Highlights:
* Oda’s unveiled the earliest One Piece prototype simply titled “Forward”.
* We see how far back Oda had been sketching ideas about Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.
* The Rubber Tree spirit could allude to the spiritual and supernatural angle that One Piece is still exploring.
Until now, anyone who has looked into the history of One Piece would tell you that the Wanted manga and the Romance Dawn chapter were the earliest known prototypes of One Piece. But, recent news would say otherwise. Eiichiro Oda, the mangaka of One Piece, recently unearthed some drafts from 1994 that record his first ideas about One Piece. So let’s delve into the earliest One Piece prototype which Oda simply called “forward”.
- Also Read: One Piece Theory On Imu And Lili Connection
Earliest One Piece Prototype “forward” Revealed By Eiichiro Oda
Eiichiro Oda must have discovered some of his earliest sketches relating to One Piece and now they are out for the world to see, witness- nay, behold. The following sketches or scribbles look very similar to the One Piece characters we know and love- with one of them even sharing Luffy’s family name. Thus, it’s being called the earliest One Piece prototype.
Right off the bat, you can tell from the picture that Oda was still in his idea phase about One Piece. The pictures don’t really tell a story- they are instead character sketches with ideas scribbled in between that we fans are all too familiar with. The picture has been translated into English for international fans as you can tell- except the term “forward” which Oda seems to have used as a title. Let’s break down the earliest One Piece prototype.
Monkey D. Pao
Monkey D. Pao was probably supposed to be his main character but now that Oda’s revealed him canonically, we can surmise that he was an ancestor of Luffy. His facial structure and build are very similar to Luffy’s but unlike Luffy, he covers his head with a spiral-themed bandana. Oda’s also written about how he can stretch and fall asleep.
We also see a statement within quotes saying that the fruit he stole wasn’t a melon but an apple- maybe alluding to the fruit of wisdom from Eden. We’ll never know the specifics of those scribbled ideas. We also see a statement about hitting rock bottom and how one can only go up from there- already reflecting the boundless optimism of Luffy in the earliest One Piece prototype.
It’s interesting to think that while Luffy indeed can stretch and looks similar to Pao, Zoro is the one who got a bandana and is infamous for sleeping through entire storms and cannonballs. Under the name, Pao also has the title “Thief” which could allude to Pao or the girl below who we see named Rezel.
Rezel
Rezel reflects Nami’s design and under her name, we see a statement that says how the strongest people are those who can laugh at their own weaknesses. Above her character is the term “Thief” which could allude to her or Pao.
The earliest One Piece prototype may say otherwise but we love our own infamous thief Cat Burglar Nami. We also see an axe beside Pao’s sketch which could allude to Nami’s initial design where Oda made her a rugged fighter who uses a giant battleaxe.
The Rubber Tree Spirit
Finally, we see a laughing old man in a beanie who’s laughing at someone who was abandoned. He calls it wonderful and keeps laughing. He is 5008 years old and is the Rubber Tree Spirit. This proves that Oda’s always had a supernatural or spiritual angle to his story which is only getting more and more true now that we are in the endgame of the story.
Beside him, we also see another term in English- “Merry”. This could either be the name of the rubber tree spirit or something else entirely but it’s interesting to look back on how Oda must have always planned to give the Going Merry a spiritual form in the guise of a klabautermann.
Mysterious Man In Shades
There is another mysterious figure wearing shades on the bottom-right corner of the page and there’s no name attached to him. He looks nothing like any character we’ve ever seen before but fans have theorized that he’s an endgame character and the “One With An Eye Patch”.
Oda had been asked about why there are no pirates wearing eye-patches in One Piece and he’d replied that he has one but he will appear near the end of the story. This man could be that figure as we see him wearing small black shades similar to a blind man and his eyes are almost closed in the sketch. Oda also reveals important tidbits about the One Piece series in his SBS corners- and here is the latest One Piece SBS Volume 109.
