This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
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One Pieceis currently in the Elbaf arc, where Oda is continuously expanding the lore of the whole world. It can be said that right now,One Pieceis the most intense that it has been since the Onigashima War of Wano, and that certainly is incredibly exciting. In fact, if anything, things are bigger now than ever before, since everything directly connects to Imu, the Void Century, and of course,Joy Boy and the Great War.
As fans know, Joy Boy fought the Great War in the past against Imu and the World Government, and he ended up losing. However, there is more to Joy Boy’s defeat than meets the eye. Oda might just have revealed how he was beaten, and it all comes down to betrayal.
Joy Boy Was The First Pirate In History
Thanks to the Egghead arc ofOne Piece, fans know very well that Joy Boy was alive around 900 years ago, and he died at the end of the Void Century, that is, around 800 years ago. This is quite easily one of the most important time periods in the world ofOne Piece.Vegapunk also clearly stated that Joy Boy was the first manto set out to sail across the seas, and the first to be called a pirate. As any pirate would, Joy Boy also likely had his own crew. This is especially the case since Joy Boy was also Nika, just like Luffy.
He was the first to sail the seas. The first to be called a pirate! — Vegapunk
Nika is known to bring people to help him, and that’s largely how Luffy has won over so many people. Joy Boy also very clearly had many friends and allies, as confirmed by Fishmen joining his side. But, more than that, Joy Boy clearly had his own crew.
Joy Boy Somehow Lost To The 20 Kings
Joy Boy Lost At The End Of The Void Century
It is unclear what exactly happened that caused Joy Boy’s defeat. What fans know for sure is that Joy Boy fought Imu and the other Kings in a large-scale battle that also involved the use of Ancient Weapons. These weapons led the world to sink by 200 meters, as fans know already.
At the end of what is known as the Great War,Joy Boy lost and died. He did leave behind a treasure on the Final Island, known as Laugh Tale. Roger found this treasure, but realized he was too early. Now, Luffy is in search of this treasure.
Who are you, Joy Boy? Who is this apology for? — Nico Robin
Coming back to Joy Boy, why exactly did he lose? If he had Poseidon, and also his allied Galleila Band built Pluton, then he had two of the three weapons, yet lost the war. This makes little sense unless there was treachery.
When I was a kid, I thought to myself: man I would love to draw a manga with the most hyped final stage! I wonder if I’m up to it! Now, we have only a tiny bit of Wano arc left, the preparations are almost done. Took me 25 years lol. That said, it’s fine if you start reading from this point on. Because from this point on…it’ll be… The ONE PIECE!! The mysteries of this world, I’ll be drawing all of them! It’ll be super interesting! Fasten your seatbelt! And please stay with me for a bit longer! — Eiichiro Oda, Author of One Piece, 2022
Joy Boy Was Betrayed By Davy Jones
Oda recently revealed another legendary pirate from hundreds of years ago that even Imu knows, and possibly has a personal connection to. This pirate is none other than Davy Jones. If Imu knows the pirate and they existed 100s of years ago, then he likely existed during the Void Century. Davy Jones was said to be cursed by the Devil, which is likely Imu, and this could be because they not only betrayed Joy Boy, but also wanted to dothe same to Imuto usurp power. Rocks definitely looks up to Davy Jones, but why that’s the case remains to be seen.
One Piece Chapter 1156 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on August 3. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1156 is June 19, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
