The Skypiea Homage Returns
As I noted in my previous cover page analysis, the Skypiea homage is back. The Celestial Dragons hunting humans at God Valley and the hostage game at Elbaf are both callbacks to the trials Enel set in motion in Skypiea — and his plan to wipe out every islander along with the island itself.
The Soldier Who Protects the People
Dragon, who was supposed to protect the Celestial Dragons, ended up shooting one to save their quarry — the very people being hunted. A soldier bound to serve the “gods” who defies their will to protect ordinary people: this too is a direct nod to the Skypiea arc.
Incidentally, the White Beret unit McKinley belonged to is modeled on the U.S. Army Special Forces — the Green Berets. And the name McKinley itself references President William McKinley, who fought as a soldier in the Civil War over the abolition of slavery. Speaking of slavery, Kuma, and the Civil War — the event that drove Kuma to overthrow the king of the Sorbet Kingdom was also inspired by that same war.
Dragon, Bellemere, and Nami’s Lineage
When I see a soldier saving a baby from a battlefield, I immediately think of Bellemere. I noticed this parallel when I was previously analyzing Shanks — the two characters share a strikingly similar upbringing:
- Rescued by a soldier as a baby and taken away from their homeland
- Raised by foster parents
- Lost their foster parents at a young age
- A special bloodline?
Shanks watches over Luffy from a distance, like a father. Nami supports Luffy up close, like a partner. Same origin, completely opposite relationship to Luffy — almost as if they were deliberately drawn as mirror images.
If that mirroring is intentional, Nami may carry a special bloodline that stands in direct opposition to the Celestial Dragons. Could she be from the D. clan — or more specifically, the Davy clan, the natural enemies of the Celestial Dragons? These two might even be distant relatives.
The Babett Family Is Modeled on Queen Elizabeth
I’ve previously analyzed the models behind the Manmaiya and Figarland families, so this time let’s focus on the Babett family. “Babette” is a European feminine name — the suffix -ette in French means “small” or “cute,” making Babette essentially “Little Élisabeth” or “Sweet Élisabeth.” Élisabeth in English is Elizabeth, and in a pirate manga set during the Age of Discovery, Elizabeth can only mean one person: Queen Elizabeth I of England.
In other words, the name “Babett” is a symbol of royal authority. The Manmaiya family was modeled on the world’s greatest banker, Mayer Rothschild. So we have: Manmaiya = financial dominance (Rothschild); Babett = royal dominance (Queen Elizabeth). Names that symbolize the control of both wealth and power — perfectly fitting models for the Celestial Dragons.
Appearance and Age
I had assumed the God’s Knights were ageless through Im’s power, but Garling and Sommers are clearly shown looking their age in the 38-year-old flashback. Gunko probably aged normally until then too — and it was likely the God Valley Incident, and Im’s power, that stopped her aging.
If Gunko looks around 24 in that scene, the math with Brook’s timeline actually works out. Brook became a pirate and made his promise to Laboon 52 years ago. He met Gunko when he was still a royal knight — Gunko’s silhouette suggests she was around 7 years old at that time. If they met 17 years before the God Valley Incident, that puts the meeting at roughly 55 years ago — and the numbers add up.
God’s Knights
What a striking lineup. The refined-looking woman beside Garling is probably from the Babett family. Midway on the right is someone who shares the same “hobby” as Lord — the one who falsely claimed to be a Sun God. And the large, funky-looking woman after that has horns remarkably similar to Avalo Pizarro’s. Could there be some connection?
Cover Page
Yamato’s Cover Page Series Vol. 42: “A shrine overlooking the Flower Capital, dedicated to Oden and his companions.” The reference was immediately obvious — it’s like the answer key to last week’s cover page analysis, tying directly into this week’s main story.
