When the Iron Giant said, “I’m Sorry, Joyboy,” in front of Luffy, it left many fans puzzled and buzzing with theories. What’s exciting about it is that it openly connects Luffy—one of its main characters—to Joyboy, who’s always been one of the so-called chosen ones from centuries gone by in the world of One Piece.

The scene gets even more exciting; when the Egghead Arc, new tech meets old secrets, runs the apology from the Iron Giant, sounding somewhat of a hint toward some deep relation between that Giant of the past and Joyboy. Looked like Luffy’s coming provoked something fundamental. We are going to consider three reasons why the Iron Giant had to apologize and how this is related to the general perspective of One Piece.

The Legacy of Joyboy and the Will of D. Straw Hat Luffy

One solid theory is that...