One Piece has shown plenty of heinous crimes during its run, but one committed by the Celestial Dragons is unprecedented and warps the entire series.
Summary
- Chapter #1098 of One Piece reveals Ginny’s tragic backstory, subtly introducing new mature themes. The chapter builds on the Celestial Dragons’ portrayal as monstrous villains.
- Ginny was abducted by a Celestial Dragon and forced to be his wife, and the resulting child (Bonney) proves that the Celestial Dragons practice sexual violence on their slaves.
- Ginny’s story reflects the harsh realities faced by many women in the real world as One Piece proves to be more than just a lighthearted adventure, showcasing emotional depth and maturity.
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Contains discussions of sexual abuse and violence.
Warning: Contains spoilers for Chapter #1098 of One Piece. While it is no secret that the Celestial Dragons are easily the most despicable villains in One Piece, the latest chapter may have just revealed their worst crime yet, suffered by Ginny, Bonney’s mother, and fans may never be able to see the series the same way again.
Despite being a fun pirate adventure on the surface, One Piece has never shied away from exploring darker, more mature themes through its characters and backstories. Having said that, the series has mostly stuck to issues of slavery and political autonomy thus far and as poignant as these may be, the latest chapter attempts to explore a much more contemporary and hard-hitting issue through the story of Ginny.
Chapter #1098 of One Piece reveals the entirety of Ginny’s tragic backstory and subtly introduces a previously unexplored theme of sexual abuse. The chapter reveals Ginny was abducted by a Celestial Dragon and forced to be his wife. Bonney is also implied to be the child of the said Celestial Dragon
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Ginny’s Story Shows A Crime Of Unprecedented Scope For One Piece
Though not stated explicitly, and there is still the possibility that Bonney was fathered by one of Ginny’s fellow slaves, the chapter greatly implies that Ginny endured two whole years of sexual violence at the hands of the Celestial Dragon before she became ill and was discarded for becoming unsightly as a result of her peculiar illness. The whole incident certainly paints the World Nobles as a whole in a much more monstrous light, as certain Nobles like Saint Charloss have been previously stated to possess up to thirteen wives, a majority if not all were likely non-consenting, just like Ginny.
Related: One Piece Reveals Kuma’s Secret Connection With The Celestial Dragons
Overall, it is worth commending Eiichiro Oda for the careful and respectful way the chapter handled Ginny’s character and backstory. Not once do readers see Ginny in a pitiful state except for the brief faraway panel of Kuma holding her after she passes, allowing all to remember her as the bright, cheerful woman she was presented as from the get-go. Needless to say, the latest chapter solidifies the Celestial Dragons as the true villains together with proving the series’ capacity for emotional depth and maturity, and that One Piece is certainly much more than the lighthearted fictional-pirate adventure it presents itself as.
One Piece Brings A Much-Too-Real Tragedy Into Its Story
While One Piece has often shown its villains committing heinous crimes, what happens to Ginny brings the series to a completely different level. The Celestial Dragons have always been portrayed as ruthless slavers. However, slavery is something that does not happen in the real world (at least not in the traditional sense of the word), so while every reader of the series can easily understand that slavery is a horrible crime, they can’t really relate to it, and it remains a “fantasy” crime. Sexual violence, on the other hand, is a much-too-real occurrence, meaning that the scope and implications of Ginny’s story are completely unprecedented for One Piece.
What makes Ginny’s story so heart-breaking is that it is a story that thousands if not millions of women can relate to and continue to witness around them in the real world. The world of One Piece, despite its many issues and troubles, has always felt like a fun, adventurous world full of surprises waiting to be found. However, Ginny’s story proves that it is just as hard to be a woman in the world of One Piece as it is in the real world.
One Piece is available from Manga Plus.
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One Piece Created by: Eiichiro Oda First Film: One Piece: The Movie First TV Show: One Piece Cast: Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi Character(s): Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece) Video Game(s): One Piece: Unlimited World RED, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey
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