Source
r/OnePiece•
Caligula

An amazing quote that I feel most people over look

Way back when, when Luffy was fighting Arlong he said probably my favorite quote from the entire series. He said " I may not be able to navigate, I may not be able to use swords, I may not be able to cook and I can't tell lies but I can kick your ass!" After which Arlong called him a shitty captain for lowering himself like that. To me that quote symbolizes one of the greatest strengths of one piece in that unlike pretty much every other shounen every character has a role. In Bleach and Naruto every character is there only to help grow or support the main protagonist in some way because the only useful trait is strength. In one piece each character has differing levels of strength but they all still serve another purpose to the crew as a whole. Just my two cents, let me know what you think.

  • Forgot to add this also the reason that everyone on his crew has such faith in him. Because he believe in them and their strength in their respective roles just as much.

Posted Dec 27, 2013, 7:59 AM UTC · edited

11336
Brook420•

I always thought this was one of the more memorable quotes from Luffy. Might just be me though.

47
Doublecaster•

I remember this quote everytime when someone argues about "Who would win Luffy vs. ?". Luffy doesn't have to win against people like Mihawk and Shiliew, that's why he has Zoro in his crew.

33
xFoeHammer•

I don't like that because it's essentially saying Swordsman are simply superior to fist fighters. Which is obviously true in real life but I don't think it's true in One Piece. I think at a certain point of strength, the advantage of blade vs skin becomes much less significant.

With strong Haki and Luffy's speed, he should be able to fight those people. It wouldn't be the first time Luffy fought and defeated someone with blades. Kuro, Buggy, Arlong, Lucci(rankyaku).

-7
Dinis5•

I think he means that Zoro has the role of swordsman in the crew therefore it's his job to fight other swordsmen. Otherwise how will he ever become the strongest swordsman? The whole point is that the crew helps each other fulfill their dreams.

13
xFoeHammer•

I know what Luffy meant.

What I was replying to was "Luffy doesn't have to win against people like Mihawk and Shiliew, that's why he has Zoro in his crew."

Sounds an awful lot like he was saying Luffy has Zoro because he can't defeat those guys.

Am I wrong? Is that not the implication here? And does that not imply that swordsmen are simply the superior fighters in general?

-1
CyberFreq•

Well, strictly speaking luffy can beat damned near anyone but swordsmen have an advantage because he's still vulnerable to bladed weapons. It's not saying they're better than he is, but recognizing that they hold an advantage over him and countering with his own world class swordsman.

2
GentlemanPoro•

Well, it would just make more sense to put Zoro against them. Plus he needs to beat them if he wants to be the greatest swordsman

1
DyceFreak•

Plus he needs to beat them if he wants to be the greatest swordsman

that's not entirely true. Mihawk never beat Shanks yet he's still considered the greatest swordsman.

1
ShadowCow127•

I know they used to spar, but is it actually stated that Mihawk never beat him?

1
meh100•

That's not it at all. At most, it's a rock paper scissors sort of thing. Scissors isn't simply superior to paper, because scissors has a disadvantage against rock while paper does not. In OP, swords are like scissors and Luffy's rubber ability is like paper. Luffy is weak against cutting, but on the other hand he was the only one in his crew capable of taking out Enel or Crocodile and some other guys.

1
xFoeHammer•

How is it rock paper scissors if Melee fighters like Luffy and Garp have no advantage over anyone? There is absolutely no disadvantage to using swords and no advantage to using fists. Luffy vs Enel was a special case.

But Haki levels the playing field by making your defense stronger(by hardening your body) and allowing you to dodge more effectively.

I don't believe that Zoro fights the swordsmen because Luffy can't. He fights them because he wants to hone his skill as a swordsman.

2
meh100•

How is it rock paper scissors if Melee fighters like Luffy and Garp have no advantage over anyone?

Luffy has advantages in certain fights, not melee fighters in general. Luffy is better equipped than Zoro for most fights. However, against swordsmen, Zoro is better equipped because Luffy is at such a disadvantage.

1
Captain_Usopp•

A similar sort of thing happened at the end of Punk Hazard, Spoiler

26
Brook420•

I loved that scene, especially since I think it's when Law also started to trust Luffy's crew.

2
Osiris_X3R0•

That's one of my favorite things about Luffy. He believes in all of them. And he trusts all of them with his life. He didn't care that Nami stole their ship, or Usopp fought with him and left the crew on a pipe dream to save Merry, or that Robin and Franky were once his enemies. Once Straw Hat Luffy takes a liking to you, there's no turning back. So buckle up, Spanky, it's going to be a bumpy night.

14
ChopperTheDoc•

No I definitely agree with you, this puts into perspective each crew members importance to the Strawhats, and how much Luffy values all of his Nakama.

13
GamesYouCantWin•

I also love, that he didn´t just say it. He backed it up, by attacking arlong with swords, giving him self a handicap, just to prove a point.

9
typesett•

Agree. I read the series for all the characters but I especially love Robin. She has her own storyline in which she levels up and performs her role as a archaeologist.

6
SpentGladiator•

That quote was when I knew for sure that this was a great story, and was the point at which I sold my soul to Oda.

4
jalford312•

I don't think people over look this one.

4
T3Deliciouz•

So basically, Luffy follows Kamina's moto of believe in the me who believes in you.

1
kingmage27•

You're saying that in naruto and bleach each character is only there to promote the protagonist and that in one piece its different. I think you're wrong about this because in Naruto we see Naruto helping many of the other characters develop. He helps Neji find himself. He helps gaara become normal. And he tries to help Sasuke the whole time.

0