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"I Am the Hope of the Universe!" STOP RIGHT THERE! |
| Megani Cina | |
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| Statistics | |
| Japanese Name: | メガニ・シナ |
| Romanized Name: | Megani Shina |
| English Name: | Megani Cina |
| Debut: | Chapter 1 |
| Affiliations: | Brave Pirates |
| Occupations: | Pirate; First Mate |
| Epithet: | Renaissance Girl (ルネサンス女性 Runesansu Josei?) |
| Age: | 18 (Pre-timeskip) 20 (Post-timeskip) |
| Birthday: | Unknown |
| Height: | 5'7" |
| Bounty: |  ???,???,??? |
| Japanese VA: | Reina Ueda |
Personality[]
Due to the countless occupations and skills that Cina has taken or learned during her years on the sea, she has come to believe greatly in the merits of her past experience, being very assured in the fact she has been equipped as well as possible for any situation that she might come across. As a result, she comes across as arrogant and overconfident, speaking in a very self-assured manner. At times this can be a façade, however, used to hide frantic planning and other calculations from enemies or opponents right in front of her. This belief in the strength of her past experience also results in her taking on a very lecturer-esque demeanor when explaining things to her crewmates, leading to her often being jokingly compared to a schoolteacher by them. Though this label irks her, Cina has shown no qualms about lecturing her fellow Braves when the opportunity arises. She seems to view it as her most important contribution to the crew as a whole; due to her great amount of experience, she considers it only natural that they should come to her for advice and can be stung quite a bit if someone else’s advice is prioritized over hers. In the same way that she relies on her experience aiding herself in the present, she believes (not often falsely) that it can be of just as much use for her comrades. As a result of this attitude, she is often regarded as the ‘big sister’ of sorts for the crew. While she does not make the same conscious effort to be constantly available for help that her captain does (as she is often taking care of any miscellaneous tasks aboard that have not yet been done or they lack a specialist for), she cultivates a sixth sense that allows her to tell when a crewmember is in need of advice. When this occurs she either utilizes her skills with hammer space to warp directly towards them or takes a less subtle route, bulldozing through anything in her way. Her confidence reaches startling new heights when this occurs, often appearing accompanied by dramatic lighting as if a celestial being where making its entrance. Cina's language of choice during this period also surpasses her previous arrogance, with her seemingly agreeing with the surroundings and acting as if some sort of prophet or other messenger from the heavens. Being treated as such (though commonly in a sarcastic/joking manner) when in this state greatly pleases her and encourages a deeper adoption of the role for the time being.
She has adopted what is referred to as the “Cina Number System (シナの計数方式 Shina no Keisū Hōshiki?)”, where she numerically keeps tally of the amount of times she has encountered any given thing, from specific situations to certain types of people to even whole phrases that are commonly repeated. Additions to this list are recorded vocally, and this is often used to mock or disparage others, especially opponents (which can provoke them to levels unsafe for her to actually handle at times). While she often makes use of this in battle, she appears almost unaware that it can have the same effect when outside of combat, nearly getting into or starting several fights on occasion.
Her reliance on her experience also proves to be a double-edged sword when faced with something she has truly not encountered before. Cina loses all sense of composure when this occurs, succumbing to either complete panic that shuts down her mental state or awe and total amazement that leaves her equally defenseless. She has also accrued a number of so-called “negative experiences” that she would rather forget ever happened, yet cannot. When these are called upon, the effect is often the same as if a truly devastating unexpected situation has hit her. The effects of these events have varying durations, though the more negative experiences tend to leave her in a stupor far longer than the positives, as she will often be overcome with another emotion that demands action following one of the latter instead of remaining trapped in one (or lack thereof) with the former. Because of this, the usually-capable first mate can be rendered helpless quickly by those who know to push her buttons. Restoring her from this state can also be quite the task, requiring one to either address the source of her breakdown directly, or overshadow it with an equally positive experience to spur her into action. While Cina takes countermeasures against this as the series goes on, it is not until the timeskip that she can face it head on and attempt to conquer this weakness for good.
The above is, of course, a more extreme scenario. When faced with a new situation of a more mundane nature, Cina will attempt to hold onto the confidence, succumbing to immense levels of embarrassment when she makes a mistake, which can further impede her. Interestingly, she rarely writes off a situation due to having failed at it before and holds no grudges from that time. On occasion she does develop superstitions, however, especially when several previous attempts have ended in failure. Typically, however, Cina cannot resist the allure of gaining even more experience, becoming comedically excited or determined to take part (sparkles commonly appearing around her as she swoons at the chance). If the situation is not the proper one for such a thing, she visibly struggles against the urge to take part.
Due to her various skill sets, Cina often takes it upon herself to assume roles that are currently ‘missing’ from the crew (such as navigator or chef before those who could respectively fill them appeared). Whenever this occurs, she manages to change her outfit entirely offscreen, changing into a uniform that she finds most suitable. This “roleplay” is applicable outside of mere shipboard duties, as well; she often employs it liberally when infiltrating, seeming to acquire the necessary clothing from nowhere and without explanation. At times, she will get into her role enough that her way of speaking and body language will change drastically (when dressing as Santa, she adopted the speaking patterns of an older man and moved in a more wizened and careful fashion). She has a set of commonly-appearing clothes when performing similar duties, almost always adopting a salaryman's garb when explaining a plan or operation to the crew.
Her time on the seas has also deeply affected how Cina sees and interacts with people. She is easily one of the most accepting people in the crew, not batting an eyelid at some of the more bizarre characters (such as okama) that the Braves encounter on their voyages. Even when meeting such an unexpected thing as a talking parrot, her recovery from the initial shock was noticeably quick. As the various environments the crew encounters become more and more fantastical her poker face becomes less pronounced, but even then she appears only capable of being fully surprised once, often lacking the sense of repeated wonder that affects the more childlike members of the crew. This acceptance often evolves into a deep kindness for the outcasts that they meet along the way, her easily talking to and comforting those who have been heavily disadvantaged or hurt that cross her path.
She also maintains a sort of cool attitude towards people she has met for the first time or does not expect to know for long. Having seen a great deal of people come and go before becoming a proper pirate, she makes an effort not to try to connect with others on first meeting. While she mostly regarded the members who were recruited after her as necessities rather than comrades (with the exception of Dent, whose natural cuteness managed to charm her), she gradually becomes more and more attached to them as their travels continued. When confronted with her past and forced to resolve it once and for all, she freely admitted that she had come to truly care for the crew and didn’t want to leave them nor have any leave. Since she has extended her heart towards them, she takes great offense when any even suggests abandoning the crew, dealing with them quite harshly. Any who have left the crew are considered gone for good in her eyes, and convincing her to accept them back in is a monumental feat indeed, requiring a great amount of persuasion and a fervent apology on their part for her to assent.
This natural coldness towards others allows Cina to make decisions that would be considered difficult for the more empathetic Braves to make. She often joins with Lerioux in suggesting darker actions for them to take, such as disposing of certain enemies in manners aside from direct combat (the both of them tending to have a shared liking of assassinations). Cina initially maintains the ability to ‘kill her heart’, removing any feelings or sentiment in order to get the job done. The success rate of this technique varies depending her target; as she has an especially bad view of government officials and those placed in power by the World Government, she finds it easiest to remove any sympathy when directed towards them. Those who are on the bottom, however, she cannot quite bring herself to not care about entirely, and this struggle grows deeper and deeper as the series continues until she seems to have almost abandoned that line of thought entirely. While she still suggests and threatens to go through with such actions on occasion, her resolve towards that has wavered greatly.
Despite having a natural dislike of perverts and others of their ilk, Cina is one of the least-modest members of the Braves. Her experiences have lead to her having a very casual attitude regarding skinmanship, especially around people she trusts deeply such as her crew. She initially has no problems admitting that she’s wearing next to nothing underneath the dress that composes her casual uniform, and was largely unfazed by Silve’s request to bathe with the girls, almost agreeing with his argument that his incredibly feminine looks qualified him. In humorous contrast with the Mink, Cina seems largely unaware of the effect her beauty and charm can have on others unless the response is very obvious, in which case she will often adopt a more teasing and playful attitude towards her target. The aforementioned casual attitude seems to diminish depending on the person, with those that she possess above-average affection for earning a more conventional response to seeing her in any compromising situation.
Cina seems to prefer mid-range combat over any other, accepting that violence and strength are needed for survival on the sea but finding the blood-and-guts nature of close-quarters combat distasteful. While she takes joy in victory as most rational creatures would and seems to genuinely get pleasure out of outmaneuvering or outthinking her opponents, she seems to have little taste for the finishing blows themselves, preferring quick but effective methods of neutralizing the opponent. Violence is something that has continually taken the things she cares about away from her; enjoyable though it may be, she does not quite believe in there being any honor in it, leading to clashes with those of this mindset among the crew.
Cina has a great fondness for whistling, often seen doing it when not engaged in anything else or more menial work. It can be seen as a sign of confidence and is often used in battle to signify a turning of the tides in her favor. She is into it on a more than casual level, able to name certain tunes after hearing only a few notes and often seeking to learn more when encountered at any port the crew stops at. Despite her enthusiasm for it, she claims incapable of teaching it, as it was something that has come naturally to her since she was a child. She is often found doing it while perched on the edge of a crate or barrel, which she insists is more comfortable than any chair or pillow. She truly feels more at home when surrounded by the maritime aesthetic, preferring a collection of dinghies, lifebuoys, and the like to sleep on than the finest bed and accompanying room that money can buy. Surrounded with riches and jewels her parents were transporting as a child, she seems to have little conception of their use as ornaments for people, thinking of them instead as additions to various appliances or furniture to make them look more fetching. As such, while she has grown used to the sight of people wearing them, she still appears slightly puzzled by them being used in such a way.
Contrary to others in the crew, Cina can apparently functions and desires nothing more than remarkably small amounts of food, claiming happily that her body can function fully with the least nutrients possible and often being the first to give up her portion when the food stock was in constant danger of running low. This is reflected in her fishing and hunting habits, her tending to attract smaller or sicklier game than the others. When called on this, she will on occasion try to brush it off and place it on the same level as those caught by others.