The “Will of D” (Open to read more…)

willofd

In the series, a number of characters have the middle initial “D.”. This mysterious middle initial has been called the “Will of D” or “D’s will” by several characters in One Piece.

It is not clear what the significance of the shared middle initial is, but it appears that all share a similar faith in their own (and others’) dreams and/or destiny. Whenever a D. appears, a series of massive events can occur in the One Piece world particularly when they get involved directly, this has included the start of a new era, a war and many change of governments.

The biggest mystery with the D’s is that most of those who carry the D. themselves do not fully know what it means either. Jaguar D. Saul displayed an absence of knowledge on the subject of the D. when Nico Robin asked him what it meant. When she asked Monkey D. Luffy why those that carry the D. fight, he was also completely clueless as to what she was talking about. However, it seems that the Marines are somewhat aware of the D’s as Sengoku showed interest in Ace because of it. Donquixote Rosinante also seemed to have an idea about it, and was horrified when he found out that one, Trafalgar Law, had been so close to Donquixote Doflamingo, even warning him to run away.

Gol D. Roger also displayed a knowledge of it in a dialogue between him and Whitebeard. He begins “Long ago far far away” but it is cutoff before he can finish. Trafalgar Law’s parents also seemed to have some knowledge about what D. meant, considering that though they passed down the middle initial to their children, they hid it and insisted that they only use their given and surnames. Roger is the first and currently only known person in the storyline to have discovered what it means to be a D. himself, with it currently being unknown if Law’s parents discovered it, or if it was simply passed down knowledge.

Furthermore, they seem to be able to withstand incredible punishment in battle and only surrender to death when they know there truly is no way of avoiding it. An odd trait of the D’s is related to this. Often they are seen laughing or smiling greatly when they are about to die, as if they seem to accept their death when they cannot escape it and display no apparent fear toward death. The reactions of many characters who witness this is often shock or disbelief because it is hard to imagine anyone not being afraid of dying at all.

So far this strange habit has been shown 5 times:

1-Witnesses claim Gol D. Roger died smiling during his execution

2-22 years later one of those witnesses, Smoker also witnessed Luffy smiling in the same manner as Gol D. Roger when Buggy was about to kill him

3-Nico Robin also witnessed Saul laughing and smiling as he was frozen to death

4-Portgas D. Rouge is seen both crying and smiling during the naming of Ace right before her death as a result of the childbirth

5-Portgas D. Ace was smiling after he thanked everyone for loving him right before his death