Summary
One Pieceis one of the longest-running Shonen manga ever made. With any story that has been so popular for so long,fan theoriesare sure to follow. Yet in the case ofOne Piece, an ongoing story that tends to hide crucial information for dramatic effect,the narrative itself may support some of these fan theories,with them possibly even coming true.
While it is unclear how true these various fan theories are, some at least have a level of evidence that can be used to support them based on what has been shown within the narrative itself. Here are several examples of such theories.
5Ethanbaron V. Nusujuro’s Sword
It Is The Fabled Shodai Kitetsu
The Kitetsu are a series of katanas, specifically Meito, crafted in Wano by various swordsmiths. They are said to be cursed to kill their wielders.Roronoa Zorowas given the Sandai Kitetsu for free after showing a willingness to test his luck against the blade’s curse, throwing it in a way that could potentially cut his arm off, and missing. He has since kept the sword in rotation, and even met its creator, Kozuki Sukiyaki.
Sukiyaki informed Zoro of the Kitetsu, blades made across generations that are said to share a fatal curse. The earlier Kitetsu from previous generations are also revealed: the Nidai Kitetsu, a katana briefly used by Luffy and one of the 21 Great Grade Blades, and the Shodai Kitetsu, an unseen katana that is one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades. Yet perhaps the Shodai Kitetsu is not as unseen as once thought. Zoro has recently confirmed the katana Ethanbaron V. Nusujuro used to be part of the series. Seeing as the two later iterations have already been revealed, it stands to reason that this katana may in fact be the Shodai Kitetsu.
This theory exists in the same space that Kuzan being thetenth titanic captainpreviously existed in; it operates off of two separately revealed pieces of information, yet with just enough ambiguity that the small possibility it is untrue still exists until otherwise is confirmed. That said, it is unclear as of yet what such a possibility could be.
4The Hito Hito No Mi Is A Mythical Zoan
Does It Just Turn You Into A Human?
Tony Tony Chopper’s infamous Zoan fruit is often bemoaned for its uselessness to humanoid characters, who seem to consume the majority Devil Fruits. A human transformation has given Chopper a higher level of intellect, allowing him to become a doctor and translate between humans and animals due to technically being a part of both species. A recent aspect of Devil Fruits that has received more examination is their potential to awaken.
Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi, a presumed Paramecia, was secretly a Mythical Zoan known asthe Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. This puts it in line with the majority of other known Hito Hito no Mi, which are Mythical Zoans. The only exception to this rule thus far is the Hito Hito no Mi itself. It is entirely possible that the Hito Hito no Mi may be a secretly powerful Zoan upon awakening. Its reclassification as seemingly one of the most redundant Devil Fruits for most beings could also double as a cover to prevent most thinking individuals from consuming it in exchange for the ability to swim. Like the Gomu Gomu no Mi, it may be much more powerful than initially perceived.
3Teach’s Murder Method
How The Blackbeard Pirates Gain Their Devil Fruit Powers
The Blackbeard Pirates are shrouded in mystery. For such prominent overarching villains, many things about them are still not known. Yet the secret to one of their biggest mysteries may have been staring fans in the face this whole time. The crew is said to kill Devil Fruit users to steal their powers through as-of-yet-unknown means. Indeed, the audience doesn’t know exactly how this method works, save for the fact the previous user needs to die.
The secretive method may lie in the backstory of a former Yonko, who employed a similar method of gaining their powers. Before she was Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin was merely a rambunctious child, brimming with hunger and power and struggling to curve her impulses. On her sixth birthday, she is heavily implied to have eaten Mother Carmel (her caretaker and a covert human trafficker) along with the other children she was taking care of. She then awoke withthe powers of Carmel’s Soru Soru no Mi.
Perhaps the Blackbeard Pirates use a similar cannibalistic method to gain their powers. A single tarp has censored the only onscreen instance of a power transfer, where Teach is covered when he is with Newgate’s corpse, only to reappear with his powers. Though the exact method may remain obscured for a while longer, it is noteworthy that Big Mom’s cannibalism is the only other way in which the audience has seen a forceful Devil Fruit power transfer take place.
2Edward Weevil Is A MADS Project
A Clone Or Merely A Being With An Altered Lineage Factor?
Edward Weevil is a mysterious character and a fairly recent addition to theOne Pieceseries. He was the last known pirate togain the rank of Shichibukaiprior to the system’s abolition. His mother, Miss Buckin, alleges that he is the son of Whitebeard, yet this allegation has been largely dismissed. Yet, for all the denial, it’s impossible to ignore his physical strength, which is comparable to Edward Newgate in his prime. He also has a similar build and mustache to his alleged father. If Weevil is not the son of Whitebeard, how is any of this possible?
A look into Miss Buckin’s past may provide some clues. Although the full extent of their relationship is unknown, Buckin was indeed seen with Newgate during their time in the Rocks Pirates. After the crew’s disbandment, they seemingly went their separate ways. Newgate founded the Whitebeard Pirates, and Buckin joined MADS, an illegal research institute that made many scientific breakthroughs. Although Buckin was considered a freeloader during her time with the group, she was the template for the first-ever successful clone; Stussy, named after her “mother,” Miss Buckingham Stussy. Further innovations in lineage factor duplication have also been displayed. Notably, the Seraphim have the DNA of various members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and Alber’s Lunarian DNA combined within them.
MADS was active for 13 years before its shutdown around 26 years ago. Stussy’s age was listed as being 36 in her entry inVivre Card - One Piece Visual Dictionary, meaning it was then that the first cloning was successful. Weevil is listed as only being about a year younger than Stussy in the same source, making his birth fall within the time the institute was active. However, Weevil may not be an identical clone like Stussy or the Pacifistas, because his appearance is certainly not identical to Newgate.
That said, Weevil may have Whitebeard’s DNA grafted onto him, possibly in a prenatal manner, similar to how Sanji’s brothers were genetically modified before they were born. Beyond context clues, Buckin has explicitly stated that Vegapunk could vouch for Weevil’s heritage. Seeing as Vegapunk was one of the scientists who discovered the Lineage Factor as part of MADS, as well as being responsible for the creation of many clones, this could be a strong hint at Weevil’s true origins.
1Vivi Is The Next Straw Hat Pirate
X Marks The Spot
The Princess of Alabasta Kingdom was temporarily a member ofthe Straw Hat Piratesbefore the Timeskip. From Whisky Peak to Alabasta, Vivi traveled with the Straw Hats to prevent the takeover of her kingdom. She was offered the opportunity to become a permanent member but declined to fulfill her royal duties. More recently, Vivi was captured by the World Government, and later stowed away in Wapol’s mouth to escape.
As Vivi is now essentially a fugitive, rejoining her old friends may not seem like the worst idea. Yet the story itself has also dropped hints at this. One is the ‘X’ used by the Straw Hats in Alabasta to verify themselves, as Mr. 2 Bon Clay could copy their physical appearances. They later used these ‘X’ marks as part of a silent goodbye to Vivi, showing their recognition of her as a Straw Hat. This mark has recently been given attention in the manga, showing that it still exists on Luffy. X is also the Roman numeral ten, which would signify Vivi as the tenth member of the crew.
This is technically misleading, as the crew already has ten members, but it slots properly into the recurring theme of named chapters where new crewmates join. Examples include Zoro joining in Chapter 6, which was titledThe First. Similar naming conventions are seen in chapters 68 and 489, where Sanji (The Fourth) and Brook (The Eighth) join respectively. This is not the case for every numbered chapter where a crewmate joins, but its continual presence signifies it as a recurring theme. By this metric, Vivi would be the tenth crewmember, corresponding to her X.
Additionally, Vivi joining the Straw Hats once again to face the Government is an allusion to the past of the Nefertari clan. Nefertari Lili was part of the First Twenty, a name for the royal clans who founded the World Government. Despite this fact, Lili refused to join the World Nobles as her counterparts did, with further actions such as her scattering of the poneglyphs and adding to the fabled “D” initial to her family name being indicators of her anti-World Government stance.
