Why Elbaf Will Be Luffy’s Biggest Test Yet

One Piece’s Elbaf arc is well and truly underway and fans absolutely cannot wait to see what direction the story takes from here onwards. The Elbaf arc has only just begun and things are already incredibly intense. With new villains being introduced, and at the same time, a lot of exciting lore pieces being revealed by the author, fans know that Elbaf might just be one of the most significant arcs in the entire series, and certainly the most significant one in the Final Saga so far.

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This arc is going to be major for just about every Straw Hat in one way or another, but for some of them, it is going to be more important. Luffy, being the main character, is one of them, and fans know that this arc might prove to be his biggest test in the New World so far.

Luffy Hasn’t Been Truly Tested As A Yonko Yet

• Luffy Became A Yonko After Kaido’s Defeat
• Egghead Didn’t Test Luffy As It Should’ve

The Wano Arc was absolutely massive for Luffy for more than one reason. Not only was he helping a friend win back their country after 20 years of misery, but at the same time, Luffy was looking to take one step closer to claiming the One Piece as well, given that he was up against two mighty pirates in Big Mom and Kaido. Here, Luffy reached the next level of strength, and in doing so, took Kaido’s Poneglyph from him. He took one step closer to the One Piece, and accomplished something that no pirate has done since Roger. Luffy now was only one Poneglyph away from claiming the One Piece, making him the man closest to this treasure in many years.

Above all, Luffy managed to learn Supreme King Haki Infusion, and most importantly, the Awakening of his Devil Fruit. These were the two biggest things that Luffy took away from the Wano Country arc, and with these powers, he was essentially on the same level as the Emperors themselves. It is because of these powers that Luffy ended up defeating Kaido and liberating Wano, and he took these powers with him into Egghead. By this time in the story, Luffy was officially declared an Emperor and given a 3 billion berry bounty. Undoubtedly, Luffy was a force to be reckoned with, and someone that even the Marines couldn’t confront without specific orders from higher-ups.

While Luffy certainly did possess tremendous strength at this point, he was still untested as a Yonko. Lucci attempted to test him properly, and while he did pose some problems for him, Luffy was able to breeze past him. Luffy then fought against Kizaru and the Elders during the Egghead Arc. However, neither of these battles proved to be an all-out clash. Luffy versus Kizaru, although incredibly impressive, was a way for both of these characters to stall for time. Luffy simply wanted to waste as much time as possible so that his friends, and more specifically, Vegapunk, could get enough time to escape, while Kizaru simply wanted to go for the kill and avoid a battle with Luffy. Similarly, when Luffy was fighting against the Elders, he had already realized that they were immortal and that he should not find them head-on.

All he was trying to do was to gain enough time so that everyone could escape from the island safely. As such, even though Luffy did give fans glimpses of his incredible strength here and there during this arc, he was not going all out and knew that he had certain objectives to fulfill. As such, Luffy still remains untested as a Yonko right now, which means that there exist many opportunities for him to show his true strength, and Elbaf will do just that.

Luffy Vs Shanks’s Look Alike Is Set To Happen

Shanks Lookalike Burst Onto The Scene In Elbaf

Fans might be wondering how Luffy will prove himself as a Yonko in the Elbaf arc, and the answer couldn’t be more simple. One Piece chapter 1134 introduced fans to two powerful individuals —one of them being a Shanks look alike.

This Shanks look-alike, who was first introduced in One Piece chapter 907 and was mistaken for Shanks himself, is the main antagonist of this arc, and will play a significant role in the story. In fact, Oda has been hyping up his introduction in the story cryptically for quite a while now, and the fact that he has now been involved in the main plot means that it is only a matter of time before he gets to meet Luffy. These characters are undoubtedly going to be vicious enemies in the Elbaf arc, and as soon as they come face to face with Luffy, fans know that he will have his biggest test laid out in front of him.

Of course, this character is not Shanks, but it’s highly likely that he is going to be just as strong as him. This is down to the fact that they are most certainly brothers, and at the same time, carry the same potential.

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It must also be remembered that this character is considered to be incredibly powerful even by the Five Elders, and at the same time, strong enough to head to Elbaf, despite a Yonko’s presence there, along with Loki, being common knowledge. Furthermore, this character Is most likely the leader of the God’s Knights after Garling’s ascension to the Five Elders, and someone that even Dragon is wary of. Clearly, all these things taken into consideration imply that Shanks’s twin is almost as powerful as him, and most likely is going to provide Luffy with a challenge like no other. It goes without saying that he is on the same level as the Emperors, and for Luffy, this is going to be the first proper one as a yonko-level character, given that against Kaido, he certainly did have some help, and it took him quite a few tries to actually go on and defeat him.

Will Luffy Grow Stronger In Elbaf?

Luffy Will Upgrade His Haki In Elbaf

Undoubtedly, Luffy will grow stronger in the Elbaf Arc, and he will accomplish this by defeating Shanks’s look alike. The most important thing that he’s going to take away from this battle is likely the improvement of his Supreme King Haki. It has been highlighted by Oda that Luffy needs to work on this skill significantly, and perhaps, this is the battle for him to learn how to do it properly and take his skills to the next level. Luffy has to defeat the Shanks look alike if he is to save Elbaf, and that is what makes this all incredibly exciting.

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 1136, is set to be January 19, 2025.

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Release Date

October 20, 1999

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1122