Every once in a while, the One Piece fandom dives deep enough to uncover a theory so haunting and imaginative that it feels as if Eiichiro Oda himself must be lurking behind it. Over the past few days, Reddit has been rippling with one such idea—an eerie reimagining of one of the series’ oldest mysteries: the “Will of D.”
For more than two decades, readers have wondered what the enigmatic “D.” in names like Monkey D. Luffy, Gol D. Roger, Portgas D. Ace, and Trafalgar D. Water Law truly stands for. Countless theories have surfaced over the years—some say it symbolizes Dawn, heralding a new era; others believe it stands for Dream, the spirit that drives humanity forward. But this new interpretation dares to look not upward toward the sky, but downward—into the dark depths of the sea.
According to a rising theory on Reddit’s One Piece community, the “D.” might actually stand for Davy, as in Davy Jones, the mythical figure of the sea. If true, this idea could completely change how fans understand the nature of the “Will of D,” the curse of the sea, and even the origins of the Devil Fruits themselves.
The Ocean’s Curse: The Most Ancient Mystery in One Piece
From the very first chapter, the ocean has been both a giver and a taker in the world of One Piece. It provides the stage for the entire story—an endless blue world of freedom and adventure. But it also punishes those who dare to eat a Devil Fruit, stripping them of their ability to swim and dragging them toward the depths.
This contradiction—between the sea as a symbol of freedom and as a force of punishment—has always sat at the center of Oda’s universe. Why does the ocean reject Devil Fruit users? Why is the greatest freedom-seeking power (the sea) also the greatest enemy of those who gain supernatural strength?
The “Davy Jones” theory proposes that the answer lies in a spiritual connection between the ocean itself and those who bear the “Will of D.” According to maritime folklore, Davy Jones is the keeper of the sea’s dead—the embodiment of the ocean’s wrath and memory. Sailors who die at sea are said to go to “Davy Jones’s Locker,” a watery grave beneath the waves.
Now, imagine if Oda took that myth and reinterpreted it for his world: the “D.” could mark those who carry the Will of the Sea itself. They are not enemies of the ocean but descendants—or reincarnations—of its chosen guardians. The Devil Fruits, then, represent mankind’s betrayal of that pact: unnatural powers stolen from the sea, cursed to never again be accepted by it.
The “Will of D.” as the “Will of Davy”
Under this theory, the “Will of D” becomes the “Will of Davy”—a symbolic inheritance of the ocean’s original spirit. These individuals, scattered throughout history, carry a deep and instinctive connection to freedom, chaos, and truth—values that echo the sea’s very nature.
Think about the bearers of the initial “D.” They all share a strange relationship with fate and death:
- Gol D. Roger, who laughed in the face of execution, unshaken by his end.
- Portgas D. Ace, whose life burned brightly but was extinguished in the flames of sacrifice.
- Monkey D. Luffy, a man of instinct, spontaneity, and unrestrained will.
- Trafalgar D. Water Law, whose very middle name—Water—might not be coincidence at all.
Each of them embodies the same paradox as the ocean: unpredictable, nurturing, destructive, and free. If the “D” truly signifies a connection to the sea, it would explain why these characters move through life like waves—sometimes calm, sometimes raging, but always unstoppable.
This interpretation reframes the Will of D not as a promise of “dawn,” but as a curse of remembrance—a duty carried by those tied to the sea’s eternal will. They are bound not by blood, but by spirit, forever tasked with restoring balance between humanity and the ocean it betrayed.
The Ancient Betrayal: Humanity vs. the Sea
One of the core mysteries of One Piece lies in the Void Century—the hundred years of history deliberately erased by the World Government. The Ancient Kingdom, whose power and knowledge were so vast they threatened the rest of the world, was destroyed, and the survivors’ history was buried beneath the waves.
But what if that destruction wasn’t merely political? What if it was ecological or spiritual—a rebellion against nature itself?
The “Davy Jones” theory suggests that during the Void Century, humanity may have severed its original bond with the ocean. Perhaps people once lived in harmony with the sea, guided by the mysterious “Will of D,” until greed or ambition led to the creation of the Devil Fruits—artificial powers that defied natural law.
In other words, the first Devil Fruit users could have been the ones who stole power from the sea’s spirit. The ocean, in turn, cursed them and their descendants—granting them immense strength at the cost of their ability to ever touch its waters again.
That would make the Will of D bearers the descendants of those who tried to protect the sea, the last remnants of those who stayed loyal to it. In this context, the sea’s rejection of Devil Fruit users isn’t random—it’s vengeance. Every time a user sinks, the ocean reclaims what was stolen.
The Sea as a Living Entity
Throughout One Piece, the ocean behaves less like an environment and more like a living force. It reacts to emotions, punishes greed, and rewards courage. Oda has portrayed it as both cruel and just—a mirror to the human spirit.
Consider how Luffy, a “D” bearer, embodies this duality. His fighting style and personality are fluid, unpredictable, and instinctive—like the tide itself. He doesn’t fight for domination or order but for freedom and flow. When he laughs, the world around him seems to breathe. His rubber body, a gift from the Nika Fruit, connects him to both the divine and the elemental, bridging sky and sea.
If the “Will of Davy” theory holds true, then Luffy’s destiny isn’t just to become Pirate King—it’s to restore humanity’s relationship with the ocean. He’s the child of the sea’s will, reborn to heal a rift that began long before he was born.
And when we think about Joy Boy, the legendary figure from the Void Century, the pieces fit even tighter. Joy Boy’s apology to Fish-Man Island, his laughter, and his connection to ancient truths all suggest that he, too, was part of this lineage. Perhaps Joy Boy was the last of the true “Children of the Sea,” whose failed attempt to reunite mankind and the ocean led to the world’s division.
The Symbolism of the Sea and Death
The ocean in One Piece has always been associated with death—not just physical death, but spiritual transformation. Countless characters have “died to the sea,” only to emerge changed.
When Luffy was defeated by Crocodile in Alabasta, it was his brief drowning that reignited his will to fight. When Robin was rescued from Enies Lobby, she literally crossed the sea from despair to rebirth. Even Ace’s death, surrounded by the ocean’s horizon, carried an element of transcendence.
In this light, the “Will of Davy” could represent a cycle of death and rebirth—a continuous return to the sea as both grave and cradle. Davy Jones, in myth, wasn’t merely a punisher of sailors; he was a collector of souls, guiding them back into the eternal ocean. Likewise, the “D.” bearers in Oda’s story seem destined to face death without fear, returning their lives to the great current of the world.
Gol D. Roger smiled before his execution because he understood this truth: death is not an end but a tide.
The Devil Fruits: Forbidden Gifts from the Deep
The theory also offers an elegant explanation for the greatest biological and mystical question in the series—what exactly are Devil Fruits?
Oda has teased that their origins are linked to human “desires,” but has never revealed the full story. What if the Fruits were born from a broken covenant between humanity and the sea—a physical manifestation of humanity’s wish to wield divine power without consequence?
In this sense, Devil Fruits could be seen as gifts stolen from the ocean’s soul—fragments of the sea’s essence corrupted into artificial forms. This is why they bear intricate, wave-like patterns on their skin, and why each user becomes cursed upon consuming them. The fruit grants a taste of godhood, but at the cost of the user’s relationship with the ocean.
If the “D.” clan are descendants of the sea’s original guardians, then their conflict with the World Government takes on a mythic tone: a war between the children of the sea and the usurpers of its power.
The Name “Davy” and Oda’s Use of Western Myth
At first glance, the link between “Davy Jones” and One Piece might seem coincidental. But Oda has long drawn inspiration from global mythology—Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and especially Western nautical legends.
From Enel’s divine imagery to Thriller Bark’s gothic horror to the Davy Back Fight arc (named directly after Davy Jones himself), Oda has repeatedly shown a fascination with seafaring folklore. The “Davy Back Fight” is particularly telling: it’s a game played by pirates where stolen crew members can be reclaimed—almost like souls being bargained between ships. If that isn’t an allusion to Davy Jones’s role as a collector of souls, what is?
Perhaps that arc wasn’t just a comedic detour, but a breadcrumb—a hint of how the “D” connects to the ocean’s oldest legends.
And when you consider how Oda often hides grand truths behind humor or parody, the irony deepens. The “Davy Back Fight” might have been an echo of something far older—a ritual once performed by the true “Children of the Sea” to commune with their watery ancestor.
Reinterpreting the Great Pirate Era
If the “Will of Davy” theory is correct, then Gol D. Roger’s Great Pirate Era wasn’t merely about freedom. It was a spiritual awakening. Roger, who carried both the “D.” and the voice of all things, may have realized that the world had lost its connection to the ocean’s truth. His message—“Inherited will, the flow of time, people’s dreams—these are things that cannot be stopped”—suddenly gains new resonance.
The “flow of time” might literally refer to the currents of the sea, the endless circulation of will between generations. People’s dreams are waves—crashing, retreating, and returning stronger. And the “inherited will” is the tide itself, moving through those who carry the initial “D.”
Luffy, then, is not just a successor to Roger. He’s the next wave in a cycle that began with Joy Boy, rose with Roger, and will finally crest when he fulfills the sea’s promise: to make the world whole again.
Children of the Deep
The beauty of the “Davy” theory lies not just in its mythology, but in how it transforms the meaning of One Piece itself. Instead of a story about chasing treasure, it becomes a parable about reconciliation—between man and nature, between power and humility, between life and the depths from which it springs.
If the Will of D truly represents the “Will of Davy,” then the D clan are not destined to bring a new dawn. They are destined to return humanity to the deep, to restore what was lost when mankind turned its back on the sea.
Their laughter in the face of death, their freedom from fear, and their instinctive empathy all point to this truth: they are not creatures of the land. They are wanderers of the tide, carrying echoes of the ocean within them.
And maybe that’s why the world fears them. Because deep down, every ruler and tyrant knows that you can’t fight the sea forever. Sooner or later, every empire drowns.
The Final Revelation
When Luffy eventually reaches Laugh Tale and learns the truth of the world, the revelation might not be about gold or power—it might be about origin. He may discover that the “Will of D” was never a human legacy, but a marine one. That the ocean, long thought to be cursed, is actually alive—and waiting for humanity to remember its first promise.
Joy Boy tried and failed. Roger understood, but couldn’t act. Luffy will laugh—not because the truth is absurd, but because it’s beautiful. The great joke of the world is that humans spent centuries fearing the sea, when the sea was simply waiting for them to come home.
The “D.” in his name, then, is not just an initial. It’s a reminder. It’s the ocean whispering through time: I remember you.
And when the final storm settles, the world will awaken to a truth that has always been hidden beneath the waves:
The Will of D is the Will of Davy. And the sea itself has been calling its children back all along.