apparently it's the 15th anniversary of zoro's sacrifice in thriller bark (not sure if manga or anime though) so yknow. time for more zolu of course
one of the many things about zoro and luffy is that despite how their approach to certain situations might differ at times, they're still pretty similar at their core, sometimes to a comical degree (see: their definition of what a hero is back in fish man island arc). and this understanding of how the other works is what leads to moments like jaya,
this little one in water 7/enies lobby,
and follows consistently all the way to wano arc.
and I was thinking the other day about how their childhoods too kinda mirror or parallel each other's in a way that emphasizes (to me, at least) how special zoro's particular protectiveness toward luffy is, and why luffy relying on zoro that way is just as special.
the specifics of their childhood stories are different but both luffy and zoro have a turning point of sorts that's marked with the grief and loss of sabo and kuina, respectively, which leads them to say these:
(I cropped the panels, but luffy's also crying here)
it's important to note zoro and luffy had dreams/aspirations before this, to become the greatest swordsman and luffy's secret thing that we've yet to learn about (that ace, sabo and the crew now know). however, losing kuina and sabo is what prompts them to, on top of that, strive to become stronger for other people's sake. for zoro, it's his way to honor his friend and fulfill their shared dream. for luffy, it's to avoid losing the people he loves.
throughout the story, zoro and luffy end up expressing similar frustration and sentiments due to this. there's zoro innerly chiding himself for being too weak as he trains in the aftermath of arcs like little garden, alabasta and thriller bark, where the crew get stuck in situations in which zoro isn't able to help as he wishes he could (the wax cake, the sea prism stone cell, kuma). there's luffy swearing he won't lose a single member of his crew even if it kills him (the davy back fight) and reproaching himself for not being able to save any of the straw hats in sabaody, with the worst of it right after losing ace in marineford.
(and man do I have thoughts about bon turning into zoro, out of all the straw hats, back in impel down.)
anyway. as to why all of this is meaningful - when zoro agrees to join luffy, he mentions that his goal to become the greatest swordsman is all he has. yet as the straw hats go from journey to journey, and with a certain emphasis in luffy, you can see how zoro's view slowly shifts. he's now driving himself to become strong to protect them as well, to the point he's willing to set aside his ambition and offer his own head in exchange for luffy's, if it means he can ensure luffy's life and safety. that's huge. as mihawk inwardly points out, zoro has something, someone he values even more than his ambitions and pride. and it's through his adventures with luffy and the crew that he becomes closer to achieving that initial dream of his.
whenever people wonder why zoro's as loyal as he is to luffy, aside from all the reasons why luffy as a character has earned that loyalty through his actions, I also remember that one line koushiro said to zoro in a flashback: "the pinnacle of swordsmanship is the power to protect what one wishes to protect and cut what one wishes to cut. a blade that injures all that it touches isn't really a sword." while sure, it works in the context of later power ups like haki, imo it perfectly captures zoro's character growth too and what luffy's given him. the current zoro isn't lost or directionless with only one purpose in mind or to live for, bounty hunting as a means to survive. he has a home to return to, people to cherish, to protect and keep getting stronger for, people who nurture him in turn. kuina's death is something zoro couldn't have prevented, and losing people in accidents like those is something that could happen again, but still within the limits of what's preventable - zoro can protect his friends now.
as for luffy... zoro kinda steals the spotlight when it comes to grand gestures of loyalty/devotion and being the MC of the story means luffy fights for different people (both crew and non crew), carrying their wishes and hopes as if they were his own. he gets help and learns from others as well and all members of the crew are important for luffy to achieve his dream one way or the other, but the way he relies on zoro specifically is so subtly meaningful to me. we don't get as much insight on luffy's inner thoughts, still, we do have context.
for someone like luffy, who is at his innermost genuinely terrified of being alone and losing the people he loves, the fact that he trusts zoro to protect and keep everyone safe (even luffy himself) is so good. as shown above, luffy vowed to become strong in the first place to ensure he'd never go through loss like sabo's again and this vow is all the more renewed after ace's death. luffy has to be strong for everyone but... the fact that he can trust zoro to follow his lead even when others might not understand his reasons to do x or y, that he's so unwavering in his faith that zoro will protect the others when luffy can't, entrusting the people he cares about to zoro, whom luffy also cherishes - it's all pretty special. everyone in the crew has their strengths and zoro may not be the only fighter, but all of them, including sanji, fall under his protection whenever it's needed.
it's not only about raw strength though. zoro's also there to set luffy straight and remind him of what's important when the circumstances arise, like in water 7 or punk hazard. and even when they don't necessarily agree, like wrt vivi's situation after the reverie in marijoa, luffy knows when zoro's right and acquiesces (albeit grumbling a little) because, once again, he's also aware that zoro wouldn't just risk everyone's safety. luffy listens to him. and their reunion in wano too, luffy's sheer happiness at the sight of him again, is a very clear example of how much luffy adores zoro even beyond all that.
although luffy isn't aware of what happened in thriller bark (that we know of), zoro's actions are proof of why luffy trusts, has faith in, and relies on zoro as much as he does and why it's so important for luffy to have him by his side, considering how afraid he is of being unable to keep his loved ones safe. this is more on a speculative note, but I can imagine how comforting that must be for luffy - to not shoulder that on his own.
happy anniversary!
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I thought of a new idea for an angst prompt: what if silent salt cookie had died prior to the corruption of the fallen heroes. Considering Silent Salt's virtue is SOLIDARITY, I heavily believe his death would be one of the main factors to why the fallen heroes became corrupted in the first place.
Request Prompt #13 - 💔
Nobody really knows what happened to Silent Salt Cookie. At least, that's what most think.
He never speaks nowadays, even though in the past he spoke when he needed to. Nobody can recount how long it's been since Silent Salt spoke last... Really putting the 'Silent' into his name, huh?
There were only four cookies who knew the truth, Eternal Sugar Cookie, Mystic Flour Cookie, Burning Spice Cookie... And finally, Shadow Milk Cookie.
It began with a confrontation, the saviors were worried about Shadow Milk Cookie and his recent odd behavior. One of the key factors of this odd behavior was when he asked Silent Salt to cut his hair short because it 'was getting in the way', he never elaborated what it got in the way of though. There was also the fact that he'd starting covering up one of his eyes under his bangs.
Silent Salt lead the confrontation, making sure it was just the five of them in private. The confrontation escalated into an argument, then it went too far.
And by too far, I mean that Shadow Milk Cookie blasted a hole through Silent Salt's head with dark magic.
Everyone was in shock, even Shadow Milk Cookie who had been faced with the instant regret of his outburst. Eternal Sugar couldn't heal a wound made from dark magic of this caliber... but Silent Salt's soul jam was still intact.
And thus, once calm enough to think just the slightest bit more coherently, Shadow Milk Cookie proposed a plan.
The witches would kill them if they found out that Silent Salt was dead, so why not just revive him?
That day was when it began, the corruption of the Saviors.
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okay so for the people in the comments of this post and the other one i wrote about this: i am aware that this is something oda said (i actually don't know lmao i just saw people saying it ngl i doubt he said this and if he did y'all are misinterpreting the shit out of what he said). however, i personally think he meant it in a very specific context of "one of the mugiwaras betraying them in such a horrific way that luffy would have to force himself to say this".
the thing is, there are A LOT of things to have in mind when it comes to this statement. yeah. zoro would kill a mugiwara if luffy asked, but there's a lot going on before that even crosses his mind:
1. luffy would need a valid reason to want to kill a mugiwara (teach level of betrayal). and even then, i doubt he would ask zoro to kill them. but yeah, let's suppose hypothetically that he says that.
2. zoro would instantly assume something's wrong because luffy would NEVER say something like this. some of you act like he would act without hesitation when his devotion to luffy isn't irrational, but unconditional. he would stop, think about it, ask luffy why and if he's sure. and he would even try to stop him.
3. if stopping him doesn't work and the betrayal is bad enough, zoro would kill a mugiwara for luffy.
y'all make it seem like he would do it and kill nami (for example. he would never, tho) without hesitation when he would be the very first one to be against that idea and question luffy's irrationality. the whole thing about these two is that they trust each other bc they believe in each other, not bc they're blinded by love. it's such a deep understanding and trust that they would do anything for each other, and that also includes grounding the other and stopping them if they're wrong.
zoro's trust and loyalty is on luffy, of course, but assuming that it makes him unable to care for the other members of the crew and that it blinds him enough to kill them is just wrong.
answering the question y'all refuse to answer without thinking first: yes, zoro would kill a mugiwara if luffy asked under the right circumstances and after a long time thinking about it, but it wouldn't happen just because.
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