Warning: Contains spoilers for SBS Volume #109 of One Piece.
Summary
One of the longest-enduring mysteries inOne Pieceis theidentity of Luffy’s mother, which fans have been trying to deduce for decades. That said, Eiichiro Oda may have inadvertently revealed Luffy’s mother through the latest SBS section ofOne Piece,and it makes sense on multiple levels.
In the SBS column of Volume #109 ofOne Piece,Eiichiro Oda reveals a new character in the form of theformer empress of Amazon Lily called Toritoma who could be Luffy’s mother. Toritoma is revealed to have ruled Amazon Lily after Shakky and before Boa Hancock, making her the perfect age to be Luffy’s mother and Dragon’s former love interest.
Oda also surprisingly gives fans an illustration of Empress Toritoma, whose features bear quite a resemblance to Luffy in terms of the shape of her eyes, nose, and smile. ConsideringLuffy does not look like Dragon or Garp, it only makes sense that he must resemble his mother, making Toritoma the perfect candidate in that regard. Thismight also finally explain why Kuma sent Luffy to Amazon Lilyduring the time skip.
One Piece Hints Luffy’s Mother was the Empress of Amazon Lily
Empress Toritoma Perfectly Fits the Bill as Dragon’s Former Lover
Interestingly, in the SBS, Oda also reveals that Toritoma was one of the empresses who died of the mysterious lovesickness that plagues the Kuja. This would make perfect sense if the man Toritoma fell in love with was Dragon. The Empresses of Amazon Lily have had a reputation for falling in love with powerful or exceptional men, as seen with Shakky and Rayleigh, as well as Boa Hancock and Luffy. Even Gloriosa is suspected to have fallen in love with Rocks D. Xebec, judging by how the fact that Gloriosa was once a member of the Rocks Pirates.
It also makes sense that Toritoma would end up heartbroken, given that Dragon’s top priority has always been the Revolutionary Army. It is also possible that Dragon decided to keep his distance from Luffy’s mother to protect her as he did with Luffy thus breaking her heart and causing her to die from the lovesickness.
Many Other Hints Point to Luffy’s Connection to Amazon Lily
Another significant piece of evidence that Luffy’s mother could be the former empress can be seen in chapter #522 when Gloriosa orElder Nyon quotes a saying from the East Blue anddescribes love as a hurricane. This, again, could be a subtle hint at Empress Toritoma’s relationship with Dragon, a man from the East Blue, who is well-known for having the ability to control the weather, which includes creating hurricanes and storms.
There is also the matter of Kuma sending Luffy to Amazon Lily during the time skip, which until now has had no other logical explanation. Kuma chose each of the Straw Hats' locations carefully, sending each of them where they’d be able to grow and benefit the most, which may be true even for Luffy. As seen in chapter #1101,Kuma has kept an eye on Luffyfor quite some time and may have known that Luffy’s mother was the former empress which is why he decided to send Luffy to Amazon Lily.
Luffy’s mother being the former Empress also makes sense given Luffy’s conqueror’s haki. While Dragon himself is already quite the domineering figure, the Kuja are known to pick their empresses from the strongest warriors on the island, which means it is very possible that Toritoma also possessed powerful conqueror’s haki like Hancock.
Conqueror’s Haki hasn’t been proven to be hereditary but parentage does play a role in the personality traits one inherits so it could have at least some influence in the matter.
Lastly, there is but the simple yet indisputable argument that Oda went through the effort to draw Toritoma. After all, Oda did not even draw Zoro’s parents when explainingZoro’s family tree and connection to Wano, which suggests there had to have been a reason why he decided to reveal Toritoma’s appearance at all.
That said, there are still quite a few holes in this theory, the biggest one being the fact that the Kuja are said to give birth only to girls. There is also the matter of a contradictory old comment by Oda in which he claimed Luffy’s mother was still alive, though it is possible that he may have changed his mind on the matter since.
Still, it is doubtful whetherOne Piecewill ever clearly revealLuffy’s mother, especially given Oda’s opinion that mothers represent the very antithesis of adventure. That said, Oda might just give fans enough clues to piece her identity together for themselves.
One Pieceis available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.
Source:@newworldartur/X
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
