ZOROBIN: ALABASTA ARC- 1
The last article, about "Monster", is here.

PRESENTATION

Alabasta saga is One Piece's first great saga: its duration is twelve volumes, from n. 12 to n. 24, including 111 chapters of the manga (from 106 to 217). In Alabasta arc Robin and Zoro actually meet together for the first time (I had already described their first meeting here).

PLOT

On the Grand Line, Luffy's crew confronts the Baroque Works bounty hunters at Whiskey Peek, where they meet Princess Bibi Nefertari of Alabasta, a country threatened by Crocodile, the powerful pirate of the Fleet of Seven (Shikibuchai) and secret commander of the Baroque Works. Bibi goes aboard Luffy's ship and, after a first encounter with Miss All Sunday, Crocodile's right hand man (but the girl is actually Nico Robin), they travel to Alabasta to defeat Crocodile. After an encounter in Little Garden with the giants Dori and Brogi and a stop at Drum, where they face the evil king Wapol and take Chopper as their new crew member, they eventually reach Alabasta. A coup d'etat is underway there, led astutely by Crocodile and his men of Baroque Works, including the commanders, that Luffy's gang confronts in single and contemporary fights, while Luffy reaches Crocodile. Nico Robin, deemed useless by the pirate, is seriously injured by Crocodile and finally Luffy and Crocodile collide definitively: the defeat of the pirate is total. Luffy and his crew, tired and full of wounds from the battle against the Baroque Works, are secretly welcomed and treated in the royal palace by Bibi and her father, King Cobra Nefertari. In the end, after the recovery, the moment of departure arrives and Bibi would like to go with them: but she cannot refuse her responsibilities as princess of Alabasta, so she decides to stay in her country. But Luffy's gang greets her with raised hands, reminding her that, for them, Bibi will always be one of the Straw Hat crew. During the journey, they discover that they have a stowaway on board: Nico Robin, who survived and she asks Luffy to join his crew. He accepts, despite the apparently contrary of the others.

ZOROBIN MOMENTS

During a secret meeting, Crocodile mentions Nico Robin about his final coup d'etat operation which will happen in two days, at seven. Two, the number of Zoro; seven, Robin's number. Furthermore, Crocodile's plan aims to change everything and do something new: well, in this talk about his project he mentions numbers 2 and 7. It seems to be a hidden message from Oda: in fact, instead of Operation of Crocodile, Oda implies that there will be his "Operation" that will permanently change the characters who carry the numbers 2 and 7: Zoro and Robin.

Unfortunately, the English version has a translation error: to have more space, the translator has omitted to specify 7 o'clock. But in the original it is written. (from chapter 160)

Another hidden Zorobin message is in the map below: Luffy and Bibi, to go to Yuba, a town of Alabasta, must leave from the port of Nanohana to get to the first stop, Elumalu, or Erumalu (which means Green City). Well, "Hana" means "flower", the symbol of Robin, and it is also the name of Robin's technique, the "Hana hana no mi" ("Flower Flower" in English). While Elumalu means Green City, and green is Zoro's color. But that is not all. To reach Green City, you have to cross the Sandora/Shandora River. And this is the same name as the city of Skypiea, the place where Zoro and Robin got to know each other! Quite significant as a map!

In another moment, the king of Alabasta, a prisoner of Robin, warns Tashigi, the commander of the Navy, that at half past four a bomb will explode and it will destroy the whole city. Tashigi, looking at her watch, notices that seven minutes are left. Again the number seven, and indicated in Robin's presence. And Zoro? He is implicitly quoted soon after.

In fact, the Navy soldier next to Tashigi says Nico Robin has a bounty twenty (20) years ago: still number two (Zoro). Not to mention that Robin's bounty at the time was 70 million berry: the number 7 (Robin) returns, while the zero of 70 recalls the name of Zoro, since they are similar in pronunciation.

In Alabasta there are also curious facts that seem to unnecessarily lengthen the plot, while instead they have hidden meanings. For example, Bibi, Luffy and Usopp, in the desert, are robbed by thieving and deceitful herons, who pretended to be dead and then stole their supplies. Well, the bird is the symbol of Robin and the fact of deceiving and teasing is a characteristic of Miss All Sunday/Robin.

Zoro's maturity can be seen in his calmer reaction than the others in the group, after they have been robbed by the herons.

Not to mention the fact of Luffy, Sanji and Usopp who, after Bibi had clarified Crocodile's misdeeds, break up an abandoned building to vent their anger, while Zoro does not intervene, knowing that it is a useless waste of energy. It should be noted that Chopper, despite being a sensitive type, does not participate in the destructive - and useless - action of others, as if he considered Zoro wiser than them and therefore to be imitated. Implicitly, this recalls the Zoro-Robin relationship: she too feels Zoro's maturity with respect to her teammates and she always follows what he tells her, in the absence of the captain.

(Continues here)

HERE ALL THE ONE PIECE/ZOROBIN ENGLISH LINKS

Edited by joe 7 - 15/11/2021, 17:23