#ch584

[opbackgrounds]

I mean, if I spent the day getting tortured I think I'd cry for a bit, too

[opbackgrounds]

I like how big Luffy's panel is on the bottom right. It makes it look like he's physically overpowering Ace with the force of his words. It's the first time Ace sees Luffy as a person rather than an annoyance to be endured, and it's because Luffy's straight-up admitting he's alone. Just like Ace was before he met Sabo.

[opbackgrounds]

Luffy has no clue Ace has all these issues about the validity of his existence, and I love how simple he makes it. He's confused Ace is even asking these questions because to him it's self-evident.

Throughout the series Luffy very rarely sets out with the plan to change the world around him, but everywhere he goes is left with the indelible mark of his presence, and he does it by virtue of being his authentic self.

[opbackgrounds]

Luffy is seven years old and endures an entire day of torture for the chance of being Ace's friend. That's how much he hates being alone.

It puts the rest of the series into a bit of a new perspective.

[opbackgrounds]

Sabo slapping Dadan's hand is the little cherry on top

[opbackgrounds]

Obviously Luffy doesn't mean anything to Ace and Sabo at this point in time, but it's kind of sad to see how desperate they are to move their cash. This money is their hope for the future, and they're terrified of losing it

[opbackgrounds]

Piggybacking on my earlier point of how Oda writes the residents of the Gray Terminal, I like the bits of personality we see in these randos. One's got a doll and another went through the effort of wearing a bow tie (directly on his skin???). Like, yeah, they're dirty and they're poor, but you can feel like they've got lives outside this little snapshot we're given.

[opbackgrounds]

I mentioned it a bit back during the end of Marineford, but I personally do think Oda somehow should have worked this moment into the story before Ace died. I don't know how or when, but I genuinely think Ace's death would have hit harder if his tendency to never run away was more firmly established before he was freed from the execution platform