#but even the way Zoro *moves* is right out of the manga

[delicatefury]

I started watching Netflix One Piece last night. Only got halfway through the first episode, because I was already half asleep, so I’m going to rewatch it to make sure lack of sleep isn’t the reason I think this, but…

I think I like it. I like it a lot. I was actually getting excited while watching it.

Because you can tell that for once, in a massive break from “Hollywood as usual”, the team behind the show loves the source material. They have read the manga, watched the anime, listened to Oda, and are dedicated to keeping to the spirit of Oda’s story.

Wanna know how I know? The details. I’m just blown away by how dedicated they are to including all these little details in episode one that won’t pay off for seasons!

Like a member of Baroque Works trying to recruit Zoro. Or the Marine symbol on the “Gum-gum” fruit’s case. Wanted posters for pirates we won’t meet for several arcs. How I can recognize every character on sight even with the adjustments to keep things from being too cartoony.

It really feels like the people behind this series love One Piece. They love adventure tales. They love Oda’s world and how vibrant and lively it is, even when the main characters aren’t there.

And they didn’t skimp on the budget. This feels like a different world. This feels like a land of pirates and oceans and great beasts and devil fruits. And I was surprised by how good Luffy and his fighting looks.

Like I said, I only got partway through the first episode before I realized I needed to stop and actually sleep. But if the rest of the series holds up to those first 20 minutes? Dear Lord, we might actually have something special here.

[puranami]

✿ It's The Little Things - 2 ✿

A/N: Wow, the first post went far better than I ever expected, especially considering I have no idea what I'm doing ᕕ(✿ᐛ )ᕗ It was a lot of fun though, so I'm back for round 2!

Summary: More little relationship things with other characters that are in both the anime/manga, and the live action~

Characters: Buggy, Shanks, Mihawk

Content: SFW, G/N reader, fluff with added fluff on top ✿

(Part 1 - Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji) (Part 3 - Franky, Robin, Law, Kid, Killer) (Part 4 - Crocodile, Rosinante/ Corazon, Doflamingo)

Buggy

✿ Naturally there is never a dull moment with a man as flashy and bombastic as Buggy, but that doesn't mean there are no calm moments. The start of your day is relatively mellow compared to the rest of it. Bugs will cling to you for as long as he can get away with before you both have to get up. During your morning routine you are practically on top of each other, but it is so natural and well coordinated, that you never collide or get in each others way. All the while, he'll be cracking jokes, and putting his hands on your "assets," followed by a cheeky wink, and infectious giggles. He loves when you match his shenanigans, and will overact his reactions, as if he wasn't just doing the exact same thing to you; "Well, I never-" - "You literally just grabbed my-" - "Never," to which you'll laugh and gently slap his arm while he sticks his tongue out at you.

✿ He's a materialistic guy, so he gives you lots of gifts, from the extravagant to the sentimental. It's the easiest way for him to show you how much you mean to him. Giving him gifts in return makes him melt; he isn't just buying your love, you are speaking his love language! As a pirate it's always been him taking what he wants, so to be freely given those things speaks volumes. Even more valuable than the things he wants are the things you have made for him. To know you have put time, energy, and love into making something special and unique means so much to him! He will cry because he is so moved, just hold him and stroke his hair while he has his moment.

✿ To be with Buggy means you have willingly lowered every single one of your barriers; you are an open book, completely honest about what you think and how you feel. He is insecure, so he needs to see that you trust him implicitly in order to return that trust. As a part of this openness, your personal bubble no longer exists, you have a couple bubble now. That doesn't mean you can't have space though! On the contrary, the mutual trust you've cultivated means you can say, "Hey, I just need some time to myself," and he knows that you aren't angry, or upset with him, because you would have told him as much. When you come back he welcomes you with a cheesy pickup line or wise crack as he pulls you right back into that shared bubble. It took a lot of faith at the start, which wasn't easy for him, and it takes consistent hard work to maintain this level of trust and honesty, and it is so worth it.

Shanks

✿ This man cannot keep his hand to himself! When you're walking together he'll have his hand on the small of your back, or his arm around your shoulder. More often than not he is holding your hand, fingers laced together, with him brushing your thumb with the rough, calloused skin of his own. In his mind, the closer you are to him, the safer you are. He's one of the strongest men in all the seas, so being in the same space means no one can touch you, just as they can't touch him, but you'd never know it. To you, he's just like a big puppy, needing to be in your presence, smothering you in affection. He likes to lean his head on top of yours, similar to how a dog will lean their head on your lap, all while wrapping his arm around your waist so you can't wander off. He can be a little possessive, honestly, but he means well.

✿ He will listen to you talk his ear off for hours on end about literally anything. From philosophical musings, to colour theory, to the many uses of vinegar - it doesn't matter the subject, he just loves to hear your voice, and to see how passionate you are. Shanks won't just smile and nod, giving the odd confirming "uh huh," while not really listening either; he gets really invested! Your passion is contagious, and you make even the most mundane things interesting. It's also good to know what interests you, as it makes gift ideas easier. Whenever he sees something related to a topic you've talked to him about he will get it for you. The main thing with all of this is the quality time he gets to spend with you; outside of drinking and merriment, it's one of his favourite ways to relax.

✿ Shanks loves playing little pranks on you. He never goes too far though, as it's important that you are laughing alongside him and the crew. It makes him so happy when you start pulling your own pranks on him. It is very hard to surprise him, but easy to confuse him. You know those pranks where people hide numerous things everywhere? Lets just say he is still finding little gnomes around the Red Force. The rest of the crew is in on it, pretending not to see them, and will deny any knowledge of them, and the longer it goes on, the funnier he finds it when he spots another - you hid them in the such obscure places! He's kept every single one of them, and they have a designated chest, but he'll keep his favourites on his desk.

Mihawk

✿ Everything about Mihawk is subtle, and purposeful, and that extends to relationships. To outside observers he appears cold and distant, like he is barely tolerating your presence at his side, but you are so familiar with his subtleties that you can see just how much he adores you. Each ghost of a touch and fraction of a smile are a declaration of love that only you can understand. He is much more open with his affections when you are alone, where you are safest - not to say you are unsafe out with him, nothing could be further from the truth, he just won't do anything that puts a potential target on your back, exposing you as his achilles heel.

✿ He is a classic romantic! Mihawk is courting you, not dating you. At the start of the courtship he will wine and dine you, lead you with an arm behind you that never makes contact, and the only time he will touch you is to leave a faint kiss on your hand after escorting you home. There will also be large periods of time between meetings where he will send many unsigned love letters until he can return to you. You know exactly who they are from, Mihawk just wants to avoid you being linked to him, especially when he isn't there to protect you.

✿ Once you are fully committed to one another, he moves you to his home where you are safe, and when he is there, he is so domestic that you often forget you are with a (former) warlord. You will tend to the garden together, harvest what you need, and cook together, though he'd prefer to do all the cooking for you. In all honesty, as long as you are there to keep him company, he'd be happy to do everything for you, but he won't fight it if you insist on doing things for him, or ideally together instead; "We'll get things done quicker together, and then we can relax with a bottle of wine and a good book." - "Very well." There is nothing he loves more than sitting with you on the settee with a comfy blanket after a long day of training and daily chores.

[zorobae]

Luffy and Zoro throughout One Piece (season 1)

Although I've written an entire essay on Luffy and Zoro and their relationship in the manga, I think that their live action versions (and the plot surrounding them) are different enough to make it worthwhile to analyze them separately. So here goes...

Luffy gets introduced to us as someone who is enthusiastic and full of stubborn determination to reach his goal, i.e. to become the King of the Pirates. Zoro gets introduced with a similar determination except that he goes about his goal in a more aimless way. The show never explicitly states why Zoro is spending his time hunting pirates, yet it becomes evident early on that being a pirate hunter is something he does to pass the time or to earn money rather than something he intends to do for the rest of his life. Zoro, the pirate hunter, was in a state of stasis. He wasn’t challenging himself, not moving forward or any closer to reaching his goal of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman. Meeting Luffy is what makes him reflect on that and it’s also part of what makes him initially stay with Luffy. Also, both Zoro and Luffy are straightforward and share the same sense of justice. In fact, there are probably only two things Luffy was looking for in a first mate and that’s firstly, someone who he considers to be a good guy and secondly, someone who is strong. Zoro gets established to be both when Luffy first encounters him.

An interesting change on the show is that we get to see Zoro being recruited by two different organizations. First Baroque Works and then the Marines. However when Zoro refuses their offers, he gets punished for doing so. Those offers serve as a stark contrast to Luffy asking him to join his crew. Luffy doesn't try to force Zoro to follow him nor does he punish him for not agreeing to join his crew. So when Zoro does help and follow Luffy, it is entirely of his own volition. And their teamwork when they fight against Axe-Hand Morgan is just as effortless and badass as it is in the manga. Luffy was definitely right when he said they’d make a good team.

In the first three episodes, Zoro keeps saying he is not a part of Luffy's crew whenever Luffy refers to them (including Nami) as such but he also makes it evident in episode 2 already that he is devoted to following Luffy. And that’s not even subtext but something Zoro clearly states when talking to Cabaji. He not only believes in Luffy but he is also starting to believe that next to Luffy, as part of his crew, is where he belongs. To quote Mackenyu: “Meeting Luffy is the biggest thing to ever happen to Zoro… though, of course, he’d never say that out loud”. Right after they defeat Buggy and leave the island, there’s also that adorable blink-and-you-miss-it moment where Zoro actually turns back and waits for Luffy which is just such... quality first mate behavior.

The first mate behavior slowly but surely gets better from here. Because naturally, the more time Zoro spends with Luffy, the more he gets to see what kind of a person Luffy is. He sees Luffy’s determination and possibly his own reflected in it. He sees his compassion and loyalty and how he’d stop at nothing to protect his crew and realizes that Luffy is someone worth following. And Zoro returns Luffy’s loyalty with his own, so to say. However he still keeps an emotional distance. Or to put it differently, he doesn’t fully commit to following Luffy. And the only reason I can think of as to what’s holding Zoro back is the importance of Zoro’s own dream. He may not want to follow Luffy if doing so gets in the way of his goal. That concern is gone after Luffy decidedly does not stop Zoro from fighting Mihawk. And it’s also why Zoro chooses the moment he wakes up after the fight as the one to vow his undying loyalty to Luffy.

This moment is important for Zoro cuz it is the start of his wholehearted commitment to Luffy and the first time he is “emotional” with him. The emotional distance that was there before — and that prevented Zoro from having an actual conversation with Luffy after he revealed Garp is his grandpa — is no longer here. But this moment is also incredibly significant to Luffy so let me dial back just a bit. Luffy is willing to die for his dream and Zoro has the same attitude. Luffy also said that he “doesn’t do regret”. And yet... he seems to be unwilling to admit it but what else does Luffy feel besides regret and fear when he nearly has a panic attack after Zoro lost to Mihawk. Or when he refuses to eat in order to clean Zoro’s swords. Or when he fails to find the right words to say to an unconscious Zoro. Add to that Nami leaving and Luffy getting bested by Arlong and you have a Luffy who, for the first time, seems to have doubts. In himself and in the path he’s chosen. But those doubts get assuaged by this same moment, thanks to his first mate. In the manga, Zoro is often the only one who understands Luffy and who is his pillar of strength in the rare cases that Luffy needs one. Luffy is always there for everyone when they need him but who is there for Luffy when he needs someone? Well, it’s usually Zoro. And we get another example of that in the following episode.

Not only is this scene meaningful cuz Zoro is there for Luffy when Luffy needs him but it also goes to show the deference and trust that Zoro has for Luffy. Even when Luffy does something Zoro may not agree with, he never tries to undermine his position as the captain in any way. (Zoro has in fact zero tolerance when it comes to anyone disrespecting his captain.) He always follows his lead. Or rather, he always follows his lead in the manga but in this scene on the show, it basically explains why Zoro trusts Luffy’s intuition in the first place.

The respect, admiration, understanding and growing love that Zoro and Luffy have for each other was both wonderfully written and could not have been better portrayed. I’m quite grateful. There are differences to the manga of course but personally, I have no issue liking both versions and I look forward to seeing how having changed the story so far will possibly “change” Luffy and Zoro’s dynamic within the rest of the show~

[general-cyno]

I watched film gold the other day and it's been making me think about luffy's relationship with food wrt zoro and how it's been presented in different OP media.

Aside from the importance the riceball incident holds for the animanga and OPLA, luffy's specific reaction to zoro's injuries after the mihawk duel in the latter is so good. although the LA won't touch luffy's full backstory for a while, it's obvious he loves food in both the usual goofy manner and as something he associates with kindness or a lack thereof. it's why zoro eating the riceballs and sanji feeding gin is important in both iterations of the story. and not only that, OPLA also directly links luffy's appetite to his mood/feelings - when kid!luffy gets sad about shanks's upcoming no-return departure, makino goes out of her way to point out something's really wrong after luffy says he's not hungry. as it is, OPLA used this character trait of luffy's again to highlight how affected he is by seeing zoro (who, at that point, luffy hadn't considered could lose) truly hurt for the first time.

From I'm not really hungry right now, Nami amidst his rising panic, refusing sanji's food, admitting he'd eat his arms and legs to save zoro's life (in the context of what happened to zeff and sanji) and my gut hasn't been so great lately, the message is clear: luffy is not only worried about zoro's wellbeing, he's also very, very upset and willing to go crazy lengths if it means saving zoro. plus, if you watch the LA knowing about sabo and ace, imo it emphasizes further why seeing zoro in such a state makes luffy feel/act the way he does and how much he cares for zoro to react like that to begin with. I love it. I also love that though he rejects the food for himself, luffy admits while rambling that he wants zoro to eat and asks sanji to prepare food he believes zoro would like, even if he quickly concludes letting him rest is probably the best option instead.

That last part brings me to thriller bark, in the manga. It's not food per se and it's portrayed less seriously, but he still tries to have zoro - unconscious and wounded after You Know What - drink an entire barrel of booze because luffy knows how much he loves it (as much as luffy loves meat) and believes it will make zoro wake up/feel better. comedic as it may be intended to be, it's also kinda sweet. luffy's shown more than a few times to recuperate ridiculously fast and in an equally ridiculous manner from injuries by eating meat, so this is luffy's own way to show how much he cares and that he wants zoro to be well again imo.

This also brings me to the start of thriller bark itself! luffy's offered to share his food before (with nami, for example), yet ig what stood out to me during this part is how he just... offers to share his lunch with zoro simply because luffy wants him to come along. luffy rarely makes that sort of offer for specifically mundane reasons, so. squints.

(the fact that zoro fell right for it is so. lmao.)

And as for film gold - albeit not canon as most of the OP movies are, it's still interesting. for once, it's zoro who ends up in need of rescue. after the whole ordeal with tesoro capturing zoro and pushing the straw hats to try and buy his freedom before the public execution, luffy seeks out food.

And when usopp remarks zoro is more important than that? luffy immediately agrees, but insists that's precisely why he needs to eat.

This is a fun contrast to OPLA luffy though I'd say not necessarily a contradicting one. whereas there's little OPLA luffy can do wrt zoro's injuries, film gold luffy can't afford not to eat because here he needs to be at peak strength to rescue him. I like that the movie showed luffy's frustration too,

and how far he'd go to save him: jumping into a duct that's filled with "vicious golden bats" no one's survived from and launching himself straight against a moving, giant sea prism stone ventilation fan (all related to rescue plan) that franky has to bodily drag him away from before he gets more seriously wounded.

(Quite a reminder luffy's pretty crazy about zoro too!)

All in all, food is a very important aspect of luffy's character whether it's for a comedic or serious effect. though it's made more relevant in the WCI arc, I still love how it's something you can see portrayed in his relationship with zoro throughout OP too, be it in the animanga, the LA or in movies as well.

[sanjisluvbot]

Isekai Yandere Strawhats X Black Fem Reader Ch 18

Masterlist

Minor spoilers!!!!

Luffy hadn't been this upset in so long. He couldn't even remember a time when he was so upset he didn't want to eat. Robin smirked at the commotion she caused, the energy in the room was intoxicating and Nami leaving was the icing on the cake.

Using her fruit to add an ear to Sanji as he rushed to follow behind her the smirk on her face turned into an animalistic grin. The fruit of her quiet labor had finally shown itself.

Matter all the months of reading the media she was born from, watching you with the crew and with the heart pirates, then creating multiple plans that slightly failed. She was overjoyed at the fact that this one was working out flawlessly.

Luffy complained and started little arguments with Ussop and Zoro. They all but rolled their eyes at their captain knowing it wasn’t about their card game but at the fact that you weren’t with them.

Robin decided to leave the room telling them she was going to get a drink, of course to bother Sanji.

The cook was smoking thinking about everything that would most likely happen over the next few days. Robin opened the door and smiled at him sitting down on a booth asking him for Coffee.

It was silent for a while, both waiting to see if the other would spark up the obvious conversation. Robin was going to be impulsive tonight so she spoke up.

“ Are you also upset with me?”

“ No… I understand. I understand the both of you.”

She hummed and took a sip of her drink, “ I think it’s in our best interest if Luffy is upset, he can use the anger with Kaido.”

“ But what about our alliance? It’s also in our best interest to be on good terms with Trafalgar. I don’t think it was a good idea to mention that Y/N was planning on staying with them until we got to Onigashima.”

“ Perhaps…”

It was silent again, Robin did agree with the fact that they did need Law, and as of now Law and you were a package; one wouldn’t be without the other. However, after Wano Law would be defeated and so far there hasn’t been any mention of the Heart pirates since.

You didn’t know that though, you’ve been here so long and haven’t caught up to the manga yet.

Robin had another bright idea.

“ Sanji… have you gotten to read the books?”

“ Yes, a few. Why do you ask?”

“ I know everyone thinks me mentioning Law and Y/N was a bad idea… which makes me wonder who read and up to what but after Wano.. Law is defeated.”

Shock spread over Sanji’s face and the cigarette he was smoking dropped to the ground. With how calculating and cunning Law was— including with how powerful his fruit was… who could defeat him besides his captain?

“ I know you’re wondering who.. it’s Black beard.”

“ The heart pirates are ambushed when we all go our separate ways, and the Kid pirates were dumb enough to think they would be able to defeat Shanks.”

“ Does Y/N know this?”

She shook her head and the cook sighed in relief. This would work out perfectly, you’d finally be just with them and Law wouldn’t even be a problem in their lives.

The conversation continued for some time before the lights went out and the crew were soundly asleep.

You were curious about what Law did in your world. He kept it pretty broad when he told you about it and you couldn’t help but spark interest in what he did.

You moved closer to him pulling his attention from the stars. “ I’m feeling bold and curious right now…” you started. You never took your eyes off the sky but you noticed the slight redness on his face which made you hopeful for answers.

“ I want to know what you did when you were in my world. Were you alone..?”

“ I was. I didn’t want to risk anything happening to my crew mates. It was pretty weird, the entirety of it. From getting there to seeing everything.”

Law remembered Robin telling him to visualize different things and to clear his mind before she left the room they were in. He felt his entire body spin but he knew he wasn’t moving and when he opened his eyes he was in a bedroom.

He was in shock, it was as if he used his own transportation power but when he saw pictures of you on the walls he realized he was in a new world. Law read every book on your shelf, and glee spread through him as he learned so much about you.

He heard movement a few hours later, people were coming home. He quickly grabbed an eraser and hid into the closet. He planned to use his power if someone came in and found his hiding place.

A little while later the door opened, for a moment he couldn’t recognize who it was. Different hairstyle, different clothes, and the person in question was faced away. Until they turned towards him, and low and behold it was you.

You were just as pretty as you’d always had been but the far off look in your eyes let him know this was only half of the person you used to be. That’s when Law knew he needed to do everything to get you back home, where you really belonged.

You were simply on auto pilot, doing routines your body had gotten accustomed too without really thinking about it. He grew angry seeing you like this, and even angrier knowing the Strawhats seen you like this as well.

They made into half a person in both worlds. You were trapped with no one to notice or care because to them you weren’t really missing. He would’ve hopped someone from your universe had noticed— especially your parents but it seemed to him that either no one cared or they couldn’t really see the change in your eyes and certain mannerisms.

Law used the erasure to leave your home, unable to continue watching you. It would break his heart even further.

He strolled the streets, hoping to be seen as normal but the strange looks that he got from basically everyone let him know he needed to change outfits and unfortunately get rid of his beloved hat.

Law scoured your town after changing, never forgetting leave his hat inside of your closet. He went to the library, the parks to continue reading his long medical books.

And after a days work he went back to your house, and into the crevices of your closet. He watched you as you ate your dinner in your room, just so you could catch up with a new episode of your favorite show.

When you left the room he decided to stretch until a pair of eyes met his own. Before he could make a sound multiple hands wrapped around him and covered his mouth.

Robin had appeared to tell him you had been searching for his since last night.

“ Interesting. I thought when you shifted people couldn’t tell that you’re gone.”

A lump in your throat had formed after that sentence. No one knows you’re gone but the ones who do have been watching you in the other world. They all knew that you looked broken but did nothing about it.

The urge to leave tonight settled inside you. You were done with the Strawhats, you needed to sever this link they’ve created.

Law noticed the gears in your brain turning and he quickly spoke up.

“ Y/N.. if you go I want to come with you.”

Your head snapped to him and your eyes widened, “ You want to come with me?”.

He nodded and you struggled for words. Why would he come with you? Could he be plotting with the Strawhats so you’re never fully out of reach—

“ I want to continue exploring your world.. and I Don’t honestly think I can live life without you anymore.”

The solemn energy had dissipated, both of your hearts were racing, waiting for the other to say something even more embrassing.

“ I-I don’t know what to say. I would love for you to come back with me but… you have a life here. You were born here, I’m a completely different case. Not to mention law, your crew.”

“ I would still come back. I just want to be with you.. as much as I can. Can we move the conversation to you either saying yes or no?”

Law was so embarrassed by the words coming out of his mouth. He was begging for your answer at this point, he didn’t want too much flying out of his silly little mouth without knowing how you felt.

You bit your lip. Law coming home with you? Being with you. He wants to be with you? You could hear your heart in your ears as you finally decided to answer him.

“ No.”

“ Great we can- No? Oh..”

A giggle made it’s way out of your lip and you latched onto his jaw and pulled him in for a kiss.

The eyes watching you from behind all widened and a collective gasp was heard by their captain and you. The two of you pulled away and Law angrily told them off as his entire face turned stark red.

After he was sure there was no more peaking he pulled you closer and you both continued to stare at the stars.

“ Would you sleep in my room…”

“ If you’d let me.”

“ Okay.”

“ Tomorrow?”

“ Yes.”

Night turned to day and Luffy was getting ready for Wano packing his stretchy limbs into armor. As much as he was joking and playing like usual you not being around made everything less funny.

“ Robin, Did you find Y/N !”

“ Y/N is with Trafalgar, we’ll see her tonight.”

He sucked his teeth and the crew gave one another looks.

“ Where are they?”

“ I’m not too sure, the book never mentions the heart pirates exact locations.”

He groaned and threw himself to the ground. He didn’t want to be nice to Trafalgar anymore, he wanted to play games with Y/N and cuddle her like he used to.

He thought that after all they did for you, you’d come to your sense and just have fun with him everyday. You were a priority in his life just as the rest of his crew mates and he thought he pushed far enough with you.

With every other crew member that he has he never needed to do too much to get them to join his crew. Why did you have to be so different? It’s not that he hates how you are, you being so different is what made him so attracted to you.

Everyone else knew how oblivious the boy was to his own feelings, seeing his mind overload itself trying to understand why exactly he’s so upset right now.

Luffy didn’t want to say it himself, deep down he knew the emotions he felt for you different then the feelings for his crew mates. He slapped his hand on his face to cover the redness on his cheeks.

🏷️: @chaichaiiskai @mizzhellsingsstuff @herwritingartcowboy @axulaphie @toshirolovebot @futmblr @rhicambo @marim0cha @sasukeswife3 @mitskikinnie100 @alaurannara @angstylittleb1tch

A/N: thank you for an overwhelming 400 followers <3 I’m still shocked that all of you like this series, and the amount of new people who come everyday makes me so happy. We’re obviously nearing the end but I hope with my next series you’ll support me further 🪄

[skullwillow155]

Two years is a long time...

Other chapters: should be the right link:

Chapter 3

Hi. Here is another chapter. The next one might have some fluff and more relationship stuff. Hope it's OK. I might reedit at some point as I feel I might need to add a few things.

Just for reference Shika = Jeshika it's Just easy to write

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Sanji was grateful to finally see Shika; not just because it was her, but because he was also grateful to see an actual woman. The last few years had made him miss women; but most of all, he missed the touch and sight of women; more specifically, this one woman. His woman. Always his. As he remembered being on that godforsaken island, he clung to the smell and surroundings that he was currently. He couldn’t tell you how grateful he was to see all 3 ladies again, but the island did do one thing. It made him realise how much Shika meant to him. He knew they were something before they separated, but they were new and hadn’t put much thought into what they were. Over time, he came to realise he wanted; no needed more.

His thoughts kept coming back to that over the last few days, which prompted him to never leave her side, always within touching distance; almost always touching. Shika noticed the increased touching but didn’t say anything. She just enjoyed it for what it was almost afraid if she said anything it would stop. Sanji fawned over her, constantly making sure that she had everything she needed, even before she knew she needed it. Food parcels, clothes washed; anything. This made him happy, and it made her happy to be the centre of his attention. That’s all he needed for now.

Zoro was in a similar position; trying to sleep and drink and push away the feelings gnawing in his stomach; the more he felt the stirrings, the more he over drunk his Sake and slept. It was the only way to not think of her. Though sleep didn’t always stop that. He couldn’t say he hated it, but being as emotionally stunted as he was, he couldn’t place why. He just thought he hated seeing her with that stupid blonde haired moron but in reality, it was different. He couldn’t help but scowl every time Sanji touched Shika, and every time he saw he laugh at something. The feeling in his gut would not go away. It got to a point where Shika had noticed that she felt the swordsman’s eyes on her more than once.  Even Nami had felt the tension in the air, which made her curious.

----------------

During the next few days, none of them had moved off the ship; only to restock a few supplies here and there. That was until Luffy started getting bored. Once the festivities and reunions had worn off, Luffy was itching for adventure. One morning, they had been woken up to Luffy shouting and throwing himself off the ship in glee. There had been rumblings of marines in the area, and that there was something going down in Sabaody, and of course, Luffy was the first to throw himself into it.

Shika was woken with Luffy shouting and the whole crew running to see what their captain was shouting about. But they didn’t have much time to discuss. She had walked out hair a mess and her sleeping clothes hanging half off her body. Both the men stared at her. Sanji’s heart beating out of his chest, hearts already in his eyes. Of course, he had been up for hours, but to see her like this made him want to take her in his arms. Instead, he pressed a kiss to her hand and handed her a bite to eat. Zoro’s eye’s narrowing at the sight, and a sudden urge fluttered in his heart. He had never seen her so beautiful… he immediately pushed that thought out of his head and was pulled out of any further thoughts by his Captain’s shouting. He guessed their quiet was over for now… though a part of him was happy to be distracted for a while.

Luffy was already off the ship, no one really having a clue what he was shouting about bit knew something was going down. They all quickly ran to get dressed and get things ready before splitting up. One group was trying to find Luffy. The other heading into town to find out what the marines were doing back in Sabaody.

Of course, Zoro got put with the idiot cook, Chopper, and Shika. Whilst Nami, Franky, Robin and Brook went off to follow there captain. He let out an almost audible frustrated growl and being stuck with the love sick fool but he felt a small happiness at being with the other two, though he put that down to being with Chopper and not being alone with the chef.

Once they were all ready, they took a stroll onto the island. Sanji grabbed Shika’s hand while Chopper sat a top of Zoro’s head. Zoro narrowed his eyes at the sight but quickly looked away. His hand tightened over his katana.

The next few hours were pretty uneventful, they had found out that Sentomaru was around but they had yet to find out where he was and currently they wanted to stay low and find out what was going on. Obviously, Luffy was doing his own thing, but the rest had finally agreed to find out more information; much to Zoro’s annoyance. He wanted to beat the crap out of Sentomaru, but he was out voted and out voiced by everyone else he had no choice but to agree.

Though Zoro couldn’t quite be that annoyed now, they were in the bar. A sake in his hand, and Shika sat up close to him in the booth, which felt like a dream. He could feel his heart increase, and his body grew warm. He shouldn’t be feeling like this; he thought to himself, trying to ignore Shika and the blond idiot; instead focusing on chopper; who was currently sitting on Shika’s lap. Chopper was animated and drinking his milk, making an adorable picture. As time went on, they started to discuss what to do in regard to the marines and especially Sentomaru. But Zoro’s thoughts kept being distracted by the heat radiating from Shika.

As Sanji went to grab some more drinks for them all Shika shuffled a little to look at Zoro, slight concern showing on her face. Zoro was quieter than usual, and that didn’t sit right with her. Not one bit. She didn’t want to make a fuss in the presence of chopper, but she found his hand and squeezed it, raising her eyebrow to see if he was alright. What she didn’t realise was that touch made Zoro tense; though he tried not to show it… all his thoughts zeroing in on her hand in his and the heat coming from it. He cleared his throat and took his hand away, going to pick up his sake, but he could still feel the heat like it was seared into his palm. “Am fine…” he spoke in monotone, trying so hard to stay stoic and calm. Just as he was about to say something else, Sanji came back over with the drinks, while placing them down his gaze, looking to Shika, not noticing the tension.

“You never guess what…” his voice cutting through the silence. “When I was at the bar… I heard someone say something about us… well, not us… someone pretending to be us. They said the Strawhat’s had already been in here, causing trouble. Luckily, they didn’t recognise us, but i do think we should maybe leave and find out who these imposters are.” All three listened to Sanji’s words. Zoro still slightly zoned out, focusing on his hand; that was until he felt himself being pulled out of the booth.

As they were about to leave, 3 people walked into the bar.

“Hey old man, get us a drink and maybe some food too.” A loud voice boomed through the bar and whispers picked up. “Is that… yes that must be… the Strawhat crew…” whispers picked up and the 3 men walked into view.

Fake Luffy, Zoro, Sanji.

Luckily, the other 4 were still hiding near the booth. Once they heard the whispers, they turned around to see who was the subject of those whispers, and Shika couldn’t help but let out a snort, half expecting Luffy to walk in, but no. These 3? These 3 looked terrible.

Zoro let out a laugh as the slightly blonde one called himself Sanji. Sanji just had a scowl on his face. “How in the world would anyone think that’s me.” He said with disbelief. Zoro laughed harder. He couldn’t help it. “I don’t know. I can see the resemblance cook. ” he felt Sanji glare at him but quickly turned his gaze to the imposter, sorrow plastered on his face as he felt disrespected. “Shut it, mosshead, yours ain’t much better,” he smirked back. Zoro was going to retort when he heard another gunshot.

Zoro stared at Sanji, not uttering a word. Instead, Sanji nodded and grabbed Shika’s and pulled her to get out of the bar; hoping Zoro would keep his cool this once. Luckily for him, he did. They knew they had to keep their heads down if the marines were looking for them, and a small part of them thought this could be a good distraction. Zoro grabbed Chopper, and they slinked out the bar as they heard a gunshot and someone fell to the floor. “I am captain Luffy,” the voice shouts… “I get what i want. ”… and with the commotion picking up, they managed to sneak out. Zoro’s free hand resting on the hilt of his sword just in case. However, they were soon to realise that this would not be the distraction they needed. In fact, these groups of idiots would create more problems than they would solve.

The guy that looked a lot like Fake Luffy decided to shoot another innocent bystander. As her friend protests, he is shot as well. There were whispers circulating and panic settling in. The Fake looking Luffy orders his crew to do something. The words are being lost in the commotion, but they are suddenly knocked down by the figure. Shika and Sanji didn’t realise that Zoro had moved. Already in front of the other man. His eyes glaring at the figures in front.

The guy who looks like fake Luffy starts getting in Zoro’s face and trying to threaten Zoro. Zoro just stares at them unbothered. The rest of Fake Luffy’s crew join in to try and intimidate Zoro, but Zoro continues to stare; his hand resting on the hilt of his katana. The only thought in Zoro’s head was him hoping Sanji had got Shika out of there, which, luckily for him, Sanji was also leading her out of the bar quietly. Sneaking through the commotion with every intention of going back in when Shika was out of the way.

The crowd in the bar were terrified, hoping they would go along with their wishes and threats. However, Zoro simply walks up to them and gets right in his face. Fake Usopp goes to shoot him, but Zoro manages to dodge the bullet and pushes his katana to Fake Luffy’s neck. Not before using his Haki on the Fake Straw Hats, causing them to faint, which astonishes the crowd. Once satisfied, he downed his drink and left to meet up with Shika, Sanji, and Chopper. He took one look behind him with a satisfied smirk and left.

--------------------

“Too late stupid cook…” he smirked as he saw Sanji start to walk back. His thoughts were going to Chopper and Shika, hoping they were out of the way. Sanji scowled, but deep down, he was glad that the problem was over; for now.

“I think we should head back before we encounter more trouble…” Chopper said as he walked out of the alley that they had been put in. As they walked back, all was quiet until they heard a loud bang, and a flash of light came from the sky. Before they knew it, they were flung back and separated over the field. Chopper landing in the forest behind them.

-------------------

 When Shika finally opened her eyes, she could feel a presence and a tension in the air. She tried to sit up; seeing all three of them spread out on the field. It took a few minutes to realise something was wrong. Until her eyes landed on what appeared to be Bartholomew Kuma and another guy in the background.

Her gaze was shifted to Zoro’s shouts of what the hell was that. Both Zoro and Sanji got to their feet slowly; Chopper was still out cold.

The air crackled with tension as Zoro and Sanji stood up and looked around, both realising the situation they were all in. Sentomaru and the Pacifista; or was it Kuma. They weren’t entirely sure, and they didn’t really care. Both of them took a quick look around to check where Shika and Chopper were. They couldn’t see Chopper, but they both relaxed a little when Shika moved a little. The relaxed state was quickly pushed away as  “Kuma” started walking towards them.

The two Straw Hat crew members stood back to back, their eyes locked on their opponents. “Get out of her Shika Chan,” Sanji shouted in all seriousness, “Go find Chopper,” Zoro also shouted. They couldn’t keep the worry out of their voices, but they both had no time for that.

Shika did what she was told. Her head throbbed a little as she felt blood running down the side of her face, but she slowly got up and crawled towards the forest, hoping that the other two were distracted enough.

Sanji and Zoro made quick work of the Pacifista, showing how much they had learnt in the 2 years away. They both kicked and sliced as though it was paper. Sentomaru was a little taken back at the difference from last time, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, choosing to glare at the two pirates in front of him with a steely gaze. Zoro and Sanji exchanged a quick glance, communicating silently with each other. When they weren’t bickering, they made a good team; not that either would admit to that, but they knew.

They turned to look at Sentomaru and knew that this would be a tougher fight, especially without the rest of the crew, but they were determined to give it their all. After all, they had Shika to protect; and Chopper. They weren’t going to be separated again. Not when they had just reunited. Zoro gripped his swords tightly while Sanji cracked his knuckles in anticipation and readying his foot for the upcoming fight.

As the battle began, the two Straw Hats launched themselves at Sentomaru with unparalleled skill and determination. Unfortunately for them. The group that had turned up earlier were also on their way towards the commotion, not one to forget.

Zoro took out his sword and put it in his mouth, readying to attack the men in front. He threw himself towards the group. Three swords sliced through the air with deadly precision, just barely missing the guy in front, while Sanji’s powerful kicks didn’t go unnoticed. The fake Strawhat’s fighting back with some intensity, but they were no match for Zoro and Sanji. The group was disposed of quickly as the clash of metal and the sound of grunts filled the air. Zoro and Sanji took care of the imposters and were not daring to stop and refused to back down until all of them were down. Both of their main thoughts were to protect Shika.

Unknowingly to them, Sentomaru had disappeared towards the forest in the commotion, looking for the other Strawhat’s. In that moment, there was a piercing scream which echoed through the forest.

In a flurry of confusion as Shika was still a little out of it. She hadn’t noticed she had company. She finally found where Chopper was and was gently picking him up. As she did so, she felt someone grab her arm. She tried to struggle but only had one arm and was feeling a little woozy. Sentomaru quickly grabbed Shika and dragged her away. This was one sure fire way to get Monkey D Luffy Sentomaru thought to himself.

Shika was already weak as the hit to her head was affecting her, unable to put up much of a fight. She did try to push him away, but her attempts were futile. She shouted for Sanji and Zoro. Her piercing screams fell in the air as Sentomaru hit her with such force she began to black out.

The last thing she saw was Sanji running towards her at full speed, Zoro not far behind, but they were stopped by another of Sentomaru’s Pacifistas, who stood in their way as she was whisked off, barely clinging to life. Of course, they both made quick work of the Pacifista, but by the time they were done, Sentomaru had taken Shika with them. Chopper falls from the sky as she lets go of her grip in unconsciousness. Zoro caught Chopper but felt at a loss at what to do. Both Sanji and Zoro’s hearts slowed. Not again, they thought as she was whisked away. Blood and sweat pooled on and around their heads as they stood there seeing Sentomaru disappear with her. Zoro snapped at Sanji, Sanji was a wreck, but they knew they had to pull it together. To see her again. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go. They had to get back to the Sunny. As much as Sanji wanted to run after you, he had to be the semi rational one. Sentomaru was no joke, and they both had to get help from the crew.

Zoro wanted to rush head first and chase after him, but deep down, he knew Sanji was right. Even if that did make him want to throw up at admitting that. Anything to keep her safe, he thought to herself. His heart beating at the thought of not seeing her again. They weren’t at 100%, and they couldn’t risk messing this up. They both took deep breaths, getting lost in their own thought’s.

Sanji picked up Chopper, trying to squash his thoughts. He had only just got her back. He didn’t know how he could cope with her gone so soon. He had tears down his cheeks, but he forced himself to drag his ass back to Luffy.

Both of them were in some agreement. If Sentomaru even touched a hair on Shika’s head, they would be the ones to kill him; no matter what; not Luffy… them.

------------------

When Shika barely gained consciousness, she felt her hands heavy and cuffed. The room she was in was dark and damp. She tried to take in any information she could but felt herself slip back into unconsciousness. All she thought of was Zoro and Sanji, as she closed her eyes again and heard Sentomaru laugh in the distance.

[chenziee]

AKA Obligatory everybody is alive and nothing hurts, attempt #254666

This piece is a "Pick one" commission from the_rin on AO3! Thank you so much again for commissioning me and for your endless patience while I struggled with this creature that decided to run away from me 🤍🙏

One day, I might be able to actually write this story in Luffy's POV (which is what it was originally supposed to be both four years ago when I first had the idea and now.. but I still don't have enough skill and confidence to successfully make it ☠️

So for now, please enjoy Nami's slowly losing it while chaos rules over Sabaody 🍊

----------

3D2Y

As Nami climbed up onto the Sunny’s deck for the first time in two years, with a wide smile on her lips and arms full of shopping bags, she could barely contain her excitement. After all, it now finally felt like time was moving again after the crew’s separation.

When she had gotten the news of the war while on Weatheria, it was like a punch in the gut. She had seen the photos of the state both Luffy and Ace were in before their escape—both with terrible burn scars on their chests with blood all over their faces, looking on the brink of death. The following days were nothing short of a high-speed nightmare filled with nothing but worry, fear, and the need to be by Luffy’s side with no way to get to him.

She trusted that Luffy would make it… but there was no real guarantee he would. Or that Ace would.

Nami didn’t dare imagine how Luffy would feel if he had lost his brother. While completely alone, with no one from the crew by his side… Her heart nearly broke at the mere thought of it.

So, when the news of Luffy’s escapade at Marineford reached her a few weeks later, seeing the message he had for his crew, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. She knew what Luffy was trying to say. She understood. And she knew that she, too, could get stronger.

With Weatheria’s science, she was sure she could become a navigator capable of getting Luffy wherever he damn well wanted.

And she was confident that now, two years later, she was more than able to do that.

Even though she imagined that Luffy was going to come up with the stupidest, most dangerous places to sail to…

But, that was a battle she would fight when they got there; for now, she was just beyond excited to see everyone!

By the time she had arrived on Sabaody a few days ago, only Franky and Zoro were already there—one of which was definitely hopelessly lost and possibly half-way to Fishman Island by that point—but now… Now it all felt so much more real.

Usopp and Chopper were with her—or had been before they ran off to rave over Franky—, Shakky said that Brook and Sanji were somewhere on the archipelago, and now, even Robin was on the ship already, waiting for Nami to climb up the ladder.

They were only missing Luffy now, but that was just a matter of time.

Honestly, their biggest problem at this point was finding Zoro and dragging his directionally challenged ass back here.

“Nami! I’m so happy to see you!” Robin said, pulling Nami into a hug as soon as she found her balance on the jelly-like coating under her feet.

Nami laughed easily, returning the gesture. “Same to you! You look amazing!” she complimented the archeologist, sighing in content at the familiar warmth of her friend’s presence.

That is, at least, until a high-pitched scream resounded around the deck, startling Nami and making her jump.

“Hair comes out?!”

“Awesome!!”

“Can you make any hairstyle you want?!”

Heaving a deep sigh, Nami shook her head. “I can’t believe Franky’s body got even more ridiculous. What even is going on over there?”

“Who knows?” Robin chuckled “Looks like the boys like it though.”

“Such a bulky body seems so inconvenient. I don’t get it,” another woman piped up.

“Right?” Nami agreed with a huff. “I mean, what’s with those shoulders—”

Suddenly, Nami stopped talking. Blinking a few times, she tried to figure out what it was that suddenly felt so off… but then, she whipped around in the direction of the last voice—a distinctly unfamiliar voice.

[ READ THE REST ON AO3 | KO-FI | COMM INFO ]

[thekingofwinterblog]

Kuina and Mihawk

One thing i've really come to miss about the One Piece Anime as it went on and devolved as Toei changed it's approach to adaption, is the Early Anime's ability to tell visual stories that in it's own ways was much better than the Manga's approach.

And one of the ways it did this, was by creating a very thematic connection between two of the most important fights Zoro ever had, and far and away his most important fights in the East Blue.

His first fight with Mihawk, and his 2001'th bout with Kuina, both fight which were decisive losses for the man.

In the original manga, the fight was a very lackluster affair, with the point of it simply being that Zoro once again was crushed, he stood no chance against Kuina, and ended losing again.

There's nothing wrong with that, and does tie in just fine with Zoro's feelings and his resolutions here, but it's not a work of art.

The anime by contrast takes the ideas raised here, but more importantly ties it to Zoro's fight with Mihawk, which they would have penned out at the same time.

And it tells a story without ever drawing real attention to it.

Kuina starts the fight by playing defensive, calmly waiting for Zoro to make his move, composed and withouth any sense of urgency, while Zoro is nervous, on edge, and the moment he spots an opportunity as a blade of grass flies past Kuina's eyes, obscuring her vision, he desperately grabs the chance and charges, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Kuina by contrast remains composed, and though the two of them goes back and forth, it's clear that she is the dominant blademaster here, which ends with the young Zoro, tired from swining around two steel swords, screams in frustration, and for a brief moment closes his eyes(And leaving himself open), upon which it's Kuina who rushes forth in a burst of speed, and capitalizing on Zoro's opening, and knocks him down as well as disarming him, she then follows this up by stabbing the blade down into the earth beside his head to assert her dominance in this battle.

She won. Zoro lost. And there was no chance it would have gone differently.

She wins, not just because she is stronger, faster, and has more endurance than him, but because she truly was the better master of the blade.

And that's the point.

And in the end, the thing that actually makes Kuina respect Zoro, is not his skills with a blade, which are far below hers, but instead his conviction, his refusal to give up on his dream while calling her out on how she is looking for excuses to give up on hers.

It is Zoro's spirit, not his skill at arms, which though impressive, are woefully beneath his foe's, that makes her respect him.

And all of this repeats itself later in the anime, as Zoro faces Mihawk.

Mihawk mocks Zoro for his lesser skills with the blade, that if he truly was a master, he would see the difference without even needing to cross blades with him, very much how Kuina once told Zoro he was absolutely worthless with a blade compared to her.

And just like her, he's absolutely right... But the far more interesting thing is how similar their anime fights play out.

It starts out with Mihawk going on the defensive, waiting until Zoro attacks in an aggressive rush, only for him to capitalize on that simple attack pattern, and punish it.

It's a moment that is way more memorable because of just how much larger the difference between Zoro and Mihawk is than the one between him and Kuina, but the way they fight is the same here.

Zoro desperately focuses on the strength Mihawk displays here, but plenty of characters in the universe would have been much stronger than zoro here. No what is truly impressive is the way Mihawk saw Zoro's technique Onigiri for the first time, immediately spots the weakpoint in the technique as Zoro is about to finish, he steps forward and locks it down, at the point where if stopped, all 3 swords are immobilized all at once.

Whereas Zoro is always agressive to a fault, Mihawk and Kuina switch from defensive and offensive on a dime to capitalize on their foes weakness.

This continues in the fight, as it begins a back and forth where Zoro is giving it absolutely everything he has in a ferocious flurry of attacks, while his foe is being calm, composed, and utterly dominating as a result.

Just like Kuina, this is not a fight that is so dominant because of the difference in strength, speed and endurance, nor in special techniques.

Mihawk is the dominant swordsman, having mastered everything on a fundamental level that Zoro is stupidly far behind on.

And in the end, Zoro, as he's preparing one of his special techniques, leaves himself wide open... Which Mihawk capitalizes completely on, almost killing him with a simple, but perfectly executed, fundamental Fencing thrust.

The fact he doesn't just thrust the blade through Zoro's heart is in itself a move of utter, and intentional dominance.

It the exact same thing Kuina once did, just with bloodier results.

Just like with Kuina, Mihawk is far above Zoro in both skill and capacity. Forget strength, speed and endurance, this was a contest of swords, and taking everything else out of the Equation, in that regard, Zoro completely falls short as well.

He stood no chance.

Just like with Kuina.

And just like Kuina, Zoro "Wins" not the fight, but his opponent's respect, through his grit, his spirit, and his refusal to give up, even in the face of total defeat.

It's a beautiful little bit of thematic symmetry, and it connects Zoro's rivalry with Mihawk to his rivalry with Kuina in a way the manga never managed to.

[laoih]

ONE PIECE (2023) | Recruiting Roronoa Zoro

RECRUITMENT ATTEMPT BY MISTER 7

RECRUITMENT ATTEMPT BY CAPTAIN MORGAN

RECRUITMENT ATTEMPT BY MONKEY D. LUFFY

I think Zoro's character setup in these scenes is really well done, and I'd like to explain why I think so and examine how it plays into Zoro's characterisation in the rest of the season.

Recruting a skilled fighter

The first two scenes effectively establish Zoro as a bounty hunter, but they also show that many people are interested in his skills and try to recruit him. Given how the scenes play out it isn't the first time this happens; Zoro even seems to have a standard phrase with which he rejects these kind of offers.

But these offers aren't really offers of course – they are threats. Mister 7 threatens him with death if he doesn't accept, Captain Morgan's other option is seven days in the yard (alternatively being chased by the marines from then on).

So when Luffy comes along with his weird idea of recuriting a pirate hunter into his pirate crew, it's just one of many offers that Zoro rejects. And because he's had these recruitment attempts many times before and never with the focus on what he wants but what the other party wants, Zoro expects Luffy to have the same attitude as everyone else. He is convinced Luffy wants something in return for freeing him, and makes sure to let him know that there's no such agreement between them. He doesn't owe him anything.

And that's why he is taken aback when Luffy frees him without expecting anything in return – it's just because Luffy wants to support Zoro in what Zoro is actually interested in. Despite Zoro's rejection, Luffy offers support by freeing him from the pole instead of making demands or threats.

Luffy's support

This is one of Luffy's core traits of course – and one of the main reasons why all the Strawhats decide to stay by Luffy's side. They all have dreams, but struggle in finding a way to follow them. Luffy affirms them in striving for their dreams, and supports them whenever they need his help to move forward.

For Zoro this applies especially when he challenges Mihawk to a duel. Nami lists all the reasons why Zoro shouldn't fight Mihawk, but for Luffy it's no question that if Zoro wants to do it, he'll have Luffy's support all the way. If it's important to Zoro, that's good enough for Luffy and what he can do for Zoro is not to stand in his way. I believe this is what convinces Zoro to accept Luffy as his captain and to pledge his loyalty to him afterwards – and if Luffy would have tried to stop Zoro, it is doubtful if Zoro would have stayed at his side. So when Luffy is unsure afterwards if he made the right decision, Zoro affirms his decision.

Nami's deceit

These introduction scenes also provide a good basis for why Zoro is so distrustful of Nami before she officially joins them in the end. It's actually a trait he shares with her: the general scepticism of people, in Zoro's case caused by people trying to exploit his skills, and in Nami's case caused by Arlong actually exploiting her skill all her life. For both of them Luffy is an anomaly compared to what they are used to.

Given how Nami had done her best to try to convince the crew that she was only using them, it's only natural for Zoro to be wary of her and her intentions. Especially since in contrast to her he is a very direct person – a trait that he shares with Luffy. Both Luffy and Zoro always say what they mean, they never pretend to be anything they are not or try to deceive anyone. But where Luffy's belief in the good in people let's him believe that there is more to Nami's story, Zoro is too jaded to look beyond her rejection of the crew.

Many of these later character moments fit very well in what has been established in the first episode, which is why I think the episode gave an excellent introduction to this version of Zoro.

Obviously, the situation and the characters are a bit different to the manga/anime. In the manga/anime, Zoro has less of a choice when it comes to choosing the pirate life: his imminent death is very likely if he doesn't join Luffy's crew when he is still tied to the pole. The dynamic in the live action is therefore different and creates different characters, but they are close enough in the live action that I regonize and love them nevertheless.

[cozage]

A few people have asked…

So here’s the 2.5 things that I didn’t love about the OPLA

[SPOILERS FOR OPLA BELOW]

Again, just to reiterate: I LOVED the Live Action. It was beautiful, lovely storytelling. Everyone involved put everything they had in it and you can really see that.  But there were some changes that I didn’t think were justified, and they were both in Arlong Park.  

1. The Cocoyasi Village Residents genuinely hating Nami. In the manga and anime it’s very heavily implied (and maybe outright said? I can’t remember) that the residents of Cocoyasi Village are AWARE that Nami is trying to save their town. They only act like they hate her to try and get her to stop sacrificing herself. I’m not entirely sure why the call to change that was made, but it made me really sad the way Nojiko treated her in the OPLA (especially after seeing the moment in the manga where she tells Nami that “tattoos are just decoration; they don’t actually mean anything!”). A lot of the decisions to cut scenes with young Nami and Nojiko (and just young Nami in general) really took the punch out of her backstory. 

2. Garp and Koby meeting up with Luffy in the East Blue. I actually REALLY loved the Garp/Koby/Helmeppo storyline up until the last moment. I think it added to the world building and showed us very early on how the World Government is morally questionable and how the world operates. It also helped close the gap of how Koby and Garp got to know each other and how he falls under his command. I really enjoyed following them along for the ride. Until Cocoyasi Village. There was something about that moment that felt…off? I don’t even know why. Maybe it was because Garp has NEVER approved of Luffy being a pirate. He knows Luffys resolve, but he would never say “I was testing you to make sure you wanted this path” and then basically grant his blessing. I know there had to be some kind of resolution between them, but I didn’t like the way it ended. I wish it had been more like the Water 7 moment. Garp felt far too serious the entire time (the only time i really remember him laughing was when Luffy fired the cannonball back at the marine ship).

Impel Down spoilers

2.5 This is so small but we KNOW that Buggy cannot travel without his feet (unless I’m misremembering?). He has a range and cannot move out of it. So his head hitching a ride to the Baratie is just so canon-breaking it HURT ME. I know it’s unlikely we’ll ever make it to Impel Down for that to be a problem (I genuinely think Skypiea would probably be the last arc the LA could cover, but Water 7/Enie’s Lobby could be done if the budget was big enough) but it just BOTHERED ME. WHY. WHY DID THEY DO THAT. I know there’s ways to fix it (maybe he can’t MOVE after a certain range, but can still be carried?) but STILL. 

That’s really it, honestly. I know a lot of people had gripes about Usopp and Syrup Village, but I liked the changes. I never felt like Usopp was overshadowed (plus, background character is the way he likes it honestly, keeps him away from danger). I liked that Kaya was so welcoming and a part of the bigger storyline, and I loved the way it took place in the mansion instead of on the beach. I was OBSESSED with the way they did the Baratie, Sanji’s interactions, Mihawk's reasoning for going to the Baratie, and how he left Zoro and Luffy. 

I. ATE. UP. the zolu content during the Baratie and Nami/Zoro sibling dynamic really coming out there. Oda approved the absolute BEST changes during Baratie specifically, hes so real for that. 

I’m going to watch it again with my family, maybe I’ll feel differently after I rewatch.  Again it’s imperative you guys understand I ADORED this show, and I NEED a season two IMMEDIATELY. It was fantastic and if you haven’t watched it, go do that right NOW. 

[melonteee]

I just think they didn't do Sanji's eyebrows cause they couldn't make it work with the hairstyle they wanted, every Sanji actor looks like a cosplayer, which is not a bad thing when it comes to like live performances on stage or at theme parks, but they're SO clearly wearing wigs LMAO they do not look like "real" people that would exist since that hair (wig) is not natural looking at all (and we all know that Sanji would look wacky with both brows showing, that's why he NEVER shows them in the manga), Netflix is clearly going for realism and Sanji has "realistic" hair which is kinda ironic since One Piece and realism don't really go hand in hand but lol Netflix ¯l_(ツ)_l¯

This same goes for Usopp's nose too, but they have literally NO excuse for removing Sanji's little "beard", that shit should've stayed on since it IS one of the most realistic parts of his design lol but again it's fucking Netflix

Also hot(?) take: I think Oda just designed Sanji to have eyebrows like the spiral in narutomaki cause he found it funny, I think he added the Germa stuff to it later (I think he had a lot of Sanji's story planned out from the get go but judging from his comments he decided Sanji would have siblings much later so I think he also just added more meaning to the brows later)

Anon you cannoooot say "it's just unrealistic looking, all the other Sanjis wear obvious wigs" when Nami and Zoro are wearing the most obvious wigs ever. It has nothing to do with realism, Zoro's hair is bright green for god's sake. If a cosplayer on a $15 budget can add the literal key trait of Sanji's design, Netflix could've found a way to do it on a million dollar budget - possibly even with a more natural look!

I'm not going to lie I'm extremely sick of these excuses that everyone is just making up FOR Netflix, like can we just be in agreement it was honestly disappointing and lazy to remove a physical feature a LOT of people recognise Sanji for. A feature that is so easy to add. You can be excited for it while also going "Wow, that kinda sucks!"

Removing a feature of a character that he's literally recognised for in canon universe, that he gets nick names for and pointed at for MULTIPLE times, is just an extremely disappointing move by Netflix - especially considering it is currently story relevant in the original property right now. They just wanted to make him a conventionally attractive man without any of the design choices that actually make him stand out.

Sanji's eyebrows are also literally meant to be weird, if they look uncanny then that's kind of literally the point. It's why he gets made fun of for them.

Once again, this has nothing to do with the actors at all. They do not control their costumes lol.

Also my hot take here is, if you want to make a show with physical realism, why in the world would you EVER pick one piece to adapt for that 😭

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1117 Review and Analysis

And so ends the Broadcast Era (any Three Body readers here?) after a long few months. The breaks were certainly not kind to this sequence, but I think it will be remembered fondly. One Piece’s biggest strength is how populated and alive its world feels, and emphasising that all these supporting characters are still relevant and it’s all their lives at stake is going to pay dividends when things get apocalyptic in the endgame.

Anyway, to review the manga instead of the fanbase, it’s sweet to see Neko on the cover page felt comfortable dropping the gun from his stump arm. Even as an apparent yakuza, things are at peace enough that he doesn’t need to be packing. Also the way Yamato’s backpack fits right between their belt loop thingies is a cute detail.

Nice to see Drake still kicking. I’d have been willing to believe he was dead after Wano. I wonder if the broadcast is going to start influencing SWORD to go finally rogue and move all the less-evil Marines into their own, easier to root for faction.

You have to wonder what Stussy’s exit plan is if she isn’t rushing to rejoin the group on the Sunny. Or if she is, no one’s snailed in to tell them hold tight.

The attention to detail with the giants’ ship’s figurehead being tied back on after being cut a couple of chapters ago is great. The giants as a whole give us some really fun, evocative pages this week as they lay into the Marine fleet. And while we’re obviously not getting a full set of one on ones for this arc, Oda gives some solid moments to Bluegrass and Doll, perhaps to set them up to be bigger opponents in the future. I certainly didn’t expect Kashii to take such a big beatdown right in the middle of his triumphant return to the story.

It feels likely that it was trying to reach Luffy at the cost of all else, but then why does it only sometimes react to Gear Five, and why only at the end was it activated enough to start moving?

And how about Mars seemingly recognising the robot? Definitely gives us a hint that the Elders are older than they appear, despite previous evidence suggesting they don’t go all the way back to the Void Century.

There is one reoccurring complaint I do agree with, as this marathon segment wraps up: it’s kinda weird there was no visual content in the broadcast, after the emphasis placed on it with the 10 minute lead time. Maybe we take it as part of Vegapunk’s perfectionism – it just wouldn’t feel right to him if he wasn’t being seen, which would track with an artificial devil fruit not feeling right because of its colour, something on one else would care about – but that’s still a little weak. I’m sure Oda wrote out the whole speech in advance and chunked it out chapter by chapter with the cameos and action beats he wanted to accompany it, and he found he decided the preamble was necessary to get everyone where they needed. The arrival of the Elders wouldn’t have had the focus that made it so great if Vegapunk was already dropping lore bombs. Buuuut I’m sure there could have been a better in-universe justification for it. Maybe just saying he wants people to set up recording devices to preserve and repeat the message could have made it easier to swallow.

I think we can all let out a breath with the broadcast over. While I’m sure there’s still some cooldown to go, especially if the Iron Giant means to retaliate, things seem poised to wrap up here. There are multiple calls to get the ships moving throughout the chapter, from Zoro, Luffy and the giants, with the stragglers close enough to jump aboard as they go. And with Vegapunk dead and the broadcast over there’s nothing left on Egghead I can see the crew getting invested in fighting for. It’s kind of a loss for the Strawhats, not being able to protect everything they promised they would and having to retreat from foes they have no idea how to fight, albeit not as devastating a one as Sabaody. Elbaf could end up being a chance to regroup, power up one last time, and make ready to stop these unstoppable monsters in the true final battle. And setting that up is a very exciting prospect.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1096 - Initial Thoughts

And we are back

Had a feeling this one would come early though. The Kuma flashback is in swing and we are in a very historically point of intrigue

However it is also 8 weeks since we last saw Nico Robin and it'll likely end up being double digits at this rate

Still, let's not rush this flashback, let's see what it has to offer

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release Also

The trend of monkeys on the cover is ended by Chihuahuas beating Zoro at musical chairs XD Still though top 3

We're back into hunger games as the Celestial Dragons explain how all the inhabitants are 'rabbits' all worth points; 1 hit kills get you a bonus but there are also 150 rare kills worth more, and 13 super rare worth 10,000 points, the same amount Garling was deducted

There's also prizes apparently, sickening stuff

Garling looked a bit like Zoro and Shanks there as he talks big game

Mannmeyer family woman might be interesting, face is obscured, same for gas mask dude

The last one looks kinda like that Whitebeard Commander too

Of course, the natives of God Valley are confused and panicked by the situation, and are offered no mercy by the dragons who simply tell them to give them a good chase

At the Navy, Garp is being called for support, but he's not biting

Rare appearance from Fleet Admiral Kong too

Young Garp is lapping it up by the pool, but he thinks he's being called because of what the Navy did to the Rocks pirates

Seems they stole something, a 'crown jewel' they say

Ironic though that Garp is all 'you can't shake the hive' and then over 30 years later showing up to shake the hive

Seems like the intel was supposed to be kept on the down low though

Garp won't protect the Dragons from Rocks, but he's leapt out of his deck chair for Roger

So much Luffy energy when he's relaxing too, though I guess God Valley was when he started getting more serious

The Rocks pirates are already on the move too, having left Fullalead without the rest of their inhabitants

Ivankov narrates something more true than they realise, this will be a big moment made forgotten history

10,000 civilians hunted for sport, and Oda's not holding back despite current events

Urgh and the slaves all have target marks on their back

Ivankov has to drill home that nobody is going to survive, the idea that they'll be let go if they survive 3 weeks is just a way to satisfy the dragons

Garling has been chasing the bigger prizes and has thus broke even already

All in front of an audience in Marejois via Den Den Mushi too

Ivankov's chains are bitten off by a Shark Fishman, who Ivankov praises, I wonder if that was Arlong and Shyarly's father?

Ginny (they're sticking with the G) is a bit of a thief and an wiretapper it seems, leaking information to the world 2 weeks prior to create chaos while they escape

The plan requires the prizes; Devil Fruits, the Paw-Paw Fruit and the Fish Fish Fruit: Model Azure Dragon, which are at the center of the island

She makes a point in saying that Kaido's is classed among the strongest of Devil Fruits, and that the Paw-Paw Fruit is a secondary plan because it can blast things away

Kuma also volunteers to be a decoy, his strength and bulkiness being cited as increasing his chances to survive

His resolve does impress Ivankov and Ginny too

Rocks are heeeeeere!

Alas we don't see Rocks D. Xebec, but we do see all the youthful members of the crew

Whitebeard reprimands Rocks for running ahead, with Buckingham Stussy hanging off his shoulder

Seemed Stussy had competition from a Kuja, so the big surprise here: Elder Nyon (Gloriosa) was a Rocks Pirate member, not Shakky like the theories

Canon Manga Debut for Shiki as well, as Big Mom and Kaido argue with the group, also Captain John is there drinking much like he did as a Zombie

No sign of who Ochoku was though, could be the guy to Whitebeard's left (our right)

Seems Rocks wasn't here for the Celestial Dragons though, the pirates were looking for something, and they're all gonna fight even each other to get it

Ochoku could also be the 2 people underneath Gloriosa in the 3 way panel, helmet dude or the very shaded hat man

But from the other side: the Roger Pirates!

Tacheless Roger with the Straw Hat, and prime Rayleigh and Gaban, but there's also a big dude, a Viking Dude and someone in a snug coat

God look how much Roger looks like Ace, and he's been itching for a fight all year

We see a couple more God's Knights too, there's a woman and a tall dude? I dunno every time I look it looks like he's beheaded, he doesn't have the armour, but we have the woman

The chaos has earned a reprieve for the inhabitants, the farmers look a tiny bit like the Milk girl Moda from Lulusia

The younger marines don't like their chances

Until Garp arrives!

Gotta have a good reputation if Garp reassures you against Rocks AND Roger

Bogard my man is still there, the others I don't recognize though

Even more carnage leads to Kuma and Ivankov getting the fruits they want

But alas, Child Abuse, Big Mom getting that in early to knock away Ivankov and get the Fish Fruit which she will use on Kaido

Through Ivankov's encouragement, Kuma eats the fruit before Linlin can get to him

But as Ivankov rallies that saving at least 1 person will be a victory, more child abuse! This time Saturn comes to deck Kuma

Man headshots marines, Bonney and Sanji but he went for ol' fashioned fisticuffs with Kuma

There has been a lot of touching tha child here, DON'T TOUCHA THA CHILD!

"I don't understand how someone can be born to be more or less important" god what a line that is

Stood before Saturn, Kuma notes that now that he has power, he's gonna save as many as he can, just like Nika

And Saturn doesn't like that, seems that the idolization of Nika is what led to the genocide of the Buccaneers

ACOC lightning hums around God Valley as Roger and Rocks fight, it seems Rocks was trying to get to something while Roger was trying to interact

But Oda, brilliant but awful as he is, decides that's it, no more God Valley content...

Sir we needed more, we didn't even see Rocks, or why Kaido needed the fruit to survive, or Ochoku, or why it's made out that Garp and Roger were teaming up to protect the Celestial Dragons because clearly they were not

But alas, back at the Sorbet kingdom we have the aftermath

Ivankov laments that Morgans only lapped up Garp's heroics, and that he's a WG kissass

Kuma however is praying in a church, lamenting that he could've saved more

Turns out he saved 500 people though, which is a lot given how many big names were there, and that last we saw he was staring down a Gorosei

Ginny has now nicknamed Kuma the chapter's title, Kumachi, which could be written the same way as Perona's bear Kumacy not entirely sure

But Ivankov adds praise to Kuma's efforts, calling his paws the Hands of Liberation

Ivankov doesn't stick around though, heading off to sea to enjoy their freedom

"I'll never forget your face for as long as I live" oof right in the Marineford

Ginny however opts to stay in Sorbet living in a church with Kuma

Make no mistake though, Ginny's the boss, despite being a third his size she has the age factor

Chopping wood like the SBS artwork of young Kuma as they seek to feed themselves on hard work

Ginny also beats up bullies that throw stones at Kuma thinking he's lying about being 9

But Kuma as a gentle soul uses his fruit to remove the pain

Ginny is a glutton, much like her potential children/clone maybe? As Kuma offers her more of his food

They've both spent at least 5 years as a slave (since both became slaves at 4, and Kuma is 9 while Ginny is somehow 13)

But the sensation of finally feeling full makes Ginny tear up with joy, which of course makes Kuma cry too

So sweet, it's all gonna go to shit ain't it?

Well it was definitely an inviting chapter

Though I am a bit sore that we got blueballed a lot with God Valley, so many questions still left unanswered as Oda teases us. The Devil Fruits as prizes make sense though, wonder if there were more, Rocks was after something after all. Wonder if the Ope Ope no Mi was considered a prize? I doubt the Gomu Gomu no Mi was a prize though think the Gorosei would've wanted that under lock and key, maybe Doffy's fruit? or the Yami Yami no Mi? or Marco's fruit? or that Egg on Roger's Ship during the Oden flashback? Did Garling throw his son up as a prize? Answers Oda you're supposed to give Answers! We got a lot of teases though; God's Knights, other Rocks crewmates, Stussy potentially indeed being a thing with Whitebeard but atm it seems more like she was dangling off him (she was listed as a 'freeloader' in MADS, wonder if clone Stussy will have a larger role too in present because she did get sidelined quickly), also seems like Gloriosa was interested was Whitebeard the man she had love sickness for? Also got potential ancestors who were God Valley slaves. Kuma saving 500 is still super impressive too, how did he get away from Saturn? How many generations of that 500 still exist today?

But we do seem to have the blooming of Kuma and maybe a relationship with him and Ginny. It's unclear but I think the Luffy's mom bit is even lower a possibility now, still thinking that Bonney is a clone of Ginny though, wouldn't mind if she was a biological daughter it'd just make the wording of Kuma being the last Buccaneer a bit weird.

It does further fuel the idea that Kuma is gonna show up in Egghead too, but the flashback only further fuels the layer of tragedy that has befell Kuma, man has suffered so much and he continues to lose so much, this flashback has the capacity to break us.

At the least there's no break, but the wait will be long and painful regardless.

[detective-pandaman]

Water 7 Arc: Luffy and Usopp (Manga and Anime Comparison) [Part 2]

Spoiler alert: Don't keep reading if you haven't reached Water 7 Arc (Manga Chapter 333 or Anime Episode 236)

This is the 2nd Part of a previous post. You can read Part 1 here.

Please let me know your opinion about it or if you wish to add anything ^^ (and remember to have mercy on my English xD)

Somehow this second part is even worse than the first :)

(Manga reads from right to left, but the Anime screenshots are organized to read from left to right ^^U)

I will continue right where i left off:

7th Page:

Nami is shocked by Luffy's bluntness, even if he is right (Usopp is not a shipwright, that is a fact), but immediately is surprised by Usopp still fighting back.

Usopp is blindly insisting on the lack of professional morals and capabilities of Galley-La Company. He is not being logical.

He starts disrespecting Luffy, insulting his intelligence and instinct, and even his position as Captain.

Obviously all words of someone very affected by the heat of the moment... and his own insecurities.

In the Anime:

The scene is long and drags out, making it less obvious that everything that Usopp says is because of the heat of the moment.

We see Luffy's face with a judgingly expression, for some reason, but we don't get Zoro observing silently.

Why are they showing expressions that are not shown by the author, but not showing the ones that he specifically decides to show?

Also, Usopp kneeling on the floor for such a long time while everyone else is standing and just looking... it makes it way more awkward. He is not supposed to be just kneeling: he is angrily getting up on his feet.

Usopp does not look like being bullied in the Manga.

8th Page:

You wanted to see an angry Luffy? Here it is. Now he is angry. Not before.

Usopp has disrespected him as a Captain, in a way that should never be done.

Nami tries desperately to make Usopp understand Luffy's perspective and the pain he went through, believing it's still just a misunderstanding... but they are past that point.

Usopp, like everyone else on a ship, has to respect the Captain's decision. Even without understanding their reasons, even without totally agreeing with them... he has to respect them. That's how it works.

The Captain is the one who has to carry the weight of making the tough decisions. The Captain is the rock where everyone can lie on. The one that gives the sense of security and peace. And in the same way he has to carry all the responsibility, he has to be respected.

Of course a crewmember can argue or show doubts about certain decisions... but only if allowed, and up to a certain point. And that point depends on the Captain's personality. When a Captain has stated over and over their decision (without need, because just once should be enough), a crewmember has to accept it. One should never reach this point, where violence and even mutiny is shown... if you want to stay on their ship.

Luffy is a very approachable, friendly and kind Captain, who doesn't want the others to feel like they are below him and lets everyone help with decisions... but that doesn't mean his role changes or shouldn't be respected.

Usopp is misinterpreting his position in the crew, thinking they are at the same level in authority... but not in responsibility.

Luffy is not sitting on the table anymore, and is now standing on the floor again. This is also a sign of him getting angry, because he goes back to the "fighting ground".

We can see Sanji is still trying to calm them down, stressed that this is spiraling out of control. He is even extending his arms and probably physically separating them, not just talking.

In the Anime:

Luffy looks more stressed and "backing down" than angry, and like he is being manhandled around... when in reality Usopp wouldn't be able to move him like that. The movement lines in the Manga implied that he was receiving Usopp's force but not budging to it.

Of course Sanji's try to stop them is... not there. Like all the previous ones. Anime-Sanji has done nothing at all to stop this fight yet, a really out of character behavior.

9th Page:

Usopp has stepped back and is not holding Luffy by the neck anymore. He even lowers his tone for a moment, probably because of Sanji's words or that he physically separated them.

But he is still angry, and says he could never abandon an injured comrade. This being said while he is injured himself, shows his fears of being abandoned by the rest of the crew because of his poor state.

Luffy (who doesn't make the connection with Usopp comparing himself to the Merry) calls it nonsense to compare what one does to a ship and a person.

Usopp insists on Merry having the will to keep on living (again, projecting on her), and then he says to Luffy one of the nastiest thing you can say to someone: that he doesn't really care about someone they love. That he are already thinking about getting rid of Merry and advancing without her.

Luffy, who is all about loving and caring, absolutely loses it. He violently jumps on Usopp and screams angrily at him because he is being egoist and disrespectful with him and everyone else in the crew. Everyone loves Merry, and implying that he is the only one who cares about her is very mean and egoist.

Of course, grief is a complicated thing. Usopp is hurt and is being hurtful to others, his mind desperately trying to protect itself... Not the way to do it, but he is a 17 year old dealing with a lot of horrible feelings.

But that his feelings are understandable doesn't give him the right to do what he is doing. As a reader, one has to understand that what he is doing is wrong.

Nami is surprised at Luffy's reaction, not expecting he would lose his calm in that way.

Everything is fast: Luffy is very angry and starts screaming at Usopp that if he doesn't approve of the way he is managing the situation, Usopp is free to leave his crew... (a thing he obviously doesn't want to say, it's just the heat of the moment)

In the Anime:

Sanji never did anything to separate them before, so Usopp is still grabbing Luffy by the neck... So they made Luffy push him away from him in a very nasty way, nearly throwing Usopp to the floor.

Now that they are already separated, Sanji decides to try to intervene. Thank you, Anime-Sanji, very useful.

He even talks in a tone that implies this is a little fight between friends, and not a serious problem. Meanwhile Manga-Sanji has been stressed and worried since the first second.

The only thing his intervention does here is diluting the real hurtful comments Usopp makes, the ones that makes Luffy lose it...

Luffy weirdly throws Usopp on the ground, even slowly. And even sits on him?

Sanji looks more annoyed and bothered than really stressed or worried.

Nami screams at Luffy angrily. (I will never understand why Nami is always so angry in the Anime, all the time)

And the scene draaags for a while. It's doesn't look like Luffy is blurting things out of rage anymore.

10th Page:

There is what I believe is a very big misconception around this scene: some people believe Sanji is kicking Luffy for Usopp's sake, when I believe Sanji is doing it for Luffy's sake.

In the Manga it's pretty clear to me:

Sanji has been trying to stop them from escalating the situation since the very beginning: trying to calm Luffy's temper, understanding the pain he is going through, and scolding Usopp for being disrespectful.

But now Luffy has completely lost his temper, getting violent and about to say something in the heat of the moment that he will obviously regret and will hurt him forever if Usopp leaves because of it. The one who would be hurt the most by the words Luffy is about to say is not Usopp, it's Luffy. And Sanji knows it.

It's not a thing that can be stopped with words or holding him anymore. He has to act fast to avoid it.

So Sanji desperately kicks Luffy (while calling him an idiot), forgetting to even be careful about Nami's wellbeing, stopping him from finishing the sentence.

The fact that he doesn't even check on Nami before or after kicking Luffy, even after she screams, shows that he is worrying more about someone else right now...

He also looks very stressed, with all the sweat drops, with what he had to do to stop the situation.

And also his words: he is telling Luffy to control himself or he will say things he will regret. Not that he will hurt someone else, only that he will hurt himself with regret.

But this is not a surprise for a Manga reader. Sanji is always caring about Luffy's wellbeing, be it in the focus of attention or in the background of panels.

Luffy immediately understands what Sanji is doing for him, and apologizes... but Usopp's low self esteem has now what he thinks is a confirmation of his fears, and he proceeds to auto-sabotage.

Now the Anime:

Now we arrive to other one of the worst parts of the "adaptation"

Sanji kicks Luffy...

We get Chopper's reaction, but not Nami's... why?

Because Sanji didn't really kick in her direction! So in this adaptation we completely lose a thing that Oda specifically showed: Manga-Sanji was desperate enough to stop Luffy from harming himself to forget about Nami!

And then he starts insulting Luffy afterwards. For a while. Berating him and just being mean.

The way Sanji talks to Luffy in the Anime is not only disrespectful, but very violent. He is practically daring him to say what he was going to say.

That is not the Sanji the Manga-readers know and love. Manga-Sanji was nearly pleading for him to cool down.

Anime-Sanji looks at Luffy with even hate. That is not the expression Manga-Sanji was having... at all. How this has been adapted in this horrible way is beyond my comprehension.

Of course, in the Anime it looks like he is on Usopp's side.

And we proceed to show how the others are reacting to this slooow paced interaction. Of course, this is completely invented by what the Anime thought was appropriate (so: very weird reactions)

Luffy slowly getting up and apologizing, putting his hat on.

And the Anime decides to show Usopp smiling, like his plan had finally come into fruition.

Usopp is not smiling in the Manga. There is no reason for him to smile. This wasn't a master plan. Very weird to show him smiling.

11th Page:

Usopp keeps saying hurtful and false things to Luffy, meanwhile Luffy is putting his hat and covering his eyes to not look at him, not wanting to fight anymore.

We see Sanji and Nami back on Luffy's side, with Sanji even positioning himself in the middle of the fight in a protecting manner and calling Usopp out (again).

Usopp is finally recognizing the real problem out loud: he doesn't feel he can keep up with the others and feels useless.

He feels he doesn't deserve being there with them, and that they're too much for him.

We see the others reactions: Luffy confused not knowing what to say, Chopper doesn't understand why Usopp feels that way, Nami is finally getting the full picture, Zoro is not liking what he is hearing...

The last panel's composition is full of meaning: all the others are around Luffy, with him, while facing Usopp. Meanwhile Usopp is standing and facing them but from afar, distancing himself from them.

No one but him is in a defensive position anymore.

In the Anime:

We get Usopp and Luffy looking at each other with hate again. Marvelous.

No one is near Luffy. Sanji and Nami haven't moved closer to Luffy, and the others have moved closer to Usopp...? So, the opposite of the Manga.

Luffy's expression is not correct, in the Anime he looks angry again, not confused.

Zoro is listening with his eyes closed, for some reason... I'm starting to believe Anime-Zoro has been sleeping for a while or something.

Sanji's expression is invented.

And I repeat: no one got close to Luffy, so its effect it the complete opposite of the Manga.

The Anime shows a separation between the whole crew and Luffy, while the Manga emphasizes the opposite.

We also see Luffy's back in the Anime, while in the Manga is Usopp's...

All the physical language the Manga made is thrown down the drain in the adaptation.

The Anime wants you to believe the rest of the crew doesn't approve of the things Luffy has done, and that is just not true.

12th Page:

Usopp talks about how he never really was moved to join Luffy for a great cause like the rest: he was just a friend who tagged along. He himself says he has no other ties and that he can sever them anytime he doesn't agree with Luffy's decisions.

He is looking for excuses to make his departure easier.

(That is one of the main points Zoro is going to take into account in the future: Usopp will have to ask for forgiveness and show real loyalty to the crew, because if he keeps on going like this, he is a ticking bomb of mutiny)

Luffy is back to his usual serious expression when he is listening to someone.

Usopp leaves the room and everyone follows.

Then, once everyone is outside, he announces he is leaving the crew, surprising everyone.

In the Anime:

Usopp's expression has nothing to do with the one in the Manga. He is still angry in the Anime.

Luffy and Zoro's expressions are also exaggerated.

You may notice Usopp is saying he is leaving the crew while still in the room...

Well, buckle up, because we are getting close to a hot mess of the Anime.

13th Page:

As we saw in the previous page, they are all outside looking at him. They followed Usopp immediately.

Nami, Sanji and Chopper scream at Usopp to come back, while Zoro and Luffy look in silent.

They scream in different ways: Sanji has the same expression he had when he had to kick Luffy to stop him. Nami is still believing this problem can be fixed. Choppper is crying, still confused with the whole problem.

Usopp is now saying things about himself Luffy doesn't agree with, but he has chosen to not speak anymore, probably to not make the situation worse.

Usopp then asks for a duel.

In the Anime:

We start right with filler!

We get a weird slow motion, with Nami Chopper and Sanji's horrified expressions looking at Usopp close the door.

Let's remember Sanji's expression is supposed to be the same as after he kicked Luffy in the head. Interesting how now it is a distressed expression, and not a hateful one.

Also... guys, open the door and go after him already. It's just a door.

But no, now Nami turns around looks at Luffy with anger and starts confronting him.

Also Zoro looks at Luffy with a very severe expression.

Where does this come from? When has the Manga shown that these two would look at Luffy like that in this situation?

The Anime is making them look against Luffy, contradicting the source material.

The Anime makes Nami keep on going with the critiques, doubting Luffy as a Captain, dumping on him all the responsibility of Usopp's decision and making it look like she believes everything is Luffy's fault.

Manga-Nami would never do that. Even if afterwards she goes and talks to Luffy about solving things with Usopp, she would never treat Luffy like this, using his Captain position this cruelly... in the Manga, that is.

Everyone is just there, looking at Luffy, until he angrily looks back at her.

Up until now, everything is just filler of the Anime. From the very beginning of the adaptation of Page 13. The amount of awful and out of character filler the Anime does with this scene is astronomical.

Now we start going back to something closer to the real content of the Page 13:

They finally go outside and call him to come back.

Again, Sanji's expression is much nicer than the one shown to Luffy, and he is also at the front. In the Manga, he is in the back.

Luffy's expression is all wrong, again. He also comes out one of the lasts, when in the Manga that is not really the case.

Sanji and Chopper have also all gone from very intense expressions to neutral.

Finally, 14th Page:

The chapter reaches its painful ending, with Usopp doubling down on the duel idea.

In the Anime:

This is very close to being a 1:1 adaptation, if we take out Nami's reaction and everyone's positions and....... xDu

After this, the Anime Episode continues adapting scenes from the next Manga Chapter, but i don't have the energy or space to keep the analysis on this post xD

I hope you understand why i think the changes on this scene are so important in how different a Manga-reader and an Anime-watcher feel it. How different the characters are in one and the other.

And all the changes we just saw were completely unnecessary to do, and not approved by Oda... so... very very bad in my opinion.

And if they do all these changes with a scene so important like this one, what does that mean for the rest of the adaptation?

Well... you can imagine. Sometimes it feels like the only thing the Anime has in common with the Manga is the name ^^U

If you want a comparison of other scenes, you can make suggestions ^^

[runabout-river]

Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from JJK? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....

Toji and Megumi share the number 1 spot and Sukuna is third.

The rest in no particular order are Gojo, Maki, Yuji, Kamo, Hanami and Nanami. I like Jinichi for his design and because he's Toji's older brother which makes my brain invent tragic scenarios about them and the clan. I don't really dislike a character in JJK

In most media I only have 1 - 3 absolute faves, the ones I would read and write fanfiction for or fantasize the whole day about.

Megumi falls under my typical faves. A bit broody, extensive backstory, dark themes, moves the plot forward.

I could put my faves from other manga into here and they would feel rather similar like Sasuke, Sanemi & Genya, Zoro & Law.

Toji I like because he's tragic. Also a shitty dad, extremely strong, important to the plot and tragic relationship with Megumi. The connection that Toji and Megumi share elevates both above the rest of the characters. They're good on their own and extraordinarily intriguing together.

My Fushiguro family fics play on that dynamic in different ways. Touched/Killed pushes Toji's theme of being a tragic character into him being sick and on the verge of death with only his estranged family their to help him. In the end, it will be Megumi to pull him out of his depression.

In Bandaid they're a happy family, a look at what could've been.

Sukuna is just a fantastic villain (even though his characterization is on the shallower end... until now!) He's unapologetic in being who he is and his presence demands attention. He's evil but still has his personal code of conduct even if that is that of a supreme King.

He too has a connection and back and forth with Megumi and that also plays into me liking him more (that like cooled down a little after the possession. I just want Megumi safe dammit).

He and Toji never met but that didn't stop me from shipping them together and writing two fics about them. Their personalities mash together well and it was fun to explore that dynamic.

Nearly forgot about the moments!

Toji's death is right there. The Hanami fight also has a good place at the top because it was an AMV about that fight that had me want to watch JJK. Megumi going feral against the Finger Bearer was awesome. Also, Sukuna attacking Mahito (and other villains) because he can and because he had already warned Mahito about it was extremely satisfying to watch.

Yuji chasing rabbit Mahito away will come to the top in a few weeks.

[mybabydenkikaminari]

Episode 6 (OPLA)

-Luffy’s zoning out because he isn’t available to deal with it 10/10

-”Someone needs to go back to Baratie” “Um, I’m really not hungry right now, Nami”

-Luffy still freaking out, love it

-Zeff complaining about the most stupid things driving nuts poor Sanji (and Zeff doing it on purpose)

-Sanji moving his lip to the “It needs more oregano”, I’m in love your honor

-Sanji also moving immediately to help Luffy, I’M IN LOVE YOUR HONOR

-Zeff using a fish to cure someone and drinking the whiskey instead of using it on the wound, so in character

-Mihawk sitting in Garp’s chair, Queen slay

-Luffy cleaning Zoro’s sword and trying to pronounce his name, cutie

-LUFFY REFUSING FOOD

-Also Sanji cooking in the Going Merry because he wants Zeff to leave him alone (also “Not wasting food” policy always) 

-Luffy trying to decide what is best for his boyf-, I mean friend, just friend

-”Oregano’s for savages” + “I’d rather die than have you season my food” BITCH GET A GRIP

-Also Zeff carrying a bullet belt with species instead of actual bullets

-Love we are doing it the manga way and he eat his own leg

-Luffy “can relate” and Sanji brushing it of

-”I’d eat both arms and legs to save Zoro’s life”

-Nami explaining the story of Jaya arc to Zoro

-Nami being angry to Luffy it’s so on point with her backstory 

-”And I’d do anything to save him”

-Also Luffy I can put myself between someone and his dream is so on point with his backstory too

-Nami’s my dream “It’s for Zoro to not die in my bed”, OH MY, Luffy has it bad but Nami it’s not far behind

-Coby your crush is showing!!!!!! Again btw

-Kind of like a lot Arlong being a boss

-Usopp trying to help Luffy and him open up a little bit about his insecurities, so fucking cuteeee

-”Me?”

-Sanji immediately  moving after hearing that Arlong is going to destroy Baratie if Zeff doesn't turn Luffy over because he knows that he isn’t going to turn over Chore Boy

-Luffy going to protect Baratie because he has a heart of gold 

-Sanji in love look at Luffy when his reason to help is that they fed them (oh no, I’m starting to see the appeal to LuSan too)

-Nami looking at Luffy like she is going to rip his head off because she knows that Arlong is going to kick their asses and she is scared

-I love being expose now to the equality problem with the fishmen because it makes Arlong hate for humans more believable and reasonable (he has no right to kill innocent people anyway though)

-Also makes sense that he is angry at the fishmen that works at Baratie (I am sure that Zeff treats him equally but Arlong doesn’t know or care)

-Buggy’s head in the bag 10/10 (also call out to Zoro who had the same idea in Syrup Village)

-Buggy as usual

-”Sorry, honey” I know that this two are not a thing but the PHRASING

-Zeff still trying to protect his Chore Boy

-Sanji screaming Zeff and kicks 10/10 (even if he gets his ass handed)

-Usopp under the table 10/10

-”Not bad for human” 

-Love the door crashing, Arlong always the dramatic bitch

-Nami’s sad confession to Zoro 10/10

-Nami saving Luffy’s live <3 (she knew that someone would have saved him from the water)

-Not gonna lie I am deeply in love with the design of Arlong’s tattoo

-Sanji taking the time to lose the tie and shirt it’s so in character

-Sanji’s abs, thank you

-Luffy’s heart is breaking

-Garp beloved hat making an appearance

-Koby’s realization that his words had the exact opposite effect (his heart is not handling it well)

-”At least I don’t drown everything in oregano”

-Zeff convincing Sanji that he needs to go follow his dreams in the worst way possible, it doesn’t have the same impact as the manga or anime but I like it  

-”You sure missed a big fight. Those fishmen guys were tough. You would’ve loved it”

-Luffy opening his heart completely to Zoro

-”And now I lost Nami. I lost the Grand Line map. And maybe I will lose you too”

-”I need you, Zoro”

-LUFFY STRADDLING ZORO HIPS WITH HIS OWN. LUFFY KEEPING HIMSELF ON TOP OF HIM PUTTING ONE HAND ON EACH SIDE. LUFFY REPEATING ZORO’S NAME MULTIPLE TIMES IN THAT SAME POSITION. LUFFY THROWING HIMSELF ON TOP OF ZORO’S CHEST AND HUGGING HIM. LUFFY PUTING THE BARE MINIMUM DISTANCE TO THEN CARESS ZORO’S FACE WITH HIS HAND. Oh my god… OH MY GOD! EXCUSE ME?! WHAT?! I HAVE NO WORDS, I AM JUST FUCKING DEAD (I survived the DDoS attack of AO3 but I couldn’t survive these XD)

-”You gonna to keep talking, or let me get some sleep”+”Right now, I’m wishing I was (dead)” Not gonna lie, MOOD

-Zoro hearing Nami’s sad confession and knowing that she left 

-Zoro making sure that Luffy knows that it’s not his fault

-”I, Roronoa Zoro, vow to stand by your side from now until the end. Until we find the One Piece or die trying. So bring on the Marines or pirates or sea beasts. You’re my captain, Luffy, and I’m your first mate.”

-HE PUT HIS FIST SOFTLY ON TOP OF LUFFY’S HEART AND LUFFY TOOK HIS HAND IN HIS. YES, I’M STILL DEAD, WHY DO YOU ASK?

-The fucking life action of One Piece just give us a 5 minute long canon fanfic of Luffy and Zoro and I am hear for it (Still not a ZoLu girl all the way though, I have to many ships in these show)

-”I wasn’t worried for a second” Yeah, right 

-Also after the most tender moment ever, with Zoro’s hand, the one on his chest, still on his own, Luffy almost kills Zoro himself moving him to hard

-Usopp showing off and Zoro’s smiling answer being “You scared’em off, The Great Captain Usopp” knowing full well that it’s just a lie is so fucking cute too

-”Lot of dried meat in these barrels. You think we brought too much?” ”You know who are you sailing with?” and proceeding to look the man that guide them to Baratie only using his nose

-Luffy getting super excited about Sanji joining them not only because he thinks he is a good guy and a good fighter, also because he is an excellent cook

-”Why are we bringing the waiter?” “Because we can’t boil water” (btw Zoro has no right to look this fucking good saying that)

-Sanji’s goodbye 10/10

-Buggy’s head bag <3