So we haven't had one of these in a while so I though I could tackle it. This theory is really underdeveloped because I just find it extremely obvious so I don't think I will need much explaining to do. The Will of D is simply a smile, not Don or Dawn. Not Destiny nor Death. A simple smile, or the action of making people smile. To back my theory up I will use what I believe is the most important character when it comes to understand what D is; Donquixote Doflamingo. I will also use this to connect him to the 3 most important D. users to this narrative: Trafalgar D. Water Law, Monkey D. Luffy and Marshal D. Teach.
Donquixote Doflamingo:
The biggest hint at the true meaning of this lays right before our eyes with Doflamingo. As many of you already know Dressrosa is a microcosm of the conflict between the WG and Luffy. A celestial dragon taking over an established kingdom, erasing history with his tools, keeping everybody under their rule etc. So we can easily see Doflamingo as a representative of the WG, who gets taken out by the D clan(in this case Luffy). Now, haven't you guys ever noticed how out of character this Jolly Roger is?
Doflamingo, a guy who we mostly see smiling like a maniac, has a Jolly Roger of a smile being canceled. I think because it's as simple as it looks. Doflamingo (a celestial dragon) is against the smiles(the D, the eternal enemy of the Celestial Dragons). Another hint via Doflamingo is his constant reminder of the New Age. Skypeia is another microcosm of the One Piece conflict. Treasure hunt, inherited will, Luffy being the natural enemy of the god etc. Well right after the god is defeated, who do we meet?
In Doflamingo's first formal introduction we finally get to see what he's about, and he's reminding Bellamy(and the reader) that a new age is coming. What is this new age about?
The Age of Smiles
Now, I am going to get back to this in a second. First let's see how it connects to the clan's members.
Trafalgar D. Water Law:
So I believe Law to be the guy that Oda will drive the D clan storyline through, and it has been right before our eyes this whole time since his creation. Now before you say "Oda didn't plan Law, he was last minute addition!" yes, I know. I believe the D clan story was always supposed to be simple. Luffy is a good guy, beats bad guys Robin uncovers the meaning. But Oda decided to spice up the story by creating a guy who will be about the D clan and it's story. Luffy being interested in the name D is really out of character, and Robin already has a lot in her character arc with the void century. So back to Law, why do I think he was always supposed to be connected to the D clan? You guessed right, it's his jolly roger.
Another hint that Oda planned this out is in submarine as well:
Now that we confirmed that Law wishes to learn the truth of the D clan, whether you like it or not he's the man in which this storyline will go through. Law will be in Laugh Tale to uncover the truth, and this will lead to...
Monkey D. Luffy:
Now I'm not really going to talk about Luffy that much because he's the MC and there's a bunch of character analysis of him. What I will talk about is Luffy's dream, which I believe is to make everybody in the world happy. It is childish, in character and totally doable by One Piece standards. When Law learns the truth about the D clan, he will instantly make the connection between it and Luffy's dream. This lays the groundwork for the eventual Perennial Youth Surgery moment we have all been waiting for.
So are you still following? Luffy by beating the gods will bring the new age, which is the Age of Smiles. Now let's ask ourselves? who's the anthesis of Luffy?...
Marshall D. Teach:
We are first introduced to Blackbeard as a guy who's similar but the total opposite of Luffy, after the beating Luffy receives in Mock Town Blackbeard delivers one of the most iconic lines in One Piece:
Again, no coincidence that this is slapped right in at the beginning of the Skypeia arc. The age that precedes the Age of Smiles is called the Age of Dreamers.
You're now getting the connection right? Luffy will bring the age of smiles, an age of joy. But Blackbeard believes the age of dreams will never end. This is a direct conflict between the two. It's also not a coincidence that Blackbeard represents the darkness, which when people usually sleep, while Luffy represents the sun, the dawn, a new beginning. This scene is often used to portray Blackbeard in a good light, but in the end it is actually there to set him up as Luffy's biggest obstacle.
tldr: D is just a smile, or bringing smiles. This is hinted via Doflamingo, and sets up the storyline for the 3 most prominent D clan members. Law will uncover the truth, connect it with Luffy. Luffy will be the one to make the dream become a reality, and Blackbeard is the one who will try to keep that dream just that, a dream
Donquixote Doflamingo:
The biggest hint at the true meaning of this lays right before our eyes with Doflamingo. As many of you already know Dressrosa is a microcosm of the conflict between the WG and Luffy. A celestial dragon taking over an established kingdom, erasing history with his tools, keeping everybody under their rule etc. So we can easily see Doflamingo as a representative of the WG, who gets taken out by the D clan(in this case Luffy). Now, haven't you guys ever noticed how out of character this Jolly Roger is?
Doflamingo, a guy who we mostly see smiling like a maniac, has a Jolly Roger of a smile being canceled. I think because it's as simple as it looks. Doflamingo (a celestial dragon) is against the smiles(the D, the eternal enemy of the Celestial Dragons). Another hint via Doflamingo is his constant reminder of the New Age. Skypeia is another microcosm of the One Piece conflict. Treasure hunt, inherited will, Luffy being the natural enemy of the god etc. Well right after the god is defeated, who do we meet?
In Doflamingo's first formal introduction we finally get to see what he's about, and he's reminding Bellamy(and the reader) that a new age is coming. What is this new age about?
The Age of Smiles
Now, I am going to get back to this in a second. First let's see how it connects to the clan's members.
Trafalgar D. Water Law:
So I believe Law to be the guy that Oda will drive the D clan storyline through, and it has been right before our eyes this whole time since his creation. Now before you say "Oda didn't plan Law, he was last minute addition!" yes, I know. I believe the D clan story was always supposed to be simple. Luffy is a good guy, beats bad guys Robin uncovers the meaning. But Oda decided to spice up the story by creating a guy who will be about the D clan and it's story. Luffy being interested in the name D is really out of character, and Robin already has a lot in her character arc with the void century. So back to Law, why do I think he was always supposed to be connected to the D clan? You guessed right, it's his jolly roger.
Another hint that Oda planned this out is in submarine as well:
Now that we confirmed that Law wishes to learn the truth of the D clan, whether you like it or not he's the man in which this storyline will go through. Law will be in Laugh Tale to uncover the truth, and this will lead to...
Monkey D. Luffy:
Now I'm not really going to talk about Luffy that much because he's the MC and there's a bunch of character analysis of him. What I will talk about is Luffy's dream, which I believe is to make everybody in the world happy. It is childish, in character and totally doable by One Piece standards. When Law learns the truth about the D clan, he will instantly make the connection between it and Luffy's dream. This lays the groundwork for the eventual Perennial Youth Surgery moment we have all been waiting for.
So are you still following? Luffy by beating the gods will bring the new age, which is the Age of Smiles. Now let's ask ourselves? who's the anthesis of Luffy?...
Marshall D. Teach:
We are first introduced to Blackbeard as a guy who's similar but the total opposite of Luffy, after the beating Luffy receives in Mock Town Blackbeard delivers one of the most iconic lines in One Piece:
Again, no coincidence that this is slapped right in at the beginning of the Skypeia arc. The age that precedes the Age of Smiles is called the Age of Dreamers.
You're now getting the connection right? Luffy will bring the age of smiles, an age of joy. But Blackbeard believes the age of dreams will never end. This is a direct conflict between the two. It's also not a coincidence that Blackbeard represents the darkness, which when people usually sleep, while Luffy represents the sun, the dawn, a new beginning. This scene is often used to portray Blackbeard in a good light, but in the end it is actually there to set him up as Luffy's biggest obstacle.
tldr: D is just a smile, or bringing smiles. This is hinted via Doflamingo, and sets up the storyline for the 3 most prominent D clan members. Law will uncover the truth, connect it with Luffy. Luffy will be the one to make the dream become a reality, and Blackbeard is the one who will try to keep that dream just that, a dream
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