One Piece's Man Marked by Flames may retcon Law's backstory in a major way

Modified Feb 12, 2025 07:30 GMT

One Piece could alter Law's past after recent events (Image via Toei Animation).

One Piece is known for being a historically slow burner when it comes to developing certain concepts and characters, with the "Man Marked by Flames", a mysterious individual who is guarding a Poneglyph, being one of the most prominent examples. In that regard, there is a running theory that this mysterious figure could be connected with the backstory of Trafalgar D. Law.

It has been established through Law's backstory in the One Piece manga that his hometown was ravaged because of the Amber Lead Disease and said illness can be reflected through people having several marks on their skin. Therefore, there is a chance that the "Man Marked by Flames" has suffered that disease and managed to overcome it, with Law having a connection of sorts with that figure.

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

Explaining how Trafalgar D. Law and the "Man Marked by Flames" could be connected in One Piece

Trafalgar D. Law as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation).

During the Dressrosa arc, it was revealed that Trafalgar Law's town was devastated by Amber Lead Disease, and only someone with a specific Devil Fruit power could survive. Law overcame the disease using his Devil Fruit abilities, and the "Man Marked by Flame" may have had it too, which explains the marks on him.

The manga already showed people suffering from Amber Lead Disease and they have marks covered over most of their bodies, which could fit with the features of this mysterious man and he managed to overcome it with his Devil Fruit. Moreover, during the tail end of the Wano arc, Kid mentions this character and Law is depicted by author Eiichiro Oda as having a very somber look in a panel when this is told.

There could be the possibility that the "Man Marked by Flames" was connected in some shape or form with Law and this is a secret that the latter has kept hidden thus far. This could potentially explain why Oda made him a member of the D. Clan and organized his role in the final portion of the story.

More details of this theory

Law's reaction when the "Man Marked by Flames" is mentioned in the manga (Image via Shueisha).

It has been assumed in recent days by One Piece fans that the "Man Marked by Flames" could be Scopper Gaban, especially when considering the marks on his face, but it was stated by Shiryu earlier that this individual works for the World Government. This makes a lot of sense in this situation when remembering that Law has connections with that organization, adding some validity to the theory.

When considering that the World Government could have a connection with the "Man Marked by Flames", Law perhaps has a good relationship with this person and wants to protect his identity, meaning that he didn't tell anyone about it. Some have even mentioned that this individual could be Trafalgar Lami, Law's sister whose body she never found, which is not something weird in Oda's writing.

Final thoughts

There are still a lot of mysteries in the One Piece universe and the idea of the "Man Marked by Flames" might be one of the most thought-provoking in the entire series. Moreover, connecting it with a character of Law's stature could be a twist that would be both logical and satisfying.

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Edited by Divya Singh