Hello! I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Shanks's morality, especially with regards to Chapter 1126 (also Chapters 1079 and 1) where his crew attacked the Barto Club (also the Kid pirates and the mountain bandits). One observation is that Shanks didn't make the killing blow himself and neither did he give an explicit order to kill. But I think that if Shanks really wanted to, he could have stopped his crew from going too far. So, what do you think goes on in his head during those scenes? Did he mean for his crew to kill those people? And how does he feel about killing people to save his friends?
Thanks in advance for your answer!!!
This is such a great question! Part of what makes Shanks so interesting is how he handles conflict; he has a very even temperament, and his priorities during any dispute are always A.) the safety of those he cares about, and B.) de-escalation. A takes precedence over B, of course, which we see firsthand in the mountain bandits incident.
When Higuma breaks a bottle over his head, Shanks' initial reaction is to be concerned on Makino's behalf, and to take the burden of the conflict off her shoulders by keeping her uninvolved. It's just plain ol' good character writing, because it shows exactly the type of person he is through the subtlety of his actions. Hell, he doesn't even let her touch the broken glass, instead choosing to pick it up himself -- a great visual to sum up Shanks, who is constantly the first to clean up the mess and take responsibility, so long as no one else gets hurt. (Note that Oda draws attention to the very same hand that Shanks ends up losing when he saves Luffy... nice foreshadowing.)
Then of course we get this gem of a one-liner from Shanks, which is just so effortlessly cool. As a pirate, Shanks knows conflict better than anyone, which is why he explicitly tells Luffy not to resort to violence in situations where it is unnecessary. I really like this too, because it shows how Shanks is always walking the middle ground; he's not "above" violence, but he's not going to go around punching every guy he sees, because that proves nothing but incompetence. In a battle of egos, Shanks is the man with the level head; he knows exactly how powerful he is and refuses to stoop any lower for the sake of pride. It's not vanity -- it's just the truth.
However, when the mountain bandits target Luffy, Shanks' crew does not hesitate to use violence in order to protect him, as well as the village. Something I also find interesting is that Shanks does not lift a finger up until the brush with the sea king; his crew is always willing to step in on his behalf when needed, and this is because of who he is as a person and a leader.
Shanks is not hot-headed, but he's certainly no pushover. As an emperor, he knows what he must do when someone invades his territory and burns his flag -- otherwise, he wouldn't have territory to begin with. Note here how he mentions who specifically it would impact if he let Bartolomeo's actions slide: friends and allies. Again, in any conflict, the safety of those he cares about takes precedence. So, naturally, he has no choice but to teach them all a lesson.
As you mentioned, he did not give explicit orders to sink Bartolomeo's ship, but given the nature of Shanks' relationship with his crew, I highly doubt they would ever do something that Shanks actively disagreed with. It's really just a matter of lightening the load by handling certain matters for him. (Which is really thoughtful, actually, when you consider how bogged down by responsibility Shanks is. Gives him one less thing to worry about.)
We should also remember that this is One Piece. If Oda makes it unclear whether or not a character has survived, there's a very good chance they're alive and well. So I don't think that Yasopp was shooting to kill, and I don't think we've seen the last of Kidd or Barto either. But, hypothetically, I do think Shanks would kill to save someone he cared about if he knew there was no other way out of the conflict. While Shanks mostly aims to de-escalate, he does not hesitate to retaliate against anyone who harms friends or allies. But for Shanks, figuratively speaking, I think it's less about the act of killing and more about putting himself in the line of fire. Violence (with the intent to kill) reads as an extension of his self-sacrificial tendencies to me, because Shanks does not enjoy it.
The first time we witness any serious, violent action from Shanks, it is directly triggered by the stress/anxiety from seeing a sudden vision of his allies and crew getting blown to bits. I would say he panics, even, but others might disagree. (Check out chapter one again, though -- Shanks totally freaks out when he loses sight of Luffy, too. He loses his cool when the people he cares about are unexpectedly put in danger.)
So, if Shanks were to kill, I would imagine it would be in a very dire situation where the threat is imminent and the consequence of not acting fast enough would be many, many deaths -- or perhaps just the death of a friend/ally. Then it is likely that he would put himself in harm's way instead, either to deliver the killing blow or die trying.
...did luffy basically just debunk the "shanks and buggy see each other as brothers" theory lol
some freaky-ish sanuso for my freak sanuso enjoyers out there
I sent you an ask about shanks hiding his scars in more than the chapter you posted and I’m not sure you got it?
hi! yes i did get it, don't worry! i'm still writing my answer cause it's a bit long and in-depth, but i should post it soon if all goes well :)
thinking about little luffy being so interested in the beetles and butterflies he saw around in the woods but always frustrated bc he couldn't learn more about them. so one morning ace and sabo secretly go to a library while luffy is still sleeping to steal take some books about entomology and luffy is so so happy he hugs them so hard they can't breathe (ace complains loudly right after that but sabo can see him smiling against his shoulder when he thinks no one is watching him)
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law the hedgehog ? trafalgar d. water shadow ? shadow the surgeon of deat h ?
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.
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