[center][h3]Setting Notes[/h3][/center]
[b][indent]What about Roger? Regarding Canon:[/indent][/b]This RP was designed to truly have [i]no canonical characters[/i], including Gold Roger and Vegapunk, who are rather important in having shaped the world as we know it in One Piece. As a result, no one has ever made it to the true final island, and the 'One Piece' isn’t really known by name, its existence even more questionable than in the canon before the Paramount War. The term ‘King of the Pirates’ does exist, but it is a term without a holder, known not because of who held it, but because of who didn’t. Avalon “The Devil” Duskar denied the title, and none have surpassed his deeds. It still carries much of the same weight, but even more so it carries the connotation of chasing myths or ghosts, as some believe Avalon found nothing at the edge of the sea, attacking the Government out of bitterness. And the idea of surpassing Avalon is laughable to most.

The Government still has its Special Science Group (SSG), but without the brilliant mind of Vegapunk, the tech of the world is on a lesser scale. There might be objects that have eaten Devil Fruits, seastone coated Marine vessels, and the rare Water 7 Franky level cyborg, but there wouldn’t be higher level Pacifista-tier cyborgs, knowledge of bloodline elements, clones, artificial Devil Fruits, or the like. At least, not yet, as advancements could be made at any time!

Locations are another story: Reverse Mountain, Marie Geoise, Sabaody Archipelago, and Fishman Island can still exist with no issue, even if their exact state might end up as being different to the canon. You’re welcome to use other canon islands as well, but some locations lose their meaning without canon characters. Loguetown is no longer famous for being the site of Roger’s birth and death, Fishman Island would have a different ruling family (and perhaps even a different social climate entirely), and Punk Hazard might not be the site of SSG experimentation or an environment changing battle. As a general rule, if you’re going to use something from canon, it should be to iterate or expand on it rather than simply using it because you feel like it. Otherwise, it’s best to go original!

[b][indent]Common Terminology:[/indent][/b]There have been various translations of certain terms in One Piece over the years. While I’m perfectly fine with multiple translations, for the sake of the RP we should all be on the same page. Here’s a list that will be added to as I can think of them, plus some notes explaining my choices if I feel the need to.

The Devil’s Seas (as opposed to the New World. The actual location is the same though: the second half of the Grand Line after Fishman Island)
Warlord of the Sea/The Seven Warlords
Pirate Emperor/Four Emperors (there may not be four in the RP yet, I’m undecided)
World Noble/Heavenly Dragon, Heavenly Tribute (typical it’s ‘Celestial Dragon’, but this term wasn’t used for the Heavenly Tribute, when I think they need to be the same due to their connection, and I just prefer Heavenly Dragon to Celestial Tribute when it comes to having to change one for consistency)
The Five Elder Stars (‘Planets’ might be more accurate a translation with context in mind, but ‘Stars’ gives me a more flexible naming theme to work with distinct from the canon)
Marines (Navy is acceptable as slang, but it’s not how they officially refer to themselves)
Reverie (Levely is nice in its own way, but ‘reverie’ can be defined as both a daydream, and something fantastic or even impractical, which seems rather fitting for the faulty union that is the World Government)
Beri/beris (currency, as opposed to beli)
Paramythia (I’ve always said Paramecia, but I think the usage of the word ‘myth’ has particular meaning in regards to Devil Fruits, so I’m trying to change that habit)
Foam-Foam Fruit (Kalifa’s Fruit has been renamed because I have another Fruit planned for an NPC that can only be called the Bubble-Bubble Fruit) If you’re in a similar spot, we can work together to come up with another name for either your Fruit or the canon one with the name you want to appropriate.
Sea Prism Stone (Seastone as a the shortened version)
Den Den Mushi
Poneglyphs, Real Poneglyphs, and Road Poneglyphs
Color of the Conqueror Haki
Color of Armament Haki
Color of Observation Haki
Voice of All Things
Six Powers: Moonwalk, Iron Body, Tempest Kick, Shave, Finger Pistol, and Paper Art
Sea Kings

Devil Fruits will use official names unless you really prefer a different one. Format regardless will be Name-Name Fruit, Blank Model (if applicable), in English.

[b][indent]Common Knowledge of the World:[/indent][/b]While most of One Piece is spent following Luffy, a man who, legendarily, doesn’t give a single fuck, many other characters have been shown to know things about the world and other characters in it that are common knowledge, even if it took hundreds of chapters for these details to be shared with the audience. Some things we still don’t know! So with this section, I want to explain a few of these common knowledge points unique to this take on the world.

Regarding the Blue Seas and the Grand Line, the Grand Line retains its reputation to Blue sea dwellers, but as touched on in canon, much of this is misattributed. The Devil’s Seas is where true danger lies, where Paradise has some chaotic weather and odd nature, but is rather tame in comparison. It’s also worth noting that while Luffy’s journey through the East Blue had him encountering relatively low level foes compared to himself and the Grand Line, this isn’t standard in the other Blues. The East is the weakest of seas, but in general, the Blue seas are vast, and we have seen and known numerous strong pirates to sail within them. Doflamingo didn’t leave the North Blue until after Law left his crew, and was being chased by Vice Admiral Tsuru in the flashback. Germa 66 is powerful, but still couldn’t rule the North Blue for much more than two months. While Don Chinjao adventured in the Grand Line, he and his son Sai regularly sailed the West Blue as the Happo Navy of the Kano Country. We also see a number of minor crews that are able to exist on the New World, though they often end up absorbed by Emperors. Weak and strong sailors exist on all seas, just in varying frequency.

There are still Five Elder Stars: Saint Carina Jorgenson, Saint Maduro Pardalis, Saint Kalifate Horologium, Saint Paga Monoceros, and Saint Voltaire Tuscan. The Empty Throne still exists, but if there’s someone to sit in it, well, even in canon that is closely guarded information.

The Admirals, Emperors, Four Winds (Vice-Admirals in charge of the Blues), and Warlords would be commonly known, but I don’t want to lock all of them in at this point, as I want to consider them based on the world that starts to be built as the players engage with it, rather than how I envision it now. The current exceptions are Fleet Admiral Malay (formerly Admiral Kinryu), current Admiral Toumeinezumi (also known as Filippe), and “Vulture” John Wesley, Captain of the Scrapyard Pirates and Warlord of the Sea. The Four Winds are based on the four cardinal beasts, and have titles as such: Seiryu the Blue Wind, Genbu the Black Wind, Byakko the White Wind, and Suzaku the Vermilion Wind. Like the Admirals, they have real names as well, though only Seiryu’s is known (Vice-Admiral Cholkin).

As for Avalon “The Devil” Duskar, he is the most infamous pirate in history. His crew, the Abyssal Call, single-handedly reigned over the second half of the Grand Line for years, that stretch of ocean still bearing his namesake. From his flagship Babylon, he had a number of fearsome subordinates, foremost among them being Benjamin “Belze” Morningstar. At his call, kingdoms were overturned and countless Marine lives sent to the sea. And yet, many still hold a respect for him, even if it is borne of fear, parents warning their children that if they don’t behave, the Devil will rule over their nightmares as well. His crew was the first to reach Lodestar Island, but from what the crew shared at various port towns, there was no great treasure there, just a continuation of the path, simply in another direction. None of the pirates ever elaborated, as Avalon demanded the curious should seek the answers themselves, by any means. That in itself drew many ears and eyes, mouths full of speculation and words of derision claiming lies, but it was what happened next that made the world all the more curious about what he may have found.

In the battle of Marie Geoise, Avalon took his demands straight to the throat of the world. None have even been able to guess as to what he might have been asking about, the key likely being hidden away at Lodestar Island, the Government refusing to answer, only drawing more attention to the possibility of what was being hidden. Avalon was ultimately held back by the combined efforts of both the Marines and the Scrapyard Pirates, a rival pirate crew recruited out of desperation by the World Government, it's captain “Vulture” John Wesley becoming the first Warlord of the Sea in exchange for his aid. After the devastating battle, the Abyssal Call would disband. The World Government claims Avalon is dead, but it’s well known that he didn’t fall at Marie Geoise. His crew, meanwhile, vanished to history, leaving only a bizarre mystery: what would drive a man to shake the very foundations of the world like that? Many pirates have aimed to seek it, but no reputable claims of reaching Lodestar have been verified.

To make matters worse, a cult group known as the Devil’s Legion has stirred up, instigating acts of terror in an attempt to get the Government to loosen their lips, to no avail. Their group is home to some of the most infamous criminals in modern history, such as Hargeon “The Reaper”,  De’Gran “Child Heart” Hel, and “High Priest” Phasebee. Any connection to the former Abyssal Call pirates has yet to be confirmed.

[b][indent]Notable NPCs:[/indent][/b]Some characters in the world I’ll be reserving for myself due to rank or importance. If you want to involve your character in some way with them, IC or through backstory then we’ll need to communicate, and I’ll gladly discard my ideas if you have something interesting in mind. That said, I will probably still hold some level of control or jurisdiction even if there’s connection to another character. Maybe it’s important that your character has a connection to a Warlord, and as a result, one of them becomes partly created/designed/planned by you. I will likely still control them for the most part, and if you leave the game it’s up to me whether I keep them or change them, which will also depend on what’s happened by that point IC.

The Pirate Emperors
The Seven Warlords
The Five Elder Stars
The Four Winds
The Three Admirals (and any higher ranking Marines or Government officials, including Fleet Admiral, Commander-in-Chief, etc)
The Abyssal Call
The Grime King
The Witch of Webs
The Tianyan Empire
The Devil’s Legion
Any major title holder like ‘strongest swordsman’ or ‘strongest man’. You can help me create them if they are important to your character (Like Mihawk is to Zoro), but I’d rather not have titles like that thrown around carelessly.
Any character with significant political power, like the Heavenly Dragons.
SSG (Special Science Group)

So, if you want your character to be involved with one of these guys (past or future), you’re welcome to open up a conversation with me! I want at least some control over this area for a couple reasons. One is setting consistency: in the worst case scenario, if players were free to develop these NPCs as they pleased, there could be the occasional weird inconsistency, as even a casual drop of information could lead to implications that might not work with the rest of the game. In particular, at the moment we have the Admirals, the shape of which from now in the RP to 15 years ago already has some development behind the scenes with more than one player. By having me oversee things, I can keep everything in line while also allowing multiple people to contribute ideas to what ends up being the same character. My hope is to be able to improve the ability for these characters to be involved in the arcs of multiple PCs as needed. But how exactly will that be facilitated?

My current system is simple: a player sends me requests of what they feel they need for their character, and I will work those requests into a character to the best of my ability, working with the player as I need until a satisfactory result is reached. To give an example of how I envision the system, I’ll frame the canon as though it were an RP, with three players (Vivi’s, Zoro’s and Nami’s) all discussing one of the Seven Warlords with the GM.

Vivi’s player didn’t ask for very much. The leader of the crime group hounding her country needed someone who can hide in plain sight as a hero despite shady dealings, and the idea of a Warlord fit the bill nicely. So Vivi’s player asks the GM for an antagonist, sharing their ideas for Baroque Works and Alabasta. The GM builds off of these ideas to create Crocodile, working ‘trust’ into his backstory to build off the ideas present between Vivi/the Straw Hats and their enemies in Baroque Works, while also themeing him as fitting to the hero of a desert country: a ‘Crocodile’ master of the sands, subtly controlling the desert figuratively and literally against Alabasta, possessing a hidden scorpion stinger as he works against the country from the shadows. Alternatively, they might have suggested some things of their own, like the Sand-Sand Fruit, to which the GM just said ‘sure’, as there was no reason not to use such a fitting idea. This would be an example where the player had less input, the GM happening to come up with most of the character to respond to the player’s request.

Zoro’s player, however, had a pretty clear vision in mind with the character, giving a much more detailed request. They might have given a list of wants, something like: “I want him to be the strongest swordsman in the world. Since Zoro’s arc involves learning respect for the sword, he should represent the epitome of this in some way. Zoro is already called 'Pirate Hunter', so maybe they could contrast that by having been the 'Naval Hunter'. He’s going to beat Zoro easily, so he should have a clear way to show that he’s not even really trying. Also, remember that ‘Monsters’ 1x1 we did? I was thinking of referencing it later, so maybe work in something from that somehow, there was that one antagonist [url=https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Cyrano]Cyrano[/url] I remember.” With all that, the GM eventually came up with Mihawk! They probably also would have included some things to factor into other PCs, Mihawk’s connection to Shanks giving him some ways to bounce off of Luffy later.

What I feel is important about this example is that, while the player got what they wanted, they were sure to make suggestions and requests with an explanation of [i]why[/i] they wanted in it mind, every suggestion holding a purpose to it that strengthens Zoro’s story. I’ll take any suggestions I get into consideration, and they don’t have to be the most meaningful or thought out for me to use them, but the bigger reason they have to be needed, the more weight I’ll give them when including them in the character.

Lastly, Nami’s player would be the most involved in Jinbei’s creation. Having already come up with a lot of ideas for fishfolk and Fishman Island, Jinbei was designed largely by them with the intent of being played as a future PC. Since it happens much later in the story, the GM allowed this, working with them to get a good picture of Fishman Island and the fishfolk, using the ideas of the player while also working their own vision into it and layering it into the overall setting (such as through the royal family and Noah). This example would be harder to wrangle from my shoes, since later plans, while great to work towards, can also be restricting in their own way. I don’t just want to say ‘no’ of course, but I also don’t want to have 6 of the 7 Warlords reserved for players who might not even be around by the time we get to that point in the game. I’m sure it’s an unlikely fear, and I’ll still consider any ideas, I just don’t want to set anything like that in stone at this point. I am very excited to develop NPCs as they’re needed for the game, and have already enjoyed what we’ve done/are doing on the ones being worked on thus far!

[b][indent]Setting Bounties:[/indent][/b]As a general reminder, bounties are not exactly a threat or power level, but instead represent how dangerous the character is to the World Government, as perceived by the World Government. While you are welcome to set a bounty yourself for an NPC you’re writing, you’re also welcome to ask me to judge if it’s appropriate or not. I don’t foresee problems, but worst case scenario, I might ask you to tweak a bounty if I feel it’s unfitting. I will also be assigning bounties to PCs based on IC actions (though I’ll work with players to decide titles)!

As an example, I’m going to share the bounties of some of the NPCs mentioned in the thread so far, with an explanation as to why they have the bounty.

The Witch of Webs currently has a bounty of 188 million beri. Her exact fighting strength is unknown, but she has the potential to endanger an unprepared kingdom or Government island, having pulled three kingdoms and a handful of Marines and pirates into an alliance through as of yet unknown means. Any agents that might act against her take a risk of being drawn into her fold. Her alliance is also not particularly violent or dangerous to the average person.

Comparatively, the Grime King’s bounty of 233 million beri is due to his flagrant anti-Government agenda. If all the forces of Pol Stictid were under his command his bounty would be significantly higher, but they are independent agents using the island as a base of operations through the protections offered. Even so, prior attempts to dislodge him have failed, and numerous Government men have met their end on his behalf.

Meanwhile, no one in the Tianyan Empire has a bounty! They only target lawless lands and occasionally other kingdoms. As long as they pay their Heavenly Tribute, and don’t target Government men or institutions, anything goes.

Lastly, Avalon’s bounty is 6,660 million beri, noticeable higher than any canon character we’ve seen the bounties of thus far, possibly even beyond the most wanted man Dragon. Part of the reason is that I couldn’t resist the number play, but also it’s because no one in canon (Roger, Whitebeard, or Dragon), despite the strength of their forces, has ever led such an attack on the Government. Even the Revolutionary involvement in the Reverie or Whitebeard’s battle on Marineford weren’t as destructive. That said, while his bounty might be higher, at the end of the day, he never surpassed Roger as a pirate, so while he’s more dangerous in the eyes of the law, in a one on one battle I doubt he could come out on top unless he had a number of elements working in his favor, even against other Emperors like Big Mom or Kaidou. But they don’t exist in this world, leaving Avalon as the pinnacle...for now.
[hr][center][h3]Building Your Character[/h3][/center]
[b][indent]Character Sheet:[/indent][/b]Located in the hider below, when you’re [b]finished[/b], post it in the OOC thread publicly for review. You have the Discord and PMs if you need to communicate with me or another player (such as a pirate captain) regarding your sheet. When accepted, you may post it in the Character tab. I’d prefer if you use a hider when posting it in the OOC, but there’s no need for one when posted in the Character tab, as the first post will be a directory to all characters, plus a list of taken Devil Fruit.

[hider=Character Sheet]This is the base requirements for your sheet. Feel free to alter the formatting based on your preferences, but it should still contain all these sections as needed. I don’t want to see sheets blatantly copied from other games, as much of the information they contain I feel is irrelevant.

Also, if you want to use a particular [COLOR=228B22]text color[/COLOR], be sure to use it with your sheet so it can be noted in the character directory.

[b]Name:[/b]

[b]Character Description:[/b] This is not meant to be appearance, but rather a general overview or picture of your character. Think of it like a summary, or a blurb that might be used in promotional material. It can be a paragraph or multiple, but regardless of length, it should be a solid and interesting description of your character. You can mention elements of their appearance, personality, backstory, etc: whatever you think gets across what is unique, interesting, and core about your character. Remember that elements that are just going to go away shortly in the IC are not ‘core’. Zoro is not a bounty hunter at his core because he started the series as one.

[b]Character Goals:[/b] As mentioned before, this section is less about the character itself and more about your goals in writing them. What do you find interesting about them? Do they connect to you personally? Do you intend to take a certain stance or outlook on the world of One Piece through this character? Where might their story take them? What kind of other characters might work well with them? This section is one of the most important on the sheet, as it will give me an idea of what you have in mind for the RP. Your story IC will be considered in relation to the Goals. While they can change, I won’t really be happy with blatant contradiction of the Goals without explanation, since I’ll feel lied to.

[b]Organization:[/b] Are they a pirate or freelance? Are they allied with a kingdom? The Marines? Or are they a citizen of a particular island? Are they alone in the world? If you plan to join another character’s crew, you should [b]communicate with the player[/b] first. Putting another player’s crew on here without notifying them will make me very apprehensive about your joining the game due to the flagrant lack of desire or ability to communicate.
[b]Occupation/Position:[/b] If the character is part of an organization, then this will be their rank or position, be it Marine Commodore, pirate captain, princess of a nation, etc. It can also include profession, if applicable. A journalist would be part of some news organization like the World Economic Journal, while their occupation would likely be ‘field journalist’. If multiple apply then they should all be listed. A Marine doctor would have both rank and profession listed.
[b]Starting Sea:[/b] East, North, West, or South? Grand Line will be allowed for new characters after it’s reached by players.

[b]Relations:[/b] Use this section to list relevant NPCs (such as minor crewmate gathered, backstory characters, antagonists, etc), and player characters your PC joins up with. This section is optional, but helpful for others if you add to it as the RP goes.

[b]Devil Fruit/Special Abilities:[/b] If applicable. If you want a Devil Fruit, then you should name it and explain its general powers of the Fruit. If it’s a canon (or anime original) Fruit, you should include a link to its One Piece wikia page, and an added description of what you plan on expanding on or iterating on with the Fruit, why you think it’s a fit for your character, or otherwise selling me on allowing it. Is it symbolic? Do you have interesting ideas regarding its growth and development? The more notable or special the Fruit is (canon or otherwise), the better your reasoning will have to be.

This is also where you note any rare and exceptional capabilities, such as if your character is a cyborg (and what they can do as one), or if they have traits or abilities atypical of their race, such as Jinbei’s ability to converse with whale sharks despite being a fishman, or Pappag’s ability to speak despite being a starfish.

[b]Secrets:[/b] This part isn’t included on the sheet as posted publicly. This section is for any information that you might want to surprise other players with, but is important enough that you think I should know about it. If you apply with secrets, then they should be DMed to me. Examples would be Sanji’s lineage as a Vinsmoke, or Law’s hidden D. initial. That said, most characters shouldn’t have a secret big enough to share: a general tragic backstory doesn’t have to be listed on the sheet or DMed to me, it can just be revealed IC when the time is right.

[b]Sample Post:[/b] Show me what you’ve got! All you need to do is write an example post with your character. It can be a ‘post 0’, establishing them before their adventure begins, or a non-canonical scenario meant to highlight what makes them, well, them. It should be a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs, as required. You’re also welcome to use your sample post as your first IC post.

[b]Post Directory:[/b] As you post, please link any posts you make IC here. This will allow anyone who wants to follow your exploits better ability to follow along, plus make it easier for me to reference things as needed. It’s also helpful to divide them by story arc.[/hider]

[b][indent]Names and Name Order:[/indent][/b] One Piece has consistently used an eastern name order (Surname Given-Name) to refer to its characters. This is especially jarring in the case of Whitebeard and Big Mom, who’s full names might read like western names, but in use the would be given name is actually a family name (Edward Newgate/Weevil, Charlotte Family). For the purposes of the RP, some players have elected to use western name order. I’m perfectly fine with this! Just like the real world, in that we have different cultures who do things different ways, and all the messy confusion that might come with it. At the very least, try to refer to characters by their given names, or state which order you’re using somewhere. I plan on using either for different character with different purposes, and I even have one in mind with an Edward/Charlotte esq ‘surname that English speakers know as a given name’ just to fuck with you~

[b][indent]Handling Season and Time:[/indent][/b]I love me some verisimilitude, but it’s easy to forget that One Piece has largely sidestepped the issue of setting a date through the Grand Line’s varying seasons by island. There’s a cool detail from Syrup Village to Water 7 or so where the moon’s phase visibly changes, but that’s really it, it’s quite vague otherwise.

While time inevitably passes for all, I can’t get so hung up over it so as to flip my lid if it’s winter in both the South and North Blues when two characters get the same newspaper. If I have to decide, I’ll say the RP starts in the month of May, 1650 AoS. It’s Spring in the North and East Blues, but Autumn in the West and South. If it’s a detail you care to account for, keep it vague, or coordinate with player’s whose characters you plan on interacting with.

[b][indent]Power Restrictions:[/indent][/b]Since there’s a heavy narrative focus compared to games I’ve run or been a part of in the past, I’ve tended to restrict or even ban certain kinds of powers for balance reasons. Logia type Devil Fruits are commonly difficult to stop without specific means, for example. But in this RP, most of the fights player characters get in will be against foes created and written by themselves, and even PvP or in battles with GM NPCs, there will be a focus on storytelling through combat rather than combat for combat’s sake, so the burden of keeping fights dynamic and interesting will be on you!

When thinking of powers you want to use, one way to help is to think of powers is in terms of ‘hero powers’ and ‘villain powers’. What I mean by that is that hero powers tend to be simple but versatile, where villain powers are often more complex, but with an exploitable weakness. Luffy’s Gum-Gum Fruit is very simple and versatile, with understandable strengths and weaknesses, plus some added complexities later on after it’s well established. Jotaro’s Star Platinum in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is known for his strength, precision, and speed. Gon from Hunter x Hunter has a strong foundation in Nen and a signature attack based on Rock Paper Scissors, a children’s game anyone would know. In comparison, Giolla’s Art-Art Fruit can functionally paralyze opponents and ruin objects in a visually unique way that doesn’t have much variety in regards to combat. Alessi’s Sethan (from JJBA) can reduce the age of his foes if they step on his shadow. Cheetu from HxH traps his foes in a room with him that they can only escape from if they catch him in a game of tag. Writing multiple fights with these powers would gradually demand intense amounts of creativity if they are going to be varied, interesting, and compelling rather than repetitive.

When thinking of your power, is it more like a hero power? Or a villain power? Pick strong powers at your own risk! If you give your character the Sand-Sand Fruit, all of your foes will need Haki, seastone, or have to figure out the water weakness to meaningfully challenge your character, unless you can think of other ways, such as personal challenges. If you can’t think of more than half a dozen potential narratively interesting power sets to set your character against, you might want to rethink their powers.

For other abilities, Haki occurs less commonly than Devil Fruits in most parts of the world, so I would suggest steering away from it initially. Observation in particular runs the same risks of repetition as Logia type fruits in fights where only one character has it. For the sake of the RP, I’m considering the ability to hear the ‘Voice of All Things’ as a subset of Observation Haki, not unlike Conqueror's in that it only occurs based more on temperament or mindset.

Color of the Conqueror Haki only occurs in characters with the ‘disposition of the king’. All characters we’ve seen use it are either ambitious, seeking out a lofty goal, and/or if they possess a title befitting royalty like Queen (Hancock), Emperor (Shanks), or Dark King (Rayleigh). It won’t come up until later, like Haki in general, but it’s worth noting down, as if you want for your character to develop it, it should be fitting to the character.

Devil Fruit Awakening is a capability for much later in the game. Described as ‘your mind and body catching up to your powers’, it’s the pinnacle of development for any Fruit power.

And, while I don’t really want to restrict Devil Fruits at all, I will be highly scrutinizing Mythical Zoans due to their rarity and power, so consider them soft restricted, allowed only for a very good character concept (though this will loosen later on in the story). The Op-Op Fruit, Dark-Dark Fruit, and Gum-Gum Fruit are unfortunately the exceptions, being hard restricted due to relative importance for the time being, in that they have notable qualities that add a bit too much baggage for me to want to worry about for a new character. In general, I don’t want to see a canon Fruit unless you’re doing something cool or interesting with it, so that’s another reason to take those off the table in particular.

Other than that, everything else should be fair game! I think. We’ll see what you guys come up with.

[b][indent]Focus on Growth:[/indent][/b]While I want there to be freedom in character creation, as the RP is about a new generation of folk coming onto the scene, I’d rather your character start out as a fresh force in the world, gathering a crew as they go, as opposed to someone starting out with infamy, a bounty, and a ship full of men at their call. The crew doesn’t have to be only other PCs either! Consider a ‘reward’ of some kind for completing an arc that helps your character get closer to their goal, like a notable NPC with a certain sailing skill, a Marine rank increase, an alliance or group of minor crewmembers to bolster forces, a new ship, or even just funds to live on! That’s a part of your story too.

In tandem with the previous point, one way to help this out is to start with weaker forms of a strong Devil Fruit. These powers take work to learn: Luffy had none of his current functionality as a child after all. Kuma’s Paw-Paw Fruit is really strong, but it’s also easy to imagine it being difficult to learn like Luffy’s was, for instance, so a player character with it might struggle even just to get their paws in the position to reflect an attack, and would be far away skill-wise from sending things across the world, or repelling more conceptual things like pain.

[indent][b]Player and Crew NPCs:[/b][/indent]As mentioned, players will be coming up with characters for their stories. Generally, you'll have free reign, but just to be safe, anything exceptional, like a Fruit using antagonist, should get the OK from the GM, if only for proper upkeep of the roster.

I also want to note that if you're on a crew of Marines, or want a crew of pirates more like Law's or Kidd's than Luffy's, NPCs will no doubt be required. But do remember that NPCs are not player characters, thus the term. At the end of the day, they should be tertiary. Chopper maybe be on the weaker side of the Straw Hats, but he's got an in depth backstory, fleshed out powers, gets noteworthy battles against the likes of Gedatsu and Dosun, and a defined role on the crew, so he makes sense as nothing but a PC. Bepo, while memorable, capable of fighting, and serving the crew role of navigator, doesn't really get the story importance to feel like much more than the most notable NPCs of the Heart Pirates. For a gray area, there's Vivi. Vivi does have a notable backstory and significant story importance, but her role on the crew is more fleeting. In the context of the straw Hats, she's more of a major NPC. But she can also be read as a PC hailing from Alabasta, with her own political problems to deal with, having gone through an arc with the group of fellow PCs that is the Straw Hat Pirates. Feel free to use NPCs, but remember to make them feel like NPCs, and not PCs trying to sneak through the back door.

[b][indent]You Don’t Need to be a Pirate!:[/indent][/b]Honestly, a lot of my points so far have the underpinning of assuming the player will be a pirate, but that’s not necessary at all. Marines are also valid to play. Adventurers and explorers like Noland and Orlumbus on kingdom funded expeditions exist in the world too. I’d be really curious as to what a creative writer might do with a royalty/nobility focused character! Cipher Pol’s oppressive information control, the sparks of rebellion, regular old smugglers and criminals out for profit rather than freedom, civilians like a merchant or journalist, bounty hunters: there’s lots of stories to tell!

To facilitate that, while most points are made with pirate crews in mind, they might vary based on character concept. A player with a royalty focused PC will need to come up with a bunch of NPCs. Marines will need men to lead. Vivi and Smoker would both be examples of PCs in this case, with Tashigi, Chaka, Pell, Cobra, and Igaram being connected NPCs. Of course, a pirate crew starting off in this early stage in the game with two Fruit users wouldn't be allowed, but a kingdom is more restricted storywise, so as long as it's not abused, I see no reason not to allow it, as long as the fruits are relatively tame. Dog-Dog Fruit Jackal Model and Bird-Bird Fruit, Hawk Model? Go for it! Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon Model and Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Tyrannosaurus Model? Hold on there buckaroo.

Also, regarding Revolutionaries, at present in the story there is no organized Revolutionary Army, or stand in for Dragon. Rebellion exists on a smaller scale, but there’s very much a hole to be filled my player action.

[b]For Great Justice – The Marines:[/b] While I’ve talked a bit about how the structure of the Marines is slightly different, one thing that requires more explanation is the rank system. When determining the rank for your character or an NPC, try and think in terms of fighting strength, achievement, leadership, experience, and loyalty. A character exceptional in all of them would expected be rather high ranked. They are also more lax in the Blues, since these are vast stretches of ocean and need leadership everywhere. So, to use three canon examples of Captain, as I feel that’s a good ‘cap’ for starting player PCs:

Nezumi from the Arlong Arc has noteworthy leadership, as he was able to command his crew of corrupt Marines for months, maybe even years, having skill at either keeping them quiet or picking the sleaziest ones for his command, otherwise quashing out do gooders and whistleblowers who might have called out his dealings with pirates. The rest are virtual unknowns (aside from a negligible fighting strength, relative to the Straw Hats at least).

Smoker has very good notable fighting strength, and was bumped up a rank for his achievement in capturing Crocodile. However, he’s not the most loyal: he has a personal justice that drives him to be a Marine and a good person in general, but he’s also (begrudingly) willing to work with pirates. He also is known for butting heads with superiors and outright leaving his post on Loguetown to follow Luffy. If not for Captain Hina he likely would have been discharged.

Captain Shu (and by extension, the rest of the Buster Call Marine Captains) have worthwhile fighting strength, being an elite unit on the Grand Line, but it doesn’t leave them with a lot of authority, as they are beholden to the Vice-Admirals.

To go outside of the Captains for another good example, Garp is exceptional when it comes to fighting strength (being a head and shoulders above the other Vice-Admirals), and has unparalleled achievements in being the Marine most known for tussling with Gold Roger. These are critical, as it has been implied (if not stated) that he would be [i]killed[/i] for not going through with his promotion to Admiral due to his hatred of the Heavenly Dragons if not for those achievements.

What this means for your character, is that if they’re exceptional at everything, then they would probably be at a higher rank than just captain. By limiting them in some way, they get more conflict to explore in their story.

And remember they’ll have to have a sense of justice! The canon has many examples: Sakazuki’s “follow the spirit of the law beyond its boundaries” Absolute Justice, Lucci’s “bend the rules to get what I want” Dark Justice, Issho’s “follow the system until it breaks under its own weight” Reasonable Justice, Borsalino’s “do what I’m told I guess” Unclear Justice, the list goes on! Feel free to lift one of them or come up with something original. As Smoker says, everyone follows their own ‘personal justice’.

Also, Marines are not legally allowed to battle other Marines, Warlords, or the forces of a Government allied kingdom (even if they’re in conflict with another Government allied kingdom), and vice versa. They’re also not allowed to battle with the Pirate Emperors without approval. Lawless lands (those not controlled by a Marine base or kingdom) are fair game. There are plenty of good hearted Marines will protect innocents regardless. Cocoyashi is a good example: it has no king or Marine base, just pirate leadership in the form of Arlong. The two Marines we see are Nezumi, who’s accepting bribes in return for keeping Arlong’s exploits quiet, and Purin-Purin, who tries to fight Arlong based on his obligation as a Marine to fight wanted men.

[b][indent]Devil Fruit Clarifications:[/indent][/b]Devil Fruit shouldn’t have power over the sea, so something capable of creating or controlling water should exist. Take a look at Big Mom for example: water is one thing we have never seen her implant with a part of her Soul-Soul Fruit (the tidal wave she did affect was candy sea: fluid, but not water). That’s different from pushing one’s powers onto the sea, like Kuzan freezing it with his Chilly-Chilly Fruit, or Whitebeard making tidal waves with his Quake-Quake Fruit.

As for Devil Fruit classes: Paramythias are your ‘other’ Fruits, with a large focus on changing the body’s form/function or allowing it to produce a substance. Special Paramythias are almost indistinguishable from Logias, the prime difference being that Paramythias transform or allow the user to become an artificial or processed substance (rubber, iron blades, wax, soap lather, mochi) where Logias transform the user into a substance that occurs naturally in the environment (ice, lava, light, swamp, lightning). There is a gray area: for example, how the Venom-Venom Fruit is a Paramythia, but poisons occur naturally in plants and animals. How I'll define it is, how is the Fruit intended to be used? Is it limited by natural limits or what humans have accomplished? The Venom-Venom Fruit is Paramythia: poisons may occur naturally, but they have to be extracted for use by humans, the processing separating ‘natural’ from ‘artificial’. Iron must be smelted from ore, mochi pounded from rice, etc. To use a player’s example we have the Booze-Booze Fruit. Alcohol does occur naturally, but as the use of the Fruit is focused on alcohol’s processed and made by people, I felt as though Paramythia was more fitting. The Gas-Gas Fruit has only been shown to create or manipulate oxygen and vague poisonous/explosive gases, which could be interpreted as naturally occurring gases like hydrogen or argon.

In the SBS for volume 79, Oda discusses Fruit superiority. Primarily he discussed how the superior Fruit have higher capabilities in a certain area than the inferior Fruit (such as the Magma-Magma Fruit being hotter than the Flame-Flame Fruit, or the Chilly-Chilly Fruit being more capable of freezing than the Snow-Snow Fruit). While he does add that a Fruit being stronger doesn’t mean that the person using it is stronger, I also want to note that even if the ‘superior’ Fruit has higher capabilities in one area, the ‘inferior’ Fruit should be capable in another one. For example, the Flame-Flame and Magma-Magma Fruits move and are shaped in different ways, so even if magma is hotter and more destructive, Ace had more grace, agility, and shapability with his powers, able to use created fire like a gun or lance. The Ton-Ton Fruit can make the user heavier than the Kilo-Kilo Fruit ever could, but it could never make the user even a gram lighter, which would give the Kilo-Kilo user different capabilities, especially when the Fruit Awakened. The Snow-Snow Fruit seems to be better at creating blades and blockades from nothing, while the Chilly-Chilly Fruit has less shapablility and seems to require needing an object to freeze (Kuzan’s ice sword being made from a handful of grass blades thrown into the air). If you’re designing a Fruit that has some similarities to a canon Fruit (or even an anime original Fruit), be sure keep this in mind.

Lastly, the distinction I have with Mythical Zoans and regular/Ancient Zoans is that Mythical Zoans both have another power on top of their normal animal forms (Marco’s healing flames, Sengoku’s palm shockwaves, etc), and that Mythical Zoans transform the user into animals that do not exist. Dragons, for example, exist in the world of One Piece in their western form of wings and two or four limbs as we see on Punk Hazard and in the Monsters one shot, thus a Fruit for that kind of dragon would be a standard Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit (just like the Dragon-Dragon Ancient Zoans, dinosaurs being a subtype of dragon). However, the eastern type long dragon, or the fish that can transform into a dragon by climbing a waterfall, do not exist in the world, thus the Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon Model is a Mythical Zoan. This is also reflected in powers like Flame Cloud manipulation, where a regular Dragon Fruit would only offer biological fire breathing, potential for flight, a tough hide, and enhanced strength as boons, making it a rather strong Zoan Fruit, but still a typical one. Ancient Zoans are just animals that existed long ago, as is easy enough to infer, and don’t offer any special traits aside from allowing the user to transform into rather strong animals.

[b][indent]Races of the World:[/indent][/b]While humans are by far the predominant race of the world, many others still exist. As they mainly live in the Grand Line, there should be rather few of them in the outer Blue seas, and they’ll likely be the victim of various ignorance and suspicious as a result.

Lunarians are still largely extinct, and I’ll insist on leaving them be for now until we learn more from the canon. If you have no idea about what I’m talking about then I’d recommend catching up to One Piece over googling it, it’s not worth spoiling yourself over. ;)

Fishmen and merfolk are still an oppressed group, but one major difference is that Fisher Tiger doesn’t exist. However, many slaves were able to escape during Avalon’s attack on Marie Geoise, leaving that fallout as something that can be discussed and utilized for relevant characters. I will also note that while in the canon, fishfolk consist entirely of fish (including sharks and rays) and cephalopods, I've decided to allow mammal and crustacean fishfolk simply because it's neat. Purely aquatic mammals (orcas, dolphins, whales), it's a little weird but why not. Crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp) go for it!

[b][indent]The Will of D:[/indent][/b]Do you want your character to possess the mysterious D. initial? Well, you’re free too! We have a grasp of what kind of characters might possess the initial, but I’d still recommend caution. If you want it because you just want your character to feel special, or be special, without having to put the legwork into the story, the Will of D. is not a free card for narrative importance. We’ve met a number of characters with it who aren’t as important in the grand scheme of thing, and about the only commonality is a level of willingness to go against authority, or at least dislike it even if they are bound by it. But even then there isn’t a binding rule in personality or role in the story, plus there seems to be a buildup to conflicting Wills through Luffy and Blackbeard (predicated through Roger and Rocks). If you decide to use it, think of why it’s important to your character, rather than why you think your character should be important to the world.

[b][indent]Taking Influence and Setting Tone with your Character:[/indent][/b]One Piece draws on a lot of myth, folklore, and even references to other media. But in doing so it also tweaks or transforms it to fit the world and the author’s vision. I bring this up because I can name three instances in One Piece RP where players have basically lifted a character from another work (or in one case, just a take on another One Piece character, idk why I allowed it) with a lack of enough iteration or transformation to satisfy me personally. Taking influence isn’t just fine, it can be a great idea, but I love the world of One Piece for its imagination and creativity, and that’s what I hope to see from everyone’s characters and stories.

One Piece also has a certain tone to it. A pirate crew looking like they stepped out of Pirates of the Caribbean might fit your personal image of pirates, but is it really One Piece if they aren’t called the Crab Pirates and all wear claws over their hands that make it difficult to eat? There’s a time and a place for goofiness, of course (Doflamingo, for instance, is a character with no humor to him), but a character you envision playing should probably be a little weird or silly in some form. If you visualized the Dragon-Dragon Fruit as something out of Dungeons and Dragons, or Smaug from the Hobbit, I’ll note that Dragon #13 on Punk Hazard was a chunky boy with round, dopey eyes and a tongue lolling out of his mouth. Oda’s take on the myth of Icarus and Daedalus involved making one of them a squid who dried up in sunlight. Silliness doesn’t have to take away from the seriousness when the time is right! Sometimes they work better in tandem: Duval had a presence and seriousness to him until he was unmasked, and Senor Pink’s goofy baby outfit became tragic when the reason for it was explained.

[b][indent]First Come, First Serve:[/indent][/b]Only one of each Devil Fruit exists in the world. The Government only has room for three admirals and seven Warlords. I do hope that the RP will continue for a long while, but unfortunately that means that there will be some limits later players will have to deal with that earlier ones are free from. At some point we’ll know enough about the world that players will have to iterate on what was built in some areas, rather than having the freedom to help come up with NPCs and such to fill the world. I have purposely avoided doing things like reserved Devil Fruits exactly because I want to restrict players as little as possible, but eventually lines may have to be drawn. I do at the very least hope that I can come to compromised. Maybe you really wanted the Flame-Flame Fruit, the first canon Fruit to be taken this RP, but we can work on an alternative! I created Rico’s Spark-Spark Fruit because I wanted something evocative of certain symbols I considered with fire (his crew is even called the Inferno Pirates), but I didn’t want to directly use the Fruit. Maybe the Admiral idea you thought of can be reworked into a Vice-Admiral, or some other noteworthy position like Sengoku as Marine Inspector General. I want to be able to say “Yes, but…” or “How about instead...” over “no” whenever possible![hr]
I’ll add to this post as needed, but in closing, I want to give a special thanks to Hillan, my best RP buddy, for proofreading the first draft of the OOC, and I know if I need a Co-GM he’ll be the first one I reach out to. I’d also like to thank the team behind the Absolute Comics Superhero-RPs (and similar games), which have given me a wonderful example of what to look at when running my own open world sandbox RP, and the character sheets for those games have become my new standard for what makes a good character sheet.