One Piece's new "Mother Flame" theory proves why no one should ever skip Skypeia

Modified May 18, 2024 19:30 GMT

One Piece chapter 1114 was released on May 13, 2024, and the reveal of Mother Flame has taken the fandom by storm. Moreover, a theory related to this weapon might have again confirmed that the previous saga should not be skipped as it gives an important link between Mother Flame and its inspiration.

As revealed in the chapter, Mother Flame is a miniature flame that burns inside an apparatus filled with water. Saint Saturn resorted to it after the Five Elders found no way to stop Dr. Vegapunk's stream and got rid of the Transmission Transponder Snail.

But there could exist some hints to the power source, the Eternal Flame, which was used as an inspiration to make the Mother Flame in the Skypiea saga. Moreover, these hints could also make sense as to why the great flooding is happening.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series and has the author's opinion.

One Piece: Exploring the relationship between the Eternal Flame and Skypiea Saga

Dr. Vegapunk as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece chapter 1114 commenced with Dr. Vegapunk revealing his sins, which he mentioned in chapter 1113. One of these two sins was that he tried to fly too close to the Sun, looking for an everlasting power source that could help the world progress.

This has been referenced at the start of the Egghead arc as "Eternal Flame" when Vegapunk Lillith told the Straw Hat Pirates about the power source on Egghead Island being a flame. She also stated that if there was an "Eternal Flame," things would have been easy as they could have had an unlimited source of energy.

The chapter then revealed Saturn entering the room where the Mother Flame was kept. He eradicated the Transmission Transponder Snail using the weapon but Dr. Vegapunk's stream didn't stop, which added to the agony of the Five Elders.

Mother Flame as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

As seen in the chapter, the Mother Flame is a miniature flame contained inside a giant metal box. The metal box has two writings on it and is filled with water. Many fans believe that this water is to keep the miniature flame to its size but things could be different.

The eternal flame was an unlimited power source used in the Void Century to power things. This flame was the reason for this century's technological advancements, but the Eternal Flame went missing. Dr. Vegapunk tried creating a similar energy source to the flame but produced a less efficient apparatus called the Mother Flame.

As speculated by fans, Mother Flame works on the principle of nuclear fusion, which is the power of the Sun in reality. Nuclear fusion involves combining two atoms, which releases energy. This energy is the power of the Mother Flame and the Eternal Flame.

Moreover, nuclear fusion also involves the release of some byproducts, which in this case, could be water, considering how Mother Flame was being kept inside water, its byproduct. So, what relation could all this have with the Skypiea Saga?

Mont Blanc Cricket explaining the theory of the formation of Knock-Up Stream (Image via Shueisha)

The first arc of the Skypiea Saga, Jaya arc, saw the Straw Hats crossing paths with Mont Blanc Cricket, who guided them on how to board the Knock-Up Stream. Before explaining this, Cricket explained how these streams formed.

Cool seawater would enter underwater caves, which are heated by stones present below them. Once these caves get heated to an extent, they explode, thus creating a giant stream of water that reaches the sky.

It is speculated that the stones beneath the underwater caves are being heated by the Eternal Flames, which Dr. Vegapunk thought no longer existed. In reality, the Eternal Flames could be hidden beneath the Earth to hide them from the eyes of humans and to protect them from being used for wrong purposes. Moreover, the Knock-Up Stream would give rise to sea levels, thus the great flooding.

Final thoughts

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Skypiea Saga is one of the most dropped sagas of One Piece mainly because fans considered it boring and dropped it after a few episodes, especially the Jaya arc. Time after time, it has been emphasized that this saga could link the loose strings in the series which is becoming true as most theories are centered around the same.

Moreover, with this article, it has again been confirmed that fans who missed out on this arc need to go back and watch it. On the other hand, take this article with a grain of salt.

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Edited by Meenakshi Ajith