One Piece 1085 dropped recently and it was, quite possibly, the greatest chapter of 2023 and also one of the best in the entire series as a whole. The chapter was filled with incredible information about the Void Century and the families from that era and, at the same time, fans also got to see a display of the powers of those who sit at the top of the very world and, that is, the Gorosei and Imu themselves.
Among the many revelations that were brought forth in One Piece 1085 was the one surrounding the D. Clan. Fans know that there are many families in the world of One Piece that bear the initial D. in their names. These people have tremendous importance to the overarching plot of the series and now, fans have seen more characters joining them.
The People Of The D. Clan
The people bearing D. in their name have always been prevalent in the One Piece world. Fans got to see the protagonist of the series, Monkey D. Luffy bearing this initial in his name from the very first chapter. Luffy has continued his journey since then and come across many other characters who also have this initial in their name. Characters such as Monkey D. Garp and Monkey D. Dragon are also known to hold this initial. At the same time, it is made quite clear in One Piece that the Monkey D. Family is not the only one that bears the initial D. in their names.
In fact, there are several families that belong to the D. clan and all of them bear this initial, either in plain sight, or in secret. There is the Gol D. Family that existed in the One Piece world. The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger was a member of this family and his son, who was initially named Gol D. Ace, was also a part of it. At the same time, there's also the Portgas D. Family, and fans know Rogue to be a part of it. Furthermore, fans have also seen the Jaguar D. Family as Saul, the giant who saved the life of Robin, came from this family. At the same time, in the New World, fans saw the Trafalgar D. Water Family as well and Law, one of the members of the Worst Generation, like Luffy, is a part of this family. Meanwhile, there are also some sinister families in the D. clan and the Marshall Ds seem to be some of them. Clearly, the D. are present everywhere in the world of One Piece and they are spread far and wide.
The Meaning Of The D.
The D is ever present in the One Piece series and they always find themselves in interesting situations where they challenge the authority of those in power. Essentially, the people of the D are known to be the Enemies of the Gods. This was confirmed by Corazon during the flashback of Trafalgar Law back in the Dressrosa arc of One Piece. According to Corazon, when he was a kid, he was told that bad kids would get eaten by the devil of the D, meaning that the people of the D were associated with demons and devils.
In One Piece 1085, Imu once again reiterated the same fact. According to them, the people of the D were the enemies of the 20 Kings who created the World Government nearly 800 years ago. They were a formidable bunch, however, they lost their battle and since then, this name has dwindled in history. The people who currently exist and bear the initial D in their names don't even know the true meaning of it. However, even 800 years later, the D has successfully been passed from family to family, from parent to child and it has lived on. The full meaning of the D initial hasn't been revealed in One Piece just yet and Imu confirmed that those who bear it do not know the meaning of it. There are those, however, who know what it means and these are the people who reached Laugh Tale with Roger on one fateful day, 24 years ago.
The New Members Of The D. Clan
One Piece 1085 introduced fans to new members of the D Clan. When Cobra met with the Five Elders, he asked them about Nefertari Lily, who was the monarch of the Land of Arabasta nearly 800 years ago. She was among the 20 rulers who came together to create the World Government, however, unlike the other 19, Lily did not want to become a Celestial Dragon. Instead, she wanted to go back to Arabasta and continue to rule her people. On the way, however, she met some tragedy and never made it back to Arabasta. Her brother ended up taking over duties as the ruler of Arabasta following her demise and no records of Lily exist ever since, confirming that she actually did die.
Imu revealed in One Piece 1085 that Lily made a great mistake in the past and the fact that the Poneglyphs are spread all over the world currently is because of her. It appears that Lily passed off this incident as a mistake when in reality, she was attempting to aid the Ancient Kingdom and their allies. She could have been executed or punished for this in some way or form, however, how exactly this happened isn't known to the fans just yet. Nonetheless, Cobra was very well aware of the fact that Lily wanted to protect the Poneglyphs as she sent a letter that has been passed down the royal family of the Kingdom of Arabasta ever since.
In the letter, Lily clearly mentioned her full name as Nefertari D. Lily. This means that those of the Nefertari Family of the kingdom of Arabasta are all people of the D. This also means fans now know new members of the D Family. Cobra, Titi, and Nefertari Vivi are all members of the D Clan from here onwards.
The Future Potential Members Of The D. Clan
One Piece 1085 also opened up room for other characters to be revealed as part of the D Clan. Fans already know now that the allies of the Ancient Kingdom and the members of it bear the D initial, as they were on the opposing end of the fight against the 20 Monarchs. This means that the royal families of the land of Wano and those of Fishman Island could also be people of the D. This is especially true because Luffy has formed a very close relationship with Momonosuke and Shirahoshi, akin to the one that he has with Vivi.
Furthermore, both the places have a Poneglyph, which means that they were allied with the Ancient Kingdom at one point in time and fans don't really need a confirmation on that as Joy Boy provided it for Fishman Island, while the Kozuki were, in fact, the people who created the Poneglyphs themselves. This means that both Kozuki as well as the Mermaid Princess actually possess the D. initial in their names as well.
Interestingly, in One Piece 1085, Luffy chose to give Sabo the D initial as well. According to him, he could simply have it if he wanted and Luffy gave him the name "Sa D. Bo." This is very interesting and could actually be a truth hidden in plain sight. The implication here is that the people of the D. chose to have this initial in their names to show that they were a part of the Ancient Kingdom and were waiting for the Dawn of the world. This means that anyone who wishes to have the D could potentially have it if they so wish and this also explains why so many different families in the world of One Piece have the D initial. The true meaning of the D is not known just yet, however, all of those who hold this in their names are fighting for the Dawn of the world. Perhaps, the D does mean Dawn, after all.