One Piece: Why The Current World of One Piece is Post-Apocalyptic, Explained

In One Piece, Eiichiro Oda built a captivating world that thrives on its vast arrays of vibrant characters on the perilous sea. However, beneath the surface of the One Piece world is a more complex world that suggests a post-apocalyptic setting. The world the pirates of the old, like Pirate King Roger, Whitebeard and the pirates of their time roam, and the Worst Generations, like Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar D. Law traverse, is a remnant of the Ancient Kingdom that has been forgotten.

However, the World Government- the Five Elders and Imu− continue suppressing information about this old kingdom and the cataclysmic events during the Void Century. While the people of the current world do not feel that they are still recovering from the events that happened in the forgotten past, these elements make the current state of the world of One Piece deeply rooted in the post-apocalyptic context.

The Echoes Of Lost Civilization

Remnants Of An Ancient Kingdom

The remnants of the old world suggest that the world once hosted advanced and prosperous civilizations that were wiped out by cataclysmic events or a great battle. Places such as the ancient city of Skypiea, Shandora, are poignant examples. The city has massive golden ruins and the Poneglyph, indicating that it was a highly advanced society with significant knowledge and cultural heritage. On Egghead Island, the ingenious scientist, Vegapunk, announced to the world the existence of the Great Kingdom.

This ancient and powerful civilization existed during the Void Century− the period that occurred 900-800 years before the start of the current world of One Piece. The Great Kingdom’s fall, orchestrated by the coalition that later formed the World Government, suggests a massive and violent upheaval that reshaped the world. While Vegapunk continues to announce all he knows about the mysteries that permeated the Void Century, most of the occurrences during the period are still shrouded in mystery. However, the key to knowing the history of the Great Kingdom lies in deciphering the Poneglyphs.

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Said to possess technology far beyond that of the present day, the Great Kingdom was the sworn enemy of the World Government in the Void Century.

Moreover, the Poneglyphs are indestructible stone tablets scattered across the world and are the last testaments of the Great Kingdom’s existence. These tablets contain not only the history of what happened during the Void Century but also the locations and instructions for the Ancient Weapons, indicating that the kingdom was intricately linked to the making of these powerful tools. The existence of the three Ancient Weapons—Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus—further underscores the post-apocalyptic nature of the One Piece world. These weapons are remnants of a bygone era, possessing the power to cause unparalleled destruction. The destruction of Lulusia Kingdom is a vivid portrayal of the destructive capabilities of these weapons. Lulusia was destroyed by an ancient weapon, activated by a Mother Flame, a creation of Vegapunk. In this vein, the fact that the Five Elders and Imu preserved the existence of the weapon(s) in their hand shows that it cannot be recreated even with the ingenuity of Vegapunk. Similarly, the island of Ohara was destroyed by the World Government’s Buster Call to suppress its scholars’ pursuit of forbidden knowledge of the Void Century, indicating a history of suppression and obliteration of societies and Islands that go against the current order.

An Ecological Disaster

Fragments Of The Old World

Vegapunk announced on the broadcast at Egghead Island that the current world will sink below the sea, just like the lost Ancient Kingdom. Similarly, in chapter 1115, he mentioned that:

The Grand Line’s starting point, Reverse Mountain, could symbolize a shattered world, with its two halves separated by a powerful current, thus representing the fragmented islands that make up the current world. Also, the uneven distribution of poneglyphs across various Islands, some even underwater, suggests they were scattered during a cataclysmic event that reshaped the world’s geography.

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Also, the Grand Line itself has unpredictable weather patterns and unique magnetic fields that defy the natural world’s logic. This anomaly could be attributed to the lost kingdom’s advanced technology. Since the Great Kingdom was a vast land that did not have scattered fragments like the current world, there was most likely a network of systems that once maintained a stable environment across their vast domain. In other words, the people of the current world live atop the remnants of the Great Kingdom. However, with the near-inevitable sinking of the world, according to Vegapunk, the current world will most likely be lost, as in the case of the Great Kingdom. As the story is slowly piecing together at Egghead Island, many questions still remain unanswered:

• What caused the Great Kingdom’s fall?
• Was the fall of the Great Kingdom a result of a natural disaster, war, or some form of internal collapse?
• Are there remnants of the Great kingdom beyond the ancient weapons and Poneglyphs?
• What is the true purpose of the Ancient Weapons – Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus? Why create such a destructive weapon, and for what purpose?
• Why is the World Government so intent on suppressing knowledge of the Void Century? What are they afraid of the world learning about the lost kingdom, apart from the existence of Imu?

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One Piece (1999)

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1082+