I’ve Been Searching You 4ever And Now I Know It’s You Who Wrote That Thing Bout Shanks I Looked At

I'm sorry

Small disclaimer before you head in: this whole post will be referencing the TCB translation. I know VIZ handled the exchange I'm discussing differently, but I couldn't find anyone who talked about the original version and as a result I don't really know who is closer to the original meaning. In any case, the "analysis" should still stand. Whether Dragon was commenting Sabo's firmness or admiring his resolution, Sabo's still putting on a mask, and that's the point I'm trying to break down. Enjoy!

This very specific interaction between Dragon and Sabo in chapter 1083 has always stuck out to me.

"My, you really are unshakeable."

which is an appropriate response to what Sabo said, of course. What kind of sensitive person reacts that way to the death of an innocent, right?

Even so, I can't help but compare the thing Sabo said to his actual, genuine reaction to King Kobra's death.

He's devastated.

Sabo brokenly screams Kobra's name, and his expression is one of full despair; he never thought about killing Kobra, let alone letting him die. On the contrary, he actively tried to save him.

Kobra told him to just let him go, that he was dead weight and he shouldn't be concerned about him, but Sabo straight up refused. In fact, Kobra's actions read way more as a sacrifice than an inevitable death; the king let himself die, knowing that this way Sabo could flee and reach Vivi and Luffy safely.

On the Lulusian ship, we see Sabo think about Kobra's last words to him and actively trying not to cry (and failing).

That's not an unshakable man. He's suffering, he's grieving. He realizes he failed his very own mission of saving the king and lets the meaning behind Kobra's actions and words sink in.

It really puts his former reaction into perspective.

Sabo's firmness, seriousness and coldness in front of Dragon and Ivankov are nothing but a façade. He acknowledges that what he's about to say might come off as harsh, and that, even if he does feel sorry for Kobra, the tragedy doesn't weigh him down thanks to the results it brought, but it all sounds like he's reassuring himself more than actually showing his indifference.

Hell, he even drinks his glass of wine right after having said that "he doesn't really care". How can anyone take his words seriously?

And we've been knowing Sabo is inclined to do this sort of thing since Dressrosa; he acted all cool and composed in front of Luffy but the second Koala called him on the Den Den Mushi he was weeping, having a hard time believing that his little brother didn't punch him or hate him for being alive all along. He even denied he was crying!

All because Sabo hates being seen as vulnerable, especially in front of the people he thinks he has to be strong for (Luffy, Dragon, etc). It's something I think goes back to how his parents treated him, since they scolded him for, y'know, having emotions and being a normal kid in need of love, but i digress.

I once saw someone describing Sabo as a very cold person in comparison to his brothers, even going as far as to say that Sabo doesn't care if people die if it means achieving the Revolutionary Army's goals (using this very interaction as proof), which couldn't be further away from the truth.

Bonney even says outright that it's weird seeing a "radical revolutionary" act so friendly when Sabo helps her out. Why would he do this if all he ever did was for "The Cause"?

Yes, Sabo is ruthless, rude, violent at times, and his friendly demeanor could be seen as a little more volatile than that of his brothers', but he's not heartless. He's not a "meanings to an end" guy, he proves it time and time and time again, and it's disheartening seeing people label him as such.

Sabo is kind. He may not be as warm as Ace and Luffy, but he is fundamentally a good person. A generous, kind, caring, sensitive person.

No matter how hard he tries to hide it.

this screenshot without context looks like sanji just discovered something about himself

Is law/lu proship? Why people separate this? I don’t ship it but you’re 6 person I see this in bio

i personally separate law/lu from the proship label because most people who ship it don't see it as a proship; i just like to make myself extra clear when it comes to my do not interact criteria

Would Law get along with so who isn't as intelligent as him? 🤓

i honestly don't think so, it would for sure piss him off. another reason why i like sabolaw so much is because i think their smartness level is basically the same lol

This is not a hostile question btw!!! I’m just genuinely interested. Please forgive me if this is phrased awkwardly

Why do you think buggy’s grudge against Shanks is kind of justified? Do you think Shanks is at fault in their fall out?

Thank you!

talking about shanks and buggy's breakup is always tricky to me, but i'm glad you asked this, maybe writing about it will help me reorganize my feelings on the whole thing lol

when i look at it objectively, the whole situation reads just as a big misunderstanding. both shanks and buggy weren't transparent with their feelings, but couldn't hide them anymore in a moment of great distress such as roger's execution. they were both stupid teenagers who didn't think about the other's feelings and ended up paying the price for it.

however, looking at it from a subjective point of view, i just can't help sympathizing with buggy. he always felt outshined by shanks, but he had no reason to blame him for it. buggy trusted him: he trusted his judgement, he trusted that he would do great things in the future, but most importantly, he trusted him to stay by his side and protect him, as a partner but mainly as a friend. after all, shanks was buggy's first and only friend, of course he would think of his sudden change of heart as betrayal, and that's an harsh event to recover from.

not only did buggy just witness the death of his captain, but he also had to realize shanks was failing to meet the very high standards he held him to; for people who are as emotionally dysregulated as buggy is, that's going to be really hard to come to terms with. he also had no other plans for his life besides sailing with shanks, so there's that too. his worldview was basically shattered in a matter of minutes, and that's going to be devastating for anyone.

i know shanks probably felt a very similar way in that moment, but i still feel like buggy was the one that suffered the most because he wasn't held to as high standards as shanks was, so he probably didn't feel capable to come up with a new plan for himself as easily, but also because of, well, the way buggy is. that sudden perceived betrayal completely broke him, and that's why he acts the way he does now; i think that's enough to comprehend how much shanks truly meant to him and how essential shanks was to his life. i can't help but feel bad for him because he lost the person he trusted most, the only person he felt connected enough to want by his side, the person he swallowed his pride for and abandoned all his biggest dreams for. buggy basically let shanks rob him of his future once, and now he has to experience it all over again. that's too heartbreaking for me. at this point, i would find a way to excuse literally every single one of his actions. yes, even the time he damaged luffy's straw hat. after everything buggy endured because of shanks, that's a reasonable and justified crashout to me lol.

IT'S REALLL IT'S SO REAL. ACTUALLY INSANE

i would love to share my thoughts on the shanks twin theory (which is now apparently Very Real and Very Much Not A Theory Anymore). but i will not. i will talk about it when we have more info though trust me

welcome to my blog!!!

i'm star (they/he, 22) !!! i'm new to the one piece fandom so be patient with me please ...

i will be sharing my thoughts here, i especially love analyzing characters and talking about my favorite ships!!! all my rambles will be tagged as #star yaps

please do not interact if you're a proshipper or if you ship lawlu

sanuso