Dressrosa was incredibly important for a number of reasons—obvious ones include the formation of the Grand Fleet, the abolishment of the Warlords, and the downfall of Joker and the underworld imploding. But it was also important for reasons more personal to Luffy. It directly validated the timeskip, showing not only that it was necessary but it worked.
You know how Luffy has to chase people down to make them accept his friendship and kinda forces himself on people. I find it fundamentally intriguing that instead of Luffy extending the hand first it was LAW who reached out. He was not thinking of it that way but Law unironically was unlike so many people by doing that and I think that he really played himself so hard there. We know Luffy hates being alone more than anything and often he’s the one chasing down the people he likes to make sure he has his nakama. Then here’s the awesome guy who saved his life and didn’t need anything coming back two years later asking to be friends. Luffy already thought he was a cool dude, he introduces Law to his crew as someone who saved his life just like Jinbe. Luffy introduces him in the same category as a beloved friend and future crewmate before the alliance was even offered.
Not just that, but so often Luffy’s people try to run away to protect him and only endanger themselves(Nami, Vivi, Robin, Usopp kinda, and especially Ace in this moment.) He has to actively fight to be able to help them because Luffy knows he is a strong fighter and can help beat up his problems. But Law asked for his help. Law came to him knowing he’s strong and can help fight his problems.
Luffy had all his specialist boy neurons activate there LMFAO
Ace and Law both isolate themselves from their crews in order to chase down revenge. They’re both on a collision course that will result in them caught and dead. Ace and Law don’t want anyone else involved. Both come across the Straw Hats by chance while pursuing that vengeance—Law doesn’t see Luffy as someone who needs protecting but instead a peer, an equal. He asks for an alliance to take down an emperor. I don’t think Luffy cared which emperor beyond it not being Shanks. Law was asking for help here and Luffy could clock that no matter how he tried to dress it up.
Flash forward to Dressrosa. Law is face to face with his enemy and loses. He loses hard directly in front of Luffy. Luffy is once again locked behind a seastone prison as Law gets taken away just like Ace was. Having to cross an island to reach him again and drag him out of his situation. Luffy refuses to leave him be, ignoring the protests from a chained up Ace/Law and going to fight this battle even if he wants to be left alone. He’s going to be there this time when the fight happens and he’s going to win.
We find out both Law and Ace faced discrimination for their birth, that people thought the world was better off dead and they were angry boys struggling in a world that hated them. They’re seeking revenge for loved one that got killed by a brother (whitebeard sons, donquioxte brothers). They don’t want other people to die for the sake of it and tried to isolate because of it. Luffy doesn’t let Law get away though, refusing to break the alliance and literally dragging him along.
Luffy couldn’t save Ace. Luffy could save Law. Gear 4th being how Luffy took down Doflamingo and the fact that he saved his clan this time directly validated the entire time skip by showing us exactly what Luffy trained for all that time. The power to protect his nakama. Timeskip Luffy could’ve saved Ace but he only existed in the first place because he couldn’t.
Luffy took on everyone’s burden and wills onto his own shoulders. There’s a reason no one died in Dressrosa, it was to show exactly what those two years have lead to. Things are different now. Luffy isn’t weak anymore. The world won against Luffy before—but not now, not this time.
Dressrosa was a turning point that the whole globe took notice of and now the Straw Hats are not only back but they’re going to change everything, whether the world is ready or not.
