One Piece finally calls out Luffy‘s biggest mistake: not rushing to the rescue of his brother Ace the first time he realized he was in danger. Luffy only went to aid Ace when he learned he was about to be executed by the World Government, but by then it was too late, and Ace was killed in front of his little brother’s eyes. Finally, One Piece calls out the mistake that Luffy made so long ago.
In chapter #489 of One Piece, right before the Straw Hat set sail from Thriller Bark, where they had defeated the dangerous Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria, Luffy learned about Vivre Cards, special pieces of paper that are connected to a specific person’s life force. Luffy’s sworn brother Ace had given him one long before, in Arabasta, but when he looked at it on Thriller Bark he noticed that the paper was burnt and consumed, a sign that Ace’s life was in danger. However, Luffy decided to not worry too much about it, because Ace could handle himself, and he hated to show weakness or ask for help.
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A long time later, when Luffy learned that Ace was a prisoner of the Marines and about to be executed, he rushed to his help, but it was all for naught. Not even the might of the Whitebeard pirates could save Ace from his fate, and Luffy watched his brother die. In chapter #1060 of One Piece, Zoro calls out Luffy’s earlier mistake in Thriller Bark. As the Straw Hat captain has just learned that Princess Vivi of Arabasta, a former member of his crew, is in danger, he wants to rush to her rescue, even at the cost of challenging the full might of the Marines. Zoro then reminds Luffy of what he once said about Ace, and that he trusted him to manage himself until the point he actually needed help, so he should have the same trust in Vivi.
Zoro’s remark actually sounds incredibly cruel. Ace’s death is one of the events that marked Luffy’s life forever. He cursed his weakness and swore that no one could ever take his friends away from him, which motivated his growth in the second part of the series. It’s hard to tell if things would have actually been different if Luffy tried to reach Ace as soon as he noticed he was in trouble, back in Thriller Bark. At that point, Ace had already been defeated by Blackbeard and handed to the World Government, and he was incarcerated in Impel Down, where he awaited for his sentence. However, when Luffy went to rescue Ace in the prison, he was just barely too late, so perhaps moving earlier could have, indeed, made a difference.
Regardless of the “what ifs”, Zoro’s remark is still very cruel (while fundamentally true), and the rest of the Straw Hats, including Luffy, are quick to point that out, calling the swordsman “oni” and “green Kaido“, but it’s all in good spirits. The bonds that unite the Straw Hats are simply too strong, and they allow them to speak the truth, even when it’s hard to hear. Still, fans can only wonder what would have happened if Luffy had not dismissed the danger that his brother Ace was in so easily, and it’s interesting that One Piece decided to point out this controversial decision for the first time.
