One Piece Creator Eiichiro Oda quietly introduced Gunko 19 Years Before Elbaf

In the Elbaf arc of One PieceOda introduced the Holy Knights properly for the very first time. Among the first to make their entrance were Holy Knights Shamrock and Gunko. Although Shamrock is not as relevant in this arc, Gunko is central to it and serves as the primary antagonist, controlled by Imu. Gunko also has a deep connection with Brook, as they were once part of the same kingdom. Most fans assume that Gunko is a new creation by Eiichiro Oda, but a new look at the drafts by the author indicates that Gunko was actually introduced 19 years ago by the creator of One Piece. Gunko was always planned to have a deep connection with Brook, which again showcased the brilliance of the author.

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Analyzing Oda's draft of the Holy Knight from Thriller Bark

Often different One Piece magazines provide a look at Oda's early drafts of various arcs and the characters that accompany them. One such magazine released long ago revealed drafts of the story's Thriller Bark arc. By 2007, Oda had already drawn up initial sketches for the likes of Brook and all the other zombie characters that appeared in Thriller Bark. Among them was also a bandaged woman with long hair and one eye in the open. This bandaged woman also wore a cape, and her appearance was suspiciously similar to Gunko's. She was also drawn next to Dead Bones Brook. Putting two and two together, it's clear that this woman ended up being the prototype for what fans today know as Gunko of the Holy Knights.

The true meaning of Gunko's character before the time jump

It's possible that Oda intended for this woman to be incorporated into the Thriller Bark arc in some major way, but chose not to for plot reasons. Before the time jump, Gunko had no importance at all in the story, but Oda clearly established Brook's connection to her in the magazine through his first drafts.

Meanwhile, Brook revealed that he was the leader of a battle convoy long ago, suggesting that Oda had already planned a story around him and Princess Shuri. While the vast majority of information was kept under wraps at the time, that's what makes One Piece as exciting as it is, as the pair only met again nineteen years later.

How Princess Shuri is connected to Brook's story arc

As revealed in the Elbaf arc of One Piece, Princess Shuri has a very significant connection to Brook, as the latter practically raised her herself. Brook was the leader of the battle convoy in a certain kingdom in West Blue and served under Princess Shuri's father, even going so far as to call him his benefactor. When the king had a child, Princess Shuri, Brook was the one who sang to her and even raised her. But at one point, the princess lost all control and even proceeded to kill her own father.

Obviously, Brook has never forgiven her for this, but he doesn't know about Imu's influence over her. It is clear that she was controlled by Imu, either through mind control or Domi Reversi. The Holy Knights likely continued to destroy the kingdom, forcing Brook to become a pirate.

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Measuring the future importance of Imu's ships

Image by GameRant

Princess Shuri will be incredibly important in this overarching story of the Final Saga. Given that Shuri has always been around Imu, their importance will only grow from here on out, especially since Elbaf will likely remove this character under Imu. Princess Shuri stands as the main villain of the Elbaf arc due to Imu's mind control, but towards the end of it, it is highly likely that Luffy and Loki will succeed in purifying Imu from her body. This would free Princess Shuri from Imu's control and even make her a candidate for a potential Straw Hat.

From there on, Imu will lose an important ally and will set her sights on Vivi. More than that, Gunko can then become part of the Straw Hat Pirates or at least an ally to the group and lead the attack against the World Government, especially knowing all the secret details of Imu's empire, making her a valuable asset.

One Piece Chapter 1178 will be available to read on Manga Plus on March 29, 2026.

One Piece

Release date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Author

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)