A Captain’s Promise: Analyzing Luffy’s Leadership Style
Introduction
In this episode, I deconstruct another plot from the popular anime “One Piece.” This time, we’ll look at a scene between Luffy (the Straw Hats’ captain) and Sanji (the crew’s cook). Warning: There will be spoilers! This would be a lengthy article due to the amount of backstory and scene narration required.
Sanji’s history with his family
Vinsmoke Judge and Sora’s son is Sanji. Judge had children in order to transform them into weapons by manipulating their genes in order to expand his power. He was successful with Sanji’s four siblings, but when he discovered that his experiment on Sanji had failed, he grew enraged and imprisoned his son to keep the information hidden.
Sanji’s only crime was that, like his mother, he was disinterested in violence. He also enjoyed cooking, which Judge hated, hence he kept him locked up. Sanji’s future appeared bleak, but Reiju (Sanji’s sister) cared about her brother and broke him out of his confinement. Reiju pleaded with Sanji to leave the island and never return. Sanji had no choice but to comply.
After some while, Judge uses the bounty system of the global government to bring Sanji back. All of this was done only to further his thirst to recapture the North Blue, which is one of the anime’s oceans. Sanji refuses to go along with Judge’s plan to marry him off to one of Big Mom’s (another formidable pirate leader) daughters, prompting Judge to threaten to kill the man Sanji believed to be his father figure.
The scene
Luffy is racing toward Sanji’s carriage and grabs onto it to talk to Sanji directly, and with everything against him (the threat given by Judge) racing through his mind, Sanji made the decision to kick Luffy away and claim that he has forsaken the Straw Hats and embraced his royal heritage as Prince Vinsmoke Sanji. Sanji claims that he will be happier in the ranks of the Big Mom Pirates, where he will be treated with power and luxury, as opposed to the meager existence of the Straw Hats. He says that he has been looking down on Luffy and his crewmates the whole time and is willing to prove it as he activates Diable Jambe. He then charges at the motionless Luffy and kicks him in the face, sending him tumbling away.
Luffy gets back up to face Sanji, who says that he should use Haki (a special power in this world) if he wants to live. Luffy replies that he has no need for Haki when he just wants to speak with Sanji, and Sanji tells Luffy to leave in that case. Luffy refuses, and Sanji calls him selfish as he strikes Luffy again. Luffy gets back up, and Nami (the Navigator of the Straw Hats) pleads for Sanji to stop, saying that Luffy has pushed himself to the limit against a powerful opponent just to get this far. However, Luffy silences Nami, saying this is a duel. Sanji then barrages Luffy with many kicks, but Luffy refuses to back down or fall, much to his chagrin. At last, Sanji has finally had enough and prepares to deal a finishing blow. He plants his heel into the top of Luffy’s head with deadly force, and Luffy initially tries resisting it but eventually succumbs to the power and falls unconscious.
Sanji returns to the carriage while Nami rushes to the side of the bleeding Luffy, who is lying on the ground. She then approaches Sanji and smacks him before apologizing harshly for trying to save him and leaving. Luffy regains consciousness and calls out to Sanji as the carriage departs. Sanji then returns to his seat next to his astonished brothers. He claims that he is aware that Sanji is acting, and that Sanji was the one who was actually injured as a result of all the kicks he launched. Without Sanji, Luffy declares he cannot embark on his quest to become Pirate King; thus, he will remain in this location and abstain from food until Sanji shows up. After hearing Luffy’s remarks, Sanji sobs, and his brothers laugh at him as they walk away from Luffy.
A few episodes later, after leaving the Vinsmoke family, Sanji goes back to the same location where he left in search of Luffy so that he can rejoin his crew. It came as no surprise to anyone when Luffy appeared as promised, sitting beside a large boulder, starving to death, and looking absolutely miserable.
Analysis
Sanji decides to go back to his life as a pirate despite being threatened by his biological father and giving up his potential power. What led him to make this choice? Was it resentment about how he was treated as a child? Or perhaps it was his love of cooking? Actually, none of these apply. Luffy is shown to be most devoted to his crew throughout the anime, referring to them as family rather than teammates. The vows he makes to the members are never broken, even if it means risking his life or his dreams. He has stood up for everyone and helped them understand what true freedom means. Luffy says in this scene that if he loses, he has no interest in becoming the Pirate King.
Sanji is kicking Luffy repeatedly during the battle, but Luffy never returns the favor. When Nami intervenes, he rejects her as well, saying that it was between the two of them. Sanji has a tremendous crush on Nami, therefore, Luffy wants to gain his trust through his actions rather than through influence or power. After being knocked down, Luffy awakens to see Sanji’s carriage leaving the area. He then swears not to go back to the ship or continue his journey without him. This assurance aids Sanji in realizing that the Straw Hats are by his side at all times.
Conclusion
A leader is chosen based on his ethics and commitment to his obligations, not on his physical or intellectual prowess. Even though he had to endure hunger, Luffy kept his word. When it comes to making such pledges, Sanji is not an exception for Luffy; he has a similar connection with every member of the crew.
