Questions & Mysteries The Cost of the Will

Do you Agree?

  • Yes

    Votes: 13 48.1%
  • Nah

    Votes: 4 14.8%
  • Maybe

    Votes: 1 3.7%
  • ZKK

    Votes: 16 59.3%

  • Total voters
    27
#1
Disclaimer: If you don't want me to tag you, please PM me or post down below.

THE COST OF THE WILL

This is going to be quite an abstract concept, very intangible, and on the lines of not even existing within One Piece.

I will begin by explaining a concept within Hunter X Hunter, Chairman Isaac Netero, and the final stage of the Hunter Exam. If you haven't read or watched Hunter, this is minor spoilers from the first arc, but does not ruin the story. This concept is also prevalent within One Piece and may be considered "plot armor".
  • Within the final stage of the Hunter Exam, Netero assigns a battle posting.
  • This is a versus matchup between several different characters that have made it to the last stage.
  • However, some people have several chances to win, some people have fewer chances to win.
  • Netero created this setup based on 2 things he sees in combatants, their Strength and Resolve.
    • Characters with stronger Willpower/who don't give up and are strong in their own right are respected by Netero.
    • This is why Gon (Resolve + Strength) was given I believe 5 chances and Killua (Just Strength) was given 2. Gon and Killua may have been on the same strength tier compared to the rest but they wouldn't fight each other. And Leorio (Not super strong, and Not Super Resolved) was given 1 Chance.
      • This alludes back to the mini ball game Gon and Killua had with Netero, Gon tried hard to make Netero use his second arm while Killua gave up and left.
  • The Theme of this Stage points back to One Piece. This may be chalked off as Plot Armor, Character Development, or Character Writing. But it's not.
Characters that invest into their Resolve and Will in this story get massively Rewarded
Characters that give up their resolve get burned
Something like Karmic Piracy

The Pre and Post Timeskip is Teeming with Characters like this.
  • Luffy: Challenged his resolve in Drum Island earned Chopper (coincidentally a doctor) and cured Nami.
  • Luffy: Saved Coby from Alvida, earns Coby's interception of Akainus time even for a few seconds
  • Luffy: Threatened Big Mom (on her radar) in Fishman Island, gives treasure in exchange of saving Fishman Island, Tamate Box saves him in the nick of time in a pinch in WCI
  • Luffy: Saves Alabasta, Fishman Island, Shirahoshi, and Robin; earns right to Nico Robins reading of Poneglyphs, Poseidon, and possibly Pluton.
  • Luffy: Endured torture from Blue Jam Pirates, and earned a Lifelong brotherhood with Ace and Sabo (Ace dies for Luffy).
  • Zoro: Sacrificed himself by enduring Nothing Happened and earns tutelage under Mihawk, and is now fighting Kaido + more glory
  • Luffy: Goes through the Impel Down Hell and earned the ride to Marineford
  • Luffy: Gave it his all to save Ace in Marineford, earns Rayleigh as his Timeskip Trainer
  • Usopp: Defying the outclassing strength of the Fishman, Mole Lady, World Government, and Donquixote Pirates, even in the face of Death Itself, Usopp stays defiant. This earned him his thousands of troops, Respect with the Grand Fleet, 200 Million Second Bounty, and Epithet as "GOD USOPP"
  • Crocodile: Declined the Doflamingo/WG, saved Ace and Luffy, kept true to his own will (did not bend a knee), earned the Safe Passage to the New World
  • Doflamingo: While being crucified with his family, resisted, and showed his teeth to the people, karma gave him the Donquixote Pirates and his Throne as King of the Underworld, Warlord Status.
  • Kaido: He sought for strength, fighting stronger and stronger foes until strong individuals bent a knee to him. He has the Beast Pirates and is a formidable Yonko.
  • Wapol: Gets knocked the fuck out by Luffy, perseveres, still delusional and believes he is a King, and makes his way back to the throne. His beliefs never faltered.
  • Orochi: He is weak, but he stuck to his Korozumi Roots, maintain his lineages will to destroy Wano, allied with Kaido and desecrated Wano even in the face of someone as powerful as Oden.
  • Akainu: This man does NOT miss. Only Posts Up W's, any method necessary to win, Absolute Strength = Absolute Power. His Resolve has taken him to the pinnacle of the Marines. He killed Ace, decimated Whitebeard, and is the Face of ultimate authority. His reward is his win against Aokiji (another Top Tier) and position as Fleet Admiral.
  • Blackbeard: He stayed patient and true to his goal for at least 25-30 years and when he saw his chance, he abused it. He left his chances to Fate, and actions to himself. From 1 Fruit to Warlord Status to 2 Fruits to Position as Emperor and Pirate King candidate. Marshall D. Teech made it here because he never gave in and always made Ballsy plays.
Now the negatives:
  • Ace: Threw away his "role" as a Conqueror and bent a knee to Whitebeard. He had given up his ambition in exchange for settlement. That's why he gets caught by Blackbeard and later is killed. He pays the price for throwing his will. (Note: His original play was defeating WB and becoming a stronger, more notorious pirate than Roger, and even Pirate King status)
  • Sanji: Throws away his dream of All Blue, wants to settle in Fishman Island, gets negged by Doflamingo, Vergo, and Viola.
  • Sanji: Gives up on Luffy, loses faith in strawhats, beats Luffy ass results in nonexistent combative treatment, and disgrace by Black Maria, and scornfully looked at by Pirates on Onigashima. Sanji reaped what he sowed even if it is because of Oda or Hirata.
  • Crocodile: New World Pirates shattered his ambitions, he tucked his tail and ran to Paradise where Logia's have zero counters. Gets bodied by Luffy and run out of his position as Warlord plus incarceration.
  • Moria: Got his will broken by Kaido, then became a bumfuck Warlord in the middle of the Florian Triangle where he sleeps 21 hours a day, then loses his status as Warlord, beaten by an upstart brat like Luffy, then Blackbeard kills Absalom his Nakama.
  • Oden: Danced for his people, bent a knee to Whitebeard, too prideful to ask for help, allowed for his nation to run to the ground. Thus Dies in a horrific way, leaving his clans Will upon his Retainers. Although he got to choose his way out, he went out to someone strong & someone pathetically clever.
I could go on and on. But my main point is this karmic existence and Cost of the Will. If and when characters respect this Will/Resolve they are given, then they are rewarded by more notoriety, strength, connections, and passage to move on. If they give up on their will, they are given death. And that may be what piracy means. Being ballsy, making plays, and staying true to your resolve, earns you glory and passage to the top. Shanks and Mihawk expertly quoted this exact thing in the same Arc, the brilliant Marineford:
  • "Good Job, You Young Navy Soldier. The Courageous Moments That You Created By Risking Your Life Just Now Have Changed The Future Of The World Tremendously, For Better Or Worse..."
  • "It’s not a Devil Fruit, or some cheap trick… One by one, he turns the people around him into his allies. More than anyone else sailing the seas… That man possesses the most terrifying power."
The interpretation of this, from what I take out of it, is that a moments hesitation causes death or despair.
  • Like Zoro/Luffy hesitation at Water 7, led to Sea Train plus Enies Lobby to win. Sooner they were resolved to fight, they would have beaten Kaku and Lucci at W7.
And Mihawk's quote applies to the respect of ones resolve earns them the ability to leap across with faith
  • Shown by Luffy affirming his resolve to become PK in the face of WB (the strongest man at the time), earned him WB's respect and backing, his CoC awakening, and then when he said he would save Ace or die, all the WB pirates got up and reaffirmed their resolve despite the circumstances being gloomy.
I hope I was able to make some sort of sense. If not then, oh well. Hope this was a good read for you guys. Thanks.

@bennbeckman @Jew D. Boy @Luffy bin Dragon @Cinera @Seth @Celestial D. Dragon @Krusher1357 @Light D Lamperouge @Don DaSlayer @Monkey D. Luffy @Marimo_420 @yj @KiriNigiri @ZoroSlaysDragonTuna @Oblivion @GrandmasterChef Zonji @Akai2 @Paperchampion23 @rerere @Ice devil slayer @Fenaker @Finalbeta @MarimoHeado @etc etc etc
 
Last edited:

Finalbeta

Law Nerd
#8
Coby, Zoro and many others, so many excellent examples this manga features. And this concept can be expanded to real life too, despite we deal with a world where plot armor or any other related factor do not exist. Unless we perpetually live in a simulation run by superbeings or anything relatable lol!

There's so so much truth in this by the way!
 
#9
Coby, Zoro and many others, so many excellent examples this manga features. And this concept can be expanded to real life too, despite we deal with a world where plot armor or any other related factor do not exist.
There's so so much truth in this by the way!
I actually made this post because of reality. Although this idea is entirely faint since its lifted from a fictional medium, there's so much greatness one can accomplish if they can better understand this.
 
#15
Sorry, can't afford reading so much bullshit.

This is the classic scenario where we know how everything worked out so backlog history will always make sense but you can't give one correct prediction about the future.


Luffy literally lost his will at Marineford once Ace died and was rewarded by keeping alive because everybody helped him to get out and Law gave him medical care. Not only that but Rayeigh then comes up with a plan to give a info to all his crew members(impressive how inteligence of Marines/WG couldn't decipher such high level hidden message) and train him for 2 years.

Coby stopping Akainu has nothing to do with Luffy's helping him at past but only by Coby's characters design which was rewarded with Shanks fully stopping Akainu and War.

I can go on many more or basically al your points if you want to.
 
#16
Sorry, can't afford reading so much bullshit.

This is the classic scenario where we know how everything worked out so backlog history will always make sense but you can't give one correct prediction about the future.


Luffy literally lost his will at Marineford once Ace died and was rewarded by keeping alive because everybody helped him to get out and Law gave him medical care. Not only that but Rayeigh then comes up with a plan to give a info to all his crew members(impressive how inteligence of Marines/WG couldn't decipher such high level hidden message) and train him for 2 years.

Coby stopping Akainu has nothing to do with Luffy's helping him at past but only by Coby's characters design which was rewarded with Shanks fully stopping Akainu and War.

I can go on many more or basically al your points if you want to.
Luffy lost his will in Marineford after going to the depths of his life.
He took two hormone shots, sacrificed 20 years, and went through Impel Down, all for Ace to throw it away.
Saying Luffy lost his will is not something so easy to say. He gave it his all and then some, it's disingenuous to discredit him like that.

Luffy gave Koby the confidence to do that.
No Luffy = Koby stuck on Alvida's ship to this day.
Unless you believe he could save himself.
 
#19
Luffy lost his will in Marineford after going to the depths of his life.
He took two hormone shots, sacrificed 20 years, and went through Impel Down, all for Ace to throw it away.
Saying Luffy lost his will is not something so easy to say. He gave it his all and then some, it's disingenuous to discredit him like that.

Luffy gave Koby the confidence to do that.
No Luffy = Koby stuck on Alvida's ship to this day.
Unless you believe he could save himself.
It is easy to say. Luffy lost his will. Yes, he gave everything he could. Impel Down + Marineford Luffy was the biggest Will One Piece character after showed. Still not very well rewarded(he saved Ace but....). And he lost his will anyway after Ace dying. So it's pretty easy to say again LUFFY LOST HIS WILL.

Coby would get out of Alvida's ship one way or another. Luffy gave the confidence for Coby to do that? He was just a monster near Alvida. It's easy to have confidence in a situation like that. Against Akainu is a whole new level. Like people say or you born with that "Conqueror" spirit or you don't. Coby was born with it.
 
#20
It is easy to say. Luffy lost his will. Yes, he gave everything he could. Impel Down + Marineford Luffy was the biggest Will One Piece character after showed. Still not very well rewarded(he saved Ace but....). And he lost his will anyway after Ace dying. So it's pretty easy to say again LUFFY LOST HIS WILL.

Coby would get out of Alvida's ship one way or another. Luffy gave the confidence for Coby to do that? He was just a monster near Alvida. It's easy to have confidence in a situation like that. Against Akainu is a whole new level. Like people say or you born with that "Conqueror" spirit or you don't. Coby was born with it.
I don’t doubt Koby having CoC. But if that was the case why did he yield to Alvida. Ace, Doflamingo, Luffy as kids were prepared to die, got tortured and still defied adults and stronger people.
Back to Luffy. He bounced back with 3 weeks. He had people there for him that raised him up. That way he was able to prepare for the future by laying a solid foundation through Haki training, Gear 4, CoC, etc. This type of coincidental leisure training wasn’t there for the other Supernova.
 
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