Warning! Contains MAJOR spoilers for One Piece chapter 1043
After a long wait and much teasing, one of One Piece‘s greatest mysteries has finally been revealed. At the end of chapter 1043, readers finally discover the true identity of the enigmatic figure known as Joy Boy.
Joy Boy is an important figure from the Void Century, a period of history 900 years before current events in the manga whose events are kept secret by the World Government. Joy Boy was first mentioned in chapter 628 – eleven years ago – as a man who visited Fish-Man Island, leaving an apology letter for breaking a promise made with its inhabitants. Joy Boy’s next mention occurred nine years later, during Kozuki Oden’s flashback in chapter 967. Oden and Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, reach the Grand Line’s final and hidden island, Laugh Tale, where a mysterious treasure that would become known to the world as the One Piece was left by Joy Boy. After that, mentions of this mysterious figure became more frequent, and several characters have mentioned an expected return of Joy Boy, a “second coming,” leading fans to speculate that this could be a title that someone can inherit. Chapter 1043 finally revealed that this theory was at least partially right.
A key turning point was the recent reappearance of Zunesha, the giant elephant that carries on its back the island of Zou, home of the Mink tribe. Readers already knew that Zunesha was condemned to wander the seas for a big sin committed in his past, but in chapter 1040 Oden’s son Momonosuke revealed that Zunesha was actually Joy Boy’s companion 800 years before. Momonosuke is the only one who can hear Zunesha’s voice, and this fact along with his cryptic words led to some speculation that the young Kozuki could be Joy Boy himself, but this proved not to be the case. In chapter 1043, the battle between Luffy and Kaido officially concludes. Thanks to the interference of CP0, the Straw Hat captain has been defeated and he lies on the ground, dead or at least seriously injured, while Kaido moves on to take care of the samurai-pirate alliance that has invaded Onigashima. The final panel shows Luffy smiling, with his hair and hat melting. At the same time, Zunesha says, “Joy Boy has returned.”
Luffy was Joy Boy all the time, apparently. It seems that Joy Boy has somehow manifested in Luffy’s body, but it is still not clear what this means or how it happened. Previous theories point towards Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi Devil Fruit or to his signature Straw Hat as possible explanations, but the chapter leaves some more clues. Zunesha tells Momonosuke that he can hear “it” and feels nostalgic. He then goes on to explain that what he can hear are the “Drums of Liberation,” which have not been heard for over 800 years, before adding that “He is definitely here.” Finally, the sound effect for Luffy’s smile is written as “nika,” a common way in manga to show someone is grinning. However, Nika is also the name of another mysterious character from One Piece‘s past, a Sun God who was worshipped by slaves as their great liberator. Even if the words are written with different characters, Zunesha’s reference to the “Drums of Liberation” could be a connection to what little is known about Sun God Nika.
The revelation that Luffy is indeed the second coming of Joy Boy is one of the biggest plot twists in One Piece‘s 25 years of publication. As is often the case, Eichiiro Oda has left his readers with a huge cliffhanger at the worst possible time, as the manga will be on break next week. One Piece fans will just have to hold their breath for a little longer before learning the full truth about Joy Boy and Luffy.