User blog comment:ChiroSamai94/Brook the last crew member?/@comment-98.181.59.190-20120617175531

I think of all the candidates for new nakama, Jinbei is most likely to not join. It feels like he's a character who is being built up to be killed off.. And most deaths in this series were for important characters like him. I feel like Jinbei ultimately missed his opportunity and will probably be killed by Big Mam.

When I say he's being built up to die, I think this because he has basically lived his life as a pirate. He was a captain and a Shichibukai. He's at his peak (if it's not already passed) and doesn't really need to live as a pirate again. Also, he is from a previous generation. All this about a new generation has me feeling he doesn't fit the bill for the current crew. Now, Brook may seem like he's from the last gen, but he ultimately is from the current one; sailing the New World with Luffy. Not to mention his "rebirth" could be significant to him living in this gen. A similar deal with Franky. He lived in Water 7 all his life as a civilian so him joining Luffy means he's joined the current generation.

I don't want Jinbei to die of course. But he doesn't seem to have much more development left in him, and his knowledge of the New World would easily take away from the danger of the adventure. There is nowhere else to go with this character like the other Straw Hats and he doesn't really FEEL like one either. He stands out way too much being a fishman. With all the prejudice, it'd be hard to move around with him tagging along.

Just my speculation based on all the events up to today. Oda seems to be throwing a fast ball at us. He builds him up so everyone thinks/wants him to join so bad but then he'll slap us with a big "that's what you get for thinking the predictable" which is Jinbei's demise. He'll likely, if like any other good author, be looking for an action with the most reaction from the readers. How shocking would it be if he did join the crew? Not very. But it would shake and reshake all the readers who don't see it coming to have him die an honorary Straw Hat. That'd certainly give the most response which is what authors want from faithful readers. That's why I think he may die before he gets the chance to join. Every once in a while it would be fitting for someone to want to join but not be able to: Vivi and possibly Jinbei.