I was double checking the timeline and realised that we know from Chapter 909 “Seppuku” that Ryūma’s grave was robbed 23 years ago (1 year after Roger’s death and 3 years before Oden’s death).
I had assumed that Moria fought Kaidō in Wano, got brutally defeated, but managed to rob the grave on his way out (…or he came back later with Hogback).
Yet Kaidō and Orochi only came to power some 3 years after the grave was robbed (20 years ago), implying Moria was in Wano before Kaidō was ever based there.
So either:
1. Kaidō beat Moria before either of them went to Wano. Moria and Hogback went to Wano after Moria’s crew was defeated elsewhere (after Moria had decided he needed Nakama who would never die). Moria got there first, then Kaidō 3 years later.
OR
2. One/(Both) of them has/(have) a longer history in Wano. The events of 23 years ago and 20 years ago were not the first times Moria/Kaidō spent time in Wano.
It seems more likely that 1 is true than 2, since everything the Kōzuki allies have described of Kaidō describes him as ‘an outsider who appeared out of nowhere to crush the rebellion and install Orochi as Shōgun’. So we have no reason to think Kaidō was there more than 23 years ago (when Moria robbed Ryūma’s corpse – assuming he did it and “kept it around” for 11+ years, as opposed to stealing it from the thief).
If Moria robbed Ryūma’s grave 3 years before Kaidō entered Wano – yet after being defeated by him (since we know that Moria sought out to reanimate corpses after the grief of losing his living crew) – then that implies Moria was connected to Wano earlier than Kaidō was…
I can now understand why many people think Moria is from Wano but I still think Moria probably just went to Wano because he heard the legends of Ryūma and wanted his strong corpse. The fact that the Kōzuki (光月) clan name is just the reverse of Gekkō (月光/ゲッコー) is too convenient to not wonder… but, what kind of traitor steals his own country’s national treasure and defiles his national hero’s corpse? So I don’t think he is from Wano…
What do you think?
*Theory by Aspie_Astrologer
