Toki's Devil Fruit in One Piece may explain why Roger said he was "too early" upon reaching Laugh Tale

Kozuki Toki’s Devil Fruit, the Toki Toki no Mi, has been a topic of interest for One Piece fans for a long time because of its power to send users into the future. While this power was crucial in the Wano arc by sending key characters like Kozuki Momonosuke into the future, there is a growing theory that Toki’s power is even more important in the overall story.

Some fans have theorized that Joy Boy used her power to hide something big, maybe even the One Piece treasure itself, 800 years ago. This theory could explain why Gol D. Roger said he arrived “too early” when he reached Laugh Tale. If the treasure was meant to appear in the future, Roger and his crew were just ahead of time, finding only a clue to what would come later instead of the treasure itself.

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers from the One Piece manga.

Toki's potential role in the One Piece storyline

Toki tries to use her Devil Fruit powers to go further into the future (Image via Toei Animation)

The One Piece theory speculates that Kozuki Toki's Devil Fruit in the series has a far more critical role than merely facilitating the Wano plot and transporting the samurai and Momonosuke into the future. They argue that such a powerful ability, capable of sending someone forward in time, might be pivotal in the upcoming war against the World Government.

The theory suggests that Joy Boy, understanding the risks of the World Government obtaining certain key elements, could have utilized Toki's powers to send something crucial into the future—something that the future Joy Boy would need to fight against the World Government. This theory extends to the idea that the One Piece treasure itself might have been hidden in the past, only to appear on the final island exactly 800 years later.

Gol D. Roger laughs upon reaching Laugh Tale (Image via Toei Animation)

Furthermore, the theory proposes that this could explain why Gol D. Roger, after an arduous journey, found nothing on Laugh Tale, prompting him to name the island as such after possibly discovering a message from Joy Boy apologizing for his early arrival. This humorous realization might have sparked the infamous laughter that echoed through history.

One Piece: All you need to know about Kozuki Toki

Oden and Toki fall in love with each other (Image via Toei Animation)

Kozuki Toki was born into the Amatsuki family of Wano Country during the Void Century. Her origins date back approximately 830 years before the present day. Despite her noble lineage, she was unfamiliar with her homeland. After consuming the Toki Toki no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, she gained the extraordinary ability to travel forward in time, which she utilized multiple times to escape peril.

Toki protects Momonosuke and Hiyori (Image via Toei Animation)

At the age of 26, Toki leaped forward several centuries, arriving 30 years before the present timeline, where she encountered Kozuki Oden. She remained by his side for a decade until his tragic execution and her subsequent death during the destruction of Oden Castle.

Upon arriving 30 years before the present, she exhibited an eager anticipation to reach Wano, a sentiment that persisted after she married Oden. Her husband's retainers held her in high regard, and she remained humble, working alongside the citizens of Kuri without ever flaunting her status as the wife of a daimyo.

Toki sends Kinemon and others into the future (Image via Toei Animation)

The Toki Toki no Mi granted Toki the ability to propel herself and others into the future, sometimes by years or even decades. However, the fruit's power was strictly one-way, prohibiting her from sending anyone back in time. This ability enabled Toki to elude numerous life-threatening situations by moving forward to a time when the danger had long since passed.

Over the course of her life, she traversed a staggering 800 years into the future, ultimately arriving in Wano three decades before the current events. Her final use of the Toki Toki no Mi was before her death when she sent her son, Kozuki Momonosuke, and several of the Nine Red Scabbards two decades ahead to save them from the Beasts Pirates.

Kurozumi Orochi (Image via Toei Animation)

Toki's prophecy for Wano instilled deep hope among the Kozuki Family's followers and retainers, while simultaneously inciting profound fear in Kurozumi Orochi. They interpreted her prophecy to mean that, in twenty years, nine samurai would avenge Oden's death and open Wano's borders.

Ironically, Orochi was the only one who took Toki's words seriously, and he spent the next two decades trying to avert this fate. However, Toki's prophecy ultimately came to fruition when six of the Nine Red Scabbards beheaded Orochi after he lost Kaidou's protection, with Denjiro delivering the final blow that ended the tyrannical shogun's life.

Final thoughts

Wano country as shown in the anime series (Image via Toei Animation)

Kozuki Toki's Devil Fruit may hold the key to understanding why Gol D. Roger claimed he was "too early" upon reaching Laugh Tale. The fruit's ability to send objects or people into the future suggests that the One Piece treasure, or a crucial element of it, might only appear 800 years later.