The Real Reason One Piece’s Luffy Laughs Before Almost Dying

One Piece season 2, episode 1 shows Luffy laughing in the face of death, hinting at a deeper meaning for his character. Although One Piece season 2’s ending took place in the Grand Line kingdom of Drum Island, the story started in the East Blue settlement of Loguetown. Loguetown served as the final stop before entering the Grand Line, allowing One Piece‘s characters to restock for the journey ahead.

However, rather than a simple pit stop, Loguetown turned into a dangerous location for the Straw Hats; the crew bumped into Buggy and Alvida on a quest for revenge, as well as powerful Marines like Smoker and mysterious characters like Dragon, who also provided several big One Piece Easter eggs.

One of these Easter eggs in question was somewhat explored by drawing parallels between Luffy and the previous owner of the titular One Piece treasure, Gold Roger. While more of this connection will be explored in One Piece season 3’s story, season 2 linked the two pirates with their absence of fear upon facing death.

As Luffy faced execution at the hands of Buggy, he laughed maniacally, causing Smoker to recall that Gold Roger did the same. This connection remains One Piece season 2’s only explanation as to why Luffy laughed before almost dying, but the story has more to it.

Laughing Before Death Is A Trait Of One Piece Characters With “D” In Their Names

Warning! The following sections contain spoilers for the original One Piece manga and, thus, future seasons of the Netflix show.Several of the more mysterious teases in One Piece season 2 come from Kureha in the final moments of the story, as she reiterates that Luffy shares traits with Gold Roger, only this time, the latter is referred to as Gol D. Roger. This is just like Luffy’s full name, Monkey D. Luffy, with Kureha then stating that the “Will of D.” lives on.

In the world of One Piece, those with D. in their name are considered individuals who oppose god. While this sounds religious, One Piece depicts these characters as opposers to the constraints of the World Government, possessing an indomitable spirit of freedom that cannot be contained.

Luffy is one such character, as is Gol D. Roger, explaining why the two share such similar traits. As explored at length in One Piece season 2, one of these traits is laughing before dying. This is a common symptom of the Will of D. in the world of One Piece, hinting at Luffy’s deeper, innate drive for freedom.

Luffy’s Laughter Also Hints Toward His True Identity

Beyond that, Luffy’s laughter also hints towards a much bigger twist for his character in the future. One Piece is one of the longest-running manga of all time, and is still ongoing today. In 2023, one volume of the manga revealed Luffy’s “Gear 5” form, which results in his Devil Fruit rubber powers being enhanced by the mythical god known as Nika.

Nika was actually referenced in a One Piece season 2 manga change by one of Little Garden’s giants, further teasing Luffy’s Gear 5 form. In Gear 5, Luffy essentially embodies pure freedom, meaning he is constantly laughing and smiling with joy.

This adds another layer to Luffy’s laughter in One Piece season 2, episode 1. Not only does it hint at Luffy possessing the Will of D., but it teases the further expansion of this concept via his Gear 5 form. Although this may never appear in Netflix’s One Piece, given the show would need to run beyond 10 seasons to adapt it, the hints are still welcome for fans of the source material.