In One Piece, shadowy world governments, secret histories, and out-of-place tech are examples of a post-apocalyptic truth.
One Piece is a universally popular manga and anime franchise. Though this epic fantasy pirate adventure may not be for everyone, the simple fact that it has continued for over 25 years should be a testament enough to author Eiichiro Oda’s talent and skill for finding new, interesting stories to tell within it.
In-depth worldbuilding and complex character webs allow the world of One Piece to be filled with genuine mystery, and one of the biggest mysteries of all is how this fantastical setting ended up in such rough shape. Shadowy world governments, secret histories, and out-of-place tech are just some examples pointing to a post-apocalyptic truth.
This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga up to Chapter 1073.
10. One Piece Fans Are Confused By Anachronistic Technology
One of the first things viewers will notice when starting their journey into the world of One Piece is the many instances where seemingly out-of-place technology pops up in the story, despite it being first introduced as a simple pirate adventure. In the very beginning, most of what was shown were wooden boats with traditional sails and classic weapons such as cutlasses and muskets.
As the story continued, however, it gradually introduced electrical lighting, mechanical appliances, and even robots, as well as heavier weaponry such as mortars, tanks, and warships. In fiction, this is known as an anachronism, and seeing things that clearly belong to different time periods has caused fans to question One Piece‘s mysterious history.
9. Highly Advanced Ancient Kingdom Existed 800 Years Ago
Early on in One Piece, during the Alabasta story arc, the character Robin (still in her Miss All-Sunday disguise at the time) is shown to have a vested interest in strange writing on a mysterious stone. This marks the first appearance of the poneglyphs, giant indestructible cubes inscribed with valuable bits of secret information about the world’s past.
Later, during Enies Lobby, viewers learn through Robin’s flashback that the World Government despises the existence of this information and is even willing to wipe out an entire island’s worth of people if it means suppressing knowledge of the ancient kingdom which created those texts. Implied to be highly advanced, the destruction of that forgotten civilization hints toward a world-level event.
8. The Ancient Weapons Are Lost Technology
Another reason for research into the past being forbidden by the government of One Piece‘s world is the existence of three Ancient Weapons, which were weapons of mass destruction used during the great war 800 years ago. Those events are how the current ruling class took control, and they claim that the knowledge of such power could lead to another war and countless casualties.
What little is known about the Ancient Weapons implies yet again that the world was much more advanced back then, but most of that technology has since been lost. Pluton, one of the three, is said to be a terrifyingly destructive battleship; another, Uranus, could be a mechanical airship of some kind.
7. They’re Called The World Government For A Reason
In truth, the powers that be have suppressed research into the past due to the existence of the Void Century, a conveniently “lost” chunk of history leading up to and including that large-scale conflict 800 years ago. Most characters in One Piece don’t know the details of that war, only that the current rulers were victorious.
Beneath the surface lies a more nefarious conspiracy: those factions which now comprise the World Government may have started the global conflict in the first place, and they seem to be hiding any evidence of what really happened. Its unquestionable authority and planet-wide influence mean kingdoms nowadays must bend the knee or forfeit their civil and human rights.
6. Lulusia Incident Has Likely Happened Before
When the Wano story arc finally concluded after four years, author Eiichiro Oda released a statement letting fans know to buckle their seatbelts because One Piece is headed into its endgame, and things will only get more exciting. Chapter 1060 proved this when Im, a shadowy figure secretly the de-facto ruler of the entire world, effortlessly destroyed the rebel country of Lulusia within seconds.
Not only was this a shocking, terrifying event, but it perfectly exemplifies what those at the top are willing to do to remain in power. With the Ancient Kingdom also having been nearly erased from history, it’s not hard to connect the dots and begin to suspect the world back then was maliciously conquered.
5. There Are References To Noah’s Ark & Atlantis
One Piece takes place in what is essentially a water world covered mostly in oceans, with islands serving as the primary land to build and live on and the only real continent being the Red Line, a massive and continuous wall of stone encircling the globe. An important clue as to why may be found in the Fishman Island story arc with the Noah, an enormous ship built centuries ago.
This clearly references the biblical Noah’s Ark, a similarly impressive ship used to preserve life after a global flood. Considering also the possible references to Earth’s Atlantis, these themes have led fans to theorize One Piece‘s world was flooded after some cataclysmic event.
4. One Piece Features Tech From Popular Sci-Fi Media
One way in which One Piece stands out from similar stories in the shonen genre is its prominent use of concepts and technology, which are commonly found in the science fiction literature of our own world. It’s not just the abundance of anachronistic technology, but specifically, the use of inventions that sci-fi authors have imagined could become a reality at some point in Earth’s near future.
The story has seen several notable cases of this, such as fully-fledged cloning, giant mech automatons, cybernetic soldiers equipped with lasers, and even scientists teleporting between locations. With the theme of advanced tech being sourced from ancient times, it’s not so far-fetched to wonder if One Piece takes place sometime in Earth’s distant future.
3. Dr. Vegapunk Spilled Some Answers
Some answers arrived in the latest story arc, which sees the Straw Hat crew get detoured into landing on Egghead Island, said to be an island of technology from 500 years in the future and home to the mysterious scientist Vegapunk’s main lab. The eccentric genius has been mentioned for decades, but now fans get to see that person’s wildest inventions firsthand.
From controlling the weather to building giant cybernetic sea creatures to successfully reverse-engineering and replicating One Piece‘s magic system in the form of Devil Fruits, this one character represents the story’s most advanced knowledge yet. This is why it was such a big deal when Vegapunk confirmed this knowledge is actually from the distant past.
2. One Piece Has Gradually Emphasized Science Over Magic
It is said that any sufficiently advanced technology might look like magic to those unaware, so it’s quite fitting that Oda has explained several major fantasy concepts in One Piece with logical-seeming sci-fi. Both Seastone, a naturally-occurring element acting as the story’s Kryptonite, and the fluffy-yet-solid white clouds serving as the foundation for Sky Islands are said to be made of a particular particle.
Even Devil Fruits, the source of the story’s individual superpowers, have been researched by in-world scientists and replicated using their Lineage Factor, which is basically the equivalent of DNA. What’s exciting is wondering what other seemingly magical concepts will be explained using science-fiction and the implications this all has on the eventual truth.
1. One Piece’s References To Earth May Not Be A Coincidence
Throughout One Piece‘s quarter-century publication, there have been numerous named references to real-world people, places, and things. Though some might argue this phenomenon is simply a product of the author’s tendency to draw inspiration from Earth’s historical events, new developments in Chapter 1073 have further stoked suspicions that there could be a deeper connection after all.
With the shocking reveal of Five Elders’ member Saint Jaygarcia Saturn’s real name, online fan theories have exploded regarding the symbolic implications of “Saturn” and the possible continued naming pattern using other planets from the solar system. Though it’s difficult to predict their true significance, the constant and prominent references to Earth may one day prove that One Piece was a post-apocalyptic story all along.
Src: cbr.com
