Today’s lesson on reputation involves the realization that someone else has never heard of something you believe is well-known & important. When Yosaku starts talking about Arlong, he is shocked that Luffy & Sanji have never heard his name before. In a culture where the majority of information is shared organically via word-of-mouth, many people will often not know the same things. It would be difficult, neigh impossible, for people to info-dump their own collective knowledge on every person they encounter, so even meeting people from different regions or life experiences does not fully guarantee a complete understanding of their perspectives and thoughts. Furthermore, it is a fact that many memories are simply fallible & incorrect, in addition to a human tendency to exaggerate & embellish stories.
Even in our own modern world, with more access to communication technology and news sources, there is still an overwhelming tendency for people to assume that other people have access to the same knowledge they do. We tend to operate as social collectives and on a subconscious level, it is not uncommon for people close to one another, be it family, friends, co-workers, or other relationships, to start to erode the boundaries of the self & the group, finding a common assumption that our peers can, in a sense, read our thoughts, or at least are familiar with our own learned experiences, which explains why Yosaku would be surprised to learn that Luffy has never heard of Arlong, especially considering his pirate lifestyle & obsession with the Grand Line.
Learning about Marine-sanctioned privateer pirates in the One Piece world, however, is not surprising at all. We have seen the blatant corruption rampant in this military force previously, and taking illicit income from violent thugs isn’t even really the worst thing we have witnessed thus far. This is certainly an interesting reference & parallel to the real world that elucidates the relationship between genuine governments and the criminal class, but it takes it a step further than the traditional privateer model by merely accepting bribes to look the other way, versus non-fiction privateers who actually targeted vessels crewed by opposing governments and nations. The US or UK politicians paying sailors to attack & raid potential threats still allows for a potentially moral & ethical interpretation of actions, whereas the Marines working with Arlong is obviously dishonest misconduct.
When Arlong says that money is more reliable than people, he is touching on the fabric of “we live in a society” because money is truly a neutral resource that always has value with everyone but also only has value as long as it is accepted. Dealing with a person can be a fluid interaction based on a multitude of factors, as well, but these variables are far more numerous than the typical financial interaction. A commonly accepted currency can be negotiated with, carried around to different businesses or customers, exchanged directly for goods & services, and much more, but as soon as one is in a position where that specific currency is not accepted or understood, it is essentially worthless. Still, this drives home the reliability of it either being accepted or not, which when compared to the endless situations and outcomes inherent in human dynamics, is simpler and more intuitive to utilize.
The realization here that Zoro is as loyal to Luffy as Gin was to Don Krieg is a fun one. Gin has been sailing under Krieg for years, maybe decades, and has seen him through glorious success as well as abject failure, both of which can be magnificent bonding experiences, but Zoro has only sailed with Luffy for a couple of short & sweet adventures. Although they have seen some failure and success, they are both relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, yet Zoro has a precocious affinity to his new captain that cannot be swayed or altered by his fellow crewmates or his enemies. This powerful allegiance is in no small part due to their shared confidence & commitment to their lofty goals, as well as Luffy’s pure heart & wholesome intentions. The culture of Krieg’s crew was at least toxic enough for Gin to ultimately disobey his captain at a crucial moment, resulting in being at least partially responsible for Krieg’s downfall, but we can safely assume that Zoro would never pull such a stunt because of his & Luffy’s shared moral compass. Even were Zoro to disobey an order from his captain, rest assured it would be for the right reasons and Luffy would be understanding, at least eventually.
Last note, meat on the bone, bean sprouts, & red wine sounds like a fantastic meal, especially for seafarers accustomed to nothing but a barrel of apples. While this may come across as a silly luxury, it also indicates a crucial element that Sanji is bringing to the crew in the form of nutrients, energy, & morale. Having access to an advanced diet will ensure that the Straw Hats are physically prepared for adversity & challenges they encounter, and, maybe more importantly, the ability to share a delicious meal with their fellow crew increases their kinship & intimacy so they are more connected and able to function as one unit versus just being a bunch of people on a boat. Eating as a community is invaluable, whether it is a daily family dinner (or breakfast, or lunch), or a weekly meal with a close group of friends or co-workers, or a monthly meal with a local club or church congregation, or any variation on these ideas. Although it may have initially seemed a bit silly for Luffy to focus on acquiring a cook, we now see that it was another brilliant move on his part, demonstrating his leadership skills & insight.