Summary

• One Piece creator, Eiichiro Oda, dislikes romance in shonen manga, but surprise romances have emerged in the series.
• Unexpected romances include Zoro and Robin, Sanji and Pudding, Smoker and Hina, Sai and Baby 5, Rayleigh and Shakky, Sabo and Koala, Viola and Sanji, Doflamingo and Viola, Chopper and Milky, and Luffy and Hancock.
• While romance is not a central theme in One Piece, the rare romantic moments between characters have a significant impact on fans.

It's hard to really, officially ship anyone in One Piece, given its creator's own contempt for canon romances. According to One Piece mangaka Eiichiro Oda himself, romance doesn't belong in shonen manga. Other than the actual married couples who have given life to the characters, One Piece fans shouldn't expect any actual coupling in the series. Still, despite Oda's curmudgeonly stance toward love, more than a few have crept in.

Ironically, that disdain for romance has made some scenes and dynamics across the series all the more impactful and surprising. Because Oda doesn't entertain romantic themes, for the most part, the slightest romantic hints have become the center of a lot of fan attention. Official or not, there are plenty of romances across the story that Oda made sure that no One Piece fan would see coming.

10 Zoro X Robin

An unlikely yet compelling romance

When Nico Robin first debuted, no one thought that she'd actually become a Straw Hat. She was, after all, an ex-assassin who just hopped aboard the Going Merry after things fell through with Baroque Works. While Monkey D. Luffy was quick to accept the lady who once tried to blow up his crew, Roronoa Zoro was less welcoming. This initial skepticism is perhaps what makes a perspective romance between Robin and Zoro so compelling.

Given that they're two of the only Straw Hats with any sort of romantic tension, Zoro and Robin are a popular ship among fans of the series.

Zoro was immediately at odds with Robin and promised that her transition into the crew wouldn't be easy. Little did he know that he'd come to save her time and time again. While Sanji and Luffy have come to Robin's aid plenty of times, their last-minute saves never had the same romantic charge as the iconic scenes when Zoro saved her on Skypeia or fought for her against Kaku.

9 Sanji X Pudding

A classic enemies-to-lovers affair

Despite Sanji and Charlotte Pudding being put in an actual arranged marriage, few, both in universe and out, actually thought there was anything in the coupling. The lack of feelings between the Pudding and Sanji was seemingly confirmed when Pudding revealed her true intentions. In a grand plot to usurp the Vinsmoke Family, Sanji was just a pawn in the merciless hands of the Charlotte Family who was forced to go as far as to betray his crew.

Once Pudding started laughing at Sanji's desperate confessions of love, coming during arguably the hardest time of his life (not in a prison cell), the fans were quick to turn on her. And, just as quick, they turned back when Sanji, with a sincere look of love that only he could pull, changed the fickle girl's heart once again. Despite seeing the two meet under unfavorable circumstances, fans now just can't wait to see what could possibly become of a perspective romance between the two.

8 Smoker X Hina

A bickering yet endearing duo

Other than the fact that the two are Marines, there wasn't a lot to go on early on to actually get the fans shipping Smoker and Hina. Besides crossing paths on Alabasta, Smoker and Hina just appeared as two independent badasses metting justice on their own terms.

If it weren't for Zoro, some people might have actually shipped Smoker with Tashigi instead, and Hina would never be part of the equation. However, Oda really set fans' minds ablaze when he released a cover page of Smoker and Hina shopping together. What was once simply two hot-headed individuals has now become the bickering couple of the series. Though it might be a toxic type of relationship in real life, the bickering couple dynamic is quite popular with fans of shipping, meaning that Smoker and Hina went from nothing to a beloved potential romance with one cover.

7 Sai X Baby 5

A romance that bloomed on the battlefield

This one really came out of nowhere in the story, especially given how little build there was initially for either Sai or Baby 5. The two met on the battlefields of Dressrosa during the Straw Hats' altercation with Donquixote Doflamingo, and while both were initially enemies of the Straw Hats, Sai and the Happo Navy eventually turned to his side.

This would lead him to fight against Baby 5, but as per her gimmick, she quickly fell in love with him. Born into this world without love, Baby 5 has always been quick to seek romance, even in the middle of a battlefield. While most people would accept romance anywhere else but a battlefield, Sai oddly kept an open mind and would go on to save Baby 5 from the Donquixote Family and marry her into his own.

6 Rayleigh X Shakky

An unexpected yet confirmed couple

For those who don't keep up with supplementary materials or have seen competing translations of the series, Rayleigh and Shakky's relationship likely came as a shock. Though the two seem to be just close acquaintances when the Straw Hats meet them, Oda confirmed that the two are a couple, with some translations and interpretations out there claiming that the two are married.

There was initially some contention about Shakky and Rayligh's relationship as the Deep Blue Databook listed their relationship status as just friends.

However, there is a direct confirmation of the two's relationship in Volume 2 of One Piece's Vivre Card Databooks. While not exactly an exciting reveal, it's interesting to know just how close Rayleigh and Shakky truly are.

5 Sabo X Koala

Surprising chemistry in the Revolutionary Army

Long before the Dressrosa Arc, Sabo and Koala were simply seen as two different individuals whose paths would never actually cross in the story. Sabo was in a state of narrative hibernation after Luffy's backstory was revealed, and Koala's arc was seemingly done after the Sun Pirates brought her home.

Not only was it exciting to see her return as part of the Revolutionary Army, as well as Sabo not being dead, but fans were also ecstatic to see the two having a seemingly more-than-chummy relationship. While the pieces weren't there initially, seeing Sabo and Koala interact on page and screen just clicks well with One Piece fans.

4 Sanji X Viola

A passionate duo with similar fighting styles

While it shouldn't be a surprise that a notorious flirt like Sanji has multiple ships, the arrival of this relationship did seemingly come out of nowhere. While walking through the streets of Dressrosa, Sanji immediately bumps into a woman running away from trouble who kisses him to hide from her pursuers. This moment immediately rushes to Sanji's head, as well as the imaginations of the fans.

Despite this inevitably being a trap, Violet, aka Viola, seemed like the perfect match for Sanji. She's a beautiful, passionate woman whose main fighting style consists of kicking. In shonen stories, matching fighting styles means something deep. Despite this though, Viola has a potentially more interesting relationship that was strongly hinted at.

3 Doflamingo X Viola

A hinted affair that didn't make the cut

As long and detailed as One Piece might look, it's surprising to learn that there are still plenty of details that don't actually make the final cut of the story. One such detail is the tumultuous history between Viola and the Heavenly Demon himself, Donquixote Doflamingo. '

While Eiichiro Oda has given no solid details using the word "romance," he has hinted at an "adult" relationship between Doflamingo and Viola in the SBS for Volume 83. Unfortunately, Oda likely isn't allowed by his supervisors to share the specifics of this particular relationship. Still, knowing that the two hooked up is an interesting detail for fans of shipping One Piece characters, especially given the popularity of the enemies-to-lovers trope.

2 Chopper X Milky

Chopper finds the perfect partner on Zou

As the mascot for the franchise and one of the few anthropomorphic animals in the story, few fans of One Piece have ever actually shipped Tony Tony Chopper with anyone. However, Oda took a massive opportunity to amend this during the Zou Arc, when the Straw Hats landed on a kingdom filled with anthropomorphic animals.

While Luffy's half of the Straw Hats were on Dressrosa, Chopper's team was busy rescuing Zou in the aftermath of Jack's attack. During that time, a sultry reindeer aided him as his nurse, and with little ambiguity, Chopper seems to be taken by her. Given that Chopper is a reindeer doctor and Milky is a reindeer nurse, their relationship just makes sense on paper.

1 Luffy X Hancock

Luffy unwittingly charms the stone-hearted empress

It's weird to think that, at one point, no one was shipping Luffy with the empress of Amazon Lily. When Bartholomew Kuma first sent Luffy to the land of strong women, he was immediately at odds with the citizens, especially Boa Hancock.

Not only did she have an everlasting hate for all men, Luffy trespassed on her bath quarters and saw her greatest shame tattooed on her back. Spiteful, Hancock immediately tried to have him killed, setting people's bars really low for a potential romance. Despite this, it just took Luffy's ingenuity and kindness to not only sway her but even get Boa to fall in love with him.

One Piece isn't likely to turn into a romance manga anytime soon. While similar franchises like Naruto and even Dragon Ball haven't shied away from showing relationships develop over time, that's been much less true for One Piece. Still, that doesn't mean the world's most famous pirate manga/anime franchise doesn't have its share of romances. Love might not be the focus of One Piece, but that just makes the few hints at genuine romance there are stick with fans all the more.

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