What were two bounty hunters doing in a whale? Luffy must have wondered about this when they came out of the whale. His crew had been eaten by the whale rather on accident and the hunters, already in the whale, attacked them. Miss Wednesday (no not Jonah) fought with a pair of blades on long leashes that she swung around her with skill. She was accompanied by Mr. 9 (also not Jonah) who fought with two bats. They are a from Baroque Works, a company that pays bounty hunters to get bounties to fund it’s own goals.
While the crew had been fighting in the whale, Captain Luffy was outside the whale trying to figure out how to get them out and meeting a gentleman who lived nearby. But when they, and the Going Merry, came out of the whale…he rejoined them and they started their adventure on the Grand Line.
As Luffy talks to Miss Wednesday, his gut tells him something is different about her. She isn’t the dastardly person she is claiming. So, he unties her. This gains him ire from the crew for untying a lady they had to fight. They don’t trust his gut and have the battle wounds to show she can’t be trusted. At first the crew seems to be right. Especially when she unties Mr. 9 and the two flee.
They come to an island that is all excited to welcome pirates. Maybe a bit too excited. As it turns out, this island is populated by Baroque Works. They are happy to lull pirates into comfort then kill or collect them for the bounties. Several of the Straw Hats have such bounties, but they fight back. While Zorro fights…or massacres…100 men, Luffy finds Miss Wednesday who turns out to be secret agent inside Baroque Works. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine come to capture/kill her and her friend, Mr. 8. Luffy helps them out but Mr. 8. stays behind to fight off these other agents while the Straw Hats get both Miss Wednesday and her large riding Duck, Karoo, to safety. No, Karoo was not in the live action show…yet.
It turns out that Luffy’s gut was right. Miss Wednesdays real name is Princess Nefartari Vivi and she is an important leader from Kingdom of Arabasta who was trying to figure out how to save her country.
Just as Luffy had a gut reaction about Miss Wednesday/Vivi, so we as Christians sometimes have something that might feel like a gut reaction. But for us this isn’t always a gut thing. Jesus spoke of a Counselor, a Spirit of Truth, that He would send to us. The Holy Spirit had come upon singular people as prophets and sometimes Kings in the days of old, but after Jesus both resurrected and ascended to the Throne of Heaven, this Spirit came down on the disciples in what we refer to as Pentecost.
Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). He often gives us little hints for direction. Often these hints are about our own lives and choices. He works on our hearts to produce certain fruit of growth in us such as patience, self-control (something Luffy could really use now and then!), and more as listed in Galatians 5:22. Sometimes he gives us particular promptings such as when Paul received a dream to go to Macedonia in Acts 16.
If you are following Jesus this Holy Spirit is at work in you and through you to bring fruit in your heart and for the Kingdom of God. He might tug at you when presented with temptation to help you get out of it. He might lead you to someone who needs help (just as Luffy knew something was different about Miss Wednesday). Your job? Pay attention and be responsive to the taps, or hints.
You see Luffy took a chance when he helped Miss Wednesday. She had fought his crew. In this case his only reason to let her go was his gut. He had to choose to trust it. Sometimes when the Holy Spirit gives us a leading it won’t make sense in that moment. It might later; but not necessarily when you receive the prompt. So in those moments you have to trust. Luffy made a judgement call and it was right, but he had to trust his gut. We often need to trust the Holy Spirit. Both when it makes sense and when the leading seems odd.