Why Marineford Is The Greatest Manga Arc of All Time

there may never again be an arc-like marine ford  not just in one piece but in manga in general   as much as people to this day praise marine  ford as the most epic and most heartbreaking   arc in one piece the full vision behind this  storyline is criminally underappreciated   not just in how long it took to set  up not just in how it was executed   but the countless threads of storytelling that  came together all at once in a way that i've yet   to see any other work of fiction come even close  to replicating and to fully understand what i mean   i'm going to first talk about marine forward  from a writing standpoint purely as a writing   feat what oda actually accomplished in terms  of story structure and narrative mastery   constructing the entire first 600 chapters of one  piece around this climactic finish before then   getting into the deeper themes and heavy symbolism  that set the foundation for the rest of the series marine forward was all about luffy and the way it  reframed luffy's entire journey to pirate king is   the most important element of the arc to break  down however before we get to luffy we actually   first need to start with zorro and you'll see why  in a bit when we first meet zoro he is a big fish   in a small pond a notoriously strong swordsman the  terror of east blue who easily defeats anyone who   comes up against him zoro has a burning drive to  become the world's strongest swordsman it is all   that he truly cares about and he absolutely  believes that he has what it takes to be the   strongest and by all accounts it looks like he  does have the strength to back up his ambition   until he meets mihawk and 50 chapters into the  story suddenly zorro's entire perception of the   world of himself and of his dream is shattered in  this moment zoro is forced to come to terms with   the fact that he is not the man he thought he was  everything that he prided himself on everything   that he believed he could achieve has been  brutally stomped on in this moment zorro is broken   and it is from this moment that he is then forced  to pick up the pieces and get back up humbled but   with a greater understanding of what he actually  needs to become in order to achieve his ambition   so from here the true character journey of  roronoazoro can begin and we see it regularly   throughout the series from this point on rather  than following a man who believes he is already   good enough to be the world's strongest swordsman  we are now following a man who is constantly   pushing himself to get closer and closer to  becoming the world's strongest swordsman this   type of moment is of course not unique to zoro for  main characters of any series manga or not you can   expect some sort of moment that breaks the hero a  moment that spurs a change in their character or   at least their goals or maybe their understanding  of the world a moment where they do not win   and are forced to experience a low point in  their journey in plenty of series characters will   experience this multiple times across multiple  story arcs zorro had his moment 50 chapters in   and luffy luffy had his moment 500 chapters  in and that is the first reason that there is   really no storyline like maureen ford because in  no other series is there a main character who has   been handled like luffy for 500 chapters luffy was  written as the miracle man like the sun traveling   from east to west luffy was frequently portrayed  as the light of hope moving across the sea   encountering those who were oppressed or in  need and acting as the answer to their prayers   luffy was not written as a character who needed  to regularly fall short and learn lessons as a   large part of the point of luffy was that he was  always himself and he was the one who had to show   the light to others he encountered that's not to  say that luffy never had to grow he of course had   his own personal arcs over time but the concept  of the character has always been the embodiment   of freedom and strength of will continually  proving that if there is a will there is a way   which is why it was so important that luffy always  succeeded tasks that seemed impossible to the   helpless citizens of troubled islands obstacles  that seemed insurmountable to ordinary people   tyrants that seemed too powerful for anyone to  possibly overcome always always always luffy   would prove everyone's expectations wrong in  the end shellstown orangetown syrup village   baratier arlong park little garden drum kingdom  alabasta skypia water 7 thriller bark just over   and over how many times do we see the same setup  of helpless islanders in need of one man who can   do what none of them can it is always always luffy  who is the savior in the end and that's not to say   he never lost it would be terrible to follow  a series where the main character never loses   but there's an important distinction here a  true defeat for a character usually involves   them having to face the sense that they have  lost something or forces them to actually   come to terms with not succeeding or makes them  experience potentially long-term consequences   but luffy's losses were different luffy's losses  actually only somehow reinforced this notion of   him being this miracle man as no matter what  happened to him it did not matter as he always   immediately bounced back never shaken never  disheartened any single setback only had him   come back stronger over 500 chapters we never once  saw luffy lose hope we never once saw luffy feel   that he could not defeat someone with enough  effort we never once saw luffy truly have to   acknowledge the limits of his abilities no matter  how badly someone beat him it had no effect   crocodile put it best over and over he has crushed  luffy impaled him stomped him buried him alive and   yet here luffy is again back as usual as though  nothing happened luffy's spirit his confidence his   belief literally never wavers time and again he  keeps trying till through sheer grit determination   and strength of will he does what others believed  to be impossible and as the world kept opening   up so too did luffy's victories become more  staggering more unbelievable it didn't matter who   the opponent was taking down a warlord of the sea  going up to heaven and defeating god himself even   declaring war on the entire world and coming out  on top as usop reflects postmarine forward what we   had been shown over 500 chapters was a seemingly  unstoppable character he expresses what we had all   begun to feel like luffy really could do anything  that no challenge was too great for him in the end   so essentially 500 chapters of a one-of-a-kind  hero who's hardly written like a man but again   more like a force of nature the embodiment of  freedom and strength of will traveling across   the world bringing the light of hope wherever he  goes the ultimate savior the miracle man the one   you always bet on no matter what at the end of  the day luffy would find a way to end whatever   injustice was occurring and then we get to the  red line literally and figuratively luffy is   finally about to come up against a wall something  is going to happen to this main character that   seemed previously inconceivable precisely because  of how oda wrote luffy for the 500 chapters up   till this point luffy who has been traveling  through the seas for so long with so much   success despite all of the warnings and claims  about the dangers of the grand line disregarding   the supposed impossibility of the path to pirate  king now halfway through his journey it is finally   time for luffy to experience the true level of the  world and the truth about his dream it is finally   time to break him the red line as the very  deliberate first visual to begin the marine   ford saga is a wall so vast so daunting so  seemingly unscalable a wall where you cannot   even imagine the top as luffy himself is about  to experience a metaphorical wall much like this now how do you break a hero like luffy the sabodi  incident theoretically should have been enough   it would have been enough for most stories  and for most protagonists that entire scene   of kuma vanishing the straw hats one by one is  heartbreaking on its own luffy losing every single   comrade that he is so painstakingly collected over  this long journey friend after friend lost as he   helplessly watches and it finally affects luffy  in a way that we have never seen throughout the   500 chapters we've known him even in the past  incidents where we've seen luffy falling short   where he is struggling to protect his crew  or people he cares about he has always still   been the luffy that we know still fighting and  demanding that the villains stop but now finally   against kuma there is truly nothing that he can do  now finally the fearless unshakeable protagonist   is truly helpless and he's not resolute he's  not confident he's not demanding he's begging   he's pleading for kuma to stop here for the  first time he realizes that there is nothing   he can actually do for the first time luffy is  forced to experience the limits of his strength   and abilities this hits so hard as luffy is a  main character who has never once questioned   himself over the entirety of the narrative of one  piece he's been uncertain of what to do but never   uncertain of who he is and this moment leaves  luffy questioning himself for the first time in   the series for the first time he is questioning  himself what is wrong with him we'll return to   this moment in a bit but just keep in mind that  this is the first time in the series that the   protagonist questions himself however this is  not enough and oda recognizes it's not enough   oda has spent 500 chapters writing luffy as  the miracle man with an unbreakable spirit   for a hero that has built up such a ridiculous  streak of continuous victories and impossible   successes like luffy this hero needs to be broken  far more severely to do the trick and so while the   sabodi incident may have been enough to make luffy  question himself for a hero built up as much as   luffy it would not be enough to break his spirit  as traumatic as this experience is as expected   luffy bounces back yet again even after he's sent  flying from sabodi he still believes that one   day he will defeat everyone who just beat them  and he has his confidence back in amazon lily   so oda sets luffy back on his feet again luffy  seems to have lost his crew but thankfully   it seems like everyone is likely fine and sure  luffy was defeated but he can still fix all this   only now we find out that there's a far more dire  situation luffy's brother's life is on the line   we've already seen how much luffy loves ace and  this time it's not like when kuma just teleported   his crew away ace is going to be executed if  luffy does not save him so this is a crucial   point to understand throughout the entirety of the  series this is the single most personal scenario   luffy has ever had on his hands so often luffy is  fighting for the sake of his friends coming into   their lives and fighting on their behalf to save  what is important to them only now for the first   time luffy is on his own and he has to actually  save what is important to him possibly the closest   person he has in the entire world his brother and  this is where oda's 500 chapters of world building   come into play in that for so long the strides  have been sailing in a sort of protected   bubble where they keep briefly encountering these  otherworldly undefeatable threats that thankfully   don't bother them for too long we keep hearing  about the great powers of the world that are   looming in the distance that luckily they don't  have to deal with yet and then all of a sudden out   of the blue oda does the unimaginable and reveals  that we are going to get all of them all at the   same time all the admirals all the shichibukai all  the marines every titanic terrifying undefeatable   monster that oda has built up over the course of  500 chapters suddenly they are all coming out to   play and specifically they're all coming out  to kill ace it's like oda took forever to set   up these major threats bit by bit in the reader's  mind taking the time to maximize our anticipation   for each character individually and then all of  a sudden went all in and pushed them all onto   the board at once while dropping luffy's helpless  brother right in the middle that is how you create   an absolutely nerve-wracking edge of your seat  scenario every single colossal threat that seemed   so far away is suddenly an immediate impending  calamity converging all around the person luffy   cares about the most creating a challenge  of exponentially greater stakes for our main   character than anything else in his journey so far  every single time luffy has done the impossible in   the story till now every single time he has proven  himself unbreakable unstoppable the very essence   of who he is is now going to be put on the test  on a completely different scale than ever before   with the consequences of failure being far greater  than ever before and it starts with impel down   where again oda's world building comes into play  for the setup much like the admirals and the yonko   and the great threats of the world impel down  has been built up as this inescapable fortress   with the any sloppy arc serving to cement the name  impel down in our minds as essentially meaning the   point of no return and so yet again luffy attempts  to take on the impossible for the hundredth time   in the story breaking in and out of impel down  which is framed repeatedly throughout one piece   as essentially being hell itself so for the sake  of his brother luffy literally descends into hell   and even here he continually manages to surpass  expectations fighting to get deeper and deeper   until he runs into the devil himself and despite  luffy going all out using his abilities to the   fullest with ace's life on the line even giving  up his own hands if that's what it takes to win   this fight here yet again we see luffy fail sabote  was not enough yet again when luffy went all out   when it mattered the most he fell completely and  utterly short but this is still not enough is it   luffy never falls down forever he always bounces  back he literally always finds a way because as   we are told miracles come to those who never give  up luffy is lucky enough to fall into the hands of   the miracle worker ivankov and even she cannot  save luffy alone even she can only give luffy   a two to three percent chance of survival the  only thing sustaining him is his own willpower   and so then for literally 20 hours straight his  body is destroyed and rebuilt with luffy barely   clinging on to life through sheer willpower  he actually loses 10 years of his life anyway   and yet despite all that once again thanks to his  unbreakable spirit he is once again able to pull   off yet another miracle as he has so many times  throughout the story this time the most extreme   of all he is somehow alive after being killed by  the devil and buried in the deepest levels of hell   and yet here he is back up and ready to actually  break out of hell to save ace and so now yet   again luffy has experienced absolute defeat and  has pushed through with an unbreakable spirit   and yet again he is coming back full force with  absolute determination and he legitimately does   overturn hell itself for the sake of saving his  brother and now he's headed to marine ford where   he will be nothing more than an ant in a storm  as nearly every single god tier character that we   know in the story so far is engaging in all-out  war there a single pacifista that luffy could   not defeat is a mere foot soldier in this battle  of monsters and here we see him so ridiculously   embarrassingly out of his depth it's almost  unbelievable the hero that has always ended   up as the strongest fighter on every single island  we have visited so far the hero that has been the   unstoppable force defeating tyrants no one thought  could be defeated the liberating force of hope   for countless nations he is being crushed and  humiliated and taunted and kicked around left   and right for dozens of chapters he's practically  stumbling and crawling to save his brother and   finally when all hope seems lost and yet again  it seems like he's done for he can't do it he   puts his life on the line all or nothing demanding  another adrenaline boost even if it will kill him   because he knows life would not be worth living if  he failed here and so literally running purely on   adrenaline and willpower he finally has that big  hero moment we've been waiting for luffy should   genuinely be dead right now he's essentially a  walking corpse he has given more than he has in   any other arc in one piece history by several  magnitudes he has failed more bled more and fought   more than any other time in the series and now  finally he gets what we have all been waiting for   what is supposed to happen the guy who never  gives up overcomes the impossible yet again   as he always does it was infinitely harder  than ever before and it took more than ever   before but yet again he did it he saved ace  and then in a single moment it is ripped away there are three reasons i believe this was  the greatest breaking of a main character   any story has ever done note i'm not talking about  how the long-term fallout of this was handled   as you could argue that the long-term effects  that this storyline had on luffy's character   aren't nearly as significant as other heroes in  other stories and i would be inclined to agree but   i'm just talking about the marine ford arc i'm  just talking about the build up to this moment   and really this moment itself the actual breaking  of the character is better than anything you ever   see because main characters failing experiencing  a loss maybe multiple particularly brutal losses   all of that is common in fiction but with one  piece as i've been saying the marine ford moment   hits that much harder as it's the culmination of  everything that had been built up to this point   in terms of our framework for this series how  this series formula works and how this series   main character works one piece is not some dark  gritty story it's a series about hope arcs always   end with a powerful infusion of hope seeing good  vanquish evil and luffy embodies that sense of   hope maybe better than any other main character  simply because of how many times he's done this   the cycle over and over again innocent people in  despair unbeatable forces of evil and oppression   an impossible task no one can do it only luffy  only luffy only luffy only he can bring out the   light in the darkness only luffy can free east  blue only luffy can save alabasta only luffy can   defeat god only luffy can fight the world he falls  down gets back up falls down gets back up over and   over no matter the stakes no matter the challenge  no matter what anyone else says is possible only   luffy can prove them wrong over and over and over  and over drilling this formula into our heads over   500 chapters just building in this absolute sense  of faith in this character he is what makes one   piece one piece no matter what we can rely on this  story to bring us that sense of joy and catharsis   in the end because we are following the story of  this man who will always find a way to victory   in the end oda spent 500 chapters structuring  this story around these elements structuring   the main character around this ideal creating an  iron-clad formula of what is supposed to happen   how we are always supposed to feel at the end of  each and every arc all so that finally finally   when that formula breaks into a million pieces  when we see this happen to luffy of all people   it hits that much incomparably harder because that  much more time has been put into building a story   and hero where this scene should simply never  happen this scene is simply not one piece   what is being shattered here is not just the main  character it is the formula of one piece itself   the second reason is the series of events oda  put luffy and the reader through in the marine   ford saga itself to make this moment that much  more devastating even if you ignored everything   i said in the previous reason about the 500  chapters of setup even ignoring the prior   framework of what type of story this is how luffy  has been built up to this point what the formula   is supposed to be even just within the marine ford  saga itself on luffy's quest to save ace you would   be hard pressed to find a main character in any  other story who goes through everything luffy did   only to still lose it's not just the past  history of luffy's character always achieving the   impossible it's the fact that in the impel  down and marine forged storyline itself   every single shonen trope was thrown at this arc  to make us feel that there was simply no way luffy   could fall short i mean the story even begins with  luffy having already experienced the most crushing   and traumatic experience of his journey so far so  he's already starting from emotional rock bottom   when he begins this quest to save his brother  and yet even from this low point he does actually   begin scaling a seemingly unscalable mountain  over the course of this storyline he redefines   the meaning of going above and beyond to save  ace luffy literally goes to hell and back throws   away decades of his lifespan has his body broken  into pieces and rebuilt walks into a world war is   repeatedly crushed by the most powerful beings  on the planet comes back from death's door with   a miraculous resurrection make that two miraculous  resurrections even unlocks the grand heroic chosen   one ability he goes through every single trope in  the book every single dramatic rise and fall you'd   expect on the path to triumph and over and over  without fail this man keeps telling us he will   achieve the impossible yet again he makes this  promise over and over swaying the great figures   from across the world to put their faith in him  to the point he's even got the main villain of   the series believing he can do it luffy completes  this grand odyssey pulls off countless miracles   performs the 12 laborers basically runs the  whole gamut and he still loses there is no other   storyline i've read where the phrase all that for  nothing fits better there is no single defeat that   hits harder and lastly the third reason this was  the greatest breaking of a main character i have   ever seen is that the moment oda chose to break  the formula he so carefully constructed of all   moments for luffy to finally fail that moment was  the one time luffy absolutely could not afford to   this was the moment where it was all on the line  for him again luffy is usually fighting on behalf   of someone else to save someone else's village to  save someone else's loved ones finally in marine   ford it's his own brother it's his own storyline  it's the one person in the world he loves the most   after all those times where luffy has gone  against the odds and kept getting back up   till he overcame the impossible the one time he is  unable to do so is when it matters the most and so   these three reasons the combination of spending  500 chapters setting such a positive feel-good   hope-inspiring formula for the story driven by a  main character who across those 500 chapters never   falters always bounces back always keeps fighting  and fighting till he achieves the impossible and   always brings the light in the end to then give  that main character the most high stakes and   personal scenario of his life where he absolutely  must succeed and failure is not an option and then   have him actually out do everything he has done  in the story so far trying even harder sacrificing   even more pushing his limits even further than  he himself has ever done before and then still   utterly and completely failing that is an absolute  masterclass in breaking your protagonist so all of   that is to say that oda absolutely earns this  moment we see luffy shattering in a way that we   could have never imagined his mind has shut down  his body is broken his heart is absolutely crushed   and most importantly his spirit is finally  shattered oda pulled out all the stops to   make it so even luffy this ceaselessly optimistic  strong-willed hero of heroes has his spirit broken   this is the first and only time in the series  where luffy no longer believes he can be   pirate king and it finally forces luffy to face a  reality that he never had to contend with before   as i talked about earlier at this moment in sabote  after losing his crew to kuma that was the first   time we ever see luffy questioning himself now  at the end of marine forward we get the next step   we see luffy finally come to the realization  that he is not who he thought he was as i've   been saying like a broken record so far luffy has  always been the character who can do what others   cannot who can overcome what no one thought  possible and in doing so he has always been   able to protect those he cares about and that  is how he has always defined himself going all   the way back to arlong park luffy explains that  even though there are many things he cannot do   the one simple thing he can do is defeat arlong  and that is essentially luffy's role in a nutshell   it's why oda always saves the unbeatable arc boss  for him the one thing luffy can trust himself to   do is take on the biggest baddest threat  so that those he cares about will be safe   and by the time of any slobby luffy has come to  realize that not only is that what his role is   that is in fact his responsibility his burden to  be strong enough to protect those he cares about   that is what luffy holds himself to and  that is what we the reader have seen his   role as but over the course of the marine fort  saga which literally begins with luffy patting   himself on the back for not having lost anyone  so far from the sabodi incident onwards luffy   is not the character we know he is not able  to protect anything or anyone he can't even   protect himself and that's the worst part that  at the end of the day ace died specifically   because luffy was too weak to protect himself  and in this moment luffy needed to be saved   for a character who up till now defined himself  by being able to protect those he cares about   for him to lose the one person he cares about the  most specifically because luffy himself needed to   be protected that destroys his entire self-image  it's as though despite this long long journey this   countless string of successes that he has racked  up in this one moment it's as though none of it   matters because he hasn't actually grown out of  being this weakling that needs to be protected   luffy is not who he thought he was and that  simultaneously makes him realize that he is no   pirate king in this moment everything that people  have been telling him all along that he is just   a naive dreamer that he has no idea what the true  level of the world is that he has no hope of being   pirate king all of it is simply true for someone  who has been so ridiculously unabashedly certain   of this one constant about himself that he is the  man who will become pirate king who has never for   a single moment questioned this absolute truth  this is the ultimate moment of disillusionment   he is experiencing what zoro experienced  50 chapters in but again for luffy it hits   that much harder considering it is literally 500  chapters in and the experience actually splits   the entire narrative of one piece in half prior  to this realization by luffy is pre-time skip   and everything after is post time skip  just an incredibly visionary setup for   the main character's journey by oda so let's  talk about the themes that come out of this so i've already covered a lot of marine forged  themes in this video on the philosophy of one   piece which you should check out after this one  you can click on it from the link on the top right   which is why i'm not going to be addressing ideas  like justice and power here but rather focusing on   themes that are more so related to luffy and the  straw hat's journey and to get to that discussion   we actually need to talk about the two most  important characters from marine ford ace and   whitebeard so to start with what was the story of  ace ace was a child who from the start questioned   whether or not he should have been born after all  he was born without parents and the legacy of one   of his parents actually caused him great pain so  for the longest time whether he realized it or not   he needed to feel like he was not alone in this  world he needed to know that there were people who   loved him at the same time ace stubbornly attempts  to reject those who tried to get close to him he   does this with luffy he does this with whitebeard  it is likely not until his time on the execution   stand itself where he realizes how many people  are actually there for him that he understands   how important it was that he was not alone in  this world and that is precisely why whitebeard's   character why his story so perfectly complements  aces whitebeard from the start realized the   importance of having a family he realized that  many out there needed one even if they didn't   know it yet repeatedly throughout marine ford the  contrast between whitebeard and roger is played up   as the whitebeard was somehow lesser for not  accomplishing what roger did but in reality   that was largely the point for so long we've been  hearing about the greatness of roger the pirate   king the man luffy has been trying to emulate but  through whitebeard we are shown a man who we are   meant to understand is actually just as great  even though he never conquered the grand line   even though he never found the world's greatest  treasure even though he just wanted a family yet   he seems to be just as great a man as roger the  point being that no matter how strong you are no   matter what you are trying to achieve having  that love that family is just as important   and this notion that is played up throughout the  arc through the characters of ace and whitebeard   is precisely what brings luffy back from the brink  of despair no luffy is not invincible he is not   unbreakable despite everything he has accomplished  up till this point all the people he saved the   miracles he's performed even he has his limits but  when even he realizes that he is not strong enough   it is thanks to the fact that he knows he  still has people worth protecting people who   still believe in him that's what gives him  the motivation to get back up and try again   when finally for the first time ever luffy's own  willpower is not enough to get him to stand back   up the memory of his friends of his family that  is what is able to lift him back up this whole   arc hammers in the importance of having a family  of not being alone because no matter how strong   ace's will is or luffy's will is they need  others by their side that's also why luffy's   ability to bring people to his side is highlighted  so much this arc that is indeed the most dangerous   power in the sea the very same thing akainu mocks  whitebeard for caring about his family is in fact   the very reason that whitebeard and his gigantic  alliance who love him like a father are a threat   to the world government in the first place not to  mention it's no mistake that the marine fort arc   the one arc where luffy truly and utterly fails is  also the one arc that luffy does not have his crew   he does not have his family by his side it's  a reminder that luffy alone is not enough   as usopp says luffy alone cannot do everything  every single straw hat realizes here that luffy   needs their help by his side it puts so much of  the past story into perspective as well so far   luffy has fought and defeated other contenders  for pirate king most notably the two shichibukai   he has faced so far crocodile and moria who both  have a similar history of once being up-and-coming   rookies who aimed for pirate king only to hit  a wall to be crushed in the new world and be   sent running back to paradise their spirits broken  all the same beats that luffy is now experiencing   and what was the most important characteristic  that oda highlighted about these two failed pirate   king candidates crocodile was all about the idea  of not caring about others over and over he raved   about how there is no value to friends no value to  relying on others no value to trusting others and   so on and moria similarly didn't believe in the  value of human subordinates he now only wanted an   undead crew with no sentimental value attached to  them why did oda highlight these philosophies for   these particular pirates why did he make sure that  we encountered these failed pirate king candidates   along the way before the new world because at the  end of the day when luffy reaches the same stage   in his journey that they once did the moment  that he finally gets a taste of the true level   of the seas when luffy hits the inevitable wall  that all rookies do when he is completely broken   spirit shattered dream in pieces the one thing  that allows him to overcome this and get back up   is the one thing crocodile and moria don't have  his friends luffy does in fact experience the   exact things that crocodile and moria warn him  about the true level of the sea the nightmare of   the new world they are correct that luffy is not  strong enough and that's the beauty of it that   they are not in fact wrong luffy himself is broken  by the new world the same way that they were but   he has the one thing that they are missing that  will allow him to continue pushing forward where   they fell this time not his own strength of spirit  but rather the loved ones he has and the strength   he draws from them to get up and try again that  is the real difference between luffy and these   failed pirates the stories of the great failed  pirates luffy faces leading up to marine ford   perfectly set us up for the realization of the  one crucial thing luffy has that is the actual   key to him succeeding where they failed and it's  particularly interesting that in marineford we   even get a resurgence for crocodile he's  going back to the new world and this time   he's not going alone throughout his time in  baroque works crocodile never trusted anyone   all his subordinates were simply pawns for him  and he was defeated this time crocodile seems to   actually have found a legitimately loyal follower  in mr one someone crocodile seems to genuinely   rely on and see a need for which whether crocodile  is aware of it or not is a subtle difference from   the way he used to think it's even interesting  that crocodile frees mr one in a manner very   similar to luffy freeing zorro kaido freeing  king and blackbeard inadvertently freeing shiryu   historically this has been a neat parallel of how  oda has portrayed an actual bond being set between   a captain and a first mate so across the board  through whitebeard through ace and even through   crocodile we can see how maureen ford highlights  the importance of not being alone the importance   of having allies having friends having family  who can pick you up and support you even when you   have reached your own limit however all of that  being said that's only one part of the equation   again the first lesson that we get out of marine  forward is that luffy's ability to make allies as   well as the family that he currently has are the  most invaluable things that he currently possesses   however the point is that luffy already has these  things this arc was partly about making him and   the reader realize that this is what he has that  is so valuable the other side of maureen ford's   thematic messaging is about what luffy needs to  now attain this will be a bit of a step-by-step   explanation so stick with me for a moment it  begins with the definition of pirate king up till   the marine forward arc all we had were two simple  statements on what it means to be pirate king   to be the king of the seas and in luffy's mind the  freest man on the seas however after marine ford   what it means to be the king and what it means  to be the freest are finally made clear first   it's important to understand that the actual  real world definition of freedom is the power   to act without hindrance or restraint the absence  of subjection to foreign domination or despotic   government freedom very literally means the power  to not be controlled you might think of freedom   as things like sailing the world exploring  adventuring etc but those are simply things   that are possible with freedom freedom itself is  the power to be able to do these things without   a greater force being able to stop you the power  to not be helpless to any greater oppressive force   and most importantly as we're shown in one piece  the power to not have the things you care about   taken away the marine forward saga is the perfect  thematic conclusion to the first half of one piece   as it begins by definitively establishing that  freedom is the true central theme of the story   and the ultimate goal of the main  character and after establishing this   the following events of the arc establish why  freedom is so desperately needed in this world   and finally the conclusion of the arc establishes  what is needed to achieve this goal of freedom   right now there is a force that has ruled the  world for 800 years and at the end of the day   this is the true ruler of the sea the same force  that killed ace the same force that seemingly   killed sabo the world government is the strongest  force in existence and as such no one truly has   freedom the same reason the pirate king would  be the freest man in the sea is the same reason   finding the one piece would coincide with the  world government's fall the pirate king the true   king of the sea does not have to rule anyone but  also could not be stopped by anyone there would   be no force above them no force that could destroy  what they loved or cared about that's why at the   end of the arc it is explained to us that roger's  most notable trait was that he became unstoppable   when it came to protecting his crewmates now  i've noticed a lot of people take issue with   the idea that luffy's goals have anything to  do with becoming strong even though luffy has   made it absolutely explicitly clear that this is a  necessity a lot of readers still prefer to ignore   this most likely because others shown in series  have led many to believe that a goal of being   the strongest is a shallow generic motivation  but that unfortunately undervalues the actual   layered context of the one piece story the full  context of the world oda has constructed makes   it so that luffy needs to become strong in order  to become free which is a far more nuanced and   compelling take on the concept and it's an idea  that has been built from the start of the story   again from the very beginning it was established  that while luffy needs his friends to help him for   many things to do everything he cannot ultimately  luffy's role is that he needs to be able to defeat   any threat that they cannot this is reiterated  more explicitly the further we go in the story   when it comes down to it the burden is on luffy to  keep everyone else safe as if luffy cannot defeat   any enemy that may threaten them then he will lose  those he cares about therefore he absolutely needs   to become the strongest at the same time we have  the idea established that luffy's main desire   is freedom and it is established that the pirate  king is synonymous with being the freest in marine   ford these two ideas luffy's responsibility to  be able to protect anyone and luffy's desire   to be the freest are tied together in that it is  made clear that strength and freedom are one and   the same due to the unfortunate oppressive  nature of the world the lack of strength to   fight back against oppressive forces means a lack  of freedom oda makes this as clear as possible   with both times that luffy loses someone the two  most pivotal moments of his life sabo's death   and ace's death being related to freedom and  strength in luffy's flashback after sabo dies   ace talks about how they need to become free  and luffy in response expresses the need to   become stronger and stronger and stronger and  stronger at the end of marine forward after ace   dies luffy realizes he's still not the freest  man because he's too weak he's still not strong   enough both of these incidents reinforce the idea  that having things taken from you against your   will reflects a lack of freedom which in turn  is then associated with the underlying cause of   this lack of freedom being a lack of strength  this weakness is ultimately what drives luffy   he needs to become strong enough to be free to be  a man who cannot let the people he cares about be   taken from him that is what roger was depicted as  the man who would never allow anyone to take his   loved ones from him that is what luffy struggles  with throughout the marine ford saga that he has   not changed from being this weak little kid  that even though he believed he had become   a man who could protect anyone that even though he  believed he would certainly achieve the status of   pirate king as the freest what he was hit with  again and again is that he is not that man yet   that's why he is questioning what is wrong with me  as he loses every crewmate that's why he realizes   he is no pirate king as he loses his brother he  does not have freedom because he does not have   strength to stop oppressive forces he does not  have the strength to protect what he cares about   as much as the importance of having loved ones of  having a family is played up this arc so too is   the importance of having the strength to be able  to protect that family this whole saga's thematic   argument is structured beautifully again beginning  with luffy giving his definition of pirate king as   the freest man and ending with the realization  that he does not yet have that freedom because   he is not yet strong enough as the entirety of the  events of the saga have served to show him and so   the notion that luffy needs to be strong enough  to protect anyone he cares about a notion that   has been played up repeatedly so much throughout  the series is essentially tied together with the   notion of being the freest and being the pirate  king this arc it sets a new idea in place that   the day that luffy can topple an entity like the  world government the day that luffy can be the man   that whitebeard spoke of the day luffy can through  his own power make sure that something like this   or this never happens that is when he would be a  true pirate king the freest man in the sea and of   course again luffy cannot do this alone of course  luffy needs his friends he has always known that   and said that from day one that's why there are  two halves to the messaging of marine ford firstly   emphasizing the importance of having others  by your side showing how this really has been   luffy's greatest ability throughout the series and  reminding luffy of the importance of his crew and   then at the same time making it explicitly  clear that as much as others can help luffy   luffy himself needs to in turn be able to protect  everyone he cares about at the end of the day even   with an entire yonko empire multiple shichibukai  and dozens of new world captains backing him   luffy still could not save ace because he himself  was not strong enough he himself was the weak link   when it mattered most ace died because luffy  needed to be protected because willpower alone   is not enough luffy needs strength to achieve  what he wants to achieve he needs strength to   protect what he wants to protect on the one hand  it is symbolic that the one arc luffy failed was   the one arc he did not have his crew with him  but at the same time the whole point is that   the reason he did not have his crew with him was  because he was not strong enough to protect them   it's a more layered message it's not  all about luffy needing to be strong   and it's not all about luffy needing friends  it's both which is why the ending to this whole   saga concludes with both luffy and his crew each  realizing that they each need to grow in order to   fulfill their respective roles and evolve into  a true pirate king and crew the full messaging   of maureen ford can be said to be the importance  of not being alone of having those who love and   support you but also the importance of being able  to be strong enough to protect them from anything   and anyone and as such the essence of freedom is  when together you are strong enough that no one   can hold power over you this saga is thematically  the perfect conclusion to act one of one piece   brilliantly pulling together so many ideas that  have been gently hinted at throughout the series   and setting in stone a final goal for the  end of the story for the main characters so this is my favorite aspect of marine ford  it's an arc where the symbolism within it has   actually gained more weight the further  the narrative of one piece has gone on   let's start with the discussion of the most  important idea in one piece today the dawn   of the world i've already done multiple videos  breaking down this concept in depth which you can   find links to on the top right of this screen but  to quickly recap everything that we know it has   clearly been established that the entire world is  waiting for a dawn and that this dawn seems to be   heavily implied to be related to the will of d it  may very well be the will of d itself and the dawn   is very likely related to the end of the celestial  dragon's rule as the current world government   is repeatedly framed as a great darkness that  rules the world and the 800 years of the world   government rule have been referred to as a long  night with only the light of the sun representing   the end to the celestial dragon's power we know  that in particular the world is waiting on a   certain man to fulfill this destiny there is a  certain man who will bring the dawn of the world   we have different names being thrown around joy  boy the sun god nika perhaps they are one in the   same perhaps not but the important point is that  there definitely is a certain man that roger has   been waiting for that odin was waiting for that  whitebeard was waiting for the one who will bring   the dawn of the world whoever finds the one  piece is the one who will change the world   the world is waiting on that man now we have also  been told that fate is not an absolute ironclad   notion in one piece there is such a thing as a  crossroads of fate meaning events can go down   different paths keep these concepts in mind that  there will one day be a man who will bring the   dawn of the world that many legendary figures are  waiting on a certain man to find the one piece and   bring about this dawn and that things are not  so set in stone there are different crossroads   fate can go down all established ideas in one  piece and now let us look at the stories of ace   and luffy it becomes more and more clear the  further we read but ace was by all accounts   supposed to be the man that brings the dawn of the  world he fits that archetypical chosen hero mold   perfectly he is the son of the pirate king himself  he had a meteoric rise the world's greatest pirate   realized who he was and took him in whitebeard  specifically groomed ace to become the pirate king   whitebeard planned on ace to be the one who would  find the one piece everyone knew it the marines   knew it the great pirates of the new world knew  it even roger himself explicitly planned on ace   being the one to find the one piece roger learned  the true history and immediately resolved to have   a son for this specific reason and to top it  off ace's ability is very literally fired we   talk about the man who will bring the dawn of the  world and ace himself is very literally the sun   between the two brothers luffy and ace ace was  the one who was more overtly destined for this   role that's why when we first meet ace he  seems like everything luffy is but better   smarter older stronger over time we learned that  ace is the one who was a conqueror right from the   start while luffy was a crying weakling who had to  hide behind him just as ace's father brought the   dawn of a new era ace was always supposed to do  the same not only was he supposed to be the light   of hope for the world ace was the guiding light  for luffy as well however just because luffy was   always chasing in ace's shadow did not mean that  luffy did not have the same potential ace did   luffy may have had even more it would just  take longer for him to rise to those heights   from the start luffy was just ace's crying  little brother who needed to be saved but what's   interesting is that luffy even from a young age  also had a big dream a dream that shocked even ace   when he announced it not to mention a drive to get  stronger and stronger and stronger and so what's   interesting is that while the world is waiting for  its dawn it's waiting for a man to find the one   piece to challenge the world to bring about that  dawn and it's supposed to be ace it was planned to   be ace whitebeard took ace in precisely because he  knew ace was the one at the same time someone else   noticed a different path we don't know what roger  told shanks and i'm not here to speculate on that   but we do know that at the very least shanks saw  in luffy some sort of potential at the very least   the potential to be the successor to roger we  know that shanks is betting on luffy in some way   we know that shanks is waiting on luffy to achieve  something we know that shanks believes that saving   luffy may have changed the fate of the world in  some manner so even if shanks may not have all the   knowledge whitebeard does as whitebeard seems to  have the full knowledge of the wheel of d and the   man that roger is waiting for shanks at the very  least has some understanding of the importance of   finding a successor to roger that this successor  will change the fate of the world in some way and   luffy is his pick so the same potential whitebeard  saw in ace shanks saw in luffy and finally it must   be mentioned along with luffy and ace there  is a third man that needs to be discussed   blackbeard whether he is supposed to or not  blackbeard fully intends to be the man to find one   piece and bring the world into a new era and as  we understand if the dawn of the world represents   one direction the world can go a blackbeard  era represents the exact opposite direction   i elaborate on this in my video on blackbeard and  what he represents in the context of the world but   let's just say that it is a very different type of  darkness from the world governments if the world   government were to fall and blackbeard's rule  were to take its place then it is implied that the   world would sink into an even deeper darkness than  before someone is going to fulfill the wheel of d   someone is going to bring a new era into the world  if it is the right man there will be a new dawn   but if it is someone like blackbeard the exact  opposite of the type of man roger is looking for   then there will be a new type of knight so  now looking back at the chapters leading up   to marine ford they carry so much more meaning an  event is coming that is about to split the world   one of these major crossroads of fate two great  men meet roger's rival and rogers protege both   carry roger's will in one way or another and  interestingly both have already picked out a   man who they believe will be the next pirate king  when they meet on the ship they coincidentally   both make references to the man that the other has  chosen even if it's unintentional whitebeard asks   about shanks's arm which shanks explains he has  bet on the new age he has bet on luffy and shanks   himself has come to talk about ace who just so  happens to be whitebeard's bet for the new age   these men represent the two paths the world can  go down and of course the disagreement is not   about this but in hindsight everything carries  so much more meaning these are the two men who   have bet on two potential bright futures for the  world shanks is in fact here to try and help save   the man that whitebeard bet on but it is too late  for that nothing is going to stop the unfolding   events of this era the heavens themselves split  as though fate itself is split as fittingly there   is a tremendous crossroads of fate taking  place at this very moment on another island   one of those two bright futures for the world  the more obvious choice whitebeard's choice the   natural successor to the pirate king's throne  the natural pick to bring the dawn of the world   is up against the man who represents the  darkest path the man who is supposed to   fulfill roger's will and bring the dawn  and the man who represents the opposite   of everything roger stood for and who brings  the darkness these two battle and the symbolism   is so heavy in hindsight it is very literally  a battle between the sun and the darkness and   in this moment the sun is swallowed up and  that changes the fate of the world forever   from this single symbolic battle from this moment  where the sun is snuffed out by the darkness it   triggers a cascade of events that plunges the  world of one piece into a heavier darkness   this is after all the trigger that leads to  the events of marine ford a war that ends in   the balance of the world being completely flipped  into nearly the worst state imaginable before the   marine forward war looking at the world at the  start of the series yes things are bad the world   is ruled by the world government but at the same  time there is some moral balance to the state of   things in the pirate world there are four emperors  two that we would consider villains kaido and   big mom classically evil pirates well known for  annihilating countries and generally causing death   and destruction and yet there are two pirates  that can be considered forces of good whitebeard   is a defender of the weak and a protector of many  nations and shanks a diplomatic pacifistic figure   the pirate world is in fact balanced between  forces of good and evil similarly in the   marines while there are many who will perform any  atrocity in the name of justice at the very least   the most influential figures at the top are still  sengoku and garb they are still at the helm of the   organization and they provide a far more moral  center than say a kainu but after ace's defeat   to blackbeard the world war is triggered and the  outcome of this war has the balance of morality   completely flipped the battle ends with the total  defeat for the whitebeard pirates and the death   of whitebeard himself essentially completely  wiping out the single greatest most influential   force for good in the world instead the greatest  winners are the marines and blackbeard himself   with blackbeard rising to an obscene new level  of power and actually taking whitebeard's place   the greatest force for good in the world  supplanted by the greatest force for evil   and within the marines themselves the war marks  the end of a morally balanced era with sengoku   and garp being replaced at the helm by a kainu  who turns the marines into a far more dangerous   more militant force for quote-unquote justice than  ever before now led by his ruthless ideology this   is the imagery that we conclude the marine ford  war with this is the new face of the marines and   this is his vision for the world this is the great  new force in the pirate world a man who wants only   destruction and chaos these are very explicitly  the two great changes that come out of marine ford   oda actually dedicated a full chapter to highlight  them that blackbeard is the new great force in the   pirate world that has supplanted whitebeard and  that a kainu has taken over the marines and turned   them into an even greater force even the simple  symbolism of the idea that white has been replaced   with black basically says it all and of course  with ace's death the man who was supposed to be   roger's successor the man who was supposed to one  day bring the dawn is now gone blackbeard claims   it is his era now and even if it isn't then it's  no better if it's the marines era considering the   new direction of the marines coming out of this  war marine ford begins with whitebeard and sengoku   as the primary faces on both sides whitebeard an  undeniably good man and sengoku at least a decent   man with perhaps an unreasonable dedication to his  duty but by the end this is what it has devolved   into just evil versus evil that is the tragedy  of marine ford the greatest force for good in the   world dies and the bright flame of hope for the  future is blown out the world comes perilously   close to the light being completely snuffed out  however however here's the beauty of it at the   end we are reminded of something even if ace was  supposed to be the hope for the world the light   of hope is not truly completely extinguished as  there is still that one remaining alternate path   the world may not have whitebeard but there is  still shanks and the world may no longer have ace   but there is still luffy the man that shanks  picked that's the other vision of the future we   see slowly develop throughout marine ford even  as whitebeard begins to reach the end of his   limits even as he fears the consequences for the  world after his death even as he ponders whether   his life had any meaning even as the possibility  grows that ace the light of hope for the future   may not survive whitebeard begins to notice a  different light he begins to see a different   possibility the same possibility that shanks  did not ace not blackbeard but the third path   luffy maybe not as strong as ace maybe not as far  along maybe not as obviously pirate king material   but still a potential path to the same outcome  a man who can find the one piece who can bring   the dawn of the world that is why whitebeard  finally begins to bet on luffy that is why he   asks luffy to show him what lies beyond this era  that is why throughout whitebeard's final speech   it is luffy who we are shown as the man who can  carry the flames of roger's will of ace's will and   by the end of marineford everyone has noticed it  the marines the whitebeard pirates the shichibukai   even if none of them know anything about the  wheel of d what matters is that they see what   luffy represents which is a light of hope for the  future to one day be the man who can change things   the same man that ace was supposed to be there is  still this amber of hope that luffy could be that   man instead it is pure chance that it is luffy  who has ended up as the final hope instead of   ace again it was always meant to be ace but a few  crossroads of fate going in unexpected directions   have led to a very different outcome this  moment where blackbeard could have killed luffy   far before luffy amounted to anything was its  own crossroads of fate and luffy just happened   to get away and survive this moment where  ace challenged blackbeard in place of luffy   was another crossroads of fate resulting in ace  being the light that was extinguished instead   and finally the last moments of the war where  luffy could have died along with ace eliminating   all hope for the future were changed forever  at yet another crossroads with the fate of the   world being greatly altered yet again simply  thanks to the courage of one young marine   it is also quite fitting that the marine forward  war ends with these last reminders of hope a   reminder that even the whitebeard is gone there is  still one last force for good in the pirate world   even if the landscape has changed to three evil  emperors there is still this last bastion that can   keep the peace it is fitting that shanks appears  to end the spiraling series of calamities as   proof that the world has not yet fallen completely  into disarray and as a reminder that his choice to   fulfill roger's will still remains and so it all  begins with this symbolic moment where the sun was   swallowed by the darkness this defeat led to the  tragedies of marine ford which swung the balance   of the world to near absolute despair and the  main path to the dawn of the world was eradicated   forever however complete apocalypse was held at  bay at least temporarily as it is not yet time   for the true final climactic battle for the dawn  or the darkness one other great force for good   still remains to hold the peace temporarily and a  second alternative path to the dawn of the world   has been preserved even though the balance of the  world shifts heavily towards darkness in the wake   of marine ford there is still the opportunity  to bring the world into its dawn and so it is a   much darker world that luffy comes out of the time  skip and emerges into and with the actual pivotal   battle for the world coming this time he will have  to truly become the man who can bring the world   into its dawn so all of that is to say i've never  seen a storyline as elegantly set up as marine   ford with the stakes the scope the planning  the reveals the thematic threads being bound   together and cemented for the entire story and  the powerful symbolism throughout it that casts   the entire narrative of one piece into a new light  in terms of grand vision and large scale planning   just putting so many layers and elements of  storytelling together for one climactic conclusion   to the first act of a gigantic decades-long epic  marine ford is the greatest example of one piece's   unparalleled excellence in terms of long-form  narrative construction and if you enjoyed this   video then definitely like comment and subscribe  special thanks to patrons a abazi adrian hakeem   cesar olague goopy coop god complex harrison  otto justin holland krish roshan omar gaskin   shadow chip someone supergamesification terence  neil abdullah al-ramethi ace goldie alejandro   margalenis alex morrow amylite 2609 andy tomeli  anani arturo gomez aslan caramuden aukani bartozz   sawada behanort benjamin vonstein braden heger  brandon williams burger buzz seven zillicom cece   carlos charlie hussell chris kresser christa  salemmes chronos 6 clo conqueror of muffins   danieru dark eternal darth pumpkins dice dolphin  amygdio alvarez fari florian vendari gabe d champ   garrett clark globo gym regan 4-1-9 i think  the fire festival is going to fail jabari   hodge jacob heller jared comley jaden baffoa  jeremy sunpar javon jahal joe joel smallette   joey zitka joe runner melting jonah green jordan  hood josh diaz juan paret justin carrier kai hat   yam o khalid suleiman koreb tababu kotaha laura  lun lina louis aguirre mark henderson melanie g   minaj meruem michael orr michelle dreyer mr s  mr pike muhammad al-mehari moody mr g multi-two   terminator newt noah noesis omar mora oof the  oof will never be forgotten jose cedric patron   hayden ward buchtrong rayne ray lopez rohan chug  rohanite ryan garotta sam penn scotty semicolon   iii siddharth vadnarkar scorobagatio social spike  sp shrikhar gobindaraju starlight studios stephen   burkeno tanner murphy the fade will rail the boy  13th the one atop all thanks kravis mari tyler   crowley ulrich kakou val napoli victor chen vince  t vinnie wally tamanna uyase william marshall   zack omar zayata bobby m rav groove srivasta  gombasu kaiden buchan pablo rodriguez and wist

Channel: Mr Morj

Views: 1,111,293

Keywords: One Piece, Marineford, Marineford Analysis, Marineford Arc, One Piece analysis

Id: odFzZWuH0cU

Length: 63min 59sec (3839 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 08 2022