I kinda like the fandom struggling to accept that these legendarily badass crews were also utter buffoons, as we've followed a crew of utter buffoons become legendarily badass
The way Roger appeared at the start of the story, a menacing figure of legend Shrouded in Myth, is how 99% of the planet sees the Straw Hat Pirates. We only know better because we've been following that gang of goofballs for a literal quarter of a century. And now, just like that, the veil has been pulled off from Roger as well. He was always the exact same.
Shakky beat up Roger the same way that Sanji loses to any woman or how Nami beats up Luffy when he does something stupid. Its made clear that Roger is too distracted by her beauty to put up any serious fight.
The way the Kuja Pirates beauty is highlighted like this is similar to the Sanji and woman jokes. It just doesn't work for me.
Edited by burninganimefan357 on Aug 3rd 2025 at 8:15:15 AM
Yeah, Shakky beating up Roger isn't treated as something impressive to hype up Shakky. It's a gag moment.
I'm not sure how I feel about Roger being so similar to Luffy in so many aspects. I kind of liked it when Luffy had the same adventurous spirit as Roger; but, wanted to do things his own way like during the scene at Shakky's bar where the former refused to find out the One Piece. Or during Marine Ford, where we found out Roger did kill Squad's entire crew. I don't really like all the parallels between Luffy's crew and Roger's like the recent parallels between Scopper and Sanji.
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Yeah at this point that scene is WAY LESS "Luffy's a free spirited being who doesnt want his fun spoiled" but rather "Oda doesnt want the reader to know yet." And this is something that keeps and keeps on happening, over and over.
I'm not crazy about the Luffy/Zoro/Sanji = Roger/Rayleigh/Gaban parallels either, but this chapter did show ways they're (well, Luffy and Roger) different too, and I think if we get a proper flashback fleshing out Roger himself, we'll see more ways he and Luffy differ.
I think ultimately, Luffy is gonna succeed in a way Roger and Joyboy couldn't, and it'll have something to do with a way he's fundamentally different from them. That's just me theorizing.
I will have a parade for Oda if he says "Luffy is the one because he is asexual." Normally I would utterly loathe The Chosen One but asexuals are so far few and between and even fewer arent treated like "Hahaha,loser!"
As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.And this chapter wouldn't be the first time we saw Roger acting like a goofball. The flashback with Oden had a few moments of him being kind of silly, with him doing the funny run away from lightning strikes being one that stood out to me.
This manga is no stranger to "absolute badasses being hilarious, stupid, and/or hilariously stupid." Which is why I'm not surprised Roger has his share of doing stupid shit. I love it.
"I squirm, I struggle, ergo I am. Faced with death, I am finally, truly alive."I don't mind Roger doing stupid shit. That is not what I take issue with.
What I take issue with, is those fucking comparisons between Roger/Rayleigh/Gaban, and Luffy/Zoro/Sanji. Like, I get it, Oda: you want to hammer in that Luffy and them are similar to those three specific guys. But do you have to be so obvious about it?
And again, Luffy has no interest in hooking up. I'm a but confused why complaints about too many parallels are being made about a chapter that showed Roger acting in a way Luffy never would.
Yeah, if anything Roger's a fusion of Luffy and Sanji and Blackbeard (given his interest in strongarming people into joining him). Rayleigh and Gaban don't really act like Zoro and Sanji respectively either.
While the Straw Hat crew is very much a bunch of Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (ie pirates who don't actually go around stealing and raiding), the Roger Pirates were very much Pirates Who Did Shit.
Edited by M84 on Aug 3rd 2025 at 7:18:07 PM
Disgusted, but not surprisedThis chapter FINALLY EXPLAINS why would people bully Big Mom's children despite her being the absolute queen of her territory, her children did not grow up in Whole Cake, or at least not most of the eldest ones, they grew up in hachinosu.
As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.

And Shanks was one of Roger's cabin boys. He probably picked up a lot from Roger, good and bad.
Buggy by contrast seems to have learned nothing from Roger except how to get a bunch of idiots to follow you.
Disgusted, but not surprised