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First of all, to all of you that don't even think this is a possibility, try to keep an open mind. Don't take my word for it:
SJ(Shonen Jump): "How do you keep track of the hundreds of recurring side characters? Do you plan far in advance for their reappearance?"
Oda Sensei: "Sometimes it’s planned and other times it’s not. And sometimes a character I totally forgot about ends up returning. The longer the series goes on, the more the number of characters just continues to increase. But one thing about One Piece that might be different compared to other series is that the defeated villains are usually still alive. So I can bring back anyone. Every character has the chance to return."
-Echiiro Oda, Jump Fest 2018 Interview
So yes, it most definitely is a possibility. Moving on.....
Saul Is Alive!
A lot of people think that Saul died because he was frozen solid, but we know that isn’t necessarily true. Aokiji has frozen several people throughout the story, and yet not a single one of them was killed by it.
With the exception of Jozu losing his right arm, nobody in any of these cases sustained so much as a minor injury, let alone actually dying (yes, even the den den mushi survived). They either broke out instantly (Whitebeard & Doflamingo) or they were thawed out before any harm was done.
Not only that, but Aokiji specifically used a move called “Ice Time Capsule" when he froze Saul, the only time this technique was ever used.
For those of you that don’t know, the concept of a time capsule is to bury something for preservation until it is rediscovered in the future. The fact that Oda decided to use this name for Aokiji’s technique leads me to believe that it was symbolic, intentionally foreshadowing Saul’s significance in the future of the story.
So what could have thawed him out? I dunno, maybe the fires that were conveniently raging throughout the island……
Based on this, I'd like to conclude that Saul was not killed by Aokiji. Of course, this isn't enough to prove that he made it off Ohara safely.
As for Olvia and the rest of the scholars.....
Based on this, I'd like to conclude that Saul was not killed by Aokiji. Of course, this isn't enough to prove that he made it off Ohara safely.
As for Olvia and the rest of the scholars.....
Despite the fact that the purpose of the Buster Call was specifically to eliminate them, we didn't see a single one of them die. There was an ample amount of opportunities to kill at least ONE scholar, but it never happened. Clover was shot, and Olvia was attacked by CP9 and almost beaten to death. Later, the government agents were right about to shoot another scholar, but they conveniently decided to leave them to die at the hands of the Buster Call.
Even Professor Clover, who was shot in the chest, is last seen throwing books into the lake alongside the rest of the scholars. Here is the last panel we see of them:
So this is not an opinion, it's a fact: we didn't see a single scholar die during the buster call on Ohara.
The next day, a group of marines was sent to Ohara to check for survivors.
While searching the island, the one thing that would've confirmed the deaths of Saul and the scholars is conspicuously absent: dead bodies. It is very apparent in the manga (and even more obvious in the anime) that there were no corpses, skeletons, or any sort of remains to be seen anywhere. The only thing they found were the books in the lake, which brings me to my next point:
There were only books in the lake. Somehow, none of the burning debris fell in there (which makes absolutely no sense since the tree was right next to it). Wouldn't that theoretically make the lake a safe spot? The scholars could have easily jumped into the lake after saving as many books as possible. Then again, even if this is a possibility, their morale was crushed and they had given up hope. It's too far-reaching and still wouldn't explain how they were able to escape the island. That's where our favorite Revolutionary Army Leader comes in:
This may seem like a bold claim, but I think there are more than enough hints to reasonably hypothesize that Monkey D. Dragon actually saved and recruited the scholars of Ohara.
Before you rule this out as a possibility, please try to keep an open mind. Up until this point, I have proven that Saul, Olvia, and the rest of the scholars have NOT been confirmed dead, and there is room for speculation.)
The Formation of the Revolutionary Army
In the Vivre Card Databook Volume 3, Oda gives us some hints about how the revolutionary army was created.
In the Vivre Card Databook Volume 3, Oda gives us some hints about how the revolutionary army was created.
The first 2 bullet points give us a lot of clues. By combining them, we can conclude that someone or something specifically 19-24 years ago made him aware of how inhumane the government truly is and directly led to him founding the Revolutionary Army. If it was someone, It would be a conversation we don't know about yet, like perhaps Rayleigh telling him the truth behind the void century. If it was something, then it was most likely a specific event he witnessed that displayed the government's cruelty.
The Library of Ohara website has a remarkably extensive timeline of every single event in the One Piece story, so I decided to read through all the events that happened around that time. There are plenty of possible things that could be considered, for example:
- The Tragedy of Flevance, in which the government essentially killed a nation out of greed ~16 years ago
- Fisher Tiger's raid on Mariejois to free the slaves ~16 years ago
- Lucci killing 500 marine hostages despite being on their side ~17 years
(Of course, it could be an event we just haven't seen, but I'm speculating based on what we know.)
Striking Similarities To The Burning Of Grey Terminal
Remember how I mentioned the lack of corpses on Ohara? Well coincidentally, Grey Terminal had the same problem:
Obviously, we know there were fewer corpses than expected here because Dragon was shown saving several of the victims. Despite this, Grey Terminal still had some corpses. Based on this logic, if the Oharan scholars burned to death, there should have been corpses there as well. (This is actually consistent with real-world biochemistry, as human bones don't disintegrate or melt even if exposed to a fire for a prolonged period of time.) Even with "anime logic", there is no reason that Saul's giant corpse didn't leave any remains.
It's not only the lack of corpses. The incidents themselves are very similar.
- In both incidents, a town is burned to the ground in order to protect the interests of the Celestial Dragons. (Grey Terminal for St. Jalmack & Ohara for the Gorosei)
- Innocent people were killed, but it was "rationalized" by the opposition.
- When it seems like there is no chance of escaping from the fire, everyone gives up hope. Soon after, Dragon appears and saves them. (Of course, this part is still an unconfirmed theory at this point for Ohara.)
- A group is sent to investigate the wreckage the day after, and there are fewer corpses than there should be.
- A child that was presumed dead in the fire turned out to be alive. (Ace and Robin)
- There were even some very strong similarities in how the scenery was drawn in some instances.
every detail from the perspective it is drawn from to the direction of the flames is very similar.
Also, when Dragon made a path for the Grey Terminal survivors to escape, it made a U-shape:
Coincidentally, there was an unnatural looking U-shaped hole in the base of the tree on Ohara. Could this have also been foreshadowing?
It could definitely end up just being a random coincidence, but I felt like it was at least worth pointing out.
Rationalizing Dragon's Title as "The World's Most Wanted Criminal"
(I'm assuming this implies that he has a ridiculously high bounty, most likely the highest in the entire series.)
So what makes him deserving of such a high bounty? He wasn't even deemed a threat until a few years ago. I believe he must have done something much more egregious to be given this title. If the government recently found out that he saved several archeologists that were studying the poneglyphs, his bounty would've skyrocketed. To put it in perspective: an 8-year old girl who just recently learned how to read to poneglyphs was given a 79,000,000 berry bounty. The Oharan scholars were not only much more adept than Robin, but they also were led by presumably the greatest archeologist in the world, Professor Clover. On top of that, they have already correctly deduced a significant amount of information pertaining to the Void Century and essentially got their hypothesis "confirmed" by the reaction of the Gorosei. If the government found out that Dragon not only secretly rescued them, but is harboring and assisting them as well? That, in addition to being a powerhouse that directly opposes the World Government, would justify his bounty and status as the world's most wanted criminal.
This would also rationalize why Cipher Pol is the main government force that deals with him. Unlike the marine admirals, who deal with the major issues like when a celestial dragon gets punched in the face or when a Yonko declares war, Cipher Pol deals with operations regarding secret information. For example, CP9 sent a Buster Call to Ohara because of the Poneglyphs and research on the void century, and went to Water 7 to retrieve the blueprints of the ancient weapon Pluton. CP0 dealt with Doflamingo's false news report (most likely so that he would conceal whatever secret it is that he is holding over them), and they also deal with any underworld operations like with Mother Caramel and Orochi.
So why is it that they actively seek out Dragon and the Revolutionary Army? If it's simply because he's planning to attack them, then he would be dealt with just like Whitebeard. But no - they are targeting Dragon because the secret he is carrying is far more dangerous than any physical threat, probably something so dangerous that he was given the title of "World's Most Wanted Criminal". Has it come full circle yet?
Although this is kind of minor, it would also explain why Akainu seems to have such a strong disdain towards Dragon. If we look back at the Buster Call, he was the one who made extra sacrifices in the hopes of ensuring the deaths of any scholars.
Despite his methods being ruthless, his genuine goal was to eliminate the scholars for the greater good. If he ever found out that his efforts back then were completely thwarted by Dragon rescuing all of them, it makes sense for Akainu to have some sort of resentment towards him.
That's it for Part 1! Please continue on to Part 2 below!
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