Ash and Rubber is a One Piece fanfic created by mtnetsurfer.
The story is a retelling of the original One Piece story but with a key difference; Luffy is accompanied on his journey by his sworn brother "Brimstone" Martin Thomas, the son of "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate, who also happens to be a reincarnated man who dreamed of going on the same kind of adventures as the stories he wrote before his death. And as the saying goes, one small change can make the biggest difference.
The story is inspired by This Bites!, but starts from the beginning of Luffy's journey instead of starting just before Loguetown.
It can be read here
.
An alternate version of the story, written by Knightmare Lord
called Children of Whitebeard, can be read here
.
mtnetsurfer has declared his story on hiatus until Children of Whitebeard reaches the Sabaody Arc so the two stories can do a crossover. Said crossover, One Piece Refantazio, which mixes One Piece with Metaphor: ReFantazio, started on May 15, 2025 and was completed on July 21, 2025. It can be read here
.
Ash and Rubber contains examples of:
- Abled in the Adaptation:
- Thomas saving Luffy from the mountain bandit Higuma in their youth meant Shanks never lost his arm to the Lord of the Coast.
- The Going Merry winds up avoiding many of the damages it suffered in canon. This not only helps her survive the events of Water 7, but she also eats a Devil Fruit that turns her into a human child.
- Acquired Poison Immunity: Thomas is immune to poison due to volcanic ash having heavy concentrations of sulfur in it. This lets him safely store the MH5 poison capsule in his body as it explodes.
- Actually Pretty Funny: While Buggy still has his Berserk Button of anyone making fun of his nose, when Thomas starts calling him by the names of different fictional clowns (none of which Buggy gets due to coming from a completely different world) he admits they do sound kinda funny in hindsight.
- Adaptational Badass:
- Thanks to getting training from Thomas, Luffy knows how to use the Six Powers, which comes in handy more than a few times. He's also shown to have some skill in Armament Haki well before he'd train for it in canon.
- Honey Queen is shown to be able to transform her clothes into liquid with the rest of her body, unlike canon where she had to disrobe to use her powers.
- Zoro ends up eating a Devil Fruit, the Lumen-Lumen Fruit once used by Galeem, giving him Light 'em Up powers.
- Adaptational Dumbass:
- Alvida's normally very smart, just delusional about her appearance. But in this story, it turns out the reason she thought she was a gorgeous bombshell instead of a Fat Bastard is because she doesn't even know what a mirror is, and was confused about the concept of a reflection until Luffy showed her what she really looked like using a shard of glass.
- While Wapol's actions as king of Drum Island are still shown to come from a position of cruelty, it's also implied that there's an element of ignorance to it, as he doesn't seem to realize how important the common people are to a kingdom.
- Adaptational Early Appearance:
- The Straw Hats start building the Straw Hat Grand Fleet early in the Water 7 Saga, starting with the Foxy Pirates, instead of later down the line in the Dressrosa Arc.
- Members of the Mink tribe appear way before the Straw Hats get to the New World.
- Adaptational Expansion:
- Since the story follows the anime, not the manga, several filler arcs and episodes are either mentioned or depicted. None of the movies or specials so far have been featured, but several characters from them have either been mentioned or appear as regular characters.
- A bird counterpart to the Mink tribe called the Avian tribe is introduced during the Ocean's Dream Arc.
- Adaptational Explanation: Nelson's reason for wanting the Dragonite is stated in this story; he wanted Honey Queen to be his bride, but she said she'd only do so if he was the last man on the planet. So he decided to make both of them immortal and just wait out the rest of humanity.
- Adaptational Karma:
- Nezumi's corrupt dealings are exposed by Fullbody shortly after he manages to issue the bounties for Luffy and Thomas, and thus Nezumi gets court-martialed and stripped of his rank.
- Chess and Kuromarimo are confronted by Dalton after Wapol's defeat, with the implication that they're going to be prisoners of the newly formed Sakura Kingdom.
- Adaptational Intelligence: While still not as smart as Thomas, Luffy is shown to be more intelligent than canon. Rather than wanting to race straight to the Grand Line, he instead figures it would be smart to get at least the bare essentials to actually sail there.
- Adaptational Job Change: Zoro goes from first mate to second mate (with Thomas being the first mate) on the Straw Hat Pirates. Usopp is changed to the crew's lookout.
- Adaptational Name Change: Commodore Pudding Pudding has his name changed to Pudding Purin, likely to avoid conflict with Charlotte Pudding later down the line.
- Adaptational Nice Guy:
- Both Alvida and Buggy are shown to be more caring towards their crew, though Buggy admits he'll still execute anyone who teases his nose deliberately even if they are a crew member.
- Don Krieg is much less evil than his canon counterpart. He forgives certain types of weakness such as starvation, he's not adverse to his crew surrendering if they absolutely can't win, and he even has a family of his own.
- Arlong's more noble traits are given more prominence in this fic as he manages to have a civil conversation with Thomas and also ultimately realizes he's become no better than the ones who killed Fisher Tiger.
- Adaptational Sexuality: In canon Luffy is asexual, but in this story, Nami notes that he's demisexual (only able to be attracted to someone he forms an emotional connection with). When he and Nami start to bond emotionally, they become a couple shortly after dealing with Arlong.
- Adaptational Villainy: The corrupt Marine captain Nezumi winds up worse in this fic. In canon Arlong invoked a Loophole Abuse, telling Nezumi about the money Nami was saving up but not explicitly telling him to go steal it. Here Nezumi decides to steal it all on his own, is intent on keeping Arlong and his crew nearby to keep indirectly exploiting the Conomi Islands, is openly racist towards fishmen when not in their presence, and tries to manipulate the Davy Back Fight to kill both Usopp and Chew and make it look they killed each other.
- Adaptational Wimp: Unlike This Bites!, Absalom does not have Balls of Steel. Hogback deliberately left his privates vulnerable in case he tried to get fresh with Cindry. This means that when Sanji strikes Absalom's crotch with a Diable Jambe-powered kick, the vile predator winds up completely neutered.
- Adapted Out: Several canon events have wound up completely removed due to the changed narrative:
- While in Alabasta, the Straw Hats don't confront Crocodile in his casino, instead deciding to head straight for Alubarna. This means the struggle with the flooding prison cell and banagators never happens.
- The fight against the Franky Family never occurs due to Franky being a regular listener of the Transponder Broadcast the Straw Hats put out.
- Because Buggy becomes a Warlord and is a guest at Impel Down, not a prisoner, he never teams up with Galdino while Luffy is trying to free Ace before his execution.
- When the Straw Hats corner Caribou on the Sunny, they take the time to wrap him up in Sea Prism Stone and lock him in the brig, then turn him over to the Ammo Knights once they reach Fishman Island. This means Caribou never winds up kidnapping any of the mermaids and as a result, the prophecy of Luffy supposedly destroying Fishman Island doesn't cause any of the citizens to lose trust in him.
- Thomas winds up knocking out Vander Decken IX while escorting Shirahoshi to the Sea Forest. As a result the mark she got from Decken ten years prior disappears. That combined with Decken becoming a prisoner of the Straw Hats means he never tries to destroy the island with the Noah, which consequently never gets damaged. It also results in the fight with the New Fishman Pirates going a lot smoother.
- Agent Peacock: When Vivi hears Mr. 13's voice (thanks to Harvey using his powers to give him one) she's surprised the otter sounds so effeminate (he's given the voice of James from Team Rocket). Mr. 13 points out the fact that he wears a white and purple-spotted onesie despite being a male otter should have been her first clue.
- Almighty Janitor:
- Thomas is much smarter than Luffy and so far has proven to be stronger, yet Luffy introduces him as the crew's quartermaster (as in the guy responsible for the crew's logistics).
- Honey Queen accepts the role of cabin girl on the crew, but her Devil Fruit being a Logia type puts her in the same power league as Thomas or Smoker.
- Alternate Company Equivalent: Fanfic variant with This Bites!, but still present.
- Harvey is meant to be this story's answer to Soundbite, another transponder snail who ate the Noise-Noise Fruit. The difference is Harvey is fully grown and more of a casual joker, while Soundbite is a baby and an unrepentant Troll.
- The Spears of Heaven are this story's version of the New World Masons, except it starts off in its complete form with thirteen positions (the New World Masons haven't even completed the Zodiac of the Divine or Damned).
- Alternate Continuity: Thomas isn't the only source of change in this story, and several events happen differently independent of his presence.
- Amazon Chaser: When it's revealed that Thomas had knocked out the Unluckies and the crew have them locked up on the Going Merry, Mr. 9 is so overjoyed that he declares he's been in love with Miss Monday for a long time. The muscular woman actually blushes when she hears that.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Nelson had intended to force Honey Queen to marry him after capturing her and the other Trump Pirates.
- Appropriated Appelation: A variation occurs when Thomas gets his first bounty after Arlong's defeat. Since he's always calling out "Brimstone X" when invoking his Devil Fruit, the Marines give Thomas the epithet of "Brimstone".
- Ascended Extra: A few characters wind up getting more prominence by joining the Straw Hat Pirates:
- Johnny and Yosaku decide to join prior to the Davy Back Fight against the Arlong Pirates. It's not just to bolster their numbers either (a traditional Davy Back Fight has each crew have a minimum of seven members, and since Nami isn't considered an official Straw Hat yet they only have five), but rather so they can get strong enough to fight against any evil pirate.
- During said Davy Back Fight, two of the Arlong Pirates volunteer to switch sides as the Straw Hats win each round (also a case of O.C. Stand-in, since neither was named in canon). The first is Nishijima, a blowfish fishman who was only shown briefly during Episode of Nami, and is named after his voice actor Takehiro Nishijima (the man who sang the original "We Are!" opening for One Piece). The other is Brusa, the anglerfish Fishman who in canon was chasing Usopp through the remains of Gosa Village. Both of them agreed to join the Straw Hats because they were getting disillusioned following Arlong, hoping to bring peace between humans and fishmen and finding Arlong was not the right man to be serving under to see that dream through.
- Alvida, in hopes of sharing her newfound beauty (from eating the Smooth-Smooth Fruit) with the world, decides to join Luffy's crew since his adventures are likely to give her the most exposure. Luffy agrees to take her up on her offer, appointing her as the crew's boatswain.
- Honey Queen, one of the antagonists from Clockwork Island Adventure, ends up joining the Straw Hat Pirates after they rescue her from Commodore Nelson.
- One of the Kung-Fu Dugongs, named Boss Dugong, joins the crew with his herd serving as deckhands. However, because of how small the Going Merry is, most of the herd is currently waiting for the crew over at Water 7.
- Vivi and Carue actually join the crew this time, and unlike other fanfics, it's not because she was forced out or because Alabasta was still in danger. Rather circumstances make it possible for her to just choose to go of her own volition.
- Lassoo is also given a position on the crew since Mr. 4/Babe doesn't want to see his beloved dog locked up like a common criminal.
- Conis decides to join the crew as their gunner, both to find a way to unite the communities of the Blue and White Sea and because she had fallen in love with Thomas.
- Merry winds up accidentally eating a Devil Fruit during Enies Lobby which turns her into a ship girl. Luffy still wants her to stay on the crew, allowing her to become the helmsman for the Sunny.
- Funkfreed winds up dropped by Spandam during the attack on Enies Lobby and is then picked up by Yosaku. Since he proves to be a more effective swordsman, Funkfreed decides to stay with the Straw Hats.
- Kaku gets tired of the corruption of the World Government, especially since he enjoyed being a shipwright for Galley-La Company even though it was supposed to be undercover work. He ultimately decides to defect and the Straw Hats agree to take him on as a shipwright alongside Franky.
- Marguerite is encouraged to join the Straw Hats by Boa Hancock, since due her own duties she can't do so instead.
- Bartholomew Kuma is able to make use of Exact Words regarding his deal with the Five Elder Stars to slip out of their control, using a clone body made by Vegapunk that holds his mind and Devil Fruit, allowing Kuma to join the Straw Hats free from his brainwashing.
- Ashes to Ashes: Thomas ate the Logia Ash-Ash Fruit, which allows him to create, manipulate, and transform into pure volcanic ash, which he can also ignite or convert to carbon.
- Author Avatar: Thomas is meant to be this for mtnetsurfer, having several traits of his.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Kuro had wanted to retire in peace and let the world think he was dead. Well, Luffy gave him some kind of peace.
- Berserk Button: While Arlong tends to hate humans regardless, what really sets him off is someone being actually racist towards fishmen. Luckily he also knows how to maintain Tranquil Fury.
- Big Eater:
- Turns out Thomas shares this trait with Luffy.
- Deconstructed with Alvida, who was apparently this prior to eating the Smooth-Smooth Fruit and may have contributed to her growing so fat to begin with.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The Straw Hats are fundamentally good people, but they are still pirates. They're perfectly willing to commit minor crimes in the course of doing the right thing.
- But Now I Must Go: Unlike canon, Chopper decides immediately to join the Straw Hats after Wapol's defeat, having come to see Luffy and his crew as friends who actually thinks it's awesome that he's a monster.
- Chekhov's Gun: The Straw Hats wind up in possession of Eric's Sickle-Sickle Fruit after Thomas kills him. A few chapters later, they feed it to Carue to gain more firepower against Baroque Works.
- Commonality Connection: When Thomas hears that Onion wants to be a famous novelist, he gets a phantom memory of his past life as a fanfiction writer and starts to form a bond with the boy.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: After Thomas defeats Don Krieg, Don Hart points out that Krieg could have just asked the Baratie staff to join his fleet along with taking the Baratie itself since the fleet needed new cooks. The entire crew is gobsmacked at how they didn't think of that, with Gin upset that it wasn't the first thing he suggested.
- Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: When Thomas moves to attack Eric, Nami realizes Eric is going to die painfully and covers young Apis' eyes so she doesn't have to witness it.
- Crazy-Prepared:
- Apparently the Going Merry was designed with a single-celled brig in case the Straw Hats ever needed to imprison someone. Usopp never thought they'd wind up using it, but they do end up using it to contain Mister 9, Mister 13, and Miss Friday.
- Thomas took the time to procure a net made of Sea Prism Stone while in Loguetown in the event they ever had to contain a prisoner with Devil Fruit powers.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: When Garp unleashes his Conquerer's Haki to prevent Morgan from escaping, the only other people still standing are Bogard, Coby...and Helmeppo! His knees are still knocking, but the fact that he has enough willpower to keep from being overwhelmed by a powerhouse like Garp really shows his hidden potential.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- During the Orange Town arc, Thomas is able to keep Buggy from stabbing Zoro. As a result, the wide gap between Zoro and Cabaji is shown much more clearly, with Zoro noting the only reason the fight lasts more than a second is that Cabaji has his acrobatic skills to slightly narrow the gap.
- Thanks to eating the Sickle-Sickle Fruit, Carue is able to hand the Unluckies their furred and feathery rears with ease.
- Curb-Stomp Cushion: Implied when Luffy and Thomas have to fight Smoker. While their training in Armament Haki means they don't have to worry about Smoker's Plume-Plume Fruit, he does point out that he's still a more experienced fighter. Good thing Dragon shows up to help the boys before Smoker can prove that.
- Death by Adaptation:
- Luffy outright kills Kuro after learning that he intended to kill his entire crew.
- Commodore Nelson is murdered by Eric, who is shortly after killed by Thomas.
- Gan Fall's steed, Pierre, sacrifices himself to save him from an attack by Enel.
- Saint Charlos and Saint Roswald are killed by Luffy and Thomas at the auction house.
- Laffitte is killed by Magellan in the Impel Down arc.
- Akainu is punched through the chest by Thomas, who had recently awakened his Devil Fruit.
- Breed is forced to walk the plank while bound by Seastone chains, ensuring that he will drown.
- Didn't See That Coming:
- Gin is utterly shocked when he hears that Thomas was born in the Grand Line, having no idea that anyone would actually live in a place so hellish.
- The entire Baratie is shocked to learn that Don Krieg is a father, to which Krieg points out that at his age it's obvious that he would have found someone willing to marry him.
- Die or Fly: According to Thomas, the Grand Line is designed to be one long training area to test those seeking out Laugh Tale (hence the reason islands like Little Garden take a year to reset a Log Pose). Pirates are meant to spend time training in one spot before moving on to the next, and those who can't adapt wind up dead.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Instead of Arlong executing Bellemere for daring to defy him by protecting her adopted daughters, he winds up killing her almost in self-defense when she goes all Mama Bear fearing that he'll exploit Nami for her cartography skills.
- Do Wrong, Right:
- Luffy still hates that Kuro was going to kill his crew just for knowing he was still alive, but does point out that if he was going to go that far he was better off doing it three years ago when he first decided to fake his death.
- It's mentioned that pirate tradition permits cheating in poker among fellow pirates, so long as it's done subtly. For example, no slipping in a copy of a card already in the deck.
- Does Not Like Spam: A one-shot data list called "Meet the Straw Hat Pirates" shows the crew's least favorite foods and why.
- Luffy: The cherry pie served in Mock Town (he normally likes cherry pie, but the ones served in Mock Town taste like someone poisoned them)
- Thomas: Mushrooms (he doesn't like the texture)
- Zoro: Chocolate (it's too sweet)
- Nami: Orange soda (she prefers real fruit)
- Usopp: Mushrooms (he got sick from one once)
- Sanji: Konjac (it has no nutritional value)
- Johnny: Popcorn (it sticks to his teeth)
- Yosaku: Hardtack (it reminds him of when he got scurvy)
- Brusa: Jawbreakers (not even his jaws can break them)
- Nishijima: Fugu sashimi (he's a blowfish fishman, so it'd feel like cannibalism)
- Harvey: Salt (as a snail, salt weakens him)
- Alvida: Butter and lard (it's too fattening)
- Honey: Anything bitter (she prefers sweet foods)
- Chopper: Anything spicy (it's not sweet)
- Boss: Turtle soup (similar to Nishijima, only he's half-turtle)
- Vivi: Dried shredded squid (she just doesn't like the taste)
- Carue: Caviar (it sticks to his bill too easily)
- Lassoo: Kibble (it gums up his internal mechanisms)
- Robin: Gum (she can't swallow it)
- Conis: Military rations (she got sick of them during her White Beret training)
- Merry: Mutton and lamb (it would feel weird to eat it since she has a sheep figurehead)
- Kaku: Jerky (it gives him the runs)
- Funkfreed: Peanuts (he hates the stereotype)
- Franky: Marshmallows (they're not hard enough)
- Brook: Lemons (without cheeks, he can't make a proper sour face)
- Marguerite: Snake meat (her tribe is friendly with snakes)
- Kuma: Gruel (it reminds him of his time as a slave)
- Jinbe: Parfait (it's too difficult for him to eat it)
- Doorstopper: As one might expect for a One Piece fic, this story is long. So much so the author decided to split several arcs in two to match their anime openings.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Subverted with Brook as he doesn't make a physical appearance, but Crocus does name-drop him when reminiscing about his friendship with the Rumbar Pirates and even drops hints about Brook having eaten the Revive-Revive Fruit.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Both Dorry and Broggy have their memories of how their honor duel started jogging when Luffy and Thomas berate Zoro and Sanji for fighting over a stupid hunting contest. They have it again when discussing why the duel has been a draw the entire time, realizing the Sea Kings they both hunted are the exact same size.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Dr. Hogback is disgusted by Absalom's perversions and had left his groin exposed when he gave him his enhancements, allowing Sanji to practically neuter the scumbag with a Diable Jambe-enhanced kick.
- Everyone Has Standards: Sanji may be a shameless flirt, but he won't try flirting with an already-married woman.
- Evil Is Petty: Buggy admits his reason for hating Shanks is petty since there was no way Shanks would have been aware that Buggy was keeping the Chop-Chop Fruit hidden with the intent to sell it, and certainly wouldn't have known that Buggy would wind up hiding it by outright swallowing it.
- Excited Title! Two-Part Episode Name!: In keeping with the spirit of One Piece, every chapter title is like this.
- Experienced Protagonist: Because Thomas was born as the son of Whitebeard, he spent the first few years of his life in the New World, the most dangerous part of the Grand Line (remember, Whitebeard is one of the Four Emperors, and they tend to make their home in the New World). As such, Thomas knows full well how dangerous the Grand Line can be, which is why he and Luffy train much harder than Luffy alone would have in canon.
- Expy: Harvey was named after famous comedian Steve Harvey and is meant to have a similar personality.
- Fan-Created Offspring:
- Thomas is this for Whitebeard, who in canon only had adopted sons (that being his crew). Lampshaded by Buggy, who wasn't aware Whitebeard even had a lover, much less a kid.
- Don Krieg of all people gets one in the form of his son Don Jaeger. While the boy has only had one appearance and no lines so far, the fact that he exists is surprising given Krieg's canon disposition.
- Sanji seems set to have one himself. Sharly was given a prediction that Ishilly would bear a half-human child that has traits of Sanji, and at the end of the arc there are hints that she's currently pregnant with Sanji's child.
- Family of Choice: Sanji notes that Zeff as his adopted father was more of a real father than his biological dad. All things considered, canon does nothing to prove him wrong.
- Family Theme Naming: Just like Don Krieg's name is German for "war", Don Hart's name is German for "tough", while Don Jaeger's name is German for "hunter".
- Fantastic Light Source: Brusa's anglerfish lure is bright enough to act like a fog light or blind hordes of enemies.
- Fantastic Racism: Taken to a new level by one jerk in Loguetown during a cooking contest. The man takes one look at Brusa and quips that the cooks missed an ingredient. He immediately gets a beatdown from Thomas and Usopp, who consider Brusa family since he's part of their crew. Brusa even admits he's heard that slur before, but does have thick enough skin to ignore it.
- The Fashionista: Honey Queen states her dream is to become the world's greatest fashion model.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: During the Warship Island Arc, Thomas goes into detail about the rule of Devil Fruits reincarnating in the nearest equivalent fruit after their user dies. Later in the same chapter, after Eric is killed by Thomas, his Sickle-Sickle Fruit reincarnates as one of the fruits on the Going Merry.
- Foil: Thomas is in many ways a foil to Jeremiah Cross from This Bites!, the story that inspired this one. Both are Author Avatar characters but under different circumstances:
- Cross was sent to the One Piece world, while Thomas was reincarnated.
- Cross is a normal human in a World of Badass who has to rely on a transponder snail with Devil Fruit powers to be a threat, while Thomas has his own Devil Fruit powers.
- Cross is the third mate and tactician of the Straw Hat Pirates, while Thomas is the first mate and quartermaster.
- Cross joins the crew just before they hit Loguetown, while Thomas is there from the beginning as Luffy's sworn brother.
- Cross tends to be overconfident and relies on the fact that he's read One Piece all the way up to the Dressrosa arc but stumbles several times, Thomas doesn't seem to have any memories of One Piece and yet is able to subtly change several events due to his caution regarding most threats.
- Food Porn: While not a lot of detail goes into the veritable feast Sanji cooks for the Straw Hats when they first arrive at the Baratie, it does showcase quite a range of dishes, highlighting Sanji's Supreme Chef statue.
- Foreshadowing:
- Luffy makes Usopp the crew's lookout in this story instead of the gunner but does give him the gunner's duty until a more dedicated crewmate can be found for that role. This hints that a new crew member original to the story might be joining the Straw Hats, which ends up being Conis.
- Merry the butler is revealed to have a first name as noted by Usopp. Considering he almost shares a name with the Going Merry, the ship he built, and the fact that this story is inspired by This Bites!, that has some interesting implications for the Straw Hats' beloved ship...
- When explaining the basic mechanics of the Grand Line, Crocus suggests the crew to hire an archaeologist who can translate ancient languages in order to have a chance at reaching Laugh Tale, the island where the One Piece rests. Naturally, this sets up Nico Robin eventually joining the crew.
- Genre Savvy: Unlike canon, Usopp knows he can't warn Syrup Village about Kuro's attack because he's been Crying Wolf one too many times.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: The Human-Human Fruit is described as this. While it does give an animal the fighting ability of a human, what's more important is that it also gives said animal human intelligence and analytical ability, both of which Chopper takes great advantage of.
- Henpecked Husband: Don Krieg's wife Don Hart clearly wears the pants in their relationship, as she's able to cow the man through her words alone.
- Hidden Depths:
- The fact that Thomas casually calls Dracule Mihawk "uncle" shows a more sociable side to the Warlord.
- Kuroobi is noted to be the Arlong Pirates' negotiator, and from what Arlong says he's good at his job.
- Despite her Ojou appearance and mannerisms, Honey Queen is surprisingly skilled with cleaning and other chores, accepting the role of cabin girl of the Straw Hats without complaint.
- As per canon, Kaku, despite being a hardened assassin, loved being a shipwright during his time undercover at Galley-La.
- Hope Bringer:
- Seeing Luffy and Thomas easily thrash powerful foes (for the East Blue at least) causes Nami to believe that they might just be able to help her free her village from Arlong, so she sticks with them during the Baratie Arc instead of sailing off midway.
- It happens again during the Whiskey Peak Arc, where Nico Robin (in her role as Miss All Sunday) decides that the Straw Hats are so strong she might have an alternative to being Crocodile's hitwoman.
- Humble Hero:
- "Hero" may be a stretch given Zeff used to be a typical pirate, but despite coming out of a year-long journey through the Grand Line in good health with his crew still strong, he states in the present that he was only a small-time pirate with a bounty considered average in the East Blue (the weakest of the four seas).
- Thomas himself definitely qualifies. Instead of wanting to find the One Piece for himself and gathering his own crew, he offers to join Luffy on his quest, since his goal in life isn't to become King of the Pirates but to vindicate his father.
- It Tastes Like Feet: Apparently the reason Devil Fruits taste so disgusting is because they taste like something related to the concept they represent. Such as the Liquid-Liquid Fruit tasting like seawater, the Ash-Ash Fruit tasting like brimstone, the Smooth-Smooth Fruit tasting like soap, and the Human-Human Fruit tasting like raw pork. Nami questions how the users even know what such things taste like in the first place.
- I'm Standing Right Here: During the debate as to whether or not Sanji should join the Straw Hats, Patty is all for letting Sanji leave since he's been nothing but trouble...to which Sanji reminds him that he's standing right next to him. Patty admits he did that deliberately.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: After Thomas winds up breaking Morgan's statue, he at first commands his men to kill Thomas slowly. Helmeppo then calls out Thomas for calling him a cowardly bully, and Morgan corrects his orders and states Thomas deserves a quick death as he clearly isn't as "evil" as the captain thought.
- In Spite of a Nail: Going Merry does survive past Water 7, but due to swallowing a Devil Fruit while at Enies Lobby she can't be a proper sailing ship anymore, only an attack ship. So the crew still winds up getting the Thousand Sunny.
- Ironic Echo: In his backstory, Chopper is told by Kureha that if a cure-all for diseases existed, there would be no need for doctors. Years later, when Kureha warns Chopper that a pirate doesn't have a long life expectancy, Chopper tells her that if pirates could actually live long, they would have no need for doctors.
- It's Personal: Thomas wants to take on Don Krieg himself due to his claiming to be the strongest man in the world, a title many attribute more to Thomas' father Whitebeard.
- Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: The battle against the Arlong Pirates is recontextualized as a Davy Back Fight (several arcs before the actual Davy Back arc in canon).
- Lighter and Softer: A downplayed example regarding the Ten Plagues that were unleashed on Alabasta during Nefertari D. Lili's time. The Plague upon the First Born is removed completely and replaced with a Plague of Nightmares as the penultimate plague, with the Plague of Darkness being the final plague instead.
- Locked Out of the Loop:
- Thomas knows both Vivi and Igaram, having visited Alabasta with his father's crew ten years prior to the story. But he never kept in contact with them after being sent out to the East Blue, so he didn't know that Crocodile had manipulated the country into civil war sometime after.
- Likewise, he was unaware that "Blackbeard" Marshall D. Teach had killed Thatch for the Dark-Dark Fruit or split off from the Whitebeard Pirates, leaving him stunned that Blackbeard attacked Drum Island prior to the Straw Hats arriving.
- Logical Weakness: For Thomas it's rain. On the surface that doesn't seem logical, since all Devil Fruit users are weakened by water. Except they're only weakened by "standing" water (such as oceans or even baths), not "moving" water (which would include rain). But Thomas is an exception since rain does a good job of clumping ash together.
- Loophole Abuse: Normally baths can actually weaken Devil Fruit users (since it counts as "standing" water), but Honey Queen is able to bypass that by using her Liquid-Liquid Fruit to generate water for a bath. Since it comes from her powers and not from nature it doesn't weaken her.
- Make Some Noise: Harvey ate the Noise-Noise Fruit, which lets him control and weaponize sound waves. This not only makes him the world's most powerful transponder snail, but it also gets him the position of communications officer on the Straw Hats.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Vivi had no qualms about hunting a whale for food if it meant continuing to blend in as an agent of Baroque Works...until she learned that Laboon was waiting for his friends to return for fifty years, at which point she broke down and wailed that she'd become a bad girl.
- Mythology Gag:
- Luffy's initial bounty is set at 48,000,000 berries, which was his starting bounty in Luffy's Renewed Adventure. Thomas gets Luffy's original starting bounty of 30,000,000.
- Honey Queen is first shown being freed from a glass bottle, which was how she was defeated in the movie she featured in.
- Named by the Adaptation:
- Two of Arlong's canonically unnamed crew members are here called Brusa and Nishijima, both of whom have their names first revealed when they defect to the Straw Hats.
- Merry the butler is revealed to have the given name "Haddalam".
- As they're helping Igaram act as a decoy for Baroque Works, Mr. 9 reveals his real name as Jack King, while Miss Monday reveals hers to be Clarabelle.
- No Hugging, No Kissing: Averted. Unlike Oda, mtnetsurfer will happily pair off the characters and there are several scenes of couples hugging and kissing. All sex is off-screen, however.
- No-Sell: Naturally as a Logia user, Thomas can't be damaged by normal means (typically Logia users require either Armament Haki, Sea Prism Stone, or an opposing element to damage), his body wisping into ash whenever someone tries.
- Noodle Incident: Thomas mentions to Arlong that the reason he was sent to the East Blue was that he accidentally pissed off a Celestial Dragon. He gives no other details.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Pretty much spelled out why Don Krieg doesn't actually hold the title of World's Strongest Man. While Thomas admits Krieg's advanced weapons, dirty tricks, and large fleet make him powerful, they don't necessarily make him strong and there are many in the world who are stronger. He even notes that Krieg's feat of lifting the heavy Mackerel Head 1 isn't as impressive as he thinks because he was clearly struggling slightly, while many in the New World could toss the ship as effortlessly as a pebble.
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Well, Klabautermanns, or ship spirits, aren't considered evil to begin with, but they are seen as bad omens since they're appearance often means a ship is doomed to die. But as Thomas notes, that's not always the case, since Klabautermanns can only manifest when a ship is loved by its crew. In fact, he spent some time playing with the Klabautermann of his father's ship, the Moby Dick, ten years prior to the story. And that ship is still going strong.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Arlong hates that the Celestial Dragons consider themselves gods when they're clearly human, to which Thomas points out ego can blind a person to reality, something Arlong himself also has trouble with.
- Not Worth Killing: After the Straw Hats defeat Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek on Little Garden, Mr. 3 escapes to report to Crocodile, who tells him not to take any further action against the Straw Hats or attempt to execute the captured Baroque Works members because his plans are at a stage where they can't afford to be wasting time dealing with enemies.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Vivi has this reaction when she realizes Thomas knows her, and quickly recognizes him in turn, making it clear the Whitebeard Pirates had at one point visited Alabasta prior to Thomas being sent to the East Blue.
- Igaram winds up doing the same when he recognizes Thomas.
- Chess and Kuromarimo realize they're in deep trouble when Dalton confronts them after Wapol's defeat.
- Original Character: Several shown in the fic:
- Martin Thomas himself is obviously one, the fic's Author Avatar, sworn brother to Luffy (alongside Ace and Sabo), and the Straw Hats' quartermaster.
- Don Krieg in this fic has a wife and son, Don Hart and Don Jaeger. Both of them seem to be pretty strong in their own right, if the fact that they survived Mihawk's attack on the Krieg Pirates shortly into the Grand Line is any indication.
- We get to see Thomas' mother after he gets his first bounty. Known as Martin Mary-Anne, she's stated to be Newgate's semi-wife (they do still have different family names), and is stated to be named after Mary Read and Anne Bonny, the two most famous female pirates.
- In Loguetown, the crew is presented with Harvey, a transponder snail that ate the Noise-Noise Fruit, and becomes the crew's communications officer as well as Brusa's Non-Human Sidekick.
- During the Jaya Arc, we learn Buggy picked up a new crewmate who became his girlfriend, a Sexy Jester named Petunia.
- Patchwork Kids: While Thomas and Luffy note how similar-looking Usopp is to his father Yasopp, Usopp does note that he got his Gag Nose from his mom (and his black hair, but that's not elaborated upon).
- Point of Divergence:
- The first OVA had Luffy, Nami, and Zoro and canon-wise would have taken place between Orange Town and Syrup Village. Here it's instead the beginning of Luffy and Thomas' journey, though they do run into Nami during the events of the chapter.
- Thomas is able to stop Luffy from alerting Kuro and Jango of their Exact Eavesdropping, allowing them to learn that the attack on Syrup Village is coming from the north shore. This makes the battle against the Black Cat Pirates go a lot more smoothly.
- When Luffy protects the Going Merry from Fullbody's attack, this time he redirects it into the ocean instead of accidentally hitting the Baratie. As a result, the Straw Hats wind up with a much better relationship with the Baratie's staff.
- While in Alabasta, the Straw Hats don't confront Crocodile in his casino, instead deciding to head straight for Alubarna. This means the struggle with the flooding prison cell and banagators never happens.
- Vivi successfully negotiates with Masira's crew to set up a joint salvage operation for the Saint Briss, ensuring that the Straw Hats and the Saruyama Alliance have an easier time working together.
- The fight against the Franky Family never occurs due to Franky being a regular listener of the Transponder Broadcast the Straw Hats put out.
- Because Buggy becomes a Warlord and is a guest at Impel Down instead of a prisoner, he never teams up with Galdino while Luffy is trying to free Ace before his execution.
- When the Straw Hats corner Caribou on the Sunny, they take the time to wrap him up in Sea Prism Stone and lock him in the brig, then turn him over to the Ammo Knights once they reach Fishman Island. This means Caribou never winds up kidnapping any of the mermaids and as a result, the prophecy of Luffy supposedly destroying Fishman Island doesn't cause any of the citizens to lose trust in him due to this act of goodwill.
- Akainu winds up killed during the War of the Best, while Ace lives. This completely changes the structure of the New World Era. Ace takes Whitebeard's place as Emperor, Punk Hazard remains a wasteland instead of turning one half burning hellscape and one half frozen hellscape, the Warlords are now under the juridiction of the Emperors, the Marines split off from the World Government thanks to funding from the newly created United Independent Nations, and the World Government creates a new "peacekeeping" force called Neo Cipher.
- Thomas winds up knocking out Vander Decken IX while escorting Shirahoshi to the Sea Forest. As a result the mark she got from Decken ten years prior disappears. That combined with Decken becoming a prisoner of the Straw Hats means he never tries to destroy the island with the Noah, which consequently never gets damaged. It also results in the fight with the New Fishman Pirates go a lot smoother.
- Poisonous Person: Nishijima is able to use his blowfish spines to poison enemies and incapacitate them.
- Polyamory: Thomas and Luffy end up in polyamorous relationships. Luffy gets together with Nami and Marguerite while Thomas gets with Conis and Shirahoshi.
- Post-Kiss Catatonia:
- Just before Usopp leaves with the Straw Hats, Kaya makes her feelings for him clear by kissing him right on the lips. Thomas has to help Usopp stagger onto the deck afterward due to him being blissed out.
- And then Thomas himself gets it when Conis kisses him, prompting him to faint on the spot.
- Punny Name: Merry Haddalam, Kaya's butler. Zoro even lampshades it, asking if his family raised him on nursery rhymes.
- A Rare Sentence: This little gem when Luffy and Sanji briefly discuss cooking and eating Chopper (before realizing he's a sentient Talking Animal).Thomas: "Okay, can we not talk about eating the talking reindeer doctor? (Beat) How is it that I've lived on the Grand Line for nine years and never once heard that sentence until now?"
- Reasonable Authority Figure: The fic shows just how caring Zeff can be, especially to anyone who stumbles into his restaurant practically starving to death. He also berates his subordinates who suggest letting Krieg starve, stating they have no idea how painful starvation can be.
- Reincarnate in Another World: Martin Thomas was once an accomplished writer who had finished his final work before passing away from old age, dreaming of going on the same adventures as the ones in his stories...and getting his wish by being reborn in the world of One Piece as the son of Whitebeard himself.
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: When Patty demands to know why Sanji is manhandling Fullbody, Sanji points out that Fullbody was not only wasting food, he assaulted his date, insulted the staff, and broke a table.Patty: "I WAS NOT ASKING FOR A LIST!"
- Running Gag: After Alvida makes her second appearance, having now become a genuine beauty thanks to eating the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, anyone who recognizes her winds up flabbergasted due to remembering that she used to be fat and ugly. This usually prompts Alvida to get annoyed.
- Sailor Earth: Several new Devil Fruits are created for this story:
- Ash-Ash Fruit: A Logia type that lets the user turn into and control volcanic ash. Eaten by "Brimstone" Martin Thomas.
- Noise-Noise Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user control sound in various ways. Eaten by Harvey.
- Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Geb: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the earth god Geb. Eaten by N'Doul.
- Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Khnum: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the creation god Khnum. Eaten by Oingo.
- Ape-Ape Fruit, Model: Thoth: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the knowledge god Thoth. Eaten by Boingo.
- Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Anubis: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the mummification god Anubis. Eaten by Khan.
- Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Bastet: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the fertility goddess Bastet. Eaten by Mariah.
- Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Seth: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the storm god Seth. Eaten by Alessi.
- Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Osiris: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the underworld god Osiris. Eaten by Daniel.
- Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Horus: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the sky god Horus. Eaten by Pet Shop.
- Human-Human Fruit, Model: Atum: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the primordial god Atum. Eaten by Telence.
- Party-Party Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user manifest party paraphernalia from their body and weaponize them. Eaten by "Harlequin" Petunia.
- Calorie-Calorie Fruit: A Paramecia type that allows a user to burn the calories in their body to increase their physical prowess temporarily. Eaten by Annie.
- Ape-Ape Fruit, Model: Sun Wukong: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the Monkey King Sun Wukong. Eaten by Son Goku.
- Pig-Pig Fruit, Model: Zhu Bajie: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the pig demon Zhu Bajie. Eaten by Cho Hakkai.
- Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Sha Wujing: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the water sage Sha Wujing. Eaten by Sa Gojo.
- Dragon-Dragon Fruit: A Zoan type that turns the user into a dragon or dragon hybrid. Eaten by Hsiao Long-nu.
- Morph-Morph Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user change their physical form into whatever they can imagine. Eaten by Erlang Shen.
- Spider-Spider Fruit, Model: Scorpion: A Zoan type that turns the user into a scorpion or scorpion hybrid. Eaten by Xiezijing.
- Laser-Laser Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user fire beams of energy from parts of their body. Eaten by Buster Bunny.
- Tele-Tele Fruit: A Paramecia type that gives the user psychic abilities such as telekinesis. Eaten by Lexi Bunny.
- Quantum-Quantum Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user manipulate quantum space to fire energy blasts or teleport instantly. Eaten by Plucky Duck.
- Twister-Twister Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user spin to the point they can create massive tornados that channel electricity. Eaten by Slam Tazmanian.
- Gadget-Gadget Fruit: A Paramecia type that allows the user to manipulate mechanical parts to create any device they can think of. Eaten by Tech E. Coyote.
- Dash-Dash Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user run at supersonic speeds without consequence. Eaten by Rev Runner.
- Secret-Secret Fruit: A Paramecia type that will let the user automatically keep any secret they don't want to reveal, as well as learn other people's secrets. Eaten by Fukuro.
- Kaiju-Kaiju Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user take on the physical properties of a giant monster. Eaten by Bowser.
- Pig-Pig Fruit, Model: Circe: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the half-pig sorcerer Circe. Eaten by Ganondorf.
- Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Higher Vampire: A Zoan type that lets the user take on the properties of a higher vampire. Eaten by Dracula.
- Lumen-Lumen Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user control light. Eaten by "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro.
- Umbra-Umbra Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user control darkness. Eaten by "Murder Machine" Killer.
- Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Ra: A Zoan type that turns the user into an incarnation of the sun god Ra. Eaten by "Corsair Princess" Nefertari D. Vivi.
- Liar-Liar Fruit: A Paramecia type that allows the user to make others believe anything they say. Eaten by "Three-Tongued" Demalo Black.
- Dust-Dust Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user conjure and control dust. Eaten by Valdez.
- Mad-Mad Fruit: A Paramecia type that grants immense magical ability at the cost of the user's sanity. Eaten by Kefka Palazzo.
- Pharm-Pharm Fruit: A Paramecia type that lets the user create any kind of medicine and administer it through special claws. Eaten by Nightingale.
- Blitz-Blitz Fruit: A Paramecia type that increases the user's endurance and pain tolerance to allow for faster and stronger attacks. Eaten by Jecht.
- Sequence Breaking: While the Ordeal of Balls in Upper Yard was handled normally in canon, in this story the Straw Hats split up and take all four Ordeals at once. And even beat them all, taking out the priests early.
- Signature Laugh: Much like many characters in One Piece, Thomas has his own distinct laughter; “Gogogogogogo!”. The laugh is based on the Japanese onomatopoeia for rumbling, which in this context is meant to be the rumbling of a volcano.
- Significant Birth Date: Several of the new Straw Hats are given birth dates that have some meaning.
- Thomas shares a birthday with mtnetsurfer due to being his Author Avatar.
- Harvey shares a birthday with Steve Harvey, whom he was based on.
- Brusa's birthday is the original air date of Episode of Nami.
- Nishijima shares a birthday with Takahiro Nishijima, his Japanese VA.
- Honey's birthday is the original air date of the One Piece movie Clockwork Island Adventure.
- Boss' birthday is the original air date of the movie Popeye.
- Simple Solution Won't Work: The reason why the Straw Hats keep the Sickle-Sickle Fruit without eating it. Usopp at first suggests one of their Devil Fruit users eat it, but Thomas points out that eating two Devil Fruits is fatal, so he, Honey, Harvey, Luffy, and Alvida can't eat it. Brusa and Nishijima also reject the idea of eating it since it would remove their ability to swim, which is a fishman's greatest strength. Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku refuse to eat it because they don't want to take a shortcut to strength. Sanji had already decided years ago that he didn't want to risk eating a Devil Fruit. Usopp reluctantly admits that the Sickle-Sickle Fruit clashes with his fighting style, and Nami decides the risk isn't worth it. Nami then suggests selling it to make some money, but Zoro says that unless they know who it's going to it could wind up in the hands of an enemy more competent than Eric. They wind up keeping the Devil Fruit until it can be given to someone trustworthy. That someone winds up being Carue due to him being a Loyal Animal Companion.
- Ship Tease: After the Unluckies escape from the Going Merry's brig while on Little Garden, Mr. 5 decides he and Miss Valentine should stay on the ship where it's safe. So Miss Valentine offers to make out with him, and later it's all but stated that the two of them had sex.
- Shout-Out:
- Thomas' rebirth in the world of One Piece has elements of both Fluffy Paradise and Hercules.
- When Luffy learns that Buggy was born with his big red nose, he asks where Buggy was born that he had such a birth oddity, to which the clown responds that for all he knows he came from outer space.
- Thomas quotes Doofenshmirtz when he notes that he's been doomed by a disembodied voice twice.
- When facing Buggy, instead of pressing his Berserk Button, Thomas calls him by various fictional clown names, that being Pennywise, Krusty, and Scuzzo.
- While at Whiskey Peak, Thomas and Igaram get into a drinking contest, with quotes straight out of the one between Gimli and Legolas.
- When Harvey translates Carue's voice into human language, he winds up sounding like Daffy Duck. During the Little Garden Arc, he even sings Daffy's version of The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down from Daffy Duck and Egghead, and his Signature Laugh is Daffy's own "Hoohoohoohoohoohoo!".
- The Unluckies also get translated, and as a result, they start to act like Team Rocket sans Meowth.
- One for This Bites!, when Thomas nails Wapol with a carbon-enhanced Groin Attack, the so-called king utters the same exact Angrish as Jeremiah Cross when he tried to strike Wapol's groin in his own story...and completely failed.
- We get another one in the Kung-Fu Dugong Boss Dugong, except this time he actually has the voice of Popeye.
- "Maat! Mut! Nut! Khnum! Ptah! Nephthys! Nekhbet! Sobek! Sekhmet! Sokar! Selket! Reshpu! Wadjet! Anubis! Anukis! Shesmu! Meshkent! Hemsut! Tefnut! Heket! Mafdet! Ra!" is the start of a song in The Prince of Egypt. Though Vivi actually added Maat herself.
- The admirals of the Neo Ciphers are all based on Final Fantasy villains.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Unlike canon, Commodore Purin survives the events of the Arlong Park Arc.
- Going Merry is able to reach Water 7 without her keel cracking, and also gets a Devil Fruit that changes her into a little girl, letting her stay with the crew for longer.
- Spit Take: Crocodile gets an epic one when Harvey broadcasts the name of Baroque Works on Harvey's TB.
- The Stations of the Canon: While Thomas does defeat a few opponents that would have otherwise been fought by Luffy (such as Morgan and Mohji), Luffy gets in several of the fights he did from canon.
- Stable Time Loop: Marine officer Rapanui Pasqua and his friends help the Straw Hats create one by collapsing the Ape's Concert where they were trapped as kids, which in turn sent the kids back fifty years so they could take The Slow Path back to the friend they left behind.
- Strong Family Resemblance: It takes Buggy a bit to realize it, but he's able to figure out that Thomas is related to Whitebeard because of the similarities in their faces.
- Suddenly Voiced: Thanks to Harvey, Carue's speech is translated into human language, letting him speak with the Straw Hats.
- Take a Third Option: When Luffy hears Arlong is challenging him to a Davy Back Fight, he's reluctant. On the one hand, it would be the best chance to get Nami away from the Arlong Pirates without issue, but unless he wants to risk his crew by throwing two fights he'd have to take on two more crew members who were practically forced to join, something he doesn't want. On the other hand, he couldn't just dismiss them afterward either, since while it wouldn't go against the rules of the Davy Back, it would be a violation of the game's spirit. Thomas comes up with the idea of asking if any of Arlong's crew members would be willing to defect anyway so that Luffy can just pick them, which proves to be an agreeable decision.
- Taught by Experience: The reason Alvida is given the role of boatswain on the crew is because as a former pirate captain herself, she has experience in commanding a crew and giving them orders.
- This Is Unforgivable!: After overhearing Kuro's plans to kill anyone who knows who he really is, Luffy, Thomas, and Usopp realize Kuro intends to kill the Black Cat Pirates once his plan is complete. Enraged, Luffy draws up a Black Spot (a pirate's death sentence) to deliver to Kuro.
- Too Clever by Half: After Kuro's death, Nami calls him this word for word. Considering he had a Complexity Addiction, it's not hard to argue.
- Took a Level in Badass:
- By the end of the East Blue Saga, Johnny and Yosaku are strong enough that no grunt-level pirate or Marine is a match for them.
- Thomas hopes to have this done to the Going Merry, likely at Water 7, by having her overhauled from a caravel into a stronger ship. Usopp is reluctant but does agree so long as the Merry's spirit remains the same.
- Trademark Favorite Food: The one-shot "Meet the Straw Hat Pirates" has all the Straw Hats' favorite foods, some canon, some referencing This Bites!, and some original to the story.
- Luffy: All kinds of meat
- Thomas: Fried seafood and fruit soda
- Zoro: Rice, Sea King meat, and any alcoholic drinks
- Nami: Tangerines and omelets
- Usopp: Seasonal fish
- Sanji: Spicy seafood pasta and black tea
- Johnny: Potato chips
- Yosaku: Stir-fried bean sprouts
- Brusa: Salmon
- Nishijima: Tuna
- Harvey: Cucumber and cuttlefish
- Alvida: Steamed pork buns
- Honey: Honey
- Chopper: Anything sweet
- Boss Dugong: Cobb salad garnished with spinach
- Vivi: Curry and pudding
- Carue: Katorean Bread
- Lassoo: Rare steak
- Robin: Sandwiches, cake, and coffee
- Conis: Pumpkin coffee
- Merry: Raw vegetables in ranch dressing
- Kaku: Bananas and castella
- Funkfreed: All kinds of fruits
- Franky: Burgers, fries, and cola
- Brook: Curry
- Marguerite: Gyoza
- Kuma: Honey and salmon
- Jinbe: Mozuku and fruit
- Treasure Chest Cavity: Thomas has a technique called the Brimstone Container that metaphorically weaponizes a Logia's odd quirk of hiding the user's real body in subspace while projecting an elemental body in its place. He can store an infinite amount of mass inside, but the more he stores the more strain it puts on his real body, so he can only handle so much and still be able to fight.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Don Hart is described as looking very gorgeous for her age, compared to her husband Don Krieg whose age is more clearly shown.
- Uplifted Animal: Harvey the transponder snail, who gained human intelligence after eating the Noise-Noise Fruit.
- Wanting Is Better Than Having: Thanks to Thomas, Gaimon learns the treasure on the Island of Rare Animals is still there after twenty years, but decides he no longer wants or needs it since he's decided to stay on the island with his newfound animal friends. Instead, he gifts it to the Straw Hats, with Nami being especially grateful.
- We Used to Be Friends: A flashback shows Buggy and Shanks were actually friendly with each other while serving on Roger's crew, before the incident that caused Buggy to accidentally eat the Chop-Chop Fruit.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: When Eric is stunned that pirates, who always live inches away from death, don't want eternal life, Alvida spells it out that if they were afraid of death, they wouldn't have become pirates in the first place.
- Women Are Delicate: Kuina at first believed this, but it becomes clear that both Zoro and her own father believe this to be bunk and that she's limiting herself with this mindset.
- The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: It becomes perfectly clear through the Drum Island Arc that Wapol is unfit to be a proper king. Not only does he not care for the problems of the common folk, believing they have nothing to do with him, but he doesn't even realize just how said common folk contribute to the royal family's living conditions.
- You Need to Get Laid: After seeing how much calmer Nami is after sleeping with Luffy, Usopp suggests they find a way to do the same with Sanji to stop his girl-crazy antics.
