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mintymisdemeanor · 3 months ago

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zolu agenda thoughts (a loose attempt at analysis and interpretation)

i am not very versed with tumblr posting AND instead of relying on analysis as i try to do most of the time i got a little interpretational in there this time around.

-> the word count is loosely around 3,300 words for those interested!

-> the content discussed covers events of pre-timeskip.

-> a lot of focus here will be on zoro because i must defend him on the internet from people who don't understand him (hopefully doing a good job at understanding him myself)

alright so. i was pondering luffy's perception of zoro, what caused it, and then started wondering what people in general perceive zoro as. the way the crew talks about him or what they seem to think of him is similar to what the outside world seems to think, but only on the surface level. what his relationship with luffy is like.

zoro's reputation in the world is of a "bloodthirsty hound, a demon in human skin, a merciless killer single-minded in his pursuit". that's also the first thing luffy hears about him. he decides to seek out zoro knowing him by name only and see for himself who zoro is, and if he is a good person enough, he would allow the other to join his crew. it's not as if luffy extended the invitation at the sight of zoro, hanging around him a bit to see what he will do and what he's like. the conclusion he comes to is similar to the people who put zoro in the situation, only that it lined up right with luffy's morals. it wasn't zoro's reputation or even skills (since luffy didnt get to see them before recruiting zoro) that got him on luffy's crew but simplicity and kindness.

luffy saw a man who stood up for what he thought was right, protected the weak and was willing to his life on the line in the hands of the enemy. he was going to pay for his life with it, the marines seeing zoro's decisions and convictions as stupid and planning to use them to simply kill zoro for going against the corrupt law enforcement. luffy understood how it wasn't a smart decision but he simply respected the gall others seem to lack (especially the marines who used power and dirty tricks to get their way). thus he decided to prevent zoro's untimely death and grind the opponents into dust, having found zoro worthy enough of considering a crewmate.

anyway, so to sum up luffy's initial perception of zoro that doesn't change a lot for the rest of the manga as i know it, zoro is a simple person to a fault. it's a fault luffy can excuse because he himself is a similar type of simple, hence the natural understanding between them two that appears as early as in orange town where they meet nami. the part that luffy does consider just dumb is also the part that makes zoro more similar to an "average" person. that awareness zoro has of things that luffy thinks needlessly complicated and unnecessary.

one thing that stands out to me here is that in the very first moment zoro was the one who stood trial in front of luffy openly, even though one of them had reputation all across the east blue sea and the other was quite literally unheard of.

luffy's initial impression of zoro and his unwavering confidence that what he sees in zoro is the truth, whatever other thing someone may see, is what also influences the view the rest of the strawhats have. zoro is somewhat an amiable person when you don't know who he is (aka don't view him as the demon pirate hunter and instead as a human person in front of you), relaxed and levelheaded, and so with time, luffy's louder and way more noticeable personality overshines zoro and leaves his reputation as a demon in the dust as zoro's just considered one of the crew. since the outsiders don't get to perceive zoro as one of the crew, their perception stays similar to the initial reputation zoro gained, and well… given the way zoro seems to behave and doesn't go out of his way to change people's perception of him ("i don't care what people say, i know i haven't done anything i regret"), only following what he thinks is right, many people are only proven wrong when they take a close look at the difference between what zoro looks and sounds like (his friendly midspar smile) and what he actually does.

which brings me to my seconds point: despite the easy understanding between luffy and zoro concerning their mindset and preferred method of action, the way they both treat relationships and distance is as different as night and day.

the strawhats themselves often tease and talk about zoro as if they view him similarly to outsiders; calling him heartless, a monster, ruthless and such. however, the difference is that they know what zoro is like. if they didn't know, sanji wouldn't be defending zoro when someone thinks him heartless, telling them that he is actually softer of a person that they think, nami wouldn't be capable of exploiting zoro's honor to get him to run errands for her and add to his debt, usopp wouldn't be absolutely relaxed and easy around zoro capable of chattering his ear off as zoro trains, the only response being a grunt or an "uh huh", they wouldn't be able to point out the moments when zoro's saying or doing something because he is worried. they love him, and in return, zoro loves them. he allows usopp to hide behind his back even though it is arguably the most carefully guarded part of his body, while he grumbles and complains he does what nami tells him to, he worries when sanji rushes off on his own where no one can follow, he hopes for the well-being of everyone when separated.

i am partial to believe that the strawhats learn about zoro's "real" personality, as much as he's willing to be learn of what's hidden underneath their exterior, is because there is someone zoro is following instead of drifting on his own, trying to honor the person that is no longer here and won't speak for him. without the knowledge of kuina, luffy or mihawk, zoro's choices are donned in air of mystery and unfathomable. with them in sight, zoro becomes less of an urban legend and more of a person. somewhat like "oh so he's not just chasing people like crazy and bringing them in bloodied bags for the fun of it, he's just making money 'cause he got lost looking for a guy".

still, he kept the metaphorical warmth it gave and kept training to be capable of fulfilling said promise he's made.

zoro spends his life chasing people. there are 3 people, three suns that zoro orbits his entire life around. we don't know about zoro's family much other than the fact that he lost his parents at young age and kuina was a distant cousin of zoro's.

the first of zoro's sun was her, but not because of any familial connection (not that he was/is aware of it). kuina was strong and always ahead of everyone else, and zoro who was a good fighter even as a child, constantly praised by people around him and capable of even beating adults in a fight, couldn't win against kuina. that was what put distance between them. and that distance is what makes someone a sun in zoro's eyes and worth chasing. so he joined the dojo after challenging and losing to kuina, and kept on challenging her over and over again. that was the way he grew close to her, seeing her as a worthy opponent and an idol. that was the type of person kuina needed in her life, torn between her passion, dreams and what the world told her life looked like. even though she was respected for her skill, she wasn't allowed to forget that her time would run out soon because she was born a daughter and not a son, boys she'd beat in the dojo eventually besting her not because of their level of skill but pure physical prowess she would be left out of gaining.

that's why i think someone considered strong, nonstop following kuina and seeing her as their goal without any care for the finer details, that's why zoro never winning against kuina is an important writing choice for me. he never quite managed to cross the distance between them both, and when he got close to (on the emotional scale, making the promise that one of them would become the world's best, not her because zoro isn't the type to give in to pity) that sun of his, he'd lost it.

the second sun of zoro's is mihawk. the distance between those two is more obvious seeing as mihawk has the very title zoro aims for. when zoro set out from the village he did so to find mihawk and defeat him. when he met the man on baratie, he was willing to welcome whatever fate had in store for him, be it win or death, and so he challenged mihawk to a duel. the distance between them was too great, and so mihawk dictated not only the pacing of the duel itself but also zoro's fate. zoro did not get to die like he was ready to; he was told to get stronger. we don't get to see as much of zoro's life centered around crossing that distance between mihawk because it mostly happens off-screen, and what we get on-screen is when the third sun of zoro's life enters the stage. the moment zoro loses, the moment he makes promise, the vow, he aims the words at luffy.

luffy; the third - of course the third because zoro is all about the number 3 in his life, isn't he? - sun. bringing me back to one my early points; when luffy first appears in front of zoro, he's not the one trying to appeal to zoro. instead, zoro is the one watched and scrutinized, judged on the basis of whether he's worthy to be a crewmember of luffy's or not. that puts a distance that zoro is familiar with with people he deems important in his life. it's always zoro giving chase and trying to prove himself to the world. later on, during the baratie duel with mihawk, zoro lives because mihawk sees potential in him and allows him to, but at that point of zoro's life, mihawk is slowly stopping to be the center of zoro's life and luffy slowly starts to take his place. that's why zoro's promise to never lose again, to become a swordsman worthy of someone like luffy (of someone like king of the pirates) happens after his loss. he doesn't clench his teeth and try to fight again and again like he did with kuina because zoro understands when the distance is too great, and he has found something closer by his side, someone whose dream he can support and believe in, instead of just being united for convienience and the deal made between them.

on the other hand, luffy's approach towards relationships with others is about crossing the distance. one of luffy's greatest and simplest fears is to be alone. having only his grandfather as his family, luffy had not even considered having a father before water 7, and garp - being the vice admiral - was busy enough to leave luffy in foosha village the responsibility of raising him first falling on the villagers of the town, and later on on dadan and a group of mountain bandits deeper into the island. when in foosha village, aside from the villagers, an unexpected third party that got involved into shaping luffy's worldview was shanks and his crew. shanks had become luffy's rolemodel and to shanks luffy has become His Kid, pride and joy, embodiment of his faith in the future. however, no matter how warm their bond was, given shanks status and occupation, his stay in the village was only a temporary affair, and soon enough he'd left only with a dream and a hat to symbolize the promise between them as proof that he was ever there.

sometime after, luffy was brought to be raised by mountain bandits. at dadan's place luffy first met ace. that fear of being alone was what drove him into months of repeated attempts to cross the distance between them two. not to win against ace and best him and move on, but to have someone close nearby because luffy is scared. he fears torture, he fears enemies, he cries out of fear, but most of all he needs someone by his side and is willing to face all those things as long as it means he's deemed worthy of having around. he eventually manages to prove himself to ace (and sabo at that point) and those times are one of luffy's happiest and most cherished. they become brothers, become family, something that was something luffy wasn't ever given for free, and earns his place alongside knowing that not only was he accepted, he was welcomed and an integral part of the trio.

sabo disappears from their life and ace sets on his own journey to become pirate 3 years before luffy does, and luffy, although knowing that ace is somewhere out there, is on his own again. we don't see desperation in luffy's actions in the very beginning of the series, though. he doesn't just pick anyone to be crew; because he's not looking for people to follow his orders.

that's why morgan and helmeppo are scum in luffy's eyes. that's why crocodile and many, many opponents who view crew as meat shields often face luffy's wrath. to control someone with fear, to leave someone alone even in a group is unforgivable. he wants the crew to be his, his to hold close, his to love and accept.

this also ties into the part of the discussion relating to nature of zoro's loyalty. the fact that it exists is widely known and rarely questioned (if so, mostly in bad faith) but there's some opinions out there that consider zoro's single-mindedness to be blind. "as long as luffy orders it, zoro will do it". zoro has a reputation and knows his worth, thus he won't follow someone with whose ideals he doesn't agree with. zoro needs to chase, and he needs the right person to chase. luffy's simplicity and unabashed, unapologetic way of existence, his pluck and drive are what keeps zoro by luffy's side, and what captures his heart enough to be willing to consider luffy's goals his own.

so, how do luffy and zoro meet halfway if one's goal is to have someone as close and theirs as possible, and the other is to have someone to chase? they manage, and the way they do also helps them balance each other out. luffy becomes part of zoro's dream, and the goal to become world's best swordsman shifts towards becoming luffy's best swordsman. it manifests in the moments where luffy's life or dream are jeopardized, zoro willing to go as far as sacrifice his life if it means luffy's dream is kept safe. zoro stays keeps close to luffy because that's the correct way to achieve his dream. since luffy does not only care, but also considers zoro strong, zoro's own ambitions and drive further motivate luffy towards becoming better. to become someone worthy on stepping on the path towards taking the throne of the king of the pirates, becoming someone worthy having his crewmates by his side.

in return, at times where the integrity of the crew is put to question, zoro is often the one to help hold everything together. i don't necessarily mean he's the one to take reigns or bark out commands, however in water 7 where luffy loses the going merry (that he also considers part of the crew), usopp, zoro reminds him of the burden of being captain. when chopper relies the new about robin, zoro is the one to make his speech about how judgement will slow the the reaction time. when the crew is emotional and panicked, zoro is the one to remind them their priorities, no matter how harsh it may sound. the steady presence helps luffy focus on rescuing what he can. after the events of enies lobby, luffy's fear and priorities get to him, choosing usopp over his influence as captain, just for the sake of avoiding losing people he loves and wants close. it's a human response and i am certain many people pleasers can see themeselves in that choice. to pick a friend over being right. to allow someone back into your life because you love them.

zoro respects himself and thus won't follow someone who will bend too easily; he steps in to keep luffy from making a decision aiming to smooth things over rather than resolve the issue, and some people see it as proof that zoro would leave the crew, but i think it just shows how well zoro understand what drives luffy's actions to be able to hit the nail on the head.

he stops luffy from becoming someone not worth chasing - because zoro does want to still chase the chance of earning his place at luffy's side - by putting himself in the way of luffy's choice, instead of just allowing one crewmate to come back.

the nature of their relationship, of the way they see each other is incredibly sun and moon coded. luffy as the undeniable sun, always in the center of everything, always the brightest and the warmest in the room. loud, loving, and someone everyone else seems naturally drawn to and orbiting around. zoro as the moon who uses the light of the sun for his own glow, and to give chase to cut the distance. on an average day it manifests in the way luffy never sits still and constantly seeks out tasks and stimulation that paw at his attention to entertain himself while zoro either tries to snooze the day away or follows his carefully tended to workout routine. in a fight it's in the way luffy beelines for the enemy standing behind the cruel events, the strongest one, trying to remove the issue from its root, leaving everyone else - enemies to defeat to his crew, and the crew to protect to zoro - behind. in the dreams it's hidden in the way luffy's goal of becoming king is achieving is freedom, and zoro's willingness to tie his person, his own dream, his hopes and his priorities to one crew and allow luffy to guarantee it.

#roronoa zoro #one piece #zoro #monkey d. luffy #luffy #zolu #or maybe #luzo #one piece meta #one piece analysis #author in the middle of hazard punk writing this so sorry everyone if theres something more that could fit in here #i am not writing this as specifically romantic interpretation of their relationship #i am the no1 believer of the “third secret thing” of luffy and zoro #its about the distance and how they close it more than anything #do they know what romantic attraction is? who knows #does it matter? not really. theyre still doing their thing #also i physically had to stop myself from talking all abt the other strawhats. theyre there. theyre important.#this however is about luffy and zoro specifically #usually im scared of posting online cuz irdk what im talking abt #but my beloved friend (who hasnt seen one piece) listened to me so. iam emboldened #this is what happenes when i get my hands on the first 3 volumes of the manga #just learned its “marimo day” apparently (while procrastinating on hitting post)#thank you zoro for being cool and also very kind and the funniest asshole ive ever seen #thank you luffyf or being born #misdemeanorposting

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