The Roger Pirates disbanded years before the main storyline of One Piece began, yet they still play a pretty big role in the story. From time to time, Eiichiro Oda introduces one of the Roger Pirates to show Luffy a path in distress. But there’s one Roger Pirate whose appearance is yet to occur, and fans are dying to know when Oda will introduce him.
Gaban is a former member of the Roger Pirates and has been shown in many flashbacks of the crew. Yet he has not come face to face with Luffy and the Straw Hats yet. But why do One Piece fans expect an old pirate to reappear? A fan theory states some very good reasons behind why Gaban’s presence is necessary.
Eiichiro Oda’s Buildup in One Piece Indicates Gaban’s Future Debut
Eiichiro Oda has introduced many Roger Pirates in One Piece, but very few of them actually hold relevance in the plot. Even fewer have actually debuted during the present storyline. Two such characters are Silvers Rayleigh and Crocus. But the positioning of the characters has led many to believe that another Roger Pirate will debut in the finale of One Piece.
Crocus was introduced at the beginning of One Piece during the Reverse Mountain Arc. He met the Straw Hats when Laboon swallowed them. On their departure, Crocus gave the Straw Hats his personal Log Pose, which was the main instrument that helped the crew find islands and travel across the ocean.
Silvers Rayleigh debuted much later in the series and was introduced as the coating mechanic at the Sabaody Archipelago. He became an ally to the pirates soon enough and even helped them a great deal during the arc by intercepting Kizaru. Later, during the Post-Marineford Timeskip, Rayleigh trained Luffy for two years to master Haki.
Thus, Crocus helped the Straw Hats at the beginning of their journey. And Rayleigh was present during the middle of the story, when Luffy went through his most crucial metamorphosis. This leads fans to speculate that another Roger Pirate will debut sometime during the finale of One Piece to give Luffy the boost he needs. And who better than Gaban to take the initiative?
Gaban and Shanks will be Luffy’s Last Test
By now, everyone knows that the One Piece is fated to be Luffy’s, given that it is the entire ambition of the protagonist. He might have many foes to face before reaching Laughtale, but he will do it nonetheless. But is Luffy ready for the One Piece? Who will decide if Luffy is the right candidate for the treasure? Eiichiro Oda might have thought of that, too.
It is possible that Gaban, along with Shanks, will be the ones waiting at the end of it all to judge Luffy’s capabilities and intentions. This might occur after the destruction of the Marines as well as other opposing forced like Blackbeard. Both Shanks and Gaban know the location of One Piece as they have already been to Laughtale and discovered it. It is only sensible that they will be the ones to guard it.
But if this theory is taken to be true, that would mean Shanks was never after the One Piece for his personal desires and is thus not an enemy of Luffy. What if he is looking for the One Piece for the sake of the Straw Hats or to claim it before Luffy, to test his worthiness?
You can read One Piece on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
