User blog comment:Fliu/Chapter 980: This Is Where the Fun Begins/@comment-29391896-20200525133213/@comment-108.83.222.210-20200527225246

Your defense of Luffy makes excellent points. I would add that on the Subject of Caesar Clown I have seen a number of similar situations. In one anime the main characters found themselves against opponents with abilities that they did not understand (actually on a number of occasions that was the case). In the one I am describing every time they were attacked then ended up flat on their butts. The nature of the attacks meant that they didn't even have much indication that an attack was coming until it struck them. Once they figured out how the abilities worked the battle became much simpler. As far as the statement on Rob Lucci goes there really was nothing else he could do at that point. Was he supposed to jump back into the water and swim to them to get them out? He can't swim, this manga has made that brutally clear and he would have had no one to get him out of the water if he tried swimming. Regarding the smart choices point this is something that every protagonist both of this type and in general faces. Usually the smart option is the one to avoid their journey or trial altogether. That is why so many protagonists are often mocked as being foolish by those deemed more realistic. The realistic options for Luffy in the beginning would have been as you said. Either become a marine despite the fact that eventually his link to Dragon would have caused problems or become like Buggy and Bellamy and focus on attacking those two weak to fight him and too unimportant for the world government to notice him. The marine option would have left him with regrets that he would likely hold for the rest of his life regardless of any actions he took or justifications for actions not taken. A lifetime is a long time for regrets to fester and he is like in the sense that he doesn't want to live with regrets. The intelligent way to deal with the warlords and the Yonko would be to wait for them to kill each other or just die off. He has the time after all. Similarly Zoro could easily have chosen to take the path of becoming the world's strongest swordsman by waiting for age to take away Mihawk's strength. He knows Mihawk is not immortal and so does Mihawk. As for Buggy himself he has come this far because he decided to pursue Luffy for revenge unwilling to believe that a rookie pirate he has never heard of could destroy his control over the town he owns. If he had never met Luffy would he still be there terrorizing those who cannot fight back ever desiring the treasures he seeks but unwilling to take the risk to grab them? One cannot move forward in life without risks. In another manga which I believe is another of the old Big Three along with One Piece a character was too cautious. In Bleach I believe this character came across a protagonist Renji if I recall correctly while he was sleeping and did not attack him. He did this because he assumed that Renji had set up a trap and despite having the capability to attack from a safe distance or use him power to render him helpless he did not do so. He was unwilling to take even the very smallest risk that anything could possibly go wrong and thus lost an opportunity. Look at the Yonko. They have been trapped in a stalemate for decades because they are worried (rightly so) that any move made against another Yonko or the world government could provoke the other Yonko or the world government to move against them. So they are seeking ways to shift the power balance to the point where they are absolutely certain of victory. Big Mom thought that gaining the alliance of the giants would have allowed her to deal with Shanks, Kaido, and even Whitebeard and become the pirate king. Losing that has since been a very sore point as we witnessed. Likewise the government is similarly worried about the Yonko potentially gathering together to defeat them either in an alliance or in response to an attack on another Yonko. Thus their attempts to build up their strength. Thus their reliance on a group of pirates called the Seven Warlords of the Sea who until recently were a replaceable group of villains under their jurisdiction. Both sides are paralyzed and Luffy has the advantage of not being stuck in this fashion. I would like to point out that in following the "foolish" paths that they have, the Strawhats have made great strides moving forward. Not to mention they have many allies who support them. An army for a grand fleet born of their reckless attempt to defeat Doflamingo rather then choosing to try and leave Dressrosa. A number of kingdoms who own them debts and many other allies besides that. So far being reckless and "stupid" seems to have gotten them more help and traction then most pirates do. Partly because they do not act like typical pirates. Most pirates would do something like this only with the promise of a reward usually something of a valuable monetary nature. Most pirates would kill, steal, and destroy freely for treasure, supplies, or just for fun. Most pirates would happily abandon their allies and crewmembers the moment they were no longer considered "useful". Luffy is not like that. This is why he has so many people supporting him. He serves as a contrast to the pirates and the more corrupt aspects of the world government. He is unlike those who greet with smiles and handshakes and yet hide daggers behind their backs. He is open and honest about who he is and the other Strawhats are the same. They honestly seek to support each other in spite of there difficulties and will even give up their lives and dreams if need be to ensure that the others can fulfill theirs. I admire these aspects of Luffy. It may seem foolish to like him for these traits but I do. If that makes me a fool then I am a fool and I will gladly say that there are worse things in life then being an honest fool.