Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is one of the very few series that challenges the norms of society by portraying the pirates as the heroes of the series. From Gol D. Roger to Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece has always focused on how the perspective of the majority of the pirates is right, while the high-rankers of the Navy are the villains of the story.
However, for the first time, this perspective of Oda has been challenged by the recently released episode of One Piece Fan Letter, which is the adaptation of the One Piece novel Straw Hat Stories created by Tomohito Ohsaki, which focuses on the perspective of normal people who are not pirates but are still affected by the actions of the Straw Hat crew.
The One Piece Fan Letter episode was recently released, and while it portrayed the Straw Hat Pirates through an intriguing perspective, it also showed how Roger’s announcement of the Great Pirate Era became a big problem for others. This in a way questions Luffy’s character as the hero of One Piece.
One Piece Fan Letter Shows The Reality of the Pirate World
Although the main narrative of One Piece Fan Letter follows the story of a young girl who is inspired by Nami’s character and wants to see him, there are other small plots as well that focus on other characters. One of those plots revolves around two brothers who are in the Navy and were present during the Paramount War in the Marineford arc.
When the war broke out, the two were part of the cavalry that fought the pirates, but both got involved in dangerous situations multiple times. A flashback showed that initially they were stuck under Oars Jr.’s body. Somehow they managed to get out of it, but once again got ruled between the battle of Mihawk vs. Crocodile.
The main emphasis of the plot is on the fact that the events of the pirate world adversely affect normal people, and they have to suffer because of it. While the two brothers were Navy soldiers and were just following their duty, they had no involvement in the grand scheme of the One Piece war but still had to bear the weight of it.
Is Luffy Really a Hero?
Since the beginning of One Piece, the narrative has only focused on Luffy and his dream to become King of the Pirates. The struggles he had to go through have put him in a good light, as fans can relate to him and develop a connection with him.
This is exactly why I made the ‘is luffy evil?’ video. Not to say he is. But to challenge our biases on how we view morality. We are inherently biased to the pirate perspective because of the mc, but once you shift it, even a bit,you realise the horror everyone else experiences https://t.co/6QMMtqSdDO
— Phantom (@ThePhantomStra5) October 21, 2024
But the impact of his actions and his journey on others has never been shown because it might lead to fans doubting his character.
Events like the Paramount War, where Luffy mostly cares about what he thinks is right, generally cause a big problem for the normal people around him. This is a dilemma that almost every other series or movie faces, as not everyone relates from the perspective of the protagonist.
But in Luffy’s case, the morality of the situation cannot be questioned because most of his actions have led to the help and liberation of other people. Be it the battle at Fish-Man Island or the Onigashima War, Luffy has always sided with the people who have suffered the most in One Piece and helped them get justice.
One Piece Fan Letter is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
