Why would you ever wanna leave One Piece?
C’mon guys, seriously. I can’t think of ANY reason someone would want to walk away from wasting the best years of their life stranded on a pirate ship looking for a treasure that may or may not exist. Who wouldn’t want to spend their days and nights swabbing the decks for a stretchy teenage boy with an undiagnosed hyperactivity disorder? And WHO wouldn’t want to continually risk life and limb for the sake of “the journey” which has lasted a thousand episodes already and has no end in sight?
Why would you EVER leave?
Unfathomably, some of the Straw Hat Crew decided that enough was enough and that they would part ways with Monkey D. Luffy and his windmill-tilting quest to nowhere. It didn’t last long. Most of them came back. They always come back, don’t they? Even when this relationship is clearly so toxic, they always come back.
Nami
That’s right! One Piece Series Best Girl Nami decided to skedaddle in the beginning before the crew was even fully formed! It happened during the Baratie Arc. While Luffy was trying to convince Sanji to join his crew, Nami came across a wanted poster for the pirate Arlong and dipped without saying a word. After Luffy got Sanji onboard, the crew went after Nami, unwilling to let her go. Toxic. Nami returned to her hometown of Cocoyashi village in order to buy it back from Arlong for 100 million berries. After Arlong refused to make good on the deal, Luffy and friends showed up to help Nami pay the pirate back with interest. Using their fists.
Vivi
The runaway princess of Alabasta contracted the Straw Hats to return her safely to her kingdom in exchange for sweet, sweet cash. However, the crew soon grew attached to Vivi and her adorable pet duck Karoo. They swore her in as an official member, and even took down a big bad named Crocodile together! Her tenure with the Straw Hats was short lived, however, as she opted to stay in Alabasta. She told the crew that she hoped to meet them again in the future, which is also what you say during a bad second date, five minutes before slipping out the bathroom window. Take the hint, Luffy.
Chopper
Can you believe it? The Straw Hats even lost their adorable little deer/bear mascot! The little doctor was recruited to the crew after Nami was bitten by Keschia and contracted the deadly “Five-Day Illness.” Chopper saved her life and became an invaluable member of the team. But Chopper didn’t make the decision to leave on his own. He was forced to leave the crew on Long Ring Long Island during the Davy Back Fight with the Foxy Pirates. The Straw Hats lost the first round of the fight, which wasn’t really a traditional fight. It was a Donut Race. Luckily the crew were able to win Chopper back after Luffy and Zoro successfully competed in the Groggy Ring. Sure Chopper was only out of the crew for a few hours, but if the Straw Hats had lost, he would have been gone forever.
Related: The 10 Best One Piece Characters on Attack of the Fanboy
Usopp
Now THIS was an ugly breakup. Usopp decided to leave the crew during the Water Seven arc after the Going Merry was deemed unsuitable for sailing any further. Usopp was not willing to part with the beloved ship, and he instead left the crew. Like any breakup, there were underlying emotional reasons at play. Usopp didn’t feel particularly brave enough or strong enough to be a valued member of the crew, and so he left due to his insecurity. That and the fact that he challenged Luffy to a fight over the ship and lost. His departure was relatively short-lived, however. After the Enies Lobby arc, Usopp and Luffy made amends, and the crew’s sniper stayed with them permanently.
Nico Robin
This was an emotional trainwreck. Nico Robin joined the Straw Hats after Luffy saved her life. She stayed with the crew until after the events of the Water Seven arc, when she was found out by the CP-9 and coerced to turn herself in to help the World Government read the Poneglyphs. She initially refused, but agreed to leave after the CP-9 threatened to launch a Buster Call against the Straw Hats. What is a Buster Call? It’s a coordinated attack from the ENTIRE MARINE FORCE that is almost guaranteed to leave no survivors. It’s the closest thing in the One Piece universe there is to a nuclear option. Naturally, the Straw Hats wouldn’t have survived such an attack, so Nico took one for the team in order to save them. Her time away from the crew didn’t last, as the Straw Hats chased her all the way to Enies Lobby and brought her back.
Sanji
Perhaps the most emotional departure in the series, the ship’s cook Sanji left the crew after receiving an invitation to a wedding: His own. Sanji’s biological father Vinsmoke Judge decided to marry his son off to Charlotte Pudding, the daughter of the powerful pirate Big Mom. Sanji initially refused, but agreed after explosive cuffs were placed on his hands. He needs those hands to cook, after all. To make things worse, Sanji’s father also threatened the life of Zeff, the man Sanji considerers to be his real father. Luffy travels to Whole Cake Island to bring Sanji home, but is beaten bloody in a one-sided battle against Sanji. It’s a tearful affair. Sanji was only doing this to protect his crewmates and Zeff from Big Mom, as there would have been deadly consequences if he had left the island. However, it turns out that Big Mom never intended to align herself with the Vinsmoke family, and was going to use the wedding ceremony as an opportunity to eradicate them. Thankfully, Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats didn’t give up on Sanji, and were there to save the day. Now that is a positive relationship!
(featured image: Toei)
