During the 28 years since its debut, One Piece has introduced several side characters, way more than we can count. The story primarily focuses on Luffy and his Straw Hats crew, but it also doesn’t forget to put the minor characters in the spotlight when necessary. Since Eiichiro Oda can’t always incorporate their adventures in the main story, he came up with the idea of featuring them in a series of cover stories. There have been over 20 collective cover stories so far, each focusing on different characters and revealing surprising information. Unfortunately, Buggy’s adventures, the first cover story, is the only one Toei adapted as a Filler Arc. The rest just get sidelined by the animation studio, even though they are basically canon material.
Since many One Piece fans only watch anime and thus do not read the manga, they aren’t aware of these informative short tales shared in Oda’s original releases. The latest ongoing cover story focuses on Yamato, who was born as Kaido’s child but developed a profound admiration for Kozuki Oden. Yamato eventually became a crucial ally to the Straw Hat Pirates and the Kozuki Clan during their fight against Kaido. At first, he decided to join Luffy’s crew but stayed in Wano to protect the country after Admiral Green Bull’s unexpected attack. Yamato is now a full-fledged ally of the Kozuki Clan, and we see his journey in the ongoing cover story, before he eventually reunites with Luffy and the others in the Final Saga.
Yamato’s Cover Story Reveals a Shocking Truth About a Major One Piece Villain
The ongoing cover story reveals that the ruins of Onigashima have sunken into the Ancient Wano. Not long after bidding farewell to the Straw Hat Pirates, Yamato decided to travel all over Wano, just as Oden once did. Yamato meets several people in his journey and even protects the villages from certain threats. In Chapter 1157, Yamato, Kiku, and their companion pay respect to a man who was killed by Kaido while protecting his village. The cover mentioned that the victim perished without even leaving a body behind, highlighting Kaido’s cruelty and how little he thought of human lives. However, shockingly enough, Chapter 1158 reveals that the grave belongs to none other than Kozuki Moria, who is still remembered as the heroic pirate of justice.
The Kozuki Clan and the other nobles were almost wiped out during Kaido’s reign, and many died while fighting to protect their country. The person whose grave Yamato visited has the same name as Gecko Moria, a former Warlord and the main antagonist of the Thriller Bark Arc. The fact that their names are similar isn’t a coincidence, and now we know why the Thriller Bark Arc foreshadowed Wano several times. Moria’s defeat against Kaido, the ancient weapon Pluton being located in Wano, and Ryuma’s legend were all major plot lines of the Thriller Bark Arc. However, we finally know there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Gecko Moria May Be Borrowing the Body of a Kozuki Clan Member
Moria’s Devil Fruit allows him to steal someone’s shadow and transfer it to a corpse, creating powerful zombie soldiers with the characteristics of the shadow’s original owner. While the reanimated corpses have the consciousness of the shadows, they can still use the abilities of the deceased person whose body they are using. The fact that Kozuki Moria’s body was destroyed in his fight against Kaido could’ve been a cover-up. Instead, someone else is using Moria’s corpse and uses it to become a Warlord and commit all kinds of atrocities.
Gecko Moria’s pale face and the fact that he looks like a reanimated corpse himself are dead giveaways. It’s not like One Piece fans never noticed something was strange about the character’s appearance, and we might finally learn the answer. Moria somehow managed to infiltrate Wano and lost to Kaido. The Yonko destroyed the Gecko Pirates over 20 years ago, and Moria couldn’t have escaped from it unscathed. This would explain why he needed another body to survive. It was also during that time that Moria stole Ryuma’s body and his legendary blade, Shusui, and brought them to Thriller Bark.
One Piece’s Cover Stories Often Drop Crucial Information That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
It’s disheartening to see that the anime completely neglects the cover stories, despite their connection to the main story. These cover stories are featured in front of a chapter, and each cover reveals some kind of exciting information. For example, Enel’s cover story featured the advanced ancient civilization on the Moon that has been all but forgotten. We see a whole other side of the world that the main chapters never covered, and it was fascinating. Not to mention that the fact that Bon Clay is alive is never revealed in the anime, despite him being a fan-favorite character.
During the Impel Down Arc, he again sacrificed himself for Luffy, and with Magellan standing in front of him, while the former Mr. 2 bid farewell to his friend, his fate was more or less sealed. However, Bon Clay not only managed to survive, but he is now the new queen of Newkama Land in Impel Down, Level 5.5. The cover of Chapter 666 dancing in front of his followers, wearing his swan outfit, instead of the uniform meant for the prisoners in Impel Down.
What are your thoughts on this latest plot twist about Gecko Moria? Let us know in the comments below!
