Why Oda Had Been Foreshadowing the Flood in One Piece From the Beginning

Warning: this article contains major spoilers for recent developments in One Piece.

The prospect of a submerged world is now at the heart of One Piece. Yet the idea of a flood is not based solely on the most recent revelations: many locations, characters, and objects in the story take on an entirely different meaning in light of this threat.

The sea is already the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users, the means of travel for every great adventurer, and a boundary between peoples. If the water level continues to rise, it could also become the instrument of a total upheaval of the world.

Did Roger push the world to sail in order to save it?

At the time of his execution, Gol D. Roger launches the Great Pirate Era by inviting everyone to search for his treasure. His message drove entire generations to sail, learn about the dangers of the oceans, and live aboard ships.

With the threat of a flood in mind, those words can take on an additional interpretation. Roger may not have merely started a treasure hunt: he may also have prepared as many people as possible to survive in a world where the sea is gaining ground. A ship floats, so getting populations used to sailing could be a form of protection against a foretold catastrophe.

This reading remains a theory, since Roger never openly explains that the world will be flooded. But it fits the idea that he learned truths inaccessible to the rest of the world after his voyage. It also gives particular weight to his decision to spark a massive movement toward the seas rather than provide a direct answer.

Shanks, Crocus, and Rayleigh: those who may have known the truth

Shanks is present at Roger’s execution and cries over the death of his captain. His emotion can obviously be explained by that loss. But another possibility emerges: Roger may have entrusted him with part of the truth about the world’s fate, Joy Boy, and the need for the right person to appear at the right time.

The fact that Shanks’s crew has no Devil Fruit users also fuels this theory. In a world threatened by water, a crew able to move more freely at sea would hold an obvious advantage.

Crocus and Silvers Rayleigh are two other figures whose life choices seem especially consistent with the idea of a flood.

• Crocus, Roger’s former doctor, lives inside Laboon. The giant whale contains tunnels and facilities capable of housing people. Its very existence evokes the possibility of an unusual refuge.
• Rayleigh, the Pirate King’s right-hand man, works as a ship coater. His trade allows ships to descend underwater thanks to a suitable coating. After reaching Laugh Tale with Roger, choosing an occupation linked to underwater survival seems far from insignificant.

Nothing confirms that they acted with the certainty that another flood would come. Nevertheless, their roles and knowledge naturally place them among the characters most likely to have understood what was at stake in advance.

Cities built to withstand water

Several regions in One Piece have a striking relationship with elevation, submersion, or adaptation to the sea.

Water Seven and the Aqua Laguna

Water Seven regularly suffers from the Aqua Laguna, a massive wave that forces its inhabitants to rebuild ever higher. This city already lives with the fear of flooding and is actively seeking ways to adapt to it.

Its mayor, Iceburg, also bears a name that recalls a floating block of ice. His plan to make the city float fits perfectly into this logic: rather than merely fleeing rising waters, Water Seven could become capable of living with them.

The presence of Enies Lobby nearby raises further questions. Beneath the island lies a gigantic hole whose appearance recalls the consequences of the weapon used by Imu. The use of this power is associated with a rise in sea level. Water Seven could therefore be one of the most concrete glimpses of the effects of a gradually submerged world.

Alabasta, Ohara, and old Wano

Alabasta is a desert, yet its capital was built at a high elevation. In a country where flooding initially seems unlikely, this choice can be viewed as an intriguing detail.

In Ohara, the tree at the center of the island bears an erosion mark halfway up its trunk. This trace may evoke the past reach of especially high waters.

Wano provides an even more direct element: an old country of Wano once existed and is now flooded. Present-day Wano was built high above it, as though the land had already needed to contend with submersion. This precedent shows that the flood is not merely a future threat: the world has already undergone major transformations caused by water.

Zunesha and the Red Line: two landmarks against the vastness of the sea

Zunesha stands 4,800 meters tall and carries the island of Zou on its back. Eight hundred years old, it is condemned to walk through the oceans. Its size allows an entire population to remain far above the water’s surface.

One theory sees it as an ancient savior: it may have protected inhabitants during an earlier flood, and its mysterious crime could be connected to that role. Once again, this is an interpretation, but its existence illustrates how One Piece imagines mobile refuges capable of defying the ocean.

The Red Line represents the other obvious solution: a gigantic mountain range whose submerged section extends more than 10,000 meters down toward the vicinity of Fish-Man Island. At its summit, Mary Geoise is considered the highest point in the world.

The Celestial Dragons have therefore chosen to live where the waters would be least likely to reach them. Their bubble suits can also be viewed from a different angle: they would not necessarily suggest a departure into space, but could evoke survival in a submerged environment.

To better understand Fish-Man Island and sea-dwelling peoples within this issue, also read our guide to the races and peoples of One Piece.

Noah, the Sea Kings, and Shirahoshi’s role

The Fish-Man Island arc may contain the clearest answer to the coming catastrophe: Noah. This immense ark dates back to the Void Century and was designed to be pulled by the Sea Kings.

Its name inevitably recalls the story of the flood and the ark built to preserve survivors and animal species. In One Piece, Noah could serve a comparable purpose: transporting and protecting a population when the world is struck by rising waters.

Shirahoshi is essential because she can command the Sea Kings. They have spoken of their mission: to pull Noah when the awaited time comes. However, someone is still needed to fulfill the promise tied to this ark, and that expectation points directly to Joy Boy.

Luffy could then become the meeting point between humans and Fish-Men. Their cooperation in surviving a shared disaster would also create an opportunity to overcome the racism and separation that have opposed the two peoples for so long.

This perspective connects with the great mysteries surrounding the initial D., whose most important bearers are covered in our article on the members of the D. clan in One Piece.

Vegapunk confirms the threat of rising waters

Vegapunk’s message establishes the flood as a concrete and inevitable danger. The use of the Mother Flame, connected to the weapon capable of creating enormous holes, causes the sea level to rise. After one use, the water level rose by one meter, with already catastrophic consequences.

If this weapon were used repeatedly, global flooding would become a reality. The Five Elders even consider that unrestricted use of this power would put an end to wars. There is nothing reassuring about that statement: a drowned and subjugated world would no longer know conflict because it would no longer have the freedom to fight.

The catastrophe is therefore not limited to the risk of drowning. Solutions exist in this universe: ships, coatings, underwater bubbles, sky islands, the Red Line, and Noah. But physical survival would not be enough.

The real danger: the disappearance of will

If Imu, the Five Elders, and the Celestial Dragons impose a submerged world, its inhabitants might continue to live, but in the depths and under the control of a dominant power. The gravest loss would then be that of dreams, adventure, and the will to live freely.

That is precisely what Joy Boy represents. The first Joy Boy appears to have failed to keep a promise and save his era. Luffy, as the new figure associated with that name, may have a second chance to accomplish what could not be done during the Void Century.

The flood in One Piece is therefore a material, historical, and symbolic issue. It threatens the land, but also the very possibility of freely traveling the world. The final battle will not merely decide who survives the sea: it will determine which world can still dream.

FAQ About the Flood in One Piece

Why is the One Piece world at risk of being flooded?

Vegapunk announces that the world will sink. The use of the Mother Flame and the associated weapon causes the sea level to rise, making the threat of global submersion real.

What is Noah’s role in One Piece?

Noah is a giant ark dating from the Void Century. It must be pulled by the Sea Kings, whom Shirahoshi can command. It appears intended to protect or transport survivors during a major event.

Did Roger know that the world would sink?

This has not been explicitly confirmed. However, after his journey, Roger possessed major information about the world’s history. His call for people to take to the seas can be interpreted as an indirect way of preparing populations for a future catastrophe.