What Does Gaban Know?
While shielding Luffy and fighting Im, Gaban and Im exchange words about Joy Boy.
“You want to kill him?” “Yes.” “Does he really resemble Joy Boy that much?!” “Who are you? You understand ‘Mu’? What do you know?!” “Joy Boy’s words. But don’t misunderstand — we have no intention of following some ancient man we’ve never met. We simply want to see where our captain’s dream leads!!”
From this exchange, we can gather:
- Im wants to kill Luffy because he resembles Joy Boy
- Gaban wants to protect Luffy because he is the man Roger’s crew has been awaiting
And “Joy Boy’s words” refer to the very thing that made Roger and his crew laugh at Laugh Tale.
Joy Boy’s Words
If you’ve been reading One Piece casually, you’d assume the treasure at Laugh Tale is the Rio Poneglyph — the Text of True History.
A text that fills in the blank century the World Government has been desperately concealing…
If it were revealed, the government’s historical lies would be exposed, the world would descend into chaos, and riots would erupt.
It could certainly be called a treasure in that it could be used to threaten the government — but that alone isn’t a strong enough reason for Roger to laugh uncontrollably.
The Rio Poneglyph’s secrets are inevitably spoiled as you collect the pieces, so even if Laugh Tale held the complete compendium of true history, it wouldn’t make you laugh until your sides hurt.
And it wouldn’t be reason enough for Roger to wish he’d been born in the same era as Joy Boy.
So what was so funny? Why was Roger “too early”? Why is Luffy the man they’ve been waiting for?
Let’s think through these mysteries.
A Recording?
When I think of “Joy Boy’s words,” the apology letter at Fish-Man Island comes to mind — so I initially assumed Joy Boy’s words at Laugh Tale were also a written Poneglyph. However, there’s reason to think it could be a different format.
Roger saw the immense treasure at Laugh Tale and laughed. Gaban and Oden laughed at the same time.
In other words, since everyone laughed together without Oden needing to translate ancient script, there’s a strong possibility it’s not a Poneglyph.
The treasure was surely left by Joy Boy. Since Den Den Mushi already existed in that era, it’s even possible it’s an audio recording.
After all, Im and Joy Boy’s first known contact was via Den Den Mushi.
It could also be a video message via a Visual Den Den Mushi — but since Gaban described Joy Boy as “an ancient man I’ve never seen,” an audio-only recording seems more likely.
The ending of the movie Strong World also used a Tone Dial. Since Shiki played a significant role in the Rocks flashback, there’s a real possibility Oda revisits that device here.
(Incidentally, the image of Im and Joy Boy gradually opening up to each other over calls — without ever seeing each other’s face — is reminiscent of Loki and Momonii!)
What Im Doesn’t Want Known
To summarize what we’ve gathered:
- Laugh Tale contains a true history that fills in the blank century
- There is also ordinary pirate treasure
- Joy Boy’s audio message? Entrusting something to someone?
- Ancient weapons capable of sinking the world?
- Shared memories between Im and Joy Boy?
Im completely loses composure whenever Joy Boy is mentioned — there’s even the precedent of killing long-time companion Saint Saturn in a fit of rage.
So it’s possible that Im had romantic feelings for Joy Boy, and that Im’s humanoid form is female.
If so, Im may want to kill Luffy — who looks just like her beloved — because Luffy is too weak and feels like an insult to Joy Boy’s memory.
Roger’s “Dream Destination”
Gaban has no intention of following Joy Boy’s words — but he wants to witness where Roger’s dream leads. That’s why he’s protecting Luffy.
That’s my reading of this scene.
“Roger’s dream destination” is most likely the same as “those words of Captain Roger” that Shanks once mentioned.
In other words, Joy Boy’s words, Roger’s dream destination, and Luffy’s dream are all pointing at essentially the same thing.
They are, for the most part, one and the same.
Luffy’s dream:
Crocus Watching Over Luffy
“The man Roger’s crew has been awaiting” — it’s remarkable that this phrase was already used as far back as Chapter 105.
Crocus noticed Luffy and mentioned him to Rayleigh, who had also met Luffy and taken a liking to him.
The cover art of Chapter 591 — “Is This Really Okay?” — where Crocus and Rayleigh drink together in the bath, accompanies the chapter in which Rayleigh proposes two years of training to Luffy.
Two years later, when news of the Straw Hats’ complete revival spread around the world, Crocus and Gaban were seen drinking together.
I believe Luffy came up in that conversation as well.
In other words, one of the reasons Gaban put his body on the line to protect Luffy this time may be that Luffy is the pirate Crocus has been vouching for.
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800 years is nowhere near long enough to forget Joy Boy ↓