One Piece: Gunko’s Past, Devil Fruit Powers, and More Explained

If you were thinking that Oda would stop introducing new characters since we have entered the final saga of One Piece, you are completely wrong. Even now, the author takes his time introducing new characters who play a significant role in shaping One Piece’s ending. Apart from the giants, Oda has also been actively establishing the members of the God’s Knights in the ongoing Elbaf arc. Among them, Gunko is still the main member drawing all our attention as she is related to both Imu and Brook. So who is this Gunko? What’s her relationship with Brook? What are her Devil Fruit powers? Let’s explore everything one by one here.

Spoilers Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers about Gunko from One Piece. Read at your own discretion if you want to learn more about Gunko’s past with Brook, relation to Imu, her arrow powers, and more here.

Who Is Gunko in One Piece?

Gunko is the first God’s Knight member, aka Holy Knight, to be introduced in the story, along with Figarland Shamrock, in the Elbaf arc. Her origins remained unknown during the time she infiltrated the Aurust Castle. Later, Oda changed her origins and confirmed that Gunko is indeed a Celestial Dragon (more on that below) in One Piece Vol. 112. Gunko was also seen as Imu’s close servant during Rocks‘ flashback.

Gunko’s character remains mysterious as we still don’t know which side she is on. The author has been constantly teasing a connection between Gunko and Brook, but at the moment, Imu has taken control of her body in the story. Therefore, Gunko is currently viewed as one of the main antagonists of the Elbaf arc, but Gunko’s backstory changes our perspectives on her forever.

Gunko’s Past With Brook in One Piece

When Gunko was first revealed to be a big fan of Brooks’ music, everyone believed it was a funny gag for the Elbaf arc. But Oda surprised the fans by showcasing that Gunko and Brook have been close since she was just a kid. With their connection going beyond music, everyone wondered how these are connected by fate. Now we finally know the answer to this question.

In One Piece Chapter 1173, Brook begins to recognize that Gunko bears a striking resemblance to Princess Shuri, a character from his past, right down to her facial features, such as the blue hair, heterochromia eyes, etc. To everyone’s surprise, Brook reveals that he wishes never to see the princess again! So, why is Brook so angry about Gunko?

According to Brook, Gunko took the life of someone whom Brook was forever indebted to. It is none other than Gunko’s own father because Brook calls Gunko the ‘patricidal princess.’ In the past, Brook mentioned that he was the leader of a battle convoy of a certain kingdom. Now, we know that it was Gunko’s father’s kingdom. As Gunko killed an important person in Brook’s life, the man vowed not to meet her or think about her in the seas.

Gunko’s Origins

As I mentioned earlier, Gunko’s Celestial Dragon origins have been redefined in One Piece volume 112. Now, Gunko is a World Noble hailing from the Manmayer family. She possesses the saintess title and is not from the Nerona family, as we previously expected her to be.

Now that it is known that she is the princess of an unknown kingdom, it seems as if Imu or the God’s Knights made Gunko kill her father. Then they must have kidnapped her when she was just a kid and raised her as one of the members of the Manmayer family. We are awaiting more new details about Gunko’s past soon.

How Old Is Gunko in One Piece?

One look at Gunko’s character design, and you can tell that she has the appearance of a female in her early or mid 20s. However, that isn’t the case since Gunko was present during the events of the God Valley incident, which took place 38 years ago. So, Gunko has been around for a very long time. Because the immortality perks of being a Holy Knight allow her to maintain a youthful appearance.

In the latest One Piece chapter 1173, Brook confirmed that if Princess Shuri were alive today, she would be around 80 years old. Since Gunko is indirectly confirmed to be the princess who killed her father, Gunko’s approximate age is around 80 years old as well.

Are Gunko and Imu the Same?

No! Gunko and Imu are totally two different characters, but they do share a strong connection. When fans wondered whether Gunko belongs in the Nerona family, it was cleared up as Gunko hailing from the Manmayer family. They do have a unique eye design and similar Devil Fruit abilities. But the thing that connects them is Imu’s devil contracts.

Gunko has been directly serving Imu for a longtime as she used to be Imu’s servant in the past and now works as a God’s Knight member. Thus, this devilish pact allows Imu to take control of her body whenever they like to. That is how Imu possesses Gunko’s body in the Elbaf arc and manages to control her even when Gunko tries to escape Imu’s grasp.

What Is Gunko’s Devil Fruit?

As one would expect, Gunko is revealed to be a Devil Fruit user, and she ate the Aro Aro no Mi (Arrow-Arrow Devil Fruit) sometime in her life. This fruit bestowed upon her the ability to produce arrow strips. If you are considering this to be a terrible power, I’m afraid to say you are wrong, as the Aro Aro no Mi is excellent in both offensive and defensive situations.

Gunko can use these arrow strips to attack opponents, form new creatures, such as a bird to fly on it, or change the trajectory of her enemies’ attacks, and so on. The most useful aspect is that she can wrap her fists and legs with the arrow strips to increase her attacking power. Thus, all in all, Gunko’s Aro Aro no Mi seems to be a versatile Devil Fruit in the story.

That’s everything we know so far about Gunko’s character in One Piece. Since Loki’s backstory has concluded, Oda is now focusing his attention on unraveling Gunko’s past. We will keep updating our article with the latest information we get about Gunko in the upcoming chapters, so make sure to bookmark our article!