The Identity Of Elbaf’s Mysterious Man, Explained

This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.

Key Takeaways

• The mysterious man of Elbaf, teased since the end of Egghead Island arc, has connections to Wano.
• Possible identities include Scopper Gaban, Man with Burn Scar, Shiki, or Yorki, each with unique potential.
• The mystery man’s connection to the Void Century and last Road Poneglyph links him to the Roger Pirates’ legacy.

One Piece continues its exciting Elbaf arc, and fans finally found out more bits of information pertaining to the mysterious man. This particular plot point is going to be continuously under focus for many reasons. For one, this mysterious character has been teased by Oda for quite a while now and with each passing chapter, the reveal of his identity is only getting closer. At the same time, fans are wondering whether this is a character that they know already, or if it’s a entirely new individual who will most likely hold tremendous importance in the plot moving forward.

Regardless of which way the One Piece story goes, fans know that the identity of this mysterious man will be uncovered soon enough and that he’s going to affect the plot of Elbaf in profound ways.

Elbaf’s Mysterious Man’s First Introduction

• The Mysterious Man Was First Teased At The End Of Egghead
• One Piece 1132 Showed The Mysterious Man Once Again

The first instruction of the mysterious man of Elbaf was given following the conclusion of the Egghead Island arc. Once Straw Hat Pirates departed Egghead, fans could see a mysterious individual sitting on the shores of Elbaf. Not much about this mysterious individual was revealed back then. All fans could see was that a giant bottle of rum seemed to be in the hand of this person, and that he wore a giant kasa hat as well. While, usually, a hat isn’t much of a giveaway, here, this hat certainly does appear to be quite special. The fact is that this is a kasa hat, or a hat from the land of Wano. This means that whoever this character is, is connected to the land of Wano in some way or form. At the very least, this character has been to Wano before, which certainly does narrow it down quite a bit.

Come then, Straw Hats! – The Mystery Man From Elbaf

At the same time, this person is very well aware of who Luffy is and, seemingly, has been awaiting his arrival for many years. These are the only hints that fans have regarding this mysterious individual of Elbaf, and based on these clues, fans can narrow it down quite a bit.

Whoever this man turns out to be, what fans know for sure is that his importance in this arc is going to be paramount. Either this mysterious man is going to reveal a major calamity that is headed the way of the Straw Hat Pirates, or, they are going to dump information, aiding Luffy on her journey to becoming the Pirate King. This person is certainly going to be important, no matter which way fans look at it, and it is now time for Oda to have this individual meet the Straw Hat Pirates.

Who Is The Mystery Man In Elbaf?

Someone Connected To The Land Of Wano

Based on the clues dropped by Oda in the story, it is possible to narrow down the identity of this individual to about four characters, at the very least.

Scooper Gaban

The first character who the mysterious man of Elbaf could turn out to be is Scopper Gaban. Fans know that Gaban is a very powerful individual and he previously held the role of Roger’s left hand. He was among the three strongest fighters in the Roger Pirates, and while fans have already seen Rayleigh on many occasions, Gaban has been nowhere to be seen. Perhaps, this mysterious man is none other than Gaban, which certainly adds a lot of excitement to the plot. Naturally, there is not much hinting at who this person truly is or if he even is Gaban in the first place.

But, the fact that Gaban has previously been to Wano and knows many secrets about the Void Century in the world of One Piece makes him a very good candidate for being this mysterious man. Gaban would also have a reason to wait for Luffy, especially because the Roger Pirates have, on occasions, acted as guides for the Straw Hat Pirates. Crocus was situated at the entrance of the Grand Line, while Rayleigh was at the very end of the first part of the Grand Line. It is entirely possible that Gaban was purposely placed at Elbaf, waiting for Straw Hat Luffy.

In other words, someone that Roger would know could emerge in Elbaf at some point.

However, if I have one advice, it would be to not stay too long in Elbaf! – Louis Arnot, Explorer

The Man With The Burn Scar

It is also possible that this mysterious man of Elbaf will turn out to be the Man with the Burn Scar. This person was hinted at in One Piece quite a while ago and it is believed that he holds the key to the final Road Poneglyph that has been missing for many years. Not many people know about the location of the last Road Poneglyph, but he seemingly holds it. The only problem is that whoever approaches the Man with the Burn Scar gets sunk by his whirlpool powers. It is believed that this man travels in an all-black ship, which certainly attaches a level of importance to his vessel as well. While this person could be the Man with the Burn Scar, if Oda went on to reveal him in this way, then the all-black sails and the whirlpool-creating powers would simply lose all importance. It is because of this problem that the idea of this person being the Elbaf mystery man is somewhat weak.

Shiki

The mysterious man in Elbaf could also end up being Shiki. Fans know that Shiki is a very powerful pirate who was once on the same level as Roger. He was eventually imprisoned in Impel Down, but he managed to escape. In the non-canon movie, Strong World, Shiki was defeated by Luffy. However, in reality, he and Luffy have never met and fans certainly could go on to see them finally meet each other in this particular arc of One Piece. Shiki would also go on to serve the role of a brilliant antagonist, if it truly were to be him.

Once again, there is a problem with this idea, and that is Shiki not really having anything important to drive the plot forward. He doesn’t know anything about the true history of the One Piece world, nor does he have any personal connection to Luffy or any other reason to meet him. That is precisely why the idea of this person being Shiki is weakened quite a bit.

Yorki

Based on appearances, this person could be Yorki, the former captain of the Rumbar Pirates who was presumably dead but could very well have survived. Once again, the character design certainly does match, and fans do know that Yorki had blonde hair and, at the same time, a hat on top of his head. Fans saw a mysterious individual meet with Crocus in One Piece chapter 615’s cover, and the character design for these two individual matches. This might be an indication of the fact that this person is Yorki, who finally went and met Laboon as well.

But, once again, there is a problem with this idea, and that is Yorki having absolutely no reason to meet the Straw Hat Pirates. He wouldn’t have anything to add to the story here either. Unless Yorki’s adventures through the Calm Belt saw him come across some massive mystery, this adds little to the story, although it is an intriguing idea, nonetheless.

Taking everything into consideration, it can be said that the mysterious man of Elbaf is likely either a remnant of the Roger Pirates, or someone who holds tremendous amounts of information about the Void Century and the last Poneglyph, in one way or another. Taking that into consideration, the chances of this person being either the Man with the Burn Scar, or Scopper Gaban, are pretty high. If it is none of those two, then, it is highly likely that this is a completely new character who will have his own motivations and goals that fans will find out soon enough.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1132, is set to be December 1, 2024.