Charlemagne’s Cosplay And Crochet Corner

Obviously in the past 1.1k chapters this scene with the Sea King has taken on a whole new perspective. Shanks says later on that he lost his arm betting on the new generation, but then in recent chapters we've learned that it was also a good thing probably that he did lose that arm. Was it intentional to lose it? Unsure.

He could have cut it off himself if that was a problem, so I like to think that it was something he gave up for Luffy instead and that in that moment he wasn't just saving Luffy but Luffy was also saving him by helping him lose the mark of Imu at the same time.

We can even take it even further and see this as Luffy's first liberation of someone against Imu/the World Government, removing the mark of ownership on them just like he does at Enies Lobby with the flag without even knowing it.

St. Shanks

Firstly, now we actually have crazy context for this timeline because Shanks would have pulled up about a year after being in Mary Geoise. Which ties into something else later -

You're telling me we get Beckam saying that they aren't saints when we 1k+ chapters later get the title card of ST SHANKS? Oda is fate's favorite because so much of what he wrote almost thirty years ago lines up so well with where the story ended up going.

Luffy Learns Hard Lessons From First Mates

I find it so sweet that Beckam the first mate of the Red Hair pirates is the one saying this to Luffy because he essentially hears this from two other legendary first mates too. His own (Zoro) post Water 7 and then Rayleigh after Marineford.

One it shows how vital that role is, but I also think that Luffy it's extremely important to see from the beginning what a good right hand looks like and the understanding that their supposed to have of their captain which is why their words should carry so much weight.

The Theme Of What Is True Strength and Manhood

A major theme that we get in this first chapter that becomes such a through line throughout the series is what it means to be strong and what it means to be a man. Luffy's entire worldview ends up being shaped by this situation with Shanks and the example that's set for him.

What I think is really beautiful about this is that we see this in all of his crew members but especially in his two wings:

We see it from Zoro in Jaya where he goes along with Luffy's command about not fighting and explains to Nami this very same lesson

We see this at the heart of Sanji in Whole Cake where he can't bring it in him to leave someone for dead just because they hurt him and how much Luffy appreciates that

One Day They'll Find Each Other

Speaking of Sanji tell me why I nearly burst into tears seeing this panel of Luffy getting beat up and just kept thinking about how somewhere out there a little blonde boy in the North Blue was also getting whooped not knowing they'd find each other some day.

Luffy Never Changes

Love that we get Luffy defending Shanks all this way in Chapter 1 and then saying the exact same thing all the way in the most recent arc. Some things never change.

Luffy Knows When He Isn't Strong Enough

I think that in this single line it really highlights a part of Luffy that is sometimes forgotten because it does happen so rarely, which is he knows when he's been beat. In this chapter it says he understood he wasn't strong enough yet to go with Shanks and we see this again in Sabaody when he tells everyone to run away because they aren't strong enough to win the situation.

What Were You Scared Of Shanks?

This is literally such a throwaway line, but now with so much more added to the story it could be a million things. Was it knowing that he was well known and powerful so someone could attack the village? Was it because he had just let Mary Geiose not long before coming here and was worried the world government would look here? Is it because Luffy ate the fruit he stole from the government?

Most of those things weren't created yet, so really I get to just decide what that answer is but not even in my own headcanon can I decide.

Shanks Giving Luffy The Hat

Gosh is this just an all time favorite of a scene. The bedrock of the entire series, the foundation of the whole story, and there's more to it now in hindsight than there even was then.

Shanks gets to see the man who raised him, his Captain, the man who made him who he is again in this little boy. He gets to see that Roger is still alive in people like him. He gets a glimpse of what he lost.

We know that meeting Luffy is special to Shanks because he talks about it with Rayleigh in a flashback we get in Sabaody which is adorable, and it must mean EVERYTHING to him to give this hat to Luffy in this moment.

Shanks and Buggy

One thing I'm always going to want to talk about is Shanks and Buggy, and this line by Shanks here I think is actually the crux of the later fight we see in flashback of why they went their separate ways.

Shanks was the one that had all the potential and the drive as a child, the one who said he was going to be like Roger only to say not yet when Buggy was relying on that expectation the most. Buggy saw this version of Shanks that he sees in Luffy and then saw him not follow through.

That's why he hates him so much too at the core.

The Threat of Ten Crew Members

Please, I see every new character as a threat because of this line. LETS JUST LET IT BE VIVI AND CALL IT A DAY PLEASE. I can't handle another new character here to take up more page time. I can't do it. Literally nothing to analyze here, only a prayer to let out into the universe to hear. PLEASE LETS SAY ITS HAPPENED ALREADY.

My Favorite Panel