Summary
In the world ofOne Piece, the Ohara Incident is one of the most significant events to have happened in the time between the Void Century and the current timeline. This event took place after dedicated scholars from the island of Ohara were caught by the Marines in researching the Void Century, which is one of the greatest crimes one can commit in the eyes of the World Government, leading to them initiating a Buster Call to destroy the island.
During this incident, one of the most important characters was a former Vice Admiral in the Navy called Jaguar D. Saul. Unlike other Marines, he knew the value of knowledge and its pursuit despite Void Century research beingoutlawed by the World Government, which is why he helped Nico Olvia and, later on, her daughter, Nico Robin. So, let’s take a look at who Saul was and why he’s so important for the future ofOne Piece.
Debut Arc
Enies Lobby
Saul made his debut fairly early on in the series as one of the central figures and motivations behind Robin’s character development. At the time of his debut, he was actually a Vice Admiral under the employ of the World Government and was a very useful tool that they had at their disposal, especially since he was the one who captured Nico Olvia and her team for theirresearch into the Void Century, which is the highest crime.
Saul is unique since he is the first and only example of a giant in the series who does not belong to Elbaf, and he even criticizes them for being savages. Due to this, he eventually saw that the arrest of Olvia and her team was unjust and that the pursuit of knowledge shouldn’t lead to a death sentence, leading to him orchestrating their escape from the cells and later his own too, as he knew this made him a traitor in the eyes of the World Government. This showed that, just like his good friend Aokiji, he believed in Moral Justice over Absolute Justice.
After abandoning his post, Saul eventually finds his way to Ohara by sheer chance, where he befriends a young Nico Robin. Over the course of a few days, they develop quite a bond that Robin treasures for the rest of her life, even remembering Saul as one of the 3 people who have inspired her the most. However, Ohara is eventually setupon by the Marines, who decide to destroy the island due to the scholars researching the Void Century.
This leads to the initiation of a Buster Call on the island, where Ohara is wiped from existence and all knowledge that they gathered is assumedly lost. Saul even orchestrates the escape of Robin but, in doing so, is defeated by his old friend Aokiji and completely frozen, leading everyone to believe that he had died. However, as a final favor to his old friend, Aokiji lets Robin go free, protecting her from the rest of the Marines.
Saul’s Importance For The Future
What Saul’s actions mean for the future
While many believed that Saul had died for over 800 chapters of the story, the Egghead arc surprised fans by showing that he somehow survived the Ohara Incident after being frozen by Aokiji! Though how this happened is currently unknown, Saul has had a huge hand in how Robin’s story played out, as she has become one of the world’sforemost authorities on the Poneglyphsand all knowledge of the Void Century. Without Saul’s influence on her life, she would not have become as important of a character as she is now.
Moreover, other than having such a massive impact on Robin’s story, Saul may have the greatest influence when it comes to future research into the Void Century. This is because, during the burning of the library within Ohara’s Tree of Knowledge, the scholars began to throw the books into the lake that sat at the tree’s feet in a final attempt to save all they had been researching for years.
When you have a hard time, just laugh!
While this seemed like a desperate ploy at the time, Egghead revealed that all the books thrown into that lake had survived. So, after Saul escaped whatever was left of the island and recuperated, he teamed up with some of the Elbaf giants to go tothe remains of Oharaand fish out every bit of knowledge that the scholars had managed to throw in the lake, which was substantial due to how its surface was completely covered by books!
So, due to Saul, the sacrifice those scholars made to carry on the lost knowledge of the world was not in vain! He made sure to go to the ruins of the island and collect all the books that the residents of Ohara had given their lives for, which will surely be one of the biggest plot points in the Elbaf arc. This is because Robin will likely manage to piece together far more information about the Void Century, giving fans answers to questions they’ve had for ages!
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One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
