Highlights

Egghead Island arc reaches intense climax as allies join Straw Hats in epic battles on Fabriophase and Labophase.
Jewelry Bonney emerges as strong candidate for 10th Straw Hat Pirate, thanks to compelling backstory and dangerous situation.
Oda subtly confirms Bonney's future with Straw Hats as world government targets her, leaving Luffy as the protector of her life.

One Piece’s Egghead Island arc continues with great intensity, and it appears that the end of the arc is now very close. With the Giant Pirates having arrived on Egghead Island, the Straw Hats are receiving many powerful friends who will most certainly help them escape from the doomed island. That said, the amazing battles that are currently taking place on both the Fabriophase and the Labophase are incredibly amazing to look at.

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Luffy takes on both Saturn and Kizaru in One Piece.

The allies of the Straw Hat Pirates are currently taking part in these incredible battles, and, in the midst of all the action, it appears that Oda has now mentioned the 10th and the final member of the pirate crew. While not confirmed, Oda is subtly implying that this particular character is going to be next to join the crew. Of course, as many fans would have guessed, this individual who could end up joining the Straw Hats very soon now is none other than Jewelry Bonney.

The 10th and Final Straw Hat in One Piece

Right from when Luffy sat out on his journey to becoming the Pirate King, fans knew that there would be a total of 11 members of the Straw Hat Pirates. This is because Luffy mentioned having a total of 10 crewmates under him. When Luffy said out on his journey, right away, fans knew that Luffy had a specific number in his head that he wanted for his crewmates, and this number was always likely to be reflected properly at the end of the series as well. As expected, that is exactly what happened and, at the moment in One Piece, fans know Luffy has gathered a total of nine pirates under him. The 10th and the final Straw Hat still remains, and of course, there are plenty of candidates for this position, including the likes of Yamato, Momonosuke, Kin'emon, and of course, Bonney herself as well.

There are also other individuals who could have ended up joining the Straw Hat Pirates and become the 10th member. These include Vivi, who fans know to be an honorary Straw Hat who might yet return to the group once again, or other individuals that fans have seen over the years. In fact, there might even be some character that the fans haven't even been introduced to that could end up having a very strong chance of becoming the 10th member of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, narratively speaking, there is no One Piece character who deserves to be a part of the Straw Hat Pirates more than Jewelry Bonney.

Jewelry Bonney – The 10th Straw Hat Pirate

Jewelry Bonney endured quite a difficult start to her life. Having been suffering from the Sapphire Scale Disease from a very young age, Bonney's childhood was absolutely horrific. She could not even set foot in the sun, and, to make things worse, her dad had to endure quite a lot for her to be cured. Bonney eventually set out on a journey to becoming a pirate after she was cured, in order to search around for her father, and she did so when she was still a child. Bonney set out on the journey to becoming a pirate at the very young age of 10, which is impressive, however, heartbreaking at the same time. No child deserves to be forced to become a pirate at such a young age, and it is only through unfortunate circumstances that one would even consider that.

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Vegapunk's announcment will shake the One Piece world.

Of course, that was the case with Bonney as she went out on the journey to finally save her father and, of course, eventually, turning him back into what he was once known to be. Currently, Bonney is 12 years of age, and her mission of saving her father has finally wrapped up. On the island of Egghead, Bonney finally met Vegapunk, who explained the truth of the entire situation to her. Bonney now knows everything about her father, and to make things even better, her father, Kuma, actually ended up showing up on Egghead and saving her life. That said, Bonney's life is still not peaceful enough for her to simply go back to being the child that she should have been. Her entire life is going to be in danger from her onwards, and that itself is a massive reason why she must become a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.

How Oda Confirmed Bonney As A Shipmate Of The Straw Hats

One Piece Episode 1093 Release Date Bonney

In One Piece chapter 1108, Oda finally confirmed that Bonney must travel with the Straw Hat Pirates, no matter what. It's quite clear to see that Bonney is quite high on the hit list of the World Government at the moment. This is simply down to the fact that she has control of all the Pacifista units in the entire world. Vegapunk was the man responsible for this, as he made sure that all the Pacifista units who have the face of Bartholomew Kuma fall under her command. Vegapunk did not want an unfortunate situation where Bonney would be faced up against her own father in the form of a Pacifista, and be killed by him. To avoid that, he made Bonney the highest authority of the Pacifistas, even higher than that of the Five Elders. That in itself is reason enough for the World Government to seek out and kill Jewelry Bonney. In fact, in One Piece chapter 1108, it was clear that the Vice Admirals had decided to go and hunt down Bonney for this very reason.

Later down the line, Vegapunk, who appeared to have been taking his last few breaths, also confirmed to Luffy that Bonney's life is in danger and this is down to the fact that she is in charge of the Pacifistas. The World Government will hunt her down relentlessly, and she has nowhere left to go. Vegapunk entrusted Bonney to none other than Luffy, and it is now his responsibility to take care of her and keep her safe from harm's way. This all but confirms that Jewelry Bonney will be traveling with the Straw Hat Pirates and that she will be under the protection of Luffy himself.

Of course, Oda did not officially showcase Bonney stepping foot on the Sunny as the 10th member of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, it is something that has been foreshadowed in the series quite a lot now, and the basis for it has now been established very well. Oda simply needs the Straw Hat Pirates to regroup and the Sunny to sail away from Egghead in order for this to be officially confirmed. Out of the many people who could end up joining the Straw Hat Pirates, it appears that Bonney, at the moment, is the strongest candidate. Taking everything into consideration, such as her powers, which are greatly inspired by Luffy, her sad past, and of course, her future potential as an incredible character, Bonney is perfect in every way for the Straw Hats and, hopefully, she will end up joining this amazing crew sooner rather than later.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1108, is set to be February 25, 2024.