Summary
Of all the concepts that are integral to theOne Piecestory, Inherited Will is easily one of the most important, even among these. This concept essentially states that the dreams and ambitions of various people are often passed down the generations to be fulfilled by others who come far after them. There are many notable examples of this due to the sheer importance this concept has in the series in general.
However, the most prominent version of Inherited Will inOne Pieceis shared between Joyboy, Roger, and Luffy. As such, the series has shown how the former two and Shanks have all played integral roles in Luffy’s life and have ensured his destiny to becomethe modern version of Sun God Nikawho will guide the world into a new dawn. So, let’s take a look at how this is.
One Piece, Chapter 628, “Spring Cleaning”
Roger’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Shanks' First Appearance
Ever since Luffy was revealed as the user of the Sun God Nika Devil Fruit in Wano and the overall lore ofOne Piecewas greatly expanded upon in the subsequent arcs, fans have come to know that he was the liberator who was destined to guide the world into a new dawn. The mysterious nature ofthe Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Devil Fruitshowed that this fruit seemed to have a will of its own and had found its way into Luffy’s possession.
While many in the world simply chalk this up to chance, the truth of the matter is that this had all been part of Joyboy’s great plan which he set into motion at the end of the Void Century 800 years ago. Knowing that he was going to suffer defeat at the hands of Imu and the Celestial Dragons, Joyboy began a great plan where he hid his fabled treasure which was only to be found after many centuries by the next person to inherit his Devil Fruit, which turned out to be Luffy.
Joyboy went to great lengths to keep this treasure and all knowledge regarding it a secret so that it could never fall into the wrong hands. And, for 800 years, it evaded discovery from the entire world until 25 years before the start of the current story, whenthe Roger Pirates became the first onessince Joyboy’s time to come across the treasure and uncover the true history of the world. In doing so, the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, initiated the Golden Age of Pirates upon his execution platform.
This ensured that Joyboy’s ancient plan would come to fruition, since he realized that him and his crew weren’t the ones who were destined to bring forth a new age, but were merely the ones to find the treasure. Knowing that the One Piece could only be used properly by the inheritor of the Nika fruit, which he clearly wasn’t, Roger started the great race to find it, which he knew would be done by Joyboy’s true successor.
My treasure? Why, it’s right where I left it… It’s yours if you can find it… But you’ll have to search the whole world!
Keeping this in mind, Shanks always knew of Roger’s dream as well as what he sought to do to bring light to the world. As such, he continued Roger’s plan of finding and nurturing the one to bring the dawn, whom he always believed to bethe son of his late captain, Ace. However, everything turned on its head when the Devil Fruit he was transporting, known at that point as the Gomu Gomu no Mi, was instead eaten by a rowdy child named Luffy.
After the initial shock, Shanks understood that the fruit had chosen Luffy, so he stepped in to become an idol for the boy to carry out his dream of becoming the Pirate King, which would also lead to his captain’s dream being fulfilled. So, it can be seen by following this entire path of each character, Joyboy, Roger, and Shanks all ensured that the Sun God Nika Devil Fruit would eventually be passed down to the right person, who was Luffy the entire time.
The Alternative Inherited Will Of The D. Clan
The Other Side of the Coin
Alternatively, many fans believe that, similarly to how Joyboy, Roger, and Shanks all ensured that Luffy would get the Nika fruit to become the world’s savior, there was another chain of characters whoensured the inheritor of the destroyer Nika fruit. This line is that which Rocks and Blackbeard belong to, which can be seen to have a darker side that seeks to get power and destroy the world.
The Elbaf arc revealed that there are 2 versions of the legend of Sun God Nika; one which portrays him as a liberator and another which portrays him as a destroyer. Seeing the influence that Joyboy, Roger, and Shanks had to verify Luffy became the liberator, the original Nika from the First World and Rocks D. Xebec could have done the same to ensure that Blackbeard becomes the destroyer of the world.
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.
