Things I already have seen: some fanfics, some headcanons, most of Trafalgar Law’s backstory, the Episode of East Blue OVA

Please block the tag “#ninth reads op” if you aren’t interested in reading this stuff!

Chapters 1-99 (give or take some of the Syrup Island arc that was covered in the OVA)

Ok, so first, I really do like Luffy as a protagonist, but he's a tricky kind of character to write--he's not very smart, but he's not a complete idiot, and he understands more than he lets on a lot of the time. You can see Oda getting the hang of him over the course of the first few chapters.

He's more aggressive at the start of the manga than he is later on, for example, and the unpredictability isn't as much of a core character trait at first.

Also I am in love with Nami as a character. Like, I just love this selfish, unabashedly scheming girl and I support her endeavors.

On the other hand, I have no idea how the heck Luffy gets so much flack for being less-than-intelligent when Zoro is right there. I think it's because there's this impression that Zoro knows things he's just willfully disregarding them. But in my mind that's more stupid not less. Anyhow, the boy literally cut himself in the side to make a fight "more fair" because he thought his opponent might appreciate it. The opponent never even directly said the fight was unfair. Why is he like this. I can't believe Zoro is still alive but I've seen him in recent cover art so somehow Oda made it happen

I continue to like Sanji's backstory and reasons for being a cook and wanting to sail with Luffy while also hating every interaction he has with a woman, which I understand is typical. @hawk-in-a-tree also pointed out that (apart from the sexism) he’s a character type that I enjoy, so, like, I’ve been called out in that way.

Also I do appreciate the current Nami-Sanji-Usopp dynamic, in which Nami shamelessly takes advantage of Sanji while Usopp gets mad about it and Sanji tells him off. It's a nice recurring gag.

I like Smoker and I am both thrilled and dismayed by the fact that Tashigi is the one who looks like Kuina! I can't believe the fandom is so caught up in Zoro/Sanji that they're missing out on that good good enemyshipping.  That said, I like her so far but she seems to be pretty morally absolutist, and she hasn't had a chance to react onscreen to realizing who Zoro is yet, so I have a feeling I'm not gonna enjoy that.

I think I'd heard of Buggy the Clown vaguely before this...I think at some point he ends up in jail, and then the marines let him escape...maybe that's after Impel Down??? And I remember thinking that a villain named Buggy the Clown who people actually take seriously has to be pretty frickin' scary.  That was correct holy frick the Chop Chop Fruit is OP. The only reason Luffy won that fight is because Buggy had 0 idea that Luffy also had a Devil Fruit.