Some characters have a D. in their name. It is unknown what this D. stands for and why certain people wear it. The people concerned mostly don’t know the meaning either.
Contents
Facts and Events
The first time the Will of D. in Monkey D. Luffy’s name came up was in the SBS for volume 8, when a reader asked what the initial stood for. Oda responded that he couldn’t answer that question “yet,” signaling for the first time that there was a larger mystery behind the D.
Holding Luffy’s wanted poster in her hand, Dr. Kureha first made a connection between the rubber boy and other bearers of the D. when she asked Dalton if he knew Gol D. Roger, Gold Roger’s true name. In response, she noted that Luffy was a dangerous man because of the D. Furthermore, she added that “the D’s will indeed live on”.
The similarity to Gold Roger was also noticed by Gan Fall, who mentioned to Nico Robin that Luffy left the same impression on him as the future Pirate King. Moreover, he formulated that the D. would “adorn” Luffy’s name and that it probably held a crucial meaning in the story.
Robin herself also seems to have dealt with the Will of D., which she knew from the name of her one-time rescuer Jaguar D. Saul. Thus, when she rescued Luffy after his first defeat at the hands of Crocodile, she asked Luffy what the D. meant, to which the Straw Hat had no answer. Silvers Rayleigh also approached her about the letter, however he changed the subject to the Great Kingdom. In conversation with Saul, she also learned that his entire family had the D. in their name.
What does D. stand for in the One Piece series?
Shortly before his death, Whitebeard further revealed that although it was possible to kill the bloodline of a family with the Will of D. in their name, this would not extinguish the flame that this family held. Sooner or later, someone would come and absorb that flame to carry it on.
Even one of the Five Elders mentioned that the D. always meant danger, and it was a nuisance that it had come out in the open so often recently.
The next person to mention the D. was Trafalgar Law during his fight with Donquixote Doflamingo. When asked why he trusted Luffy so much, the Surgeon of Death replied that the D.’s will would surely cause another storm. A similar expression was once used by Donquixote Rosinante, who in turn knew it from his homeland. The people who have a “D.” in their name are thus evidently descended from a clan feared by the world’s aristocrats. They therefore often told their children horror stories about them. In some regions of the world, this clan is also called “the natural enemy of God”. Despite this, they don’t seem to mind people like Monkey D. Garp or Jaguar D. Saul working in the Navy. Finally, after his defeat at the hands of Luffy, Doflamingo himself also confirmed that the D.s belong to a family, revealing to Crane that this family would soon make an appearance and shape the battle for dominion over all the seas, the “War for Gold Roger’s Throne” as he called it.
It is further known from Roger’s past that the ominous Joy Boy must have something to do with the Will of D.
What is certain is that Gol D. Roger was able to find out the meaning of the D.. So he once, shortly before his death, met with Whitebeard to confide the secret to his friend. He began his tale with the words “A very long time ago…”.
The “Will of the D.”
In connection with the bearers of the D. the term “will of the D.” was often mentioned. What it is about, whose original will this is and why of all things these few chosen ones are supposed to enforce the will of the D., is thereby absolutely unknown. However, there are some conspicuous features which connect the bearers of the Will of D. with each other or in which they resemble each other:
- Thus, they all possess enormous willpower as well as strong faith, albeit sometimes in different things, such as themselves, their dreams, friendship, or fate.
- This ensures that they have all developed a tremendous survival instinct and can tolerate even the greatest pain without losing their will.
- All the already deceased bearers of the D. laughed just before they died, as if they understood that they could no longer escape it, but did not fear the end.
- Moreover, they all have a very precise idea of justice, although it is not the same for all of them.
- Nevertheless, they all have goals or dreams which they want to achieve/fulfill and for which they would give everything, even if no one but themselves believes in them or they are even ridiculed for their ideas.
- In addition, they were almost all involved in some of the biggest events in the One Piece world, such as the start of the Great Pirate Age, the destruction of Ohara by Buster Call, and the great battle of Marine Ford.
According to Whitebeard’s latest statement, someone will eventually come on the scene who will take the will of Gold Roger and Portgas D. Ace and enforce it. According to him, that someone will not be Marshall D. Teach. During the tournament at the Corrida Colosseum, some revolutionaries also went to Dress Rosa to obtain the Fire Fruit. With its help, they intend to preserve Ace’s will.
Miscellaneous
- Looking at Rosinante’s testimony, it seems that the D. is actually just the initial for a second surname, as it is passed down from generation to generation. This would also be in line with Saul’s statement about his family.
- In the conversation between Nico Robin and Silvers Rayleigh, the Will of D. and the Great Kingdom were mentioned in the same breath. This suggests that the meaning has to do with the Kingdom as well as True History. This would also explain why the bearers of the D. do not know its meaning and why Gol D. Roger began his story with the above words.
Known D. carriers
| Name | Believe(s) in/Dream | Event(s) | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gol D. RogerGol D. Roger | Being the first pirate to sail around the world | Battle of Edd War; Beginning of the Great Pirate Age; God Valley Incident. |  |
| Jaguar D. Saul | Justice, though not Absolute Justice | Buster Call from Ohara |  |
| Marshall D. Teach | Become a pirate king and invincible | Major Breakout from Impel Down; Great Battle of Marine Ford |  |
| Monkey D. Dragon | Freedom | Gold Rogers Execution; Gray Terminal Fire |  |
| Monkey D. Garp | Absolute justice | Beginning of the Great Pirate Age; Shiki’s Breakout from Impel Down; Great Battle of Marine Ford; God Valley Incident. |  |
| Monkey D. Luffy | To become a pirate king | Friendship; Freedom; Fall of Crocodiles; Buster Call of Enies Lobby, Incident on Sabaody Archipelago; Breakout from Impel Down; Great Battle of Marine Ford; Fall of Doflamingos. | |
| Port gas D. Ace | Family and friendship | Gray Terminal Fire; Great Battle of Marine Ford |  |
| Port gas D. Rouge | Love and family | Died giving birth to Ace |  |
| Rocks D. Xebec | To become king of the world | Powerful pirate captain who once gathered numerous now notable pirates under him, such as Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaidou; God Valley incident. |  |
| Trafalgar D. Water Law | Family and friendship | Tragedy at Flevance; Incident at Sabaody Archipelago; Great Battle of Marine Ford; Fall of Doflamingo. |  |
