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The record-breaking series One Piece is widely praised for its incredible worldbuilding. Throughout their journey, the Straw Hat Pirates have visited many different places, and this is only a small percentage of the countless fancy locations featured in Eiichiro Oda's masterpiece.
While some fans may be unaware of it, to create some of One Piece's most fascinating settings the author drew inspiration from real-life places. There are multiple threads and articles that show the cities and historical sites from all over the globe that have helped Eiichiro Oda shape his fantastic fictional world.
Florian Triangle, Rogue Town, and other 8
One Piece locations based on real-life places
1) Florian Triangle, inspired by Bermuda Triangle (Atlantic Ocean)
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A forced passage to reach Fish-Man Island from Water Seven, the Florian Triangle is a stretch of sea where many ships mysteriously go missing. This area is masked in incredibly dense fog that is so thick that it completely blocks the sunlight and it is impossible to tell whether it is night or day.
The Florian Triangle is a clear reference to the Bermuda Triangle. It is a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, with its vertices being Miami, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda. According to an urban legend, a number of aircraft and ships have gone missing under unknown circumstances.
2) Rogue Town, inspired by Firenze (Italy)
Located on Polestar Islands, Rogue Town is the last city before entering the Grand Line. It is called "the town of the beginning and the end" as it's the place where Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, was born and executed. Rogue Town's main square resembles Firenze's Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Vecchio.
Piazza della Signoria was used for the execution of revolutionary and self-proclaimed prophet Girolamo Savonarola, while its One Piece counterpart was used for Roger's death penalty. Interestingly, both figures were seen as a threat by the government.
Rogue Town is based on the beautiful architecture of Firenze. Like Firenze, the fictional city also includes the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral and Palazzo Vecchio's bell tower. It also has a replica of Via dei Calzaiuoli, with the well-known Madova, Villa Medici, and Ottino.
3) Rommel Kingdom, inspired by London (United Kingdom)
Cavendish the swordsman had to leave the Rommel Kingdom because whenever he slept, his other half, Hakuba, would take control of his body and go on a killing spree. Rommel Kingdom's architecture was based on the typical features of early modern London, even including a building similar to Big Ben, London's iconic Clock Tower.
Cavendish/Hakuba's double personality takes inspiration from Victorian Era writer Rober Louis Stevenson's fictional characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Meanwhile, his carnages are likely based on the historical event of Jack The Ripper's murders, which shocked London in the 19th century.
4) Impel Down, inspired by Alcatraz (United States of America)
Impel Down is the World Government's maximum-security prison for the most dangerous outlaws of any kind, including pirates. It is a large tower-like structure that mostly extends underwater, with its foundation being at the very bottom of the sea.
Being nearly inescapable, Impel Down is a reference to the likewise maximum-security Penitentiary of Alcatraz. It is the most escape-proof prison in the US and is also located in the middle of the sea.
It is a tower-like building ruled by a system with different forms of penalties per level. A lower level corresponding to a higher and worse punishment, the Impel Down prison is also clearly based on how Dante Alighieri's "Divina Commedia" describes Hell.
5) Dressrosa, inspired by Parc Guell in Barcelona (Spain)
The architecture and folklore of most cities in the Kingdom of Dressrosa are evidently inspired by Spain. The curved and colorful buildings are based on Park Guell, a beautiful place in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudi.
Dressrosa also features typical Spanish elements such as flamenco dancers and the attire of characters such as Princess Viola. Additionally, just like they are a common element of Spanish literature, "passionate murders" take place quite frequently in Dressrosa as well.
6) The Corrida Colosseum, inspired by Colosseo in Rome (Italy)
In addition to the clear Spanish vibes, Dressrosa also features a striking recall to Ancient Romans, as in the city of Acacia there's a gigantic building called Corrida Colosseum. While the name also refers to the typical Spanish ritual, the structure is an evident homage to the world-famous Colosseo in both aesthetics and purpose.
Originally named "Anfiteatro Flavio," the Colosseo is an enormous amphitheater built of travertine limestone, tuff and brick-faced concrete. It was used for gladiator fights and other public spectacles, including animal hunts, dramas, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and even mock sea battles.
7) The Arabasta Kingdom, inspired by Ancient Egypt (Egypt)
The setting of the Arabasta Arc, which saw the Straw Hats' effort to stop Crocodile's Operation Utopia, is based on Ancient Egypt. The Nefertari, the rulers of the Arabasta Kingdom, get their name from Queen Nefertiti, who was a monarch during the wealthiest period of Ancient Egypt's history.
The Tomb of Kings, an underground burial for the members of the royal family, is strikingly similar to the Ancient Egyptian temples. It may even be a reference to the famous Valley of the Kings. Arabasta itself is named after "alabaster", a mineral commonly used by Ancient Egyptians to create artifacts.
Geographically, the Arabasta Kingdom is mostly desert, with a river running through the middle, just like Egypt. The architecture of the capital city, Alubarna, as well as the look of its inhabitants, are reminiscent of the typical Middle Eastern features.
8) Water Seven, inspired by Venezia (Italy)
Water Seven is rather obviously based on the city on the water par excellence, Venezia. From the canals to the unique style of boats, the similarities are self-explanatory. Additionally, Water Seven is gradually sinking, with the first floors of old buildings now underwater, like Venezia.
Even the masks used by Water Seven's citizens resemble the ones employed in the traditional Carnevale di Venezia. Eiichiro Oda confirmed in a SBS that Water Seven is inspired from Venezia, and that the fictional phenomenon called "Aqua Laguna" is based on its real-life counterpart, the "Acqua Alta".
9) Pangaea Castle, inspired by Chateau de Chambord (France)
The highest-ranked members of the World Government, including the Celestial Dragons, the Five Elders, and the mysterious Im, reside in the Pangaea Castle. It is created in the image and likeness of the Chateau de Chambord, a castle constructed by the king of France in the 16th century.
The largest castle in the Loire Valley, it was built to serve as a hunting lodge, and soon became a symbol of wealth and power. The conical domes and pinnacles, the bastion towers, and the big glassed windows of the Pangaea Castle are the spitting image of those featured in the Chateau de Chambord's beautiful Renaissance-style structures.
10) Wano Country, inspired by Edo period Japan (Japan)
Focused on samurai and ninjas, the main setting of the Wano Arc could only be a tribute to the historical Japanese folklore. It can be said that the Wano Country is a metaphor for real-life Japan, which started as an agricultural nation and eventually grew into an industrialized country.
Likewise, the forced industrialization brought by Kaido ruined most of the Wano Country, only leaving untouched the Flower Capital, whose landscape, marked by the typical cherry blossoms, remained beautiful.
Colorful and full of fine details, the Flower Capital's buildings are based on Japan's Edo Period, with most of the structures being made of thatched roofs and wood. There's also an edifice strongly resembling Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle.
Final thoughts
One Piece's incredible worldbuilding is one of the absolute best among all fictional stories. Among the other real-life locations that the author took inspiration from to create the setting for his story is the Indonesian island of Java, which may have influenced the creation of Jaya.
Ohara's Tree of Knowledge, a 5,000-year-old gigantic library tree surrounded by houses, is likely a reference to the Tree of Knowledge in the Holy Bible. The Bible is said to be the source that allowed Adam and Eve to know Good and Evil. Ohara's Tree was allegedly burnt, like the famous Library of Alexandria, one of the largest libraries of the ancient world.
Elbaf, the Land of the Giants, has a Viking theme. The appearances of the giants as well as the buildings are clearly based on medieval Scandinavia. Semla, the food that Big Mom ate in her childhood, is a typical dish eaten in Northern Europe, with some slight variations depending on the zone.
Finally, there's Skypiea. The architecture of the ruined city of Shandora is a reference to that of the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, i.e., Inca, Mayan, and Aztec, while its myth is an evident tribute to that of Eldorado. The Shandians instead are based on the Native Americans.
