Summary
- The Elbaf arc in One Piece may be shorter and more compact than fans anticipated due to pacing and ongoing battles.
- The main villains, the Gods Knights, are already engaged in battle, showing that the arc is progressing rapidly.
- Flashbacks concerning character lore, including the God Valley Incident and Void Century, may extend the arc’s overall length.
Out of every arc in the entire One Piece story, none has been surrounded by as much hype as the Elbaf arc. From the early days of the franchise, the Straw Hats have been dreaming of visiting this island almost as much as the mythical Laugh Tale itself, and it has been a central component in the journey of many of the members of this crew. Due to this, the arc has been just as awaited by fans of the series.
Now, the Straw Hats have finally landed on this island, where some of the world’s most essential and biggest lore reveals have been made. However, where fans were expecting another massive saga on the scale of Wano, they will likely find a far more compact and better-paced arc, which has been hinted at the end of Chapter 1144 of the One Piece manga. So, let’s see why this may be the case.
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Elbaf May Be Far Shorter Than Previously Thought
Why This Arc May Be More Compact
|
Start of the Arc |
One Piece, Chapter 1126, “Settling the Score” |
|---|---|
|
Previous Arc |
Egghead Island |
Ever since the Straw Hats made their appearance on Little Island, Luffy and Usopp, specifically, have been enamored by the Giants, Dorry and Brogy, as well as Giant culture in general. Due to befriending these titans and hearing of their homeland, the destination of Elbaf became one of the biggest goals of the Straw Hats to reach, where the current story has now brought them.
Due to this incredible build-up and the importance of the island due to the Giant’s recency to the Void Century, this arc has already been one of the franchise’s most important. Before getting here, most fans were convinced this would be a sizable odyssey similar to the Wano arc, in the sense that it had all the makings to be a huge story arc spanning many years and over a hundred chapters. While this would make sense, Chapter 1144 of the manga may have hinted at the fact that this arc may be far shorter than what was previously believed.
The main reason for this is the pacing. Many still consider Elbaf to be in its infancy since it isn’t even 20 chapters in as of Chapter 1144 of the manga. However, despite this, a lot has already happened and many believe that the story here is moving very quickly, where the battle against the main villains of the arc, the Gods Knights, already seems to be underway. This is the main difference between Elbaf and most other arcs in the series.
This is because the other arcs follow a similar system where the main force of the heroes breaks up into smaller groups, each with their own missions to complete. It’s a bit different this time due to the fact that the heroes are only really broken up into 2 groups, of which one is going to take on the Gods Knights themselves and the others are currently with Loki. Of course, the Giants of Elbaf have the issue of the massive nightmares to deal with, but them fighting Qilingham’s creations is mainly there to add greater stakes to the overall arc itself.
This is Warland! The mighty Kingdom of Elbaf! They say it is the birthplace of war!
Moreover, it seems the final battle against the villains has already started, despite the arc not even being 20 arcs in at the time of writing. In Chapter 1144, fans finally see the legendary Dorry and Brogy enter the fight against the monstrous aberrations, but what’s even more impressive is the fact that Scopper has joined them too. This has made it abundantly clear that this arc may just be shorter than what everyone was anticipating, since the strongest Giants have teamed up with one of the world’s strongest characters to fight against the threats to this island.
With the Giant Warrior Pirates and Scopper Gaban entering the fray, the battle will likely end sooner than expected. Elsewhere on the island, the most probable outcome is that most of the Straw Hats will succumb to the overbearing strength of the Gods Knights, prompting the Monster Trio to join the battle to defeat the villains and save everyone on the island. However, Loki remains one of the biggest question marks here.
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The Importance Of Flashbacks On Elbaf
Why Flashbacks Will Be A Major Part of the Arc
Conversely, some fans think that while the actual events of the Elbaf arc may not be very lengthy, the arc itself will still be quite sizable. This is mainly because of the flashbacks regarding the various characters in the lore which remain to be seen, serving as a huge unanswered plot point. The chief of these is the truth of Loki’s backstory, which was hinted at in Chapter 1143 since he insinuated that he was framed for killing his father.
On top of this, one of the biggest mysteries in the entire franchise is the God Valley Incident, where the most prominent forces of the world from 38 years ago all clashed. Many believe that when the Straw Hats meet Scopper again at the end of the arc, the God Valley Incident will finally be expanded upon. Most importantly, however, there is a long-awaited flashback to the Void Century, which would make sense within the context of Elbaf due to its recency with the events of this time. These flashbacks can take up much of the arc’s true runtime.
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