Been thinking about Zoro & his relationship with religion a lot. While most of the characters in One Piece aren't religious they aren't straight up atheist & have a much more agnostic view on religious figures & beliefs.
Luffy doesn't care either way while Sanji mentioned "God" in Loguetown after witnessing Luffy being saved by lightning. Jimbei & Robin talk about religious beliefs in an objective & respectful manner. Chopper is scared of "God's wrath" while Nami & Usopp prayed to a "God" they just learned about in Skypiea for similar reasons.
Except Zoro.
(I'm using an unoffical translation because frankly the offical reeks of censorship.)
Zoro not only doesn't believe in God, but he outright rejects him. He acts like he wants to challenge him. What's more is that he doesn't believe in God, but he wants to be king of Hell ??
What does it say about your mental state that you're willing to entertain the existence of Hell & Demons, but not God & Heaven? You think there's a chance the bad things are out there, but not the good?? Doesn't that seem backwards & cynical as all heck? Doesn't a certain level of resentment shine through? Why would Zoro be thinking like this?
At a very young age Zoro was forced to reckon with the abject randomness of death. He had JUST gotten his childhood friend to reaffirm her dedication to her dreams & made a promise with her that was supposed to stay with them well into their futures.....until she just dies. Randomly & in one of the most undignified ways possible. She didn't die a glorious death pursuing her goals, she just fell down some fucking stairs & in a blink of an eye the opportunity for a future & happiness was taken away from her.
"Humans are fragile things Zoro..."
One amazing thing about children is their capacity to hope, to believe in all things good winning in the end. I mean, that's how it works right? The good guys win & the bad guys lose. Why would bad people ever be rewarded? Why would good people be punished?
However, a child being exposed to something as devastating as death, especially an accidental one that they weren't prepared for, can have devastating & lasting affects on that child's mental state.
One thing that could definitely happen is the inability to believe that goodness will be rewarded simply for existing. Also that if there is any type of God out there he doesn't actually care about the people he created. He probably doesn't even exist because why would a God ever let innocent & good people suffer while the most evil of villains gets to roam around free? Why was Kuina's life cut short, but jackasses like Enel or Orochi get the chance to pursue their fucked up dreams?
The universe is one big survival of the fittest test so you better get smart & shape up or don't whine when you draw the short end of the stick of life. You aren't special. You won't live if you don't earn it.
I think Zoro suffers from a very severe & sometimes debilitating case of nihilism. His rejecting of God in any form while at the same time accepting the existence of Hell points to a level of cynicism that paints his view of the world as very defeatist. Zoro sees the world as a random hellscape where only those who have proven themselves to be worthy are allowed to do things like dream & be happy.
This is why he trains nonstop. This is why he needs to be strong. Weak people don't deserve to live. They don't deserve to be happy. If you can have your most precious things taken from you in the first place then it was never yours to keep so don't sit there & cry. Take accountability.
You have no one to blame, but yourself.
So what happens when those you love are weak? Do you accept their fate & pity them? Perhaps you take it upon yourself to do the work for them? If they aren't up to the task then you'll just have to make up for it. Cheat the system.
.....But what happens when you can't perform to task? What if you just can't measure up anymore? What if you've reached your limit, but the threats keep getting bigger & bigger?
".....putting the ENTIRE crew in danger!!....He's a LIABILITY! "
Liability - a person or thing whose presence or behavior is likely to cause embarrassment or put one at a disadvantage.
Suddenly you're the weak one. Suddenly you're the burden. But if you aren't strong anymore then who will keep everyone safe? Remember, the world doesn't care. God isn't going to save you. He isn't going to protect you. He doesn't even exist. You're on your own kid & if you've reached your limit you're shit out of luck.
You better be on your guard. You better get them before they can get you. Before they can take away the things you love. Again.
Very often I see Zoro's harsh actions & high standards for himself & those around him be explained by his Bushido Code. Zoro isn't cruel, he's disciplined. He has a high respect for things like loyalty & pragmatism & has a strong sense of honor. He's just making sure his friends are going about things the right way. He's just being smart. It's the level-headed thing to do! So actually Zoro kicking a man when he's injured & defenseless isn't unusual! That's what he's supposed to do!! He's just following the code!!!
But....one of the 7 virtues of the Bushido code is COMPASSION.
"They help their fellow man at every opportunity."
"If an opportunity does not arise, they go out of their way to find one."
I can't really spin Zoro kicking Loki in chapter 1141 as compassionate or aligning with the supposed code people claim he abides by. I think people are so caught up in Zoro once again trying to guide Luffy that they aren't paying attention to his actions or tone here. It's not strange for Zoro to be cautious, but it IS strange for him to be this emotional when approaching a dangerous situation. It IS strange for him to gleefully kick a man who for all intents and purposes can't defend himself when he's always been about mercy when an opponent is considered beneath him or too weak to fight back.
Zoro may think the world is cruel, but he actively tries to fight against that. He actively tries to be in a position of power where he can change it. Where he can give an F U to the universe & control fate himself so I just don't believe his recent actions are of him in his right mind. If anything the Bushido Code & it's projected influence on Zoro is fuel for excuses to explain & deny his current mental state.
Zoro is straying from his path a bit here & I think it's because he's scared. He doesn't believe in the goodness of the world & he doesn't believe in Gods who will come down from the heavens to save everyone from the evils & dangers that roam the planet & await for them in Hell.
There is no hope. There is only him & he's failing. It's only a matter of time before something devastating happens so he has to get better. He has to be stronger. Even if it means straying against his principles.
Almost forgot to do this but here is my chapter 1141 review!
My girl Ulti is going THROUGH IT. I think I'm going to start talking about the cover stories, they're getting really interesting!
Glad to finally see how giants live on Elbaf! They live on the tree branches, but it seems like it isn't really the safest option
Ripley also mentions that Elbaf's weaknesses are fire and lightning...
I know the chances are small, but I'm thinking that this could be the first small hint to Enel's return, or at least something connected to him.
Along with his ship in the mural that Franky was looking at earlier and now lightning mentioned, it is getting my hopes up.
(PLEASE ODA PLEASE)
Returning back to the village, we see Usopp is drunk
And he smacked Jarul 😭
We see all the giants get mad at him about it, then we see Gerd hit Road (again) when she knows he's hiding something
We see Loki! In not the best condition, though. It's so bad Zoro thinks he might actually be dead.
Luffy and Zoro argue about this, but he eventually agrees to unlock him.
Then, the Giants, including Harjudin, are falling out of the sky since the island clouds dont work in the dead realm. Luffy does make a safe landing for them, thankfully.
I know I posted about these things before, but I wanna talk about two things:
1. Loki is FREAKING HUGE!! Almost the size of Oars!!
2. The way everyone keeps agreeing and talking about how Loki is so evil and cruel is just really fishy. Something is definitely up about it (I feel like I say this almost every review)
And during them begging Luffy not to free him, we hear the chains break...
AND HE IS FREE
I'm honestly surprised that he is even standing, considering the fact he was locked up for 6 years and beat up by Ceberus earlier.
Super excited for next chapter! It's either going to be Loki or the Holy Knights taking the giants kids I think
Notes
- I believe Loki's hammer, Ragnir, means "Iron Thunder" This may put down the Enel theory of mine, since I now think that the name could've foreshadowed what Loki has done (or will do) to the village, What Ripley was talking about earlier
- I love that last panel of him btw
- It wasn't in the chapter, but it was recently revealed that Hanafuda, the warlord that Ace beat, was the father of Page One and Ulti! It makes sense because of the whole dinosaur theme and them both having ancient devil fruits
