@RobZilla:
Uhuh…and then a big part of doffy's plan rested on his opinion that Luffy wouldn't make it out of the corrida colesseum alive.
He might have started off wary, but he ultimately underestimated Luffy just like so many others.
Yes, that was my point. He gave off the impression that he does not underestimate Luffy, yet he went on and thought some second class fighters and a disappointing Diamante could hold him there.
That´s why i would not jump to conclusions and think BM is any different, especially considering her position and her arrogance.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@RomanceDawn:
No one said anything about grinning all the time, even in that picture you posted Luffy has a serious look on his face before he celebrates his UFO technique working. You ever been in a real fight? Doesn't matter if you are in the ring or on the street, learning how to relax and basically enjoy it can keep you alive or in the dominant position. I knew teachers who'd actually tell us to have fun during a fight. The more tense you are, the more energy you burn up, the harder it is to think and react to anything.
Now granted sport and real fighting are very different things. Someone just trying to punish you is very different from someone trying to kill you, someone in their right mind will approach you differently than someone who his mentally ill or on drugs. Still showing an opponent that you aren't phased by their presence or even a hit they've given you with a smile or laugh can go a long way to throwing opponents off of their game mentally. It could be a bluff or it could be genuine feelings of joy.
Then there are those people out there that can run circles around their opponents and are afforded the luxury of truly enjoying themselves during a fight, be it in sport or on the street. It doesn't mean you wouldn't take the fight seriously. Enjoying yourself in a fight is not the same as being careless. It usually means you are just extremely comfortable with your own ability and self. Basically like Luffy and Zoro are often portrayed as.
I've earned my 3rd degree black belt in Chinese martial arts, I've never had to fight on the street. In my early colored belt days I almost did a few times and I learned that lesson of playing it cool and enjoying yourself very early. I grew up in the hood, south central Los Angeles, walking home from work talking loudly on my self phone when 2 guys put a gun right up to my back. My exact words said to my girl friend(with all smiles) was "Oh my god, you won't believe this, I'm being robbed! Weren't we just talking about this?! I'll call you back!" They asked what was in the bag, I told them a video game(my DK bongos!) and just shrugged and said that was all I really had. I didn't fight but I wasn't going to risk playing the victim. Thank god they didn't check my back pack, had my gamecube about 5 games, 2 memory cards, and 4 controllers. After I got home then I crumpled down and cried but only a little bit. The moment was kind of surreal and to them I probably wasn't taking the situation seriously but me acting that way couldn't have been more serious.
Yes i have, i was a boxer for 10 years, though i guess this is the internet where everyone can claim something. Nevertheless, i never did or saw someone fight seriously while enjoying themselves like a child because you can not bring up the necessary concentration that would be appropriate for such a situation. Having fun in training is a completely different thing because you learn and adapt to things more quickly when you are not tense but that´s not a real fighting situation in the first place. Luffy vs CC is a prime example within OP and there are many examples like this throughout the manga.
And no, even before Luffy was grinning like a child since he, in that moment, came up with the idea of using UFO.
Besides, even if we assume that having fun and enjoying yourself is not a sign of carelessness in the real world, which i do not agree with btw, it is literally a sign of carelessness in OP, hence Zoro´s immediate comment on Luffy still not taking it seriously despite his warning, heck Luffy literally confirms himself he was careless. Despite that statement though, he goes on to being careless again, hence Zoro´s statement.
Let me clarify though, it´s not that i mind, heck i love that we have a protagonist who is enjoying himself. I am just pointing out the last statement is either Oda being sarcastic and trolling the audience or, well, let´s not go down that route…
We never get to see such fights on a psychological level though, so that´s hardly relevant. We usually have an overconfident antagonist and a Luffy who only gets serious once the stakes are high. No opponent has been fazed so far by someone laughing.
Only that in times in which Luffy gets serious, he never wears a smile.