Highlights
- One Piece’s attention to detail and unique elements, such as diseases, help set the tone and engage fans emotionally.
- Tree Fever is a deadly disease that affected the Shandia civilization and could only be cured through a substance extracted from the Kona tree.
- Amber Lead Disease erodes the body from the inside out, shows no visible symptoms until the final stages, and was covered up by the corrupt World Government.
One Piece is celebrated for its elaborate worldbuilding, with its attention to detail often presented as one of the series’ strong points. Alongside the variety of locations, technologies, and characters, mangaka Eiichiro Oda provides a detailed picture of his universe through a complex web of unique elements that help set the tone for the narrative and keep the community emotionally invested in the story.
An example of this can be found in the introduction of diseases unique to the One Piece world, such as the Sapphire Scale Disease, the Amber Lead Disease, and the less recent Tree Fever. Given the relatable nature of diseases, when used in flashbacks they serve as powerful narrative devices, and provide fans with the perfect backdrop to understand the weight of the tragedy taking place.
What is Tree Fever?
A Devastating Disease With an Unconventional Cure
Introduced all the way back in One Piece’s Jaya Arc, Tree Fever is the deadly disease that affected the Shandia around the time of Montblanc Noland’s visit to Jaya, four centuries prior to the current events taking place in the story. Initially believed to be a curse of the gods, it was Noland who recognized it for what it was and used his vast knowledge in herbology to provide the Shandia with a cure.
Tree Fever’s only known symptom is the appearance of dark spots that resemble moss on the skin. It can be transmitted both from animals to trees, and vice versa, which is where it gets the name Tree Fever from. It can only be cured through the use of Conine, a substance extracted from the Kona tree, and though Noland’s knowledge led to a positive outcome, had it not been for his arrival, the disease would likely have wiped out the entire Shandia civilization.
What is Amber Lead Disease?
Once You Realize You Have It, It’s Already Too Late
Many in the One Piece community remember Trafalgar D. Law’s flashback as one of the most tragic in the series to date. Born in Flevance, tragedy struck when years of mining Amber Lead caught up with its community. As a result of the toxic nature of this mineral, the citizens of Flevance developed Amber Lead disease, a fatal disease that calls back to real-world Lead Poisoning. Law was the only survivor, and he too would have died had it not been for Corazon’s efforts and the Ope Ope No Mi’s power.
The Amber Lead disease erodes the body from the inside out and shows no visible symptoms until its final stages, when white patches appear on the victim’s skin. It also spreads to and shortens the lifespan of the offspring of those affected, which resulted in all citizens of Flevance falling ill at the same time. This helped the World Government cover up the incident, and as Flevance’s neighboring countries believed the lies that it was an infectious disease, they closed their borders in self-defense and needlessly abandoned the citizens of Flevance to certain death. This tragedy serves as a testament to the corrupt nature of the World Government which, regardless of knowing of the effects of mining the Amber Lead for quite some time, decided to keep quiet due to how lucrative the business was.
What Is The Sapphire Scale Disease?
A Cruel & Fatal Disease That Reacts to Sunlight
As it serves as the backdrop for the tragedy of Kuma and Bonney, the Sapphire Scale Disease is a major plot point in the events currently taking place in the One Piece series. It is a fatal disease that causes sapphire-like scales to grow on the victim’s skin, from which it derives its name. That aside, not much is known of the disease, except that it spreads through exposure to natural sunlight, and avoiding exposure will not completely negate it.
After Bonney’s mother, Ginny leaves Marie Geose, she succumbs to the scales in her attempt to reach Kuma and deliver Bonney. After her death, Bonney is entrusted to Kuma, and to his dismay, she is later diagnosed with the same illness and told she will only survive till ten years old. This leads Kuma to embark on a quest to find a cure, and he eventually finds the solution to Vegapunk’s genius. Nonetheless, this isn’t the end of the tragedy, and in exchange for the expensive cure, he strikes a deal with Saturn to sacrifice his memories and his ties to Bonney for the Pacifista project.
Though the origins of the Sapphire Scale Disease are unknown, fans suspect it may be a sexually transmitted disease that Ginny contracted while she was a slave in Marie Geoise. Given his active interest in Bonney, some even believe Saturn to be directly involved, and though the flashback’s focus has shifted away from the disease, the community still hopes to receive more answers in the chapters to come.
One Piece is now available to read on MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA.
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