There was a video I watched some time ago...that talked about this moment specifically...and the possibility of how it can be handled in the One Piece anime remake.
The person who made the video had first saw this in the manga. Hell, I wanna say it was before this moment was animated. The person spoke how they and many others felt this one type of emotion towards this moment.
Dread.
Dread over Zoro's fate.
Then comes the anime...and it was a mood whiplash for them because of the music being used. Luffy's Fierce Attack, I believe...
For a lot who've seen this moment in the anime first (me included), this was a triumphant, badass moment for Zoro. He took all of Luffy's pain and fatigue, was told that he would not survive this...
And lived.
They may have lost to Kuma, but Zoro won by surviving.
After watching that video though...my thoughts on this have changed.
This...should not have been a moment of triumph. And last, not solely on triumph (because, yeah, Zoro in a sense 'won'. He survived).
It should be of revelation.
It was the beginning of what is to come.
And they are not ready for it.
Because, after this, Zoro was still affected by this moment. He hasn't fully healed, he's still in pain, and (if his reaction at the Pacifista charging a laser at him point blank was anything to go by) he has some flavor of PTSD from this moment.
The deeper they're getting into the Grand Line, the tougher the enemies will become.
Kuma was Mihawk in this scenario. Another taste of the dangers ahead.
And Zoro, arguably the toughest crew member of the Straw Hats, for both of these times, was used as a sort of..."strength" gauge. Endurance? If he's not ready for it, then how would the rest of the crew fair?
So...In all honestly, I kinda hope that remake (and maybe even OPLA) would actually take this more serious route. To hammer it home that this isn't just a moment of triumph.
This...was a warning. A warning to the crew that they are not ready at their current level.
A fact that comes too late when Kizaru makes his appearance in Sabaody.


















