Theory Olvia And Saul Are Alive? The Formation Of The Revolutionary Army

Su Long Bepo · Apr 24, 2020

First of all, to all of you that don't even think this is a possibility, try to keep an open mind. Don't take my word for it:

SJ: "How do you keep track of the hundreds of recurring side characters? Do you plan far in advance for their reappearance?"

Oda Sensei: "Sometimes it’s planned and other times it’s not. And sometimes a character I totally forgot about ends up returning. The longer the series goes on, the more the number of characters just continues to increase. But one thing about One Piece that might be different compared to other series is that the defeated villains are usually still alive. So I can bring back anyone. Every character has the chance to return."

-Echiiro Oda, Jump Fest 2018 Interview

So yes, it most definitely is a possibility. Moving on.....

Saul Is Alive!

A lot of people think that Saul died because he was frozen solid, but we know that isn’t necessarily true. Aokiji has frozen several people throughout the story, and yet not a single one of them was killed by it.

With the exception of Jozu losing his right arm, nobody in any of these cases sustained so much as a minor injury, let alone actually dying (yes, even the den den mushi survived). They either broke out instantly (Whitebeard & Doflamingo) or they were thawed out before any harm was done.

Not only that, but Aokiji specifically used a move called “Ice Time Capsule" when he froze Saul, the only time this technique was ever used.

For those of you that don’t know, the concept of a time capsule is to bury something for preservation until it is rediscovered in the future. The fact that Oda decided to use this name for Aokiji’s technique leads me to believe that it was symbolic, intentionally foreshadowing Saul’s significance in the future of the story.
So what could have thawed him out? I dunno, maybe the fires that were conveniently raging throughout the island……

Based on this, I'd like to conclude that Saul was not killed by Aokiji. Of course, this isn't enough to prove that he made it off Ohara safely.

As for Olvia and the rest of the scholars.....

Despite the fact that the purpose of the Buster Call was specifically to eliminate them, we didn't see a single one of them die. There was an ample amount of opportunities to kill at least ONE scholar, but it never happened. Clover was shot, and Olvia was attacked by CP9 and almost beaten to death. Later, the government agents were right about to shoot another scholar, but they conveniently decided to leave them to die at the hands of the Buster Call.

Even Professor Clover, who was shot in the chest, is last seen throwing books into the lake alongside the rest of the scholars. Here is the last panel we see of them:

The next day, a group of marines was sent to Ohara to check for survivors.

While searching the island, the one thing that would've confirmed the deaths of Saul and the scholars is conspicuously absent: dead bodies. It is very apparent in the manga (and even more obvious in the anime) that there were no corpses, skeletons, or any sort of remains to be seen anywhere. The only thing they found were the books in the lake, which brings me to my next point:

There were only books in the lake. Somehow, none of the burning debris fell in there (which make absolutely no sense since the tree was right next to it). Wouldn't that theoretically make the lake a safe spot? The scholars could have easily jumped into the lake after saving as many books as possible. At the very least, it seems more logical than just sitting there waiting to be burned alive. Even if this is a possibility, it's too far-reaching and still wouldn't explain how they were able to escape the island. That's where our favorite Revolutionary Army Leader comes in:

This may seem like a bold claim, but I think there are more than enough hints to reasonably hypothesize that Monkey D. Dragon actually saved and recruited the scholars of Ohara.

Before you rule this out as a possibility, please try to keep an open mind. Up until this point, I have proven that Saul, Olvia, and the rest of the scholars have NOT been confirmed dead, and there is room for speculation.)

The Formation of the Revolutionary Army

In the Vivre Card Databook Volume 3, Oda gives us some hints about how the revolutionary army was created.

The first 2 bullet points give us a lot of clues. By combining them, we can conclude that someone or something back 19-24 years ago made him aware of how inhumane the government truly is and directly led to him founding the Revolutionary Army. If it was someone, It would be a conversation we don't know about yet, like perhaps Roger or Rayleigh telling him the truth behind the void century. If it was something, then it was most likely a specific event he witnessed that displayed the government's cruelty.

The Library of Ohara website has a remarkably extensive timeline of every single event in the One Piece story, so I decided to read through all the events that happened around that time. There are plenty of possible things that could be considered, for example:

The Tragedy of Flevance, in which the government essentially killed a nation out of greed ~16 years ago
Fisher Tiger's raid on Mariejois to free the slaves ~16 years ago
Lucci killing 500 marine hostages despite being on their side ~17 years

But all of these events are just barely after Luffy was born, which disqualifies them from being the reason Dragon created the Revolutionary Army. The only event (that we know of) that took place between Roger's death and Luffy's birth that displayed the government's cruelty is none other than the Tragedy of Ohara. It was an event that took place 22 years ago in which an entire island was destroyed at the orders of the Gorosei. It perfectly fits the description given in the Vivrecard Databook.

(Of course, it could be an event we just haven't seen, but I'm speculating based on what we know.)

Striking Similarities To The Burning Of Grey Terminal

Remember how I mentioned the lack of corpses on Ohara? Well coincidentally, Grey Terminal had the same problem:

Obviously, we know there were fewer corpses than expected here because Dragon was shown saving several of the victims. Despite this, Grey Terminal still had some corpses. Based on this logic, if the Oharan scholars burned to death, there should have been corpses there as well. (This is actually consistent with real-world chemistry, as human bones don't disintegrate or melt even if exposed to a fire for a prolonged period of time.)

It's not only the lack of corpses. The incidents themselves are very similar.

In both incidents, a town is burned to the ground in order to protect the interests of the Celestial Dragons. (Grey Terminal for St. Jalmack & Ohara for the Gorosei)

Innocent people were killed, but it was "rationalized" by the opposition.

When it seems like there is no chance of escaping from the fire, everyone gives up hope. Soon after, Dragon appears and saves them. (Of course, this part is still an unconfirmed theory at this point for Ohara.)

A group is sent to investigate the wreckage the day after, and there are fewer corpses than there should be.

A child that was presumed dead turned out to be alive. (Ace and Robin)

There were even some very strong similarities in how the scenery was drawn in some instances.

every detail from the perspective it is drawn from to the direction of the flames are very similar.

Also, when Dragon made a path for the Grey Terminal survivors to escape, it made a U-shape:

Coincidentally, there was an unnatural looking U-shaped hole in the base of the tree on Ohara. Could this have also been foreshadowing?

It could definitely end up just being a random coincidence, but I felt like it was at least worth pointing out.

It is stated that Vice Admirals all use haki. Why weren't any of them able to sense Dragon with their observation haki?

Surprisingly, I found a very detailed answer to this question. Most people probably overlooked or ignored this, but Oda assigned specific cardinal directions for each shore where anything relevant was happening on Ohara. This makes it possible to draw out a map of where everything happened on Ohara. It is stated several times that the West Shore is where the evacuation ship is located.

Based on that, I'm able to label the 4 cardinal directions on this makeshift map:

We know Akainu's ship fired to its right to destroy the evacuation ship, which puts him and the rest of the battleships at the Northwest Shore. This is consistent with the fact that Saul's Hideout was also at the Northwest Shore, and he could Buster call coming straight towards him.

Later on, we find out the Robin departs from another island northeast of Ohara. If she ended up on an island northeast of Ohara, and got there by traveling on the straight path that Aokiji set out for her, then it can be deduced that she was at the Northeast Shore. This is a complete map of the events of Ohara:

I know it seems like we've deviated from the point, so back to the question: Why couldn't the Vice Admirals sense Dragon if he saved the archeologists? Well, the vice admirals were on the Northwest Shore while Aokiji was on the Northeast Shore helping Robin escape, and they never even sensed him. So how could any of them have foreseen, say, someone coming from the completely unoccupied South Shore of Ohara?

The answer is simple: they couldn't. If Dragon happened to come from the South Shore of Ohara, they would have never known.

Rationalizing Dragon's Title as "The World's Most Wanted Criminal"
(I'm assuming this implies that he has a ridiculously high bounty, most likely the highest in the entire series.)

Dragon having one of the highest bounties in the world is due to several different factors, but it still doesn't add up. If it was simply for being powerhouse aiming to take down the World Government, then Sabo's bounty should definitely be higher than 602,000,000 berries, being the second in command. Even Fisher Tiger directly attacked Mariejois and freed slaves and still only had a 230,000,000 berry bounty.

So what makes him deserving of such a high bounty? He wasn't even deemed a threat until a few years ago. I believe he must have done something much more egregious to be given this title. If the government recently found out that he saved several archeologists that were studying the poneglyphs, his bounty would've skyrocketed. To put it in perspective: an 8-year old girl who just recently learned how to read to poneglyphs was given a 79,000,000 berry bounty. The Oharan scholars were not only much more adept than Robin, but they also were led by presumably the greatest archeologist in the world, Professor Clover. On top of that, they have already correctly deduced a significant amount of information pertaining to the Void Century and essentially got their hypothesis "confirmed" by the reaction of the Gorosei. If the government found out that Dragon not only secretly rescued them but is harboring and assisting them as well? That, in addition to being a powerhouse that directly opposes the World Government, would justify his bounty and status as the world's most wanted criminal.

Although this is kind of minor, it would also explain why Akainu seems to have such a strong disdain towards Dragon. If we look back at the Buster Call, he was the one who made extra sacrifices in the hopes of ensuring the deaths of any scholars.

Despite his methods being ruthless, his genuine goal was to eliminate the scholars for the greater good. If he ever found out that his efforts were completely thwarted by Dragon rescuing all of them, it makes sense for Akainu to have some sort of resentment towards him.

Possible Future Plot Points

We already know that the Revolutionary Army is going to be very relevant in the near future since they are invading Mariejois. We have been given (pretty obvious) clues about them being there.

This may be a reach, but I also think there is a chance we may have actually seen Olvia at the Reverie as well.

I find this last picture to be very interesting. Throughout the entire Reverie, there are several kings or queens that are named, or clearly recognizable as inspired by a real-world country. This picture, in particular, has from left to right: Imperial China (represented by the Kano Kingdom), Nazi Germany, Great Britain, and Spain (represented by Dressrosa). Ironically, the one in the middle is never named and doesn't seem to represent any country that I can think of in particular.

What she says is very interesting as well. While the others next to her are saying that they would need more than 7 days to discuss everything, she has a sly look on her face and claims that it will end quickly (which, in retrospect, we find out is correct). Could she have seen some crows outside, or maybe noticed Sabo among the guards, or something else that alerted her that her revolutionary comrades are on the move?

Also, I think the fact that Olvia was the sole survivor of her 6-year expedition is extremely significant. That means she has 6 years of research and information regarding the poneglyphs that isn't recorded anywhere (outside of whatever actual poneglyphs they found), including even the Tree of Knowledge (or, what remains of it). Some books of their past findings were saved by being thrown into a lake, but the information gathered from the 6-year expedition is completely lost forever if Olvia is dead.

As for Saul, I can definitely see some potential plot points. The obvious one revolves around him being a bearer of the will of "D", of course, so I won't talk about that too much.

Ohara is in the West Blue, and although this isn't confirmed, I think the giant island he was born on is also in the West Blue. He talked about how the giants from his island were nothing like the barbaric giants of Elbaf. Could Morley have been from this island as well, and was Saul the one who helped Dragon recruit him? Morley doesn't quite seem like the Elbaf type, so this would make sense. After all, Morley is the commander of the West Blue.

Speaking of non-barbaric giants associated with the West Blue, there is actually one more that I haven't mentioned: Sanjuan Wolf. In a Vivrecard Databook, it was said that he was born in the West Blue. Although he's obviously a heinous criminal (as he was imprisoned in level 6 of Impel Down and is now under Blackbeard), he doesn't seem "barbaric" like the giants of Elbaf, so that makes sense if he was born there too. Dragon did already have a run-in with the Blackbeard Pirates, and there could have been an interaction between Saul, Morley, and Sanjuan Wolf - who potentially all came from the same island. There might be an interesting dynamic between them.

That pretty much concludes my theory, but I'll be addressing some common questions that I received in the past regarding this theory:

If Olvia and the scholars were saved, why did the revolutionaries at Tequila Wolf refer to Robin as the "sole survivor of Ohara"?

In the Vivrecard Databook Volume 3 (posted above), it states that there is a secret that Dragon keeps from his subordinates, and even if they found out they would still be loyal to them. What if he hid the fact that some of the revolutionaries were scholars of Ohara? Theoretically speaking, they would have been the founding members and there would have been nobody that preceded them.

As for why Dragon would keep it hidden, I could see it being to preserve and conceal their identity. Similar to how Fisher Tiger got rid of the slave branding from his crewmates with the sun crest so that nobody would be distinguished as a former slave. (Not a perfect comparison, but I think it gets the point across.)

To be completely fair, Dragon was taking in people from all sorts of places. Grey Terminal, for example, was a lawless area full of pirates and crooks. Despite that, he indiscriminately recruited anyone that wanted to join. Imagine if someone like Caribou was there. If you give that information out carelessly, it will eventually get leaked, which puts them all at danger once again. I feel like hiding their existence would be in the best interests of the scholars and the revolutionary army as a whole.

Why was the Revolutionary Army looking for Robin if they already have people that can decipher the poneglyphs?

Well because Olvia wanted to be reunited with her daughter, naturally.

Why didn't Robin mention any of this to the rest of the crew?

She didn't even mention Sabo or Dragon to Luffy, and she didn't mention Hack or Koala to Jimbei. Why would she mention the fact that her supposedly dead mother and others from her hometown survived? I will say though, I think it's awfully convenient that we didn't see a single interaction from Robin on Baltigo during the time skip.

Doesn't this negatively affect Robin's importance in the series?

I don't believe this at all. According to Tamago, there are 30 poneglyphs in total. By the end of the Wano arc, the straw hats will most likely have the information of 10 poneglyphs in total, more or less, if you include the ones from Robin's childhood. Do you think that Robin and the straw hats will continue to find 20 more poneglyphs throughout their journey? I definitely don't. I think they will get some help regardless, whether its help from the revolutionary army or some rubbings of poneglyphs at Raftel. As Rayleigh stated, I think the most significant thing will be the "answer" they come to after figuring out the ancient history.

Overall, to summarize what I have deduced:

Saul was not killed by Aokiji, and none of the scholars were confirmed to be dead.
Dragon arrived at Ohara, specifically from the South Shore, and saved Saul, Olvia, and the rest of the scholars, just like Grey Terminal.
The Tragedy of Ohara was the reason he created the Revolutionary Army, and the survivors were his founding members.
The secret that Dragon keeps from his followers (referenced in Vivrecard Databook Vol. 3) is that some of them are Oharan scholars.
The main reason Dragon is considered "the most wanted criminal" is because the government found out that he saved the scholars.

If you got this far, thanks for reading my theory! If you have any thoughts or criticisms, please leave a comment down below!

(There was a 40 image limit, so I wasn't able to add all the pictures I planned on adding. If you curious about where something was said in the manga, just let me know and I'll comment the panel)

Tokiro Oumaga · Apr 25, 2020

Something I've been considering lately is the purpose of theories. Is the point to convince people, or just to preach to whoever will listen? The conclusion I came to was that I shouldn't worry too much about getting people on my side so much as creating a shadow of a doubt.

I came into this theory thinking that all of this couldn't possibly be, but you have most certainly created a shadow of a doubt. Great work! Very well organized, good logical flow, and overall just an enjoyable read.

Also quite informative, I didn't know that human bone doesn't disintegrate when burned. I thought that must be a mistake because of cremation, but no, human "ash" is actually the unburnt bones reduced to powder. Macabre, but also convenient for this theory.

I think my main question is why Dragon would be in West Blue at that time in the first place, though. That's the literal opposite side of the world, and if he hadn't started the Revolutionary Army yet, would he really have had the resources to cross both the Red and Grand Lines at the time? I suppose he could have been brought there by Garp, who he also could have heard about the Buster Call from, but as far as we know, Garp wasn't present, and if he were in West Blue or even at Marineford at the time, he probably would have been dispatched I imagine. I definitely can see Kuzan having preserved Saul rather than killing him, as well as some number of Oharans escaping, but I just have a really hard time seeing how Dragon would have been involved if he wasn't already a Revolutionary. I'm sure Oda would give a perfectly sound explanation, but that one detail just isn't clicking for me right now.

Either way, though, like I said, this was a really great read, and I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

Su Long Bepo · Apr 25, 2020

Tokiro Oumaga said:

I agree with this 100%. From what I've seen, the craziest theories that actually come true do just that. People tend to take a lot of things at face value, but if you can formulate a logical argument, we might find that something we thought was a fact isn't quite true. Momonosuke is 8 years old, so it's impossible for him to have met Roger, isn't that right? Kanjuro was willing to die with the rest of the scabbards, so there is no way he could have been the traitor all along, right? Sabo can't be alive and with the Revolutionary Army, Robin would have told Luffy, and he would have been at Marineford......

Although these are all very reasonable conclusions, we later find out that they are wrong due to an assumption made by us, the fanbase. Poking holes in the general consensus and coming up with a logical alternative; I believe these are the most compelling and enjoyable theories to read. For me, I challenged the consensus that Saul, Olvia, and the scholars of Ohara are dead, and came up with what I thought to be a very possible alternative.

Tokiro Oumaga said:

Now this point is something I have tried to find an answer to, but you're completely right - as of right now, with the information we have, there is no reason to think Dragon would be in the West Blue. Was he a marine that happened to be stationed there at the time? Did he just happen to be traveling around and coincidentally pass by Ohara? Was he on his way to Ohara because of his interest in the Void Century? Did he even know the buster call was about to happen? Was it fate? Who knows.

While I can't directly answer why he was there, I can definitely make an argument that he could get there. We know that when Dragon saved Sabo, he presumably carried him and used his devil fruit abilities to fly all the way from Goa Kingdom to Shimotsuki Village where his ship was docked. Would this make it possible for him to travel over the Red Line?

I'd also like to bring up that we may have seen a devil fruit user use their abilities to fly up the Red Line before. When Laffitte went to suggest Blackbeard as a new warlord to replace Crocodile, it was never explained how he got to the top of the Red Line. There are really only 2 possibilities: either he used his hypnotic powers to ride the gondola, or he flew up there with his ability. It's not definite, but I felt like it was worth mentioning.

Anyways, glad you enjoyed the theory! I'll try to post some more soon! :sabogood:

Tokiro Oumaga · Apr 25, 2020

Su Long Bepo said:

...Ah, yeah, Laffitte did do that, huh? I completely forgot that scene was in Mary Geoise, and I certainly never considered how he would have gotten there. I imagine it has something to do with his ability to sprout wings, which seems like too important of a detail to just be his Devil Fruit, in my opinion.

This is why it's good to talk to other theorists, sometimes you learn new connections you didn't before, like Dragon's ship being named after the one that Fidel Castro used in the 26th of July Movement with Che Guevara, who was the inspiration for revolutionist Gaburu who is coincidentally identical to Caribou. I'm not sure if Gaburu's revolution is related to Dragon's, as I'm pretty sure his was against Kaido, but the Cuban Revolution connection seems a bit too big to ignore.

StyleZSpirit · Apr 25, 2020

I liked ur theorie a lot but the women doesn't look like robin's mom and about saul if hes alive hes going to play a big role in future too and for sure he will be a revolutionary army soldier

Su Long Bepo · Apr 25, 2020

StyleZSpirit said:

It's fair to say that she doesn't look like Olvia that much, although the theory isn't really dependent on that, just felt like pointing out the possibility.

Also, look at how much Robin's design changed in only 2 years. Consider the fact that we haven't seen Olvia in 22 years. Whether that is her or not, she is expected to look a bit different than before.

Thanks for reading!

StyleZSpirit · Apr 25, 2020

true my friend true but now just think robin was like 5-6 ? and her mother in age of 32-35 now robin is in same age of her mother and her mother should be now in age of 60 or something she cant look so young if shes alive shes for sure old on face too :D

Su Long Bepo · Apr 26, 2020

StyleZSpirit said:

Robin was 8 years old in the flashback, and Olvia was 33. That would mean if she was alive currently, she would be 55 years old, coincidentally the same age as Dragon.

Age tends to be very misleading in One Piece, particularly if you're comparing it to real-life standards. Dragon doesn't look very different from Roger's execution to now (excluding the tattoo, of course), despite the fact that its been 24 years. Sengoku didn't look that old during the Marineford War, but he was actually 77 years old. Now, 2 years later, his solid black hair has turned completely white. Shakki doesn't look old, but she is 64 years old.

Shura · Apr 26, 2020

I hope Olivia is alive.....I want Oda to keep atleast one mother alive from the flashback...lol....

Btb nice theory and welcome to worst generation.....looking forward to more theories from you

Su Long Bepo · Apr 26, 2020

Shura said:

Glad you enjoyed!!! I'll be posting more soon :lawbepo:

Homelander · Apr 27, 2020

I dont see any point in having them come back in current story.

But i get the gist Nico robin is illegitimate daughter of roger and olivia.

Su Long Bepo · Apr 27, 2020

Homelander said:

I explained potential future plot points for the current storyline. And no, that wasn't the gist. lol

coolcoolercoolest · Nov 8, 2022

Crazy stuff.

Dark Admiral · Nov 8, 2022

i believe this thread should be considered as a spoiler for now.

Emmazrine · Nov 8, 2022

wow a true oharan here :cheers:

Doggo · Nov 11, 2022

What an absolute mad lad.

K!NG HARA$H!MA · Nov 11, 2022

Warchief Sanji D Goat · Nov 11, 2022

This man is 2 years ahead of us.

K!NG HARA$H!MA · Nov 11, 2022

Give this man a medal

Bisoromi Bear · Nov 11, 2022