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One Piece's Elbaph Arc may retcon Robin's backstory in a major way

One Piece chapter 1132 was released on December 4, 2024, and it again featured Louis Arnote's words. His words were a throwback to the Brag Men, which featured Louis' journey through Little Garden and how he named the island. However, could there be more to his identity than an ancient explorer? Surprisingly, he might be related to Robin and the residents of Ohara.

Louis' Brag Men was also present during the Ohara Buster Call incident. However, what would connect him with the Straw Hat female might not be his book, but the nightmare the residents of Ohara Island faced, given that Louis might be the Man Marked by the Flames. The true meaning of this mysterious personality should relate Louis to the flames that this island faced on the destined day.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series and has the author's opinion.


One Piece: Exploring Louis Arnote as the Man Marked by the Flames and one of the survivors from the Ohara Incident

The 'theoretical' appearance of HInokizu in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)
The 'theoretical' appearance of HInokizu in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The Man Marked by the Flames might be one of the most debated personalities in One Piece, given how every fan has a guess about this mysterious personality. However, the true meaning of this enigmatic character's title might not be visible through its English translation but rather from its source's translation (Japanese).

As some fans might already know, the Man Marked by the Flames is known as HInokizu (in Japanese: 火ノ傷の男). The strange thing that differentiates the English translation from the Japanese one is the use of katakana in the latter. The Katakana 'の' is more common for use, instead of the 'ノ' that can be seen in the Japanese title of the Man Marked by the Flames.

This indicates that the true title of this mystery man might be "Man Belonging to the Flames' instead of "Man Marked by the Flames" (according to the official translation). Unsurprisingly, this changes everything about Hinokizu, as he might be a man with a normal face (no burn marks) who might be related to a certain organization or event related to fire.

Ohara enveloped in flames (Image via Toei Animation)
Ohara enveloped in flames (Image via Toei Animation)

So, this man might be related to one of the most famous fires in One Piece, the Ohara Incident, where the island was bombarded with nukes and fire spread everywhere. So, who could be worthy of this title? That personality might also be the one the fans know about, Louis Arnote. Moreover, Brag Men's presence on Ohara could be the key to him being a resident of this island.

This might see the series retconning the Ohara flashback with the presence of Louis, a field scientist who researched while traveling. This would fit him well with the lore of the island. After the Ohara dire, he escaped the fires of the island, just like Saul, and might be present at Elbaph. This might see the Straw Hat Pirates meeting the famous explorer who might also hold the final Road Poneglyph.


Analysis and Final Thoughts

The rumored thoughts of Shiryu and Lafitte regarding Hinokizu (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha)
The rumored thoughts of Shiryu and Lafitte regarding Hinokizu (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha)

All the information given by Eustass Kid, Shiryu, and Lafitte regarding Hinozuki is speculative, given how none of them had any clarity about this mysterious man. This works in favor of this theory. However, seeing such a big change in the meaning of Hinokizu might not be believable. So, take this theory with a grain of salt.


Related Links

  • One Piece's Man Marked by Flames may have already been introduced
  • One Piece fans may already know the man marked by flames
  • One Piece's Man Marked by Flames may be a Gorosei member

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