


That it should be read as “一つなぎ” – a more or less literal Japanese translation of “(in) one piece”.The exact meaning of “hito-tsunagi” has not yet been clarified, and current theories offer three possible readings: In the original manga, the term “One Piece” ( ワンピース Wan Pīsu ?) is often accompanied by an additional string of text translating roughly to “the great hito-tsunagi treasure” ( ひとつなぎの大秘宝 Hito-tsunagi no Dai-hihō ?), initially as a separate descriptor and later as a base-text directly glossed with the “One Piece” katakana. He mentioned that “a grand battle will engulf the entire world” and “the world will be shaken to its core” when One Piece is found. ♦ After decades of speculations and doubts, the treasure’s existence was confirmed by Whitebeard with his last breath. However, Luffy stopped him on the grounds that learning about it from someone else would defeat the purpose of their adventures and that becoming the Pirate King would have little merit if he already knew anything about One Piece.

♦ The closest the Straw Hat Pirates have ever come to finding out the nature of One Piece was during the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, when Usopp tried to ask Silvers Rayleigh about it.
