One Piece chapters 583-585

[rainsometimes]

I've got some disjointed thoughts on the latest three chapters of One Piece.

First, I want to say that while I was very interested and intrigued by chapters 583 and 584, I also had some problems with them. I wholly enjoyed #585, though. I'm dividing them up with under separate cuts so readers who want to avoid negativity (or positivity??;p) can do so more easily.


Chapters 584, 585 On the one hand, I'm quite happy to finally - finally! - get to know all these things about Luffy's background that have hitherto been almost completely blank. His mother's fate and identity remain unknown, as do the reasons for Dragon abandoning him, but otherwise our picture of Early Luffy is a lot more complete now. Early Ace, too - and boy, that part is shocking, how much different he was back then from the carefree young man we first met in the story. I was delighted to find out that Dadan was a woman. There's a real satisfaction in getting all this stuff filled in.

On the other... well. First.

Too Much Angst; or, Where Did The Happy Idyll Go?
My tolerance for sad, heavy, really hard-hitting drama has been severely strained these last few months - maybe even the last year or so - of the manga. It's already heartbreaking enough just to see Ace as a little kid with the whole future waiting for him, so why add so much extra pain and darkness in their pasts? I found it hard to take, and I can't help but feel I'd like these chapters so much more if they'd been put before Marineford. No doubt Oda's got some good reason for it, and I may well feel differently once the flashback is over, but that's my immediate emotional reaction right now.

Similarly, I have to wonder why it feels like every Strawhat flashback have to outdo the former in sadness. It just gets a bit too much, at times. I mourned the presence of peaceful Fuusha village in this new, dark, edgier version of Luffy's past. (Not that it's a retcon, of course - Oda probably had it all clear in his head ages ago - just giving the impression it had on me).
Also, as an Usopp fan I confess I'm disappointed that his and Luffy's backgrounds aren't all that similar after all. It makes me wonder if we're supposed to think that Usopp - with his safe, peaceful and relatively not-too-bad background - is a lot more shallow than the other Strawhats and particularly than Luffy-the-protagonist-who's-suffered-so-much-more. That thought, unwarranted though it probably is, still made me sad.

Luffy's Strength

My other problem was mostly from chapter 483 and the start of 484. See, in chapter 1, "Romance Dawn", Luffy actually struck me as a decently normal kid. Braver and more stubborn than most, sure, and Shanks example and above all his sacrifice would clearly push and inspire the kid for greatness. But he still seemed fairly real.

Seventeen-year old Luffy is, of course, not so normal any more. But I've never really had a problem with that, because Oda presents such a great mix of his personality and fits the storylines to it so that his (Luffy's) heroism always feels right to me. I enjoy being surprised by him time and again, and while I don't always understand him, that doesn't stop me from being awfully fond of him.

So, clearly something happened during ten years to make the 7-year-old brat (who could be a bit of a whiner) into 17-year-old pirate. Probably not just Garp's hard training, either, but something more emotional - not just the memory of Shanks' sacrifice, though that would likely remain important. I was fine with that.

However... I didn't expect the hard bits to happen so early. Didn't expect Dadan and her gang to be so brutal and uncaring of their charges, didn't expect Garp to have such bad judgment (in fact I'm not even sure if I like Garp anymore); certainly didn't expect li'l Ace to be so angst-ridden and hostile to everyone and quite cruel to li'l Luffy.

And I also didn't expect Luffy to be so extremely tough and determined and apparently selfless already. He felt too much like the Luffy we know, under the circumstances. Paradoxically, this made Flashback Luffy less plausible and harder to relate to, to me.

But then later in chapter 584, we get a very moving explanation, when the crying Luffy explains why he couldn't reveal Ace's and Sabo's treasure even under torture. He didn't have anybody - he couldn't go back to Fuusha village (not sure why not, but okay); and there was only Garp, when it came to family. Pain was better than being alone. *sniffle* This just explains so much about Luffy.

Still. I didn't like the torture scene at all. Just felt like way too much, as did Luffy's withstanding it so heroically, even if his motivation at least made sense now. I know that heroes in popular fiction are never allowed to give in to torture, but that didn't mean Oda had to put the torture there in the first place. It seemed to imply that Ace and Sabo were so hard-hearted that only Luffy's withstanding all that pain for them could make them befriend him.

Anyway! On to the latest chapter, which I really liked! There's a new angsty turn of events at the very end, but before that, there was actual happiness! The part I liked the best was Makino turning up. The Mayor, too, but mostly Makino. A really nice person with no tough-guy posturing - it's been way too long to see that. She was only in a couple of panels, but the context was greatly cheering. Fuusha Village is still a part of Luffy's life after all, and at least two of its inhabitants can be trusted with knowing where Ace and Luffy are.

In a different way, it also felt good to see the layout of Goa Kingdom, as we now know the island is called edit as of chapter 589: actually, the island is "Dawn Island" - Goa Kingdom is the political entity/edit; where the mountains, the Gray Terminal, Fuusha Village and the capital are in relation to each other. The description of the city as a completely segregated society - super-clean, puts all its trash in Gray Terminal - was arresting. The Capital of Goa Kingdom may well be the place closest to RL Western civilization. Raid it, boys! Raid it!

Also. I like Sabo! I like that there were three brothers, and not two - to be honest, the constant emphasis on Ace and Luffy's relationship during the past year and more (moving though it has been, and led to insights about them both) had made me just a little reluctant to see even more focus on it. But Sabo's presence makes it more multifaceted, not so locked and exclusive anymore. And I appreciate that. (That's how I feel right now, anyway - future plot twists may well make me eat my words!) Furthermore, the revelations about his own background serves to further ram in one of the great themes of this series - genetic family can be good but also bad; the chosen family is better. Biological parents (Dragon, Yasopp, Nico Olivia, Franky's parents) can leave you behind, while surrogate parents/mentors are more likely to sacrifice themselves for your sake. (Leaving you with crippling guilt, perhaps, but still!) And sometimes parents cause their children even more harm than that, pushing them into their set norms out of pure selfishness.

But I still really miss the crew.

EDIT: *facepalm* ...way to mix up the chapter numbers with those a hundred chapters back, self. Corrected to 583-585. *>_<*

Comments

[aoi24.livejournal.com]

You've a point there, no doubt about that.

From the way I see it Luffy is somewhat desperately clinging to what he learned from Shanks something awful. Garp probably moved him for fear his location would become discovered and his connections exploited before he's 'safe' in the marines. (way to go with that one Garp) so Luffy is banned from returning to Windmill village and thus the only friends and family he's ever known. :C

I wouldn't hang onto the whole Usopp thing. I just don't like the idea of 'my tragedy is more awful than yours' oneupmanship anyway. It's more about the wounds on the heart than whatever actually happens in their past.

But Sabo's parents. OMG TT^TT The bit where lil'Sabo tells his mother that the other boy attacked hi with a weapon and the expression of hurt on his face. I'm loving this arc and it's weirdlty cathartic but I'm so afraid as to what happens now. :C

Also, the crew. yeah.

[naye]

I really miss the crew, too. There's this big empty space where they used to be, and nothing can take their place.

Which is why it will be super awesome when they finally do come back!

(BTW, check the chapter numbers in your subject!)

[alice-and-lain.livejournal.com]

It makes me wonder if we're supposed to think that Usopp - with his safe, peaceful and relatively not-too-bad background - is a lot more shallow than the other Strawhats and particularly than Luffy-the-protagonist-who's-suffered-so-much-more.

Nah, I don't think that's the case at all. I wish I had something more than a strong feeling with which to say this but that's all I have.

[horusguard76.livejournal.com]

Funny, I have managed through the big battle and the war between Pirates and Marines fine and liked most of it, but this flashback arc is slowly but surely breaking me. Not sure how much more I can take, to be honest.

So far it makes sense for me (although I can't much explain why) that we get this flashback now after Ace is dead. But I really wish Oda would stop with themes like torture and the likes for the time being. The idea of a child being so abused is pushing all my 'bad' buttons.

For some reason I can't warm up to Sabo at all. I dislike him.

Not sure why there should be a comparison between the crews' childhoods. In the end doesn't it come down to how the character themselves judge and review their early childhoods and its hardships? I find it rather interesting that no matter the hardships they all experienced love and affection at one point or another and they also had a 'most important person' who gave either counsel or support.

I personally feel somewhat 'betrayed' by how the happy childhood art I have been seeing around LJ or dA about Luffy and Ace. (like the icon on the top of the comments.) That breaks my heart more than I could ever put into words. Everyone has assumed that they had a 'Happy Days' alike childhood and now this. To be honest, Ican't bear looking at that kind of art anymore because now thanks to Oda's big flashback arc I know 'better'. *feels bitter*

[dethorats]

I've had so many mixed reactions to the past year that it's been definitely effecting my output (of course RL has a role in that too but...). I still feel that Ace's death was...not cheap, exactly, but bitter. Very very bitter in a way that I had not been prepared to expect by what had come before. Whitebeard's death, even in the face of Ace's death and therefore his own 'failure' doesn't have that same taste.

The flashback arc is working to both increase and decrease that feeling. It makes Ace's words and actions that much more poignant on the one hand (and your family theme comments really ring true to me), but on the other hand it just makes his death that much more UGLY as well. We've known almost from the beginning (see Axe Hand Morgan for the marines and Alvida for the pirates) that the One Piece world isn't pretty or nice but that fact has been beaten into us for two years now. I need some LIGHT gosh darn it.

As for Luffy...I see your points but at the same time I think this really adds to his levels of complexity, which we've seen flashes of before and that are now being made clear. Garp...not a winning family figure on the one hand but we don't know any of his motivations so I'm withholding judgement.

Regarding Usopp, I don't think it cheapens it at all. Usopp and Chopper to me have parallel youths. It's about isolation. No, Usopp wasn't shunned but there's a feeling of some self-removal on his part that could lead to similar internalized feelings. Luffy, at least, has never been alone or made to feel alone, for the most part.

To conclude this horribly disjointed reply, I MISS THE STRAWHAT CREW SO VERY VERY MUCH and just want them back as soon as possible.
I need a Zoro/Usopp/Nami/Chopper/Robin/Franky/Brook/even SANJI fix so bad that I can't articulate it!

[serrende.livejournal.com]

Garp probably moved him for fear his location would become discovered and his connections exploited before he's 'safe' in the marines.

Ah, you mean because Luffy would probably talk a lot about how great Shanks and his men are, to any passing stranger willing to listen? Yeah, I guess that could attract the wrong kind of attention, if they're unlucky...

I wouldn't hang onto the whole Usopp thing. I just don't like the idea of 'my tragedy is more awful than yours' oneupmanship anyway.

I don't, either, but lots of fans seem to engage in it, alas. But it's mostly just an over-defensive fangirly reaction of mine.

It's more about the wounds on the heart than whatever actually happens in their past.

That's very well put.

[serrende.livejournal.com]

It will certainly be a huge relief when we see them again, though I wonder if we're going to raise our expectations too much for it.

I woke up this morning with a nagging feeling there was a big error in my post... and that was it. *^_^* Corrected now.

[serrende.livejournal.com]

I know that part of this is overly defensive/biased (and it's easier to suspect fandom than Oda to run with this attitude). But it's been so very long since we saw Usopp and anyone else in the crew that it's getting hard to guess how Oda sees them anymore.

[serrende.livejournal.com]

The flashback hurts in a different way from the present, I think. I try just to immerse myself into the 'then' of the story, trying to put aside the tragic 'now' for now. But if it's that hard to take, maybe you should put the manga aside for a while and return to it later? You won't be spoiled by me, at least - I'm pretty good at putting the spoilers behind cuts.

I wish Oda could just dial it down a little bit. It was hard and dangerous for little kids living that life in that place, understood. There's no need to be so over the top about it. (This reminds me that I felt the same way about the hellish cruelties of Impel Down.)

I actually think right now I like Sabo more than Flashback Ace (not Ace in general, though!). Sabo seems more... hm... reasonable.

There probably shouldn't be a comparison between the different childhoods, but it's hard not to fall into that kind of thinking, now and then.

I find it rather interesting that no matter the hardships they all experienced love and affection at one point or another and they also had a 'most important person' who gave either counsel or support.

Mostly. Usopp didn't, not back when he was little. Unless his mom's acceptance of his father's choice to be a pirate counts. (And Brook doesn't fit any pattern, since we know zilch about his childhood.)

Everyone has assumed that they had a 'Happy Days' alike childhood and now this. To be honest, Ican't bear looking at that kind of art anymore because now thanks to Oda's big flashback arc I know 'better'. *feels bitter*

Very understandable. I certainly can't say anything about it - I have my own bitterness issues, only some of which I harped about here.

Still, I thought naye's take on this was refreshing (quoted from her journal): "I'm weirdly glad to have all these doujinshi that are now horribly jossed - whatever happens in them is simply a non-traumatic AU where things are not so bad and there isn't so much suffering and I get to see my D brothers be adorable and dumb together."

[serrende.livejournal.com]

Bitter sounds like a good word to use for it. Yeah. Especially since - it wasn't just Luffy, they all struggled so hard to save him. Just the week or so before the chapter where it happened, I still argued that letting that happen would not be a good thing for Oda at all, it would just be way too cruel to Luffy; he'd just break from it. Plus, I really didn't want Bon Clay's sacrifice to have been in vain. And then. So. It's hard to take. Especially with the crew not there.

...though I read someone say that at least this way, Ace died protecting his little brother, rather than just being a lamb on the chopping-block. And he got to say some really important things. But as I think aqua_karen pointed out, he never got any resolution to his hatred of Roger, though.

It makes Ace's words and actions that much more poignant on the one hand (and your family theme comments really ring true to me), but on the other hand it just makes his death that much more UGLY as well.

*nod nod* I missed it the first time around, but when Ace says he'll never run or back down from anyone... that's chilling. And heart-breaking, now. ;______________;

You are right about Luffy's complexity getting out into the sunlight much more clearly, though. Can't really deny that, despite other complaints.

(You know what I think this arc needs, I just realised? More female characters! *misses Nami and Robin so badly*)

Usopp and Chopper to me have parallel youths. It's about isolation. No, Usopp wasn't shunned but there's a feeling of some self-removal on his part that could lead to similar internalized feelings. Luffy, at least, has never been alone or made to feel alone, for the most part.

Luffy really hates to be alone, we know now - and always tries hard to make sure he's not.

Good point about Usopp and Chopper. Usopp was accepted by the village, yes... but he still didn't truly feel like he fit in there. And while his physical needs were obviously cared for after his mom's death, it seems to be due to the whole village taking turns. There was apparently no one or two persons stepping in as a parental substitue when it came to caring for him emotionally and provide a role model. Maybe he idolised his father so much he wouldn't have accepted the role model part, though.

I need those fixes too!

[horusguard76.livejournal.com]

Thankfully things seem to turn for the better - now that Dragon is around I feel much more at ease and things start to make sense to me again. I guess, I just don't like watching children suffer.

Well, Sabo is a good guy but I just can't really warm up for him. (and this design doesn't help either. I know that is incredible shallow but just like in RL, there are people you instantly like and dislike and Sabo for me falls into the latter category.)

Ahh, in regard to Usopp I was mostly thinking of Kaya and not of Usopp's mother. (parents have a somewhat 'bittersweet' position for characters in OP) Aye, Brook still has a very mysterious life before he became a skeleton)

Thank you for this excerpt. :) I guess, I will soon enough get over my bitterness (I usually do, very optimistic/positive person here) and be able to enjoy the typical silliness of Ace and Luffy as youngsters again. :) )

[serrende.livejournal.com]

You're right about the bittersweetness of parents - well put. Kaya fits as someone who provided comfort to Usopp, true. I guess I didn't think of her since she wasn't part of Usopp's childhood per se (he first met her when he was 16). But she's still a very important person from his background.

[horusguard76.livejournal.com]

Oh? I didn't realize he was already that old when he met her. (damn, I need to re-read the older chapters again, it's been a while.)

Luffy and Gang

[ginko730.livejournal.com]

While it is true that the lil'Luffy and Ace's world was cruel to them as children, I do not find it over the top. I wish they had a better world to live in... and so do they.

We don't know who was taking care of Luffy before Dadan. I doubt Garp took off from his duties to rear him at all. Hell, we don't even know how Garp was put in the position of deciding things for Luffy ... we only know Ace's.

Usopp had a lousy childhood. Alone. Lying. Not respected. Being forced to laugh and smile and fabricate his own reality rather than face facts. Is that any better? Luffy said he'd rather go though pain than be alone. Profound for a seven year old...? no. Children see things much more clearly than adults.

I think what Oda was driving home was Luffy has always been Luffy. He changes people. He makes his own future. He really is a wind that rattles the sails (hence his name.)

The World they live in is corrupt. For some reason Garp has stayed with the marines all these years... and I think it is because it is safer (even for him)to act like he's part of the system.

Luffy's strangeness... stays the same as when he was a kid. It is almost like he was born with this unbelievable belief in things. That he can overcome and etc... but he doesn't want to be alone. He can't do it alone. He said as much to Arlong.

The horror of this all is that it is not just pirates that the world govt is at war with. As we've seen so far... they will do anything at all that they feel they can get away with. They will even kill children. Abandon villages. Take bribes and blackmail bandits into being babysitters.

I think this is what Oda is trying to get across before we actually begin the 2nd half of the grandline. That and there is something special around Sabo. I expect to see him again soon. I expect to have more going on with Dragon's friends and Nico Robin will be the key to explaining that.

This world is where Luffy longs to live freely (Rule? I am not going to rule anything. The pirate king is the freest man...etc) A pirate, by definition, has no country. His boat is his country. the captains rules are the law... and if you haven't noticed... luffy doesn't make many laws.

In this oppressive world... if luffy can manage to become truly free. To be so beyond reach that the world govt can't touch him? he'll be the pirate king. Unlike Roger though, I think Luffy is going to free the entire world when he claims his throne.

from
Ginko