Spoiler Warning up to Chapter 1152!
We know that Roger’s crew laughed when they reached Raftel and read Joy Boy’s message on the Poneglyphs probably because it explained the importance of the present-day era. I believe that whatever the One Piece is, it’s either locked or protected by Joy Boy, awaiting the next reincarnation of Nika. It may require certain conditions to be met such as the appearance of the ancient weapons again like the birth of Shirahoshi (Poseidon) and other elements unique to this specific time period. Maybe they knew that the ancient weapons wont appear again for another 800 or so years? Another thing that also caught my attention was Oden asking Toki to send the Akazaya to the future if he dies, because “they will be needed then.” This strongly reinforces that both he and Roger knew the promised era was 20 years in the future.
Now onto my theory.
Toki’s time-time fruit and her origin are one of the biggest mysteries in the story. We know she was jumping forward in time and originally intended to jump another 20 years to reach the “present day”, but she ended up staying because she fell in love with Oden.
After Joy Boy’s death during the Void Century, Toki may have been tasked with protecting the Nika fruit and delivering it to the promised future era. Even though she chose to stay behind with Oden, she may have still sent the fruit forward to fulfill her mission.
This would explain why no one had the Nika fruit for 800 years, and Zunesha reacting to hearing the drums of liberation and saying Joyboy has returned further reinforces this to me that the fruit hasn’t been eaten since Joyboy. And since Toki was with Roger’s crew, they probably heard her story and knew she sent the fruit forward.
That’s why they all laughed at Raftel because the One Piece is tied to Nika, and they realized they were too early. They knew the fruit was sent to the future, and that’s what made the whole situation so funny and poetic.
So, Roger and his crew chose to carry on the Will of D, and prepare the world for the promised era.
I believe Roger entrusted Shanks with the mission of finding the Nika fruit when it appeared in the world. Why would Shanks steal the Nika fruit and then go all the way to Windmill Village? I think he was there to bring the fruit to Ace, so that Roger’s son, who carried the Will of D could fulfill the prophecy.
And that’s why I think Roger chose to be executed once he knew Rouge was pregnant, because he had now done everything to prepare for the promised era. All that was left as his final act to Joyboy and his future son was to mark the beginning of the promised era the Great Pirate Era and spark the flame (no pun intended) that would push his future son to towards his destiny.
But as we already know fate had other plans and Luffy ended up eating the fruit instead. Destiny, and the fruit’s will, chose him. Despite all preparations and planning its kind of poetic that it did not follow the expectations and acted freely.
Post Chapter 1152 Warning
Now one last thing I wanted to bring up about Shanks and the recent reveal of the mark on his arm. If the God Knights can regenerate, it doesn’t make sense why Shanks never got his arm back after the Sea King bite and I wasn’t really buying that he chose to not regenerate as a rebellious gesture to Imu. Maybe Nika’s powers are the natural counter to Imu and the God Knights.
When Shanks saved Luffy, he was physically holding him, and that may have nullified Imu’s effect or control over him. That moment could be what freed Shanks from whatever power held him, causing him to lose his arm permanently. This makes that moment even more important as Luffy’s first act with the Nika fruit was liberating Shanks from Imu’s grasp, and at the same time confirming to Shanks without a shadow of a doubt that Luffy is the one and he will carry on the Will of D. and finally Shanks entrusted him with Roger’s hat with the promise to return it to him once he has become a great pirate ensuring that Luffy is set on the path to fulfill his destiny.
I’m excited to see what Oda has planned and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m completely off base here, that is one of the things I love about this series that I am constantly surprised and amazed at every new development and how unexpected they can be.
Thats a very nice theory
I’ve been leaving this in comments for a while. Here’s my post from a year ago: Kozuki Toki. A bunch of the comments there are interesting and helpful.
this theory sounds good. I like it. now that I think about it again, somebody else left something permanent on shanks. marshall d teach. also, emeth woke up when luffy gets into gear 5. 200 years ago from the present time, emeth woke up and almost attacked mary geoise. I wonder what happened then. did somebody else actually have the fruit and successfully awakened it? or did joyboy flee with toki from 800 years ago, jumped 600 years forward but couldn't make it and lost his life on his journey? is joyboy frozen somewhere in mary geoise? or was it the government trying to replicate whatever nika is?
I'm still trying to understandone sentence made by Shanks, it flys in the face of nearly every theory. Shanks says to Beckman, It's about time to go claim it, the One Piece. Perhaps some nuance is lost in translation but this reads as Shanks himself is going to claim it. If the One Piece is "Locked" in a way that requires the Nika fruit to access, Shanks can't just go "claim it".
It also bothers me that Shanks isn't on the Harley. Dude haki blasted Green Bull across Wano, he's definitely the strongest haki user we've seen. His fighting level is likely above Yamato, Loki, Emmeth, and some of the entire races we see on the Harley (Tontata, Mink, Fishmen) but is he there.... the one armed man, as he would be depicted? If the Harley is to be believed, Shanks either won't be around for the battle or won't participate in it on Luffy's side. It shows what appears to be "The Sabre of Xebec", to my knowledge the only trimaran we've ever seen in the series on the side of Nika, flying his symbol even. We even see what is likely King from the Lunarians joining in. Shank's presence or rarher lack thereof is very ominous in my opinion.
he laugh because he need to enter password to open the treasure. and he entered it wrong for 3 times and was permanently locked out. need to wait another 123456789 years to unlocked.
pretty solid theory very plausible
After Joy Boy’s death during the Void Century, Toki may have been tasked with protecting the Nika fruit and delivering it to the promised future era.
Given that Toki’s character arc was that she wanted to “skip to the end” so to speak, I doubt she had any specific mission, especially since she was so determined to reach a Wano (and only Wano) twenty years ago. Her going from being determined to get to the future Wano after all the heavy stuff was over with to tearing up Oden’s letter outlining what was expected to happen in the future tells me at least that she likely didn’t have any specific ideas as to what was expected to happen, only that it was better than her present circumstances.
Plus that would mean that she sent Gum Gum Fruit like 10-ish years before the expected events she was waiting for. Which wouldn’t make sense unless she already knew how everything was going to play out.
Roger laughed because the One Piece is going to be a silly gag +30 years in the making
If he could regenerate how come he s got a scar from Black Beard?
What if they laughed because it's a laugh-lock password. Need the right laugh to open it.
Their laughs were all wrong.
Dereshishishi.
New headcannon