Is Loki The Next Straw Hat?

As of the current moment in the One Piece story, the Elbaf arc is well underway and is already shaping up to be one of the best in the entire franchise. There have already been some massive reveals about the world and the land of the Giants, chief of which has to do with Loki and the crimes he has committed in the past, which may even hint at his future in the series.

At the end of Chapter 1143 of the One Piece manga, Loki reveals what many fans believed to be true from the start of the arc; that he may not be as evil or heartless as he is thought to be by the Giants of Elbaf. With his true motivations known, it’s only a matter of time until he joins the heroes in the fight against the Gods’ Knights, with many even thinking that he may just join the Straw Hats at the end of the arc.

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Will Loki Become The Final Member Of The Straw Hats?

A Look At This Popular Fan Theory

For years, fans have been deliberating over the possibility of there being yet another Straw Hat after Jimbei joined the crew. There have been arguments both for and against this happening, with people in the former camp believing that there should be another member for many reasons, while others say that every role on the ship has been fulfilled and that there shouldn’t be a new member of the main crew.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that many still want to see a new member added to the ranks of the Straw Hats. There are many notable possibilities for who this could be, chief of which are Vivi and Yamato, though almost every single arc ends with the Straw Hats having many allies on any given island who are perfect candidates for new crew members. Following this trend, the one that fans have had their eyes on ever since the start of the Elbaf arc to join the crew is none other than the Accursed Prince himself, Loki.

This is the point of much contention for many, since Loki is a recently introduced character and the Elbaf arc is still in its infancy. However, many think that he would be the perfect final member because he ticks many of the boxes of some of the Straw Hat’s most important allies. Throughout the initial part of the arc, he was believed to be a terrifying villain with one of the most powerful Devil Fruit abilities of all time, which led to his eventual capture by Shanks and his imprisonment at the foot of the Adam Tree.

However, as of Chapter 1143, a massive One Piece fan theory was confirmed, where Loki revealed that he wasn’t the one to kill his father, implying that he was framed for doing so. Essentially, this shows that Loki is a misunderstood character with a seemingly tragic past, which hints towards the fact that he will be one of the Straw Hat’s most important allies against the forces of the Gods’ Knights on Elbaf.

Loki is almost certain to play the role of an ally by the end of the arc, so many fans take this to mean that once the events on the island have concluded, Loki may just join Luffy on his journey to be the Pirate King. Now that his name is cleared, and it’s known that he isn’t the murderer of King Harald, he is the perfect candidate to become the next King of Elbaf due to being the only surviving member of the Royal Line. However, many believe he will forfeit this role and give it to Hajrudin by the end, likely because he’d be the better choice.

If this does end up happening, it would leave Loki without a kingdom to inherit and free to do as he pleases. Knowing Luffy’s personality, it’s entirely possible that the captain of the Straw Hats will ask the Accursed Prince to join his crew, making them, by far, the most powerful pirates in the world. In fact, the Straw Hats may just become the strongest crew of all time due to having two Nika fruits in the crew.

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Why Loki Joining May Not Work For The Crew

The Logistical Drawbacks Of Loki Joining

• There are hints to Loki joining the Straw Hats, and it would make sense if he does as well.
• Many logistical issues stand in the way of it happening, such as his titanic size.

When the series started, Luffy revealed that his crew would consist of 10 members, even when he had nothing but a small rowboat to his name. At the current moment, there are already 10 members in total, with each taking up a vital role on the ship. Due to this detail, Loki, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn’t really be adding anything new to the crew in terms of function, which disproves the need for a new member at all.

On top of this, Loki wouldn’t even fit on the ship if he were to join. Not only is the Thousand Sunny too small to support any regular Giants on it at all, but Loki is the descendant of the Ancient Giants, which means he’s far larger than the others of his kind, making him much bigger than the ship itself. For these reasons, it’s unlikely that Loki will be the next Straw Hat, although anything could happen at this point in the story.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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