One Piece’s Joy Boy flashback connects to Alabasta arc in a perfect way

As the popular manga series One Piece by author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda nears its conclusion, it continues to delve into significant plot developments and references to past events. The recent flashback featuring Joy Boy exemplifies this, providing fans with their initial glimpse of the renowned character and hinting at his extraordinary powers and capabilities.

However, the inclusion of Emeth in the flashback centered on Joy Boy served as a reminder of the Alabasta arc, which is widely regarded as one of One Piece’s most beloved story arcs. While it may have gone unnoticed by many fans upon the issue’s release, Emeth’s cross-shaped mark on his arm in the form of an X was a subtle yet clear nod to this previous arc.

The Alabasta arc of One Piece featured Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates, along with their close friend and ally Nefertari D. Vivi, marking their arms in a similar way to distinguish one another. While it has not been officially confirmed, this reference could have significant implications in the final saga of the series and draw a parallel between Vivi and Emeth.

Symbol on Emeth’s Arm in One Piece’s Joy Boy Flashback Hints at Connection to Joy Boy and Luffy’s Friendship

In order to further illustrate the comparison between Emeth and Vivi, it is important to note that during One Piece’s Alabasta arc, the crew and Vivi both marked themselves with an X to distinguish each other. This was a strategic move to counter Bon Clay’s Devil Fruit ability, which allowed him to perfectly imitate others.

Despite its significance as a symbol of their friendship, the mark also served as a way for the Straw Hats to convey their unwavering loyalty to Princess Vivi without endangering her due to their reputation as pirates. Keeping this in mind, Emeth’s reveal of having the same mark on his arm during the flashback (immediately after sacrificing himself for Luffy and his crew) hints at Luffy considering him a true friend as well.

This also implies that, even before the events of One Piece, Emeth and Joy Boy had a strong bond similar to that of a crew. Though they may not have sailed together, their close friendship is evident in the dialogue shown in the flashback and is further reinforced by the callback in the Alabasta arc.

Starting from this, it is clear that there are significant implications surrounding Emeth’s character and involvement in the Void Century. These implications are further strengthened by the possibility that Emeth, like Vivi, also had an X on his arm. This could potentially suggest that he was the leader of a powerful group or nation that opposed the World Government and aligned with Joy Boy in his war against them.

This revelation could potentially suggest the existence of other Iron Giants similar to Emeth, or that the Iron Giants were possibly the precursors to Elbaf and the current Giants known to fans. While it is believed, but not officially verified, that Elbaf is not a nation affiliated with the World Government, their devotion to the Sun God Nika could offer an explanation for why they and the Giants residing there have chosen not to align themselves with the World Government.

Despite the speculative nature of these implications on the series’ lore and the truth behind the Void Century, nothing has been confirmed at the time of this article’s writing. However, it is highly likely that the inclusion of an X on Emeth’s arm is not a mere coincidence, as it aligns with Oda’s approach to writing his world-renowned manga. Fans can rest assured that they will eventually receive answers regarding this aspect of Emeth’s character design before the series concludes.