Summary
- The Golden Bell symbolizes Shandorian ancestors and is knocked into by Luffy to help descendants.
- Poneglyphs contain historical knowledge and lead to Laugh Tale, where One Piece is believed to exist.
- Ancient Weapons include Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus, each tied to the rise in sea levels with destructive potential.
The titular macguffin of One Piece is an artifact whose exact nature is unclear, but is at the very least confirmed to be a physical object. Since the execution of Gol D. Roger, which was intended as a deterrent to all pirates, many ironically decided to turn to piracy out of an interest in this mysterious object, as well as Roger's treasure.
Monkey D. Luffy is one of these many pirates, seeking to become the Pirate King. Roger's discovery of the One Piece had apparently enabled him to do the same, which is why so many seek it out. That said, it is far from the only important artifact identified in the story. Here are some other important pieces of the puzzle.
One Piece: 5 Characters Modeled from Pop Culture
Oda has modeled some of his characters off of figures within popular culture. Below are a few examples.
5 Golden Bell
The Light of Shandora
Kalgara, a Shandorian Warrior and Wyper's ancestor, explained that the Golden Bell had a multitude of purposes. It signaled their presence to the world, symbolized the home of their ancestors, and represented their lack of fear towards intruders. Gol D. Roger had Kozuki Oden inscribe a message on the bell when they came across it. More recently, Luffy knocked Enel into this artifact, so that Mont Blanc Cricket, the descendant of Noland, a friend of Kalgara, would hear it. Unfortunately, this also destroyed the belfry it was housed in.
One Piece: 5 Characters Who Won’t Return
For one reason or another, these characters likely won't return in the series for the foreseeable future, if ever.
The bell tolled again to thank the Straw Hats, who fled the island before the Shandorians could thank them. Since the timeskip, the bell has been restored to good condition, and cleansed of the vines that once surrounded it.
4 Poneglyphs
Ancient Inscriptions
These gigantic steles contain unstranslated historical knowledge. Only two individuals alive can read them: Nico Robin, the sole scholar to survive the Ohara Massacre; and Kozuki Sukiyaki, a descendant of their creators. The steles are said to be indestructible — likely because if they were not, the World Government would have destroyed them by now.
These cubic structures have three known variants at present. The Historical Poneglyphs, per their name, document both messages and information relating to ancient history. The Instructional Poneglyphs lead the reader to the historical ones. Finally, the Road Poneglyphs are four red-colored Poneglyphs (rather than the typical dark blue variant). These allow the reader to reach Laugh Tale, where the One Piece is thought to exist.
There is also the Rio Poneglyph, a combination of nine individual Poneglyphs. It is believed to contain the true history of the world, including the forbidden "Void Century," which people have been murdered for trying to research.
3 Ancient Weapons
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Active during the Great War, Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus are apparently responsible for the continued rise in sea levels. Joy Boy was involved in their preservation, for reasons that are currently unknown. Many power-hungry individuals seek to collect one or more of these objects, viewing them as a deterrent to any who would challenge their power.
Pluton
Pluton, proclaimed the "World's Worst Battleship," was created in Water 7 long ago. It is said to be capable of destroying islands in a single shot, and rests underneath Wano's Mt. Fuji in a dormant state. Spandam convinced the Five Elders to allow him to retrieve the blueprints for Pluton, for the sake of building a countermeasure. In truth, Spandam wanted to recreate Pluton, to overthrow the World Government with it. Said blueprints had been passed down between shipwrights in Water 7 for years.
Tom, the mentor of Franky and Iceburg, was one of their last recipients. Spandam's operation to retrieve the blueprints was the primary reason Cipher Pol 9 infiltrated Water 7. However, Franky destroyed the blueprints, preventing the government from creating any direct countermeasure to the ancient weapon.
Poseidon
Poseidon is a mermaid princess that can command and communicate with Sea Kings, large aquatic monsters that inhabit every ocean in the world. The potential for the ability depends on whose commands the Sea Kings follow, allowing for destruction or salvation on a global scale.
The current incarnation of Poseidon is Shirahoshi, the princess of Ryugu Kingdom, who is a distant descendant of another mermaid who once had the ability. Shirahoshi could not control her powers at a young age, inadvertently summoning sea kings with her cries. Years later, when her kingdom was under attack, she displayed a greater level of control over it.
Uranus
Uranus is currently unaccounted for, but it presumably shares the potential for destruction that its counterparts do. Caribou, who learned of each weapon in his travels with the Straw Hat Pirates, has informed the Blackbeard Pirates of their existence. This likely means Teach and his crewmates will make an effort to collect them in the future.
2 The Empty Throne
A Hollow Symbol
The Empty Throne is said to sit at the center of the world. It has existed for centuries, and is said to have no occupant, as a symbol of equality guaranteed under the World Government. People often gather around it during the Levely, but nobody, not even one of the Five Elders, may sit atop it. 19 weapons surround this massive throne — those of the original 19 rulers who chose to become World Nobles. Nefertari Lili's weapon remains absent.
In truth, the throne is occupied by Imu, the mysterious ruler of the world, who commands the Five Elders. This being's existence remains secret, for the sake of maintaining the illusion that the World Government is a fair and equal system not ruled by a single being. Cobra was assassinated in part because of his identification of Imu, and Sabo's own discovery of the being was met with similar attempts. Ultimately, the Empty Throne and the truth behind it will serve as a vital key to informing people of how the World Government actually operates.
1 Roger's Straw Hat
Currently Atop Luffy's Head
Gol D. Roger wore this straw hat when he was a mere rookie. He later passed it down to Shanks, one of his cabin boys. Shanks himself later allowed a young Monkey D. Luffy to borrow it, hoping he would return the straw hat when he became a "great pirate." It subsequently became both Luffy's moniker and that of his crew. Due to its history as Shanks' hat, it has great sentimental value to Luffy, and also serves as a way to connect him distantly with Roger. Shanks has not been shy about comparing his protégé to the legendary figure that was his former captain.
That said, there may be a greater historical value to the hat than once thought. A gigantic freezing straw hat is kept in Mary Geoise, audiences have seen Imu viewing it. This hat's significance, and how it ties to Roger's hat, are both currently unknown.
One Piece: 5 Characters Who Refused To Join The Straw Hat Pirates
These characters were all given the opportunity to join the Straw Hat Pirates, but have yet to do so.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Main Genre
- Anime
- Seasons
- 21
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
