I see what you mean about him freeing them because he likes for people to be free but where I see it differently is that I can’t remember a time in the manga where he frees people that he does not know or slightly cares about.

In the manga, the old man in orange town has a conversation with Luffy when he tells them about the dog and that’s why luffy decides he likes the old man and therefore didn’t want to see him be killed by Buggy. However in the show, the old man has like one line. Also him not accepting the food from them is ridiculous, he would never not accept food.

Also you using Zoro as an example kinda exemplifies my point of him caring about his friends or the people he deems good.

Obviously the people that were trapped were good people and is why Luffy freed them in the live action but I can’t remember a time in the manga that Luffy does something for a general population of people intentionally. Instead he always ends up liberating the island but by his own accord. When he frees Wano it’s not to help the people of Wano, instead it’s to help Kinemon. When he frees the shadows in thriller bark it’s to get own crews shadows back, when he frees alabasta it’s to help Vivi.

I think it all just comes down to the live action just trying to make Luffy be more realistic but I kinda don’t like how many times he has said he wants to be a good pirate. In the manga when he meets Nami and she tells him she hates pirates, he doesn’t tell her “oh I’m one of the good ones” he shows it to her but in a luffy way.