He’s not just a big animal. Honestly, calling Zunesha a "giant elephant" feels like a massive understatement, kinda like calling the ocean a puddle. We are talking about a creature so incomprehensibly large that it carries an entire civilization, the Mokomo Dukedom, on its back while wading through the deep waters of the New World.
Zunesha is a Naitamie-Norida elephant. That’s a specific breed known for having legs with extra joints, which is basically the only way a biological creature could actually stand in the floor of the ocean and still have its torso above the clouds.
Most fans remember the first time they saw him. It was a genuine "wait, what?" moment in the Zou Arc. But as the story has progressed into the endgame, especially with the revelations in Wano and beyond, this giant elephant one piece fans have obsessed over is clearly much more than a mobile island. He is a living, breathing historical record.
The Crime That Lasted a Millennium
Zunesha is old. Really old. Like, over 1,000 years old.
To put that in perspective, the Void Century happened about 800 years ago. This means Zunesha was already roaming the seas for two centuries before the World Government even existed. That is a staggering amount of time to be walking in circles. And that’s exactly what he’s doing—walking. Because he has to.
He was sentenced to wander the seas for eternity as a punishment for a "crime" he committed in the distant past. We still don't know exactly what he did. Was it a betrayal? A failure to protect something? Eiichiro Oda, the creator, is keeping that card close to his chest. But the weight of that punishment is immense. He isn't allowed to do anything but walk unless he is given a specific order by someone with the right "voice."
This is where things get weird with the Voice of All Things.
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Luffy can hear him. Momonosuke can hear him. Even Oden and Roger could hear him. But hearing isn't the same as commanding. When the Beast Pirates, led by Jack (the guy with the ironically small mammoth fruit), started shelling Zunesha’s legs, the elephant didn't fight back at first. He just took it. He was literally crying in pain, pleading for the order to defend himself.
It was Momonosuke who finally gave the command. And with one single swing of his trunk? Jack’s entire fleet was deleted. It wasn't even a fight; it was like a human swatting a mosquito that happened to be a battleship.
Connecting the Dots to Joy Boy
We can’t talk about the giant elephant One Piece introduced without talking about Joy Boy. During the climax of the Wano Country arc, Zunesha showed up at the borders of the closed nation. Why? Because he heard the "Drums of Liberation."
"Joy Boy... has returned."
That line sent chills down everyone’s spine. Zunesha confirmed that Luffy’s Gear 5 awakening is the return of the essence or will of Joy Boy, a figure from the Void Century. Zunesha was actually Joy Boy’s companion. Think about that dynamic. A man who likely had the most freedom in the world traveling with a creature that would eventually be stripped of all agency.
There is a theory among the community—and it has some legs (pun intended)—that Zunesha’s "crime" was somehow related to the fall of the Ancient Kingdom. Maybe he was supposed to carry something, or be somewhere, and he wasn't. Regardless, his loyalty to the "new" Joy Boy is absolute. He hung around Wano just to see if the borders would open, acting as a colossal sentinel.
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The Logistics of a Living Island
How does the Mink Tribe survive on a moving animal? It’s a symbiotic relationship that’s actually pretty gross if you think about it too hard, but beautiful on the surface.
Twice a day, Zunesha takes a bath.
He uses his trunk to spray massive amounts of seawater over his back. To the Minks, this is "Eruption Rain." It’s a flood that brings in tons of fish from the ocean, which is basically their primary food source. They’ve built their entire infrastructure around a giant elephant's hygiene routine.
The island itself, Zou, is lush and forested. It doesn't show up on Log Poses because it’s not a stationary landmass. You need a Vivre Card to find it. This made it the perfect hiding place for the Road Poneglyph that the Minks have guarded for generations.
Why Zunesha is Critical for the Final Saga
As we move toward the "Great War" that Oda has been promising for decades, Zunesha is a literal Chekhov's Gun. He is a biological weapon of mass destruction.
But there’s a limit.
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Zunesha is tired. You can see it in his eyes—those sunken, multi-ringed eyes that look suspiciously like the Mihawk or Imu’s eyes (though that’s a rabbit hole for another day). He has been walking for a millennium. He wants his journey to end.
There is a massive question about the "Opening of Wano." We know that opening the borders requires physically tearing down the mountain walls surrounding the island, which would release the ancient weapon Pluton. Many fans believe Zunesha is the only one strong enough to literally pull those walls down.
If Momonosuke decides it’s time to unleash Pluton, he’s going to need his big friend.
Common Misconceptions About the Giant Elephant
- Is he a Devil Fruit user? Highly unlikely. He spends his entire life standing in the ocean. If he had a fruit, he’d be too weak to move. He’s just a "super-organism."
- Is he the same species as the creatures in the Florian Triangle? Maybe. Those giant shadows at the end of Thriller Bark looked similar, but they had weird, spindly arms. Zunesha seems unique, or at least one of the last of his kind.
- Can anyone talk to him? No. Shirahoshi talks to Sea Kings. Momonosuke talks to Zunesha. These seem to be specific "lineage-based" connections to the Ancient Weapons or their allies.
The tragedy of Zunesha is his loneliness. He wanders the mist, carrying the weight of a thousand-year-old sin, waiting for a boy to put on a straw hat and change the world. He isn't just a plot device to get the crew from point A to point B. He is the bridge between the world that was and the world that will be.
When the final battle happens, don't expect Zunesha to just sit on the sidelines. Whether he’s carrying an army or literally stepping on Mary Geoise, his role in the giant elephant One Piece lore is far from over.
How to Keep Track of Zunesha's Lore
If you are trying to piece together the Void Century mystery, you have to look at Zunesha’s interactions. Keep these specific details in mind as you re-read or re-watch:
- Watch the eyes: Whenever a character with "ringed eyes" appears, compare them to the close-ups of Zunesha in the anime. There is a visual language there that Oda uses intentionally.
- The Poneglyph connection: Zunesha carries a Red Poneglyph. This implies the Minks and the Kozuki clan (the creators of the Poneglyphs) trusted this elephant more than any fortress on earth.
- Momonosuke's growth: Momonosuke’s ability to command Zunesha is his greatest power. Watch how he struggles with the responsibility of "ordering" a living being to fight.
The best way to stay ahead of the theories is to look at the flashbacks involving Joy Boy. Any mention of a "failure" or a "lost ally" almost certainly points back to our wandering friend. Zunesha is waiting for the end of the world, and honestly, we are right there with him.
To get the full picture, re-visit Chapter 821 for the Jack confrontation and Chapter 1040 for the confirmation of his ties to Joy Boy. These chapters hold the keys to understanding why this elephant is the most important creature in the series.