One Piece broke the internet once again following the release of Episode 1070! The giant elephant Zunesha announced that Joy Boy has returned after he heard the Drums of Liberation coming from Luffy’s supposedly dead heart. But what do the Drums of Liberation mean in One Piece?
The adventure anime One Piece, is jam-packed with action and mystery! This is the brainchild of Eiichiro Oda, and we will not be surprised if One Piece shocks the whole world once again with the anime debut of Luffy’s Gear Fifth!
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What’s the Meaning Behind the Drums of Liberation in One Piece?
"I can now hear the Drums of Liberation"—Zunesha’s statement that is so powerful it gave us goosebumps by the end of One Piece Episode 1070. This is peak One Piece, and we couldn’t stop ourselves from delving deeper into this catchy and now iconic phrase.
But in case you missed it, the Drums of Liberation have been heard a lot in the Skypiea arc of One Piece.
This is the time when Luffy and the others were gathered around a bonfire, singing and dancing, while Usopp played the drums.
As this happens, Eiichiro Oda also draws Luffy into an unusual pose in Chapter 253, which is similar to the Sun God Nika’s pose in Chapter 1018.
This continued with Luffy’s similar pose in Chapter 1044 after he awakened his devil fruit.
Truly, this concept has long been introduced in the past, and it’s just that we failed to notice this easter egg, this foreshadowing, this callback, or whatever fans would like to call it.
In fact, it has been discussed so many times, with some hints here and there.
But the Drums of Liberation have not always been used in a positive way. In Chapter 287, the Drums of Liberation were used 400 years ago in Jaya during a human sacrifice to the Sun God.
Was all of this foreshadowing? Knowing Eiichiro Oda, who has been a master of foreshadowing, the One Piece community was utterly surprised and impressed at the same time.
In the succeeding episodes of One Piece, starting with Episode 1071, Luffy will transform into the Sun God Nika, who always has a smile on his face.
As it turns out, Luffy’s devil fruit is an extremely rare fruit that, when awakened, will give his opponent a carnival-like head-to-head showdown!
On that note, the Drums of Liberation can be traced back to Brazil, where its citizens often use drums for different occasions.
A Reddit user even claims that the drum pattern of Drums of Liberation is called "Pataflafla," which is used a lot in Brazilian sambas and other contemporary music.
This somehow makes sense, given Eiichiro Oda’s confirmation that Luffy would be from Brazil if he ever existed in the real world.
On the other hand, the drums of liberation can also be traced to Africa. It is a phrase used to chronicle the struggles of African people to overcome slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonial hegemony.
In relation to this, Luffy, who is the second coming of Joy Boy, holds the key to liberating the world from all this toxicity, with the aim of giving people their freedom and happiness, much like Joy Boy tried to do in the past!
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Who Can Hear the Drums of Liberation in One Piece?
It is unclear who heard the Drums of Liberation in One Piece. What is certain is that Zunesha heard it, given how he was Joy Boy’s comrade for a very long time.
This is probably because Zunesha is the only one in the world who has met Joy Boy, thus having a special connection.
At this point, there’s a debate over who was able to hear it. Some believe that anyone can hear it, but others think that only Zunesha and Momonosuke are able.
And the reason Momonosuke can hear the Drums of Liberation from Luffy’s heartbeat is thanks to his "Voice of All Things" ability.
However, there’s still some argument that says Momonosuke’s Voice of All Things doesn’t have the capacity to catch the Drums of Liberation.
And if this is true, then those who also share the same ability with Momonosuke, including Roger, will fail to hear it.
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