Ever since Luffy first visited Fishman Island, One Piece fans have been waiting for Jinbe to join the Straw Hats. The “Wano Country” arc finally saw him become an official member of the crew and show his might as a former Warlord and the strongest Fishman. The Straw Hats’ new bounties were revealed after that arc’s final battle, basically portraying them as elite pirates. As the crew of a Yonko, each of the Straw Hat pirates are strong in their own right. Luffy and Zoro rank first and second respectively, as usual.
However, Sanji, who always has the third-highest bounty in the crew, loses his position to Jinbe. Needless to say, he is not hiding his despair of being below Zoro and Jinbe — despite having a bounty of more than 1 billion berries. One Piece‘s Monster Trio has always comprised Luffy, Zoro and Sanji due to their monstrous strength and being the team’s three strongest members. Now that Jinbe is the third-strongest member, however, the question arises whether he is the new member of the Monster Trio or not.
Why Does Jinbe Have a Higher Bounty Than Sanji?
A bounty isn’t a foolproof method of measuring someone’s strength in One Piece. There are several instances in the series where pirates defeat those who have far higher bounties than them. The primary example is when Luffy — a pirate with 500 million berries before the “Whole Cake Island” arc — manages to defeat Kakakuri, a high-ranking crew member of a Yonko with a bounty of more than 1 billion berries.
Apart from one’s strength, a bounty is a numerical value to measure up the threat the criminal possesses. Jinbe is not only a former Warlord, but his contribution to the Summit War is undeniable. He manages to save Luffy, someone Akainu desperately wants to kill. Therefore, Jinbe’s earlier reputation and the fact that he has joined the Straw Hat pirates — who have openly declared war against the World Government — make him a serious threat to those on the side of the law.
Why Jinbe Hasn’t Replaced Sanji in One Piece’s Monster Trio
Jinbe now has a bounty of 1.1 billion while Sanji stands at 1.032 billion. Therefore, the difference in the amount is not significant to specify who is the stronger of the two. For now, at least, they seem to be on a near-equal footing. Moreover, looking back at the “Wano Country” arc, Sanji’s contribution was actually more significant as compared to Jinbe’s.
While Jinbe fights against Who’s Who (a Tobi Roppo member), Sanji defeats Queen, the second-strongest pirate in Kaido’s crew. Furthermore, One Piece fans have been used to seeing Sanji as part of the Monster Trio for more than 25 years. Therefore, it wouldn’t be comfortable to watch someone else there, even if Jinbe is a fan-favorite character. Sanji retains his position in the Monster Trio and, seeing how he is awakening his genetic mutations, it’s not farfetched to think he will surpass Jinbe in the series’ Final Saga.