The Crew
Monkey D. Luffy
Captain. Luffy has his own way of doing things. He's optimistic and often doesn't listen to important details, going off on his own, much to his crew's chagrin. Odacchi himself said that Luffy is... well, kinda dumb. He acts before thinking and doesn't really care about consequences at all but he has a heart of gold and cares about his nakama more than anything else in the world. His number one favourite thing is meat! It seems to cure him of his injuries and give him strength to keep on fighting. Luffy also ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a devil fruit that turned him into a rubber man, allowing his body to stretch beyond normal human limits. His devil fruit powers seem ridiculous at first but he's learned to use them to his advantage and is incredibly strong.
Roronoa Zoro
Swordsman. Before joining the Straw Hat crew, Zoro was known as an infamous pirate bounty hunter. His unique three-sword style of fighting was well known and he was feared among pirates in East Blue. As one of the more serious members of the Straw Hats, Zoro can come off as being quite intimidating but he values the lives of his fellow crewmates and trusts his captain explicitly, perhaps more than anyone else. While Zoro may be an exceptionally skilled swordsman, his sense of navigation absolutely sucks. He'd get lost inside of a paper bag, seriously. -_- He's also known for sleeping through things like hurricanes and drinking obscene amounts of liquor that would kill a normal human.
Nami
Navigator. Initially proclaiming to hate pirates, Nami agrees to join Luffy's crew more as a partner of convenience. Once she's freed from her circumstances, she becomes a full member of the crew and an invaluable one at that! Nami's sense of navigation is perhaps one of the best in the world. She can understand changes in weather based on instinct alone, which proves to be vital for navigating the Grand Line. Nami also has a love for treasure. She's insanely greedy and will go out of her way to get as much treasure as she can get her hands on, usually making her stronger crewmates get it for her. She's generous though: she'll give out loans if her friends need it. At a 300% interest rate. <3 Muaha~ Actually, Nami is usually the first to sympathise with people and will put the lives of her friends before treasure.
Usopp
Sniper. He has 800 million men at his beck and call and has taken down giants and sea kings with his bare hands!! Well, no, not really. Sorry, Usopp, it's all lies, isn't it? xD Although Usopp spins a great tale, his true talent lies in his marksmanship. He's got an incredible talent for hitting his mark, no matter how far away it is, nor what weather conditions he must compensate for. As the series progresses, Usopp is the one that definitely grows the most, getting stronger and braver with each adventure... although his "I-can't-go-on-this-island" disease still crops up time from time. Can you really blame him, though? Some of the places Luffy wants to go are crazy! Usopp is also really good with his hands; he repairs the Going Merry before the crew gets a shipwright, creates Nami's clima-tact and creates many other sorts of useful tools for the group to use. He's a great artist too!
Sanji
Cook. Luffy finds the dapper Sanji working as the assistant head-chef at the floating restaurant, Baratie. When he discovers that Sanji is really a kind-hearted guy who refuses to let anyone starve -- including penniless pirates -- he decides to make Sanji part of his crew. Sanji is reluctant at first but eventually joins and becomes the resident chef, ensuring that the Straw Hats always have their nutritional requirements met during their long journeys. Aside from dreaming of one day finding All Blue, a legendary ocean where all the world's fish can be found in one place, Sanji loves to dote on women. The poor boy is absolutely obsessed to the point where he can't bring himself to harm a woman even if it means saving his own hide. He picked up this habit from Baratie's owner, Zeff, who also taught him how to use his legs as powerful weapons. Together with Zoro and Luffy, he makes up one third of the "monster trio", the most powerful members of the Straw Hats. He also smokes like a freaking chimney.
Tony Tony Chopper
Doctor. Not quite reindeer and not quite human, Chopper the blue-nosed reindeer ate the Hito Hito no Mi - the human fruit - when he was young. He can transform into a half-human, half-reindeer hybrid and communicate with both humans and animals and is the cutest thing in One Piece. His medical knowledge is impressive and he acts as the ship's doctor, making sure that everyone stays in good health. While his top priority is advancing his medical skills, he also works on figuring out how he can advance his devil fruit abilities. While most zoan fruit users have three transformations, Chopper has figured out how to access seven! He works pretty hard at trying to be useful offensively as well as supportively.
Nico Robin
Archaeologist. First introduced as Miss All Sunday of Baroque Works, Robin was definitely not what the Straw Hats would consider an ally. However, when she produced an antidote to Crocodile's venom to save Luffy in the final battle at Alabasta, Luffy decided to save her despite her protests. She felt that since Luffy robbed her of her death, he was now responsible for her and asked to join the crew. He welcomed her, she grew close to everyone and became part of the family. Robin is an archaeologist who wants to find out about missing history and thus looks for poneglyphs (history written on massive stones) hidden throughout the world. She's eaten the Hana Hana no Mi, the flower fruit, and can sprout duplicate body parts on any surface she so desires. She's a powerful ally to have, although a somewhat macabre one, as she usually points out rather grim possibilities that tend to freak everyone else out. But that's one of her adorable charms! XD
Franky
Shipwright. Originally starting out on bad terms with the Straw Hats, Franky was moved by their attempts to get Robin back from CP9 and decided to aid them. When all was said and done, Luffy bullied him into joining the crew. Franky was also responsible for building their new ship, the Thousand Sunny, and joins the Straw Hats as their shipwright to ensure that the ship stays in proper condition during their travels. Franky himself is unique in that he's a cyborg, being able to fire weapons hidden inside his body. That alone would probably have been enough to get Luffy to press him into the crew. :P Franky is easily moved to tears but he's a manly man, damnit! He sheds manly tears! And only wears underpants! Because pants are for suckers! He also has a seriously unhealthy obsession with cola.
Brook
Musician. Luffy has always wanted a musician in his crew, right from the start. When he found Brook, he wanted him to join immediately! Not because he knew Brook could play any instrument but... because Brook was a walking, talking skeleton. Seriously. It was an instant "must have" for Luffy and the whole music thing was an added side bonus. Brook ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi, the resurrection fruit, which allows the user to resurrect once after death. However, it took him way too long to find his corpse so by the time he got back to it, it was nothing but bones. It does have some advantages though and he has some control over his soul outside of his body. He's also very skilled in fencing and can use his music in battle to his advantage against his opponents (ie: a lullaby to make them sleep). He also makes super terrible skeleton puns EVERY. CHANCE. HE CAN GET. (We love it though. Really. ♥)
