One Piece is filled with larger-than-life battles, colorful and deep characters, and wild adventures across the seas. Throughout its over 1,160 Chapters to the date of publishing. Eiichiro Oda, the creator and artist behind the world best-selling manga occasionally drops a line so deep that it cuts straight into my understanding of philosophy.
One of the most memorable examples of this comes from Donquixote Doflamingo at Marineford. Doflamingo is one of Odas most interestingly twisted — yet insightful characters in the series.
In the TV iteration he says:
“Pirates are evil.”
“The Marines are righteous.”
These terms have always changed throughout the course of history.
Kids who has never seen peace and kids who have never seen war, have different values!
Those who stand at the top determine what’s wrong and what’s right…
“Justice will prevail!” You say?!
Well, but of course it will, whoever wins the war, becomes justice.
Below is an “Edit” that inspired this post. Posted by “name lyrics” on YouTube who says: “Audio recorded by Christopher Tester (@chrisnaturallyrp) on TikTok”
This is one of the many moments in the series where it stops being just a “pirate show.” It becomes a reflection on the nature of justice itself. We can see how morality and power allow for people to show their real colors.
The line about a kid who has never seen peace vs. a kid who’s never seen war can be reflected into real-world scenario. In this example, a child who has never seen war will see violence as evil while a child who has never seen peace can see violence as survival. We can see how morality is not universal, its based on experiences.
“Those who stand at the top determine what’s wrong and what’s right.”
Morality is not a set standard for all people; it is written by the ones in power. In the world of One Piece, we see the World Government call themselves “justice.” Even as they uphold oppression, slavery, and corruption.
““Justice will prevail, you say?!” Of course it will. Whoever wins the war becomes justice.”
This is a clear example of propaganda becoming history. Once the war is over, the winners will have the ability to rewrite the story to show themselves as the heroes. Wars are not decided by who’s morally better, they’re decided by who’s the strongest. Doflamingo may be one of the fictional worlds most twisted and cruel villains, but he tells the uncomfortable truth. “Justice” isn’t about morality, it’s about perspective, power, and most importantly, who gets to write history. Maybe we see too much of this in our world as well, and it’s important to understand the freedoms of the people, and the real right and wrong in society.
This is why I feel so passionately about One Piece. It isn’t about finding the greatest treasure called the “One Piece” or about the fight scenes, it’s about questioning the system that defines the people’s lives. This show reminds us that the labels “Good” and “Evil” are never simply defined. Maybe this is why characters like Luffy and so many other pirates don’t not care if they are defined by good or evil, all they care for is freedom and loyalty.
At its core, One Piece is as much a story about freedom and philosophy as it is about adventure and pirates.
A great real-world example that is directly affected by the One Piece Story:
Look at what’s happening in Napal for example, the Napal Government has declared the “Straw Hat Jolly Roger” to be a sign of treason, although many who have seen or have read the story know it’s a symbol for basic freedoms. Does this show that the Napal Government is just like the fictional World Government in the series? That is question above my paygrade, but it could be a start to a great conversation.
