What was Zunesha’s Crime in One Piece? Who Punished him?

Chapter 1040 dropped a huge bombshell when Momonosuke told Yamato that Zunesha was Joy Boy’s companion, finally clearing up one aspect of the enormous enigma’s shrouded past.

However, it still leaves the most puzzling question about his story unanswered – what crime did he commit?

Zunesha’s crime remains unknown. Following the Zou arc, it resulted in him being forced to walk the seas for eternity while carrying the Mink Tribe on his back.

But now that Oda’s revelation is blowing up the internet, I thought it’d be interesting to dig into the humungous elephant and entertain the craziest yet believable theories we have so far.

Why the Giant Elephant is more Interesting than You Think?

Chapter 1040’s revelation of Zunesha being Joy Boy’s companion makes him a pivotal link to the Ancient Kingdom, the Void Century, and the Great War.

We already know from chapter 802 that he’s easily 900 plus years old. But since the time to reach adulthood isn’t factored in, he either predates or could have been born in the Void Century.

And thus, he would have seen or lived in the Ancient Kingdom and fought in the Great War.

Since he was close to Joy Boy, who likely resided in the Kingdom, it’s likely Zunesha also considered it his home and would have fought for it when the 20 kingdoms threatened it.

Zunesha’s attachment to things he holds dear is evident in chapter 821 when he begged Momonosuke to order him to destroy Jack’s fleet, fearful that his fall would be the death of the Minks.

But what Could Zunesha have been used for in Great War?

One of the most popular theories regarding Joy Boy’s promise to Poseidon, was that it was part of a strategy devised by the Ancient Kingdom and its allies during the Great War.

Joy Boy may have intended to lift Noah off the Sea Forest floor and use Zunesha to ferry the ship to Fish-Man Island to take its soldiers to the front lines of the battle.

But inexplicably, the plan failed and led to Zunesha’s banishment, as well as the Ancient Kingdom’s defeat.

Zunesha’s Crime, Punishment and Craziest Theories

Tying into the last panel of chapter 1037, it hypothesizes that Zunesha could have belonged to a race of ancient pachyderms who was tricked into eating the Kibi Kibi no Mi Devil Fruit by the World Government.

Famously used by Otama on the Beast Pirate allies, we know that it offers the user a delicious yet effective way to control anyone when they’ve consumed the dango pinched from the user’s cheeks.

But why would the World Government go through the pains of feeding the Devil Fruit to Zunesha?

Since Zunesha probably considered the Ancient Kingdom his home, he was likely an instrumental ally during the Great War.

The World Government could have also uncovered Joy Boy’s plan to use him to ferry Noah to Fish-Man Island to bring more warriors to the front lines.

So, to seal their victory, they disguised the Devil Fruit’s identity and fed it to Zunesha. They later banished him to roam the seas for eternity, thus thwarting Joy Boy’s plans and leading to the Ancient Kingdom’s defeat.

However, they failed to consider the consequences of letting Zunesha walk free since the Minks and the Road Poneglyph are now forever out of their reach.

Although it sounds wacky and absurd, it’s entirely plausible considering the juicy titbit we got in Chapter 1040 – Zunesha was Joy Boy’s ‘nakama’ or companion.

Even though it’s synonymous with a friend, Oda’s wordplay hints at something more profound. Revisiting the Going Merry Goodbye episode, we know that ships can also be called companions.

So if we put two and two together, it becomes evident that Zunesha is Joy Boy’s battleship. But since they were also affiliated with the Ancient Kingdom, we can take it one step further and entertain the possibility that Zunesha is Pluton.

He could have been ordered to eat the Zou Zou no Mi Devil Fruit (eaten by Funkfreed) or an unknown mythical Zoan Elephant Fruit to hide from the World Government following the Kingdom’s defeat.

But regardless of how he became a Naitamie-Norida Elephant, there are two types of crimes he could have committed by being Pluton.

Firstly, he would be guilty of the crime of existence. Nico Robin was also accused of the same thing in the Enies Lobby arc since her knowledge of the Poneglyhs threatened to bring chaos to the world’s balance.

Similarly, with Zunesha being a weapon of mass destruction, he was likely punished for the same reason.

Secondly, he would be consumed by guilt and shame if the misuse of his powers sparked the Great War.

Since Oda’s favorite method of giving villains a win is by having them frame the heroes, it’s possible that this trend also has ancient roots. It may have been an enemy kingdom or one of the 20 nations that could have sabotaged Pluton and had him unleashed on the world.

Ashamed that he caused the downfall of his home, he sentenced himself to walk the seas forever and repay his debt by protecting the Minks.

Why did Zunesha Show up at Wano?

Zunesha was most likely summoned by Momonosuke using The Voice of All Things to aid in the battle against the Beast Pirates.

Wano also needed him as the Minks were close allies of the Kozuki Family and had probably planned a rendezvous on the island while Luffy kept Kaidou busy on the top.

And since the Straw Hats winning is a given, his arrival would also take out the World Government fleet lying in wait to attack them after the battle.

About One Piece

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 22, 1997.

The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, is Gol D. Roger. The final words he said at the execution tower were “My treasures? If you want it, I’ll let you have it. Look for it; I left all of it at that place.” These words sent many to the seas, chasing their dreams, headed toward the Grand Line, in search of One Piece. Thus began a new age!

Seeking to be the greatest pirate in the world, young Monkey D. Luffy also heads toward the Grand Line in search of One Piece. His diverse crew is joining him along the way, consisting of a swordsman, marksman, navigator, cook, doctor, archaeologist, and cyborg-shipwright, this will be one memorable adventure.