The latest chapter marks the third instance of the ancient robot responding to Luffy, suggesting that Nika (or rather Joyboy) may have once commanded the Iron Giant or even an army of similar giant robots, possibly hinting at the nature of the conflict that took place during the Void Century.

The Iron Giant May Be Powered By Nika’s Heartbeat

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda, chapter 1106

The Iron Giant has responded to Luffy in three different instances on Egghead so far, confirming that it is not a mere coincidence. The robot first responded to Luffy in chapter #1066, when Luffy and Chopper first discovered it, and thereafter seemed to light up during Luffy’s fight against Kizaru in chapter #1092. Now that it has begun to move, it appears that the Iron Giant isn’t simply responding to Nika’s heartbeat but may be powered by it, seeing as it went silent as soon as Luffy stopped using Gear Five.

This might also explain why Vegapunk could not figure out how to power the Iron Giant despite being the most brilliant scientist in the world of One Piece. As Shaka explains in chapter #1067, while he built the Vegaforce-1 based on the Iron Giant, he could not recreate some aspects of it, especially its power source. Shaka describes this power source as “strong enough to rewrite everything we know about the world today,” which conveniently fits the description of Nika’s reality-bending powers.

The History of the Iron Giant Explains Several Mysteries

While it is unclear whether the legendary figure of Sun God Nika ever existed at all, Zunesha’s appearance at Wano during Luffy’s awakening confirms that Joyboy was one of the previous users of the Nika fruit. If so, seeing as Vegapunk claims the Iron Giant was built 900 years ago, Joyboy may have led an army of giant robots like the Iron Giant on Egghead against the World Government.

This could explain why the World Government fears the Nika fruit awakening beyond the immediate powers it grants awakened users and why it has tried to acquire the fruit for centuries regardless of the cost. The Giants of Elbaf are already among the most powerful and feared beings in existence, so it makes sense to be even more wary of the Nika fruit if it can control robots of such stature with even greater destructive powers and abilities.

Moreover, this also explains the World Government’s general disregard for technological advancement, as seen from the destruction of Ohara and the Buster Call ordered on Egghead in the present. As seen in chapter #1105, Saint Saturn does not hesitate to destroy Egghead, even at the cost of losing precious research and scientific progress. Saturn claims that they “do not need progress” if it puts the World Government’s authority at stake. This implies the World Government possibly fears the return of a technologically advanced nation such as the one that opposed them during the Void Century, as well as the return of weapons like the Iron Giant led by Nika.

That said, there are still many mysteries surrounding the Iron Giant. It is still unclear what spurred the robot into climbing the Red Line 200 years ago or whether its attack against Mariejois could be connected to Fishman Island’s protest against discrimination that coincidentally took place during the same time. Little else is known about this period in history other than the fact that the Ryugu Kingdom attended their first Reverie and signed a peace treaty with the World Government which likely fell through as Fishman Island did not attend the Reverie for another 200 years.

One Piece Gives Luffy the One Power He’s Always Wanted

Regardless of what secrets the Iron Giant holds, it is safe to say that Luffy will be more than ecstatic to find out he can command an ancient giant robot. Much like Chopper and Ussop, Luffy has always been extremely fascinated by flashy gadgets and robots. His unbridled excitement can be seen every time Franky reveals a new transformation, a new modification to his weird cyborg body, or a newly added feature of the Thousand Sunny.

As such, the ability to control a robot like the Iron Giant is surely the one power Luffy has always secretly wanted. In fact, the first thing Luffy did when he came across the Iron Giant in chapter #1066 was search for a way to enter and control it, which only makes his new ability all the more fitting. Knowing Luffy, he might even try to take the Iron Giant along with him aboard the Sunny once he finds out he can command it. That is, of course, if the robot survives the battle on Egghead.

Either way, it will certainly be exciting to see what role the Iron Giant will play amidst the chaos on Egghead Island. The latest chapter has been full of unexpected surprises and has quite literally managed to turn the situation around in classic One Piece fashion and the Iron Giant, together with Luffy‘s newfound power, will surely play a major part in further turning the tide against the Marines.