'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Despite not being officially canon designations, One Piece fans have, over the years, split the Straw Hat pirates up into three trio groups. These accurate designations are the Monster Trio (Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro), the often called Weird Trio (Brook, Robin, Franky), and the Weakling Trio of Usopp, Nami, and Chopper.
Ignoring the absence of Jinbe in these designations, the three groups accurately and wholly represent their members. However, the Weakling Trio may not be the most appropriate name for that group, as they could potentially hold Monster Trio power within them.
This article explains exactly why and how the Weakling Trio has such potential.
One Piece’s Weakling Trio has more potential than name indicates
The Weakling Trio
Before discussing why One Piece’s Weakling Trio has Monster Trio potential within them, it’s important to discuss their roles and responsibilities on the crew. Additionally, the combat skills and benefits they bring to the group should also be discussed.
Beginning with Nami, she primarily serves as the navigator for One Piece’s main cast of pirates. She’s also gifted in weather analysis, having had a natural affinity for it pre-time-skip and studying it further during the time-skip. These skills are evident in her weather-based weapon, the Clima-Tact (made by Weakling Trio colleague Usopp).
Chopper serves as the ship's doctor, and he can also be very beneficial in a fight when the situation calls for it. His main usefulness in a fight comes from his Human-Human Fruit, which allows him to access several different forms which prioritize different skills.
Finally, Usopp serves as the crew’s sniper and arguably their most key support unit via the Pop Greens, his main weapon of choice. Pop Greens are seeds found by Usopp during the time-skip, cultivated and weaponized for use in the post-time-skip New World. The Pop Greens have been shown to have a variety of uses, truly making Usopp the key support unit of the Straw Hats.
Beyond their non-battlefield benefits as members of the crew, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper have the potential to clear out tons of low-level fodder instantaneously during a fight. In the right situation, the three can combine to be nearly as effective as Conqueror’s Haki in terms of clearing out low-level fighters.
Nami’s skill and representation of Weakling Trio’s potential in One Piece
One of the biggest criticisms of post-time-skip One Piece is that the Weakling Trio in particular rarely has one-on-one or tag-team fights anymore. Yet this criticism is somewhat contradictory, as having the Weakling Trio being able to fight Yonko crewmembers one-on-one goes against who they are.
As the power and danger of the enemies has ramped up as One Piece has gone on, so has the ability of the Weakling Trio to contribute in one-on-one combat. Nami, Chopper, and Usopp are all best-suited to using their skills to support members of the other trios, or even each other.
Being the Weakling Trio, and the weakest three members on the Straw Hats, they can only improve and become stronger. Nami arguably serves as the best example of this potential amongst the three.
Nami’s weapon of choice for a majority of One Piece is the Clima-Tact. This is a staff-like device which can replicate and manipulate weather phenomena while also being used as a melee weapon. One of Nami’s strongest attacks seen using the weapon is the Zeus Breeze Tempo, which allowed her to create and direct an enormous ball of lightning.
Despite Big Mom essentially no-selling the attack, the potential of Nami’s power is evident. Even with most of the literal power coming from Zeus, that fact only serves to emphasize Nami’s potential when working in combination with others. If the Zeus Breeze Tempo is any indication, Nami could eventually even rival Enel’s power as the Rumble-Rumble Fruit wielder.
While lightning is the primary offensive weapon Nami has, she can also create wind, hot air, and cold air with only the Clima-Tact. The potential of these are limitless, as is the potential of what comes from combining these powers such as her mirages and making clouds. The possible innovations with such tactics are literally endless for someone in a support role.
Usopp and Chopper’s potential
As previously mentioned, Nami’s Clima-Tact has been exclusively designed and upgraded by Usopp thus far in One Piece. The emphasis on this is to address Usopp’s obvious engineering skill, creating essentially an all-in-one weather staff with almost endless uses. Should Usopp and Franky collaborate on a support tool, the final product would truly be wondrous.
One example of a support tool they could make, for Usopp specifically, could be a real-life Usopp hammer. Whether done by Wapometal (the shape-shifting metal General Franky is made of) or some other means, the two could create a real-life, full-weight Usopp hammer. The essence of the weapon also plays into Usopp’s role as a liar beautifully.
Even ignoring the possibility of such a weapon, Usopp’s Observation Haki and sniping skills provide other avenues of improvement. The Pop Greens are already incredibly effective at taking out groups of opponents.
Increasing his Observation Haki to a Future Sight level could allow Usopp to cripple reinforcement lines before they’re even used. Even if Usopp doesn’t receive Future Sight, Advanced Observation Haki in general can be used in a variety of ways.
Chopper, similarly, has many avenues of improvement to take. Assuming Chopper has yet to Awaken his Devil Fruit, this is the most immediate and pressing opportunity. Ignoring Awakenings, Chopper could continue to unlock and augment his forms via experimentation with the Rumble Balls.
Like the others, Chopper would likely be at his best when collaborating or supporting others. After defeating Queen in Wano and Vegapunk eventually, Chopper could use both of their research to experiment on himself and his Rumble Balls. Both of them were part of SADS, and did research on lineage factors in Devil Fruits especially.
The final step of Chopper’s evolution could be a Total Point or All-Point Rumble Ball, which gives Chopper the best benefits of each point all-in-one. Even if some points were excluded, it could give Chopper the opportunity to be much more multifaceted on the battlefield than he currently is.
In summation
One Piece’s Weakling Trio does indeed hold Monster Trio potential within them. Furthermore, the development of One Piece and its antagonists merits a name change for the Trio as well. Given their highlighted and best-fitting roles as support units, the Support Trio of One Piece is a much more fitting title.
While the three will obviously never be able to (in a one-on-one situation) match the Monster Trio, they can be just as powerful and effective when supporting others. Even as their own team of three, the Support Trio has potential to take out some of the most skilled fighters in One Piece.
