After years of waiting, the One Piece manga finally gave fans more information about Joyboy, the spiritual predecessor to Luffy. In chapter #1115, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of this beloved story, depicts the silhouette of this legendary outlaw during a fight against members of the ancient World Government.

However, all the details revealed about Joyboy point to sinister similarities to the villains who are currently rampaging in the series, the Five Elders. It appears as if the first pirate in history had powers similar to those of the rulers of the world. The most obvious is that Joyboy also had awakened Devil Fruit, which the Five Elders seem to have done too, at least in appearance.

All the Similarities Between Joyboy and the Five Elders

Joyboy Needed an Ability Comparable in Strength to His Opponents

Despite their sparse appearances in the One Piece manga, the Five Elders have more than proven that they are among the most powerful fighters in the series. Their monstrous Devil Fruit powers not only allow them to turn into terrifying mythical creatures, but also give them impressive boosts in power, agility, and resilience. One of the major indicators of their use of these abilities is the black, pointy clouds that surround their necks. The same pattern appears in all the users of awakened Devil Fruits of the Zoan type, including Luffy, who ate the same Devil Fruit as Joyboy did.

However, the similarities between Joyboy and the Five Elders go further. The “first pirate” is one of the few beings in the series capable of challenging the group of nations that would form the World Government, as implied by Vegapunk’s words, which could imply that his power level was similar to what is being shown now by the Five Elders. It is safe to assume that his Devil Fruit would have needed to work similarly to those of the Five Elders, as only a being with similar strength could hurt them.

Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation, which comes from the same Devil Fruit that Joyboy ate, seems to be unable to hurt the Five Elders. Joyboy would never be able to survive during the Void Century war by using Luffy’s same abilities. Another major similarity between The Elders and Luffy’s predecessor is the fact that all of them seem to be immortal. Joyboy was a major fighter of the 100 Years War described by Vegapunk. A regular human would never have been able to remain in fighting shape after an entire century. The Five Elders also seem to have an ability that prevents them from aging, and also grants them endless regeneration.

Joyboy Could Have Been Just as Wrong as the Elders

When Comparing Them, Vegapunk Stated that He Did Not Know If Joyboy Was a Hero

While explaining the events of the battle that occurred during the Void Century, Vegapunk made it clear to his listeners that he would not defend either side. He was not sure who was in the right during this conflict, as the information given to him by the enigmatic Poneglyphs was limited. Vegapunk’s refusal to paint Joyboy as the hero of the story could have deeper implications. Despite being acclaimed as a freedom fighter, the first pirate was still an outlaw, meaning that he did not respect any moral code or set of laws except his own.

Like many other characters in the series, Joyboy could have committed actions that are not easy to judge by common standards. For example, in chapter 1115, Vegapunk implied that the Ancient Weapons used during the Void Century were the cause of most of the world being flooded. However, the scientist never specified which side utilized these tools. It’s also true that the World Government only possesses Uranus, but Vegapunk talked about weapons in the plural, and Joyboy could have owned, and used, one of these.

Throughout One Piece, Oda has made sure to always surprise his fans, so, while most of the above is still speculation, it can’t be ruled out that Joyboy will turn out to be not the hero that he has been presented as, or at least the story could reveal an unexpected connection between him and the Five Elders.