The epic adventure anime One Piece is full of action and mystery! Part of which is the narrative behind the legendary mythical figure Joy Boy, which all of us believe has an important role in One Piece. But is Joy Boy related to Luffy?
In Episode 1070 of One Piece, the giant elephant Zunesha hears the Drums of Liberation, saying that Joy Boy has finally returned. With this, Luffy’s heart started beating like a drum!
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What Do We Know About Joy Boy?
Every time the name (or the epithet) "Joy Boy" is mentioned, One Piece fans go into a frenzy!
Understandably, Joy Boy is one of the most interesting yet shady figures in One Piece, second only to Luffy, thanks to the mystery and intrigue that come along with his presence in the adventure anime.
It is said the Joy Boy lived 800 years ago, during the Void Century.
Rumors say that he holds the secret behind the true events that transpired during that time period, the information behind Luffy’s devil fruit awakening, and, of course, the reality behind the sought-after One Piece Treasure.
In Chapter 628 of the One Piece manga, Nico Robin first mentioned the name "Joy Boy". She read it on a Ryugu Poneglyph in the Sea Forest, and she was intrigued by its contents.
Unlike the other poneglyphs, the one in the Sea Forest talks about Joy Boy’s apology to Fish Man Island. This aroused Robin’s curiosity to ask King Neptune about Joy Boy’s apology letter.
According to King Neptune, Joy Boy is a legendary mythical figure who once made a promise to Fish Man Island through a Mermaid Princess.
It is said that Joy Boy promised to bring the huge ark of Noah to surface land for the sake of Fish Man Island’s inhabitants.
However, Joy Boy failed to fulfill his promise, thus the contents of the Poneglyph. King Neptune also revealed that Joy Boy was a close acquaintance of the Mermaid Princess, who held the power of Poseidon.
This power is one of the ancient weapons that can allow the user to control the humongous sea kings! And this power has now been manifested in King Neptune’s very own daughter, Princess Shirahoshi!
But still, King Neptune believes that Joy Boy will return to fulfill his promise to the new Poseidon sometime in the future.
Fast forward to Chapter 967, at the time when Gol D. Roger and his pirate crew reached Fish-Man Island, the pirate king also mentioned Joy Boy upon seeing the Ryugu Poneglyph.
He also mentioned it by the time they reached Laugh Tale Island, where he wished he lived in the same period as Joy Boy, much to the confusion of some.
This also signifies that only Joy Boy and the Roger Pirates have been on Laugh Tale as of writing.
As this happens, Kozuki Oden wrote that upon reaching Laugh Tale Island, they finally learned everything about the world, including the events of the Void Century, the specific meaning behind the "D" name, the truth about the ancient weapons, and how Wanokuni had connected with the world.
On that note, Kozuki Oden knows that Joy Boy will return, and Wano will be the island where he will emerge once again!
The borders in Wano were closed, but the moment Joy Boy returns to the world, the borders will finally open.
So, does this mean that Joy Boy is still alive? Why would Kozuki Oden say that he will return if he has been dead and gone for quite a long time now?
So, Will Joy Boy Return?
Yes, Kozuki Oden and Gol D. Roger heard about the discussion between two sea kings that Joy Boy would return sometime in the future.
Even Kozuki Oden’s wife, Toki (born Amatsuki), decided to use her Paramecia-type devil fruit called "Toki Toki no Mi" in order to send herself forward in time in the hopes that she would be able to find the present Joy Boy.
Moreover, it is said that the Kaidou of the Beasts made Wano his residence due to his obsession with Joy Boy’s return.
King believed that Kaidou has the potential to become a Joy-Boy-like figure, supporting other people’s claims that Joy Boy is only an epithet given to the person who will liberate the world.
This may be the reason Kaidou often makes comments about Luffy not being similar to Joy Boy.
But what Kaido did in Wano was the complete opposite of what a Joy Boy figure would have done.
Instead of bringing happiness, smiles, and freedom to the people of Wano, Kaido gave them pain, slavery, and torture!
In One Piece Episode 1070, the viewers were also treated to Joy Boy’s return. Zunesha, the giant elephant, heard the Drums of Liberation while Luffy was lying on the ground.
The elephant also said that Joy Boy has returned, and we see Luffy with an interesting grin on his face.
Does Joy Boy’s return have something to do with Luffy and his devil fruit awakening?
Is Luffy Related to Joy Boy?
Yes, Luffy is related to Joy Boy in the sense that he is the second coming of the legendary figure, but not specifically a reincarnation. It’s still a blur if Joy Boy is a character or an epithet after all.
But what is certain is that Luffy was one of the two kings prophesied 20 years ago that would return to Wano.
He is also the same person that Toki was looking for, despite other people claiming that Momonosuke was actually Joy Boy. Yikes!
It all made sense, given the previous events in the One Piece manga, such as the time when Luffy made a promise to Shirahoshi to bring her to a forest on the surface.
This promise parallels the one Joy Boy made to Fishman Island years ago but failed to fulfill.
Throughout One Piece, Luffy has also been giving happiness and smiles to the people around him.
As the name Joy Boy name entails, this is a person who gives joy and happiness to the people of the world.
This is connected with Luffy’s devil fruit abilities, which were once used by Joy Boy in the past as well.
The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, allowed Luffy to transform into a mythical being called Nika, the Sun God, who was always smiling.
Aside from this, the Sun God Nika was also known as a friend to slaves who liberated them from their oppressive masters.
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Theories Behind Joy Boy in One Piece
There are a lot of theories about Joy Boy in One Piece, one of which is that he is the ancestor of the "D" family. This means he is related to Luffy and the others, which would explain why the aspiring pirate king became the second coming of Joy Boy.
Another theory holds that Joy Boy is an ancient giant. This is because of Zunesia’s staggering height of over 35 kilometers, leading everyone to assume that Joy Boy is also a giant.
There’s also the huge straw hat that Imu kept in Mary Geoise, which fans believe belonged to Joy Boy.
Meanwhile, another theory states that Joy Boy is still alive! And the craziest part is that he is being preserved in Mary Geoise!
For the time being, the One Piece manga is still ongoing, and there are still more secrets left untold!
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