How Elbaf is the Beginning of the End

One Piece’s Elbaf arc has been the one with the greatest amount of build-up in the entire series. This is because this island was first mentioned over 1000 chapters before the Straw Hats eventually made their way there, in the Little Garden arc. Now, with the heroes finally reaching the fabled Land of the Giants, as well as Oda confirming that the arc signals the beginning of the Final Saga, the series is at its most crucial point yet.

Since the current chapters have been coming out rather infrequently due to Oda’s health concerns, the Elbaf arc is slowly unraveling. Despite this, many significant story beats have already been covered, each of which further reinforces that the finality of One Piece is slowly approaching. So, let’s break down all that is known about this arc and speculate about what may happen in its future.

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Loki And The Land Of The Giants

A Major Villain May Have Already Been Introduced

Back in Little Garden, Elbaf was mentioned as the home of Dorry and Brogy and one of the only places which the Giants called home, as was explained by Saul during the Ohara Incident flashback. On the way to the island, the crew of the Giant Warrior Pirates explain to the Straw Hats that this land was once ruled by King Harald, who was unfortunately killed by his son, Prince Loki, due to the latter wanting the family’s treasured, legendary Devil Fruit.

Although brief, this has already given fans a bit of an insight as to how things work in Elbaf. Moreover, Hajrudin has been revealed as yet another prince of the country, so there is possibly going to be a conflict between him and Loki later on in the arc. Most importantly, however, there is the existence of a legendary Devil Fruit that Loki has eaten, which he says makes him a Sun God who will bring about the end of the world.

If Loki does indeed end up as a ruthless villain, fans of the series are ready to see him go up against Luffy, whose Devil Fruit abilities are already so powerful that he could take on Kizaru and Saint Saturn at the same time, although he couldn’t damage the latter. The Elbaf arc is clearly building up a Sun God vs. Sun God battle that could possibly be the greatest fight in the series.

Luffy’s Nika Fruit makes him take the appearance of a legendary hero known as the Warrior of Liberation, so this already juxtaposes whatever fruit Loki may have. The War Land of Elbaf is the perfect place for such a battle to occur, as well as the perfect place for Shanks to finally have a substantial role due to his part in binding Loki with the Seastone Chains.

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How Elbaf Is The Beginning Of The End

The Final Saga Begins

The future of how the One Piece story plays out has to do with Loki’s true allegiance. If he turns out to be the ruthless villain that everyone already thinks he is, then it will likely take everything Luffy has to defeat him. Loki’s Devil Fruit is the only one, aside from Luffy’s own Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, to have ever been called legendary, so it already gives a hint of just how strong it is, especially when considering how other extremely powerful fruits weren’t hyped up like this.

However, some fans think that Loki may somehow be a far more nuanced character and may even turn out to become a heroic figure. If this is the case, he will likely ally himself with Luffy by the end, rallying the entirety of Elbaf under his banner as crucial allies against Imu and the World Government when the Final War eventually kicks off. Because of this possibility, Elbaf may just be the most important arc in all of One Piece.

Conversely, many believe that this arc will also end up revealing the answers to many mysteries of the world. In Chapter 1126, which officially signaled the end of the Egghead Island arc, the very last panel showed a mysterious silhouette beckoning or taunting someone to come to them. While the identity of this character is speculated as being Scopper Gaban or Shiki, among many others, most fans unanimously believe that this is the elusive Man Marked by Flames, who has the final Road Poneglyph. If this truly is the case and he is in fact in Elbaf, the location of the One Piece treasure may finally be revealed here.

Many even theorize that if Loki does end up being a nuanced hero, he is obviously not going to be the main antagonist of the arc. This role would instead likely be filled by the imposing Gods’ Knights, who fans currently know very little about. By having them make their official debut in the series during the Elbaf arc and fighting against the forces of the Straw Hats, it would give a great and definitive battle that would set up the Final War.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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A Critical Look At One Piece

One Piece is the world’s most popular manga with millions of fans worldwide. However, let’s take a critical look at the franchise!

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.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Main Genre

Anime

Story By

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1116+