The very first episode

I'm going to tell you what happens in the very first episode.

Everything happens at sea, in a ship. Or more specifically, during a hostile boarding of one ship to another ship.

The first thing we see is the water. Then, we see a barrel floating on the water. Immediately afterwards, we see a ship that was casually sailing by. The people in the ship see the barrel and rush to catch it, thinking that it's wine or food.

Then another ship appears on the scene, but this one flies a pirate flag. So this is bad news. And we get a glipmse of the kind of people that populate the pirate ship, the second ship. Specially the captain. She is one nasty woman. She is a very large woman who uses force to punish and manipulate her subordinates. Specifically, she forces her minions to say that she is the most beautiful woman in the world. And she obviously is far from that.

So we immediately know that this woman is not a good person. She is not someone that you want to aspire to be. And you know this instinctively, children watch this and know that this woman is scary, or at least ridiculous. Well, its scary. And you may think is funny, but only because it's presented in a comical way, and I'm guessing that if you found yourself in that ship, you would not be happy with your situation. You would be terrified about being killed by your tirannical and delusional captain and her iron maze.

Something that is interesting is: how do children know, just by seeing 2 minutes of this woman exposing her severe inadequacies, that she is the bad guy? I can tell you why, because I've prepared the content for this session, and I'm going to tell you know. But the truth is that you know it before you know why. It's like your body knows it, right? It's very easy, it's really automatic figuring out who's the bad guy.

This is how we know, in this case. This woman is doing 3 things that are pathological:

1. She is mistreating her friends. She is aggresive and uses severe force without any sensible reason, and she does that against her own people. That's a transgression of a biological programming that we may have encoded in our genes. So when we see that, we instinctively know that it's not okay. We automatically know that this woman is not behaving properly.
2. She is obsessed with being pretty. It's all she talks about. She is clearly obsessed. And not only that: being pretty or ugly is all she hears, it's all she sees. She can't stop thinking about it. When people talk to her, she missinterprets, because she is obsessed. Her mind distorts what she hears. She cannot think clearly because this obsession, it's distorting what she sees and hears. That is not okay, and you know it. Your body knows that she's not the hero here.
3. She is making people lie. Not only is she lying to herself, with is not okay; but she is also forcing her crewmates to embrace this dilusion. She is forcing them to say something that they know is not true. And I'm going to explain a lot why this is a very very very bad idea, but not yet. We'll get there. But your body knows that this is a transgression. This is very wrong.

So this captain, this woman called Alvida, is behaving like that: misstreating her friends, obsessed with a complex and forcing people to keep a lie. This is how we know that she is bad news. And she is a pirate, yes, we know that from the sail and the pirate flag, but that's not how we know that she's rotten. We know this because of what she does, how she behaves.

One of the things I like about One Piece is that the bad guys aren't necessarily the pirates. Being a pirate does not make you bad, or good. And you'll see this clearly, because there are good pirates and bad pirates. So what makes a bad guy bad? The bad guys are the characters with malevolent, harmful or simply absent ideas in their heads. In this case, the captain has self-esteem problems, treats her teammates very badly and has no regard for the truth. That's how we conclude she is bad.

So, in this story, we see that captain Alvida especially assaults a particular member of her crew: Coby, a small boy with purple hair. She constantly threatens to hit him with her iron mace. This boy, Coby, is a very interesting character. He is very cowardly, very submissive and shaky in his speech.

During the boarding, Coby is the first pirate to bump into the barrel. Remember how there was a barrel in the first ship? But before Coby can open it, two pirates from his crew steal it from him. Here we can see that the pirates behave like their captain – they are also crappy people. They bully Coby. So they are not simply victims of their captain; they also bully whoever they can. The are not innocent, they are accomplices of misbehavior and they are also rotten.

Okay, now something great happens. Luffy appears in scene. This is the first time that we ever see Luffy, who will become the main character. This is how he enters the story: the pirates are going to open the barrel, and right at that moment, as they are trying to open it, Luffy breaks the barrel from the inside - as he streches and yells:

I have sleps so well!

So this is how One Piece introduces the main character, Luffy. He is a very very different person from Alvida and the pirates, as you will see. And he's also very different from Coby. Well, he is different from any of us, because he represents an ideal.

So far, during the entire episode, no one has said anything positive. Everything has been either agression or complaints. But now we see this guy, Luffy, who is very happy, after sleeping in a barrel. And he is happy because of how well he has slept. How could he have slept well in a barrel? It's a notoriously difficult place to sleep at. And yet, he is happy, he is grateful. This is Luffy. He is so thrilled of how well he has slept in a barrel.

So Luffy breaks the barrel as he streches his arms. And in the process, he knocks out the pirates that were going to open the barrel. When Luffy sees the pirates, he asks:

Who are you?

And that's a normal question, right? He is curious. But more importantly, he is just curious. He is not suspicious. And he is not afraid. This is important: he is curious rather than afraid. People don't usually behave like this. And you most likely should not behave like this if you found yourself surrounded by armed pirates after sleeping in a barrel.

And it's okay to be cautious, maybe a litte suspicious, and also afraid. Sure, you should be afraid of some things. I'm not saying otherwise.

And in this case, it turns out that fear and caution was a good idea. Without warning, the pirates attack Luffy. So they are very aggresive men, armed with machetes, that inadvertedly attach Luffy.

Now, Luffy's reaction shows us why he was not scared. Here, we learn Luffy is very skilled in combat. He has stength. He can defend himself very well. And he disarms his attackers, breaking their swords, effortlessly. So he's powerful beyond what you would expect.

After disarming the pirates who attacked him, Luffy asks:

Why are you attacking me like this all of a sudden?

Again: he is not angry. He doesn't hold a grudge. He is just confused. The pirates, however, are scared of him, as they should. So they ask him who he is. And Luffy introduces himself, quite naturally:

I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet you!

I would like to draw a comparison here. Remember how I was saying that your body seems to know instinctively that the pirate captain Alvida was displaying behaviour that your genes didn't like? The very same is happening here. When you witness Luffy doing these things, you immediately know that he is a good guy. He's the hero.

And again, ask yourself: how do children know, just by seeing 2 minutes of Luffy conducting himself, that he is the good guy? I can tell you why, and I'm going to tell you know. But the truth is that you know it before you know why. It's encoded in your genes.

Luffy is doing three things that are... what's the oposite of pathological? Healthy I guess. He's doing three healthing thigs:

1. He is grateful for his sleep. This means not only that he is grateful, but that the first thing his brain brings up when he wakes up is gratefulness. And this is specially true because he did not sleep in a nice, cushy bed. No, he slept in a damn barrel. And he is happy and grateful for how well he slept.
2. He is strong. This sometimes surprises people, because for some reason people now seem to believe that being good equals being weak, or hamless. But the good guy, the hero, must be strong. Alvida was strong too. The difference is that Luffy is strong, but decides not to use that strenght. He only uses his strenght when it's wise to do so: and self defense is a wise reason to be agressive. And you know this. A hero that can not protect themselves, or cannot protect the ones they love, cannot be a hero. Obviously. Think about when life was tougher than how it is today: when we had to fight other animals for food, for instance. Or when you could not call the police when someone stole from you. You need strenght. And you look up to the person who can actually be competent in that struggle, and you also want to be that person. It's a knowledge, a wisdom, that your body knows.
3. He is not distorting reality. Remember how Alvida lied to herself? That is distorting reality. And reality does not like it when you distort it. And there are many ways of distorting reality. Lying is just one way of distorting reality. You can also be so focused or obsessed with something that you lose touch with reality. You don't see what's there. Luffy is displaying a level of objectivity that is astounding. He is looking around, he is asking questions: "who are you?" "why do you attack me?". And he is reacting quickly to what happens. He can react quickly, precisely because he is looking at reality, instead of distorting it. When they attach him, he dodges quickly. And when they ask him who he is, he responds with nothing but the truth: I'm Monkey. D. Luffy. So he is not distorting reality in any level: he is paying attention and voicing truthful speech.

As I mentioned, the matter of being truthful is very important in One Piece. It's one of the most distinctive qualities of Luffy. And I'm going to talk about this in depth, but further ahead. Now there's yet another pararell in this story that is very insightful: the comparison between Coby and Luffy.

Remember Coby, the weak guy with purple hair? He seems like a nice guy. He warns Luffy about the danger he is in. He alerts him about the threats around him. He tries to make Luffy afraid. "Don't go there!" he warns; but Luffy doesn't pay attention. Why? Because he is hungry, and is only interested on looking for food. So Coby is scared, and Luffy is looking for food. So you may argue that Coby is the good guy, because he is warning Luffy and he has not harmed anyone. But you know that's not true. You know the good guy is Luffy. Not despite having hurt the pirates, but because he hurt the pirates. And not despite him being reckless and thinking about food instead of worrying, but because he is looking for food instead of worrying. You know that behaviour is okay, and Coby's is basically cowardice.

This scene shows a very important pattern that repeats throughout the episode: the difference between Coby's and Luffy's psychology. Specially because you see them one next to another, you know immediately what's wrong with Coby. Coby is afraid, he worries about what might happen, he thinks about the consequences... Luffy, on the other hand, lives without worries, and he is not afraid.

Here's what happens next. We learn something very revealing about Coby. Coby explains to Luffy that he joined the pirate crew inadvertently. It was a mistake. He wanted to go fishing, but he got on the wrong boat, by mistake, and ended up joining evil pirates who treat him badly. Coby is very depressed about this. He is suffering greatly for his misfortune. Poor guy, right?

After hearing this story, Luffy replies.

You are a complete idiot

That has quite a lot of wisdom to unpack.

To begin with, Luffy does not feel sorry for Coby. He doesn't treat you him pity. On the contrary: he treats Coby as an equal.

So Luffy tells Coby what he think is logical:

You can run from them Coby responds, That's impossible! Impossible, impossible!.

Coby keeps saying that everything is impossible. He actually repeats the work impossible like it was some kind of mantra. He even shakes his head and closes his eyes as he says it.

This is another way of distorting reality. Coby is not seeing what's in front of him. He is not perceiving things as they are. That's what it's represented by him closing his eyes. He lives in fear. He is obsessed with fear.

Coby asks:

What were you doing traveling through the sea in a barrel?

Luffy answers him bluntly, without fear and without insecurities:

I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!

Is incredible. Look at the difference. Personally, I don't know anyone in real life who talks so openly about his dreams, without fear or shame. People tend to be more cautious and fearful when it comes to what they feel at heart. But Luffy talks about his dream quite naturally. Because it's the truth.

At that moment, Coby goes totally crazy. He says that being King of the Pirates is impossible, absolutely impossible; can not be.

In order to silence him, Luffy hits Coby on the head.

Coby asks:

Why did you hit me Luffy replies: Just because

This is a very enlightening action. Luffy hits Coby on the head because he wants to stop the negative train of thoughts that Coby is displaying. He wants Coby's brain to stop that self-destructive way of thinking.

Luffy replies:

I don't care if you can or not. I do it because I want to. I have decided to become the next King of the Pirates. I don't care if I die fighting for it.

After hearing these words, Coby begins to talk about his dream. It turns out that Coby wants to join the Navy to capture the bad guys. His dream is to catch pirates. This shows how ridiculous he turns out to have joined a group of pirates.

Coby illustrates how people live lives they do not identify with, due to fear of the unknown, embarrassment, or laziness. It is a situation in which thousands of people live in the real world.

Suddenly Alvida appears and interrupts the conversation, making fun of Coby's dream. She tries to humiliate him and ridicule his ideas. That is another of the traits of One Piece villains: they dedicate themselves to treading on the dreams of others. On the contrary, the good guys are those who support others in their dreams.

Then something very funny happens that reflects another very characteristic trait of Luffy's personality: naivety. Luffy has no filter. It is evident that Alvida has serious problems with aggressiveness and self-esteem. That is why it is inappropriate for Luffy to ask Coby "Who is that old fat woman?"

LOL. Everybody goes crazy. No one dares to speak to the captain like that. Everyone fears her temper. Except for Luffy.

Alvida goes crazy and starts hitting. Fortunately, Luffy fights against all the pirates and protects Coby. Here we discover that Luffy has a special power: his body stretches like rubber.

Shortly after another wonderful scene happens. Alvida threatens Luffy with hitting him with his iron mace. Coby begs Luffy to run away, because the captain has great power. But mid-sentence, Coby realizes who he's talking to: she's talking to Luffy. He is talking to a dreamer. With someone who is not afraid. Luffy will become the King of the Pirates and he is not afraid of dying in the process.

Inspired by her new friend, Coby turns to Alvida and calls her "disgusting fat." Everyone is stunned, but Coby doesn't stop there: he yells that he will turn into a Marine and capture her. This moment is very important for little Coby. After years of allowing Alvida to build his confidence in himself, Coby utters his dream aloud. He is no longer afraid of being laughed at. He dares to dream in public.

Alvida is enraged and prepares to hit Coby with his mace, but Luffy gets in the way to intercept the blow. Then, Luffy deals a blow to Alvida and sends her through the air in the hyperbolic style that characterizes the series.

Next, Luffy goes to the rest of the pirates to order them to deliver a boat to Coby:

Give Coby a boat. He is going to join the navy. Let it go.

To understand how wonderful this is, you have to know that, in the world of One Piece, the Navy and pirates are enemies. The main task of the Navy is to capture pirates. So it seems contradictory that Luffy helps his new friend to enlist in the navy. However, for Luffy it doesn't matter who is a pirate or a marine.

To conclude, we see Coby and Luffy in a little boat. They talk about a place called the Grand Line.

They call it the pirate graveyard Coby warns. Luffy replies: That's why I need a strong crew.

And this is the last genius that I extract from this chapter. In the face of adversity, the important thing is to have companions. He doesn't say, "I need to be stronger," but rather, "I need a strong crew." Because the strength is the team. And this is true of everything we humans do, including starting businesses. At the end of the chapter, Coby says again: "impossible, impossible, impossible." And once again, Luffy hits him on the head "just because."

The great thing about One Piece is that it applies to whatever you do. In my case, since I am dedicated to creating companies, being a pirate is a metaphor for being an entrepreneur. Coby is a person who spends years living a life that goes against his principles, denying his dreams - it's what I could do if I gave up. Luffy instead lives chasing his dreams, even if it involves sleeping in a barrel. For you, being a pirate can be a metaphor for being a writer, a tattoo artist, a doctor, traveling the world or whatever your dream is. In fact, being a pirate can mean having a job - which is the opposite of me - and there would be no problem. The important thing is that you have a dream and live according to it.

I think this chapter represents very well many of the values ​​that One Piece projects throughout the series; but the truth is that, compared to the next episodes, this is a mediocre chapter. Later we see Luffy recruiting crew for his ship. We witness how he deals with the crudest failure, or how he faces opponents stronger than him. We also see moral dilemmas. And it's very inspiring to see how Luffy behaves in such situations.