Summary
Ever since the Elbaf arc began, the story ofOne Piecehas been escalating like crazy after each subsequent chapter. Although it is still in its infancy, the sheer amount of action, drama, and insane lore reveals have left fans of the franchise stunned, prompting many to already consider this one of the best arcs in the series. With the long-awaited reveal of the Gods Knights, fans were certain that they had seen the big bads of this arc.
However, many others aren’t as convinced. Although the Gods Knights are currently serving the role of the ruthless villains of the Elbaf arc as the direct opposition to the heroes and their goals, some fans think that the true final battle of this arc will befought between Luffy and Loki. This would be one of the most important fights in all ofOne Piecefor many reasons, so let’s take a look at why this may be the real final battle of Elbaf.
The Contest Of The Sun Gods
Luffy’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Loki’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1130, “The Accursed Prince”
Loki was first mentioned and alluded to in the Wholecake Island arc, where he seemed to be a good-natured Giant who was legitimately upset at his marriage rejection. However, the Elbaf arc proved this to be a gross miscalculation on the fans' part, since Loki is, in truth, themost spurned and deadly characteron the island, with all other residents treating and fearing him like a monster.
At the start of the arc, Loki was believed to be a terrifying villain who had eaten the legendary Devil Fruit of Elbaf, which was the greatest treasure of the island that allowed him to transform into the mythical Sun God Nika. However, his version was vastly different from that of Luffy, since he claims himself to be the Sun God who will destroy the world, whereas Luffy’s Nika state takes the form of a great liberator. This contrast set up the perfect battle between these two characters.
I am the Sun God who will bring about the end of the world!
However, later on, he was implied to be a far more sympathetic character than what fans had been led to believe, though the exact details of this remain unclear. It’s hinted thatLoki had nothing to do with the murderof his father and the misfortunes wrought upon Elbaf after the fact, making fans believe that he is, in truth, a flawed and misunderstood man who will eventually join the Straw Hats at the end as a vindicated hero who was blamed for all the crimes of the Gods Knights.
However, a recent fan theory claims that, although he is clearly misunderstood and wronged, he may still be the final fight awaiting Luffy on the island. The reasoning here has to do with how quickly everything is moving, with the battle between the heroes and the supposed final villains of the arc, the Gods Knights, already being underway in just 20 chapters.
Many believe that Loki’s backstory and the eventual reveal of the God Valley Incident will happen on Elbaf, which means that most of the arc will be taken up by these flashbacks, which could explain why it’s moving so fast. Moreover, it should be noted that, although incredibly powerful, it’s unlikely that the Gods Knights pose any kind of threat to Luffy due to theincredible power of his Gear 5 form, which was seen to take on even the Gorosei. Due to the Gods Knights not being as strong as the Elders, it’s pretty clear that Luffy would defeat them using Gear 5.
This means that Luffy currently doesn’t have anyone to fight in this arc, since Zoro and Sanji will likely take care of Gunko and Killingham, with Scopper already taking on Sommers. If this is the case, it’s highly likely that, when the dust settles after the Gods Knights have been taken care of, Loki may just want to resume his rampage across Elbaf for whatever reason he may have, which he likely thinks is justified. Knowing that he has the power of the destroyer-version of Nika, it seems that only Luffy can stop him, leading to an all-out brawl between the two at the end of the arc, which will conclude with Luffy possibly gaining the power-up he needs for the Final War as well as Loki eventually seeing the error of his ways and joining the heroes for whatever lies ahead.
The Other Possible Final Battle In The Elbaf Arc
The Return of the Supreme Commander
A differing, but just as likely, scenario is the return of Shamrock at the end of the arc. The point stands that Luffy, with his Gear 5 power, is far stronger than any of the Gods Knights despite not having a counter for their regeneration right now. Because of this,the Monster Trio’s interventionwould not only outnumber the Gods Knights, but also out-muscle them. The only way they can combat this is by having Shamrock return, who is almost guaranteed to be on a similar level to Shanks in terms of power.
This would be an incredible twist and would definitely raise the stakes far more than they are already at the end of the arc, providing Luffy with a challenge of someone far closer to his level, and maybe even greater. Other than this, there’s also a possibility for the Blackbeard Pirates to finally make their move once the battle is over and everyone is recuperating, which is something that’s definitely in line with something that they would do.
