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/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 name of a Japanese bear living in the mountains. 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 (sanzoku touryou Higuma) "Mountain bandit leader Higuma."

Bon Clay
Myth: The latter part of Mr. 2's 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 Kurei 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).

Baroque Works Agents
Myth: The only member to have a real name is Mr. 2 whose real name is Bon Kurei.

Fact: All the members of Baroque Works are bound to have real names other than their codenames. Examples so far:


 * Out of the 4 infiltrating members going against Baroque Works, only 2 were revealed -Miss Wednesday (Nefertari Vivi) and Mr. 8 (Igaram)- while the other 2 -Miss Monday and Mr. 9- have yet to be revealed.
 * Mr. 0 is the codename used by the Shichibukai Sir Crocodile.
 * Miss All-Sunday was the codename given to Nico Robin before she joined the Strawhat crew.
 * Mr. 1 is the codename used by Daz Bones.
 * Mr. 2 Bon Kurei is a mix of codenames that is used to describe his character. This is the one member of Baroque Works which fans assume that his real name is Bon Kurei when this is actually his holiday part of his codename. His real name was revealed in the Impel Down story arc as "Bentham".
 * Mr. 3 was thought not to have a real name until it was revealed in the Impel Down story arc which is "Galdino".

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. Although while humans can't talk to animals, many animals in One Piece often display a certain amount of human language understanding, however this is normally done for story or comic relief. 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. 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 (to his cost), they are not. Bounties are a threat level not a power level. In other words, it is how much the world government wants the person dead. Someone 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. Nico Robin is another example where she has had a bounty of 79,000,000 since she was a child due to her ability to read Poneglyphs. 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 his strength, because the World Government incorrectly assumed he was a harmless pet. There is a strong correlation between strength and bounty size because, as was mentioned, a pirate's physical strength can be a threat to the world government. Still, the correlation is not perfect.

Politics also affect bounties.

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.

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

Fact: 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 form limbs on 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 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.

Moria's nickname is King of the Depths
Myth: When introduced, his box name writes "King of Depths, Shichibukai Gecko Moria".

Fact: The full title for the term Shichibukai is Ouka Shichibukai, which literally translates into Below King Seven Armed Seas. Fan mistranslation has caused people to assume that the Below King part is his nickname and people went with the term King of the Depths as his nickname when in reality, it is simply part of the Shichibukai title. All other Shichibukai members have the same title written in their name boxes.

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 or Denguin) 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 was 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 was 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 (hilt) is confusing since Katana do not have straight crossguards, instead having a round 'tsuba' guard. 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 hilt is usually considered replacable, however since good blades were not so many; hence forth they would be 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 more resembles a Western sword. 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 Keimi, 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 Whitebeard War 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. Johnny and Yosaku both referred to Zoro as 'aniki' as well. 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 Momotaro's 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 Devil 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 only transform the user into another species (unless the person consumes the Devil Fruit of the species he or she already is).

Double D Roger
Myth: His name is Gold D. Roger.

Fact: His Japanese name is ゴール・D・ロジャー romanized to Gōru D. Rojā (note there is no "D" in Gōru) and in Latin text is written in the storyline as "Gol". When we combine the "Gol" with his "D." we get "Gold" hence the origins of "Gold Roger". It is not uncommon to still see "Gold D. Roger" being used as not only is it a common error linked back to his name, but is used in several common scanlations such as those used at the scan site onemanga and for a long time the MSN site One Piece V.2. 4Kids also made this same mistake and had Dr. Kureha say "Gold D. Roger".

Tom a Sunny
Myth: Tom was a Sunny Pirate, he has their tattoo!

Fact: Tom does have a similar tattoo, but it is not the same as theirs. From flashbacks you can see Tom with his tattoo many years before the Sunny Pirates were formed.

Hancock Haki Mastery
Myth: Hancock states she hasn't mastered Haki yet.

Fact: This was a mistranslation. What she was actually saying was that Luffy hadn't mastered it yet. She did not mention her level of mastery at all.

Pandaman in Impel Down
Myth: Pandaman is now more than just an Easter Egg character as he is offically imprisoned at Impel Down. If you don't believe me look at Mr.2 Bon Kurei's list...

Fact: ...And the several alternative versions of this myth! Fans seem to forget when it came to Pandaman's appearance in Impel Down the nature of his appearances and who he is intended to be. His name can appear in many places, an example is on a gravestone in Thriller Bark, however that did not mean Pandaman is dead (though a pandaman zombie was seen in places in the anime). The only time the storyline has effected Pandaman's appearances greatly was during the Amazon Lily arc in which he is replaced by Pandawoman. In reminder of Pandaman's nature and apearances, fans need to remember that Pandaman also appears on the level above he was listed as being inprisoned on.

End of One Piece is Near
Myth: Oda is about to end the series!

Fact: An error misunderstanding on Oda's part. Oda said in one SBS that he was where he was for the ending. This meant he had all the elements of the story now in place and had set up everything he needed for One Piece's ending. However many fans (in particular this impacted the Japanese fandom most of all) mistook this as Oda stating One Piece was about to end.

Dadan's Appearance


Myth: Dadan was the man in a flashback with Luffy and he looks like the younger Gorousei.

Fact: That was Garp, Dadan was still off-screen and had not yet made his full appearance.

Ace is One Piece
Myth: Ace IS One Piece.

Fact: The most strangest random speculations started by some fans. Because Ace is the son of Gol D. Roger, they assume that he is One Piece. This is not the case, as Roger had stated that he left "everything in that place", which is unlikely to be Baterilla, where he would've "left" Ace.

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 doubles as a cross-hair, allowing him to be extremely accurate with any projectile weapons.

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 which apparently is genetic from his mother Banchina. Look at his dad Yasopp, he manages to make a perfect shot and he has a short nose. It is most likely a reference to Pinocchio, a wooden boy whose nose got longer each time he lied.

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 and 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?" came into being. 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 manga, so don't expect much romance. Oda took eleven years to introduce any at all - Hancock's crush towards Luffy. However this is considered to be a one-sided romance as Luffy doesn't have that same crush towards Hancock.

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 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 not say "Wind blast" in the Manga, it was added in the anime. The original manga does not give any indication that Dragon had any effect on the weather other than being around when the storm hit. We do not know his power, although it's always a possibility.

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 "Jyabura resembles Tao from Dragonball" is just speculation.

Incidently Brook's orgins were eventually 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". The other thing to realise is that some references have since become culturally common, like all pirates in Western culture saying "Arrrr!", which few people know originates from Robert Newton's role of Long John Silver in the 1950 film of Treasure Island. However, Oda has proven to be more knowledgeable on other cultures and One Piece contains references to cultures from all over the world. Many of his characters show a strong resemblance to musicains from Western media and music, particularly influences drawn from Rock and Metal music. 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 than 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 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; however, chapter 550 clearly states that Ace is Gol D. Roger's son. (Ace took his surname from his mother because he has no love for his father), thus ending this speculation once and for all.

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.

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. Luffy has just recently teamed back up with him in Impel Down. In the end, he stays behind to open the door to allow Luffy and the other 240 prisoners escape, while the storyline leds the reader to believe that Mr.2 met his fate at the hands of Magellan.
 * 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 saga 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. Although in the Anime version, Luffy wins 497 crewmembers from Foxy, but then dismisses them.
 * Paulie: Due to early hints (such as him building astounding 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. She is sent flying by Kuma towards the end of the Thriller Bark arc and her location has recently been revealed as the Shikkearu kingdom, where she complains about not being waited on hand and foot, and not being able to eat delicious food. Zoro is sent to the same island by Kuma, and although she is terrified when she discovers him, then laughs at how badly injured he is, she takes him inside and treats his wounds, suggesting that she is willing to form an alliance with him.
 * Keimi: Keimi landed onto the Straw Hats' ship at the start of the Sabaody Archipeligo arc; oddly, people were already jumping to the conclusion that she would join the crew. However there is no real job position to be filled at the moment, and Keimi 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. The only thing she would have to contribute is being different from the others (the way Chopper and Brook are different).
 * 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. When Luffy leaves Amazon Lily, however, she remained behind but not before Luffy tells her and her friends Sweet Pea and Aphelandra that he will return after getting his brother free and finding his crew.
 * Hancock: She has a tragic past (being a slave of the world government), something which every Straw Hat pirate has had prior to joining. However, Hancock for now is already a Shichibukai, although she is one who doesn't appear to like the World Government.
 * Emporio Ivankov: Former "queen" of Kamabaka Island and lead resident of New Kama land, a place hidden in level 5 of Impel Down. He is a member of Monkey D. Dragon's revolutionaries. When he found out that both Ace and Luffy are Dragon's sons (though it is revealed that Ace is accually Gol D. Rogers son and not Dragons), he decides to help Luffy rescue Ace who is currently being transported to Marineford. He seems intent on stopping the World government from bringing the wrath of Dragon down upon themselves, but before that was waiting for the signal from Dragon to move as a Revolutionary, implying his loyalty is solidly with Dragon and not the somewhat lesser goal of piracy.
 * Inazuma: Ivankov's right-hand man who is a part of Dragon's revolutionaries as well. He had rescued Luffy from the wolves of level 5 of Impel Down. After Luffy had been healed and Luffy's mission has been mentioned, Inazuma goes with Luffy and Ivankov to rescue Ace.
 * Impel Down Allies: Buggy, Jimbei, Crocodile, Mr. 1 and Mr. 3. All of them worked with Luffy to escape Impel Down, however, they all did so for different reasons. For now, they are aiding him to go and rescue Ace.

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 late-2007. Once Brook became the official Straw Hat Pirate's musician, the "young attractive female musician" became baised but some fanfiction writers would instead have a female musician join before Brook joined or contiune having a female musician anyway. (replaced later with "female harboon/Helmsman" specialist Fishwoman/Mermaid instead).

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) Luffy worked for two days in Baratie before the arrival of Don Krieg's Pirate Armada.
 * 3) They spent several days, after Nami's village was freed from Arlong, partying.
 * 4) No night scenes were witnessed during Loguetown, it is presumed Loguetown was a quick stop for them due to the events with Smoker.
 * 5) Whiskey Peak was at least one night, they were there less than a day.
 * 6) They were at Little Garden for only a day (no night scenes were witnessed.)
 * 7) 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).
 * 8) There was a night scene at Drum Island, but they were there no more than two or so days.
 * 9) 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.
 * 10) In all, they spent less than a week or so in Arabasta before moving on.
 * 11) They were in Jaya less than four days, the time taken before their log pose would have adjusted, however they left close to its change.
 * 12) 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 another).
 * 13) No night scenes were seen in the Davy Fights, it is presumed the events took place in less than a day.
 * 14) They stayed for 4 days in Long Ring Long Land after Aokiji's attack to let Luffy and Robin rest.
 * 15) They traveled for another 3 days before coming across Yokozuna.
 * 16) Including the events of Enies Lobby, the crew had stopped at Water 7 for a week.
 * 17) Thriller Bark was less than a day.
 * 18) There was a week between leaving Thriller Bark and arriving at the Red Line.
 * 19) A full two days have passed visibly over the time Luffy is on his way to the Isle of Amazon Lily
 * 20) Four and a half days have passed during the journey from Amazon Lily to Impel Down via Marine ship.
 * 21) 30 hours have passed since Luffy first arrived at Impel Down.

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 3 to 6 months, although it is likely much higher than this due to the fact time spent traveling between islands is indeterminable.

Some argue that the Rumbar Pirates claimed it would take them a couple of years to travel around the world and Luffy's crew must have passed at least one year already. From Rayleigh we learn Roger had entered the Grand Line 3 years before his death and disbanded his crew a year before his death. This means it took him two years to complete his journey which gives us a little bit of judgement to base the Straw Hats journey on even if a small one. 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 and therefore it can be used as a judge for the number of days that have passed on their journey. However from the first sighting in the Kuro arc (waxing crescent) to the start of the Amazon Lily arc (waning cresent) would work out to be only 21 days by this guide. Although due to certain conditions on one of the phases seen, it could be as much as 42 days.

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 is however the only solid information to date 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.

It was later revealed that Kaku's devil fruit enables him to morph from man, to an odd giraffe hybrid, to a full on giraffe. For the most part of his fight between himself and Zoro he kept his hybrid form.

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. In the episode 278 Spandine was shown talking to Sengoku, where he said "Saul must have let her (Nico Robin) escape before dying!" There are several giants imprisoned on Level 6 of Impel Down - the 'Eternal Hell' which the public don't know about, and where the World Government incarcerates prisoners it would rather forget about. One of the giants has a large bushy beard and a wide mouth which causes him to resemble Saul, but unless it is later revealed to be him, this can be considered a coincidence.

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: She has a Devil Fruit power that turns people into stone, called the Mero Mero no Mi.

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.

Moria's scar
Myth: Moria's scar comes from his fight with Kaidou.

Fact: The origins of Moria's scar have not been revealed.

The Man of D.
Myth: The D. is gained only from the male line; there are no females.

Fact: This is an old forum belief/speculation based on the fact that, until Portgas D. Rouge appeared, there had only been male carriers of D. in the storyline. As of Chapter 550, this old theory is now proven false.

Lola's Mama is the final Yonkou
Myth: Lola said that her mama is an incredibly powerful pirate, and that Nami should try to find her if she was in trouble. She's probably the last Yonkou!

Fact: This is mere speculation, as Oda has not established who the last Yonkou is, and which of the two unknown ones is Kaidou. However, the fact that one is an obvious male while the other has curly hair and questionable gender makes this possible.

Kaku and Akainu.
Myth: Kaku is Akainu

Fact: This is the most unpopular strange random theory found in Feb 2006, this theory is now largely forgotten and is very flawed and perhaps very weak because they failed to find strong edvice to prove that they are alike. Some fans believed that Kaku is Akainu because both of them has their caps pulled down and had a lines on their nose, both of them were strong and some thought Akainu is a younger version of Kaku. But many facts were left out, first Kaku's hair is blond while Akainu's hair is black. Kaku's face structure is a lot differant then Akainu and Akainu's nose is not long and square-shaped. Kaku was 23 years old and would be 3 years old in the Ohara Incident, plus when Akainu was shown in his present state in chapter 550, he was almost the same as he was 20 years ago, expect that he looks older and more grunt. Kaku was a CP9 while Akainu was a Marine, theofore this theory contradict the introduction of the 3 admirals by Nico Robin, it also won't make sense for an Marine admiral to become a CP9, having a differant face, fighting the Straw Hat Pirates.

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.

Oda Said So!
Myth: I heard Oda say it was true at a convention!

Fact:It is one of the OLDEST things to say in regard to a rumour and can be found in ANY fandom. It is where a fan will report the writer or staff has mentioned something to them that is off record. Not being able to check up on the information, since it was spoken "off the record" at times there will be more gullible fans who will take them as fact.

Trust only SBS responses, interviews and reports on things like the Jump Fest events. The presumption is that if you say "Oda said so" everyone will believe you regardless of the truth on the matter. However, this doesn't tend to work on bigger forums such as Arlong Park or K-F Fansubs where there is a number of knowledgeable fans, only smaller ones where one one or two will know what Oda has and hasn't said. In regard to seeing or witnessing fans who use this along its a rumour; unless they supply a source of the information, presume the info is incorrect. If you suspect it may be true, ask for confirmation on talk pages, in which other editors will try and figure out if there is any truth in the matter.

This is the safest method of handling the "Oda said so!" issue.

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.

Examples of fake bounties:
 * Shanks, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]700,000,000
 * Mihawk, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]600,000,000
 * Ace, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]400,000,000 (a fake spoiler stated that Luffy and Ace's combined bounties were over [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]700,000,000 )
 * Gold Roger, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]1,500,000,000
 * Whitebeard, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]1,200,000,000
 * Dragon, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]500,000,000
 * Gecko Moria, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]370,000,000 (fake spoiler, as early chapters Robin commented his bounty was higher than Luffy's)
 * Mr. 1, [[Image:Bsymbol.gif]]51,000,000

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 is known to carry 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.

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 channels on which the English dub was featured (Fox Box/4Kids TV and Jetix) did not allow references to blood, violence, or death at all. With that in mind we can only speculate on the reasons that may have caused those episodes to be taken out, and over the years these explainations have arisen:


 * 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 was cut for unknown reasons.
 * The missing Loguetown arc episodes had little to offer to the arc overall. Usopp's duel with Daddy the Father referenced fighting and death.
 * 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).
 * The Laboon arc featured Luffy hurting a whale, which would have been a serious issue to an American audience.
 * Koby & Helmeppo's mini-arc is unknown.
 * Little Garden arc featured the start of bloodier fighting scenes and had more references to death, along with hunting/unnecessary killing.
 * The fillers after the Arabasta Arc had nothing to do with the rest of the series. 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.

Most of these are plausible explanations, however the low-ratings (mentioned elsewhere on this page) are proven false and without final word from 4Kids, none of this can ever be proven. As 4Kids was very ill-received by a number of fans rumours, propaganda and speculations as to what caused them to cut episodes have always been present within the fandom, with a particularly loud voice of distaste present within on-line forum communities.

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. The only statement to ever be made by 4Kids that can be used to draw a conclusion is the notion that when the company gained the rights to dub the series, a spokeman for their company stated that in order to sell anime series to an American audience that there would have to be changes made to be able to produce them for TV. FUNimation had also later noted there would be changes made for TV viewing also, however since the series aired at a much later time frame and was intended to be sold on DVD uncut, to date no episode has ever been skipped by FUNimation. One Piece was not the only example of skipping; another prime example is Yu-Gi-Oh's first season, which was never dubbed by 4Kids due to the fact it showed almost nothing in regards to the card game it was intending to sell at the time.

Other then this, there is a small note that when One Piece was released on DVD by 4Kids, it was launched at the market of pre-teens (with ESRB stickers to support this on the back). Shounen Jump magazine however is intended for teenage boys and older (13+ years old), so One Piece has a different marketing approach in Japan then the one 4Kids intended. This meant there would be elements within the series that, while suitable for a teen audience in Japan, would not be suitable for the target pre-teen audience that 4Kids was trying to sell the series to in America.

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 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 introductions of the Shichibukai Gecko Moria (whose former crew was killed by Kaidou leaving Moria to form another crew at Thriller Bark) and Boa Hancock (who clearly remains the captain of her Kuja Pirate crew), and the fact that all of the Blackbeard Pirates have apparently broke into Impel Down for reasons unknown.

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 explanation 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 theories as people have considered that the Fishmen might have a special condition when Devil Fruits are involved. It was also a theory 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.

Low Ratings for Animated Cover Stories
Myth: No more manga cover stories were animated because the Buggy and Coby mini-arcs received low ratings. Low ratings are also given as a possible reason why 4Kids didn't include these episodes in its dub version.

Fact: The ratings for the Buggy and Coby mini-arcs were not low, and in fact were roughly the same as the episodes preceding and following them.

This rumor has been propogating on One Piece fan forums for years but can be easily disproven by looking at a list of the ratings for each episode.

Crocodile and Arlong's Fate
Myth: Oda stated in an interview that Crocodile and Arlong are executed.

Fact: An old rumor based on unfounded sources that claims Oda stated in an interview that Crocodile and Arlong were excuted. However, no such interview has been shown to actually exist. When Luffy defeated Crocodile, he was knocked through the bedrock and fell to the ground outside the temple, wounded. Same goes to Arlong whose nose was broken and his castle fell on him.

But in the Miss Goldenweek side-story, Crocodile was in fact alive in prison and later seen again alive in Impel Down, exposing the interview to be actually a myth, Hatchan also confimed that Arlong was in prison as well.

Daz Bones's fate and bounty
Myth Smoker stated that Daz Bones is dead and his bounty is 50,000,000

Fact: An error found in a German dub. At the end of Arabasta, Smoker stated that Zoro had a bounty for killing the bounty hunters in Whiskey Peak and has defeated Daz Bones who was an assassin from West Blue but never said that he was killed and he never said anything about the bounty. Daz Bones, like Crocodile was seen alive in Goldenweek's side-story thus dismissing this old forum speculation.

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.

Blackbeard himself goes on to state the reasoning behind the attack was simply to aquire the devil fruit that the other commander had in his possesion.

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

Fact: Even though Luffy's adoptive brother Ace was offered the position of Shichibukai and turned it down, this rumor is still 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.

Akainu Fake
Myth: Wow thats Akainu?

Fact: Its a fake from 2008, albeit not a very famous one.

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.

Buggy Punching Jimbei
Myth: Buggy hit Jimbei.

Fact: This was a misunderstanding that led to a fake form of a spoiler hitting the fandom. One of the more experienced spoiler aids at Arlong Park let slip in spoilers that Buggy hit Jimbei. At the time it was hard to believe as Buggy was on the 3rd level of Impel Down and Jinbei as the 6th so it was also suggested this happened in the past. The misunderstanding was cleared up by the spoiler aid, who apologized for unintentionally letting a fake spoiler into the fandom. In the released chapter it was confirmed that no such event was mentioned at all.

Arlong Park April 1st 2009 Prank
Myth: OMG Luffy's a girl!

Fact: Arlong Park forums pulled its own translator joke by creating its own April 1st joke for 2009 pre-spoiler release of chapter 538. This was based on the speculations from the previous chapter on Emporio Ivankov having reversing power Devil Fruit and was created by a group of people wanting to fool everyone. To catch everyone out, they even released it the day before.

After much arguing over whether or not it was legit, it was worked out to be fake by the Chinese fandom, who put word round of its fakery. The organisers however had managed to sneak it in just about every fandom around, failing only at the Japanese fandom. As part of the fake, members of Arlong Park forums were asked to take a bet at the cost of the contents of their signature. Those that betted it was fake were given words of congradulations in their sig while those that betted against it were given words of shame at not being able to pick out Oda's art style.

Sanji on Fire
Myth: Sanji is being cooked in fire.

Fact:From out of a early fake spoiler for chapter 544, posted alongside it was a cover segiment of Sanji's mini-series of Sanji in a coloumn of fire. It turned out the picture was from an earlier chapter and the spoiler fake. This was another case of poster mistake, as the reglaur spoiler finder on Arlong Park jumped too quick on the fake spoiler, retracting it later when they realised their blunder.

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