Warning: Contains manga spoilers for One Piece.
One Piece has spawned many theories about what its elusive treasure could be, some outrageous, others surprisingly cohesive. Although it has been over two decades since Gol D. Roger incited the chase for the legendary treasure, no one has come even close to finding it yet, leaving the nature of the treasure a huge mystery.
While Luffy and Straw Hats have finally uncovered the way to find Laugh Tale, the final island where the One Piece lies in wait, it might be a while until they actually get there. Fortunately, despite how tight-lipped the series has been about the treasure, there is a slim possibility that one of the many theories proposed by fans over the years could end up being right. One thing that fans know for sure is that the One Piece is an actual, physical “treasure” and not something conceptual like “friendship”, as Oda himself confirmed.
One Piece Spoiled The Location Of The Final Treasure In The First Chapter – Theory
Elusive as the One Piece may be, this popular theory suggests the secret to its location may lie in Roger’s very first lines in the series.
7 The One Piece Could Be a Spaceship
Luffy’s final adventure could take him to the moon
One of One Piece‘s most intriguing cover stories that is yet to reveal its significance is Enel’s Great Space Mission, which covers Enel’s adventures since heading to the Moon. The cover story spans six volumes and 38 chapters, making it the second-longest cover story in the series. In it, Enel discovers an ancient civilization in a cave beneath the moon’s surface. The paintings on the walls of this ancient city reveal that the Sky people were originally from the moon before they migrated to the blue planet of One Piece after running out of resources.
Enel’s cover story has led to many theories that the One Piece could actually be a rocketship to take Luffy and the Straw Hats to their next adventure, which will be in space after they have fully explored the seas. Seeing as Enel discovered the existence of automated miniature robots on the moon, many have theorized that these ancient moon people could be connected to the Ancient Kingdom, which Vegapunk reveals was even more advanced than Egghead. As fun as this theory sounds, there is no other evidence supporting it, making it an unlikely outcome for the final treasure.
6 The One Piece is an Ancient Weapon
The treasure could help Luffy destroy the Red Line
One of the oldest theories in One Piece is that the final treasure could be one of the powerful Ancient Weapons. Known as Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus, the Ancient Weapons are highly covetable for their immense power. In the early days of the series, many fans speculated that the One Piece could be all three of the Ancient Weapons but this has since been disproved with the revelation that Shirahoshi is Poseidon and that Pluton is hidden under Wano. This leaves only Uranus which is theorized to be the weapon used by Imu to destroy Lulusia.
There is a possibility that there could be another secret Ancient Weapon at Laugh Tale that hasn’t been revealed yet but considering everything Oden’s flashback revealed about the treasure and Roger’s reaction to seeing it, this outcome seems highly unlikely. One reason for this theory was that Luffy would require the help of a weapon of such magnitude to destroy the Red Line and fulfill Madam Sharley’s prediction that Luffy would someday cause Fishman Island’s destruction. However, with the revelation of Gear Five, it appears this may no longer be the case.
Every One Piece Mystery Is Connected By One Simple Explanation
This simple connection may explain every One Piece mystery including Devil Fruits, the Lunarians, and the secrets of the Void Century.
5 Laugh Tale is the Emerald City
The One Piece is hidden in the left eye of Jaya
The Jaya and Skypeia arcs have inspired many theories about the titular treasure, the most well-known being one by Reddit user 50thsun which claims that the One Piece could be thecity of emerald, which was once located in the left eye of Jaya. During the Skypeia arc, the Straw Hats discovered that Skypeia and Jaya were once a singular island in the shape of a skull with Jaya being the mouth. Shandora, the city of gold, was later discovered to be the right eye of the skull, while oddly nothing was said about the left eye.
In the Jaya arc, Bellamy ridicules dreamers like Luffy for believing in things such as the One Piece, the city of gold, and the emerald city. However, the Skypeia arc goes on to prove Bellamy was wrong about the city of gold, while Whitebeard later confirms that the One Piece is also real on Marineford. All that remains is the emerald city and this theory speculates it could be none other than the island of Laugh Tale, tying the three legends together.
Proof for this theory mainly stems from the heavy symbolism in the series centered around the left eye. Characters like Shanks, Zoro, and even Luffy all seem to possess a scar on their left eye. The cover of Volume #27 also depicts Luffy winking with his left eye, further hinting at its significance. Lastly, the Wano Arc reveals that King, the last surviving Lunarian, also has a tattoo that circles around his left eye, further deepening the mystery.
That said, the theory does not provide any explanation for where the Emerald City went or how it might have been moved from the left eye of the skull. As interesting as it may be, this theory also does not fit in with the latest information provided about the treasure in Oden’s journal, but the series could prove otherwise.
4 Joyboy’s Memories and Adventures are the Real Treasure
Roger laughed at the story of Joyboy’s misadventures
One popular theory that has been around for a while is that the One Piece is a record of Joyboy’s adventures or his memories. At Sabaody, Rayleigh dropped a crucial hint about Laugh Tale and the One Piece when he revealed that they learned about the history of the world there. Later in Wano, Oden’s flashback confirmed that Roger and his crew did indeed learn about the Void Century, the Ancient Weapons, the truth about the D Clan, and especially about Joyboy, who appears to be a major figure from the time.
This led to theories that the funny tale that made Roger and his crew laugh was none other than the tale of Joyboy’s life and adventures. If Joyboy’s personality was anything at all like Luffy’s it isn’t hard to imagine why Roger burst out laughing learning of his misadventures. The idea that Joyboy might have similarly spread laughter as Nika even when he was alive also adds another layer of depth to this theory.
This theory has taken multiple forms since it first surfaced. Some have theorized that Joyboy’s adventures are recorded on a Poneglyph along with the truth about the Void Century, but this would partially defeat the purpose of the Road Poneglyphs. The Egghead Arc gave rise to another variation of this theory when it revealed Kuma’s memories were being preserved at Egghead using the powers of the Paw-Paw fruit.
However, it is not clear how this bubble of memories could have survived for centuries if Joyboy used the same method. The bubble would have vanished after Roger and his crew found it, as Kuma’s memory bubble also vanished after Bonney looked through Kuma’s memories. However, this theory does not explain why Roger’s crew were supposedly too early casting doubt on whether it could really be true.
3 The One Piece is a Comic Book Joyboy Loved
The treasure connects people like Eiichiro Oda’s manga
Another hypothesis is that Joyboy’s treasure is a comic book much like the One Piece manga, as Roger appears to be holding what could be a comic book in a panel in chapter #967. This comic might be a record of Joyboy’s adventures, or better yet, a fictional story that inspired Joyboy to become Nika. Originally posted on Reddit by u/RoronoaLuffyZoro, this theory proposes that the One Piece isa comic book that kept Joyboy company during the dark times of the Void Century and might have connected people all over the world much like Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has in the real world.
In fact, the word “One Piece,” which is written as “hito-tsunagi no dai-hiho” in Japanese, can be interpreted in three ways, one of which refers to something that connects people. Nika may have been no more than a character within this fictional story that brought Joyboy laughter through his silly cartoonish antics. Joyboy may have wanted to become like Nika (much like Bonney does in the present) and his desire to similarly bring smiles and freedom to people is possibly what earned him the moniker “Joyboy” in the first place.
The advanced power of technology might have then made this desire a reality through the creation of the Nika Fruit, which had powers that came quite literally out of a comic book. This is further supported by Gear Five’s cartoonish appearance and goofiness, which Kaido also claims looks like “something from a comic strip.” This comic book may have been what inspired Joyboy to rebel against the twenty kingdoms and drove like-minded people to band together with him, all of whom possibly took on the mysterious “D” initial.
Hence, it makes sense that this comic book would be Joyboy’s greatest treasure, especially considering how the concept of treasure is extremely subjective in One Piece. Luffy’s treasure is his straw hat, Brook’s is his afro, Robin’s is history, and Big Mom’s is a portrait of Mother Carmel, which goes to prove Joyboy’s treasure needn’t be gold and riches. That said, this theory also does not explain why Roger’s crew claimed they were too early or how this treasure could turn the world upside down as Whitebeard claimed, making it an unlikely outcome despite how fitting it would be.
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2 The One Piece Could Be a Huge Golden Gong
The bell of Shandora foreshadowed the One Piece treasure
Proposed by X user @StrawHatUFO, this theory speculates that the One Piece could be a massive gong. The theory is primarily based on the fact that music has always been a crucial part of One Piece, valued even by Luffy who has wanted his crew to have a musician since the very start. Music is also closely associated with happiness, as seen from the legend of Sun God Nika, who is said to bring joy to people with the unique rhythm of his heartbeat.
Even Zunesha appears overjoyed at hearing Nika’s heartbeat in chapter #1046, where he claims his “heart is dancing.” If Nika’s heartbeat is the rhythm, then surely there must be a song or a musical instrument to go along with it, and this theory speculates it could be a giant golden gong that would put the bell of Shandora to shame. In fact, the “Piece” in One Piece could even be taken to mean a piece of music or a composition, perhaps even the infamous Binks’ Sake, which has been the object of many popular theories about the One Piece.
The theory also points out how the gong may have been foreshadowed all along in Luffy’s straw hat, which passes for a gong when looked at from above. The straw hat has been teased to hold more significance beyond passing down Roger’s will and fate as seen from the giant straw hat at Mariejois, which could be another subtle clue left by Oda.
The true nature of the One Piece may have been foreshadowed even as early as chapter #15, which is curiously titled “Gong” despite the chapter having no mention of a gong of any sort. However, the chapter does include plenty of talk about treasure between Buggy and the mayor of Orange Town. Moreover, One Piece: Stampede, which is centered around Roger’s treasure and finding Laugh Tale, interestingly has an ending theme called “GONG” which could be yet another genius piece of foreshadowing via the movie.
If the One Piece is truly a gong as this theory speculates, then perhaps the decision Luffy will have to make upon reaching Laugh Tale will be whether or not to strike the gong. Luffy might even be the only person who can do so if the gong is truly so massive that it requires Nika’s powers to play it. The fact that chapter #967 refers to the One Piece as a “vast treasure” is all the proof that it is not just any gong which could in turn explain why Roger and his crew were too early and were not the ones destined to use the treasure.
The reverberations of this massive gong would be felt all across the world, figuratively turning it upside down as Whitebeard claimed at Marineford. It might even be played after Luffy defeats the World Government, mirroring how he struck Shandora’s golden bell to signal the fight was over during Skypeia.
1 The One Piece is Actually Sake
Binks’ Sake holds the key to the mystery of the treasure
The most likely theory about the One Piece is one proposed by Youtuber @TheLibraryofOhara, who hypothesizes that the final treasure is actually sake. The theory is based mainly on the sea shanty Binks’ Sake whose lyrics supposedly reveal not only the truth about the Void Century but also the One Piece, which is simply sake left behind by Joyboy to be shared with the entire world.
If “One Piece” truly refers to something that connects people as its etymology suggests, then sake would be perfect for the job. Sake has often been used to forge bonds throughout One Piece, the first instance being with Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, who shared a bottle of sake to become brothers. Another excellent example is when the Straw Hat Grand Fleet was formed, where the captains pledged their loyalty by exchanging sake. This theory also speculates that Luffy’s real dream in One Piece is to throw the biggest party in the world and exchange sake with the whole world, a feat that would very much require Luffy to become the King of the Pirates.
The proof for this theory lies in the lyrics of Binks’ Sake itself, whose last lines refer to a “never, ending, ever-wandering, laughing tale.” The song also talks of “birds singing as they draw circles in the sky” which @TheLibraryofOhara interprets as a reference to the Kozuki clan’s crest (which is quite literally a bird inside a circle) and the Poneglyphs they carved which tell the truth about the Void Century. The song also talks of saying goodbye to one’s hometown, which could refer to the people of the Ancient Kingdom having to flee from their homes. It also foreshadows several future events, such as the great storm that the upcoming era will cause once Nika has awakened.
Thus, the truth about the Void Century has been hiding under the World Government’s nose in the form of a sea shanty just as the truth about the One Piece has been lying in plain sight. Binks’ Sake appears to be a song every pirate knows or has heard of at least once, and one that brings joy even to Laboon. As Brook reveals during Thriller Bark, the song has been sung by pirates since ancient times, passed down orally across multiple generations, and sung through joy and sorrow alike.
One Piece is available to read from MANGA Plus and Viz Media.
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One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
- Created by
- Eiichiro Oda
- First Film
- One Piece: The Movie
- First TV Show
- One Piece
- Video Game(s)
- One Piece: Unlimited World RED , One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 , One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 , One Piece: World Seeker , One Piece Odyssey
