By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
When Gol D. Roger was executed, he set off the largest and longest treasure hunt in history. For over a thousand chapters in the manga and a thousand episodes in the anime, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates have been seeking the legendary One Piece. They’re not alone, with hundreds of pirates also in pursuit, but after all this time, no one knows what the One Piece is.
It’s true, as at no point has any character, organization, or long-lost map revealed the nature of the One Piece. Fans are in the dark alongside the pirates roaming the Grand Line, with no one sure what it is, but everyone has a theory.
The One Piece Is The Treasure Of Gol D. Roger
Pirate King Gol D. Roger, the only pirate to navigate the entire Grand Line, set off the quest for the One Piece at his execution. Facing death, he laughed and announced to the crowd that no one would find his fortune. The series starts a generation later, with the search still going, and all anyone can figure out is that it’s called “One Piece” because the entire treasure is in one piece.
“My treasure? If you want it, you can have it. Seek it out! I left everything in my life at that place.”
Gol D.Roger, launching the treasure hunt in One Piece
Based on the history of Roger, it’s deduced that the treasure can be found within the Grand Line, but that’s all there is as far as clues to its location. At least, for the longest time, that’s all there was until the introduction of the poneglyphs.
Poneglyphs Hold The Secret To Finding The One Piece
Poneglyphs are carved steles that come in three separate types based on the information that they contain: historical (which reveals the hidden history of the world), instructional (explains where to find historical poneglyphs), and road (which together reveal the location of a hidden island in the Grand Line). Nico Robin and Kozuki Sukiyaki are the only two alive who can allegedly translate the poneglyphs.
Considering the poneglyphs are first mentioned during the Arabasta arc, the live-action One Piece will include them during Season 2, and when they do, expect a lot of new fans to have their minds blown by the information.
The historical poneglyphs, which include information about the “Void Century,” a time period that the World Government doesn’t want anyone to research, may have a direct tie to the nature of the One Piece. Crocodile is searching for an ancient weapon, the Pluton, a lost battleship, while fans think it could be the kingdom overthrown by the nations that went on to form the World Government.
Theories About The One Piece
There are plenty of fan theories out there about what the One Piece could be, from the likely to the downright bizarre. One of the more likely thoughts is that the Grand Line and Red Line will be destroyed by One Piece, thus creating a world without borders (“one piece”). The most common, though, is that the ancient weapons, Uranus, Pluton, and Poseidon, are the ultimate treasure, and by using them, the World Government can be overthrown.
A little more esoteric is that the Devil Fruits are tied to the One Piece, with the treasure perhaps being the origin of the fruits themselves. Others believe it’s only the true knowledge of what happened during the Void Century, which will be so devastating to the World Government it will lead to a mass public uprising and, again, the world uniting into “one piece.”
The least likely theories as to the nature of the treasure are that it’s something we’ve already seen, from Luffy’s hat to Zoro’s swords, or that it’s simply a bottle of sake. Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, has debunked the theory that the One Piece treasure is “the friends we made along the way,” which we can all agree would be the least satisfying reveal of all time.
It Might Be Connected To Joy Boy
After years of adventure, Gol D. Roger and his crew discovered a lost island, dubbed Laugh Tale, when they found Joy Boy’s treasure there. This treasure revealed, for the first time, the true history of the Void Century, the ancient weapons, and even what the D. originally stood for, and altogether, it was a “funny story,” according to the King of the Pirates. The road poneglyphs point to Laugh Tale, making it the most likely location for the One Piece… but it’s not.
A legendary figure, Joy Boy features prominently in the history of One Piece as either a savior (if you’re a Fishman) or the worst enemy imaginable (if you’re the World Government). Promising to return in 800 years, it’s widely speculated, by fans and in-universe by different characters, that Luffy is the reincarnation of Joy Boy. His newly awakened Gear 5 form bears a striking resemblance to Joy Boy.
How Joy Boy’s treasure ties into the nature of the One Piece is unknown for now, but it’s one of the best leads yet.
No One Knows What The One Piece Is But Everyone Wants It
Well, except Whitebeard, everyone wants to find the One Piece, and in doing so, the balance of power in the world has been changing and warping around the rise of the Straw Hat Pirates. The Seven Warlords? Disbanded. Wano’s borders? Open to everyone. The World Government? Becoming increasingly desperate to hold onto power.
No matter which theory about the true nature of the treasure turns out to be correct, the world the series is set in has been forever altered by the quest. While fans continue to speculate and scrutinize every piece of information from Big Mom, seemingly stating that at least part of the treasure is in Wano, to the potential hints found in the song “Binks Sake,” the journey has been one of the greatest in anime history, and it won’t be ending anytime soon.
