@MagneticMonkey:
This is what happens when trying to bring some fun into the discussion wents wrong. Thank you for reading more into it and going completely in the wrong direction.
Who cares about how quote? I certainly not.
LOL. Guess I missed your sense of humor in there, it was so skillfully hidden:ninja:…JK!!!! I can see it now. Can't imagine how I missed it yesterday. Honestly, I am genuinely apologetic that I didn't get it, and I'm very repentent for ruining your joke, and for not understanding what a laid-back, easy going kind of poster you are. I hate being misunderstood too, especially if it involves being falsely accused of the very thing I was sarcastically making fun of in the first place, but as you say, ain't no thing but a chicken wing, amirite?
@Don:
quoting myself :
For me it seems like Oda wants to show us that now after a big part of the journey Zoros goal of becoming the greatest swordman has now changed.
Its not anymore his biggest goal. Zoro wants to be now the best swordfighter, because it would be necessary\important for Luffy gaining his goal! It
s now more like Usopp wants to be a brave warrior,because it`s necessary to help Luffy.
So it is also with the rest of the crew..all their dreams they try to reach are helping Luffy in someway or another, thats why they all are still aiming for it.
Recently Zoro was always portayed as the one who stands behind the crew (Usopp-incident in Water7 he was the one who made clear that Luffy don`t have to back down, Kuma-incident already mentioned) and i guess Oda wants to make it 100%-karat clear that Zoro is not any longer the lone wolf with only that one fix goal in his mind.
Zoro is the vice-captn who sacrifices everything for Luffy and stands behind the crew with everything he has.
(and I think that he knows that he could fulfill his promise to Kuina the best way like that–like Zoro said:The PK and the best swordfighter seems to be a ideal team)
Hmm. Here's where I start the "obsessing-over-details, OMG-this-break-is-gonna-kill-me-yet, so-I-am-gonna-discuss-this-teeny-tiny-ittle-bitty-detail-for-the-next-few-pages-and-beat-this-dead-horse-to-within-a-frog's-breath-of-death" line of dicsussion. Yes, I am going there. LOL! Thanks for joining Don! I needed a partner in crime.
Of course I agree that Zoro's focus, or reason, for achieving his dream has changed, but where I differ is when that change of focus came about.
Zoro is not a lighthearted fellow, generally speaking. I think we can all agree on that. When he made his promise to join Luffy's crew, he did so partially because he already saw potential in Luffy to be a kindred spitit in terms of values and the way he approaches his goals. I am not entirely sure he would have agreed if he thought Luffy were a typical pirate in the way that Kuro or Bellamy were, even with his life in danger. (But then again, it can be argued that they wouldn't have gone as far as Luffy to rescue Zoro, I suppose, but anyway, for the sake of argument…)
By the time we got to the Baratie, and Zoro had his (first?) chance to face Mihawk, he had already had plenty of time to really get a handle on who Luffy was and what he was all about--i.e. that his goal to become PK is not a whim, and is just as strong as Zoro's to be greatest swordmaster. By the end of that match, when it became clear to him that he had a long way to go to reach his goal, he fully and completely committed himself and his goal to Luffy, when he said this (sorry for the poor translation on this site, I can't find Stephen's site, thought I'd bookmarked it. Canyone got a link?):
http://www.haven-reader.net/index.php?mode=view&series=One+Piece&chapter=Chapter+052&prev=%3C%3C-+Prev&page=15
and this:
http://www.haven-reader.net/index.php?mode=view&series=One+Piece&chapter=Chapter+052&page=14&next=Next+-%3E%3E
From this moment on, he is completely dedicated to Luffy and to becoming the greatest swordsman partially, I would argue, for Luffy, as the PK.
I found this site: http://www.mv.com/ipusers/smg/Samurai%20Essay.htm
(yes of course it's taking it too far, all you nay sayers, lol. I dun care.)
and found this part, which seems particularly pertinent here, when considering Zoro's position as both Luffy's 2nd hand man, and his role as the representative of a more or less samurai/bushido way of life:
The philosophy behind Bushido is "freedom from fear." This meant the samurai was not to fear any bout and to face death with honor. Bushido "gave [the samurai] the peace and power to serve his master faithfully and loyally and die if necessary." The samurai held duty to one’s master and to oneself above all else.
While I would agree that Zoro's willingness and depth of devotion to Luffy was shaky at first back at Cap't. Morgan's, partially because he felt blackmailed into it, and it has grown through the series thus far, I would argue that the moment he dedicated himself to Luffy's dream came long before his moment with Mihawk, if only because his personal code of ethics dictated that he could do no less–if he made a promise he would stick by it, period. His honor dictated his devotion prior to the emotional committment. I would argue that what the scenes in TB and with Mihawk show is the development of the latter, emotional, attachment that comes from all they've been through together.
@Maki707:
Zoro feeling becoming the greatest for Luffy's sake is more important than his own promise with Kuina was shown as early as the Baratie arc. It's why it surprised me that others were really surprised by the TB incident and now with Mihawk.
It's not exactly a bolt out of the blue
We are in agreement sir.