第143回：The Secret of Onigashima!?

Chapter 978 gives us our first clear view on Onigashima and that skull doesn’t look like it was just for decoration. No, Onigashima is situated around the skull of a tremendous Oars-like being. Previously we could have speculated that the skull had some significance beyond simply designating the area as the well-known mythical ‘Onigashima’ or ‘Ogre Island’ of Japanese folklore, but the tremendous sword next to it suggests that this location has some significance in the history of the One Piece world.

Did the giant wield that weapon in life? If so, why it is plunged into what might be the remains of the creature’s body? Was a titanic battle waged here in the past? Furthermore, what if a creature like that could ride on the back of Zunisha? Is this creature somehow related to events of the past that Zunisha expressed regret over? Did Momonosuke’s ancestor defeat that giant and sentence Zunisha to roam the seas until commanded otherwise by someone of his or her familial line!?

And finally, given the resemblance to Kaido, is this an ancestor or Kaido? Is Kaido trying to accomplish something on behalf of his lineage? Trying to surpass it? This spread raises a myriad of questions that I can’t wait to find out more about!

We’ve talked in the past about how Kaido’s crew display visual themes associated with Japanese oni. Waiters generally don’t display horns. Pleasures display one horn-like protrusion. Gifters and Headliners (generally speaking) have two. The Flying Six also predominantly display two horn-like projections through some aspect of their design, all expect for one, Drake.

Note that his design inherently includes a horn-like design in the form of his hair. Interestingly enough, it’s only one spike. Is this a hint at his lack of full dedication to Kaido’s cause? He would appear to be the odd one out, heading up an undercover Marine operation so perhaps this was one of Oda-sensei’s subtle hints that Drake wasn’t really one of the crew.