One Piece Officially Unveils A New Poneglyph Reader After 25 Years (original) (raw)

Image created by the author Rei Penber using One Piece assets.

Published Jun 14, 2026, 7:35 PM EDT

Rei Penber is the Deputy Lead Editor for GameRant's Anime and Manga team, originally from Kashmir and currently based in Beirut. He brings seven years of professional experience as a writer and editor, five of which have been spent shaping the editorial standard at GameRant. Prior to his current role, he served as a Staff Writer at CBR (Comic Book Resources). Rei specializes in all things anime and manga, delivering industry-leading coverage for series like One Piece, Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling, among many others. Rei excels at deep analysis of lore and intricate breakdowns of the narrative, along with high-level powerscaling. When he isn't working to improve GameRant's coverage of the latest developments in the anime and the manga world, he is re-reading his favorite story of all time, One Piece.

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The Poneglyphs are ancient stones carrying the stories of the past, as well as the important message carved out by those of the Kozuki 800 years ago in the world of One Piece. These Poneglyphs are incredibly important in the overarching story by Eiichiro Oda, and they are connected directly to the Final Island, Laugh Tale.

The Poneglyphs hold the true history of the One Piece world, which connects to One Piece itself as well as Nico Robin, the archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates. For a very long time, she was the only person alive capable of deciphering these Poneglyphs. However, the Final Saga of One Piece has changed things drastically by introducing more characters capable of reading the Poneglyphs in different ways. Now, Eiichiro Oda has officially added another character to the mix, as well as two future potential Poneglyph readers as well. This new character is none other than the former Daimyo of Wano — Kozuki Sukiyaki.

One Piece Officially Brought Back Kozuki Sukiyaki At The End Of Wano

The Poneglyphs are directly tied to the Kozuki clan of Wano, given that it was they who crafted these stones. This major revelation was officially made by the author Eiichiro Oda in One Piece chapter 818, released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #14 on March 7, 2016. It was revealed that all the Poneglyphs were carved out by them around 800 years ago to hold the message of the War against the World Government, as well as the destruction of the Ancient Kingdom. Given that the message is significant and tells their story despite the Government's attempt to erase it, it makes sense as to why the Government deemed it forbidden to ever decipher them.

“For generations, the Kozuki Clan of Wano has been a line of stonemasons, cutting and carvings stone. Even now, their skill with rock is unparalleled. Eight hundred years ago into the past, the Kozuki Clan created the indestructible stone documents called the Poneglyphs.” — Nekomamushi explains Kozuki Poneglyphs, One Piece Chapter #818

However, centuries later, Poneglyph readers still exist. Ohara was officially destroyed in One Piece chapter 397, as shown in WSJ Issue #9 on January 30, 2006, specifically because they tried to decipher the Poneglyphs, but Nico Robin, the last light of revolution, still remains. One Piece's Wano arc shed quite some light on the Poneglyphs and, at the end, gave us a big surprise by revealing that Kozuki Sukiyaki, the father of Oden, was actually still alive and living under the identity of Tenguyama Hitetsu. It was Sukiyaki who taught Oden how to read and write Poneglyphs.

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Within the Kozuki family, the tradition of reading and writing Poneglyphs has been passed down through generations, and Sukiyaki was the second-to-last of the Kozuki to be able to read and write Poneglyphs, with him being confirmed alive in One Piece chapter 1053, released officially in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #29 on June 20, 2022. One Piece now has an additional Poneglyph Reader who is sure to play a significant role in the future.

“I am Kozuki Sukiyaki, the father of Kozuki Oden. Momonosuke doesn't know, and I don't intend to tell him yet.” — Kozuki Sukiyaki explains his true identity, One Piece Chapter 1053

Sukiyaki Is Officially Set To Pass Poneglyph Reading And Writing Skills To Momonosuke And Hiyori

one piece best sibling duos ranked

The most exciting part of Kozuki Sukiyaki being alive as a Poneglyph reader is that he can now officially pass down this skill once again. It was Sukiyaki who taught Oden how to read and write Poneglyphs, and Oden then helped Roger reach the Final Island, Laugh Tale. The message carved in the Golden Bell on Skypiea, as seen in One Piece chapter 966, was also down to none other than Kozuki Oden.

“Show it to me, Roger! Show me the final chapter of your grand, life-spanning adventure!” — Kozuki Oden to Roger, One Piece Chapter #966

Although Oden is dead, Sukiyaki is still alive, which means the next in line to learn how to read and write Poneglyphs are going to be none other than Kozuki Momonosuke as well as Kozuki Hiyori. Both of these characters are going to learn how to read and write this ancient language that has been lost to time, and as such, they will go on to play a significant role in the story moving forward.

“There may be some things I can still help shed light on. That's all an old man like me is capable of now anyway.” — Sukiyaki promises to help Momonosuke and Hiyori, One Piece Chapter #1056

Right now, Kozuki Momonosuke rules as the Shogun of Wano. Although he is just 8 years old, he has the body of an adult, and with time, he will come to learn how to read this ancient script as well as write it himself. This knowledge of the ancient script will be passed down through Momonosuke to his future children and then their children in the future. Similarly, Kozuki Hiyori will also be taught this ancient script as the Princess of Wano by none other than Sukiyaki, her grandfather. Through Kozuki Hiyori, the future generation will continue to learn how to read and write Poneglyphs.

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Why One Piece's Poneglyph Readers Will Be Key In The Final Saga

Poneglyph from One Piece

One Piece's Final Saga is solely focused on the race to the Final Island, and as such, the Poneglyphs are the most important aspect in this part of the story. To reach the Final Island, Laugh Tale, one needs four Road Poneglyphs. This was officially confirmed by Nekomamushi and Inuarashi in One Piece Chapter #818, released officially in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #14 on March 7, 2016. Right now, the Straw Hat Pirates have three Road Poneglyphs. Meanwhile, the Blackbeard Pirates are projected to have three Road Poneglyphs as well, and Shanks took two Road Poneglyphs from Eustass Kid, while knowing the location of the Zou Road Poneglyph. Buggy has none at the moment, but is likely to acquire all in a matter of time.

Once all the Yonko have the Road Poneglyphs, the question of deciphering them comes up, and this is where all these characters are going to be key. The Straw Hat Pirates already have Nico Robin, who can decipher the Poneglyphs for Luffy; however, the others still need a Poneglyph reader. The Blackbeard Pirates have Pudding right now, who is from the Three-Eyed Tribe and can decipher these Poneglyphs potentially. Similarly, Kozuki Hiori and Momonosuke, as well as Sukiyaki himself, all possess this ability as well, and they could thus be key targets in the Final Saga moving forward. What Eiichiro Oda will do with these Poneglyph readers has not been confirmed just yet, but it will be interesting to see how things move forward and how they are incorporated into the story in the next few years.

All the newest One Piece chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV