Chapter 1114 spoilers confirm Luffy as One Piece's chosen one

One Piece chapter 1114 is set to release on Monday, May 13, 2024 on MANGA Plus. In anticipation of the official release, fans of Eiichiro Oda’s addictive franchise are overwhelmed with excitement, as the new chapter’s first spoilers portend some major revelations.

According to the leaks, One Piece chapter 1114 will pick up the narration right where the previous installment left off. The issue will continue to disclose the content of Dr Vegapunk’s message, which began by claiming that the One Piece world is destined to eventually sink into the sea.

While elaborating further on this shocking statement, One Piece chapter 1114 will delve into the secrets of the Void Century and the Ancient Kingdom. Moreover, the issue will allegedly clarify the connection between Luffy and the legendary Joy Boy.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1114.

One Piece chapter 1114 is going to establish Joy Boy as Luffy’s predecessor from 900 years ago

The first leaks of the new One Piece chapter

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One Piece chapter 1113 ended with a massive cliffhanger, and the new installment of Eiichiro Oda’s manga seems not to be outdone. Titled Icarus Wings, One Piece chapter 1114 sees Vegapunk’s message focusing on the Void Century, a blank period in history during which twenty monarchs formed an alliance to overthrow the so-called Ancient Kingdom.

All mentions of the Void Century, which dates back to about 800 years ago, have been erased from history. Likewise, the studies on its events have been banned by the World Government. As per the spoilers, Vegapunk admits that he doesn’t know much about the Void Century. However, the scientist reveals that 900 years ago in the Ancient Kingdom lived Joy Boy, a young man who had the power of stretching.

The Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika (Image via Toei Animation)

Going by the leaks, Vegapunk doesn’t specify what this “power of stretching” consists of. However, at this stage, only very brief and partial spoilers are available. Hence, not only the foregoing is just a small part of the content that will be featured in the upcoming chapter, but even the aforementioned information is likely to be expanded upon.

Hopefully, One Piece chapter 1114 will provide a much greater insight into the subject, and perhaps solve some of the countless mysteries of the lore of the series. The spoilers don’t seem to mention such an option, but the issue might even show Joy Boy, even if only through a darkened silhouette of the fabled individual.

Nevertheless, it seems obvious that the power to which Vegapunk is referring is the same ability that Luffy obtained upon eating the Gum-Gum Fruit, recently revealed to be the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. With this in mind, One Piece chapter 1114 seems to confirm the theory according to which Joy Boy and Luffy share the same Devil Fruit-based powers.

Luffy being the second coming of Joy Boy is a leitmotiv of One Piece

Luffy in his Gear 5 form (Image via Toei Animation)

With the series having entered its long-awaited final saga, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has finally begun to reveal some details of the intertwined lore he has built up, one of them being the connection between Luffy and Joy Boy.

As Luffy awakened his true Devil Fruit powers, obtaining a special transformation called Gear 5, Zunesha proclaimed him to be Joy Boy. This implied that Luffy and the historical Joy Boy had the same Devil Fruit, the Mythical Zoan that grants the unreal abilities of “Sun God” Nika. According to the leaks, this assumption has been validated by One Piece chapter 1114.

A widespread speculation among fans is that Joy Boy and Nika were the same person. Nika was a fabled individual who fought to free the oppressed while bringing them joy and laughter. As of now, it remains unclear whether or not Nika actually existed. What is certain is that there’s a Zoan Devil Fruit that grants its owner the abilities and features of Nika.

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As Devil Fruits are generated by people’s deepest desires, the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika should have been created by the oppressed’s wish to find a savior. So, either the man named Joy Boy who lived 900 years ago was Nika, and people wanted someone to eventually replicate his deeds, or he was simply the first owner of the Mythical Zoan whose powers Luffy now possesses.

Needless to say, Luffy being the second coming of Joy Boy opens up plenty of scenarios, that not everyone likes. Many fans believe that this narrative strand ruins Luffy’s previously established portrayal to force-feed his role as the godlike savior of the world.

Monkey D. Luffy, the chosen one

Monkey D. Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

Admittedly, since the Nika reveal, almost every plot point seems to revolve around the “Sun God”. Still, one of the major themes of Oda’s story is Inherited Will, i.e., the passing of a certain individual’s dreams, hopes, and ideals to future generations, who knowingly or unknowingly, will carry them on.

So, Luffy being a “chosen one” doesn’t really contradict One Piece’s main concepts. If anything, it reinforces them. It’s understandable that not all fans are happy to see the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates falling into the same “chosen one” trope that is already common to most shonen protagonists.

In all fairness, the series made it clear that Luffy is a very special person from the very beginning. He is the son of Monkey D. Dragon, the Revolutionary Army leader famed as the “World’s Worst Criminal”, and the nephew of Monkey D. Garp, the “Marine Hero” who fought on par with the legendary Pirate King.

Luffy and Garp as seen in the series (Image via Toei Animation)

Not all children take from their ancestors, but, coming from a family of such powerful individuals, Luffy was definitely not lacking in terms of potential. In fact, he was born with the extremely rare Conqueror’s Haki, a natural-born ability that can’t be achieved through training. Luffy is also one of the very few people who inherited the mysterious Will of D., another quite uncommon trait.

Even at the very beginning of the One Piece story, the author had a minor character comment on Luffy’s actions by saying:

“It’s his dream… or his destiny!?”

Woop Slap's quote on Luffy in One Piece chapter 96 (Image via Shueisha)

Also taking into account Kaido’s words about Luffy’s immeasurable potential, it seems pretty clear that the boy with the straw hat was always meant to be destined for greatness. Another important aspect is that Luffy always met the right people at the right time. Everything happened as if to help him going forward.

Whether by accident or not, Luffy was inspired by Shanks, a man who was on the Pirate King’s ship and inherited the latter’s most beloved garment. Luffy was personally trained by Silvers Rayleigh, the Pirate King’s right-hand man. Moreover, Luffy met and befriended Zoro, a direct descendant of “Sword God” Shimotsuki Ryuma, who is regarded as a hero comparable to Joy Boy.

Whether this is a good or a bad thing depends on everyone’s taste, but, in retrospect, it’s hard to deny that Luffy’s path was marked from the start. In several instances, his sheer luck was almost surreal. Still, what seems truly open to criticism is how Luffy’s character changed in the eyes of the franchise’s fans.

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Most fans saw Luffy as a simple-minded, although determined, young man who wanted to chase his dreams. A total underdog, Luffy exploited his creativity to turn a mediocre Devil Fruit into a formidable source of power. All of a sudden, with the Nika reveal, the outlook has changed, as Luffy is the second coming of a god that the whole world looks up to.

Understandably, this might feel weird, especially as Luffy himself seems unaware of what revolves around him. He also seems to be an unicum. Many other people have inherited someone else’s will, or rare traits such as the Will of D. or the Conqueror’s Haki, but those features didn’t make them “chosen ones”.

From the looks of it, Luffy is the one and only predestined to change the world with his Nika-like powers. Regardless of the Mythical Zoan’s unreal powers, however, Luffy has been able to use them pretty well, given that he appears to be the only one to truly awaken them in several centuries. He is the best user since the days of Joy Boy.

Fans hope that Luffy's character will never change (Image via Toei Animation)

From this point of view, Luffy isn’t “the” chosen one, but merely “a” chosen one more talented than the others. As such, Luffy would still succeed because of who he is, like he seemed to do during most of his journey, rather than simply due to having inherited godlike powers.

Gear 5 makes Luffy the Warrior of Liberation, the living embodiment of freedom, but this is not something new. The series has always depicted Luffy’s enemies as the embodiment of oppression, each in his own way. Thus, Luffy ending up as the fated nemesis of Imu, a cryptic individual who enslaved the whole world, is no surprise.

Of course, perhaps One Piece fans might have preferred a less stereotyped conflict between good and evil. Either way, fans are eager to know more about the exact connection between Luffy and Joy Boy, as well as the one between Joy Boy and Nika, which remains to be illustrated.

Chapter 1114 spoilers confirm Luffy as One Piece's chosen one

One Piece chapter 1114 is going to establish Joy Boy as Luffy’s predecessor from 900 years ago

The first leaks of the new One Piece chapter

Luffy being the second coming of Joy Boy is a leitmotiv of One Piece

Monkey D. Luffy, the chosen one

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