Hi, Hope You Have Been Having A Great Day! Your Posts Have Always Been My Favorite, And They Never Fail

Hi, hope you have been having a great day! Your posts have always been my favorite, and they never fail to brighten my morning. I'd say it's the perfect way to start the day for me ^^

Today I have a question! Penny for your thoughts on Law and the Revolutionary Army? What might his stance and opinions about them be, and if he wasn't a pirate, would he consider being in the RA? (since there's little to no chance he would want to become a Marine)

Oh, hi! Now I do have a great day, because I read your ask ❤ Sorry that lately I don't post every day. Sometimes something else steals my attention, like sudden inspiration for a fanfic or some of my friends in need of quality time together :D yesterday it was an impromptu pokemon battle on discord with self-invented pokemons lol. I will take this opportunity to (again <3) thank you so much for enjoying my posts, I'm always so excited to see your reblog tags each time! :D

Law and Revolutionary Army, okay, let's go! *rolls up sleeves* I actually watched some analysis and theory vids about RA before, and I had a lot of my own reflection on them lately, so I already have an opinion about it. At times this might go slightly political, so a fair warning!

First of all, let's start with Dragon and his Revolutionary Army. Thanks to Robin, we know their goal is most likely the World Nobles (Celestial Dragons) and we know they have some longterm goals planned. They're basically gathering supplies, allies, weapons and information, and waiting for a good moment to strike. I don't think their attack on Marie Geoise was one of their ultimate goals in itself, because we learned they did it just to get Kuma back (their valuable ally and friend). Everything else was an extra, but they made sure it counts: destroying the symbol of Celestial Dragons (to declare war), cutting them off the food supplies and getting rid of their stock, freeing as many slaves as they could.

They're apparently still making sure the food supplies can't reach Marie Geoise, which we learned from chapter 1126. Interesting thing to note here is that they actually have an agenda behind "riling up rebellion in nations": it's to limit nations that will pay celestial tribute and hand them resources, in other words: to weaken their enemy.

Dragon declares he literally wants to collect his own army to fight for the better world, whatever that might mean to him. He was part of the marines once, but "found no justice there", so he left and created his own army instead. We can't really talk about Revolutionary Army without taking into account his stance on justice.

Seeing from his reaction to Luffy becoming a pirate ("Not bad!") and him and Akainu disliking each other, we can take some guesses here. Dragon's goals are probably: freedom for people, not allowing innocent people to suffer, making sure people in power do not abuse it (an army for hire sure sounds like a good method to at least make them think twice before overusing their power).

And what's their modus operandi when trying to reach these goals? Many people in fandom are frustrated with Dragon and Revolutionaries, because it feels like they're "just there", waiting all the time and doing nothing. They don't go around the world freeing kingdoms and fighting oppressive reigns, after all. What they do instead, is reach out to normal citizens and "ignite the flame of rebellion" in their hearts.

That's because Revolutionary Army doesn't want to be the ones who will win the war, they want the citizens to be the ones who will win their own country and freedom back, and RA will simply help them achieve that, remaining as support.

They're so interesting exactly because they try to empower those that are on the lowest steps of the hierarchy's ladder, they want to give power back into their hands, but for this to work those citizens have to wish for that themselves, try to fight back, and it needs to be their own decision to do that. The power they give them is the power to fight back, defend themselves and demand their own rights and independence. Revolutionaries show to people that common folk are also part of the system and so they have the right to decide how they want the world to look like, even if it's only in their small kingdom. And those of them that want to join the cause and change the whole world to become a better place, are invited to join the Revolutionary Army. That's how Dragon operates. He even makes it clear that it's his rule not to assassinate kings or overthrow them himself, because that's not his job to do; it's up to the people of the nation.

We can deduce that Dragon would rather avoid direct conflicts, bloodshed and anarchy (after all regular kings are not his aim!). What he offers people in need instead is that: an army for hire, and for free! But only to those powerless people who are oppressed. Now we should ask this question: as much as this all sounds very good and noble, is it really a good thing to do? Let's look at the consequences of the attack on Marie Geoise. It was aimed at Celestial Dragons, but who suffers hunger as the result? The nobles?

No, their slaves and servants instead. They would have to go around hungry because there's no way CD would go around hungry instead (and they make a huge deal that they miss ONE meal a day and snacks). And they're still as spoiled as ever! If anything, this only angered them and nothing more. For now, Revolutionary Army achieved only this: to make the life of slaves in Marie Geoise even worse.

Now let's look at Lulusia. Sabo getting involved with them caused the whole kingdom to vanish from the map (yeah, it wasn't his fault, but the fact this kingdom was before freed by Revolutionaries had influence on Imu's/Gorosei's decision). And then let's look at what they did to help Dressrosa: oh wait, actually, they didn't help much. Yes, they supported ciitizens, helping the injured ones and gathering them in safe places (not that there were any real safe places in Dressrosa's disaster).

They also did research and gather evidence from the underground port Mingo was running, which is interesting. Does it mean RA is gonna present evidence in a court against World Government? Or do they just want to trace back their sources so they can steal it for themselves? Anyway, RA did not fight Donquixotes though and did not fight the Marines, with exception of Sabo (and he got heavily scolded for involving himself in the conflict). Was that really the correct course of action? Is that what heroes should be doing? What would happen to Dressrosa if Luffy lost? Would Revolutionaries just allow everyone to die, despite being right there?

Which points me to my own conclusion: Revolutionary Army has lofty, noble goals, they want to help people who are oppressed, but they're not heroes. And they can't be ones. If you have an army, you're automatically disqualified as a hero, because you fight violence with violence, power with power, no matter how you try to sidestep that fact. I'm not saying Dragon is in the wrong, but... what he kinda yearns for is a form of utopia. People should be encouraged to step up and fight for their own good, they should have the means to do that, but what if what they fight for is a mistaken cause? What if years of resentment will lead the people to just keep on oppressing others as the result? It's a logical conclusion to that: you don't want to be oppressed, be sure to raise to the top so everyone is below you (and now you can opress them back). What if those previously powerless people will start to get back on the class that used to oppress them, like what the common folks did to Homing?

Giving power to common people is great, but it will not erase their hatred they collected for centuries, their rage for all the pain they and their close ones had to experience. If you want the world to be truly a better place, then it needs also education, damn, a collective therapy, besides just manpower in an army. But, you know, it's at least *something*, that's why I'm personally not judging RA. They do what they believe is the best thing to do, a first step in the right direction and they mean well, but I think it will backfire, because it's definitely not enough to overturn the world. And power has a tendency to corrupt.

And then we also have Sabo, who kinda went against Dragon's principles when he accepted to be called a Flame Emperor and used the fake news of King Cobra's assassination to encourage people for rebellion.

This might seem insignificant, but it's anything but: Sabo is part of Revolutionary Army, his actions affect RA's public image. If he didn't deny that he killed King Cobra, then it means killing King Cobra was RA's aim.

We will see how it goes in the future, but the recent "fractions" double spread Oda did (above) foreshadows that Dragon and Sabo will kinda go their seperate ways. Sabo took his stance, he wants to fight, not only watch citizens fight. Even if he did that mostly for Luffy, the consequences of that will be longterm.

Now finally I can switch to the actual question you asked: what would be Law's opinion on Revolutionaries. Remember my analysis on how Law taught Luffy what's "the right thing to do"? It was a lesson to always think of the consequences of your actions, to see the big picture. If you want to liberate a whole nation, you need to choose your battles, to strategize the damage, recognize the oppressor's structure of power and strike down the fillars of it so it collapses on itself. Law is a fighter, a commander, a leader. He will not avoid a fight or a war if that's what needs to be done, he won't leave those people to their own fate and will fight with them for the cause (not just offer support!), and he will do what he can to lead them to victory. And he will never accept credit for it. Officially, it's like he was never there, or just part of a nameless "pirate" crowd, no one important.

But if he can, he will avoid conflict and arrange things in such ways it's not even needed. That's how he wanted to get rid of Doflamingo, simply forcing him to give up his warlord status which meant he would have to leave Dressrosa. Just like that, without any blood spilled. But for achieving that, he doesn't shy from doing things that RA would never approve of: kidnapping people, making ransom demands, forcing people to give up their titles by his own actions. Also Law doesn't rile up any citizens, he leaves that up to others. Dragon would not approve of Law's methods, we can be sure of that. And I think Law wouldn't approve of Dragon's actions over Marie Geoise either (starving off slaves), because Law's MO is to always care about the consequences of the actions. In other words, I think Law would think there are better ways to achieve greater results, without hurting oppressed people even more in the process.

Wait a second, you might ask now, but what about Dressrosa? We get the Wano, but in Dressrosa Law didn't care even for a second about the citizens! Well, actually, I think he did initially, his actions and plan were meant to avoid any harm to them, let's never forget that. Later on he did throw it all out of the window for Luffy's sake, I won't deny that. Law might be hero coded but he's not a hero, at the end of the day, and he knows that, he's not a naive idealist like Dragon is.

Dragon voices no regret about starving the slaves for his cause (at least for now), Law on the other hand seemed to make a guilty face expression at the end of Dressrosa, seeing the injured people and ruins everywhere. And that's actually a good thing, that "reality check" is what keeps Law aware that everything he does and every decision he makes will have consequences, and sometimes you need to choose between lesser evil, because world isn't a pretty place, especially the world in One Piece. And idealism often isn't afraid to kill people for it's cause and not only doesn't call it a wrong thing, but calls it A Right Thing To Do. Remember Death Note? That's your unrestricted idealism 101.

Law might tell the Strawhats to just ignore the assault on one of the Flower Capital's districts, but he will never call it A Right Thing To Do. In fact, when Sanji says he can make it work, Law instead trusts him to do his thing. He's flexible in his ways, he always questions, but when it's needed he's firm in his decisions. He just knows sometimes he isn't doing the right thing, but he never loses the direction he aims towards, because if he always questions and seeks and rethinks it from multiple angles it's always for that purpose: to make sure he isn't on the wrong path and if he is: to change it or do better in the future. And seeing the consequences of Dressrosa and how the waves from that spread over the New World, it actually caused a lot of good changes: wars stopped, underground black market took a huge blow, and in longterm: warlord status got erased. And all of that? Is actually thanks to Law and his plan, that was literally the catalyst here. That's why it's 1:0 for Law when compared to Revolutionaries.

Now we enter speculation territory. I do think Law actually might be supporting what RA is doing. Let's think about it: how did RA know that Dressrosa has an underground port?

We learn they sent agents to Dressrosa before, but "they were all turned into toys" (that's revisioning what actually happened - they wouldn't know anything about the toys, because the existance of their agents would be erased from their memories). And they never answer the question: why Dressrosa? And my answer here is: someone had to give them that intel (anonymous intel, most likely) in the first place. Coincidentally they arrive in Dressrosa exactly when Law's plan is taking the stage. I don't think it points towards Law being a Revolutionary, because Sabo has no reaction towards Law, and Revolutionary army has no reason to hide their identities from each other, that's not how they operate at all. And I don't think Law actually cooperated with them either, because the conclusion after Dressrosa clearly took RA by surprise. They got weapons, they gathered important information, it's like this all was gifted to them by someone. And I think it's likely Law was the one who send them the intel, anonymously, or through someone else. Maybe he does support their goal of declaring a war on World Nobles (even if I think he would be kinda disappointed at some of the results of their actions). We saw at Sabaody already that Law isn't really fond of Celestial Dragons, human auctions and slavery; he was pleased with what Luffy did and he also took a stance by freeing Jean Bart.

Would Law join them in the future? I think he doesn't like to work under anyone. Luffy might be also the only person Law ever worked on equal level with. He acts and behaves like a lone wolf, especially when he says things like this:

That doesn't sound like a person who's on a leash, be it Revolutionary Army's, Navy's or Government's. Being a pirate gives Law freedom. If he's somehow with any of those fractions regardless of my analysis, it's just to use them to reach his own goals, just like he took and discarded his warlord status.

And like I said, I doubt Dragon would like Law's methods so Law would have to change them to be part of the RA (and I doubt the main problem here is that he's a pirate, if he wanted to he could have joined them anyway, they did accept former slaves that were pirates before). Also Dragon is playing the long game, and it feels like Law doesn't have that much time to play along with it, because his plans are always moving fast and cause really big ripples. It's not that he's impatient, but it seems like he can't really afford the slow game here.

As for the question you didn't ask: I actually think Law might be part of the Marines, in some way or form. Let's consider this: if he is aiming to overthrow such a big organization, what's the best way to do that? From the inside. Assuming his hate towards government and marines would stop him is not taking his resolve seriously enough, imo. If he is out for revenge, he will stop at nothing, because he is the last person to carry the memory of what truly happened to Flevance. His own resentments would not stop him, he would do that even if he would end up hating himself as the result. "Everything was for that moment", he could declare at the end of it (just like he does in Dressrosa), when he pushes the final blow from the place the Marines expect it the least: their own most trusted people.

Thankfully though he still didn't lose his heart, that's why he does have at least some brakes intact. That's why he cares for people. That's why he cares for consequences of his own actions. That's why he would throw his own plans away or tuck people dear to him to safety over reaching his goals. But he can never forget those goals or throw them away for good. We will see where his storyline will take him in the end.

Of course that's only considering the somewhat popular theories that Law is a member of Sword. I do think those have some really good observations, but the interpretation part falls flat. They got the dynamics completely backwards imo, because Law would not be an underdog to Drake. There, I said it!

Imagine a room, a sudden glow.

He's just realised he's going to miss him.

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Are there some law and lami doodles in your drafts that we haven't seen 👉👈

There hadn't been, but you made me think about them all morning, so here are some sketches!

Some thoughts on the relationship between Law and Corazon? Is Law obsessed with Cora? Are there romantic vibes (maybe Law would chose a partner that reminds him of Cora 🤔)? Sometimes I have the impression he values him more than his dead family🙄 I mean we never hear him saying he wants revenge for Flevance.

Tbh I see why you would think that, because I also used to think this way. Like everything Law does is for Cora-san, but never for Flevance, for his parents or his sister. This won't be the usual analysis post, but more like me trying to put everything Law did so far into a bigger picture, to reveal what his actual, longterm goals might be. But first, let's start with Law's love for Corazon.

Who is Cora-san to Law? Many people say a parent, a sibling, a religious figure (because of his devotion and obsession), but I think it's actually none of these. I think Corazon is for Law what Oden is for Yamato. Yamato idolizes Oden, wants to be like Oden, but Oden also gave him hope, a dream, a heart (you could say), because before Oden all Yamato had was Kaido and Kaido took away Yamato's freedom long before Oden even happened. He expected Yamato to be the next ruler of Wano for him, to continue in his footsteps, ever since Yamato was born. Yamato's own wishes didn't matter. But the moment Yamato saw Oden everything changed. It's exactly how Ace says it "you're imprisoned by cuffs, but why would you let him cage your heart as well?". Oden was that light for Yamato he finally saw in the darkness, passion, love for the country and people in it, freedom. And he wanted that too, probably for the very first time, for himself. That's why Yamato carries Oden in his heart wherever he goes. Because Oden just by existing and loving his country gives Yamato hope and strength to keep going. Just like Law carries Cora-san in his heart wherever he goes as well.

Cora-san is his saviour, without him, Law would not be alive anymore. But more importantly he saved Law's heart, he showed him love, compassion, he treated him like a person, not a monster. And he gave him all that when Law needed it the most, literally like a hand of salvation. In that case it indeed feels a bit religious. Does it mean Cora-san is more important for Law than his parents? Not neccessarily, let's not forget Law still has at least one tattoo in memory of Flevance, also he still keeps his hat with him at all times and that's his only memento of his family, most likely. But Cora-san is the one who gave Law a "new life", the same way Yamato received "new life" from Oden, even though they didn't even talk once. And that new life is definitely like a new (re)birth for both of them, that's why Cora-san and Oden will never get replaced in their hearts. Taking away Oden from Yamato will leave him with nothing, and while maybe it wouldn't be as drastic for Law, it would still remove the core of who he believes himself to be and cause a major inner crisis.

In another translation of this line, Law says "It's thanks to Cora I'm what I am now". Cora-san is indeed always on Law's mind, just like Oden is always on Yamato's mind. They both try to live like their idols, Law even called his crew the Heart Pirates in honour of Cora-san, but he also mimicks Cora in many ways: how he walks, how he sits, not to mention that silencing spell he used in battle. Yamato as well, even to the point of him changing his gender and wearing Oden-like clothes. Those hearts on Law's clothes also resemble a bit Cora-san's clothes that always had some heart-like motifs. Would you call it idolatry to the point of obsession? Personally, it reminds me of fans behaviour towards their boyband/girlband idols, especially in Japan. I know it, because I'm also part of that fandom. One of my idols has a special place in his hometown and he talked about it in one of his concerts. Next time he knows he hears from his friend reporting him that fans are now flooding that spot, because they all want to see it. They all want to experience that special connection and treasure it inside their hearts. That's devotion and obsession, sure, but you know, I also think it's really beautiful when the love you have for someone expands to places and things they love, cherishing them like they're special now to you as well. And it doesn't matter if that love is romantic, platonic, family-like, worshipping, because love is just love. If you feel it, you get it. It's that special feeling, the warmth, you carry with you everywhere you go and want to share with the world (or keep it close to your heart, or, sometimes, even both?).

So do I think Law has romantic feelings for Corazon? Nope. But he does love him the most in the world. Would Law want his partner to remind him of Corazon? That's a tricky one though. I basically think Law has a thing for cheerful people (Heart Pirates are cheerful, Bepo is joyful, Luffy is also full of smiles and joy), because he surrounds himself with them. But then one thing doesn't really leave my thoughts: why is Sanji the only one who is called by his title "Blackleg-ya" besides "Strawhat-ya"? Zoro, Nami, Chopper, they're all called by their names or surnames, not counting the few exceptions who get no name/title at all. I can understand why Luffy is privileaged considering the importance of their Sabaody meeting, but why is Sanji? They seem to have no connection. And then I realized what LawSan shippers probably did forever ago already: Sanji is a caring blond guy who smokes like crazy. And that must remind Law of Corazon. And that's the only reason why Sanji gets the extra respect (the onigiri though probably helped as well, ngl!). So I guess I have to reluctantly agree that maybe he has a soft spot for smoking blond guys, because they remind him of his beloved Cora-san. Law seems to be a pretty sentimental guy, so it does make sense.

Now let's move on to the question you didn't ask but sort of asked: does it all mean Flevance or his family doesn't matter to Law anymore?

For starters, Law's goals are very obscure and not really explained well in the plot. But let's look at "waves" that are the result of his plan to defeat Kaido and Mingo. Just the news of Doflamingo quitting warlords put the whole New World in a state of panic. It kickstarted rebellion in Dressrosa. Rulers of kingdoms in the middle of wars started to feel anxious, because they got their weapons from Doflamingo. Kaido was also in trouble, ofc. But it's not just that: right after Dressrosa Big Mom suddenly became interested in Germa... seems she was also benefitting from her deals with Doffy (it shouldn't surprise us, he did say he was holding reins to every emperor and monster there is in the new world!) and with Doffy out of the picture, she was in emergency to find a new business partner. Why Germa? Because of his scientifical research. Many of those kids of Big Mom might also not have been "naturally" born, who knows.

In the end those who benefitted the most from Law's plan were Revolutionary Army (they gained weapons, many nations stopped wars and they could instead influence them for rebellion), Blackbeard (unfortunately) and Buggy (his business was suddenly flourishing). After Wano repercussions for the world grew even bigger, but especially in one direction: World Government. We were told Kaido and Orochi did business with World Government, that's how they got their weapons. Now they're kinda in a pinch, aren't they? They can't get them from Kaido, they can't get them from Doflamingo. This was a huge blow to the Government.

And then we also have Sword, which is rumoured to aim it's blade against World Government or at least Marines in some way. Law clearly has some connections to Drake, whether we believe he's part of Sword himself or not doesn't matter (I know those theories are floating around, and I personally think they're just scratching the tip of the iceberg).

Now let's go back to Flevance. Who was responsible for the tragedy?

World Government. And let's not forget for Law World Government means also Navy. They're both guilty. Taking down Kaido helped Wano, ofc, but it also hugely impacted World Government's sources for supplies of weapons. Taking down Doflamingo freed Dressrosa, sure, but it also eliminated a person that was Government's errand boy, basically. That's another blow aimed at Government. It's all about weakening them, they're extremely strong enemy that no one can take on alone, overpowered, cutting them off from supplies sounds like a good first step towards taking them down, wouldn't you agree? That's a similar thing to what Revolutionary Army did to Marie Geoise, btw.

But then, Law said he only cared for taking revenge on Doflamingo, didn't he? That he has been living only for that purpose. Actually... that's not true, he says some really contradictionary things about his own goal:

Let's sum it up: his goal is to fullfill Cora-san's wish, to free himself (because that's what Cora-san wanted for him, to be free), to pull the trigger Cora-san couldn't on that day 13 years ago. If he thinks Cora-san wanted to pull that trigger himself but couldn't then that would make sense. But that's disregarding the fact that Corazon probably never wanted to kill Doffy, he even said it himself that dying is the only option for him. Law knows it. When he says the line about the "trigger" it's about Law's own wish, he thinks Doflamingo should have died instead of Corazon after all. Cora-san's actual wish was for Law to be free, but Law thinks it was something else: stopping Doflamingo. There are like multiple different wishes clashing here, obscuring the truth from us. And let's not forget the most crucial information: Law never planned to take down Doflamingo by himself! The whole plan was about making Doflamingo resign from warlords so he leaves Dressrosa. Law didn't even care what will happen afterwards to him (though it's clear he wished Navy would take care of him, more so than he cared for Kaido to take care of Doflamingo).

And then we have this:

"I've lived the past 13 years so I could strike Doflamingo down" which sounds suspiciously close to what Kyros was saying before and Law was there to hear it. Yeah, I think he "borrowed" that reason from Kyros, because he didn't actually want to voice his real intention here. We never doubt Law in this scene, because later on he repeats the same thing to Sengoku, and we don't expect him to lie to Sengoku, right? But I think what Law said was aimed just to make Sengoku feel better (he can relate to that, Sengoku is just mourning Rosinante!), and Law keeps quiet and hesitating what to say before Sengoku literally pushes an answer out of him. Law is hiding things from us, many many things, and most important one of all: what's his ultimate objective.

Whatever Law's true goal is, it must be related to this conversation he has with Cavendish. "You will be in the eye of a storm", and Law's answer: "That's my intention".

Of course as we learn from his conversation with Sengoku, Law has perhaps some doubts whether going around and causing chaos (and perhaps aiming for Government's neck) is the thing he should be doing, and he voices his concern like this:

Is this what a D. should be doing? Is this what Law should be doing?

And then in Wano we learn that his next goal is, curiously, to find out the meaning of the D. He still wants the answer to this question (is this what he should be doing?), that's why. But I believe Law is already setting a plan in motion to take down the Government somehow. That plan is very dangerous and can swallow his life in the process. He never told Luffy about it, because he wants to keep him out and away from it, not to "drag him down" together with Law (trying to finish alliance early was probably also partially a prevention of this). I wouldn't say what Law is aiming for is suicidal, but he is ready to put his life on the line and die if that's what it takes. And I hope we will finally find out the full scale of this and his ultimate objective, before this guy does something extremely stupid and reckless.

Last, but not least: Law is basically the person pushing the new era (after Whitebeard's death) forward: he destroyed the gears in Punk Hazard, he announced the deaths of the emperors, all those moments carry symbolic meaning. But is Law trying to make a world a better place or is he just trying to get revenge on World Government? I guess only time will tell us. I have faith in him and I think he cares more about the world and people than it seems. But he definitely also wants to give them a payback, for Flevance, for his parents, and also for himself. And now that he's free, truly free (in his own words: he stopped Doflamingo so he's free to do whatever he wants now), what's stopping him? Probably his own heartbroken ass at the moment, because of what happened to Heart Pirates, but ugh. I really think it won't stop him for long. We will get that revenge, Law will be the vigilante we hoped he will be and it might break us.

I could ramble more about Law's plans, but it would enter highly speculative territory and basically I would be grasping at straws at every corner. But I think I did catch on to some obscure foreshadowing, once again. Anyway, anon, not sure if this is the answer you hoped for, but those are my honest thoughts based on overthinking a lot about plot, story and stuff like that, as well as about Law, like always.

The most embarrassing series of posts about Lawlu you will ever read: edition Zou (part 10)

This time around, your teeth might rot. Lawlu are absolutely over the acceptable sugar levels in Zou!

Back to business! If you liked my theory from the last part of the series, you know that Law is probably patting himself on the back mentally here. He figured Luffy out by now: all he needed to do was to involve the food. Luffy would do just about anything then, lol. (Before the feast Luffy was like whatever about the guys in his fleet and refusing the idea. Now he likes them!)

Law also takes charge on their way to Zou:

Because who else would? Look at the chaos, Franky is like "I can steer the ship, but I need navigator's guidance!!" meanwhile ofc Barto Club has no navigator at all. Everyone's in panic. So who do you think took over, if Franky, Luffy, Zoro (we saw what happened when Nami told him once to keep an eye on their direction lol), Kin, Usopp and Robin do not seem to be up to the task? And who has the vivre card and actually probably helped Bepo when Bepo was learning navigation himself? Yes, I think we're all betting on the same man here: Trafalgar Law. No rest for him!

Luffy is already excited, Usopp of course wants to stop him, and who comes to the rescue? Law, but of course. Luffy can be as crazy as he wants around him, doesn't he.

Please mark what Luffy is the most excited about here: "Your friends must be up ahead!" It's not even about the new adventure, nah, Luffy's just happy Law will see his crew. He says it with such a bright smile too.

Same reaction, both standing in front. And again putting a short finishing blow to Usopp's panic mode. Law blends in quite well with the Strawhats and their dynamics.

Again same reaction, despite both of them being determined and brave, they're also both slightly taken aback by the sight.

Here I need to point something out: Law apparently didn't tell the Strawhats that Zou is an island on top of the gigantic elephant, despite knowing about it all the time. Only now he is explaining it (or actually sharing tales and background info about it). You could see it ofc as Law being a little shit trying to prevent them from panicking before they even reach their destination, so it becomes too late to turn back, but...

Just look at Luffy's reaction. He's loving the rollercoaster of emotions he's been experiencing as the result. He's having the best time of his life right now, his mouth open in awe, that's probably the most genuinely excited and surprised he has ever been when visiting a new place. Law keeping all that intel till the very last moment is actually perfect for Luffy: he often says he dislikes predictable adventures, he doesn't like to know too much about the place before visiting it. Law's withholding personality and Luffy's love for the unknown is actually perfect match. No one has to change their ways and their behaviour for the other, they're loving each other exactly for who they are.

It also seems Law might be one of the few people Luffy would listen to a lot, just to hear him tell tales. He's enjoying himself so much here.

Again, Law taking charge, naturally and almost casually so. He's thinking of food because he's not sure if the minks will be friendly or not, so in worst case scenario he doesn't want Luffy, his crew and himself to starve to death. Thinking ahead of everyone else, because he feels responsibility over them: again, they went to Zou because of Law.

This time around Law doesn't even wait for Luffy to ask him a question directly. He can see Luffy is a bit worried so he tries to reassure him with a logical conclusion in this situation. It doesn't matter if he himself is worried or apprehensive (he probably is a bit, look at his clenched fist here), but he will always put on a strong front so others won't worry. It doesn't matter they're not Law's own crew, he would do the same for the Strawhats that he would do for Hearts.

It looks like Law is as interested as the rest of them in Kanjuro's odd creation. He even took a position to get a good look at the head.

They're all ninja-crazy. I can't blame them. Robin's the odd one out tbh. Ninjas are freaking awesome! Law showing his excitement so openly is so rare as well, like, Luffy's influence definitely rubs off on him.

Despite Law protesting later that it's stupid to get overly emotional over a painting, he stays quiet here. And I bet you anything it's not because he is thinking to himself "what a stupid bunch of people". If he truly wanted them to go back, he would have said it now. And yet he didn't. Also notice Zoro's face! He's also like "it was just a stupid painting" later, but here? Ryunosuke's struggle gets him right in the feels, just like the rest of them!

How curious Law's face is hidden from us. He's clenching his fist again though, which signifies his inner struggle, trying to keep himself strong.

Putting it all into context, neither Zoro or Law are actually honest here. They just both act cold, because they don't like things being too dramatic. They definitely felt empathy for Ryunosuke tho lol.

The very moment Law points towards the guard tower, Luffy's already on it to get there, proving once again he always listens to him. Probably trying to impress Law with his speed haha. Even Usopp, who is so used to Luffy's antics, is surprised at that speed.

Luffy's having the best day of his life, and it's all thanks to the adventure Law basically gifted to him :) That scream was so loud that I'm sure everyone below them also heard Luffy.

Funny how Zoro thinks Luffy isn't just out for adventure, covering up for his captain. Law on the other hand is all business. There's no annoyance in him though, despite Luffy basically catapulting himself and leaving everyone behind. If he was mad about it, he would express it somehow, with a face expression or a sour comment. Nah, Law thinks Luffy deserves his adventure and just, lets him enjoy himself and do whatever he wants. Besides Law's heart wouldn't even dare stopping Luffy, not after hearing that extra big excitement from just a moment ago, probably reaching half the island. I told you your teeth will rot reading Zou together with me.

Meanwhile, Law knows that with Luffy gone, it's now his own responsibility to take care of the crew. Like always he's trying to play it cool and confident, because someone is already panicky ;D He's also immediately ready to defend them all, staying on alert.

Oh, this scene makes no sense, unless you know what's on Law's mind here. First, the context: a mink just attacked them, other one stopped them, they both were really worried about some trespasser ahead and trying to catch up to stop them. There's only one more outsider right now on Zou, and that's Luffy who catapulted himself some time ago. Law, the worrying cat that he is, obviously must be thinking about that. Thoughts are probably racing in his head, that's why he's so quiet and isolating himself from the rest. He might be even regretting allowing Luffy to just spring ahead like that.

And exactly because he's so worried inside his head here that he says such a stupid line "Oh, right, I forgot I have this vivre card". No, he didn't forget it in general, because he was using it all the time before they reached Zou and he remembered about it in Dressrosa. It's exactly because he's panicking here that it slipped his mind and only now he reminded himself of that. He's actually so distressed and distracted that he ends up speaking everything that's on his mind outloud without even realizing that.

"I didn't expect to ever see them again" is also a slip up from him, normally he would never voice any sentiment like that outloud. This shows us that despite having a poker face, Law internally worries a lot. And he totally went bonkers inside here, again because of Luffy.

While Law takes care of the Strawhats, Luffy manages to meet up with Heart Pirates! He's so happy to see them (especially Bepo). He realizes Law's crew misses him a lot and it's probably true for Law as well.

And of course I have to mention that Luffy is a little shit who remembers Law's name properly, he just loves to use his nickname for him <3 again what's with the special treatment??

Now let's take a look at this sequence of events. First, Luffy's disappointment when Bepo says he can't leave the whale forest and asking Luffy to tell Law to come to them. Luffy's face expression there is quite outstanding. He clearly thought Law is looking forward to seeing his own crew again, as we remember from the beginning of this post: that was Luffy's first thought when Law showed them the vivre card. Luffy apparently also wanted to meet them so badly, but he also went on ahead on his own thinking he can bring Heart Pirates to Law so they can reunite faster! Sadly, that part didn't work out.

Then Carrot mentions Nekomamushi and that coincidentally becomes the only person in Zou arc whose name Luffy will remember properly, before even meeting him! And why? Because he associates seeing Nekomamushi with meeting up Heart Pirates again!

And finally we have Chopper asking where's Law and Luffy answers he's in "Bear Forest" (Kujira, Kuma, yeah, close enough Luffy, at least you got the "ku" right). Luffy couldn't bother to remember the name of the forest (whale forest) so it became "bear forest" because that's where Law's bear is waiting for him, lol.

Again, Law's so worried here, he even starts to think Zou is in the middle of infighting. Luffy's safety must be constantly on his mind, so no wonder he reacts so quickly and transports them (probably without any warning) to where Usopp spotted Luffy being potentially in danger. Just look how clumsy that teleportation point was, so high up in the air! Someone was clearly in a hurry when shambling here lol.

We only get a look of his hand as he does that, which feels like a small callback to Sabaody: when Law makes his decision there to save Luffy, we only see his body, but not his face. Later Iva-chan said "sometimes body moves on it's own/by instinct" and I think this is exactly another example of that here. Law didn't even think of doing that, he just automatically reacted the moment he heard Luffy is in danger.

Btw it's not that Law only cared for himself and Robin to stand properly on landing. Robin is seen falling upside down, she stabilized herself using her own devil fruit power to land properly. Meanwhile Law always lands in style haha. Mr Steady Two Legs No Matter How Shaky the Ground Is.

Luffy's very happy to see them, his eyes are shining. It's not like he already started to miss them or anything, they seperated not that long ago, and Luffy was completely unaware of Strawhats worrying for him. I think Luffy's reaction here can be explained differently: he's happy to see that Law clearly took care of the Strawhats for Luffy! He's happy to see them all together. He probably wouldn't have expected Law to run off on his own, but it made him super happy that Law stayed despite missing (and worrying about) his crew so much. Luffy knows by now that Law worries a lot, after all. But he's also just happy to see Law again.

And they finally reach the other minks. Law's very confused, because just moments ago he thought minks are infighting, but they're apparently all cheerful instead. We're not really shown when Law seperates from the group or if Luffy relayed the message from Bepo, but if he did, this would be the moment. Just look from one frame to another, Luffy's in front at first, but suddenly in next frame he's close to Wanda again. We know already that Luffy can't sit still for even 5 seconds, so he was probably turning around to tell Law that his crew is waiting for him!

There we go, finally a reunion. Judging from Law's relieved face, Luffy was right and Law was indeed worried about his crew (but he's also just simply happy and touched to see them. He kinda looks like he's saying something akin to "Sorry I left you for so long guys" in his mind).

Luffy knows him pretty well by this point huh. Of course Law also denies taking any credit for their achievement of beating Mingo, instead saying it's all thanks to Luffy. At least in Sabaody he took half the credit, but here he decides himself unworthy of any. Is it because of his gratefulness to Luffy?

Just Luffy looking out of the window, nothing unusual right? Except it's yet another rare whimsical Luffy frame and they're all very suspicious by nature. He's peeking outside curiously, kinda like he's awaiting to see something there. That window we see is facing the entrance to the minks base. Curiously enough, it's most likely the entrance that Law took to go and meet up with his crew (retracing Luffy's earlier steps!). Do you get it?

Yes, Luffy is checking up if Law is already coming back with his crew, clearly impatient to see them. They probably seperated not that long ago, but he already can't wait to reunite. He wants to spot them even a second faster so they can be together again, because every second away from Law feels like eternity.

And then suddenly, Luffy turns his attention back to Wanda. Unusual, Luffy actually listening to anyone else rambling than Law, right? But it's because of what Wanda said here: "Bepo's group". Yep. Luffy realized Law and his crew didn't see each other for at least a month and a half. Luffy knows what this means, he was also seperated from his crew at Sabaody and he missed them so much it hurt him. He can clearly relate. From this point on, he will do his best to be patient and allow Law to take as much time as he wants and needs with his Heart Pirates. He understands.

Luffy taking Kaido seriously? What a big change from the first time Law and Luffy discussed alliance! Back then Law told him "you're not taking the emperors seriously". Well, now Luffy clearly does. It all changed when he saw Mingo defeating Law twice, and Law claimed Mingo will be a difficult opponent as well. Someone learned his lesson here and it's again, thanks to Law and also only because of Law.

Luffy declaring "we'll go quietly to Big Mom". This is also Luffy trying to take the things seriously. He is trying to prove Law he can be serious and trustworthy! (despite Law not being here to hear it haha)

And then Luffy refuses to meet up with Heart Pirates. Sounds cold on the surface level, right? Not so much anymore though when we remember Luffy peeking out of the windows, awaiting Law impatiently. It's only because Luffy already decided to give Law all the time he wants with his own crew. In other words, Luffy is actually holding himself back here and he's doing it for Law's sake. He wants Law to find him by himself once he's satisfied with the reunion. He cares about both Law and his feelings.

And that's all for this part! Zou's the shortest arc (not counting Reverie and Return to Sabaody), and yet it's so full of Lawlu that I couldn't fit it all into one post! Second post on Zou soon! Meanwhile, here's a bonus:

Let's analyze Luffy's vivre card. First piece was taken by Sabo, second by Bellamy, then Cavendish, Bartolomeo and the rest took their own bits. And yet while boarding Barto Club's ship, Luffy's card seems to be missing an extra piece.

I will leave you with that thought <3

Your time travel fic is so sweet, I love it!! I think I have a crush on your future Law ~\(≧▽≦)/~

Hi anon! I’m so glad you like this story. It’s really my best so far, and I adore the warm, tender vibe of it all.

With your crush, I gotta say MOOD. It’s not like future Law is happy-go-lucky or anything, but he’s undoubtedly a handsome DILF, all daredevil smirks, and just generally more chill and free, given how much he must have worked through to reach to that point.

A fun fact for you: when it comes to his appearance only, I imagine it would look like Blackbeard in this little pirate show called Our Flag Means Death lmaoo (very ironic, coz you know, Blackbeard, but he’s a sweetheart in this show I swear) What can I say? I do love pepper gray hair pulled into a half ponytail.

Thank you for such a lovely ask, and have a fun, whimsical day 🥺✨❤️