The Celestial Dragons' Hunting Competition in One Piece: An Analysis

Highlights

The Celestial Dragons in One Piece are depicted as evil and entitled individuals who consider themselves superior due to their heritage.

The Celestial Dragons partake in unlawful endeavors such as enslavement and homicide, leveraging their exemption from the law to act without restraint.

The Native Hunting Competition, orchestrated by the Celestial Dragons, serves as a cruel pastime through which they establish their superiority over ordinary individuals. The God Valley Incident eventually resulted in the competition's termination and the puzzling vanishing of the island.

The Celestial Dragons epitomize the flaws of the world in One Piece. Their belief in their own superiority based on heritage leads them to distance themselves from ordinary people, refusing even to share the same air. Since their introduction in One Piece, they have consistently displayed their wickedness.

These Celestial Dragons carry an unwarranted sense of entitlement, bestowed upon them centuries ago, which exempts them from the law and grants them the freedom to engage in any illegal activities they desire. The Celestial Dragons have been implicated in countless atrocities, including slavery, murder, and various other abhorrent acts. Another instance of their cruelty was revealed in One Piece Chapter 1095.

The Native Hunting Competition

38 years prior to the current events, the Celestial Dragons convened in West Blue to announce that the upcoming Native Hunting Competition would take place in God Valley. They were displeased that the kingdom was not under the World Government's jurisdiction, despite its name. Their intention was to seize control of the island by conducting their manhunt there. The king of God Valley was present at the gathering and dared to voice his opposition, resulting in his untimely demise at the hands of St. Figarland Garling. Despite being considered a strong contender in the competition, the Celestial Dragons decided to penalize St. Figarland by deducting 10,000 points from his score.

The Celestial Dragons' plan was to exterminate not only the native inhabitants of the island, but also other criminals and enslaved individuals they had captured. Unsurprisingly, the Celestial Dragons reveled in the bloodshed, showing no remorse. The targeted individuals understood that their only chance of survival was to escape by any means necessary. Among the escaped slaves was a young Bartholomew Kuma. Unfortunately, he was recaptured by those loyal to the Celestial Dragons. Towards the end of the chapter, avid readers caught a glimpse of a young Ivankov and Ginny.

The Significance Of The Competition

The Hunting Competition of the Celestial Dragons served as a recreational pastime, regardless of the lives lost for their amusement. Their sole desire was to witness the brutal killing of innocent, unarmed individuals. It was evident from their discussions that the Hunting Competition held in God Valley was not an isolated occurrence. It was likely that the Celestial Dragons conducted this heinous activity every few years, preying on other islands to satisfy their twisted desires.

Furthermore, apart from being a source of pleasure, the Hunting Competition allowed the Celestial Dragons to assert their dominance over ordinary people. They took immense pride in their privileged status and went to great lengths to remind others of their superiority. Without a doubt, the Hunting Competition would have persisted if not for the incident that unfolded at God Valley.

The Incident

The God Valley Incident is a renowned and enigmatic event that occurred in the world of One Piece. It took place 38 years prior to the current timeline and attracted numerous prominent figures. While the Celestial Dragons were occupied with their competition, the formidable Rocks Pirates infiltrated the island. The desires of Rocks D. Xebec remain unclear to this day. The Rocks Pirates launched an assault on the Celestial Dragons and their servants, leaving only Saturn and Figarland Garling as potential adversaries capable of matching their might. Despite their strength, it would have been impossible for them to withstand an attack led by the legendary Rocks and his crew. Comprising some of the most formidable individuals in history such as Shiki, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and others, the best they could do was delay and await reinforcements.

Shortly after the Rocks Pirates arrived, Monkey D. Garp made his way to the location. The Marines were soon followed by the Roger Pirates. Sengoku revealed that Garp had formed an alliance with Gol D. Roger in order to bring down the Rocks Pirates. Eventually, the legendary pirate crew was defeated and disbanded. The death of Rocks D. Xebec came as a great relief to the World Government as he posed the biggest threat to their authority.

Following the God Valley incident, the entire island mysteriously vanished. As fans already know, the World Government possesses the means to obliterate an entire island, so it is reasonable to speculate that they were involved in the disappearance of God Valley. In the wake of this incident, the Celestial Dragons' Hunting Competition was shut down as they could not risk a similar catastrophe. In the upcoming chapters, Oda will undoubtedly reveal further details about the God Valley incident and the events that unfolded on the now unlocatable island.

One Piece manga is available to read on Viz Media.