As One piece heading towards the final saga A recurring question raised with each new arc is whether the Straw Hats’ roster will be further expanded in this final stage of the story. After Yamato’s disappointing refusal, the Egghead Arc presented another strong contender in the form of Jewelry Bonney, whose history and strong personal connection to the Sun God Nika indicated that she was the Straw Hat. However, the last chapter of One pieceElbaf Arc’s just proved otherwise, teasing that there may not be a new addition to the crew yet.

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Chapter 1134 of One piece reveals that Lilith plans to build a new laboratory in Elbaf with the intention of reviving Vegapunk Stella using her perfect clone. The revelation prompts Bonney to wonder if this means Vegapunk will ultimately be able to restore Kuma’s humanity and sense of self, to which Lilith agrees. This implies that Bonney will likely end up staying in Elbaf with Vegapunk and Kuma until the new lab is built and the latter’s modifications are undone, meaning Bonney likely won’t join the Straw Hats.

One piece Teases, Bonney isn’t the next Straw Hat after all

As the Egghead Arc revealed not too long ago, Bonney has one of the most impactful storylines fans have witnessed in recent times. One piecearguably more so than even Yamato, who practically joined the Straw Hats at the end of Wano.

Bonney not only had a tragic backstory to rival most of the Straw Hats, but also an astonishing synergy with Luffy, whose childlike wonder met its match in Bonney, both figuratively and literally, in the form of her Nika-inspired transformation. As seen in the later chapters, Bonney also got along well with the rest of the crew, especially Robin, who could be seen bonding with Bonney in chapter 1132.

Given Nami’s love of little children, it’s also easy to imagine her getting along just as well with Bonney and even being a sort of motherly figure to Bonney. While she doesn’t provide much combat power or play an indispensable role on the ship like the rest of the Straw Hats, having Bonney aboard the ship as an apprentice could have also drawn some interesting parallels with the Pirate King’s crew and the way Roger welcomed Shanks and Buggy.

Bonney’s ability to command the Pacifista also made her a great asset to have in the event of a final war against the World Government, as many theorized would likely take place in the final saga. That said, chapter 1134 dashes these hopes of seeing Bonney join the Straw Hats, that too for a very logical reason. Given that Bonney and Kuma have only just been reunited after years, it is unlikely that Bonney will leave him in Vegapunk’s care and immediately go to sea with Luffy, even though she has finally found her idol, Nika.

(Related: One Piece: Bonney’s Devil Fruit Is Powerful But Not As Broken As You Think)

The Straw Hats probably won’t get a new member at all

Overall, now that Bonney is seemingly out of the running, it seems unlikely that the Straw Hats will have another new member in the Final Saga, making Jinbe the tenth and final member of the crew. It is unknown how many additional story arcs One pieceThe final saga lies ahead, but it doesn’t seem like it’s possible to introduce another potential crew member with a compelling story and connection to Luffy as well as the fans this late in the series.

But of course, nothing is set in stone yet, and given Eiichiro Oda’s penchant for the unexpected, there’s still a slim chance that Bonney will indeed end up traveling with the Straw Hats to Laugh Tale. Even if Bonney decides to stay in Elbaf, it’s highly unlikely that this will be the last time fans see her, or Kuma for that matter. Considering how Bonney’s devil fruit powers were developed and the endless potential it holds, Bonney, much like Yamato and Vivi, will likely play a major role in One piecethe final saga of , whether they all become official Straw Hats or not.

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