One Piece might have taken inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, and it all boils down to Jaya

Modified May 20, 2024 14:51 GMT

Latest One Piece inspiration theory cites Edgar Allen Poe, claiming there's more to Jaya than fans thought (Image via Toei Animation)

The One Piece of One Piece is one of the biggest treasure mysteries of the anime media. While the author, Eichiro Oda, has left behind so many foreshadowings as to what and where this treasure is, fans are still unsure whether these hints are true or just a distraction for them to take their eyes off of the main prize standing at Laugh Tale.

Moreover, fans have speculated different inspirations behind various mysteries of the series like the origins of Imu, the reality of Joyboy, and so much more. But there hasn't been much discussion about the final treasure.

So, the possible location of this treasure is speculated in this article and the inspiration behind this research is a book written by Edgar Allen Poe. According to this book, the location of the final treasure of the series could be centered around the missing part of Jaya, Skull Island.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed here solely belong to the author.

Exploring the location of the One Piece as the missing part of Jaya

Jaya 400 years ago (Image via Toei Animation)

Jaya is an island located in the first half of the Grand Line, located in an area called the Paradise area. The island used to have the shape of a skull and was the homeland of the Shandians, the tribe that arrived from the moon 400 years ago.

The island was destroyed due to numerous Knock Up Stream hits and is currently only a small piece of land, which is the mouth of the skull. The right part of this island, alongside the Shandians, was shot into the sky where it became a part of Skypiea Island. It was later named Upper Yard.

Jaya in the current timeline of the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Enel named this part his residence area because of its pure soil and ruins, which were made of gold. Now, with an island surrounded by mystery, there could be something the author might be indicating with it. To explore this mystery, let's look at the famous short story The Golden Bug.

The short story was published in the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper in June 1843 and was written by Edgar Allen Poe. The story is centered around William Legrand, obsessed with a golden bug he claimed he discovered. This had his servant worried and he visited William's friend. This friend gave these two a message that they had to decipher and discover a hidden treasure.

Usopp holding a tarantula spider (Image via Toei Animation)

The story took place on Sullivan Island, which was described as the island of bugs. In One Piece, there is only one place where there are an excessive amount of bugs, which is Jaya. Here, Luffy and Usopp encountered several strange bugs all of which were trying to protect something.

Usopp could have importance in this case as he was not scared of holding a tarantula in the arc, which is referenced in the first lines of The Golden Bug as:

"What ho! What ho! This fellow is dancing mad! He hath been bitten by a tarantula."

Getting back to the story, William and his servant searched the island as they were promised that the treasure of the famous pirate Captain Kidd was hidden on Sullivan Island. Fortunately, they found the golden bug and had to throw it in the left eye of the tree. William's servant was given this responsibility and he accidentally threw the bug inside the right eye.

They dug through the tree's eye and found nothing, so they now tried for the left eye, the correct one. Once they did this, they discovered Captain Kidd's treasure alongside two skeletons. Just like The Golden Bug, the final treasure of the series could be in the left eye of Jaya, who went missing when the island was going through Knock Up Streams.

Roronoa Zoro as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The "left" perspective has been of key importance in the series considering how it is emphasized in a lot of things, including Zoro's closed eye, numerous covers featuring a character with closed eyes, and so much more.

So, Laugh Tale (the location of One Piece) could be the left eye of Jaya. This would mean that the final treasure could be present at the start of the Grand Line, as fans speculate that the left eye of Jaya sunk underwater after the island was hit with the Knock Up Stream. This would make sense about Roger and his crew's laugh when they saw One Piece as it was present at the start of their journey.

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Edited by Meenakshi Ajith