Updated November 28, 2022 by Ernie
The One Piece… you’re dying to know what it is, right? As a loyal member of Oda’s team, I had the privilege of having a sneak peek of the good stuff. And, sucks for you but I ain’t gonna tell, it would spoil all the fun!
Table of Contents
Okayyy… you called my bluff, Oda doesn’t even know my name buttt speculation is always on the table or you can try your luck with Silvers Rayleigh, however, I don’t think you’ll ever get anything out of this old man, so better stick with me don’t you think? (One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 52 Chapter 507 (p. 7-8) and Episode 400)
Didn’t you ever find it weird that one word has been on the tongue of every single Otaku in the world and yet we have no idea what it actually means?
People have come up with the craziest theories, used the most subtle so-called hints in the series, and turned their brains into mashed potatoes to come up with something that makes sense, and yet all those efforts have been in vain. But you know what I think? I think WE all already know what it is, we just aren’t aware of it yet.
Do you know where the best place to hide treasure a? In plain sight! The answer has been right under our noses this whole time. Oda played it dirty!
“What’s that crazy person saying” is what passed through your head right now, right? Well, let me prove my sanity by transporting you into my One Piece universe.
But before I illuminate your world, why not click that subscribe button over there and hit that notification bell to get all the latest updates of the anime universe with QuoteTheAnime?
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ONE PIECE?
One Piece 101
Before moving on to the hidden hints that Oda dropped during the course of the manga, let me just refresh your memories about all the concrete information we have on the treasure, just to make sure we are all on the same page.
During the Void Century, a guy that was known as Joy Boy managed to make it to the very end of the Grand Line and thought that that last Island would be a super good place to hide his treasure, a treasure so great that his value can’t even be measured.
No one knew what it was and yet rumors of his existence started spreading all around the world. It reached the ears of the government and they labeled it as a threat that will change the world as we know it.
They forbid anyone to go after it. I can understand why since Whitebeard himself declared that “a grand battle will engulf the entire world” and “the world will be shaken to its core” when someone will finally put his hands on the One Piece (One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 59 Chapter 576 (p. 13-14) and Episode 485)
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However, that just added to Gol D. Roger’s curiosity who immediately set sails to the end of the world! (One Piece Manga — Vol. 96 Chapter 966)
When they got to their goal, and when the crew set their eyes on the treasure, they just started laughing hysterically! This is why they ended up calling the last island “Laught Tale” because this whole adventure was a “tale full of laughs” (One Piece Manga — Vol. 96 Chapter 967)
They left the One Piece where they found it because it turned out they weren’t the ones meant to take. Instead, they decided to get the chosen one there by force by jump-starting the Great Age of Pirates.
This was all old news, the juiciest piece of info we got was during the Wano Country Arc and it was Big Mom who had the honor of delivering it. The first useful thing she ever did.
She said that “some of ‘‘ the treasure might actually be found on the land of Wano.But how did it get there and why is it a total mystery? And you know she isn’t that bright so she also could be wrong especially since that has nothing to do with food (One Piece Manga — Vol. 1003 Chapter 1040)
Now that we are all up to date let’s move on to the mind-blowing stuff, what happened during the Void History?!
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The Secrets of the Void History
Joy Boy lived during the Void History. Like Luffy and Roger, we believe that he was himself a pirate. He might also have invented that profession.
His influence and power were enormous. He had so many allies, so many friends, that what he had wasn’t considered a fleet anymore but a kingdom.
Not your usual kingdom, of course, it wasn’t a physical land or anything but a huge group of people from so many different races such as Fishfolk and Merfolk, Skyfolk, Minks, Giants, and the Kuja clan might also be part of it, and CYBORGS all united under one man (One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 41 Chapter 395 and Episode 277 and One Piece Manga — Chapter 1066)
This great man who transcended the mere state of a man became to be known as the Sun God, Nika. His goal was to abolish discrimination of races so that every single living being can live freely and happily under the same sun, he wanted to bring forth the “Dawn of the World!”
However, how could he bring an entire world together if literal lines are built to separate them? The easiest way is always the best, just get rid of them. And this is where the “Ancient Weapons” come into play.
Who needs the Grand Line and the Red Line? It’s not that the One Piece geography is already simple enough.
Whoever said that the weapons are just meant to bring an end to the world? It’s more like destroying a world to build a new, better one, Lelouch style. Wanna know how? Yes, you do!
Poseidon will get rid of the calm belts that were put in place by the Sea Kings which will destroy the currents of the Grand Line.
The ark of Noah comes up next. It will be used to emigrate the Fishmen and get them all the way to the surface. This way, when the Red Line Goes caput and Fishman Island goes with it, they will be safe.
The four seas will merge, and this grand event will mark the creation of the legendary All Blue! Sanji’s dream sea!
But the Joy Boy plan was a failure since the Mermaid Princess, who was actually Poseidon at the time, passed away during the war. Having to wait centuries before the weapon reincarnates wasn’t actually an option.
Today Poseidon is back, by the way, she comes in the shape of an oversized crybaby princess that looks way too sweet to be a weapon of mass destruction. I don’t need to say more here, you all got who I’m talking about.
Even if his first attempt was unsuccessful, Joy Boy did not give up on his dream. Even after his death, his dream lived on. Despite all the government’s attempts to make people forget him and his treasure, pirates still inherited his will, thanks to the legend about the treasure that he left behind.
This dream, just like Roger’s dream which I believe is Luffy’s dream as well, is to create the biggest, greatest party the world has ever seen!
To exchange a cup of sake with every single living being in the universe, to connect each other’s souls, and each other’s hearts, to forget the sorrow and leave the scene to laughter and happiness, to make people come together as ONE PIECE!
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When Three Come Together as One!
Oda, being the tease that he is, sprinkled like three crucial clues about the One Piece during the unfolding of the series.
Clue number one: When Roger was executed he declared to the world: “I left everything in this world at that place” (by I, he meant Joy Boy), and Oden who was also his crewmate at the time, wrote something kind of similar in his journal: “On that day we reached the final island… we learned everything in this world”.
What we can understand from this is that they acquired knowledge, they learned everything they wanted to know about the world they are living in. However, they never said that that knowledge was the actual treasure. It’s just a nice bonus prize.
Clue number two: That clue has been with us from the kick-off of the series, all we had to do was to think outside the box to get a hint about the future.
Etymologically speaking, in Japanese, “One Piece” can be read in two very different ways! While you pronounce the title of the series as “One Piece”, it is actually written as follows: “hitotsunagi no daihihou”
The last word, “Daihihou” is translated into “great hidden treasure”, while “hitotsunagi” means “something in one piece”, but the disturbing bit is that “hitotsunagi” isn’t in kanji which means that it can also be literally translated into “that which connects people together”, or “one sea at peace”.
So maybe the One Piece isn’t a single thing, it might be the treasure that will unite the world, the object that will merge the four seas, and a physical object, the ultimate reward!
Why do I know that a physical treasure will be found, that’s just because I’m a psychic genius. Okay, enough with the jokes. I kind of cheated actually but Oda said it in an interview with Momoko Sakura, can’t have more solid proof than that.
Clue number three: Laugh Tale, those words, they weren’t used only to mention the last island were they?
Think hard, very hard, where did you hear them before? Those words brought joy and smiles to the faces of so many pirates. A special tune comes to mind, a song… Binks Sake! Of course!
Sing the lyrics with me: “a never-ending, ever-wandering, Laugh Tale”. Brook said that Bink’s Sake was a super old song that was born during the Void Century (One Piece manga: Chapter 967).
It’s a song that filled Robin with nostalgia, brought her right back to the good old days at the library of Ohara and most importantly it’s the song that made our adorable Laboon laugh the second they started singing.
That song was sung at every pirate party, friends and enemies would come together as one, laughter would fill the room, sorrow would disappear and joy is now the king!
That innocent song that managed to slip by the government radar actually reveals in detail the events that occurred during the Void Century!
“Goodbye to a hometown” is a farewell to the Great Kingdom. “Birds in circles” was the symbol of the Kozuki Clan, the maker of the poneglyphs. “Splitting the seas” refers to the Grand Line and Red Line as well as their fate of destruction. “A storm coming from a faraway sky” is the storm the D. “A song of a sea”, talks about the creation of the All Blue.
It talks about the past, the present, and the future. Since it mentioned quite everything, they could’ve at least added the One Piece to the lot. AND THEY DID!
Don’t you see! the One Piece, it has been mentioned time and time again! It has always been here, with us, this entire time! It’s what attracts, and connects Luffy to all those people! Since chapter 1, we knew what the One Piece was! It’s what created, and bound Luffy’s first connection!
THE ONE PIECE
Do I really have to spell it out for you? Come on, use that gray matter of yours. What was the one thing Luffy always insisted on doing with anyone he bonded with.
What is the one thing that would bring people together, even during battle and wars, they would sit together to exchange that one thing.
SAKE! It’s sake. That’s the One Piece! When Luffy met Ace and Sabo, the gesture that made them true brothers was the exchange of a cup of sake. When his huge fleet was created, all the captains, came together to plaid allegiance to the Straw Hats through a cup of sake, the entire Bink’s sake song revolves around it.
I mean, in chapter one, the Red Hair Pirates were drinking and singing at a bar. They were having so much fun when they were interrupted by Higuma the bandit. He barged in asking for all the sake in the bar.
Shanks could have kicked his ass but what did he do? He offered him the last bottle they had. The brute got angry, and refused his gesture of friendship, while Luffy was boiling with rage, Shanks, just laughed.
He laughed because he knew what the meaning behind a cup of sake was. He was offering the man a part of the One Piece, something that should be shared, something that could bring people together.
Since chapter one, Oda was trying to tell us how important that cup of sake was, we just didn’t get it at the time.
What do you think Luffy would do if he arrived at Laugh Tale and found rivers of sake? I know Zoro would try to drink it all but he would only think of sharing it with as many people as humanly possible.
By drinking Joy Boy’s sake with the entire world he will bring them all together, he will spread joy, happiness, and laughter and this is when he will turn into the true Joy Boy!
Looking back on the past you will realize that the entire series showcases just how important sake is!
- The symbolic toast between brothers: Luffy, Ace, and Sabo
- After crossing the Grand Line, the Straw Hats reenacted their dreams around a barrel of sake
- Hiriluk kissed life goodbye with a cup of sake while Kureha inherited his dream by doing the same.
- Bellamy mocked the people who were searching for the One Piece saying the treasure is all around them while she was sitting at a bar overflowing with sake.
- When Whitebeard said his last words his last thoughts was the moment he exchanged a cup with Roger.
- The creation of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet was bound with a giant cup of sake.
- Oden’s final words were: “If I am to be an accompaniment to one piece of sake, then that suits me fine”.
- Ace and Yamato chat about Luffy while drinking sake together.
- Finally, but that is a little far fetched if you link the title of Chapters 999 and 1000 you get “The Sake I Brewed While Waiting For You, Straw Hat Luffy”
Conclusion
While our characters have a One Piece of their own, we actually have one ourselves! They have sake and well, have the manga.
Our very own One Piece is made to be shared, it’s meant to help us connect with others, and create bonds that are indescribable!
Oda did something extraordinary here cuz he managed to do just that! He brought together people from all over the world. We are all from different races, and different countries, we have different ideologies, and different personalities, and yet anyone that calls himself a One Piece fan is a Nakama of mine and I like to think that we all share that same thought!
We have been on a treasure hunt all our lives while the treasure that we were looking for was already in our possession.
Think back on your past, on your relationships, and just how many friends did you make thanks to the manga? From my side, I made one that I wouldn’t trade for the world. We bonded over a story that turned out to be much more than just a tale; it’s almost something…magical!
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