One Piece's Void Century War could be Oda's latest historical inspiration, and it makes perfect sense

Modified May 25, 2024 16:30 GMT

One Piece chapter 1115, set to be released on May 27, 2024, continues Vegapunk's speech and unveils one of the greatest details of the Void Century, which was the war between JoyBoy and the alliance of the 20 Kingdoms.

The chapter also showcases the despair of the Five Elders, who were knocking out random Transponder Snail in hopes that Vegapunk's stream would stop. However, as expected, the genius scientist outsmarts the Gorosei before he dies.

Throughout Vegapunk's speech in chapter 1115, one detail stands out as of key importance: the war mentioned by the scientist. Moreover, Vegapunk added that this aforementioned war is still ongoing, hinting that it could be related to one of the emerging issues of the series, such as slavery.

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

One Piece: Exploring the context of the war Vegapunk mentioned during his stream

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

One Piece chapter 1115 begins by showcasing more reactions to Vegapunk's message from across the Grand Line. Vegapunk continues his dialogue about JoyBoy and tells the Grand Line about a war that happened during the Void Century.

This war involved two sides: JoyBoy and an alliance between the 20 Kingdoms, which later formed the World Government. Vegapunk also mentions that the technology used during this war was so advanced that it surpasses modern-day science.

Although Vegapunk didn't reveal much about the events of the war or didn't know about them, nonetheless, he delivers the unfortunate news of JoyBoy's defeat, marking the end of the Void Century. The chapter ends with Vegapunk revealing that the war is still ongoing to this day.

Kuma as a slave to the Celestial Dragons (Image via Toei Animation)

Now, for the war to continue to the present timeline of One Piece, it could be related to an ongoing issue, such as slavery. As fans may have already noticed, the war between JoyBoy and the 20 Kingdom Alliance was between the side that wanted to abolish slavery (the former) and the other that wanted it to flourish (the latter).

The 20 Kingdom alliance united to become the World Government, and not too surprisingly, the descendants of these 20 Kingdoms became the ruthless Celestial Dragons. Throughout the series, the Celestial Dragons have demonstrated their obsession with making others their slaves, with the most famous examples being Bartholomew Kuma, Boa Hancock, and some Sun Pirates.

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On the other hand, JoyBoy is believed to have inherited the will of the Sun God Nika, whom slaves believed would free them one day from the oppressors. Moreover, JoyBoy's character may draw inspiration from the West Indian figure of the same name, who voyaged through the Caribean Sea alongside some slaves. This could mean that the slaves of the Void Century saw Nika in JoyBoy, who saved them from oppressors.

Talking about inspirations, the Void Century War could be inspired by the American Civil War, a conflict primarily centered on the debate over whether to allow or abolish slavery. So, with all this discussion hinting at the Void Century War being the clash between two ideologies about slavery, there is a high chance that this could very well be the war that is still ongoing to this day.

Final thoughts

Monkey D Luffy as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

As stated by Monkey D Luffy, the series' protagonist, the Pirate King is the freest person in the world. This adds another hint to the center of the Void Century War being around slavery.

What the Void Century slaves saw in JoyBoy, the same could be the case for modern-day slaves in the image of Luffy. This theory does have a high chance of becoming true, but as always, take this with a grain of salt and wait for the official confirmation.

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Edited by Shubham Soni