Hyperfixations Go Crazy Sometimes

Imagine if this film was a Red Hair Pirates origin story set after Roger died. A young Shanks, all alone after the Roger Pirates disbanded and Buggy left, finding his own way and forming the Red Hair Pirates. This could have been a wonderful chance to show more about who Shanks, Ben Beckman, Lucky Roux, Yasopp, Limejuice, Bonk Punch, Monster, Building Snake, Hongo, and Gab were. I guarantee so many One Piece fans don't even know who half these guys are. They probably only know Shanks, Ben, Lucky, and Yasopp. I had to look up the Senior Officers of the Red Hair Pirates. They are that forgettable because what have they done in the main story? Nothing. So a origin film could be the way to build actual hype for these characters and flesh out who they are. That way, for anyone who watch the movie, the Red Hair Pirates are way more interesting and cool because now we know who they were in the past.

And the best part is because this is a origin story, you can showoff how strong the Red Hair Pirates are here to make it reasonable to assume they'd be stronger in the present. It's kill two (or three) birds with one stone. Flesh out the Red Hair Pirates, gather hype when they return in the story, and give the Red Hair Pirates combat feats instead of just statements and guess work. We can even flesh out some more about Roger and the Roger Pirates. Or even just Shanks' relationship to Roger, Buggy, and the Roger Pirates. None of that recent Figarland mumble jumbo. Just Shanks, as a pirate, vibing on the seas with his crew becoming the prototype Straw Hats. Not a Holy Knight or Celestial Dragon.

Not to mention we can include characters in the past. Like, oh I don't know, the mysterious World's Greatest Swordsman?! This could have been a massive boost for Mihawk since he also suffers from the same problems the Red Hair Pirates do. Lack of character, feeling kind of "there" in the plot and world, and having more statements than feats. With a Red Hair Pirate origin story, we can show off Mihawk and give depth on how he became the strongest swordsman and what is relationship with Shanks is like. And other characters like a young Crocodile, Doflamingo, Gecko Moria, Buggy, etc. Any pirate who was a rising star after Roger's execution could be shown, however briefly, in the film. There could also be younger versions of marines. We could even have a young Kaido, Big Mom, Whitebeard, and Blackbeard before the rise of what we now know to be the Yonko! The sky's the limit! Imagination is the only restriction in an art piece!

And if you really want the Straw Hats despite this being a Red Hair origin story? This could be a time travel film where the Straw Hats are sent into the past (possibly by the villain) and have to navigate the older and more dangerous Grand Line. They could ally and even INSPIRE the young Red Hair Pirates (like how Shanks inspired Luffy). All the while the Straw Hats try to get back to their time. This version of the conflict could just be the Straw Hats chasing after the time traveling villain, who could have ulterior motives in the past (like wanting to be Pirate King by using his devil fruit to take future knowledge and conquer the past), so they can both go home and stop the villain from changing the past.

And if you really want some form of Uta in there? Then she could be someone from Shanks' past that helped in his journey. Maybe dying in a heroic sacrifice to take down the villain (shocking for a One Piece character, but this IS an origin story and we have to explain why she isn't there in the present). Or maybe someone with a tragic origin (like she hates Shanks due to tragedy and wants to kill him in the past to prevent it) on the villain's side that's still redeemable. Obviously this would mean rewriting Uta into a similar but different character. But I think this would be more interesting than "lol, Shanks has had an adopted daughter all this time and she was best friends with Luffy."

First up is the legendary Jett Fillmore! The movie always talks about Jett being past her prime and we see a prime Jett in the beginning of the film before the 10 year timeskip. During that scene, the announcer mentioned that Jett was a five-time all-star. If we assume that Jett played Roarball for a few years before becoming a all-star to build her reputation as a legend, then achieved these 5 selections in the 5 to 6 years before the beginning scene (something not common in real world NBA but not unheard of), then she'd have been mid 20s or even late 20s. 10 years later after the time skip, she'd obviously be in her mid to late 30s and would be considered past her prime like real world basketball players in that age range. I'm leaning late thirties with a guess of 37 to 39 since she's implied to be the oldest Vineland Thorn, maybe even the oldest Roarball player still in play based on how the other teams act with her.

Archie Everhardt, the protector of the Vineland Thorns with a heart of gold, is up next! I think he's the second oldest of the Thorns for two reasons. The most obvious one, he's a father of two twin girls. We don't know the exact age of Adi and Ari, but I would assume their around 3 to 6 years old. Not to mention how much of a father figure he acts to the other Thorns, he's clearly on the older side. The second reason might be one you didn't even notice. During the beginning of the movie when kid Will sees his first Roarball game, there's a brief montage of Jett smoking the competition. In the first clip of that montage, you can see Archie on the court as a Vineland Thorn. You might not have noticed it because the main focus is Jett and the montage is pretty quickly edited, but it's still clearly Archie. That means he'd have to have been on the Thorns for 10 years at the least if he was playing with a young Jett. I don't think he's older than Jett since she's the one specifically getting signaled out a old timer, but I think Archie falls into that "has-been" archetype some of the Thorns players were referred to as. By that logic, I would like to place Archie in his early to mid 30s, though I'm leaning more to mid thirties with a guess of 34 to 36. A few years younger than Jett but a few years older than our next Thorn.

Next up is one of the tallest Roarball players in the league, Lenny Williamson! So he's explicitly been said to have played Roarball for 10 years and has gone through 10 teams in those seasons. That would make him on the older side of the Vineland Thorns even if he's not as old as Archie or Jett. If we assume he joined the league exactly at 19 or even in his early 20s, that makes Lenny either 29 at his youngest or somewhere in his early thirties (which would be 30 to 33). Not too old to be well past his prime, in fact he might still be in his prime, but old enough to have 10 years of expierence.

It's the beloved fan favorite himself, Modo Olachenko! This scaley Russian-accented icon may have won all our hearts with his eccentric charm, but he's easily the Vineland Thorn with the least amounts of implications regarding his age. The others have some sort of implications ranging from being on the court 10 years ago (Jett, Archie, Lenny) or being a more recent addition (Olivia and Will). Modo is the only one you just have to go with his behavior , appearance, and your general instincts regarding his age. I think Modo is mid 20s, somewhere between 24 and 26. He seems more experience and older than Olivia and Will but acts like a young and almost childish "punk" to Lenny, Archie, and Jett.

The former number one draft pick of the Vineland Thorns, Olivia Burke flies into the scene! She was obviously the newest Thorn before Will joined the team, so she seems to be the second youngest. Olivia also doesn't seem to have too much experience under her wings, seeing as she herself claims her one claim to fame was being posterized by Mane. That event was actually shown to have happened in real time during the early scenes of the film (when Will first visited his friends Daryl and Hannah). I'm thinking she might even only have one year of experience. If we assume that and assume she either joined the league as a 19 or even 20 year old, then Olivia should either be 20 or 21. She could also be in her the "latter" years of early 20s if you think she has more than one year of experience, so she'd be 20 to 23 if we still assume Olivia joined at 19.

Will Harris, the newest Vineland Thorn, enters the scene and shocks the league with his small height! Will is obviously a young adult seeing as he struggles with rent and landlords, acts like the youngest member of the thorn, and was seen in the beginning of the film as a child before the 10 year timeskip. I've seen people claim that Will is 16 because the picture of him and his mother in the dinner shows Will blowing out 6 candles, but I beg to differ. Just because that picture shows Will blowing out 6 candles, doesn't mean Will was 6 in the beginning of the film. That picture could have been taken years before his mom took him to see the game. And if Will actually was 16, then not only should he still be in school and not struggling with rent, but he wouldn't even be able to get into the Roarball league if the age requirement is 19 just like the NBA. So I think kid Will at the start of the film was 9 to 10 years old and the Will we see in the rest of the film is 19 to 20 years old.

Bonus:

The current MVP of the Roarball league and the only character we'll be talking about today that's on Lava Coast Magma, give it up for Mane Attraction! Now, Mane himself said that he's been in the league for 5 years. That's 5 years of experience and Mane is obviously in his prime and way younger than players like Jett. I think Mane, just like Modo, is in his mid 20s. That would put him around 24 to 26 years old. He's too experienced to be in his early 20s like Olivia but should be younger than Lenny, Archie, and Jett.

Dream Fighter:

-Little Mac: A resilient and determined former world champion who decided to step back into the ring for more legendary fights.

Mac is a 17 year old Italian American from the Bronx, New York, America born to a Italian mother and American father. He stands at 4'9 or 145 cm and weighs 107 lbs or 49 kg (light flyweight). He is the former male world champion and has a record of 39-0 (39 wins [39 KOs], 0 loses)

A Legend's End:

-Bald Bull: A short-tempered and masochistic rookie trying to control his tendencies but gets lost in his rage from matches and media harassment.

Bull is a 18 year old Turkish man from Istanbul, Turkey. He stands at 6'2 or 188 cm and weighs 244 lbs or 111 kg (heavyweight). He has a record of 8-2 (8 wins [7 KOs], 2 loses)

-Golden Knockout: A clumsy and down-to-earth kickboxer known for his fast spinning attacks and love for flowery imagery.

Knockout is a 39 year old Dutchman from Rotterdam, Netherlands. He stands at 6'3 or 191 cm and weighs 194 lbs or 88 kg (cruiserweight). He has a record of 70-8 (70 wins [60 KOs], 8 loses)

-Aran Ryan: A principled and carefree fella well-respected for his clean fighting style and strong grip on his clinches.

Aran is a 23 year old Irishman from Dublin, Ireland. He stands at 6'2 or 188 cm and weighs 227 lbs or 102 kg (heavyweight). He has a record of 44-9 (44 wins [32 KOs], 9 loses)

-Bayani Javier: A spirited and idealistic upstart from poor origins that tries to honorably fight to get the chance to compete in the Olympics but still slips into his suntukan techniques.

Javier is a 23 year old Filipino from Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He stands at 6'1 or 185 cm and weighs 187 lbs or 85 kg (cruiserweight). He is the #2 contender in the men's world circuit and has a record of 49-7 (49 wins [42 KOs], 7 loses)

-Rick Bruiser: A amiable yet formidable southpaw fighter known to be strong enough to destroy massive metal structure while his casual cocky grin never falters.

Rick is a 17 year old CHamoru from some unknown place in Guam. He stands at 6'10 or 208 cm and weighs 270 lbs or 122 kg (heavyweight). He has a record of 19-0 (19 wins [19 KOs], 0 loses)

-Von Kaiser: A commanding yet thoughtful soldier with devastating knockout potential from his raw power, strategic mind, and military style.

Kaiser is a 24 year old German from Berlin, Germany. He stands at 6'0 or 183 cm and weighs 164 lbs or 65 kg (super middleweight). He has a record of 20-3 (20 wins [16 KOs], 3 loses)

-Rex Savage: A daring and arrogant hunter who enjoys fighting dangerous animals (even if they seem to be undiscovered demonic monstrosities) and beating strong opponents.

Rex is a 33 year old Australian from Alice Springs, Australia. He stands at 7'3 or 221 cm and weighs 262 lbs or 119 kg (heavyweight). He has a record of 79-6 (79 wins [78 KOs], 6 loses)

-Nick Bruiser: A dull and frightening orthodox fighter considered superior to his brother and known to be secretly caring enough to get payback on those who hurt them.

Nick is a 17 year old CHamoru from some unknown place in Guam. He stands at 6'10 or 208 cm and weighs 270 lbs or 122 kg (heavyweight). He has a record of 19-0 (19 wins [19 KOs], 0 loses)

Okay so, A Legend's End is basically the prequel mode of Punch Out: Champions Clash! It follows Doc's final 8 matches before he was badly injured by Nick and had to give up his championship belt. It's basically Doc Louis' Punch Out and it takes place 18 years in the past. Obviously familiar faces like the Bruiser brothers, Bald Bull, and Von Kaiser appear, but I also took the opportunity to add in more characters nationalities I feel should have been used (Australian, Filipino, Dutch). There is no minor, major, or world circuit because I imagined these fights would come from some sort of event, like Doc boxing these guys in fights to prove he still has what it takes, and the fighters would be pulled from different circuits. Most of them would be from the world circuit, but Bull would be from the minor circuit and Aran, Rick, and Nick would be from the major circuit from the way I imagined this.

Major Circuit (men):

-Turbo Racer: A prideful and competitive Extreme Gear racer with remarkable agility, speed, and trash talking abilities in the ring.

Turbo is a 20 year old Greek from Jezeru, Bayilona (a fictional Greek Island). He stands at 5'8 or 173 cm and weighs 152 lbs or 69 kg (welterweight). He is the #3 contender of the men's major circuit and has a record of 12-3-1 (12 wins [10 KOs], 3 loses, 1 no contest).

-Dragon Chan: An integrous and resilient Kung Fu prodigy considered to be the undisputed best kickboxer in the WVBA.

Dragon is a 22 year old Hongkonger from Hong Kong born to a Chinese mother and half-British half-Chinese father. He stands at 5'5 or 165 cm and weighs 130 lbs or 59 kg (super featherweight). He is the #2 contender of the men's major circuit and has a record of 19-4 (19 wins [14 KOs], 4 loses).

-Heike Kagero: A theatrical and elegant kabuki skilled in magic and dance who always puts on a show for the audience.

Heike is a 19 year old Japanese man from Osaka, Japan. He stands at 6'1 or 185 cm and weighs 188 lbs or 85 kg (cruiserweight). He is the #1 contender of the men's major circuit and has a record of 21-4 (21 wins [17 KOs], 4 loses).

-Frank Jr and Victor: An intimidating yet curious experiment being taught by his knowledgeable and ambitious father how to properly defend himself without causing too much danger.

Frank is a 18 week old from Geneva, Switzerland. He stands at 8'5 or 257 cm and weighs 1400 lbs or 640 kg (heavyweight). Victor meanwhile stands at 6'8 or 203 cm and weighs 213 lbs or 97 kg. Frank is the current champion of the men's major circuit and has a record of 30-5-1-2 (30 wins [30 KOs], 5 loses, 1 draw, 2 no contests).

Major Circuit (women):

-Ori Ahi: A cordial and passionate dancer aspiring to become a fire dancer and make her ancestors proud by continuing family traditions of dancing and fighting.

Ahi is a 26 year old Tahitian from Papeeta, Tahiti. She stands at 6'1 or 185 cm and weighs 167 lbs or 76 kg (super middleweight). She is the #3 contender of the women's major circuit and has a record of 19-4 (19 wins [16 KOs], 4 loses).

-Riley Ryan: A vitriolic yet restrained young lassie prone to kicking her opponents when situations bring out her "primal" instincts usually unleashed in her MMA fights.

Riley is a 18 year old Irishwoman from Dublin, Ireland. She stands at 5'8 or 172 cm and weighs 125 lbs or 57 kg (featherweight). She is the #2 contender of the women's major circuit and has a record of 15-3-1 (15 wins [12 KOs], 3 loses, 1 draw)

-Blizzard Storm: An aloof and blunt winter athlete with an ice shattering punch sure to leave opponents frozen in place and drain them of everything.

Blizzard is a 23 year old Norwegian woman from Tromsø, Norway. She stands at 6'6 or 198 cm and weighs 220 lbs or 100 kg (heavyweight). She is the #1 contender of the women's major circuit and has a record of 24-4-2 (24 wins [22 KOs], 4 loses, 2 no contests)

-Carmilla Bloodbat: A seductive and languid vampiric countess who always leaves her opponents drained from her punches and vampiric tricks.

Carmilla is a 153 year old Austrian vampire from Graz, Styria, Austria. She stands at 7'10 or 239 cm and weighs 330 lbs or 150 kg (heavyweight). She is the current champion of the women's major circuit and has a record of 82-11-5-3 (82 wins [75 KOs], 11 loses, 5 draws, 3 no contests)

World Circuit (men):

-Aran Ryan: A aggressive yet resourceful young lad out to cause chaos, beat people up in increasingly outlandish ways, and honor his beloved late father.

Aran is a 23 year old Irishman from Dublin, Ireland. He stands at 6'1 or 185 cm and weighs 160 lbs or 73 kg (middleweight). He is the #4 contender in the men's world circuit and has a record of 37-5-4 (37 wins [34 KOs], 5 loses, 4 no contests)

-Rocking Ragnörak: An enthusiastic yet polite world famous metal rocker out to rock the boxing world, his fellow bandmates, and manager with his unconventional style.

Ragnörak is a 27 year old Icelandic man from Reykjavík, Iceland. He stands at 6'9 or 209 cm and weighs 276 lbs or 125 kg (heavyweight). He is the #3 contender in the men's world circuit and has a record of 51-6 (51 wins [49 KOs], 6 loses)

-Eagle Sanchez: A serene and humble former club fighter that was given the chance to prove himself by the WVBA and has since inspired both new and old boxers.

Sanchez is a 29 year old Mexican from Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico. He stands at 5'7 or 170 cm and weighs 126 lbs or 57 kg (featherweight). He is the #2 contender in the men's world circuit and has a record of 58-3-1 (58 wins [57 KOs], 3 loses, 1 draw)

-Super Macho Man: An egocentric and showy celebrity out to show the world he still has both star and championship power even after losing the belt.

Macho is a 27 year old American from Hollywood, California, America. He stands at 6'4 or 193 cm and weighs 231 lbs or 105 kg (heavyweight). He is the #1 contender in the men's world circuit and has a record of 73-3-1 (73 wins [70 KOs], 3 loses, 1 draw)

-Mr Sandman: A reserved and terrifying champion seeking to prove he deserves the championship belt after the former champion gave it up by defeating every challenger aiming for the title.

Sandman is a 31 year old African American from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, America. He stands at 6'5 or 196 cm and weighs 284 lbs or 129 kg. He is the current champion in the men's world circuit and has a record of 78-2 (78 wins [78 KOs], 2 loses)

World Circuit (women):

-Phantasm Shadow: A mysterious yet talented fighter with only one thing known to be true about them, they randomly appear to fight before disappearing to await either another fight or hang around the WVBA.

Phantasm has no confirmed age or place of origin. They have a estimated height of 6'0 or 183 cm based on their height compared to other boxers but no actual confirmation of height or even weight. They are the #4 contender in the women's world circuit and has a presumed record of 41-4 (41 wins [38 KOs], 4 loses)

-Arm Candy: A compassionate and beautiful former ring girl who overpowers her opponents using her experience as both a referee and arm wrestler at a small arm wrestling organization and her training from her late but legendary sister.

Candy is a 30 year old Argentine woman from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She stands at 5'11 or 180 cm and weighs 140 lbs or 64 kg (junior welterweight). She is the #3 contender of the women's world circuit and has a record of 52-3 (52 wins [50 KOs], 3 loses)

-Jaguar Fury: A stern yet relentless peleadora famous for having the tenacity of a honey badger, the loyalty of a wolf, and the aggression of a jaguar.

Jaguar is a 23 year old Colombian woman from Cartagena, Colombia. She stands at 6'1 or 185 cm and weighs 179 lbs or 81 kg (heavyweight). She is the #2 contender of the women's world circuit and has a record of 60-2-1 (60 wins [58 KOs], 2 loses, 1 draw)

-Princess Kassandra: A hopeful and fearless warrior princess aspiring to prove that anyone, regardless of gender or background, can have a warrior's heart.

Kassandra is a 34 year old Amazonian from Themiscyra. She stands at 7'2 or 218 cm and weighs 229 lbs or 104 kg (heavyweight). She is the #1 contender of the women's world circuit and has a record of 85-1 (85 wins [84 KOs], 1 loss)

-Iron Joan: A powerful and stoic successor to one of the greatest boxers in history with overwhelming strength, impressive strategy, and a protective heart.