User blog comment:OnepieceMonster Trio/Romance in Onepiece!/@comment-1595565-20111230024859

Just send the plot into a spiraling nosedive why don't you? The idea of romantic subplots takes away from the actual story. You can't focus on what's actually happening because you're distracted by some stupid relationship. Oda even said, he doesn't pair characters because relationships have no place in an adventure manga. And now fans try to trick themselves into thinking natural conversation, or any one-on-one interaction is a romantic hint. Oh, Zoro saved a distracted Robin from some falling rocks. It must be love. No, he had the fastest reaction time. He would have done the same thing if it were Usopp, Chopper, or Nami. Or, Shanks paid Makino a compliment, he's obviously enamored. If you think a compliment like "thanks, you're really kind" is an indication of love, then you've obviously never paid a compliment to anyone you weren't trying to sleep with. For the love of god, stop looking for things that aren't there. For the love of God, just shut up and enjoy the story.