Will of D.

In the series, few characters have the middle initial "D.". This mysterious middle initial has been called "the Will of the D" (Dの意志) or "D's will" by several characters in One Piece. Some translations mistakenly refer to it as "Gol D's will" in reference to Gol D. Roger, the late pirate king. The English dub by 4Kids chooses to refer to the D as the "Gol D.'s will", while the FUNimation dub refers to it simply as "the Spirit of D." both deriving from a mistranslation of the original Japanese text. In the recap supplement Grand Line Times, they were referred to as "The men of D."

The Mystery of the D.
The initial was first pointed out in Oda's SBS questions and answers corner, he was asked what the D in Luffy's name stood for. Oda just replied to read it as a D for now and that he would reveal the truth behind it in time. This was the first time Luffy's "D" was brought up, as well as Oda's first hint towards a bigger mystery.

In the storyline, Kureha is the first to mention The Will of D. and it was revealed by her that Gold Roger's (the late pirate king) true name was Gol D. Roger. She tells Dalton that Chopper has joined up with a very dangerous man. So it still lives... The will of D.

The Will of D. is also talked about during the Skypiea Arc when Robin is talking to Gan Fall after they pulled up the ancient Belfry. Gan Fall talks of Luffy making the same impression that Gol D. Roger did on him. He says to Robin, "It suits him to have a name of just one letter".

Robin tried to ask Silvers Rayleigh about the significance of The Will of the D. and at the same time mentioning the Void Century. While he did not reply on what the D stood for, Rayleigh stated that they (The Roger Pirates) discovered the details of the Void Century, but when he offers to tell her, she turns down his offer. Robin agreed to discover the truth herself. One clue about those who carry the "D" was left by Jaguar D. Saul who specifically said that while he didn't know the meaning of the initial, he did know everyone in his family carried it in their names.

So far, its seems that the Ds all may indeed be related to each other, if not by blood then at least by their fates. Luffy does have a grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp, whose full name is Monkey D. Garp. Luffy is also the son of the revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon. In addition, Luffy's adoptive brother, Portgas D. Ace, has also been revealed to be blood related to Gol D. Roger and Portgas D. Rouge. Whitebeard noted that killing the bloodline of a D does not put out the flames that they (a person carrying the D) carry and someone else simply will pick it up one day. Later on Trafalgar Law states "What's the Dark King thinking this time? The Will of the D. will almost certainly call up a storm again." It is still not stated why he said that, but it hints that Silvers Rayleigh had a clear purpose for wanting to find Monkey D. Luffy on Amazon Lily. In the Post-War arc, one of the Gorousei stated that "D" means danger.

"Inherited Will"
Inherited will, the swelling of the changing times, and the dreams of people. These are things that cannot be stopped. As long as people seek the answer to freedom, these will never stop!

WTF

Translation and Dub Issues
The English translations that use of "Gold D's spirit" or "Gol D.'s Will" instead of "Will of D" in Dr. Kureha's talk with Dalton can be considered an error. While Gold Roger is spoken of in the previous lines of text, Kureha made no mentioned of Roger in that particular line of text in the original Japanese manga and anime.

Trivia

 * A few of the characters with the D. have shown to be narcoleptic, such as Garp, Ace and Luffy. So far it has not yet been stated if this is a trait to the Will of D. But this could also be attributed to the care free nature.
 * So far all the family bloodlines carrying the D. have been direct lines (going from father to son), with no cousins, blood related siblings or other split lines known to exist.
 * Oddly, Whitebeard also spoke about One Piece in the same statement when discussing the Will of D., thus it would seem One Piece itself has some link to them, not just as Roger's great treasure. This is not the only time the Will of D. and One Piece have had a mention in the same chapter. Previously, Usopp and Robin had both enquired about One Piece, the Void Century and Will of D. to Rayleigh but did not get a response back for various reasons.

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