User blog:DancePowderer/The Smiling Man

Part 1 Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Donquixote Doflamingo has to be without a doubt one of the most interesting characters in One Piece. I have been drawn to him since he first appeared in Marineford to discuss Crocodile's replacement. I don't know what it is about him. Maybe it's the fact that his ego is as big as mine. He has to be one of the most crazy, most insane, most selfish, most diabolical, most beautifully intricate, ingenious, and astounding characters ever. Oda's answer to an SBS question about the meaning of the symbols on Ace's hat got me thinking about him again. The smiley symbol had to do with being content in accomplishing one's goal, in Ace's case, living a life without regrets. There are a few things that seem contradictory about him though. The first is his smiley symbol. It has slash mark through it, indicating that he doesn't believe in what it stands for. Yet, he told Disco "Slavery is out, smilies are in." With that alone, I would have written him off as one of the more loopy Shichibukai. It wasn't until he spoke what is without a doubt my favorite monologue in the entire series that I began to look at him more seriously:

"Pirates are evil!!? The Marines are righteous!!? These terms have changed throughout the course of history! Children who have never seen peace and children who have never seen war have different values! Those who stand at the top determine what is right and what is wrong! This very place is neutral ground! Justice will prevail, you say? But of course it will! Whoever wins this war becomes justice!!!!

This line blew me away the first time I read it, and every time since. When I tried to figure out why that was, it took me a while to figure it out. What I finally realized was Doflamingo was going mad with power that he didn't have yet. And yet, he acted like he did. I wouldn't even call that acting, he really thought he held that power in the midst of a then-undecided war. He acted as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. At first I attributed it to his ego, but then I realized I was thinking too much on the surface. The reason for his personality appears to be caused by a few things. One of them is his position in the Shichibukai. I don't blame him for that. I would get an ego if I were granted immunity like that, so why shouldn't he?

Another characteristic of his personality appears to be his relaxed demeanor. I don't mean that he is easy going or lazy, I mean that he has never been seen being bothered by anything. He shrugged the fiasco at his auction house off without a second thought, he showed no emotions when killing Moriah, and, perhaps most importantly, he didn't bat an eyelash when Oars Jr. tried to attack him. Most people would have jumped back with a shocked look on their face if a fist the size of an average house came barreling toward them. But what did Doflamingo do? He didn't even flinch when he saw Oars Jr. coming. Instead, he jumped toward the attack, laughing all the while! I know what you're thinking right now, he is a more extreme version of Luffy, but even Luffy would have had the natural reaction to dodge an attack like that, if not by brains then at least by reflex. Why would a man do something so reckless that it would make even Luffy go "Dude!?" So I have arrived at a few conclusions.

The first idea of mine is that he believes in destiny. Not just that he should follow his dream to see where it takes him, but enough to let the forces that be determine his path for him. The second idea sort of ties in with the first one. While contemplating this idea, I remembered the scene with him and the World Government official, where Doflamingo tells him that he could quit the Shichibukai any time he wants. That would be an example of him showing that he does have self-acknowledged control over his path in life, kind of contradicting my first idea and getting into the complicated section of the overall idea.

I then thought back to his ego, and how it was bigger than anything else I'd seen in the series. It makes Sanjuan Wolf look like a transponder snail. I then played The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with a few of the ideas, plus one or two irrelevant ones. Doflamingo is blond, so is Enel. Enel saw himself as a god, Doflamingo has a huge ego. GOD COMPLEX! One brought about by over-inflated ego! Then why believe in destiny if he has a god complex? That would mean that he is God controlling his own destiny. That would mean he is God controlling his own destiny. He is either chronically delusional or, it's that, coupled with a case of multiple personality disorder. I really don't want to get into multiple personality disorder right now, so let's say he is just chronically delusional. That would bring him back to his basis, Don Quixote, who had delusions of heroism and power, grandeur, and the like. Only, Doflamingo did a full 540, and has delusions of power that don't extend from heroism, but from natural malice. At this point, my ego took over, and made me think how awesome I am. This is the deepest I think I've ever analyzed an individual character. He is one of the most intricate characters to date, and I cannot wait until Oda tells us more about him. So, that's my take. Prove me wrong or tell me otherwise.