[james0246]

I am a first time poster that noticed quite a few points of interests in these few pages and decided to add my two cents.

Sorry if this message is a little long, but there are several points of discussion that have popped up that I would like to address, so first the current Chapter(s) and then the rest.

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Let us start with the glaring difference between Moria and the other Shichibukai: Shichibukai are not allowed to have crews. I am not sure of this, but I seem to remember that DonFlamingo (spelling?) told his former subordinate Bellamy that he needed to be punished for using their former pirate flag because the World Government would hunt down DonFlamingo if they ever saw it in use again. Also, wasn't the reason Crocodile went by the name Mr. 0 because he needed to be covert about his work with the organization Baroque Works so that the World Government would not come after him or stop his plans. The World Government, up until we meet Moria, has always maintained that the Shichibukai can not have a crew of their own. So, why does Moria maintain such a large crew? This idea of having a crew is important to understanding Moria's strength.

So, if this above information is correct, then if a Shichibukai cannot have a crew, but Moria has a localized crew (i.e. all on one boat) of a 1000 or so, does that not mean that Moria's crew is special and approved by the world government? To figure out why they are special or how they can be approved by the World Government, we need to understand how Moria fights (and how his crew helps him fight), and the duties of a Shichibukai.

The first question to ask concerning Moria is if part of the bounty for Moria comes from the fact that he can create a crew of this nature, a crew that the World Government seemingly approves of? We know his current bounty, but we are not sure of how he managed to achieve such a large bounty. I believe that part of his bounty must be from the creation of completely obedient and loyal subordinates. Up until this point in the story we have seen no evidence that Moria can fight besides the possibility of strength from the gigantic body that he posses (this is evidence if for no other reason than all Giants up to this point have been stead fast fighters, so it is possible that Moria as a diminutive Giant or Half-Giant may be a fighter). But, during any point of actual combat, Moria seems to retreat and regroup instead of stand and fight, so there is no reason to assume that he has any real physical strength. But, if part of his bounty comes from his crew, then it is possible that Moria himself is not a powerhouse of strength (maybe we have never seen him fight because he can not fight, in fact he seems to be better at escaping than actually attacking), but rather he seems to be a tactical person issuing commands and fighting through others. Think of it as a Shogun sending out his assassin Ninjas (or something to that effect), the Ninja may be the one who killed you, but it was from the order of the Shogun that it occurred. During the encounter with the strawhat crew, he does not personally fight, but rather he fights through another, in the latter cases Odz.

The only time we actually see him active is when he performs his knockout move against Luffy and Robin. This is a powerful attack, and even if he does not show a finishing move, he has simply used a subordinate to finish the job. The only downside to this move that I can see is the fact that it probably would not work against several opponents at once (Moria does not seem to have the power of Naruto's Shadow Clone, he seems to only have the power to replace himself with his like-sized shadow (i.e. he can only ever replace himself with his shadow when is the same build/relative size as his own body)so while he may be able to split his shadow up he seems to only be able to replace a shadow that is shaped like him). If this downside is in fact true, then it would become impossible for Moria to fight several strong level opponents by himself. So, Moria's obedient crew steps in to fill the gap.

From these few assumptions it seems safe to assume that Moria has always fought using the strength of his crew, and since his power creates a completely loyal crew, there is no reason to assume that Moria could not have a physically stronger subordinate. Added to that, Moria has never once displayed any form of physical strength; rather everything he has done has created a distance between himself and his opponents, a strategic move that allows him to fight his opponents from afar. From this, it is reasonable to conclude that Moria is physically very weak but potentially very intelligent and fights using his subordinates. It seems that the only way to defeat Moria would be to defeat his crew.

Now onto the role of a Shichibukai. One of the jobs if not the main job of a Shichibukai is to stop pirates from joining or from advancing in strength (It is never mentioned that a Shichibukai must completely destroy his enemy in order to be a Shichibukai, it is only said that he must stop Pirate uprisings). So, the Shichibukai act as a deterrent for the formation and organization of pirate crews. Moria is a perfect Shichibukai because he can turn anyone he meets into a subordinate. Moria presents the opportunity for the World Government to create an army of servants from potentially dangerous pirates that will follow the World Governments law. Not only is this a great deterrent against the formation of pirates in the section of the world that Moria is located, it is also a means of taking pirates captive and forcing them to work for you. So, the World Government would wholeheartedly support Moria's abilities.

In conclusion, Moria being defeated by pure brute strength is actually quite understandable. He has never shown himself to be physically strong; he has never shown himself to be able to withstand an attack. We know for sure that he has been defeated in the past, and we know that he has incredibly strong subordinates. It seems to be Moria's amazing ability to create perfect and loyal soldiers that never tire and always continue fighting that create a great deal of Moria's bounty, and the fact that he can turn potential revolutionaries to his cause makes him an ideal Shichibukai. There is nothing weak about the way he was defeated, because he was systematically taken apart piece by piece.

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Concerning the issues raised about Zoro's new sword and any power it may posses. To solve this debate you need only answer one question: Do you believe that one of Zoro's swords has a curse on/in it? If the sword is in fact cursed, then it is possible that a sword could have an intrinsic power all of its own. But, if the sword is not cursed, then all of the power and strength comes from the swordsman and any quotes concerning the power or strength of a sword merely have to do with the fact that the swordsman has not become acclimated to the balance of the blade yet. (I should also mention that the discussion of Swords having their own power is a discussion of Eastern versus Western mythos. It is more likely for an item to posses’ power of its own in the East than it is for an item to have its own power in the west.) I personally believe that in the world of One Piece swords can have their own power, but in the real world a swordsman makes the sword.

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My last point concerns Logia users. Correct me if I am wrong, but we have never seen a Logia user fight defensively and offensively at the same time. Specifically, Ace or Crocodile or Enel never made themselves invulnerable to an attack (i.e. turn permeable to physical attacks) while at the same time launching an attack of their own. In other words, Ace has not blasted a flamethrower from his hands while being impervious to physical attacks. Since I have never seen a Logia user using defense and offense at the same time, I have always assumed that a Logia user could only use one at a time and that a conscious thought of 'Attack' or 'Defend' was needed in order to use their powers. If this is true, then an easy way to defeat a Logia user would be to force them to attack you, then immediately counterattack. With Luffy’s current speed it would be amazingly easy for him to defeat any of his previous Logia opponents especially the ones he already knows a weakness for. (Obviously this analysis only pertains to the characters that have shown ‘all’ of their strength (i.e. Crocodile and Enel and possible Ace) Aokiji and Smoker are still questionable.)