Chapter 1117 spoilers all but confirm One Piece's major Sabo theory

Modified Jun 11, 2024 23:25 GMT

Chapter 1117 spoilers all but confirm One Piece's major Sabo theory (Image via Toei Animation)

One of the oldest and most intriguing fan theories in the One Piece community is the belief that Sabo is a member of the D. Clan. A key part of this theory is that fans still don’t know Sabo’s full name, including his family name, middle name, or initial. While one could argue this as a lack of evidence for the theory, the fact that series author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda is withholding this information serves as evidence in and of itself.

Likewise, Oda may have given fans a very solid piece of evidence in the upcoming One Piece issue, for which spoilers were made available earlier today, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. In the spoilers, fans saw Dr. Vegapunk’s broadcast forcibly concluded just as he began to reveal something about someone within the D. Clan contemporarily.

In the buildup to these words, some One Piece characters who are confirmed to be in the Clan of D. were seen, such as Blackbeard (Marshall D. Teech) and Monkey D. Dragon. However, Sabo was also highlighted, sending fans into a frenzy as Oda seemingly begins the setup for revealing Sabo’s lineage.

One Piece fans may be getting ahead of themselves with the latest Sabo D. Clan tease

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That being said, one key detail of the latest One Piece spoilers could explain why Sabo was shown without actually implying him as a member of the D. Clan. With Dragon being shown, the issue presumably focused on the Revolutionary Army’s headquarters, where Sabo would also be the Revolutionary Army’s second-in-command.

With this in mind, the exact way in which Sabo was shown will likely decide whether or not fans can take his appearance here as confirmation of him being a D. Clan member. Unfortunately, the currently available spoilers don’t specify this, and fans likely won’t get the full context needed to assess until the issue’s raw scans are made available.

Even so, all hope is not lost if Sabo isn’t specifically focused on in this appearance. Oda is infamous for his use of red herrings in an attempt to distract fans from what’s truly important in certain panels or scenes. Likewise, placing Dragon in front of Sabo but having both appear in a panel as Dr. Vegapunk talks about those who carry the D. in their names could be Oda’s latest act of trickery.

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Further supporting this idea is Sabo’s origins in One Piece, which saw him born into nobility but quickly abandon this lifestyle due to not agreeing with it on a philosophical level. With the D. Clan said to be the natural enemy of the gods, or in other words, the Celestial Dragons, these origins would align perfectly with revealing him as having the Will of D.

Also supporting this is the fact that Sabo has become a symbol of revolution against the Celestial Dragons, dubbed the Flame Emperor by those who rebel in his name. This indirect inspiration further drives home the idea that Sabo is a natural enemy of the Celestial Dragons, again likening him to other members of the D. Clan.

However, chapter 1117 seems set to all but confirm this, meaning fans won’t have a definitive answer one way or the other even after the issue’s official release. That being said, currently available information suggests that Oda is indeed building up to this Sabo reveal, which will hopefully bear fruit in the near-future.