SUMMARY

One Piece teases the appearance of Luffy’s mother in an extra story in chapter #1057.
The mysterious woman seen in a flashback with Shanks could potentially be Luffy’s mother, though there is no official confirmation.

The timing of the flashback doesn’t align with Luffy’s past, but it’s possible that Shanks had visited Foosha village before and knew Luffy’s mother, further deepening the connection between the rivals for the Pirate King title.

One Piece may have already addressed one of the biggest mysteries in the long history of the series, teasing the appearance of the mother of the protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. While Luffy’s relationship with his father, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, is also the subject of a lot of speculation, the mother of the future Pirate King is an even bigger mystery, and she seems entirely uninfluential for the story.

While Dragon and his Revolutionary Army have been serving a bigger role in the series’ Final Saga, One Piece‘s author Eiichiro Oda stated Luffy’s mother would never be introduced, as he is not interested in exploring that part of the story. However, in an extra story appearing in chapter #1057 as a tie-in to One Piece Film: Red, a mysterious woman holding a baby appears in one panel, leading fans to speculate that she could be Luffy’s mother.

The woman appears in a flashback of Shanks, singing a lullaby to her baby. This inspires the powerful Yonko to sing to his own baby daughter, Uta, who then grows up to become a world-famous singer. There is no official confirmation that the figures seen in the extra story are baby Luffy and his mother, but considering that Eiichiro Oda rarely does something without a specific purpose, many fans have speculated that this could be the case.

A Subtle One Piece Detail May Have Revealed Luffy’s Mother

One Piece created by Eiichiro Oda, chapter #1057

While some argue One Piece has too many mysteries, the mystery of Luffy’s mother has been on fans’ minds for some time. Luffy was born in the village of Foosha, a remote province of the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue Sea. His father is one of the most wanted men in the world, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, which openly antagonizes and tries to overthrow the tyrannical World Government.

However, after his birth in One Piece, Dragon left Luffy in the care of the future Straw Hat’s grandpa, Monkey D. Garp, a legendary hero of the Navy who trained Luffy to become a great Marine in the future. Nothing was ever said about Luffy’s mother, not even her name. Later, when the kid was 6, his life changed forever after meeting Red-Haired Shanks and his pirate crew, who were stationed in Foosha for some time. That encounter inspired Luffy to become a pirate, much to Garp’s despair, and he finally set sails for his adventure after turning 17.

The timing of the extra story in chapter #1057 does not match with what is known about Luffy’s past history, as Luffy’s first meeting with Shanks should have been when he was 6. However, there is no reason to think that Shanks did not visit Foosha village before. Actually, considering that the Red-Hair Pirates used it as a safe base, it would be unlikely that they were not familiar with the place already. This could also imply that Shanks knew Luffy’s mother, and perhaps even Dragon, which makes the relationship between the two rivals for the title of Pirate King even closer.

One Piece May Never Fully Reveal Luffy’s Mother

As is often the case with One Piece, whenever a mystery seems about to be solved, many new ones spring up. Oda once stated (in the SBS for volume 78) that he considers “mother” to be the opposite of “adventure”, and that’s why so many of his characters have dead or missing mothers.

Considering that, it’s not likely that Luffy’s mother will have a role in the story and, if it’s actually her in chapter #1057, this one panel could remain her only appearance. One Piece fans can still hope to learn more about her when more details about Luffy‘s relationship with his father Dragon is explored more in the Final Saga.

One Piece is available from MANGA Plus and Viz Media.