#Roles: kobi

[as4hii]

Kobylu week✨

Day 2: swapped roles

Koby was left behind by his crew but fear not! For the great Lu is there for the rescue!

Luffy is well known among the marines as the "unpredictable chaos magnet", they even have a special code in case he goes missing for more than five seconds XD

One day, a cute pink haired boy catches his eye and he just couldn't leave him be. He knows he's got to arrest him at some point but couldn't give a single shit about what the higher ups want.

*sigh* like grandfather like grandson I suppose :P

I'm thinking what kind of title he'd get.

Garp is "the hero of the marines", dragon is the "most dangerous man to ever live"

What would they call Luffy?

[allonepiece]

reading these chapters has been like being in heaven (bc Koby) and receiving a kick to the guts (Koby in danger)

[clamsjams]

koby to the rescue!!

[petrichal]

in my mind castle there's a very specific reality in which I believe the story will go in a way where kobylu will mirror narusasu at the end game in some way that it'll look like the obvious friend to enemy to friend again dynamic, leading to more people shipping them together = more fan content for ME

You ever think about Koby and Luffy and how they're the first friend that they've met at sea and how they're both in practically opposite factions and have matching X shaped scars on their person and how Luffy's the one to jumpstart Koby's determination to go for his dream and now they're fated to fight each other or are you normal

[1000sunnygo]

The Rocky Port incident...

...turned out to be another instance of Law meticulously crafting a plan only to shoot himself in the foot, then forming an emergency alliance and somehow turning the tide in his favor. That's incredibly consistent 😭

But now everything makes more sense. It seems Law's intended bargaining chip for becoming a Shichibukai was to hand over a Poneglyph/rubbings to the World Government, and he was accepted not because he submitted 100 hearts of random pirates, but primarily because he played a key role in taking down Ochoku and saving some VIP royalties (also for securing the Poneglyph, I suppose).

According to the translation we have in hand rn, the name of the vessel Law hijacked was "Rocky Port". We know there's a port in Hachinosu with the same name. Maybe it was named after the ship after this incident? (edit: it seems it'd always been a ship and not a port, so, nevermind lol)

But what "important" Poneglyph was there, anyway?

I don't think it's the missing Road Poneglyph. Probably a Rio Poneglyph protected by the resident pirates. I wonder if Law was originally looking for the Road Poneglyph possessed by the man marked by flame, but then changed his target. Curious that he didn't know two of the Road Poneglyphs are possessed by pirates, let alone Kaidou and Linlin..

The chaos that broke out was not part of Law's plan, he was lucky that Blackbeard arrived to join the fun, and they could come to an agreement. Koby, on the other hand, was probably the only marine who agreed to work with the pirates, and thus was able to save the most number of innocent 'Rocky Port' passengers.

I'm pretty sure it was Law who proposed the alliance. Scoring cookie points aside, his conscience surely kicked in. It wasn't his style to drag a ship of innocent civilians to a devil's nest, so he offered to form a pact with the marines to reduce casualty. Without his presence that buffered both sides, a three way alliance wouldn't have been possible.

I had a hunch that Blackbeard and Law might have worked together for some time. But why did Blackbeard need to work with Law? Was Ochoku that strong?

It seems Law didn't know Blackbeard could use two fruits at once (during their flight at Winner island), so Blackbeard likely didn't go all out. Possibly it was of Blackbeard's best interest to secure his victory without greatly damaging the island that he was soon going to rule, so he decided to follow Law's plan. He likely invited Law to his crew too, similar to Kuzan.

In retrospect, it makes sense as to why the alliance with the Straw hats puzzled Law so much, it wasn't because he didn't expect the chaos but because it was entirely different from his previous experience.

I didn't expect the main story the dive deep into Rocky Port incident, it was only a matter of time until we got a short summary. There's enough meat to it to extend it into a short comic, and there's plenty of time in future.

For now, I'm looking forward to the Japanese fanworks flood on Monday 🍿

[thisisallthehattersfault]

I said this in a discord server a little while ago but it's too funny to leave there so

Behind The Scenes AU where everybody is an actor BUT they still live in the One Piece world. The show itself is a historical dramatization, based on real people and events that actually happened.

Mihawk's actor did the Steven John Ward thing where he was so determined for his swordsmanship to look both accurate and effortless that he commissioned a replica Yoruha to train with and wound up accidentally unlocking armament haki in the process. Zoro's actor, like Mackenyu, is a life-long action star who does his own stunts, so he already had armament on his resume, and the two get way too into their duel and end up almost breaking several cameras, the set, and also each other.

In an interview Whitebeard's actor is asked about the difficulties of being a half-giant on a set of mostly human costars, and the topic of Ace's attempts on Whitebeard's life comes up. Ace's actor is Hollywood's sweetheart for how polite and sweet and well-spoken he is, everybody thinks of him as their golden retriever cinnamon roll, so the interviewer is like "How did you do it? He's so much smaller than you and so well-loved. I mean, when the script told you to backhand him into the ocean, what did you do?"

And Whitebeard's actor goes "I backhanded him into the ocean. That was real. He broke two ribs and dislocated his elbow and then said he wanted to go again because I didn't hit him hard enough."

Like. The Princess Bride style "everyone was harmed in the making of this video" shenanigans where every single actor at some point got so over-enthusiastically into their role that they wound up injured. Luffy's actor has gotten so many concussions from headbutting things he was only supposed to pretend to headbutt. Garp's actor (also an action star, also has haki) was in fact throwing actual cannonballs but ASL+Koby and Helmeppo's actors are determined to make him look like a lame old man so they always say it was faked. The real life actual Flower-Flower fruit goes up on auction and Robin's actress dropped like a million dollars bidding on it. She won.

[merbear25]

Could you do one piece x a cute fem reader who is really good at making desserts and owns a cute bakery!?!?

Hello, hello! This is a super cute request, so I'm happy to write it for you. Since you didn't specify which 3 characters, I chose the ones I had some ideas for. I hope you like what I've written for you 💜💜

CW: SFW, fluff, fem!reader, headcanons

With a fem!reader who bakes and has a bakery (Sanji, Luffy, Koby)

Sanji: Was there anything you couldn’t do? You were already precious to him in every way, but seeing as you not only had a passion for baking, but you also had the drive to open your own business was truly inspiring. He adored watching you express your creativity and adored it even more when others appreciated your hard work. Plus, seeing you in your cute apron and uniform was an added bonus. Being the supportive man that he was, he’d help out around the bakery in any way you needed. Someone called in sick? He’d be there to fill in. The dishwasher broke? He’d wash the dishes himself. Since he was quite the creative one in the kitchen as well, it’d be a lovely bonding moment to bake together, share recipes, and get a little side tracked here and there, his sincerity never leaving him.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Luffy: Admittedly, he wasn’t the best when it came to distinguishing good quality food from bad. That being said, he enjoyed your sweet treats more than anyone else’s. His eyes would sparkle whenever you made something. You learned quickly that if you ever had to bake something for work at home, you had to prepare triple the amount to accommodate Luffy’s constant hunger and lack of self-control. That didn’t mean he’d carelessly eat anything that wasn’t for him, though; he’d just whine a bit about how tasty it looked and how badly he wanted to eat it. When he visited you at the bakery, he’d talk to some of the customers, telling them about which of your baked goods were his favorites. You couldn’t help but feel a warmth in your chest whenever you heard him gushing about how talented he thought you were.

“Everything you make is amazing!”

Koby: You were outstanding in every sense of the word. He was always the kind of person to believe in fighting for what you want, pushing yourself to make it a reality. That's why when you opened your bakery to live part of your dream, he couldn’t help himself: he fell for you all over again. On top of the devotion you had to your business, you were exceptionally talented at what you baked too. Truth be told, you helped keep that fire under him lit. He admired you so much, and you inspired him to keep pushing for his own dreams and wants. Never faltering from the supportive role, he was your biggest cheerleader, offering to help when and how you needed him to—no questions asked. Whenever you were excited about how well something turned out, he was there to listen and encourage you.

“You can do anything. I know you can!”

[hopeless-pessimistt]

Luffy coming back from a failed capture mission be like:

I got distracted.

"what could've attracted your attention enough to lose sight of a criminal?"

"their pretty face"

" what was that?"

" I said it was a wild chase. I got distracted by the iron mase one of them used to get me"

*sweating like there's no tomorrow*

He knows for a fact he can't lie so all he can do is tell half truths. He can keep a secret so well but a little slip up isn't beyond him :)

Day 2 Kobylu week: Marine🔁Pirate (Role swap)

[maximumqueer]

A big pet peeve of mine regarding Garp is when people discuss him as if he was Luffy and Ace's (and briefly Sabo's) parental figure. Because he wasn't, or at the very least was not a good parental figure. That role goes to Dadan.

It wasn't Garp who went in after Ace and Luffy when Grey Terminal was burning and they were trapped there. It was Dadan. She was the one who provided them shelter, who (along with the rest of the bandits) patched them up when they were injured. She was the one who they said goodbye to (who was THERE to be said goodbye to) when they set out to sea. She, despite the tough act she put on, so clearly loved and cared for Ace and Luffy, to the point where she cried when they left and (rightfully) beat the shit out of Garp when she learned about the events at Marineford.

And this isn't to say that Garp doesn't love Ace and Luffy. I do think that despite his minimal screen/page time in the Post War Arc, it it clear that he does love his grandchildren. However, it is also abundantly clear that his sense of duty and obligation to the Marines supersedes any love and care he has for them. Hell, he is more of a parental figure to Koby and Helmeppo, and that is because they are Marines. I am certain that if Luffy and Ace had actually listened to Garp and joined the Marines that he would have been far more present in their life, and would have acted far more like an actual grandfather to them.

It is so clear that his love is in part conditional. He can laugh and act proud of Luffy's accomplishments as a pirate all he wants, it still does not change the fact that he abandoned him and Ace as children, and continued to work for a corrupt military system that directly caused Ace's death at Marineford.

[fanaticsnail]

Snail’s Fic Rec List

Masterlist Here

Hi everyone! I haven't done one of these before, but I thought I should! I love these fics, and find myself revisiting them often because I adore them. 

I add to them as I go

One-Shots:

Did I Miss It? by @writingmysanity.

Roronoa Zoro

Themes: birthday, drinking, fluffy, soft Zoro

Not A Chance by @willowbelle.

Themes: NSFW, jealousy, flirting, possessive!Zoro x afab!reader. 

Guilded by @eelnoise.

Themes: NSFW, drinking, smug!Zoro x afab!reader

Blackleg Sanji

Parted Lips by @turtletaubwrites.

Themes: eating disorder, soft Sanji, understanding Sanji, sweet domesticity. 

Confidence by @gingernut1314.

Themes: NSFW, age gap (older reader), confident!afab!reader, small angst, alcohol use

Koby

Safehouse by @discordantwritings.

Themes: NSFW, subordinate!afab!reader x captain!Koby, unrequited love - requited love, one bed trope. 

Dracule Mihawk 

Fixing What Ifs by @sordidmusings.

Themes: old friends, friends to lovers, soft Mihawk, kissing, flashbacks. 

A Dark and Stormy Night by @thus-spoke-lo.

Themes: suggestive, flirty Mihawk, rain, gothic castle 

The Hat Stays On by @sordidmusings.

Themes: NSFW, desperate!Mihawk x afab!reader, pure smut 

Let Go and Grip Me Tighter by @sordidmusings.

Themes: NSFW, Mihawk’s strength, sub!afab!reader, Dom!Mihawk

Buggy

Switching up Roles: part 1 & part 2 by @sordidmusings.

Themes: NSFW, sub!Buggy x Dom!afab!reader, relief, comfort 

Donquixote Rosinante

The Things That Go Unheard by @indydonuts.

Themes: white day, Valentine's Day, mutual pining, date day

Masochism Tango by @cinnbar-bun.

Themes: NSFW, afab!reader, the love of corazon, intensity.

More Than Enough by @standfucker

Themes: NSFW, soft-dom!Corazon x afab!reader, established relationship

Benn Beckman 

Two Days by @jintaka-hane.

Themes: existing relationship, longing, kissing, flashbacks, suggestive themes, pretty. 

Unspoken Affections by @icy-spicy.

Themes: idiots in love, refusing to label it, mutual pining. 

Together by @cinnbar-bun.

Themes: dad!Beckman x mom!reader, they're parents to the Red-Hair crew, pure fluff, pining, longing. 

Distractions by @discordantwritings.

Themes: NSFW, mutual pining, flirting, kissing, afab!reader

Give (in) & Take (me) by @sordidmusings.

Themes: NSFW, flirting, drinking, pining, longing, Dom!Beckman X brat!afab!reader 

Eustass Kid

Cherry Girl part 1, part 2, part 3 by @macbethsymphony

Themes: NSFW, drinking, flirting, longing, amazing descriptions, overstimulation, Dom!Kid X f!reader.

Heat

Shared Smiles by @a-killer-obsession

Themes: NSFW, mutilation, cathartic crying, missing limb, injury, hurt, comfort, one bed trope.

Multiples x reader:

Rotation by @standfucker

Themes: NSFW afab!reader, Eustass Kid, Massacre Soldier Killer, Heat, Wire, drug use, acts of revenge, slaughter, brutality, flirtatious dialogue

Series: 

Songbird by @gingernut1314.

Themes: buggy x f!reader, enemies to lovers, strawhat!reader, singer!reader, NSFW.

The Heartless Giant by @cinnbar-bun.

Themes: Sir Crocodile x gn!reader, prisoner!crocodile x royal!reader, villain!crocodile, storyteller au

The Luck Child by @gingernut1314.

Themes: Buggy x f!reader, storyteller au, fairytale au, buggy is lucky, fantasy themes.

We’ve All Got Needs by @turtletaubwrites.

Themes: Zoro x afab!reader x Sanji x Robin, NSFW, strawhat!afab!reader.

Pain Management by @thus-spoke-lo

Themes: doctor!Law x afab!reader, medical impairment, semi-malpractice, NSFW

Masterlist Recommendations

DiscordantWritings

WillowBelle

EelNoise

Gingernut1314 

Thus-spoke-lo 

[moxie-girl]

ASL+U Alice in Borderland AU!!

loads more lore for the AU under the cut!!!!

♠ACE

Ace entered the Borderlands alone, but soon teamed up with Sabo after seeing his skills in ♦ games. He’s aware that Sabo is probably using him for his strength, but he feels confident that he could take him if he tried anything. (Whether this is true remains to be seen.) Quick to anger, Ace has been fired from multiple jobs for insulting customers, but his temper proves its worth in keeping him away from untrustworthy ♥ players. Despite being skilled in many different forms of martial arts, Ace tends to fight dirty, which often catches opponents by surprise in ♠ games. He was arrested several times for suspected arson, and while the claims were never proven, his go-to weapons in the Borderlands include a lighter, and later, a makeshift flamethrower. While initially slow to trust, once he is comfortable around the others he becomes an overprotective and even doting big brother, not that he’d ever admit it.

♦SABO

Sabo entered the borderlands with a few of his co-workers, and was immediately thrown into a ♥ game with only one survivor. (It’s okay, he didn’t really like them anyway.) Initially, he teamed up with Ace to cover for his own weaknesses - while he’s decently fit, many ♠ games require athletics even beyond his level - but he unwillingly began to get attached. Sabo has a special knack for noticing the tricks or loopholes in ♦ and ♥ games, making him an extremely valuable player to work with. An investigative journalist before the Borderlands, he specialized in exposé articles, though many never got published due to companies paying the newspaper to keep quiet. He understands the risks of getting attached to other players, but all the same he can’t stop himself from caring for the others to the point that he’d probably trade his life for theirs, despite being a player who’d usually do anything to survive.

♣LUFFY

Luffy met both Ace and Sabo in a ♣ game that required players to work in groups of three. They tried to ditch him after the game, but were unsuccessful, and eventually decided to keep him around for his skills. While he seems incredibly trusting, Luffy has a keen eye for when someone is actually trustworthy, and survived several ♥ games on his own despite other players trying to take advantage of him. He is incredibly athletic and skilled at ♠ games as well, but his true strength is his ability to bring groups of people together and help them trust each other, even if it’s just for a short time. Luffy’s cheerful attitude despite the situation endears him to Ace and Sabo quickly, and they both find themselves getting attached to him. In the process of this, the two of them also begin to trust each other for real, although they try to deny this at first.

♥UTA

Uta is an incredibly famous idol known for her cheerful, hopeful personality. In reality, she’s merely playing a role she knows the audience loves the most, and she’s actually envious of those types of happy people. (Sometimes, she secretly wishes she was really like them.) In the Borderlands, Uta’s attitude serves her well, as does her fame, and she’s tricked many other players into doing hard work for her. The poker face of her preppy facade is another thing that makes her so skilled at ♥ games, and she’s much smarter than she lets on, playing up her attitude even more in ♦ games to goad opponents into making mistakes. Uta was saved by Luffy in a ♥ game when she was almost killed by a dealer she thought she was controlling, and under the guise of owing him, she travels with ASL for a little while. However, her plans of sacrificing the trio to clear more games are derailed almost immediately by Luffy’s endless optimism.

OTHER PLAYERS

♠KOBY

Koby was initially rather meek, despite having decent physical skills and having taken self-defense lessons for years (in an attempt to stop his bullies). However, after a chance encounter with Luffy, Koby develops his self-confidence and teams up with a group of other players including Helmeppo(♦) and Hibari(♣), realizing his abilities as a skilled ♠ player.

♣LAW

Law is the head surgeon of a prestigious hospital, and he and many of his co-workers were transported to the Borderlands at the same time. They formed a tight-knit team who all trust each other deeply. While Law is good at ♦ and ♥ games, his role as the head of the hospital group and skill at planning and directing the team means his true specialties lie in ♣ games.

♦KIDD

Kidd, despite his rough appearance, is actually an incredibly skilled engineer and one of the smartest ♦ players in the Borderlands. That’s not to say he isn’t also incredibly fit, though most of the fighting is left to his partner Killer(♠). He lost an arm trying to dismantle a piece of game tech, but he built a prosthetic and has continued trying to shut the games down. 

♥BONNEY

Bonney, at only 12 years old, is possibly the youngest player still alive in the Borderlands. Unintentionally, because of her age, more cynical players will sometimes sacrifice themselves to keep her alive. She carries this guilt with her, but doesn’t let it affect her worldview - her strong, trusting attitude makes her surprisingly skilled at ♥ games, and she’s no slouch at ♣ either. 

♠KOALA

Koala is a karate instructor who mainly stuck to herself after losing her previous group to a particularly brutal ♥ game. She has a particularly strong hatred for the game masters and wants nothing more than to give them a good beating. When Sabo gets separated from his group by the ♠K, she saves him and eventually joins his group when they reunite. 

♦DEUCE

Deuce is a medical student who took to hiding his face in an attempt to “re-invent” himself in the Borderlands. His skills as even a trainee doctor are invaluable, and he meets Ace in a ♣ game and eventually joins his group to help with ♦ games. Once he escapes the Borderlands, he plans to write a novel about his experiences, though he doubts anyone would read it.

THE STRAWHATS

I’m sure you’ve noticed that none of the Strawhats are listed here! That’s because Luffy meets them when he is thrust into yet another life-threatening accident after the Borderlands, and is pulled back into another, albeit smaller game. As the only person there who has experience with the games, he manages to keep them alive and the crew becomes close friends once they escape again. (After Ace, Sabo, and Uta beat Luffy half to death for scaring them like that.)

♦: Usopp, Chopper, Robin

♠: Zoro, Sanji, Franky

♣: Vivi, Jinbe

♥: Nami, Brook

[galaxycorgi]

Day 1: role swap

Koby always looks for excuses to sail near marine fleets, while Luffy told his superiors that he’s not catching that guy cuz “he doesn’t feel like it”

[otaku553]

Other than ASL, which characters do you like in One Piece? Whether it’s design, story role, personality etc.

I have SO many favorites in one piece it’s kind of difficult to choose lmao

Storytelling wise, outside of ASL and the main crew, I’ve really enjoyed Bonney and Law! Bonney especially with the recent arc in the manga :’) she’s so loved…….

(We don’t talk about Bonney’s canonical design. Or, at least, I won’t. Also whoops I forgot law’s other knuckle tats,,,, ignore that)

Otherwise I also really enjoy Robin (but I’ve drawn her already for another ask hehe) and Koala? But completely for story reasons. I would say there’s probably not a single female character in one piece whose design I fully enjoy just because at times I am convinced that Oda has never actually seen a woman before. But their stories are so incredibly compelling,,,,,,

Visual design wise I kind of enjoy Koby and Helmeppo and how they’ve changed over time! And I absolutely adore Jinbei and Brook and Chopper! Design wise I actually probably most enjoy brook and jinbei, and maybe post time skip zoro? I just think they’re really neat,,,

OH. AMD GEAR 5TH LUFFY. I CANNOT BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT GEAR 5TH LUFFY. that is just. Chefs kiss. EXCELLENT DESIGN

I think probably part of the reason I enjoy sabo so much is that he’s the only character design that just like. Fully appeals to me. Like I love his character design soooo much it is unreal. But also because he’s such a unique design among the characters (being about the only character with as much screentime as he has that dresses up as a noble) it’s difficult for me to find other characters that I enjoy so much visually. As reprehensible as nobles are in the story of one piece, I tend to especially enjoy characters that are more formally dressed,,,, honestly if they extended that sort of aesthetic to the entirety of the revolutionary army I would probably have a lot more favorite characters lmao

[hpowellsmith]

I was already having a rough day. And this is really sad.

Working on Love Island the Game wasn't always easy in a variety of ways, especially at the end, but even after most of us were laid off amid dramatic circumstances, more than two years ago now, it was nice knowing that some people enjoyed our work that was still out there.

The Season 3 episodes and scenes, and the ones I edited, were my first experiences in a game studio team (shoutout to the scenes with Tai, Rafi, and Lily that were the first pieces of writing I did on the game!). I learned so much from that, from The Wedding, Chelsea's Murder Mystery and The Boat Party, from all the prototypes and ideation that never went anywhere (that wonderful Regency-era Noah art... sigh...), from how the characters and storylines came together for Season 4 aka Bombshell (I loved coming up with the original concepts for Bruno, and Oliver, and Juliet, and Lexi, and Tiffany, and Valentina, and Kobi, and Hazeem: absolute joys to write and to see other writers bringing them extra sparks of life, and to do the same with helping bring other writers' concepts to life, and to start doing all sorts of exciting senior role stuff). It was very sad and stressful when it turned out that we couldn't be there to complete Season 4 in as polished a way as all of us wanted.

I'm still friends with many of the people I worked with on Love Island the Game and our other projects, and the things that didn't end up going out there, and I've worked with some of them since which was an absolute pleasure. I saw a lot of them earlier this month, and chatted with one on a video call just this morning. The way it ended for us was very painful, but a lot of it up to that point was so much fun.

There will still be some of the work I did for Love Island the Game out there in Season 4/Bombshell and Matchmaker. But what a shame that a huge chunk of the work we all did, and the work before my time that got the studio its audience in the first place, turns out to be so ephemeral.

Thank you to all the people who played and enjoyed the work we made.

[general-cyno]

since I've rambled quite a bit on zoro's side of things in some of my zolu posts, I wanted to give luffy a try too! though perhaps overall subtler than zoro's grand gestures throughout the manga, there's no doubt to me that luffy cares for him just as much and his relationship with zoro is one of the most important he has (without intending to downplay others btw), both as individuals and crew, so let's goooo.

(warning: it's going to be long. sorry. also spoilers for the manga, as usual.)

albeit luffy and zoro's journey as a crew starts in the marine base where they met, I've mentioned here before that their childhood experiences, the way they sort of parallel each other's, also play a big role in their personalities and understanding of one another later on. the specifics are different, sure, but both were acquainted with struggle since they were young. zoro had already lost his parents by the time he was 8 and dragon left a baby luffy in garp's care, which... involved some questionable (dangerous) caretaking choices in order to make luffy "stronger". eventually, zoro would become a student in the isshin dojo, interact with koushiro and kozaburo, and start his rivalry/friendship with kuina just like luffy would later meet folks like makino, shanks and his crew whom he'd be inspired by, then dadan, ace and sabo, who'd become his family.

although we don't know yet what luffy's particular dream is, it's one he's had since young and that he mentioned to his brothers. similarly, as a kid, zoro wanted to become the world's greatest swordsman too, which he told kuina about and promised to strive for along with her. still, it's not until they lose sabo and kuina respectively that their dreams are accompanied by the necessity to become stronger for other people's sake. this is a specific sort of grief they share and are motivated by. and in luffy's case, his vow to become stronger is so he can prevent the further loss of those he loves.

(I'll get back to this, because it's important!)

fastforward to years later and we have a luffy that's started his journey to become the pirate king and achieve his dream. the insane thing about zoro's recruitment is that it only took hearing about the guy's name and fearsome reputation to have luffy pester koby about meeting him. I've also mentioned here that "fate" seems to be a recurring theme in OP especially in the latest arcs, and especially where luffy and zoro are concerned, seeing as they not only have a bunch of parallels with each other but also with important figures/characters in OP, some of who share or have shared a close relationship among themselves as well - namely, roger and rayleigh.

heck, luffy and zoro's lives are so intertwined you can even see lil zoro training during the ASL flashback chapters, when dragon mentions the dojo providing the revolutionaries with some food (ch 589). it's kinda incredible tbh. even so, when it comes to zoro... he was first and foremost a choice. regardless of how fate has come into play in the story, it was luffy's decision to actively seek him out and rope him into joining his crew, one he made after realizing zoro wasn't just a good guy but that he also had a cool, crazy dream and a determination to make it come true that was similar to luffy's own.

back then, luffy was already punching others (helmeppo) and getting angry on zoro's behalf, taking bullets for him and leaving himself wide open for zoro to protect during their confrontation with morgan. this is pretty much the beginning of his unwavering trust in zoro's strength and his willingness to step in when luffy needs someone to watch over him in turn. this is what their relationship is based on within? hours? of meeting and it's the foundation of the straw hat crew.

he's praising zoro before he's actually taken morgan down and luffy doesn't even look back to check. the amount of trust luffy's placing on zoro off the bat is bonkers and it's literally just the start.

from shells town onwards - well, in spite of how luffy's considered an anchor by shanks in the first chapters of OP because of his inability to swim, I believe the anchor metaphor is actually kinda perfect to describe zoro and his relationship with luffy, more so from luffy's side, even if he doesn't necessarily say this stuff on the pages.

I may be going on a slightly poetic tangent but it works imo. anchor symbolism is pretty popular and you can find all sorts of articles about it online. I read a few out of curiosity and y'know, the anchor as a nautical symbol has supposedly been regarded as one rooted in feelings such as those of stability and safety. you can probably tell where I'm going with this.

in terms of stability, think of OP's arcs and how many of them zoro's been in alongside luffy. they don't always fight side by side strictly speaking, but zoro is a constant - he's usually there to fight the second strongest threat and sometimes protect or lead the others when luffy's otherwise occupied, or he handles things while luffy gets there/recuperates enough to battle again. for the most part, zoro's also there in a bunch of the crewmate-rescuing arcs and he's even the one to directly liberate brook's shadow in thriller bark. there's only two major instances in which luffy and zoro (+ the crew) get separated for a considerable amount of time, one of them unwillingly and the other by choice: sabaody and zou/whole cake island. ig you could count baratie/arlong park too, but I don't think as much time passed in between one and the other compared to zou/WCI and the reunion in wano.

something that really got me even though it was tinted by a comedic feel, is the fact that bon-chan turned into zoro out of all straw hats back at impel down when luffy was trying to rescue ace and how happy he was at the prospect of having zoro there to aid him. no matter how the adaptation differs from the manga, I couldn't help but think of opla luffy's I need you speech too. would he have been as happy to see any other members of the crew? likely so! still, zoro's definitely someone luffy particularly looks forward to having by his side when things get tough.

irl, anchors are generally used to secure a vessel and prevent it from drifting. sounds a little familiar, I'd say.

it's not as though zoro's the only character in OP who's "guided" luffy but there are moments when he does ground his captain in a manner other characters can't at the time, and my favorite part of it is how seriously luffy takes zoro's words/advice whenever it happens. water 7 and enies lobby are perhaps the best examples of this, as it comes up in the context of luffy's fight with usopp and robin's supposed betrayal.

this is a really, really good moment imo. once luffy slows down to consider what zoro's saying, you can see he understands the importance of it. plus, luffy knows zoro's not someone who'd just leave a friend behind (he's fought to bring some of them back at this point, with luffy and the rest of the crew) and if anything, his "so the fact that he left our crew means nothing to you?!" outburst proves he's as upset as all of them about usopp's choice.

that said, you can tell how much luffy values and respect zoro's imput simply by the way he cries his soul out when usopp finally apologizes and asks to come back. luffy wears his heart on his sleeve and adores his friends, doesn't want to lose them ever, so reining all those feelings in to stay true to his position as the captain that zoro has placed his faith and loyalty in? amazing. and consider it from another angle: if he had ignored zoro, luffy would've lost him too. he certainly doesn't want that either or this would've gone differently.

this kinda thing happens also post timeskip, with zoro reminding luffy to get his shit together at punk hazard, bringing up the fact that they can't just ignore the threat kaido poses in zou to have the entire crew going after sanji, or when they're facing kaido and big mom in wano. zoro's someone luffy counts on to keep him steady and afloat, and this part of their relationship is something that was portrayed (again) nicely in the live action. in ep 6, it's zoro who manages to reassure luffy of his position as the captain and that he's done nothing wrong, that their crew isn't falling apart, because if luffy needs him then zoro vows to stand by his side til the very end. (they're insane).

in addition, their core similarities, understanding of each other and luffy's (almost unbelievable) faith/trust in zoro is what allows him to depend on zoro, specifically, when it comes to things like saving smoker in alabasta, not fighting back against bellamy's crew on jaya, or just mentioning the spilled oshiruko as explanation enough for zoro to get why luffy's angry during the onigashima raid, to name a few of examples off the top of my head.

as for the safety aspect of the anchor symbolism... that one speaks for itself I think. I feel like I must mention once more that zoro's not the only character or even the only straw hat to help or protect luffy, but he's fairly insistent and consistent in this aspect compared to others. compiling all the moments in which zoro's stepped in to protect luffy, worried about his well-being or signaled the rest when luffy's truly in danger/has reached his limits would probably break this site's image upload limit lol.

that said, luffy's the same back at zoro just in a bit of a less common manner or in a different way rather - mostly because of his belief in zoro's strength and the lengths he'd go to keep people safe, which includes allies and more so their friends. one could argue depositing that kind of faith in zoro can have its drawbacks (sabaody) or isn't completely fair (like when he goes all, "with you here, how could this happen?!" in skypiea) BUT. my opinion is that trusting zoro any less than that would likely hurt his pride more. so when luffy says stuff like this,

it's not about having unrealistic expectations wrt zoro but more about fully trusting in the man who tearfully swore to him that he'd become the greatest swordsman and never lose again. the one who trusts luffy just as much in turn, called him captain and pirate king first. luffy's seen zoro pull through some impossible situations, so it'd be more unfair to doubt him this way if you ask me.

this is also why I mentioned luffy's childhood vow. if you ever wonder "how important is zoro to luffy?" compare this,

to this:

luffy's past is revealed hundreds of chapters after skypiea. yet in hindsight, it adds so many layers to his relationship with zoro. for someone like luffy, who promised to become strong so that the people he loves wouldn't have to leave him, who would even die as long as it means he won't lose a member of his crew, the fact that he can relax this much when he gets separated from his friends because zoro's with them is... a lot, man. when you remember luffy's lost people close to him or had them leave him (for very understandable reasons, often out of everyone's control), zoro being one of the most stable presences in his life since they met - someone who will help him fight to get their friends back or stay behind to watch over them when they can't all go together, that for zoro to leave he'd have to be pried by force from his side unless they both agree to it for the sake of their journey and crewmates, is likely to be a very comforting fact to luffy. luffy, who's afraid of/hates being alone more than getting hurt.

he doesn't voice it out but allowing zoro to protect him and the people they both care for is giant sign of love and unbeatable trust, where luffy's concerned. although he doesn't know about it, zoro's sacrifice in thriller bark demonstrated why luffy does this without hesitation too. however, it's worth noting that luffy does worry for zoro's own safety whenever he's there to actually witness him being in danger and he knows zoro well enough to tell when said danger is real. it happens during the mihawk duel, when kizaru almost kills zoro in sabaody then as kuma sends him away, for example. he gets angry, desperate and teary in all of these instances. luffy cares so much about him.

lastly yet just as relevant... is that luffy likes zoro, beyond metaphors and all zoro might represent/stand for in the crew. luffy thinks he's cool, that he'll certainly achieve his dream, enjoys teasing and bullying him harmlessly, offered to share his food with him to convince zoro into accompanying them in thriller bark, tried to give an injured zoro an entire barrel of alcohol because luffy knows he loves booze and thought it'd make him feel better, and is generally someone luffy's happy to be with.

I bring up the wano hug a lot but honestly it doesn't get clearer than this. I've seen people try to downplay this moment but hey, context. people that luffy's hugged this way include 1) sabo, the brother luffy believed had been dead for years, 2) hancock who helped him try and rescue ace and 3) jimbei who's helped luffy during some of the most dire moments he's gone through, like impel down, marineford and WCI. for luffy to straight up hug zoro with just as much happiness, eagerness and enthusiasm in a relatively danger-free situation... he likes zoro, there's no better way to put it.

it's not that they can't butt heads sometimes either, but never seriously enough to damage their relationship. as a more recent example, luffy's shown he can put his stubbornness and recklessness aside when zoro's right even if he doesn't like it (ch 1060, about vivi's current situation). and as long as he's there, luffy won't let people interfere in zoro's fights, much less when it involves zoro's dream - like when he held johnny and yosaku back from stepping into zoro's duel with mihawk, even though luffy himself was worried about zoro.

so yeah, zoro might get to be crazier about luffy more often and explicitly but imo, it's an entirely reciprocal thing.

if you got this far, thanks so much for reading!

[minkyungseokie]

Actors

Where I write for an actor or any of the characters they have played

Bill Skarsgård

Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård is a Swedish actor best known for portraying Pennywise in the horror films It and It Chapter Two

Jacob Elordi

Jacob Elordi is an Australian actor known for Euphoria, The Kissing Booth film series, and Priscilla

Jeff Ward

Jeff Ward is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Deke Shaw in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Peter Gadiot

Alan-Peter Gadiot is a British actor. Gadiot is best known for his role as James Valdez in the USA Network show Queen of the South and for his role as Shanks in the One Piece Live Action

Milo Manheim

Milo Manheim is an American actor. He is known for his starring role as Zed in the 2018 Disney Channel Original Movie Zombies

Pearce Joza

Pearce Joza is an American actor, known for Mech-X4, Lab Rats, and Zombies 2 + 3

Charlie Bushnell

Charlie Bushnell is an actor portraying Luke Castellan in the Disney+ adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Theif

Taz Skyler

Tarek Yassin “Taz” Skylar  is a Spanish and English actor and screenwriter based in London. Kown to play Sanji in OPLA

Iñaki Godoy

Iñaki Godoy is a Mexican actor who is known for his role as Juan Ruiz in The Imperfects (2022) and Monkey D. Luffy in Netflix's One Piece Live Action

Morgan Davies

Morgan Davies is an trans Australian actor known for playing Koby in the One Piece Live Action. I love him sm

Tom holland + Zendaya Coleman

Thomas Stanley Holland is an English actor known for Spiderman Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman is an American actress and singer Spiderman, and more

Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Hal Chalamet is an American and French actor and producer.

Jacob Romero

Jacob Romero Gibson is an American actor. He is best known for playing Usopp in the Netflix series One Piece

Finlay MacMillan

Scottish actor who plays Enoch O'Connor in the film adaptation of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children