One Piece: Every sign that Vivi and the Straw Hats will reunite, explored

Nefertari Vivi first appeared in One Piece when the Straw Hat Pirates entered the Grand Line. At the time, she introduced herself as Miss Wednesday, a member of the mysterious Baroque Works organization. In Whisky Peak, Vivi and many other Baroque Works agents and assassins tried to capture the Straw Hat crew, but Roronoa Zoro stopped their attempt.

This forced Vivi to reveal her true identity as the princess of the Arabasta Kingdom and her reasons for joining Baroque Works. She had infiltrated the organization to learn the identity of its secret boss, who had caused chaos and ruin in her homeland. The Straw Hats decided to help Vivi protect Arabasta from Baroque Works, forming a bond of genuine friendship with her.

After the conflict in Arabasta ended, Vivi remained in her homeland to help rebuild it while Luffy and the others continued their journey. Although they have not met the Straw Hats since the conflict, Vivi and her pet Karoo are considered honorary members of the crew. Recently, Vivi has become a target of the World Government, which only increases both her role in One Piece’s main plot and the chances of her reunion with the Straw Hat Pirates.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1131.

Vivi and the Straw Hat Pirates will be meeting soon in One Piece

Vivi has become a target of the World Government

Vivi and Nami as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

When Vivi revealed the truth about her identity as the princess of Arabasta and her involvement with Baroque Works, the Straw Hat Pirates had no hesitation in taking the former Miss Wednesday aboard their ship. At first, Nami wanted Vivi to pay a huge sum of money in exchange for the Straw Hats helping her, but the friendship they forged soon made such demands fade away.

Vivi soon became a full-fledged member of the crew. Luffy, Zoro, and the others put their lives on the line to fight the Baroque Works organization until Arabasta was liberated from the threat. When the Straw Hats set off again on their journey, Vivi couldn’t go with them due to her institutional duties as the princess of a country in reconstruction.

This didn’t break the bond between Vivi and the crew. The princess promised she would be reunited with the Straw Hats one day. In anticipation of that day, she never ceased keeping herself informed about their adventures. For their part, Luffy and the others can’t wait to hug Vivi again.

Nefertari Lili as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

The time for their reunion has likely come as Vivi needs protection again. This time, however, the threat is far greater than Baroque Works. The World Government, in the person of its ominous leader Imu, now has Vivi in its sights.

During the recent Levely, Imu-sama and the Five Elders murdered Vivi’s father – a kind and wise man named Nefertari Cobra – to punish him for his curiosity about their ancestor Nefertari D. Lili.

During the Void Century, Lili was the queen of Arabasta. She was one of the 20 monarchs who founded the World Government after the war against Joy Boy’s Ancient Kingdom. Unlike the others, however, Lili didn’t accept moving to Mary Geoise and becoming a Celestial Dragon.

Lili disappeared in mysterious and currently unknown circumstances, with her only trace being a letter left to her descendants, in which she encouraged them to “bear the flag of the dawn against the world.” According to Imu-sama, Lili’s actions led to the spread of the Poneglyphs across the One Piece world.

It was also revealed that the Nefertari Family carries the Will of D., and Lili is the first known possessor of this rare and enigmatic trait. As the last remaining Nefertari, Vivi will be one of the World Government’s main targets.

The Straw Hats know that Vivi is in danger

Vivi escaping with Wapol (Image via Toei Animation)

After the Levely, the World Government spread the news that Sabo had killed Cobra. As for Vivi, she reportedly went missing. Upon hearing the news, most Straw Hat Pirates, including Luffy, panicked. Worried about their beloved friend, Luffy and the others expressed their intention to go and rescue her.

However, Zoro kept the crew in check, urging Luffy to stay calm and act maturely. Ignoring the disappointment of the other Straw Hats, the crew’s second-in-command firmly remarked that attacking Mary Geoise head-on would be a bad idea and that they should instead wait for a clearer picture of the situation. He added that they shouldn’t underestimate Vivi’s resourcefulness.

Luffy and Zoro talking about Vivi in One Piece chapter 1060 (Image via Shueisha)

Despite not liking what Zoro said, Luffy listened to his right-hand man’s wise advice. That said, if the Straw Hats had attacked Mary Geoise in search of Vivi, not only would they probably have suffered a crushing defeat against the combined forces of the World Government – further aided by the Marine Admirals – but they wouldn’t even have found the princess.

Some CP0 agents – Blueno, Kalifa, Jabra, Fukuro, and Kumadori – had captured Vivi and guarded her. To their shock, however, Wapol crashed through the wall with his Devil Fruit powers. Terrified after accidentally witnessing Cobra’s homicide, Wapol was escaping the Pangaea Castle.

Vivi took the opportunity and grabbed hold of Wapol to run away with him. The two fled Mary Geoise and took shelter aboard the airship owned by media magnate “Big News” Morgans.

Imu wants Vivi for unknown reasons

Imu is particularly interested in Vivi (Image via Shueisha)

Before the Levely began, Imu-sama was seen carrying pictures of Monkey D. Luffy, Shirahoshi, Marshall D. Teach “Blackbeard,” and Nefertari Vivi. Imu then destroyed all the pictures except for Vivi’s. This may indicate that the princess of Arabasta is the only one of these individuals against whom Imu doesn’t hold a grudge.

However, after hearing that Vivi had escaped Mary Geoise, Imu ordered the Five Elders to find the princess at any cost. The reason for Imu’s interest in Vivi remains unknown, but perhaps the leader of the World Government is simply attracted to the young princess.

Imu-sama’s real identity is implied to be Saint Imu, a supposedly immortal Celestial Dragon of the Nerona Family. Moreover, the CP0 agents who were guarding Vivi told her that she was to be wed to a certain unspecified Celestial Dragon. It’s easy to see this as a foreshadowing by One Piece author Eiichiro Oda.

Vivi’s current situation in One Piece

Vivi, as seen in the recent One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Vivi is now hiding in Morgans’ airship, which allows her to witness how the famous journalist manipulates information. She expressed disgust when Morgans fabricated a fake story about Luffy kidnapping Dr Vegapunk. Later, Vivi, Wapol, and Morgans intercepted and overheard the call between York and the Five Elders. They also listened to the broadcast of Vegapunk’s message to the world.

With Cobra’s death, Vivi is the rightful heir to the throne of Arabasta. That said, the World Government will likely remove the Nefertari Family, replacing them with a more subservient family. Vivi loves her country, but, as of now, she knows she can’t go back there. Though unaware of Imu’s strange interest in her, Vivi knows the World Government is on her trail.

Nefertari Cobra's last moments (Image via Toei Animation)

Vivi is smart enough not to take the most predictable step, which would be to return to her homeland. She likely won’t return to Arabasta until the World Government is defeated for good. The World Government spread the news that Sabo killed Vivi’s father, but the truth is that Cobra died sacrificing himself to help Sabo escape from Imu and the Five Elders.

Before dying, Cobra asked Sabo to tell Vivi that the Nefertari Family carries the Will of D., meaning that sooner or later, the Revolutionary Army’s second-in-command is bound to meet Vivi to tell the princess her true name: Nefertari D. Vivi. Whether Vivi will meet Sabo before or after reuniting with the Straw Hats remains to be seen.

The latest One Piece chapter teased the upcoming reunion

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In One Piece chapter 1130, Nico Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe, and the Giant Warrior Pirates were seen reading the newspaper, which blamed Luffy for Dr Vegapunk’s death during the Egghead Incident.

On the newspaper, Robin noticed an X-shaped mark on Luffy’s forearm. Robin pointed out that she had never seen him with it before and noted that the mark was clear despite the blurry picture. She then stated that it reminded her of something familiar.

Many One Piece fans interpreted this scene as a blatant foreshadowing of Vivi’s upcoming reunion with the Straw Hats. No X-shaped mark has ever been seen on Luffy in the recent arcs, let alone in Egghead. However, a similar mark was the secret shared between Vivi and the Straw Hats during the Arabasta Arc.

The iconic moment in Arabasta (Image via Toei Animation)

After learning that a Baroque Works member – Mr 2 Bon Clay – could use the Clone-Clone Fruit to imitate the voice and physical appearance of anyone in the crew, Zoro devised a clever ruse to counter this tricky Devil Fruit ability. Simple yet brilliant, Zoro’s idea was to have everyone draw an X-shaped mark on their left forearm to distinguish themselves from Mr 2’s imitations.

At the end of the Arabasta Arc, the mark symbolized Vivi’s bond with the Straw Hat Pirates. To prevent the nearby Marines from recognizing Vivi as their ally, the Straw Hats gave her a silent but heartfelt farewell.

As Vivi asked them if they would still consider her a crewmate if they ever met again, the Straw Hats didn’t say a word but showed the X-shaped marks on their forearms to declare their never-ending friendship. In tears, Vivi and Karoo returned the gesture.

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It’s safe to say that Vivi remembered this moment and used the same symbol to send a message to the Straw Hats via Morgans’ newspaper. Whether she was asking for help or simply letting them know she was safe, the Straw Hat Pirates can now understand Vivi’s location.

It is no coincidence that the Straw Hats, who know what the X-shaped mark means, aren’t on the ship to read the newspaper. Franky, Brook, and Jinbe have no idea what it means, while Robin may remember seeing it while watching Luffy and the others from inside the ship. Once Robin remembers the scene, she will decipher and understand Vivi’s message, eventually leading to the long-awaited reunion.

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Edited by Shreya Das