How doesOne Piece’sworld shed light on its moral complexities; who are the bad guys, and to what extent does each faction or character represent its moral goodness and badness? In the turbulent world ofOne Piece, viewers mostly root for the pirates, particularly the Straw Hats. Viewers support the straw hats no matter how far they go to achieve their goals because the end justifies the means, and in this case, the ‘end’ is for all members of the straw hats to fulfill their desires on the vast sea of the Grand Line.
On the other hand, the story makes one root for all kinds of characters, even when they are on the wrong path. The evil of the World Government pervadesOne Piece’sworld, as does that of some pirates, such as Crocodile and Buggy the Clown, who pillage cities and villages for their own ill-conceived personal ambition.
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The lines between right and wrong inOne Pieceare blurred, and in his cunning way, Eiichiro Oda turnedthe World Government, which should be a symbol of absolute justice, into an evil entity that viewers despise. Even though the marine soldiers fight pirates, they are still pawns at the disposal of the marine’s upper hierarchy (the five elders and celestial dragons). In other words, the marines are programmed to do whatever the upper echelons desire. With the existence of celestial dragons, the ideology of absolute justice is a sham, which is enough to undermine everything the World Government stands for. Furthermore, the celestial dragons are a royal symbol, but their power is so immense that the common people for whom the World Government vows to fight are nothing more than slaves in their eyes— mere objects to trample on whenever they see fit. The World Government’s protection encourages the celestial dragons' brutality and oppression.
The buster callis another terrifying tool of the World Government. It is the most powerful military action used by the World Government, and the fact that the celestial dragon can conjure it is a nightmare. In the Sabaody Archipelago arc, the straw hat felt the wrath of the buster call. It doesn’t matter if the celestial dragons are wrong; they respond without retorting when they summon the marine. The buster call has wiped out an entire lineage; Nico Robin is a victim of the horrors that await any party who uses a buster call. The fact that the buster call is an order to annihilate a target with no questions askedraises questions about the moralityof the World Government. Besides, the buster call is so intense and dangerous that no investigation is conducted to determine whether it is the next course of action.
Although viewers regard the straw hats as the series' true heroes among the worst generations, they are not simply angels. The events leading up to the Battle of Marineford are one of the catalysts that show Monkey D. Luffy, theleader of the straw hat, will go to any length to get what he wants. On his quest to free Ace from the execution ground, Luffy wreaked havoc on Impel Down, an underground prison for the most hardened criminals. During his journey into Impel Down, Luffy freed Crocodile, Buggy the clown, and many other inmates.
Only Monkey D. Luffy cares about freeing his brother, Ace, no matter how many criminals he liberates on his way. Crocodile was responsible for the poverty and deaths of thousands of people in Alabasta, but he gets liberated— thanks to Luffy. The Orange Town arc was Luffy’s first encounter withBuggy the clown, and the arc shows the town’s deplorable state due to Buggy’s tyrannical rule. Amidst the funny nuance of Buggy lies a tyrant, the horrific pirate known to pillage villages and terrorize the masses. But albeit, to this, the cunny Buggy was also freed by Luffy on his quest to rescue his brother. Eiichiro Oda turned the arc into chaos that made viewers cheer on the lawbreakers— the pirates—while booing Magellan, the prison warden who only wishes to keep the criminals at bay.
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Accordingly, the terror of the World government cannot be overlooked inOne Piece; however, not all prisoners at Impel Down deserve the ill fate of the underground prison. This same prison was the first place viewers metJimbei, the first son of the sea, who was imprisoned for not joining the charade of the World Government to execute one of the few good men (Ace) that roam the sea. Regardless of how noble Luffy’s quest to save Ace is, the fact remains that he gave notorious criminals a free pass to roam the sea once more. Furthermore,Bon Clay’s heroic actdemonstrates that there is honor even among thieves.
The world ofOne Piecehas a mixed bag of characters; while some deserve to be loathed, others are duly loved. This array of characters is spread across each faction inOne Piece. Admiral Fujitora, Coby, Vice-Admiral Garp, and Sengoku were among the few men who made the Navy appear honorable. Similarly, somepirates, such as Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard, Roxinante, Oden, and the straw hats, who stand up to tyranny and oppression, are the few good men who elevate pirates above the status of mere pillagers. Eiichiro Oda assembled a cast of characters who aren’t simply heroes or villains but have enough layered depth to allow viewers to interpret them however they want.
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