Oh my God, you really gonna leave me on that cliffhanger and break my heart like that wtf?? Well this just set the tone for the rest of the story, clearly this isn’t going to be one of them stories where everyone gets the ending they deserve because what do you mean Ryo finally started living her own life and came to terms with everything and then her original dies?? No goodbye, never got to see each other again, Nao never got to see her family home.. I’m not ok right now man.
And if that depressing ass ending wasn’t enough, now you’re telling me Sunao wants to take Nao’s place at school.. so she just lost her good friend and now access to her boyfriend her original will be in danger and she just saw what happens when one dies.. oof. I’m depressed af
How Vivi could return to the StrawHats pre-TimeSkip
(AKA, my backstory for why she’s with the crew in my fics)
Like…we can bitch and moan about how we wished Vivi stuck around, but she had an honest good reason for needing to stay in Alabasta.
She’s a princess! And she cares so deeply for her kingdom! Plus, the StrawHats didn’t want the Marines to know that she’s affiliated with them and endanger Alabasta.
So, here’s an idea of how she could’ve rejoined the group.
This is by no means a fix-it thing. As I’ve said, Vivi leaving was for good reason. This is just a what-if thing and a bit of backstory for her being in my stories.
I’d say...a good place for a reunion to happen could be Water 7. In this scenario, it has been a month since the StrawHats left Alabasta and their arrival to Water 7. Vivi is at Water 7 for some diplomatic purposes for the most part.
She was also there in regards to a letter sent by a relative.
Let’s say...her uncle. King Cobra’s brother, Nefertari Adder.
This relative, Adder, is a traveler and would often send Vivi letters about his explorations over the years. His latest letter was sent from Water 7, detailing that he wanted to meet up with Vivi. Upon arriving at Water 7, Adder is nowhere to be seen. During a meeting with Iceberg, she asks him about the whereabouts of her uncle since the man is familiar with the traveler as he had visited Water 7 many times before. But, Iceberg didn’t have an answer.
Not long after arriving in Water 7, the StrawHats reunite with Vivi. It’s heartfelt...until Vivi sees Robin. The others explain to her what happened since they left and, despite her feelings towards Robin, trusts Luffy. It doesn’t stop her from feeling protective. She does tell them about her reasons for being in Water 7 and her uncle.
She doesn’t get involved in the Enies Lobby arc, but is made aware of what was happening and has helped during the Aqua Laguna incident. She stays behind in Water 7 with Iceberg, hoping that the others would be alright.
...Actually...while the StrawHats head for Enies Lobby, Vivi protects Iceberg from the remaining agents in Water 7 in disguise. The disguise consisted of a kasa hat decorated with beads and a veil covers her face...for any manga readers, this is referencing something in chapter 1182.
When the StrawHats do return with Robin, Vivi is overjoyed that everyone came back alive, including Robin.
Later, Iceberg tells Vivi the truth: he was sworn to secrecy by Adder until the matter with the agents in Water 7 was resolved and that Adder had to leave abruptly because of those agents.
Iceberg gives Vivi a letter left by Adder. The letter tells Vivi not to return to Alabasta for the time being and to lay low. Through a Den Den Mushi and through some careful wording, Vivi learns that something strange activity is happening in Alabasta and that her father wishes her to keep her distance for now for her own safety. Cobra assures her that they can handle this now that the civil war was over.
With all of this going on, Vivi’s entourage implored her to follow her heart, wanting what’s best for her. And knowing that she would want and should go with the StrawHats for now.
And...maybe her actions in Water 7 grants her a bounty (if so, how high would you say the bounty could be? Maybe...60-something million?), though the picture would contain her in her disguise and the name is either a name she gave herself for her disguise or an epithet the Marines granted her. Lady of Rain, Lady of the Lake...Lady Nile! Something water-related. Think Sogeking.
In the end, Vivi decides to go with the StrawHats, under the guise of her “Lady of the Lake/Lady Nile” persona as they leave Water 7.
When Vivi does unmask herself when they are in a safe distance, the others are understandably furious and concerned. What about her kingdom? What about her duties as princess?
Vivi reveals that she had brought the essential stuff she needed to continue with her duties remotely.
Some of the technology, including the Den Den Mushi, in OPLA feels more modern compared to the original source material and it makes sense. One Piece started in the late 90s and it’s technology reflected the decade’s technology. OPLA was in production at around the 2020s and while it still kept the bulky Den Den Mushi (which is commonly like a landline), there are some modern examples. I’ve said it before regarding Bleach, as it was written in early 2000s, but in the anime adaptation of the final arc, it showed tech of the 2020s. Technology Marches On or however that trope goes.
She also tells them about what is happening and about the situation with her uncle. Adder does give her a location of where he is currently hiding out, but it was in the form of a riddle.
So, she stays with the StrawHats this time around.
How the Rain God Reveal Connects Vivi, Shirahoshi and Dragon | Part 2: Vivi Is the Next Zaza, Harbinger of Rain and Restoration
[ part 1 | part 3 | part 4]
(SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 1182)
there are exactly 5 things that always come to mind whenever the topic of Vivi and rain comes up. and the crazy thing is, Chapter 1182 has pretty much recontextualized ALL of them into possible foreshadowing for Zaza.
this was supposed to be a single post but thanks to tumblr's image limit i ended up splitting it into two sections... hence the increasing post count 😅 anyways, here are the first ✨2 things✨ that prove Vivi has always had the makings of Rain God Zaza since the beginning, and what she, as a rain deity, might represent in the narrative.
[long analysis of Vivi-Zaza parallels under the cut!]
1) water and rain invocation motifs in Vivi's character design
let's start with the big guns y'all. i don't think i've ever seen this one being pointed out anywhere: what Oda's visual design for Vivi's Miss Wednesday persona and her Peacock Slashers might symbolize.
Episode 73 / Episode 106
you ever get so weirded out by Oda's choice to worldbuild Alabasta as an absurd orientalist fusion of India and Ancient Egypt that you tried investigating every possible reason why he'd do that outside of your run-of-the-mill japanese ignorance/misconception of non-East Asian cultures? ...well I DID. and though it didn't really make it any less weird, teenage-me actually found some possible explanations for why Alabasta arc had so many Indian cultural influences mixed in despite taking place in, you know, an obviously Ancient Egyptian setting.
one of my guesses is this: i think it's because Oda really wanted to pair Vivi with peacocks in some way. not because it's the national bird of India specifically, but because the bird has a unique symbolic meaning in Indian culture. peacock mating season often coincide with the beginning of monsoon in India, so the image of peacocks are strongly associated with rainy days — to the point that a peacock's call and a dancing peacock are popular narrative devices to signal the incoming rain or rainy season in Indian art, literature and poetry.
from “The Peacock Cult in Asia” in Asian Folklore Studies 33, no. 2 (1974)
now add that to Vivi's codename during her time in Baroque Works being Miss Wednesday — and the fact that the japanese word for wednesday is 水曜日 (suiyoubi), which prominently features the kanji 水 (sui or mizu) literally meaning "water."
it's so on the nose it's both hilarious and bittersweet. of course Vivi's fake identity for her desperate secret mission to save her drought-ridden country is a girl who's literally called "Miss Water Day" and walks around wearing clothes and swinging weapons dyed in the colors of peacocks; birds who famously rejoice during rainfall and rainy days, birds whose dance and chirping call are known to be a sign that rain is coming.
Chapter 103 / Episode 65 / Episode 66
in a way, Vivi's been literally wearing her prayers for her country on her sleeve since the first moment she stepped into the story.
prayers which was granted by the narrative at the end of her arc.
Chapter 210 / “The Peacock Cult in Asia” in Asian Folklore Studies 33, no. 2 (1974) / Chapter 210
this theme of praying for rain, for water, which Vivi never explicitly did in-text but had thoroughly embodied throughout Alabasta saga, has now made a comeback in the form of Zaza and the introduction of her "rain dance"
Chapter 1182
in Part 1, i've talked about how Zaza's appearance and her "rain dance" — the original japanese text being 雨乞い (amagoi, "rain invocation", lit. trans: "begging for rain") — are most likely inspired by the real-world amagoi dance. amagoi is a traditional japanese rainmaking ritual that priests & farmers partake in by performing a rain-praying dance during prolonged droughts.
isn't it funny that when Oda finally reveals more about this supposedly powerful rain god he's been keeping from us, the first thing we see is how she apparently has a signature dance and what it's called has nothing to do with the creation of rain at all, but instead is the literal act of praying for it to come back? the very thing that Vivi and her people wished for, and the reason why Vivi went out to sea and how she met the Strawhats in the first place?
and let's not forget that this is the dream demon-version of Rain God Zaza. Killingham is projecting a lot of his and the Celestial Dragons' bias about the rain god onto this apparition here. just because she's introduced to us readers as an active threat, doesn't mean Zaza's 'normal state' will also be a foe with malevolent intent toward our main cast and their allies. and isn't it funny how even that sounds kinda familiar too? a mysterious character with a water-themed name who shows up out of nowhere as an enemy, but most likely won't be one for long?
Chapter 103 / Chapter 1182
well idk about you, but in terms of motifs and meanings attached to their character designs, Vivi and Zaza's first appearances in the story read pretty damn similar to me.
2) agricultural deity motifs in Vivi's personal narrative
so let's say that the rain theme in both Vivi and Rain God Zaza's case is mostly symbolic. what do they have then, if dominion over rainfall is out of the question? what specific function does Zaza have that made her so important to the point of being venerated into a deity?
well, rain deities across cultures tend to be worshiped not because of reverence to the weather itself, but because of how societies depend on rainfall to sustain crops and nourishing waters. i've also mentioned in Part 1 that Rain God Zaza was likely a priestess-turned-minor god because her "rain dance" implied she's a figure capable of bringing the rain back to people and places that badly need it.
and this is implied in how Zaza entered the narrative: invoked by people who're suffering from a plague that infested inside their trees.
Chapter 287 / 291
so it wouldn't be a stretch to say that, instead of being a major god who controls the skies and the weather, Rain God Zaza is a minor god whose responsibility mainly concerns agriculture — a livelihood that is deeply connected to water cycles. an agricultural deity could be responsible for a variety of things, ranging from the protection of a region's rivers and greenery to saving lands ravaged by droughts
Chapter 161
...which Vivi basically embodied during the entirety of Alabasta saga.
in fact, Vivi has shown a lot of qualities and actions that align with narratives around rain gods who are also patron deities of agriculture. for one, she is keenly knowledgeable & familiar with all sorts of water bodies and their cycles that are necessary to sustain her land
Chapter 161
two, her most amicable bonds outside of her family are with farmers (hell, even her best friend Kohza is literally a farmer's son and is now Alabasta's Minister of Environment)
Chapter 163 / Chapter 164 / Chapter 638
and lastly, we've seen how people of the land (here represented with Toto) go to her with either hope or desperation, and how Vivi readily welcomes and answers them all without complaint.
Chapter 161
notice the visual staging of these panels. how Toto (an emaciated man in a dry oasis with nothing but a shovel in his search for water) is seated in a lower position with his head bowed, how Vivi's hand reaching out to him in comfort made him look up, and then we finally see Vivi through his eyes: brightly smiling down at him, kind and benevolent, as she reassures him that his prayers request is heard and will be granted. the patron deity symbolism doesn't get any heavier than this.
okay, but what's the point of showing Vivi doing all this and being perceived/treated by people around her like this, then? what's the end goal of making Vivi embody the motifs of a rain deity and patron god of agriculture if Luffy is the one who beat Crocodile and saved Alabasta anyway?
we need to remember that mythologies and polytheistic beliefs across cultures often prop up a variety of deities, some more "powerful" with bigger, flashier themes than the rest. but although the "minor" deities represent less-universal themes, they can be viewed as important as the "major" gods due to their proximity and significance to the society that revere them.
i think Zaza is supposed to be a minor god of this type, and Alabasta arc works as a great thematic showcase of how both Nika and Zaza, who are very different deities, are equally important within the in-universe mythology.
Liberation is Nika's domain. Zaza's domain is what comes after it.
Chapter 212 / 217
Restoration. the return of life, fertile earth and vegetation after rainfall touches the land. the work that comes next at the end of a drought.
Vivi in Alabasta fits thematically with everything a rain deity should be about. despite having no control over the rain, she is the one who first took up the near-impossible task of bringing it back (and taking down those who took it away). she is the one farmers go to for blessings and protection. she is the one who helps and watches over the land as it rebuilds itself to the flourishing state it once was.
this is the main reason why i think Rain God Zaza has to do with something beyond rainfall. because Vivi's character arc now reads like a prelude, an elaboration of what Zaza could be. and if Vivi is Zaza, then it's clear what Zaza and her rain are supposed to represent. to state my theory once again: i think Rain God Zaza is the symbol of restoration.
but! just like Nika, i think Zaza's in-universe lore contains multitudes which makes her dual-faceted as a deity. Zaza's rain isn't just about restoration. i'll discuss this other aspect of hers in the next post :)
Vivi sure looks tough here but Karoo is acting more curious than anything else. He’s probably looking for snacks.
It occurred to me for the first time that Vivi is only 16 and she’s been a bounty hunter for 2 years but has still managed to rise to the top 20 of Baroque Works. She must have thoroughly proved her loyalty to get that far that fast, which means she’s probably not just acting tough here. Even if she hasn’t killed anyone herself, she’s probably responsible for quite a few deaths by capturing bounties that the Marines eventually executed.
The more you think about this the more grim it gets. I wonder how Vivi remembers these years of her life.
