Color Cover: The Rocks Pirates
The Rocks Pirates in suits look absolutely incredible. Maybe it’s because it’s Chapter 1169 — a stylish (カッコイイ) number for a stylish crew?
Black suits, blue and purple shirts. Wang Zhi — the traitor who helped kidnap Shakky but never made it to God Valley — is the only one in a green shirt.
Could green be the color of cold-heartedness…? (Looking at you, Zoro…)
Now, regarding Captain John, who’s been floated as a candidate for Kid’s father — his hair turned out to be white.
In the work-in-progress footage that was shared ahead of publication, it was the same purple as when he appeared as a zombie soldier on Thriller Bark.
Was there a reason for the last-minute change? Either way, since it isn’t red, the theory that he’s Kid’s father remains unconfirmed.
The Tragedy of King Harald
Here’s a post I made on X on February 24, 2025 — my prediction that King Harald would suffer “a tragedy combining both Tom and King Riku” turned out to be exactly right.
- Tom: He was nearly acquitted for building Roger’s ship thanks to his achievement of constructing the Sea Train, but was then saddled with a new crime (the attack on the judicial ship) and could never escape being labeled a criminal.
- Harald: He spent years in service to the World Government to atone for Elbaf’s thousand-year debt, but his achievements were never recognized. The goalposts kept moving — “you haven’t done enough; hand over your country” — and he could never escape being treated as a criminal and a slave.
Both were kept under the criminal label because it suited the government’s purposes. No matter how much they contributed, their efforts were never rewarded.
- King Riku: Manipulated by Doflamingo’s ability, forced to slaughter his own citizens and soldiers, he begged someone to kill him.
- Harald: His body was commandeered through his pact with Im, and before he could cause catastrophe, he begged to be killed.
When Koby shattered Pirate Island’s giant hand at Hachinosu, and Hajrudin reappeared at Elbaf, I had a feeling a homage to King Riku’s tragedy from Dressrosa was coming. That’s exactly the kind of speculation built on Oda’s self-referential patterns.
And that’s precisely what this is — analysis grounded in self-homage.
The Same End as Rocks
If Harald had gone to aid Rocks that day, he might have witnessed firsthand how Im operates — and taken steps to ensure he never fell into the same trap.
Instead, he let his best friend die — and in the end, met the exact same fate himself, his body used and discarded by Im. The irony couldn’t be more cruel.
The Hammer of Norse Mythology
The legendary hammer from Norse mythology — and sure enough, it moves on its own. It even talks?
Well, that’s it for ONE PIECE in 2025.
Loki’s Devil Fruit ability still wasn’t revealed within the Year of the Snake. I’m still convinced it has to be Snake-type…
As I’ve mentioned before, I believe Ragnir’s inspiration is Mjolnir from Thor.
Mjolnir is the ultimate weapon — only someone with a worthy heart can lift it, and it returns like a boomerang whenever you call for it in your mind. In The Avengers, it ultimately ended up in Captain America’s hands.
That’s all for today. See you next week.