The One Piece manga is known for its layers of mysteries and foreshadowing. Eiichiro Oda’s epic story began serializing in 1997 in the Weekly Shonen Jump and it has finally entered its Final Saga. For almost 28 years of weekly chapters and over 1100 chapters, the story has been setting up its final arc with ties to the world’s greatest mystery and Nika, the Sun God being at the center of it. The manga begins with a young pirate setting out to sail in hopes of acquiring a legendary treasure and claiming the title of the Pirate King.
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As he begins his journey and gathers crew members along the way, he soon faces the dangers of the treacherous sea. While Luffy and his crew visit one island after another, the manga slowly explores how everything happening in the world is tied to the Void Century. Luffy’s Gear 5, in particular, isn’t merely a power-up but it highlights the themes and lore. Ever since the East Blue Saga, Luffy has been a savior to people and this symbolism fits his character perfectly. However, Oda introducing Nika in the Wano Country Saga through Luffy’s transformation isn’t a coincidence.
One Piece Chapter 59 Cover Foreshadowed Nika
The One Piece manga often includes cover stories to follow the adventures of side characters. The first ever cover story was “Buggy’s Crew Adventure Chronicles,” following Buggy and his crew after getting defeated by Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. The manga featured their story on the covers of Chapters 35 to 75. In Chapter 58, which was released in September 1998, Mohji and Cabaji are fighting while Richie, Mohji’s lion is dreaming of leading his own pirate crew.
One Piece Chapter 59 was released in October 1998 continuing Richie’s dream as he fights a monster resembling a dragon. In reality, Richie knocks down Moji and Cabaji while dreaming of wearing of wearing a cape and carrying a shield and a sword facing a monster that looks much too similar to the one in the mural shown in Chapter 1138. There’s fire all around the two of them, just like the mural highlighting fire in several parts.
A lion is often used as a symbol of justice, power, and valor. In many cultures, a lion is often used to represent the sun so it’s no coincidence Oda used Richie as a model for his foreshadowing. When the chapter dropped, the world knew nothing about the Void Century, Poneglyphs, Joyboy, or Nika. However, these cover images prove that Oda has been planning everything from the start.
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Who Is Sun God Nika in One Piece?
Much about Nika is unknown and we have only seen his silhouettes. He was a legendary warrior revered as a Sun God by slaves from ancient times. Nika fought for the slaves and freed them while dancing and laughing. In Chapter 1069, Vegapunk mentions that Nika’s existence is only recorded in some of the ancient texts. After the World Government was established, they removed Nika completely from modern documents along with the rest of the world’s history.
However, the Sun God’s legend has been passed down through generations among the Giants and the Buccaneers. While the Buccaneers were hunted into extinction, Kuma, was the only survivor. However, he’s only a half Buccaneer, since his mother was human. On the other hand, the Giants have survived through all those centuries and live in an isolated kingdom called Elbaf. One Piece Chapter 1136 reveals that Nika existed in an era before Joyboy. The warrior was a central figure during that time.
The Giants have an ancient text known as Harley where Nika’s legend has been passed down along with the rest of the world’s history. Since the text is written in the ancient language, there have been several interpretations of the Warrior of Liberation. Some believe Nika was a ruler while others call him a destroyer. Nika is also known as the god of laughter or liberation.
Moreover, Luffy and Joyboy both possess the same power as Nika, most likely due to the devil fruit that came into existence because of people’s wishes. Nika only appears whenever the world is about to undergo major changes. It has already been destroyed during the eras of Nika and Joyboy. The third time Nika appeared is in the current timeline as the Great War will begin soon.
Spotted by JoyBoySensei on X.
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