Has there anyone else noted a change in Luffys motivation lately?
Remember, when the Strawhats travelled through the desert in Arabasta (Chapter 166) there was this very intense scene when Luffy was about to quit and slapped Vivi for beeing naive in her believe that no one should die in this affair.
"Why don´t you try risking our lives!?"
For me, I really liked this scene (as some others where Luffy suddenly shows unsuspected deep insight), it really showed unconditional commitment to their goal. And if they were gonna die, well then they were gonna die… it really had edge.
Now look at the Lucci scene - the major concern wasn´t about reaching their goal (rescuing Robin) but protecting his nakama, so that no one should die. Just like he stated to Blueneo, that he had to protect his "weak" nakama…
Isn´t this just the attitude he criticized on Vivi earlier? - Has Luffy lost his edge, his firm grasp of his ultimate goal?
(Guess this might touch the foundations of the manga for some people: Is this a manga about friendship or is it a manga about ambition, unwavering dedication ...)