Mythbusters

Like many series, One Piece is open to many myths. This page describes such myths. The myths come in four basic forms: Mistranslations/Misunderstandings, Speculations, Rumours and Translator Jokes and Fake Spoilers. Some of these myths still exist due to their nature or the naivety of fans. To help editors identify these myths, any such myths will be written here to help avoid confusions and finally explain their details. Such myths when sighted on a page should be removed and the editor who placed on there alerted as to what they did wrong, directing them to this page.

Mistranslations and Misunderstandings
Due to different levels of ability and the fluid nature of translating Japanese to English, sentences will frequently be translated inaccurately. Sometimes the simplest or smallest mistranslated word can lead to confusion amongst fans. Other times, the way the translator writes the sentence in English (i.e. their use of words and grammar) can also cause confusion.

Higuma the Bear
Myth: Higuma's nickname is "the Bear"

Fact: This is actually a mistranslation by Viz. "Higuma" is the Japanese name for a mountain bear in that country. This is probably just a nod to the fact that Higuma is a mountain bandit and Viz added "the bear" because American readers wouldn't get the reference. However, his name appears in the Japanese manga as 山賊棟梁ヒグマ(yamazoku touryou higuma) "Mountain bandit leader Higuma."

Bon Clay
Myth: Mr.2's real name is Bon Clay.

Fact:This is a mistranslation made in almost every translation. It even appears on a lot of Japanese merchandise; never-the-less, In the manga his name has only been written in English once: as Bon Kurei. This name is a reference to him being his own female partner since female agents have holiday names and Bon Kure are a series of festivals held in Japan. This is made even more likely by the fact that his coat in the anime says 盆暮れ(Bon Kure) instead of the manga's おかま道 "the okama way."

Eating two Devil Fruit
Myth: When you eat 2 devil fruits, the second fruit will replace the first fruit's power

Fact: Eiichiro Oda stated in one of his SBS that you can't transfer the fruit's power to another person, if you take one bite of it the fruit becomes normal. This caused fans to think he meant if you eat the second devil fruit it will replace the first fruit but in Enies Lobby arc, Lucci and Blueno said if you eat the second fruit after eating the first one, you'll explode and die.

Zoans can talk to Animals
Myth: People who eat Zoan fruits can talk to animals.

Fact: While this rumour isn't as popular as it once was, some people still think that eating a Zoan fruit allows the user to talk to animals. This mistake is normally made because Chopper can talk to animals and humans. Though the reason for this is because he was an animal to begin with. Chopper can speak to people because intelligence is a power that comes with being human and therefore, his fruit. In a filler arc there is a girl named Apis who ate a devil fruit that allows her to talk to animals, however her fruit is a Paramecia Devil Fruit.

Pirate Summit
Myth: Ace said something about the pirate summit so it must be a place or event.

Fact: There is no pirate summit, what Ace meant was "See you at the top" but he did not mean that there will be a pirate summit. Since "top" can also mean "summit" (as in the summit of a mountain) the line was easy to confuse. The "See you at the top" line was a figure of speech by Ace, challenging Luffy to become strong like him and join the top tier of strength. Pirate summit was an mistranslation found in many fan translations and sub translations. K-F, one of the Fansubbers mistranslated it, Stephen the script translator also mistranslated it as well and said he'll correct it soon. Also the piece of paper Ace gave Luffy was not an invitation, as it was blank. This paper is later revealed to be a biblicard, a special paper that is made from part of a person (usually fingernail trimmings) that allows the holder to know what direction the paper's owner is in.

The higher the bounty the stronger they are
Myth: There's no way someone like (for example) Buggy can beat Luffy. He is worth 15,000,000 Luffy is worth 300,000,000. Buggy is far too weak.

Fact: While some characters in the series such as Bellamy used them as a power rating, they are not. Bounties are a threat level not a power level. In other words, it is how much the world goverment wants the person dead. Someone quite weak can have a high bounty and some quite strong can have a low bounty. Although, a characters "physical" strength could very well be a threat to the World Government, for example Luffy, despite him not being very intelligent. This was made clear by Oda in one SBS. Another example is Blackbeard not having a bounty at all. The bounties are also limited by the World Government's knowledge; they do not know the true strength of all pirates. Chopper for example, has an extremely low bounty despite being quite powerful, because the World Government incorrectly assumed he was a harmless pet.

Example
How they work may be done through an example. After Enies Lobby, Usopp got a bounty that was higher than Chopper's but Chopper is definitely stronger than Usopp in terms of physical strength. This situation is most likely based on eye witness accounts and testimonies from the Marines and Government agents stationed in Enies Lobby during the Straw Hats raid on the judicial island.

Among Usopp's actions during Enies Lobby, at least two accounts witnessed by Enies Lobby staff would be very notable. The first is the burning of the Government flag and the second is the sniping of a high ranking government director, Spandam, from a large distance. While these are not feats of pure physical strength, they can be considered acts of terrorism by the World Government comparable to burning a national flag or shooting a president. The mere description of these feats can easily be over-exaggerated and can be speculated to be signs of a extremely powerful character by others. Given this info, the authorities would most likely considered Usopp a threat despite not knowing his true strength, hence why Usopp got a high bounty.

Chopper, on the other hand, while he showed more feats of physical strength during Enies Lobby, probably none of which were properly seen by Enies Lobby staff. While the battered body of Kumadori was discovered by Enies Lobby staff, the source of how he got that way was unseen to them and vast speculation was to what happened was open to them. Also since Chopper was completely immobile during the Buster Call attack and most likely unnoticed by the Marine captains, the only pure confirmation of Chopper's affiliation with the Straw Hats, and even existence, that the World Government would know of would be the picture taken of him in Water 7. Since the picture only shows what can be speculated by authorities as a pet and not a monster, Chopper would most likely considered less a threat than the rest of the crew, hence why Chopper got the lowest bounty.

In addition, Nico Robins bounty went up only 1,000,000 after 20 years. Her level of streangth when she was eight was much lower than it is now (not to mention much lower than the typical 79,000,000 bounty). The rise was mostly due to a need by the wourld goverment to update her poster.

King of the Sunny
Myth: The Straw Hat's new ship is "King of the Beast"

Fact: Sometimes we jump to conclusions without waiting for anything official from Oda and embarrass ourselves once the truth is out but sadly, that's the price of human nature. When the Straw Hat Pirates saw their new ship for the first time, Iceburg made a comment that Franky believes that the Pirate King should ride a "Beastly ship". This led fans to assume that the ship is to be called the "King of the Beast". However, that's not the official name from Oda; in chapter 439, the ship was given an official name: Thousand Sunny, a name approved by all 8 crew members.

"If I can see it..."
Myth: Robin stated she can only attack what she sees when she grabbed that South Bird back on Jaya Island.

Fact: A popular misunderstanding of Robin's powers. This was not helped by the later event of her having to form eyes on Luffy's arm during her Usopp rescue when they reached the clouds before Skypiea. Robin wasn't implying she literally needed to SEE the bird in order to grab it, but rather that she just needed to know where it is. This implies that like any limb on a person her additional ones are harder to manipulate when she can not see what she is doing. The bird had been hidden until then and once the bird was in sight and Robin knew where it was it could be grabbed.

There are a number of examples of her closing her eyes when she attacks or turning around or attack something that isn't within direct sight. A good example is the previously mentioned Usopp rescue. She had her eyes closed when she formed those eyes on Luffy's arm, not to mention the end of his arm was well out of sight by the time she formed them.

Garp Captured Roger
Myth: Garp captured Gold Roger.

Fact: Garp did not capture Roger, but merely fought with and cornered the Pirate King on several occasions. Early translations of chapter 431 mistranslated the phrase leading many people to believe that Roger was captured by Garp. It is also revealed that Roger turned himself in, and the marines only said that they captured him 'cause it made them look good in the public eye.

Moria a former Shichibukai
Myth: Robin stated Moria was a former Shichibukai.

Fact: This was an early misconception from the pre-introduction of Moria. According to some sources, the term "moto Shichibukai" ("former member of the Shichibukai") appeared within Moria's description box during the original serialization. Whether this was actually the case or simply a fan mistranslation, in the collected release this phrasing (which is inaccurate) does not appear.

Moria a Giant
Myth: Moria is a giant. Just look at the size of him in chapter Chapter 449!

Fact: Occasionally Oda changes the scale of characters, Moria was one of these examples of rescaling. Due to the scale that of the three zombies that woke him up against him, most jumped to the conclusion that he was a giant. When he was fully introduced in chapter 455, the actual size of him was revealed. He is a large human like the Mighty Destroyers and Whitebeard. Some translations have referred to him as a giant; this is either a mistake or not meant the giant race, like when giant is used to refer to a very tall person in the real world.

Dog-Pen
Myth: Sanji's shadow was put inside "Dog-Pen" during the Thriller Bark arc.

Fact: Sanji's shadow was indeed put in the dog-faced member of the Penguin Zombie Trio. However, the zombie's name is Inuppe. Usopp refers to it as Dog-Pen (also translated as Pendog) in chapter 453, but this isn't an official name. This is one of the most common errors by any fan to One Piece, however an accepted one as there was originally no way of recognizing Sanji's zombie otherwise.

Absalom raped Nami
Myth:Nami got raped in that bath scene by Absalom.

Fact:Since he plucked her out of the bath and threw her against a wall to examine her, some mistake this as "rape". However, rape is when you force someone into an act of sexual intercourse, which Absalom did not do to Nami, therefore while it is a form of sexual assault, she wasn't raped.

Mihawk's Blade type
Myth: Mihawk's sword is a Grosses Messer.

Fact:Mihawk's blade is one of the Saijō Ō Wazamono Grade Swords, a katana type sword. Mihawk's highly decorative handle is confusing since Katana do not have such handles. However, the term "Katana" literally refers to the sword blade and not the sword as a whole as the west has come to view. The handle is usually considered replacable, however since good blades were not so many they were reused over and over again.

The reason why Mihawk's blade is often mistaken for a Grosses Messer is because of the fact that its highly decorative handle seems too westernised. Often similarities are drawn because Mihawk's blade and the Grosses Messer of the real world. The most notable and accepted reason for the blade to be known as a Grosser Messer is because the style of the blades are similar to each other.

Final Yonkou
Myth: As an empress, Hancock is a Yonkou.

Fact: Hancock was thought by some to be the last of the Four Emperors, due mainly to her title being translated as empress, the feminine form of emperor. Although the translation can be considered accurate, the Japanese terms are different It has recently been revealed that Hancock is a Shichibukai, and her title may be connected to being a guardian of her native Kuja tribe on Amazon Lily, which would further solidify she is not a Yonkou due to the island being in the Calm Belt.

There is no Dadan
Myth:The name mayor Woop Slap gives when he is talking about Luffy being trouble as "Dadan" this is wrong, it should be "Dragon".

Fact: "Dadan" is a different character that had at that point just being introduced. Woop Slap wasn't talking about Dragon at all they have different katakana spellings. Another related rumor is that "Dragon" is a bad translation by fansubs of "Dadan", which a few did. Dadan as of yet, like some of the One Piece characters hasn't made a physical appearance as of yet, but Dadan is an actual character.

Male and Female Fish/mermen
Myth: The male Mermen look like Arlong, the females are the ones that look like Mermaids.

Fact: There are several variations of this once popular myth, all of them incorrect. In the past, due to the fact the name for Mermaids (人魚) was just reversed for the Fishmen(魚人) the name of Fishmen had been mistranslated into "Mermen". The misconception was even carried across to the 4Kids dub, which referred to Arlong's crew incorrectly as "Mermen".

Many fans had been left with the impression that Mermaids were the female of the species and Arlong's crew were what the male looked like. Even when Hatchi's mini-series was written showing both the Fishwoman Octopako and Mermaid Camie, fans continued to make this mistake. In one of the SBSs, Oda himself verified that the two people were not the same race, yet despite this many fans continued to make the same mistakes. It wasn't until the start of the Red Line saga that these set of fans began to accept the two were different.

Laki and Aisa
Myth: Laki and Aisa are sisters.

Fact:They are in fact cousins, Aisa's mother is Laki's aunt.

Uncle Kizaru
Myth:Kizaru is Sentoumaru's uncle.

Fact:Kizaru and Sentoumaru are by no means related in the family sense. While Sentoumaru refers to Kizaru as "Kizaru no ojiki", which can be translated as "Uncle", this can also mean that he is simply referring to him as boss (much like the Yakuza). However, this rumor due to the direct translation has spread across message boards, and of course YouTube. At one point, the rumor made its way to Wikipedia itself and was confirmed as a fact, but this is the sort of thing why the One Piece wiki was created. It should be noted that several characters referred to friends using family terms e.g. Chimney would refer to Luffy and Nami as "kaizoku-niichan" (pirate-brother) and "kaizoku-neechan" (pirate-sister) respectively. The best example is the Franky Family who all refer to Franky as "aniki" (big brother), although the closeness between was such that they considered themselves like a real family, hence the name. Another thing that could have gave off that Kizaru and Sentoumaru are kin is the fact that the kanji spelling for the latter's name spells "peach" keeping up with with Momotaro naming scheme of the 3 Admirals and those linked to them. In any case, "Uncle" Kizaru is nothing more than a title that Sentoumaru gives him showing a great level of respect.

Human Human Fruit; Model female
Myth: Chopper ate the male human human fruit, so there must be a female human human fruit.

Fact: A misunderstanding regarding the models of Zoans. The hito hito no mi is just known as the hito hito no mi and there are no alternative models for this Devi Fruit. Though Zoans have model variations, not all of them have a variation (other examples include the Uma Uma no Mi). This a misunderstanding that surfaces from time to time in the fandom though in general it is not that common. In regards to "Man" and "Woman" models, Chopper is only a man because he started out as a male reindeer before consuming the fruit and Zoans transform the user into another entirely different species (unless the person consumes the Devil Fruit of the species he or she already is).

Speculations
Another type of myth comes from speculations. Often it is like a game of Chinese Whispers, what one person says as a speculation may end up as being taken as a fact after several people have repeated a popular speculation. After mistranslations and misunderstandings, this is the most common form of myth to rise through the fans of the series. Speculations are easier to kill than rumour based myths because as the series progresses, they are proven as fact or fiction and are rarely discussed again.

Death Buster Call Star
Myth: Buster Call having laser beams

Fact: Fans just love to make unfounded predictions and hope for the Buster Call to be a huge and scary Death-Star like ship, packed with lasers that can blow up an island like how the Death Star blows up Alderaan. Chapter 396 proves this wrong. The Buster Call turns out to be a military operation involving a fleet of World Government ships headed by five Vice Admirals, whose mission is to bombard the island until everything is burned down.

Usopp's Long Nose
Myth: Usopp's nose serves as a sniping point, helping him to lock on his target and make perfect shots!

Fact: There are times when he is facing one way while his slingshot is facing the other way, yet he manages to make a perfect shot anyway. Even with his nose he does not always make a perfect shot, Usopp's nose has nothing to do with his sniping skills, he's just born with a long nose. Look at his dad Yassop, he manages to make a perfect shot and he has a short nose.

Miss Goldenweek and Carue
Myth: I think Carue ate Miss Goldenweek

Fact: This is so far the oddest, grimmest, and most insane speculation made by few members at the fan board. During the ending of Little Garden arc, Carue was seen charging at Miss Goldenweek, after that she disappeared, Luffy, Usopp and Carue were seen eating Rice Crackers. However many fans tried to find out what happened to Goldenweek and the term "I think Carue ate Miss Goldenweek", "Didn't Carue eat Miss Goldenweek?". And stranger yet, the Miss Goldenweek section in Wikipedia used to support the claim. In reality, Miss Goldenweek has her own Side Story during the early Enies Lobby arc, she was shown alive and living in a Wax House with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.

D Means Dragon
Myth: Dragon appeared in Loguetown and Luffy was able to hear the dragon talking in the Apis Arc. The D must mean DRAGON.

Fact: The Apis arc (otherwise known as the Warship Island Arc) was not Canon. Therefore everything in it (except for a few things like the Calm Belt information) was not written in the manga by Oda. This rumour was originally created by a popular anime blogger who took a wild guess after watching the arc. Due to the popularity of the said blog, others also pondered on the idea (though some fans came to this meaning on their own accord). However, it has been proven Dragon has a important plot role.

Mushy Stuff
Myth: X character in One Piece is in love with X other character in One Piece.

Fact: Its not uncommon to see pairings mentioned like Luffy x Nami, however some fans try to force the speculation into fact when it is not. When asked if there would be romance in One Piece in a SBS letter, Oda replied "they are in love with adventure". There are no hints released in the manga itself. As such, most love referencing comes in the form of perverted comments from one character to the other. However, fans of any series will take even the smallest detail as a hint otherwise. Remember: One Piece is not a shoujo, so don't expect much romance.

Buggy Scarred Shanks
Myth: Those marks on Shanks' left eye match those left behind when Luffy was hit in the face by Buggy with his knives. Buggy must have done that to Shanks!

Fact: Shanks states that he got the scars from Blackbeard.

The Devil Fruit eaten by Dragon
Myth: It's obvious by the way he said "Wind Blast" back in Loguetown that Dragon has a wind Logia Devil Fruit. Or maybe, Dragon ate a Devil Fruit that allows him to manipulate the weather (why do you think a lightning bolt saved Luffy from being killed by Buggy? And what about the rain, when Dragon arrives at Loguetown?).

Fact: Dragon did say "Wind" in the Manga, it was also added in the anime. The original manga, does however not give any further indication that Dragon had any effect on the weather other than being there at the same time. We do not know his power, although it's still a possibility, also the lightning bolt probably did strike Luffy but seeing how hes a rubber man he would be unaffected by it.

Oda's Character references
Myth: Oda based his idea for X character from One Piece to Y character from Z series.

Fact: While some characters like Jango have obvious design origins, others are not so easily compared. If you really want to, you can compare just about every character to someone else out there. Many characters are based on other characters. Without the word of Oda, saying stuff like "Brook looks like Jack Skellington from Nightmare before Christmas" or "Jabura resembles Tao from Dragonball" is just speculation.

Incidently Brook's orgins were eventaully revealed, proving the speculations on his design origin as true, however, most of these speculations remain unproven. Many of the speculated origins of the characters are taken from purely Western views, which is difficult to know whether or not a Japanese person would have even heard of of the acclaimed "Oda Source Material". However, Oda has proven to be more acknowledge on other cultures and One Piece contains references to cultures fromover the world. To date, the only origins that can usually be proven are the names of pirates such as:


 * 1) Thatch, Marshall D. Teach (alias Blackbeard), Edward Newgate (Whitebeard) (Various alias of the same famous pirate known as Edward Teach)
 * 2) Calico Yorki (Calico Jack

Corgi and the CP5
Myth: Corgi is a member of CP5, he might even be the leader!

Fact: The speculation comes from the fact that Corgi was trying to get the blueprints to Pluton from Iceburg, exactly what Spandam was doing with Tom when he was in charge of the CP5. But Corgi was never labeled as a leader of CP5 but was labeled as representative of the Government. However until Oda says something about it in a SBS or it is stated by a character, it is merely a speculation.

The Parents
Myth: Makino is Luffy's mother. Shanks is Luffy's father.

Fact: No one knows who Luffy's mother is. Makino is a friend, her concern for Luffy is no different then the mayor's. Shanks is revealed not to be Luffy's father, but rather Dragon is. This was a combination of fans noticing Shanks' concern for Luffy and that Shanks was drawn very similar to Luffy in the beginning of the series.

A more recent theory has sprung up since Shanks' trip to Whitebeard that Ace is Shank's son. This remains unconfirmed and to date just speculation. This has sprung up based on the different surnames of Luffy and Ace (Monkey and Portgas) and the fact Garp never actually refers to Ace as his grandson when he visited Luffy.

One of the more stranger speculations on Luffy's parentage is Hancock being Luffy's mother. Since she is a Kuja and the Kuja only give birth to females, this is the least likely prediction of Luffy's mother so far.

Whitebeard a D
Myth: Whitebeard has got to be a D! Look at how strong he is!

Fact: So far his name has only been given as "Edward Newgate", since Gold Roger's name was revealed to be "Gol D. Roger" some speculate his name is actually "Edwar D. Newgate" however this remains to date just speculation. It also to be considered that not all strong characters are D.s anyway.

Example
Zoro has survived multiple wounds and thrown giant buildings at enemies.

They Will Join!
Myth: That character would be great on the Straw Hat crew, they must join!

Fact: With every new arc that is released comes the hunt for Luffy to add more members to his crew. Many fans will speculate as to who will join and when. Mostly, this comes from Luffy's early recruitment during the East Blue saga when he recruits a member almost every arc. When Luffy reached the Grand Line, this recruitment process slowed down and instead of most arcs leading to a member a new member has joined every three or four arcs.

Past speculated members:
 * Vivi: Traveled with the Straw Hats throughout the Baroque Works Saga, but had no position she could hold. In the end, although the Straw Hats wanted her to come with them and were prepared to turn the Going Merry around to pick her up, she bid them a tearful farewell. Vivi's commitment as princess to Arabasta prevented her from leaving her home country and later she admitted she would have not been able to keep up with them.
 * Mr. 2 Bon Kurei: Bon Kurei assisted the Straw-hats with their escape from Arabasta and wanted to be friends with them. In the end, Bon Kurei departed with the crew to distract the marines that were chasing them.
 * Conis: Having music skills and a fair knowledge of dials, plus huge interactions with the Straw Hats, she was speculated to be the Straw Hats next member, fulfilling the role of musician. However she displayed little fighting skills and was content with staying on Skypiea with her father. She was never asked to join the Straw Hats nor showed any interest in traveling with them.
 * Wiper: Due to his insane willpower and strength Wiper was believed to be the next crew member to join, however he had no position he could fulfill. In the end Wiper neither showed any interest in joining nor was asked to join by Luffy. Until Skypiea no other arc had passed by without a crewmember joining.
 * Crewmember from the Foxy Pirates: The Straw Hats played the Davy Back Fight with the Foxy Pirates. Throughout the arc, many thought the Straw Hats would get a new member. The main Speculation was a new shipwright as Luffy had previously decided to get one for the crew. However in the end Luffy didn't pick a new crewmember. However in the Anime version, Luffy wins 497 crewmembers from Foxy, but then dismisses them.
 * Paulie: Due to early hints (such as him building astound trust with Luffy) and Franky being set up as a villain during the Water 7 arc, many fans speculated Paulie would join and fulfill the role of Shipwright. However as the Enies Lobby arc progressed on, it became clear Franky, not Paulie, would join. In the end Paulie was never asked to join by Luffy and showed clear loyalty to Iceburg.
 * Cerberus: Luffy captured the cerberus in Thriller Bark and rode on it's back for a while. When readers saw this, many came to the conclusion that Luffy would keep it as a pet. This is as of now impossible, as the cerberus (Along with all other zombies) were purified by Gecko Moria.
 * Perona: After Perona's fight with Usopp, Perona decided to use the Thousand Sunny to escape. Many fans began speculating that Perona may end up joining the crew. She was given a extensive and detailed explanation on her Devil Fruit, which in itself was rare for any Devil Fruit user in the series to receive. Her happy attitude and seemingly invincible power also was believed to be signs of this. Her desire for a subordinate with both a cute voice and appearance led others to point to Chopper as a replacement for Kumacy, along with the hint of Luffy's desire to catch one of her ghosts as a pet. However she was  sent flying in some direction by Kuma and her fate is currently unknown.
 * Camie: Camie landed onto the Straw-hat's ship at the start of the Red Line arc; oddly, people are already jumping to the conclusion that she will join the crew. However there is no real job position to be filled at the moment, and Camie doesn't appear to have any profession to contribute. In addition, she has few to no fighting skills, and it has already been revealed that her dream is to become a designer, something she would not need to travel to the New World to accomplish.
 * Marguerite: Currently the most significant figure of the Kuja tribe of Amazons, Marguerite rescued Luffy after Kuma sent him flying onto her island of Amazon Lily. She has quickly developed an interest in Luffy as she has never seen a man before and also went out of her way to support Luffy.
 * Hancock: Because Hancock has a secret she wishes to protect, fans speculate she has a tragic past, something which every Straw Hat pirate has had prior to joining. However, Hanock for now is already a Shichibukai, although she is one who doesn't appear to like the World Government.

Musician Ideal
Myth: The upcoming musician for the Straw Hat Pirates is an attractive young woman.

Fact: Ever since Luffy wanted a musician, many fans always speculate on who will be a musician. However there is the popular speculation about an musician was always an attractive woman, mostly in the One Piece fanfiction.net section, it became a popular fan ideals. Often they would portray the woman sailing on a small rowboat or already joined the crew by the time their story begins, sometimes the musician would be a female mermaid. All this happened before Brook, an official Straw Hat Pirate's musician was introduced.

Interestingly, before Brook's initial appearance, Oda had already thought up of the Straw Hat Pirates' musician while first drawing Laboon back in 1999, he had the concept of Brook, a tall, male, 88 years old skeleton with an afro since then but never brought it into the open until 2007. Once Brook became the official Straw Hat Pirate's musician, the "young attractive female musician" was put down.

Progression of Time
Myth: Its been a year since the story began.

Fact: There is no indication of how long the storyline has taken. Few clues aid the fans at all.

From witnessing the story play out;
 * 1) Luffy's first few adventures in the East blue happened within a few weeks. The only time night was witnessed however were during the Captain Kuro story arc and at the end of the Arlong story arc. They therefore spent at least one day at Usopp's village.
 * 2) They spent several days after Nami's village was freed from Arlong partying.
 * 3) No night scenes were witnessed during Loguetown, it is presumed Loguetown was a quick stop for them due to the events with Smoker.
 * 4) Whiskey Peak was at least one night, they were there less than a day.
 * 5) They were at Little Garden for only a day (no night scenes were witnessed.)
 * 6) From Little Garden to Drum Island it was less than 5 days (Nami would have died from her illness of Kestia if it had been any longer).
 * 7) There was a night scene at Drum Island, but they were there no more than two or so days.
 * 8) They met Ace within ten days of him visiting Drum Island because he had left Drum Island only a week before hand and he was still in Arabasta when they arrived. He was only going to wait ten days for Luffy.
 * 9) In all, they spent less than a week or so in Arabasta before moving on.
 * 10) They were in Jaya less than four days, only one night was witnesse while they were there, so it is likley they were ther for about twenty four hours, minus the trip there.
 * 11) A close examination of Skypiea will show that it lasted two days (Entering the white sea to the campfire in upper yard was one day, and then the survival game to waking up the next morning after the party was anoother).
 * 12) No night scenes were seen in the Davy Fights, it is presumed the events took place in less than a day.
 * 13) There was a three day gap between Long Ring Long Land island and Water 7 due to Aokiji's attack on the Straw Hats.
 * 14) Including the events of Enies Lobby, the crew had stopped at Water 7 for a week.
 * 15) Thriller Bark was less than a day.
 * 16) There was a week between leaving Thriller Bark and arriving at the Red Line.
 * 17) A full two days have passed visibly over the time Luffy is on his way to the Isle of Amazon Lily

All in all, the storyline works out to show that the Straw Hats have been sailing for nearly three months. When you add up all the days that the storyline roughs out for you it works out the Straw Hats have been sailing for at least 43 - 73 days, although it is likely much higher than this due to the fact time spent traveling between islands is indeterminable. Another hint to how long time has progressed in the moon. In One Piece, Oda has depicted the moon several times, it has been discovered the moon's phases progress with the storyline's own timeline.

An argument against the timespan is that Koby has aged greatly, however Oda answered this. According to Oda, Koby just went through a grow spurt and tightened his muscles with discipline (due to Garp's training).

The final hint of age is the notion Oda once stated that One Piece timeline is independent of our own real world time line. In confirming this, he also revealed that Luffy is still 17, meaning One Piece's storyline has taken place in less than a year. This however is the only solid information on the timeline for One Piece there is.

Kaku the Monkey
Myth: Kaku's Devil Fruit grants him the ability to turn into a monkey!

Fact:Kaku's unidentified Devil Fruit was once speculated by fans to be a Devil Fruit that would turn it's user into some sort of monkey due to it's banana shape. Since monkeys are often associated with bananas in common pop culture and due to the fact that Franky calls Kaku due to his jumping ability that he commonly displays while traversing Water 7, this speculation was expected as it also seemed like the author, Oda, was slightly implying it with the various subtle hint-like elements in order to throw readers off and intensify the joke of its revelation.

Fate of Saul
Myth: Saul is still alive, Kuzan's move didn't kill him!

Fact: While it appears Saul died at Ohara Island, there are arguments that may prove otherwise. The simple fact that he and Aokiji were good friends may show that Aokiji was reluctant to kill him. Amongst the noted signs, is the name of the move used by Aokiji 'Ice Time Capsule', which alone implies he may still be alive (although it could just mean that the move is "Ice Time", only focused on a smaller area). However it is yet to be proved he is alive and for now he is considered as dead until proven otherwise.

B. Hancock a Zoan!?
Myth: Boa Hancock empress of the Kuja has the power to transform to a half snake-woman (more like Medusa) or a full snake, thanks to the power of a Zoan type Devil Fruit.

Fact: Even though the name of the empress sounds like the name of an snake, we haven't heard almost anything about her abilities. We only know she must be the most powerful of the Kuja as she is a highly respected member by all. However only time can say if this its true or false. The only other hint about her powers is that she may have eaten a Devil Fruit which can turn people into stone.

Another example of a name not matching their powers would be Crocodile, who had the Suna Suna no Mi Devil Fruit.

Gecko Moria is another example, with the power of the Kage Kage no Mi Devil Fruit.

Recent chapters suggest that she has a Devil Fruit power that turns people into stone, possibly called the Mero Mero no Mi. The latest chapter has proved that her ability is in actual fact that of the mero mero no mi

Rumours
Often these are started by one person posting on a site such as Wikipedia or on a forum. They are different from speculations as they are not being put forward as a possible idea, but rather as fact. Often, there is no ownership claim to such rumours as to who started them. They are just random statements being offered as false facts. Rumours are usually less common than other myths because they take some time to manifest in the fandom. Due to their nature and how they have worked their way into the fandom, they are the hardest to kill even when proven to be incorrect. Usually the fans who innocently pass them around also lack knowledge on the official sources connected to the rumour and often believe them without question.

4th Yonkou Rumor
Myth: Gold Lion is rumored to be the 4th Yonkou, it said so on YouTube!

Fact: Every good editor needs to double check their information with legitimate sources;


 * 1) Rumors can be fake.
 * 2) It was hinted that he's actually a Vice-Admiral, although this is unconfirmed.
 * 3) Movies are not considered canon to the main storyline and Oda never uses the movie information in his main storyline unless he chooses to.

Rumors should never be used as a fact to add into the main storyline. Rumors are also a weak source and trusting a rumor from YouTube is not a good idea. To this date only a few details are known about the 10th movie. In general Japanese movies do not receive the same treatment as the west where much information is revealed before the showing through interviews with cast and crew, as well as after the release date so as to hype up the movie.


 * 1) Everyone on the Straw Hat crew up to, and including Brook, is in the cast.
 * 2) Other characters who appear as guest are; Garp, Whitebeard and Shanks.
 * 3) Gold Lion is the "villain".
 * 4) Luffy and crew invade Marine HQ.

In times such as this, both as an editor and/or fan, one must consider if the sources are legitimate. Remember - if you are unsure of a rumour, ask on this site on related talk page (others editors will not bite and will get in trouble if they do), or failing that on a forum such as Arlong Park. Asking questions will get you in far less trouble than posting a rumour!

Fake Bounties
Myth: Example: Mihawk carries a bounty of 600,000,000 and Shanks a bounty of 700,000,000.

Fact: If Oda gives a bounty, it will appear in the Manga itself either on a wanted poster or in an info box when the character is first introduced. Outside of that, only the SBS will feature bounty amounts and estimates. Confirmed bounties will also appear in catch up chapters like Grand Line Times.

Fake bounties are amongst the oldest of the fake information amongst the One Piece fandom and have been around since the beginning of the series. These rumored bounty amounts were started off by fans, mostly thanks to people who created fan-based posters of the characters, speculated rumours or even fanfiction. There are many fans who believe them; however, they are not true. Other bounties often seen are Whitebeard being worth 1,000,000,000 and Gold Roger being worth 1,200,000,000.

One of the oldest fake bounties is the notion of all three of the top Baroque Works agents having bounties. Out of the trio or Mr.1, Mr.2 and Mr.3 only Mr.2 Bon Kurei carries a bounty. The usual source of this is the Baroque Works' mini-series in which it was stated that the Marines were after all members of Baroque Work, however only Mr.2 has a bounty mentioned. For Mr.1 it is often suggested it came from when Smoker was discussing the new bounties issued for the Straw Hat crew at the end of the Arabasta arc. Once again there is no mention of any Baroque Works bounty. For Mr.3, a bounty of 42,000,000 is often noted, however this a misunderstanding comes from his claim that he once took down a criminal worth this amount.

In addition to this, the mention of Ace's bounty being 400,000,000 also came out of an early fake spoiler rumor of chapter 441. The origin is that the fake spoiler stated that Luffy and Ace's combined bounties were over 700,000,000. No exact amount was placed on Ace's head; however, at the time, everyone knew Luffy's bounty was 300,000,000. Thus, it meant Ace's head was worth at least 400,000,000 according to the fake spoiler.

A Thriller Bark fake spoiler put Gecko Moria's bounty at 370,000,000. The information is confirmed fake; the amount is 320,000,000. One fake placed Mihawk's bounty at 540,000,000 and Whitebeard's at 120,000,000,000. Another pitched Dragon at 500,000,000. Fake bounties are usually easy to spot because their amounts seem to be too farfetched against other One Piece bounties.

In particular note of the rumoured bounties over the years, people have also claimed that Oda has unoffically given the classic "Mihawk 600,000,000 and Shanks, 700,000,000" as their true bounty amounts. However, it is not uncommon to have fans lie and state Oda has said something when he has not.

4Kids Promised English "We Are..." Intro
Myth: 4Kids used "We Are" in the convention before One Piece was dubbed. They promised they'd use it, where is it?

Fact: Firstly, it is rare for a company to commit itself to such things beforehand, as once they promise such things they cannot change them or it would make them out to be liars. Secondly, there is no proof this was a promise made by 4Kids. In fact, 4Kids said they preferred the rap they eventually released alongside the series. There is also no evidence supporting the claim that they created the English version of "We Are", only that it was created for promotional reasons. Several unconfirmed sources suggest that not 4Kids but FUNimation had produced that introduction back when the bidding on the series was still going on as an "example", but this has yet to be confirmed.

Lastly, this was a promotional viewing at the time of the introduction. It has not been unknown for anime series to be featured with their original introductions at conventions to hype up the series before release.

Skipping Arcs to get to Chopper
Myth: 4Kids skipped straight through the Apis Arc/Warship Island Arc, Laboon Arc, Little Garden and several other episodes to get Chopper in the series ASAP due to his marketing value.

Fact: Some fans noticed that after Chopper joined, the amount of episodes being skipped was cut down. There is no given explanation for the skipping of those episodes and arcs or word from 4Kids on the matter. Without 4Kids's side of the story, it is hard to say what the truth is.

What we do know is that the original channel on which the English dub was featured (Jetix) did not allow references to blood, violence, or death at all. Also, any show that receives low ratings is harder to sell and 4Kids has been noted to leave out poor rated episodes from other anime they have dubbed. With that in mind we can only speculate on the reasons that may have caused those episodes to be taken out:


 * The missing Arlong Park episodes and cut scenes featured blood (such as the wound Zoro received from Mihawk and Nami stabbing her arm) and death (Bellemere was shot for example).
 * Buggy's Mini-Arc received low ratings in Japan.
 * The missing Loguetown arc episodes had little to offer to the arc overall. Usopp's duel with Daddy the Father referenced fighting and death. They also received low ratings in Japan.
 * The Apis/Warship Island Arc was made for children in Japan; however, it still featured death (in the form of a dragon dying, even though it was reborn a minute later). To top it off the Arc itself was met with low ratings in Japan.
 * The Laboon arc featured Luffy hurting a whale, which would have been a serious issue to an American audience.
 * Koby's mini-series received low ratings.
 * Little Garden arc featured the start of bloodier fighting scenes and had more references to death.
 * The fillers after the Arabasta Arc had nothing to do with the rest of the series and all received low ratings in Japan. Zoro's backstory was possibly left in due to his popularity with the American audience. Although filler, the Rainbow Mist arc was written into the story.

Another important fact to remember is that 4Kids gave up the rights to the show at the start of the Jaya arc. Had they been allowed to continue with the series, it is likely that more episodes would have been cut further along in the series.

Mihawk and Elements
Myth: Mihawk can cut all four elements, it says so in X Data Book.

Fact: This is an old rumour that has been around since the release of the Data books, with origins currently unknown. There is nothing in the books about such a thing. However, this is one of those rumors amongst the fandom that just doesn't die easy.

Lucky Roux is fast
Myth: Lucky Roux is the fastest person in the Grand Line.

Fact: This is an old rumour that has been around since the release of the Data books, with origins currently unknown. The original rumor came once more from info in the Data books (which later was confirmed to be absent from any of the databooks). This is based on Luffy's past when Roux appeared out of nowhere to kill a bandit. Again, this is not actually a proven fact.

The 7 Shichibukai leave their Crews
Myth: When the Shichibukai gain their rank, they must abandon their crews.

Fact: This is very wrong! In the entire series not once does Oda state this in neither chapter nor SBS. It is unclear how this managed to manifested in the English fandom. There are currently three theories as to how it happened in which one or all may be the source of this myth;


 * 1) Sometimes a 4Kids mistranslation is blamed as most English fans who state this have not gone over the original Japanese version. An exact source for this has never been supplied.
 * 2) One source of blame is how the Shichibukai were introduced. Mihawk was introduced without a crew, Arlong was introduced having split away from Jimbei's crew and Crocodile did not have a pirate crew. Both Kuma and Doflamingo appeared at the Shichibukai/Marine meeting by themselves. Later Doflamingo returns to punish Bellamy for disgracing his old flag. These things combined are thought to give many fans the impression the Shichibukai are crewless.
 * 3) When the fans who make this mistake are questioned as to source, they usually link their information to the introduction of the Shichibukai made by Yosaku. This misunderstanding is however untrue and there is no such statement made in Yosaku's story about who the Shichibukai are.

Since the World Government does not care what a Shichibukai does so long as it maintains the balance in the world it seems unlikely they'd enforce such a rule on the Shichibukai on whom they seem to rely so much. So far, the only Shichibukai who seem to truly be loners are Mihawk and Kuma. This remains one of the strongest myths amongst the English speaking fandom. Even with newer chapters being released that prove the rumour is wrong and evidence from older chapters, every time the subject of the Shichibukai is raised someone will put forward this myth. These chapters include the introduction of the Shichibukai Boa Hancock, who clearly remains the captain of her Kuja Pirate crew.

Fishmen and Devil Fruits
Myth: If a Fishman eats a Devil Fruit, he will explode, Oda said so!

Fact: It is unknown if there exists a fishman who has eaten a Devil Fruit and despite what some claimed when spreading this rumour, Oda has never given a response to such a question. This rumour came out soon after the explaination on Devil Fruit users and why they can't eat two Devil Fruits. It was common to see around forums and lasted for about a year, but has become less common now then it once was.

The theory is spawned from the classic problem of why a Fishman would even consider a Devil Fruit, as his strength is in being able to swim, yet a Devil Fruit renders the user useless in water. There are many other thoeries as people have considered that the Fishmen might have a special condition when Devil Fruits are involved. It was also a thoery that their half-fish status would act as a Devil Fruit effect, thus the Devil Fruit would react to them.

To date, one can only presume the normal rules of Devil Fruits apply to Fishmen until the subject is raised in the storyline (if ever).

Straw Hat Death
Myth: Oda stated a crew member will die!

Fact: Possibly one of the most famous forum rumours. Back in 2003 Oda was claimed to have given verbal word that a member of the Straw Hats will die. At the time the series was still in Skypiea.

The story goes (as often told by long-term fans) that later on when this did not happen, Oda said sorry as things hadn't gone as planned. The member of the crew that was suppose to die in 2003 is said to have been the Going Merry, which was originally planned to go down then. When Skypiea played out for too long the death of the Going Merry was delayed for 4 years while Oda finished the other arcs before it and (eventually) led the storyline up to the end of the Going Merry at the end of the Enies Lobby arc.

Oda has stated many times over the last few years that the series has gone on longer than he expected, he only planned it to last for 5 years.

Translator Jokes and Fake Spoilers
Translators like a joke as much as anyone. Several past myths have spawned from jokes such as these. Often these are fewer than the other types of myths but are harder to kill than normal myths. The reason is simply that they are often written by sources that people rely on, and without knowing any better the fans take the info as fact. Until someone points them out, these myths appear as the most innocent of all because unless they're obviously fake, they are harder to prove as fake by the non-Japanese speaking fan.

Norland is a D.
Myth: His name is Montblanc D. Norland!!!

Fact: A joke that came directly from kaizoku-fansubs. Basically, they decided to do a stupidity test to see what would happen. Nevertheless their joke swept through much of the fandom and apparently it took several weeks to kill the myth. Meanwhile, it leaked into just about every forum (leading to embarrassment for many people). His name is just Montblanc Norland.

Aokiji, Ace and Blackbeard


Myth: Aokiji interrupts the fight with the two pirates to ask what they are doing.

Fact: Shonen Jump Magazine takes a regular break for a few weeks over the Christmas holidays, at which point the fandom is often flooded with fake spoilers. During the gap between the end of the Enies Lobby arc and the start of the Thriller Bark arc this became a regular sight amongst the spoilers being released as it happen to fall over the Christmas period.

In one famous case, a fake copy + paste picture was even provided as a real scan. The image itself made no sense as it was noted to have Whiskey Peak in the background when the spoilers had said they were in Water 7 (amongst several other places entirely). Also, while the Blackbeard image was reproduced from an earlier chapter, the image used was missing his legs from the knees downwards and this was repeated in this image. His shirt was recoloured black instead of white. The quality of the image is rather poor and the characters are not drawn to scale. There is no shading under Ace and on top of this, the picture on the page on the right has no border while the other pictures on the left hand page have obvious hand drawn borders. Another note is the thick white margins at the bottom of the page; something rarely seen in manga, One Piece included.

Initially, all of the fake rumours said the same thing, however there were differences between the story with every released fake spoiler. Aokiji was later revealed to be with Garp on board his ship, hitching a ride back to the Marine HQ, while Blackbeard and Ace's fight was left to take its course.

A Variation of this was Smoker, Blackbeard and Ace.

Francis D. Roberts
Myth: Blackbeard's reason for betraying Whitebeard was due to the death of Francis D. Roberts.

Fact: Its from a fake spoiler seen during chapter 435. There is no such character in the series to date.

Luffy a Shichibukai
Myth: Luffy's grandpa will offer him the position of Shichibukai.

Fact: Just as the Ace and Blackbeard myth, this was fake. The Shichibukai are offered their place by the World Government. Garp just doesn't have the authority to grant him that position. This rumour has also reappeared as speculation from many fans reactions to the chapter 472 spoilers. Further, it is unlikely that they would offer him a position or that he would accept, considering his actions at Enies Lobby (declaring war on the World Government by burning their flag).

Franky's dad is SUUUPER!
Myth: Franky's dad is a Yonkou.

Fact: Nothing is known about him. Franky is the son of a pirate, when the Franky Family begged the Straw Hats to take him with them, this cropped up in the spoilers for the next chapter. Later when the chapter was released, there was no further information on Franky's parentage. This Chapter was highlighted by the fact that only a few chapters prior, Garp had just introduced the Yonkou.

Eustass "Captain" Kidd will become a Shichibukai
Myth: Bartholomew Kuma will offer Kidd a Shichibukai position.

Fact: Stemmed from a fake spoiler for chapter 506.

Marguerite for nakama
Myth: Luffy wants Marguerite as a crewmember.

Fact: This idea comes from a mistranslation of a very early spoiler for chapter 514. It was only the spoiler provider's idea that she would join, as Luffy had not even seen her as of the end of the chapter.

Ten week cycle
Myth: Oda has a message in Jump saying that One Piece will have an alternating schedule with Hunter x Hunter!

Fact: Upon the return of Hunter x Hunter to Weekly Jump, someone took advantage of the announcement that Oda would be leaving a message in the latest issue to take snide jab at Yoshihiro Togashi's work habits by claiming that the announcement detailed how One Piece and Hunter x Hunter would rotate in and out of the magazine every ten weeks, and dressed it up to resemble a regarded information provider. This evoked strong reactions from both the English and Japanese speaking fandoms until further research discovered that the information was false and Oda's message turned out to be a simple apology for a one-week absence of One Piece, due to his being late with the chapter.

Related Articles

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