Does Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail) have something in common with Eiichiro Oda (One Piece)? Hiro Mashima, the author of Fairy Tail, has a really similar drawing style to Eiichiro Oda, One Piece mangaka.

We know that some well known mangakas had previously worked as assistants to others (like Hiroyuki Takei and Eiichiro Oda himself, both worked with Nobuhiro Watsuki), so I was wondering if Hiro Mashima has something in common with Eiichiro Oda, since they had very similar styles at the beginning.
I have read that Oda and Mashima are good friends. However, not only has Mashima never been Oda's assistant, but he has never been an assistant to any mangaka. The resemblance of their artwork is due to something they share in common: Toriyama worship and obsession with Dragon Ball. More details on this blog post.