Yes, One Piece is a manga/anime that’s been running for a quarter century, but what is THE One Piece? That mystical treasure found by Gol D Roger at the end of the Grand Line? What could be so great that it made the Pirate King’s whole crew laugh? Is there really gold and jewels at Laugh Tale or something even more valuable? There’s no definitive answer until the Straw Hats reach it, but in the meantime, there are plenty of clues to speculate exactly what the One Piece is.
By no means is this a definitive answer to what the One Piece is or what the Straw Hats will find on Laugh Tale, These will simply be theories or educated guesses (maybe some hot takes too). Series creator Eichiiro Oda has confirmed that it will be a tangible object of some sort. So, what could the One Piece be?
Joyboy’s History
This is the most likely treasure that could be the One Piece, since Joyboy has been built up throughout the series since Fishman Island. Joyboy was a hero during the Void Century, who from information known, made a promise to help the Fishmen reach the surface. He wasn’t able to fulfill his promise, but it now falls on Luffy to see it through.
All information about Joyboy is did from history wherever possible, with the only information left the Poneglyphs. The World Government doesn’t want anyone to find out about the Sun God Nika or Joyboy, much less the Void Century. It’s likely that Joyboy’s history will still be there no matter what the One Piece is, but it’s a question of form.
Ancient Weapons
The Ancient Weapons have shown up a couple of times already throughout One Piece. First, it was about Pluton, which Robin thought was in Alabasta. Franky also has blueprints for the same, and in the Wano arc, Oden’s father reveals it’s in Wano. It’s still a huge mystery what the Ancient Weapons themselves even are, though the only currently known one is Poseidon, which is actually Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi.
Shirahoshi’s power as an Ancient Weapon is to call and control Neptunians, which will eventually pull the massive ship Noah to the surface. Perhaps the real One Piece is a final Ancient Weapon that will explain the use of Pluton or possibly demolish the Red Line. There is an theory another Ancient Weapon will knock down the Red Line, unite the world, and create the All-Blue.
A Final Devil Fruit
This one might be more of a stretch than Luffy on any given day, but it’s still a possibility. Devil Fruits are a remnant from before the Void Century, but it’s unknown how they’re made or why. Could they be ancient technology from a forgotten civilization? Vegapunk had minor success with creating an Artificial Devil Fruit with Momonosuke’s, but it is still a failure by their standards. Then the SMILE Fruits were never successes in the first place.
So, is it the secret of Devil Fruits or a sort of precursor to Devil Fruit? Theorists float that it could be an ultimate Devil Fruit that allows the powers of all Fruits in existence. That seems a bit far-fetched, but stranger things have already happened in One Piece so it’s a possibility.
Forgotten Treasure
The least likely outcome, but also the kind of treasure that would make Roger and crew laugh their asses off. All the hype for the Void Century the World Government doesn’t want anyone to know about, and it’s just gold. Maybe some jewels or other valuables, but just some basic pirate treasure really would be the funniest thing for the overall story while also being what Buggy wants most of all.
Binks’ Sake
The subject of an old pirate song that Brook knows about a captain and his sake that unite everyone together. Sharing sake is a long tradition among pirates and signifies brotherhood, leading into alliances. Though some dismiss the cup and use the enter bowl of sake instead (Zoro). The theory goes that this sake will be exchanged between leaders of every country. Both as a promise of solidarity and friendship to create a prosperous world for all.
This one is a long shot because that is some very old sake by now. Still, it’s a nice idea for bringing the world together like Luffy wants to do.
A Library from the Void Century
The library at Ohara was the most comprehensive collection of info from the Void Century. At least, it was, until the World Government destroyed it. Even then, they barely knew anything compared to what took place in that hundred-year gap. It’s a complete possibility that a final Poneglyph is containing the entire history of the world, but it would likely need a whole library to tell the entire story.
Paw-Paw Fruit Theory
This is a more far-fetched theory but has a ton of evidence to back it up. In the Thriller Bark arc when Kuma came to get Luffy, he was able to extract all his pain and suffering. This became a giant bubble of the negative emotions and suffering he felt It’s reasonable that if Kuma could pull negative emotions from people, he could also take positive feelings and emotions too. So, this theory brings that and the possible Awakened form of the Devil Fruit into consideration.
Assuming someone related to Joyboy in the Void Century had the Paw-Paw Fruit, it’s possible this ability was used. The theory is that whoever used it took all of Joyboy’s laughter and happiness, condensed it into an orb, and left it at Laugh Tale. Then, any that shared Joyboy’s vision or who made the journey to Laugh Tale could contribute to it. Perhaps the One Piece is just a record of those that journeyed for the One Piece. A collection of joyful times with friends and grief when the World Government inevitably intervenes.
Sure, it’s not a guarantee of what the One Piece may be, and these could all be totally wrong! Maybe the real One Piece was the friends we made along the way.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
