One Piece Theories

 So I am a huge fan of One Piece but I don’t really run in any fandom spaces (mostly because I hate fandom spaces) and while I am watching the anime with my kids, they are not anywhere near caught up, so I don’t really have anyone I can talk about One Piece with. So I wanted to dump some of my theories out here just so I have them written down someplace in case they come true and then I can point to them and be like, “See! I was right!” Or, ya know, if I am horribly wrong I can point and be like, “What a doofus I was!” Either way. For context, I have watched up to the end of Wano in the anime. I’ve also seen both seasons of the live action. I’ve read some of the manga. I’m thus not fully caught up myself, and thus its possible that these theories may already be out of date, disproven, or hell, even proven. I have had bits and bobs of Egghead and Elbaph spoiled, mostly through video titles and thumbnails on Youtube, but for the most part I would say I don’t have any post-Wano knowledge, but if I get anything too on the nose that has already been revealed, well, maybe I absorbed it through osmosis and passive spoilers. I should also say that although these theories are my own, they are informed through having consumed a lot of One Piece analysis on youtube, so that whole I haven’t seen anyone come to these exact conclusions before, I’m definitely building on theories I have seen other people express, and I am not claiming exclusive credit for these by any means. Also, obviously, this is gonna have spoilers for One Piece at least through Wano.

The first theory is about Sanji, and to some degree is less a theory and more a hope. In the anime, Ivankov says that the only way for Sanji to master Okama Kenpo is if he possess the true heart of a maiden. My loose understanding is that these episodes are not fully canon and are based off of cover stories, so I don’t think that is necessarily a definitive statement, but I am confident Sanji is shown crossdressing in one of the cover stories as well. In Sanji’s family we also see a clear gender divide, where his mother is his anchor to humanity, his sister manages to hold on to hers, whereas his father and brothers are completely off the deep end. Sanji gets his raid suit, and finds it is corrupting him, and is worried if he keeps using it he might lose his ability to feel emotions, and ultimately discards it.

So here is my theory: Sanji’s mother had a separate raid suit built for him, and at some point he will find it, and through discovering it and using it will come to terms with his feminine side and transition, embracing her maiden heart fully. When using said new raid suit, she will undergo a magical girl transformation, similar to her Super Sentai transformation in the black raid suit but leaning more into magical girl tropes.

Why do I think this will happen? Well, I feel like there have been quite a few hints that Sanji might in fact be a trans woman, most notably his time on Kamabakka kingdom, although how much he enjoys his time in Nami’s body on Punk Hazard also counts, and I believe there is at least one other instance of him indicating wishing he had breasts. All of these are played as horny gags, but the thing about One Piece, is things are gags until they aren’t. Even Sanji’s nosebleeds were a dumb gag that then actually required a blood transfusion. I also feel like Oda is definitely building to SOMETHING with Sanji and his raid suit. While the overt implication is Sanji losing his emotions entirely, and he asks Zoro to kill him if that happens, I don’t think that would be a satisfying arc to end on for Sanji. Simultaneously, I think him simply denying the Germa part of himself entirely and resisting it doesn’t feel very satisfying either. Finding a way to embrace her heritage and make it a positive thing in her life would be much more satisfying I feel, and also give Oda the opportunity to do some really fun drawing and reimagining and riffing off other manga genres, something he seems to enjoy doing. I am a little bit unsure whether Oda could manage to write a transition story sensitively and believably, but he has managed to write a lot of things that I wouldn’t have expected him to be able to pull off until he did already, so I think its entirely possible he will try. Ultimately, I think this would be a fun and fitting final development for Sanji, but I will recognize that it has only sparse justification in the text, most of which are gags. Sanji’s recurring homophobia and transphobia throughout, especially coming from an author who has otherwise indicated strong support for the LGBTQ+ community, could also satisfying defused to a degree here - I have known numerous transphobic and homophobic people who eventually ended up being gay or trans themselves who had been overcompensating, and such is a huge media trope as well, so having Sanji transition would allow some thematic damage control, as it were.

Okay, my second theory is for what the One Piece is. I believe the One Piece will be something which grants the power to physically reshape the world, destroying the Red Line and uniting the four oceans. Why do I think this? I mean, honestly, how much time do you have? To be honest, I think, based on some out of context spoilers I have seen but tried to ignore, I feel like this is close to be confirmed to be the case, it seems like the only real question is, is this the One Piece or does that power exist in some other form, maybe under Imu’s control or something, and will be used at the end of the story but is not itself the One Piece. I tend to think it is the One Piece though because I think that ties things together really well thematically and in terms of peoples dreams. Luffy’s original stated dream was to become the King of the Pirates, which he defines as the most free person in the world. Who would be more free than the man who unchained the world by destroying the red line, thus allowing the four seas to freely intermix and trade? If Luffy destroys the red line, this would uncover Fishman Island, allowing them to live freely in the sun as well, fulfilling the Joyboy prophecy. If Luffy destroys the Red Line, it also would literally create the All Blue, thus making Sanji’s dream a reality. It could also tie into Nami’s dream - she would be the first to draw a new world map, after Luffy creates a new world to map. Technically it would also satisfy Brooke’s dream - I have had people point out its unclear how after reaching the end of the Grand Line the Straw Hats would be able to reunite with Laboon, since the Red Line would be in the way and there is no backdoor access to Reverse Mountain - if the Red Line is gone, then Laboon will be right there. Overall, I am fairly confident the Red Line will be destroyed, and I think the power to do so being the One Piece fits really well - any other mundane treasure would be a disappointment, as would something like “the friends we made along the way” or “the power of love” - but the power to reshape the world is sufficiently huge and fitting to the narrative.

Those are the big two I wanted to get off my chest. I also think that Luffy is probably going to die before the end of the story, most likely involving the World Government trying to execute him and we’ll see a parallel both to Gol D Roger and Ace’s execution in the final arc. I am not sure if they will succeed, or if he will escape but then lose his life some other way, but I do think he will probably die, its been heavily foreshadowed to the point where it would be legitimately confusing if he survived. That being said, I would rather he not die than die and be revived - Luffy does not need to be Jesus. Although, I have seen people say that “Luffy dies” has already been fulfilled by the Gear 5 transformation, including a revival as well, so he is already Jesus. I did not exactly see it that way when I first watched it, but I can see that interpretation, and if that is how it is supposed to be taken, I could see Luffy maybe not dying, but I do think we will see an execution attempt in the final arc, likely of Luffy but maybe of Dragon with Luffy trying to save him.

I think that’s all I have to say for now?