THEORIES & OPINIONS

After chapter 783 and a slew of Gear Fourth theories, I decided to also make one. (LOL)

And I believe Luffy will reveal 2 more “Gears” in the future.

Gear Fifth and the “Reverse”.

I’ll just get straight to the point, here goes:

During the Enies Lobby Arc, Monkey D. Luffy invented 2 gears, namely Gear 2nd and Gear 3rd, to make a somewhat accurate guess on what Gear 4th would be, we need to look back and see how Luffy made the first 2 gears up and what’s the difference between the two.

First Gear (in a way) is Luffy’s natural fighting form, consisting of attacks named after “guns” after bragging to Shanks that his punch is as strong as a pistol.

Gomu Gomu No Pistol, Bazooka, Gatling Gun, Rifle, Rocket, Cannon….you get the point.

He also names his attacks after “weapons” namely, Axe, Whip, Sickle, Spear and other special things like Gomu Gomu No Storm (which he used against Crocodile), Fireworks (which he used against Captain McKinley’s troops) and Windmill (Against Moomoo when he fought Arlong)

Now, of all the attacks he used in his first form, its interesting to note the last 3: Storm, Fireworks and Windmill.

We all know that the basic Luffy have came from his fascination with pirates, and named his attacks with the weapon they used.

But the last 3 attacks are attacks he invented upon seeing or hearing something. Luffy is a battle genius.

He invented the Gomu-Gomu No Storm as either some sort of tribute to the drought in Alabasta or to Crocodile’s “sandstorm” itself.
He invented the Gomu Gomu No Fireworks after seeing the troops of Captain McKinley shooting Milky Cloud trails.
And he invented Gomu Gomu No Windmill (Pinwheel) after seeing Genzo’s pinwheel.

I brought this up because it applies to the logic he used with his “gears”.

Luffy invented the “gears” after being fascinated with the Sea-Trains at Water 7 and seeing the Elbaf Giants, and he acquired the method of those attacks from CP9’s Rokushiki techniques (specifically Soru) and from the Elbaf Giants he met at Little Garden.

Gear 2nd was him pumping blood to his veins in order to make him faster than his usual capabilities.
Gear 3rd was him expanding his rubber bones in order to imitate a limb of a giant.

And the last similarities is that, all his gears have “dangerous consequences” once used. Gear 2nd being him draining his life, and Gear 3rd making him slower than usual and turning into a smaller Luffy for a few minutes.

So if we review his gears, they have several similarities:

1. They are invented after Luffy sees something he takes interest into.
2. Luffy imitates the attack of other people he fought.
3. There’s a serious consequence for using it.
4. It modify his body past his limits. (for 2nd its Blood, for 3rd its his bones)
5. It’s Luffy using the properties of rubber.

And an additional hint: Doflamingo comended Luffy for his quickness but noted that he “lacked power”, and Gear 3rd is too slow to hit Doflamingo.

So we could assume the 4th gear is fast enough to hit Doflamingo, but is strong enough to hurt him.

So what do I think Gear Fourth is?

I believe Gear 4th is “Revenge”.

Yes, and it pertains to the “Recoil” or “Rebound” capabilities of rubber and how it can sustain “stress” and “vibrations”.

Basically, I believe that this gear is a desperation move, that’s why I called it “Revenge”. If you played Street Fighter 4, you might know the “Revenge Meter” right?

Basically, the higher the damage you received, the stronger your “Desperation Move” using the “Revenge Meter” would be.

And when I mean it’s a desperation move, I mean it’s a desperation move: Luffy can only launch this attack ONCE.

And it’s the reason why Luffy uses it as a last resort if the 2 first gears don’t work, and if he is beaten badly.

Luffy stores all the impact and stress in his body, from his other attacks and from his opponent’s attacks, and then launches it with a super-fast attack and him dealing all the damage back to his opponent tenfold.

So how did Luffy come up of this Gear?

King’s Punch.

Let’s not forget that Luffy is watching that fight, and let’s not forget that it was mentioned that King Riku’s punch is able to take down a Yonkou.

And it’s just King Riku, while it’s true that I believe the Fourth Gear is a “One-Time” desperation shot, and he got that idea from King Riku, I believe that Luffy got that idea of using “Vibrations” by being against these guys.

Don Chinjao, Sai and Boo.

And I believe that the Fourth Gear is so powerful that Luffy’s punch will literally explode which he got from fighting another coliseum competitor.

Cannon Ideo.

Summing it up, I believe Luffy’s Fourth Gear is a combination the King’s Punch, Hasshouken and Ideo’s Cannon Punch.

Who or what will pay homage for this move though?

Bellamy.

I believe Luffy will pay homage to Bellamy, he is also the reason why Luffy thought of this Gear in the first place, and the method came from King Riku, the Happou Navy and Ideo.

It’s very very meaningful that Luffy pays homage to Bellamy against Doflamingo.

What are the consequences for this move?

Basically everything, before Luffy use this move, he can’t attack….so he pretty much needs to defend entirely until he finds an opening.

After attacking, his whole body would be worn out and the inside of his body will rupture (good thing his body is rubber) but it still puts him in a really dangerous position since he is using the inside of his body to contain the impact.

Luffy basically is a walking Reject Dial in this gear, It’s basically Luffy’s version of Rokougan.

If he misses, he would be open for a very long time because his reaction time and his recovery from this attack would be very slow.

Why there are last 2 gears and what are they?

I honestly never even believed there would be a Gear Fourth until the recent chapter, but now it’s revealed, I sincerely believe that Luffy will imitate an engine (eventhough trains only got 2 gears. LOL).

Gear Fifth I believe would be Luffy finally having Elemental attacks. Remember when Luffy fought Enel? He insulated Enel’s electricity but who knows if he can produce it now that he took all of it?

He is already using a fire-attack, so I believe it would be more different than that.

As I said, Luffy will imitate an engine, and rubber can stand 2 elements: Fire and Lightning.

I believe that in the Fifth Gear, Luffy can freely produce Fire in one hand and Lightning in another hand, much like Blackbeard though he haven’t ate 2 devil fruits.

Remember Blackbeard’s abilities: Darkness and Vibrations.

Fire fights Darkness (figuratively and literally) and Lightning is another form of Vibration.

So basically in this form, Luffy could fight neck and neck with Blackbeard. I believe that not only Luffy can produce fire and lightning in his punches, he could also send shockwaves of lightning and fire if he punches the ground with it.

The drawback would be Luffy dealing damage to himself as well, not a long term damage like gear 2nd deals, but damage that he would feel while he is fighting in that moment.

Gomu Gomu No Stun Gun? LOL

Like this, basically:

Gear 2nd, Luffy imitated the piston of the engine, producing speed and steam.
Gear 3rd, Luffy imitated the wheels of the car, and inflated his bones.
Gear 4th, Luffy imitated the acceleration and brake properties of the car, producing a sudden burst of speed and power.
Gear 5th, Luffy imitated the heat and electricity of the engine, producing the ability to produce fire and lightning attacks.

Gear Sixth or Reverse
I believe Luffy will fully harness the Conqueror Haki’s full potential and he would basically be just in his normal mode, but his every attack utilizes the devastating power of Conqueror Haki’s wave.

One drawback: Luffy cannot control himself in this gear, and he risks the safety of him and everyone around him, and he can only uses for a short amount of time before it kills him.

Exactly when you reverse your car, minus the guide mirrors.

*Theory made by beck26

The big question on everyone’s mind is ‘what is Gear Fourth’? How has Oda developed Luffy’s abilities and allowed him to push himself beyond his current limits? And how will Luffy’s fighting style and attacks evolve with Gear Fourth?

A theory I have for Gear Fourth is Luffy incorporating the use of vibrations into his attacks. With his rubber body Luffy can create vibrations/enter into a “vibrating state” through rapidly stretching and contracting his body (vibrating his muscles). By hardening his limbs with Haki, Luffy can amplify the vibrations created within his body and apply them to his attacks where the vibrations being produced within him are transferred onto and into his opponent when the attack lands. In effect Gear Fourth will allow Luffy to perform piercing/focused attacks with vibrations that can bypass the defense of his opponent.

Ever since witnessing the destructive nature of the Happo Navy’s Hasshoken (and how unblockable such attacks are), I have been of the opinion that such a technique/form would be incredibly useful in evolving the way Luffy attacks and fights. Vibrations imbued onto Luffy’s attacks would make them incredibly destructive as they would be able to pierce beyond the opponents defense and leave substantial damage. Vibration based attacks also don’t have to directly land on the target, they can affect the surrounding area of the source. Gear Fourth will leave Luffy in a “vibrating state” (like an active car engine) allowing Luffy to perform attacks that generate shock waves. With such a Gear, Luffy can increase the destructive nature of his attacks and avoid having to inflate his limbs, which slows him down, to increase his strength.

Using vibrations against Doflamingo would be an effective way to bypass Doflamingo’s defense and injure Doflamingo internally, which will also have the added effect of interrupting Doflamingo’s internal “repairing” whenever he has it active. Doflamingo did ridicule Luffy for having weak punches but with vibrations imbued onto his attacks, Luffy can soon have Doflamingo eating those very words when his attacks are able to penetrate through Doflamingo’s defenses. Vibrations can also be a good way for Luffy to affect the “string” power of Doflamingo by disrupting the resonance of the strings. I can imagine Luffy’s finishing move sending Doflamingo flying into the Bird Cage and with the vibrational power behind that attack being transferred onto the Bird Cage, the strings forming the cage around Dressrosa would end up being disabled and undone, thereby destroying Bird Cage along with Doflamingo (and removing the “thorn” in Luffy’s side).

The initial source of inspiration behind Gear Fourth is most likely Whitebeard and the way he utilised his Gura Gura no Mi during the Marineford War. Whitebeard’s vibration imbued attacks were devastating and completely overwhelmed all those who were subject to it – including Akainu, Blackbeard and the Marineford Island. Luffy may have gotten an idea from that experience about how to make his attacks more destructive.

The reason Luffy wanted his nakama away from the nearby area may be because of the destructive nature of Gear Fourth. Thanks to Luffy witnessing Whitebeard’s magnificence two years ago he realises how destructive vibrations can be and is aware that with the release of Gear Fourth (if it is focused around vibrations), not even the Palace on top of the plateau would be safe.

Another significant point to note is by Luffy having a Gear that can utilise vibrations in his attacks, a means to combat Blackbeard, the current user of the Gura Gura no Mi, has opened up. Luffy’s battle against Blackbeard will happen sometime in the future, it is an inevitable fate the two share. It is possible that with a Gear utilising vibrations Luffy can develop a way to counter Blackbeard’s Gura Gura no Mi attacks and avoid being completely overwhelmed by it. Additionally Luffy can give Blackbeard (and Akainu) a taste of what the Gura Gura no Mi’s power (vibrations) taste like again.

Gear Fourth incorporating vibrations (produced by Luffy’s muscles) would help to evolve the way Luffy fights. Overtime Luffy may find ways to use Gear Fourth in conjunction with Gear Second and Third, if he hasn’t already. A Gear Third attack used in Gear Fourth (vibrating state) would be a sight to see. A downside to Luffy using Gear Fourth would be overusing his stretching ability and tiring his muscles out ultimately leaving him in a fatigued state where he has reduced stretching ability. Upon using Gear Fourth Luffy will have to wait a while for his body to recover before being able to fully utilise the stretching ability his body offers.

Vibrations can evolve Luffy’s fighting style in an interesting way, but ultimately it rest with Oda to determine how Luffy grows stronger. Can’t wait for the next chapter.

*Theory by Syphin 

“Not you, Teach… You are not the One Roger is waiting for!” – Edward Newgate

For the most part, this sentence surely means that Pirate King Gol D. Roger put his hopes into the next generation, that will bring forth a Chosen One (Monkey D. Luffy). But what if it’s interpreted literally? If Roger is actually waiting somewhere?

Who would he wait for?

The Chosen One, Someone who can finish what Roger started, Someone who can change the world, Someone who can hear the Voice of All Things, Someone who wears the Straw Hat -> Monkey D. Luffy

Where would he wait?

At the place no one can reach without hearing the Voice of All Things, The Place where the Straw Hat finds its fate -> Raftel

How is this even possible?

“I will not die, my friend.” – Gol D. Roger to Rayleigh

Is Roger dead? Yes, for sure. But what if he was able to leave something of himself behind? Like an image of his former self, or an echo of his voice? He was able to hear the Voice of All Things, he could have mastered that mysterious ability to the extent of being able to leave behind his own echo. That means that those with the ability to hear the Voice of All Things would be able to hear Roger’s voice once they reach Raftel.

Roger’s spirit, similar to the Will of D., lives on, until its destiny is fulfilled: Once Luffy reaches Raftel, he will hear the last inspirational words from Roger, an echo of the Pirate King.

What’s the role of the Straw Hat?

The Strawhat is the key to all of this! The strawhat is either the medium, in which Roger “saved his voice”, or it simply enhances the ability to hear the voice of all things. Whatever the case may be, once the Straw Hat returns to Raftel, it will trigger the ability to hear the echo of the Pirate King, the echo that was left behind by the former user of the Straw Hat.

The Ancient Kingdom

I believe Raftel was part of the Ancient Kingdom, the origin of all D. characters. Now we know Roger and his crew (Shanks & Buggy) reached Raftel. But do Buggy and Shanks know everything about the Ancient History, about the One Piece? I dont think so. I think when they reached Raftel, only Gold Roger was able to hear/see all 100% of the truth. Rayleigh is his first mate and good friend, Im sure he and other high crewmembers were told the story by Gold Roger. But do they really know the entire story? Buggy and Shanks? I dont think so.

If Raftel is indeed the Ancient Kingdom, the origin and graveyard of many D. characters, then I think Roger heard an “Echo” himself when he set food on Raftel, and only he was able to hear it, Rayleigh and his nakama werent able to, and neither were Buggy nor Shanks. Only Roger got 100% of the knowledge, through his ability to hear the Voice of All Things. With that knowledge, he left a message for the next chosen one – Luffy.

*Theory made by Gobee129

Let’s face it, Dr. Vegapunk is arguably one of the most mysterious characters in the One Piece universe, he is the official head scientist of the marines yet never hesitated to aid Kuma when he wanted to protect the Thousand Sunny, at the same time he created the war machines Pacifista and ships that are able to cross the calm belts using Kairoseki on the bottom of the ship to hide it from Sea Kings. Even Artificial Devil Fruits are not beyond his reach.

Now, there are several things that are known about his personality- he seems to be a moral person, trying in his youth to be as benevolent as possible to the inhabitants of Karakuri, however unfortunately not finishing a lot of projects.
His benevolence also continues to be presented, he highly opposed to Caesar Clown’s inhumane experiments, including his mass-destruction weapon Shinokuni and his experiments to turn children into giants.

However what I found enigmatic is the fact that it really is incompatible with the fact that he created the Cyborg weapons – the Pacifista, and the even more bothering fact is that “Pacifista” seems to come from the word “Pacifism” or “Peace”.

And then the final enigma- why would a terrifying Pirate (in fact a revolutionary) Bartholomew Kuma cooperate with the Marines and Vegapunk and allow them to create some fearsome human weapons?
You could say that he had a change of heart and is now against the revolutionaries- but if so, why would he help the Strawhats that much? That obviously means that he didn’t have a change of heart and the fact that he went to Vegapunk voluntarily and the fact that Vegapunk granted his final human wish made me think about his true nature.
At first I thought he might be apolitical, just doing scientific research and so on, but then I noticed something interesting: There is another great scientist in his island Karakuri- professor Tsukimi, now considering Vegapunk was described as “old”, and considering I don’t assume there are many inhabitants in the island he and Tsukimi might know each other or even be relatives!
But what does it say? Well, in Enel’s Great Space Exploration he meet Tsukimi’s “Automata”, very advanced robots with artificial intelligence and emotions, they went to the moon after the Space Pirates’ explosion caused their creator’s death and they want to seek revenge, the Space Pirates are being punished by Enel, who later enter the ruin of an ancient Moon civilization called “Birka” who migrated to the “Blue Planet” due to lack of resources, but there’s more! In the ancient drawings of the Birka in chapters 470 and 472 we see creatures that look precisely like Tsukimi’s Automata! But how can he know? Well- that’s because he went there himself once!

Tsukimi’s and Birka Automata side by side, he must have been there!

Even thought to yourself how can Vegapunk be able to create such unbelievable technologies? Well, I think that he visited there too alongside with Tsukimi (Who might be his friend or even brother) and learned from the Birkans’ ancient and advanced technology!

But what does it have to do with his political opinions? Well, according to my theory, the Birkans are the ancestors of the Ds, they migrated to Earth in the void century, but the natives feared them so 20 kings created an alliance to destroy the Great Kingdom, and erase any trace of them from history.

So I think that Vegapunk, maybe due to his visit- might know what happened in the void century, and has decided to aid the revolutionaries even without them knowing it (Maybe except for Dragon, but Ivankov didn’t seem to know), Bartholomew offered himself to be researched on so Vegapunk could create the Pacifista, however I think that the real reason behind it is to be weapons of the revolutionaries, not the Kaigun! I think that at the final war the Pacifista would start attacking the Kaigun and help the Revolutionaires and Luffy, so they can change the world and carry the “Will of D”- to destroy the Red Line and have the Tenryubito and Gorosei lose their powers. That also matches the name “Pacifista”- the bringer of Peace, and with it Vegapunk attempts to indeed bring peace to the world by aiding the revolutionaries.

*Theory by Jewish Kaizoku

Gear second was blood, gear third was bone, my idea is gear fourth is muscle/flesh.

I thought it’d be interesting if he took full control of the elasticity of his body. In my idea of Gear Fourth, he retains the same shape, but gets slightly darker, like a lighter version of armament haki.
He’d fight in this way without stretching, as we’re used to with the rest of his gears. When he fights in Gear Fourth, he takes any blow, or counters it with one of his own, has his body internally vibrate, strengthening the attack, and returning the attack with his own power PLUS the force he was hit with almost immediately.
Say someone punches him, and Luffy counters his punch by punching the dude in the fist (because that’s how he fights) the dude’s strength shockwave travels through Luffy’s body into his attack on the other side of his body. When Luffy swings and hits the dude with his next punch, the force of that punch is Luffy’s PLUS the force the dude hit him with at first.

Now, he could chain these attacks, as each successive attack could be considered stronger than the last (force waves bouncing back and forth inside of Luffy’s body, allowing Luffy to strike at the right times to build them up and make them stronger).
Another idea I thought of is Luffy could go Gear Fourth, and start punching into his hand as he usually does before battle, and he just keeps punching harder and harder, faster and faster, building up the force, and then smashes the big bad in the face. That’d be an interesting introduction, we just see Luffy one shotting a big bad he’s had trouble fighting previously with Gear Second and Third.
The downside, because every awesome bonus must have a downside is two fold:
One, if he doesn’t connect with a hit after building up sucessive hits, the force just propagates uncontrollably throughout his body and he goes back to regular Luffy, with his limbs/body flailing everywhere as the forces he’s been bouncing back and forth in his body are unleashed. Doesn’t nessecarily cause bodily harm, but it makes Luffy temporarily lose control, for longer and stronger amounts of time based on how much force he’s accumulated.
Two, and the real issue, if Luffy continues to attack like this and doesn’t win in time, the forces inside of his body could build up enough to literally tear him apart. With this, if he gets to a certain point where he hasn’t won yet, he’d have to force himself to miss and hope that the guy he’s attacking doesn’t take advantage of the fact that he’ll be vulnerable when he loses control of the forces inside his body.
Maybe after some training he can learn to ground himself before building up too much power.

*All rights go to Pharsical

Alright, first lets get it out of the way, Kuina is dead, and she is not coming back. Oda doesn’t like the concept of reviving dead characters in a manga, as stated in a 2007 interview with Playboy. But there is one question on everyone’s mind, that has sparked countless amounts of theories that Kuina and Tashigi are the same person, and that is, why does Tashigi look almost identical to a young Kuina, and share a similar sword style? I decided to actually sit down and think about it, and with the help of an awesome archaeologist, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Tashigi is in fact, Kuina’s sister….. So without further adieu lets dive into the theory! Lets start off by taking a look at the individual personalities and traits between the two.

Kuina (Source Wikia): When first introduced (in a flashback), she was cocky and confident in her ability as a swordsman. However, she was always living with the knowledge that since she was a woman, it would only get harder as she gets older for her to compete with men and had been informed by her father of her future woes. She covered her hesitation and fear with cockiness and acted confident instead of fearful and weak, trying to prove to her father that she could become the world’s greatest swordsmen. Her gender would force her to give up the swordsman’s life as she grew.

Tashigi (Source Wikia): While adept at sword fighting, she is usually clumsy. She is also very well-versed in katanas, knowing their names and origins; even when in danger, she would become obsessed with discovering a famed blade. Tashigi is very brave and reckless when fighting her opponents. She will battle anyone who she considers her enemy, regardless what their reputation is or not. As demonstrated through her fight with others, Tashigi has a “sore loser” personality when it comes to losing a battle. Tashigi’s stated goal is to remove all meito from the hands of those who would use them for their own selfish ambitions. Like Kuina, Tashigi felt that as a woman, she would be perceived as inferior to men as a swordswoman.

So you’re probably thinking, what does the personality and traits of each individual have to do with connecting them as sisters…..Well everything actually, considering the environment they both would have grown up in, and the principles and rules that would have come with it. It serves as the reason as to why Tashigi was never mentioned in Zoro’s flashback, and also serves as why Tashigi is so similar to Kuina (minus the clumsiness, but thats a major part of the theory) First I will give you guys a little synopsis of the theory, and then break down how it all fits.

Kuina and Tashigi were both born as daughters to a Master Swordsman. They both showed great passion in wanting to become strong swordswomen, but due to the fact that Tashigi has a clumsy nature, she was forbidden to enter the Dojo and learn. Kuina would teach Tashigi in private, and after the death of Kuina, Tashigi was forced to train herself, through books, and the basic knowledge of swordplay Kuina had taught her.

So lets get the biggest questions out of the way….Why wasn’t Tashigi ever shown or mentioned in Zoro’s flashback? Think about it for a minute, Koshiro is a firm believer in the fact that woman can not grow up to become strong swordsman, this belief however did not stop him from teaching Kuina how to use a sword. So why wouldn’t he teach Tashigi? The answer is simple, and that is, because of her clumsiness. He would never risk putting his daughter in harms way, and therefore she was forbidden from entering the Dojo, and practicing swordsmanship, therefore Zoro never met Tashigi as a child, and never knew of her existence. And before anyone says “Why didn’t Kuina ever mention Tashigi to Zoro” remember, she didn’t like Zoro in the beginning, and they didn’t become close until the night before she died….

The next question is…..If Koshiro forbid Tashigi from practicing with a sword, then where did she learn to use one? The answer is simple….Kuina taught her. It explains why Tashigi’s style is so similar to Kuina’s, and it also explains why she doesn’t possess the skills of a swordsman who has been trained by a Master all of their life. After Kuina’s death, Tashigi had no other option but to continue to train on her own, with the basic knowledge of sword fighting that her sister left her with.

Koshiro forbidding Tashigi from training as a swordsman not only explains why she never met Zoro, but this also explains another one of Tashigi’s passions, and that is why she is so obsessed with Swords, and learning about them. Considering Tashigi was raised by a Master Swordsman, being told she was not able to train must have been hard on Tashigi, and the only other option she would have to learn about swords after Kuina’s death was by reading.

And finally, there is one last subject I want to touch on, which is another huge question that has been on peoples mind, involving Kuina, and that is, how exactly did someone who trains to become a swordsman, die from falling down a flight of stairs? Well, it’s because she didn’t die from falling down the stairs, she was killed. Now you’re all probably wondering, who and why would someone want to kill Kuina? It’s not like she was next in line to inherit the dojo, because her father wouldn’t allow it due to the fact that she is a female. So to find the answer, I once again went back, and looked at Tashigi, and her characteristics, and it hit me. Tashigi’s goal or dream if you will, is to hunt down every Legendary Sword, and take them from those she considers evil (pirates) But what gave her this mindset? Did something happen in the past involving involving a pirate and one of these Legendary swords? Perhaps a pirate killed someone close to her, in an attempt to take one of these swords, and all of a sudden, the real reason behind Kuina’s death became apparent.

How Kuina died

The night before Kuina died, Zoro had challenged her to a fight using real swords, in which Kuina accepted. Instead of grabbing a regular sword from the Dojo, she took the famed Wado Ichimonji from the Dojo, and set off to the place where her and Zoro would fight. But they weren’t alone, in the Shadows someone was watching their duel, and recognized that the sword Kuina was using, was one of the 21 O Wazamono Grade Swords. After Zoro’s defeat at the hands of Kuina, they had their conversation about their dreams, and made their vows, after which, they went their separate ways. Kuina however, was attacked by the person who was lying in wait, hoping to get his hand on the sword she was carrying. During the struggle, Kuina managed to fend off her attacker, but not before receiving a fatal wound in the process. The attacker however managed to escape.

But why would Koshiro lie to Zoro about how Kuina died? The reason is because Koshiro had high hopes for Zoro, as he saw that he possessed great skill and determination. He knew that if he would have told Zoro the real reason how Kuina died, Zoro would have blamed himself, and spent the rest of his life tracking down the man who killed her. What Koshiro did not know however, was that by telling his other daughter the real reason, it would inspire, and make her even more determined to pick up a sword and fight. It made Tashigi despise those who would pick up a Legendary Sword and use it for their own selfish reasons, as the man who killed her sister was looking to do just that. Had it not been for people like that in the world, Kuina would still be alive. Zoro shares the same principles and dreams as Kuina, he always had, even when she was alive. But his will was always his own, he didn’t pick up Kuina’s will, Tashigi did…

*All rights reserved to Celestial D. Dragon

OK I know it sounds kinda ludicrous at first, but after quite a research I came to the realization that the 7th Shichibukai is none other than Rob Lucci.

But before bringing you the reasons why I think so, let’s see where we have seen him last time:
In the mini-arc “CP9’s Independent Report” Rob Lucci’s wounds were treated, however when they went back to their homeland they were attacked by the marines- they are now outlaws because Spandam put all of the responsibility for the huge blunder that happened for the WG on Enies Lobby solely on them.

The CP9 easily defeated the marines and left with a marine ship.

So, why would I think that it would be Lucci that is the 7th Shichibukai?
First of all, let’s see the introduction of the new Shichibukais:

Now, he mentions the 7th Shichibukai as “The Person I mentioned earlier”, that means that it wasn’t just a small introduction that there was for the rest of them, he actually needed to talk quite about him- perhaps because he is controversial he must legitimize the WG’s decision.

Now, there is only a single reason why the 7th Shichibukai won’t be mentioned by name- because we already know him.

Now we must see what are the criteria for being a Shichibukai:
1. You are an outlaw according to the WG
2. You are very powerful
3. You are needed by the WG to fill a spot

And then I saw that:

The man in the middle- I am certain he is Rob Lucci, they look practically the same:

Same hair, same hat, and the fact that he became an outlaw (Whether or not a Pirate), it makes the most sense.

It makes the most sense that Lucci would be indeed seen again, considering the fact that his story ended with a cliffhanger- we don’t officially know what happened to him since, so it makes a lot of sense that he would return as a Shichibukai.

So, why would he become a Shichibukai? Obviously following the battle at Marineford the WG needed new Shichibukai.
Now the WG very much feels sorry for losing a fighter of his level, and also he and Sakazuki share a similar sense of justice, making it quite possible that Sakazuki would prefer him over any other pirate.

This might also explain the fact that before presenting the other Shichibukai, in his lecture the Marine had to explain quite a lot about Lucci, because he is officially considered as the guy who is responsible for one of the worst blunders of the WG ever.

So, in conclusion:
*Because his name wasn’t even mentioned that means we already know the 7th Shichibukai
*The New Shichibukai is controversial
*Shichibukai are powerful, and prior becoming a Shichibukai were outlaws
*Rob Lucci’s story ended in a cliffhanger, meaning that we’ll meet him again
*Rob Lucci became an outlaw, he is also powerful, and controversial due to his responsibility over what happened in Enies Lobby
*He was seen as one of the brokers of the underworld, maybe as a spy or maybe he actually started to be against the WG, changing his ideals, therefore we know he’s alive and have a high possibility of meeting him sometime, maybe even soon
*Sakazuki and the high ranking WG officials are likely to pick him as a Shichibukai over other pirates, due to similar ideals and actions

So, what are your opinions?

*all rights go to Jewish Kaizoku

Jewelrey Bonney is Big Mom’s daughter, not only does Bonney was probably the attractive version of Big Mom (LOL) but they also share the same appetite.

And maybe Bonney in a way, subconsciously shows her similarities with Big Mom, so she designed her ship similar to Cake Island.

Right now, Bonney is 24 years old and she was from South Blue, Gol D. Roger died 22 years ago, it is safe to assume that Big Mom had been an Emperor (or at least became a pirate) before or at the same time Gol D. Roger became the Pirate King.

Could Big Mom had Bonney that time and then left her in care of another family in South Blue to pursue piracy?

Here’s a timeline to make things clearer:

1. Charlotte Linlin, a pirate, had a child named Bonney in South Blue 24 years ago, in order to pursue piracy, she left Bonney, a baby, somewhere in South Blue where Bonney grew up as an orphan until she ended being adopted by a rich noble family of Jewelreys.

2. Meanwhile, around the time after Gol D. Roger’s death, Big Mom, who is now a top-tier pirate had another daughter while travelling. Lola (yes, Bonney is older than Lola, if I remember correctly, Lola is almost the same age as Nami.)
3. Lola who was born in the New World, became a pirate as well but she and her own crew got caught in what we know is the Thriller Bark.
4. Jewelrey Bonney decided to be a pirate (unknowingly taking after her mother) after she met Portgas D. Ace while he was on his hunt for Blackbeard, she had been a friend of Ace’s and took interest in him , along her journey, Jewelrey Bonney ate the Age-Age Fruit.

The reason why Bonney was crying at the time of Ace’s death, and it’s the reason why Bonney hates Blackbeard.

5. In her time of being a pirate, Jewelrey Bonney was caught by Akainu, where she was being hunted for the danger her abilities represent to the World Government.

Simply said, Jewelrey Bonney’s power is to “age” either people, herself or any other living things around nature (including islands) just by touching it, to be more clear, Bonney either “rewinds” or “forward” the lifespan.

The drawback though is, Bonney can only “age” something or someone very old or very young.

That’s what Akainu (and the Gorosei) were worried about, like Nico Robin and Franky being a major threat to World Government, Jewelrey Bonney had the potential to bring back the island of Ohara to existence (even though she had no intention of doing so), and though she can not revive a person, Bonney reviving the island might reveal some evidences of Ohara’s innocence which the Government feared. (and no, Bonney cannot revive the Ancient Kingdom because unlike Ohara, Ancient Kingdom sunk underwater.)

And another drawback is that she needs to keep on eating, because using her abilities means giving her energy on that person/object as well.

Akainu was wary of Bonney’s potential (remember that the Marine got a very good intelligence unit team), he personally came when he heard Bonney can be subjugated.

Blackbeard knows of her worth so he made Bonney a hostage that time, now that I mentioned about the “intelligence” of Marines, Blackbeard is pretty impressive to be that low-profile.

NOTE: Assuming that Ace hunted Blackbeard the same time Luffy started became a pirate, we can assume that Bonney left her town to follow Ace, the same time Luffy set sail, reason she was considered a rookie.

 *All rights go to beck26

Now going into this theory, you guys are going to seriously have to keep an open mind. This is one theory I know that a lot of people are going to disagree on, and honestly, I even questioned myself at first when I came up with it, but I have rid myself of all doubts.

The first thing I want to address, is Shiliew of the Rain, and how I made a theory over a year or so ago addressing that the Blackbeard Pirates, would steal Jozu’s Devil Fruit and give it to Shiliew. Well I no longer believe that to be the case, as I no longer believe Shiliew is going to be the person that Zoro faces off against at the end of the series. There is one major reason that I never even thought about when I made the original theory, and that is the fact that, not only did Shiliew become a member of the Blackbeards Pirates out of pure chance, but also, Blackbeard specifically stated that they don’t fully trust Shiliew.

Now why would this have any bearing on whether or not Zoro will face off against Shiliew? Well it’s simple actually, and that is the fact that Zoro has always fought the second most powerful member of every crew that the Straw Hats have faced off with, and the majority of the time, that person is always the Number 2 guy. With Shiliew, becoming number two, just isn’t possible, especially since he’s not one of the original members, and he isn’t trusted.

So that begs the question, just who exactly is Blackbeards number two man? Some people speculate Jesus Burgess, due to the fact that he is the First Division Commander, but me personally, I believe it is actually someone who hadn’t yet joined up with the Blackbeard Pirates, even though he has been with Blackbeard since the very beginning….In fact, this man, joined the Whitebeard pirates alongside Blackbeard, with the very same goal in mind, as there was a Devil Fruit he always wanted, but was unable to obtain it, due to the fact that a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, already possessed the fruit, that he desired! So who could this man possibly be, and what fruit was it that he desired?

Hold the fucking phone Dragon! How and the hell could you possible think that Vista has been working with Blackbeard this entire time? Well, I will get to that in just a bit, but first, I want to explain to you, how I even thought of Vista as a villain in the first place. Now you might think it’s pretty comical, and you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but it makes sense….Vista’s entire character design, is actually modeled off of a villain. Don’t believe me? Check it out!

You done laughing yet? I know, it took me awhile to stop laughing also. But here is where it makes sense. Snidely Whiplash, was actually created to parody the villains of the silent film era. They all shared two things in common, they had a handle bar mustache, and they wore a top hat…..

Looks an awful lot like Vista’s character design doesn’t it? Whichs makes you wonder, why would Oda create a “good guy” but yet modeled him after a “bad guy” unless the “good guy” himself, was actually evil….So I had to figure out a reason as to why Vista himself would have stayed with Whitebeard, after Blackbeard obtained the Yami Yami no Mi, and left the crew, and that is when I realized, what if Vista himself also had his sites set on a Devil fruit, but the one he wanted wasn’t as easily obtainable. Especially since that fruit was already eaten by someone else. The Diamond fruit that Jozu possesses. The only way for Vista to obtain this devil fruit is for Jozu to die, but Jozu isn’t easily killable. Vista couldn’t leave the Whitebeard Pirates when Blackbeard did, because there was a possibility that Jozu could die, and if he wasn’t around when that happened, then he wouldn’t be able to acquire the fruit, he had waited so long to obtain.

So why would Vista want the Diamond Fruit? Because diamond is the one substance in the One Piece World (Besides sea stone) that is damn near impossible to cut. It’s the absolute perfect Devil Fruit for a Swordsman. Vista himself stated that it is every Swordsmans dream to cross swords with Mihawk, which implies that Vista himself dreams of defeating Mihawk and becoming the World Strongest Swordsman.

Which brings me to the second half of the theory…..Shanks secret crew member…. Well technically, there is two, but I have yet to come up with who the second person could be. You are probably wondering though, why I think there is two members of the Red Haired Pirates that have yet to be revealed. The reason is because of what we saw during the Marineford War. It was basically foreshadowed that at some point the Blackbeard Pirates and the Red Haired Pirates will clash. But when the Red Haired Pirates showed up at Marineford, there was only 9 main crew members shown, and one member who you could only see apart of his cape, and little bit of his neck. (That is the member I am not sure about)

So with that in mind, we have 10 main members of the Red Haired Pirates, and the Blackbeard Pirates has 11 main members, so the Red Haired Pirates are still down one main member for when the inevitable clash between the two crews happen. So who could this secret member be? Well he was at Marineford also, but he arrived there well before Shanks did. Some of you have already figured it out….The man I am talking about, is none other, than Mihawk. Yes, Dracule Mihawk, is a member of the Red Haired Pirates, but left the crew shortly before Shanks became a Yonko, in order to become a member of the Schichibukai, and act as Shanks inside man for the World Government….

Why do I believe Mihawk is a member of the the Red Haired Pirates? Because he is the only Pirate in the entire series who has no crew, no flag, no ship, and yet is somehow considered a Pirate by the World Government. In order for that to be the case, I believe that at some point Mihawk had to have been apart of a pirate crew, and to me, the only logical crew that could have been, is the Red Haired Pirates. The way Mihawk acts when it comes to Shanks goes beyond that of a rival. He knew exactly where to find Shanks when he wanted to inform him about Luffy’s bounty. The way Shanks grabbed Mihawk, and told him he had to stay with them and party, reminds me of something a Captain would do to a crew mate. Mihawk actually apologized to Shanks in his head before he attempted to kill Luffy. And then Mihawk refused to fight any longer when the Red Haired Pirates showed up at Marineford.

So now, the only thing left to say, is what I believed happened during the two year time skip, and what will eventually happen when the Blackbeard Pirates face off against the Red Haired Pirates. I think after the war ended, and Whitebeard and Ace were buried, at some point Vista managed to separate Jozu from the rest of the crew. After he was separated, Jozu was attacked by the Blackbeard Pirates, and was either killed, or Blackbeard managed to remove his Devil Fruit from him, finally allowing Vista to obtain the power he has waited so long to get his hands on. Vista has finally been reunited with his true captain, and has taken up his position as Blackbeards right hand man.

During the Marineford War, when Vista and Mihawk faced off against eachother, neither of them were going all out, and neither of them broke a sweat. The two of them both came to the agreement, that they would postpone their battle, and considering they have their pride as Swordsmen the line, there is no reason to believe that this fight isn’t going to happen. I believe this fight will happen when the Blackbeard Pirates finally face off against the Red Haired Pirates.

Personally I believe Mihawk and Vista were fighting evenly during the Marineford War, and now that Vista has acquired Jozu’s Diamond Fruit, it is going to give him the slight advantage he needs in order to defeat Mihawk, and claim the title as the “World’s Strongest Swordsman” This will set up the inevitable clash between Vista and Zoro, where Zoro will not only be able to avenge his Masters defeat/death (I haven’t decided on Mihawks fate) but he will finally cut Diamond like Mr. 1 foreshadowed, and obtain the title of Worlds Strongest Swordsman.

A couple cliff notes to add….

In one of the Whitebeard Pirates flashbacks the 3 main members shown of Whitebeards crew were Marco, Jozu, and Blackbeard.

During the Marineford War, Marco, Jozu, and Vista (Blackbeards right hand man) were the center focus of the Whitebeard Pirates, besides Whitebeard himself.

Vista and Yasopp were shown to have some sort of grudge against each other, which could be a foreshadow of Vista fighting against the Red Haired Pirates….

Vista was the least injured member of the Whitebeard Pirates after the War was over, which is a testament to not only his strength, but could also imply (For the sake of this theory) that he wasn’t trying as hard as the rest of the Whitebeard crew.

I had more I was going to add, but the theory is already long enough, so I will just answer all questions and concerns as they come along. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it….

Edit: Something else to think about.

Also think about this….Pre-time skip, the Gorosei were shown discussing the results of the War (Chapter 594) and in that discussion, they stated that Marco, and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates were possible candidates of stopping Blackbeard…At that point in time, they still controlled all of Whitebeards territory, but during the two year timeskip Blackbeard took it over….What could have happened during that time period to have given the Blackbeard Pirates the advantage over the Whitebeard Pirates? I think losing two of their most powerful members (Vista and Jozu) would have tipped the scale in the favor of the Blackbeard Pirates, allowing them to conquer Whitebeards territory….

*Theory by Celestial D. Dragon

Many fans believe that Shanks has a very deep personal history with Blackbeard (Shanks’ Scar), and that the old Yonko will soon challenge the new Yonko: Shanks vs. Blackbeard

With Shanks and Blackbeard fighting, their crews will also fight.

Interesting is, that from what we’ve seen so far, BOTH Pirate Crews have exactly 10 members. Coincidence? I doubt it. (Same counts for the Straw Hats).

Now you could make a case for the Blackbeard Pirates having 11 members, because of:

1. Stronger the horse – He might be a Zoan user
2. Blackbeard’s Crew has 10 Captains, Jesus Burgess being the 1st Captain. Blackbeard himself + 10 Captains would be 11 members.

If one of these is true, and I think it is, then the BB Pirates would have 1 more member than the Red Hair Pirates. Here is where Dracule Mihawk comes into play. He and Shanks can be considered good friends, and he would never stand still while Shanks is in great danger.

What I am getting at are 3 key matchups:

• Shanks vs. Teach
• Mihawk vs. Shiliew
• Yasopp vs. Van Augur

And if you remember the title of this thread, you know what comes next:

• Teach kills Shanks
• Shiliew kills Mihawk
• Van Augur kills Yasopp

This would lead to a whole new level of emotion & drama in the One Piece story! Luffy wouldnt be able to return the Hat, Zoro wouldnt be able to defeat the one he tried to surpass his entire life, and Usopp wouldnt be bale to reunite with his dad as a brave warrior of the sea.

This would also increase the friction/hatred between Luffy and Blackbeard to infinity. Especially Usopp, Zoro and Luffy would then have a personal vendetta against the BB Pirates, and their wish for vengeance might be a huge task for the other Straw Hats to handle, and to keep the harmony in the Straw Hat Crew. Then we would have fights like:

• Luffy vs. Teach -> To avenge Shanks
• Zoro vs. Shiliew -> To avenge Mihawk
• Usopp vs. Van Augur -> To avenge Yasopp

On a sidenote: I see Makino’s child being the son/daughter of Shanks, and in the end, Luffy will give the Straw Hat to Shanks’ child.

*All rights go to Gobee129