I've always noticed the fandom usually talks about Shanks yearning for Buggy but never Buggy yearning for Shanks. I would say they're similar in that sense, honestly. There's a difference in how they yearn each other, though.
See, Shanks yearns in an open way that many fans acknowledge he still wants Buggy to be by his side. We have seen a few couple of scenes of him 'yearning' for Buggy: Marineford, Lougetown and even One piece party. He was also said to be pretty positive thinking so I'm taking that into consideration that he believes that they would cross paths again after Lougetown. Like, to me , that stare he gave to Buggy at Marineford was that he expected the interaction would happen, but not at the exact timing.
obviously, he doesn't see the future and expect the encounter to happen in Marineford but he genuinely believes, even after years that they would meet again. Desperately. Obsessively. He seems like the type of guy who prefers to look at things in a positive point of view instead of negatively, willing to ignore the negativity away.
(but after they meet again, Shanks would rather fight all the other yonkos at the same time than letting him go again.)
Now, Buggy is the total opposite.
Buggy gave up his dream for Shanks. He knew be couldn't measure up to the Red-hair so atleast he's able to play a part in the future pirate king life , right? But nope, Shanks really said "fuck that" and spit on his belief. That everything he ever believes in was ridiculous and that Buggy was just a lackey Shanks allows to follow him, and leave him when it got rough. Buggy gave everything he was for Shanks. Yes, it was not much but it was something.
He regret he ever did anything for Shanks. He regret he ever loved at all. After Lougetown, Buggy decided he wasn't going to give up his identity for another individual, he'd rather live for himself. It sounds reasonable to him. If someone was going to throw him out when he did everything for them, then he'd rather not do anything at all. It was no use caring about it.
But, he does care. Looking back, he admired Shanks as someone above him so so much. He can't accept that it was all in his illusion so he puts all the blame to Shanks. It can't ever be Buggy's fault when it was Shanks who left. But goddamn, he really wanted that man.
One Piece is and has been my favorite piece of media. It’s been with me through every piece of my life, and more than anything else; it encapsulates my soul. One Piece is an incredibly large and important part of me, and as I start my 11th full reading of the series, I still have more to dig into.
I’d like to talk about what laughing means in One Piece(specifically referencing the first 100 chapters, maybe i’ll add more?) and what that means to me and my world.
Laughing in OP is associated with three main things: Innocence, freedom, and hope. During the flashbacks of our strawhats, we see them establish and proclaim their dream out loud:
“I’ll be the King of the Pirates!”
“I’ll be the world’s greatest swordsman!”
“I’ll be a brave warrior of the sea!
“I’ll find the all blue!”
“I’ll make a map of the world!”
We see the inception of their hopes and dreams. The adults in the story tend to push against these ‘stubborn’ ideals of the future. Our heroes take these dreams into their adulthood and face similar comments as the contemporary characters see their dreams as foolish, and ultimately childish. Luffy works in antithesis to the wider world. When he sees the spark of a dream, of hope, of passion-he gets excited FOR them, he wants them by his side. As much as other characters may shit on the dreams of our heroes, Luffy (and Oda) would never do something so heinous. More than anything, it is obvious how important the laugh, and the smile are to Oda.
The laugh: this innocent, pure form of joy is seen as the most sacred thing in the universe. The simplest and strongest force of motivation is an expression of happiness, even in the worst of times-especially in the worst of times. It’s something deeply invincible, like the skull and crossbones itself. The ideal is to laugh, the romance of the smile is revered.
The hardship of characters is often tied back to their inability to laugh-and thus their lack of freedom. Their ability to dream has been taken away.
Nami has a unique relationship with this idea, as she has shackled herself to a facade for her safety. She allows herself to laugh ingenuinely to get what she wants, but lacks the true meaning of the laugh(a showcase of hope, and the ability to dream)
Nami(and others) equate the laugh with freedom, with hope, with the ability to dream. If you can smile, you can make it. And once you can truly laugh, you’ve made it!
Usopp notes that this laugh comes from a deep and impenetrable personal freedom. Laughing is the goal!-To reach that state of internal joy, hope, and comfortability. Not laughing like that, not daring to dream like that is disgraceful in the face of it.
In One Piece, the laugh is hope. It’s the power to dream, to fight for your dream, and to defend it in the face of any that aim to extinguish it. It’s the security to believe in spite of everything and everyone else. It’s a defiance of conventional adulthood, the crushing systems of the government, and the oppression you may face. The smile itself is revolutionary, and that is the true danger of Luffy. One who dares to dream and hope as he does is a disruptor of despair. The smile is freedom, and the laugh is an act of defiance.
Now, what does this mean for dear old Evelyn? How has this made me the woman I am?
Well, it’s become a part of me.
I truly used to hate my smile, I despised my laugh and hid it as often as possible. As my fondnesses for this series grew, fondness for myself did as well. and without paying too much attention, that’s exactly what happened. Laughing unburdened, and with all my hopes and dreams is now the standard for me. Smiling with all my teeth has been a showcase of my unfathomable desire to live. Each smile line tells a story of tragedy and trauma, but the act of smiling says i’ve lived. And as our heroes have, i’ve grown. I want nothing more than to make it easier for those around me to smile, because even if I can’t help with your problems-sewing that seed of hope means everything.
I believe in you! I’m proud of you!! You got this!!!
I’ve found people and places that make it all worth it, that make it hard to not smile. Hearing myself laugh heals all the bits of me that are still broken, and as i’ve found my freedom i’ve found more broken bits. And like my dear straw hats, I too dare to dream. I shout out the desires of my heart for nobody but myself, and I chase them with all my gusto. Loving my laugh was my first step to loving myself again, and my renewed smile matched my renewed vitality. Even in my worst times, I can muster a smile that would make Luffy proud, and that’s enough to keep me going until I can grin like an idiot again. I can be better, and like Luffy I can ask for help! I can believe in the smiles of the friends I trust, and go forth as myself.
It no longer matters to me how childish my optimism may seem, hoping is the most powerful thing one can do. For yourself and for others, burst out laughing as much as you can. Be you, be loud, and be a dreamer.
one of my fave nami pages of all time shes so funny and also. now that im thinking about it. probably the reason that vivi exclusively wore jeans and t shirts and hoodies after giving up her supervillain fit
How did he know that lougetown was the one place where Luffy was in serious danger that bothers me so much. Like was he just there bc he saw his bounty and came to the conclusion that luffy would have to be in lougetown next and he just wanted to see him or did he know he was in danger like ahahgsgdhhdhshauhahahhhhhh
Zoro and Tashigi's relationship is so interesting to me. Specifically how Zoro interacts and treats her throughout the series.
Like when he first meets her in Lougetown, it is so clear that he is not fully over Kuina's death based on his reaction to realizing that Tashigi resembles her. And he's not emotionally mature/intelligent enough to process the complex feelings that come with seeing a person who looks like his childhood friend and rival. So he resorts yelling and claiming that she is copying Kuina, despite the fact that that is illogical. This is also the first time we see Zoro holding back during a fight, because its clear that he can't handle seeing even someone who looks like Kuina die. Tashigi does call him on this, saying that its not her fault that she resembles his friend. And Zoro, instead of properly processing this, just continues to yell and argue back.
Then when they run into her and Smoker again at Punk Hazard, the way he treats her has changed. He is now belittling her and treating her as inferior to himself. And while this isn't a uncommon way for Zoro to act to villains, Tashigi doesn't fit the MO of a villain. Hell, in Punk Hazard they are allies. And we haven't (to my recollection at least) seen Zoro treat allies this poorly in the past. Which leads me to think that the reason for this change is Zoro's way of attempting to separate Tashigi from Kuina in his mind.
It's safe to say that Zoro has put Kuina on some sort of pedestal. He was never able to best her in a fight, and (begrudgingly) viewed her as a better swordsman than him. Tashigi, while skilled, is not as good of a swordsman. So Zoro clings to that, focuses on that fact and reinforces it to himself by belittling her skills, insisting that he is the better, more skilled swordsman repeatedly. And while being a bit arrogant and cocky are definitely characteristics that Zoro has, the are very rarely if ever this badly unchecked.
I also think this plays into how he treated Monet in his fight with her. Part of it was him putting limitations on himself to prove his strength, but I also believe it can be read as him reassuring himself that Tashigi is actually nothing like Kuina. And the fact that he could defeat Monet with said limitations while Tashigi couldn't at her full strength just acts as further proof to their differences.
And while these moments between them are meant in part to be comedic, digging a bit deeper into them does provide insight into how Zoro poorly deals with complex emotions and how that leads to what could be considered his flaws as a character rearing their heads a bit more.
As I'm watching One Piece there's still one scene that haunts me oh so much.
It's the one in Lougetown where Luffy almost got executed by Buggy.
It still gives me chills thinking about how he immediately accepted his death, said sorry to his friends and was about to die with a smile on his face.
I know he said that if he died it'd be with no regrets because that would mean he was not meant to be the Pirate King but man... Thinking about him actually dying like that, right there and just wow...
This isn't the only time he's been close to death, I know that but this was memorable and special because he just accepted that he'd die and didn't fight or anything and that horrified me and still does.
