How Many Road Poneglyphs Does Luffy Have? (& Does He Need All Four?)
The Poneglyphs in One Piece are among the most interesting objects in the whole series. And while they’re not the One Piece treasure itself, they are a way of locating the One Piece treasure. Well, some of them, at least. There are several types of Poneglyphs, and the most important among them are the four Road Poneglyphs which, when combined, lead to the One Piece, i.e., to the island of Laugh Tale, where the treasure is hidden. In this article, we are going to tell you about them and how many of them are in possession of the Straw Hat Pirates.
The four Road Poneglyphs lead to the One Piece treasure, and the last remaining one was located in the Sea Forest, but its current location is unknown, and it is currently considered lost. As far as the other three are concerned, copies of the texts on the Poneglyphs are in possession of Luffy’s crew (and some others, depending on the Poneglyphs), so the Straw Hats are the only crew that has all three of the four known messages.
The rest of this article will focus on the Poneglyphs, i.e., more specifically, the four Road Poneglyphs, i.e., even more specifically, how many of them are in possession of the Straw Hat Pirates and how many do they need to find Laught tale. Some elements of this article could be considered as spoilers, so we just wanted to warn you before we continue.
What are the Road Poneglyphs in One Piece?
Poneglyphs are mysterious blocks of stone that have history inscribed with strange characters. They are spread across many islands throughout the world, and it is said that the only person capable of deciphering them is Nico Robin. The Poneglyphs were created by the Kozuki family, a famous family of stonemasons that lives in Wano Country, to pass down a will to future generations.
There are at least thirty poneglyphs scattered throughout the world. The blocks are indestructible; it is said that not even explosives can make a scratch on them. Each of them tells a part of the forbidden story. The story mentions (at least) three powerful weapons: Pluto, Poseidon, and Uranus.
In total, there are three groups of Poneglyphs, based on their types: Historical, Instructional, and Road poneglyphs; some poneglyphs have an undetermined type. The “Historical Poneglyphs” reveal parts of history and messages written by people who lived centuries ago. The “Instructional Ponelglyphs” contain instructions on where to find other Ponelglyphs and/or the Ancient Weapons. Both the historical and instructor poneglyphs are dark blue.
The third and final type of Poneglyph is the Road Poneglyph, which contains locations indicating the route to Laugh Tale. There are only four of these in dark red. Other stones, which are not poneglyphs but contain the same ancestral language as the poneglyphs, can be found on the walls of some buildings in Shandora. As you may have guessed, we will concentrate on the final group.
Where are the Road Poneglyphs located?
As stated, we will finally reveal the locations of the four Road Poneglyphs, including the final missing one. The Road Poneglyphs don’t have specific names, so we’ll just number them for more clarity:
First Road Poneglyph
Location: The Whale Tree, Zou
This Poneglyph is located inside the Whale Tree, in the residential area of the Guardians of the Isle of Zou. It was revealed to be one of four “Road Poneglyphs” which, when combined with the other three “Road Poneglyphs,” would yield the location of Laugh Tale. The Poneglyph gives the indication of a point in the New World.
Second Road Poneglyph
Location: The Room of Treasure; Whole Cake Chateau; Whole Cake Island; Totto Land
This Road Poneglyph has currently been in possession of Charlotte Linlin and her crew for over 20 years. Due to the invasion on Totto Land by Sanji’s recovery team, it is now carefully guarded in the treasure room. However, Brook could make a copy of it during his infiltration. The Poneglyph gives the indication of a point in the New World.
Third Road Poneglyph
Location: Mt. Fuji cavern, Wano Country
According to Nekomamushi, this “Road Poneglyph” is in possession of Kaido and his crew. The Poneglyph gives the indication of a point in the New World. It is hidden on Onigashima Island, where Kaido resides, more precisely under the island, at the location of the ancient city.
Fourth Road Poneglyph
Location: Fish-Man Island, Unknown
No information has yet been released about this last Road Poneglyph. It is known that 25 years ago, he was on Fish-Man Island. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, who know the location of the other Road Poneglyphs, do not know where this one is. The Poneglyph gives the indication of a point in the New World.
How many Road Poneglyphs does Luffy have?
Now that we know what the Road Poneglyphs are and where they are located (three of them, at least), we can tell you how many are in Luffy’s possession. Okay, we first have to clarify that Luffy doesn’t have the actual Poneglyphs, as they are large stones that cannot be transported on a ship that easily. It is possible, but it’s highly impractical, especially since Luffy doesn’t really have a base of operations as other pirate captains. They have a copy of the message carved in the Poneglyphs, of which they are in possession. We shall now tell you some additional details.
The First Poneglyph was, as we’ve said, hidden in the Whale Tree, where Luffy and the gang found it. As far as it is known, the Straw Hats are the only crew that are in possession of a copy, but it is possible that the Heart Pirates also have a copy, although this was not confirmed. Big Mom has the second Road Poneglyph, and as far as it is known, only Luffy’s Straw Hat Pirates and Kid’s Kid Pirates have a copy of this Poneglyph in their possession. The Third Poneglyph was found in Wano Country, and a copy is in possession of the Straw Hat, Heart, and Kid Pirates. The Fourth Poneglyph is currently not possessed by any known character or group. As you can see, Luffy’s Straw Hat Pirates are the only ones possessing all three known Poneglyphs, whereas other groups have less than them.
Does Luffy need all four Road Poneglyphs?
Well, it has now become clear that the Road Poneglyphs are crucial to finding the One Piece treasure and the island of Laught Tale. This is why other crews, such as the Heart and Kid Pirates, are also looking for them, aside from the Straw Hats. Luffy’s main goal from the beginning was to find the One Piece treasure and become the next Pirate King, so locating the Road Poneglyphs was essential to his adventures. We have now established that it is necessary to locate all four Road Poneglyphs in order to properly read the map that leads to Laugh Tale, so we can actually confirm that Luffy does need all four Road Poneglyphs if he wants to find the One Piece treasure.
He already has three of them and is, of course, in search of the fourth one, whose location is still unknown. Although we don’t know when it will happen, we are certain that Oda will tell us the location and the inscription, i.e., that Luffy will find the One Piece treasure on Laugh Tale island.