At some point during or after the Void Century, Joyboy was able to seal away his fabled treasure, which went undiscovered for the next 800 years. However, that changed when the legendary hero, Gol D. Roger, and his pirate crew finally managed to crack the centuries-old puzzle and become the first people in all of One Piece to ever find Joyboy’s hidden treasure.

In the pursuit of finding it and becoming the Pirate King, Roger came across the various Poneglyphs scattered across the world, eventually unveiling the truth behind the Void Century. Dr. Vegapunk’s broadcast revealed one of One Piece’s biggest secrets; the world is sinking. As such, every character that fans came across who once belonged to Roger’s crew managed to prepare for this sinking, so let’s see exactly how this was possible.

Shanks and the Red-Hair Pirates

The Protégé of the Pirate King

First Appearance

One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn – The Dawn of the Adventure”

Notable Members

Shanks, Benn Beckmann, Yasopp, Lucky Roux

To much of the world, Shanks is seen as the second coming of Roger himself and Buggy even considered him to be the best candidate to take over the role of the Pirate King for the next generation. And, just like Roger, Shanks’ entire crew is filled with incredibly powerful fighters that are renowned the world over for their strength. However, not a single member of this crew has eaten a Devil Fruit!

You could train for another 10 years and still lose to me.

This legendary strength has come to the Red-Hair Pirates purely through their mastery of Haki, which is yet another parallel to the Roger Pirates, who also had no Devil Fruit users in their ranks except for Buggy. The lack of Devil Fruits can be seen as a preparation for the sinking of the world, in which case Devil Fruit users would immediately sink to the depths of the sea! Although Shanks himself never went to Laugh Tale, this mirroring of Roger’s journey can also be seen as a thematic connection between the two.

Silvers Rayleigh

The First Mate of the Roger Pirates

First Appearance

One Piece, Chapter 19, “Devil Fruit”

Ship Designation

First Mate

Rayleigh is one of the most legendary figures in the history of One Piece as the first mate and best friend of Roger himself. In his past, he was referred to as the ‘Dark King’ due to his incredible strength and the mastery he had over the various forms of Haki. However, in the current story, he lives on the Sabaody Archipelago and makes a living as a Ship Coater, which is also how he has been preparing for the sinking of the world!

Haki is a power that lies dormant in all the world’s creatures.

Rayleigh’s occupation of coating ships covers them up with an air bubble that allows the entire crew to essentially set sail underwater and get to Fishman Island, which is located underneath the Red Line. By becoming a Ship Coater, Rayleigh gained the expertise to give himself and others the means of surviving underwater in times of great flooding or, as circumstances would have it, if the entire world sinks!

Crocus

The Doctor of the Roger Pirates

First Appearance

One Piece, Chapter 102, “Now, The Grand Line”

Ship Designation

Doctor

Introduced over 1000 chapters ago as the first person the Straw Hats ever met on the Grand Line, Crocus is a fan-favorite character whose entire situation with Laboon truly goes to show how incredible Oda’s foreshadowing truly is. When the crew met Crocus, he was a hilarious and grumpy old man who took care of Laboon at the lighthouse, but what fans didn’t know at the time was that the first person they met on the Grand Line was one of the few surviving people who had seen the One Piece and knew the entire history of the world!

You look pretty strong and I don’t want to die.

His relationship with Laboon is one of the best parts of his character, although it also goes to show how he had been preparing to face the sinking of the world. This is because Crocus lived inside Laboon and made an entire interior island and system to do so. So, if the world does eventually end up sinking beneath the waves, he will always be safe inside a creature who can actually survive in the depths of the ocean!

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