User blog comment:12th Supernova/Chapter 789: The Final Countdown/@comment-4493594-20150604120455/@comment-10543621-20150606083917

No I never said that. Of course strong woman very much exists. They exist in the real world and they exist in the One Piece world as well. But just like strong woman (talking about literal strength here) are rare in the real world, they're rare in the One Piece world as well.

I think Oda does his best to be diverse, but like I said, the target audience are young boys who needs to learn what it means to be a manly man, and so the focus will always be on manly man.

I do agree with your frustration with Rebecca's general lack of usefulness. I definitely expected more out of the 'undeafeated' female gladiator. But I still think the fact that the male characters are going to get the bulk of the limelight is pretty much inevitable in a manga like One Piece.