One Piece Theory: Luffy’s Father Is the Key to Zoro’s True Origin

While One Piece‘s pirate captain Luffy and first crewmate Zoro may each be beloved by fans for their own reasons, one theory suggests the two are connected in an incredible way that could shape the future of the manga series.

With more than one thousand chapters and almost 25 years of publication, One Piece has built a rich and complex world, where characters, stories, and past and present events often cross and combine to form an intricate puzzle. Fans love to theorize about the many mysteries and hidden truths of the best-selling manga, making informed guesses on topics as diverse as characters’ true identities and the series’ mysterious final treasure.

One such fan theory speculates that the fathers of Luffy and Zoro are connected by past events, adding a whole new dimension to their bond. Here’s how fans think the so-far unrevealed historical events of One Piece fit together.

The Dragon Tattoo

Luffy’s father is Monkey D. Dragon, the world’s most wanted criminal. Rather than a pirate like his son, Dragon is the leader of the Revolutionary Army, a military organization that is trying to take down the powerful World Government. While pirates also act outside of the law and are thus considered enemies by the Government, the Revolutionary Army is actively opposing them, trying to foment unrest and uprisings all over the world. Dragon is still a mostly mysterious character, but his identifying feature is a complex tattoo he has on his left cheek. Some fans noticed that the same pattern appears on a seemingly unrelated symbol worn by the deceased Wano swordsman Ryuma.

Ryuma was a powerful samurai from the Shimotsuki family of Wano Country, whose skills with a blade earned him the moniker of “Sword God.” Centuries after his death, Ryuma’s grave was robbed and his corpse and sword stolen by Gecko Moria, who used the powers of his Devil Fruit to reanimate him as one of his zombie generals. On his kimono, Ryuma wears a symbol almost identical to Dragon’s tattoo, with a kanji in the middle that means “dragon.” While this could be a reference to the fact that Ryuma slew a dragon during his life (an event recounted in Oda’s pre-One Piece short story, Monsters), it could also point to a connection between Dragon and the Shimotsuki clan.

Dragon and Koushiro’s Mysterious Friendship

Zoro hails from the Shimotsuki Village in East Blue. The history of the village is very peculiar, as it was founded by legendary wordsmith Shimotsuki Kozaburo, a rare case of a Wano citizen leaving his homeland. Kozaburo opened a dojo to teach Wano swordsmanship, which was inherited by Koushirou, Zoro’s master. In a flashback showing part of his past, Dragon was seen visiting Shimotsuki Village with the Revolutionary Army and receiving provisions from the dojo in the village. This led to a lot of speculation regarding the connection between Dragon and Koushiro.

This relationship between Dragon and Koushirou was alluded to in a fan-sponsored interview with Oda. When asked about it, Oda declined to answer, suggesting that everyone should come to their own conclusions. Oda’s silence is suspicious in itself, especially considering that Dragon is the most wanted criminal in the world, and he would go looking for help only from people he could trust without any doubt. However, the question remains of how the relationship between Dragon and Koushirou came to be.

Dragon’s Link to Zoro

The origin of Dragon and Koushirou’s relationship is where the actual theory begins. There is a chance that Dragon visited the country of Wano in the past. He needs power and knowledge to destroy the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, and Wano has plenty of both, considering that the country has deep connections with the mysterious Void Century and the Poneglyphs, which were actually crafted there. Eighteen years before the current event in the series, the last descendant of the Shimotsuki clan in Wano, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, was killed in an attempt to stop the pirate Kaido from taking over the island. Here is where the theory gets very interesting, because Ushimaru could actually be Zoro’s father.

When Shimotsuki Ushimaru was shown in a flashback, he looked almost identical to an aged version of Zoro – a technique the manga has pointedly used in the past to communicate genetic relation. Their sword techniques are also very similar, hinting at a connection between the two that was reinforced when Zoro’s final attack against King looked exactly like Ryuma decapitating the dragon in Monsters.

Finally, Oda also hinted that Zoro could be a member of the Shimotsuki family in the SBS (his Q&A) corner for volume 96. If Zoro is actually Ushimaru’s son, he would have been three years old when his father was killed. If Dragon was in Wano at the time, he could have taken Zoro away, then left him in the village founded by one of his ancestors in the East Blue, where he meets Koushirou and forges strong ties with the Shimotsuki. It’s not unlikely that in this potential narrative, Zoro took on a new name to ensure his safety.

One Piece’s Dragon Symbolism

One of the merits of this theory is how it draws together One Piece‘s dragon symbolism. Ryuma slays a dragon in the Monsters short story, and he wears a dragon kanji during his time as a zombie in Thriller Bark. While alive, Ryuma also protected his country from the influence of the World Government (Wano is, in fact, one of the few independent countries in One Piece‘s world.) It’s possible Dragon heard this story from Ushimaru and, coming to greatly respect his ancestor, decided to tattoo his face with a symbol similar to that worn by Ryuma. Even the name “Dragon” could be a reference to Ryuma’s legendary feat.

Zoro and Luffy are already as close as brothers. Zoro is committed to supporting Luffy’s dream to become the Pirate King with all his strength, and Luffy trusts him like no one else. If this theory about the connection between their fathers proves true, the bond between these two major One Piece characters will prove even deeper, adding a thrilling new dimension to the unity of Luffy and Zoro in the manga.

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