Summary
Joyboy's powers resemble those of the Five Elders, hinting at a dark connection in One Piece's history. Both Joyboy and the Elders possess awakened Devil Fruit abilities and can become immortal warriors. Speculation suggests Joyboy may not be the hero he portrays, with potential ties to the Elders.
After many years of waiting, A piece manga finally gives fans more information about Joyboy, Luffy's spiritual predecessor. In chapter #1115, Eiichiro Oda, the author of this beloved story, depicts the figure of this legendary outlaw in his fight against members of the Ancient World Government.
However, all the details revealed about Joyboy point to sinister similarities with the series' currently rampaging villains, the Five Elders. It seems that the first pirate in history has powers similar to those who rule the world. Most obviously, Joyboy has also awakened his Devil Fruit, which the Five Elders also seem to have done, at least in appearance.
Custom image by Merlyn De Souza
All the similarities between Joyboy and Ngu Lao Tzu
Joyboy needs an ability of equal power to his opponent
Despite their sparse appearances in the One Piece manga, the Five Elders have proven that they are some of the strongest warriors in the series. Their massive Devil Fruit powers not only allow them to transform into terrifying mythical creatures, but also give them impressive increases in strength, agility, and resilience. One of the main signs of their use of these abilities are the black, pointy clouds that surround their necks. The same pattern appears in all Zoan-type awakened Devil Fruit users, including Luffy, who ate the same devil fruit as Joyboy.
Although all Devil Fruits can awaken, only Zoan-type Fruits have a cloud scarf, which is based on the hagoromo, a scarf worn by some gods and fairies in Japanese Buddhism. .
However, the similarities between Joyboy and Five Elders go further. The “First Pirate” is one of the few creatures in the series capable of challenging the group of nations that would form the World Government, as implied by Vegapunk's words, which could imply that the His power level is similar to what is currently shown by Vegapunk. Five Elders. It's probably safe to assume that his Devil Fruit would need to function similarly to that of the Five Elders, as only a being with similar powers could hurt them.
Luffy's Gear 5 transformation, which comes from the devil fruit Joyboy ate, appears to be cannot hurt the Five Elders. Joyboy would never have been able to survive the Void Century war if he used Luffy's same ability. Another major similarity between The Elders and Luffy's predecessors is that they all seem to be immortal. Joyboy is a major warrior of the 100 Year War depicted by Vegapunk. A normal human would never be able to maintain fighting shape after a century. The Five Elders also seem to have the ability to stop their aging and also allow them the ability to regenerate indefinitely.
Joyboy can be just as wrong as his elders
When comparing them, Vegapunk says he doesn't know if Joyboy is a hero or not
While explaining the events of the battle that occurred during the Void Century, Vegapunk made it clear to his listeners that he would not defend either side. He is not sure who is right in this conflict, as the information the mysterious Poneglyphs give him is very limited. Vegapunk's refusal to consider Joyboy as the story's hero may have deeper implications. Although hailed as a freedom fighter, the first pirate was still an outlaw, meaning he did not respect any moral code or code of law except his own.
Like many other characters in the series, Joyboy may have committed actions that are not easy to judge by conventional standards. For example, in chapter 1115, Vegapunk implies that the Ancient Weapons used during the Void Century were responsible for flooding much of the world. However, the scientist never specified which side used these tools. It's also true that the World Government only owns Uranus, but Vegapunk spoke of weapons in the plural, and Joyboy may have owned and used one of them.
Everywhere A pieceOda is sure to always surprise fans, so while most of the above is still just speculation, it can't be ruled out. Joyboy turns out to not be the hero he is portrayed to be, or at least the story may reveal a surprising connection between him and the others. Five elders.