When the Iron Giant said, “I’m Sorry, Joyboy,” in front of Luffy, it left many fans puzzled and buzzing with theories. What’s exciting about it is that it openly connects Luffy—one of its main characters—to Joyboy, who’s always been one of the so-called chosen ones from centuries gone by in the world of One Piece.
The scene gets even more exciting; when the Egghead Arc, new tech meets old secrets, runs the apology from the Iron Giant, sounding somewhat of a hint toward some deep relation between that Giant of the past and Joyboy. Looked like Luffy’s coming provoked something fundamental. We are going to consider three reasons why the Iron Giant had to apologize and how this is related to the general perspective of One Piece.
The Legacy of Joyboy and the Will of D.
One solid theory is that the apology by the Iron Giant is interwoven with the legacy of Joyboy—a mythical figure whose history is central to One Piece lore. Eight hundred years from the current storyline is the Joyboy era, a time that signified when a man held a promise to the Fish-Man Island but left it unfulfilled. The line “I am sorry, Joyboy” may indicate that the Iron Giant was connected in some way to a promise of Joyboy that had gone unfulfilled and could thus allude to some past failure or an incomplete task left by Joyboy to be done by the Iron Giant.
Luffy, carrying the Will of D. and often regarded as replacing the precepts of Joyboy, and thus may have triggered a recognition or reawakening of duty programmed into the Iron Giant. And the apology may well lie in that direction, concerning some past failure brought again to prominence by Luffy’s arrival.
The Egghead Arc Connection
The Egghead Arc welcomes readers to a host of technological marvels, with Dr. Vegapunk’s inventions leading the charge. Here’s the Iron Giant’s apology through this fresh lens. Another important figure in this arc is Vegapunk. Now we know for sure that he was a genius scientist with the capability of thoroughly blending ancient knowledge with up-to-date technologies, including the Iron Giant.
The apology could be an acknowledgment by Vegapunk of making amends for some sort of historical mistake or the mission initiated by Joyboy. Having advanced AI, the Iron Giant may be designed to find the heirs of Joyboy’s will and hence apologize before Luffy, who represents the new hope and ray in completing ancient promises.
The Power of the Ancient Weapons
There have been many theories spinning around the Ancient Weapons within the One Piece community, with many speculating if they will be a part of the series’ endgame. They could be connected to these legendary weapons and were given an apology as if they had once been used for something disastrous or weren’t able to save the world from some great destruction.
Luffy’s role in bringing the Iron Giant into the picture might be connected to awakening an ancient guardian. In that context, the apology would be self-reflective for his past involvement, in this case, inactions involving those weapons.
