This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga
The Void Century has long remained one of the biggest mysteries in all of One Piece, but Oda seems to be slowly unraveling why this particular period of is considered so important in the last few chapters of the manga. Chapter 1159 specifically is packed full of fascinating lore drops that have sparked countless theories online, especially in relation to Rocks, but eagle-eyed readers will have noticed the mention of a particular character who is now confirmed to have lived long ago in the distant past.
It's been known for a while now that Joy Boy, the man who many consider to be the very first pirate in the world of One Piece, lived 800 years ago during what is known as the Void Century. Other than the giant robot known as Emmett, it's remained a mystery who else was actually alive and kicking back when Joy Boy was an up-and-coming pirate, but finally, fans have been given an insight into an extremely powerful individual who is highly suggested to have been the rival to Joy Boy himself.
Davy Jones Exists
Rocks Confirms The Devilish Pirate Is More Than Just A Myth
- Rocks reveals to Harald he is a descendant of Davy Jones
- The government have been trying to erase the Davy clan for many years
- Davy Jones was probably a significant threat during the Void Century
Davy Jones is a name that has popped up on several occasions throughout the One Piece story, though it's never been clarified whether he is simply an ancient myth, or actually a pirate who once existed at one point or another. Back in the Long Ring Long Land story arc, Robin mentions to Chopper that Davy Jones is theorized to have once been a devilish pirate who lived on the ocean floor. In that same arc, the Straw Hats partake in a game known as the Davy Back Fight, which is clearly inspired by the man of the same name.
" A pirate from long ago who was cursed by the devil to live in the depths of the seafloor, where it is said he yet lives to this day" - Nico Robin
However, thanks to Rocks, it's now been confirmed that David Jones wasn't only a real person, but that Rocks is actually a descendant of the man himself, being just one of several members of the well-known Davy clan. Another important individual who is also directly tied to Davy Jones is none other than Marshall D. Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard, which provides a massive hint as to how the Yonko is able to hold two Devil Fruits at once.
While Davy Jones' existence may already be a shocking enough reveal, Rocks makes sure to preface that the World Government have been desperate to try and erase the Davy clan from history in any way they can, just like they've tried to do with Joy Boy. This would make a lot of sense considering both were around during the Void Century, which the government have been adamant to remove from history, but it does also suggest that both Davy Jones and Joy Boy were a lot more closely connected than fans may have initially realized.
The Mysterious Pirate Would Have Been A Perfect Rival To Joy Boy
But Could He Have Ever Defeated Him In Combat?
As someone who was once in possession of the immensely powerful Human Human Model: Nika fruit, which is currently owned by Luffy, it goes without saying that Joy Boy would have been an incredibly strong pirate back in his heyday. Of course, it would have been a little boring if Joy Boy was the only one who decided to sail across the open seas as a pirate, but if there's anyone that could have stepped up to become his rival, it seems highly likely it would have to be Davy Jones, especially when looking at the lofty reputation at this pirate has managed to establish for himself.
Both Rocks and Blackbeard are considered some of the strongest characters in all of One Piece, so it only makes sense that Davy Jones himself would also be more than capable of wreaking havoc everywhere he goes. From what has been gathered so far, Joy Boy has been presented as someone who was a selfless pirate that dreamed of liberating the world, which seems par for the course for anyone who possesses the ability to channel the power of the Sun God Nika.
"Whenever it happens, I'll be saving you from here in the past, just like always" - Joy Boy
Davy Jones, on the other hand, probably would have been more in line with Rocks and Blackbeard, in the sense that he would be seen as more of an antagonist than a hero. That's not to say that Davy Jones was allied with the World Government, but that he probably had his own selfish goals that he dreamed of pursuing, which Joy Boy would have inevitably gotten in the way of. It feels as though Oda is heavily implying these two were frequently coming into contact with one another when they were still larger-than-life Pirates, but their rivalry does also reflect a pattern that can be seen throughout the ages.
A Classic Tale Of Good Versus Evil Repeats Itself
The Ancient Rivalry Has Seemingly Lived On For Many Years
- Rocks and Joy Boy started a feud which has appeared with each generation
- Luffy and Blackbeard mirror the rivalry that first formed hundreds of years ago
From the scarce bits of information that Oda has revealed about Joy Boy and Davy Jones, it's hard to ignore the fact that they are a spitting image of other well-known characters that appear in the series. For example, Joy Boy was known to wear a straw hat and be a hopeful figure for those around him, while it's presumed that Davy Jones would have been the exact opposite, resulting in a classic good versus evil style rivalry which would have lasted for years on end.
Fast-forward a few hundred years into the future, and it seems as though the ancient rivalry lives on through Rocks and Roger. Admittedly, these two had only been shown to butt heads on a few occasions before the God Valley Incident, but it was still made clear that they had a bubbling resentment for one another that quickly blossomed into a budding rivalry that feels like a blatant reference to the relationship shared between Joy Boy and Davy Jones.
Of course, there's also Luffy and Blackbeard, who are essentially the modern-day equivalents of those two legendary figures. Blackbeard is much more of a straight-up villain compared to his father, Rocks, who was a complex character that cared more about his family than acquiring overwhelming power. Luffy, on the other hand, appears to be almost identical to Joy Boy in every way, including the fact that he has seemingly carried on the rivalry that started all the way back in the mysterious Void Century.
- 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
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
