This article contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1173.
One Piece fans were eagerly waiting for the Elbaf arc to pick up after the return to the current timeline, now that the Elbaf flashback is over. Last week's chapter served to refresh fans' memories regarding what's going on in Elbaf right now. One Piece 1173 was much better in that regardwhen it focused on the Straw Hat Pirates' escape from Gunko's shackles, and also on the huge mystery unfolding around Gunko and Brook's secret past. This chapter also featured a lot of exciting action with Zoro. Of all the big reveals, these are the biggest ones that stood out in the chapter.
7
Zoro's plan to attack Dorry and Brogy unfolds
At the end of One Piece chapter 1172, Oda ended with a big cliffhanger. Roronoa Zoro, the mighty swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, said he had a plan to deal with the Domi Reversi Giants. Awaiting the new chapter, fans were curious as to what his plan might entail.
Now, in One Piece chapter 1173, this plan has come into action. As expected, Zoro's plan isn't too complicated. His plan was to jump over the heads of the giants so he wouldn't get between two, avoiding Domi Reversi entirely. He also managed to bait Domi, Reversi'd Dorry and Brogy into attacking each other, and it actually worked. With that, Dorry and Brogy were tricked into stabbing each other in an attack similar to the one witnessed in the Little Garden. They took some damage, but they are far from finished yet. Still, Zoro's initiative was definitely smart.
6
Gunko's true name is revealed to be Princess Shuri
Since the beginning of the Elbaf arc of One Piece, one character in particular has stood out as incredibly mysterious, and that is Gunko. Gunko first came to Elbaf with Shamrock Figarland, and right away fans could tell she was special.
Gunko's strength is unparalleled, but the mystery surrounding her character only grew when she was taken over by Imu. The Imu eventually took control of the Gunko, and have been wreaking havoc on Elbaf ever since. In One Piece Chapter 1173, Brook went on to reveal that Gunko Manmeyer is not this person's real name. Instead, Gunko's true identity is Princess Shurisand fans can't wait for her past to unfold in this arc. She hails from South Blue from a large kingdom where Brook served as the leader of a battle convoy.
5
Gunko and Brook's Connection
For a while now, fans have known that Brook and Gunko, now Princess Shuri, share some kind of connection. Fans were given several hints about this connection before the start of the God Valley flashback by Elbaf. Even after being brainwashed, it was revealed that Gunko was a big fan of the Soul King, and Oda also showed some panels hinting at her flashback where she was raised by Brook. Now, Oda has revealed even more information through the latest chapter, One Piece 1173.
Not only did Brook reveal that Gunko's real name is Shuri, but he also revealed that she is the daughter of an unnamed king who used to be Brook's benefactor. In other words, decades ago Brook used to work under Gunko's father. What is shocking though is that Brook reveals that Gunko is a father killer. This means that Gunko killed his father for a mysterious reason, someone that Brook was deeply grateful for. There is still much more to uncover.
4
The Straw Hats are exempt
Earlier in Elbaf, Gunko showed his superior power by defeating and capturing many of the Straw Hat members, especially Jinbe, Usopp, and Nami. For a while, fans wondered how the Straw Hat Pirates would be freed, or if they would remain chained for the rest of the arc. After all, Gunko had complete control over them with her arrows, and only she could free them.
In One Piece 1173, due to Gunko regaining consciousness for a little while, the Straw Hat Pirates were finally freed. The Straw Hats can now finally join the fray, and Oda will surely allow them to engage in some heavy action.
However, it must be noted that while everyone captured by Gunko has been freed, the same cannot be said for Nico Robin, who has yet to be released from Sommer's thorns. Robin should be freed in the coming chapters when someone takes down Sommers.
3
Gerd, Road and Goldberg's powers are unleashed
The Elbafjättar are, for the most part, incredibly powerful warriors. While fans have already seen the strength of the Giant Pirates Co-captains, Dorry and Brogy, the New Giant Pirates didn't get as much attention. Now they have also shown some of their power in One Piece 1173.
Among the New Giant Pirates, fans recognize some powerful members, they are Gerd, Road and Goldberg. These three combined their immense power in One Piece chapter 1173 and unleashed a powerful attack on Nika MMA. The attack they unleashed was reminiscent of Dorry and Brogy's Hakoku Sovereignty, which was used on Little Garden. This attack is definitely powerful, and fans can't wait to see more of the New Giant Pirates this arc.
2
The ship for the kidnapped children is destroyed
Fans of One Piece would remember that one of the main plots in the Elbaf arc is the Holy Knights kidnapping 10 giant children. These children were taken towards a ship, which would then ferry them to Marijoa. But now, that plan has been foiled by none other than a member of the Holy Knights, Saint Sommers.
When Gerd, Road and Goldberg's attack was unleashed on Nika MMA, the latter walked away. The Nika MMA was then sent towards Sommers, who tried to stop it, but accidentally caused it to land on the ship reserved for the children. With that, Sommers has once again ruined his own group's plan. With that, he's once again shown to be the least competent of the Holy Knights in one piece.
1
No Break After One Piece 1173
It's no secret that One Piece has experienced more frequent breaks in recent months. The reasons for these breaks varied. Some were due to the holiday periods that took place between December and January, and others were due to Eiichiro Oda needing to rest. Of course, fans are always worried about the hiatus weeks after the end of each chapter.
thankfully, One Piece Chapter 1174 will be released on schedule, which means there will be no break next week. In that sense, fans can expect One Piece 1174 to be released next Sunday, February 15, 2026. The story of Elbaf will continue without any interruptions, which is definitely exciting, especially considering the exciting stage of the story.
- Release date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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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 Ma Shihi Endo, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- Author
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Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
