Lately it feels to me as if the Strawhats don't feel like actual characters, much less like a found family anymore. As if their own dreams, ambitions, and different talents don't matter anymore.

Sea levels across the globe are rising within the world of One Piece, affecting the life of all kinds of animals and people above and below the ocean. But do we get a reaction from Nami that all the maps she has drawn up to that point, her entire lifework basically, has all gone down the drain? Do we get something from Jinbe about how those conditions might affect coexistence between human and merfolk? Do we get a reaction from Sanji or Brook about how the rising water levels affect sea live (like Laboon) and how this could correlate to the All Blue (if at all)?

Rather than having Chopper push his medical knowledge to the limit in an attempt to save Zoro from certain death during the Raid on Onigashima, Oda pulls the Mink's Magical Deus Ex Machina Miracle Medicine out of thin air and has it do all the work for Chopper. What could otherwise have been a much needed and welcomed character interaction between Zoro and Chopper turned into something that ultimately didn't tell us anything about the involved characters.

Chopper's reaction towards Sanji freaking out when he fears that he might turn into an emotionless inhumane monster like his siblings was one of pure comedy, when Chopper out of all people should know what it feels like to turn into a mindless beast. Like, is it weird to expect something more from Chopper in this situation, not only because he's the crew's doctor and ensuring his friends' well-being (both physical and mental) is one of his primary directives in that role, but also because of his past character arc of overcoming this inner monster?

Then, when Chopper ultimately couldn't cure all the innocent people of Wano who ate faulty SMILE fruits, we never got anything more from that. It's like he completely forgot about their suffering by the time the crew reached Egghead, and that's despite the fact that Chopper's dream is to make a cure-all and Vegapunk, one of the primary experts on Devil Fruits in the entire world is there on Egghead at that moment!

Sanji spent two years learning the Attack Cuisine in the Kamabakka Kingdom during the Timeskip. 99 different recipes that have special properties to enhance and strengthen the consumer's vitality of which we have only seen two of. And yet, when Oda needed a new and upgraded cola to fuel Franky to make him an arbitary amount stronger in order to keep up with the powercreep on Elbaf, rather than making use of this skill that Sanji learned and highlighting the bond between the Strawhats, >!he made Lilith pull out "Omni-Drain Converters", tools that we've never seen or heard about before that can magically boost Franky with their never-seen-before power by creating a brand-new kind of Cola out of thin air.!<

Nowadays, whenever Oda wants to reveal information about the history and/or the world of One Piece to the reader, rather than having Robin find out about it organically by catering to her expertise and talents as an archaeologist, he has a conveniently all-knowing old dude or other plot device just dumping all that information on the reader. Where previously, in Arcs like Skypiea and Fish-Man Island, Robin was allowed to wander and piece clues about the ancient path together herself, thus creating a more authentic and organic reading experience, in the most recent Arcs, all that information is just laid out to the reader rather unceremoniously by another character who just so happens to have all that information already. It happened on Zou with Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, Wano with Sukiyaki, Egghead with Vegapunk, and Elbaf with Saul/the library. How does any of this feel like a more rewarding reading experience than if Robin had pieced the mystery behind the sunken Wano or if she had learned about the ancient mural on Elbaf and its meaning due to her talents as an indvidual character with talents and dreams of her own, rather than just having it all be told to her by another character?

It all feels as if the Strawhats have lost what made them so compelling characters (to me) in the past. Their interactions with one another are pretty much a thing of the past and their abilities and dreams aren't allowed to shine organically even in situations where they really should. But that might just be me.

This album would be all about the the roles women played in our history and wars. Some will be your standard Sabaton songs about brave warriors and wars, while with others I took the liberty to explore other equally noteworthy, yet unfortunately gravely underrepresentated aspects and contributions of women in our history.

Skjaldmær - a song about Norse shield-maidens during the viking age. The song would be sung in Swedish.

Pirate Empress - a song about Zheng Yi Sao, an infamous pirate who leader of the pirate confedaration following her husband's death, earning her an army from between 40,000 to 70,000 pirates and 400 junks. Following a series of defeats against the Portugese, she was allowed to keep 1,400 men, avoid prosecution, and live a peaceful and quiet life until her death at age 68.

LaVena - a song about the mysterious death of the US soldier LaVena Johnson, who "took her own life" after loosing some teeth, getting a black eye, and burning her genitals with a corrosive chemical. The US Army covered and still covers up much about the circumstances surrounding her death.

Mother - a counter song to "Father". It focuses on Marie Curie and her research on radioactivity and what her discoveries meant for humankind, both the good and the terrible.

Femme Fatale - a song about Mata Hari, a famous exotic dancer who spied for the Germans in WWI and who ended up getting executed by the French.

Hexenhammer - a song about witch hunts all across Europe, but in particular the German inquisitor Heinrich Kramer's misogyny and obsession with women, Helena Scheuberin in particular, which led him to write the infamous Malleus Maleficarum (the Hammer of Witches).

Hai Bà Trưng - a song about the Trưng sisters, Trắc and Nhị, their rebellion against the invading Chinese, their subsequent deaths, and ascension to the status of Viatnamese national heroines. One of them, Trắc, even became the first female monarch of Vietnam.

Lady with the Lamp - a song about Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing and a prominent figure during the Crimean War whose influence drastically lowered death rates and who played a vital role at reforming the reputation of nursing for women and everyone.

Saint of Christopher Street - a song about Marsha P. Johnson, a feminist, human rights activist, and influential figure during the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

Immaculate Am I - a song about Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian Queen known more for her alleged beauty and affairs, rather than her fluety in up to nine different languages, intelligence, and leadership. The song would touch in depth on her suicide to avoid capture by the Romans after the defeat of Antony's fleet.

Back Home - a song about the women who stay home while their men, brothers, and sons head into war. It'd touch subjects like women's work in factories to produce amunition and clothes for soldiers, women who have to work the fields while their men are gone, and women whose partners might never return after being sent off to die for nothing.

So, little heads-up first; I'm currently working on the ground work for an Alternate Universe story that follows (more or less) the exact layout and premise of the actual One Piece story as written by Oda, just way more focused and less cluttered with random elements and characters.

For example, there aren't any Seven Warlords of the Sea. Instead, Crocodile would be a rogue member of the Revolutionary Army who grew disenfranchised with Dragon's more idealistic way of rebellion. It builds up on the fact that Dragon had a surprisingly strong presence early on from his introduction during Logue Town and further information about him during the Levely backstory during the Drum Island Arc. And yet we don't get any more development about him or the Revolutionary Army during Alabasta, despite the Arc featuring a full-on rebellion of the people against their king/a nation that was a founding member of the World Government.

With that out of the way, I've been wondering; could Dragon be featured even more prominently in this AU? Would it make (some amount of) sense for him to take Whitebeard's place as an Emperor of the Sea, with Ace being one of his commanders, and him then going to Marineford where he has his last stand and dies?

My ideas for this and how they connect with events of the canon story are then as follows;

* Dragon has Whitebeard's Devil Fruit, which not only allows him to create earthquakes, but also, due to the vibrations, create powerful gusts of wind, which ties together with what little we know about Dragon's canon powers so far * he dies protecting his son or sons, thus highlighting his love for his son and his talk with Kuma about how children are a father's biggest weakness * Dragon might head into this war knowing that, unlike other Emperors, his revolutionary movement is much bigger than just him as its figure head, especially with Luffy still alive and Ivankov (and Crocodile) out of prison again * **POTENTIALLY**, after his death, either Ivankov becomes and remains the leader of the Revolutionary Army or a character who is a combination between Sabo and Marco takes over leadership OR Crocodile and maybe even Kuzan after he left the Marines following his defeat against Sakazuki

That's the general gist of it so far. Would it make any amount of sense or would it feel way too much out of left field and completely unlike One Piece, please let me know. I'm open for any kind of criticism.

So, little heads-up first; I'm currently working on the ground work for an Alternate Universe story that follows (more or less) the exact layout and premise of the actual One Piece story as written by Oda, just way more focused and less cluttered with random elements and characters.

For example, there aren't any Seven Warlords of the Sea. Instead, Crocodile would be a rogue member of the Revolutionary Army who grew disenfranchised with Dragon's more idealistic way of rebellion. It builds up on the fact that Dragon had a surprisingly strong presence early on from his introduction during Logue Town and further information about him during the Levely backstory during the Drum Island Arc. And yet we don't get any more development about him or the Revolutionary Army during Alabasta, despite the Arc featuring a full-on rebellion of the people against their king/a nation that was a founding member of the World Government.

With that out of the way, I've been wondering; could Dragon be featured even more prominently in this AU? Would it make (some amount of) sense for him to take Whitebeard's place as an Emperor of the Sea, with Ace being one of his commanders, and him then going to Marineford where he has his last stand and dies?

My ideas for this and how they connect with events of the canon story are then as follows;

• Dragon has Whitebeard's Devil Fruit, which not only allows him to create earthquakes, but also, due to the vibrations, create powerful gusts of wind, which ties together with what little we know about Dragon's canon powers so far
• he dies protecting his son or sons, thus highlighting his love for his son and his talk with Kuma about how children are a father's biggest weakness
• Dragon might head into this war knowing that, unlike other Emperors, his revolutionary movement is much bigger than just him as its figure head, especially with Luffy still alive and Ivankov (and Crocodile) out of prison again
• POTENTIALLY, after his death, either Ivankov becomes and remains the leader of the Revolutionary Army or a character who is a combination between Sabo and Marco takes over leadership OR Crocodile and maybe even Kuzan after he left the Marines following his defeat against Sakazuki

That's the general gist of it so far. Would it make any amount of sense or would it feel way too much out of left field and completely unlike One Piece, please let me know. I'm open for any kind of criticism.

I just think most people nowadays don't remember or respect how awesome Oda wrote my boy during this Arc. Oda went up and beyond to flesh out Chopper's role and ambitions as a doctor, making him play an integral role when it came to defeating Oars, as well as his changing relationship with Hogback. Personally, Chopper's role as a doctor never felt better and more naturally integrated into the story since then (aside from maybe Punk Hazzard).

And that smile from Cindry at the end of their fight and Hogback getting trambled to death by his own creation? Oda was straight up cooking with the Strawhat's emergency food back then!