The Division of the World, Explained

With the recent reveal of the ancient mural on Elbaf, One Piece fans have been in an uproar about what it could all mean. In typical Oda fashion, this mural does provide some answers as to what went down in the Void Century and sheds some light on the truth about the 3 Worlds, but, at the same time, is vague enough to open up dozens of new questions that fans have been clamoring to find answers for.

One of the biggest reveals not only tells of the events of the First and Second Worlds, but also hints that it was during these times that the entire planet was divided into the way everyone knows it today. Coincidentally, if this theory about the division of the world is true, then it could work quite well with famous fan theories about the One Piece treasure itself, so let’s take a look at what this could mean.

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The Division Of The World

How The World Came To Be This Way

As every fan of One Piece is fully aware, the world is split up into 4 distinct oceans, all of which have their own islands. These are the North, South, East, and West Blues, and they are all kept separated from one another by the Red Line and the Grand Line. By dividing the world horizontally and vertically, 4 distinct regions of the oceans are created.

The Red Line is a massive strip of land that encircles the entire globe and has been there for as long as people can remember. Its true origins aren’t known, but there are many theories that could explain how this continent came to be, which state that it is essentially a combination of various islands found in the oceans that have been forcefully merged to encircle the globe. It is explicitly stated that many in the world find its existence to be unnatural, which also explains the different weather patterns that the Red Line experiences.

Other than this, the Red Line is where the Holy Land of Marijois is located, which is the home of the Celestial Dragons, who essentially rule the world. Furthermore, the Grand Line is a strip of the ocean that runs through the Red Line and encircles the world horizontally. This is considered to be the most dangerous area in the entire ocean, as all the islands here are cut off from the world.

In the Elbaf mural, the description of the First World states that someone known as the ‘Earth God’ shrouded the world in darkness through the help of something called ‘The Serpent of Hellfire’. While some fans are thinking along the lines of this being an actual character or serpent in the traditional sense, it’s possible that the Serpent of Hellfire is actually referring to the Red Line, since the image of the serpent seems to have a pathway on its skin. If this is true, then whoever the villain in the First World was managed to split the world using the Red Line.

In doing so, the entire world was halved due to the creation of this strip of land. This theory is further strengthened when considering how Dorry and Brogy claimed that the only thing their Hakoku Sovereignty attack couldn’t pierce through was the ‘Great Serpent soaked in blood’, which is a clear reference to the Red Line. It is unclear if the Earth God of the First World was Imu or not, but they definitely embodied the same villainous role.

On the other hand, the description of the Second World seems to go in tandem with the reveals made by Vegapunk’s broadcast, where the scientist reveals that the world isn’t only sinking now, but it has sunk before as well 800 years ago. This is also what Jarul was referring to as the second destruction. This is huge because the rapid flooding of the world could explain the creation of the Grand Line, where the rise in ocean water created a disparity in currents, isolating the Grand Line and creating the Calm Belts as well.

This further divided the world on a horizontal axis, making 4 oceans in total. This would track with the ending description of the Harley Texts for the First and Second World, where it states that ‘they will never meet again’. While many assumed this to be talking about some people in particular, it makes perfect sense for the texts to be talking about the oceans themselves, as they would never meet due to the division of the world through the Red Line and Grand Line.

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How This Works Perfectly With Another Theory

The Truth Of The One Piece Treasure

A very popular theory regarding the fabled treasure that started the series in the first place works with this speculation about the division of the world. Basically, it states that, long ago, the Red Line and Grand Line didn’t exist, and travel to and from the various islands on the planet was incredibly easy. However, through the meddling of evil forces, the world was divided, with villains taking up the highest positions of power.

It states that the One Piece treasure is an object of incredible significance and power that will allow whoever finds it to break down the two strips that divide the world into 4 sections. Only someone worthy of holding such power can do this, as they will be tasked with the responsibility of making the entire world ‘One Piece’ again.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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