So I believe that I have determined a few things about the 4 gods both mentioned during the Shandian Flashback and on the Mural. I believe that the 4 gods are titles not actually rulers of their domain. Their titles are based on aspects of their powers and/or the influence of their actions. With 2 different versions of the stories influencing their title given by different races.
I have made a theory of the 4 gods concerning a story we will probably learn about on Elbaf but that was before the Mural and the revelations that boost the importance of the 2 so far unrepresented gods. So before I talk about the gods I will abridge that original theory focusing instead on the updates that highlight the revelations mentioned.
Before I start I want to mention that I believe the 4 gods are all present in the story and will play a vital role within the final moments through the final awakenings of each of their respective fruit users. I also want to touch upon the possible original Figures that once held the power currently contained in these devil fruit users. Finally When explaining the theory I will be using names I gave the gods to limit confusion since I believe 3 gods are not given the same title throughout the different races. These Names were influenced by Nika's name and since Nika is the only confirmed gods name we know his will not be changed.
Given Name by me (to limit confusion) |
Possible Original Figure |
Shandian Title |
Mural Title |
Current Devil Fruit user |
Ichika |
Davey Jones |
Sun God |
Forest God |
St. Imu Nerona |
Nika |
Nika |
Rain God |
Sun God |
Luffy |
Sanka |
Oars/Ongashima |
Earth God |
Earth God |
Buggy |
Yonka |
Zunesha's Parent |
Forest God |
Sea God |
BlackBeard |
Abridged Theory
Moon people lost resources needed to move. Chose the Blue Planet (current planet of One Piece) to move to. The Blue Planet was full of oceans and Sea Kings including a Massive Sea King “The Hellflame Serpent / The Bloodstained Serpent” The Red Line. 4 Great warriors were tasked with defeating the Red Line in order to ensure a safer planet to settle upon. The Warriors went down to the planet and fought it out using the 3 ancient weapons Uranus a sky laser, Poseidon Sea King controller, and Pluton Ship that converts souls into devil fruits. After Several intense battles with no Conclusions. Ichika, using his powers to mutate souls, used it on himself. He went to the Red Line and instead of fighting convinced it to sleep believing that the 4 warriors would never win. The Red Line agreed at a cost. Souls must be sacrificed to it to keep it peaceful. The next Battle occurred and the Red Line played at defeat allowing the people of the moon to move down to the Blue Planet.
The 4 gods using their powers help with the transfer of the people and helped in the cultivating of a prosperous land. Sanka used his dragon-like power and incredible size to move chunks of earth from the moon to the planet creating a stable earth to stand on for the people. Yonka then used their power to manipulate souls to place them into trees and help speed the growth of the trees allowing for vegetation. Nika then used his abilities similar to Water Luffy to swallow the oceans water and spit it into the air to create Rain again to speed up growth of vegetation. Ichika however, having led the way in the final battle convinced the people of the moon the importance of sacrifices encouraging and Slave based sacrificial system as seen through the Shandians.
Some time passed before 2 gods Nika and Sanka found out the truth behind the battle and found out that several slaves were being sacrificed to the Red Line. Nika freed the slaves and challenged Ichika who continued to find new slaves to achieve the deal with the Red Line. Their battle ended up a chase until both died with Ichika leaving a framework of slave/sacrifices intact. Sanka went to challenge the Red Line again. Awakening to his power, Sanka was able to Chop-Chop the Red line into several pieces (not killing it). Sanka and the Red Line's battle caused much destruction. This was Sanka’s final stand and he died only to be reincarnated into the current world. Yonka, having seen the aftermath of the battle, fused part of Sanka’s soul into the Adam tree on Elbaf acting as a guide for more souls for the future .Sanka’s People The Giants protected it.
Later during the Void century Joyboy and St. Imu Nerona both managed to get their hands on Nika and Ichika fruits respectively, continuing the battle once again as Joyboy tried to destroy the Chopped up Red Line once for all. Ichika/Imu along with the 20 kings stopped the attempt and proceeded to kill Joyboy. Using The First Mermaid Princess and Previous Poseidon user to reform the Chopped up Red Line. Yonka, still around due to their long life, saw this opportunity to plant part of their own soul (possibly part of Nika’s/Joyboy's) into the Eve Tree right between 2 pieces of the Red Line. As the Eve Tree grew with the strong Soul/s? In it it created a weak point for the future, Acting as a Guide for more soulsfor the future, and protected Fishman island. Yonka then sacrificed its life only to reincarnate into the current world.
That is the end of the importance of the 4 gods within the story until our current world. The 4 god fruit users return through their current hosts. Freeing Ichika from his mutated soul and uniting to destroy the Red Line completely.
Ichika / Sun God / Forest God / Imu / Davey Jones?
Ichika is without a doubt the soul that is clearly taking over the current host of St. Imu Nerona. Imu/Ichika is clearly able to manipulate and mutate souls as seen with the Gorosie and their technique on Elbaf, Domi-Reversie. Although it seems clear that some of the personality remains through the Domi-Reversie technique. It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to say that their powers could also work on themself mutating a once benevolent and compassionate warrior into one who was willing to kill/destroy/sacrifice for the majority. Their full power might be able to make and secure Contracts and deals allowing the Red Line to remain calm until the fight with Sanka.
Now how his actions and abilities relate to his 2 God titles. The First Sun God title Comes from his leading of the final battle acting as a guiding light that helped bring a new age to the people of the moon with those worshipping him through the Shandorians and other like races (possibly Birkans, Skypians and maybe even Lunarian) being isolated during the ancient times and unaware of the problems created due to it. Another option for the Sun God titles comes from the ancient weapon Uranus, a sky Laser seemingly made through concentrated fire. A potential operator of the weapon could give a fitting reason for the title. And at least for now the only known associate of Uranus is Imu possibly hinting at Ichika use of it in the past.
His Forest God title seems kind of clearly linked to Imu due to the mural stating that the forest God summoned forth demons Like how Imu changes others into demons. The forest god title being influenced by a similar belief as the Shandians by the Elbafians, that souls of ancestors were trapped in trees. The manipulation of souls on a grand scale is what led to Ichika becoming the Forest god.
(I also want to mention this theory is probably biased by my belief of Ichika being based off of Tezcatlipoca The Aztec Forest God who served as the First Sun of the 5 Worlds)
I believe Ichika is Davey Jones. During the Void century while fighting against Joyboy a competition later named the Davey Back fight was created. The Davey Back Fight was made by Joyboy as an attempt to mutate Ichika’s/Davey Jones's soul back to what it once was. This attempt was most likely a failure and ended in Joyboy’s death. Xebec’s Comment to Imu Being a follower of Davey Jones could also have been a promise that he’d do what Joyboy could not. Although a possibility and many theories already exist that Joyboy was Davey Jones and instead of Ichika’s Souls Joyboy’s crew was trying to save him.
Nika / Rain God / Sun God / Luffy
Nika seems to be the only one of the 4 gods specifically given a full name, so I'm just going to talk about how he earned the titles.
As mentioned, the Shandorian and other like races saw Ichika as the leader and the light that guided them. Nika was probably assumed to be the Rain God. He probably became a rain god by doing something similar to Water Luffy on Alabasta, swallowing water from the sea and spitting it up into air to help regulate crop growth and weather. Another possible reason could be again similar to Luffy’s actions, more specifically attacks. Nika while fighting the Red Line possibly used several attacks similar to Luffy’s Gum-Gum Gatling/Storm/Fireworks/Octopus/Rain to rain down a constant torrent of attacks.
The Sun God title is the easiest to explain as it came from his liberating of slaves granting their freedom and bringing them back to the Light. Acting a a guiding light through the darkness.
Then it’s clear the current owner of the devil fruit is Luffy.
Sanka / Earth God / Buggy / Oars/Onigamishima
The only of the 4 gods I believe whose title does not change from the races like the Shandians to the ancient Elbalfians that created the Mural. With only one character mentioned in the entire story with actions fitting enough for the title, Oars the Continent puller. When I talk about Oars I mean the first Oars possibly the skull of Onigashima, Not Thriller Bark Oars who was probably Oars the II due to Oars Jr. III being on Whitebeard’s crew. It's probably also fitting that Sanka/Oars was probably that dragon-like figure on the Mural fighting the serpent. The Dragon-like features coming from a Ichika influenced Domi-Reversi Buff. We know that the Giants in the current timeline have a similar appearance to the ancient giants like Oars. But also we can assume the wings were created on Sanka/Oars similar to Gunko’s wings. Meaning the Dragon-like appearance in the mural is just a Winged Flying Giant.
His title then was clear, The Shandian like races saw him bringing chunks of earth from the moon to the Blue Planet. Whereas the Elbalfian Mural interpretation is him chopping up the Red Line to create the continents of land before being returned to the Full Red Line we know today during the Void Century.
I believe the current user of the Sanka/Oars devil fruit is actually Buggy. An early villain and one of the first ones brought back into the story. One of few characters whose importance only seems to rise as the story continues similar to Luffy, Imu, and Blackbeard. And the new theories out there relating him possibly to Xebec and in turn Blackbeard. An awakened Chop-Chop fruit possibly having a more advanced version of Laws devil fruit separating other things into pieces allowing Him to Bypass the Red Lines Incredible Durability. The pieces created by the power could then be scattered all without killing the afflicted. This is a fitting power that works to destroy a continental size enemy while not fully getting rid of them.
Yonka / Forest God / Sea God / Blackbeard / Zunesha Parent?
Yonka is the hardest of the 4 gods to match as I believe he is the 1 god with least story in the One Piece's history most likely focused around support and setting up the future. Now I have always held true to the thought process that Blackbeard’s Yami-Yami no Mi was the reason behind his betrayal of the Whitebeard pirates. His goal to obtain it was almost entirely influenced due to his connection to Xebec. This importance placed on it makes it a shoo in to be a God fruit. The question is which one?
Going off the Murals 2 remaining options are Earth god and Sea God since Luffy has the Sun God Fruit and Imu is an Obvious answer for the Forest God. I went with The Sea God. The Yami-Yami no Mi’s power to swallow everything around it into an expanding liquid-like fathomless darkness that mimics the Sea/Ocean. The Yami-Yami no Mi’s ability to nullify the Devil fruits power like when they're in the sea. Both Options fit perfectly into explaining the Sea God title. Now Earth god is a decent answer but only because of one line we get in the Mural where The Earth Gods and serpent shrouding the world in darkness, But that’s it.
Now the Shadians Title does not work since Shandians had a rain god instead of the Ocean God. Now The Yami-Yami no Mi does expel things from the Darkness causing them to rain down and swallowing the sea up into Darkness to have it rain down could be Fitting similar to my argument for Nika. However, for the Shandians I want to bring up The Forest God. In a previous theory I brought up the Ancient Weapon Pluton possibly collecting souls and turning them into devil fruits. Equating Devil Fruits to souls. Imu/Ichika's ability to mutate Souls is similar to The Yami-Yami no Mi’s ability to manipulate The Devil Fruits, being able to take devil fruit powers and possibly place them into others. This Power would support the Importance of the Adam and Eve Trees most likely being filled with either multiple souls or strong souls to further allow the use of Pluton in the future.
Now for who the Potential Original warrior could be and in the end we only have 3 names to utilize that could have possibly lived long before even the void century. Nika the Sun God already ruled out, Oars 1 although unknown when he lived, and Davey Jones one we know little about also one we don’t know when he lived. I ruled out Oars when I decided the Yami-Yami no Mi fit a Sea God better then the Earth God. That leaves us with either Davey Jones or a yet unnamed character. I rule out Davey Jones, him either being Ichika or Joyboy as they hold a more fitting weight for Xebec. Instead I believe it to be an unnamed character probably of an extremely long lived race due to him being mentioned at the end of the second world of the Harley. Only 1 race came to my mind and that is the yet unknown race of Zunesha considering he lived through the void century. Assuming the Ocean God had Died That could mean one of Zunesha’s parents was the warrior. This could also lend to the Sea God title as like Zunesha the Parent probably walked through the deepest parts of the sea with ease being Seen as the ruler of the domain.