Your personal Tumblr journey starts here
just another trope I'd like to see more of.
feral person A with leash holder person B, except, hear me out, it's not in the 'i own you' or 'i control you' kinda way.
it's in the way where person B is fully aware of how feral person A is...and simply shows them who to direct it on, gives them something to protect, gives them a target, the leash is just for show, just to let people know where the demon person A was sent from.
imagine in a fight or something and person A is holding back either not fighting and being somewhere else or not fighting at their full ability, only to get a nod from person B and everyone just goes "oh...shit" and person A is just like a switch, the leash has been dropped but in all honesty the leash was just there for show, for person A to find their way back like some giant bloodthirsty cat dropping off their prey proudly. and person B? you'd expect them to give person A a telling off, a lesson on morals at least...but no, they pat A's head proudly and praise them, tell them that they did such a good job
"look at you! you only killed five of the guys we needed alive!"
Everyone be lookin at person B like ' bitch get yo dawg' while person B is actively encouraging person A to be even more feral. (they probs think it's hot)
something to add with the whole food motivation, yknow the ark when the crew are on an island full of bounty hunters that are literally tricking them and trying o kill them?
He legit fights his own second in command...because they fed him. Like, he full on ignores anything zoro is saying and is fighting him and getting all pissed off because they gave him food so they definitely cant be trying to hurt them.
i dunno if thats because luffy is just oblivious or what but he is definitely motivated by food lol
Luffy not wanting to be viewed as a hero is actually so important to me. Because while the first reasoning we get for this is him not wanting to share his food
We also learn later on that Luffy also doesn't want to be viewed as a savior, nor does he ever want to present himself as such. He doesn't want to be placed on a pedestal or (ironically) be deified by the people he helps.
At the end of Fishman island, he was fully ready to leave without fanfare because he did not want to be treated by the people in that way, and only agrees to stay because he is promised food. The same thing happens at the end of Wano, where he refuses to take any credit for the downfall of Kaido and instead simply enjoys the festival with everyone else.
I cannot overstate how much I love this decision for Luffy as a character. It is incredibly common for stories like Fishman Island and Wano to have the main character swoop in and save the oppressed people, with said character being to sole person to rally them and "teach" them how to fight back. We don't get that with Luffy.
In Fishman Island, he tells the people that its up to them to decide whether or not he is their friend or foe instead of swooping in playing the role of the hero. In Wano, he understands to importance of who begins the fight with Kaido, and stands back to let the Red Scabbards (Wano natives) get the first major hit on Kaido
Even in the prison when Luffy gives his speech, he is asking the people to let him help, to have faith that they and their country can be free again, to fight for the freedom that had been cruelly stripped away from them. And even then, it is Momo and members of the Red Scabbards that fully restore the Udon prisoners faith.
Hell, we even see this all the way back in Arlong Park, where Luffy waits to take action until Nami asks him for help. He doesn't come in guns blazing and save her like some sort of white knight, but instead waits for Nami's go ahead, placing the power in her hand.
It's just such a refreshing way of seeing a protagonist in this type of story be portrayed. To have him understand the importance of the people he fight's side by side with, and not place himself as the fixer of all problems, but rather as an aid to these people (often times an aid that they explicitly asked for). It actively rejects the white savior/white knight trope(s) and allows for the people native to the island to have agency in these large battles instead of being sidelined. It is their lives and stories that are centered as being the most important in these moments, and Luffy is simply there to help them.