#i love one piece's themes

[whirlybirdwhat]

actually unwillingness to deal with time travel semantics aside, Kozuki Toki’s fruit only having the ability to move forward in time rather than backwards really feeds into One Piece’s ideal of ‘you can’t change the past, only the future’ / what’s done is done type of thing. like - luffy couldn’t save sabo when he was a kid, he couldn’t save ace, nami couldn’t save bellmere, franky couldn’t save tom - but they learned to live and move forward despite this past, all changing themselves and working hard to achieve their dreams. having a fruit that says ‘actually the past can be changed’ goes against what the story has been building too - while a fruit that says the future can be changed essentially confirms that you can always try to change your future/achieve your dreams/get back up again etc etc. 

[opbackgrounds]

This idea is so, so important to the series in general, and Brook in particular. There are times in One Piece where people die for noble causes, and others where people act knowing that there's a good chance that they could die, but knowingly choosing death over life is never portrayed in a positive light.

As someone who views One Piece through the lens of Romantic literature, this is really important because historically the Romantics, er, well, romanticized suicide and death and the historic last stand. It's doubly interesting to me as a Japanese story, with Japan having its own long, complicated history with the concept of honorable death.

One Piece directly challenges both of these ideas, with life and living being romanticized instead, even if that means you have to get on your knees and beg for it like Brook does with Ryuma later on.

And it's a tightrope that story has to balance. Nami willingly lived under to boot of the man who killed her mother for years, but there came a time when enough was enough, and both she and the village had to stand up and fight for her freedom. She carried that lesson to her fight with Enel, even though she was hopelessly outmatched and would have been reduced to a greasy smear if Luffy hadn't shown up to save her. Within the context of the story both instances were portrayed positively, with Oda indicating through his writing that she had made the correct decision.

But that's not what's happening here. This is Luffy being willing to run away at Sabaody because he knew the Pacificas were too strong. This is Usopp lambasting the samurai at Wano for rushing toward their deaths rather than living to fight another day.

It's Brook knowing he made a promise to a friend, and doing everything in his power to keep it, even if it meant looking like a sniveling coward groveling at the feet of his own shadow.

[astearisms]

Huntress’s Moon 🌕

[dittobooty]

Thinking a lot about how in One Piece there's a continuing theme of self sacrifice that often doesn't meet its end (I won't say always because there are some characters who have eaten shit for a cause). But I just think about how easy it would be to just accept their sacrifice but the narrative won't allow that. Robin, Zoro, Sanji, Jinbe, they've all tried to give their life for the sake of others but they can't because they really don't have to. I think about Robin's "I want to live" regularly. It's so easy to die for someone but it's so much harder to live for them. And living for them gives back so much more than dying for them does. Dying is just a moment but living lets you have more moments and more time to show how much you care and lets you do so much for others. I feel like a lot of other shonen show dying as one of the bravest things you can do but One Piece is so different because it shows you that living is actually the bravest thing.

[dykealloy]

small aside but y'know how luffy's stupidity is usually met with physical abuse of some kind? anyway. here's law's worst in response to luffy being manipulated by his arch nemesis

[beaulesbian]

✨ Happy Birthday Roronoa Zoro ⚔️(11.11)

"Until the day I defeat him and become a master swordsman, I'll never be defeated! Got any problem with that, King of the Pirates?!"

[casgirlsam]

[shima-draws]

I’ve mentioned it before but I’m a fucking sucker for unhealthy dependent relationships. There’s just something about them that is so. Chef’s kiss 👌

Anyway I’m still thinking about how Law was so attached to Cora and was so traumatized by his death that he literally devoted thirteen YEARS of his life to revenge killing Doflamingo. Even though all Cora ever wanted was for Law to just be free and live his life happily. And Law spending all his time in a hateful revenge spiral is literally the exact OPPOSITE of what Cora wanted for him. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. If the thirteen years of endless devotion to avenging his savior wasn’t enough Law 1. Named his pirate crew the Heart Pirates in honor of Cora, 2. Covered himself in permanent heart-themed tattoos in honor of Cora, and 3. Fashioned his Jolly Roger to be a mockery of Doflamingo’s and ALSO to honor Cora. Homie is a walking memorial for a man he only really knew for six months and again crafted the most intricate plan known to mankind to murder Cora’s killer. Because losing Cora fucked him up THAT much. Because even though Cora set him free, the moment Doflamingo shot him Law was chained to the memory of a man who no longer existed. Law literally fashioned his entire life down to his own appearance after Cora and it makes me so insane. I cannot even imagine what went through his head after Dressrosa I mean how do you move on after a thirteen year grudge is put to rest. What is he supposed to do now. Avenging Cora was literally his entire existence, his entire reason for living for half of his life. He needs therapy probably. If Cora somehow ever did come back to life Law would lose his fucking mind. The dependency is SO unhealthy and I am SO here for it

[animaxvi]

"So let's meet beneath the same sky and blaze of stars, sunrise or sunset" ☀️☁️🌙

Day 6 - 'twilight | daybreak'

[crazymecjc]

a modern prometheus.

[sassyresacon1990]

Shout out to One Piece: Strong World for showing us once again that zosan are perfectly in sync and would be quite literally unbeatable if they pulled their heads out of their asses long enough to realise it.

[opbackgrounds]

This is a great, poignant moment for the entire crew.I mentioned it before, but Robin doesn’t state her past out loud with the crew--the flashback is for the reader’s benefit only. But by seeing the destruction of the Buster Call first hand, the Straw Hats are able to better understand and share the burden Robin’s been carrying for twenty years, while also reinforcing the themes Oda setup with the destruction of Ohara. 

[stygianheart]

Since we’re (most likely) getting a season 2 of OPLA, I swear to god if Ace doesn’t simultaneously look like a greasy rat living in a sewer and also a super hot man I might throw a fit.

AND HE BETTER SIT LIKE THIS—

[adriles]

waking up in the middle of the night, gripped by unending sorrow, yelling, sobbing, punching my pillows, because i have forgotten to bury patroclus

[razmerry]

can the mediator of vengeanceclan really fall in love with a kittypet?...

[0m3n-0f-d3ath]

Otto