One Piece's Pluton might be the perfect mix of old anime and reality yet

One Piece's final saga had to go on a break as Eiichiro Oda wanted more time to think about the ultimate time his series was facing. With fans expecting countless mysteries to be revealed in this part of the series, one mystery could be close to revelation, and that could be the reveal of the Ancient Weapons.

Currently, only one weapon's whereabouts are known, and that weapon is Poseidon (Princess Shirahoshi). There are two other weapons whose whereabouts are unknown, but few details about them have been scattered around the Grand Line. One of these two weapons is the Pluton.

One of the famous rumors about this weapon is that it was a battleship of mass destruction that could destroy islands in the blink of an eye. Fans speculate that this ship's relationship to such grand feats could relate it to an ancient Japanese ship and, interestingly, some old anime series.

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

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One Piece: Exploring the origins of Pluton in the ancient anime and Japanese history

Franky, as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Ancient weapons are weapons of mass destruction that were created during the history of One Piece. The World Government could have used these weapons to stop unlawful pirates from looking into the Void Century. Three such weapons exist in the series: Poseidon, Pluton, and Uranus. Out of these three, Pluton was a battleship of mass destruction.

In episode 118 of the Arabasta arc, Crocodile uttered the rumor that Pluton could reduce an island to ashes in a few minutes. Fortunately, this weapon is the only one whose blueprints are available in the current timeline of One Piece. Franky, the shipwright of the Straw Hats, had the blueprints after his master, Tom, passed them down to him.

The cover story of chapter 1109 (Image via Shueisha)

Franky had to burn the blueprints to declare war against the World Government after they came after Nico Robin in the Water 7 saga. So, this weapon could have been revived. Currently, the weapon is located in Wano under Mount Fuji. The cover story of chapter 1109 could be a visual representation of Pluton's deck lying under the Wano Kingdom.

Although there are no other hints regarding this weapon, fans speculate that Pluton could be related to an ancient Japanese ship that was created during World War II. This ship was named 'Battleship Yamato,' and it was installed with the largest caliber gun in history. This gun could be the inspiration behind Pluton's destructive power, which can destroy an island in seconds.

However, there exists an even better reference to Pluton's power potential, and it exists in the same media as One Piece. There were two ancient anime series that could be a direct reference to Pluton, as Eiichiro Oda is fond of referencing old media in his series.

Space Battleship Yamato as seen in the anime (Image via Group TAc & Academy Productions)

The first one is Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar (more commonly referred to as Space Battleship Yamato), an anime series from the 1970s. The series takes place in a futuristic setting where harmful radiation has infected Earth, and the only thing that could stop it from spreading further is the Cosmo Cleaner D.

To get their hands on this device, the Earthlings had to revive the Battleship Yamato that was used during World War II and make it a space battleship as the Cosmo Cleaner D was located in another galaxy.

Space Battleship Yamato could destroy islands with its Yamato cannon and move faster than the speed of light. The ship could also wrap from one place to another, which could mean that Pluton could also possess this superfast speed and wrapping ability.

Moreover, this could also indicate that the Straw Hats would get their hands on Pluton because Sunny's Coup de Burst is similar to Goan Canon, which is burst for energy for fast travel.

The Solaris as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The second one is The Mysterious Cities of Gold, an anime series from the 1980s. The show featured some ancient weapons that could give a lead or two about Pluton. The weapon of interest in Pluton's case could be the Solaris, a battleship bound to an island that can only be freed once the island gets destroyed.

The ship had unique sails that acted as solar panels and produced enough energy to sail on water. These sails could also be used as mirrors to reflect light onto an enemy. Ironically, this ship also had a red button that could destroy the whole ship. This could be a reference to Franky destroying Vegapunk's old lab by pressing a button by mistake.

So, just like the Solaris, the Pluton battleship could also have sails or powers, reflect sunlight as an offensive weapon, and have solar panels that helped it sail through water.

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