Summary
Ever since the start of theOne Piecestory, fans have heard Luffy talking about his dream of becoming the King of Pirates. Every good protagonist needs a motive to start their journey and Luffy is one who wears it on his sleeve. What began as an ambitious young man with nothing but a Straw Hat to his name has now become an Emperor of the Sea and one of the closest people to finding Gol D. Roger’s fabled treasure.
Throughout his journey, the secrets of the world slowly opened up to reveal that there is so much more to the setting than was previously thought. Luffy’s greatestmotivation to become the Pirate Kinghas been because of the unparalleled freedom this position entails, but some fans ofOne Piecetheorize that he may not be as free as he thinks and that his journey is all part of an ancient plan, so let’s see if this is the case.
How Nika Defines An Age
Luffy’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Nika’s First Mention
One Piece, Chapter 1018, “Jinbe vs. Who’s-Who”
The theory of Nika being part of a grand and ancient plan has been known to the fanbase ever since his first mention during the Wano arc. However, it is precisely because of this plan that some fans have begun to debate the truth about Luffy’s own freedom. Since he has alwaysdesired to become the Pirate King, many have felt that, despite this, it has all been a plan since ancient times for Luffy to become the man he is now.
While the time of the original Sun God Nika currently remains a mystery, the Elbaf arc confirmed that there have been 2 previous destructions of the world and alluded to the fact that the world is headed for its third. Unlike the first, Joyboy’s time and the Void Century itself have had a decent amount of lore revealed about them, especially the fact that toward the end of his time, 20 ancient kingdoms came together to form the World Government and defeat him, presumably led by Imu.
According to the “Harley” texts, the world has already been destroyed twice before and the name of Sun God Nika is invoked after each instance.
However, before he died, Joyboy set plans into motion that survived the centuries and were only to be completed far after his death. This had to do with his many ancient allies andthe fabled One Piece treasure itself, which currently resides on the mythical Laugh Tale island at the end of the Grand Line. The true details of this plan are currently a mystery, but it’s known that the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika has a massive part to play.
This brings us to the current day, where the owner of this Devil Fruit is none other than the main character ofOne Piece; Monkey D. Luffy. The true essence of this argument basically says that Luffy was always destined to get the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and, as such, was always meant to be the person who eventually ended the rule of Imu and the World Government. While this is objectively the greater good, this might be something that Luffy himself would hate upon realizing, as his entire life would have been spent working for someone else’s plans.
I don’t want to conquer anything. I just think the guy with the most freedom in this ocean is the Pirate King.
This is the exact opposite of what Luffy has wanted in his life and the opposite of what his desire to be the Pirate King is for. Though he has always acted toward his goal himself, it shows that all of his actions and future have been dictated to reach whatever the goal was. This is further expounded bythe entire journey of the Roger piratesas well.
Gol D. Roger and his crew were the dominant pirate force on the Grand Line in their time and the only ones in 800 years to find Joyboy’s legendary treasure. However, upon reaching Laugh Tale, they realized that they were outside of destiny’s grand plan, which is why they could never really do anything with the One Piece treasure. In fact, Roger started the entire Golden Age of Piracy so that this ancient plan could be fulfilled through whoever eventually gained the powers of Sun God Nika.
How Luffy Fits Into All Of This
Luffy’s Ultimate Role
There’s a prevailing theory within the fanbase regarding the eventuality of the Straw Hats reaching Laugh Tale. Just like with the Roger Pirates, the most common theory is thatthe Straw Hats will also laughwhen finding the treasure, all except for Luffy, who will be furious when learning that all of his actions, dreams, and aspirations have been part of a huge plan from the start.
As storytelling goes, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind about Luffy fulfilling his goals and ridding the world of the corruption of the World Nobles. However, the only question that remains is how he would react to finding out that, despite only wanting to become the King of the Pirates because of being the freest man alive, he has always been acting under the influence of a grand plan he originally had nothing to do with.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
