One Piece: 10 Romances Nobody Saw Coming

It’s hard to really, officially ship anyone in One Piece, given its creator’s own contempt for canon romances. According to mangaka Eiichiro Oda himself, romance doesn’t have a place 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.

However, that disdain for romance has made some scenes and dynamics across the series all the more impactful and surprising. Because Oda doesn’t entertain romance 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 would see coming.

10 Zoro X Robin

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, in so many words, 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.

He 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 again, and while Sanji and Luffy have come to Robin’s aid plenty of times, their last-minute saves never had the same charge as the iconic scenes when Zoro saved her on Skypeia or fought for her against Kaku.

9 Sanji X Pudding

Despite Sanji and Charlotte Pudding being put in an actual arranged marriage, no one was actually pairing the two once 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, managed to change the fickle girl once again. Despite seeing the two meet under unfavorable circumstances, fans now just can’t wait to see what will unfold between the two.

8 Smoker X Hina

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 these two. Besides crossing paths on Alabasta, Smoker and Hina just appeared as two, independent badasses meting 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 for Chapter 586. What was once simply two, hot-headed individuals has now become the bickering couple of the series.

7 Sai X Baby 5

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. And while most people would accept romance anywhere else but a battlefield, Sai oddly kept an open mind and would go on to save her from the Donquixote Family and marry her into his own.

6 Rayleigh X Shakky

For those who don’t keep up with complimentary materials or have seen competing translations of the series, this likely came as a surprise. Though the two seem to be just close acquaintances when the Straw Hats meet them, Eiichiro Oda has apparently confirmed that the two are a couple, with some translations and interpretations out there claiming that the two are married.

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

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 suspended, narrative animation 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 and 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 the two interact on page and screen just clicks well with the fans.

4 Sanji X Viola

While it shouldn’t be a surprise that an infamous romantic 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 mean something.

3 Doflamingo X Viola

As long and detailed as One Piece might look, it’s surprising to learn that there’s 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, being typical Oda, has given no solid details using the word “romance,” he has hinted at an “adult” relationship between the two in the SBS for Volume 83, though he likely isn’t allowed by his supervisors to share the specifics.

2 Chopper X Milky

As the mascot for the franchise and one of the few, anthropomorphic animals in the story, no one has 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.

1 Luffy X Hancock

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 convince her against her previous bias, but to even get her to fall in love with him. Sudden and powerful, love is truly a hurricane.