Does the fact that he's laughing spoil his character? No I don't think so, luffy is fine, as a luffy fan I'm happy with how he is, why does luffy laugh when vegapunk is injured? Why doesn't Luffy get serious? Because Oda doesn't want luffy to be serious at that moment, if he wants to create a drama about Vegapunk's death he will do it when the time comes, luffy was fighting the same way before g5, how did luffy fight with kaido after kinemon and the others were seriously injured? He was fighting with fun, I don't remember you objecting.
Him laughing didn’t bother me in the slightest.
The fact that he’s the freaking second coming of a deity, destined to save the world, that is a freaking actual messiah ruined his character.
The fact that eating the Nika Nika was the necessary condition for “being JoyBoy” and NOT his will ruined his character.
When has anyone ever mentioned that they were waiting for Nika (Who's Who doesn't count). But what's with everyone going down on their knees in tears in front of Luffy as if he were the messiah (which unfortunately he has become)?
I fell in love with One Piece, not the Gospel according to Shanks the Red. The story of a charismatic and ambitious pirate who inspires everyone with his spirit and willpower, not through a theological virtue that leads him to be the living embodiment of all that is good and right.
One Piece has a whole Story has been destroyed by that clumsy horribly written last minute revelation.
Pages and pages dedicated to the Christ of the Looney Toones and not a single cartoon for Franky, who spent two years on Vegapunk's Christmas island.
Mugiwara with a flattened personality whose function is reduced to pulling off a gag every now and then. But now they seem more like disciples than companions: side figures whose function is to say once in a while: "believe in your Lord Luffy", so imagine if Oda bothers to dedicate a minimum of space to them.
No character seems to shine with their own light anymore but is now reflexively illuminated only by the light emanating from Nika and defined only by his relationship with him (see Kuma's flashback which is all "Nika here Nika there" or characters who had reason to interact with Vegapunks like Sanji and Franky, who have barely exchanged even half a word with him).
If before Luffy inspired and enthralled it was because he demonstrated great individual qualities, it was in HIM that the characters had confidence while now being the God of the sun seems to be an attribute that has been stuck on him to ensure that he inspires in anyone immediate veneration regardless of his individual qualities.
Maybe I'm exaggerating but it seems to me that One Piece has taken a prophetic/religious drift that has completely distorted it, and Nika is the incarnation of it.
This is no longer the One Piece that made me emotional, what a shame to see a story I was so passionate about reduced to this state, demolished piece by piece.
And this comes from someone who, during past arcs like Whole Cake and Dressrosa, defended to the hilt most of the controversial choices Oda made while most of the fandom was heavily criticising him for them… but Nika? No, fuck that Shit and this Shit show this story has become.