Who is Joy Boy in One Piece? What’s his connection to Laugh Tale?

Events that occurred in the Void Century and the people that shaped it have been shrouded in mystery since the start of One Piece. Only recently have we been given a glimpse into the mystery through some Poneglyphs.

One such figure that has been highlighted in the Poneglyph found in Fishman Island is Joy Boy. Who exactly is he? What was his impact in the Void Century? Is Luffy the reincarnated will of him? Read on to find out!

1. Who is Joy Boy [Quick answer]

Joy Boy was an extremely relevant figure of the Void Century dating back at least 800 years.  He was first mentioned in chapter 628 in Fishman Island Arc.

Robin was reading about him in a Poneglyph located in a deeper part of the sea forest. She discovered that Joy Boy had some form of connection to Fishman Island and the ancient kingdom.

King Neptune and Robin talk about Joy Boy

2. Who is Joy Boy? When did he exist?

Joy Boy’s identity isn’t clear as there have been very few mentions of him. What we do know, though, is that he was an extremely important and relevant figure that existed during the Void Century.

He had a close relation to the merfolk and was a friend to the Mermaid Princess of that time. There are many other theories about Joy Boy, such as him being the first Pirate King, but that, after all, is mere speculation.

I. What is the Void Century?

The Void Century is a century-long gap in recorded and archaeological history, the study of which is forbidden by the World Government.

The events of this period are so important and relevant that one is said to be aware of the “true history” of the world by learning them. These events occurred 800-900 years before the current storyline.

who is joyboy in one piece is he luffy
Monkey D. Luffy, Joy Boy, Gol D. Roger

This period became known as the Void Century because there is no evidence left to prove anything that happened in it, aside from the poneglyphs written in a language that few know how to read.

When the research of the Poneglyphs was outlawed, hundreds of scholars across the world were killed. Since then, a very strict ban on any research at all related to the Void Century has been put in place.

II. What is the Ancient kingdom?

The Ancient Kingdom was said to be vast, proud, and powerful. All mentions of the kingdom and its history have been erased, while even its name remains a secret.

It was likely an enemy of the Twenty Kingdoms, now called the World Government, as implied by Professor Clover, and was seemingly wiped out by them over eight hundred years ago at the end of the Void Century.

connection of Ancient kingdom with joy boy
Professor Clover about Ancient Kingdom – One Piece

It is speculated that the reason for their destruction was their connection to ancient weapons. In their demise, they left a parting gift inscribed on indestructible stone cubes known as Poneglyphs. Only archaeologists blessed with outstanding intellect can decipher them, or those gifted with the “Voice of all things” ability. It is believed that the defeat of the Ancient Kingdom truly allowed the Ancient Alliance to truly become the World Government.

Furthermore, the real reason the World Government has banned any Poneglyph deciphering and research is that they believe that the mere existence and idea of this kingdom presents a threat to them.

A brief illustration of the Ancient Kingdom was shown during Professor Clover’s speech. It appeared as an island with huge marble buildings and vibrant green plantation. Apart from that, some moon-like craters are shown. The island was shown in a way that was not clear whether it was in the sea or floating in the sky.

3. Joy Boy’s Connection To Fishman Island

Joy Boy is known to have had some connections to Fishman Island back in the Void Century, 800 years ago in the One Piece world. According to the Poneglyph that Robin deciphered, Joy Boy was acquainted.

He had some kind of friendship with the then mermaid princess(Poseidon). He wanted the Fishmen to live with the humans on the surface but ultimately failed to keep his promise.

Luffy hears Voices of Sea Kings

Ultimately, this led to him writing an apology on a Poneglyph and pass it down to those who inhabited the island at the time. It wasn’t until Nico Robin found this Poneglyph in the Sea Forest that Joy Boy’s was existence came to light.

According to Neptune, the contents of the promise were unclear. Still, ultimately the promise was to bring the citizens of Fishman island to the surface. To accomplish this, Noah built an ark that was supposed to take the fish-men and merfolks to the surface with the help of Poseidon’s ability to command the sea kings.

4. Joy Boy’s Reincarnation Theory

Although Joy Boy existed about 800-900 years before the current storyline of One Piece, the recent events of the story lead the fans to believe that he’s bound to return, eventually.

In fact, in Oden’s flashback, it was clearly mentioned that Joy Boy would return to the world and shake its entire foundation in 20 years. He also said to open Wano’s gates for the one they had been waiting for.

As guessed by many, that time is now, and the implication is that Joy Boy has already been reborn somewhere in the world.

While most believe it to be Luffy, and understandably so, we don’t know who exactly Joy Boy is, and it is still too soon to say anything with certainty.

5. The Mystery of Raftel (Laugh Tale)

Up until recently, it was believed that Gol D. Roger, the man famously known as the Pirate King, was the only person to ever step foot on the final island — Laugh Tale, along with the rest of his crew.

However, in One Piece Chapter 967, this was proven to be incorrect. Roger specifically mentions Joy Boy being at the Island some 800 years prior to when he was there. This implies that Joy Boy is the only other known person to step foot on the final island, aside from Roger and his crew.

When Roger arrived at the Island, the great treasure was already there. It was revealed in the manga that sometime during the Void Century, Joy Boy left it behind.

Upon seeing the treasure which was left there by Joy Boy, Roger laughed and wished he had been born in Joy Boy’s era. Because of it, Roger decided to name the island, Laugh Tale.

6. 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, and has been collected into 95 tankōbon volumes.

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.

Vansh Gulati

Vansh Gulati

Meet our very own Hinata Shoyo! - There is no anime or manga that he’s not aware of. Also the go-to guy for all things Epic at EML. He’s on a journey to discover life one bottle of sake at a time!
Ps...anime is not a cartoon!

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