Gunko may have everything to do with Kid's return in One Piece's Elbaph Arc

Modified Feb 28, 2025 15:30 GMT

One Piece could have a plot twist regarding Kid's story (Image via Shueisha and Toei Animation).

One Piece has a lot of theories, and one of the most prevalent is that Eustass Kid is going to return to the story after his defeat at the hands of Shanks, most likely in Elbaph because that's where they fought. In that regard, a person on X named @Shimyyon came up with the theory that his return could be connected with one of the Holy Knights, Gunko.

Very little is known of Gunko, but there are some physical features of hers that are quite similar to Kid's and his former love, Victoria. One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has depicted Kid as a misfortunate version of Luffy, and both characters have gone through similar experiences while having very opposite outcomes, so this one could be an evil version of what happened to Sabo in the story.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

Explaining how Gunko could be the key to Kid's return in One Piece's current Elbaph arc

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A common pattern that most fans have found between Monkey D. Luffy and Eustass Kid is that they have gone through similar events but with different outcomes. Both Kid and Luffy have lost loved ones, have suffered massive defeats that apparently ended their crews, the Demalo Black group cosplayed both groups, and now there is a very likely possibility of both losing a person beloved to them and said individual returning in another role.

Naturally, Luffy went through this in the Dressrosa arc with Sabo, who was apparently dead and returned as a member of the Revolutionary Army. On the other hand, it would fit with this pattern that Victoria, Kid's long-lost friend, would return to the story and be Gunko, one of the Holy Knights who have been recently introduced, especially in Elbaph, which is where the disgraced pirate fell against Shanks.

It would be a direct opposite to Sabo since she is serving the World Government, and Gunko has been seen sharing several similarities to Victoria, such as the feisty personality, the hairstyle, the goggles on her head, the nail polish, and similar body types. Moreover, the mechanics of this Holy Knight's Devil Fruit are very similar to those of Kid's, making this connection even stronger.

More details about this theory

Gunko and Kid could be connected in some shape or form (Image via Shueisha and Toei Animation).

As mentioned earlier, Kid's path in One Piece can be defined as a Luffy without the luck factor and has met one unfortunate event after the other. The idea that Victoria could return to his life as an enemy and member of the World Government, especially after his biggest defeat, would be a massive blow to his sense of self.

Moreover, this would be a very strong motivator for Kid to get involved in a conflict with the World Government, whether it's to get Victoria back into her senses or simply go after them out of spite. The current Elbaph arc seems like a perfect moment for Kid's return and for him to enjoy a more character-driven plot this time around, although that is mere speculation at the moment.

Final thoughts

The idea of Gunko being Victoria makes a lot of sense when considering the visual clues that the One Piece manga has given thus far and how this fits with the comparisons between Luffy and Kid. Moreover, it would give this character much-needed focus, which is always welcomed.

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Edited by Somava