@thewonderer:
This isn't a direct explanation as to why Pell survived but I read somewhere that Oda was trying to avoid death until the marineford war. I know i read that Oda thinks death isn't something light and just to be written. He said if you're going to include death in your work, you have to expand upon it and give it justice.
Well, that sounds reasonable. And thanks for bringing this up, I haven't read a single interview with Oda but based on what you wrote, I think he has thought this through well.
@Noqanky:
First of all, regardless of how geniusly Oda handles it, you're talking about a children's manga and anime.
Second, if you think about it all the Straw Hats have personally witnessed death (except maybe franky, who pretty much almost died himself and his creation sent his mentor to a place of certain suffering and death) … and not just random people dying, but people they REALLY cared for dying. Heck, when you think about people like Robin and Brook, other people dying should mean almost nothing to them anymore considering what they have lived.
They are also in a world in which random death from violence is common and survival is not as much a given as it is for us in the real world (how often do you worry about pirates randomly taking over your town??).
Third, this is a children's manga and anime!!! Do you really have to analyze how a ship that flies through the skies from a blast fueled by cola can perform such manouvers?
Something tells me you took my complaints very seriously so I'd better provide you with some honest, sober explanations, hmm?
First, I'm actually aware OP is kid's anime and that's pretty much why I find it so hilarious - can't quite put my finger on it, but there is certain charm in that imaginative world that's not restricted by adult logics, or practically anything, for that matter. Maybe it's the irrationality of it all. Believe it or not, that amuses me the most, nevermind the plot. That been said, those comments on my previous post were written more on a playful note, and I apologize to all those who missed it.
Second, if I was to evaluate the mental state of those who have suffered a lot of losses, I'd most likely say long-term abuse, several deaths in a family and being ignored for years won't make anyone any stronger - at least not if they have to grow up and deal with it alone. So from my point of view ignoring all this and portraying the characters as if nothing bad ever happened to them could be seen irrational and sort of stupid as well, but luckily this is just a kid's show.
Third, sailing yachts are never laughing matter.