Out of all the fantastic scenes we have witnessed in One Piece over the years, it is this one
right here, that for some reason sticks out to me as different.
An explosion, a black hat gliding through the snow and then a painful silence, that
pierces like an icy lance.
When the straw hats arrive in this quiet, snowy world of Drum Island, it is a stark
contrast to the hectic, heated Baroque Work Saga that is going on around it, and so the
entire entire arc feels like a kind of narrative island in the flow of larger events taking
place around it.
It’s a beautiful and tragic story of an incompetent, but kind hearted doctor taking
in a young reindeer that has been recited by both its herd and the humans after gaining
intelligence, looking for acceptance and love.
It’s a story that works perfectly fine without any knowledge about Devil Fruits, the Grand
Line and the straw hats.
And yet, despite this isolation, I believe that the climax of this scene is not only
one of the most emotional, but also one of the most meaningful moments for the overall
narrative.
After all it introduces one of the 3 major themes in the story.
Over the course of the scene we see the relationship between the Doctor Hiruluk and the reindeer
Chopper grow.
As we learn right at the beginning of the scene, both of them are outcasts - Hiruluk
being seen as a quack doctor by the people of the country and Chopper being rejected
by both humans and reindeers for his mixed appearance.
While the old doctor is quite satisfied with his isolated life and his quest to heal his
country, the young Chopper is at an absolute low-point in his life, humiliated, hurt and
abandoned.
It is in this terrible state that Hiruluk finds the shot reindeer bleeding in the snow
outside the village after he tried to befriend its people.
And it is at this moment here that with every story beat, we slowly start to witness his
circumstances change for the better.
Hiruluk does not abandon him as the other humans did, but tries to treat him, at which
the traumatised and terrified boy attacks him.
Due to his kindhearted nature Hiruluk doesn’t give up however however and after he strips
himself completely naked in the biting cold to prove he has no weapons, Chopper allows
him to bring him home and treat him, experiencing care and empathy for the very first time.
It takes 3 days for the reindeer to reveal that he can actually talk, frightened to be
chased away as a monster and a freak again.
Hiruluk however knows exactly how to take away this fear.
And so he gives Chopper the feeling of being normal and accepted for the first time in
his life.
For the next year, the two of them develop a sort of father and son relationship and
Hiruluk shares his dream with the slowly healing Chopper to free the country suffering under
the tyranny of its ruler Wapol, who is monopolising all of the doctors.
He shares the story about his time as a pirate and how he was able to heal his sickness that
was believed to be incurable by seeing cherry blossoms in a country far to the west.
This experienced changed his life and the mysterious power of the cherry blossoms became
an important part of his persona.
This is not only wonderfully symbolised in this panel here - but Hiruluk also shares
his very own Jolly Roger with Chopper, that carries cherry blossoms as well.
It is one of the main symbols of the arc, that also appear on Dr. Kureha’s shirt and
even in the shape of Chopper’s hoofs.
And so Hiruluk ignites a burning admiration for both medicine and pirates in him.
And over time he manages to warm the reindeer up more and more.
And he even gives his very first present to Chopper, a big pink hat, similar to the one
he wears himself.
However after roughly a year of growing to love each other, in a heartbreaking scene,
Hiruluk suddenly kicks Chopper out.
What at first seems like another betrayal, quickly turns out to be an act of kindness,
as Hiruluk has once again caught an incurable disease and doesn’t want Chopper to see
the only person he has to die before his eyes.
Chopper however overhears a conversation he has with dr.
Kureha, the only other doctor on the island outside of the king’s control.
Chopper sets out on a dangerous journey to look for a mushroom he found in one of the
medical books, during which he has to face his old herd and past.
Finally, he returns to Hiruluk, heavily injured but with the mushroom in his hand.
Upon seeing him, Hiruluk embraces him in a tight hug and is relieved that his son is
safe.
Happily he consumes the Mushroom that Chopper brought him and after saying goodbye to Chopper,
quickly hurries off towards Kureha’s house.
Here, we enter the climax of the scene.
We learn that the Mushroom Chopper found was actually deadly, as he misinterpreted the
skull symbol next to it for the all-powerful symbol of pirates that Hiruluk showed him.
After finding out has happened, Kureha hurries to find Chopper and tells him the truth and
that kindness alone can’t heal people.
Hiruluk meanwhile heads to the castle, where the King has set a trap for him, by declaring
that all the countries doctors have fallen ill.
Finally arriving at the castle, he realises that it was a trap and all the doctors in
the country were actually fine.
Already being close to death, he breaks down in tears of joy at the news and holds one
of the best speeches in the story.
And before Wapol can order his men to kill him, he blows himself up.
I’m pretty sure that this might have been the very first time that I’ve shed a tear
watching an anime.
This scene just hits home differently for me in a number of ways.
I absolutely love winter and the snow and so the quiet and peaceful design of Drum Island
as a location creates an almost friendly ambient.
The constant snowfall carries a sense of calming serenity, but also of quiet inexorable death.
And the way that Oda opens the flashback with Luffy about to punch Wapol in the face and
ending with the punch landing, is a great use of portraying the flow of time, while
at the same time making for an incredibly satisfying ending, after seeing the fruits
of Wapol’s narcissistic character, who I by the way believe to be the only thing about
this arc that I don’t enjoy.
Just imagine a villain like Doflamingo or Crocodile in this context and the entire plot
becomes even better than it already is.
But this scene is a lot more than just a beautifully crafted backstory for the next straw hat.
Just as Blackbeard’s speech on Jaya introduces us to the concept of dreams, Hiruluk introduces
us to another major theme of One Piece that is closely connected to dreams.The concept
of inherited will is one of the most important underlying drivers in Oda’s story that he
has fantastically integrated it into Hiruluk’s character.
Throughout the show, there have been many characters who said they wouldn't die and
then did so.
Gold Roger's final words to Rayleigh before turning himself in were, And Ace told Luffy
that he would never die.
And so when Hiruluk holds his famous speech, despite all the emotions, it does sound a
bit abstract.
However, as we learn throughout the story, this is more than just a pleasant metaphor.
And actually you can ask yourself this question in real life: When DOES a person die?
Can you pinpoint the exact moment?
Doctors have declared people dead who they then were able to revive.
It's not a simple matter of chemistry or biology.
This might sound like a quite philosophical approach to this video.
But remember, the theme of a story is the underlying moral argument the author wants
to make about the world.
Some of you might think of this meme here right now - however, as anyone who pursuits
a career as a writer will tell you, great authors that create great stories DO think
about this stuff.
A lot.
And so, if inherited will is a major theme of the story, it does have a deeper meaning
for Oda.
What this question really explores is not to determine when someone is dead, but rather
what it means to live.
And in Oda’s eyes, to live is to act.
And to act is to impose your will on the world and cause change.
We call a joke "dead" when it no longer leaves that impact on us anymore.
A person is the same way.
When a person is forgotten, then their will no longer exists.
But, as long as they and the dreams and ideals they had are remembered, their will will continue
to influence the world and cause change trough those that have inherited their will by remembering.
And so I believe that Hiruluk reveals the true power of this theme in the story to us:
Inherited will keeps people and their dreams alive.
[inherited will] As you can see the concept of inherited will is everywhere in the story.
And Luffy, as the main character, is of course the prime example of this.
The Straw Hat he wears once belonged to Roger.
But, upon his death, he gave it to Shanks.
With it, he passed on his will and responsibility as a pirate fighting for freedom and his dreams.
Through Shanks, Roger's lessons still change the world.
And, Shanks has passed on that hat to Luffy.
That act has motivated him to be a pirate like Shanks.
Luffy has no idea where the hat came from.
He knows next to nothing about Roger.
But, he is still doing the things that Roger would want him to do because Shanks passed
his will (and by extension Roger's will) on to Luffy.
Roger isn't dead.
He's living on in Luffy and Shanks and the entire era which he has created.
The power of keeping people alive through their will is the main drive in the story,
not only for our heroes but also for the main antagonist.
The world government is very well aware of this power and does everything it can to stop
it.
It’s exactly why they planned on cutting off the live feed of Ace's execution, not
just to kill Ace the man, but to to kill Ace the ideal.
And it’s also the reason why they seek to destroy the true history, the will of the
people from the void century passed down for hundreds of years.
Whoever it was that has passed his will on until today, he is still alive, as his dreams
and ideals still live on.
And it is this scene here in the snowy world of Drum Island, that this concept is already
introduced by Oda.
And so, not for nothing is doctor Kureha the very first character in the story to reveal
Roger’s true name and to mention the will of D .
What rounds off the scene and the Drum island arc over all then, is that Chopper inherits
will as well.
One the one hand by doctor Kureha , who is able to heal the body, but too cold to heal
the heart.
And on the other hand of course doctor Hiruluk, who is able to heal people’s hearts, but
not skilful enough to heal the body.
Chopper inherits both of their dreams, by striving to become a doctor than can heal
any sickness, no matter of what sort.
And here the circle closes, as this inherited will is beautifully symbolised by cherry blossoms.
Hiruluk’s life work of producing cherry blossoms on the winter island to heal people’s
hearts is made possible by Kureha, who not only wore them in his memory on her shirt,
but also mass-produced the powered for him, showing that she believed in his dream all
along.
And so when Luffy defeats Wapol and frees the country from its metaphoric physical illness,
but the country's cold heart in the end is healed by seeing the cherry blossoms bloom
in the night, leading to political revolution and a better future in a country that will
now carry this symbol in its heart and even in its name.
And so in the end, while on the surface this scene may appear to be nothing more than a
simple short story that is beautifully heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, it actually
encompasses the entire theme of the story of One Piece, making it not only so much more
meaningful, but touching something deeper inside of us, where we can’t help but be
touched by feelings of joy, sorrow, relief and nostalgia at the sight of - cherry blossoms.
Because above all, they remind us that people only die - when they a forgotten - and people’s
dreams never die.
The ultimate antagonist of inherited will and people’s dreams are of course the tenryubito
and their tyrannical rule of the world.
And so I think there is a scene here that we do have to discuss as well.
And so we’ll be looking at that In the next video.
Thanks guys.
peace.