Playing Cards
Since Doflamingo’s nickname “Joker,” many playing card-related names have been used throughout One Piece.
What does this mean? And how will this foreshadowing pay off? Let’s dive in.
By the way, looking up “playing cards” on Wikipedia reveals some fascinating history — the face cards (J, Q, K) were originally modeled on different historical figures for each suit.
- King of Hearts: Charlemagne — medieval King of the Franks.
- King of Diamonds: Julius Caesar — politician and general of ancient Rome.
- Jack of Clubs: Lancelot — a knight of the Round Table serving King Arthur in chivalric tales.
- Queen of Diamonds: Rachel — Jacob’s wife in the Old Testament.
Joker
In card games, the Joker is a wild card that can become anything.
Especially in games like Poker and Daifugo, it’s invaluable because it can substitute for any missing card when forming a hand.
True to his Joker nickname, Doflamingo held multiple titles — he could play any role.
- One of the Warlords of the Sea
- Owner of the Human Auctioning House
- Black market weapons dealer
- King of Dressrosa
- Celestial Dragon
The Four Suits
The codenames of Donquixote Family executives each reference one of the four card suits.
- “Pica” — Spanish for Spades
- “Diamante” — Spanish for Diamonds
- “Corazon” — Spanish for Hearts
- “Trebol” — Spanish for Clubs
Numbers
The Beasts Pirates used numbers 1–10, face card designations (J, Q, K), and card game names throughout their organization.
The “Numbers” are ancient giants bearing numbers 1–10.
Their names: Inbi (1), Fuga (2), Zanki (3), Jaki (4), Goki (5), Rokki (6), Nangi (7), Hatcha (8), Kunyun (9), Juki (10).
Face Cards
Cards 11–13 are known as J (Jack), Q (Queen), and K (King) — the “face cards” with illustrated figures.
The three All-Star executives of the Beasts Pirates bear exactly these names.
Since King’s real name is Alber, these are clearly codenames — just like in the Donquixote Family.
Card Game Names
Real Devil Fruit users and those who won a Smile among the “Shinuchi” (true hits) bear the names of card games.
The prison mine warden is Babanuki (Old Maid), and the deputy warden is Daifugo (Millionaire).
Among the Flying Six (excluding Drake): Ulti (Ulti), Page One (Page One), Who’s-Who (Who’s Who).
Otama’s beloved Umami is Speed (Speed), and so on.
It’s natural to assume the Shinuchi names are also codenames of the same type.
Revolution in Daifugo
The “revolution” Doflamingo staged was an incomplete one — he substituted the missing Heart (Corazon) with the Joker.
That’s why it was “counter-reversed” by Law, who inherited the will of the Heart.
Law inherited Corazon’s will, named his crew the Heart Pirates, and even tattooed a large heart on his chest — he is undoubtedly the symbol of Hearts.
The Strongest Card is “2”
In Daifugo (the card game where rich and poor switch places via “revolution”), the 3 of Diamonds is the weakest card and must be played first to start.
The single strongest card is the Joker — but there’s only one. So playing multiple “2” cards simultaneously is nearly unbeatable.
For example, if you hold two “2”s and four Aces in your hand, you have a prime opportunity to trigger revolution.
The Ace of All Aces
When we hear “A,” we naturally think of the late Portgas D. Ace — but the word carries many meanings.
Source: Wiktionary
- The card representing A in a deck of playing cards.
- In tennis, table tennis, etc., a serve or shot the opponent cannot return. → Service ace, smash ace
- In golf, another term for a hole-in-one.
- The most excellent person. The representative figure.
- In baseball or softball, the starting (ace) pitcher.
In One Piece’s final arc, I believe the “ace card” that sparks the revolution will be the four people who embody definition #4: “The most excellent person. The representative figure.”
They are…
- Robin — who inherited the will of Dr. Clover (Clubs ♣)
- Law — who inherited the will of Corazon (Hearts ♥)
- Sabo — the young ace of the Revolutionary Army, of noble birth (Diamonds ♦ symbolize wealth), who tattooed the 3 of Diamonds
- Koby — who inherited Garp’s will and is a key figure in SWORD (Spades ♠ symbolize swords)
For more details, check the related articles.
That’s all for today — see you in the next article!