Captain John’s treasure is one of the mysteries in One Piece that fans are curious to unravel. While it’s not at the same level of Laugh Tale or Joyboy and the Poneglyphs, the mystery of the treasure does have a cult following. Before the Wano arc began, popular theories online suggested how Captain John’s treasure could be related to the One Piece. Some outrageous theories also hinted at John and Gol D. Roger being the same person.

However, come Wano arc, we hear it from none other than Sengoku himself that Captain John was a member of the infamous Rocks crew back in his days. While this info debunked theories linking him and Roger (well not all of them), new ones have sprung up in its place that aim to answer the question regarding his treasure.

But before that, let’s look back at whatever little we know about Captain John.

Who is Captain John?

Captain John was a pirate, renowned for having collected and stowed away one of the most significant treasures during his voyages in the world of One Piece. However, he decided to keep his treasure for himself and hid it in a cave. This cave of riches is sought after by the new-age pirates, most notably Buggy.

Captain John was a member of the feared Rocks Pirates. After Rocks was defeated at God Valley by Garp and Sengoku, Captain John went out and started his own crew. However, it has not been explicitly stated if he was present in the incident at God Valley or if he stayed in the crew till Rocks D. Xebec was taken down.

Apparently, Captain John had already collected a large amount of treasure by the time he started out on his own. His crew soon realised that he had no intentions of sharing the vast treasure with them. Thus they turned hostile and stabbed him to death. His crew would later search for the treasure extensively. But they failed to find it. This turned Captain John’s treasure into a myth. A lot of pirates dreamt of finding this treasure and among them was Buggy.

The last we saw Captain John, he was a zombie on Thriller Bark. His body had been retrieved by Moria and animated using the shadow of a drunkard.

What is Captain John’s Treasure?

According to Buggy, Capain John’s treasure is a cave filled with riches. It is believed to be all the valuable things that he collected during his voyages. Think of something akin to the trasures that Luffy and crew found in Skypiea. But it is possible that Buggy’s treasure could serve a greater purpose.

For a long time, it was theorized that the treasure would be the Fourth Poneglyph that would guide the Strawhats to One Piece. However, during Oden’s flashback, we see that the fourth Poneglyph was actually present on the Fishman Island. It was right next to the poneglyph in which Joyboy was apologizing to a previous mermaid princess. This event happened 26 years ago, meaning it took place 12 years after the fall of Rocks Pirates.

For Captain John’s treasure to be the final road poneglyph, he should have come to Fishman Island sometime after Roger came and taken the poneglyph with him. Since we don’t know when Captain John died, this theory still holds some water. However, it pales in comparison to the other theories which talk about the location of the fourth poneglyph.

Buggy’s return to the plot!

Given how Buggy seems to find his way into the story in the most bizarre ways possible, there is still a low-key chance that the treasure indeed would be the fourth poneglyph or something that is related to the One Piece. Buggy did not go Laugh Tale with Roger (One piecce chapter 967). However, he does know about the Road Poneglyphs. Imagine his disappointment, or his surprise, when he stumbles upon this Poneglyph, thanks to the armband he bargained and received from Luffy in Impel Down.

Allow me to jog your memory. The armband that Luffy had was the one Nami stole from Moria’s treasure on Thriller Bark. This armband is a map that points to Captan John’s treasure in someway. While Luffy and Nami were oblivious to this fact, Buggy immediately realised its importance and took it from Luffy in return for helping him at Impel Down (One Piece chapter 527). Luffy hands him the armband even after finding out that it was a treasure map.

But, even if the treasure is not a Poneglyph, Buggy making an appearance at the location of the treasure, would add an interesting gag element to the story. Say they come to Wano during the big brawl…how good would it be?

Where is Captain John’s treasure?

Before the Wano arc began, a lot of fans had speculated that Captain John’s treasure was at last island on the Grand Line. It was even connected to the One Piece or believed to be something that would ultimately lead Luffy and his crew to One Piece. However, come Wano arc, new details came to light and with it new theories.

In chapter 233, we see Buggy searching for Captain John’s treasure on a skull-shaped island in the Grand Line. While he was unable to find the treasure there, it is rumored that he might have got information about the treasure being on a Grand Line island with a skull-like structure. If that’s true, then there’s a real possibility of the cave of riches existing in one of the following locations.

Captain John’s treasure is on Onigashima?

Onigashima is a skull-shaped island. There are many underground caves in the island which haven’t been used for long. This is visible during the raid that is currently happening on the island (One piece chapter 998).

Captain John has a distant connection to Onigashima through Moria and/or Kaido. We know that Moria was grave robbing in Wano in the past. That is how he got his hands on the Shusui. Kaido, who was Captain John’s ex-crewmate, was there on Wano at that time.

It is possible that Moria found Captain John’s body in Wano. If John’s body was indeed on Wano, it would mean that he was murdered and buried there. Or someone (Kaido) could have retrieved his remains and then laid him to rest on Wano.

In the past Onigashima was a deserted and nameless island. This would make it a perfect place to hide your treasure. And even if John’s crew killed him on Wano, it is also possible that the crew never knew about the existence of Onigashima and hence never searched it.

If Kaido was responsible for burying Captain John’s body in Wano (after coming to know about the treasure), then it would add more depth to why he brutally killed Moria’s crew. Could it be payback for taking away the body of his ex-crewmate?

However, there is one downside to this theory. Moria only began forming his undead army after he met Dr. Hogback. And this happened YEARS AFTER Moria faced off with Kaido. While it is possible that he retrieved the body then and only put it to use later, it makes no sense for him to keep a rotting body in possession without being able to do much about it.

Captain John’s treasure is on Fullalead (Hachinosu/Beehive)?

This seems like a plausible scenario because of the island’s shape and also due to its connection with the Rocks crew. Fullalead (Hachinosu) is the island where the Rocks crew banded together. It is possible that Captain John was also among its ranks then. Knowing the island well, he could have opted to hide his treasure here. Rocks’ infamy would probably keep pirates from visiting this island or making it their base.

Could it be on God Valley?

Since Captain John had an armband, which is a map that points to his treasure, we could assume that it would be at a location that is not easily accessible. And one location that comes to mind when we think of the Captain, his ex-crew Rocks Pirate and the lore surrounding it is the God Valley.

Could Captain John have left behind his treasure on God Valley before it got destroyed? And then he could have made a map that pointed to its precise location because he was aware that the World Government would eventually wipe the island off the maps. What better place to hide your treasure eh?

Could Captain John’s treasure be on Jaya island?

While this is a bit far-fetched, Jaya island once had the shape of a skull. It was also covered in riches. For captain John to have known this, he should have figured out about the missing part of Jaya and its location on Skypiea. Did Captain John go to Skypiea with the Rocks Pirates? Did he leave his treasure in some cave there? Is this why others were never able to find the treasure.

As an ardent follower of theories related to One Piece and everything surrounding it, I am pretty sure that Enel and even Skypiea have a huge role to play in the future of the series. If the treasure indeed is on the sky island and it is somehow related to Enel, then we could see them playing an important role in the coming arcs again. What are your thoughts on Captain Johns treasure? Where do you think it is located? Let me know your opinions in the comments section below!