Among the countless mysteries and enigmatic characters in One Piece, Joyboy is without a doubt the most intriguing and has been the object of innumerable theories since his introduction. The mystery surrounding Joyboy’s identity is almost as thick as that around the Void Century.

Fortunately, Eiichiro Oda has finally begun to delve into Joyboy’s character, kickstarting the Final Saga of One Piece through the massive revelations made in the Egghead Arc. All at once, Vegapunk’s broadcast has revealed many interesting details about the mysterious first pirate, and while a lot about Joyboy is still up for speculation, there are quite a few hard undeniable facts.

13 Joyboy Was Alive During The Void Century

First Revealed in Chapter #628 and Explained Further in Chapter #649

While the inhabitants of the world of One Piece have only just learned of Joyboy’s existence through Vegapunk’s message, the revelation that Joyboy lived during the Void Century was one of the earliest established facts about him accompanying his introduction in chapter #628. This was apparent from the simple fact that Joyboy had been mentioned on a Poneglyph created during the Void Century.

Of course, King Neptune would later go on to confirm that Joyboy was indeed a figure from the Void Century shortly after in chapter #649, and since then, both Roger and Vegapunk have also corroborated this fact.

12 Joyboy Wrote a Letter of Apology to Fishman Island

First Explained in Chapter #649

One of the first and biggest revelations about Joyboy was made during the Fishman Island Arc, shortly after Joyboy was first introduced in chapter #628. During the arc, Robin comes across a Poneglyph inscribed with an apology from a mysterious figure named Joyboy, and in chapter #649, Neptune explains that the apology was addressed to the Mermaid Princess during the Void Century for failing to keep a promise to Fishman Island.

According to King Neptune, the exact contents of Joyboy’s promise are unknown, but this promise is closely tied to the Noah. Neptune has hinted that the Noah’s purpose is similar to Otohime’s dream of taking Fishman Island to the surface. Thus, Joyboy’s promise likely involved using Poseidon’s ability to command the Neptunians to move the Noah to accomplish something similar to Otohime’s dream. Though there are still many blanks in the story, Joyboy’s apology and promise to Fishman Island remains one of the few concrete facts known about him.

11 Zunesha and Emet Shared A Close Bond With Joyboy

Revealed in Chapter #1040, Chapter #1120, and Chapter #1122

Another well-established fact about Joyboy is that he had a close relationship with Zunesha and Emet, also known as the Iron Giant. While Zunesha has been referred to as Joyboy’s companion by Momonosuke, Emet, in his own words, has implied having fought for Joyboy in the past.

Both have also had very nostalgic reactions to hearing the Drums of Liberation and seeing Joyboy again with Emet especially expressing how happy he is countless times. The exact details of their friendship with Joyboy are still unclear though fans have speculated that Zunesha and Emet may have been Joyboy’s crew mates, mirroring Chopper and Franky respectively.

It is unclear how Momonosuke learned that Zunesha was Joyboy’s companion. As such, fans can only take Momonosuke’s word for it though he most likely learned of this fact either from Zunesha himself or from Oden’s journal.

10 Joyboy Left a Treasure at Laugh Tale That Made Roger Laugh

First Revealed in Chapter #967

While the One Piece was thought to be Roger’s treasure for the longest time, the contents of Oden’s journal have since revealed that the titular treasure actually belonged to Joyboy. Chapter #967 depicts Roger’s journey to Laugh Tale and upon finding the One Piece Roger marvels at the treasure Joyboy has left behind calling it a “tale full of laughs.”

The Egghead Arc has further added to the intrigue surrounding the One Piece with Vegapunk describing it as a treasure that could determine the fate of the world. Vegapunk has also hinted that Joyboy may have intended for a specific person to find the One Piece though anybody other than the individual Joyboy desired can also claim it.

One Piece Confirms That Luffy and Shanks Still Have A Long Way To Go Before Reaching Joyboy’s Level Of Power

Even with the showcases of incredible power from Shanks and Luffy, the end of One Piece’s Egghead arc revealed that their Haki skills are lacking.

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9 Joyboy Was the First Pirate

First Revealed in Chapter #1114

One of the biggest bombshells in Vegapunk’s message was that Joyboy was the first pirate in the world of One Piece. Until this point, little had been known about what kind of person Joyboy had been other than the implication that he sought to make people happy as his name implies.

However, this revelation by Dr. Vegapunk in chapter #1114 effectively tied Joyboy to One Piece‘s larger themes of freedom and ambition, which are inherently tied to setting out to sea. Joyboy being the first pirate also enforces the sense of legacy tied to the One Piece and the title of the Pirate King.

8 Joyboy Belonged to the Ancient Kingdom

First Revealed in Chapter #1114

Though the Ancient Kingdom and Joyboy were both thought to be connected to the larger mystery of the Void Century for the longest time, it wasn’t until Vegapunk’s worldwide broadcast in chapter #1114 that this connection was finally confirmed. Interestingly, the fact that Joyboy belonged to the Ancient Kingdom was also subtly foreshadowed by Rayleigh in chapter #967 when he referred to the One Piece as the vast treasure left behind by the same people who created the Ancient Weapons.

It is unconfirmed whether the Ancient Kingdom did indeed create the Ancient Weapons, though Joyboy’s desire to pass them down and the Ancient Kingdom’s description as a scientifically advanced nation of great power suggests this is most likely the case.

7 Joyboy and His Faction Fought Against the Twenty Kingdoms

First Revealed in Chapter #1115

Following the shocking revelation that Joyboy belonged to the Ancient Kingdom, Vegapunk’s message in chapter #1115 also confirmed that Joyboy had indeed fought against the rulers of the twenty kingdoms during the Void Century, who eventually went on to form the World Government. Rather, as Vegapunk puts it, the twenty rulers formed a provisional army called The Alliance to defeat Joyboy and his faction.

While Vegapunk’s message did cut out right when he was about to talk about the mysterious D initial, Imu’s description of the D clan as the World Government’s old enemies that once opposed them hints that the D Clan could very well be Joyboy’s so-called faction or the citizens of the Ancient Kingdom that Joyboy also belonged to.

6 Joyboy Was the Previous User of the Nika Fruit

First Revealed in Chapter #1043 and Confirmed in Chapter #1122

Along with the unexpected revelation that Luffy’s devil fruit was not the Gum-Gum Fruit but the Nika fruit, Luffy’s awakening at Wano also subtly confirmed that Joyboy was a previous user of the same devil fruit through Zunesha. In chapter #1043, as Luffy awakens the power of the Nika Fruit, Zunesha hears Luffy’s unique heartbeat, or the drums of liberation, and states that Joyboy has returned, implying that Joyboy too possessed the same power and joyful heart rhythm and had also likely awakened the Nika Fruit.

Dr. Vegapunk further laid any lingering doubts to rest in chapter #1122 when he described Joyboy as someone who fought with a stretchy body like Sun God Nika in his message to the world. Overall, this revelation finally links Joyboy to Luffy with the Nika Fruit and its powers becoming the physical manifestation of Joyboy’s inherited will that Luffy may be destined to carry out.

5 Joyboy Could Use a Gear Five-Like Transformation

Revealed in Chapter #1043 and Chapter #1115

While Zunesha all but confirmed that Joyboy was a previous user of the Nika Fruit and had awakened it, chapter #1115 finally revealed that Joyboy too used a Gear Five-like transformation. Though there are a few minor differences, it seems Joyboy likely possessed all the same quirky powers and abilities of Gear Five as Luffy, if not more.

It is possible that the silhouette of Joyboy in Gear Five in chapter #1115 is simply how Vegapunk personally imagines Joyboy and may not be completely accurate.

Moreover, according to the Five Elders, the Nika Fruit hadn’t been awakened for centuries until Luffy recently did so at Onigashima, and it is possible that the last person to awaken the devil fruit was Joyboy himself. Considering the twenty kingdoms had to band together to defeat Joyboy, this would explain why the World Government was so fearful of the Nika Fruit being awakened once again.

4 The Void Century Ended With Joyboy’s Defeat

First Revealed in Chapter #1115

Along with establishing Joyboy’s connection to the Ancient Kingdom and his central role during the Void Century, Vegapunk’s message to the world also shockingly revealed that the Void Century came to an end with Joyboy’s defeat. It is difficult to imagine how Joyboy was defeated at all if he wielded the same logic-defying powers of the Nika Fruit as Luffy as well as what appears to be the most powerful Conqueror’s Haki in the series.

Though Vegapunk does not provide any hints as to how Joyboy was defeated, this revelation suggests that there may still be room for Luffy to grow and get stronger beyond overcoming the after-effects of using Gear Five.

3 Joyboy Wanted the Ancient Weapons to Be Passed Down

First Revealed in Chapter #1116

Though the true purpose of the Ancient Weapons and their creators remain a mystery, one thing that fans do know about them, thanks to Dr. Vegapunk, is that Joyboy wanted the Ancient Weapons to be passed down to future generations. Vegapunk himself is oblivious to why Joyboy would have wanted this given the mass destruction the Ancient Weapons are capable of which does add a bit of moral greyness to Joyboy’s character.

Of course, it is entirely possible that these weapons were created to achieve some greater good, and wanting to pass them on was a way of safeguarding the safety and freedom of future generations. However, One Piece has simply revealed too little about this matter to make any concrete statements for now.

2 Joyboy Possessed Powerful Conqueror’s Haki

First Revealed in Chapter #1122

The Iron Giant’s awakening was likely one of the most drawn-out plotlines of the Egghead Arc, with One Piece teasing the potential development for tens of chapters on end. Nonetheless, the pay-off was very much worth it and finally culminated in chapter #1122 with the Iron Giant, or Emet, releasing Joyboy’s Conqueror’s Haki locked inside him. In Emet’s flashback, Joyboy himself describes this haki as “the greatest of haki”, which is a description it most certainly lives up to.

The sparks of Joyboy’s haki are seen even miles away from Egghead Island and the haki knocks out countless marines, including the Vice Admirals, with Dorry even claiming Joyboy’s Conqueror’s Haki was more powerful than even Shanks’. More importantly, Joyboy’s haki forces the Five Elders to immediately retreat to Mariejois and strikes visible fear in Imu, once again hinting at it being the most powerful Conqueror’s Haki in One Piece yet.

1 Joyboy and Nika Are Two Separate Entities

First Revealed in Chapter #1122

One of the biggest sources of confusion in One Piece ever since Sun God Nika’s existence was revealed was whether Joyboy and Nika were one and the same or different people. It was even unclear whether Nika ever existed at all or was simply a myth as it is with other Mythical Zoan devil fruits.

That said, chapter #1122 of One Piece finally put the matter to rest with Vegapunk finally confirming that Joyboy and Nika are in fact two separate people. In the chapter, Vegapunk distinctly refers to Nika as a legend originating from Elbaf. Vegapunk also clearly states that Joyboy simply fought like Sun God Nika with a stretchy body, with these powers likely stemming from the said devil fruit modeled after Nika.

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