The mystery behind One Piece's titular treasure continues to elude readers for nearly three decades now. It remains the single driving force of several pirate crews in the story, especially for Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. The legendary Pirate King himself, Gol D. Roger, left behind his greatest riches in Laugh Tale. Where that island is located and what that treasure entails remains the biggest unanswered question in manga history.
Fan theories have spanned across several generations regarding One Piece and its famous treasure. As the series enters the final saga, readers have come up with the most creative fan theories. At the very least, the One Piece treasure will certainly not be "the friends Luffy made along the way"; it's far more likely to be a physical object of unimaginable value.
10 The World, as Van Auger Would Say
Joyboy Left Behind the Entire Planet to Explore
Reddit user 4parkour came up with a rather creative idea in regard to why Roger laughed when he found the One Piece treasure. According to their theory, the Pirate King found an upside down plinth (the pedestal beneath a statue), similar to the Le Socle du Monde constructed by Piero Manzoni in 1961. The Italian phrase translates to 'Base of the World' in English.
In other words, the One Piece,the greatest treasure in the world, is none other than the world itself. At the very least, the discovery of such a treasure would turn the world upside down, as Whitebeard suggested. Said treasure being an upside down plinth would take such a statement to its most extreme logical conclusion.
9 The One Piece is A Golden Opportunity For a Joke
Luffy Would Have a "Ball" of a Time With This Treasure
Break week often brings out the craziest fan theories regarding the One Piece. Jokingly or not, Reddit user 50thsun based their fan theory on a Japanese mythological creature known as the Sazae-Oni. As the story goes, a pirate crew saved a drowning woman, and right after engaging with them romantically, she also stole their prized 'crown jewels,' forcing the crew to give up all their material possessions so that they could get them back.
50thsun suggests that Joy Boy once had a giant set of golden balls. Imu, or the Mother Sea, would represent the Sazae-Oni, while Joy Boy would represent the pirate crew. The missing ball ended up being the One Piece itself. If this were true, Roger would certainly have a good laugh over the absurdity of it all. It definitely would be a bizarre way to destroy the entire Red Line.
8 A Superhero Comic Brought to Life
The One Piece is None Other Than the One Piece Manga
According to a Reddit post by user Senior_Pea_9311, many Korean readers on fmkorea.com have argued that the One Piece treasure is likely acomic book that breaks the fourth wall. The fan theory exploded in popularity after the reveal of Luffy’s ultimate technique, Gear 5, which basically turns him into a living cartoon.
Whether the theory is true or not, there is definitely a connection between the awakened Devil Fruit and Joy Boy himself. At the climax of the Wano Country arc, Zunesha declared that Luffy was the second coming of Joy Boy after he activated Gear Five. Artur of the Library of Ohara also expanded on this theory, with the idea that Joy Boy is a fictional superhero from a comic book that brought smiles to people's faces. If that were true, it would tie nicely into the idea that Luffy's Devil Fruit is a Mythical Zoan.
7 On the Road to Emerald City
The Straw Hats Have Yet to Find the Emerald City
Back in the Jaya arc, Bellamy dismissed three different concepts as pure fairy tales. At least two of them were confirmed to be real. The first was that Whitebeard famously declared that the One Piece existed during his dying breath in the Marineford arc, while the second was that Nico Robin discovered the golden city of Shandora during the Skypiea arc. That only leaves the 'Emerald City' left as the remaining dream treasure yet to be found.
The Emerald City is an obvious reference to the children's story The Wizard of Oz, where it serves as the final destination for the protagonists. Emerald City just so happens to be technologically advanced like ancient kingdoms. The predominant green color scheme would also stand in stark contrast with the blue world that Oda's characters live in, falling in line with a popular fan theory that the world used to have more land.
6 Lost History in Written Form
The One Piece Could be the Poneglyph to End All Poneglyphs
Sometimes, the simplest answer works best when dealing with complex riddles. That fact applies to one particularly popular fant theory, which states that theOne Piece is the ultimate poneglyph, or that poneglyphs are part of whatever the One Piece is. Roger did collect several rare treasures and placed them all together, and knowledge is certainly power when the government wants to keep everyone in the dark. This is a fan theory that spans multiple decades, to the point that it can’t really be traced to one individual person.
At the very least, whatever is on Laugh Tale would have to explain the true history of the entire world. Readers may ask why Roger was 'too early' when he arrived. By that point, the current Ancient Weapon Poseidon, Shirahoshi, was far too young to factor in what is likely the end game of the One Piece series.
5 All Sins Bear Fruit in This World
Devil Fruits Must Have an Origin Point in This Series
A common fan theory about the One Piece, which spans decade from multiple sources, states that Devil Fruits must have a specific origin beyond simple imagination, as Vegapunk theorizes. Some readers believe there may be a Devil Fruit tree lying somewhere in Laugh Tale. At the very least, there has to be some type of plant where it all started.
Devil Fruits are the manifestation of the desires of people, and given their weakness to water and Imu's strong ties with the element, it's likely that Joy Boy had something to do with it. A Devil Fruit tree would also explain why these dreams manifest into fruits in the first place. Laugh Tale would be secluded enough to hide it away from the World Government seeking to destroy the very concept of dreams itself.
4 Imu's Plans Go Down the Drain
There is a Way to Stop the Global Flood in One Piece
Vegapunk completely shocked readers with his announcement in One Piece Chapter 1113, "The King is a Fighting Piece". According to him, the entire world is set to flood very soon. Imu did use the Mother Flame to wipe out Lulusia off the map, resulting in the sea levels rising.
After the release of Chapter 1113, Reddit user aPaulcalypse made a post suggesting that Luffy will have to use his awakened Devil Fruit powers to stop the flooding. Another user, I-Love-Tatertots, suggested a fan theory that the One Piece treasure is none other than a cartoon drain stopper. It would make perfect sense why Luffy would be able to pull it in his Gear Five form. That would also explain why the Five Elders were desperately trying to prevent him from awakening those powers against Kaido in the Wano Country arc.
3 To the Moon and Back
The One Piece Treasure May Not Even Be in the World
Enel's Great Space Operations is a particularly long cover story featuring the discovery of Birka, the ancient moon colony filled with alien dogs and robots. Ever since then, a popular fan theory suggested the Straw Hats would venture far beyond the earthly confines of their planet and explore outer space itself. Theoretically, the One Piece treasure would either be a rocket ship or rocket ship parts that Franky would build so the Thousand Sunny could travel to the moon.
Vegapunk believes the Great Kingdom was technologically superior to the modern era before the World Government erased it from history. It stands to reason that Birka, the ancient city on the moon, has some direct ties with the Void Century, given its highly advanced technology. Whatever the One Piece treasure is supposed to be, it would answer the biggest questions about whatever happened in the Void Century.
2 Changing the Tides of the World
The Pirate King Will Have to Control the Sea Itself
Popular YouTuber doropiza, also known as Drop the Pizza, came up with this fan theory after looking at strange discrepancies between the old and modern Jaya maps. According to her speculation, the planet went through a pole shift at some point in the Void Century. As a result, the sea current goes in a reverse direction, and that Loguetown could in fact be Lodestar, the beginning and end of Roger's journey as the Pirate King.
The One Piece would likely be related to Luffy changing the world, perhaps reverting the planet back to its original axis. This would result in certain islands becoming continents, since the water levels would change, thus opening up a far bigger map of the world. For instance, the underwater prison Impel Down is speculated to be a lost kingdom from long ago, repurposed as property of the World Government. Changing the tides would certainly put a new perspective on the world as it was originally theorized to be.
1 Throwing the World's Greatest Party
Luffy Always Loves to Throw a Big Party in Every Arc of One Piece
Artur of "The Library of Ohara" spent years crafting a mega fan theory about the One Piece treasure. It ties in together all the mysteries surrounding Joy Boy, his inherited will, and the Void Century. To make a very long story short, he believes Laugh Tale is a direct reference to Binks' Sake, a famous pirate song that Luffy had learned from Shanks. The final lyrics refer to a "never-ending, ever-wandering, funny traveling tale," or a 'laugh tale', in this case.
With that in mind, the One Piece treasure is theorized to be none other than the alcoholic beverage Sake. Sake is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. It allows others to connect with each other: Luffy, Ace, and Sabo famously exchanged cups in their childhood to symbolize their strong human kinship. In the end, Luffy would throw a huge party for the entire world, and unify them with laughter.
