 The Straw Hats vs. Cypherpole. Round 2. We've just witnessed another development that just screams that a rematch between the Mugiwara and Cypherpole agents is brewing. The latest chapter was true to form when it comes to an arc's early chapters, being mostly introductory and showcasing the unique concept of a new island, something that Oda continuously excels at, making One Piece the best world-building series I've ever seen in my life. But there are also some interesting details that were dropped, which could culminate in some very exciting battles. And so naturally I have to talk about it even though I'm on holidays. I have to talk about it so bad that I've got myself here a lapel mic and a very ad hoc setup in my hotel room where I've had to kick out my friends for a little bit just so that I could discuss this with you guys. So apologies for the potato setup guys. Hopefully the audio is not too bad because I did get this mic for that very purpose, but I didn't think about the lights. But with such huge developments in the works, I can't just not discuss what may be the most exciting rematch in the series. And if you like discussing One Piece as much as I do, then please don't forget to subscribe. The Straw Hats vs CP9 matchups were probably one of the most iconic battles in the series. While we had definitely seen one-on-one battles for the crew even prior to Enny's lobby, the Straw Hats being matched up against the then CP9 was a pivotal moment that highlighted the relative strength of each of the crew in comparison to the elite agents of the world government and the mountain that they each had to climb in order to defeat their respective opponents. Obviously the Straw Hats did manage to pull through each of them getting some pretty badass moments, but the crew back then are an entirely different bunch to what we have today, not only in terms of the composition with the Straw Hats now comprising of a few new members, but even those who are present in Enny's lobby are now capable of feats we never would have imagined back then. So, as we head into the final saga, it's a perfect demonstration of where the crew is at in terms of how much they have progressed in the new world. And because these familiar faces in our opponents have also risen in rank, and therefore, assumably strength. It's a perfect comparison of how the Straw Hats would fare against one of the most strongest and powerful of the world government's secret weapons. And it raises a lot of anticipation as to what sort of matchups we'll see this time round. The Straw Hats are once again split into two different groups, which is typical for a new arc, Luffy's leading one group and Zoro the other. So it depends on when the CP-Zero will make it to Egghead Island as to what sort of encounters will come across, or in other words, who will be battling who. It seemed like it was just Rob Luchi, Kaku, and Stasi who are on this mission as well as the Kuma Seraphim, and it also just so happens that Luffy's current group comprises of three Straw Hat members, although they also have Jewelry Bonnie, who I'm sure will be important in some capacity. So if it's Luffy's group that the CP-Zero faced first, then this may mean we see a rematch between Luffy and Luchi, and I can't think of a better way to showcase the power-ups and developments of each of these characters. Again, the Ennis Lobby fights were just some of the best we've seen in the series, and so the possibility of these two getting a round two is such a thrilling idea when you also consider the added weight of history, which would now underscore the fight. Back then, Luffy was the clear underdog, whereas it feels almost the reverse this time round. Granted, we don't know what Luchi is capable of, but that's what makes this potential battle all the more exciting. Last time these two fought, we knew the superior skill set and abilities that the CP-9 held in their arsenal, and it was a waiting game to see how Luffy would devise a way to win against this extremely ruthless and powerful opponent. But now we know exactly what Luffy is capable of, and the anticipation is more about whether this is enough to face up against the CP-0. Agents who are considered so powerful they're trusted and depended upon to do the work and bidding of the world nobles directly, or even in the reverse whether Luchi's power-up is enough to face against Luffy. If Luffy gets a rematch against Luchi, this would mean that Jinbei could get a crack at Kaku, which is an exciting thought because Kaku was portrayed to be the number two following Luchi, and so he's an apt opponent for someone of Jinbei's caliber. Jinbei is obviously one of the crew members who weren't crew members back in Enny's lobby, so I really like the idea of not only him getting to fight against the Cypherpole Agents, but also showing the new crew members' level of strength by facing off against someone who was and is still likely to be considered second in strength only after Luchi. When it comes to Stasi, although we do have Chopper in the mix here, I suspect it may be Bonnie who actually faces off against the CP-0 member, and I wonder how big a role Bonnie will actually play when it comes to combat. Although she was a part of the worst generation, her fighting abilities is still largely unknown to us, and so this will be a good opportunity to showcase that side of her character. I'm expecting there to be a similar situation to what we saw with Lore in Punk Hazard where his devil fruit abilities were further fleshed out. He used his heart switching abilities to some comedic effect against the Straw Hats, but then also proved its combat value against Virgo. We could have a similar scenario with Bonnie manipulating the crew's ages, which is something I'm sure we've all been excited about at the prospect of seeing some chibi Straw Hats, but her devil fruit ability being used against the CP-0 is a very intriguing idea as to what sort of purpose this could serve. If the CP-0 end up coming across Zoro's group first instead, then this could also lead to some very interesting matchups. This scenario will then likely result in Zoro vs Luchi, which is another very exciting battle because we've seen how this went down before. Rob Luchi's techai technique was too strong for Zoro and his swords back then, but this is a new Zoro now, with new and stronger swords as well as a mastery of said swords. Zoro, who by the way has another hype moment added to his very long resume, this time being recognized by Dr. Vega-Punk's Satellite Logic as the man with the 1.1 billion berry bounty warning Lilith not to take any hasty steps as the Straw Hat Swordsman could instantly kill her, which I'm sure got all of us Straw Hat and Zoro fans cheering, witnessing once again his ever-growing influence. Seriously, an individual who is respected and admired or at least acknowledged by almost everyone in the One Piece world is familiar with our swordsman's name and realized and recognized what a threat this future strongest swordsman is. And if this isn't enough indication that Zoro is ready to now face against Rob Luchi, then I don't know what is. It would be a great indication of the crew's relative standing in the world if Zoro, arguably being the second strongest in the crew, is enough to face off against Luchi, who still seems to be the strongest out of his cohort or at least his current companions. And then this could present us with the opportunity to see Sanji vs Kaku, which may be the matchup that makes me the happiest, mostly because of what we now know of behind-the-scenes decisions. Oda's revealed that he originally planned for Sanji to face Kaku in his early conception of the CP9 before changing up the battles. And ever since I found out about this fact, I have been really curious as to how this fight would have played out and I think it could have been a really fun fight. Kaku's such a unique fighter, being both skilled in swordsmanship as well as having killer kicks, being very adept at the rankaku technique. And seeing as kicks are Sanji's specialty. That would have been a really fun battle with the Straw Hat Chef meeting a fellow proficient kicker, but then also having to deal with swordsplay on top of that. So this may be where we get to witness what this original battle would have been if we do end up seeing this matchup. There was also a joke sneaked in, suggesting that Sanji's woman obsession suggested his insignificance as a fighter. So I'd love to see that being contradicted when we see Sanji actually fight against a serious, but male opponent. When it comes to Robin, although the CP9 matchups ended up giving Nami a very well-deserved place to shine against Kalifar. Similar to the situation between Sanji and Kaku, this one-on-one against Kalifar was actually supposed to be against Robin in Oda's early conception. Robin didn't end up having a huge combat focus in Enni's lobby, which I actually think worked really well for the arc, letting her just remain the emotional centerpiece of the story. But we know just how capable Robin is now. So now, with Stussy being here, it just makes the most logical sense that Robin fights Stussy this time. Robin's stocks are extremely high as of late. The Straw Hat Archaeologist also getting some recognition recently. So Robin playing a much more direct role in the combat against the Cypherpole agents would actually be extremely satisfying in a stories-come-full-circle kind of way. Luchi and Kaku, as part of the former CP9, were the ones responsible for taking Robin away from the crew back then. And back then, she wasn't strong enough to fight them, and she didn't believe in herself or the crew to be strong enough to stand up against them. But hey, this is a new Robin now, and we know damn well that she is going to stand up for herself, and that this time round, it will be her protecting her fellow crew members. And just the thought of this much meaning behind such a potential scenario just fills my heart. Obviously, Zoro's group includes more than just him, Sanji and Robin, with the others also being capable fighters, some more than others. And more than anything, I'd like to see Brooke fight against the agents. Now that Jimbay's fought against who's who, and therefore in a roundabout way, has also faced a former CP9 member. It's only really Brooke who has yet to be tested up against the skill set of the secret agents. So maybe he'll be involved in a brief skirmish between one of the agents, or possibly be a part of a two-on-one. For other members of the crew, like Frankie for example, I imagine he'll be playing a role that has him working with Dr. Vega-Punk more directly, with the CP Zero on their way to kill Vega-Punk. It does seem like the genius scientists will be allying himself with the crew, and possibly they may even see themselves faced up against the Kuma Seraphim. This is something I'm quite unsure on how to interpret, and there are a lot of questions running through my head as to what is going on. Is the Kuma Seraphim causing problems for the CP Zero, or will it be a problem for Vega-Punk? My suspicions suggest the former, and it forms part of the goal to kill Vega-Punk, but then leave the Seraphims in safety along with the rest of Egghead Island. But is that even a viable option? If the Seraphims are Vega-Punk's inventions, surely he has a kill switch so that the Seraphims can't be used against him? Look, maybe I shouldn't even question it at this stage because we are still very early on in the arc, and a person with our instinct, or at least experience with the ever-growing ball of mysteries that is one piece, should know better than to question these things. The matchups could also be presented via a completely different makeup if the straw hats actually reunite before the CP Zero make it to the island, giving us a scenario with the entire crew against the CP Zero. Although then that would mean there's a serious imbalance numbers-wise, but maybe that's because Oda has plans to include all the Seraphims, or maybe it involves the rest of the CP Zero because we do know it includes more than just Luchi, Kaku, and Stossi. But I do really like the Seraphims idea, although it does go back to the question of who is controlling the Kuma Seraphim, because is it even possible that we're faced with a scenario where all the Seraphims are under the world government and not Vega-Punk's control? You guys have heard me gushing in the past about the very exciting possibility to see the straw hats face against the shichibukai inspired weapons, and so this could still be happening even with Dr Vega-Punk on the straw hat side. In fact, this could even make two of my dreams come true if Vega-Punk does indeed have to help power up the crew to make sure that they're even more formidable than his inventions. And how freaking exciting is that? Do you see now why I just had to discuss this with you even despite my poor setup? Well then let me know which matchup you're excited for most or any other thoughts on the recent developments by leaving a comment below. Please do subscribe for more One Piece discussions. You can also join our Joyfleet Discord server or even become a Patreon or channel member. And I do want to thank all our executive officers for help supporting the channel. This is your girl and I'll see you again soon. While we had definitely seen one-on-one battles for the crew even prior to any slobby, the straw hats being matched up against the then CP9 was a pivotal moment that highlighted the relative strength of each of the crew in comparison to the elite agents of the world government.