it's a suicidal bum-rush into Hueco Mundo without any plan in place to leave the place once Orihime is rescued. Frankly, Ichigo and his friends were lucky beyond belief in canon to have found Nel and her brothers; otherwise, they might’ve been wandering the endless deserts of Hueco Mundo for who knows how long.
- Distracted by the Sexy: This is a usual tactic of Rangiku to get what she wants; one such example has her convince Hanataro to let Orihime test her powers to a patient by jiggling her generous breasts on purpose and making him lose his train of thought.
- Dramatic Irony: Lilynette and Chopper join Don Kanonji's group in their fight against "evil spirits" even though they technically fit the bill as Hollows. They even wonder if they're what he's talking about before dismissing it.
- Entertainingly Wrong:
- Once Squad 12 reactivates the Shinigami research institute's sensors and communication systems, they learn of the Arrancars that have flocked to Karakura Town and think Aizen has made his next move. They immediately send Tōshirō and Renji alongside a small squad of Shinigami to fight what they believe is the first battle of this war. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
- Aizen believes that there is no way that the Straw Hats didn't plan the attack on Las Noches, given how perfectly "executed" and timed it was. He's far from the first to make that mistake; Luffy is just that lucky.
- The Straw Hats enter Karakura Town in a large group of powerful Arrancars clad in Aizen's clothes. Naturally, rather than suspecting the ridiculous truth that they invaded Las Noches and stole from Aizen, Urahara and the Visoreds believe that the Straw Hats are working for him. It's several days of observation before they accept that the Straw Hats are acting like tourists because they are tourists. Still, they expect that the Straw Hats, as Hollows, have malevolent intent.
- Everybody Knew Already: After Halibel and the Tres Bestia realize that the female Vasto Lorde has gotten chunky, they return to their base with Halibel hesitantly trying to ask the rest of the group if they noticed too, just to be surprised at the discovery that they all knew that she was getting a tubby tummy while they thought that the squad of female Arrancars were aware of it as well.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Chopper, Franky, and Usopp decide to torch Szayelporro's lab after they discover the results of his heinous experiments on other Hollows.
- Nami greenlights Nel's restoration into an adult because she finds Nel calling herself a masochist while in her child form extremely creepy.
- Fantastic Racism:
- Soul Society usually has a pretty low opinion of humans, due to seeing them as weak and needing protection from spiritual matters. Yet they only decide that they'll need the aid of Ichigo and his friends after witnessing how powerful Aizen truly is.
- The Visoreds are a pretty jaded group after what happened to them, so they prefer to be on their own. With time, that developed into hatred for almost everyone outside their group.
- Hollows are generally seen in a negative light, but this is warranted given how they're usually violent monsters whose life's purpose is devouring human souls. The Straw Hats have always been an outlier to this rule, but that's beyond consideration for Soul Society, Urahara, and the rest of the good guys.
- Fattening the Victim: Assumed. What Kisuke fears the Straw Hats are doing, even after concluding they are not with Aizen. The sheer amount of loose reiatsu they are giving off is raising the spiritual levels of everyone else in town, making them increasingly 'rich' prey for a Hollow to devour. In reality, the Straw Hats almost completely stopped consuming souls since they became Arrancar and now prefer eating normal food instead.
- Formerly Fit:
- After Aizen's invasion, Yoruichi accepts that she's fallen out of shape over her century in exile with Yoruichi. She also fears her fellow exiles are also out of shape to some extent, though she hopes the Visoreds are still in tip-top shape due to being motivated by revenge against Aizen.
- Halibel fell into this category as well, as due to overindulging in the food the World of the Living offered alongside Sanji's pampering, she ended up steadily gaining weight and became pretty chubby without noticing it until she looked in a mirror in the bathhouse. But after Nami comforted the female Vasto Lorde over the issue, she is working to lose weight and slim down to normal.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Averted with the Straw Hats, as besides not being exactly "heroes," not all of their zanpakuto are swords: Sanji's is a kitchen knife, Franky's a hand saw, and Luffy's is his hat. Although, at Nami's command, Starrk gives Luffy a sword to fake as his zanpakuto.
- I Need You Stronger: After having suffered a slight blow to his ego for things not going exactly how he planned in his escape from Soul Society, Aizen realizes that besides annoyance, he's also feeling excited at facing a proper challenge.
- Insistent Terminology: The Straw Hats call the Espada "Ethpada" partly due to Nel's mispronunciation of their name while she was still in her child form and because they find it hilarious. Similarly, Luffy did not get 'Los Noches,' and so called it 'La Nachos,' and the name stuck, with the others eventually giving up trying to correct their captain.
- Invisible to Normals: Like in the canon of Bleach, spiritual beings are this even though they can still interact with the world. This makes all of the Straw Hats's shenanigans visible, including a truck being dismantled and fixed and would-be rapists beaten up. However, as the Straw Hats continue leaking their large amounts of Reiatsu onto the town, this is beginning to change, as more and more people are starting to see and hear them due to their rising spiritual levels.
- Mama Bear: Unohana starts to feel this towards Orihime after spending time with the human, which she shows towards Mayuri when the mad scientist seems to get "interested" in the girl.
- Halibel cares greatly for the Tres Bestias she took in and considers them her daughters. This bond only strengthens as they start living on Earth.
- Like in canon, Robin cares greatly for Chopper and always looks out for him. Thus, when learning of the possible relationship developing between her and Apacci, she is quick to make sure she doesn’t hurt Chopper's feelings with some chilling threats.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": A few already:
- Aizen's Arrancar upon realizing the consequences of Aizen's escape route from Soul Society being destroyed.
- Soul Society suffers a heavy one, as Aizen's true strength is thrown in all their faces, as he takes on the best they have to offer and still crushes them, including leaving them helpless before his illusions.
- Everyone spiritually aware within Karakura Town suffers this as they sense the enormous power of the Hollows coming to stay there.
- Squad 12 when the first thing they learn after they finally get their equipment working again is that Arrancars are in Karakura Town, assuming it to be Aizen’s next move.
- The Mentor: Don Kanonji takes up this role for the spiritually aware kids of Karakura Town so they can better protect themselves. Some of the Straw Hats later become this for Yuzu, Karin, and Tatsuki as they teach them how to properly harness their Reiatsu and use their own powers to protect their hometown.
- Mistaken for Badass: Apacci, Mila-Rose, and Sung-Sun are for Kisuke and his associates within Karakura. Due to the emphasis by the Straw Hats on controlling their reiatsu, the most powerful of them are registered as the weakest, while those three ladies are deemed the stronger ones because they cannot hide that their power is on par with a Lieutenant. When Nel is restored to Nelliel Tu Odelshwanck again, she is mistaken for a science experiment who is in charge, as her reiatsu level rivals a Captain.
- Mistaken for Pregnant: After Halibel and the Tres Bestias notice that the female Vasto Lorde has grown a jelly belly from taking it easy and overeating since she went to the world of the living Sung-Sun asks, in a moment of naïveté, to her lady if she has a bun in the oven after having seen another woman pregnant before, Halibel and the rest are quite surprised and baffled by the question and pretty much confirmation about the former's weight gain.
- Murder by Inaction: Urahara and Isshin feel they are committing this when they watch Luffy and Brook confront Zennosuke. They refuse to look away both due to the need for more intel and the acknowledgment that they are choosing not to save him. Fortunately, Zennosuke just loses his afro.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much:
- The Straw Hats here, as they have little love or respect for other Hollows(barring their new members who fit their benign nature’s), and reject the living style of the rest of their race, be it prowling around devouring others, or as slaves to Aizen.
- However, Nelliel takes it to an even greater degree. Even the Straw Hats, who are saints compared to the rest of their species, can't understand how such a Martial Pacifist survived long enough to grow so powerful.
- In Chapter 10, Robin also notes how Nelliel (or at least little Nel) is entirely unlike any other Hollow for having no Hollow Hole, which represents their kind’s lost humanity.
- The Straw Hats here, as they have little love or respect for other Hollows(barring their new members who fit their benign nature’s), and reject the living style of the rest of their race, be it prowling around devouring others, or as slaves to Aizen.
- Mythology Gag:
- The Straw hats Adjucha forms are based on their animal forms from the cover of chapter 651 of the manga.
- Luffy once again questions an inhuman being if they poop. This time, though, it is a legitimate question that makes the Arrancars in their Gigai realize they need to use the restroom now that they have physical form again.
- Never Gets Fat:
- As in canon, this is the case for Luffy. After Halibel asks the group if they noticed that she now had a doughy belly (which they did), Nami gets Luffy out of the female Vasto Lorde's sight since he ate just as much but remains fit and athletic.
- Justified in the case of Nelliel; where Halibel's training focus has been on her water powers, Nel focuses on her physical abilities, which keeps her from growing out of shape.
- Nobody Poops: Averted for everyone except Luffy when the Straw Hats move into the human world and use the Gigais they stole from Las Noches.
- Not So Above It All: Sung-Sun is easily the calmest of the Tres Bestia, but when the three of them notice that Halibel has gotten chubby after they take a bath together, she's the one to blurt out asking if she got pregnant.
- Off the Rails:
- Omake 1 sees the Straw Hats completely demolish the Winter War arc with their arrival in Hueco Mundo. In particular, Luffy makes Aizen choke on a piece of his sandwich by asking the rogue Shinigami if he poops, the Straw Hats take over Las Noches and stop Ichigo's attempt to rescue the now-completely safe Orihime, and a devastating civil war breaks out in Soul Society after the Straw Hats teleport Las Noches into the Rukongai as a new home for its long-suffering residents.
- Of course, the main story does this, too. Aizen and his men still escaped to Hueco Mundo, but only after clashing hard with the Soul Society's best forces, leading to both Soul Society and Ichigo's group to train harder than in canon. The Straw Hats also cause them a lot of trouble, robbing Las Noches blind—including Aizen's Hōgyoku—and recruiting Starrk, Halibel, and their companions before Aizen can, and also recruiting Nel and her companions. Then they head to Karakura Town, where their presence causes everyone else with any spiritual sense to start training as well.
- Papa Wolf: Kenpachi starts to feel this way towards Orihime after she restores his hands to the point that Ikkaku mentions how he basically might have already adopted her, he displays this towards Mayuri when the mad scientist shows "interest" towards her unique healing powers.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: True to canon, the Straw Hats do nothing to antagonize others unless they are attacked first.
- Pathetically Weak: Zennosuke, the Shinigami the Gotei 13 stationed in Karakura Town, is so weak that he can’t even unsheathe his Zanpakuto properly.
- Power Incontinence:
- Luffy points out to Starrk and Lilynette how their inability to control their immense Reiatsu is a marker of their weakness rather than strength when they first meet:
Starrk: You seem strong.Luffy: You seem weak.Lilynette: We're not weak! Look around us! All of these people could have been friends, but we killed them just by being alive! How is that weak? We want to be weak! How could you even say that?Luffy: Because you can't control your power. That makes you weak.- Nel constantly leaks enough Reishi that Urahara initially thinks that she is being used to intentionally increase the spiritual power of everyone in the town.
- Public Bathhouse Scene: Halibel as well as the Tres Bestias go to a bathhouse that Tatsuki had recommended to the Vasto Lorde beforehand, there the female Arrancars talk, tease, and relax (alongside unintentionally scaring a good chunk of the people who were also using the bathhouse) until they all notice as they're leaving that Halibel has gotten chubby.
- Rage Breaking Point: Aizen had had a looooooong day already, including the most severe injuries he had received in memory, an existential crisis, loss of all his irreplaceable favorite tea, and general humiliation; and then he saw his Hōgyoku had been stolen. His ensuing fury and unleashing of his monstrous reiatsu shakes the entirety of the city-sized Las Noches.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: The Rukongai-Seireitei civil war in Omake 1 gets so destructive that Captain-Commander Yamamoto himself has to take to the battlefield while the surviving members of the Gotei 13 let Ichigo call Luffy to help them keep the revolution from destroying the Balance of Souls by accident.
- Team Member in the Adaptation: Since the Straw Hats recruited Starrk and Hallibel alongside their respective Fraccions, Aizen’s elite Arrancar soldiers now have Luppi and Dordoni as their members. The latter of whom, was meant to be eventually demoted to one of the Privaron Espada in canon; while the former only temporarily replaced Grimmjow’s position, when he lost his arm to Tousen for a short while.
- Starting a New Life: The Straw Hats, wanting more out of their existence than wandering the empty and endless deserts of Hueco Mundo or being Aizen's slaves, decide to go to the living world to see if it’s more interesting. After raiding Las Noches and stealing everything they can find, they are utterly amazed by the sight of Karakura Town and immediately declare the living world as a whole their new permanent home, vowing to never return to Hueco Mundo.
- Spanner in the Works:
- Jinbe's Gran Rey Cero accidentally prevents Aizen and his cohorts from escaping Soul Society by destroying the Negacion they were about to use in their escape, forcing them to fight their way out instead. This leads to the Gotei 13 learning how ludicrously powerful Aizen is and realizing they need Ichigo, Chad, and Orihime due to how insanely talented and powerful they’ve proven to be despite being humans. Thus, the trio began developing their skills and abilities more than they had in canon.
- While the Straw Hats raided Las Noches and robbed every single object or item they can find, Luffy eats Aizen’s Hōgyoku, thinking it's candy, which puts his plans for godhood to a screeching halt. Not to mention, with his massive fortress raided and stolen of…well, everything, the serious wounds he and his two lieutenants sustained from the Gotei 13, he and the Espada will need a lot of time to recover before beginning the war.
- As the Straw Hats take up residence in Karakura Town, the immense and loose levels of Reiatsu they radiate raise the spiritual levels of the population. Which is causing the denizens to gradually become more aware of their existence. Their vigilantism worsens this as police Chief Yagami and Mayor Tite learn of the supernatural evidence and terrified witnesses of their actions. Leaving the two men scrambling to figure out what the hell is going on as these cases alongside “photos of flying figures" and mysterious songs being played at night are popping up at an alarming rate.
- Stealing from Thieves:
- The Straw Hats steal everything that isn't nailed down in Las Noches during their raid on the place, which includes all of Szayelaporro's records on his experiments, Aizen's prized stash of tea, and all the food that Aizen smuggled from Soul Society to feed the Arrancar stationed there, Kitchen Sink Included. Alongside Luffy gobbling up his Hōgyuko, thinking it’s candy. Given that Aizen's an evil, megalomaniacal schemer hellbent on achieving godhood, all of the looting committed by the Straw Hats feels closer to karma than anything.
- While exploring the human world, the Tres Bestias stumble upon two ladies who were about to get robbed by a few guys in an alley. The daughters of Harribel then proceed to give them a lesson by beating and toying with them, and in the process discover more about money, later deciding to mug any men that harass women that they find in the town from then on. Thus beginning the Straw Hats vigilante activities.
- Zoro and Nami later steal a street gang's cash, visa cards, and even booze after the Straw Hats arrive in the human world as a way for them to stock up on supplies needed to blend in with other people as best as they can. And apparently having stolen a piano from another gang that Brook now uses.
- The string of robberies has led to the police being very well aware there is a lot of vigilantism going on. Among other things...
- Spontaneous Weapon Creation: Starrk can create a sword out of nowhere, which Luffy uses as a fake zanpakuto. Lilynette has some degree of it as well, able to pull out a scimitar nearly her size from under her hat.
- Strong and Skilled: The Straw Hats work towards having both great power and finesse in using said power by carefully honing their techniques and skills through training and spars. Thus allowing an Adjucha’s class Arrancar like Brook to outpace a Vasto Lorde like Hallibel’s sonido in short but impressive bursts. Nelliel notes how it's in direct contrast to how things were with the Ethpada, especially because none of the Ethpada trusted each other enough to truly help improving each other. Making the two Arrancar groups even more opposite to each other than they already were.
- Ship Tease: Between Chopper and Apacci. On some level, they both know they are mutually attracted to one another, but they're still struggling with the next steps, given this is uncharted territory. The recent standoff between Robin and Hallibel (the former making sure Apacci doesn’t hurt Chopper’s feelings, and the latter defending her daughter from being intimidated) incentivizes the pair to take their relationship slowly.
- Talented, but Trained: Even if they don't like it, given their usual low opinion of humans, after experiencing firsthand how powerful Aizen truly is, Soul Society decides that they're going to need Ichigo and his friends for the coming war, especially considering how well they did despite their short training against them, which shows their raw talent even at their young age.
- Thrill Seeker: An exasperated Nelliel has to clarify she is an adrenaline junky, not a masochist.
- Trauma Button: While eating another Hollow, Sanji ends up seeing the tragic memories of a child whose abusive father locked him in a basement until he starved to death. This triggers some traumatic memories of his own grim childhood and the realization that his face is once again locked behind a mask causes him to freak out, inadvertently becoming an Arrancar when he tries to rip it off.
- True Companions: Not even death itself can separate the Straw Hats! They wake up within Hueco Mundo together as Adjucha’s, and despite losing their memories, know by instinct they are very important to each other.
- When Nelliel learns of their origins, she is extremely shocked and a little disturbed since their arrival to Hueco Mundo and how they met shouldn’t have been remotely possible, given Hollows' "eat or be eaten" nature. This makes the former Espada realize the Straw Hats are even more unique than she originally thought.
- Later on, Hallibel and Starrk, alongside their Fraccion, join their group. Barring a few hiccups, they quickly enjoy being with the Straw Hats and embrace their family-like bond.
- Nel/Nelliel and her brothers share a powerful bond even before joining the Straw Hats, as Pesche and Dondchanka vowed to protect their crippled and amnesiac master and provide her with as much joy as they could. Something Nelliel greatly appreciates as her true self reunites with her brothers.
- Underestimating Badassery: All of the Straw Hats and their new comrades, except the Tres Bestias and Nelliel, are unbelievably good at hiding their reiatsu. This makes Urahara and the Visoreds underestimate them, believing that the biggest threats among them are equal to three Lieutenants and one Captain, when the other fifteen are just as strong or far stronger.
- Weight Woe: Since arriving on Earth, Halibel has let herself go between the food quality, Sanji's talent and attentiveness, and no longer having to be on guard every waking moment. Heck, Tatsuki’s first encounter with Halibel is seeing her eat a delicious dessert that would take a few laps to burn off. Inevitably, Halibel gains a few inches to her waistline, which almost makes her lose her ironclad composure. Nami reassures her that she hasn't gotten lazy and careless, and Jinbe jokes that he can help her lose the tubby tummy even though he might not be the best for it, much to her amusement. Sanji also eagerly declares he will help her lose weight and make "her feel beautiful again," but Halibel scoffs this off and states she just wants to regain her lean physique to defend those she cares about more effectively.
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Word of God is also that part of the issue was that as Hollows when consuming spiritual energy, it would all be completely converted, making it previously impossible to gain weight. Thus, when eating regular food, Hallibel and the others (minus most of the Straw Hats) assumed it was the same process, only to be unfortunately proven very wrong.
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- Wild Card: The Straw Hats and their allies answer to no one but themselves and don't take any sides between Soul Society and Aizen's faction. All they want is to explore and enjoy the living world and go on adventures like they had when they were alive, and their enemies are anyone who gets in their way.
- Wistful Amnesia: The Straw Hats lost their memories after waking up in Hueco Mundo, and even after becoming complete Arrancar, they feel like things that made them who they are were missing. But bits and pieces are steadily returning, with a certain Mangaka possibly being able to help as he draws and structures what they vaguely recall into a particular story…
- World's Strongest Man: A title currently held by Aizen to all appearances, given his domination over Yamamoto. Word of God states that the odds also favor them in a fight against Luffy, giving them an 80% chance of victory over him-but ONLY if they use Bankai. This only shows what kind of monster Luffy is himself, for these powerhouses to need to resort to their ultimate trump cards to have a high chance of beating him.
