One Piece theory: Iron Giant belonged to Joy Boy

One Piece’s recent chapter ends with the Iron Giant responding to Luffy’s Drums of Liberation. Here’s why we believe it belonged to Joy Boy.

One Piece’s biggest mystery is the Void Century, a time when the World Government was established after the successful alliance of 20 kingdoms. Such an important event should be recorded in history. However, not only did the World Government remove every trace of the Void Century, but it also forbade research on it.

Anyone even having the slightest curiosity will be executed, regardless of the consequences. When the World Government found out about the archaeologists from Ohara, they didn’t hesitate to blow up the entire island instead of punishing the people involved.

This proves the truth is something that can challenge their authority. For some reason, Iron Giant also had a major role to play in the Void century. Delve deeper to find out why Iron Giant could have belonged to Joy Boy in One Piece.

What do we know about Iron Giant in One Piece?

Viz

The Iron Giant made its debut in One Piece chapter 1065. It was created 900 years ago, during the Void Century. For reasons unknown, it attacked Mary Geoise 200 years ago but soon ran out of energy. The robot is now in Egghead and remains inactive to this day. Vegapunk claims that the technology that powered it is so advanced that he can not figure it out. 

It’s not just the Iron Giant – the Void Century was extremely advanced. In fact, all of Vegapunk’s creations are somehow derived from that. Luffy determined that it could move autonomously since there was no place for people to pilot it from the inside. It makes sense, considering how the robot climbed the Red Line and entered Mary Geoise all on its own.

Why does this theory seem plausible?

Viz

In One Piece chapter 1092, Luffy transforms into Gear 5, and the Iron Giant’s eyes glow after hearing the Drums of Liberation. Since Luffy is the Joy Boy of this era, and the robot responds to him, it’s easy to draw a connection between them. 

We still don’t know much about the previous Joy Boy, but he was an influential figure in the Void Century and fought for the freedom of others — just like Luffy. Additionally, the Iron Giant went to Mary Geoise, likely to attack Imu or the Gorosei. Since it’s a robot, it cannot have a will of its own. It should’ve been programmed to perform certain duties or follow the orders of a certain person. 

Its actions prove that whoever it belonged to was against the World Government. Not many characters are known from the Void Century who openly went against the World Government. Therefore, the chances of the Iron Giant belonging to Joy Boy in One Piece are highly possible. 

Now that it’s finally active again, the source of its power appears to be the Drums of Liberation. This is why Vegapunk could never have figured it out on his own. Drums of Liberation is just a phrase used to describe the sound of Luffy’s heartbeat when he is in Gear 5 form. Additionally, even during Luffy’s fight with Kaido, only Zunesha and Luffy were able to hear it.

How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023

Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen – and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.

If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple: 

1. Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world.
2. Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica.
3. Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched.

Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference. For example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows. 

You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan. Or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind. 

You can check out our other anime coverage here.