Romantic Heroism, the Aspiration of Each of Us

To state upfront, individual heroism is also a form of individualism, and we absolutely do not advocate it. The strength of the people and the masses is truly limitless!

But that cannot erase our yearning for heroes.

We yearn for them. We long for heroes to exist.

There were far too many heroes in reality: firefighters battling blazes, armed anti-drug forces, soldiers fighting floods and carrying out rescues. I was a cowardly person, not brave at all. I could not selflessly devote myself like they did, which was why I held such deep respect for those who kept us in the light.

There were also countless heroes in the world of anime and comics who captivated us. They challenged authority and protected the weak, filling us with respect. Sun Wukong (the one who wreaked havoc in Heaven, not the one whose hair changed color), Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Spider-Man (a Marvel and DC fan).

Do you remember the thrill of seeing Spider-Man, played by Tobey, swing between skyscrapers on TV for the first time? Honestly, even now, I still wished that were me.

I liked heroes. I liked romance.

And that was precisely why I wanted to shape Long Yi—or do my best to shape him—into a positive figure, rather than a ruthless overlord who roamed the seas.

In real life, we all bore pressures from every direction, with far too many negative emotions that were difficult to vent.

I personally also loved dark-themed things, very much so. Putting oneself in the villain's shoes and acting however one pleased really did feel exhilarating, and it could indeed win the adoration of a huge number of readers. But it was undeniable that such immersion was more like a form of release, because the real world was ultimately different from a fantasy world.

After venting those negative emotions, we gained nothing but powerlessness and emptiness. Instead, the difference between reality and fantasy gave rise to new confusion.

So I wanted to write a character worthy of the title of hero, someone who could fulfill all of our aspirations.

He was young like us, full of hope for life like us, unwilling to remain ordinary, and brimming with ambition.

Like us, he had witnessed the unfairness of the world and suffered misunderstandings and grievances, yet he was still willing to face everything head-on and remain positive.

Like us, he yearned for love and longed to reach the pinnacle.

When common people suffered at the hands of nobles, he could step forward and uphold justice. When evil ran rampant, he could crush every injustice through his own strength.

He would never show mercy to those who deserved to die, and he would give his all to protect those who deserved protection.

He did not care about so-called order and rules. He possessed the power to shatter the world's order.

He was not invincible. He could be hurt, and he could bleed.

In the unrestrained world of One Piece fanfiction, he was an anomaly.

He was a character who existed only in words, a romantic hero.

He was the character I wanted to write: imperfect, but flesh and blood.

Long Yi.

Everyone longed for a hero to save them, so why not become your own hero?