Genderbend Strawhats

Sabo Week Day 6:

Reunion/Smile

the trans representation in one piece is phenomenal actually

"I'm sure he's got nothing to do with me!" says Luffy and I was waiting for him to say it. For him to hear all of this Nika lore and declare that, nope, I don't care, I'm not Nika, I'm not a liberator. It's just such a Luffy thing to do. But I know many fans actually will be shocked with Luffy's answer here or will just dismiss it. I have seen many opinions before that Luffy was always a liberator by choice, so becoming Nika is just natural course of events for him and he will have no problem embracing his role in the bigger scheme of things. Some even complained they hate that Luffy is Nika because they don't want Luffy to be the "fated hero" but instead a "from nobody to the king of the world" trope. But nope! Luffy just noped all of this himself.

Luffy is not a liberator and he's not an altruistic hero, he doesn't go from island to island aiming to save people, and if you think he wanted to, then please remember Fishmen Island and how unhappy he was with the idea of being a hero:

And now if you think Luffy changed since then because Dressrosa happened, then please remember what he asked of Momonosuke in Wano:

Yep, that's right. Luffy still *doesn't have any interest* in becoming a hero. If you think he's alright with that and changed his mind, then you're just not paying attention to him, sorry to say that. Luffy has been pretty consistent about this too and now he declared it yet again in Elbaf. It's the third time already.

You just think it's not a big deal because he so easily changed his mind in Fishmen Island, but it happened only because he had an actual reason to do that. Jimbei promised Luffy all the meat he wants. He gave him a *personal reason* to act like a hero, which is why Luffy agreed. And he did the same in Dressrosa. He wouldn't liberate that country if he didn't get attached first to Law and Rebecca (yes, in this order), and his crew to tontattas. They always do it for someone particular, for their friends. It's the same in Wano too, Luffy's constant motivation is Tama, Momo and Kinemon. He wants them to be happy, most of all, and he even says as much when he defeats Kaido: "I want a world where all of my friends can eat as much as they like".

There, he doesn't do it altruistically because he hates oppresion and villains who thrive on pain of common people and he can't stand seeing it. Yes, he probably thinks it's unfair, but he also grew up in Goa Kingdom, the very definition of unfair regime. He saves oppressed people only when they are his friends or has some other personal interest involved. He defeats the Marine base in Shells Town for Koby (and Zoro, later). He defeats Don Krieg so he can repay his food debt to Baratie. He defeats Arlong for Nami. He fights Wapol for Chopper (who saved Nami) and who he already considers his friend because of that. He fights for the Giants (Little Garden) and Vivi (Alabasta), Conis (Skypiea), Robin (Water 7 and Enies Lobby), Brook (Thriller Bark), Hachi (Sabaody) etc. Though, he does make friends rather easily, so usually it's not that big of a deal. But he isn't going out of his way to places he reads about in the newspapers that need to be liberated, he instead cares more for his own dream. He doesn't enter a certain island with the idea in mind that goes like "if I see some injustice here, I'm gonna bring this shit down". It's the other way around. He makes friends and realizes they're unhappy.

He wants them to be happy again and to live without regrets, and that's why he brings the shit down, whatever it is that makes people he cares about feel so unhappy. Because he thinks this is at least something he can do for his friends. Luffy doesn't think he can do a lot of things, he can't do much at all, but he can do one thing: beat up a guy when needed.

He knows how regret feels like ever since he believed Sabo died, he's not gonna sit there and do nothing next time something like this happens. That's why it's so important for him, to make sure his friends are happy. And that's why he beats up people and liberates countries. It's not for justice, he simply wants his friends to be happy.

But wait a moment, Luffy also wants freedom. Yes, he does. He wants to be the King of the Pirates, because for him it means to be free. And that's how he actually speaks about Nika as well:

He wants the freedom for himself. Isn't it funny that he thinks he already achieved it though?

And before you're disgusted by how selfish Luffy actually is, hear me out: Luffy is simply not a martyr. He won't die or sacrfice himself for the world to liberate it. He will instead die for the world if he thinks that will make his friends happy. Preferably though, he would want to survive and eat that meat with them, and be happy together.

Still, if you want him to be a liberator of a whole world it is actually possible, you just need to make it personal for Luffy, like I suggested. For example, put a person or multpile people who want to save/destroy the world (whichever option you fancy) on Luffy's crew. Luffy always cares for dreams of his crewmates and will always support them (because fullfilling their dreams will make them happy), so he would become a liberator if that helps them. But he would do it for them, not for the world.

Luffy is not a hero because he has a golden heart and a strong sense of justice. He's a hero when his friends are in danger instead, because instead of a golden heart, he simply has a big heart and makes friends wherever he goes. A martyr-like hero who sacrfices himself for people without caring for his own wellbeing is noble, but it's also not a healthy mentality, believe it or not. For starters, if you never care enough for yourself and are ready to throw your life away for a concept, what will happen with people who love you and care for you? Is it fair towards them to throw your life away without caring who you're leaving behind and how they will feel about it? Do you even care then for their feelings if your pursuit of greater good is more important to you? You can save the world and make people you love sad and unhappy, and like they don't even care anymore to live, because you were the one who made them happy and now you're gone. Did you save the world for them or destroyed it for them instead, as the result?

Luffy has his own interest in saving his friends too: so he's not alone again. Humans aren't selfless beings, but it doesn't automatically make us bad people either. And sometimes, while pursuing selfish things, we do something that appear to be extremely selfless. But at the bottom of it: we also do it for themselves, even if it kills us.

Tokyo Babylon taught me that every act is selfish, even if it appears like we do it for someone else: we simply want to feel better about ourselves then. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as we don't lose the sight of other people's feelings on our way. We can always share, after all, and that sharing is the bridge between the lone islands that people are.

Luffy, if he dies, will also say, just like Seishiro: "I didn't do it for you. I did everything by my own choice". For myself. Despite the fact it is also true he does it to make his friends happy. Being selfish and being selfless is like two sides of the same coin and both choices can end up actually hurting people. In the first case, because you care too much about yourself and too little about feelings of others, and in second case because you care too little about yourself and still too little about feelings of people that love and care for you. Can you spot the thing in common here?

14 dazai from last year i forgot to post 🤧

Doing my usual "lets go back and read random BSD chapters" and I can't help but notice how different Fyodor is now to when he was first introduced.

I've made a few posts pointing out how Fyodor and Dazai have similar panels, but I'm starting to think he's actually mimicking Dazai's mannerisms on purpose now.

I don't have a lot of canon proof other than, ~a feeling~, I get looking at him, so consider this a headcanon rather than a theory.

Warning Manga spoilers under the cut!

Like, Fyodor, why does this keep happening??? Fyodor's versions of these poses also all happen later in the manga than Dazai's versions.

Now, there's the argument that Fyodor wasn't there for half of these, but we do know he's a hacker and he was obsessed with Dazai for a time. I do believe he would just sit there watching Dazai's movements on cameras to learn his patterns and habits in the name of defeating him.

Compare how he holds himself now, to how he did when he was first introduced.

He's a shut in who bites his nails, doesn't take care of his posture or appearance. He's so used to being behind the curtains he's off putting to be directly around.

Whereas Dazai is a chameleon, he blends in anywhere he goes. If I was an immortal so out of touch with my own humanity and basic identity, I probably pick someone to mimic their behaviours too.

Ironic that he choose the man who doesn't consider himself human to learn from.

I'm also drawn to this panel specifically.

(Very suspicious choice of words there, considering the current manga arc, but I digress)

Typically when we think of vampires, we think of blood sucking immortals, but the vampire we have in BSD is based of Dracula. Dracula specifically poses the question of "What if vampires stole who you are as well?". The idea that you can't consume someone's very life without having their soul linger on with you.

The Count learns to blend in with modern society through Johnathan, from learning from him and by feeding off him. Mina, Renfield and Lucy all slowly lose who they are the more influence the Count has over them.

This panel says he's soulless, he's 'empty', he's a vampire waiting to steal someone else's soul to fill him up. Now, that could be a hint at what his ability turned out to be, but it could also mean how he's mimicking Dazai.

But why mimic Dazai?

Well, simply put, he was the only one Fyodor saw as an equal and we know he wanted a companion who he considered to be his equal. So why not make himself more like the man he wants at his side. To obtain Dazai, he became Dazai.

Problem is Dazai hates himself, he also seems to dislike any character that's convinced they are the same. (Note: Not characters Dazai sees himself in, like Atsushi, but characters who insist to him that they are the same, like Mori and Fyodor)

It was a doomed plot from the start.

However, Dazai is no longer his goal. Atsushi is. Fyodor knows Atsushi greatly admires Dazai, so continuing to mimic Dazai's mannerisms to connect them together in Atsushi's mind could be part of his plan now.

i feel like some people are missing the point of these "deaths" a little. like i know the previous arc's death baits don't help my point but i really don't think anyone is suppose to read the ADA deaths as permanent .. especially since fyodor and atsushi don't even do that. they both acknowledge the page and how to can undo everything. the point isn't for this to be the end of these characters stories but to use them show how 1) atsushi handles the intense trauma and stress of watching his family die in front of him and the pressure on him to get the page and undo it and 2) see how atsushi handles this situation since this is one of the few times he is completely on his own with no assistance, no plans and no fall back options.

now obviously i know akutagawa will likely get back into the fight too because of the s5 ending but id still say a lot of this is very reliant on atsushi since this isn't the same akutagawa he knows.

i mean, fukuzawa literally says this

i know many people aren't enjoying this arc, they want skk back, they want back smaller scale conflicts, they want the ADA dynamics back, but people have also wanted atsushi to take back his place as the MC and this is setting up such a perfect opportunity to show atsushi's strength.

Bsd chapter 122 - translation

(this translation may be incorrect, so if you read this remember to check the official translation! This post only has the pages with dialogue, also, read from left to right)

Dazai: Think about it. It's what people do to remember the past.

Atsushi: H-here is... the agency?!

Dazai: Physical distance doesn't matter in the fourth dimension.

Dazai: To get from point A to point B on this sheet in the quickest way... what should be done?

Atsushi: ? Go in a straight line, of course...

Dazai: Normally, but we are in a higher dimension.

Dazai: Just do it like this.

Dazai: It is possible to intercept all the places here... and attack the origin point, which is ame-no-gozen.

Atsushi: Will you do the same with me?

Dazai: If you understood, let's fly.

Dazai: Focus.

Atsushi: Dazai-san! You...!

Dazai: Just look...

Past Dazai: I want to recruit you for the Port Mafia

Akutagawa: Jinko...

Akutagawa: Why did... you protect me?

Dazai: I want to recruit you for the Port Mafia

Akutagawa: Why am I... remembering this now?

Akutagawa: I just... hated... this world that let my street friends die for nothing.

Akutagawa: I wanted revenge... for being born into this world.

Dazai: If you're ready... I'll give you what you want.

Akutagawa: What I want? Are you... able to give me a meaning to live?

Dazai: I am.

Atsushi: Akutagawa...

Dazai: It's taking too long to activate your ability! You won't survive like this in the organization!

Akutagawa: I didn't feel any pain. Dazai-san was the one who gave me a meaning to live. But...

Akutagawa: ...He disappeared without any explanation

Akutagawa: And when we met again, he had a new subordinate.

Dazai: "My new subordinate is much better than you"

Akutagawa: Jinko! Jinko! Jinko! Jinko!

Akutagawa: Feeling humiliated and resentful… I feared I would never be accepted. This motivated my heart. And I bet everything on the tiger's execution.

Akutagawa: And then.. then...

Akutagawa: Fool... go now

Dazai: We arrived.

Dazai: The true body of the god is beyond this door.

Atsushi: Where are we?

Atsushi: It's big. And it's completely sealed…

Atsushi: It doesn't work, it's too heavy. It doesn't even move.

Orphanage director: You stupid brat. No one will save you.

Orphanage director: You don't deserve to live.

Dazai: I can only get you this far.

Atsushi: Thank you. I couldn't have gotten this far alone.

Dazai: I was the one who called you to the agency. Who brought you into a dangerous world. It's the least I can do.

Atsushi: No. You are not Dazai-san.

Atsushi: Because of the nullification ability… he couldn't become an illusion and talk to me. And you sometimes… didn't behave like Dazai-san.

Atsushi: You thought I wouldn't listen to you… if it wasn't in this form, didn't you?

Atsushi: You're right…

Atsushi: Director. When your illusion disappeared… I started seeing Dazai-san. Then…

Director: It was… the only way.

Director: I don't have… the right to talk to you. That's why…

Atsushi: You are just a shadow… created as a consequence of Q's ability.

Director: Yes. The real me is already dead. But…

Atsushi: Enough. I don't want to talk to you.

Atsushi: It's no use. It's not moving at all. But… if I don't defeat the god behind this door, everyone will…

Happy birthday to the queen!!❤️‍🔥🩷🌹👑🫶🏻💫✨️

Chuuya ☾ Nakahara -> April 29th

All this talk about love makes me sure this guy is going to fight Sanji