Highlights
- Vegapunk’s discovery of underwater ancient history shifts pirate focus, potentially leading to major changes in One Piece.
- Underwater treasure hunting brings new challenges and competitiveness, raising questions about log poses and power dynamics.
- The ocean’s impact on devil fruit users may become more significant, affecting their abilities and strategies in underwater exploration.
For a long time, the One Piece series has set its focus on the four major seas and the Grand Line. However, with recent happenings in One Piece, Vegapunk has revealed a fraction of the ancient history and the ancient civilization that now lies underwater. As many pirates have scourged through the Grand Line and the Four Seas, hearing Vegapunk’s grand message shifts their focus to the possibility of hidden treasures below the surface of the water.
If many pirates suddenly dive deep underwater to search for ancient treasures and riches, it’ll have a snowball effect that could lead to many changes in One Piece. Whether good or bad, the possibility of the snowball effect of pirates diving underwater is high, as pirates have turned their focus to what could potentially be a major turning point in One Piece’s history.
Underwater Exploration
An Effect Of Vegapunk’s Speech
Thankfully, many of the ancient secrets in the One Piece world are getting revealed as the series enters its final phase. Vegapunk, the smartest man in the world, who works for the World Government, decided to engage his curiosity and carry on the will of Ohara by looking into ancient secrets. And interestingly, his research has borne fruit in a way that none, including the World Government, could’ve imagined.
Revealing the findings of his research to the world, pirates now seek to explore underwater in search of lost treasure. While it seems simple, this is unprecedented and could change major established dynamics in One Piece.
For example, if a large majority of pirates begin to go underwater, we must ask whether the World Government will simply allow them to do as they please, especially considering that Imu and the Five Elders do not want anyone discovering the ideologies of the ancient kingdom. And if the government begins to pursue pirates underwater, what sort of battles would they have?
Treasure Hunting Above Vs. Beneath The Sea
Challenges Of Underwater Treasure Hunting For Pirates
Treasure hunting above and below the sea has many unique differences that must be put into consideration before pirates can attempt the journey. Firstly, weaker pirates would be unable to survive the many sea monsters that will be present in the deeper levels of the sea in conjunction with the sea pressure. Those factors alone will weed out many weaker pirates, meaning that everyone who is able to make a name for themselves in terms of underwater treasure exploration will possess a degree of strength, making the seas more competitive. This could be a prelude to the era of the strong, which Doflamingo described.
The time is almost here. Go and lay the groundwork. A world where only true pirates can survive will soon be upon us. Those without power, flee while you can. The tide will bring those of unmatched power and the New Era will begin! —Doflamingo
Aside from the growing competitiveness of the seas, the usage of log poses will be called into question. How will log poses track uninhabited islands that have been abandoned for centuries? And if they can’t, how will pirates locate these long-lost islands? The answer to these questions highly depends on what Oda intends to do with the story, and that in itself, makes fans excited for what is to come. But the biggest question yet is how underwater exploration will change the power dynamics between the characters.
The Overall Dynamics Between Haki And Devil Fruits Might Change
Devil Fruit Users Vs. The Ocean Leads To The Ultimate Disadvantage
Before Haki was introduced to One Piece, devil fruit users stood as the most powerful of all characters; however, with Haki came the bane of devil fruits, and one’s mastery of devil fruit abilities, haki or both, decided which tier of strength they were placed in. As many know, the primary bane of devil fruit users is the ocean. And so, if pirates begin to undertake deep-sea explorations, does that mean devil fruit users will automatically be at a disadvantage?
Reflecting on the Fish-Man Island arc, devil fruit users can indeed use their abilities in the ocean by taking advantage of coating; however, what they can do would highly depend on the type of devil fruit being used. While it’s hard to imagine characters like Sabo using fire fist in the ocean, characters like Charlotte Oven would be able to fire off attacks. Moreover, it would be nigh impossible for most Paramecia devil fruit users to use their awakened abilities inside the ocean, making them handicapped if they come across an opponent of similar strength who specializes in haki.
Particularly at the beginning of the series, the sea’s hatred of devil fruit users was used in more of a comedic way and didn’t seem very important, despite the pirate-based setting. However, in the final phase, the significance of haki cannot be overstated. Some fans believe this is why none of the Red-Haired Pirates possesses a devil fruit.
As always, what Eiichiro Oda plans for the One Piece series remains a mystery; however, if pirates do begin to flock to the ocean for underwater treasures, then the dynamics of the series are sure to change. Moreover, it’s worth considering that by exploring ancient civilizations, old and powerful relics could resurface, making the average crew even stronger and closer to Laughtale than ever before.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll.