Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece SBS Volume #109.

One Piece has at last revealed a very mysterious character whose identity fans have been trying to figure out for months, and he arguably has the best design in the series. The SBS section of One Piece often contains gems of information that rarely ever make it into the main series. That said, the latest volume has finally revealed the mysterious Warlord of the Sea who was defeated by Ace, and he might still make an appearance in the series.

In the SBS section of Volume #109 of One Piece, posted on X by @PewPiece and translated by @TheWillOfMarco, Oda reveals that the former Warlord of the Sea defeated by Ace was called Hanafuda, who was also known as the King of Lizards, for some mysterious reason.

Oda also reveals that Hanafuda’s hobby was collecting Ancient Zoan devil fruits, like the devil fruits notably used by Kaido’s Tobbi Roppo. The motive behind Hanafuda’s strange hobby and his schemes are still unclear, though Oda’s teasing answer coupled with Hanafuda’s elaborate character design suggests he might just make an appearance in the series in the Final Saga.

One Piece Reveals the Coolest Member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea Yet

Hanafuda Was First Mentioned in Chapter #1100, “Thank You, Bonney”

Hanafuda was first mentioned in chapter #1100 when it was revealed that Ace had defeated one of the Seven Warlords approximately 4 years ago, around the time Vegapunk moved from Punk Hazard to Egghead Island. Hanafuda’s defeat at Ace’s hands is what created the vacancy among the Seven Warlords that Kuma was forced to fill after Ace refused to become a Warlord. As Hanafuda was defeated years before Luffy set sail, there was no mention of him in the series thus far and zero clues to hiss identity until Oda’s response in the latest SBS volume.

That said, of all the Seven Warlords Luffy has encountered so far, Hanafuda no doubt has the coolest character design of all. In the illustration included in the SBS of Volume #109, Hanafuda is seen sporting a long dark coat, big chunky gauntlets, and a plumed helmet, and can be seen carrying a large scythe. Hanafuda is also revealed to be quite tall, with Oda putting him at exactly 514 centimeters or 16’10”, which is about the same height as Charlotte Katakuri.

Hanafuda’s nickname as the King of Lizards is also just as edgy as his appearance and suggests he might be a user of one of the Ancient Zoan devil fruits he had been collecting. It is difficult to say for sure whether he might have had any real connection with Kaido and the Beast Pirates, though one possibility is that Hanafuda may have been collecting the Ancient Zoan devil fruits for Kaido which he then gave to each of the Tobi Roppo.

Overall, it is quite rare for Oda to make revelations of this sort in the SBS section. While even crucial details like Zoro’s family tree haven’t made it out of the SBS, fans can only hope that Hanafuda’s amazing character design does not go to waste with at least one canon appearance in One Piece before the series ends.

One Piece is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.

Source: @PewPiece/X