[Theory] One Piece – Yamato The Master Brewer/Zymurgist

May 27, 2022 by Syphin 2 Comments

Leading up towards the conclusion for the Wano Arc (as at chapter 1049), discussion regarding Yamato’s role aboard the Thousand Sunny in the case they join has been debated very broadly as certainty remains lacking within the established story. Nothing extends out as definite but there are notable possibilities promoted. I for one have been championing the Stonemason theory. Recently though, I have been made aware of the Master Brewer possibility. Initially, I conceived that role as an intensely uninspiring one but the more I think about Master Brewer, the more plausible it seems, especially when you bring into the equation Oden.

There is a certain statement Oden made during his final words that may have influenced Yamato into pursuing a particular profession. Before the iconic “I AM ODEN AND I WAS BORN…TO BOIL” farewell that he yelled, he expressed a very curious statement to Kaido.

• 

• 

For I am a story to accompany your drinks…

Kozuki Oden (chapter 972)

Yamato was present during that message and Kaido’s subsequent actions that left him mortified, inspired and completely in tears. It wouldn’t be erroneous to suggest the Hour of Legends was burned into Yamato’s memories and entire being. Following Oden’s execution, Yamato was compelled to rush toward Kuri to save Momonosuke. He was too late but what Yamato found was Oden’s journal. A journal that detailed Oden’s story.

With the Kozuki family and Akazaya Samurai believed dead, and the Daimyo having sacrificed themselves to save Yamato, the only person who now knew Oden’s story (beyond his presence in Wano) was Yamato. After Oden died, Yamato inherited Oden’s will. If Yamato processed Oden’s final message as something he wished to uphold, he could have interpreted the above part of the message as more than just words but a path on which he found himself traversing.

Yamato knew Oden’s story and in order to establish a setting in which he could express that story as per Oden’s final words, he could have learned how to brew drinks. By preparing drinks, he could share it with others and have an excuse to convey the story of Oden which until the Onigashima raid, he believed he was the only one aware of.

Further, when you take into account what Oda has revealed about what Yamato knows, there is genuine reason to believe that Brewer is a sound possibility. What evidence is this you ask? Well, it is the knowledge Yamato has regarding the construction of Vivre Cards. Now, I concede that fermentation and the construction of [special] paper aren’t directly related but when you take a step back both are subject to chemical processes where breaking down the original source material is required.

The exact process for the creation of Vivre Cards isn’t known at this point but the main material used in the process are an individuals fingernails. Another key aspect of Vivre Cards to remember is that they are waterproof and fireproof. Vivre Cards aren’t just ordinary paper. Considering the production of Vivre Cards aren’t just limited to one particular person who possesses some power, it conveys that the process can be learned and mastered. It is a knowledge based skill opposed to a genetic one. To produce the type of paper that is waterproof and fireproof while incorporating a person’s fingernails, several chemical processes breaking down the original material (fingernails and wood) would be required to produce chemical wood pulp or semichemical pulp. On a side note, to plug the Stonemason theory, the equipment Yamato may have used for this process like stone grinders (for mechanical, groundwood or semichemical pulp) and some sort of stone flattening press device could have been created from the stonemason skills he picked up from Oden’s journal and honed through pactice (Stonemason + Brewer let’s goooo!).

As for why I brought up the production of Vivre Cards in relation to fermentation, since both involve chemical processes, it wouldn’t be illogical and surprising for Yamato to have taken his knowledge (of producing Vivre Cards) further and applied it to learning how fermentation works. Or it could be the other way around where Yamato learned how to create Vivre Cards because he knew how to create drinks as within the chemical wood pulp or semichemical pulp process, there are methods of creating paper that involve using soda or liquor i.e. soda pulping and kraft pulping. Being a brewer can go hand-in-hand with producing Vivre Cards.

It may be coincidental but things get even more sweaty. The term “ferment” comes from the Latin word fervere, which means “to boil.” What was Oden’s last words again?

I AM ODEN AND I WAS BORN…TO BOIL

Kozuki Oden (chapter 972)

To be a Brewer is to know how to ferment i.e. to boil.

• 

• 

Yamato admires Oden and wishes to be like him. I am not sure how this translate over in Japanese but what if Yamato took the “to boil” aspect of Oden into a different direction i.e. fermentation? When the Brewer role is filtered through such a context, it doesn’t convey itself as being wholly detached from Yamato and the story Oda is presenting. And rather than a Brewer title, Oda could go with something more encompassing to refer to Yamato’s role, a Zymurgist (one who studies the chemical process of fermentation in brewing and distilling aka a knowledgeable brewer).

Use of brewing/chemical skills to the Straw Hat Pirates:

• Production of Vivre Cards;
• Production of super paper for Nami and Robin to use for drawing maps and recording historical text (waterpoor and fireproof); and
• Production of Cola. With the Thousand Sunny and Franky’s main fuel source being cola, Yamato could provide them some assistance in this area. Yamato may even be able to brew more intense cola than Franky is usually accustomed to which could provide the Sunny and him with a more potent fuel source to power themselves with i.e. indirect power-up

Yamato being a Zymurgist can also assist with clearing the polluted water in Wano Kuni. Fermentation is a process that can be used for sewage treatment. But I’ll save that theory for a later time when I have done more research into the matter. These are just some of my thoughts on the this possibility. Going forward, I will be very curious to see how Yamato’s talents beyond fighting are explored, especially if it incorporates knowledge he derived from Oden’s journal.

---

>>Yamato: The Bonds Of Sea And Adventure (Nakama Theory)