One Piece: The mysteries surrounding Wano Country

❘ Published: 2023-06-21T16:17:16

An image of the Wano Country in One Piece

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As a country having relations with Joy Boy and the Void Century, Wano has several mysteries surrounding it. Even though the “Wano Country Saga” is over in the manga, fans still don’t know a lot about this beautiful island.

In One Piece, Wano is a country in the New World that is not affiliated with the World Government. It is located on the north side of the New World, northwest to Egghead Island, southwest to Winner Island, and west to Elbaf.

It is the primary setting of the “Wano Country Saga” in One Piece and is now home to several of Luffy’s allies. Being the birthplace of Kozuki Oden, fans know a lot about this mysterious island that Feudal Japan inspires.

Because the country is isolated from the rest of the world, many people don’t know about its location and the way to enter it. This is why Kaido easily overtook the country to do his business and almost brought it to ruins. Delve deeper to discover the mysteries surrounding the Wano Country in One Piece.

The Ancient Weapon Pluton somehow ended up in Wano

An image of Franky with the Pluton blueprints

The manga has yet to introduce the Ancient Weapon Pluton, one of the three great weapons capable of mass destruction. Pluton is an ancient battleship built on the island of Water 7 sometime during the Void Century, and the shipwrights saved the blueprints as a precaution.

The intention was to preserve the knowledge and rebuild it in case Pluton ever fell into the hands of the wrong people. Fortunately, before anything could happen, the ship was lost to history. However, for some reason, it ended up in a secret cavern at the foot of the submerged Mt. Fuji in old Wano Country. In order for Pluton to be released, the massive walls surrounding Wano would have to be brought down. This is what “opening Wano’s borders” really means.

Wano in One Piece was once called the Country of Gold

Fans are aware that during the Void Century, Shandora (which now lies in Skypiea) was called the City of Gold for its incomparable wealth and prosperity. However, the lesser-known fact is that Wano was equally rich at the time, if not more. Wano is an ancient country with a long-standing history of the Kozuki Clan as its ruler for generations.

It was called the “Country of Gold”, which slowly lost all its fortune over the centuries. The Wano we see now is nothing but the shell of a beautiful country nowhere reflecting its past glory. The series has yet to explain what exactly happened. However, its downfall is likely to be connected with the Void Century.

The reason Wano Country is isolated from the world in One Piece

The country follows a strict policy of isolationism, which prohibits contact with outsiders such as pirates and other countries. It is also illegal for the residents to leave the country’s borders. Outsiders who enter the country will be attacked instantly.

After visiting the last island, Laughtale, Kozuki Oden found out that Wano was once connected with the rest of the world. However, it became isolated for a certain purpose to be fulfilled and protected from great power. It’s also mentioned that the great power is somehow connected to Joy Boy.

The Kozuki Clan from Wano created the Poneglyphs with ancient scripts

Kozuki Clan creating Poneglyphs One Piece

The Poneglyphs are enormous, mysterious steles containing historical information engraved in ancient script on them. They are strewn over the globe and include information about the Void Century as well as the location of Laughtale. The “Zou Arc” revealed that the Kozuki Clan from the Wano Country created these Poneglyphs.

Also, each clan leader is taught the language to decipher the ancient script from their predecessor. The reason the Kozuki Clan is at the centre of such an important part of history is unknown. However, we do know that they must have felt it important to preserve the ancient langue. Since the information was dangerous, they only limited it to the heir and not the entire clan.

The reason most of the Country is submerged underwater

According to Kozuki Sukiyaki, Wano’s current bowl-like structure is actually the result of a massive geographical change that occurred in the country during the Void Century. Wano was originally placed at sea level, similar to a standard island, and had a considerably larger Mt. Fuji. It consisted of two uneven summits, the lower of which later became the base for Onigashima.

At some point in history, unknown methods created massive walls around the island’s borders. It physically enclosed the country, resulting in severe flooding caused by stored rainwater. As a result, the ancient civilisation of Wano was forced to ascend Mt. Fuji and live around the mountainside, thus leading to Wano’s modern appearance.

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