Hinokizu is one of the most mysterious figures in One Piece. He’s more commonly referred to as the Man Marked by Flames in the series, with very few mentions. From what we know, he is rumored to possess the Road Poneglyph which was originally on Fish-Man Island.
The Kid Pirates are actively looking for him, while the Blackbeard Pirates inquired Aokiji about his identity. According to Laffitte and Shiryu, the man sails an all-black ship and anyone who approaches will be swallowed by a whirlpool. Now who in One Piece fits this description?
From Sabo to Scopper Gaban, several fans have theorized who could be the Man Marked by Flames in One Piece. Carrying the missing Road Poneglyph puts a huge target on his back and it will have to be someone incredibly strong to defend it.
That’s why fans have always believed it might be a Roger Pirate. However, after the Elbaph Arc, it’s not who we thought it was. Gaban has been the most theorized but we’ve all seen domestic life called to him more. So who else in Roger’s crew fits the bill?
This One Piece theory convinced us that Sunbell is the Man Marked by Flames
After the Roger Pirates disbanded, we’ve only met a few of them active in the One Piece world: Shanks, Buggy, Crocus, Silvers Rayleigh, and most recently, Scopper Gaban. Before Gaban’s appearance in the Elbaph Arc, fans were convinced he was Hinokizu.
Now that we know it’s unlikely, fans looked at the other crewmates and hit the target at Sunbell. The former Roger Pirate is a fish-man so he’s naturally stronger than most humans and can manipulate water.
Sunbell is a veteran Roger Pirate who was also involved in the God Valley Incident. It’s more than possible he was trusted by Gol D. Roger and because of his connection, King Neptune did too. We know the Roger Pirates went to Fish-Man Island and were respected.
According to this theory by That One Piece Talk, Gol D. Roger possibly collaborated with King Neptune to protect the Road Poneglyph and asked him to entrust it to Sunbell. Since he can manipulate water, he can also create the whirlpools that prevent anyone from approaching Hinokizu’s ship.
The only piece that’s missing is how Sunbell would be “marked by flames.” The Sun God Nika is given such great importance in One Piece that maybe it’s just a metaphor for his followers and he is one of them.
We don’t know enough about Sunbell to assume but this theory is the most convincing so far without having to rely on a Devil Fruit.
Who else could be Hinokizu?
One Piece fans are using crumbs to find evidence of who he might be. The most popular theory is that Monkey D. Dragon is the Man Marked by Flames due to his burn mark and his potential Devil Fruit that can control the weather.
However, he’s also leading a revolution and probably can’t juggle that with protecting a Road Poneglyph.
Other theories suggest Rocks D. Xebec is still alive and stole it from Fish-Man Island. His Jolly Roger is the only hint as it displays a burning skull. That’s pretty on the nose but the mangaka sometimes leaves foreshadowing out in the open.
These theories go on and we won’t know the answer until Eiichiro Oda decides to reveal it to us in One Piece but Sunbell being the Man Marked by Flames all along would be an amazing twist that doesn’t overcomplicate the storyline.
One Piece is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. You can also read the manga on VIZ Media.
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