One Piece - Chapter 1037 [manga]

[marvelB]

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Happy new year, friends! So, as it turns out, an early spoiler has been out for a few days, now! AP is still down for the moment, but credit still goes to Redon and co. for the info:

-Chapter title is "Shuron Hakke" (something like "Booze Dragon Bagua"). The Germa ministory continues on the splash page, featuring the Vinsmoke family.

-At the Flower Capital, the festival is nearing its end. Meanwhile, Luffy's battle with Kaidou rages on! During the fight, Kaidou drinks some booze, which affects both his mood AND fighting style. He uses various drunken techniques, such as the one referenced in the chapter title.

-Meanwhile, we suddenly cut to.... MARIEJOIS!!!! The Gorousei (aka Five Elder Stars) are having a discussion about current events, including the Reverie, the Wano situation, and Nico Robin. Back at Wano's borders, someone from the WG battleship fleet stationed there (presumably CP0) reports that a huge shadow is approaching them. Back to the elders, they bring up a certain Devil Fruit, which had officially been given a false name in order to hide its true nature from the world (whether or not it's the Gomu Gomu fruit is unclear). At the end of the chapter, it's revealed that the gigantic shadow approaching Wano is none other than Zunesha, the colossal elephant who doubles as the island of Zou....!!!!!!

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[Kanon]

I bet the leaker misunderstood once again and the fruit is totally the Gomu Gomu. They probably mention the real name and leave it a mystery as to which fruit they're referring to.

[Galaxian]

A, very, rough translation of the chapter is out and it does not specify what fruit the old men are talking about, but it also does not rule out the Gomu Gomu no mi. The translation just heavily imply that the special fruit is currently on Wano.

The biggest issue against it being the Gomu Gomu no mi is that the old men's dialogue could be taken as them just finding out that the fruit is active which wouldn't match with how notorious Luffy has become.

[Blackbeard D. Kuma]

Originally Posted by Galaxian

The biggest issue against it being the Gomu Gomu no mi is that the old men's dialogue could be taken as them just finding out that the fruit is active which wouldn't match with how notorious Luffy has become.

We'll find out soon enough if that's the case.

I hope it's not the gomu gomu no mi since Luffy already has enough going for him to make him special.

[Kanon]

The full summary doesn't really help, yeah. It feels like they just bring up that DF out of the blue.

[marvelB]

Summary updated! Though, there's barely much to add, since the chapter was mostly devoted to the fight, heh. But man, the artwork is freaking incredible here. And in retrospect, it makes sense that alcohol would influence Kaidou's fighting style, since he was even drunk when Luffy faced him back in Act 1. Nice throwback, there. And yeah, it's pretty unclear what fruit the elders are referring to at this point.... it could be Gomu Gomu, but it may also be related to our colossal pachyderm friend. Speaking of, I'm guessing that Zunesha is transporting the Straw-Hat Grand Fleet to Wano. It was even foreshadowed that they would be involved in a "big incident" at some point, and I can't really help but think of one much bigger than liberating Wano from the WG's control!

[Kanon]

Ok, having seen the chapter, I think I get it now.

Gorosei are discussing the situation in Wano and how it'd be nice if that/those person(s) got erased, then we cut to the Marine fleet spotting Zunesha so the next bit of their conversation happens off-panel, and then back to them again.

I doubt they got the report about Zunesha being there already, so I'm pretty sure the conversation and what's happening on panel is unrelated. I imagine the conversation went like this:

"It would be nice if that person got erased"
"Straw-hat Luffy? It certainly would be, who would have thought he'd become strong enough to fight on par with Kaido?"
"You don't think he could possibly awaken the <insert true name of the fruit>?"

You know the rest. I'm just going to assume the mystery fruit is Gomu Gomu, that way I won't be disappointed if it's revealed to be it, and if it turns out not to be it, I'd be pleasantly surprised. I'm pretty damn sure it's it though. There's a reason Luffy's awakening has been delayed for so long, and the groundwork for the Gomu Gomu being special has already been laid out during the fight against Who's who.

[Magin]

The biggest issue I have with the Gomu Gomu no Mi being special is... it feels like a HUGE Retcon. Or at least, a possible Deus ex Machina- something very rare for this series.

See, in an interview Oda gave many years ago (probably from when One Piece was less than 10~20 volumes in), Oda said he used it as a form of "comic relief- even if the story gets dark, you have this silly ability that can lighten the mood". So to me, that reads as "it's humor even in the midst of a serious story" I'm not saying Oda can't have changed his mind, but he's been pretty consistent about the story with just minor changes here and there. And it's only been this arc that we've even had a hint the Gomu Gomu no Mi could be something special, which feels heavily inconsistent.

[Galaxian]

Originally Posted by marvelB

It was even foreshadowed that they would be involved in a "big incident" at some point, and I can't really help but think of one much bigger than liberating Wano from the WG's control!

Rescuing Sabo from his public execution would be even bigger.

[OH&S]

Pretty great fight chapter. Just not sure why everyone's locked into concluding that the Gorousei was talking about the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Nothing about what they described matches anything Luffy's fruit has displayed.

Everything about the page screams to me that they're talking about Zunesha.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by OH&S

Pretty great fight chapter. Just not sure why everyone's locked into concluding that the Gorousei was talking about the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Nothing about what they described matches anything Luffy's fruit has displayed.

Everything about the page screams to me that they're talking about Zunesha.

All they said is that the fruit's real name was erased from history and that it has never been awakened for hundreds of years. They didn't describe its powers or anything. It could be any fruit currently in Wano, Luffy's is just the most obvious possibility. I'd say Tama's would be second, since it has the potential to be even more OP than it already is if it awakened.

Zunesha is misdirection. Their conversation is unrelated to what's happening to the fleet.

[itachi-san314]

Originally Posted by marvelB

I'm guessing that Zunesha is transporting the Straw-Hat Grand Fleet to Wano.

That's a good guess. I was figuring the Rev Army was going to save the day, but Zunesha and the SH fleet weren't really on the table until now. It could still be the Revs though since Lindbergh is a Mink, but I think the fleet is more likely now

Originally Posted by Magin

The biggest issue I have with the Gomu Gomu no Mi being special is... it feels like a HUGE Retcon. Or at least, a possible Deus ex Machina- something very rare for this series.

Yea I really hope it's not Luffy's fruit. It doesn't seem like they're talking about Zunesha either. Hard to tell at this point, but my guess would be the Gomu which I'm not looking forward to if true. Maybe the Ope Ope?

[Gerard07]

Seen the chapter, Luffy vs Kaido is advancing, the World Government is worried about Wano (they still don't say what happened to Sabo), and the giant elephant appeared, now the question is, what is the fruit that the World Government mentioned? Well, waiting for the next chapter.

[Jmariofan7]

Originally Posted by Galaxian

The biggest issue against it being the Gomu Gomu no mi is that the old men's dialogue could be taken as them just finding out that the fruit is active which wouldn't match with how notorious Luffy has become.

They were referring to Awakening, which the Gomu Gomu no mi hasn’t done yet.

Originally Posted by Blackbeard D. Kuma

I hope it's not the gomu gomu no mi since Luffy already has enough going for him to make him special.

This has all been built up since the first chapter. You’re just projecting what you want to see. The story was never about screwing destiny, destiny is playing it's part here and making sure everybody goes where it's decidied they go from the moment they were born even before they were born even after they die, destiny will just keep putting people forward no matter how much they struggle against it, resent it or claim they do it themselves and to a westnern it feels wrong where as to the japanese it's romantic and based as heck and they can't imagine who could live without destiny in their lives.

Originally Posted by Kanon

There's a reason Luffy's awakening has been delayed for so long, and the groundwork for the Gomu Gomu being special has already been laid out during the fight against Who's who.

It’s been laid out since Enies Lobby when Luffy first revealed his Gears, and more so when Luffy revealed Gear 4 and it’s alternate forums like Snakeman, these should all have been clear indications that the Gomu Gomu no mi wasn’t just any normal Devil Fruit, we never see any other Devil Fruit do these kind of mode changes.

Originally Posted by Magin

The biggest issue I have with the Gomu Gomu no Mi being special is... it feels like a HUGE Retcon. Or at least, a possible Deus ex Machina- something very rare for this series.

See, in an interview Oda gave many years ago (probably from when One Piece was less than 10~20 volumes in), Oda said he used it as a form of "comic relief- even if the story gets dark, you have this silly ability that can lighten the mood". So to me, that reads as "it's humor even in the midst of a serious story" I'm not saying Oda can't have changed his mind, but he's been pretty consistent about the story with just minor changes here and there. And it's only been this arc that we've even had a hint the Gomu Gomu no Mi could be something special, which feels heavily inconsistent.

Do you have a source? Otherwise, I’d say you are either pulling this out of nowhere, or you are vastly misinterpreting or misunderstanding what was said, especially if it was badly translated, also Oda tends to dodge around a lot of questions and say vague or joking statements to avoid spoilers or giving away too much, like his comments on why Sanji can just light his leg on fire or Zoro vs Mr. 1 which heavily foreshadowed Haki. Nothing has been retconned.

Originally Posted by OH&S

Pretty great fight chapter. Just not sure why everyone's locked into concluding that the Gorousei was talking about the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Nothing about what they described matches anything Luffy's fruit has displayed.

Everything about the page screams to me that they're talking about Zunesha.

Again they were taking about Awakening, and even besides that, the Gomu Gomu no mi is capable of stuff that no other Devil Fruit is, specifically the Gears. Seriously Enies Lobby should have started to clue people in that there was much more to the Gomu Gomu than meets the eye. Zunesha is misdirection, especially since the Elder Stars shouldn’t even know that Zunesha is there yet.

Originally Posted by itachi-san314

Yea I really hope it's not Luffy's fruit. It doesn't seem like they're talking about Zunesha either. Hard to tell at this point, but my guess would be the Gomu which I'm not looking forward to if true. Maybe the Ope Ope?

Why? You think “hard work always works”?

[Gerard07]

Well I have my theory and it is... the Hito Hito no mi of Chopper. Why do you ask:
-The high command of the government surely spoke of a fruit that has already been shown in the series, it could be Luffy's (but as they said above it would be somewhat forced) or Law's (I think on more than one occasion it has been said that is very valuable), but both are already very famous, if their fruits are SO valuable, it would have been mentioned earlier. He also discarded Big Mon and Kaido's fruits (as well as their crews') for the same reason and Yamato, the World Government shouldn't know about his fruit since he hasn't left Wano.
So why do I mention the Chopper fruit? Well, it is true that at first glance it seems like a simple fruit, but what if a monster like Zunesha (to name one) ate it in the past?, if you think about it, that fruit is the key to how to transform humans into another thing (make them bigger, their arms stronger, their body faster,even gain intelligence, etc.). That would explain why his human form doesn't give him the appearance of a normal human (perhaps his fruit is something like a primitive human caveman) and why he's so versatile, and indeed, I don't think any other zoan fruit user has as many transformations as Chopper (he doesn't even need his pill for most of them anymore). It would also explain why it wasn't mentioned until now, since not many know what fruit Chopper ate (most think of him as a Tanuki) and he's not that famous. That's why I think that fruit in the hands of the right creature, could do something that had such an impact on the World Government.
Well that's my theory, do you think it's crazy?.

[marvelB]

Originally Posted by Jmariofan7

It's been laid out since Enies Lobby when Luffy first revealed his Gears, and more so when Luffy revealed Gear 4 and it's alternate forums like Snakeman, these should all have been clear indications that the Gomu Gomu no mi wasn't just any normal Devil Fruit, we never see any other Devil Fruit do these kind of mode changes.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. We've seen unique transformations among Zoans that fit outside of the standard human>beast>hybrid modes (Chopper being the most obvious example). Heck, that's still the case even if we exclude drug modifications. Recall Lucci was able to slim down his bulky hybrid form with the "life feedback" technique. There's also guys like Baron Tamago who had a unique morphing cycle with his fruit (egg>chick>chicken). So personally, I wouldn't say Luffy is all that unique in terms of transformative techniques.

Originally Posted by itachi-san314

That's a good guess. I was figuring the Rev Army was going to save the day, but Zunesha and the SH fleet weren't really on the table until now. It could still be the Revs though since Lindbergh is a Mink, but I think the fleet is more likely now

Hey, why can't the RA be part of the raid, too? Though I'm not entirely sure we'll see Lindbergh since he snuck into Mariejois with Sabo, along with Morley and Karasu.... so they could have been captured, as well. Really, I'd just expect Ivankov and Belo Betty to be the only RA commanders present if they're indeed part of the raid. I guess Dragon could be there too, but I sorta think it more likely that he'd focus on rescuing Sabo, first (that, and I still don't think it's quite the right time for he and Luffy to meet just yet, though that moment is definitely just beyond the horizon).

[Tuor]

Not to take sides on the "Which fruit are they talking about" debate, but I'll just point out that Luffy is almost certainly the luckiest man in the world. Fortune smiles on him and it always has. So, him getting a devil fruit that just happens to be uniquely special in some as-yet-undisclosed way would not be at all surprising to me.

[itachi-san314]

Originally Posted by Jmariofan7

It’s been laid out since Enies Lobby when Luffy first revealed his Gears, and more so when Luffy revealed Gear 4 and it’s alternate forums like Snakeman, these should all have been clear indications that the Gomu Gomu no mi wasn’t just any normal Devil Fruit, we never see any other Devil Fruit do these kind of mode changes.

You're not really getting what the gears are. They are just different ways Luffy uses his fruit within his body and he gives them new names for hype purposes. Katakuri having multiple arms or being a fast moving donut could just as easily have gear names, he just didn't name those modes like "Mochi Gear 2" because that's Luffy's schtick. The person Luffy is fighting right now has changed his DF from a fish to a dragon, he just doesn't call it "Dragon Mode" so you can't see the comparison.

Why? You think “hard work always works”?

That's part of it. Luffy is already brimming with pedigree being a D and related to Garp and Dragon. His DF was always more of a joke DF that he made the best out of instead of getting something inherently powerful like Magma or Earthquakes. Now to make his DF something special too is going too far imo.

Originally Posted by marvelB

Hey, why can't the RA be part of the raid, too?

Works for me. I'd like to see both groups show up. The more the merrier in this case.

Originally Posted by Tuor

Not to take sides on the "Which fruit are they talking about" debate, but I'll just point out that Luffy is almost certainly the luckiest man in the world. Fortune smiles on him and it always has. So, him getting a devil fruit that just happens to be uniquely special in some as-yet-undisclosed way would not be at all surprising to me.

Sure he's lucky. The issue is that the Navy, Emperors, etc... didn't seem to ever notice or care about his DF

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by itachi-san314

Sure he's lucky. The issue is that the Navy, Emperors, etc... didn't seem to ever notice or care about his DF

No one ever noticed he was related to Garp despite the two having the same name until the story revealed it either. Then Oda had a few characters go "yeah, I've totally known all along".

That said, regarding this specific matter, it would make perfect sense for no one to notice or care about his DF since its true name was erased from history! I'd say only Imu (who has Luffy on his shit list), the Gorosei, and Shanks know. That's why it can't be Law's fruit: it's highly prized and quite a few people know what it can do. Not to mention, Law has already awakened it, and the mystery fruit being awakened is exactly what they fear.

[itachi-san314]

Originally Posted by Kanon

No one ever noticed he was related to Garp despite the two having the same name until the story revealed it either. Then Oda had a few characters go "yeah, I've totally known all along".

You're defending bad writing with bad writing. A retcon closer to the beginning of the story is more forgivable, but it's still a retcon. Robin, just to pick one obvious character, would have known about Garp so it also makes no sense.

That said, regarding this specific matter, it would make perfect sense for no one to notice or care about his DF since its true name was erased from history!

Knowing the name is irrelevant when you can see the fruit's effects. If the Awakening is that much different from the normal powers, then it sounds like we are being setup for even more of an asspull

Not to mention, Law has already awakened it, and the mystery fruit being awakened is exactly what they fear.

How would they know Law awakened it?