One Piece Episode 588

[Kraco]

How can he switch hearts between Tashigi and Smoker if he already pulled Smoker's heart out?

Switching hearts to switch personae is only metaphoric. He removed Smoker's physical heart, which is just a blood pump. It's rather interesting he can switch personalities at all between bodies. In physical terms that would require switching brains, which would be quite a feat, especially between men and women who even have different average brain volumes, and in One Piece the head volumes are regularly vastly varying. So, likely he's not switching brains but metaphysical souls.

I'm actually exceedingly happy the whole crew was not affected. Now it seems like a part of the bigger story (like it was, Law making sure they don't escape too far with the children if they want to get back into their original bodies) and not just a worn-out comedy plot element.

I saw some fan art of Smoker in Tashigi's body before, but I didn't even realise it was canon. But then again, I should count myself lucky to have forgotten it and thus not being minorly spoiled. I wonder if there can be any kind of heated meeting between Tashigi and Zoro anymore under these circumstances...

[Assertn]

Switching hearts to switch personae is only metaphoric. He removed Smoker's physical heart, which is just a blood pump. It's rather interesting he can switch personalities at all between bodies. In physical terms that would require switching brains, which would be quite a feat, especially between men and women who even have different average brain volumes, and in One Piece the head volumes are regularly vastly varying. So, likely he's not switching brains but metaphysical souls.

It's not much more abstract than Moria stealing a person's shadow and binding it to a corpse, effectively bringing the corpse to life with the characteristics of the shadow's owner.

[Kraco]

It's not much more abstract than Moria stealing a person's shadow and binding it to a corpse, effectively bringing the corpse to life with the characteristics of the shadow's owner.

Yes, indeed within One Piece it's no big deal. But looking at Law's power it's very concrete otherwise. He cuts and rearranges physical objects however he wants. Switching souls between bodies isn't necessarily an integral part of such a power. It looks more like an extension in my opinion. Although considering severed parts stay alive, even outside of the zone, it's quite magical already, so it's hardly a stretch in any way.

[Assertn]

Yes, indeed within One Piece it's no big deal. But looking at Law's power it's very concrete otherwise. He cuts and rearranges physical objects however he wants. Switching souls between bodies isn't necessarily an integral part of such a power. It looks more like an extension in my opinion. Although considering severed parts stay alive, even outside of the zone, it's quite magical already, so it's hardly a stretch in any way.

I think a better question is: If a person has been split up, how does this affect them, exactly? If we go by the samurai's experience, you still retain control over all the parts of your body regardless of circumstance, however, clearly Tashigi is controlling Smoker's body right now, and vice versa. On that note, if Brownbeard received his alligator body from Law, shouldn't the body still be under the control of the alligator the same way that the samurai's legs were when Luffy attached them to his back?

[DarthEnderX]

Switching hearts to switch personae is only metaphoric.

Oh. Alright then.

It's rather interesting he can switch personalities at all between bodies. In physical terms that would require switching brains, which would be quite a feat, especially between men and women who even have different average brain volumes, and in One Piece the head volumes are regularly vastly varying.

Ah, see now, science aside that's still how they should have done it.