Dials are strange, mysterious devices made from the remains of particular shellfish, which have the ability to store energy and matter. The shellfish remains are gathered from the shallows near the shore of the White-White Sea. Though they originate from Skypiea, some of them can reach and be used in the lower seas.
Dials in General[]
There are many types of Dials that store various things depending on their type and most of them seem to be common throughout sky islands, though their rarity can vary by type with some being native to specific regions and some extinct. Dials come in many sizes and shapes, from the size of an average seashell to the size of a human. Dials store energy and matter itself, usually by that particular type of energy or matter being absorbed by a tiny hole or holes on one side of the Dial. The content can then be released by pressing the apex on the other side of the Dial. As long as they are not used or damaged, Dials seem to be capable of storing their contents indefinitely. If the shell of the Dial is broken they can become unusable.
Dials based on clouds are rendered useless on the Blue Sea due to the inability of the clouds to survive at that atmospheric temperature and pressure.
Dials are capable of letting the energy out in different amounts. Some use their contents all in one blast, such as Impact Dials, Axe Dials etc., while others are capable of storing multiple uses within their contents until it runs out, such as the Flame Dial, which then has to be refilled with that content for the dial to be used again.
Sky Warfare[]
On sky islands, battles are fought differently than down in the Blue Sea. Oftentimes, weapons are upgraded, or even combined, with Dials. This creates incredibly powerful weapons and combat styles, allowing for tactics that would otherwise be unachievable.
Impact Dials, as well as Reject Dials and Axe Dials, are generally hidden under bandages or a glove during Sky Warfare. Sometimes even Breath Dials, filled with noxious gases or bad smells, will be hidden as well. This allows for sneak attacks as the opponent will likely not be able to tell what kind of Dial it is, or that there even is one, until it's actually used.
Dials can provide even more of an advantage against those who do not know what they are and thus do not expect their opponents to be able to do such things. People who do not know about dials, such as many residents of the Blue Sea, can even mistake the power of a Dial for an innate ability of the user, such as when Perona mistook a blast from Usopp's Impact Dial as superhuman strength, since Dials are non-threatening in appearance, often small, and rare on the Blue Sea.
When using Dials in combat, the user will normally say the name of the Dial but omit the "Dial" part, such as "Impact!"
Dial Types[]
The only Dials known in the crossover series are:
Breath Dial[]
The Breath Dial is capable of storing air-currents. These Dials are usually used to propel wavers through water and on ships if there is no wind for sailing. These Dials can also be attached to the sides of a snowboard or "skates" as alternative methods of travel, as demonstrated by the Shandia.
Unlike Jet Dials, Breath Dials can carry smells and aromas as well. They are handy for storing gases, such as poisons, bad scents, and flammable substances.
Flash Dials[]
The Flash Dial is one of the three known types of Dials that store and release light. The Flash Dial lets out an extremely bright amount of light for a very brief period, effectively causing temporary blindness if used against a person similar to a flash bang grenade.
Impact Dial[]
The Impact Dial may be hit by anything blunt or incapable of slicing and will absorb the kinetic energy. Once the apex of the Dial is pressed, the stored energy is released, usually causing internal injuries to a living body, while not leaving any visible external damage. This blunt force is enough to wound even Luffy, who is usually immune to blunt force due to the Gum-Gum Fruit. The Impact Dial can also absorb the impact of explosions.
The Impact Dial, while not as dangerous as the Reject Dial, can still hurt the user through the backlash caused when such a large amount of energy is released, as shown with the most frequent user, Usopp, and Nami as well during her fight against Kotori. However, many Sky Warriors have been shown to be highly resistant to this recoil. It's unknown if there is a limit to the energy it can absorb, but so far these Dials have been able to absorb all the impact energy used against them.
Tone Dial[]
The Tone Dial, often abbreviated as TD in the Blue Sea, is able to record and replay sounds spoken into it, akin to an audio recorder. It was first shown to Luffy and Usopp by Pagaya and Conis, when they explained the various functions of Dials.
The most prominent use of a Tone Dial in the series comes from Brook, who bought one from a merchant on the Blue Seas, and used it to record the last song played by the Rumbar Pirates for their good friend, Laboon; he stores the Dial inside his skull.
During Brook's career as a world-famous rock star, he sold many Tone Dials with his music recorded on them. Given how many he sold, stated by his manager to be in the millions, they seem to be the most common of the Dials to make it down to the Blue Seas. They are sold in pairs and have been modified so they can be inserted into headphones and on special turntables so that people can enjoy music portably.
Trivia[]
- Usopp traded rubber bands in Skypiea for Dials, touting them as the power that beat Enel. As rubber is not found in Skypiea, it is a mysterious substance to the Skypieans.
- It is possible to get a hold of a dial without going up to the sky. The Rumbar Pirates bought a Tone Dial from a market, which they used to record their final performance for the whale Laboon, in hopes that their crewmate Brook would meet him again. Dial-based equipment, such as Wavers, also occasionally make their way down to the Blue Sea. It is also revealed that somehow during the two year timeskip, Brook sold about two million Tone Dials with his music recorded on them, similar to a CD or cassette tape in the real world.