The Sun God, The Leopard, And The Desires Of Man. One Piece Chapter 1,069 BREAKDOWN

…………….. I didn’t have trouble coming up with the title- I came up with it in the first hour I was awake this morning(Thursday, December 8th, 2022). I was up thinking about it the night before, and thought a little more about it this morning because I knew early translations would be out. This is the title I came to. But the REASON I was thinking so much about this chapter is due to this being my most Anticipated chapter- I don’t know what it is, but this chapter just……… The Leaks Got Me HYPED. Lucci; Luffy; DEVIL FRUIT LORE and more!! I’m so excited to talk about this chapter!! So let’s get to it. One Piece Chapter 1,069: “All Things Are Brought Into This World With Hope.” Let’s begin. 

REVIEW

Germa 66’s “Ahh… An Emotionless Excursion” Vol 26 

We learn that the MADS Science group got their funding from an Crime Lord- “Loan Shark King” Lu Feld! This was one of the attendants to Sanji and Pudding’s wedding. And I imagine that his “philanthropic endeavor” with MADS came more out of wanting powerful weapons to sell on the Black Market. Vegapunk was not with any of that. Queen, Judge, and Caesar, though……. Without question. But Vegapunk had the most “brain power” of them all, so he probably left the moment he figured out what was going on. Judge and the others would probably try to continue, but they aren’t smart enough to make the best weapons possible. 

I also think this may have been where he met with Dragon and all of that; either to see who was purchasing the weapons, or to find another source of funding. Right? Like; the original “Freedom Fighters” group probably just went around free islands from oppression, so they needed powerful weapons(at least, everyone but Dragon himself). So maybe they were buying from Lu Feld, or they were up against advanced weaponry that Oppressive Nations bought themselves. 1 or the other. Lu Feld Funded MADS is the point.

Chapter 1,069 

Civilians and Lab assistants are fleeing from the scene, as Luffy’s group and CP0 come face to face. Luffy asks why they’re here, but Lucci reminds them that this is a Government island. Kaku reminds Lucci that they need permission from the Higher ups if they are to face Yonko, bu~t Luffy sees what they did to Atlas- someone who gave them food. So there’s no stopping what happens next………

Navy HQ: Akainu receives word that the Straw Hat’s have made landfall on Egghead Island, and that Aigis 0 had to force their way on the island. He’s upset that they “Declared War” without permission, but laments that Vegapunk cutting a deal with Straw Hat would be a painful blow to their military might. But then he learns that Kizaru is already on his way to Egghead Island for a “Prior Operation.” He gives the order that Lucci is not to confront Luffy until Kizaru arrives. But as I said- “Too Little, Too Late.” Back on Egghead; Lucci and Luffy have begun to battle once more. Luffy is using Gear 5th, while Lucci is utilizing his OWN Awakening!!

Up in the Labophase; the Vegapunks and the Straw hat’s are watching the battle on the monitor. The Main Body- “Stella-” arrives to see Luffy as “The White Warrior” in his newest bounty poster. He asks the crew if they know anything about it, but they just assume that it’s part of his Gum Gum fruit powers. But he tells them that the “Gum Gum Fruit-” doesn’t exist in the older versions of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. He goes on to say that he now looks like the God in Ancient texts- The “Warrior Of Liberation:” Sun God Nika. It is a name that was wiped from history, but the power still persists- so long as people desire it. As with anything in this life, ESPECIALLY Devil Fruits. 

Vegapunk’s Theory: “Devil Fruits” Are A Manifestation Of The Desire To See How Different Paths Of Evolution Can Play Out. Thoughts like “Gee, I Wish I Could Do X/ Y/ Z” come from those wishes- each showcasing a different possibility for Humanity. These “Deviations” are an unnatural occurrence, and are thus Rejected by Mother Nature- by sea itself! Those with powers exist in a “Different Dimension” dreamt up by someone else before them. Or so the good Doctor thinks. Either way you splice it; this world is “Truly Fascinating!!”

As the fight goes on; Sentomaru arrives on the scene with S-Snake, S-Shark, and S-Hawk. Upset that he’s been called in on his day off, he takes the situation at face value and assumes he’s here to back up Lucci against Straw Hat. Vegapunk tells him that he is to chase off CP Aigis 0, though that would make him a traitor to the World Government. Then he guilt trips him with how they met and he complies. Because his authority with the Seraphim outranks Aigis 0, he is able to turn S-Bear against them. He also has S-Snake take the Straw hat’s to the Vacuum rocket, while S-Shark and S-Hawk help suppress Aigis 0. But before they get the chance to make a move- Lucci takes out Sentomaru, thus taking out the only person present with higher authority than him and gaining control of the Seraphim. One Piece Chapter 1,069 END!! One Piece Will Be On Break Next Week. Poop. And with Black Clover still on break(Tabata’s dog got sick and he’s comforting his wife); I guess next week will just be My Hero!!! Please be a good chapter……..

Analysis 

………………………. ALRIGHT, D@MMIT!! I try to save the more “interesting” content for later, but it’s just to big to talk about. Devil Fruits. Well, we’ve got a theory about their origin. That is more than we’ve gotten in the last 1,068 chapters prior. Though I’m noticing a trend in manga right now. With Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Black Clover; they describe the origins of their own “Monster” class- Devil, Curses, and Devil Again- they all seem to come from Human thoughts converging on an idea: 

• Devils in Chainsaw Man are born from Humanity’s fear of a certain concept. For Example: Darkness. 
• Curses in Jujutsu Kaisen are born of the Negative Emotions from Human’s- their “Cursed Energy” building up and creating a Curse. Example: The Human Curse Mahito- born from “Human’s Hatred and Fear Of One Another.” 
• Devils in Black Clover are  bit more “abstract.” I don’t know how literal this is supposed to be taken, but Zenon told us that Devils are born “From Human Hatred And The Power Of The Underworld.” Examples such as the Spade Kingdom’s Ancient Demons only coming about from 2 Royals desire to compete against one another……. or something to that effect. 

Note: Some Weird Stuff Happened With the “Jujutsu Kaisen” image, and the paragraph that would follow ended up getting deleted. So this part may sound a bit off ’cause I don’t have it memorized off the top of my head, nor did I think to copy it. So heads up. Even if you want to debate the logistics of what Zenon said(revisiting that page for the image, I’m actually starting to think he was just being dramatic), it remains the case that that these monsters are born from Human emotions. To focus on Jujutsu Kaisen for a minute; all Humans possess Cursed Energy, which builds up when they concentrate on something- like a Curse that forms in a school, born out of feelings of Humiliation, anger, anxiety, saddness, and more. “One Piece” has a similar power- one that all people and animals possess. What I think Oda is going for here is the idea that Devil Fruits Are Made From A Convergence Of People’s Haki. 

It’s not just the emphasis that Oda has been putting on Haki since……… since like Dressrosa with Gear 4th. But also what’s been stated by Haki in addition to what Vegapunk has said. “Everyone- even animals- is capable of using Haki.” And as Chopper has shown us in every arc; animals in this story have a more complex thought process than anyone would think. So when a Giraffe’s thoughts, in addition to Human thoughts of what they could be- Ox Ox Fruit Model: Giraffe. With the Awakening acting as the “Possible Route.” Something to that effect. All of this could tie back to how the Nika fruit was born- possibly even when. 

Think back to what Who’s Who told us in chapter 1,018– about how Slaves would pray to a Sun God to come and free them. They had the will to pray- enough will to still dream of freedom. Even if only trickles from those who eventually gave up on freedom; the collective of enough Haki- from all the slaves for the 800 YEARS that the Celestial Dragons have been in power- would eventually aggregate into the Nika Fruit. Something like that would tie into the story so perfectly because of everything that has been said in the story. One line coming directly from the series second opening “Believe:” 

Destiny… Fate…. Dreams. These unstoppable ideals are held Deep in the Heart of Man. So long as there are those who seek freedom in this life- These things shall not vanish from the Earth.

– Gold Roger, King Of The Pirates

Or going all the way back to what Ivankov said about “Miracles” in chapter 538– “Miracles Only Happen To Those Who Never Give Up.” Through this process of Devil fruit creation; those enslaved by Im- those oppressed by the World Government; the Ancient Kingdom that fell- created this fruit as a last defiant act to the World Government, and one of the descendants of that Kingdom is about to use it to bring down the whole system. Whether it was through the “Convergence Of Haki” or not is irrelevant at this point, even if I do think that’s how Devil fruits are being created. 

Onto the other stuff in this chapter: I wasn’t expecting to see Gear 5th in this arc. I kind of didn’t want to. We’re going to see it again, but I kind of thought that this arc would be a bit too “soon.” I want for this power- for this form- to remain “Special;” a power that Luffy has in his back pocket when he Absolutely Needs it. I want it to be the form that Luffy takes when the fight gets SERIOUS Serious- like Ultra Instinct used to be for “Dragon Ball Super.” Because I honestly do not believe that Lucci would be worth pulling out Gear 5th for. Bound Man, but not Nika Mode. At least……… That’s what I think. I wasn’t expecting him to pull his Awakening out, so I suppose I may have “jumped the gun” on that. Shame on me for doubting you, Oda. 

Speaking of Lucci: That Awakening of his raises some questions- at least for my brother. Me too, kinda. Like; why does he have the “Flame ring” thing around him? We now know that the steam around Luffy is part of the Sun God fruit, but here it’s clearly fur. For A Regular Zoan. Well, a Carnivorous Zoan. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!! Ajay throughout the idea that this Flame ring is something that Every Zoan has when they Awaken- meaning that the Jailer Beasts in Impel Down aren’t truly awakened. Tying back to the idea that Chopper’s Monster point is a “Forced Awakening” through the Rumble Balls; that would mean that the Jailer Beasts are essentially in their own version of Monster Point, and also that Chopper has properly “Awakened” just yet. Will ALL of the Straw Hat’s using Devil fruits awaken by the end of the story? Maybe. I’m not entirely sure. 

The Seraphim Hierarchy. It makes sense that the Gorosei would have themselves as the “Highest Authority-” trying to prevent them from being used against them. There still might be a “switch” somewhere that lets them defy their command, but for now we should probably take that at face value. Especially since that means that the Straw Hat’s won’t have to fight them now that Vegapunk will be with them……. for a little bit. Can’t delay the inevitable forever…… Although he could give them their own Authority chip so that they can utilize the Seraphim themselves. Or set them free ’cause they don’t want “Child Soldiers-” even ones that might be more Machine than Organic. 

…………….. The other stuff is kind of just miscellaneous, yeah? You have Luffy meeting Sentomaru again, but I don’t think they’re going to fight at all(and not just because Luffy would whoop his @$$). Lucci taking out Sentomaru makes perfect sense, considering 1)The Mission at hand to kill Vegapunk 2)Who He Is and 3)The situation at hand. There was a moment that implied that the Seraphim have a level of sentience, as S-Shark and S-Snake showed some form of facial expressions when Sentomaru gave them the orders to protect the Straw Hat’s, but that might just have been me looking into it too far. This was just such a BIG CHAPTER that I feel like I’m missing something important. That and I lost my momentum ’cause my computer had charge. “Why The Sea Hates Devil Fruits?” Um……….. I don’t think I can say just yet. 1)As much as I’ve speculated on it- it’s still only a Theory. And 2)I’m not entirely sure what this is leading to. 

Like; it might tie back to something that Im did- tying into the theory that he has a Devil fruit that controls the sea, and he’s “making it” reject other Devil fruit users. But that takes a few leaps in logic, even assuming that such a fruit were to exist. Then again- Mochi. I can’t really say, honestly. But we’re starting to get some information. When this arc ends, I think we’ll be getting a chapter or 2 worth of exposition on the “scientific inner workings” of these things. Their FULL Origin, though, might have to wait a little longer…………. 

Conclusion 

I F*ckin’ LOVED This Chapter, Man. This series- it just has this…….. way of bringing a smile to my face when things like this happen. Not even just the visual references to Luffy and Lucci’s first fight, or seeing their Awakening’s clash- there’s the lore about Devil Fruits and the implications it has on the story; the Straw Hat’s beginning to learn the truth of the “Gum Gum” fruit; The Seraphim just BEING THERE- I F*CKIN LOVE IT!!! It REALLY sucks that we’re getting a break next week- but Oda needs his rest. Making Greatness like this takes its toll, and he probably has a few story details to think about before he actually introduces them. So I’ll wait. Until then, folks- Have A Magically Wonderful Day. By~~~e!!!