One Piece’s Craziest Theory Suggests Luffy Has Already Been to God Valley (And Nobody Knew It)

Even after the brief tidbits revealed in the Egghead Arc, the God Valley Incident remains one of One Piece’s most elusive mysteries. No one knows what happened to the island after the Native Hunting Competition, how it was erased from history, and how the battle between the Roger Pirates and the Rocks Pirates went down. Fans know so much, yet so little about God Valley at the same time, which is why the mystery continues to haunt viewers and will continue to do so until Eiichiro Oda finally deigns to give fans a full flashback. That said, a crazy yet interesting theory suggests Luffy and the Straw Hats may have already been to God Valley and neither they nor viewers knew it at the time.

In a post on X, a Japanese One Piece fan by the username @manganouA presented the interesting idea that Thriller Bark, Gecko Moria’s island-turned-ship, may actually be the remnants of God Valley. The theory points out how some of Moria’s General Zombies strongly resemble members of the Rocks Pirates seen in the flashback in Chapter 1096 as well as the fact that both islands suspiciously originate from the West Blue. As such, unbeknownst to them at the time, Luffy and his crew may have already visited the infamous battleground that is God Valley, or at least what little is left of it today.

One Piece Theory Teases Thriller Bark Used to Be God Valley

Absurd as it may sound at first glance, this One Piece theory has its foundation in one key similarity between Thriller Bark and God Valley. To start things off, both islands are said to have come from the West Blue. While more than two islands can certainly exist within the same vast sea, the idea that God Valley was reduced to an inhabitable warzone and then turned into a moving ship by Gecko Moria might explain how the island’s existence was lost to history over the years.

Many have speculated that God Valley could have been wiped out of existence using what is assumed to be the Ancient Weapon Uranus just like Lulusia was in Chapter 1060. However, it is important to note that the World Government only recently obtained the means to power this weapon through Vegapunk’s invention of the Mother Flame. As such, it seems more likely that God Valley completely vanished without a trace, as Sengoku said, for another reason, and this could be where Gecko Moria comes in.

What really cements this One Piece theory is the introduction of the General Zombies on Thriller Bark. Though shrouded in shadow and mystery for the most part of One Piece, Chapter 1096 finally gave fans a good look at the Rocks Pirates, revealing several surprising members like Gloriosa. That said, what caught fans’ eye the most in the epic spread is that five members of the Rocks Pirates looked eerily similar to gecko Moria’s General Zombies, who Absalom also refers to as “Ancient Warriors” in Chapter 450. Four of these five zombies and crew members are unnamed, with the only case of confirmation being Captain John who was revealed to be a former Rocks Pirate only in Chapter 957.

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If Thriller Bark is indeed the former battlefield turned graveyard that is God Valley, this would explain how Moria was able to easily get his hands on so many corpses of the Rocks Pirates. Given that Rocks D. Xebec himself was defeated at God Valley, it makes sense that several of his crew members were also killed in battle during the incident. The lack of camaraderie among the crew perfectly explains why those members who survived, including Big Mom, Kaido, and Whitebeard, may not have bothered giving their former crewmates proper burials after the event. The only exception to this is of course, Captain John, who survived the God Valley Incident and, as per the SBS of One Piece Volume 49, went on to form his own pirate crew who betrayed him, with his body later being obtained by Moria and turned into a zombie by Dr. Hogback.

How and Why God Valley Was Turned Into Thriller Bark

As with any theory, there are quite a few loose threads and questions that need to be answered, the biggest of these being how an island from the West Blue, which borders the New World, made its way to the Florian Triangle in the other half of the Grand Line. One possible explanation is that the island was somehow taken up Reverse Mountain, though the sheer size of Thriller Bark alone strongly contests this idea. Another possibility is that Thriller Bark made its way to the Grand Line via Fishman Island, and this was already proven possible in Chapter 925 when Moria, along with Thriller Bark, made his way to Fullalead, which is located in the New World, in an attempt to rescue Absalom.

Another question that arises is why Gecko Moria would choose God Valley out of all the islands in the West Blue, other than for the convenience of there being many dead bodies there for him to turn into zombies, and whether he knowingly chose to turn the deceased Rocks Pirates into his General Zombies. Interestingly enough, Volume 11 of the One Piece Vivre Card Databook reveals Moria built Thriller Bark after his battle with Kaido. As per Chapter 968, this battle happened two years after Oden returned to Wano and one year before Roger’s execution, putting it at 23 years from the present day.

Admittedly, there is a fifteen-year time gap between these events, which is the only part of this theory that doesn’t quite add up. That said, the Vivre Card revelation does clarify Moria’s motives, implying that he may have sought out God Valley and the corpses of Kaido’s former crewmates from the Rocks Pirates specifically to pit them against Kaido the next time he challenged him. As we know, this rematch never came to happen as Moria was taken down by Luffy and, most recently, imprisoned by Blackbeard. Another caveat is that Moria would have been only twelve years old at the time of the God Valley Incident, though considering what twelve-year-olds like Jewelry Bonney are capable of, it isn’t a stretch to assume he would have heard of and remembered such a monumental event, especially since the Vivre Card confirms he hails from the West Blue himself.

Given Moria’s defeat at Fullalead, it is unclear whether Thriller Bark will ever get the chance to step back into relevance and whether this theory will ever be proven true, especially with One Piece headed into the Final Saga with full speed ahead. That said, it is much too interesting to think that Eiichiro Oda may have had big plans for the Thriller Bark since the very beginning. It is hard to say whether he had the entire concept of the Rocks Pirates planned this well in advance or whether including the Zombie Generals as the Rocks Pirates was simply a genius retcon. There is much about the Thriller Bark Arc, particularly the Ancient Giant Oars, who was introduced during the same arc, that feels as though it could have major implications for One Piece’s lore going forward, and hopefully, the full God Valley flashback will give fans some answers in that regard, whenever it is that Oda finally deigns to give fans that flashback.

One Piece is available to read from Manga Plus and Viz Media.