Before we dive into addressing some of the major concerns & 'criticisms' regarding the (not so) recent reveal in Wano; let's fully lay out what 1044 actually means for the story, and in turn, the character of Monkey D. Luffy. 
Oda has always been presented Luffy as this rubber boy defying all odds in pursuit of his dream; whilst simultaneously laying seeds for something more. Whether it be the Will of D. in his name or his unrelenting ability to garner allies, whether it be townsfolk or Emperors.
Luffy has consistently been painted as a one-of-a-kind entity in the world of One Piece. Son of Dragon, the World's Worst Criminal. Grandson of Garp, Hero of the Marines. Sworn brother of Ace, son of the Pirate King and Sabo, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionaries.
He is very clearly special; but at the same time, Luffy has never cared about these things. He's never taken the implications of these relationships with anything more than a grain of salt. Singlehandedly persisting in the pursuit of his dream whilst upholding his ideals.
What is this dream and what are these ideals?
The dream is still a mystery 1083 chapters deep into the story; what we always believed was just 'absolute freedom' seems to be somewhat of a prerequisite to something larger. But 'absolute freedom' is all that needs to be +
The dream is still a mystery 1083 chapters deep into the story; what we always believed was just 'absolute freedom' seems to be somewhat of a prerequisite to something larger. But 'absolute freedom' is all that needs to be +
addressed for the purposes of this discussion. Luffy wishes to become Pirate King due to a very simple train of thought: he was taught by the Red Haired Pirates that pirates are free spirits and naturally, this led to the belief that the Pirate King is the freest of them all.
Of course, Luffy's ideals are intrinsically tied to this dream. He believes freedom is a birthright for all, it angers him to see other's freedom being stripped from them. And this anger is taken to extremes when concerning those he considers friends, or just loved ones period.
There's a lot to be said about the fact Luffy has been on this journey to becoming Pirate King for over a year in-verse and over 25 years in the real world, with the majority of that time being spent on side trips. Caught up in plots & conflicts that have nothing to do with him.
Whether it be liberating entire countries or small villages, Luffy is constantly risking his life for reasons that have very little to do with his dream. At least on the surface. But they do, they mean everything to his dream. Sticking firmly to his ideals, risking his life +
in the process, is exactly what freedom means to Luffy. To be able to do what he wants because he wants to do it, to be free to exercise his will, whatever it may be, is Luffy's core philosophy. A constant throughout his journey that culminates in his biggest challenge yet, Wano.
A battle against two Emperors of the sea, relics of a previous generation, some of the biggest obstacles Luffy must overcome in the pursuit of his dream. One of which being a tyrannical ruler of a kingdom. A Wano recap is unnecessary and honestly besides the point, this +
revelation could've happened against any overwhelming obstacle in any kingdom. That's the key point of this premise; the fact Kaido is oppressing an entire nation & stripping their freedom away from them.
In Dressrosa; it was their memories & agency that was stolen from them by Doflamingo. In Wano; it is food. A basic necessity for life & sustenance. Something everybody needs to live regardless of virtually anything. And the thing Luffy loves most second only to his comrades.
Quite fitting for the arc preceding Wano, Whole Cake Island, to have Luffy suffer from extreme hunger but again that's besides the point, just a cool detail.
After getting his shit kicked in literally multiple times, Luffy is presumably killed by Kaido in their final showdown.
After getting his shit kicked in literally multiple times, Luffy is presumably killed by Kaido in their final showdown.
Then, this happens. Luffy is resuscitated. His heartbeat is brought back by the beating of the drums of liberation, a sound associated with Joy Boy by Zunesha. This marks the awakening of Luffy's devil fruit, not the Gomu Gomu no Mi but the Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika.
The exact logic & mechanics behind how this actually happened is left ambiguous, even now almost 40 chapters later we don't know exactly how or why Luffy awakened his devil fruit. But we know he did. And that by doing so, he marked the return of Joy Boy once more.
Joy Boy is established as a title rather than a singular individual on numerous occasions.
Luffy is still of course Luffy, he has simply assumed the same role as the ancient figure from the Void Century who fought against the now World Government.
Luffy is still of course Luffy, he has simply assumed the same role as the ancient figure from the Void Century who fought against the now World Government.
I had reservations & doubts about this development & I still don't entirely love the delivery of this reveal but there are no absolutely no doubts in my mind that this is something Oda has always worked towards. This reveal is perfectly in line with who Luffy has always been.
We finally come to the most important part of this discourse; whether Luffy is a "chosen one" or "predestined figure" in the world.
"The Chosen One" is a trope used to refer to any character that is chosen by some kind of supernatural force or entity. Usually fate itself.
"The Chosen One" is a trope used to refer to any character that is chosen by some kind of supernatural force or entity. Usually fate itself.
The main pushback for this concept stems from the notion that Luffy being predestined for a higher purpose invalidates his own accomplishments. His agency, his struggles, his journey entirely. If everything was predestined that would mean he has no free will, no freedom, right?
It's a very logical conclusion to come to so I do not blame anybody for having this interpretation but the biggest problem with this train of thought is that it jumps to conclusions. The conflict between fate & free will is ages old and it's absolutely everywhere.
Philosophy as a branch of knowledge is practically predicated on the exploration of this conflict. Oda is by no means unaware of this clear contradiction & obviously intends to give his own take on this thematic clash, which in my opinion, is exactly where storytelling thrives.
The best way to make an argument clear is to explore the very inverse of that argument. Love is accentuated by hate, the struggles of oppression are made clear by the joys and benefits of freedom, sadness is only as perceptible as it is when faced with happiness.
Thus by taking the poster boy of One Piece's heavy advocating for free will & the ability to shape your life through choices, as a moral agent, and turning him into a figure chosen by some kind of fate realised by his devil fruit, Oda intends to explore both sides of the coin.
We have yet to see exactly how this clash will be explored, let alone resolved. For a story over 1000 chapters long, you'd expect people to be more patient for such a recent development. And the reason I'm so adamant it WILL be explored is because Oda has already begun to do so.
In Chapter 1069, we learn Vegapunk's theory behind the origin of devil fruits. Vegapunk belives that devil fruits are intrinsically linked to the desires of man, we owe everything to desire. If this is anything to go off of, it makes perfect sense why it took 800 years for the +
Nika fruit to awaken. It is EXACTLY because Luffy is the man he is that he is Joy Boy and not the other way around. It is made very clear that not anybody can eat the fruit, awaken the powers and become Joy Boy. There has to be a perfect match between the two parts.
It is Luffy's disposition, temperament and ideals that awakened the fruit and brought Joy Boy back into the world once more. A combination of his own free will & his destiny. And this is just the beginning. How these two seemingly contradictory concepts will co-exist and +
complement eachother is something we will continue to see and it’s easily what I’m most looking forward to in the future of this story & character.
Thank you for reading! Not my finest work and there's soooo much more that could be said on the topic but I had to get this done.
Thank you for reading! Not my finest work and there's soooo much more that could be said on the topic but I had to get this done.
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