One Piece's D. Clan may have started with Nefertari D. Lili
One Piece is a series with a lot of mysteries and one of the most prominent is the origin of the D. Clan and how they work. It has been stated that people with a D. on their name are destined to shape the world, which could have started by the way Nefertari D. Lili left the Celestial Dragons behind several centuries ago.
It has been confirmed that Lili is the ancestor of the Alabasta princess, Nefertari D. Vivi, and also the oldest D. Clan in One Piece thus far, so it wouldn't be out of the question that she formed it. Moreover, it would construct a stronger connection to Imu and could even build a parallel between her and Joy Boy with Vivi and Luffy.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.
Explaining how the D. Clan could have started with Nefertari D. Lili in One Piece
As per this theory, it might have started with the formation of the World Government, which started through Imu having the support of several royal families, thus giving them the status of Celestial Dragons and a lot of privileges. However, it is known in the series that Nefertari D. Lili rejected this position and stayed with the people of Alabasta, which could have inspired the citizens.
Within this context, perhaps the citizens of Alabasta put the D. on their descendants' names as a way to honor the queen who stood by their side and as a representation of their disdain for the World Government. Therefore, this middle name wouldn't have any magical meaning or repercussions but rather a symbolic challenge to the oppressive status quo.
Naturally, this is something that happened centuries ago and a lot of people in the current series don't know about this, evidenced by the lack of knowledge that Nefertari D. Vivi and her father Cobra, the descendants of Lili, have on the matter.
However, it is likely that the World Government's reaction to people who have the D. on their names is something that inspired other individuals to give them to their children as a way to challenge them.
More details of this theory
The idea of Nefertari D. Lili being the first member of this clan would also make a lot of sense in One Piece when considering that Imu has a degree of connection with this character. It wouldn't be out of the question that Lili was one of the first people to challenge Imu's reign and oppose it, therefore creating some resentment within the World Government's leader.
Moreover, while it would be important to check the dates of the events taking place, perhaps Lili and Joy Boy had a connection of sorts, mirroring Luffy and Vivi in the current events of the story. This would imply that the Nefertari family was an ally of the first pirate, thus giving more validity to this theory.
Final thoughts
Eiichiro Oda has made it very clear that Nefertari D. Lili has a big role to play in One Piece when it comes to the lore and could be connected with the D. Clan. However, this is mere fan speculation at the moment since the character's role continues to be quite obscure in the series.
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