WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1045, “The Next Level”, by Eiichiro Oda, Stephen Paul and Vanessa Satone, available in English on Viz Media.
One piece it is a series of many, many mysteries, and the sacred treasure of Marijoa is one of the most compelling. Ever since Donquixote Doflamingo first mentioned it in Chapter 761, the question of the true nature of the treasure has loomed large in the story. At that point, all that was revealed was that he had the power to “shake the world to its foundations” and that Doflamingo was able to use this knowledge as leverage over the Heavenly Dragons.
it would not be until One piece Chapter 906 the treasure was finally shown, but its appearance only raised more questions. Kept in a frozen vault beneath Pangea Castle, apparently only accessible by the true leader of the World Government, Imu, is a giant Straw Hat, identical to Luffy’s apart from its immense size.
How exactly could a giant Straw Hat wield immense power on the One piece world has given rise to countless speculations, including who the original wearer of the hat might be. The most popular theory is that it belonged to Joy Boy, a figure from the Void Century who wielded immense influence having ties to the Ryugu Kingdom, being comrades to the ancient elephant Zunesha, and even being the original owner of One Piece. itself.
That said, the Joy Boy theory would also mean that he has to be a giant to match his hat. While he’s not out of the realm of possibility by any means, he’s an additional wrinkle that history didn’t confirm, meaning the idea wasn’t ironclad.
However, recent revelations have added credence to the theory. After nearly dying in Chapter 1043, Luffy regains consciousness and his Devil Fruit awakens, an event that Zunesha heralds as the return of Joy Boy.
In the next chapter, the Five Elders discuss the true nature of Luffy’s fruit, which is actually the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika, an incredibly powerful Zoan Fruit that grants its user the power of the Sun God. Given the Zunesha’s comment, it seems incredibly likely that Joy Boy was the previous bearer of the fruit.
If this is the case, then the giant Straw Hat finally has an explanation. On One piece Chapter 1045, Luffy proceeds to test the powers of his newly awakened fruit, including enlargement, which Luffy humorously uses to jump rope with Kaido’s body.
If Joy Boy was in fact the previous user of the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika, then it goes a long way to explaining why the Straw Hat was so large in size. After all, Luffy’s clothes grew along with his body; it is very possible that Joy Boy’s hat was normal size and grew thanks to the powers of the fruit. Alternatively, it could be that Joy Boy used the fruit to stay in giant form all the time, and the giant hat was his default state.
While these revelations go a long way to explaining why the Straw Hat in Marijoa’s vault is that size, much of the treasure remains a mystery. Why it wields such immense political power, aside from being the headdress of such a notorious figure, is unknown at this time, as is why it must be kept in cold storage specifically.
However, the puzzle pieces of Marijoa’s sacred treasure are slowly but surely coming together. One piece It may still be a story built on the foundation of many, many mysteries, but with Luffy’s awakening, the series has come a long way in answering many, many questions from readers. As the “Wano” arc hurtles toward its climax, no doubt many more reveals are on the way.
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