This article covers the meaning of the “Will of D,” why the Dawn Kingdom theory is compelling, and the theory that the D clan served as the model for the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Candidates for the Will of D
The community’s main theories for the meaning of “D” number about seven.
This article focuses on why the theory that “‘D’ stands for Dawn — the initial of the Dawn Kingdom” is the most compelling.
The Name of the “Certain Great Kingdom”
The “certain great kingdom” from Dr. Clover’s hypothesis was in opposition to the coalition of 20 kings that became the World Government.
“The name of the kingdom that once flourished, which holds all the keys—”
Dawn Kingdom
The scene where someone is shot just before uttering the kingdom’s name. Fans have long speculated that the sound effect itself IS the name.
This seems quite plausible given the foreshadowing pattern used for the Sun God Nika.
There are additional reasons to believe the kingdom’s name is “Dawn.”
Reason 1: Luffy’s Home Island
The name “Dawn Island” was first revealed in the scene of Luffy’s departure at sea.
If the great kingdom’s name was “Dawn Kingdom,” then Luffy was born on the very island that shares its name — a powerful narrative connection.
The straw-hat passed down from Roger to Shanks to Luffy would carry even more symbolic weight.
It’s the kind of foreshadowing you’d expect from Oda’s meticulous planning.
Reason 2: The Ceremony Attended by Celestial Dragons
If part of the island where Dawn Kingdom stood remained as “Dawn Island,” then Goa Kingdom would be an important base for suppressing evidence of the old kingdom.
The ceremony held in Goa Kingdom could have been the “800th anniversary of Dawn Kingdom’s complete destruction” — which would explain why Celestial Dragons bothered to attend.
Reason 3: Shanks Stayed for Over a Year
Roger surely spent considerable time investigating and studying Poneglyphs.
It’s likely Roger discovered both the location and name of the “certain great kingdom” from the Poneglyphs.
Shanks, as a former member of the Roger Pirates, would naturally know the name of the “certain great kingdom.”
If that kingdom’s name was “Dawn Kingdom,” and he knew there was an island with the same name, what would Shanks do?
Setting up a nearby village as a base and spending about a year investigating “traces of the kingdom and traces of D” wouldn’t be strange at all.
In fact, it’s hard to think of any other reason Shanks would spend over a year based at Foosha Village.
Based on these reasons, there’s a strong possibility that the “certain great kingdom” was called the Dawn Kingdom.
Next: the meaning of “D.”
Warriors Who Served the Royal Family for Generations
Alabasta
Alabasta had two warriors serving the royal Nefertari family.
Animal statues representing each warrior’s devil fruit ability stand in the royal palace, suggesting these warrior lineages inherited the same ability through bloodline factors across generations.
Wano
Wano had five great lord families who served the ruling Kozuki clan.
Each family name contains the character for “moon” (月), matching Kozuki (光月). (Could Kurozumi mean “new moon”?)
Dawn Kingdom
Hypothetically, the “warrior lineages” who served Dawn Kingdom are the D clan.
The “D” carved into their middle names simply stands for “D” as in “Dawn Kingdom.”
This explains why the World Government went out of its way to hide Roger’s “D.”
Let’s count the D clan members who have appeared.
The D Clan
The Monkey Family
The Monkey family is notable for a distinctive mark on the left eye of each member: Garp, Dragon, and Luffy.
The Gol Family
The Gol family of Gol D. Roger, the “Pirate King.”
The Portgas Family
The Portgas family, characterized by freckles: Portgas D. Ace and his mother Portgas D. Rouge.
The Marshall Family
Marshall D. Teach, the “Admiral” of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Massive in build with wide eyes and a long nose — the distinctive features of the Marshall family.
The Trafalgar Family
Father and Law have black hair; mother and Lami have brown hair. The Trafalgar family has no single obvious common trait.
The Jaguar Family
Former Marine Vice Admiral and “deserter” Jaguar D. Saul.
He claims to be a gentle giant, unlike the barbaric Elbaf giants.
The Rocks Family
“World’s Strongest” Rocks D. Xebec, captain of the Rocks Pirates.
Details remain unclear, but his family name is Rocks.
Seven D clans had appeared by the end of the Wano arc.
If the D clan consists of 7 groups who protected Dawn Kingdom’s royalty, they were the original template for “that.”
The Seven Warlords of the Sea
The World Government likely copied the Dawn Kingdom’s system.
One Piece has many Biblical and mythological motifs, so it’s plausible.
The seven D clans likely model the “Seven Archangels” — Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Saraqael, Raguel, and Remiel.
In the Orthodox Church, each angel is assigned a day of the week. Speaking of days, Oda’s pen name when he received an honorable mention for the Tezuka Award was the Japanese days Mon-Sat (excluding Sunday).
Perhaps treating Sunday — the day of the Sun — as special was the origin of his “Sun God Nika” concept.
Luffy’s Mother Is the 8th D
If this whole hypothesis is correct, Luffy’s statement also becomes foreshadowing.
The D protecting the royal family was 8 groups — an “Eight Warlords” system.
In that case, the eighth and final D would be Luffy’s mother.