Luffy was originally conceived as more serious and heroic
Before One Piece officially launched, Eiichiro Oda published two versions of a short story titled “Romance Dawn” – an early draft of the current series. In these prototypes, a character named Luffy already appeared, who also had rubber powers but differed somewhat in tone and demeanor from the Luffy we know today.
He came across as more serious, calmer, and more like a classic hero, almost with a “cool” demeanor, resembling characters from older shōnen manga. In the early versions, Luffy’s main goal was not primarily to become the Pirate King or find the One Piece. His main motivation was simply to experience many adventures.
Luffy has (almost) no thought bubbles in the manga
In the One Piece manga, it is noticeable that Luffy rarely “thinks quietly” – he almost never has thought bubbles. This is not a coincidence, as Luffy is someone who immediately expresses whatever comes to his mind. As a result, he often becomes a catalyst for change for others, because his words hit honestly and directly.
Only in extremely rare situations do we actually see Luffy with thought bubbles – for example, when he is underwater and cannot speak. Or during his infiltration of Impel Down when he really has to think secretly and wonders which way to go. But those are truly just exceptions.
We continue on page 5 with Luffy’s Devil Fruit power.
