Thinking abt young Shakky

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NIKOLAAAIII!!

CW: religious symbolism, mention of suicide, severed arm

[Read from left to right]

Speaking to the memory of him.

silly april fools birthday clown

Once again thinking about this manga panel, but not because of eepy Chuuya this time. (though that's usually why asdfhjk)

But because Dazai, who was previously knelt down and teasing Chuuya, completely relaxed now that the fight is done, stands up as soon as John emerges from the trees.

John who is an enemy, who even though he's unarmed is an ability user who could still easily attack Chuuya and comes into the clearing behind Chuuya.

Chuuya who is too tired and worn to defend himself right now, Chuuya who has a weakness to attacks from behind and surprise attacks.

And Dazai stands up, he plays it off nonchalantly, but he's alert because an enemy has just appeared and could decide to attack them if he wanted to. If he wanted vengeance for his fallen comrade. So Dazai stands and he leans towards Chuuya, ready to shield him from an attack from an ability when he's practically defenceless.

Look I like Roger enough, I understand what he represents and I generally don’t think he was a bad dude. I do however think he was shit at interpersonal relationships because, what the fuck. Whitebeards crew is infinitely more well adjusted and I’d say he arguably had the more traumatic death.

Like what even, what kind of planning leads a 53 year old man to sire a child knowing he is dying of an incurable illness and is about to turn himself in to be excuted by the marines where he will cause so much chaos it is literally still turning the world on its head 22 years later. He knew he was going to cause so much of a stir that he literally disbanded his crew and told them to spread far and wide to keep them safe. Because he knew the marines would hunt them far and wide But yet he still brought a baby into the world. Babe. What the fuck? What even is that? What was the thought process. I sincerely hope it was an accident and not a deliberate attempt to bring about a new era.

Because if so babe I need to see the recipe or I’m afraid we can never let you cook again

#even tho that baby was ace and I love ace#it’s the way I don’t think there is a single former member of his crew that we’ve seen that I would say is currently happy#like don’t get me wrong I respect his will he seems like a great dude#but you know what they say about great men they’re often not good men#like definition he burned to bright he couldn’t help but leave all his loved ones in the dust as he burned himself out on a fiery explosion#the absentee father vibes are strong with this one#I would argue that he gave all 3 of his sons complexes#fucking ace has such terrible self worth issues and lived his life waiting to die.#shanks is also trying to drink himself to death is so chill it is literaly hazardous to his health and had his dreams arrested at 15#and Buggy is the worst case of forgotten child syndrome and arrested development that I have ever seen#I wouldn't say someone like Marco is currently happy but you can definetly see a future where he is after the grief settles a little more#but it’s been 22 years and Rayleigh is still drinking himself into a stupor and waiting for the second coming of his captain#gol d roger#portagas d. ace#gol d. roger#roger pirates#whitebeard pirates#throwing thoughts to the void#one piece#op#one piece thoughts#one piece meta#I know people like to paint his as this mastermind that practically orchestrated the current happenings in canon#but I think they forget just how much that would make him a giant asshole. pulling the strings of peoples lives#which is such anthesis to everything we know about him and his resemblance with luffy he’s never try to control his crews lives#especially not from beyond the grave#I genuinely think he planned none of it he was just a man trying his best and falling short in some areas#shanks#silvers rayleigh

It also casts a harsher light on this scene.

Yeah, it's a cheeky nod to Ace but like. We don't know for certain Buggy and Shanks didn't overhear that. Now obviously Roger and Rayleigh were talking about biological children, but the kids' minds probably wouldn't think of those specifics right away.

All they would be hearing is the men who raised at least one of them from infancy, who have been looking out for them all these years don't consider them as sons. As family. As someone they can trust Roger's dream to.

We don't know what it was that Roger told Shanks when they got back from Logue Town, but if it was something along the lines of "we didn't find the One Piece and you probably won't either" and then Roger later said that his son would be the one to find it... how is an already distressed teenager supposed to take that in any way other than a roundabout disownment?

Not to mention if this was around the time Shanks learned about his actual heritage that would make things even WORSE.

It’s interesting how Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Zou and Wano all spill into each other with actions in one arc directly leading to motivations and consequences in another. Like all three of those arcs are essentially set up for Wano when you look at the big picture. They’re all explaining how exactly it is that all these characters ended up her fighting these two menaces. And that makes sense given that Wano is kind of the biggest deal we’ve ever gotten in terms of over arching storyline in One Piece and what is revealed there forever changes the story.

But yeah I just thought it was interesting because outside of Sagas like Water seven and we’ve never really gotten that tipping over feeling before. But while water seven feels just like one big arc with individual pieces. All those arcs are distinct from each other and it’s only when you get to Wano and see the bigger picture can you really fit together just how we all ended up here. It also doesn’t help that Wano’s where they’ve been trying to go from the start.

It’s also the first time they Straw hats actually have a plan to go out of their way and antagonize somebody. Like they are actively trying to antagonize Kaido before they got to Wano. They’ve never done that before they’ve always just kind of tripped and fell into trouble trying to help a friend. Which is kind of how the kaido thing starts but it snowballs into much more than that. The closest to anything like it is Vivi and alabasta. It really helps post time skip feel distinct from pre time and really sets you up with out even knowing it to prepare for something big to go down. It’s almost like a visceral shift from One piece as a serialized story to an a connected one.

THE "ZORO MIGHT BE SANJI'S MIRROR / RIVAL / SHADOW, BUT USOPP IS HIS FOIL" META.

Oh. Oh, but how could I forget. I feel ill.

@cryingpariah Yes, exactly!!!!!!!

I've often thought about Zoro reminding Sanji of Yonji a bit too, but it's true that I feel like, when he looks at Usopp, he sees his younger self.

Sanji is often very protective of Usopp, and it's obvious to me that he sees in him that young scared kid he used to be but had to "erase" growing up in order to survive. Usopp is open with his emotions, he's scared and expressive and full of whimsy. He's what Sanji could've been had the world been kinder to him. Sanji looks at him and remembers how much he had wished there was someone to help him or be by his side when he was the weak one surrounded by monsters, and so he becomes that person for Usopp. That's why Luffy's words in Water 7 upset him so much! Especially when he was actually "thrown out" for not being "good enough"; he's the only one who understands Usopp's feelings and paranoia in that scene.

Chapter 1124 Analysis: The Burden of Responsibility

I’ve seen a lot of people picking apart this interaction and what it tells us about Zoro’s character and the story, but while I’ve seen some good analysis in isolation, I find that a lot of it misses the overarching point and what’s really going on. Half the fandom seems to be pissed at Zoro and saying his comment comes from emotional immaturity, which isn’t entirely wrong. The other half are saying that Zoro’s words are correct and he’s acting as he always has, seeing the truth of the situation and holding Luffy accountable, which also isn’t entirely wrong. Both of these angles are correct in their own ways, but both of these seem to only look at and analyze the behavior of one of these characters, deeming them correct and the other wrong. Those in the first camp see Zoro as solely in the wrong, while those in the second camp see Luffy as solely in the wrong. However, I believe both of these takes miss what Oda was trying to convey with this minor interpersonal conflict.

Luffy and Zoro are both flawed characters. Luffy is a person who wants freedom from everything, which sometimes leads into a desire to be free of responsibility entirely. However, he also wishes to be a Captain with a crew and to be seen and respected as said Captain. That means he has responsibilities to uphold for the sake of his crew and all those under his protection. Now that he is an Emperor, that responsibility extends beyond his crew to his fleet and his territories as well. A big part of Luffy’s journey throughout the manga has been learning what it means to be a good Captain to his crew and he has been growing every arc in this, learning that his duty is greater than he thought and changing to be better. Now that he is an Emperor, those responsibilities are greater than ever before, but he hasn’t yet grown to shoulder them because it’s still so new.

Zoro, by contrast, is a person naturally bound by duty and responsibility. He takes promises and vows incredibly seriously, laying his life on the line for his own and expecting the same of others. For him to follow someone like Luffy and dedicate himself to him and his dream comes with the expectation that he will do all he can to honor his responsibilities as a Captain. This has its upsides as it leads to him being incredibly loyal and dedicated to Luffy and his goal to an almost obsessive degree, however it also means that when Luffy falls short of his duty, he is just as hard on Luffy as he would be on himself. And not just Luffy. This extends to other members of the crew to a lesser extent, especially Sanji who he sees as an equal and trusts to protect the crew in his absence. Which is one of the main reasons he was so upset when Sanji appeared to have just up and left them at a critical time when they had angered two Emperors, and all that for what appeared at the time to be something rather selfish and trivial in comparison the wellbeing of the crew.

The crew must respect and follow the Captain, but in return, the Captain must act in a manner that engenders that respect. In Zoro’s own words: “[He] may be an idiot, but he’s still the Captain... [and] a crew that doesn't respect their Capatin and a Captain who doesn't deserve that respect...is destined to fail!” But respect isn't inherent, it's earned, and it is only given so long as the person in authority is acting in a manner deserving of it. If they cease acting in a manner that does, that respect is revoked. This is a core theme of One Piece, so it’s no accident that this would be a core aspect of Luffy’s growth as a Captain as well.

Luffy being upset isn’t showing weakness, and Zoro has never acted like it is. He was not weak in Water 7 when Usopp left them. He was upset, but he took it on the chin and remained a firm foundation for the crew. Zoro was able to provide him the support he needed to do that, but he also didn’t treat Luffy as wrong for his emotions or for crying over Usopp’s departure. Zoro isn’t a monster. He is kind and he has compassion and he was just as upset as everyone else. But he is also pragmatic, sometimes to a fault, and has a tendency to shove down emotion for the sake of what he sees as the reality of the situation. That’s what he communicated to Luffy in Water 7. The crew was falling apart and Luffy needed to remain strong or else they really would be destroyed. They aren’t playing at being pirates. They entered into a race with very serious real-world dangers and consequences. Luffy, as the one leading them into it head first, needs to be able to keep a clear head and take things standing up so that he can be the anchor for the crew in times of struggle and hardship. To act in any other way would be an incredible insult to the people who chose to dedicate their lives to following his dream. 

If Luffy was simply upset, Zoro would not be reacting like this. The problem isn’t that Luffy is showing weakness by being upset, the problem is that Luffy is choosing to wallow in that upset, leaving his crew in the position of placating him. That is showing weakness and a lack of emotional discipline necessary for a good leader, and is inappropriate for a Captain. I know the Straw Hats aren’t a traditional crew so they’re not going to always follow traditional roles and that is fine, great even. But there still need to be boundaries, especially now that Luffy is an Emperor. He cannot act as he always has, he has more responsibility, more lives under his care, and his crew is in more danger now than ever before. 

Zoro’s words were harsh, and the fact that he said them to other crew members instead of to Luffy’s face was absolutely wrong of him; it undermines Luffy’s authority in a way Zoro usually never does. He isn’t off the hook for that at all, because talking like that about his Captain when he is seen as the defacto first mate by the rest of the world - and even the crew, to some extent - is very bad for crew cohesion and morale. If he were a part of a different crew with a different Captain, what he did could have been viewed as borderline mutinous, so this man does not get a pass here. It was immature and it was incredibly inappropriate. But his words also weren’t wrong. Luffy wasn’t acting like a very good Captain, and Zoro wasn’t acting like a very good first mate, and, one could even argue, the latter is a natural consequence of the former. A crew is only as good as its Captain and if a Captain is not acting as he ought, the crew will not act as they ought. This does not at all excuse Zoro’s behavior, it’s simply stated to point out that Luffy bears the burden of responsibility when it comes to leading and disciplining his crew.

As a Captain, Luffy is not just responsible for the physical wellbeing of the crew, but also their morale and cohesion. By allowing himself to wallow in upset, as perfectly understandable as that upset was, he is unintentionally forcing them to take on that role with him, when it is his responsibility as the Captain to be their rock in situations like this. Luffy wasn’t the only one that failed their objective. The whole crew failed, and by acting as he did, he put the onus on them to emotionally support him while they themselves were also upset. It’s not responsible or mature, and it’s not fair to those under him, either. You cannot ask someone to follow you into hell and then leave them to bear the emotional burden of those consequences not only for themselves, but for you as well. The crew relies on the Captain to be strong in times of crisis and they can’t keep relying on Zoro to be their anchor, because he’s not the captain. It would undermine Luffy’s authority and leave a crew that is constantly placating a man who would be viewed less as a leader and more as an emotionally volatile tactical nuke. If he wants to be the one in charge, he needs to also fulfill the responsibilities of the one in charge, and he wasn’t doing that here. That is the burden of a Captain and it is a heavy one to bear, but it’s a burden he chose for himself nonetheless and he needs to grow to bear it.

Luffy’s big heart and boundless compassion is one of the greatest things about him. He loves people quickly and he loves them deeply and that is never something we would ever want to change. It is, in many ways, his greatest strength. But he cannot allow himself to be ruled by his emotions anymore. What Luffy needs to find is balance. It’s okay for him to break down in private and allow himself to grieve, but he can’t do it publicly in a way that affects the rest of the crew, especially now as an Emperor. He needs to find one person who he can be vulnerable with so that he can be the backbone for the rest of the crew. Thematically it would make sense for it to be Zoro, Sanji, or Nami, but, for multiple different reasons, I don’t think they would be the best choices at the present moment. I think his best choice for now is Jinbe, his helmsman, the man who saw him at his lowest, helped him through his grief, and knows better than anyone else the burden of being a Captain. He can offer much needed compassion while also remaining level-headed and steering him in the right direction. I do think the other three have the potential to become that person for Luffy - Zoro, especially, who has already been shown thematically to be the one to take the Captain’s pain upon himself - but it will take some growth and development for them to get to that point.

Luffy and Zoro are both wrong. They are not wrong in their feelings, but they are wrong in their actions as they both acted inappropriately for their stations. Oda is showing us a case where both the Captain and the defacto first mate are not acting as they should right as the race to Raftel is beginning. This isn’t good. This is a huge problem. These two need to find a way to grow and develop together as a cohesive unit or it’s going to cause potentially catastrophic issues later down the line. Both are right in their feelings, but wrong in their actions. Oda used Zoro to show that Luffy is not acting as an Emperor should and Jinbe and Franky to show that Zoro is not acting as a first mate should. This is a problem that needs to be addressed on both fronts, preferably together at the same time.

I’ve seen people saying Zoro is in for a world of hurt soon, and I absolutely agree, but he’s not the only one. Luffy needs to grow here, too, and it’s going to be painful not just for the both of them, but for the rest of the crew, because when those two are at odds, the whole crew is in a crisis. It may seem small right now, but something like this can easily snowball into a disastrous avalanche if left unchecked. This wasn’t a good look for either of them, nor was the way it was resolved (or not, as it were). Lilith’s explanation sort of came as a copout. Luffy didn’t pull himself together for the sake of his crew, he did because he was told that they hadn’t actually failed, which means this problem wasn’t addressed. Also because of this, Zoro’s frustration was rather quickly placated and his comment appears to have gone unaddressed as well. This leads me to believe that Oda was using this to show us two big flaws Luffy and Zoro have an how they come in conflict so that he can revisit them at a later date in a situation with higher stakes and actual consequences. 

Zoro being upset that Luffy is "moping over one geezer dying" specifically is rather significant, not because he is being intentionally callous, but because Vegapunk wasn’t a close friend of the crew. If this is how Luffy behaves when they failed to save “one geezer,” what about if they were to lose a close friend like Vivi? What about a crew member? What if, say, a crew member became a danger to the rest of the crew and another was forced to kill them to protect the others? What then? Will Luffy be able to become the anchor the crew needs in order to navigate something like that, or will he fall apart and the crew alongside him? There is no doubt in my mind that Zoro’s promise to Sanji isn’t a constant companion, right alongside his promise to Kuina and vow to Luffy. There is no doubt in my mind that Zoro wasn’t thinking about this very potential scenario when Luffy was breaking down in this chapter. Absolutely none. Especially not with how Sanji has been acting lately.  If anything, I believe that this, that far more than his own personal upset over their failure, is what drove him to react this way in the first place. Zoro is always looking forward to the potential dangers to prepare and protect the crew and this is a close and personal one, a ticking time bomb that would be utterly catastrophic if there is no way to defuse it. 

I know no one likes to think about the elephant in the room, but Zoro is always thinking of the elephant in the room. It’s his job to. And this is a crucial detail that I think has been completely left out of this entire discussion which I believe completely changes the context of the situation. What if they lose Vivi? What if they lose Sanji? What if they also lose Zoro because he had to kill Sanji or dies trying? What if they lose a crew member to any one of their future enemies? What will Luffy do then? Will he be the Captain the crew needs if he can’t even do it when all they lost was “one geezer?” Those are the sorts of thoughts that would trigger Zoro to talk like he just did behind his Captain’s back instead of to his face. After all, his promise to Sanji is one of the few things he is keeping secret from Luffy. It may seem like an overreaction here considering the stakes are so low at the moment, but it’s not if we consider the potential future dangers of Luffy’s behavior for those under him. Was Zoro's behavior immature? Yes. But likely fueled by a constant anxiety over the crew’s wellbeing? Also yes. 

Zoro isn’t just upset they failed, he’s worried for the future wellbeing of the crew. It’s not just about image. Every single time he has acted like this it was because there was some perceived future danger to the crew. In Water 7 it was their cohesion and their ability to follow Luffy in times of crisis, in Punk Hazard it was their lives and physical wellbeing against the much-stronger opponents they were facing, in Zou it was the same but with the added context that they had made themselves active enemies of two out of the four Yonkou. So why would it be anything other than that now?

And honestly, it was about time something like this happened. These two have been too cohesive as of late while still having a lot of unaddressed, conflicting character flaws. It was about time there was some obvious friction of this magnitude so that it could be addressed. When they get on the other side of whatever Oda is planning to throw their way to excite this conflict, they and the crew will only be stronger for it. And I, for one, am very interested to see how this looming disaster is going to play out.

Concept:

“Oh Kunikida finds out Dazai was a Port Mafia member and thinks less of him for it.”

Booo! Boring! Uninspired and factually incorrect.

The worse kind of incorrect.

Give me Kunikida learning Dazai was not only a Port Mafia member but an executive at that. Have him slowly turns to face his partner eyes shining with barely concealed rage.

“So you mean to tell me…that you’ve been fully cable of being a competent employee this WHOLE TIME!”

And watch as the light slowly leaves Dazai’s eyes.

Because oh they have an alliance now and naturally Kunikida made it his mission to learn the inner workings of the Port Mafia.

So that he could better coordinate things between them. And oh oh he learned that there’s many things they have in common.

And in any case one isn’t given such highly ranked position so lightly.

Mori starts bringing up the old Demon Prodigy and Dazai’s trying to kill him with his mind as Kunikida inquires about what responsibilities that kind of role requires.

Chuuya (because oh no the I know your every move goes both ways and revenge is sweet) instantly perks up and is more than happy to regale Kunikida in what it means to be an executive.

And now Dazai’s trying to kill him with his mind too because nooo Kunikida was never supposed to know I am fully capable of doing my job.

Because that’s the real reason he kept it a secret for so long.

Granted Kunikida always knew he was capable but now he has proof.

And so he keeps guilt tripping him into doing his job because “oh I see the Port Mafia has earned your work ethic and respect and I have not, no no it’s fine I see I am below even them.”

Everyone else instantly gets in on it like wow Dazai that’s kinda fucked up and they’re guilt tripping him and it’s cruel and evil.

And possibly working.

“Im serious I can’t do this report. It’s just yet it’s sooo difficult you know so maybe someone else should do it 🥺?”

“But if I was Mori Ougai you’d have completed your reports, wouldn’t you?”

“…I’ll have it done by the end of the day…”

“Thought so.”

You know, after Wano and Egghead where little girls were charging into battle against brutal pirates and demonic entities left and right and to a lesser extent Zou where even the baby minks were throwing paws with the Beast Pirates during Jack's invasion, you almost forget "oh yeah, no sane adult would let kids get involved in fights like this"

A century ago, the giants of Elbaf would probably be a little more open to letting Colon participate in the battle but that's definitely not happening now in their pacifist era.

Although the giant's wording is a bit interesting because he could also be inferring that Colon specifically is not suited for the battlefield. The kid's got plenty of fighting spirit, yes, but like most children he probably has very little idea of what the true gravity of going into battle actually means. He's treating it like a game, calling dibs on being the captain and making up his own pirate crew.

Up until now, Colon has probably viewed violence and warfare as something fun. Something you rush into without thinking because a sword swipe solves everything. His only experience with combat is likely from Ripley and Gaban training him. He's never fought against killer nightmare monsters or anyone who truly wants him dead. He's never seen the people he loves put in danger like what's likely going to happen to his parents if Sommers decides to play his little thorn game with Colon as the pawn. Colon is made to be a foil to young Luffy and Luffy eventually saw firsthand just how bloody and spine-chilling and complicated the world of piracy can be.

Now that being said, the end goal of Elbaf's narrative is blatantly leaning in favor of the giants not giving up their warrior ways, but what I think may be happening is something of an hourglass plot between Colon and his extreme pacifist classmates.

While the other giant kids will likely take more pride in their warrior heritage as they learn the importance of defending yourself, Colon is going to come to the realization that battle is not something you take lightly and that there's nothing wrong with striving towards a peaceful life. Not that Colon will give up his dreams of being a pirate warrior altogether, he's clearly got his heart set on that. But he'll come out of this experience a more level-headed kid with a greater understanding as to why the adults in his life are so protective.

I also think no matter what happens Usopp is going to be the one who inspires both Colon and the Walrus School kids to be brave because inspiring children with heroic feats is kind of Usopp's bread and butter.

SB!Chuuya vs mafia grunts: spot the differences

It has all the elements of a standard mafia grunt uniform. In the novel, he picks up a shirt, all of which are high-end and well-maintained, "at random" just to get it done. This matches his empty apartment in serving the theme of the story, which is "who is Nakahara Chuuya?"

and YET, we can see his personality come through that basic nobody uniform in the way he chooses to style his bland clothes, the accessories he puts on, and the glasses, which are a mean to anonymise the mafia members, that he does not put on, yet carries with him. He will not be absorbed as just one of the many, and despite his uncertainties, he's clearly himself from the very start.

CHARACTER DESIGN!!!!

(note: the light novel description of his clothes and the character design do not completely agree. Asagiri wanted to have Chuuya wear emerald cuff links. Harukawa rolled up his sleeves. Make of that what you will.)

• Naomi Tanizaki

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• Natsuhiko Kyōgoku

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