#(also i can actually see luffy and koby together)

[kisskissgotohell]

i read an opla zolu fanfic to do, like, a litmus test on whether or not i ship them (was previously undecided) and i came out of it with the honestly bizarre realization that id only actively consume zolu content if it was. unrequited. not as in "angsty misunderstanding before getting together" but like,, i can see zoro liking luffy but i genuinely cannot see them as a couple. never liked a ship dynamic like this before but theres a first time for everything ig

[tossawary]

You know, the more I think about it, the funnier I find the concept of Monkey D. Luffy /& Boa Hancock (especially paired with Aro-Ace spectrum Luffy and Aro-Ace spectrum Hancock) just for what it must look like from an outsider's POV.

For the record, personally, my favorite Luffy ship is Zoro/Luffy - also with Aro-Ace spectrum Luffy, that's basically non-negotiable for me, I don't care whether he's sex-favorable or sex-repulsed, but he's definitely ace. It is so funny to me to think about Luffy's incredible pull with aro-ace spectrum folks. People who once thought "sucks for you fuckers obsessed with sex and/or romance, I'm built different" (Roronoa Zoro, Koby, Trafalgar Law, Boa Hancock, Bartolomeo, etc.) find themselves fascinated by this little rubber man, who regularly declares war on the government and can swallow a roast chicken whole. Some of them are happier about this than others. Some of them WISH they just wanted to fuck or marry him, that would make more sense than this shit.

But, okay, back to Luffy and Hancock (as a friendship or queerplatonic situationship, whatever, doesn't matter). Like, let's pretend this is some kind of Modern College AU (Luffy is probably not IN college, tbh, he's just there to hang out with his friends and for any food anyone makes the mistake of leaving out). You are on your way to class and you see this woman walking down the street and she is - hands down - the Most Beautiful Woman In The World.

Super tall, with incredibly long, muscular legs in shockingly high red heels, a short skirt, artful cleavage, a waterfall of sleek black hair, beautiful face, striking makeup, gorgeous jewelry. Looks too old to be an undergrad student. She looks like if a martial artist became a supermodel. Walks like that too. The phrase "please step on me" comes to mind, but not to the lips, because that's sexual harassment, and also this woman looks like she could stab you through the heart with a kick and her shoe heel, killing you instantly.

She sees someone and her entire face lights up. She runs forward (how is she running in those shoes) squealing in excitement and embraces this guy you didn't even notice before, shouting about how much she missed him, and kisses him on the lips. He is... uh... three-quarters of her height at the tallest. A real Mr. Short King.

Wow, he has a babyface. And a scar on his cheek and on his chest, which you can see because he's wearing an open button-up, in eye-searing rainbow colors and decorated with monkeys, and jorts with fur at the cuffs. And mismatched flip-flops on the wrong feet. And a straw hat on a string around his neck. It looks like he hasn't brushed his hair today. It is impossible to judge his looks because his outfit is too distracting. Now the Most Beautiful Woman in the World is blushing bright pink as she clasps one of his hands in both of hers. Mr. Short King is using his other hand to pick his nose as she talks.

They walk hand in hand together over to where an incredibly expensive-looking bright red car is parked. Mr. Short King opens the driver's door for the Most Beautiful Woman and she apparently nearly swoons at this chivalry. She climbs into the driver's seat and he gets into the passenger's side (Luffy cannot legally drive and also cannot actually drive). They drive off together. What the fuck kind of Roger-and-Jessica-Rabbit-ass Sugar Mama relationship did you just witness?

Boa Hancock keeps a photograph of Luffy as her phone background and also on her desk at work. Everyone is always like, "Is that your... son?" And Hancock is like, "No, that's my number one choice of future fiancé! Isn't he sooooo handsome?" And people can only be like, "...Okay, but why are there police lights in the background? And something is on fire? It kind of looks like he's in the process of being arrested..." And Hancock responds dreamily, "They didn't catch him! He climbed into my exercise duffel bag and I carried him out."

[beanghostprincess]

there's just something so inherently poetic and romantic about zoro's devotion to luffy during all of wano that makes me go completely insane.

he sees luffy for the first time in like a week, which might not seem much but for them, who are used to feeling each other's presence all the time and did not have a good experience with being separated, it's torture to not be together. so of course they go all happy, kicking their feet and blushing when they reunite. then his captain is like "hey, this is tama. tama is our friend now" and zoro takes it extremely seriously and protects that random kid he has no connection to because luffy says so and, well, because she's just a kid and everything, but still i think zoro instantly accepting to adopt tama is really cute.

zoro acts like luffy's enabler during this arc, because his captain might do the most impulsive and reckless shit, and the dude will support him to death. even when he's just competing against kid and law to see who's stronger (or the dumbest), luffy is the most serious he's ever been here. of course, zoro has some moments of "okay, gotta stop this idiot" but it turns out zoro is fucking stupid too, and getting into a fight in the middle of a party while you look for your captain is just,,, so them.

and all of this is just silly moments that make you think "oh, okay, zoro is whipped, yes. we already knew that". but then he pulls the most romantic and poetic things we've ever witnessed in anime history and honestly, i fucking lose it every time he does things like this.

drake goes to them and asks if he can be on their side (btw dude could have just told luffy he knew koby somehow but okay) and zoro instantly goes 'protective first mate' mode and says "haha no the fuck you're not. disloyal people are the worst and you'll always be like that. once you betray someone there's no going back" which is something i love about zoro because, even if from his perspective drake was actually a member of kaido's crew and they're supposed to be the bad guys, zoro respects loyalty so fucking much that he doesn't care whose side are you on as long as you have your priorities and beliefs on the right place. i find that beautiful, especially knowing what comes next.

zoro is gifted a sword that theoretically could cut hell, to then being then perceived as the king of hell for the same reason, and then actually going to the battlefield and referring to it as hell itself because they're fighting to death against two emperors and saying "if you're sending our captain to hell, you'll have to take me with him" because he would quite literally go to hell for luffy. and then the guy goes and tells law "hey, this is going to hurt like a bitch and i might probably die. if that happens, you know, just take care of the rest because luffy trusts you too" and he goes and awakens his conqueror's haki without even meaning to and not even giving a single fuck when kaido tells him because his only ambition and will at the moment is protecting luffy and fighting for him. that, and also the countless times he saves luffy without hesitation during this fight, which are too much to remember but i swear every time he gets in between one of kaido's attacks and luffy, my heart does a backflip and i die. and also, the gentleness in which zoro treats luffy when he can't fight. the way he protects him when luffy puts all of his undying trust on zoro. they make me go wild.

the fact that luffy is constantly saying in this fight (and always, of course) that he's going to be the pirate king and showing it clearly with all of his parallelisms to roger, and then zoro pulling things that make him quite obviously the king of hell, just makes the whole "captain and first mate" thing seem so little for what they actually are. because we have 3 different couples of this kind in this story, and nobody compares to these two, because they're not just a captain and his first mate, they're literally kings. and i haven't watched more (i'm on episode 1030 if you're curious, uta time!) but i'm so excited to see how this develops. especially knowing the religious undertones behind whatever the fuck gear fifth is supposed to be (except for a lil cute and powerful af looney tune).

[wesleysniperking]

One Piece Film: Red and What It Meant for Usopp

Part 2 (TL;DR)

(beware spoilers!!!) | Part 1

If there’s one fandom consensus that I wholeheartedly agree with, it’s regarding Usopp’s screen time in the One Piece movies. He’s a scene-stealer and always manages to do something cool or worthwhile. If you’ve watched the movies, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

The movie I want to focus on is "One Piece Film: Red." This is the movie where Usopp meets his dad amid battle, and they do that iconic Observation Haki thing together. It’s a scene I rewatch time and time again.

"One Piece Film: Red" is many things: fun, ambitious, messy, high-budget, and a wild ride. Uta’s character design was rad, and the overall vibe with the other characters was well-executed.

But in hindsight, I noticed that the movie did a lot of foreshadowing, especially concerning the final battle where everyone tries to take down Tot Musica. We see most of the Straw Hats with power-ups and battle moves that weren’t canonically revealed until the Wano arc was nearing its end. Here are some of the foreshadowed power-ups:

Luffy: We get a preview of Luffy’s Gear 5.

Zoro: Demonstrates his mastery of Enma and Conqueror’s Haki.

Sanji: Uses advanced fire attacks, reminiscent of "Ifrit Jambe."

Nami: Shows her integration with Zeus, who finally gets to shine.

Robin: Showcases "Demonio Fleur," which she uses against Black Maria.

Brook: Utilizes more of his soul-related abilities, similar to his actions in Wano.

Koby: Even Koby had a bit of foreshadowing regarding his growth, hinting at his future role as a Garp-like figure to Luffy’s Roger.

Given all this, I wondered why Usopp didn’t receive a similar foreshadowing in the movie. The answer seems clear: Usopp’s “power-up” or significant moment is being saved for a much later, possibly even more impactful, event.

Many fans speculate (and yes, I’m using some “Oda said” hearsay as a source here) that the people behind the One Piece movies have insight into how the series will end or what the One Piece actually is. If Usopp didn’t showcase his Observation Haki in the Wano arc like he did in the movie, it likely means Oda is reserving his moment for a bigger payoff.

Consider the scene where Usopp and Yasopp perform incredible Observation Haki feats together—something we haven’t seen canonically. Not even Katakuri could maintain such a level of Observation Haki for long. There’s also the part where Katakuri tells Shanks he can see through his sister’s eyes, but only for a few seconds, to which Shanks replies, “You’re not the only one who has Observation Haki.” It then cuts to Yasopp saying, “Yeah. My son has it, but he’s too panicked.”

This interaction might hint at the unique potential of Usopp’s Haki. Perhaps Observation Haki users can link up with others they’re related to, or maybe it’s just a matter of Usopp honing his abilities. Either way, the fact that this was showcased in the movie but not yet in the manga suggests that Usopp’s true power is yet to be revealed.

Another point that stands out to me is the conversation between Katakuri and Shanks. Shanks’ words wouldn’t necessarily lead anyone to believe he was specifically talking about Yasopp. We didn't even know if Yasopp was aware of his son's abilities. Yes, the movies aren’t canonical, but still, it’s intriguing. When Yasopp mentions that his son has Observation Haki but is too nervous to use it effectively, it raises questions. How does Yasopp know this about Usopp, given they haven’t spoken in over a decade (if ever)?

What also stood out was the scene where Usopp is running and says, "If we only did something to Tot Musica’s legs, we could defeat him” (paraphrasing here). Usopp then stops, tells himself to stay calm, presses his fingers to his temples, and suddenly, he’s seeing through his dad’s eyes. Yasopp exclaims, "D*mn, son! You finally managed to link up with me?! Finally!” (Paraphrasing here). They then guide everyone on where to attack Tot Musica’s limbs, resulting in a spectacular team effort. Afterward, Shanks remarks, “Yasopp and his son work well together,” with a thoughtful and brooding expression.

None of this is canonical, but it makes me wonder about Usopp’s story in the main series. Does Shanks know the limits of Yasopp’s Observation Haki? Can Yasopp do things with it that even Shanks can’t? Given Yasopp’s role as a sniper, it makes sense. In real-world terms, snipers use spotters to help locate targets and assess their surroundings. Yasopp’s Observation Haki might serve a similar purpose, acting as a “spotter” for pinpoint accuracy.

Additionally, considering the non-canonical nature of the movies (last time I'll mention this), what if they have their own internal canon? In "One Piece: Red," what if Yasopp and Usopp had already talked before the events of the movie? Yasopp might have advised Usopp to train his Observation Haki and stay calm to tap into its full potential. That’s why, during the fight with Tot Musica, Usopp reminds himself to stay calm before successfully linking up with his father. Usopp’s smile when he realizes he’s connected with his dad, and Yasopp calling him a “knucklehead,” suggests a prior relationship and training.

This scenario could potentially work in the canon of the main story. It opens up possibilities for Usopp’s future development, hinting at a deeper mastery of Observation Haki and a stronger connection with his father.

next part

Part 3

link credits:

Video to gif credit (youtube: SnyapTV offcial)

gif credit Uta (drawing from Amino: @Mommy Issues cora)

Usopp fan club (feel free to join)

[lostsometime]

WHAT IS THE FIGHT SCENE CONVEYING? (a breakdown of OPLA episode 1)

Fight #1 - Luffy vs. Alvida: 1) Introducing the stretchy thing. If you have somehow tuned in to watch One Piece without knowing that the premise of One Piece is that this kid can stretch, well, good news! Now you know!

2) Establishing that this is fun for Luffy. Luffy is having fun. Luffy is also protecting Koby and shit, but most of all, this is Luffy having a good time. He does not make choices in this fight based on what will end the fight quickly or efficiently, because he does not actually want to end the fight. "Picking a fight with bullies" is one of Luffy's most favorite pastimes and it's important to establish that early on.

Fight #2 - Zoro vs. Mr. 7: 1) The next fight deliberately takes us directly from Luffy and his cartoon character fighting to Zoro, whose fight choreography is more or less plucked out of a samurai movie. It lets us know that the show is going to be doing both those things, and also that Zoro, before meeting Luffy, basically lives in a completely different genre.

2) Unlike Luffy, Zoro ends his fight fast and he ends his fight lethally. This demonstrates how good Zoro is at this, and also that they're going to be killing people, onscreen, in this show - even the good guys. Like, they need to get that out of the way quickly here in episode one - you are going to be cheering for Zoro and also, this man very much does kill people for a living.

Fight #3 - Zoro vs. Everybody In the Bar: If the previous fight was to establish for us how good Zoro is with his swords, this one is to show how he's just as good without them. This sets up the important theme about "only draw your sword if you mean to use it" - which they will call back to later, with Mihawk.

(Side point: Nami very quickly taking advantage of the bar fight chaos to slam the guy's head on the bar and take his shit is a beautiful, succinct illustration of her skill set - she prefers to talk her way into what she wants, but she's always on the lookout for opportunities to take advantage of.)

Fight #4 - Nami vs. Those Two Marines: Expands on that last point - Nami prefers to talk her way out of problems, too - but she's prepared to also hit things with a big stick if that doesn't work out. She's not playing around, and she's not worried about being honorable - as soon as it looks like things are not going to go her way, she's ready to smack some folks in the head and get the fuck out.

Fight #5 - THE BIG ONE: We get our 3 heroes finally working together for the first time! It's thrilling! It's exciting! It's also doing a lot of important character work like

Showing Luffy & Zoro going from getting in each other's way to working together to take down a guy too tough for either of them to take alone. Teamwork! Friendship! MAJOR CHARACTER THEMES!

The very, very smart use of the 3-sword-style. They made such a good call waiting to use that until this moment, honestly. And they managed to choreograph it such the third sword is actually important - even critical! - to the victory. (I mentioned before how that's really fucking hard to do in meatspace for... obvious reasons.)

We see all 3 of them being competent - but it's clear that Luffy and Zoro are enjoying it in a way Nami does not. Nami does not want to be doing this. Luffy and Zoro are sharing a single braincell, and that braincell is saying that fighting an entire base full of marines is a great idea and a really fun way to spend an afternoon!

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hello, I’m too shy to admit who I am, but I just want to say I recently found your stuff and I just love your writing, I’m the one who requested the Eri reader with RoR, but I was wondering if it would be alright if I ask for some more content for that, but also One Piece, I was planning to ask for multiple parts for the different arcs (Or segments for said arcs since some are my personal faves, with specials being Filler Arcs and Movie arcs)

I LOVE Eri (She’s precious, adorable and I will defend her smile with my life, in fact I would go to war to protect her smile) and it’s really hard to find fanfic writers who are in Wano along with multiple different Animes (I really, REALLY like your work, and I hope I don’t sound rude or weird, I feel like I always have to mention I’m Autistic, so I have a hard time telling if I come off as rude, weird or annoying, if so, I do apologize)

Part 1 of the Platonic Yandere Straw Hats!

Koby meets Luffy… and a cute little girl named Y/N, and after battling Alvida, go to recruit the name called ‘Pirate Hunter’ Zoro along (And Koby parts ways) with the current 3 members then meet the infamous Captain Buggy and the mysterious Nami, and to syrup village and meet their sniper, Usopp as they fight off Kuro and earn a ship and sail off to find a cook

Luffy is very protective of Reader (He only becomes enraged when someone tries to take his straw hat or harms/injures or tries to kidnaps his ‘little sister’ Reader) and is the only person he’s willing to share his food with (He also says her horn is ‘super cool’)

Zoro, Nami, Usopp and future Straw Hats Will become very protective of Reader, especially after learning of her traumatic past

Hello love, don’t worry, you’re not being annoying at all and I’m happy to write this request. For this request, since One Piece is such a broad series, including filler and movies (to be honest I actually haven’t seen too many of the movies, only the most recent ones), the posts may be a bit shorter, but will cover wide time frames, so I can cover more things that are requested. I hope this will be to your liking.

-You remember the day well, when you first met your big brother, Luffy, when he rescued you from Alvida, who had been keeping you as a slave, forcing you to use your abilities to ‘rewind’.

-Many thought it was a Devil Fruit, but it wasn’t, it was called a quirk, something that you were naturally able to do once you were old enough.

-You were transported to this world where people only had quirks if they ate things called Devil Fruits, and your abilities were quickly discovered and you were once again locked up to use your abilities against your will.

-When Luffy broke the cage you were being held in and reached a hand down to you, you instantly knew this person wasn’t bad like so many of the others and you instantly leapt into his arms, clinging tightly to him, arms around his neck.

-He instantly adopted you, calling you the first member of his pirate crew!

-You knew of pirates, from story books, but they were always painted as bad guys, but Luffy wasn’t bad, not even close and you wanted to see him become King of the Pirates!

-Thus, you, Luffy, and Koby, left together, in search of another person, Pirate Hunter Zoro, to recruit to Luffy’s pirate crew.

-Zoro was hurt and tied up when you found him, in the middle of a big field, taking the punishment of another.

-You nearly cried when he ate the rice balls out of Luffy’s hands, seeing his desperation but also his strength to do what was right.

-Despite being a ‘pirate hunter’ Zoro stood beside Luffy, fighting back against those who imprisoned him.

-Zoro was immediately taken by you, after seeing you peek out from behind Luffy’s leg, giving you a wide grin, despite being injured, to not scare you.

-You took his hand when he introduced himself to you and your horn instantly grew bigger as your quirk flared to life and you healed Zoro’s wounds.

-Luffy scolded you lightly when you came down with a light fever from overusing your ability, but he wasn’t able to be mad at you.

-When you met Nami, you could tell she was putting up a front, acting tougher than she actually was, but with you, unlike with Luffy and Zoro, whom she yelled at, she patted your head, giving you a warm grin, telling you to keep an eye on those two idiots.

-She actually stole you for a short while, taking you shopping to get you new clothes, as you were still in the dress you were in when you first arrived in this world.

-When they saw your scars, finally removing all the bandages which were also dirty and tattered, all three of them were furious, seeing the scars littering your body.

-You were scared to talk about them, finding it hard to breath, until Zoro patted your head, “All that matters now is that you’re safe. Nobody will be able to hurt you again.” And Luffy was quick to agree.

-Nami got you a dress and clothes with long sleeves and leggings, to hide your scars and you had so much fun playing dress up with Nami, while Zoro and Luffy ate at a restaurant nearby.

-When the two of you met up with them, Luffy picked you up, spinning you around, making you giggle in delight, giving the first real smile which made him cry comically.

-Nami was quickly able to see that they both doted on you, Luffy sharing his food with you and Zoro wiping your cheek off that had some rice, she thought the three of you looked so cute.

-When you saw Buggy, your eyes sparkled lightly, seeing a clown, thinking he was a nice person, but you were wrong as he attacked your brother.

-Nami grabbed you and ran, hiding you to keep you safe before she ran back to help Luffy, kicking Buggy between the legs, halting the assault.

-Your hands were over your mouth in shock as you saw this, eyes wide; but she later told you, when she joined the crew as the navigator, that kicking between a man’s legs was the quickest way to take a man down.

-Luffy and Zoro both yelled at her, telling her to not teach you weird things!!

-Usopp was such a brave man, telling you all sorts of stories when you first met him, until Nami told you he was just telling stories and was actually a coward.

-You were hesitant to be around Usopp until your family was fighting Kuro, tears filling your eyes as he hurt everyone while you were hiding behind a rock.

-When Kuro spotted you, he started over and you were in awe, feeling a pressure around Luffy, one you couldn’t explain, as he kicked the glasses wearing man back from you, “STAY AWAY FROM HER!!”

-You hid, covering your ears and clenching your eyes tightly shut during the fight, having flashbacks to Overhaul and to Alvida, both who hurt you so terribly, unable to move, unable to help your crew- your family!

-Nami scolded you when you healed Usopp, Zoro, and Luffy, making you a bit scared until she ruffled your hair lightly, telling you that you shouldn’t over do things, because it would make you sick.

-You never…you never had anyone who told you that before, to not overuse your ability, as they were worried about you.

-You liked the warm fluffy feeling in your chest at this.

-When you saw the Going Merry, yours and Luffy’s eyes were both bright sparkles, you mimicked Luffy who threw his fists to the sky, cheering about having a real ship.

-Luffy pointed out to the horizon, deciding his next crewmate was going to be a cook!

[chromatic-lamina]

OPLA: episode 8: pinwheels and mikan

OPLA episode 8: I assume that those who for the story is new, feel a lot more with Nami's Bellemère graveside scene—it was nice to keep the pinwheels with a tangerine motif (Nami's tattoo and the actual one she made, which Bellemère had made before for her in the live action), and I guess that the cultural significance might've been diminished if they were kept faithful to the manga, as in on Genzo's hat and more generically in front of Bellemère's grave.

When I visited Aomori, and particular Osorezan, which is on Lake Usori--Osorezan symbolising hell, and the lake, purgatory (and also having been sacred to the Ainu), pinwheels dotted the foreshore, and also many of the monuments, statues (many mizuko) and graveyard monuments to, in particular, honour children who have died (and cannot fulfil their filial duty).

picture from this post.

Kinda reversed with Nami's story, because neither Bellemère nor Nami could fulfil their obligations to one another, and I don't think Oda has ever made a big fuss of it (Genzo wore the pinwheel

cos it made Nami laugh, as I recall). According to a quick google, it represents the cycle of life. Adult to child again on death.

Mikan (tangerines, although, not really) are also often offerings for jizou statues, of which mizuko in particular look over children (not a mizuko below, and see link above). But mikan are often placed generally at grave markers and so forth.

Picture from this post.

Genzo kept his pinwheel for one scene in the live action. Even if they didn't have time to explain how important he had been to Nami and Bellemère

Would have loved to have seen it a little more.

Also, considering how important laughter and smiling is to the series as a whole, I would've liked a non-cheesy way, I guess, to emphasise how much Nami smiled when she was a child, and how important it was to Genzo that she keeps smiling, and that he knew she would, because she was free and on the right path.

Overall, though, good-ish development with Luffy and Garp. I guess, considering budget restraints, they'll try to concentrate on the two of them as a main subplot? I'm not exactly sure why they included it so early. Maybe to ground it in a bit of TV reality? Or to have a sure way of maintaining direction and tension. So the general viewer can know who Luffy is, maybe. I didn't mind, but maybe not at the expense of other parts of the story.

I did tear up at the boots on the barrel scene, although I've always thought that the crew has superb balance. Would've liked to have had the word 'nakama' included instead of 'friend', but that's for a future adaptation, I think. Helmeppo and Koby coming along swimmingly. Benn still looking like a geography teacher (sorry @nicos-robin!). Mihawk and Shanks camping it up on the beach (Lucky Roux looks well put together!). And Smoker being dramatic! Looking forward to the next season!

[onepiece-oc-archives]

is is ever mentioned when you're officially an adult in the one piece world? because Luffy sets sail at 17 and Koby joins the marines with 16, so perhaps you're considered an adult by that age? But according to Sabo you become a world noble at 18? (aren't you one either way if you're born into a noble family?) But then again, if Sabo wasn't (as some say) planned from the beginning, perhaps one should not place much value in this reasoning - idk. It rather feels like you're considered an adult at 16/17... since the other younger strawhats were also more or less on their own out their (or in Sanji's case having an actual job)... and then again there's Bonney who is 12 by the time she arrives in Sabaody with her own crew so... then there's that^^ (but she might be an expection since she usually looks like she's an adult)

Hi, thanks a lot for your question!

I don't think there's a set age for when you're an adult and in a lot of cases it probably doesn't really matter. Why? Because we're in a world of pirates and many children and teenagers have to learn how to fend for themselves early on, that's just the cruel reality. I'll try to give some ideas regarding the examples you gave and then name my headcanons for what I think the more "official" age limits might be.

First of all, I'd say Bonney is outright disqualified because of her devil fruit. One Piece doesn't really have a form of ID, so they can't check her age, but even if they could... you can't tell me Bonney wouldn't have a fake ID or get her way either way because she's a pirate.

Luffy setting sail at 17 is most likely because Ace sat sail at 17. Also, Luffy is Luffy, so he probably doesn't care about age limits.

I wouldn't say that Sanji having a job is really an issue here because cabin boys are common amongst pirates and so are kids helping out chefs in kitchens. Also, he begged for that job on his first ship and then got given the job by Zeff when they opened Baratie. They did open Baratie together, even though Sanji was a kid, so I can't see him not getting a job here. Who knows if he actually got paid either. I don't think we can apply our definition of what constitutes a job in this case.

Now with Sabo and Koby is where it gets interesting, so this is where I'm gonna get into my own headcanons.

I think the One Piece world might be working with similar age limits/requirements as we do here in Germany. That means you're legally considered of age when you're 18, but you already get to make some important legal decisions when you're 16, very rarely also as early as 14, usually with a legal guardian's approval.

Why do I think this is the case? Being of age with 18 lines up with what you said about Sabo and becoming a Celestial Dragon. Yes, you're born a Celestial Dragon but you probably only get the full privileges of one when you're of age - so, most likely 18. Koby joining the military 16 wouldn't work here in Germany, but it's only one year off and I'm pretty sure the bar used to be lower - which, One Piece takes place in a more historical-esque setting, so we can probably assume 16 would be the minimum age requirement. Especially with the Marines being this present in day-to-day life and supported by the Government.

Why did I say Germany instead of any other country with the same age limit? Well, on one hand because I live here, but also because of one specific reason: Alcohol. Usopp (at least in the live action) got completely wasted at Baratie and I'm pretty sure Baratie is a place that would check your ID if you wanted a drink (at least if it's running normally, not like when Koby and Helmeppo showed up). Usopp is 16 but he still managed to get wasted, most famously off that huge bowl of fruit punch or whatever that was. I'm very sure that that stuff would fall into the category of drinks you'd be allowed to get at 16 in Germany. Light alcohol like wine and beer at 16, hard stuff at 18. Some more hints towards it being like that in the One Piece world too are that Zoro and Nami had no problems getting rum, which is hard alcohol, and they're 19 and 18 respectively. Helmeppo was also easily able to order shots for himself and Koby and he's 20 at that time. What we can definitely be sure of is that the limit isn't 21.

Whatever the age requirements are, I believe that, while they would be universal for anything involving the Marines or the Government and probably be enforced too, in the realm of pirates they don't really matter. Like, as a bartender, are you really going to deny a pirate crew some vodka for their 14-year-old cabin boy? It's either you give alcohol to a kid and maybe pay a fine or you lose a limb - I think the answer is very clear. Different kingdoms could probably adjust the age requirements to their liking, but I don't think they could lower them too much. But I don't know, that's just speculation at this point.

All in all, being in adult in the world of One Piece probably depends a lot more on the respect people have for you and how independent you are than your age.

I hope these rambles helped at all - have a lovely day!

[pinkapet-rates-anime]

I'm talking about One Piece again, not sorry. I'm never sorry for gushing about the best pirate show EVER!

How Luffy recruited his crew- abridged edition

The simplest but also the funniest way I can describe the way the crew got together.

Koby- The notorious sword fighter Roronoa Zoro is on this island! He hunted pirates, you should leave immediately!

Luffy- Hell nah, I want that guy on my crew! He sounds cool!

Zoro- Go away, I can handle this on my own!

Helmeppo- *Plans to break the deal he made with Zoro.*

Luffy- Hell no! *Saves Zoro.*

Zoro- If I had died I would never be able to be the world greatest swordsman, thanks I guess. I suppose your my captain now.

Luffy- This clown guy is annoying. *Beats up Buggy and helps Nami.*

Luffy- You should join my crew!

Nami- Ok! *Already planning to rob them blind.*

Luffy- *Meets a weird dude with a long nose, a slingshot, and a compulsive lying issue.*

Luffy- I like this dude.

Usopp- My island is being attacked by pirates!

Luffy- *Helps with the pirate problem.*

Merry & Kaya- *Gives them the Going Merry as a thank you gift.*

Luffy- Come on Usopp, I know you wanna join!

Usopp- Fine! I'll become a warrior of the sea, like my deadbeat dad!

The Crew- *Hops on a restaurant boat for food, and meets a weird chef with swirl eyebrows.*

Luffy- Hey, join us!

Sanji- Dude, no. I'm not leaving this restaurant.

Don Krieg- *Attacks the restaurant.*

Luffy- *Deals with it, as per usual*

Zoro- Fight me! *Says Zoro, to the greatest swordsman he could never hope to beat, because he has the crazy goal of being the greatest swordsman.*

Mihawk- *Severely wounds Zoro.*

Sanji- You guys all have dreams just as crazy as mine, might as well join you.

Nami- *Steals everything from the Strawhats to make money.*

Luffy- Nah, not gunna bug her.

Arlong- *Has somebody steal the funds to by her home island from Nami, to force her to basically continue being his slave.*

Nami- Luffy... help.

Luffy- *Zero questions asked takes off to go beat that dude Arlong just because she asked for his help.*

Luffy- *Almost dies doing this, but nevertheless the mad lad does it.*

Nami- I'll actually join this time, no more robbing you guys.

Nami- *Gets really sick and almost dies.*

Luffy- A musician can wait for now, let's get her help. *Almost dies getting her help*

Chopper- *Accidentally gets spotted by Luffy, who immediately sees a reindeer and thinks "Dinner!"*

Chopper- *Transforms to get away.*

Luffy- Holy shit, a monster! Join my crew!

Chopper- *Offended by being called a monster, runs away.*

Sanji- Luffy is a monster too. Dude is literally made outta rubber.

Chopper- *Sense of camaraderie, but not enough yet.*

Luffy- *Helps him see his adoptive fathers dream through.*

Kureha- Go on kiddo, join em.

Chopper- Fine! Also I'm a doctor!

Luffy- Sweet, we needed one of those!

Robin- Theres no point in living, my research is going nowhere. Let me die.

Luffy- Absolutely not! *Saves her by force.*

Robin- You forced me to stay alive, guess I'm your problem now.

Franky- *Steals all the money from the Strawhats so they can't afford to fix the Going Merry, or buy a new ship.*

Luffy- Dude wtf. *Wrecks his base, but the money is already spent and gone.*

Usopp- I see your willingness to move on from the Merry as a personal attack, but I won't tell you that. Byeeee.

Robin- *Lets herself get arrested and sentenced to death to protect the crew.*

The Crew- Oh helllll nah! Get back here!

Franky- *Kidnaps Usopp as retribution, not knowing the situation of him leaving.*

Franky- Dude your ship is about to fall apart, let her rest.

Usopp- I know that! But the Merry is important, and also I saw a ghost fix her once.

Franky- Dude that ghost WAS the Merry. She talked to you because she loves you guys.

Government- *Kidnaps Franky and Usopp too.*

Franky- You have good friends Robin, maybe you should just let them save you.

Robin- No, I'm doing this for them.

The Crew- We literally don't want you to do that.

The Crew- *Literally wages war on the government to get their friend back.*

The Going Merry- *Saves the crew before having a tragic funeral as sea.*

Franky- You guys need a boat. It just so happens I used the money I stole from you to buy this epic wood to make a boat out of. You guys practically payed, so you can have it.

Luffy- Awesome! Now join us!

Franky- No.

Literally like a fifth of the population of Waters 7- *Steals his speedo in an elaborate game of keep away to get him to go to the Strawhats.

Luffy- Join or you can't have these back.

Robin- *Twists his balls to force him to join.*

Franky- Christ, fine.

Luffy- Holy crap guys it's a talking skeleton! Let's go talk to him!

Half the Crew- Absolutely not.

Luffy- We are doing this y'all.

Brook- Hello! Miss may I see your panties? *Asks the 90 year old skeleton dude*

Nami- Wtf? Absolutely not.

Luffy- Join us!

Brook- Yes!

Half the Crew- Luffy no...

Brook- I can sing and play instruments!

Luffy- Fuck yes a musician, finally!

Brook- My shadow was stolen so I'd die in the sun. Can't join, gotta get it back, don't follow me, BYEEEE! *Runs on the water and leaves.*

The Crew- *Accidentally ends up in the same place Brook went.*

The Crew- Oh shit zombies!

Luffy- Awesome! I wish all these monsters would join the crew!

The Crew- Dude... why.

Half the Crew- *Gets their shadows stolen by the same dude who stole Brooks.*

Brook- Use salt, it works.

Luffy- *Beats up a giant zombie with his shadow in it, and then beats up the warlord who steals the shadows.*

Luffy- Brook, join us.

Brook- No, sadly I cannot. As the last living member of my crew, I have a duty to our friend the whale, Laboon.

Luffy- Oh that whale? We know him! I drew our Jolly Roger on his face, he's a buddy of mine.

Brook- Guess I'm joining!

Jinbe- Luffy, buddy, come to the fish man island and say hi!

The Crew- *Immediately causes chaos.*

Jinbe- Dude please stop.

Luffy- Haha, no. So who do I needa punch to get you to join us?

Jinbe- I can't dude. Love you man, but I have prior arrangements.

Luffy- *Fixes the problem on the island*

Luffy- Ok now join us.

Jinbe- Busy.

Luffy- *More chaos.*

Jinbe- Fiiiiine. *Severs Ties with the Big Mom crew and joins them.*

[alzelao3]

What other aus will you work on once the vampire Koby is over? I’d love to see more of your work honestly I love how you write him!!

Sorry for the late answer!! I was busy with both homework and helping my dad do electrical repairs I didn't understand. I also got my AC fixed, so it was a very productive three days, at least!

Onto the question: there are probably going to be more Koby works, especially once I watch the live action. I don't think they'll ever be as large-scale, but I'm sure I'll make them super long anyway. Mishanks is also one of my favs though, so you'll see more of those too as well.

As for the AUs--I've been rolling some around in my brain, and so far I have 3 (mostly) fleshed out:

-Medieval. Technically I'm already working on it, but the gist is basically that Luffy is a prince and Koby is a blacksmith: On a whim, Luffy asks Koby to make his "royal amulet" which are used in coronations and promotions as a sort of gift separate from the crown (and are never taken off, if the royal decides to wear it), and over the year they interact while the amulet progresses, they fall in love with one another. I won't do the whole year: But it'll be 13 chapters, each a moment within the year that "encapsulates" or represents the entire month, with the last chapter being the actual confession.

-Soul reaper AU where Koby is the reaper for Nika (kind of not luffy but I'll explain that) and kills whoever poses a threat to his god, or whoever his god wants dead (which never happens). Eventually, Nika is sentenced for falling in love with a soul reaper, and is put through a trial which lasts 100 years. Koby doesn't know this, believing his god is dead, and is forced into a new role: Killing sinners without instruction, and he must kill 10,000 of them by the end of the 100 years. He is told this will "absolve him of his own sin". Idk how I want it to end yet, to be honest. Let me know!

-Undead AU: Ok so. Listen to me. LISTEN TO ME. Corpse bride au but Luffy is a ghost and Koby falls in love with him despite his human bride and then he dies so they can be together.... ough.

And then I have crossovers:

-Detroit become human

-Spiderman

-Omori (Koby won't be the MC this time, but he'll be relevant)

-Pokemon

uhhh that's pretty much it. Thanks for the ask!

[zivliveblogsop]

One Piece Reread Chapter 3: Enter Zoro - Pirate Hunter

(prev | index | next)

Sometimes you can practically taste the rapid readjustment of someone's point of view coming. The first page of this chapter might as well be a flashing neon sign warning of the death knell of Koby's overly simplistic view of the world.

(We can also see that Luffy's tendency to sit on the prow is already well-intact. Cute.)

Another contrast in Koby and Luffy shows in Koby's preparedness (and ability to navigate at sea) contrasted with Luffy's tendency to just float around. The dark side of free spirits, one supposes. Either way, in their relatively short time together, Koby has advanced to the point where he can fearlessly nag Luffy about needing to hire a navigator. They've developed camaraderie enough that Koby is already teary at the prospect of their parting ways, though the matter is postponed by their fascination over the townspeople's equal fear of Zoro and Captain Morgan.

Speaking of, we finally see Zoro, and the first thing he does is try to mess with Koby and Luffy. It's interesting that the story pulls a fake-out like this, one which, at first, seems to confirm Koby's initial suspicion, before being immediately disproven by Rika's arrival. Given I have an insider's perspective on Zoro's sense of humour, I consider it to be fairly likely that he only pulled this because he could see Koby was already scared, even at that distance. But it makes you wonder - is this a small commentary on assumptions being a self-fulfilling prophecy?

(The fresh blood on Zoro also suggests that he's probably being beaten by the Marines, in addition to the starvation and dehydration, which is a pretty damning early indication of the ethics of the organization.)

Following the interaction with Helmeppo, we see the first of what I call the "Luffy contemplation" panels. This is something I noticed even on my first read-through, that Oda has a tendency to show a panel of Luffy with a thoughtful expression after something has happened. He's clearly thinking about something, though we aren't told what - we're left to infer by what has just happened, and by what immediately happens next.

Luffy is an instinctual person, but not a thoughtless one. He tells Zoro in the ensuing panels "I haven't decided if I'll ask you yet... You've got a pretty bad reputation, you know?" It's clear that he's already taken somewhat of a liking to Zoro (one which is quite obviously solidified after the following incident with the rice ball), but he also respects that Zoro has his own plans, and his own path to follow.

This first conversation of theirs is an interesting one - they're clearly sizing each other up, asking questions that they either allude or sidestep answers to. In the end, neither of them are really interested in each other's pasts. Luffy, on his end, is more compelled by Zoro's present actions - that dig at his reputation reads as more teasing than anything else. He's not taking it seriously, and he and Zoro are both all smiles, bantering back and forth. It's clear that, on some level, they already get each other.

Koby, in following with his status as Luffy's foil, begins to shift in his estimation of Zoro after hearing the why of his imprisonment - once he establishes the line of logic in his mind, it doesn't make sense that Zoro is locked up, it isn't a just action, he's immediately against the idea. Helmeppo and every Marine in the 153rd falls squarely on his shit list.

More dramatic, however, is Luffy's reaction to Helmeppo's declaration that Zoro is slated for execution. This is no Devil Fruit-enhanced shounen-type move; this is a pedestrian punch. Luffy was angry enough to grab Helmeppo by the shirt and lay him out the old-fashioned way, no preamble and no pizazz. It's the type of anger that's actually quite rare to see on Luffy.

Koby has rapidly reconciled with the fact that Helmeppo is scum, but he still advocates against the idea of rocking the boat. Luffy, however, has no such scruples - the combination of his estimation of Zoro's true nature and the revelation that he's honour-bound to a promise that's not intended to be upheld makes up his mind about his very first recruit.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Back in Action

Hey hey! We have made it through Hiatus 2: Void Month redux. If you’ve read 1087 you know the big beat our first selection is leading up to. I don’t need to explain the significant parallel. It’s so on point and that’s always been Koby’s deal. We’re seeing where he’s at now by comparing it to an earlier point in Luffy’s journey. But here’s my big subtlety; the crane strikes again. 

That was one of our biggest foundational things for mystery about Kiku. One of her first acts in Bakura, right after we’re done setting the Crane Wife bit, is getting Luffy to slow down, take stock, and proceed with care. Izo was the one trying to calm Ace from Akainu’s provocation. Grus, Latin for crane, is the one trying to snap Koby out of falling for a basic damsel in distress ploy. All in all, it’s more of the same. I wondered if we’d get something hot returning to Egghead post-hiatus...but this one wasn’t like the last. Oda took time off for health. That’s what I was feeling up til the last page.

Boom! Big, big moment of the story. Garp’s fate up in the air, and what do we load it with around the margins. Poor baby Hibari breaking down about not being enough. We need to stop kicking around these sweetiemuffins. Less angst, more blankies & cocoa. Garp speaking this big running line of composure to cement how Koby’s story parallels Luffy’s, though it made me enjoy how calm he was about such a ridiculous counter to firebreathing. But Avalo Pizarro my guy! Way to add in some funky storytelling! I absolutely adores how he echoes the narrators of Kidd/Law’s downfall scenes but as an actual line. While he’s also dropping this motif of stepping out of the leader’s shadow. The subversion makes me think Sword & Garp can get out of this one, but we’ll see. 

Either way, that was a supercharged burst of the core thematic territory we’ve been looking at coming in at the tail end. Which made me think a little more about the Battleship Bag story at the start. It’s that same style of writing, it all comes together in the end but I love we see this full display for Garp starting off with the idea of cementing he did it all through grit and dedication. Koby’s story already connected SWORD’s story to this “pinnacle of the mundane” element, working Garp & Aokiji into all of that is even cooler. Also says a lot about Garp how he’s changed towards his two proteges.  

[beanghostprincess]

I have a rant regarding Usopp in the live action, one thing I noticed (and infuriated me) is the many many new fans that inmediatly "clocked" Usopp as the Straight Character™ and are therefore like "well I don't care about straight characters, so im going to ignore him, teehee" and AHHHH FIRST OF ALL IF YOU KNEW THE BISEXUAL VIBES THIS MAN EXUDES, and I don't even want to blame the Kaya kiss because it was cute and they're lovely together 😭 (tho I also see the pattern of which Character the Fandom decides are Straight™ and therefore ignored...)

But I also feel like maybe the Live Action didnt really give Usopp enough moments to shine, here's hoping for more (San)Usopp moments in the second season, they really underuse him in the first one

Okay, first of all, if you think Usopp is straight you're definitely reading his character wrong because look at him. Just look at him.

Yeah, no. This guy doesn't care about gender in the slightest.

And people assuming a guy is straight because he,,, Has a girlfriend,,, Wow,,, A bisexual man who kisses a woman,,, Who would've thought that bisexual people could fall in love with anyone,,, As if that wasn't the literal fucking definition of bisexual. And you could also headcanon him as gay or any other sexuality! Why does he have to be the straight character for having a girlfriend in canon? You can do whatever the fuck you want with it. Fuck canon. People make my blood boil. Also, the whole "I don't care about straight characters" thing is something SO common and it makes me so angry because-- First of all, who said he's straight? He's a fictional character, do whatever the fuck you want with him. And second, it's alright to like specifically queer characters because they give you comfort and representation, but instantly ignoring a character just because they are not queer? Uh. Like, I understand, but it gives me the ick. It's just weird. Off-putting. Because there's a thin line between focusing on the characters you think are queer for comfort and reducing them only to their sexuality and ignoring everything that matters in the show. But you know? I don't think that's exactly the issue here and we both know what it is. Like. Between you and me, anon, we both know.

I am white by the way and I'm not used to analyzing black characters in terms of how the fandom views them and stuff, but isn't it quite curious how Usopp is always the ignored character from the East Blue Crew, and he's often used as a comedy relief in OPLA? "He has a girlfriend and he's straight so we don't care abou-" Sanji has flirted with Nami. Visibly. In front of your fucking screen. And you don't say that about him. Or any other character, really. That's just an excuse and we know and everyone knows and you don't have to analyze shit to know this because it's obvious. And if somebody comes at me saying "oh! But it's just because his personality is softer and he's a coward and most people hate that in shonens so he's a boring character" I am going to fucking combust because everyone knows that if Usopp were white EVERYBODY would be calling him a baby boy and a soft boy and a cutie pie and he'd be one of the favorites (cofcof Koby cofcof) (<- I love him too btw but you know what I mean).

That being said, OPLA doesn't even give Usopp enough screen time to be a character because his personality there is used to crack a few jokes and have THE romance in the show. That's it. He's the comedy relief character and the one who gets the girl because Netflix would cancel the show first before not doing any romance. God forbid people read between the lines, oh my God (<- I love Usokaya and everyone knows btw I am not complaining I cried when they kissed. I'm just saying that that's quite literally all he does. But Usokaya my beloved).

His OWN arc in OPLA is stolen by the screentime used for the Marines and Luffy is the one doing the work. They don't let Usopp follow through with what he actually does in the manga and it's very frustrating not being able to see him shine IN HIS OWN ARC. They barely give him any important scenes in comparison to the other characters. It's incredibly infuriating. See? I am now infuriated.

And now a lot of people watching OPLA have said they prefer OPLA Usopp rather than Manga!Anime!Usopp or that the live-action has made them like him better. I don't know what bothers me the most, really. People literally don't care about the characters, they just want them if they're hot. Which, by the way, it's insulting because if you don't find Manga!Anime!Usopp hot ?????? Please, go to the ophthalmologist because I think you need glasses.

I really hope we get more Usopp moments (hehe and Sanuso moments. My beloveds. They got their four cute short scenes in OPLA and I was the happiest person alive) next season because otherwise, I am going to fucking lose it.

[dafukdidiwatch]

One Piece - Episode One

Yo Ho Ho yall (fuck that's cheesy lol) Well the Live Action One Piece came out a few weeks ago and I've only just started to watch it. I love One Piece. I 100% believe that One Piece is Classical Literature and Classical Story Telling. Like it will stand the test of time it is that good. And since I'm in love with the anime and watching the new series, I've decided to give like a mini review of each episode I watch.

Major Spoilers Ahead: I haven't caught up with the anime (like holy shit no I haven't) but I have rewatched the beginning seasons/arcs many many times. So this is honestly might be more of a comparison between the adaptation and the original source material. So I'm going to go over a lot of plot points of, well, everything.

Here we go!

Overview: Episode One follows Monkey D. Luffy on the start of his journey to become the King Of The Pirates on the open ocean. He faces against The Alvida Pirates and takes rescues the Cabin Boy Koby from her iron clutches. There they travel together to a nearby Marine Base to take find a map of the Grand Line, and we get the introduction of Zoro the Pirate Bounty Hunter and Nami the Thief and Catburgler. Shenanigans force the group together where they face off against Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan and retrieve the map together. Leaving Koby behind to follow his own dream, the trio sets off on a stolen boat and sails onto the next episode.

Initial Thoughts: I feel like I have to break up my review into so many categories because My God, they cram packed SO many things into this episode. Every minute there's anyone easter egg, another name drop, another scene where I go "Oh! It's That Part from the Anime!" I don't think it's going to be possible for me to look at it strictly on it's own merit, because a lot of what I like about it is going to be colored by the anime. Specifically what they kept, changed, and adapted to fit a live action setting. Because honestly, I'm blown away. They did an insanely good job with this series.

Plot:

I have to start with some of the plot here. Not just the overview I mean like a Deep Dive into how this is a lot of people's first introduction to One Piece.

I like how they have the first scene be the Gol D. Rodgers backstory. His death and final words, as stated in every episode, "drove countless souls to the sea." His legacy is the driving point for the show, so having it at the beginning is a great way to set up the exposition and expectation for the series. This is Pirates. Government vs Pirates. The King Of Pirates Treasure created more Pirates.

I also like how at every Pirate's Introduction we see a wanted poster fly by and cover his face. The bounties are used as a "power level" marker in a way. Higher Bounty = More Dangerous. It's a nice visual cue to show they are key players.

They also kept a lot of the iconic scenes and moments from the anime too. Nami drifting in the boat. Shanks getting beer smashed onto him by the bandits. They actually kept in some manga only moments too: Luffy stabbing himself in the eye for example and the reveal of his Gum Gum Powers. Not shown in the anime. So the Live Action series is faithful to both anime and manga.

Then the show even expands on some moments that were sort of glanced over. It actually shows Zoro being recruited for Baroque Works instead of Zoro mentioning it one that happened off screen. Which was a really cool badass visual to show rather than tell why Zoro is epic. Leave the myth/legacy/stories for Gol D. Rodgers. If the guy is on our crew, we gotta see why he's cool enough to be on the crew.

They also added in a lot of new mashups in here too. It makes since, Episode One covers about the first 5ish episodes of the anime. So you have to smash what you can when you can. Nami never interacted with Luffy or Zoro until the next island. They never were all together in a bar/tavern (which, ha, classic bar meet up). And there were new combinations of how other characters interact with each other. Morgan and Zoro never met prior to Luffy's bullshit. But damn, that was a pretty interesting interaction to just flex on their characters.

Speaking of...

Characters:

I'll get into main cast specifics afterwards, but I have to say that the show is perfect with capturing the essence of each character. No matter what actions they take or how the story changed, the show stayed true to the core of the characters. Luffy's childlike wonder went everywhere he went asking questions about everything. Zoro's sassy to everyone and honorable in battle. Nami self-reliant and sneaky and can handle her own. Morgan's self importance was shown with self-portraits. And this is for Everyone. Even the background mooks and randos. The crowd immediately going to sea as soon as Rodgers gives his Pirate Blessing for his treasure. Nothing is missed. Everything is well, exactly how and why we love these characters.

Luffy, well, I wasn't sure if I could like at first. It's the voice. I have a thing where if I know a character for a while, sometimes I can't vibe with another iteration because I am too invested in the first version. The voice was still high pitch and casual, but it just felt different. Between that and just how calm he was acting I wasn't sure if I liked Luffy. But the more I saw him the more perfect he was. He is happy, go-lucky, a gentle airy voice with a tinge of excitement. Terrible liar, a little bit more clever perhaps but still a well rounded dumbass. He's really the perfect Luffy.

Zoro was a bit of the same way too. I don't know if it was just the monotone but he was a bit like the same with Luffy. But then he opened his mouth and was just as so flipping sassy and snarky. Then we see him fight and kill a man on screen which yeah, he does that. And wow he's still super bad ass. I'm just sort of waiting to see more of his flaws in the next episode, and I'm actually surprised that Zoro had embraced the "Pirate Hunter" moniker when he couldn't give less of a shit is still serious and stoic, can't tell if he's more competent or not just yet.

A little surprise that Zoro wasn't on the crew yet. But I think they changed it so it would feel more like Zoro was willing to join rather than a "choose: join up or you'll get killed"

Nami was also as badass as I hoped. We see her on the job. On the clock. Taking one problem at a time. She would give Lupin a run for his money. Like her scoping out marines in the bar to steal the clothes, that was a brilliant move! A lot better to show the lengths she would go than just tricking some rando pirates. And we get her animosity immediately with Luffy. She really is super clever.

Shanks actually feels more parental here. Like a dedicated dad type. He felt easy going, but more in a mature adult way. He still cared for luffy in the anime don't get me wrong. But Anime Shanks absolutely laughed and teased Luffy. For example: Live Action Shanks was concerned and worried when Luffy showed his devil fruit powers for the first time. Anime Shanks was worried and called Luffy a dumbass for doing a stupid thing like eating random fruit. I get why they wanted him to be a more serious parental figure in the live action, just a bit different.

It actually is interesting because there is a distinctive change with Shanks and Buggy. Shanks as noted above went a cool older cousin to a parental figure. Buggy is cloaked in insanity and danger. He is menacing, which is important. He's the first major main antagonist. But his goofiness has been pulled back a bit and turned into crazy. He's still ruthless but it's more like Joker Crazy instead of just wacky clown. Granted he's only just introduced at the end of the show so there was no time to flesh it out. So we might have more silly wackiness coming our way. But it isn't a bad change.

Setting:

I can't believe how accurate the setting is to One Piece. Like, first they kept all of the weirdo gadgets like the Transponder Snails and those goofy looking seagulls. And yeah the CGI isn't like technically the best or detailed, but it feels like it was pulled straight from the manga.

Speaking of being pulled straight from the manga, the costumes are insane. How long did the costume department just stare into the anime and just bring it to life. Everyone's outfits are colorful, iconic, it perfectly fits the character and their designs. Same with the island, the ships, every location it just felt so real. So vibrant. It just breathes life!

And there's Violence! Honest to god Violence! In One Piece! Oh sure we have fights and battles and deaths in the show and manga. And it isn't shied away from at all. But now there's Blood. There's actual Canon Death. Point Blank from the beginning this is the Pirate Era and they are Ruthless by just killing a man off screen and forcing the wimpy boy to clean the mace. The show is not playing around.

Vibes: It's weird to say but overall, the vibes I got from the Live Action One Piece is the same as a Bollywood Movie. Bollywood is Big, Bombastic. It's silly and exaggerated but open and honest with everything. No matter how crazy or ludicrous it is, it's played straight in the movie. There is no lampshading or "jk" moments. The story is earnest in what it's doing.

That vibe 100% fits perfectly with the One Piece World. EVERYONE is a weirdo! That's the point of how the characters are introduced or treated or act. If they were written as weird, then they are more memorable by the audience. Not only that but everything is played straight no matter how goofy it is. Luffy's Rubber Devil Fruit is a useful power to have! He also can stretch his face and dodge like a 1920s cartoon. It's weird but it works. Mr. 7 and Buggy the Clown are dressed like madmen crazy people. But they are still set up as dangerous. Their villainy is still threatening no matter what the getup is. And it works because the show doesn't make fun of them for it. It isn't trying to wink at the camera and go "Take a look at this clown boy am I right?". We aren't taken out of that immersion of the world to mock the characters regardless of how ridiculous they are.

But importantly, it captures the central themes of One Piece: Adventure, Freedom, Dreams. The show doesn't try to tone down these things, it embellishes it. It is honest with the determination of the cast, their dreams and plans. I keep coming back to the word earnest because it fits so well with One Piece and Bollywood. No matter what happens, they both keep the sincerity of these themes and that's why it works. It is faithful not just in storytelling and plot points, but in spirit too.

Overall I really need to stop gushing over this one episode lol. Because it was just ONE Episode. I still have 7 more to go! What the Shit! This show is just already amazing. It's faithful to the source material. Faithful to the characters, the plot, the story. It puts in future plot points for the live action audience to pick up on that doesn't feel rushed or forced. It's just, a wholesome adventure story when it comes down to it. 100% 10/10 will watch everything

[apri-apri-no-mi]

OPLA Review: I love it but it’s different!

Some context: I started watching One Piece when I was 19 years. So the straw hats have been part of my life for over 9 years. Nevertheless, I’m anime only. I have never read the manga. But I know about the story differences between the manga and anime.

I love the live action adaption! The characters feel in line most of the time. The pacing is quite fast, which is actually good for the story. It definitely broke the curse of bad live action adaptions. I can feel the love that is put into this series at each and every moment. Yet, it still feels different to the One Piece in my heart.

I was super excited for the series to be released. After my initial hype, I still tried to keep my expectations low. Yet while watching the first episode, I felt really conflicted. I loved it for what it is. But I wished I could love it even more. Does this even makes sense? Even after finishing the first 4 episodes, I felt every loving post and meme about it. But something was missing. And this feeling didn’t change after finishing the series.

After exploring my thoughts I noticed to main reasons for this:

First and foremost, I love One Piece for its emotions. I have goosebumps, I cry, I feel excited and motivated. With OPLA the emotions where conveyed on the conversational level a lot. A lot more than in the anime. But I was missing the emotions on the emotional level. Characters where saying what they feel. But I couldn’t sense them feeling it.

The second thing which is crucial about One Piece for me is the music! Especially reoccurring background music that also conveys a lot of the emotions. Yes, we had a little bit Bink's sake here and there. And the main theme song We are was incorporated twice if I’m not wrong. But besides that I cannot recall any music except the fishmen's background music. Most of the time I didn’t even notice the background music at all. Epic moments had no epic music.

Nevertheless, I am still very much in love with it. I see so many people engaging in my most favorite fictional world. And they get lost in it! Maybe some even start to read the manga or watch the anime. Some might won’t. But knowing the straw hats - somehow as they are - will be part of other peoples lives as well, makes me unbelievably happy!

And for everyone interested, here are some other random impressions and thoughts:

Almost all story changes where made with love and payed tribute to the original. Like having Chouchou in Orange Town or a girl offering Zoro onigiri. But making the Grand Line map the main story plot device leading to Arlong being kind of the end boss of season 1 felt off to me. It fits somehow into the story. But since Arlong is from the Grand Line, I feel like he wouldn’t be that much in need of the map anyway?!

Koby had sooo much screen time! It was an interesting choice. But I’ve admit, I liked it a lot! Yet I’m not sure if I like how Garp is portrayed. He seems a bit out of character to me personally.

I loooved how they integrated the wanted posters for each character! That was a really unique and cool idea!

We had a panda in the show!!! At this point I knew it’s just a big success haha!

There had been a lot of queer moments! So many more than in the anime at that time of the story. There will be so many fanfics lol

I loved Namis and Luffys first interaction. Even though it was different from the original , it was so cute and gave them some funny moments together. In contrast, Sanjis and Luffys first interaction felt really lame. I love how in the anime the first thing Luffy sees Sanji doing is offering someone starving food for free. This way he knows immediately Sanji is a good one. He asks him to join his crew without having tried his meals. In OPLA Luffy first sees Sanji as waiter resolving some fight. Luffy goes from "he's a good fighter" over "he's a good cook" to "he’s a good guy". And to me Sanji is a good guy first and everything else comes after!

The only time I felt emotions like in the anime, was the scene were Luffy gave his hat to Nami. I think it was almost a 1:1 adaption of the original scene and the dialogue. But somehow this scene felt also off in the live action, because it was so much heavier in emotions than the rest of the series. I’m sorry I’m really picky about the emotional stuff lol

Thanks for reading my rumbling about my favorite fictional universe! I’m really excited what OPLA can do in the future! For anyone starting to watch the anime, I have some last words for you: I’ll wait in Wano Kuni for you!!!

[abysscronica]

Abyss, can we have some au headcannons for birdie and kid and the crew? Like, how they meet, how they get along, what would they be if they met in our world kinda stuff. If that's not too bothersome ofcourse. With love. ❤

Yo! Of course.

First of all, if you're interested in this topic, I recommend a fic from my fellow fanwriter and friend KiraReno, titled "Modern Life."; I linked it but you can find it on Wattpad. It's a modern!AU Law x OC, but birdie (as "Lotte") is a character that gets involved with Kid there. I was partially involved in the crafting of her plotline. Heads up: unfortunately the story is unfinished, the author is on a hiatus and I'm not sure when/if she's coming back. Either way, she has a lot of OP characters x reader stories, and she's one of the best OP authors out there in my opinion.

Now, moving onto your modern!AU Kid x birdie headcanons! Under the cut.

Birdie is probably a veterinarian of some sort - with the fact that she has a medic aptitude but she doesn't particularly like people, I think it works

Kid is either a mechanic or a mechanic engineer, OR even better, he works in a workshop to pay for his engineer studies

Killer is studying to become a chef, helps Kid sometimes for some extra money

both hit the gym all the time

they are also occasionally involved in some shady stuff like illegal car racing or so

I like the idea of birdie going around with an old vespa that often has issues

so they would meet when she brings it to Kid's workshop to get repaired

Kid would be enthralled because it's a very unusual vehicle, he strikes me as the type that would know anything about old models and they would get him very excited

he takes notice of the sarcastic girl that brings in such motor scooter

if they live in the same town, they might meet at some party - let's say Luffy and the gang throw a big one, he'll probably invite Kid & crew, and birdie can be there through common friends like Koby

I feel like Kid would normally have a lot of casual sex and one-night stands, so it wouldn't be a big deal for him to hit on her - just to be blatantly ignored

then there's a drinking competition that birdie totally rules (not win, as Zoro is there, and Nami is a worthy opponent too, but she certainly impresses a lot of people with her drunk-sassy attitude)

Killer & crew will have a "uh-oh" moment as they see Kid zeroing on her and setting on the pray

he challenges her to a 1v1; if he wins, she goes on a date with him (he would already have her phone number because of the vespa repair)

and that's how they go out for the first time

she's definitely very impressed with the work he did on her vespa, no one had done such a good job before

during the date, Kid definitely catches her eye, she's drawn in by his wild side, it feels new, exciting, refreshing

but she's very insecure, she's the type that has avoidant attachment issues due to being neglected as a child (Aokiji as adoptive, quite distant father maybe?), so she feels intimidated by him

which she tries to cover up by being extra sassy

Kid senses her insecurities, but the mixture with her strengths kinda excites him even more

not much will happen on that first date except for a fun night together

once he gets home, Killer is playing video games (they're roommates), and casually says "oh, you're home early, so no luck with the vespa girl?"

"not yet"

Killer is quite surprised as Kid usually loses interest quickly if a woman doesn't put out

in the following days, he observes how Kid is more attracted to her than he even realizes, but he's not sure the girl feels the same

Killer decides to secretly help out his homie by organizing something chill like a bbq and inviting common friends, so birdie can come over with her own mates and she & Kid can spend time together in a neutral environment

birdie feels more secure in this occasion

they kiss for the first time

their actual first time would happen after a couple more dates, when they both get drunk

it'll be hard for birdie, but she'll tell him before that she is a virgin

this gets Kid extra excited, he loves the idea of being her first, and the whole pain/pleasure situation is definitely his thing

BUT he still tries his best to be gentle (for his standards) and prepares her as much as he can by going down on her first

after that night, they become a couple

it's not easy to adjust as they're both strongheads and totally new at this

they have crazy physical chemistry and they're hot for each other all the time, but there will be a lot of messy fights too

somehow tho they always find their way back to each other (although Killer has to mediate sometimes)

birdie bonds with the crew too, especially Killer and Heat

birdie & Killer become pasta buddies

she's drawn to Heat because he makes her feel very calm and secure, he's drawn to her for the same reason, he's not used to girls feeling so safe around him

plus birdie doesn't care about the shady stuff or the punk looks, so they can be themselves around her all the time

as a couple, Kid & birdie are horny, both jealous and possessive, fierce, sassy

but they have their secret soft moments when no one is around

Kid is sometimes brutal but a huge help for birdie's insecurities, and she's a great incentive to push him trough his studies because she encourages him all the time and believes in him even when he doesn't

the crew don't say anything, but they're definitely overjoyed seeing their boss so happy

There you go, I hope you like it! It was fun, feel free to ask for more stuff. ❤️