Since chapter 968 there’s been renewed discussion about the particular words both Luffy and Roger may have said that stood as similar to others, specifically to Shanks, as he recounted to Whitebeard.
From this point of view it’s interesting to note the similarity between the following two scenes. I’m sure people have already realized the connection, but it may be worth pointing it out, if only to start a discussion. The first is Luffy talking to Ace and Sabo, from chapter 585:
At that time I remember people arguing what Luffy might have said, guessing that he probably said he wanted to be the Pirate King, but also noting that it’s a little bit odd to delete the words, if that’s all it was. After all, why would Oda deliberately dampen the effect of an otherwise climactic point in the conversation?
Now compare that with this scene from 966, Roger talking to Whitebeard and Oden:
Note the similarity in the style of the panels, and Whitebeard’s comparison to what a child might say!
We can guess with good reason that Roger did not say he’ll be the Pirate King, because of how he reacted when he was later called that by the papers.
Therefore, if the similarity of the two scenes is deliberate, and the exact same words have been said, Luffy also did not say he wanted to be the Pirate King, but something else, perhaps along the lines of becoming “the one who is the most free”, as he explained to Rayleigh. This is the most likely scenario to me.
If the similarity is coincidence, then Luffy probably did say he wanted to be the Pirate King, but Roger surely did not. But that raises the same question again: why omit the words? What do you think?
*by rubblerust
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