By Rei Penber
Despite all the build up, Yamato ended up not joining the Straw Hat Pirates and here's why.
The Straw Hat Pirates are a powerful bunch that hail from the East Blue and are led by the protagonist of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy. Although the beginnings of this crew were certainly humble, they have now become one of the strongest forces on the seas of the One Piece world. Over the years, Luffy has recruited some of the most talented people, such as Zoro who aims to become the world's strongest swordsman, and others with similar ambitions.
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After the two-year time skip, the crew is more powerful than ever, and recently, they added Jinbe, one of the former Shichibukai, to their ranks. In the Wano country arc, the Straw Hats could potentially have added another member to the crew in Yamato, who calls himself Kaido's son. Initially all set on leaving Onigashima, Yamato decided to stay behind in Wano at the end of the arc. This decision, although abrupt on the surface, has several reasons for it.
Yamato's Decision
Being born as Kaido's child, it was a given that Yamato would endure a difficult life. However, when he started to idolize Kozuki Oden after witnessing the Hour of the Legends in the Flower Capital, Yamato's life became hellish. At merely 8 years of age, Yamato was chained by Kaido and prevented from leaving Onigashima. For 20 years, Yamato was forced to stay on the island despite him wanting to explore the world and live a life as free as Oden once did. His shackles kept him from not just making friends but also from saving those that he loved.
Ace, Yamato's only friend once, died in the Paramount War, and despite knowing that, Yamato could not aid him. Years later, however, Luffy finally arrived on Onigashima and freed him from his shackles. For the first time, he was free to follow his heart and set out to sea. Furthermore, Kaido's defeat meant that Yamato was now free to join the Straw Hat Pirates. In fact, Yamato openly declared that he would join Luffy on several occasions, however, in the end, he changed his mind. Yamato decided to stay back in Wano simply because Oden started his journey by going from region to region in Wano as well. Yamato still idolizes Oden and wants to follow in his footsteps. As such, he decided to explore Wano first and then set out to sea at a later time.
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The Strength Of The Crew
While Yamato wanting to explore Wano first was the main reason for him staying behind, there is certainly more as to why he couldn't join the crew just yet. For the Straw Hat Pirates, Oda has always maintained the Monster Trio, which includes Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, to be the strongest fighters. When Jinbe appeared to be stronger than both Zoro and Sanji, Oda had him wait to join the crew until the point where the two had already surpassed him arrived. In the war of Onigashima, it was quite clear that Yamato was stronger than both Zoro and Sanji. Yamato was revealed to be a master of advanced Conqueror's Haki and could even fight Kaido in a one-on-one battle for an extended period of time.
Furthermore, his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit gave him even more durability and stamina to fight dragged-out battles. Undoubtedly, Yamato would have been second to only Luffy in strength had he joined the crew after Wano. As such, the Monster Trio dynamic would certainly have been disturbed as well. To avoid that, Oda simply made Yamato wait just like Jinbe once did. It will take quite a while for Luffy's Wings to surpass Yamato, however, once they do, his chances of joining up with them would certainly increase.
What The Future Holds For Yamato
While Yamato did decide to stay back in Wano, that's not to say that he can never be a part of the Straw Hat Pirates ever. After all, Yamato did mention that he would set out to sea once he finishes journeying across all of Wano. At the same time, Luffy also told Yamato, Kin'emon, and Momonosuke that they are free to join him when they feel like they are ready to be pirates. Luffy warned them that his crew doesn't take weaklings and Yamato certainly isn't one. His relationship with the crew is absolutely incredible and once he journeys across the land, he could certainly join up with Luffy and the gang again.
For the time being, Yamato certainly will not appear in One Piece. The Straw Hats are likely to explore the rest of the New World first and then try to locate the last Road Poneglyph. After that, Yamato's chances of joining the Straw Hat Pirates certainly increase. This is because a war with the World Government will inevitably be fought and Wano will certainly be involved in it. This would be the perfect opportunity for Yamato to become the last crew member. At the same time, he would definitely want to join Luffy because at the end of Oden's journey was Laugh Tale. To tread the same path as Oden would mean to go to Laugh Tale as well and Yamato's only chance of doing that would be with Luffy. As such, it is almost a given that, in the future, Yamato will join up with the Straw Hat Pirates and become a member of the crew. For now, however, he is focusing on traveling across Wano.
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