Summary
Out of all the arcs in theOne Piecestory, none have been surrounded by as much hype as Elbaf. Ever since Little Garden, both the fans and the Straw Hats themselves have been looking forward to their adventure in the land of the Giants, since Dorry and Brogy spoke of this fabled land of warriors and the story since then has only sold the image of this place even more with lore and historical context.
As soon as the Straw Hats reached Elbaf, everything was immediately dialed up to 11. Not only were the most significant reveals regarding theOne Piecestory made here, but many questions were quickly answered and themain conflict was made apparent. Due to this, many fans believe that the current events of Elbaf will be relatively short, with the bulk of the arc comprising of even bigger reveals for the larger story.
Latest Chapter
One Piece, Chapter 1147, “What We’re Afraid Of”
When it started, Elbaf wasted no time in setting itself apart from the typical story structure ofOne Piecearcs. The main thing here was that, right from the offset, major beats were touched upon and massive reveals about the world and thebiggest players in the Final Sagawere made, the most notable of which was the mural on the Adam Tree and the confirmation of one of the franchise’s greatest theories; Shanks having a twin brother.
Since then, the Gods Knights have made their move and have revealed their plan to everyone. Essentially, they seek to bring Elbaf under the fold of the World Government by kidnapping the children and holding them hostage, which would ensure the Giants' loyalty in the upcoming Final War. As of Chapter 1147, which is the latest one at the time of writing, Scopper Gaban and Robin have jumped into the battle against these powerful villains, while the Monster Trio is still in the underworld and the rest of the Straw Hats have been captured.
Unlike most other arcs, the events of Elbaf are moving quite rapidly, considering the fight against what are currently the major villains of the arc has already begun after only 21 chapters. Unless Oda stretches the final battle outto be monumentally drawn out, it seems that this conflict could end sooner than most people expected, which would come as quite a surprise, but a welcome one at that.
The most probable trajectory will deal with the battle against the Gods Knights happening sooner than everyone thinks, most likely with Scopper and Robin facing defeat at their hands. This would bleed into the familiar structure of the Monster Trio having to fight the toughest enemies in this story arc, with the remaining time of the arc largely focusing on the most important flashbacks.
They all say I went and killed dad with pure murder in my heart. But you don’t believe that, do you?
The obvious flashback that is awaiting the series has to do with Loki’s backstory.Chapter 1146 ended on a rather ominous note, with Sommers claiming that the late King Harald somehow messed everything up. Although the details of what this means are still blurry, most fans are convinced that this confirmed the theory of Harald actually being evil and secretly working with the Gods Knights to ensure Elbaf’s loyalty to the World Government. This flashback would show the truth of this and how Loki was truly framed for everything.
The other flashback is one that fans have been waiting to see ever since the Wano arc, where the events of God Valley and the character of Rocks D. Xebec are finally brought to light. Scopper even told Luffy and Zoro to come find him once everything on Elbaf has ended, and seeing how he is one of the few people alive who knows about the events of God Valley, he will finally shed some light on an event mired in theorization and intrigue. Although unlikely, there may even be a flashback to what happened during the Void Century, which could also come from Scopper on account of him knowing the true history, or Robin due to her time in the Owl Library.
Why This Arc May Be Just As Long As Wano, Or Even Longer
An Alternative View
Conversely, there is just as much of a possibility of Elbaf being among the longest arcs in the franchise, considering the amount of hype this island has both in the world and among fans. While it’s true that the battle against the Gods Knights, who are almost definitely going to be the main villains in this arc, is going by quite quickly, one notable thing to consider is the fact that thepower of Luffy seems to be far greater. While exceptionally powerful, these Celestial Dragons are unlikely to pose a problem for Luffy.
This is made even more true with Zoro and Sanji around, so how could this arc be longer? The answer to this lies with Loki, since many fans believe that, for one reason or another, he may have some sort of antagonistic role, albeit for a brief while before he inevitably becomes a hero. If this is true, the arc could go on even longer than after the battle against the Gods Knights concludes. Plus, being the user of a legendary Nika fruit that likely transforms him into the destroyer version of the Sun God, Loki could be the perfect match-up for Luffy here.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
