Summary
Inherited Will has always been one of the central concepts in theOne Piecestory, even before it was outright given a name. The idea is that the dreams and ambitions of a person never truly die and if, in their lifetimes, they’re unable to fulfill these aspirations, they will eventually be passed on to someone who will. Due to this aspect of storytelling, many of the series' most important characters have gotten the start of their journeys.
While there are obviously many examples of Inherited Will playing a huge part in the development of certain characters, there are a few examples of incredibly prominent people whose dreams happen to match those oflegends who have come before them, so let’s break down the greatest examples of Inherited Will throughout the entireOne Piecestory.
The Most Important Pirates Of Their Day
Luffy’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Roger’s First Appearance
Joyboy’s First Mention
One Piece, Chapter 628, “Spring Cleaning”
The most obvious case of Inherited Will can be seen in the main character of the series, Monkey D. Luffy. From the very first chapter of the franchise, it was teased that Luffy was going to be the next Pirate King, which was a title officially held by only one other person before him; Gol D. Roger, and it was always teased that the two of them were very similar. This is something that has been implied very heavily throughout the series, especially when Yamato reads Oden’s journal and realizes thatLuffy’s true dream is the exact same as Roger’s.
I don’t want to conquer anything. I just think the guy with the most freedom in this whole ocean is the Pirate King!
However, as the story went on, it was shown that Luffy is essentially the reincarnation of Joyboy and shares the same fruit as him and even Nika before him. More than this, Luffy is a great liberator, just as Joyboy was teased to be and what Sun God Nika was known as throughout the world; a person who will fight against tyranny and be the front-runner in ushering in a new dawn.
Evil Men Who Are Opposites To The Heroes
Blackbeard’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 223, “I Promise to Never Fight in This Town”
Rocks' First Mention
One Piece, Chapter 957, “Ultimate”
Conversely, Blackbeard is seen as the opposite side of Luffy’s coin who also wants to be a king. But,unlike Luffy, Blackbeard wants to be a tyrannical kingwith as much power and control over everyone else as possible, compared to Luffy, who just wants to be the freest person in the world without wanting to control or having power over anyone else. In this sense, Blackbeard is widely regarded as the second coming of the infamous Rocks D. Xebec.
Fate has chosen me to conquer this world!
Ever since the Rocks Pirates were spoken about inOne Piece, fans immediately understood the correlation between their captain and Blackbeard, as they are both very clear parallels who exist as the greatest enemies to the heroes of their time, i.e. Roger and Luffy respectively. This has led to many theories regarding the relationship between the two, which range from Blackbeard being Rocks' son to even having Rocks' consciousness within himself due to their shared Devil Fruit. All that’s confirmed is that there is a clear connection between them, which is likely why Blackbeard’s ship is named The Spear of Xebec.
Garp’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 92, “Happiness”
Unlike the other examples, this is the only one where the concerned characters are both still alive. Garp is known asone of the greatest Marinesin the history of the Navy and one of the World Government’s single most important assets, which is why he’s free to do pretty much whatever he wants despite openly disliking the World Nobles. For his entire life, he has tried to foster a love for justice in his family so that they can follow in his footsteps and become Marines as well.
Who do you think you have kidnapped?! Koby is the future of the Navy! And… he’s also my beloved pupil!
However, while his son and grandson are perhaps the most just people in the setting, they both broke away from the path he set for them. However, Koby eventually enlisted in the forces of the Navy due to his lifelong dream of becoming an Admiral and was placed under the direct command of Garp, instilling in him the same values as the Marine Hero. So, Koby is essentially seen as the modern-day version of Garp and, according to Garp himself, the future of the Marines, who will undoubtedly be one of the biggest players in the Final War.
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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, 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.
