For decades, One Piece has followed the Straw Hat Pirates as they fight the good fight in the Grand Line, attempting to make their dreams come true and crown Monkey D. Luffy as the new king of the pirates. Despite following the shonen characters for years, fans are still left wondering what the legendary treasure known as “The One Piece” will turn out to be. While anime enthusiasts still debate just what Gol D. Roger buried to help promote the pirate profession before his execution in Loguetown, one theory has arisen online that the legendary pirate might have something far more widespread in mind.
Gol D. Roger might have died long before Luffy formed the Straw Hat Pirates but that hasn’t stopped the swashbuckler from making appearance in the shonen series. Most recently, fans had the chance to witness the true power of the One Piece founder during a flashback sequence in the Wano Arc. In fighting against Whitebeard in a “friendly skirmish”, anime fans were able to witness Roger at his strongest thanks to a battle that lasted for days and confirmed that the moustached swashbuckler was Whitebeard’s equal. While the flashback did feature Roger discovering the One Piece along with Wano’s Kozuki Oden, we still have yet to receive a definitive answer as to what the treasure might be. This fact, of course, hasn’t stopped anime fans from coming to their own conclusions.
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Is The One Piece A Metaphor?
For quite some time, many anime fans believed that The One Piece could be a metaphor, in that it would ultimately revealed to be something like a mirror to highlight the “friends made along the way” to discover the treasure itself. In 2019, creator Eiichiro Oda stated plainly that he wasn’t expecting to reveal that the treasure was a non-tangible concept but rather, that Luffy would receive a real treasure for eventually discovering the item in question. One fan theory imagines that the item in question might be powerful enough to not just crown a new pirate king but to unite the world as a whole.
The Grand Line and the Red Line could not be more different, with the former largely considered quite the dangerous place to be. With recent developments in One Piece’s manga putting the future of the world at large hanging in the balance, it’s entirely possible that Oda has set up the treasure to unite the world. As one fan theory breaks down, Luffy and the Straw Hats might bring about a new era of peace if they are able to beat evil pirates and the World Government to the punch on discovering the legendary treasure.
The State of The One Piece
Recently, Toei Animation made the startling announcement that the One Piece anime adaptation was taking quite a long hiatus. Following its latest episode, the shonen series will be taking a break from the Egghead Island Arc until April 2025, but luckily, the manga won’t be doing the same. Eiichiro Oda is still releasing new chapters on a weekly basis, minus random breaks, and things are continuing to heat up in the Grand Line.
Following the arrival of the Five Elders on Future Island, the big reveal from Dr. Vegapunk regarding the Grand Line, and the Straw Hats working their way to the land of giants, it’s a mad dash for the One Piece treasure. Luffy and his friends might still be the favorites to find Gol D. Roger’s legendary treasure, but they will have to deal with the Cross Guild and the World Government in trying to make their dreams come true.
Want to stay up to date on what the One Piece treasure might ultimately turn out to be? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Straw Hat Pirates and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
