Hey everyone! This week instead of the usual analysis I’d like to focus more on the story of the iron giant that attacked Mary Geoise and how this helps explain so many aspects of the Void Century! We’ll be back to regularly scheduled Chapter Secrets like usual next week, but please enjoy this different take for this week!

VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXeDIQ7OuGY

THE IRON GIANT FROM THE COUNTRY OF GOD

Over 200 years ago researchers once located a legendary “iron giant” that attacked Mary Geoise. Its manufacture date matched the time of 900 years ago when a certain immense kingdom existed, being the kingdom of Joy Boy’s people.

Really though, the far more important question is WHY exactly this giant robot would be found in… Mary Geoise of all places?? After all it is a robot, so it is not something it did of its own will but rather something that it was programmed to do, especially with the precedents we’ve seen in the One Piece world such as how Kuma was programmed to protect the Thousand Sunny for two years. This means that the robot was programmed to attack Mary Geoise way prior to its reawakening 200 years ago. But if it was made 900 years ago, then things just doesn’t add up, because back then… Mary Geoise did not yet exist. After all the city was founded 800 years ago as the Void Century ended… meaning the robot was not programmed to attack Mary Geoise but rather what existed there at the top of the Red Line before it.

And we know that this robot also pertained to Joy Boy’s faction, the immense kingdom, as told to us both by Vegapunk that it pertained to the kingdom and by the fact that it seemed to carry a giant spear that looks exactly like the one that the Sun God Nika holds in its depictions, which only fuels more the idea that this was an ancient version of the general Franky, or the Vega Force as Vegapunk put it, used to fight for Joy Boy’s people.

We can also see in the depiction of when it attacked Mary Geoise 200 years ago that the robot already had battle damage, such as missing a horn or having a katana lodged on its chest, meaning that it already entered a battle long ago prior to these events, so it is likely that 900 years ago it was defeated in what is now Mary Geoise and fell in battle right there. During that time it’s possible that the robot either remained hidden underground somewhere beneath Mary Geoise or more likely outright fell off the Red Line all together as it was defeated and sank into the sea, which would explain why it is covered in moss and how it managed to remain hidden all this time. After all we saw how the Vega Force could move through water and air, so maybe 200 years ago something reactivated its circuits and it climbed back up the Red Line all the way to the top as Franky suggested. At that point it followed its programming again to attack the top of the Red Line, so it then launched an assault on what was now Mary Geoise. However its lack of the very little energy it had left meant that it deactivated pretty quickly, causing it to collapse right then and there before it could cause any real damage to the city or its people.

But then, what was in place of Mary Geoise at the top of the Red Line before the city was founded that this robot might’ve wanted to attack? Well… we already know! We’ve been told exactly what lied up there: before Mary Geoise, on top of the Red Line, there existed a settlement known as the the “Country of God”, or the “God Country”. This was said to be where the tribe known as the Lunaria once lived. The Lunaria of course were incredibly powerful beings, being tall imposing figures with dark skins that were incredibly durable, wings that allowed them to fly freely unlike other wingedfolk, and fire on their backs that would burn forever. The settlement that belonged at the top of the Red Line was the God Country of the Lunaria.

THE COUNTRY OF GOD

Now the question here as Vegapunk posed is what was the robot’s purpose. I think ultimately it can be boiled to one of two: either one, it was set to attack the top of the Red Line because it was ordered to do so, or two it tried to defend the top of the Red Line by chasing away the intruders who were not part of its people, whom it detected as enemies. So which one is the case? Well if we go by the first theory, attacking the country, then that would mean that the Lunaria were the enemies of Joy Boy, but that doesn’t quite make sense because King mentioned that the Lunaria were waiting for the new Joy Boy to arrive, so clearly the two were allies. In other words, it would mean that the second theory is likely what actually happened, that the robot was there to protect the top of the Red Line from their enemies. And seeing humans at the top, it tried to drive them away with its spear to drive them off its homeland.

But then… do you realize what that means? Do you realize the massive implications of this? It means that the God Country was where this robot originated from. Or in other words the God Country would be the ancient kingdom.

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that the God Country was the entirety of the ancient kingdom. After all, as Clover explained, the kingdom was “massive” in size, which likely referred to the fact that it had allies, or in simpler terms, “nakama”, all around the world, such as the Shandians, the Seafolk, or the Minks among others. So the Lunaria could also be counted among those allies, since after all they too were an oppressed race much like all the aforementioned that were persecuted by humans. But no doubt the God Country served as a key location for the immense kingdom.

And once you start thinking about it, you might realize how this has made perfect sense all along. I mean after all this ancient kingdom possessed incredibly advanced technology way ahead of its time, but where did this technology originate from? As we saw in Enel’s cover story, the Moon. And the Lunaria are people from the Moon, as not only do they have wings, but it’s even in the name, as “Luna” is Latin for “Moon”. So quite simply the Lunaria could be the ones that brought this technology to the God Country that allowed Joy Boy’s people to be so advanced. This would also explain what Vegapunk mentioned about how these inventions required a particular fuel force he was trying to replicate, being “fire”. If Vegapunk could only have an eternal flame that never went out then he could quite literally make a sun that would power all of this technology… and what are the creatures that have perennially burning flames on their backs? The Lunaria, who with their flames could power all of this technology for the kingdom. This would explain why Vegapunk stated that the 900-year-old iron giant found in Mary Geoise 200 years ago helped prove the theory that the ancient kingdom existed, because they were one and the same.

This would explain why the Lunaria have white hair, just like Nika. This would explain why when Oda drew a young King in an SBS he drew him with a spear just like Nika. This would explain why Whitebeard knew about the “God Country”’s existence since Roger did tell him about the people of this ancient kingdom. And this would explain above all else why it was called the “God Country”… because its king, the king of this kingdom was Joy Boy… or the Sun God Nika, and the ancient kingdom the country of this god and the other Lunaria who were also called gods.

And this could even explain why the massive tree that stretches from its roots at Fishman Island all the way up across the Red Line to supposedly the top where the God Country once was… is called the “Sun Tree Eve”. And according to the story of Genesis from the Bible, Eve was the one who was tempted by the Devil to eat the devil fruits from the forbidden tree. So if the ancient kingdom, with its advanced technology, was able to create the very first devil fruits through the application of the bloodline elements/lineage factor, in the same way that Vegapunk has been able to apply that technology to replicate fruits now, then it makes sense that those devil fruits were originally developed in the God Country where the ancient kingdom existed, being made to grow where else but on the Sun Tree Eve. Could this mythical tree venerated by its people also be reflected in their culture, which is why King’s real name is Alber, which translates to “tree”.

THE CONFLICT OF THE VOID CENTURY

All of this could finally help us understand how the 20 human kingdoms that allied together came into conflict against Joy Boy, explaining just as Vegapunk put it how the Void Century is a history of a war between this country and 20 human kingdoms. As we know, the allied powers won and defeated the God Country, replacing its people, who were known as gods, and taking their place. This would explain why the Government is so keen on persecuting the Lunaria, even more than any other species, such as offering 100 million belly to anyone who would even tip them about the existence of one. To put it into perspective that’s a massive amount of money, the same amount that could buy you a devil fruit or a large bounty, so the Government is clearly very interested in their erasure. They eliminated the immense kingdom that they feared so much, wiping away their ideals from history so that their dreams and ideals would be forgotten, and then seizing the God Country for themselves, building Mary Geoise in its place and becoming the new “gods” of the world, essentially seizing the spoils of victory and replacing the Lunaria. And, hear me out, could this be the reason why Mary Geoise is pronounced the same as “joie”, which translates to “joy”, while “Mary” comes from Latin “sea”.

Eitherway, the Lunaria stopped being called “gods” and instead now the “gods” were the Celestial Dragons, naming themselves as such after the dragons that they venerated, believing to be the new gods of the world. As such, the descendants of the immense kingdom, who came to be known as the D. Clan, the fateful people of the Dawn, became now known by a different name… “the divine enemies of the gods”.

As Rosinante put it, in this case the gods would be the Celestial Dragons, meaning that the people of the D. oppose the Celestial Dragons, intending to destroy the world, but as he clarifies this is not a destruction meant in a negative sense, like the one that a tyrant would bring. Rather, it is a destruction that is meant to change the world for the better.

And what a lot of people agree is that this destruction is very much literal, as it would involve physically destroying the Red Line and the Grand Line to unify the world into one sea, the All Blue. Through the firepower of Pluton, Poseidon’s ability to command the Sea Kings in the Calm Belts, and whatever power Uranus might have, these would be able to come together to unbind these walls from the world. That is exactly why both Oden and Yamato said that Momonosuke would be one of those who would bring the Dawn of the World, because once he uses Zunesha to bust open the borders of the Wano Country and unleash the ancient ship Pluton, this can then be used to finally destroy the Red Line. This might also be the reason why Zunesha claimed to have committed a grave crime 800 years ago at the climax of the battle of the Void Century, as it perhaps was too afraid to unleash an ancient weapon on the world and hesitated to play its role, disobeying of the Momonosuke of the time that commanded it, resulting in a critical loss for the people of the ancient kingdom that might’ve played into their downfall. Thankfully however, faced with this loss, the Kouzuki clan, allies of the ancient kingdom from the Wano Country in possession of Pluton made a contingency plan to preserve the ideals of their people, which is what led to the creation of the poneglyphs. Though the Government emerged victorious, the allies of the kingdom went into hiding, erecting walls and closing off their countries while developing warrior-like cultures to ensure that they could safekeep the poneglyphs until the day that a new Joy Boy would come. On the Day of Promise, a new Joy Boy would bring freedom to the world and liberate it by bringing laughter to all through the One Piece.

(Mild Film RED Spoilers ahead)

However, if we’re talking about the story of the Void Century, are we not forgetting a key pivotal figure? The opposing figure of the Sun God, and arguably its greatest foe and rival… the Devil.

THE SUN GOD AND THE DEVIL KING

The Devil King was a mythical figure of ancient times, the complete opposite to the Sun God. The two are complete opposites in many ways, but what is perhaps the most important element of all… is the fact that the Devil has Lunaria wings. Now this is no small matter, these are definitely jet-black Lunaria wings, something even Oda pointed out in his notes, so that undoubtedly links the Devil with the people of the God Country.

But that could perhaps explain a lot of things. What if the Devil was a traitor among the people of the God Country? After all, the myth says that the devil fruits originated as incarnations of the devil king. Now it’s been put into question if that myth really is true, as it’s also possible they were created with actual science from the bloodline elements as Vegapunk discovered, but regardless they should have a connection with the Devil. Similarly, and the book of Genesis states that the Devil once tempted humans with the devil fruits. So if the Devil originated in the God Country, then maybe it was the one among Joy Boy’s faction who invented and created the devil fruits. But perhaps also potentially used those fruits for personal gain and, as it was stated by some characters, to seek the destruction of the world, with its schemes maybe even playing part into why the ancient kingdom fell.

This would explain why, despite most members of the D. clan seeking to bring the Dawn, some of them are trying to achieve the complete opposite, with Rocks D. Xebec and Marshall D. Teach instead striving to rule and destroy the world rather than bring its liberation. While there are those in the D. clan who have inherited the will of the Sun God, there are also those who have inherited the will of the Moon Devil, the fallen Lunaria who betrayed its tribe through the devil fruits.

Long ago, the Sun God Nika and the Devil King clashed in the distant past, potentially betraying Joy Boy’s people. The Devil King was eventually sealed within the music sheet Tot Musica, while Joy Boy’s people were so weakened that the 20 human kingdoms wiped them out and took their place in the God Country. However, as it was long foretold, one day, another Joy Boy, a new Sun God, will eventually arise, as he has already started to, and similarly it is also possible that another Devil King will arise to oppose him, with these two forces, these two opposing wills, clashing in a crossroads of fate to settle the future of the New Era. “Like the swell of an unfaltering storm, the New Era of the great will no doubt come. Now no one can stop it anymore.”