What He Means To Us: Zoro
He is loyal to his captain but he wouldn't call it loyalty.
You have to do something to earn loyalty.
Luffy doesn't base what he does off of things like that.
He doesn't do it for loyalty.
He does it for the person.
That's one of the many reasons why Zoro follows him.
Zoro doesn't bow down to anyone.
He bows for someone.
He doesn't bow down to Luffy.
Why would Luffy want someone so weak that they have to bow down to him?
Zoro knows that he will never be equal to his captain.
Luffy thinks that they all are.
His captain believes that they're all worthy enough to stand by his side.
No one will ever be equal to Luffy.
But Zoro will fight and fight to be by his captains side.
They all would and will.
He doesn't want to be anywhere else. None of them want to be anywhere else. Even though they could all be somewhere else, they wouldn't fit there.
The place beside his captain is for him, that's what first mates do when a crew splits up.
(None of them will go separate ways without an order, and even then, it's no guarantee.)
They remain by their captains side.
When you're a first mate, it's you're position in life.
Even after you or your captain's gone.
And to have your captain die before you is a first mate's failure. The bond between the first mate and captain is unlike any other.
Even though Luffy trusts them all.
Zoro grimaces and opens his eye, glancing at his captain perched on his spot. The sun beats down on his captain vest covered back, making him stand out among the ship.
He know's it's not Rayleigh's fault that the Pirate King died.
He knows that Rayleigh believes he failed.
He knows that the old man has wanted to die since the former Pirate King laughed his final breath away on that execution platform in Logue Town.
His captain always looks like he's thinking too much when he's up there by himself, staring but not really, at the waves and thinking so much that his brain probably hurts.
He knows that the only reason the old man's still here is because of an unspoken promise between captain and first mate.
"Any problem with that, Pirate King?!"
If Luffy was going to be executed and ordered Zoro to do nothing...
Would he?
"Nope."
He grins.
He doesn't know if he would.
Depends on the situation, and if Luffy's being stupid or not.
Luffy looks over his shoulder and grins back at him. Zoro hadn't even realized that he was grinning to himself, maybe he's thinking too much also.
He can't just let the future Pirate King wander without his first mate.
After all, isn't that what first mates are for?