This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf arc.
Summary
- Gunko may have ties to Luffy, the Revolutionary Army, and Imu, offering suspense and intrigue.
- Gunko's mysterious design, actions, and potential connections suggest she is a key player in upcoming events.
- If Gunko is Luffy's sister, she could betray the World Government, aided by Nika and her ties to Dragon.
The Elbaf arc of One Piece heats up and fans are eagerly waiting to see the Holy Knights go into proper action. This story is only getting better with each passing chapter, and with the likes of the Straw Hat Pirates now heading into battle against them, it is only a matter of time before the arc explodes into life once more. That said, Oda has done more than enough to raise the intrigue among the fans already. Specifically, Oda has introduced some of the most exciting villains in the story with powers that are incredibly difficult for anyone to counter — The Holy Knights.
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The Holy Knights made their introduction in One Piece's Elbaf arc with Shamrock and Gunko, but the former ended up leaving the country to take on a more important mission, and at the same time, two more Holy Knights, Saint Rimoshifu Killingham and Saint Shepherd Sommers showed up. These three Holy Knights are operating in Elbaf at the moment, and their secrets are being revealed one by one. Curiously enough, one of the Holy Knights might have a connection to none other than the protagonist of the story, Monkey D. Luffy, and that's none other than Gunko.
Gunko's Many Strange Contradictions So Far
- Gunko’s Actions Betray Her Words At Times
- Gunko Is A Bag Of Mysteries
Along with Shamrock Figarland, Gunko is the first Holy Knight to come to Elbaf in this arc of the story, and fans always knew that she was going to be very important. However, little did fans know back then that Gunko's true identity would become a hot topic of debate. As far as her role as a Holy Knight goes, fans already know that she's very powerful, strong enough to beat up Loki even without his chains, if Shamrock's assessment of her strength is to be believed. But, it isn't her strength that raises questions about her.
Humans? We are Gods! — Gunko to the Straw Hat Pirates
It is her design and her actions, most of all. When it comes to her design, the thing that stands out quite a lot is her eyes. As fans know, Gunko had two different eyes. One of her eyes looks black, while the other has a very light color. More specifically, Gunko's other eye looks almost like the eye that Zunesha and Imu have. Two different colors of eyes suggest that Gunko might actually have two sides to her. Half of her face is covered in bandages, almost as if to hide something important, and she even wears clothes that are rather weird.
But, that's not all. The name Gunko itself can mean “Army Child,” which could be a nod to the fact that Gunko could have ties to the Revolutionary Army. As many fans have noticed already, Gunko has a hat with goggles, which is a very common design for the members of the Revolutionary Army.
Gunko might've had ties to the Revolutionary Army, and the Army Child is very telling for a name. This makes even more sense when one takes into consideration the fact that Oda didn't introduce Gunko as a Saint, which could mean that she comes from the surface instead of actually being born as a Celestial Dragon, just like the Holy Knights offered Loki.
The Revolutionary Army ties do not stop there. In Japanese, the Revolutionary Army is known as the Kakumei Gun. Gunko, on the other hand, is the Army Child, and if she was a Revolutionary, then she would be “Kamumei Gunko”
Gunko’s Devil Fruit And Imu
While Gunko has connections to the Revolutionary Army, fans also know that she has connections to Imu. Gunko has the same ability that Imu used to kill Cobra, and she is the only one shown to be capable of using the Abyss from the Holy Knights. It is highly likely that Gunko is being possessed by none other than Imu.
Only those who have the mark can pass through the Abyss. — Gunko
Why Gunko Might Be Dragon's Daughter And Luffy's Sister
Gunko and Luffy Share Some Similarities
At this point, it is quite clear that Gunko's true identity is very important, and she might actually have some connections to Luffy. For instance, both Gunko and Luffy care for music and food a lot. Gunko loves Brook’s music, and her face lights up like that of a child when she sees food.
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Taking everything into account, who could Gunko be? At this point, what can be established is that Gunko might be a former soldier who worked for the Revolutionary Army, and was later kidnapped by the Government, like Ginny. Gunko was made a vessel of sorts for Imu, and she serves the Holy Knights. If Gunko truly is the “Child of the Revolutionary” or “Kakumei Gunko,” and she loves food and music, on top of feeling actual pain when hitting someone she admires, such as Brook, it is clear that her actions aren't her own, but those of Imu. It is also implied that Gunko might have ties directly to Dragon, which opens up a possibility for her being Luffy's long-lost sister.
Why Gunko Might Betray The Holy Knights
Nika Could Liberate Gunko
If Gunko and Luffy are siblings, there might actually be one more important parallel between the two. Both were raised by a Figarland. Just as Luffy was inspired to be a pirate by Shanks, Gunko could've been put under the wing of Shamrock. This would also explain why Gunko came to Elbaf with Shamrock Figarland, and why she holds him in such high regard.
Gunko is afraid of Nika but in the Elbaf arc of One Piece, it might actually be revealed that Nika is the one who liberates her from her misery. So far, Oda has avoided all confrontations between Luffy and Gunko, but eventually, fans are bound to get one. When that happens, the idea behind Gunko's connection to Monkey D. Dragon and Luffy will be made clear. Of course, at the end of the day, this is just an idea based on observations, but it is an interesting one, nonetheless.
If Gunko does turn out to be Luffy's sister, could she betray the World Government? Based on her behavior, Gunko turning against them is a very real possibility, especially if she manages to break free from Imu's control, all thanks to the Warrior of Liberation, Nika, who will free her from all her pain and misery. Gunko could go on to aid the Revolutionary Army greatly, given that she has all the secrets of the world with her, as well as key information on the Holy Knights and the Five Elders, and of course, the one who sits at the very top, Imu.
One Piece chapter 1148 will be out soon, in two weeks' time. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on May 11. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1148 is May 11, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- 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
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
