One Piece: Should the Straw Hat Pirates Have Guns?

• Guns are effective weapons in One Piece, even against superhuman characters.
• Despite the potential versatility, main Straw Hats like Luffy and Zoro are unlikely to use guns canonically.
• If they ever picked up guns, it would likely be for show or specific scenarios, not as a regular combat strategy.

A recent cover for Weekly Shonen Jump featured Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji in more traditional pirate outfits than they ordinarily wear. It also featured Luffy and Sanji holding guns; Zoro probably didn’t have one because he already had his swords for weapons. It’s an unusual image because Luffy and Sanji wouldn’t ever use guns in combat; they prefer to fight their enemies hand-to-hand. However, this is only one of several times they’ve been depicted like this. There are several color pages and other forms of promotional material where Luffy, Sanji, and the rest of the Straw Hats (including Zoro) have been depicted with a piece.

Since the Straw Hats are pirates, one must wonder what it would be like if they wielded guns like other pirates. They’re a viable weapon in the One Piece world. Even top-tie characters will have at least one firearm on their person. Of course, the Straw Hats don’t need guns because they have superhuman abilities and other weapons that far outclass them. Regardless, they could be used as ancillary weapons. If the mood ever struck them, most Straw Hats would likely be more than willing to pick up a gun and add it to their respective arsenals. It’s only a question of whether Eiichiro Oda would write a scenario where they would need to pick one up.

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In most shonen battle manga, guns are useless. These series deal with superhuman beings who can dodge, catch, block, or tank bullets with bare bodies. Conventional weapons are made obsolete so the characters can use whatever wacky powers and tools the author can think of, including melee weapons and martial arts. There will sometimes be a character with a gun, but it must be enhanced by the in-story power system to be as effective as it would be against ordinary humans.

However, One Piece is a series where guns are consistently effective as weapons. Even among Devil Fruit users, only a handful of characters are immune to damage from gunfire. The rest of the One Piece world will be just as hurt by bullets as a real-world person. The only difference is that most One Piece characters have enough strength and vitality to keep going long after suffering mortal wounds; they might even survive if they don’t push themselves.

One of the best examples of a top-tier One Piece character being threatened with a gun comes from the Paramount War at Marineford. In one scene, Benn Beckman of the Red Hair Pirates confronts Admiral Kizaru and makes him put his hands up by aiming a flintlock rifle. The Admiral, who can turn his body into light and move at light speed, was convinced that a bullet could hit and wound him. If these two can make holding someone at gunpoint threatening, anyone can.

Besides Benn Beckman, there are several instances of high-level characters using guns as ancillary weapons. The Blackbeard Pirates famously used gunfire to finish off Whitebeard. Regardless of the circumstances, that even the most powerful man alive can be hurt by bullets in any capacity says a lot about the One Piece world’s durability ceiling. Additionally, Kaido used a double barrel to kill Oden with a headshot.

The Five Elders all had guns ready to kill Nefertari Cobra; in this case, they were shooting an ordinary man, which would be more practical than revealing their Devil Fruit transformations. These characters all have powers that are much more devastating than an ordinary handgun, yet they keep one on their person anyway. They provide the users with simple versatility in situations their superhuman powers don’t call for. The Straw Hat Pirates could do the same thing.

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Luffy is the kind of person who would never use a weapon, at least not as intended. His biggest boast is that his punches are as fast and deadly as any gun. If he were ever given a firearm or any weapon, it would only be there for show. If he tried to use it, he’d only punch his enemy while holding it. And then he’d dub it a new attack. One might think Zoro wouldn’t use a gun because he can’t hold one. His left and right hands are reserved for Sandai Kitetsu and Enma, respectively.

Even if he could somehow fire a gun with his mouth, it’s reserved for his most prized sword, the Wado Ichimonji. However, Oda technically confirmed in an SBS that Zoro has more space for holding things. He drew possible futures for the Pirate Hunter in 20 and 40 years, where he mastered Four-Sword Style and Five-Sword Style. If Zoro wanted to, he could find a way to pull a trigger. Nami was briefly shown dual-wielding pistols in the Water 7 Saga.

She was doing it to protect the Going Merry and the Straw Hats’ last suitcase of money while Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper went to fight the Franky Family. She also had several more guns and a box of swords. She did this despite having a functioning Clima-Tact by this point in the series; since this was right before Usopp’s falling out with Luffy, he likely already upgraded Nami’s staff to a Perfect Clima-Tact, even if it didn’t debut until later. This may have been a one-time gag representing Nami’s desire to ward off thieves.

Regardless, it demonstrates her willingness to use a firearm, even over her weapon of choice. Usopp could come off as the kind of person who would use a gun, too. His father is an expert marksman, and he inherited that trait. As the Straw Hats’ designated sniper, he should be comfortable picking up such a weapon. Despite all this, Usopp’s weapons of choice are Pop Greens fired by his Kuro Kabuto slingshot. Even if he were good with a gun, the versatility of these tools is virtually unmatched. He might keep a gun as a sidearm, but only if it could be used to fire Pop Greens.

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Sanji also has a brief history with guns. When the Straw Hat Pirates first met Nico Robin, Sanji’s instinct was to hold the then-Baroque Works agent at gunpoint. One could argue Sanji having a gun in this scene was as out of character as aiming it at a woman, but there’s more to consider. Oda’s original vision for Sanji had him as a wild West-styles gunslinger; it would make sense if the Straw Hat cook took up a gun and fulfilled his destiny. Sanji’s hands are reserved for cooking, but if he ever used them offensively in combat, this should work for him.

Nico Robin is another character who used guns during the Water 7 Saga. In her case, she used her Flower-Flower Fruit to hold Iceberg at quadruple gunpoint; as a former assassin, this is likely something she’s done more than once. If the situation arose, Robin should be willing to pull a gun on someone threatening her or her friends. Franky already has a gun built into himself. Several even. His Weapons Left, when opened up, reveals at least four barrels that can shoot machine gun-like rounds, plus a cannon.

This is something he regularly uses on enemies, including main antagonists. One Piece Film: Strong World also proves the Straw Hats would use guns under the right circumstances. Late in the movie, the Straw Hat crew sans Nami used large firearms to defeat the enemy troops. This movie may be non-canon, but Oda wrote it. If he can envision a scenario where the Straw Hats use guns that aren’t only accessories for a one-off color panel, it should be possible in the canon series.

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In all likelihood, the Straw Hats, as they are, will never pick up a handgun to shoot somebody. Regarding combat, they have all the firepower they need in their current attacks and weapons. Even if they found themselves in a confrontation that required more finesse (as opposed to island-destroying punches or giant forms), they would likely rely on their standard methods to get things done. Even if Oda once wanted to write the Straw Hats as hardened fighters who would resort to gunslinging under the right circumstances, that might not be the case anymore.

Now that One Piece has become a global phenomenon, he can’t take the same risks with his characters’ image as he could before. He must now ensure that the main cast has decent role models for the impressionably young demographic his manga targets. Just as Oda can’t make Luffy hit women anymore, he likely can’t have him solve his problems by threatening to shoot somebody; it’s a double standard, but the idea is that beating people up with supernatural abilities is less replicable and, therefore, less likely to encourage violence than shooting them with a gun.

This is the responsibility and obligation of catering to such an audience. Even if Oda doesn’t want to write like this, someone in charge of his series (editors, publishers, etc.) will implore him to do so. Anyone hoping to see Luffy and his friends with guns must rely on non-canon material to fulfill that desire. The mainline One Piece series will likely conclude without them using another firearm (except for Franky and maybe Usopp). However, the end of One Piece is a ways off, and anything can happen.

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One Piece

Created by Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece franchise explores the adventures of pirate Luffy D. Monkey and his crew, the Straw Hats. Since the manga first debuted in 1997, One Piece has been adapted into an ongoing anime that has seen multiple movies. Most recently it was adapted into a live-action series by Netflix.