One Piece Chapter 1054: Zodiac theory further propagated with introduction of new character

Early Monday morning, One Piece Chapter 1054 spoilers began releasing with additional details which revealed some shocking news.

Two major highlights from the issue are the appearance of Shanks in the area around Wano, as well as confirmation that Sabo is alive — as well as elaboration on his actions at the Reverie and their consequences.

One of the more subtly significant details of the issue is the introduction of a new character, Kurouma, who is apparently the head of the Marines’ investigation unit. While this introduction does reveal some key information, fans are more concerned with Kurouma’s appearance, as well as the translation of his name to “black horse,” as it relates to a specific theory.

Follow along as this article fully breaks down the series’ Zodiac theory, and why Kurouma’s introduction in One Piece Chapter 1054 is relatively significant.

---

One Piece Chapter 1054 introduces new character which plays key role in propagation of the Zodiac theory

One Piece Chapter 1054: The Zodiac theory

As mentioned above, the latest One Piece Chapter 1054 spoilers that released early Monday morning revealed an incredibly relevant detail to the series’ Zodiac theory.

While this theory has taken several forms over the years, fans are now attempting to apply it to the Marine Admiral chain of command with the latest introductions of Kurouma and Ryokugyu.

The Zodiac theory began as a means of explaining that the Straw Hats would end with 13 total members, each one being likened to a sign on the Chinese Zodiac. If the numbers seem off there, that’s because they are, with only 12 signs on the actual and traditional Chinese Zodiac.

However, the theory takes into account that a cat is often called the informal 13th sign of the Chinese Zodiac. With this inclusion, the numbers line up for each of the purported 13 Straw Hats to be likened to one of the 13 Chinese Zodiac signs, including the informally included cat.

The information for this theory is based off of Chapter 651's color spread, which saw each of the Straw Hats positioned next to an animal that can be likened to the Chinese Zodiac.

Further supporting evidence also comes from SBS questions, where series’ author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda answered fans' questions and linked Straw Hats to specific signs.

One Piece Chapter 651's color spread (Image Credits:Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Viz Media, One Piece)

The theory was first established long before Yamato joined the crew, with the theory initially presuming that she would join said crew and associating her with the sign of the dog.

Continuing with established members of the crew, Chopper was paired with the rat, Franky with the bull, Zoro with the tiger, Usopp with the snake, Brook with the horse, Sanji with the goat, Luffy with the monkey, Robin with the rooster, Jinbe with the boar, and Nami with the cat.

With Yamato having already been confirmed to join the crew as of One Piece Chapter 1054, this leaves the rabbit sign and the dragon sign.

The former is somewhat obvious, with the most likely answer being Carrot to join the crew and be likened to that symbol. The dragon, however, is a bit more tricky to discern, but has a clear candidate in the wake of One Piece Chapter 1054’s spoilers.

Fans initially pegged the dragon to be Momonosuke, which recent events in the manga have proven to not be the case considering his stay in Wano. However, with the latest details on the upcoming issue, fans suspect Vivi Nefertari will be the one to fulfill the dragon role, due to her being a descendant of Celestial Dragons.

While the Nefertari family initially refused this status and right to live in Mariejois, their contemporaries’ ancestral origins nevertheless makes them part of the Celestial Dragon group.

This would be a clear linkage of Vivi to the dragon sign if she were ever to join the crew, which seems incredibly likely given the latest spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1054.

The introduction of Kurouma, however, has now gotten fans thinking of whether or not the theory can be applied to the Marine Admiral chain of command. Some Twitter accounts run by fans of the series have even begun likening each of the signs to a specific Admiral-level or higher Marine seen thus far in the series.

The newest version of the Zodiac theory seems to have identified seven concrete likenesses, with two questionable ones and three remaining a mystery.

The seven concrete are paired up as Chaton with the boar, Akainu with the dog, Kizaru with the monkey, Kurouma with the horse, Momousagi with the rabbit, Fujitora with the tiger, and Ryokugyu with the ox. Each of these characters were either Admirals or were selected to potentially become Admirals at one time or another.

The two questionable linkings are Sengoku with the goat (thanks to his pet goat companion he’s always seen with) and Aokiji with the rooster (Aokiji translating to “blue pheasant”).

The three remaining symbols to be likened are the rat, snake, and dragon, with some purporting the latter could be Monkey D. Dragon. This would play into the theory that Dragon was once an Admiral within the Marines, thanks to his father Garp’s status and influence.

While neither theory has come to fruition enough to be truly confirmed yet, there is a substantial amount of evidence for both. Furthermore, both groups having their own likenesses to the Chinese Zodiac could indicate potential matchups for the upcoming final war, which Oda has long since teased to fans.

What’s certain is that the latest info for One Piece Chapter 1054 has lent further credence to both variations of the theory.

---

Be sure to keep up with all One Piece Chapter 1054 news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news, as the week progresses.