Who's-Who
Hello fam and welcome to my new theory. This theory is about betrayal, certain patterns, flips and a future plot that is just hard to ignore at this point.
So guys without big shittalk, let's get to the points:
Betrayal is an overarching theme in One Piece, it started with Nami on Arlong Park, Robin in Alabasta and the CP-9 in Water Seven.
Big and impactful plotpoints in the story, betrayals are moving forward the plot and especially the Strawhat Pirates.
Also recently betrayal and especially the flips of characters became more and more important again. Doflamingo's Speech post Dressrosa, the flips in Whole Cake Island and the recent flips in Wano. They all follow consistency and move forward the story. Without doubt, Oda setup more betrayals over the time, one of the most popular theories revolving around this is the theory that Kuzan spies on Blackbeard and that he will betray him.
On a rehunch of all events, most betrayals were "Third Party betrayals" that will more or less benefit the downfall of an enemy. Just recently we had the first Third Party betrayal in a while, that harmed the alliance. It was the betrayal of Kanjuro, the previous last noticeable betrayal of this caliber was the one of Squardo, where he stabbed Whitebeard. As you see guys, I believe Wano will have some more secrets in future, a big point we will have to tackle will be the flip of X Drake.
This made me think about the recent Tobi Roppo reveal and it makes me rethink another overarching theme in One Piece....
Identities:
Identities and flips are another overarching theme in One Piece. It was also again something that kickstarted with the Alabasta Arc (Baroque Works and especially Robin) and later on with the CP-9 in Water Seven. The point is to show that false identities and identitity flips are the turnpoint for an arc, most likely climax relevant for a hard progress.
A big point was FIshman Island and the sudden reveal of Poseidon and the pressure Shirahoshi faced through this. This is a challenge.
More important is Whole Cake Island. As you see WCI is a resurfacing arc and all in all the most underestimated arc in my opinion.
Big Mom's flips and esspecially Pudding flips were prominent for this arc.
Pudding was the first shizophrenic character of her kind and this was the first time Oda made fans question her progress in the arc and whether she is an ally or enemy.
As she was heavily connected towards Linlin and Linlin was basically the reason for how Pudding became like this.
Besides that Sanji shared one similarity with Pudding that connected both of them and that was the mistreatment in the family that caused misevolvement in the kids character. For Sanji it was a big traumatic event and that made him connect to Pudding and generally win her over as ally for the alliance.
But Oda doesn't stop here. This were all stepping stones for Oda.
To come back to betrayal and to stay on WCI, did anyone notice that when Stussy and the others went for the Tamatebako Box, that exactly this could be considered as betraying? It is obvious that the stance Stussy, Morgans and other involved Underworld Broker had the stance and the readyness to betray Big Mom. And Stussy is a CP-0 member. She belongs to a force that gathers intel.
This links to a network and a setup linking to Linlins past, where the CP-0 observed Carmel's trades and here Carmel offered Linlin the future emperor to the World Government. Linlin should have been sold at her birthday and this makes me think that the CP-0 holds more intel than anyone else about what ocured to Big Mom. I think Linlin was spied by the CP-0 while she ate everyone in her extasis.
This is the first point of my theory and I think some youtubers made a better and detailed point about it, but anyway, the mainpoint is Big Moms recent amnesia:
I will no explain how it come to this: I believe Big Mom as she is now, has been shaped by outter influences, and for this check out this list:
- Mother Carmel was Big Mom's main inspiration, to chase her dream and build Totto Land and chase her dreams further (Gigantification).
- We know Carmel was a fake personality.
- Streusen out of nowhere helped Big Mom. Streusen as kid was already a pirate youngster who showed himself as opportunistic.
- The CP-0 (Stussy) befriends Linlin and this signalizes spying in my opinion.
- Big Mom lend her powers to stronger entities, ergo Rocks and Kaido.
- She relies on her family and this makes her family a reoccuring piece of the story.
A child stuck in the body of an elder, that was never able to live the children life needed and that is why she evolved like this and has these uncontrolable rages because she was shackled and never had this freedom a real child should have. She was always watched and always someone tried to control her.
The mainpoint is that her own family can't give her the freedom she needs because they depend on each other.
Taking a look later on Pudding we could see a similair pattern:
Only the love of Sanji was able to awaken and manifest the good Pudding, the love and attention Linlin could never give to Pudding.
What Linlin experienced with her amnesia was Karma and the unwanted but needed connection to Pudding and highlighting how similair their past were and how Linlin did nothing else than deflect her harm and pain towards Pudding. Not only Pudding but Lola and Chiffon too.
This is why it is needed for Lola and Chifon to reunite and it became a big topic with the cover story for exactly that reason: Oda wanted us to be hinted towards it.
Towards the parallel of Lola and Chiffon having each other and needed each other for stability, they are two persons but basically "one soul" in a metaphorical way as twins. Something neither Pudding or Linlin had for stability and that is why Chiffon and Lola are positive examples and that is why they were so important as allies.
This is something coursing around since a while, but I think it is important for the Wano arc since we have Linlin here and her better half Smoothie and Compote but also Perospero that are supposed to be the link of stability for Linlin. Again dependence is a topic.
Stealth Black:
So we have the overarching themes of betrayal and indentities, but what I discribed was mostly something generic or something that involves a main antagonist or even a possible future ally depending on how Linlin will perform and if her children personality will take over in future.
Sanji is THE protagonist that is set in this overarching types of the plot. He literally involved himself in an act of betraying (Luffy vs Sanji) and he followed the indentity crisis of characters like Linlin and Pudding. Is he just Sanji? Or is he a VInsmoke? He denied his own father and his own bloodline.
In Wano everything became different for Sanji:
It is obvious that for a while the SHPs disguise themselves, this started in Dressrosa, they need to hide their identities and obious optical aspects from the enemy in order to achieve their firt set goals for the course of their plans. And we understand it, but Oda always brings it to the next levels, something we don't expect to happen with this explicit topic.
In Wano hiding their identity became more and more important, even on the battlefield of Onigashima they need to be stealth. Chapter 978 highlighted it with Kine'mons disguise shop ability.
The overarching theme reached our almost-mainprotagonist Sanji and this turned him into several new identities: Sangoro, O-Soba Mask.
It was done to distance from the Vinsmoke famility, but also pay honor to his progress. On the other hand it was needed for Sanji to progresss and step up which lead to the fight of Sanji vs Page One.
Wano is full of this and last but not least all allies were betrayed by Kanjuro, for an ongoing while till very recently.
CP-0 in Wano:
We know the CP-0 mysteriously knows how to acess Wano and they are now negotiating with Orochi since Doflamingo is gone for this.
With the Yonko alliance being established and with Drake making his moves it is not far off to think that the CP-0 here follows an own agenda in Wano.
This would parallelize Water 7/Enies Lobby and build up on the events revolving around Big Mom and her character.
I think the CP-0 now has more intel on Linlin than on Kaido himself, so if they continue to watch over the Yonko and if Bog Mom is weakened during the upcomming war, then I believe that the CP-0 might assassinate Big Mom indirectly in this war.
Why do I think so? Stussy knows Big Moms weak spot, she knows about the Carmel incident. If she forwards it to her team then the CP-0 is able to utilize this and strike Big Mom. The main point here would be to force Big Mom into her weak and broken child state or tell Big Mom the truth about Carmel and how Linlin ate Carmel back then. This would break Linlin's character and with that her identity. She will be vulnurable and unstable and the CP-0 would indirectly kill Big Mom with that. The power of intelligence.
What else could the CP-0 plan? I think the CP-0 might have a spy within the Beast Pirates and this would allow the CP-0 to enter Onigashima to perform their "magic trick" on Big Mom.
Drake and the Tobi Roppo:
The final part of my theory is Drake and the Tobi Roppo.
When will Drake make his flip on Onigashima? It is a flip that has been setup within Wano, and it was theorized previously. So Drakes flip theoretically would not surprise us.
With Drake we think that the navy might enter Wano and crash the party on Onigashima, I think this is an idea for post Onigashima events, but I think we are on a right track with it.
I think Drake is holding back, it would be dumb to flip openly now and make himself all potential pirates there as enemy, even fellow supernovas.
He has to keep his cover atleast aslong the Tobi Roppo are alive. Once he has the confirmation of Kaido's crew failling to the enemies, then Drake can be safe to flip. This is not vague speculation, this is rational thinking and this makes the Tobi Roppo a natural "next" plotpoint to tackle.
Most groups have betrayal involved, we had the betrayal of Kanjuro in the Red Scabbards, betrayal in the rows of Big Mom and Orochi, I think Kaido will also be betrayed, maybe not Kaido directly, but I think the Tobi Roppo and the Calamities.
Oda is setting this up exactly like he setup other betrayals and identity flips.
We have new masked characters, we have a different vibe, and we have antagonizations within one group, naturally through Drake and what the reader knows about him.
Since Drake is a navy agent it would be interesting to see him face the CP-0 agent that might open Onigashima for the assassination plans of the World Government.
This would be the point of the story where Drake gets a final prove of the dirty work of the World Government and how the CP-0 works.
Now the question is, who is the best candidate to be another CP-0 spy?
And ironically my best answer I can give is Who's-Who.
Who's-Who is probably the character we saw in Ceasar's underworld conference, and this makes the character more noticeable than the other Tobi Roppo, I think Who's-Who might be a very interesting character that similair like other characters I mentioned in this theory, will have something centered around identity flips.
I think Drake will be undercover for a longerwhile until he witnesses the assassination on Big Mom.
Who's-Who and Drake might be the last surviving Tobi Roppo and this would end in them both clashing with each other. Once the Tobi Roppo is beaten Drake can flip and chose his side.
Who's-Who name is already hinting to the the overarching theme in a playful way:
Who's Who is a game where one receives Cards and the Cards will decide who your partner is and who the single player is. A poker game about identities and forming a strategy around it.
The allies failed in hunting down Kanjuro's identity and this made them lose Momo, will they fail again?
I think partially yes, but they will react, they might save Linlin or possibly Robin who could be endagered again due to similair reasons.
Oda probably played this game as child and playing with identities was always something Oda did well.
Who is Who in Wano? Do we know? Certainly not and that is why keep track of it!
Ladies and Gentleman, thanks for reading this theory! Please comment and discuss it and see ya till next time!
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