One Piece has practically become infamous for its creator's near refusal to include romance within his beloved pirate adventure. While some romances are there for plot development and a few gags, such as Boa Hancock's fascination with Luffy, and Sanji's fascination in anything in a skirt, Eiichiro Oda hasn't really entertained anything substantial.
Fortunately for him, the world of fanfiction can do all of the heavy lifting, and it sure has come up with some interesting ships for the franchise. This list has dipped into the deepest pockets of the internet to find some of the best One Piece ships out there, as well as a few that desperately need to be reconsidered.
10 Ship: Franky x Robin
While there isn't a lot of material or shared screentime between these two to overtly suggest a romance, the pairing does hold some water. These are the two eldest members of the crew without being dead (Sorry Brook), and they have pasts treaded in controversy and misery, making both of them some of the World Government's most wanted.
Franky is also the perfect counterpart to Nico Robin's inherent gloominess, given that his innate energy and charisma is just the ticket to bring her out of her shell. Robin on the other hand is the motherly figure to compliment Franky's constant barrage of dad jokes, making these two quite a pirating duo.
9 Hate: Mihawk x Perona
To be fair, the rules of proximity would suggest a pairing in most other series. Hawkeye Mihawk and Perona are both gloomy, Gothic-themed characters who have spent the better part of the last 2-3 years under the same roof. Mihawk takes care of the heavy lifting whereas Perona takes care of the cooking and housework.
However, there's more to suggest that this is more of a familial, father-daughter bond, if not an outright one-sided deal for Perona, than an actual romance. The two also don't have an equal dialogue and are nearly 20 years apart in age, making this relationship creepy in another way.
8 Ship: Zoro x Perona
While the current #1 Swordsmen may be a bit lofty for Perona, there is something to be said about the future one. Much like Perona, Zoro is a gloomy character who spent a lot of time in Mihawk's castle. Not only does that mean that there's a longer, deeper history between these two than what Zoro has with the Straw Hats, but that they've had plenty of time to enjoy the other's company.
Perona has even shown signs of liking Zoro, especially given that she uncharacteristically helped take him to Sabaody Archipelago. Perona would clearly be the tsundere of the relationship, but it's nice to see her ghostly demeanor pick up some color for the Pirate Hunter himself.
7 Hate: Luffy x Vivi
To be fair, there's nothing inherently wrong with this pairing. The two did have a close dialogue during the Alabasta Arc; and given enough time, there may be a lot to enjoy out of a romance between a gruff adventurer and a protected, desert princess. However, this relationship really fails in a couple of areas.
One of the biggest ones here being a difference in priorities. While Luffy wants to be the most free person in the world, Vivi seeks to remain home to create peace and order for her people. Adding on top the fact that Oda already teased some romance between Vivi and Alabasta's chief rebel, Kohza, and Luffy just doesn't fit into Vivi's romantic future.
6 Ship: Smoker x Hina
Smoker and Hina have only had minimal screentime together, but even that was more than enough to set One Piece fans' imaginations ablaze. Their rapport on Alabasta showed at least some history and familiarity between the two, something that could translate to either competition, respect, or a kinship.
Things really skew towards the latter during one, stray cover art that Oda made that specifically shows Smoker helping Hina during a shopping trip. It's a cute depiction between two strong, independent spirits that truly enjoy the other's company and hopefully more will be shown in the actual story.
5 Hate: Luffy x Shirahoshi
It's just natural for fans to ship the main protagonist with, well, everyone. While this is fun and filled with some merit, some entertain notions that are only grounded in the fact that a boy and a girl are in the same room. The shipping between Luffy and Princess Shirahoshi is one such relationship that dives for substance within a barren sea.
Luffy may have helped Shirahoshi come out of her shell and even hunger for the world above, but that relationship could appeal more to a big brother angle than anything romantic. Luffy himself doesn't seem to like Shirahoshi's crybaby-ness and lacks the proper rapport to support a fragile creature like Shirahoshi.
4 Ship: Zoro x Sanji
Yaoi ships have spread across the internet and seem to be more infectious than for fanfic writers and artists than any other trope, and it's developed some of the most interesting story angles that the original writers themselves may rarely go into. One of the best in One Piece has to be the constant shipping between Zoro and Sanji.
While Oda and the industry as a whole may never actually entertain this, there's plenty substance in the idea to create an interesting story. Sure, they're bitter rivals but that passionate energy could quickly turn to respect and that respect into something more.
3 Hate: Sanji x Viola
Despite Oda throwing the relationship away almost as quick as it started, fans are still delighted with one of the few kisses actually shown in the series. However, without that kiss or the fact that these two fight with kicks, would fans really be shipping these two?
Personality and interest wise, they don't have a lot in common and had a limited rapport that specifically preyed on Sanji's perversions. Given that Viola was just setting up a trap against Sanji, this relationship already has a rocky start.
2 Ship: Sanji x Nami
While Viola may not be the perfect partner for Sanji, there's a lot to suggest that Nami might be. There's plenty of history and tropes to suggest that Nami may be the perfect girl for Monkey D. Luffy, but she's had much more dialogue and screentime alongside the ready arms of the Straw Hats' cook.
Not only does Sanji constantly dote on Nami and come to her rescue, but Nami herself seems to enjoy that servitude and even his eccentric code. If Nami doesn't end up with Luffy in the end, fans wouldn't be too disappointed if she were to move forward with the curly-browed chef.
1 Hate: Doflamingo x Viola
This one simultaneously gains and loses points for being grounded in some canon. According to Eiichiro Oda, Doflamingo and Viola do have some romantic history together, but he couldn't quite depict it in Shonen Jump. While it's interesting to learn about a deeper narrative between these two, there really isn't a lot to suggest that it was a healthy relationship.
Doflamingo did overthrow her family, and Viola did try to stab him after all. However, that didn't really stop the internet from drawing as many pictures as possible when they learned that these two were/could've been a thing. As canon as it might've been, it really shouldn't move forward in the future.
