One Piece fans are not immune to the lure of shipping their favorite characters, hoping that one day their favorite pairing will become canon. One of the most popular pairings is the "ZoSan," or Zoro x Sanji ship. It seems that their antagonistic antics towards each other are just fodder for fans of the pairing, and Chapter 1023 did nothing to quell the shippers.

Shipping refers to speculating and pairing two characters together in a relationship, usually either romantic or sexual, while "shippers" refers to the fans who promote their pairing of choice. Mainly popular amongst younger, female fans, if a series exists, there are shippers within the fandom. Usually, pairings are based on on-screen or overt chemistry, like that of Bella, Edward and Jacob from Twilight, but it isn't a requirement for a ship to become popular.

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The most popular type of pairing among fans is often same-sex couples. This is partly due to a lack of accurate and meaningful depictions of same-sex couples in media that viewers can see themselves in. Many times, pairings fall within a certain trope, like one character will be overprotective while the other will be more laidback. One of the most popular shipping tropes is the "rivals to lovers" trope.

While Sanji and Zoro aren't exactly enemies, their actions towards each other aren't particularly friendly either, especially not when they first met. They butt heads often and call each other names. While they rarely see eye-to-eye, they do back each other up and care about their crew -- which includes each other. Their mutual animosity has fanned the flames of romance in the eyes of ZoSan shippers. In their eyes, their bickering and name-calling simply hides their true feelings towards each other. Though they butt heads, they have shown time and time again that they genuinely care about the other's wellbeing. There's even a Fandom Wiki page for the pairing.

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One Piece fans look for little hints and moments that could further their ship, no matter how minute. There's a moment when the two are washing dishes together and Sanji calls Zoro by his name instead of "Moss Head." There's a moment in one of the filler episodes where the two fall asleep on a rug next to each other -- in fact, they sit together in many episodes and manga panels. All of these little moments add up in the eyes of the fans.

While Zoro has yet to express any romantic feelings towards anyone and Sanji has expressed his to literally every pretty woman, this doesn't stop the ZoSan Shippers from hoping that one day their pairing will become canon. Zoro's lack of interest could mean he's aromantic or asexual, but it could also mean he just hasn't found the right person yet. Sanji's hopeless romantic schtick opens him up to being more fluid in his sexuality, and while it appears that he prefers women, it doesn't mean that he couldn't find a partner of the same sex. Until Oda comes out and declares each character's official sexuality, it's all technically left up to interpretation. Even then, it wouldn't stop proponents of the ship. It just means that it won't be canon.

Shipping is all in good fun for the fans. It results in art and fanfiction that acts as supplemental material for other fans. A lot of the fan-made content is wonderful and while many times the pairings aren't canon, that doesn't stop the fans from imagining. With ZoSan being one of most popular pairings in the fandom, fans will continue to ship the two until the end of time -- or One Piece; whichever comes first.

KEEP READING: One Piece Chapter #1024 Recap & Spoilers: So-And-So