Shanks Was Supposed To Give Ace The Gomu Gomu No Mi

[@lordlucci2213]

This theory also helps explain a lot of the World Government actions before Marineford. They never considered Luffy as a potential threat -- to them he was just another pirate who had the "rubber" fruit but didn't have the strength or destiny to unlock it. They were watching for Ace. Luffy was able to live under the radar because of Ace and the attention he drew. This changed after Marineford.

[@explicit90]

I think that's very careless from the World Government b/c Luffy isn't just some random kid but Garps grandson. I know that the gov't didn't know at the time, but is also Dragon's son.

[@neos5432]

@@explicit90 rogers son> dragons son.

[@brenbascos]

Luffy is the son of dragon, and grandson of garp. how is he under the radar? If anything, they didnt take luffy seriously as much as the level of ace and whitebears and every pirate crew in the newworld bcoz luffy was thought to be just a small time pirate at the time before marineford with a no name crew in the grand scheme of pirate world. Now luffy’s crew is made up of multiple conqueror haki users coz for all we know, yamato is joining the crew, sanji, ussop, and jimbei are potential conqueror’s haki user. Esp come elbaf arc.

[@neos5432]

@@brenbascos yea they didnt take him seriously because if you compare what ace did in his first year luffy looks small. ace reached the new world and unlock haki under a year and he beat both jimbei and yamato as a ROOKIE, then actually managed to wound whitebeard and make him use his quake power., its even stated that whitebeard would have died from his health condition if he kept accepting aces chalenges. nothing luffy did pre time skip even comes close to all that.

[@explicit90]

@@neos5432 I get that, but as I mentioned before that Luffy just ain't no random joe in the street. He has the nickname D. and the gov't not being worried just bc its not Ace seems ridiculous to me.

[@DZAtheGhost]

That thumbnail is Morjs Biggest W in a minute

[@oh-turkeybird]

It’s Morjin time

[@Teddy_Gautier]

Yeah that thumbnail is some of the best art I have seen on One piece videos in quite some time now

[@doffydonquixte]

Facts lol

[@bunny6444]

This might mark a new era for KZbin video thumbnails...

[@jaemin-2054]

morbin* time

[@DragonDBread]

I think an important detail that might have meant something was that Ace was the chosen one that didn't want to be. He didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps to becoming Pirate King, in fact, he was trying to distance himself from that as much as possible. He never displayed his own conqueror's spirit past the one time he needed to in order to save Luffy, and he was even trying to make Whitebeard Pirate King.

[@vincenthammons6705]

he was never the chosen one tho people just thought he might be

[@DragonDBread]

@@vincenthammons6705 Very true that there's nothing that says that he is, but for all intents and purposes of my comment, I just assumed the higher ups of the One Piece world felt that Ace was an obvious chosen one

[@dvdivine1962]

All he wanted was to be loved. He had no desire for the throne.

[@KeenanRuffinEl]

@@dvdivine1962 hard to be joy boy if you’re depressed lol

[@axelgear666]

The will of D cannot be inherited through bloodlines

[@sh0ejin]

remember what ace’s dream was? making his name known to everyone. It wasn’t the dream that “joyboy” would have.

[@ernestoavila6605]

Wtf true cuz zoans have their own will

[@watchbloodsunvendetta1447]

@@ernestoavila6605 i dont think his dream is because he ate the fruit. Its likley the fruit just chose luffy because its who he already was

[@RoronoaZoro-ur6hr]

@@watchbloodsunvendetta1447 , Luffy even after finding out that his father is the most wanted terrorist alive he still doesn’t give a shit unlike Ace that hated Roger even though Roger was dead for 22 years in the story; Luffy never gave up on his dreams and ambitions even whenever people were mocking him; them beating the shit out of him just for having the blood of Dragon, and Luffy since the very beginning of the East Blue Saga always set out to being the next Joyboi 2.0 unlike Ace that just wanted to die for his own identity along with White Beard sharing the exact same dream as Ace because Old, Sick, and out of Prime White Beard has the same Will to him that Fire Fist Ace does; Black Beard has the Will of both Xebec and Prime White Beard hence why he is the only Devil Fruit user that doesn’t die automatically after eating two Devil Fruits, and Sabo carries the Will of Oden and if Dragon died protecting him than he’d carry the Will of Dragon too, so that way Sabo would be able to eat the Flame Flame Fruit and possibly the Flower Flower Fruit if Robin truly is dead.

[@neos5432]

not true. ace wanted to take down the yonko and celestial dragons which is exactly what joy boy wanted to do. he even wanted to free wano which is a joy boy/luffy thing.

[@NotInTheFace111]

Exactly! Plus Ace was pressured to become what older legends wanted him to be, which he resented openly. Then along comes Luffy spouting off about his dream to become what Ace resented, and in supporting Luffy's dream, Ace was free to do his own thing, make his own destiny, since Luffy's got this Pirate King thing covered.

[@theasceticaesthetics]

This also makes Shanks sacrificing his arm for Luffy make a lot more sense. Was he really just that nice? Or was he protecting the the future of the world? It makes more sense if he thought Luffy has to be Joy Boy

[@Youbuu2]

Pretty cool that he didn't use armament haki lol

[@seekndestroy_5983]

@@Youbuu2 😂😂

[@Marta1Buck]

The sacrifice was necessary to change luffy's mind from wanting to become shank's subordinate to someone who will be the pirates king.

[@paranoidpanzerpenguin5262]

@@Youbuu2penance for screwing up

[@MindsWithoutBorders]

@@paranoidpanzerpenguin5262 this videos theory is the dumbest ever lmfao

[@Teddy_Gautier]

Ace was like that job applicant who, on paper, is supposed to be the perfect fit for the job, while Luffy is the one who has a deceivingly underwhelming resume, only to find out later that he’s the man for the job

[@thetruth997_]

Nothing about Luffy's "resume" is underwhelming. The grandson of Garp, the son of Dragon, a D, voice of all things, a natural affinity for Conquerors haki. Luffy is actually beating Ace on 1 point and thats the voice of all things lol

[@Teddy_Gautier]

@@thetruth997_ you’re talking about what we discovered now. I’m saying if you put toddler Ace next to toddler Luffy, based on what their dads achieved, you could see that Luffy was destined for greatness, but not specifically for the role of the man to take up Roger’s mantle after him. Ace definitely looked like the one, especially since both of his parents were members of the D clan

[@heroricspiritfreinen38]

@@Teddy_Gautier or maybe both of them were the ones and ace just died You can have multiple people perfect for one Job This is such a bad example from people like hou

[@jestersage44]

@@heroricspiritfreinen38 you clearly missed the point...obviously multiple people can be a good fit for the position but put simply what you see on paper isn't everything. I don't think it's difficult to understand what Teddy meant.

[@InnanetSlatt]

@@thetruth997_ Blind One Piece stans will do whatever to make it seem like Luffy didn’t just become a chosen one character bc of Wano’s garbage writing.

[@artonprenga3791]

Another neat little connection between Ace being the "Failed Chosen One" and Luffy being the "Chosen one who should've never been" is how during Jaya Ace lost to blackbeard, the sun lost to darkness. However, in the very next arc Skypia, we not only get the first ever mention of a "Sun God" but Luffy is also the one to disperse the dark clouds Enel created, letting the sun shine, and freeing the people of Skypia from a false god

[@Pekara121]

But Aces defeat was shown post enies lobby, was it not? :D

[@artonprenga3791]

@@Pekara121 No? Technically we were never shown Ace losing, we had the fight in chapter 441 and after the final clash we see Ace's hat on the ground and the narrator says that this fight will lead to a major event later down the line hinting towards Marineford

[@sasuke671]

Aces battle with Blackbeard was after Skypia. Very good analysis tho.

[@artonprenga3791]

@@sasuke671 oh yeah damn I completely forgot, still think it connects though

[@ElReyJunky]

@@sasuke671 how though? Didn't Blackbeard wanted to capture Luffy because of the shit that happened in Enies Lobby?

[@JayShwag]

A theory I've had since the very beginning episodes was that the reason Shanks lost an arm was because he hesitated. He let the sea king eat Luffy because then the devil would move to the nearest fruit, but Shanks ended up saving him instead by prying him out of it's jaws.

[@ThePigeonBrain]

Oof, this is dark, but I love it

[@jansanchez4050]

That’s why he said he lost his arm…. Because he “BET” it on a new generation , he took a risk

Why would Shanks lose an arm to a simple sea king otherwise? This makes much sense, and indeed it is dark!! 🤯

[@toyin71]

I'm always amazed by how you can piece together theories that I never even considered, great work 👍🏾

[@TheBabylane2]

How have you not considered this? Its been a prominent theory since the second we found out about the nika fruit.

[@triple1]

@@TheBabylane2 Where and when ? Have this been mentioned on KZbin before ? I never came upon a video that discusses this. Maybe on Reddit ?

[@username-ql8ox]

@@triple1 if you've watched Daniel Green's vid about luffy earning this powerup, theres a small section of him asking the community for their opinion and it's mentioned there that Shanks could have planned on giving the fruit to Ace. Im not sure if this was also the case for Merphy Napier It's a theory that's been around since the reveal of the fruit

[@SippingVino]

@@triple1 it was talked about in a lot of live streams like Brago D Ace

[@keithr.4645]

Same!

[@chrisw7718]

Everybody put all their cards on Ace. But Ace put everything onto Luffy. Luffy is holding the torch for many others.

[@jacoba6747]

Inherited will indeed

[@MerakiEarth]

This theory just makes sense. I’m sure once Shanks met Ace he realized that he made the right decision giving the fruit to Luffy

[@AgeofJP]

I'm not sure if Shanks even *knew* that Ace was Rogers son...I do believe he somehow heard about Rogers son being there but I'm not convinced he knew who it was. I think Shanks only found out it was Ace after it was announced at Marineford, and that for all he knew Ace was actually Luffy's brother. And after he found out he immedietly headed towards Marineford but came too late

[@MrZimono]

@@AgeofJP Maybe Roger told Shanks about his name being Ace or Portgas

[@doffydonquixte]

@@AgeofJP no shanks knew pretime skip. Even luffy knew ace was rodgers son at his early age no way shanks didn’t know

[@san-t7700]

Technically he didn’t give it to Luffy, but I’m sure meeting ace cleared his doubts

[@AgeofJP]

@@doffydonquixte shanks never met Ace before Ace came to thank him for saving Luffy, and what many people forget is that even Luffy didn't know Ace when Shanks was there...he had the straw hat when he met Ace. And since Ace kept it a secret the only people Shanks could've known this from are Garp or Roger himself

[@ajk4270]

I don't care what the outcome of Wano is. Morj is one of the best One Piece contributers in the KZbin community. His depth of analysis is by far the best one, and he makes so many good takes. My enjoyment of One Piece has become much better through Morj explanatory views on the story. And I must thank Morj for that and I appreciate him for that.

[@khalybebe]

Agreed 🎯

[@adamiadamiadami]

Wano is not over yet, don't lose hope!

[@ZetaVisualWorks]

@@adamiadamiadami yes, it's not over yet T_T

[@Lokendrakushwah12]

Lol this theory has already been said by anime luber with much more facts and details

[@TheElectrikCow]

@@adamiadamiadami Oda is getting ready to prepare for the final saga (It's why he's taking a month off after next weeks chapter), but I wonder if it is possible that there is still hope for this to be a 5 part kabuki play that is just split between two sagas, perhaps the last two parts kick off the final saga. Maybe I'm just scrambling for straws.

[@merilok1171]

The biggest legends of the pirate world: Meticulously plan the creation, upbringing and victory of the new JoyBoy Luffy: I'm hungry

[@almalayuwiyyah2512]

Oda is just really a troll. People make serious theory just for oda to make fun off it😂

[@Anshelm77]

I think there's a "you can't force fate" element at play too: others had planned to make Ace Joy Boy from his very conception, but the role went to Luffy by chance.

[@JP-zb3yb]

Another evidence or example of how Ace was written to be more special was that he unlocked Conqueror's Haki as a child. His aptitude for being a Conquerors was showing itself from the start. It was yet another reason people had their eyes on him. It wasnt until Luffy displayed his own blooming that Whitebeard decided to bet on Luffy.

[@shauryathakur2683]

How he tried to play off the shoutout with the sponsorship like nothing happened.😂 (Dude, you were the bigger man in the entire argument I respect u the most)

[@jeffj3976]

He had an argument with who

[@liorpapismedov2519]

It's heavily implied that the Nika fruit has a will of it's own and Luffy ending up eating it wasn't a coincidence but instead the fruit chose Luffy since it Saw something in him that was worth put it's faith in.

[@slushe909]

I actually LOVE this theory because it clears up the whole “luffy was always fated to be joyboy” thing that the community doesn’t like.

[@edd2635]

YES! I thought about this too. Shanks was in dawn island searching for Ace to give him the gomu gomu no mi. But the fruit had a will of his own and chose Luffy. 😆

[@the_lonely_winner2956]

Y’all take the “fruit has a will of his own” too literally. The person who stated that literally got their Zoan fruit from Big Mom

[@fadelmuhammad140]

@@the_lonely_winner2956 the one who said that is gorosei, not kaidou

[@edd2635]

@@fadelmuhammad140 right on bro. I am guessing the gorosei know what they are talking about...

[@the_lonely_winner2956]

@@fadelmuhammad140 you’re right, but I still stand by my point.

[@jbracq2008]

@@the_lonely_winner2956 your point doesnt really stand as the gorosei already mentioned the fruit has been evading them for centuries. so to some degree, it does have a will.

[@felix2341]

To add to this theory, 1. Kaido,”the man who defeats me is Joyboy.” Ace,” I will defeat Kaido…” 2. Ace learned to create STRAWHATS on WANO and made one for ores, but he never wore one himself. He already had his own hat ! It is symbolic of Shanks never getting to pass the Will on to Ace, and Ace adopting a different fate, (and a different hat). 2b. The theme of the straw hat, Imu holds a massive strawhat, Roger had a straw hat, he gave it to Shanks and Shanks gave it to Luffy. He did not give it to him when he ate the fruit ONLY when he said he’ll surpass Shanks to become King as well. 2c. Shanks would have given his strawhat to Ace when he delivered the fruit. Ace did not wear a hat when he was younger until after luffy gets his. When Ace sets out to Sea he has his own hat. I could go into : The smile and frown on Ace’s hat etc. MONKEY D. Garp was a marine, the three powers, the three brothers, marine, pirate, revolutionary etc. there’s a lot more here that supports your theory

[@AprilSamurai]

Also another thing morj Roger didn't just conceive a child before his execution he sought out a fellow D member to have a child with. Theres something there that no other one piece theorizer (at least that i saw) mentioned. She wasn't just a random woman she also was a D. So maybe only Ds can be joyboy candidates? Like full blood Ds Edit: ofc this falls apart if luffys mom is not a d but I thought it was interesting to mention

[@zombbro]

Luffys Mom Is D. A D. An She's got 2 That makes her a Double D. Okay I'm done shitposting, sorry

[@sobversion3]

When only got half the D lol

[@drewm8502]

@Der Typ just wait until people find out luffys real dad was Go D Usopp

[@samt3412]

I think Roger sought out another D to make doubly sure of Ace becoming Joyboy. It doesn't need to be 2 Ds, but it makes the likelihood higher

[@Vibricks]

I just hope roger built an connection with rouge (the mother) before breeding her. Something don't sit well with me knowing he only fucked her cause he wanted a successor and she had a d in her name lmao

[@Falkuzrules]

This is one of those theories that's really neat and you never thought about it but it's super obvious when you hear it. And plus, in certain panels Morj showed in this video, I was hit with the sudden realization of just how incredibly clear it is that Ace looks like a main protagonist and Luffy looks like a cute side-character for comic relief. Once he's forced to grow up and train with Rayleigh, the man closer to Ace's father than any other, he fully becomes fit to be our hero.

[@AthenaTennosN]

aka "Simon and Kamina"

[@kaylasilvia9150]

Love this analysis! It makes me see all the connections made between Luffy and Ace in the Wano arc in a new light. Ace is really living on through Luffy and Sabo, his will continues. I also wonder if in some way the Nika fruit chose Luffy. It may have been small but since we now know that Zoan fruits have will of their own, I can’t help but think it was looking for someone with particular characteristics.

[@XxXsupacloveXxX]

Yes almost like luffys carefree spirit was drawn to the fruit and as if the fruit in turn was callin out to luffy to eat it.

[@allmighty8134]

You have have such a cool name !

[@vincenthammons6705]

I believe rodger would of been the only other character capable of awakening the fruit if he got it

[@AB-et6nj]

Blackbeard was going after Luffy and he probably would've captured him but Ace saved Luffy by intervening. Blackbeard said it himself, he was going for Luffy but capturing Ace was good enough to get him the title of Shichibukai that he wanted. In many ways Luffy was able to succeed thanks to Ace leading the way most of their lives

[@visionaryvjae5641]

I wonder if Ace would've succeded though had BB chosen to go after Luffy in Jaya? If Luffy was captured at Marineford would Ace be able to save him or Would Ace have failed like Luffy did? And if Lufyf died at Marineford would Ace be able to go on and become pirate king or would he be too broken to continue?

[@truthboom]

Luffy will survive regardless of ace intervening, since he already escape by going to sky island, if they continue to chase they would've met aokiji

[@PolarizedxD]

No lie knowing what the Gomu Gomu fruit actually is now brings the conversation about Ace that happened between Becks and Shanks have a much deeper meaning. Becks recognized that Ace wasn't the one right off.

[@PolarizedxD]

@@inyt6367 Ace novel

[@drewsipherthehedgehog388]

this is fantastic in every way morj,the one thing im wondering is that if roger told little shanks this 'favor' then y would that make him cry? he would also have to tell him something els,perhaps shanks wanted to go to raftel and become the king of the pirates but roger pointed out that was for his son, the supposed 'joyboy' to inherit and that he can help with that,but no matter what shanks realizes in the moment he cannot compete with fate and cries at the fact that he cannot achieve what rogers' fated joyboy will achieve

[@dresdenwinterknight9553]

I think he cried because his captain had just told him he wouldn't live any longer, I really doubt he cried out of jealousy. He was a kid then, Roger was his role model (and probably a father or a big brother figure) and Shanks was about to lose him.

[@drewsipherthehedgehog388]

@@dresdenwinterknight9553 yea makes sense i would agree

[@mjohn3126]

Shout out to Morj not being a sore loser. Not saying he is, it’s just a breath of fresh air to see people not get angry when a theory they made ends up becoming wrong.

[@pajamadrummer127]

He was a sore loser though? For like a week he was a complete brat about it. And started ripping apart the story in dumb ways, I’m happy he shook it off but call a spade a spade, or and ace if you will

[@mjohn3126]

@@pajamadrummer127 I like what you did there at the end of the comment! But true. I meant he was being a good sport by shouting out Syn and Grand Line.

[@Virgil_Hawkins]

@@pajamadrummer127 he’s not being a sore loser though, he still has problems with the arc. It’s just that he’s not gonna make a rant video. The guy’s said that the raid didn’t need to fail for him to think this is a good arc. Just because he had an incorrect prediction, doesn’t mean his negative opinions are now invalid

[@ewag8950]

@@pajamadrummer127 wano is mid the raid should’ve failed

[@junkfreda]

@@pajamadrummer127 the story deserves to be ripped apart because of the countless plot holes and dead story threads. Many people are not thrilled with the end of the Kaido fight so don't act like everyone but Morj is happy

[@omnid.slayer7244]

The theory is pretty true in my opinion although it is still a theory.. Shanks would definitely want to give his captain's son the fruit to quite literally save the world from the corrupted WG But zoan fruits have a will of their own which means that luffy would've eaten the fruit regardless.. Also it is important to notice that the fruit was eaten by luffy who has D in his name and not let's say by some other character who doesn't have D in his name..and if we take into consideration that these types of fruits have a will of their own we come to a conclusion that the fruit pretty much chose luffy.. Really fascinating stuff to think about..

[@thehakiguy7006]

The thing I’ve been curious about is the fact that we were never shown Luffy finding the fruit and eating it. Ever since 1044 when the Gorosei said zoan fruits tend to have a will of their own, it immediately had me thinking the fruit intentionally got Luffy’s attention (with Luffy none the wiser, obviously). I like the idea that the fruit saw something in Luffy that Shanks didn’t see at first. Who knows if that’s the case, but I like the idea lol

[@wormengine]

Luffy is shown eating the fruit in the very beginning of the story no?

[@thehakiguy7006]

@@wormengine I forgot about the panel where he looks over and it’s in his hand half-eaten. But it still never shows him finding it.

[@WtJah]

Played off as a gag, but I think this theory does have merit. It could have chose luffy. He has a light hearted nature like the nika fruit seems to thrive on and that just couldn’t be further from Ace’s overall personality lol he can be silly but he’s far too serious and holds so much emotional baggage.

[@chainjail4834]

You're smoking on some crack

[@jacobthigpen2742]

i appreciate how much time you put into this and the editing quality, this video is great and really well put together. In addition you have taken what used to be a very very vague theory from the internet and researched it so thoroughly that you have me, and im sure others, totally convinced

[@chubbypompie553]

Shanks is such a chill guy he didnt even care Luffy ate his fruit he had faith in both Ace and Luffy though he put his money on Luffy

[@taulantasllani6703]

Another thing I think is crucial to this is that zoan fruits have a will of their own. The fruit chose Luffy because he had the most freedom of anyone, while Ace maybe lacked that. He for example chose to join Whitebeard and tried to make him the pirate king (who is the most free person in the world) while Luffy would never go under someone else command because that would hamper his freedom. So there is no such thing as a chosen one. Luffy just happens to be the most free person in the world and that is the reason he will bring the dawn.

[@marinenico1993]

Probably because Ace as a child felt enslaved and shackled to the bloodline he didn't like, which takes him out of the equation of being Joyboy, or the owner of the Nika fruit, but it doesn't change the fact that Oda is still a mid mangaka

[@nyongtory4e]

I disagree with just one thing. You say that the reason Shanks docked on Luffy's village was because he heard Roger's son was there. But in Chapter one is made clear that Shanks and his crew docked on the village for a whole year. Wouldnt he had found Ace in that whole year? Of course he would have, but its obvious he didnt because he never gave him the rubber fruit, and Luffy ate it before Shanks left. So my guess is that Shanks knew that Ace was in the East Blue and just went searching island to island. He met Luffy in one of his voyages and liked the kid very much, so he anchored there but still went from time to time on the search to other islands. Coincidently soon after Luffy ate the fruit, Shanks said there was no more reason to stay. Now we know why, because he had found the next Joyboy. Its funny to think about that Shanks was anchored for a whole year on the same island the boy he was looking for was too, and he never found out, instead another boy ate the fruit. Man, now I understand why Shanks mouth dropped to the floor when he found out Luffy ate it, what I'll never understand is why it was on the bar, instead of being locked away in their ship. Oh well

[@sillyv1919]

There's one thing tho you know Devil fruit choose their owner right atleast Zoan ones as far as we know so maybe he was waiting for that DF fruit to choose their owner which is why they docked for one year and as soon as Luffy ate it they left the island this explains a lot and makes lot of sense just a W writing from Oda imo but feel free to disagree.

[@ShadowMark474]

"You say that the reason Shanks docked on Luffy's village was because he heard Roger's son was there. But in Chapter one is made clear that Shanks and his crew docked on the village for a whole year. Wouldnt he had found Ace in that whole year?" Who's to say he didn't? When Luffy ate the fruit, they were celebrating, both a "successful voyage" and Luffy's courage for stabbing himself. That success could've been the pillaging of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, since Who's Who never mentions what sea he was in when it happened. Benn Beckman even mentions pillaging to Luffy as being one of a pirate's duties at the time. In that case, maybe he did know where Ace was the whole time, or at least at that point; for he was planning to give it to him after the celebration. That would also explain why they had the fruit with them at the time. "Coincidently soon after Luffy ate the fruit, Shanks said there was no more reason to stay." Shanks said that they would only have a couple more voyages before they would leave for good before Luffy ate the fruit. That would make sense if they were about to give the fruit to Ace. With those voyages being excuses to come back and check on him before they left for good. After Luffy ate the fruit, he still left on a trip and came back "a long time" later (as Makino says) coincidentally right as Luffy's in trouble. Maybe he had eyes on him the whole time, who knows lol. As the narrator points out though, Luffy finally understood the danger of the sea and why he had to get stronger, just before Shanks decides to leave for good. Maybe after that moment was when Shanks figured it'd finally be okay to go.

[@starandeath4735]

@@sillyv1919 umm no? Thats all speculation. Zoan has a will of its own but they do not choose who gets to eat them.

[@RustyNips]

@@starandeath4735 ya i can see them having a will but them getting to pick who eats them is kinda dumb Shanks or any of his crew could have just eaten it them selfs the fruit can't stop them lol It was just fate that caused luffy to eat the fruit

[@naz2861]

I agree with the theory probably being false due to the fact that Ace was born in the south blue, and the only person who would know of him being moved to the east blue would be Garp. Another problem is that Ace didnt go by Gol D. but rather Portagaz D. which would make him even more difficult to find due to Rogers relationship not being known. The final problem is that Garp wouldnt tell Shanks or anyone where ace was due to it putting ace in danger.

[@pokedoctor2087]

Hearing Morj say The Raid Succeeded brings balance to the fandom

[@jamesh3687]

The raid succeeded, the arc failed

[@bmoney3837]

Wano has low tension

[@bmoney3837]

@@hhhfdsfs this was supposed to be the biggest arc in the new world those arcs didn’t have the build up and hype wano got. It didn’t live up to the hype

[@bmoney3837]

@@hhhfdsfs we are fighting two yonkos and still low tension?

[@devinmes1868]

@@bmoney3837 Wano was flawed but a lot of the backlash is unjustified and exaggerated. Wano was a good arc, but a lot of its criticisms are either made up, greatly overblown, or they come from the "week to week" perspective.

[@sheabutterfly]

Ace is always bothered by his existence that he question if ever he deserves to live but it was then when he meet luffy that it gave his a will to live by protecting his younger brother. Even how much the world point a task for him to fulfill, it never cross Ace's mind to become a pirate king but instead brags it to people that his brother will be the one. His unfulfilled promises in wano just parallel joy boy's promise to fishman island. It's not for them to fulfill it, It's for luffy that they both believe.

[@WtJah]

Ace never really had a goal for himself. He either wanted Luffy to be Pirate King or he was going to make a path for Whitebeard to become pirate king instead.

[@sheabutterfly]

@@WtJah i guess it more like a dedication because he adores whitebeard like a father but whitebeard on the other hand wanted ace to be PK instead. Ace is just a broken person inside. No goal for himself aside from supporting what his adoptive father and brother’s happiness.

[@onestart586]

In that context i find akainu fascinating in the marineford arc, because in the moment he fought and won vs ace, he chose to attack and kill luffy instead of ace, with ace ending up protecting luffy from akainu. As if he knew, who the real threat for the marines will be in the future.

[@universalhero1829]

This really ties in to when WB said “even if you take out the bloodline, their will will still be passed down”

[@NimbleFire]

I just love the fact that ace may not have been the sun god but he did gain the power of fire and one of his attacks looks like a small sun

[@bballer3712]

Honestly great video. More than Shanks and Whitebeard failing to make Ace the next Joyboy, I’d like to think that Ace successfully made Luffy joyboy. Since becoming brothers, Ace blazed the trail and was the role model for Luffy to follow and we see that even more in Wano. The Whitebeard and Shanks dynamic at Marineford I think highlight this, as Whitebeard orders the following of Luffy and Shanks saving his life. Shanks may have known that Luffy might be the one before Whitebeard, hence the first arc, but he still left Luffy to Ace, as wild as that sounds lol

[@DarkAnarchy666]

I came up with that theory like 4-5 months ago. On top of all that you said, I think Luffy eating the fruit was no accident. If you go back to the episode where Luffy eats the fruit, on one panel he's not eating it and on the other panel he's just munching on it kind of unconsciously. Idc if it sounds crazy, I think the fruit chose Luffy.

[@blacktoast_2158]

No no cause wasn’t there something that said some devil fruits have a will of there own? (Zoan if I’m not mistaken) then that actually makes complete sense... Luffy was in the right place at the right time, almost like he was drawn to it unconsciously. All I know is that one piece is gonna get crazy once all this gets unraveled

[@allmighty8134]

@@blacktoast_2158 yup. Zoans do infact have a will of their own

[@starandeath4735]

@@allmighty8134 the have a will of their own but thry dont choose who gets to eat them. They only choose whethere or not they should awaken for said fruit user

[@TeagueSan]

It's definitely interesting that a man like Shanks stayed in East Blue for a year and left very soon after happening to find the Nika fruit... but I'm doubtful of this theory. The biggest reason is that it would be very weird if Shanks went this much out of his way for Roger's son, only to completely abandon him once Luffy ate the fruit. Shanks cared about people, not just results. Ace and Shanks even met at least once, and Shanks only cared that he was Luffy's brother.

[@willyjacobs5418]

I love how Ace himself seemed to be the only one aware of the dynamic between him and luffy

[@luisvergara5386]

Absolutelly agree with this, word by word. Wano has made Ace the chosen one... And luffy was the accidentally one. Thanks morj, i only imagine how much work and thinking you did on this theory, thanks for that hard work.

[@vincenthammons6705]

ace was never chosen the fruit chose luffy

[@nightruler666]

The fruit chose luffy

[@jacobcutter8962]

As soon as I learned who Ace's dad was I had a feeling he would die. His lineage directly clashed with Luffy's ambitions to be pirate king.

[@havoc2864]

The problem with the whole “Shanks traveled to the East Blue to meet Roger’s Son” thing is that Oda didn’t plan for Ace to be Roger’s son until Marineford, when an editor persuaded him. Ace at that point was just a random kid, and Shanks had no intention of giving him the fruit.

[@walterhoward5512]

That's the problem with these kinds of theories. They ignore the way these kinds of stories are really just made up on the spot.

[@angelaudon8864]

Doesn't mean he can't tie it in cleverly, could've been shanks was indeed there for ace , there's no real fallacy adding it in through a flashback

[@benabaxter]

I think the rest of the theory could still stand. There would have to be some reason why the execution meant so much to the Marines, it might as well have been that they thought he was the biggest threat and the next Joy Boy for some reason.

[@ThousandSunny94]

Wow. Wow. WOW. You outdid yourself with that one. What a brilliant analysis of Luffys and Aces role in the story.

[@The16bithero]

I 100% support this theory, makes everything connect so incredibly well. Not saying it was planned from the beginning, but Oda sure knows how to connect plotlines And if you think about, even though Ace hated his bloodline, whenever he's shown, he's always smiling and bringing joy to others (Tama and Yamato, for example) so who knows? Maybe he also could've inherited Joyboy's will

[@burntcookies5427]

I fell in love with OP through anime, despite the pacing and filler. I am so fortunate to come across your fantastic video on my first read through of OP. I am at the Amazon Lily scene right after Marineford and the positioning of particular panels hit so much harder and deeper than the surface level story of Luffy losing his beloved brother. Thank you.

[@j-star1]

Love your analysis, you always seem to be so on spot into the mindset and global message that Oda subtle introduce across the manga!

[@barrow_3490]

To support this idea, Shanks mentioned he was using the village as his base for a year and after 2-3 more voyages they'd leave for good, which is said before Luffy eats the Gomu fruit. After the fruits eaten and the incident with Higuma, Shanks says they're leaving for good and gives Luffy the hat. Possible Shanks was searching for Ace and stopped once Luffy ate the fruit.

[@squid4PurPle]

it's definitely intentional how Oda continuously makes the comparison between the two. I felt the same about the name drops, but the way you explained it gave a little bit more perspective. I always think about how they say Devil fruits carry a will of their own, so I kinda feel like the stronger the fruit the stronger the will. With that being said, maybe Shanks' intention was to pass on the fruit to Ace but the Nika fruit "called" to Luffy because how would Luffy otherwise know to open a random box to find a fruit?? Luffy now carries Ace's will as does Sabo, being 2 sides of the same coin which is a common theme in Oda's writing. It'll be fun to see how this story unfolds and all the background to come later this year

[@ernestoavila6605]

I’d imagine that shanks went to ace and offered him the fruit but ace would deny it because he wants nothing to do with his father atm. Shanks stays around town to see if he can convince ace to eventually eat the fruit but eventually meets luffy who eats the fruit instead. You never know, maybe we’ll get some ace content and an explanation in film red cuz of the flashback that we were shown in ASL’s home town.

[@ernestoavila6605]

Actually this don’t make sense cuz ace met shanks for the first time at that cave when he said thnx so ignore me

[@KaxMerg]

@@ernestoavila6605 thanks ernesto your comment was intriguing regardless

[@ernestoavila6605]

@@KaxMerg thank you brother I appreciate it

[@Syrkrystian]

This theory to me confirms why shanks lost his arm. He regretted not being able to deliver the fruit to Ace so as punishment to himself he gave it up

[@petergohan]

I think you're right on that, but there's one thing that Oda has shown us lately, that the Zoan fruits have a will of their own, they choose who will eat them basically. So, everything worked as Shanks/Roger wanted, until the point where the Nika fruit got eaten by the real one that was supposed to eat it, in Luffy. All the other factors were just to make everything allign perfectly for Luffy. All the actions up to that point were to make Shanks take the fruit to Luffy, Ace being there was just "bait" for Shanks.

[@nigmajpuia9891]

Imagine Luffy in whitebeard's ship with all his stupidity 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@DJMilez]

Wow amazing analysis. I’m def on board with this!

[@DonatellaNellieFatou]

12:27 this..🔥🔥🔥 Shanks sacrificed his arms to show the others how serious he was about the bet . He bet on Luffy after the Zoan Nika fruit chose Luffy instead of Mr Donut. It was fate. Everything hits different now.. that scene where WhiteBeard sees the Strawhat and understand the kid who Shanks bet on.... 🙉 Will of D is written in the name of Luffy 🔒💰💀

[@bayekofsiwa5847]

It's also worthy to point out that on Chapter 1, Shanks said that they've been setting Foosha Village as their base FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. There's really something questionable about that considering that they were still a young crew at that time and not the Yonko empire that they are now today. And then, after Luffy ate the fruit, they thought that they've stayed on the island for too long and decided to set sail. Definitely suspicious. Also my headcanon for this, a dark one at that, is that Shanks probably contemplated on killing Luffy to get the fruit but decided against it when the child showed steel conviction and thought, "You know what, keep the fruit and be my PK candidate. Sorry Captain Roger."

[@TheFPSKingsGaming]

That’s hella dark but I would love if that ever got alluded to

[@rainzzz1906]

like Shanks said to Rayleigh it was because, "In the East Blue there's a kid saying the exact same thing as captain Roger.."

[@Truck-kun11]

I'm curious about how The "Fruit Will" works. It is said that Zoan-type fruits have a will of their own, so it is quite possible that the Fruit chose Luffy and made the chest open for him to eat it.

[@devinnall2284]

0:17 "If that sounds crazy hear me out!" No no it makes perfect sense

[@ComeFindOuts]

I believe Ace was the peoples choice, while Luffy was destiny’s choice to become joy boy . Since we learned that the hito hito no mi has a mind of its own, it somehow would of played out with Luffy always being the one to eat it.

[@ZeroxZack]

One of the best theory’s one piece I’ve ever heard makes me appreciate the series a lot more

[@leroywhyte4471]

I love this theory but I would also like to add that we learn that the Nika has a will of its own, so even though Shanks, White Beard and Roger wanted Ace to have the DF ,the fruit chossw Luffy instead and I guess the fruit saw potential in Luffy that he himself didn't realize. And I believe Shanks realized Luffy potential and him understand the abilities and will of the Nika DF so he sacrifice his right arm because he knew that Luffy will become Joy boy

[@itsmajr4648]

Beautifully articulated! Thanks for yet another great analysis.

[@smurfx]

could be that there was a prediction that the next joyboy would appear at windmill island and shanks made it his base of operations hoping to find him. when luffy stole the fruit and ate it it kinda cemented him as the chosen one. could very well be that shanks didn't know about ace and i don't think he ever even met him.

[@ysl.yona1166]

morj u will forever be a goat in this community

[@TheHobgoblyn]

This would explain a lot about Shank's actions that were just way too weird and convenient suggesting he had some secret plan/motive all along. Though this still doesn't explain why he is on speaking terms with the Gorosei.

[@drongobrat6471]

Damn that was a really really good theory. I like that it's the type that doesn't really ever need to be confirmed, it's good just chilling in the background

[@OrielAdirTheGamingIL]

Morj you're the only youtuber I actually watching his podcasts for some reason

[@jackmiller9864]

Probably your best video yet. So insightful.

[@TielZone]

Ace was still alive and fruit-less when Nika decided that the right one was Luffy. So it's not true that Ace was the original chosen one by destiny, just Roger tried to force his offspring to destiny but that's not how it works

[@adrien4331]

exactly!!! I think Morj is really good at what he does unlike some of these reactors or whatever they call themselves however I don’t agree with his take on this one. Roger was arrested and executed about a year and half after the Roger crew split and Ace was born 9 months to a year after his due date hence why the navy thought they got him since they killed/caught all the children within his original birth range so unless Roger could see in the future and knew Ace was going to be born 1.5-2 years after his death I don’t think that’s what he told him. Furthermore the world government even said the fruit always escaped them like it has a will of its own. Luffy knew shanks before he met Ace so unless Shanks had information from Garp there’s almost no way he would’ve known that Roger’s son was alive.

[@dissect123]

Beautiful summary. I don't know if Shanks intentionally went to see Ace or if it was "fate" / "destiny" that lead him to East Blue. How would Shanks have known where to look for Ace? From the moment of his birth, Ace was in custody of Garp who would never have shared Ace's whereabouts with a pirate since he intended for him to become a marine. One inconsistency is that Roger picked "Anne" as a name, should his child be a girl (chapter 551). So he was not actually sure that this child would become Joyboy. That leaves room for speculation that there were (or are?) other children since Roger wanted to make sure there was a son.

[@azurqasm2746]

Everyone: let's make Ace joyboy. Nika be like: How about no? The fruit being eaten by Luffy was no mistake.The first panel of Luffy says so. Nika has a will of his own. What was Luffy's first act? Stabbing himself to prove something. He was willing to take pain. This pleased Nika. Next, Luffy is making everyone laugh! This made Nika sure. Not a panel later, Luffy's eating without realizing it. Devil Fruits have a gravity of their own. Zoans in particular seem to call their intended users. Everyone was willing to make Ace the next Nika But no one asked for Nika's opinion. After all, if you're gonna get rubber powers, you better be ready to take a beating. And actually frickin' laugh. Not a smile and a frown. Makes me wonder what possessed Buddha himself to manifest in Sengoku. What are the qualities of gold? To be forever at peace (inert)? To react rarely? Be shiny? Did he meditate a lot? What could please Buddha?

[@druox501]

goat

[@justaway6901]

12:59 Morj is improving

[@fighterpimp]

See the problem is that the nika fruit also has a will. Ace's heart was not filled with joy like luffy's. I think this is why the fruit called to luffy and he ate it. Because food also made luffy happy and smile and filled with joy. He visited those pirates a lot because it was fun to him. Unlike Ace. Ace stayed away from people hiding and knowing the truth, being protected. He already had this sense of duty. Nika's fruit isn't about duty. It is about liberation and freedom. Ace was not free. He was enslaved by his fathers will. If you look at the entire story of One Piece and luffy's adventures. He always liberates people and brings joy to them. Every story and adventure he goes on brings the same thing. He brings freedom and dreams back to everyone. If Ace took this fruit he would of thought it was his duty to be the king of the pirates. Instead of a characteristic of nika2. He would of been fighting against the innate will of nika. Why Zoan fruits have a will of their own and pick their users. Some fruits don't care as much. I don't think a elephant elephant fruit cares if it is in a sword, as long as it gets to be active. So some of their wills are just let me exist outside the fruit. But clearly being a different type of fruit a human human fruit. It carried a more ingrained will. Ace was never going to be accepted by this will of nika. Why Garp protected ace, brought his grandson for protection there. Also I am happy Oda didn't do what others thought he was going to do and make Sabo get capture. That is lame and a parallel to Ace's story. He never has done double arcs like that outside of Skypia showing us the story of how luffy will free people from an oppressive god. Skypia showed us everything. Introduced us to haki, gods, destiny, natural enemies, a lost people that were enslaved by the so called god, and that dreams are possible by showing that Skypia existed. So luffy's dream to have everyone to be able to eat and be free. That lines up with Nika. If we look at Ace's character, he was never like this at all. He was strong and independent. Only cared about honor and injustices done to people. This isn't how nika is at all. Nika was about freedom. Ace left his crew. Nika would never abandon a crew member. Ace was so dishonored by BB, that he had to go on a mission just to kill this man. Thus taking away his freedom. Luffy never kills his opponents. Oda states that instead of killing them. Luffy crushes their dreams. Which does the same thing, but he only crushes the dreams, because their dreams take freedom away. Ace was never a person that look out for anyone, but the select few he was loyal too. Luffy was the person that even as a child. We see how he would stand up for anyone, when he talked back to the bandits. He would also place himself in situations that caused him to either need people or people need him. Ace was a loner and did things on his own. Nika had friends that helped him. We can see this with the Polygplyhs alone. Nika didn't make them, and some of them say sorry my dear friend for breaking promise.

[@MaoDopamineDong]

Shanks was bad at his job. He left the fruit unguarded lying on a table that a random kid can’t eat

[@KaiTHEUnderAgeGamer]

Ace was setup to be a king by WhiteBeard. No doubt Shanks heard about him being a pirate and made the connection to give the fruit to the son of his captain and truly complete the cycle of inherited will.

[@raidowsenpai]

I'm so glad this theory was made. I've been waiting for years to see an update on volonté du d (french website) over their theory comparing Ace, the "prince" hero, Luffy, the "buffoon" hero, and Blackbeard, the "dark" hero. Thank you Morj, I needed some closure on this topic!

[@Yes-ly2re]

me: mom can we have a chosen one mom: we have a chosen one at home the chosen one at home

[@V.VIIIBeanman]

I gotta sub to you off this one cuz this video hits home to me. My mom told me some years ago that she had a miscarrage. 9 months later I was born. My "Ace" was sacrificed so I could live. This video made me realize that....

[@rouelandrewpulma9799]

Great analysis as usual. My biggest problem with this though is that from Ennies Lobby to Marineford one of the biggest thematic thread featured was that offsprings should not carry the sins of their parents. Simply existing or being alive is not a sin. This same thing was emphasized by Roger when he spoke to Garp as being the reason Ace shouldn’t suffer from his sins. Now, don’t get me wrong, everything you pointed out falls perfectly in a bigger Chosen One narrative, however that small of piece of Roger wanting Ace to follow his exact footsteps whole telling Garp the opposite just kind of don’t fit.

[@visionaryvjae5641]

True but Roger didn't force Ace to become Joyboy. Just like how WB and Shanks placed, bets Roger placed a bet on his son being the one to become Joyboy but Roger also understands the concept of inherited will and that even if it's not his son he knew someone would do it.

[@CWillMathias]

This is one of the best theories I've heard in a hot minute and I'm only 5 minutes in. Good video!

[@camintheway]

Morj needs a W.. he's been collecting L's

[@Truck-kun11]

It would be interesting if we had a "What if Fruit Nika had chosen Ace" sometime in the future.

[@ChibiTalha]

Shanks Was Supposed To Give Buggy The Gomu Gomu No Mi*

[@TheClanFollows]

You also forgot that ace visited Shanks to thank him for taking care of Luffy So there’s probably some interesting information there. Shanks may have solidified his stance once he met ace and his “fuck my father” attitude looking for his own sorry and purpose and seeing how if he had the fruit he would be given another destiny passed down from his father that he would actively avoid fulfilling

[@MonkeyD.Usopp434]

Morj! What an incredible video! I imagine we’ll soon learn that you were spot on with all of this. However, I do disagree with the idea that Luffy eating the fruit was an accident. As we learned recently, devil fruits have a will of their own. I imagine if a devil fruit could avoid the World Government for 800 years it could easily get itself eaten by a hungry little kid. I think Luffy was always the right pick, and that’s why the devil fruit chose him as it’s bearer. Also, Ace’s main focus was always really figuring out whether or not he deserved to live while Luffy has always put 100% of his focus towards becoming the pirate king, so I don’t think Ace was ever truly meant for the role.

[@visionaryvjae5641]

I think Morj means an accident within the greater Plan Shanks and Roger were cooking up. Shanks can only make an interpretation of what the prophecy means and he thought that it was supposed to be Ace all along, in fact everybody thought this including Yamato, the marines and WB.

[@adrien4331]

Exactly and if I recall correctly, Ace told me WB and Shanks that he was Roger’s son

[@misterstripes]

Dude, awesome video. I've read similar theories, but this one was the first to make sense.

[@PillowKing]

Willing to bet the Red Hair Pirates reluctantly had a moment where they thought about respawning the fruit by killing Luffy.. but beg for Shanks not to, and Shanks not wanting to hurt his friend, also said that they'll bet it all on Luffy, thus sacrificing his arm to motivate the boy.

[@tonganthrilla510]

Yeah Morj just left Earth with this video, not gonna lie. Great analysis of the story in totality, and gives new life to the character of Ace, to our beloved Luffy, and the world of OP altogether. Bravo Morj!

[@francescoresinelli4110]

Woah this guy knows his stuff, he definitely didn't held on to the same theory which turned out to be incorrect for 3 years

[@samreid3417]

The key word there is “theory”

[@danieljoung5398]

Great video Morj. Well thought out, and well put together. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thank you

[@qb4428]

This reminds me of my one nitpick in the story: Observation Haki never seems to work when it needs to. Luffy bypassing everyone. XD

[@B_Machine]

Thanks for clarifying your thoughts on this into a concise video!

[@TengouX]

"The hero that destiny chose after the other more logical path closed" Was it destiny that chose Luffy, or was it the Nika fruit itself? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. It is said to be a fruit with a Will of its own, a Will strong enough to avoid capture by the World Government. Perhaps the fruit itself saw something in Luffy that made it choose him. Did Shanks intentionally put that box on the counter top in Makino's bar, where its contents could be eaten? Or did the fruit quietly invite itself to be consumed while the Red Hair pirates weren't paying attention? In any case, the results speak for themselves, because I don't think the Nika fruit would have suited Ace at all.

[@visionaryvjae5641]

Well Woopslap did ponder if it's Luffy's dream or destiny to become pirate king. it reminds me of the "Are you the strongest because you're Satoru Gojo or are you Satoru Gojo because you're the strongest" statement in JJK.

[@a_maxed_out_handle_of_30_chars]

yes, I always thought shanks was in east blue to give the fruit to ace and was pretty upset when luffy ate it, but when luffy said the exact words as roger, shanks decided to bet on luffy

[@vijaykrish6298]

Morj is brilliant at his theories. Never scatterguns.

[@LCS1]

With the flashback of chapter 1054 we can definitely assume that Shanks did know about the true nature of the rubber fruit. And he attacked the CP9's ship only to take it in order to give it to the next Joyboy

[@redhood5264]

I just ordered my Raycon wireless earbuds. They came in and have really changed the way I listen to KZbin videos and music!

[@emannuelsepulveda7259]

This thumbnail has got to be top 3 thumbnails of all time on this channel? It’s amazing