Noah, also known as the "Ship of Promise" (約束の舟,Yakusoku no Fune?),[2] is an enormous ship that was created during the Void Century by the denizens of Fish-Man Island.[3]QueenOtohime and KingNeptune believed the ship's purpose was for the mass migration of the island's citizens to the surface.[4]
Noah is an ark that is much larger than any other wooden ship seen so far in the series; it is about half of the size of Fish-Man Island itself.[3] There is a large dip in the guardrail on both sides where one would put a ramp or staircase to allow for embarking and disembarking from the vessel. The bridge is at least four stories high, has a curved roof, and the windows are covered with columns that resemble prison bars. The figurehead is round and curled outward at the top. It seems to have accrued a large layer of sludge or moss on the railing and figurehead, as well as what look like barnacles on the bottom of the hull.
The ship was designed to be pulled by Sea Kings. It has several winches jutting out from holes in its hull on either side. It seems to be held in place by large chains on the winches. The chains allow the Sea Kings to tow the ship.[6]
Noah is quite resilient, as it was able to survive the pressure 10,000 meters underwater for hundreds of years without any strain, and it took Monkey D. Luffy many hardened strikes to start breaking it apart.[7] Nevertheless, much of the ship's deck is currently damaged, due to Luffy, who started destroying it piece by piece in attempt to save Fish-Man Island before the Sea Kings intervened.[8]
History
Void Century
Hundreds of years ago, the citizens of Fish-Man Island constructed Noah[3] as part of an agreement made with Joy Boy to use Poseidon's powers to raise the ship to the surface. Joy Boy was unable to fulfill the promise for unknown reasons and was forced to leave Noah for another person to raise. To that end, the royal family of Fish-Man Island have protected Noah and passed on the legend of Joy Boy and Poseidon, awaiting the promised day.[9][10][11]
Fish-Man Island Saga
Fish-Man Island Arc
The ship stayed in the Fish-Man District where it was used as a base of operations for the New Fish-Man Pirates.[1]
After being rejected by Shirahoshi, Vander Decken IX, in a fit of rage, used his powers to "throw" the entire ship at the Mermaid Princess, in an attempt to destroy her along with all of Fish-Man Island.[3] When the ship appeared on Fish-Man Island's horizon, Neptune became incredibly nervous. Fukaboshi asked him why he was so nervous about an old piece of history, to which Neptune responded that absolutely no one was allowed to move the ship until a certain day came.[2] Neptune then explained to his sons that the ship was part of a promise made with "a great man" hundreds of years ago and that the ship should be protected until the promised day.[11] The ship continued on to Fish-Man Island, threatening to pop the bubble around the island. When Wadatsumi fell off the ship, the islanders immediately learned it was Decken's doing. Decken, on board of the ship, declared the end of everything. When Shirahoshi left the plaza to guide the ship away, Hody Jones climbed onto one of the ship's enormous chains and Luffy prepared to launch from Sanji's leg onto the ship, both in an attempt to stop Decken.[12]
As Shirahoshi escaped from Fish-Man Island's bubble, Noah turned away from the island. She swam up toward the surface, so Noah moved vertically, up to the surface. However, Jones reached the ship's deck and stabbed Decken,[13] intending for Decken's death to deactivate his power and cause the ship to drop directly down on Fish-Man Island. This led to a fight between Hody and Decken, with Hody winning. The ship did not immediately begin to fall,[14] until Decken slipped on some rubble and knocked himself unconscious, negating his power and control over Noah.[15] Luffy offered to destroy the ship before it could reach the island, but Hody sliced open the air bubble, limiting Luffy's ability to fight. The Ammo Knights successfully launched a large air bubble at Noah,[16] surrounding it with air once again.[17]
Upon finally defeating Hody, Luffy had no choice but to destroy the great ship due to it being otherwise unstoppable, and used his Elephant Gatling to smash the ship apart.[7] Before Luffy could destroy the ship completely, Noah was stopped by a group of Sea Kings that were summoned unknowingly by Shirahoshi, thus saving Fish-Man Island and maintaining the nation's promise to Joy Boy. However, the ship was still heavily damaged from Luffy's attack.[8]
After discussing the condition of the falling-apart ship, the Sea Kings wondered if it could be repaired. They expressed a need for help to fix the ship from an unspecified source but suggested that this source of aid was ancient and may no longer be able to help them. Leaving the ship in the Sea Forest, they hoped it could be fixed before the promised time arrived.[6][5]
Trivia
The ship is most likely named after the story of Noah's Ark.
Noah is the largest ship seen so far in the series, as Thriller Bark is a modified island and not a manmade ship.
