One Piece has finally entered its final saga, and yet, the titular treasure is nowhere to be seen. Eiichiro Oda has kept the One Piece as a closely guarded secret, and no one has been able to figure out just what the treasure might be. Several theories, like a literal treasure, a nuclear weapon, or Bink’s Sake, have come up, but all of them remain unconfirmed.
However, one fan theory claims that the One Piece might be more than just material treasure. It carefully examines the themes of One Piece before coming to a conclusion that might be disliked by many fans.
The Theme of Joy Might be too Literal in One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
The fan theory claims that the theme of laughter and joy in One Piece is predominant, and thus, the treasure could be of the same nature. The themes are not just symbolic, but they might also manifest in the literal sense via the One Piece treasure.
Joy Boy, the man who was once deemed the savior of the world, has the word ‘joy’ in his name. As a rebel, his goal was to bring peace to the world and make everyone smile again. When Luffy achieved Gear 5, he was portrayed like a kid’s cartoon character, and his surroundings also became increasingly cartoonish. Of course, Luffy also experienced uncontrollable laughter while in the form.
The protagonist of the story is also a carefree and lovable character who loves to make both his crew members and the readers laugh. In fact, one of the only reliefs from the extremely dark plot of One Piece is the humor that Eiichiro Oda injects into the series from time to time. This seems to indicate that joy and laughter are the main themes of the story and could even be a crucial part of the conclusion and finding the One Piece.
The One Piece Treasure Could be a Literal Embodiment of Joy
When Roger found the Laugh Tale Island, he burst out in raucous laughter. In fact, he named the island ‘Laugh Tale,’ but the reasoning behind it was never revealed. What if, rather than a deep symbolic meaning to it, Roger just laughed because he had seen something extremely funny?
Eiichiro Oda has already clarified that the One Piece will not be a symbolic treasure like friendship, bond, or the joy of an adventure. He does not like that kind of a sappy storyline. But one thing is for sure: there will be more than just material things in the treasure.
While it is too hard to theorize what might have led Roger to laugh so hard, one thing is for sure: not everyone will like the treasure and thus the conclusion of the story. Just like how many people found Gear 5 too unrealistic and cartoonish, the One Piece might also be a source of controversy among fans once it has been revealed.
You can read One Piece on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
