Hello hello! If you don't mind my asking, is there anything similar between interactions with Luffy and Shirahoshi and Ace and Luffy? I feel like I've seen them being compared before, so I was wondering if it looked like Luffy was taking cues from his big brother :V
First of all, good god, this is a cute question. Also this made me realize the age difference between Luffy and Shirahoshi is the same as between Ace and Luffy (three years) which made me stop and have an emotion for a second.
Anyways: yeah! I’m glad you asked because I was actually thinking about this earlier today because of Luffy’s use of the word 弱虫/yowamushi (weakling/scaredy-cat) as a nickname for Shirahoshi, because it’s a word Ace used to use for Luffy in their backstory.
There’s one line that’s functionally identical, actually-
Ace says to Luffy, after rescuing him from Porchemy: うるせェな、いつまで泣いてんだ! おれは弱虫も泣き虫も大っ嫌いなんだよ!/ususai na, itsumade naitenda! ore wa yowamushi mo nakimushi mo daikkirai nanda yo!
(“Shut up! How long are you going to keep crying? I hate weaklings and crybabies!”)
Luffy says to Shirahoshi, shortly after meeting her: でっけーくせに弱虫で泣き虫なんて… おれお前嫌いだな! あははは/dekke kuse ni yowamushi de nakimushi nante… ore omae kirai da na! ahahaha!
(“Even though you’re huge, you’re a weakling and a crybaby… I don’t like you! Hahahaha!”)
Ace is harsher than Luffy is- daikirai is the stronger form of kirai, ‘hate’ rather than ‘dislike,’ which checks out with their personalities. In general Luffy is a lot gentler/more playful with Shirahoshi than Ace was with him when they were younger. But either way, yeah, I feel like Luffy is definitely parroting Ace to some extent here.