The lie of Usopp which foreshadows the last member of the Straw Hats

It’s almost unfair to begin a theory with one of Usopp’s lies since it is destined to come true. Doing this is like getting Oda to tell what will happen later in the story and then passing it off as if you were clever enough to predict the future events. For anyone who isn’t familiar with this failsafe forecasting device, here are several classic examples of Usopp’s “Lie turn[ing] into reality”.

Like the boy that cried wolf, his lie is bound to come true eventually. The only mystery that remains once a lie passes his long nose is this. How will it unfold?

Since Usopp is so full of lies, there are definitely some that have not yet been completely realized. A well-known example comes from Usopp’s claim to have 8000 subordinates; a later lie is leveled at the Tontatta when he said his haki was what caused the island to shake. Both came close to reality on Dressrosa. Scaring Sugar into a stupor allowed a few thousand warriors (about 2500 shy of his lie) to be released from enslavement; they followed him as “Captain Usopp” and battled their way to freedom. Not long after, he unlocked observation haki (the one form that couldn’t possibly cause the ground to shake).

The fib of our focus for this theory was dropped during the Thriller Bark arc.

Your first impulse may be to claim that this lie ALREADY CAME TRUE when Rebecca, a sword-wielding gladiator, bought Luffy lunch. However, after looking at the other examples above, Oda doesn’t usually settle with a partial fulfillment. Usopp didn’t say, “A beautiful swords-woman just bought you a bento box which includes a small amount of meat!” Plus, it seems that Usopp is always present to witness the ironic moment, and he wasn’t with Luffy at that time. So, if this is not the meeting we seek, when should we be looking for this lady of legend? We may have reason to expect her to truly perfect Usopp’s prediction as soon as in…

WANO!

In what place are we more likely to meet a female sword-master than the land full of swordsmen “so strong, even the Marines won’t approach…” (see episode 579). No female samurai have been mentioned; however, there are a number of times a kunoichi or female ninja has been foreshadowed.

1. Kinemon was surprised to see Nami using what seemed (to him) to be ninjutsu, and she was even playing the part (making the tiger sign here). Usopp even corrects her when she claims to be impersonating a samurai, saying it’s “…more like a ninja.”

2. Raizo spoke about other kunoichi in Wano (who were repulsed by his looks). Later, he was surprised by Nami’s use of “ninjutsu” in the same way Kinemon had been. Oda is clearly building up the ninjas we will encounter, especially the kunoichi.

3. Luffy already announced that ninjas would be included in the alliance against Kaido, and we all know that Luffy always gets his way. (Remember his drawing of a shipwright?)

4. Oda often uses cover pages to foreshadow future characters. Here’s a great image of Nami dressed as a ninja bringing meatto Luffy’s table (notice the Konohagakure leaf pattern honoring Naruto). Maybe more surprising is that this image is almost exactlylinking Usopp’s lie with the image of a kunoichi.

5. Nami has been used before to foreshadow future female Strawhats. (I guess my mind is revealed here. Now that you finally know where I’m going with this theory, I don’t have to hold back.) Sufficient evidence has been laid to suggest that the kunoichi – not Rebecca – will more likely be the beautiful sword-master they will meet with meat. Using the same patterns Oda has established to foreshadow Nico Robin, we may get a glimpse of the next female crewmate.

In order to save my theory from die-hard Carrot, Pudding, or even Monet for-next-female-nakama fans, I’m now going to have to prove this most recent claim. (Know, by the way, that I have posted theories or comments in the past that suggest evidence for any of these three joining. I feel ya’!) Anyhow, I expect any lady that is added to the crew will follow the same patterns established in the past.

Some of the most convincing evidence ever found for foreshadowing future female crewmembers uses the scene at Loguetown where Nami was trying on clothes.

As others have pointed out in the past, her first outfit is a clear nod to Nico Robin!!! This is almost the same outfit “Miss All Sunday” is first seen wearing.

The second outfit Nami reveals has never been seen on another character, but the “mink stole” does give indirect hope for Carrot fans. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem to be as complete as the first example since Carrot was never seen wearing this exact type of dress.

Since so much of her outfit is obscured, the details will have to wait, but there is still room for a seductive dress similar to ones kunoichi were known to use (possibly like the one being worn here by Tenten from Naruto).

As promised above, there are a few final clues that will prove this theory is on the right track as they occur.

1. All female Strawhats start out as a mild antagonist.
2. She will be involved with a pirate crew (likely against her will).
3. If Luffy’s straw hat finds its way onto her head, it’s almost guaranteed!

Unfortunately, none of the other promising female characters have all of the requirements patterned in the past. Carrot barely meets the requirements for number 1, Pudding has fulfilled the first two to some degree, and Monet may have also (somewhat) met the requirements for numbers 1 and 2. Nevertheless, none of these hopefuls were first seen wearing anything similar enough to Nami’s second dress from Loguetown.

In the event that this theory is correct, there are several expectations we can hold in anticipation for our kunoichi. She will use some sort of elemental attack. If you recall from both Kinemon and Raizou, Nami’s lightning-based attacks were like ninjutsu in their eyes. However, that doesn’t mean that she will have to use electric jutsu. As far as her weapon is concerned, she will use one or two short-swords (as promised by Usopp) for close-range, but she will probably also employ mid-range throwing blades like shuriken or kunai (as we have seen Raizou use). Anything further would be speculation, so I will leave that up to your imagination.

It is possible that she may not be as stealthy as a ninja should. After all, Strawhat characters and their allies rarely “fit the mold”. Of one thing we can be certain, however. She will distract her opponents in the same way any true kunoichi should…

Final Thoughts: I believe there is enough evidence to be very confident that kunoichi will play a prominent role in the Wano arc. Furthermore, there is some evidence to suggest that one of them may become the final female crewmate. What position would she hold on the ship? What unique weapon, fighting style, or hair color will she represent? Feel free to add your thoughts in a review!

*Theory by Theo Ries