Thread by @Lixogram

Luffy’s dream is to become… A FISH! Theory (Thread)

#ONEPIECE #ONEPIECE1089

While we have many great theories about Luffy's dream, I would like to explore another fun (maybe) possibility.

I believe Luffy wants to become a fish or fishman, to do a world tour swimming, and we are going to look at details in five specific chapters, so let’s dive into it

Chapter 1 : Can't swim! Luffy the anchor.

To help us understand this theory a little better, I think we can start by asking ourselves what was Luffy known for in the start of One Piece? What is a Pirate and the lifestyle of a Pirate?

At the start of One Piece, Luffy was known for not being able to swim.
That is why he was called Anchor, and Shanks was making fun of him.

What is a pirate, and what is his lifestyle? I believe the answer comes from two people. Shanks again, and his right man, Benn Beckman.

According to Shanks, a pirate is at least a good swimmer.
According to Benn Beckman, one issue with being a pirate is swimming. (Notice Luffy's reaction.) Now that we have those answers let's continue Chapter 1.

Luffy’s last words before eating his Devil Fruit (and losing his ability to swim) were : I will learn how to swim.

Luffy’s first action after eating his Devil Fruit was to buy some fish.

I've previously shared how this part felt a bit weird to me, considering Luffy is not a Fish guy. I believe it might makes sense now

Let's summarize Chapter 1 while focusing on the swimming part :

Chapter 1 is basically :

- Shanks making fun of Luffy because he can’t swim.
- Shanks saving Luffy because he can’t swim.
- Luffy deciding to become a pirate by himself, vowing to surpass Shanks who can swim.

Now, let's talk about Shanks and Roger's crew.

It looks like Shanks and Roger’s crew don't have a lot of Devil Fruit users, so we can assume they are are decent swimmers.

That will lead us to our next chapters where I believe we see a glimpse of Luffy's dream, trough Rayleigh

Chapter 590-591 : A glimpse of Luffy’s dream

In Chapter 590, Luffy is at his lowest point after Marineford. He is with Jinbei (a fishman) and remembers the most important thing he has and wants to see : his friends.

Luffy is not just weak; He also can't navigate or swim.
Even if he wanted to see his friends, he would not be able to do it because the sea is putting a natural barrier between them... That’s where, we see a glimpse of Luffy’s dream in the next chapter...

In chapter 591, the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh swims to Amazon Lily through the Calm Belt by himself. 

Jinbei's (a fishman) reaction is interesting. He could just be surprised to see a legend but could also show how impressed Jinbei was with Ray's swimming feat

An impressive feat I believe Luffy, the freest in the seas, would like to be able to do by the end of One Piece.

Let's then talk about "Luffy's Dream (Chapter 1060)" and analyze what is happening in that particular chapter, but especially the following one (1061)

Chapter 1060 - 1061 : Luffy’s dream

When Luffy tells us his dream, all reactions are, of course, important, but one of the most interesting to me was Jinbei the Fishman and his words after that.

Jinbei and Nami have an interesting spotlight during this chapter

In Chapter 1061, after telling us his dream, can you guess what happens ?

Luffy falls into the sea, he can't swim and Jinbei saves him.

After being saved by Jinbei, Luffy talks about Gear 5 to Bonney and says that’s his form when he is free! An interesting choice of words, knowing he almost died if it were not for Jinbei and his swimming abilities.

I believe swimming plays a big part in Luffy's idea of Freedom. Remember, Luffy wants to choose when and how he is going to die. I doubt the future Pirate King will always be fine with the Sea being an issue.

He is going to conquer the sea after all. Let him swim!

Speculations and implications:

Luffy saying he wants to be a fish sounds silly, but it can have multiple implications for the story.
This part will be more speculative but might help us see some connections between Fish Luffy, The All Blue, The Sun Pirates, Joyboy, Imu etc.

- Sanji’s All Blue : Luffy wanting to be a fish connects him even more to Sanji. Sanji's dream is to find all types of fish.

- Nami and Fishmen : We know Nami has a story with Fishmen. Luffy saying it, is interesting considering Nami's history, Shiraoshi and even Momo.

Fishy

- Fishmen Island, we see Luffy treat Shiraoshi (a mermaid close to Nami) like his little sister.

- Wano, we see Luffy treat Momo (a dragon, a fish) like his little brother.

He calls them "cry babies", a reference to Ace.

- Sun and Fishmen : The sun and fishmen are also connected in many ways in the story.
Luffy the Sun God saying he wants to be a fish fits in an interesting way.
We can also assume Joyboy had very strong ties with Fishmen and Fishman Island.

- Devil Fruits / IMU : I think we can fairly say that the Devil Fruits curse has something to do with Imu.

I believe this curse will be lifted by the end of the series. It will allow Devil Fruit users to swim, and Luffy, specifically, to actually be the freest man on the sea

- Luffy was in a fish (a Koi) costume and Eichiro Oda avatar is a Fish. Could this be a foreshadowing or hint ?

If you read till the end, thank you. I am cutting it short because of the thread limit but wanted to share a bit of some ideas

Stay blessed and enjoy #ONEPIECE1089

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