I meant to discuss this yesterday, but I enjoy the fact that Buggy’s devil fruit power is a clear nod to traditional pirates who are missing an arm & leg which are replaced with a hook & a peg. It seems to be an especially fitting devil fruit for pirates based on that symbolism alone. I think that is at least partially what makes Buggy a particularly skilled & competent pirate above & beyond just being a clown, and that awesomeness does make-up for him being a victim of the evil clown trope in my personal opinion.
Another interesting thing in this episode is how reputation is mildly subverted a bit. First, Nami has no idea about Zoro or who he is or his reputation for killing the pirates that she so distastes, yet is immediately deeply impressed & almost smitten with him. A high-quality genuine first impression can often be more powerful than a theoretical second-hand reputation. Still more interesting to me is that near the end of the episode, Zoro makes a comment about wanting to uphold his reputation, and I feel like he does not mean it literally but is only seeking an excuse to uphold justice and slay an evil pirate, but then yet again, that attitude is likely exactly what earned him his reputation in the first place.
The mayor is certainly a very cool character, and his speech about the dog staying where it is comfortable to guard its treasure greatly foreshadows the mayor’s own desire to stay in the town where he is comfortable to guard it. I think this attitude applies to many many people who downright refuse to leave their comfort zones or try new experiences or do anything difficult. I do think the first scene with the mayor & the dog is a valid critique of most dog owners, as he yells at a person in a cage being attacked by the dog to leave his precious dog alone.
Lastly, I find the opposing attitudes of Luffy & Mohji towards animals to be reminiscent of how many people feel about animal agriculture. Mohji sees animals as beasts to be tamed to follow his will and does not have any concern for animals that do not serve him, much like people in today’s world who think their pets are cute and should be safe while they never hesitate to eat a cheeseburger or pepperoni pizza, or even dairy farmers & the like who believe they are being kind to animals while simply exploiting them for profit. Conversely, Luffy applies the same caring morality to an animal as he does to a person, being willing to defend and help the dog even after the dog attacked him when they first met.