whatever tickles my fancy this month

not ‘zoro is the first mate/vice captain of the straw hat pirates because he would take over for luffy if something happened’ because 1) zoro has never shown any desire whatsoever to be a captain 2) even if he did none of the other straw hats would take him seriously in that capacity but most importantly 3) the straw hat crew flat out DOES NOT EXIST without luffy as its captain so arguing whether or not zoro would take over is a moot point to begin with—but rather, ‘zoro is the first mate of the straw hat pirates because he is the only one amongst them who isn’t afraid to tell things exactly how they are when the crew needs to hear it, and that is a critically important counterbalance needed with a captain as reckless as luffy’. zoro is the first mate of the straw hat pirates because he doesn’t believe in the impossible but he DOES believe in the impractical, and being able to tell the difference between the two is a vital skill for encouraging luffy’s best instincts but also reigning in his worst tendencies. zoro is the first mate of the straw hat pirates because he’s just as big a dreamer as the rest of them, but he will also remain steadfast in his duty to keep the others safe, even at the cost of his own ambitions. because what is the point of being a dreamer if he can’t protect his captain and his crew?