Every hint One Piece episode 1046 gives about the future

One Piece Episode 1046 was released on Saturday, January 7, bringing with it an incredibly exciting set of developments. Fans saw Zoro and Sanji return to the battlefield in a one-on-one capacity, as well as Luffy beginning to make his way back to Onigashima.

Even more exciting from One Piece episode 1046, however, are the possible setups for future plotlines and revelations seen within. Especially remarkable are comments about King’s race, as well as Hyogoro’s comparing Zoro to Shimotsuki Ushimaru, descendant of the legendary Sword God, Shimotsuki Ryuma.

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Red Line’s previous inhabitants and 4 other future hints from One Piece episode 1046

1) King's race

King as seen in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

One of the biggest teases from One Piece Episode 1046 comes from Marco’s commenting on King’s unique features, such as the flames erupting from his back. Marco likens this to a story he once heard from Whitebeard about how the Red Line used to be populated by a “race of gods” before Mariejois was founded.

While it’s not specifically said in the episode, Marco is clearly implying that King belongs to this mythical “race of gods,” which unfortunately goes unnamed in this episode. However, fans should keep an ear out in upcoming installments, which may see these mysterious people's names revealed in unexpected ways.

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2) The gods who lived on the Red Line

Likewise, One Piece episode 1046 alerts readers to the necessity of paying attention to King to pick up on exactly who or what this race of gods was. While the flames on King’s back are obviously one aspect of this, fans could learn of more details as future installments are released.

It’s also possible that additional clues are already right under viewers’ noses. One major one could be the wings on King’s back, with several other races in the series also having distinct wings on their bodies.

This could indicate his race to be somewhat related to the Skypieans, or possibly having evolved to grow wings due to living on a Sky Island like the Shandorians.

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3) Exactly how old has Momonosuke aged?

Momonosuke as seen in his original child form in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece episode 1046 confirms that Shinobu has used her Ripe-Ripe Fruit to accelerate Momonosuke’s age, despite initially protesting such a course of action. His growth is further confirmed in the series’ final scenes, which depict the eyes of a now-massive dragon-form Momonosuke waiting to take Luffy back to Onigashima.

However, a significantly important question arising from this development is exactly how old Momonosuke may be. There’s a strong possibility he’s old enough to now join Luffy and the Straw Hats on their journey, which would mirror his own father’s past.

Alternatively, Shinobu may have made him too old or too young to undertake such a journey, with each option having its own unique consequences.

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4) Momonosuke's new dragon form

Momonosuke's original dragon form (right) seen next to Luffy (left) in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Likewise, one of the biggest questions from One Piece episode 1046 is exactly how big Momonosuke’s new dragon form is. With his synthetic Devil Fruit being based on Kaido’s, there’s a possibility that he’s as big as Kaido is now.

However, this isn’t guaranteed just by his being able to return Luffy to Onigashima, as a dragon of almost any expected size could carry Luffy.

If Momonosuke’s new form does indeed end up being as big as Kaido’s, then Luffy may have found some assistance for his fight against the Yonko. While his accepting this help is another matter entirely, there at least exists the possibility that fans will see Kaido overwhelmed by the tag-team combo of Luffy and dragon-form Momonosuke.

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5) Zoro's lineage

Sword God Shimotsuki Ryuma's corpse as seen in the series' anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Finally, One Piece episode 1046 also seemingly teases Zoro’s lineage based on comments by Hyogoro. As many fans suspected, these comments paint Zoro as being a descendant of a famous Wano family, the progenitor of which fans have already met in a previous arc.

Hyogoro starts by sharing that Zoro reminds him of Shimotsuki Ushimara, the Daimyo of Ringo under Oden’s Shogunate.

It’s then revealed that this is the same Shimotsuki family as Shimotsuki Ryuma, the one-eyed samurai from Wano hailed as the Sword God. If this ends up being true, it would explain why Zoro is such a talented swordsman, as well as why Shimotsuki Ryuma’s corpse chose to pass on Shusui to Zoro.