Ahhh, I don't even know were to start responding - you have so many thoughtful and beautifully phrased insights here!
Loooool yes the hypocrisy is STRONG with Zoro - he grasps their similarities in some moments (like realizing that Sanji feels settled only when he's being useful) but completely misses them in others (they're both equally stubborn about accepting help, even when they desperately need it). Only at the very end does Zoro slightly, begrudgingly, realize that maybe Sanji, in jumping into that water, was doing exactly what he wants Sanji to let him do.
Oh Sanji and his rigid binaries: this man knows no other way to be. Like you said, in his eyes you're either protected or the protector. That extends to his relationship with women, but I think it also extends to his relationship with the men of the crew, whether he realizes it or not. I don't want to say too much about Whole Cake Island if you haven't gotten there yet, but that whole arc was emblematic of how much Sanji doesn't feel like he can ask for help, no matter how much or how vehemently that help is offered. If you learn that nobody will help you no matter how much you beg, at a certain point you probably just have to start feeling like nobody ever will. (But yessssssss a Zoro!Knight AU is all I need in life)
I have so many thoughts and feelings about Zoro's views of the ship's hierarchy. Like more than anyone else in the Straw Hats, he seems to have a sense of duty when it comes to Luffy. If he fails, he's failed 'his captain' as much as himself, both because he loves Luffy and because it's his duty to serve and support him well. We even see this in his reaction to Usopp leaving in Water Seven - he knows, keenly, that their crew won't function if Luffy isn't The Captain and his decisions aren't taken seriously, and refuses to budge until Usopp apologizes for breaking that contract. (Was I frustrated with Zoro while watching that arc? Yes, because I love Usopp so dearly and didn't want him to have to grovel to be taken back. But at the same time, it's such a strong piece of characterization for Zoro, and I really like what it reveals about him.) But yes exactly, that also influences Zoro's own view of his place in the crew. He too has an obligation to be what the crew needs, just like Luffy has an obligation to lead them well, just like the others have an obligation to Luffy as their captain. And he can be very self-critical about his failures - a heavy burden indeed!
I love, love your description of Zoro as a relentless steel blade, it feels very apt.
"The way that he'll try to preserve someone's dignity, because that's something that he deeply respects." yessss exactly!!!
Thank you so much for your thoughts, I loved reading all of them! (And also, I'm so sorry, I haven't read more of SVSSS yet 😭 It feels like I've had no free time to do anything for months, but hopefully this summer I'll have time again to read.)
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MithrilWren Sat 07 Jun 2025 01:03PM UTC
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