Alright, let’s dive into this whole “does Cavendish know about Hakuba” thing. It’s been bouncing around in my head for a while, and I finally decided to do some digging, some testing, just to see what’s up.
First off, why even bother? Well, in the One Piece universe, Cavendish and Hakuba are basically the same dude, but Hakuba is like Cavendish’s super-fast, super-violent alter ego. Cavendish doesn’t remember being Hakuba. So the question is, deep down, does he know?
So, here’s what I did. I figured I couldn’t exactly interview a fictional character, right? So, I went for the next best thing: trying to find clues within the story itself.
- Step 1: Re-read Dressrosa. Yep, the whole thing. Again. Pay attention to every panel with Cavendish/Hakuba. Looked for any subtle hints, any weird reactions, anything that might suggest a subconscious awareness.
- Step 2: Note Taking Frenzy. I wrote down every single instance where Cavendish transforms, or where Hakuba takes over, or where someone mentions Hakuba around Cavendish. Then I tried to analyze his reactions. Is he just confused? Annoyed? Or is there something else there?
- Step 3: Observe his behavior. I tried to observe the instances when Hakuba takes over, does Cavendish get exhausted before or after ? Is there anything triggers his transformation?
- Step 4: Compare to other split personalities. This was tricky. I looked at how other characters with split personalities are portrayed in fiction. Sometimes there are subtle hints, sometimes the person has no clue. Tried to see if Cavendish’s portrayal lined up with any specific tropes.
What I Found (So Far):
Honestly, it’s murky. There’s no smoking gun. Cavendish seems genuinely clueless. He’s always surprised when people tell him what Hakuba did. He acts like he’s just woken up from a nap.
BUT… there are a few moments that made me raise an eyebrow.
- There was one time during the Dressrosa arc, after Hakuba had a particularly nasty rampage, Cavendish woke up and immediately apologized. He didn’t know what he was apologizing for, but he seemed to sense that he’d done something wrong. Like a vague guilt.
- Also, sometimes when people talk about Hakuba’s speed, Cavendish will kind of nervously laugh. Like he’s trying to play it off, but maybe there’s a little flicker of recognition there.
My Conclusion (For Now):
I’m leaning towards “Cavendish subconsciously knows.” I don’t think he has conscious memories of being Hakuba. But maybe, deep down, he’s aware that something’s not right. Maybe that’s why he’s so obsessed with being beautiful and famous – a way to compensate for the uncontrollable darkness inside him?
It’s just a theory, of course. Oda could reveal anything later on. But for now, that’s my take. It was a fun deep dive, even if it didn’t give me a definitive answer.
