Legendary Weapons
If you grew up playing Final Fantasy and Romancing SaGa on the SNES — Oda’s own generation — this development is going to hit different.
We’ve been tracking the connections between One Piece and the Romancing SaGa series: the Seven Warlords of the Sea mirror the Seven Heroes from Romancing SaGa 2, the Five Elders echo the ancient Deified Rulers, characters gain new battle techniques through spontaneous inspiration (SaGa’s signature “Glimmer” system), and the story jumps between multiple protagonists just like SaGa’s free scenario structure. The parallels run surprisingly deep.
And now: legendary weapons sealed away in an ancient throne room, waiting to be channeled. Peak JRPG territory.
Personally, one of my favorite SNES moments was when the legendary weapons were finally unsealed in Final Fantasy V. That screenshot is at the top — pure nostalgia.
So here’s the setup: Im can manifest the weapons of the 19 Kings — legendary arms left staked before the Empty Throne by the rulers who won the war 800 years ago — by channeling them through Omen. The names of these weapons trace back to real myths and legends from around the world. Let’s go through them one by one.
Nemesis — Divine Punishment Sword (天罰剣)
Nemesis is the goddess of divine retribution in Greek mythology — the personification of the gods’ righteous anger toward humans who showed arrogance or impiety against them.
Divine punishment for hubris against the gods. The Japanese name 天罰剣 — “Heavenly Punishment Sword” — couldn’t be a more perfect fit.
Gram — Wrath Sword (憤怒剣)
Gram is a legendary sword from Norse mythology. Its name means “wrath” in Old Norse.
In the myth, Odin appeared at a wedding feast and drove the sword into an apple tree, declaring that whoever could pull it free could keep it. Guest after guest tried and failed — until Sigmund drew it. With Odin’s blessing he became unbeatable in battle. The sword was later inherited by his son Sigurd, who used it to slay a dragon.
A sword forged to kill dragons, turned against a dragon-formed Loki. Fitting.
Stigma — Grudge Demon Sword (怨魔剣)
Stigma comes from ancient Greek, originally meaning a brand or mark burned into the skin of a slave or criminal to identify them.
In Christian tradition, it refers to wounds corresponding to those of Christ’s crucifixion appearing miraculously on the body of a saint — the stigmata. In Japanese it’s written 聖痕 (seikon), “holy wound.”
Im’s Stigma technique marks the target with a fragment of Omen’s flame, then homes in on that mark for a guaranteed hit. (Though Nika did manage to dodge it.)
Bohu — Void Sword (虚無剣)
“Bohu” — and its paired weapon Tohu — comes from the Hebrew phrase “Tohu va-Vohu (תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ)” found in the very first chapter of the Book of Genesis (1:2). It describes the state of existence before creation.
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
Then God said, “Let there be light” — and there was light.
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
…Genesis has a way of making you think “who was even around to write this down?” at every turn.
Fragarach — Sea God Sword (海神剣)
Fragarach is a magical sword from Celtic mythology (Irish myth). Its name in Old Irish means “The Answerer” or “The Retaliator.”
It originally belonged to Manannán mac Lir, the god of the sea, before being gifted to Lugh (Lú Lámhfhada), the god of light. Its defining power: anyone who has Fragarach pointed at their throat cannot lie — they must answer truthfully.
When Im wields this sword, she asks Luffy: “How many hits before you stop breathing?”
Whatever truth Nika’s answer holds, I’m here for it.
Axe of Xingtian (刑天の斧)
Xingtian (刑天) is a giant from Chinese mythology, found in the ancient text Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海経).
A servant of the Yan Emperor (the Fire Emperor), Xingtian challenged the Yellow Emperor for divine rulership and lost. Even after being beheaded, he refused to stop — he used his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth, and kept raging with his shield and axe.
The irony of Im threatening to cut someone’s head off with the axe of a warrior who literally kept fighting after losing his own head is chef’s kiss.
Longinus (ロンギヌス)
Longinus is the name given in Christian tradition to the Roman soldier who pierced Christ’s side with a spear at the crucifixion, as recorded in the Gospel of John in the New Testament.
Longinus was said to have poor eyesight — but when Christ’s blood splashed into his eyes, his sight was miraculously restored. He converted on the spot and is venerated as “Saint Longinus.”
The Spear of Longinus, having directly touched Christ’s “blood and water,” is revered as a holy relic and has appeared as a legendary weapon across countless works of fiction — Neon Genesis Evangelion being the most famous.
Muramasa (村正)
Muramasa refers to a lineage of Japanese swordsmiths active from the Muromachi to early Edo period in Kuwana, Ise Province (now Mie Prefecture), and the blades they produced.
Their swords were exceptionally sharp and widely used by samurai in the Mikawa region. But because Muramasa blades kept appearing at the scene of tragedies involving the Tokugawa clan — assassinations of Ieyasu’s grandfather and father, the death of his son, injuries to Ieyasu himself — they became feared as cursed blades said to “drink Tokugawa blood.”
That Muramasa connection kicks off a chain of associations leading straight to the cover page:
Muramasa = blade cursed by Tokugawa blood
→ Tokugawa = Tokugawa Ieyasu
→ Ieyasu was posthumously deified at Nikko Toshogu shrine
→ Nikko Toshogu is famous for the Three Wise Monkeys: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil
Cover Page Theory
So the three-monkey cover page traces back through Muramasa → Tokugawa. Classic Oda free-association.
For those less familiar with Japanese history: Tokugawa Ieyasu was the warlord who ended Japan’s century of civil war and founded the Edo Shogunate, bringing roughly 300 years of peace. He also declared himself “Tosho Daigongen” (東照大権現 — “The Great Incarnation Illuminating the East”), effectively becoming a sun deity of the east in opposition to the Emperor in Kyoto.
In One Piece’s Wano arc, Shimotsuki Yasuie was directly modeled on Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The sword that “drank Tokugawa blood” sits on Im’s side (the villain). The character modeled on Ieyasu fought for Luffy (the hero). Oda clearly has deep respect for the man who ended an age of war, built lasting peace, and declared himself a sun god of the East — which, now that I think about it, sounds a lot like where Luffy is heading.
This cover page also appeared right as Sanji’s potential Conqueror’s Haki awakening became the central question — which is strong backing for a theory I’ve been pushing on X for a while: Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki is contagious, spreading to his crewmates, and Nami has already awakened hers.
Zoro and Sanji being drawn as the monkey duo on this cover reads as Oda signaling they’re next.
And Nami is right there — with an expression matching the iconic panel where Conqueror’s Haki effects were drawn around her. Same fierce look.
In short: the four Straw Hats on this cover page are all likely Conqueror’s Haki users.
Related Articles
→ One Piece’s Connection to Romancing SaGa — The JRPG Origins of the Elbaf Arc
→ Sanji’s Conqueror’s Haki Awakening Theory — Rage, Fire, and the King’s Ambition
→ One Piece and World Mythology — A Complete Guide to the Historical References
Want More Mythology Deep-Dives?
This article is part of a larger series connecting One Piece to real history, mythology, and world cultures. The complete guide covers every arc — from Alabasta to Egghead:
→ One Piece History and Mythology: The Real World Behind Every Arc