Latest One Piece volume fixed a key detail about Gunko

Gunko first appeared in One Piece alongside Saint Figarland Shamrock. The two Holy Knights visited Elbaph to recruit Loki into their ranks, but the “Accursed Prince” refused the offer. Then Shamrock left Elbaph to return to Mary Geoise, while Gunko and two other Holy Knights – Saint Killingham and Saint Sommers – began kidnapping the children Giants to blackmail the warriors of Elbaph into working for the World Government.

Amidst the ensuing chaos, Gunko showcased her combat prowess by using the Arrow-Arrow Fruit to overwhelm and subdue Nami, Brook, Jinbe, and Usopp all by herself. She also critically injured Scopper Gaban, the former number three of the Roger Pirates, forcing him to surrender after taking his son hostage. Shortly after, however, Imu-sama used a sinister technique to possess Gunko’s body from afar.

Discontented with the mission’s slow progress, the supreme leader of the World Government channeled their power into Gunko, turning her into a vessel through which they could subjugate Elbaph once and for all. This shocking twist only heightened fan interest around Gunko. Now, One Piece has clarified an important element of Gunko’s character, potentially debunking several fan theories about her personal background.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1154.

Eiichiro Oda’s correction in One Piece volume 112 reveals Gunko’s full name and Celestial Dragon lineage

Gunko is just like the other Holy Knights

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One Piece volume 112, the second installment of the ongoing Elbaph Arc in the manga, is set to be released in Japan on July 4, 2025. The imminent release of this installment unveiled a key adjustment from One Piece author Eiichiro Oda, as the mangaka fixed Gunko’s introduction to reveal her full name and Celestial Dragon lineage.

In her debut in the One Piece manga, Gunko didn’t have the “Saint” title. Fans were immediately intrigued by this detail, as all the Celestial Dragons who have appeared in the series – including the non-fighting nobles as well as the other Holy Knights, the Five Elders, and even Imu – have this formal honorific which emphasizes their superior social status.

Gunko was also not introduced with a complete first and last name, once again unlike the Celestial Dragons normally are. Most fans understandably interpreted these omissions as Oda’s deliberate clues that Gunko wasn’t born a Celestial Dragon.

Gunko's different introduction was just an oversight from Eiichiro Oda (Image via Shueisha)

However, as captivating as it was, this theory has been officially debunked. Oda simply forgot to add those details when the manga chapter was released. The author has now corrected this mistake by fixing the chapter in time for the final volume release. In the revised version, Gunko is introduced as Saint Manmayer Gunko.

This disproves all the theories about Gunko being a non-highborn, revealing her as a member of the Manmayer Family. Curiously, no other member of this Celestial Dragon household has ever been seen, except for one who partook in the human hunting tournament held on God Valley exactly 38 years before the present One Piece narration.

This individual demonstrated shocking sadism and disregard for human life, challenging Saint Figarland Garling to see who could kill more people within the horrific contest. The name of this person was never revealed, but they appeared to be a young woman.

Gunko also appears as a young woman, with features vaguely similar to those of the unknown Manmayer Family member seen in God Valley. She also displayed a blatant disregard for human life, considering that she was completely unconcerned about the prospect of innocent children dying, and was sadistic enough to threaten a father with his son’s life.

The Manmayer Family and Gunko’s shared past with Brook

The Manmayer Family member seen in God Valley 38 years ago (Image via Shueisha)

The high degree of physical and temperamental resemblance between Saint Manmayer Gunko from the Holy Knights and the Manmayer Family member present in God Valley 38 years ago may suggest that they were the same person. This would also align with the brief flashback of Gunko’s shared past with Brook.

In this flashback, Brook tells the kid Gunko his dream of becoming a pirate one day. Brook joined his first pirate crew, the Rumbar Pirates, about 50 years before the present One Piece narration, meaning that his conversation with Gunko must have happened more than 50 years ago.

It has been stated that, before becoming a pirate, Brook worked as the leader of a battle convoy in a certain kingdom. So, it’s possible for him to have come into contact with a household of Celestial Dragons, such as the Manmeyer Family from which Gunko hails.

An example of Gunko's sadistic behavior (Image via Shueisha)

Since Gunko was a child at the time of her conversation with Brook, nothing prevents her from being the same person who would participate in the God Valley Incident twelve years later. Granted, this would imply that Gunko has eternal youth, or at least doesn’t age normally, as her current appearance is that of a young woman, if not a girl.

The Holy Knights share the same unreal instant regeneration of the Five Elders but seem to lack their apparent eternal youth. This is based on the fact that even the supreme leader of the Holy Knights, Saint Figarland Garling, has shown visible signs of aging over the years, unlike the Elders, who don’t seem to age at all.

Taking this into account, there are two possibilities: either Gunko is the only Holy Knight that Imu-sama blessed with the power to never get old, or she is a descendant of the person who was in God Valley. For now, both scenarios remain equally plausible.

Gunko and Brook's shared memory in One Piece chapter 1149 (Image via Shueisha)

In any case, many fans are looking forward to knowing more about Gunko’s background and her mysterious connection with Brook. The revelation that she hails from the Manmayer Family confirms her Celestial Dragon blood. It also dispels the earlier fan theories about Gunko being a princess abducted by the Holy Knights when she was a child, or even a former Revolutionary Army member sent to infiltrate the World Government.

Fans poured their creativity into speculations based on Gunko’s missing full name and lack of Celestial Dragon honorific, but it turns out that Eiichiro Oda simply overlooked these details in the initial chapter release. It’s a reminder that even a genius like Oda, widely celebrated for his complex worldbuilding and elaborate storytelling, can be prone to occasional oversights.