Don’t Call It Plot Armor: The Genius of Eiichiro Oda in Letting Luffy Go Scot-Free After Alabasta Deserves Way More Respect

In 25 years of airtime of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, the series has featured a ton of fights that have had a lasting impact on the minds of its viewers, adding a deep significance to the storyline. From the fight with Don Krieg to defeating Kaido, the series is full of action-packed battles sewn neatly together with alluring animation.

The series, which now features over 1100 episodes, has a ton of fights that elevate the title’s allure, but the one that started it all was the battle between Monkey D. Luffy and Sir Crocodile in the Alabasta Arc. Thus, teasing the fans on how things are going to get more epic from here onwards.

However, some would challenge the farsight of the mangaka, as they label Luffy’s victory against the Warlord of the Sea as mere “plot armor.”

Luffy vs. Sir Crocodile served a deeper purpose in One Piece’s lore

In the long run of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, he has introduced a ton of villains, but only a handful of them are as iconic as Sir Crocodile. Despite being present in only one arc, his popularity in the series remained on top. His iconic line “Hisashiburi dana, Mugiwara” has become one of the most easily recognized dialogues in the Otaku community, making him a fan-favorite character.

Hence, when we look back at the 3-round fight between him and the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, it still makes us tensed enough to bite our nails in anticipation. However, some would spread negativity around the battle, calling how our beloved protagonist won because Oda-Sensei built a plot armor so great that the villain’s sand could not burrow through.

However, they might be mistaken because a fan has taken to Reddit, where they explain why hiding Mugiwara’s victory over Mr. 0 was a wrong move by the World Government. The fan stated how rewatching the series during the 6-month hiatus has made them notice that Luffy’s victory over Crocodile was kept a secret, whereas Smoker earned praise for taking down the organization and its leader.

Thus, keeping our hero’s action in the Alabasta Kingdom a secret. Though it was seen as a massive setback to the Straw Hats, it made them wonder if this was the “right decision” by the World Government. After all, the idea of keeping their win a secret turned out to be greatly in their favor, which made them an Emperor of the Sea.

The fan reinforced their idea, where they asked fellow nakamas to “imagine” the consequences if a rookie pirate defeated one of the seven Warlords of the Sea. The entire narrative of the series that we know and love would have changed because Navy Admirals would have kept a close eye on every move of the crew, closely following them as they set sail.

However, many strong pirates would have come after Luffy and his crew as they recognized his powers, crushing him before he became a name that everyone in the sea feared. While some can call it “plot armor,” the genius of Oda-Sensei can’t be overlooked, as he thought so far in the future, where one wrong move could have altered the plot of the series.

The Otaku community shares their opinion on the strategic brilliance of Eiichiro Oda

There have been times when fans have questioned the genius of Oda-Sensei, where some were left wondering if the decision to keep the actions of the Straw Hat Pirates in the Kingdom of Alabasta was a “strategic move” or a “foolish” decision by the World Government.

The opinion brought forward mixed opinions from the community, where everyone had a different perspective following Eiichiro Oda’s way of handling the aftermath of the battle. The fans commented,

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While the Otaku Community has differing views on how the manga author treated the battle and the aftermath surrounding the huge upset, it can’t be denied that it was the right one that made One Piece the face of the anime and manga industry.

One Piece can be streamed on Hulu; meanwhile, the manga can be read on VIZ Media.