Douzan
Im’s phrases — “Ragnir’s revenge” and “must be erased,” followed by “just like Douzan” — imply that Douzan was Ragnir’s original partner and the previous user of Nidhogg‘s power.
So Douzan is probably the name of this person:
The name’s model might be Rikidozan — the legendary Showa-era pro wrestler known as “the Father of Japanese Pro Wrestling.” Or perhaps Miki Dozaemon, the Heisei-era rapper famous for “I want to be together forever.”
Gram: The Sword of Wrath
“憤怒剣” — written as Gram. In Norse mythology, Gram is the sacred sword used to slay a dragon. That Im, in a Norse mythology setting, would name a technique after the very blade designed to kill dragons… actually quite stylish.
Gram was originally Odin‘s sword — the archetype of the “sword in the stone, only the chosen one can pull it out” trope you see constantly in games. The sword stuck in Yallu’s head that Usopp called “Excalibur” is from Arthurian legend — but the author of those legends almost certainly paid homage to Norse mythology’s Gram.
Brook’s Backstory Arc Begins
The chapter title “Good Morrow, Mermaid,” an aggressive marriage proposal, a kingdom’s knights, being called “Aniki” — and then 70 years later, Princess Shuri having become a World Noble (a God’s Knight / Im’s attendant) under the name Gunko…
This whole setup brings the Fishman Island arc to mind.
In the Fishman Island arc, Otohime successfully persuaded a World Noble (Saint Myosgard) and returned home safely. But Princess Shuri changed her name to Gunko and became a permanent resident of Mary Geoise — the exact opposite outcome. I can’t wait to see what happened along the way.
Brook’s Technique Names Are French
The key to finding Esperia Kingdom’s real-world model is Brook — and the hint lies in the language of his technique names. Brook’s techniques blend “musical terms” with “French court fencing terminology.” Since fencing originated in France, his technique names are fundamentally in French.
The Opera House
The most famous opera house that comes to mind is the Palais Garnier in Paris, France. But concluding that Esperia Kingdom is modeled on Paris would be too hasty — and wrong.
Mary Geoise’s Pangea Castle is modeled on France’s Château de Chambord. And France in kanji is 仏 (butsu) — also a symbol associated with Im. So Mary Geoise is France. When the Revolutionary Army topples Mary Geoise, the French Revolution homage will be complete. That’s why French history is the single most important body of knowledge for One Piece analysis.
So the real-world model for Esperia Kingdom — a nation destroyed by World Nobles — would be a country with a history of being invaded and destroyed by France.
Looking at the clues through that lens: the name of Esperia Kingdom’s king is “Leuven” — the name of a city in Belgium, right next door to France.
Before it became “Belgium,” this region was called the Duchy of Brabant, with a coat of arms depicting a golden lion on a black shield — and its capital was named Leuven. A king named Leuven who looks like a lion. This has to be it.
Furthermore, the Duchy of Brabant was home to a legendary opera house that stands as one of the great pillars of European music history: the Royal Theatre de la Monnaie (La Monnaie). This opera house holds a distinction found nowhere else in the world: a nation gained independence through music.
In 1830, during a performance at this theater, the audience was so inflamed by the opera’s radical content that they poured out of the theater into the streets and sparked a riot — one that escalated into the independence war from the Netherlands (the Belgian Revolution). The “Opera House Revolt.” This history will surely be dramatized in Brook’s backstory arc.
Conclusion: Esperia Kingdom’s model is the Duchy of Brabant.
Thriller Bark’s Monsters Are “The Phantom of the Opera”
Opera house, West Blue, lion, a destroyed kingdom — Thriller Bark’s Four Monsters seem connected to all of this. Moria, Hogback, Absalom, Perona — all four are from the West Blue.
And Moria stole the Straw Hats’ shadows, Absalom targeted Nami, Hogback took Cindry — all three male characters resorted to abduction to obtain the ones they desired. This is precisely the behavior of the Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera.”
- Thriller Bark’s monsters are modeled on “The Phantom of the Opera”
- Thriller Bark’s soil was brought over from the West Blue
- Moria was born in the West Blue but raised in Wano
- Moria had General Zombies made from the corpses of the Rocks Pirates
All of this strongly suggests that these characters will appear in Brook’s backstory arc. Absalom may well be a blood relative of Esperia’s King Leuven — had the kingdom survived, he might have been royalty.
That’s all for today. See you next week.