The "Will of D." is a form of inherited will surrounding members of the Clan of D. (Dの一族,Dī no Ichizoku?, VIZ: People of the D)[1] who bear the middle initial "D." in their names.
It is said that the Clan is the Natural Enemy of God (神の天敵,Kami no Tenteki?)[2] and is opposed to the World Government, namely its World Nobles, though most members do not know the true meaning of the name.[3]Gol D. Roger, who learned its meaning during his voyage to Laugh Tale, is considered to be a central figure concerning the Will of D, with much discussion about those who have since bore the initial centering on them inheriting Roger's will. More often than not, people in the Clan of D. have been noted to be regularly involved in world-shaking events.
"D" is the moniker of our ancient enemy. In recent times, it has cropped up more frequently. However, it is nothing but a faint echo. Those who carry the name do not even know of its true meaning now...
According to Imu, the D. was once a label used by enemies of the First Twenty, and who were thus presumably aligned with the Great Kingdom.[3]Donquixote Rosinante explained to Trafalgar D. Water Law that the "D." has been secretly inherited worldwide throughout history, and that in a certain land, the Clan of D. was referred to as "Natural Enemy of God", with "God" referring to the Celestial Dragons who are considered to be gods. In Mary Geoise, World Noble children were told that if they misbehaved, they would be eaten up by "D". Similarly, elders of that country seemed quite wary of the "storm" that those with "D." were known to cause.[2]
However, Imu has stated that present-day carriers of the initial usually do not know about its origins and meaning.[3] Jaguar D. Saul displayed a lack of knowledge on the subject when Nico Robin asked him what it meant.[4] Similarly, when she asked Monkey D. Luffy why those that carry the "D." fight, he was completely clueless as to what she was talking about.[5] Luffy and Ace themselves never thought much about their names during their childhood, in spite of Sabo pointing out the obvious coincidence.[3] Gol D. Roger is the first and, as of yet, only known "D."-bearer in the modern era story line to have discovered its meaning.[6]
So far everyone in the Monkey family has the initial "D.".
The moniker of D. is something that is passed down through families whose ancestors bore it.[7][8] It does not appear as though the various families in the Clan of D. are all blood-related, given that they come from multiple races (with there being at least one D-bearing family from the giants race), and that members from different families have had children together like Roger and Rouge.
During his posthumous broadcast to the world about the Void Century, Dr. Vegapunk spoke concerning the Clan of D. and told them that among them there is "a"—or possibly "another"—but his message was temporarily cut off right then and his words were not heard.[9]
Traits of the Clan[]
Though not having explicitly been connected to the name or clan itself, members of the clan of D. have been shown possessing many similar traits, in particular a degree of fearlessness and an inclination toward action, even when said actions may impact the entire world. Just about all known members of the Clan of D. have held leadership positions and roles. True to their reputation as world shakers, clan members have frequently been central figures in the world's greatest conflicts and incidents, and more often than not multiple members have been involved; interestingly, members have at times been on different sides and directly opposed each other. These tremendous events have included the Great War, the God Valley Incident, the Ohara Incident, the Duel on Banaro Island, the Celestial Dragon Hit-and-Run Incident, the Impel Down Great Escape Incident, the Summit War of Marineford, the Raid on Onigashima, and the Egghead Incident. Members of this clan can be found scattered all over the world, with their presence being known in the Four Blues and the Grand Line.
Although most of them do not know the historical significance of their name, Clan of D. members have frequently demonstrated animosity toward their supposed natural enemy the World Nobles, and an inclination to oppose them despite their great status. The first known clan member, Lili, sabotaged the attempts of the nobles' ancestors, the First Twenty, to cover up the events of the Void Century by spreading the Poneglyphs across the world.[3] Luffy directly caused the aforementioned Celestial Dragon Hit-and-Run Incident by punching Saint Charlos with no regard for the consequences, and his father, Dragon, actively seeks to overthrow the Celestial Dragons from power.[10] Though he is a high-ranking member of the Marines, Garp is noted to be strongly opposed to the World Nobles and rejected numerous offers to be promoted beyond Vice Admiral rank because doing so would put him directly under their authority.[11] For much of his life, Law possessed a vendetta to kill Donquixote Doflamingo, albeit Doflamingo having long lost his noble status; Rocks D. Xebec put many Celestial Dragons under threat during the God Valley Incident.
Ace dies with a smile on his face, a common trait among "D."s faced with their own death.
Those who bear the "D." in their name seem to be able to withstand an incredible degree of punishment in battle and only surrender to death when they know it is truly unavoidable. In the same vein is an unusual behavior that seems to be common to "D." – they are often seen laughing or smiling right before they die (or think they are about to die), as though they have accepted their fate and exhibit no fear of death. Observers have expressed shock and confusion at this phenomenon, unable to believe that someone could so thoroughly come to terms with the end of their life.[12]
So far, this trait has been shown 7 times:
Gol D. Roger smiled in the moments before being executed.[13]
Luffy smiled on Loguetown's execution stand when he thought he was going to be beheaded by Buggy, the act being compared to how Roger smiled 22 years earlier at the same spot.[12]
Portgas D. Rouge is seen both crying and smiling when she named Ace, dying shortly after.[16]
Portgas D. Ace thanked everyone for loving him and died with a smile on his face.[17]
Trafalgar D. Water Law smirked at, mocked, and flipped off Donquixote Doflamingo when the latter was pointing a gun at his heart and preparing to shoot him, though he survived in the end.[18]
Monkey D. Garp laughed when Kuzan pierced him with his ice blade and he started freezing,[19] though he survived in the end.[20]
However, not all members of Clan D. demonstrate sharing this feature. Clou D. Clover has shown a fear of death and going as far as lying to not be killed,[21] though prior to actually being killed seamlessly accepted his fate while crying.[22]Marshall D. Teach has shown a fear of death when Whitebeard attacked him at Marineford, during which he started to panic and begged for mercy.[23] Blackbeard, though he did not show fear when fighting Ace, could not accept death when it became a strong possibility.
Had the highest bounty ever recorded for a pirate: 5,564,800,000.
Only known carrier of the "D." to have known its true meaning.
Died 24 years ago at age 53 when he was executed by the World Government at his hometown of Loguetown, 4 years after being diagnosed with a fatal illness. His death was meant as a warning to other pirates, but his final words ignited the Great Pirate Era.
Died during the Buster Call that annihilated the island of Ohara.
The Will of D. in History[]
The first ever known carrier Nefertari D. Lili, in spite of being part of the First Twenty and thus an enemy of the Great Kingdom, still conspired against her own side for unknown reasons, leading to the scattering of Poneglyphs around the globe. Since then, the Nefertari Family has continuously followed Lili's will to protect the Poneglyphs through a letter of her authoring, which has been passed down among generations of Arabastakings.[3]Emet appears to be familiar with the Will of D, going as far as enacting Joy Boy's plan to protect the life of someone who carries it.[24]
The bloodline of the Gol family.
After visiting Laugh Tale, Kouzuki Oden mentioned that he and the Roger Pirates had learned the meaning of the D. name.[25] After that, Roger noted the World Government was hiding his true name, Gol D. Roger, but considering everything he and his crew learned in Laugh Tale, he understands the reason for this conspiracy. During their final meeting, Roger was asked by Whitebeard what "D." is, and Roger appeared to have told him. Whitebeard later noted during the Summit War of Marineford that killing someone with a "D." would not extinguish the flames of their will because someone would eventually inherit that will and carry on Roger's wish.[26]
Kureha was the first person in the series to mention the "Will of D." when she revealed that the true name of the late Pirate King was Gol D. Roger. She told Dalton that Chopper had joined up with a very dangerous man.[27]
The "Will of D." has also been mentioned by Nico Robin three times, the first being when she rescued Luffy from quicksand during Operation Utopia; she asked Luffy about the meaning of the "D." and why those with the name fight, but he had no idea.[5] The second was when Robin was talking to Gan Fall after they pulled up the ancient belfry. Gan Fall mentioned feeling that Luffy left the same impression on him as Gol D. Roger did.[28] The third time was when Robin tried to ask Silvers Rayleigh about the significance of the "Will of D.", bringing up the Void Century at the same time. He did not reply on what the "D." stood for but stated that they (the Roger Pirates) had discovered the details of the Void Century; however, Robin declined his offer to tell her about it, determined to discover the truth herself.[29]
Later on, Trafalgar Law wondered aloud that the Will of D. will almost certainly call up a storm again. It is still not clear exactly what he meant, but it hints that Silvers Rayleigh had a clear purpose for wanting to find Monkey D. Luffy on Amazon Lily.[30] After the timeskip, Law mentioned the Will of D. once more when Doflamingo asked him why he had so much faith in Luffy.[31]
Knowledge of D. in the World[]
In contrast to the openness of Luffy and other "D"-bearers, there are some "D." families who seem to know its significance, if not its meaning, and try to keep it secret from the public, such as Law's.[32] Overall, despite the historical animosity between them and the Clan of D., the World Government has typically taken no action against these families, and some of their members have gone on to serve the Marines in very prominent positions. In most cases, the government does not seem to have any issue with the moniker being printed on wanted posters either. Persecution of those bearing the D. does exist though, as Clou D. Clover lost his brother to unknown assailants and had to lie about not possessing the initial in order to survive. It seems that some high-ranking Marines have some awareness of the initial's significance, as Sengoku showed interest in Ace because of it.[33] When Sengoku was explicitly asked by Law if he knows about the meaning of the "D.", he gave a vague answer, but seemed shocked to find out that Law also carries the initial and thought about the checkered fate of the "D." carriers.[34]
However, actions will be taken to cover up the moniker in particularly extreme cases concerning people who are extremely famous worldwide or delve into actions or subjects considered taboo. The most notable case was with Roger, who was renamed "Gold Roger" by the press upon becoming Pirate King; nowadays, most people in the world do not know that those with the D. bear the same initial as the Pirate King. When Luffy awakened the Gomu Gomu no Mi and took the form of Nika, the Five Elders ordered that the D in his name be removed from his updated wanted poster, unsuccessfully, after seemingly having no issue with the initial being printed in his six previous posters. Rocks D. Xebec also had his full name hidden and is known by most as simply "Rocks". After Portgas D. Ace became the central focus of the Summit War of Marineford, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro said the prominence of the D. in his name posed a greater danger than any other global impact of the war and feared it becoming too well known among the world.[35]
Translation and Dub Issues[]
The 4Kids dub chose to refer to the Will of D. as "Gol D.'s spirit", in reference to Gol D. Roger, while the Funimation dub refers to it as the "spirit of D" in the Drum Island Arc. Both of these derive from a mistranslation of the original Japanese text. 4Kids' use of "Gol D.'s spirit" in Dr. Kureha's conversation with Dalton can be considered erroneous. While Gol D. Roger is spoken of in previous lines, Kureha made no mention of Roger in that particular line of text in the original Japanese.
In the recap supplement Grand Times, the holders of the D. were referred to as the "Men of D."[36]
Trivia[]
When Whitebeard was discussing the Will of D., he mentioned One Piece in the same statement, implying that "D." and the One Piece are connected by more than just Roger.[26] This was not the only time that both were mentioned in the same chapter: Usopp and Robin asked Rayleigh about One Piece, the Void Century, and the Will of D., all within one conversation. Additionally, it was when they found Joy Boy's treasure on Laugh Tale that the Roger Pirates learned the meaning of D.
Although the term "Natural Enemy of God" seems to specifically refer to the Celestial Dragons as the god, Monkey D. Luffy also fought and defeated Enel, who held the title of "God" of Skypiea. During their fight, Nami referred to Luffy as Enel's "natural enemy", though this was due to Luffy's rubber powers canceling out Enel's lightning and electric powers.
Trafalgar Lami is the only known named blood relative to a D. carrier who is not a confirmed D. carrier as well.
Portgas D. Ace once jokingly conferred the D. onto his brother, Sabo, referring to him as "Sa-D-bo" (サDボ,SaDībo?).[37]
↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 41Chapter 392 (p. 14) and Episode 275, Jaguar D. Saul says he does not know the meaning behind his D. initial
↑ 5.05.1One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 20Chapter 180 (p. 4-5) and Episode 111, Luffy is ignorant of the Will of D. when Nico Robin asks him why those with the D. fight.
↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 59Chapter 576 (p. 12) and Episode 485, Whitebeard recalls his conversation with Roger as the former is dying.
↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 58Chapter 573 (p. 6) and Episode 482, Ace is seen with a smile on his face after dying.
↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 78Chapter 780 (p. 5) and Episode 721, Law tells Doflamingo that he will never beat the Straw Hats while giving him a mocking grin and the middle finger.
↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 32Chapter 301 (p. 16) and Episode 194, Luffy reminds Gan Fall of Roger and he learns that they share the same D. initial.
↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 52Chapter 507 (p. 4-6) and Episode 400, Robin asks Rayleigh about the Will of D. and the Void Century.
