Warning: Contains spoilers for episode #1100 and minor manga spoilers for One Piece.

Summary

• Jinbe knew about Sun God Nika before Wano, shown by his recognition of Gear Five on Egghead.
• This suggests a possible connection between Sun Pirates and Nika through Fisher Tiger who may have been inspired by the legend.
• Jinbe may have obtained knowledge of Nika from Fisher Tiger and the Sun Pirates, whose ideology and symbol all point to a connection to the Warrior of liberation.

Luffy's Gear Five transformation in Wano, many of the Straw Hats only seemed to learn the truth about Nika at Egghead. However, the latest episode suggests Jinbe may be an exception, hinting at a connection between the Sun Pirates and Nika.

Episode #1100 of One Piece shows Luffy transforming into Gear Five on Egghead to battle Lucci. This scene was originally not included in the manga, which cut directly to an already transformed Luffy wreaking havoc in the background as Jinbe and Chopper ran away with Bonney and Atlas. The anime, however, shows Jinbe and Chopper's reaction to the transformation, and Jinbe curiously recognizes Luffy as the Warrior of Liberation despite being his first time seeing Gear Five.

Jinbe could not have connected the dots so quickly based on the little that Who's Who told him about Nika, which suggests that Jinbe may have already known about the legend of Sun God Nika, his appearance, and his abilities from the very start. As Jinbe did not see Luffy in action on Onigashima, finally seeing Gear Five on Egghead may have led to him making the connection much like Vegapunk did.

One Piece Confirms Jinbe Knew About Sun God Nika Before Wano

Episode #1100, "Powers on a Different Level! Luffy vs. Lucci!"

Until now the common understanding was that Jinbe had first learned of Nika's existence from Who's Who in chapter #1018. However, Who's Who simply states that Nika was a warrior who liberated slaves. Though readers are shown a silhouette of Nika, Jinbe isn't told much else about the legendary figure, what he looks like, how he fights or even anything about his powers, as Who's Who himself does not possess this information.

Hence, it is strange that Jinbe would take one look at Gear Five's appearance and instantly make the connection to Sun God Nika. Luffy himself is blissfully unaware of the truth about his devil fruit, or the existence of Nika, much less what the word Nika even means, as seen in the latest chapters. Hence, logic dictates that Jinbe already knew much more about Nika long before Wano.

This could also explain why Who's Who approached Jinbe about it in the first place, shedding new light on their conversation. In chapter #1018, Jinbe even asks Who's Who why he would ask him of all people about Nika. Who's Who claims this is because Jinbe led the Sun Pirates, a crew made up of former fishman slaves who may have a strong connection to Nika in retrospect.

The Sun Pirates May Have Been Inspired by Sun God Nika

Chapter #1018 teases this connection between the Sun Pirates and Nika through the careful use of bold text during the dialogue between Jinbe and Who's Who. Jinbe even gets visibly enraged during the conversation and while it seems that he is put off by Who's Who's remarks on the fishmen's history of slavery, it is possible his reaction could also be related to the mention of Nika.

Episode #1040, which adapts Jinbe's fight against Who's Who, is even titled "The Enraged Jinbe" highlighting the Straw Hat's uncharacteristic anger.

Jinbe appears to be plenty angry even before Who's Who mentions anything about the fishmen or the Sun Pirates and never outright denies not knowing anything about Nika. Instead, Jinbe simply claims he has nothing to say to the likes of Who's Who and defeats him, warning him against poking into history without being prepared to face the consequences of doing so. Jinbe's words could imply he knows some part of Sung God Nika's history as well.

Given that the Sun Pirates were made up entirely of slaves freed by Fisher Tiger and that their entire purpose revolved around freedom, it is possible that Fisher Tiger, who started the crew, could have been inspired by the Legend of Nika. Fisher Tiger emulated the legendary Warrior of Liberation in freeing the slaves at Mariejois, and it cannot be a coincidence that he chose the sun as the symbol of his pirate group.

More importantly, Fisher Tiger was once a slave to the World Nobles himself. He could have heard of Nika from the other slaves in Mariejois much like Who's Who did from a guard while in jail. Bartholomew Kuma's flashback raises the interesting possibility that Kuma's parents may have spread the legend of Nika among the slaves at Mariejois, which was then ed down among the slaves in the Holy Land over the years, eventually reaching Fisher Tiger and even Jinbe.

Overall, though they may be Luffy's biggest confidants, the Straw Hats knew little about the significance of Gear Five or even Sun God Nika until the Egghead Arc, making Jinbe the first to know Luffy's biggest secret. Although the scene is nowhere to be seen in the manga, it does explain many mysteries, particularly Jinbe's odd attitude against Who's Who. The revelation also strengthens the link between Nika and the legendary Sun Pirates, who could end up being more significant as One Piece progresses.

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