Category: East Blue

Archetypal tropes are an effective short-hand that content creators can use to reveal deep & complex details about a character without sacrificing much screentime. By drawing from the shared imageries of tropes & archetypes, the audience is invited to associate a scene or action with a larger schema. When she attacks with her skillet, we are shown an example of the”Apron Matron” cliche, and are able to identify traits & qualities that Carmen possesses which may be similar to characters such as Princess Peach, Rapunzel from Tangled, or Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark. These capable & independent women all share more than just a penchant for violent cookware.

Carmen goading Sanji with the challenge “bring your spices” is another interesting glimpse into the One Piece chef culture. There is so much depth to the social elements of cooks and they are clearly well-respected by others, as seen by the crowds at the best chef contest. The focus on the individual’s selection of spices, rather than cookware or regular ingredients, alludes to the fact that flavoring a dish is one of the most crucial aspects of a meal. Many techniques, though difficult, are standard across the board, and the availability of ingredients is much dependent on local context, but a powerful array of herbs & spices is a necessary part of the arsenal, with the possibility for some to be unusual in the region because they come from far off islands, or prepared in a unique way that adds a mysterious flavor note. The quality & quantity of different spices can also influence the overall dish.

Last note, Sanji’s obsession with discovering the All Blue, even though he has no reason to believe it exists, directly mirrors the line in the opening theme song “I have to follow my dreams, however crazy they seem.” Regardless of other’s belief that the thing he seeks is impossible, Sanji stays true to his goal and does eventually find what he is looking for. However, if he didn’t have this goal guiding his life choices, it is unlikely he would have ever tasted these rare & special fish.

The bond & mutual understanding between fellow parents is a powerful force. Having children presents unique challenges and allows us to truly see what is important to prioritize, as well as provides new sources of pain & frustration. The perspective that Yasopp & Daddy share as fathers transcends other facts & details of any situation. It is sort of like being in a special club.

Although Yasopp doesn’t want to be an active parent, he still bears that burden through life, which is a changing experience. Still, despite his personal attitude towards parenting, he encourages Daddy to spend time with his child. It is natural to appreciate the benefit of active parenting in the life of a young one, even if Yasopp is unable to provide that advantage to his own child.

Last note, we also see that Daddy has his own parental pride in how well Usopp is doing. Holding a bond with Yasopp, he has a sentimental attachment to seeing Yasopp’s child thrive in the world.

This episode’s twist on reputation is that Tashigo has a negative opinion on Zoro, who is pretending not to be himself. She has her own life dream, to recover all of the legendary swords from pirates and give them to honorable sword fighters, but she doesn’t think Roronoa Zoro is honorable, yet, in a twist of dramatic irony, she unknowingly helps him obtain 2 legendary swords to go with his original.

In contrast to the shop that Usopp visited, this swordshop is very anti-capitalism. While the shopkeeper is obviously trying to make a profit by swindling unknowing customers, upon recognizing that Zoro is, in fact, a master swordsman, he gifts him the greatest sword in the shop for free. He cannot even bring himself to sell the cursed legendary sword without revealing the curse. 

When Luffy says “I will stand where he stood and see what he saw,” he is paying credit to someone he individually respects and honoring the perspective of Gold Roger, eschewing traditional worldviews to place his faith in an unpopular & revolutionary role model. While many people would typically try to learn from established sources, the Straw Hat captain desires to derive his education from someone who shared in his specific goal. This is an act of revolution, to ignore common wisdom & pursue lessons from something or someone that many may consider to be a failure of sorts.

Last note, when I used to play with tarot cards, there was something of a legend that it is possible to read tarot using ordinary playing cards, but that it would eventually give you insight into the cards during regular card games, essentially allowing you to cheat but also removing the ability to ever truly play a game of cards as equals with another player. Buggy using the playing cards to predict the future suits his personality as a cheater and also mirrors the relationship with the devil fruit, in which one gains power but sacrifices something else.

Just from the single scene, it seems very clear that Usopp is being manipulated and scammed by the pirate artifact shop. This sets up a very solid critique of capitalism, wherein profit motive is the only driving force behind any business model. The salesperson appears to be using deceptive language, and possibly outright lies, to convince Usopp that these items are of supreme value, both practically & sentimentally, yet it is much more likely that they are cheap reproductions that will soon fail and are not worth nearly the price this shop will charge for them. Usopp, being inexperienced in the ways of the world outside his village, has no reason to distrust the shopkeeper, and so is easily identified as an easy mark for a con. 

The barman in the Gold Roger Bar is maintaining the oral tradition of storytelling, passing on unique perspectives and facts that cannot be learned elsewhere. Much of this is his own firsthand experience but some is also being retold from the stories that people passing through his bar have shared with him. When we see that modern people are not necessarily interested in his stories anymore, this is a strong parallel for the real world in which recorded media, music, movies, television, etc, have replaced a lot of genuine connection and interactions between people.

Getting some more insight into the execution of Gold Roger is a powerful look at stoic enlightenment. This is a person who achieved some of the greatest dreams on the planet, wealth, fame, & power, and knows both what it takes to gain these things as well as how it feels to hold them. However he was captured, it did not cause him to lose his positive outlook and calm attitude. It is very likely that this outlook & attitude was a major contributor to his being able to become the king of the pirates, and he did not lose them even upon his execution. We see much of these same traits in Luffy.

Last note, the execution platform is much larger in the memory sequence than it is when Luffy finally finds it. This is because the memory is told from the perspective of Admiral Smoker, who was a small child at the time, and it seemed much bigger to him then. All of our memories are typically tainted by our own perspectives & biases, and it is important to recognize these details and how they affect our own narrative, self-image, & decision making process.

Even though it is played for laughs, the idea that Richie the lion could dream of being captain of the crew, and then also be taken seriously as a genuine leader, is powerful discourse. We have seen animals oft portrayed as nothing but tools or such for the humans, and even Richie has previously just been used as Mohji’s weapon, so the thought of the other pirates happily uniting under the lion for their future adventures demonstrates revolutionary attitudes that betray traditional hierarchies of power. I think a noteworthy aspect of this scene is that Richie could not ever be captain if he didn’t have the dream and take action on it. We all have things we wish we could do and it is critical that we make choices that help bring our own goals to fruition, whatever that looks like.

Conversely, we also see that the clown crew is desperately missing some sort of power structure. Without Buggy, they have more or less fallen into uselessness, incapable of doing much of anything at all. They encourage Mohji & Cabaji to duel for the title of captain so they can have any leader at all, and then immediately fall behind Richie when he seems like the victor. In many situations, it is beneficial to have someone performing the leadership role so that there is consistent direction for the larger group to work towards. When Richie pretty much immediately leads them to be conquered by the Bear Paw Tribe, the other crew doesn’t even seem angry with him because they still recognize that they are all responsible as part of the crew and they consented to the lion being their captain.

We also see some effective camaraderie occur when Buggy returns to the pirate crew. Cabaji & Mohji quickly put aside their combat to share joy that the true clown captain has returned to them, and even Richie is excited to no longer be in charge. Buggy does not blame his crew for the events that separated them or caused them all struggle, he simply prepares for the next adventure.

Last note, I appreciate the “time line” joke when Luffy forgets the name of the town & Nami says she just told him the name. It’s hard to guess exactly how long the characters have been traveling towards Logue Town, but for the audience, it has been 3 or more episodes since we heard its name. This casual method of exposition adds some fun flavor to a minor detail, while also developing the characters and their relationships.

Luffy is so focused on his own goals of the future that he hardly even thinks about past struggles or enemies. While we see that Luffy lives rent free in Buggy’s mind, Luffy doesn’t even think about Buggy, similar to that Mad Men meme. Luffy only cares about becoming king of the pirates and his humility means he doesn’t obsess over old victories.

Buggy does continue to have a very positive & optimist outlook on his adventures. After building a very rudimentary raft, he is proud & excited about his small progress, which is a noble attitude. Even his words “bad luck just makes me stronger; bring it on,” emphasize a determined attitude that grows & learns from adversity. This is further explored when Buggy is upset, almost angry, when the bird spits him out, even though the avian disgust is likely what saves the clown pirate’s life.

We see a number of animals in this episode, and although we saw the ones on Gaimon’s island before, it seems maybe their anthropic nature is related to the bird we see here wielding a knife. The ability to use tools is often seen in the animal kingdom, and if One Piece is indeed set in the post-apocalyptic remains of our own world, it would make sense that regular animals have continued to evolve and are better suited to use tools abandoned by the human race.

Jack in the box is back! What a cool guy. Now that he has accepted that his place in life is protecting the animals on this island with a gun, his entire demeanor seems calmer & more serene, demonstrating how much a shift in perspective can affect us. Perspective is also addressed when we hear Buggy & Gaimon sharing stories of young pirates they have encountered, with entirely opposite opinions, even though they are discussing the same pirate. Although Buggy & Gaimon have some shared culture & agree on a lot of things, their differed interactions with Luffy color their memory of him, resulting in divergent reputations for the Straw Hat captain.

Last note, we also see another hermit crab, this one falling off of the Straw Hat ship. Based on the last time we saw this creature used as a narrative metaphor, it does appear to be a bad omen for whatever is to come next.

Nami’s attitude about continuing to chase money is indicative of how old habits die hard. While her obsession with stealing gold & treasure began as a method to free her hometown of Cocoyashi, she has spent almost half of her life, during her formative years no less, developing the skills and attitudes that make her a specialist in gaining wealth. Even though the village is safe, a significant part of her personality is still focused on acquiring material resources. In fact, her knowledge of what cold hard cash can do, and what people are willing to do for it, is a contributing factor to why her reaction to the $30,000,000 bounty is somber & fearful. Zoro has a similar reaction because as a retired pirate hunter, he knows the caliber of bounty hunters that will be chasing that $30,000,000.

Sanji & Usopp, on the other hand, are both very excited & happy to learn of this bounty, celebrating & laughing along with Luffy. These 3 characters have very much intentionally set out to become pirates and so they consider this to be an indicator of success, contrary to Nami & Zoro who ultimately have alternative goals and only see piracy as a means to an end. 

We see an example of Luffy demonstrating that kindness can be revolutionary. The world government, when setting the bounty, discusses how Luffy has defeated multiple pirates with enormous bounties on their own heads, and so set Luffy’s even higher because he must be a worse threat than them to have defeated them. However, they never stop for a moment to consider that Luffy is defeating these powerfully evil pirates because he is a good guy, and so we see how authoritarian power cares not for actual positive results & helpful impacts on society but instead only cares to eliminate threats to its own power. Even still, we also see that Luffy is, currently, anyway, hardly a threat to the Marines, as he offers aid to lieutenant commander Fullbody and demonstrates compassion for the soldiers that almost blow themselves up with the faulty cannon. 

Last note, we are shown more struggles with addiction, this time Shanks being hungover when Hawkeye finds him on his island, having sworn to stop drinking, and then immediately pulling out more alcohol to celebrate. Common signs of alcoholism are over-drinking, deciding to stop drinking entirely, and then failing to meet that goal and beginning to over-drink again. This cycle is a nefarious trap that affects millions of real people in all states of mental health, and seeing it accurately portrayed, even for comedic effect, is, in my opinion, beneficial to the audience, particularly a young audience forming their own first opinions on the nature of substance abuse.

We are shown Luffy truly living up to his heroic reputation in this post-victory episode by means of his complete lack of pride or hubris. In the wake of saving Cocoyashi from the reign of Arlong, the Straw Hat captain has no desire for rewards or payment of any sort except for lots and lots of food, which is ultimately just a bare essential human need. The thought of exploiting or extorting anything else from this village is absolutely foreign to his wants & desires. Then, when Genzo threatens to kill him if they ever hurt Nami, instead of being angry at the accusation or arguing that he could defeat Genzo, Luffy only acts shocked at the thought of ever trying to hurt Nami. Even as they are departing and Nami is pickpocketing the crowd and jumping to the ship without saying goodbye, Luffy just shrugs and admits that, though he is the leader of the crew, it’s “not [his] decision, she does what she wants.”

I appreciate the notion of nurture outweighing nature when Genzo says to Nami & Nojiko “you certainly are Bellemere’s kids.” Bellemere only raised the girls for a few formative years but her impact on their personalities is clear & remarkable. As the girls come from a distant location, they likely lack many genetic similarities with their surrogate parent, but their relationship is still apparent.

When Bellemere delivers the line “you need to learn to be strong girls who smile even during hard times; do that and nothing will ever stop you,” it continues to push the consistent One Piece philosophy of maintaining a jovial attitude regardless of outside circumstance. This zen approach to suffering is a recurring trait within all of our protagonists and has a strong impact on the compelling nature of the narrative. An even deeper interpretation suggests that Bellemere, still smiling during the difficult time of being dead, would not let anything stop her from still pushing Nami out the door towards the next adventure the horizon may bring.

Last note, yet another nod to reputation, the larger purpose behind Nami stealing the wallets from the villagers is to let them have an interesting story to tell about the day she left. After 8 long years of oppression, the story of the Straw Hats arriving to bring freedom will go down in their history for generations, and a big part of that story will be how the local girl who brought the friendly pirates to their shores pickpocketed them instead of saying goodbye or letting them thank her. It is, of course, only a mild inconvenience to the villagers who have been left with the 100,000,000 berry fortune Nami had accumulated (which Luffy also had no interest in), but a striking note in the legend to be told & retold for decades to come.

From the flashbacks, we see how Arlong dressed 8 years ago, when he was a bit younger before growing his crew to the empire we see today. His choices remind me of an edgy teenager in a fedora and trenchcoat, trying to seem much cooler than they think they really are. In a certain sense, it does appear as a somewhat more “professional” outfit than the beach-casual clothing he wears in the present day, but it also seems like an attempt to be intimidating or convey a tough-guy persona. The clothing represents a desire to be taken seriously, sharply contrasted with his more comfortable clothing choices after he established Arlong Park with steady income & a terrifying reputation.

Arlong’s language about Nami only living up to her true potential if she serves his goals indicates much about his worldview, showing that he believes his goals & his success are truly the only important things in the world to such an extent that even other people should only find meaning & purpose in their own lives by assisting him in conquering the East Blue. He then projects that same mentality onto Luffy, assuming that the Straw Hats only seek to “rescue” Nami so that they may “own” & “use” her in the same manner. Fascists only see fascism wherever they look.

Luffy destroying the sea charts does more than simply hinder Arlong’s pursuit of domination. By erasing the years of work Nami was forced to complete, he has also stolen her labour back from Arlong, even if it is still now useless to everyone. This is mental & emotional vindication for Nami, allowing her the peace of mind that the actions she took which helped Arlong, even under duress, will no longer serve the fish people’s goals, which evokes closure on that period of her life without worry about what harm they will continue to invoke using her skills.

While Luffy’s immaturity & lackadaisical attitude are often shown to be beneficial, we are given an example of how his lack of focus & determination hinders his ability, or at least how it is determined by his state of mind outside of his own agency. The battle between him & Arlong is fairly steady & evenly matched for quite some time with both characters seeming equally matched until they enter the map room. Upon discovering the facts of history, and realizing the depth of Nami’s mistreatment over the better part of a decade, something snaps within Luffy, allowing him to vanquish Arlong & crush the entire building with relative ease. Had he full self-control & mastery over himself, he could lead with this level of combat prowess, ending the fight much sooner.

The Marines are all bark & no bite, utilizing their reputation & image as keen soldiers to impose fear & control over their subjects, taking whatever they want with impunity. However, we see Zoro, still suffering from his critical wounds, easily dispatch the entire group within seconds. It has been made clear that some Marines are better than others, and a few dozen episodes ago, they were able to capture & imprison Zoro, but many are indeed just living fat on the general conception of what the other ones are capable of. In fact, most real world governments also rely on these same tactics of propaganda to convince their populations to fall in line & obey unjust laws under threat of punishment, when it is rather obvious that the oppressed & working classes could overthrow their authoritarian dictators were they to band together and resist.

Last note, I have absolutely zero comment on these snail radio devices, like what the fuck even is that, why is that a thing, how does it work, holy shit, I have no idea what I just saw.

When Arlong states “you can’t even crush a pillar with your jaws,” as if it is a necessary skill to conquer the grand line and become king of the pirates, he is betraying his small minded perspective. For the fish person captain, his teeth are his greatest asset and a large part of what allows him to lead his crew to success; to a hammer, every problem is a nail, and to a shark, every problem can be overcome by biting it. Arlong relies on this single ability for the majority of his conflicts and so it is inconceivable to him that someone without access to the same skillset would be able to accomplish much of anything. The fish person hubris, believing that they outclass humans in every possible manner, avoids understanding that there is more than one way to achieve a goal, similar to a wealthy person believing all problems are solved with money or a motorhead thinking an automobile is the only way to get anywhere. Even if these methods have previously always worked for them, other people can still do things and get places without great wealth or a fast car.

An interesting scene is when Luffy knocks out Arlong’s teeth and everyone prematurely begins to celebrate the victory before Arlong simply grows more teeth. This trope is seen in many aspects of our existence, where we think we have defeated an obstacle only to discover that we have actually done almost nothing of merit because we did not fully understand the situation at hand. Of course, without this “failure” to help show us the way, we would not be able to continue trying fresh solutions. It is vital to our personal growth to try things to the best of our ability even if they don’t always work perfectly so that we can learn more and expand our horizons. If Luffy encounters another shark person in the future, he will be better equipped against their regenerating teeth.

Even though we see that Luffy is ultimately the only character who can even approach a fair combat with Arlong, his words “I’m worthless without my friends to help me out” still ring true because they propelled him to this position in the first place. Between rescuing him from the depths and annihilating the lieutenant fish people, the Straw Hats & the Cocoyashi villagers have set the stage for Luffy’s victory. Everyone here brings different traits to the table, and while some may appear more or less powerful or valuable at first glance, they all combine to create a positive outcome for all of them together.

Last note, these heavy combat episodes don’t always have a lot for me to discuss. I could probably dive into more specific pieces of dialogue and interpret plenty of philosophical meaning to analyze at length, but much of what I could expand on has already been touched on in previous entries and would contain a lot of conjecture and babble. The overarching themes of confidence, reputation, & friendship are present in almost every episode, so I try to focus on new and novel topics in an attempt to add value to the experience and explore relevant issues without injecting too much of my own opinions or outside knowledge. I appreciate you reading this blog.