ZORO INTRODUCED! Such an iconic pose and outfit. Big bold letters too…really fits the vibe we’ve been getting from him since the beginning.
Here to compare our first impressions of a pirate crew (Shanks and his jolly gang of guys who wouldn’t give up on pirating for anything, not even to help Luffy, who talk endlessly about the joy and freedom they find in their lifestyle) VS of the marines (Helmepp and his selfish ways, Captain Morgan terrorizing the citizens, the little to no consideration they have for a child as well as their unorthodox methods of dealing with criminals), the reason for the writing of certain members of the marine corps becomes kinda easier to understand. I’m the first to argue that some marines are written very…cheaply, but when you’re confronted with the flaws of their organization first things first, their existence becomes necessary. One Piece constantly rewrites the basis of what justice and power are supposed to be, so nuance is a must. I’ll go more into detail when we actually do meet those marines (beyond Koby).
Zoro’s (in)famous will power! Some would even call him hard headed at times. I don’t necessarily think that he has more willpower than Luffy, but it’s certainly very different. They are definitely both hard headed, and in some ways they create a sort of unstoppable force VS immovable object dynamic (which they kinda both take turns being one or the other). Nami’s introduction in their dynamic is a great piece of the puzzle writing wise.
I don’t think we see Zoro interact with children much more after that, besides maybe Momonosuke, but I believe that doesn’t count on account of what Momo represents. Anyways, fantastic job done drawing wise in showing the effort it took for Zoro to actually eat that rice « ball ». When you become familiar with the story in its recent arcs, this scene becomes all the more meaningful - looking back on this scene after reading Wano, where Luffy and Zoro were both outraged at the spilling of red bean soup by Queen’s officers, you understand the importance of this kind of gesture to them. A child sharing food is much more than what it seems! This sort of theme that is portrayed almost strictly (unless I’m mistaken) between Luffy and Zoro fits perfectly with Sanji’s character and his convictions, but the puzzle piece doesn’t lodge itself as smoothly as it should, which is kind of a flaw in writing to me. I will go further into detail when the time comes. And you can see the precise moment where Luffy realized that he had just met his first mate.<3
