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general-cyno · 6 months

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apparently it's the 15th anniversary of zoro's sacrifice in thriller bark (not sure if manga or anime though) so yknow. time for more zolu of course

one of the many things about zoro and luffy is that despite how their approach to certain situations might differ at times, they're still pretty similar at their core, sometimes to a comical degree (see: their definition of what a hero is back in fish man island arc). and this understanding of how the other works is what leads to moments like jaya,

this little one in water 7/enies lobby,

and follows consistently all the way to wano arc.

and I was thinking the other day about how their childhoods too kinda mirror or parallel each other's in a way that emphasizes (to me, at least) how special zoro's particular protectiveness toward luffy is, and why luffy relying on zoro that way is just as special.

the specifics of their childhood stories are different but both luffy and zoro have a turning point of sorts that's marked with the grief and loss of sabo and kuina, respectively, which leads them to say these:

(I cropped the panels, but luffy's also crying here)

it's important to note zoro and luffy had dreams/aspirations before this, to become the greatest swordsman and luffy's secret thing that we've yet to learn about (that ace, sabo and the crew now know). however, losing kuina and sabo is what prompts them to, on top of that, strive to become stronger for other people's sake. for zoro, it's his way to honor his friend and fulfill their shared dream. for luffy, it's to avoid losing the people he loves.

throughout the story, zoro and luffy end up expressing similar frustration and sentiments due to this. there's zoro innerly chiding himself for being too weak as he trains in the aftermath of arcs like little garden, alabasta and thriller bark, where the crew get stuck in situations in which zoro isn't able to help as he wishes he could (the wax cake, the sea prism stone cell, kuma). there's luffy swearing he won't lose a single member of his crew even if it kills him (the davy back fight) and reproaching himself for not being able to save any of the straw hats in sabaody, with the worst of it right after losing ace in marineford.

(and man do I have thoughts about bon turning into zoro, out of all the straw hats, back in impel down.)

anyway. as to why all of this is meaningful - when zoro agrees to join luffy, he mentions that his goal to become the greatest swordsman is all he has. yet as the straw hats go from journey to journey, and with a certain emphasis in luffy, you can see how zoro's view slowly shifts. he's now driving himself to become strong to protect them as well, to the point he's willing to set aside his ambition and offer his own head in exchange for luffy's, if it means he can ensure luffy's life and safety. that's huge. as mihawk inwardly points out, zoro has something, someone he values even more than his ambitions and pride. and it's through his adventures with luffy and the crew that he becomes closer to achieving that initial dream of his.

whenever people wonder why zoro's as loyal as he is to luffy, aside from all the reasons why luffy as a character has earned that loyalty through his actions, I also remember that one line koushiro said to zoro in a flashback: "the pinnacle of swordsmanship is the power to protect what one wishes to protect and cut what one wishes to cut. a blade that injures all that it touches isn't really a sword." while sure, it works in the context of later power ups like haki, imo it perfectly captures zoro's character growth too and what luffy's given him. the current zoro isn't lost or directionless with only one purpose in mind or to live for, bounty hunting as a means to survive. he has a home to return to, people to cherish, to protect and keep getting stronger for, people who nurture him in turn. kuina's death is something zoro couldn't have prevented, and losing people in accidents like those is something that could happen again, but still within the limits of what's preventable - zoro can protect his friends now.

as for luffy... zoro kinda steals the spotlight when it comes to grand gestures of loyalty/devotion and being the MC of the story means luffy fights for different people (both crew and non crew), carrying their wishes and hopes as if they were his own. he gets help and learns from others as well and all members of the crew are important for luffy to achieve his dream one way or the other, but the way he relies on zoro specifically is so subtly meaningful to me. we don't get as much insight on luffy's inner thoughts, still, we do have context.

for someone like luffy, who is at his innermost genuinely terrified of being alone and losing the people he loves, the fact that he trusts zoro to protect and keep everyone safe (even luffy himself) is so good. as shown above, luffy vowed to become strong in the first place to ensure he'd never go through loss like sabo's again and this vow is all the more renewed after ace's death. luffy has to be strong for everyone but... the fact that he can trust zoro to follow his lead even when others might not understand his reasons to do x or y, that he's so unwavering in his faith that zoro will protect the others when luffy can't, entrusting the people he cares about to zoro, whom luffy also cherishes - it's all pretty special. everyone in the crew has their strengths and zoro may not be the only fighter, but all of them, including sanji, fall under his protection whenever it's needed.

it's not only about raw strength though. zoro's also there to set luffy straight and remind him of what's important when the circumstances arise, like in water 7 or punk hazard. and even when they don't necessarily agree, like wrt vivi's situation after the reverie in marijoa, luffy knows when zoro's right and acquiesces (albeit grumbling a little) because, once again, he's also aware that zoro wouldn't just risk everyone's safety. luffy listens to him. and their reunion in wano too, luffy's sheer happiness at the sight of him again, is a very clear example of how much luffy adores zoro even beyond all that.

although luffy isn't aware of what happened in thriller bark (that we know of), zoro's actions are proof of why luffy trusts, has faith in, and relies on zoro as much as he does and why it's so important for luffy to have him by his side, considering how afraid he is of being unable to keep his loved ones safe. this is more on a speculative note, but I can imagine how comforting that must be for luffy - to not shoulder that on his own.

happy anniversary!

#zolu #tp #long post #yeah it's me. again #happy anniversary to zoro reinventing love and devotion for luffy y'all #I meant to add but I would've gone on a longer tangent if I had AJSJ #that yeah you could count whiskey peak as the one time luffy didn't trust zoro but eh it's like #1) I'm not sure how much of it was meant to be serious 2) their chemistry is so ridiculous they can't even fight properly #without falling into sync with one another and 3) luffy doesn't doubt zoro's intentions after that again #aaand you could argue this whole unwavering faith in zoro may have its drawbacks (sabaody) but #within the story it's not really something he holds against luffy but it is something that at least motivates him #to tell luffy to get his shit together. which is tasty imo #jay reads op

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deecotan · 2 years

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zoro and his marimo babies, a continuation from this.

+ aftermath of thriller bark with sanji and the marimos, pre-relationship zosan

#one piece #roronoa zoro #sanji #zosan #writing the dialogue for the comic is so HARD #i admire fanfic writers even more because of this #deeco art

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biohazard-inevitable · 3 months

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You know what I’m also gonna post that Zosan fic on here cause its too fucking good not to anyways-

Why not let it be me?

Ao3 Link here

Rating: T

Zosan

Word count: 2530

Post thriller bark angst

It was quiet, for once. The boisterous cheering and singing dulled to a snoring lull as the drunk pirates had all collapsed for the night, practically sleeping on top of each other among the rubble of the great ship.

Sanji, however, was not as asleep as the rest. He couldn’t stop worrying.

Slowly, his feet shuffled towards the door of the makeshift infirmary, cautiously pushing the splintering oak forward with a groaning creak before slipping inside, wordlessly. His tired, sapphire eyes adjusted swiftly to the darkness, settling on the broken form of the swordsman on the bed, swaddled in bandages and gauze, a choked sound lodging in his throat like bile that refused to come out all the way, sour and vile.

“Oh marimo.” He whispered out softly with a sigh, having stubbed his usual cigarette out before entering as he quietly approached the bedside. “Will you wake up soon?”

Softly, he trailed his fingers down Zoro’s limp arm, tracing lazy circles along each wound as he knelt at the bedside, searching the man’s face for any sign of consciousness, though finding nothing but the soft rise and fall of his chest. Well, at least he was actually alive, that was a plus.

Sanji laid his head atop the mattress, his golden hair splaying across the sheets beside Zoro as he ran his knuckles along his body, carefully counting every dip and curve beneath the wrappings, noting how every abnormality was a new gash or broken bone. Tears welled in his eyes as pain tore its claws through his heart, pain and guilt that this should be him in the bed, it should be him laying like this, not the swordsman.

His mind swarmed with flashes of yesterday, of Kuma and his offer before Zoro had knocked him out, of the blurry pain that blossomed across the bruise now settled beneath his ribs matching the shape of Wado’s hilt, the wheezed protests before his body had crumpled to the ground, his vision fading to nothingness around him. Memories of the panic in his chest when he woke to find Zoro wasn’t there, the rush of adrenaline in his lungs as his legs pounded against earth in a desperate attempt to find him, only to come face to face with the disastrous aftermath, the cross-armed swordsman standing as still as a statue in a endless crimson pool of his own blood, waiting.

The way Zoro had looked at him in that moment, no rage or usual bickering to be had from Sanji’s quips and teases, just stern, hopeless determination as his shaking form barely opened its mouth to speak, replying to only one of Sanji’s hundreds of questions.

“N-nothing happened.” He had spoken, body crumpling into Sanji’s the moment the cook had touched him, as if he had been waiting to collapse the entire time, waiting for it to be safe enough to do so.

“Nothing happened.” Sanji muttered with a click of his tongue, fingertips curling into the sheets as he snapped back to the present. “Nothing happened my ass.”

There was no point in chewing him out right now, and Sanji doubted he could even hear him with how out of it he was. The blonde’s lingering grazes slid down Zoro’s arm towards where his palm lay limp on the mattress beside him, calloused fingertips facing upwards to allow easier bloodflow from the IV Chopper had hooked up.

He was beat beyond what any normal human would ever be able to survive. His beautiful, warm sun-touched skin now looked and felt unfathomably cold and grey, the only color of it being dark specks of clotting black and tarnished rust that was what was left of the blood he had been soaked in. His face seemed peaceful, and unmoving like a corpse, the though sending another pang through Sanji’s heart as his fingertips tightened into a sharp grasp around Zoro’s fingers, giving a gentle squeeze as he laid his head against the mattress beside the swordsman, his own heart thundering so loud in his chest that he could barely hear the murmur of the other’s, if it was even there at all.

“Sanji…” Came the soft, squeaky note fo concern from behind followed by the soft but familiar rattle of glass clinking together as the door creaked closed. “I thought I told you to stay out until he recovered, though I understand your concern.”

“Sorry, Chopper.” Sanji spoke, almost surprised at the broken crackle to his voice, his cheeks wet and puffy with the liquid that stung at his eyes, tears he wished never fell. “But I can’t leave him. What if… what if something happens in the night?”

“Sanji, thats why I’m here.” Chopper sighed, laying a hoof softly on the blone’s thigh. “To make sure nothing happens.”

“But what if it does?” Sanji gasped through a sniffle, his hand tightening around Zoro’s fingers as he watched the faint, but steady, rise and fall of the swordsman’s bandaged chest. “What if it does and he- Chopper… what if he doesn’t wake up?”

“Don’t say things like that!” The reindeer pleaded through tears of his own. “He won’t die, he’s stable. I’m monitoring him, but I promise you he won’t die! Although… I don’t know when he’ll wake up, but he will! I know he will.”

“He has to…” Sanji sighed, threading his fingers together with Zoro’s absently.

A pause fell through the air between the trio as the cook’s grip tightened, his other hand rising to run gentle minstrations theough Zoro’s fuzzy hair as he cradled his head like a lover.

“Sani, forgive me for asking but… are you and Zoro..?” Chopper began, unsure of how to explain what he knew he was seeing.

“Are we what?” Sanji hoarsed through a whisper, not taking his gaze off the swordsman’s resting face. “We’re friends, aren’t we? I mean, I know I fight with him a lot, but never seriously. I never wanted something like this to happen. Out of everyone… hes my best friend.”

“I see…” Chopper mused, biting his tongue from speaking the obvious as a long, tired sigh freed itself from his snout and he found himself padding over to the spare blankets. “In any case, you’ll catch a cold if you fall asleep without a blanket. I can’t let both of you fall ill! It’d be wrong of me as a doctor.”

“So you’ll let me stay?” Sanji sniffled, finally turning to look at the little reindeer as Chopper flung a soft, but tattered blanket over his shoulders.

“Of course.” Chopper nodded. “Just dont mess with any of the tubes, and I might wake you up to take his vitals throughout the night.”

“Thank you, Chopper.”

“Get some rest now, Sanji. You’re just as worn out.”

“I’ll sleep when he wakes.” Sanji grumbled, choosing instead to thumb across the swordsman’s knuckles with his soft, well cared for hands, ignoring the huff the doctor sighed as he put some used bottles onto his tray.

“Fine, but take care of yourself properly when you get a chance!” Chopper scolded lightly before exiting the room, leaving the two alone once more in favor of treating the others who were still quite injured.

Sanji hardly paid attention to when Chopper had left, instead choosing to sleepily bring Zoro’s limp hand to his lips, gently kissing over each knuckle like a silent prayer to whoever would listen, a prayer hoping that Zoro would wake from whatever battle still raged inside his mind.

“Come back, Zoro.” He murmured to himself, breath ghosting whispers of warmth over the mosshead’s hand and his eyelids feeling heavier and heavier the more he tried to force them open. “Come back to me. I don’t… I don’t know what to do without you. I love you.”

He didn’t know how long passed before sleep inevitably sunk its cold, callous claws into him, before his exhaustion ridden lashes shuttered his eyes to the world or before his stiffled sobs stuttered into a soft, sonorous snore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoro awoke on the early dawn of the third day, his whole body going rigid with the ever gnawing flames of agony that screamed through every fiber of his being, joints sore and bones aching while the stitches beneath his cause itched and stung like a thousand raging bees. Softly, he let out a long, dreary groan as his senses slowly came back to him.

After the fires of touch came the soft jingle of sound, the clinking of a stirring spoon against the edge of a bowl echoed from a table nearby while the faint scent of day-old secondhand smoke nipped at his nostrils. His eyes blinked open slowly, the crumbling ceiling coming into focus before him while his tongue smacked at the bitter taste of old iron at the back of his cotton-dry mouth.

As the swordsman tried to move into a lazy turn, a thousand spikes of pain roared up his spine, sending a soft hiss out from his teeth as the soft sheets underneath him shifted and he came face to face with a sleepy blonde head lain right beside him, a pair of undeniably curly eyebrows in plain view.

“Cook..?” He hoarsed, voice feeling entirely unlike his own as he spoke it, realizing the soft sensation caressing his fingertips was that of the plump, glossy lips pressed against his knuckles, a hint of drool pooling at the edge while those flawless, slender fingertips coiled loosely around his hand.

“Zoro!” Came the soft, whisper-yell from behind, the tinkling of the metal now ceased entirely as soft hoofbeats padded towards him. “You’re awake!!”

“Chopper…?” Zoro spoke with a groan as he glanced towards the reindeer, eyes wincing at the brightness of the lamp. “Good to see you’re alright… what about everyone else? Luffy! Is he?”

“Of course you’d be worried about that! He’s more than okay.” Chopper chuckled softly, motioning for Zoro to quiet down his excitement before gesturing to Sanji’s sleeping form. “You were the one we were most worried about.”

“Even dart-brow was worried?” Zoro grunted, maneuvering more to lay his head closer to the cook’s, admiring every little spiral his golden hair made on the mattress as he gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Hard to believe he of all people would be worried about me.”

“I don’t know what happened back there… but it really messed with Sanji.” Chopper admitted quietly. “I’ve never seen him cry so much before.”

“He cried..?”

Oh… now that took Zoro by surprise, but he could see it now. The faint, puffy redness around his eyes, the salty crust that clung to his lashes, the phantom rivers carved into the rosy hills of his cheeks. The way his grip had clearly been so tight before he went limp with slumber, the soft stain on the mattress beneath his face. Had the swordsman’s state really done all of this to a chef who claimed to despise him?

“I don’t think he thought anyone noticed… so I wouldn’t bring it up. I don’t need you getting into a fight for at least another few weeks! Maybe months with how badly you’re hurt!”

“Mh… nah I’ll be fine by tomorrow.” Zoro huffed before rolling back into position with a slight wince, absently thumbing over the cook’s knuckles as he got comfortable again.

“Zoro!” Chopper scolded, droning on and on about the importance of resting and the severity of his injuries, but Zoro was more consumed by the thoughts that the one he woke up to see first was Sanji of all people.

The lovestruck blonde who called the swordsman a plethora of profanities and the most degrading of insults, who would happily throw his leg up in deranged attacks while growling professions of hatred, the same cook that was now curled up on his knees at his bedside, brows crumpled with worry and cheeks stained with the salt of his tears. Surely, on top of all that, the gentle lips pressed to his knuckle had to be a coincidence, right? Surely, of all people, the cook didn’t like him like that, did he?

Surely Sanji didn’t love him back.

“Chopper…” Came the sluggish, dreary yawn from between the two, interrupting the doctor’s rant. “Quiet down… its hardly even dawn and I don’t have to make breakfast for a while longer… what the hell has got you so worked up?”

“Well, now that sunshine here is finally up, I might be able to get my hand back.” Zoro joked with a low, tremor of a chuckle, drawing that blurry blue gaze upwards until Sanji’s eyes shot open and he was yanked to attention.

“Zoro!” He exclaimed, those bubbly tears welling up again as he stumbled to his feet. “Fuck- Zoro you’re awake! You’re alive!”

“Course I am curls.” Zoro winced at the sudden uproar of worry that came from the blonde, a soft annoyed scowl darting across his face as he slapped a hand over Sanji’s babbling mouth. “Now can it! You’re too loud for how fucking early it is.”

The swordsman half excepted that small gesture to send Sanji into one of his usual upity rants, legs flying and swears spewing from his mouth, so when it didnt come, Zoro wasn’t sure why.

Instead, the cook’s soft, supple hands reached up to tenderly grip around Zoro’s wrist, watery eyes averting themself from the swordsman in favor of the ground as he slowly pulled the hand away from his mouth, letting the fingers lazily drag against his plush lips if only for the briefest moment.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” The blonde apologized, really catching Zoro off guard. “I shouldn’t be so loud. I just- look, everyone was really worried about you and Luffy wouldn’t be the same if you died and so I of course had to make sure you didn’t leave us all behind! You have a job on this ship wether you like it or not and I sure as hell am not gonna let you throw it all away for nothing! Zoro, I-“

I care about you.

I couldn’t live without you.

I can’t see you die when I’ve only begun to want to live.

I love you.

All unspoken against Sanji’s lips as his confession died in his throat, unable to admit the truth tearing its claws through his heart, unable to admit that for once, his love was a man. A man he’d sworn he hated, a man he refused to bend to, a man that had nearly died in his arms protecting him, a man that was his everything.

“You… what?” Zoro urged, steely gaze locked in on the chef’s figety fingers, his teary lashes and the worried quirk in his brow.

“I need a smoke.” Sanji sighed bluntly, releasing Zoro’s hand from his grip, decidedly unready to say how he truly felt. “And to get breakfast ready. Come by later when Chopper is done checking up on you, alright?”

“Yeah…” Zoro sighed in response, watching as the chef left for the doorway. “Alright.”

So much for thinking Sanji liked him more than just a rival, Zoro mused to himself.

How stupid could he be thinking it was anything else?

#one piece #roronoa zoro #sanji #zosan #zosan fic #zosan angst fic #zosan thriller bark #thriller bark #post thriller bark #tony tony chopper #black leg sanji #THEY FINALLY IMPLIMENTED THE READ MORE FOR MOBILE HALLELUJAH #zayne’s writing #anyways this scene has been loving in my head rent free

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mariekanker · 1 year

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[ID: Sanji runs while carrying a bloody Zoro in his arms, pre-time skip. Sanji’s holding him up into a sitting position with Zoro’s chest slung over Sanji’s shoulder, Zoro’s arms are sticking out as if they’re waving in the wind from how fast Sanji is running. Zoro is shirtless and has a bloody holy in his knee of his pants. Sanji looks annoyed and is saying: “Sorry Zoro if this looks gay to the viewers.” Zoro is bleeding bad enough that a trail of blood is left behind on the ground. This is a spoof of the aftermath of Kuma and Zoro’s encounter in Thriller Bark. The background is orange a photograph of a treeline edited so the trees show up as a silhouette. /END ID]

#one piece #sanji #zoro #2023 #+color #described #f

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random-movie-ideas · 4 months

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One Piece Live Action (5 Season Projection)

Now that I've seen up to the time skip in One Piece, here are my projections for how the seasons will be divided out. (JR = Jolly Roger title)

Season 1 (East Blue) - starring Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Koby, Buggy, and Garp.

Alvida's ship to the Marine Base (JR: Monkey D. Luffy)

Buggy's Circus (JR: Buggy the Clown)

Part 1 of Syrup Village (JR: Usopp)

Part 2 of Syrup Village (JR: Roronoa Zoro)

Part 1 of Baratie (JR: Chef Zeff)

Part 2 of Baratie (JR: Vinsmoke Sanji)

Part 1 of Arlong Park (JR: Nami)

Part 2 of Arlong Park (JR: Arlong)

Season 2 (Alabasta) - adding Chopper, Robin, Vivi, Smoker, and Crocodile.

Loguetown to Reverse Mountain (JR: Smoker)

Whiskey Peak (JR: Igaram)

Part 1 of Drum Kingdom (JR: Wapol)

Part 2 of Drum Kingdom (JR: Tony Tony Chopper)

Part 1 of Alabasta (JR: Portgas D. Ace)

Part 2 of Alabasta (JR: Crocodile)

Part 3 of Alabasta (JR: Nefertari Vivi)

Part 4 of Alabasta (JR: Nico Robin)

*The giants of Elbaf would have a small cameo similar to Don Krieg. Mr. 3 would have a similar small appearance, but might appear later in the finale.

Season 3 (Nico Robin) - adding Franky and Admiral Aokiji.

Jaya to the skyward launch (JR: Montblanc Cricket)

Part 1 of Skypeia (JR: Conis)

Part 2 of Skypeia (JR: Gan Fall)

Part 3 of Skypeia (JR: Enel)

Meeting Aokiji to Water 7 (JR: Admiral Aokiji)

Part 2 of Water 7 (JR: Franky)

The train to Enies Lobby (JR: Sogeking)

Part 2 of Enies Lobby (JR: Rob Lucci)

*Foxy would have a small cameo similar to Don Krieg and the giants.

Season 4 (Approaching the Red Line) - adding Brook and possibly Kuma.

Part 1 of Thriller Bark (JR: Brook)

Part 2 of Thriller Bark (JR: Dr. Hogback)

Part 3 of Thriller Bark (JR: Gecko Moria)

Part 4 of Thriller Bark (JR: Bartholomew Kuma)

Part 1 of Sabaody (JR: Hatchan)

Part 2 of Sabaody (JR: Silvers Rayleigh)

Part 1 of Amazon Lily (JR: Margaret)

Part 2 of Amazon Lily (JR: Boa Hancock)

*Duval and the Flying Fish Riders would likely be relegated to a small cameo as well.

Season Five (The Execution of Ace) - adding Bon Clay, Galdino, Ivankov, Jinbe, Ace, Blackbeard, and Whitebeard.

Part 1 of Impel Down (JR: Bon Clay)

Part 2 of Impel Down (JR: Warden Magellan)

Part 3 of Impel Down (JR: Emporio Ivankov)

Part 4 of Impel Down (JR: Marshall D. Teach)

Part 1 of Marineford (JR: Edward Newgate)

Part 2 of Marineford (JR: Jinbe)

Part 3 of Marineford (JR: Admiral Akainu)

Escape from Marineford and aftermath (JR: ASL)

That's as far as I've gone up to this point. We will see what the future holds. Obviously, Season One ended where it did. Season Two is most assuredly going to cover Alabasta as a whole. Enies Lobby is a perfect finale for season three, and Skypeia helps to build a relationship between Robin and the crew before Water Seven. Impel Down and Marineford are dense enough to fill their own season, meaning everything leading up to those two can act as a season as well.

What do you think? Am I way off, or do you agree?

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gumpistol · 2 days

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***trigger warning: discussion of major character death and mentions of terminal illness and chronic heart disease under the cut

— 𝐋𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐘'𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇 - 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐍 —

Luffy lives his life to the fullest and recklessly. he pushes himself to the limit, even learning how to manipulate his devil fruit ability to push his body to do things it shouldn't be able to do. he is a living miracle, having survived Magellan's poison, his wound suffered at marineford, his heart literally stopping and restarting during his fight with Kaido, and other countless, near-death moments. so while in the current manga timeline, at the young age of nineteen, Luffy makes miracle recoveries from injuries and exhaustion, it is highly unlikely that he will live a long life. but of course, he hardly cares about that and all the stress placed on his body if it means protecting his friend and achieving his dream.

pre-timeskip alone, Luffy puts extreme strain on his body, especially his cardiovascular system.his unchecked use of gear 2 and 3 during enies lobby and thriller bark were noted to be damaging to his health as a whole and chipping away at his life, with Chopper even fearing the worst in the moment of both their use.

and when treated by Iva's healing hormone during impel down, it’s made known that the energy level required to activate his immune system and fight off the poison is ten years-worth of his life.

these are just a couple points in which it is directly mentioned how Luffy’s life is periodically being shortened. and while it’s not directly mentioned how it affects his overall health after recovering, the massive damage from the chest trauma wound he received at marineford ( which i plan on outlining the details of soon ), has likely left behind lasting effects that aren’t yet visible or known. so at only 17-years-old, Luffy's body has taken a lot. and this doesn't even begin to touch on the various physical traumas he dealt with while growing up.

post-timeskip, he hardly slows down. despite training and technique improvements for gears 2 and 3, Luffy’s new transformations put just as much strain on his body as before, if not more. gear 4 is incredibly exhaustive and nutrient taxing, and leaves Luffy immobile after its use.

the same goes for a gear 5 transformation. besides the fact that Luffy had to physically die for several minutes before his devil fruit awakened, the use of gear 5 escalates the rate at which energy and nutrients are depleted even more, showing to even physically age Luffy's body temporarily in the aftermath. in addition, Luffy has to consciously change the rhythm of his heartbeat to match the drums of liberation in order to transform, effectively giving himself an irregular heartbeat. i’m sure you might see where i’m going with this, as i mention his heart repeatedly.

being the intentional spitting image of Roger, and following in his footsteps to become king of the pirates, it's my belief that Luffy won't live to be much older than Roger was at the day of his execution ( 53-years-old ). maybe he'll live a few years longer, but i really don't see Luffy ever reaching the age of 60, especially if there's no point in which an older version of him slows down. it will definitely be a challenge to get him to do so, even if it's recommended.

i've spoken in part about this with a couple others, but due to the type of internal damage that Luffy has endured, i headcanon that he will develop some sort of heart condition ( which i will go into more detail on a later post ). but whether Luffy ends up slowing and eventually picking an island to settle/retire to, or if he continues his reckless adventuring to the end, has yet to be decided. regardless of how the story goes though, Luffy will die relatively young, and it will likely be from premature heart failure.

#❝ adhd thought dump ❞ — ooc #❝ i have to be stronger than everybody else…or else i’ll lose them all! ❞ — headcanons #character death tw #terminal illness tw #heart disease tw #premature death tw #this has been too long in the making #obviously there's a lot of things in here that aren't all that new to the fandom #but it is just the introduction!!#there are more metas to come that will accompany this one

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fwob · 1 year

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CAN I PLEASEE PLZ PLS GET UR FIC RECS DUDE (can i also rec one; poly philtatos (the most loved by far)

anything for you anon <3 sorry for taking . checks watch . two days .

under the cut cuz i have . A Few

PROJECT: ICARUS - aka the fic thats been absolutely rotting my brain for the past week . luffy dies at marineford except actually just kidding hes still alive but hes a marine pacifista / seraphim / human weapon now . oops ! please read it its so good the first 2 chapters are fucking BRUTAL

put your faith in what you most believe in - luffy gets sick . sabo's understandably worried . this ones a top contender for my fav op fic . i think abt this one CONSTANTLY

literally every taizi fic . yes all of them . i have read every single op fic theyve published . they're all bangers . no exceptions . but i will specifically recommend the previous fic , as well as this one , this one , this one , this one , and this one

wish by spirit and if by yes - sabo visits the whitebeards on revolutionary business . also a top contender for my fav op fic . i REALLY love this one the dynamic is SO good

i know you by the state of your hands - time travel shenanigans

breathe - luffy has a nightmare and an ensuing panic attack and law calms him down . they chat . VERY good i really like this one . the sequel is also good its linked on the fic

asl in red - this whole series is insane . it starts as like "shanks adopts ASL !!!" and then it just goes completely off the rails . like god whats going on . its great tho

ache in the rain (and remember the wounds) - luffy sees ghosts !

luffy's law - i dont know whats really going on in this fic but i fuck with it . will be incorporating multiple things from this fic into any modern au i make in the future

whatever you can still betray - ace has GOT to be a marine spy because nothing he says makes any fucking sense . i really love this one its so fun

finally i get to choose what's wrong (and what is right) - listen . 90% of the time i am FIRMLY against genderbending one character and nobody else . but like . im a fan of this one . also makino has a gun

si c'est un âme - your soulmate's first words to you are written on your body . luffy has 9 phrases on his back . i AM in fact a platonic soulmate enjoyer

blood song - post thriller bark zolu ...... ough

on brotherhood - ageswap , luffy is the older brother

code of misconduct - there's a set of written rules on the thousand sunny . VERY silly fic . very fun

hey, let's get lost (along the way) - luffy , ace , nami , and vivi get lost in alabasta . shenanigans ensue

i can't be selfless - garp invites aokiji to dawn island to help convince luffy to be a marine

god's emperor - shanks meets a young god . this was before 1044 actually like damn girl ur ON that shit

how it should have healed - the aftermath of some of luffy's various injuries

seven deadly sins - trafalgar law's new apartment is haunted by exactly seven (7) ghosts

chasing the remnants - sabo accompanies dragon to loguetown

little monsters - usopp and sanji get captured by marines

of dawn and dreams - i could not tell you what this series is about but its mostly shanks and buggy . its good tho

don't bury me with gold - WORLD NOBLE SABO ....... oughhh this one is so good . i think abt it a lot

sun over the horizon - luffy gives his crew some much-needed affection after a battle

take a step in mine - on their way out of marineford , luffy collapses a little bit earlier . it changes some things

spin a yarn - time travel shenanigans . this whole series makes me completely and utterly insane . read it now

over the course of a day - worlds worst roadtrip

greatest gift of all - luffy is 10 years younger than his brothers

two and a half pirates - luffy is 16 years younger than his brothers

unsinkable - the ocean is luffy's mother . ive seen like 3 different fics with this concept but this one is my favourite

three years, give or take - time travel shenanigans , except it's ace this time

hide the knives - after ace joins the whitebeards , shanks drops by for a party

beginning the next dream - time travel shenanigans . there's a reason it's the most kudosed op fic

make a choice (turncoat hero) - garp accidentally becomes a pirate . whoops !

boy with a scar - luffy vanishes after sabo dies and shows up 4 years later with a slave brand . what kind of man would i be if i didnt include boy with a scar . i love this one a lot

in which higuma doesn't get drunk, even though he really, really wants to - time travel shenanigans

sunflowers - genderfluid luffy ....... god i love transgenderism

pain scale - luffy gets injured and nobody realizes for a while , himself included

sibling sympathies - ace and nami have a chat in alabasta

small changes - id summarize this one but tbh i dont super remember what happens in this one i just remember rlly liking it . its a cora lives au i know that . read it anyways

too bright to see - lusan ..............

i'll keep the king (i'll keep him safe) - EXCEPTIONALLY good luffy whump . very good

of scissors and combs - luffy gets a haircut

and heres four gear fifth fics that i like. id summarize them all but i dont really want to so like . just trust me on this one . read em

also thanks for the rec !! ive been meaning to read that one for weeks thanks for giving me an excuse to finally do it . here's the link for anyone who hasn't read it which you should because it's VERY good

#was literally fighting for my life to post this #was gonna post it this morning but then it fucking deleted half of them so i had to wait til i got home to fix it #and then i fixed it and then it did it AGAIN #anyways godbless i went thru literally all of my bookmarks for this #ace speaks #ask #save #<- so i dont lose it later hopefully

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fallensnowfan · 8 months

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Shadows and Samurai

Thinking about Thriller Bark/Sabaody and Wano/Egghead this evening. Specifically how Kuma and Moria are used during those parts of the story, and how several aspects of Thriller Bark and Wano mirror each other.

During Thriller Bark, we get what happened to Moria's crew acting as an ominous foreshadow of what would happen to the SHs on Sabaody.

On Sabaody, the SHs were planning to go directly to Fishman Island, which would have meant not going to Impel Down and not meeting Jinbei. Though Kuma's influence ultimately allowed Luffy to meet our reliable helmsman.

Jump ahead to Wano, after the first Act Break, Moria's status becomes an unknown, and Perona goes searching for him. If one major idea during Thriller Bark is about what happens to captains who lose their crew, Wano shows the mirror of that idea. What happens to a crew that loses their leader? The Akazaya and Oden.

And finally, during Egghead, Wano's "Sabaody," as part of the cutaway stories, we learn that Perona is still searching for Moria, and she seems close to finding him, though we shift away before revealing the aftermath.

On Egghead island itself, Bonney, Kuma's daughter is here with the crew, and they are trying to hastily zip away to Elbaf. Much the same as they were trying to head to Fishman Island too soon, back on Sabaody. We needed to meet Jinbei first.

Framing the events of Egghead this way, Bonney may be the most interesting supporting character this arc for me now. I'm curious to see her role from here on out. If she slows the rapid pace of the SHs, and brings all of the foreshadowing about a final SH to a definitive conclusion. Due to her odd absences during Wano's finale, and Luffy giving the SHs flag to the Kozuki clan, my thought is still Kiku as their quartermaster.

#one piece #thriller bark #sabaody #wano #egghead #one piece spoilers

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bimboficationblues · 7 months

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my thing with Sanji is that I don't mind him being a goober who fantasizes about and tries (and fails) to hit on women, it fits with his whole knightly delusion and Romantic ideas about chivalry, etc., gives him a notable flaw to match the rest of the crew, and is often genuinely good comic relief (in the aftermath of Arlong Park he tries to swan-dive into a hug with Nami's sister only to be royally curved, and it's hysterical).

it's just that like, there was a steady replacement of his characterization. we get a slow slide from "Sanji is a wannabe knightly ladies' man with a lot of other good qualities" in the first third of the series, to "Sanji is a perverted pest with no other traits" from around Thriller Bark through Dressrosa. the former is a potentially funny character and ties into his unique personality and personal history, the latter is both insufferable AND hackneyed. I'm glad there's been some course-correction in recent years, at least

#op reread

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sibmakesart · 4 months

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part 2 (a long boi lol sorry)

#art #artists on tumblr #digital art #op #one piece #zoro #roanoa zoro #sanji #vinsmoke sanji #black leg sanji #thriller bark aftermath #nami

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general-cyno · 7 months

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to add to the angst of thriller bark zolu, I keep thinking 1) of the parallel between zoro's words to luffy when he agrees to join him and his sacrifice 2) of sanji's words in the aftermath of TB and 3) the consequences of zoro's sacrifice bearing weight in sabaody.

1) while zoro choosing to pretend nothing happened at thriller bark makes sense, since he's not the type of character who'd go boasting about this sort of thing, it also makes even more sense when you think of this,

in the context of this other bit:

zoro, who believes and proclaims his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman is all he has, accepts to become part of luffy's crew on the sole condition that he'd never make zoro abandon that dream - otherwise, well, he says it. it's not gonna be pretty. luffy proved he understood the significance this held for zoro later at baratie, to the point he stopped johnny and yosaku from interfering in zoro's duel against mihawk, even though luffy himself was greatly upset abt mihawk hurting him.

overall, luffy is someone who places great importance in ppl's dreams and is willing to go through yet greater lengths to protect those he cherishes and befriends, especially his crew. this is an aspect of luffy's character that shines through in pretty much every arc of the story and something that zoro himself knows well since he's been with luffy the longest. which brings me to,

to say luffy wouldn't have reacted well to zoro's deal with kuma is an understatement. imagine if monkey d. "I won't lose a single member of my crew even if it kills me" "defies the world government itself to save his friend/crew member" luffy were to find out that zoro willingly cast aside his dream and life for him, putting luffy's own dream and safety above his. bc to zoro, as the story progresses, his own ambition means nothing if he can't protect/save luffy, his captain. just imagine.

worse, if we take into account that:

3) thriller bark is the reason why zoro was significantly vulnerable at sabaody. even back before they arrived at the archipelago, zoro was visibly exhausted and injured, which brook notices:

and while zoro fights to the most he can despite the circumstances, his injuries after absorbing luffy's pain eventually leave him open to both kuma and kizaru.

now considering this is how luffy reacts to the whole ordeal when zoro's life is in danger and gets sent away by kuma,

just imagine how luffy would feel if he knew it was zoro sacrificing himself for his sake, which is already painful in itself, that led him to be so much weaker and vulnerable here. oof.

#zolu #tp #long post #yes I'm still thinking abt it no I will never recover from thriller bark #on a less angsty note there's still more to find out abt what roger and ray's relationship was like but #the parallels between ray and zoro are kind of insane actually that was good #anyway back to suffering through impel down #jay reads op

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animebw · 2 years

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My One Piece Arc Ranking

So now that I’m all caught up on One Piece, it’s time to partake in that most honored of traditions: ranking all the arcs from worst to best! Because it’s fun, and it’ll be handy to collect my thoughts on these 1000+ chapters all in once place. For convenience’s sake, I’ll be stitching a lot of the smaller “arcs” together or tacking them on to the bigger arcs they lead into/serve as cooldown from. So if you’re wondering where the Sabaody reunion is, well, it’s part of Fishman Island. Same with the Paramount War aftermath, and Jaya being part of Skypiea. Just so I don’t have to rank complete, fully fleshed out arcs against “well, here’s what happened after the big battle on this island and we’re calling that an arc too.”

Got it? Good. Here is my definitive ranking of all 21 (by my standards) arcs of this ridiculously long journey!

21: Fishman Island

Yeah, you all knew this was coming. Even if it wasn’t coupled with the massive disappointment of the first post-timeskip arc being such a letdown, Fishman Island would still be the absolute nadir of One Piece. The location that’s way less interesting than a mermaid kingdom has any right to be, the plot is even draggier than usual, Shirahoshi’s character feels misguided from the ground up, and what should be the arc’s saving grace- a powerful statement on racism and the destructive toll it takes on a society- is ruined by a garbage villain made even more garbage by cowardly writing that can’t even commit to its commentary. Most damning of all, though, I can’t think of a single good thing to say in its defense. Even my other least favorite arcs still have some things going for them. But Fishman Island is just a slog from start to finish with no saving grace to ease the pain. What an utter waste.

20: Punk Hazard

In retrospect, it probably wasn’t a good sign that the first two post-timeskip arcs both ended up at the very bottom of this list. Punk Hazard isn’t as egregiously offensive as Fishman Island, but my god does it get boring fast. Law’s alliance with the Straw Hats and the cool fire-and-ice-mythical-creature-wonderland setting are the only parts I really remember; the rest is just a dull trudge through one obligatory fight after another with a villain who really isn’t interesting or funny enough to warrant spending so much time on him. I’m sorry, Caeser is just a discount Buggy and we all know it. Not to mention the body swap gag leading to some really gross jokes at Nami and Tashigi’s expense, and that one astronomically stupid bit where Zoro condescends to Tashigi for no reason because I guess we still can’t just let shonen action ladies be action ladies without punishing them for it. Thank god Dressrosa came right after this, or I might’ve given up on the post-timeskip era entirely.

19: Amazon Lily

How does one ruin a perfectly fine side story in the space of a single chapter? By taking an interesting, compelling character like Boa Hancock and turning her into the dumbest, most condescending version of herself. There was no reason to make Hancock fall in love with Luffy. There was no reason to take a character defined by the trauma of her slavery and her difficult journey to recovery and reduce her to instantly going ga-ga for the dude who saves her from herself. Were it not for Sanji, this would be the single worst instance of character assassination in all of One Piece, and that’s mainly just due to Hancock not being in the story nearly as much so it only hurts for so long. But man, whatever good feelings I had towards Amazon Lily were well and truly buried by this terrible ending.

18: Thriller Bark

I will say this in Thriller Bark’s defense: the gothic haunted house aesthetic is killer, and the final battle with a giant Luffy zombie- plus Kuma’s unexpected reappearance- end it on a strong enough note to wash most of the bad taste out of your mouth by the time it’s over. That alone is enough to give it the edge over the other three arcs below it. And that’s a very impressive feat, because holy fuck does the middle of Thriller Bark suck. The one-two punch of Sanji’s full degradation into Pervert Shithead and the introduction of another fountain of pervert jokes to double my agony in Brook marked the first time where I was really and truly angry with One Piece. And in retrospect, that probably marked the end of this manga’s chances of ending up in my favorite’s list. The sins of Thriller Bark, and the failures of future arcs to repair them, inflicted such lasting wounds on One Piece that it could never fully recover, no matter how great some later arcs ended up being. If only we could all be like Zoro and pretend that nothing happened.

17: Little Garden

Rejoice, folks: we’re out of the shit heap and into the actually good parts of One Piece! And we begin with an arc who’s main crime is mostly just not having that much going on. Little Garden is a short, sweet little adventure with a couple cool action beats and an absolutely killer opening shot of the two giants clashing for the first time. Other than that, though, there’s not much to talk about. And that’s fine; not every stop on this journey needs to be huge and meaningful. Arguably, One Piece would be better off it it allowed itself to take more pit stops like Little Garden, small pockets of the worst that allow you to decompress from the bigger stuff and appreciate just how much imagination there is to offer in Oda’s wild brain. So even though there’s not much to it, it’s still entertaining enough to rank it far above the doldrums that came before.

16: East Blue Part 1

And so we come to the beginning, the first few arcs that started us on this grand adventure in the first place. Romance Dawn, Orange Town, and Syrup Village may pale in comparison to the grand, emotional storytelling to come, so simple and unassuming that you’d never guess just how gigantic this story would eventually become. But looking back on them now, part of me really misses the days when One Piece was this simple. When it was just about a bunch of people exploring a small pocket of their world, slowly coming together as they worked through their problems and found solace in a new family. Every journey begins with a single step, and as small as that step seems in retrospect, there’s no denying we left some damn meaningful footprints along the way.

15: Zou

Much like Little Garden, Zou’s main failing is mainly just being too short and side-tracky to stand that well on its own. Unlike Little Garden, though, Zou doesn’t leave you at a loss of things to talk about. In fact, this may well be some of the densest information bomb-dropping this manga’s ever pulled off. Explosive revelation after explosive revelation, huge secrets of the world’s very nature and Roger’s quest that will reverberate all the way through Wano, new goals set as we stare down the final stretch of the Grand Line... by the end of Zou, it feels like we’ve truly crossed the threshold into One Piece’s endgame. From here on out, it’s nothing but full speed ahead to Laugh Tale, the last mysteries finally on the verge of being solved one step at a time. So while Zou itself may not last for very long, its aftershocks are set to define the trajectory of this manga from here on out, all the way to the end of the line. And that gives this small breather between gigantic arcs enough staying power to hold its own.

14: Drum Kingdom

The best way I can describe Drum King’s strength is that it’s the platonic ideal of a Good One Piece Arc. It introduces us to a cool new location with fun side characters, gives us a new Straw Hat with compelling emotional baggage to work through before they can join the team, a suitably loathsome bad guy who’s crimes pose a commentary on some societal ill, and brings it all home for a great finale that wraps up all loose ends while still dropping seeds for future adventures. It may not have One Piece’s best examples of anything it does, but it pulls off everything basically flawlessly, and it makes for an incredibly satisfying self-contained adventure. Plus, it gives us badass old lady Kureha and the bundle of joy that is Chopper, how can you not love that?

13: Whole Cake Island

Oh, Sanji. Dear, sweet Sanji. If only your incredible characterization in this arc was a sign that Oda was finally letting your worst tendencies go and letting you be lovable again. Alas, twas not to be. But it sure made for a damn great arc while it lasted. Whole Cake Island still suffers from cramped post-timeskip paneling, and Pudding’s development didn’t work for me, but it will always hold a special place in my heart for letting Sanji be an actual good character again for the first time in forever. Plus, the parallels between Big Mom and the Vinsmokes gave us some incredibly powerful commentary on abusive families, Big Mom herself is an excellent bad guy, Luffy’s fight with Katakuri kicked ass, and the Nightmare Candyland aesthetic is still the coolest island design that One Piece has ever come up with. With so much good stuff going on, I can easily overlook its weaker elements.

12: Skypiea

Of all One Piece’s arcs, there are none I’ve softened on more over time than Skypiea. When I first read it, the endless fighting that made up its midsection definitely took me out of the experience. But the more I think back on it, the more its considerable strengths tend to stand out. The unique and imaginative visual design of an island jungle in a sea of sky. The fantastic lore and worldbuilding that make One Piece’s world feel so much richer. The backstory of the Shandians that paints a powerful picture of a people struggling with the role of religion in their lives. And, of course, it all builds to what’s still one of the greatest climaxes of any One Piece arc. Even all these years later, the image of Luffy scaling a colossal beanstalk through a hail of stormclouds to punch god in his stupid face remains one of this manga’s most enduring moments of sheer awesome. It may not be the most consistent arc, but its highlights are just that damn high.

11: Wano

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “Wano, this low on the list? Has The Anime Binge-Watcher lost her mind?” Look, the problem with Wano is the same thing that makes it so impressive in the first place: length. This is the longest, biggest, most bloated, most overstuffed arc in all of One Piece, and there is just entirely too much going on to care about it all. There’s too many characters to get invested in, too many moving parts to keep track of, and too many different threads to juggle without your attention slipping from at least a few of them. Yes, it’s an incredible culmination of basically the entire manga up until this point, and the stuff that’s good- Gear 5, Kaido, Luffy’s renewed sense of heroism, the Roger/Oden backstory, literally everything about Yamato- is so fucking good that it doesn’t surprise me why this arc has become the new gold standard for so many One Piece fans. But with all the far less interesting stuff surrounding those highlights like packing peanuts, I can only rank Wano so high against OP’s more fully engrossing experiences

10: Baratie

There was a time, long, long ago, when Sanji was my favorite member of the Straw Hats. I know that might seem hard to believe now, after all the hundreds of chapters I spent complaining about him. Sometimes, I can scarcely believe it myself. But then I remember how fantastic Sanji’s introductory arc was, and it’s not hard to believe at all. Baratie was the moment that One Piece really started to work for me, delivering what’s still the best Straw Hat introductory arc with an incredible backstory, an exciting ship-on-ship smackdown, and a character who had not yet been poisoned by terrible writing, who was still every bit as hilarious, heartbreaking, and human as he should’ve always remained. I love the Sanji we met on this seafaring restaurant, and when I think of how that Sanji was stolen from us, it makes me all the angrier. But at least Baratie still stands as a shining beacon of early One Piece, a reminder of why this grand adventure earned so many fans in the first place.

9: Welcome to the Grand Line!

For this section, I’ve lumped together Rogue Town, the encounter with Laboon, and Whiskey Peak under the same banner. Why? Because collectively, the final stops of East Blue and the first ever stops of the Grand Line mark the moment where it truly becomes clear just how insane One Piece is going to get. Between the huge worldbuilding and lore implications of Roguetown, the sheer spectacle of Laboon, and the jaw-dropping power escalation that caps off our brief stop in Whiskey Peak, the transition from One Piece’s prologue to its true form is one of the most audacious gauntlet throws I’ve ever seen in anime or manga. I spent these arcs with my brain being blown out of my skull on a near constant basis from the sheer scale of the story opening up before. Suddenly, I realized just how gigantic this fun nautical voyage was going to be, just how small a picture those first hundred chapters had really captured of the true scale of this voyage. Yes, turning into such an epic journey brought its own share of flaws that I’ve discussed elsewhere, and there are definitely moments I miss the days before One Piece was blown so wide open. But I cannot deny just how fucking effective these arcs are at hyping you up for this manga to expand beyond your wildest dreams.

8: Long Ring Long Land

Is Long Ring Long Land very consequential in the grand scheme of things? Nope. Is it full of grand, meaningful storytelling? Not even a little bit. So why is it so high on this list? Because it is far and away the funniest that One Piece has ever been. Everything about this ridiculous island and the Davy Back Fight left me howling with laughter chapter after chapter, god-tier face after god-tier face, inspired gag after inspired gag. This. Arc. Is. So. Much. Fucking. Fun. I go back and forth with One Piece humor over time, but never before has it landed so consistently- and so outrageously- as Long Ring Long Land. And for that, it more than earns itself a spot in my top 10.

7: Impel Down

What’s better than a prison break arc? A prison break arc where the hero has to forge an alliance with all his former, now-imprisoned enemies so they can all break in/out together. Turning the likes of Buggy the Clown, Bon Clay, and Crocodile into Luffy’s allies for the grand storming of Impel Down was an absolute masterstroke, and it makes this arc one of the most deliriously entertaining stretches of the entire manga. Everyone’s banter is just so fucking good together, from Buggy’s rebirth into Antihero Usopp to Bon Clay making good on their heroic turn in Alabasta. And the constantly escalating rush of plunging down a prison inspired by Dante’s Inferno, more and more threats piling up every second, keeps the foot on the gas pedal from start to finish. It would be so easy for this arc to just feel like movie trailers before the feature presentation of Marineford, but it more than holds its own as one of One Piece’s most exhilarating thrill rides. All hail Emperor Buggy, long may his light bless us!

6: Dressrosa

I’ve made my issues with post-timeskip One Piece pretty apparent by now. At this point, the story’s gotten so big and cluttered that it’s unable to fully embody the charm of this manga’s early days. That said, I’m far from thinking the post-timeskip era is irredeemable. Because when everything about it clicks just right? Then you get the absolute masterpiece of an arc that is Dressrosa. A gigantic, sprawling tale that lasts over a hundred chapters and yet never once feels like it’s dragging its feet, the story of the Straw Hats’ final confrontation with Don Quixote Doflamingo is the culmination of everything this era of One Piece is capable of, and it is incredible. Staggeringly huge battles with countless entertaining parts, interlocking arcs that play off each other in fascinating ways, space for so many different ideas to breathe and share space, and incredible character focuses for everyone at the arc’s core. And as if that weren’t enough, it all plays out under the shadow of One Piece’s best antagonist by far. Doflamingo has been built up for so long, and seeing him finally take center stage only cemented just what a brilliant villain he’s been. If only Rebecca’s arc hadn’t been so frustratingly handled, this might’ve even made my top 5.

5: Alabasta

Sadly, though, Dressrosa will have to cede those honors to the other big desert city arc. Because as awesome as Dofy’s downfall was to behold, I still can’t help but carry a torch for the first of One Piece’s truly giant arcs. Alabasta was the moment it that the promise of those first steps into the Grand Line was fulfilled, the first time we got to see Oda’s skill at playing the long game and delivering on payoff for story threads set up many arcs in the past. And maybe it’s just my nostalgia talking, but god dammit, seeing that long-form storytelling come to fruition for the first time was a magical experience that could never be truly repeated. Alabasta was epic like nothing before it had been, a majestic culmination of a hundred chapters of build-up that made each small step of the journey to reach that point matter like you never could’ve imagined. It was the platonic ideal of the grand fantasy adventure One Piece was becoming, before it became too weighed down with its own size to make such beautiful planting and payoff feel so commonplace. And lest we forget, it also gave us Vivi Motherfucking Nefertari. She may not have been on the Straw Hats’ crew for long, but the princess of Alabasta will forever be this series’ biggest, most beautiful beating heart.

4: Sabaody

Sometimes, there are Oh Shit moments. Sometimes, there are Oh Shit moments. And sometimes, there’s Sabaody Archipelago, where everything goes so catastrophically wrong that it feels like you’ve been dragged into an active war zone by the time it’s all over. This whole arc is just Luffy delivering the most satisfying “Fuck you” punch of his entire career, only to suffer consequences far beyond anything he- or we- were prepared for in daring to challenge the top of the food chain. It’s a shocking, upsetting whirlwind of despair as the Straw Hats are torn apart and scattered to the four winds, leaving nothing behind but the knowledge of just how unprepared they actually were against the full might of the world’s evil. It rips open the status quo as thoroughly as those first tentative steps into the Grand Line and kicks off one of One Piece’s finest stretches as the story begins its madcap rush toward Marineford one dizzying moment after another. This is the beginning of the end for the pre-timeskip era, and it’s exactly as earthshaking as such a monumental turning point deserves to be.

3: Marineford

But every incredible spark deserves an equally incredible explosion for it to set off. And if Sabaody was the perfect ignition point for One Piece’s darkest hour, then seeing that ignition fully realized in the Paramount War was nothing short of insane. What else is there to say about a fight that opens with the earth itself being split in half and only escalating from there? All the most powerful and influential figures on a global scale converging for an all-out brawl that literally and figuratively cracks the world’s foundations so badly they can never fully recover? Marineford was the culmination of everything One Piece had been building towards since its beginning, the payoff to end all payoffs, a nuclear explosion of an arc that firmly turns the page on this chapter of the world’s history. It was epic, it was tragic, it was shocking, it was mind-boggling, and it. Was. Beautiful. As much fun as Wano was, the shock and awe of watching the world turn upside-down- not to mention Ace’s tragic fate- are something it never even came close to. Marineford is in a class all its own, and I’ll still be talking about how much it rocked my shit for many years to come.

2: Arlong Park

And yet, as incredible as the spectacle of Marineford was, I once again find myself drawn back to a smaller, simpler time. A time when a reckless ruffian cried for help for the first time, and the boy she’d been deceiving placed the literal symbol of his dream upon her, carrying with it a promise stronger than any words could deliver. No matter how much time passes, no matter how huge One Piece gets, no matter how much its early days fade on the horizon, Arlong Park will never lose its luster. It was the first moment One Piece made me cry, but more than that, the story of Nami’s redemption and official introduction to the Straw Hat crew was the moment that I stopped liking One Piece and started loving it. It’s the moment where I realized that this staggeringly long manga, this story I never dreamed I’d have the endurance to tackle, had its claws in me so deeply that I was going to stick with it through hell or highwater. This arc is why I’m still here, two years and a thousand chapters later, waiting to see what crazy roads this adventure will lead us down next. It is, without question, the moment that made One Piece, One Piece. And even all this time later, it still stands tall as one of the single greatest tales in this entire epic saga.

1: Water Seven/Enies Lobby

But if you were to ask me where One Piece truly reaches its peak? Where everything comes together for an arc that takes all the best parts of other arcs and synthesizes them into a single triumphant masterpiece? That, ladies and gentlemen, would be none other than the unmatched brilliance of Water Seven. Marrying the intimate character drama of Arlong Park, the long-term planting and payoff brilliance of Alabasta, the gorgeous aesthetic cohesion of Thriller Bark, the fascinating worldbuilding of Skypiea, the darkest-hour shock and awe paradigm shift of the Marineford saga, and the staggering scale of the post-timeskip era, Water Seven is the pinnacle of everything that makes One Piece great. God, how many top 10 One Piece moments come from this arc alone? Robin’s backstory! Usopp’s crisis of faith! Sniper King! Rob Lucci! “Shoot down that flag!” “I want to live!” Saying goodbye to the Going Merry! It’s epic, it’s astounding, it’s heartbreaking in unexpected ways, it’s courageous in its convictions, and it delivers on all the pain, all the majesty, all the hype, and all the impact you could possibly ask for.

When I think back on what makes One Piece matter to me, it’s this arc, more than anything, that forms the shape my thoughts take. It’s all the incredible details, all the bold and devastating story turns, all building up to that one perfect moment that Luffy declares war on a broken world for the sake of the people he loves. That is the spirit of One Piece, shining brighter here than it ever has before or since. That is why this manga, for all its ups and downs, has been worth sticking with for over a thousand chapters and counting. I don’t know if Oda will ever top this arc; honestly, I kind of suspect he’s just not capable of pulling off something this perfect in the post-timeskip era. But even if this is the best things will ever be, at least it will forever stand as the crown jewel of one of the biggest stories on the face of the earth. Water Seven is an unqualified masterpiece, and even once this whole grand adventure is finally over, I suspect I’ll still hold it up as the single greatest arc in all of One Piece.

#anime #the anime binge-watcher #tabw #one piece #one piece manga

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