One Piece: The Third World, Explained 

One Piece’s Elbaf arc has shocked fans with chapter 1138, and it is safe to say that this is the most staggering part of not just this arc, but perhaps the whole of the final saga of the story, and possibly even the entire series in itself. The magnitude of this chapter was massive and it showed to the fans the Three Worlds that exist, according to the Harley texts, which are an ancient telling of mythology with multiple translations that have been passed down the ages in Elbaf.

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Finally, in One Piece chapter 1138, Nico Robin was able to translate the Harley and it gave fans more context about the First and the Second World, as well as revealed the truth about the Third World. Right now, One Piece is in the third world, and this is where the biggest war of all time is going to be set, with Luffy being the leader and the Celestial Dragons, especially Imu, being on the opposing ends.

The Harley Texts Translated By Nico Robin

• The Mythology Of Elbaf Finally Translated By Robin
• The Existence Of Three Worlds Is Uncovered

The Harley texts were translated by Nico Robin in One Piece chapter 1138, all the while Franky discovered the giant mural drawn by some Giant long ago, possibly during the Void Century. As Franky gave the fans a visual depiction of the Mural, Robin read the Harley, explaining what it says about the three worlds. The Harley reads as follows:

First World

Flames engulfed the land, and humans succumbed to their desires, touching the forbidden Sun. The enslaved prayed, and the Sun God appeared. The Earth God was enraged, and together with the serpent of infernal flames, shrouded the world in death and darkness. They would never meet again.

Second World

Breath stirred within the void, and the Forest God sent forth demons. The Sun did nothing but spread the fires of war. The people of the half-moon dreamed, the people of the full-moon dreamed. Humans slew the Sun and became Gods, and the Sea God raged. They Would never meet again.

Third World

In chaos, there is void. The troubled shadow remembers the promised day, and hears the voice of the fractured moon. The Sun God dances and laughs, leading the world to its end. The sun will return once more, and a new dawn will arrive. Surely, this time, they will meet again.

The First And The Second Worlds of One Piece

According to the Harley, three different worlds existed at different times, with the current one being the Third World. The First World existed long ago, and it was a time when flames were rampant on Earth, meaning these flames could be used to create the Sun that Vegapunk always wanted. In other words, society was far more advanced and the infinite energy source was already present. This infinite energy source was then taken over by man, who got corrupted by greed, and a sovereign was born who enslaved people. The people wished for a savior and the Sun God arrived, likely from the moon. The Earth God rampaged, as did the Serpent of Infernal flames, and together, they destroyed the world, marking the end of the First World.

Several hundred years later, civilization existed again, and this time around the Ancient Kingdom was booming. It is possible that the Ancient Kingdom was able to survive the First World, given that their technology is said to have been incredibly advanced. The Sun still existed in this time period, and it was this Sun that powered the Ancient Weapons. The Forest God, which is an unknown figure, sent forth demons, meaning Devil Fruits were born during this era. Meanwhile, the Sun’s literal existence could’ve been the reason for the war.

In other words, the Sun, which could potentially destroy the world, led others to unite against the Ancient Kingdom. The people of the D dreamed, as did the people of the moon, which could mean that their dreams gave birth to Joy Boy, the second coming of Sun God Nika. The 20 Kings united and fought a war against the Ancient Kingdom, destroying it completely and defeating Joy Boy.

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These Kings, who were merely human, became Gods and took residence atop the Red Line. The Sea God, another unknown figure but potentially Poseidon, raged and the world was sunk by 200 meters.

The Third World And Luffy’s Role

By far, the Third World is going to be the most exciting time in the One Piece timeline. This is where Luffy exists, and according to the Harley, it is where Nika the Sun God will return once again, laughing and dancing. In the chaotic era, the troubled shadow, likely referring to Imu, knows of the promised day, that is, the return of the Sun God Nika. The fragmented moon’s voice is heard again, which is an indicator of the people of the D being alive even after being murdered. Among them, the Sun God emerges again, and so will the Sun. This sun will undoubtedly be completed by Vegapunk, either York, or the others, with the goal of worldwide peace.

But, of course, this Sun, or the Motherflame, will be used for evil purposes by the World Government. That said, eventually, the power of the Sun will likely be taken from the World Government and used correctly, as it is supposed to be—something clearly hinted at by Otohime. The weapons will be used to bring the dawn. Finally, the texts suggest that “they” will meet again. This could be a reference to Luffy meeting the other sovereign of the world, or potentially Vivi. It could also be that meeting again here refers to uniting the whole world by tearing down the Red Line and creating the All Blue. Perhaps, that is what will bring true freedom to everyone.

The Third World is where Imu, the Earth God, will most likely showcase their full power. With the Sun (Mother Flame) at their disposal, Imu will be incredibly difficult to beat. But, Luffy will unite all the races of the world together, just as Joy Boy did, and fight a deadly war against the World Government. This War could potentially go on for years upon years, especially given that the previous war lasted for a 100 years. At the end of the war, Joy Boy will prevail and the world shall finally be free from the clutches of the demon.

Hopefully, Oda will go on to reveal more pieces of information about the lore of the One Piece world as the Elbaf arc is explored further.

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 1138, is set to be February 2, 2025.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)

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  Akemi Okamura

  Nami (voice)

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