“Treasure” or “Ancient Weapon”?
Suspicion has rapidly emerged that the “One Piece” — long believed to be treasure — might actually be an “Ancient Weapon.”
Given that Big Mom, who has the best intelligence network in the pirate world, is involved, this seems highly plausible.
Indeed, the “Ancient Weapons” — whose names come from gods — also have a “treasure” side to them.
Poseidon
Poseidon is the only Ancient Weapon whose full nature has been revealed.
Let’s use Poseidon as an example to outline its dual nature as both “treasure” and “Ancient Weapon.”
“If you have the ability to control Sea Kings, you can obtain immense treasure.”
This legend has been passed down in the Vander Decken family. In fact, the reason Vander Decken IX became a stalker of Shirahoshi was because he witnessed young Shirahoshi calling Sea Kings to her side.
How controlling Sea Kings leads to treasure isn’t entirely clear — but for the Vander Decken family, Poseidon is a “treasure.”
“Having Sea Kings pull the Ark Noah” — this is Poseidon’s true purpose. But only Shirahoshi knows this.
Normally, just the information “can control Sea Kings” would make it an object of terror — so being called an “Ancient Weapon” makes sense.
Pluton
- A warship designed by ancient Water Seven craftsmen
- The blueprints exist in Franky’s and Iceburg’s memories
- The actual ship sleeps deep under Wano Country
- Releasing it requires breaking the walls surrounding Wano
- Breaking those walls requires Zunisha’s cooperation
- Only Momonosuke can give orders to Zunisha
For Crocodile, who desires military power, the warship Pluton — an “Ancient Weapon” — could be called “treasure.”
Likewise, it’s appealing to engineers who want to build the ultimate warship.
For sensible, cautious Iceburg it’s an “Ancient Weapon” — but for weapon-and-warship-loving Franky, it was quite literally “treasure.”
Uranus?
I believe the attack that wiped out Lulusia Kingdom was caused by “Uranus” — but since there’s no definitive proof, discussion of Uranus will have to wait for another time.
So both Poseidon and Pluton can be either “Ancient Weapon” or “treasure” depending on who’s looking at them.
There’s actually already a scene in the story where something called a “great treasure” — just like the “One Piece” — functions as a weapon of destruction.
The Great Treasure as a Weapon of Destruction
The Tamatebako (treasure box) triggered an explosion powerful enough to topple Whole Cake Castle.
This discovery became an important clue connecting the “One Piece” with “Ancient Weapons.”
What was the alternate name for this Tamatebako?
“The Great Treasure of the Deep Sea”
It was called “the great treasure of the deep sea.”
Sounds a lot like the “One Piece,” doesn’t it?
That “great treasure of the deep sea” exploded and functioned as a weapon of destruction powerful enough to topple the enormous Whole Cake Castle.
Which means the “One Piece” — whose “Ancient Weapon” suspicion has now surfaced — very likely has a similar use case.
Oda really loves these kinds of self-homages.
So what can the “One Piece” — powerful enough to be called an “Ancient Weapon” — destroy?
Something on a large scale that everyone believes is “impossible” to destroy would be ideal.
Kaido said:
“The most powerful force in this world — the Ancient Weapon — the One Piece.”
Could its power be enough to destroy the Red Line? Or does it exist specifically for that purpose?
The Mariejois Arc Will Probably Go Like This
It’s starting to feel like scaling up the Whole Cake Island arc gives you the Mariejois arc.
- “Great Treasure of the Deep Sea” → “One Piece”
- Whole Cake Castle → Red Line
- Assembled royals and nobles → Celestial Dragons
In other words: using the “One Piece” to destroy the Red Line, with Pangaea Castle and the Celestial Dragons falling.
The Celestial Dragons lose their privileges, the Red Line collapses, and all four seas become connected.
The seas unite as one — and the “One Piece” and the title of the manga pay off as one grand callback.
So my prediction: the Mariejois arc will be a “self-homage” to the Whole Cake Island arc.
The “6th Person” Title
Don’t the “Ancient Weapons” always seem to require two people working as a pair to use?
- Poseidon herself and “the one who guides her properly”
- Momonosuke, who has “the power to decide” whether to release Pluton, and Zunisha, who plays the role of breaking Wano’s walls
Say Luffy arrives at Laugh Tale and obtains the “One Piece.”
Say the treasure turns out to be — as predicted — an “Ancient Weapon” powerful enough to destroy the Red Line.
Say that the members of the “D.” clan have the ability to wield the “Ancient Weapon,” the “One Piece.”
To guide that power correctly, I think Robin’s role is to think strategically on Luffy’s behalf and help him make decisions.
It’s more about explaining things to Luffy in a way that makes it easy for him to decide.
After all, Robin doesn’t mind what happens to the world depending on Luffy’s choice.
So I believe that when Robin’s role as the one who “guides the power of the One Piece and the D. clan correctly” becomes clear — that’s when the title “6th Person” will be given.
And I’m convinced it will happen during the Egghead arc.
Robin, Who Inherits Vegapunk’s Knowledge and Ohara’s Will
- The scholars who hid their books in the lake during the Buster Call, passing them on to the future.
- Saul, who recovered those books and hid them on Elbaf.
- Vegapunk, who memorized all the “knowledge” that the scholars and Saul passed on, storing it in his brain.
All of Ohara’s research is inside Vegapunk’s brain — and that brain functions like a library that anyone can access.
There’s no reason Robin wouldn’t access it.
As a result, she learns the “hypothesis of the Giant Kingdom” that Dr. Clover and the others reached — she learns the reason why the “thought of the Kingdom” and the “Ancient Weapons” exist — she becomes the archaeologist necessary to correctly guide the “One Piece” and the “D. clan” — and then: “6th Person”! That’s the development I’m predicting.