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The MANGA.TOKYO staff had its share of summer. Now, all we wish is for the hot and humid weather to go away and give its place to the red and cool autumn.
Hi, it’s Mokugyo again! This article is a continuation to the previous article on Raftel in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. In the last article, we examined what the name could mean based on various theories discussed by fans. Today, I’d like to talk about its location and what the island could be like.
SPOILER ALERT
This article only contains light One Piece spoilers, so it should be fine to read even if you have only read/seen part of One Piece. However, if you really hate spoilers of all kinds then proceed with caution!
Is Raftel an island floating in the air? Is it in outer space?
The exact location of Raftel has yet to be revealed. Considering the fact that Roger’s pirate crew are the only people who we know to have seen the island, it certainly is very difficult to reach.
The most popular idea is that Raftel might be an island floating in the air, just like the floating castle in Laputa: Castle in the Sky. If the English spelling that Oda has in mind is actually ‘Rafter’ (instead of Raftel), then it is quite possibly that we are speaking about a floating island in the air. Indeed, there exist floating islands called ‘Sky Islands’ in the world of One Piece already. People also say that this island is another foreshadowing or side-shadowing for Raftel. It must be incredibly hard to find the island if it floats in the air and moves around like Laputa. Laputa castle was surrounded by thick clouds and it is also very possible that Raftel is also surrounded by thick clouds and cannot be seen from the outside.
Another popular but similar idea is that Raftel might be in outer space, especially on the Moon. This idea came about when we learned about the people on the Moon. If there are people living on the moon, then there is a way to reach the Moon. If it is so difficult to reach and the location is unknown, it might not be on Earth but in the outer space. I think it is quite plausible.
Is Raftel floating on water? Or is it at the bottom of the ocean?
Some believe that Raftel is a floating island on water that keeps changing its location. Some people have speculated so for quite a while, but with the elephant island called Zou appearing, more people started discussing this a lot more than before that Raftel also moves around like Zou that makes it even harder to locate. If Raftel is surrounded by fog and keeps moving, it can be incredibly hard to find and I find that plausible too.
Some say that Raftel must be at the bottom of the ocean, believing Fishman Island should be foreshadowing Raftel. I’m sure it should be extremely difficult to reach it if it’s lying deep down at the bottom of the ocean and nobody could easily find it by searching on water. The bottom of the ocean sounds like a best-fitting spot for the last piece of adventure for One Piece too.
(Next Page: Is Raftel on the Red Line?)
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