‘One Piece’ chapter 971: The traitor among the Nine Red Scabbards

Unfortunately, the “One Piece” chapter 971 release date has been pushed back. Instead of coming out on the 9th, the next installment of the manga series will arrive a week later on February 16.

Meanwhile, the net has been abuzz with the volume of different speculations and theories coming out. Among the most interesting ones are speculations on who the identity of the traitor within Oden’s camp might be, which will hopefully be revealed in the coming “One Piece” chapter 971.

The Nine Red Scabbards are nine samurais that have been with Oden even before he became the Daimyo of Kuri. They are thought to be loyal to their master but it appears one of them might actually be a spy working for the enemy.

This was already revealed in the previous “One Piece” manga chapter. When Oden rushed to Kaido’s castle to do battle his foe met him halfway.

At first, Kaido joked that he just finished his castle and does not want his home to become the battleground. However, he added that he knew Oden was coming because of a spy within his castle.

Now, the question fans want to be answered in “One Piece” chapter 971 is who that spy might be. However, one fan claims that he already worked out the identity of Kaido’s spy.

“It's Kanjuro, I'm like 90% sure,” Reddit user u/Wurdlak wrote. “Given the things we know the traitor revealed to the enemy and the timeline of events he is the one that makes the most sense, he was probably a traitor even before the time jump.”

“The second time among the information revealed was the fact that Hiyori is alive and in Ringo, not many people are privileged to that information - Zoro, Kawamatsu, Kin'emon, Raizo, Kikunojo, Inuarashi, Momo, Tenguyama, Kanjuro, and some other Straw Hats,” he added. “Kanjuro stands out as the most suspicious.”

It would also make sense to develop Kanjuro’s character in such a way since it would add more conflict and tension. “Kanjuro is the most underdeveloped of the scabbards even though he was the second to be introduced, the traitor plotline would work well to expand his character and add extra conflict to the scabbards,” the Redditor added.

Of course, there are other speculations as well. For instance, Piunikaweb put forth the possibility that it might even be Lady Toki herself. Hopefully, everything will be revealed with the arrival of “One Piece” chapter 971 next week.