Summary
When looking at theOne Piecefranchise as a whole, there hasn’t been an arc with the same amount of hype and build-up surrounding it as Elbaf. From the early days, the Land of the Giants has been a destination that the Straw Hats, particularly Luffy and Usopp, have dreamed of visiting, and as the series and lore of the world have progressed, Elbaf has always had the makings of one of the most important arcs in the entire story.
Now that the Straw Hats have finally reached this fabled land, the Elbaf arc certainly lives up to the hype. Despite only being a few chapters in,the reveals made here, as well as the events unfolding on the island, have already pushed it up as one ofOne Piece’sbest. So, in this article, let’s go over the biggest parts of the Elbaf arc so far and see why they’ve propelled this arc as one of the most beloved in the series already.
Previous Arc
Egghead
Before Elbaf began, many fans were convinced that Egghead was the greatest arc in the series due to the incredible lore reveals. However, Elbaf is already on track to dethrone it due to the insane lore drops made already which seem to change everything that fans knew of the world. The most notable of these is the fact thatthe legendary Sun God Nikais also known as a destroyer to many.
The reason why Elbaf is the location where this is revealed is not only because it is one of the only islands not under the control of the World Government, but also because the long lifespan of the Giants means that the Void Century was relatively recent for them, so their memory of its events is far better than the rest of the world. Due to their strength, they have been able to preserve their history and culture. This has led to the bombshell reveal that history stretches far before the Void Century to the First World, which is where Nika acted as a destroyer God.
However, the most important lore reveal comes in the form of the mysterious mural etched onto the Adam Tree from Chapter 1138, which shows a vague depiction of the previous worlds and the corresponding Harley Texts that explain everything in it. This has sent the entireOne Piececommunity into a spin, with everyone theorizing about every little aspect that the mural could be hinting at. It teases theexistence of many other God Fruitsto a possible depiction of the Final War in the Third World, which is the current setting of the series.
Moreover, the mural also gives a hazy recollection of the main villainous forces that have plagued the heroes of the ages since the Void Century and before. It implies the existence of Imu or someone like them from the First World and even hints at the probable powers that they have in the current world. All of these massive reveals have shown that Elbaf has had perhaps the greatest contribution to the lore ofOne Piece’ssetting from all the arcs.
The Biggest Reveals Of The Current World And The Future
An Inclination For Where The Story Is Heading
Aside from the lore drops about the franchise’s history, Elbaf has also shown a lot regarding the current setting. Chief among these reveals is Loki, who has had some of the greatest build-up surrounding him, most notably of which is the fact that he isthe user of a legendary Devil Fruitthat, somehow, also gives him the power of Sun God Nika. This is likely the fruit of the Nika from the First World, who is known as the destroyer God, making Loki one of the most important and strongest characters in the entire series.
Elbaf is also where fans have finally gotten a look at the much-awaited Gods Knights, who are the World Government’s greatest military force with some of the strongest powers in the setting. The most notable person within their ranks is the Supreme Commander, whose existence has confirmed one ofOne Piece’smost popular theories; of Shanks having an evil twin and confirming him as a Celestial Dragon. This twin brother, named St. Figarland Shamrock, is one of the series' most dangerous and mysterious villains.
Long ago, the savage warriors of Elbaf dominated the New World. The World Government will bring them to heel no matter what!
Furthermore, Elbaf promises a lot for the future ofOne Piece. One notable thing is that the arc is very clearly building up massive moments for other Straw Hats besides Luffy, particularly Robin and Usopp. For the former, she has finally come across thelargest repository of Void Century knowledgein the world, Elbaf’s Owl Library, which is filled with everything about this mysterious time period that the Giants have collected over the years.
Usopp has always been connected to Elbaf since he desired to go there even more than Luffy in order to complete his dream of becoming a Brave Warrior of the Sea. Because of this, most fans believe that Usopp will finally get his much-needed power-up in this arc, which may even be a Devil Fruit that makes him a Giant, which would be perfect for his character arc. Other than this, there are tons of match-ups and possibilities for where the story could go from here, which have only been made possible due to the reveals made in this arc.
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One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
