 Hello my Nakama Tachi, this is Joy Girl and we are going to have a discussion on Wano or more specifically, what makes Wano special? I do have to warn anime-only fans that we will be discussing some manga-only content so please feel free to check out the channel's library for other videos and come back to this one once you're caught up. Yes, we are going to speculate on what makes Wano a special place and seemingly even more so for one prominent character and the chances of any of these speculations being correct is slim because this is Oda and just when you think you have all the pieces put together, bam it goes another way. I mean, a fish? And if you would like to see more videos like this then please subscribe to the channel and drop a like on this video. Now, I'm sure almost all One Piece fans are excited about the upcoming chapters, especially now with Yamato and Kaito about to face off. Perhaps like me, you may be even more excited to find out about Kaito's backstory, in particular after chapter 1016 where it was hinted that Kaito's reason for being at Wano might have been a calculated choice. During Kaito's exchange against Yamato, after Yamato declares to sail with Luffy but only after driving Kaito out from Wano, in response Kaito rebuts that he isn't leaving and that he is here because it's Wano. And ever since I read this, my mind has been filled with questions as to why. Why is Wano so special? We know that Wano is the home of superior artisans and craftsmen as well as legendary swordsmiths and it is said to be the only place where one could find craftsmen skilled enough to forge sea stones into small and intricate artifacts like the sea stone nail. You only need to have a look at the indestructible polyglyphs as testament to the distinguished quality only found at Wano. Indeed, we know that long ago, Wano was even known to the world as the land of gold and for this reason many, including pirates and world nobles, lusted after the island for its minerals. There is also the existence of drunken iron ore which is said to only be produced by a small number of countries. Considering that the weapons that the revolutionary army brought from Jez Rosa included this special metal and Doflamingo's link to the country and to Kaito, it heightens the probability that Wano is one of the small number of countries able to produce this mineral. Although it doesn't sound unique to Wano alone as Koala did specifically mention the plurality of such places. A drunken man after drunken minerals? Sounds fitting to me. But even aside from these speculations, it's no secret that Wano possesses a wealth of superior raw material and skills to wield such resources. Could Kaito's reasons for being at Wano be related to this combination of product and talent found only at Wano? And if so, for what reason? During Kaito's introduction, he expressed his desire to start the greatest war the planet has ever seen. His actions since his introduction, including amassing both weapons as well as more soldiers as part of his crew, seems to align with this goal of being involved in a massive war. Caesar Clown's operations with Doflamingo in creating the Smile Devil Fruits was primarily to supply Kaito so that he could build an army of Zo and Devil Fruit users. And if we consider Wano's closed borders and its near impossible entry, it does make the island the perfect base of operations to wage a great war. With not even the world government able to enter the country, giving Kaito as much time as he wants to gather enough troops and resources to achieve his goal. We know that soon after Orochi became Shogun of Wano, he formed a partnership with Kaito and constructed factories over the island where Wano inhabitants were forced to work. Kaito has been exploiting these factories to create a massive stockpile of weapons. More recently, Kaito is even in the process of moving Onigashima to the Flower Capital as part of the new Onigashima project where he plans to further the industrialization of Wano, enslaving all citizens, including those in the Flower Capital, to mass produce weapons and turn Wano into a lawless pirate's paradise. But what exactly is Kaito's idea of a pirate's paradise? Does he just mean a paradise for pirates under his ruling? Or does his plan to turn Wano into a lawless land have a deeper, more selfish intention of attracting pirates to the island? Or more specifically, to attract strong pirates? Maybe even someone strong enough to kill him? If Kaito's reasons for being at Wano is related to using the country as a base for preparations for the Great War, then what is his purpose for war? Since Kaito's introduction, we know that the Emperor has been looking for a place to die. Could we view Wano to be the place that Kaito has chosen to be his final location? And has he orchestrated this war so that he can meet his legendary death at the place of his choosing? One argument against this is that when we were first introduced to Kaito, he was shown executing his hobby of suicide, which was pointed out to have not taken place at Wano. So this would suggest that Kaito is less concerned about the location of his death, but more so to do with its method. However, the counter argument could be found if we study Kaito's words. Prior to announcing his intent to prepare for the final war, Kaito is shown saying, I guess there's no choice but to go through with it. What this could be read as is that Kaito did attempt to commit suicide and achieve a legendary death in that he chose his own time and method to die. His choice of method, jumping off a sky island, which was described in the manga itself to be a rare act. However, upon not succeeding, he decided that there is no other way but to instigate a war which is sure to be one for the ages and ensure his legendary demise as a warrior in an epic battlefield. This still however doesn't answer the question of why Wano? What makes Wano the place to die? Wano is the home of legends. From Yuma to Oden, who's to say that these two are the only heroic figures of Wano who met their ends at Wano. Perhaps between Yuma and Oden or even before Yuma, there have been many legends whose tales were birthed at Wano. If Kaito has some knowledge about Wano's past and mysteries, perhaps he has chosen Wano as the place where he will meet his end so that he can fully carry out his desire for a legendary death, complete with a legendary location. Based on the recent chapters where it was revealed that Kaito has some awareness about Joy Boy, though it isn't clear to what extent or in what capacity. Perhaps Kaito even knows that Joy Boy will come to Wano, which is in part why he has chosen Wano as his death place and has been creating a pirate's paradise to attract such a legendary figure. Or perhaps there is a much bigger reason why Wano is considered a legendary place by Kaito. Back in chapter 395, Professor Clovi introduced us to the possible existence of an ancient immense kingdom who held extraordinary power and yet its entire existence has been erased from history. Wano could perhaps be this ancient kingdom and even if it's not, it's almost guaranteed that Wano has a special connection with said kingdom since the creation of the Polnoglyphs, the stones that the ancient kingdom used to carve their existence and convey a message to the future, originated from Wano. But let's stick with this possibility that Wano is the ancient kingdom for a while. Since the image of the ancient kingdom includes a moon crater, could this moon crater be representative of the gap that the moon left or needs to be filled? The moon being a symbol for Wano. With Wano as an isolationist nation and having not been affiliated with the world government for centuries, this goes well with the idea that the ancient kingdom was likely the enemy of the allied nations of 20 kingdoms who will later come to be known as the world government. In saying that, the image of the ancient kingdom presented to us shows a very different structure and image as to what we see of Wano now. So if Wano is indeed the ancient kingdom, the explanation I could have is that since the kingdom was erased from memory, the entire country has been reset and has been molded to what we now know as Wano. And I can't help but feel intrigued by this because the idea that Wano was once the ancient kingdom leaves us with so many possible scenarios. And hey, here's one idea. The ancient kingdom may still be intact. It's said that the ancient kingdom was erased from history but what if this doesn't mean that the kingdom was destroyed but was buried? Literally. Let's say that the ancient kingdom survived because the structure could not be destroyed because the materials used to build the kingdom was indestructible. As we have been discussing, Wano is known for its resources and the mining of special materials. Wano could be mining the same material that was used to build the ancient kingdom or possibly Wano now may be tapping into the ancient kingdom itself. Wano could now be mining the ancient kingdom buried underneath their country and what they consider as digging for minerals is actually them digging into their history. Don't you find the idea of a thriving kingdom seemingly disappearing from existence but in reality continue to exist but in massive decline compelling and what's even more compelling? To what extent does Kaido know about all of this? But now that you've heard my thoughts on the matter it's now time to share yours by leaving a comment below and don't forget to like and share the video and please do subscribe so that we can continue discussing one piece together. Thank you very much to our patrons who are supporting this channel produce videos. This is Joygirl and I'll see you again soon.