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Almost every character in One Piece is chasing a dream of their own even if they haven't named it. The Straw Hat Pirates are sailing the ship of dreams all the way to the last island. Dreams are valuable and reflect various aspects of the characters they are attached to. While pursuing a dream is an almost universal expression of freedom in One Piece, there are several characters who will never see their dreams come true. Some of these characters died before they could make their dreams happen. Others may not be dead, but their defeat has amounted to the same thing. Some dreams are simply impossible. Some characters find some other path in life and don't bother chasing after their original dream.
Dreams matter in all sorts of ways to this story. The reason Luffy doesn't have to kill his enemies to defeat them is because he takes away their dreams, an arguably worse fate. Not all dreams are compatible after all. Those who wish for equality and peace will always be made to clash against those wishing to conquer the world. So many people are aiming to become Pirate King, but only one of them can really hold that title. As much as dreams matter and drive characters to greater heights, chasing a dream and reaching it will always be two entirely different situations.
Whole Cake Island Isn't the Bastion of Equality Big Mom Wants it to Be
Big Mom has one of the most noble dreams in One Piece, but her execution of the dream is terrible. Charlotte Linlin wants to create a country where every race can live peacefully. She has taken to this dream by force. The citizens of Totto Land don't have the worst lives in One Piece, but they live in constant fear of Big Mom. Through both forcing people to become citizens of her country and by having children of each race, Big Mom hopes to create a wonderful place to live, but she simply doesn't lead well.
Growing up in Mother Carmel's Sheep's House gave Big Mom the inspiration for this dream. She sees Carmel as the ideal role model for kindness because of how respected Carmel was. Carmel stood up for Big Mom after all. However, Big Mom never found out Carmel's true nature. Between how she leads her country, the fact that the giants of Elbaph have no intentions of ever making peace with her and Big Mom's defeat at the hands of Eustass Kid and Trafalgar D. Water Law, Big Mom has no chance of making the country of her dreams.
Kaido Loses the Opportunity to Chase His Dream in His Defeat
Kaido spent decades working towards his dream. He wanted to turn Wano into his stronghold of New Onigashima and use it to wage war on the world as a whole. The Raid on Onigashima happened at the same time as when Kaido intended to start his transformation of Wano, so it really was the last chance for the Straw Hat Pirates and Nine Red Scabbards to truly stop him. Kaido wouldn't have won that war if he started it, but he would have done real damage to the world in that case.
Kaido grew up as a child soldier being treated as nothing but a weapon. Despite the freedom he later found for himself, he never stopped viewing himself as a monster for being an oni. That, on top of his former status as a Rocks Pirate, was likely the source of Kaido's dream. He simply had to wait to build up his forces enough to make these changes worth it. Notably, Kaido is far more accepting of his defeat at the end of the Wano Arc, truly setting this dream to rest.
Vinsmoke Judge Will Never Restore Germa's Glory
Vinsmoke Judge rules a kingdom that doesn't have any land to its name. The modern Germa is pulled on the back of giant snails, which makes it an excellent mercenary force. However, this just goes to show how far away Judge is from reaching his real dream. Judge named his mercenary company Germa 66 in honor of the 66 days that the Germa Kingdom once ruled over the entirety of the North Blue. He has always wished to take over that sea in its entirety himself.
The current Germa Kingdom simply isn't all that strong when faced with any of the more powerful forces in the world. Judge faced this brutal wake-up call when confronted with Big Mom's betrayal at the Tea Party. While Judge may be proud of himself for defeating four other kings from the North Blue, that victory doesn't seem to have given the Germa Kingdom anything new to rule over. There are simply too many powerful opponents in Judge's way for his meager forces to take over the whole North Blue.
Sabo Isn't Chasing His Dream as a Revolutionary
As a child, Sabo wanted to be freed from his noble family and to go on a journey. He dreamed of becoming a pirate and writing down all his adventures for other people to read and enjoy. Then, Sabo got amnesia. While he did end up away from his family and the expectations of the Goa Kingdom, Sabo isn't a pirate. Even with his memories restored, Sabo has done nothing to work towards his childhood dream. Sabo simply prioritizes his work with the Revolutionary Army.
Sabo probably didn't know the Revolutionary Army existed when he was a kid. Although they are a famous group, there weren't many places he could have heard about them while still living on Dawn Island. If he had known about this group, Sabo may have had a different dream. As it stands, Sabo probably has a new dream that he developed over his time in the Revolutionary Army. While he may never fulfill his original dream, the loss of this dream isn't a tragedy for Sabo.
Ace's Legacy is Strong But Doesn't Match Pirate King
Ace once wanted to become a pirate so famous that his legacy eclipsed Gol D. Roger, and he was aiming to become Pirate King in an effort to make this happen. Like Sabo, Ace chose to let this dream go. Becoming one of the Whitebeard Pirates changed Ace's priorities. When he eventually reunited with Luffy, Ace wanted to make Whitebeard the next Pirate King instead. At the core of it, Ace wanted to escape the shadow Roger cast. The details of his dream just reflected this wish.
Even though Ace is dead, his legacy still haunts One Piece. Ace has been brought up in some way during almost every arc after the time skip. Not only does he drive Luffy to be a better and stronger person, but the Straw Hat Pirates have met several other people that have some connection to Ace. This became especially prominent during the Wano Arc. Ace's legacy isn't just being carried by Luffy and Sabo. Even if he'll never surpass Roger, all the people who loved him still remember Ace.
Crocodile's Utopia is a Pipe Dream
Sir Crocodile isn't one of the front-runners in the race to become Pirate King. However, he gave up on this dream a long time ago. Fans don't know enough about his backstory to know what pushed Crocodile away from his original dream, but Crocodile has had his eyes set on something else for years. Both Baroque Works and the Cross Guild were formed with the aim of creating a utopia for Crocodile to rule over. This utopia just needs to be strong enough to challenge the World Government.
Even though he was defeated by Luffy and arrested by the World Government, Crocodile didn't give up on his second dream. As admirable as that may be, that doesn't mean Crocodile's other dream is all that attainable. Between the change of direction that the Cross Guild is heading in and how difficult Crocodile's aims actually are, creating a utopia that can counter the World Government isn't something he'll be able to manage any time soon.
Lassoo is Only a Gun That Turns Into a Dog
Lassoo is one of the few objects in the world that has eaten a Devil Fruit. This is a gun that ate the Dog Dog Fruit, Model: Dachshund. Being a gun owned by Mr. 4, Lassoo worked with Baroque Works to try and take over Alabasta. However, he is apparently alive enough to have dreams of his own. Lassoo dreams of one day becoming a tank. It's highly unlikely that a tank would ever incorporate a normal gun into it, so Lassoo's dream doesn't appear to be possible.
Becoming a tank or at least part of one would bring up some interesting questions regarding Lassoo's Zoan transformation, anyway. Since Mr. 4, or Babe, is now living out his dream of being a pizza delivery man, Lassoo is still with his owner. Lassoo may not be a tank, but he is the mascot of the Spiders Café. Several of the former Baroque Works members work in this café after escaping from Marine custody.
Tashigi is Aiming Far Too High
Tashigi is a sword nerd who knows all about the many named swords in the world. She aims to one day claim every named sword owned by a pirate and put them in the hands of good marines. This is a dream that requires her to become the Greatest Swordsman in the World, and Tashigi simply isn't on that path. While she has grown noticeably stronger over the years, Tashigi is still weaker than the opponents she wants to face.
Dracule Mihawk and Roronoa Zoro are the two biggest obstacles in Tashigi's way. However, so are the likes of Red Hair Shanks and Shiryu of the Rain. Tashigi may have claimed some swords from pirates already, but that isn't enough to really make a difference to her dream. Even setting these especially powerful pirates aside, there are simply so many named swords in the hands of pirates that Tashigi really doesn't have the time to track down all of them alongside her other responsibilities.
Buggy May Become Pirate King But That's Only Half His Dream
At the rate he's going, many fans wouldn't be surprised to see Buggy the Clown become Pirate King. He's somehow stumbled his way into becoming both one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and an Emperor already. However, Pirate King has only ever been part of the dream that Buggy is chasing. Buggy also wants to claim all the treasure in the world. The One Piece is the first of this treasure. One half of his dream may depend on the other, but that doesn't make it any easier.
The idea that Buggy will temporarily end up becoming the next Pirate King before Luffy can claim the title has been around for a while. While becoming Pirate King is a dream that Buggy is passionate about because of his personal relationships with the Roger Pirates and Shanks, he's wanted to look for treasure for longer than that. He even accidentally ate his Devil Fruit because he was looking at a treasure map. There's just too much treasure and too many powerful people out there for this dream to ever happen.
Eustass Kid is Never Going to Become Pirate King
When he's introduced, Kid is framed as a potential rival to Luffy and an important person to the events following the Sabaody Archipelago Arc. He never really lives up to these implications. While Law does play a major role in several arcs, Kid is only really relevant during the Wano Arc. He may be a dangerous murdering pirate with a bad reputation, but Kid doesn't live up to his own hype. It's admirable that the Kid Pirates wholeheartedly believe in their captain, but it doesn't amount to anything.
Kid picked the wrong fight when he challenged Shanks the first time. Kid then got cocky with his defeat of Big Mom and thought he could finally face Shanks. However, Kid failed to recognize the help he needed against Big Mom and got his entire ship demolished. Shanks didn't take kindly to a threat to his allies, so Kid's status is currently unknown. Without a ship and with such intense injuries while in hostile waters, the Kid Pirates are done for.
