One Piece's The Elbaf Arc looks like one of the most important in the series to date, with plenty of big moments and reveals that have fans eagerly awaiting more week after week. Oda is good at setting things up and knowing just when to give his readers a big payoff. So far, the arc has done a fantastic job of getting readers excited about and speculating about future events.
While it doesn't look like it's close to being dismantled, there have already been some big reveals throughout Elbaf. You'd think it would be hard to top some of the highs that came out of Wano and Egghead, but Elbaf just looks to be full of important reveals and setups for even bigger reveals down the road. With everything that has happened so far, these stand out as some of the biggest revelations made in the Elbaf arc.
Garp's fate after his attack on Hachinosu
The legendary hero is not out of the game yet
Garp has long been considered one of the strongest characters of his era, with the main Garp achieving legendary status for his exploits as a renowned marine. So when the infamous vice admiral set out to attack Hachinosu to save Koby, fans expected Garp to go all out. He did, and while his fight with Kuzan showed that the old-timer still had plenty of fight left, he ultimately lost by being impaled by his former student.
Some fans were worried that this was the last they'd see of Garp, but thankfully that's not the case. In the very first chapter of the Elbaf arc, it is confirmed that Garp survived his attack on the pirate stronghold. Now a prisoner of the Blackbeard Pirates, Garp's fate is up in the air.
Zoro learns that he can use Supreme King Haki
The second strongest of the monster trio gets even stronger
Zoro is arguably the Straw Hat crew's strongest fighter after Luffy. While Sanji is powerful in his own right, the Straw Hat swordsman has been given time to shine time and time again. While fans already knew he was a force to be reckoned with, Elbaf revealed something about Zoro that even he didn't know.
In Chapter 1152, Scopper Gaban revealed that Zoro possessed Supreme King Haki, much to the surprise of the unwitting helmsman. Although it earned him a scolding from Gaban, we now know that Zoro is one of the select few One Piece characters confirmed to have Supreme King Haki and is still alive. This could end up being a huge advantage for the Straw Hats and the people of Elbaf as they fend off the Knights of God.
Harley and antique mural in the treasure tree Adam
Key pieces to understanding One Piece's history revealed
Franky first mentioned Treasure Tree Adam in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc, and nearly two decades later, fans finally got to see it. While being shown around the tree by Ripley, Lilith and Franky are shown to an ancient plant that Lilith estimates is at least 3,000 years old. It's a huge revelation, but even more significant is the ancient mural carved into the tree. The mural depicts part of what is said in Elbaf's Harley, an ancient text that describes various past events and contains prophetic riddles.
Inside the earth was fire.
Mankind gave in to greed and touched the forbidden sun.
The enslaved prayed and the sun god appeared.
The earth god raged and shrouded the world in death and darkness with his serpent of hellfire.
And they will never meet.
In the void there was breath.
The forest god tamed demons and the sun spread the fires of war.
Those of the crescent moon dreamed.
Those of the moon dreamed.
Man killed the sun and became god, and the sea god stormed.
And they will never meet.
In the chaos there was emptiness.
The uncomfortable remnants remember the promised day and hear the voice of the crescent moon.
The sun god dances and laughs and guides the world to its end.
The sun returns and brings a new morning.
And they will surely meet.
Due to the cryptic nature of Harley, Saul comments that the interpretation of the text depends a lot on who is reading/translating it. In this case, it's Robin. The text and mural definitely have the answers to secrets fans have been searching for. The question is, how long will it take for them to figure it out?
Shank's family heritage is confirmed
Something fans have been speculating about is coming true
Shanks has always been one of One Piece's most important characters despite playing a largely background role in the story so far. A massive revelation about the character came in the form of his twin brother, Shamrock, being revealed as one of God's Knights. This confirms something that was alluded to One Piece Movie: RED; Shanks is a member of the Garling family, with Figarland Garling being his and Shamrock's father.
Shamrock also dropped the bombshell that Shanks is aware of his noble world heritage, and that he even renounced his family and birthright after returning to Mary Geoise in the past. We learned even more about the twins in the God Valley flashback, revealing that they were born on the fateful island to a redheaded mother who was ruthlessly disposed of by Garling a year after their birth. While Shanks was seemingly saved by Dragon, Shamrock was left to be raised by the corrupt world nobles.
Rock's background is revealed
The Mysterious Rocks Pirates aren't so mysterious anymore
One of the most significant things to come out of the Elbaf arc so far has been the incredibly detailed, chapter-long flashback sequence that has revealed a lot about Elbaf's former king, Harald, the incident in the Valley of the Gods, and the legendary Rocks D. Xebec.
Rocks has been a mysterious figure for a long time, and Oda's flashbacks not only answer many questions about him that fans have had for years, but also build him up to become one of the most likable characters in the series. Not only is Rocks revealed to be Blackbeard's father, but Oda also confirmed that he is part of the legendary Davy Clan and changed his name to Rocks to throw off the World Government.
It is revealed that Rocks is one of the few people who knows about Imu, having discovered him while ravaging Mary Geoise. Rocks also sent his wife, Eris, and their son to hide in God Valley, which would play into what happened on the island during the Native Hunting Competition.
We don't know everything about Loki's past
The newest straw hat candidate may not be what he seems
Loki is not held in high esteem by the people of Elbaf, and it seems for good reason. The disgraced prince is said to have murdered his father, Harald, and boasts that one day he will “end the world”. It's fair to consider Loki a villain with all of this in mind, but Oda has hinted that there's more to Loki's actions.
Some of the expansive flashbacks seen in Elbaf so far reveal that Loki was neglected and abused by his mother and those close to her from birth because of his unusual eyes. This explains why Loki comes across as so arrogant and combative. Loki is not evil; he is simply unable to form close bonds with those around him, including his half-brother and even his father. But the real reason Loki is seen as an irredeemable villain by the people of Elbaf is his supposed patricide. While not everything about King Harald's death has been revealed, what Oda has shown so far suggests that Harald fell victim to Imus' Domi Reversi technique. Confronted by his father in this state, Loki likely defeated him either in self-defense or as an act of mercy. So if that's the case, why wouldn't Loki try to clear his name instead of remaining imprisoned in Elbaf's underworld for 6 years? There's definitely more Oda has to uncover, but we can be sure we won't get the whole truth about Loki or his past.
The God Valley Incident comes to light
An event that would change the One Piece World forever
While Oda revealed little about the God Valley incident during the Egghead Arc, Elbaf shows the event in its entirety, showcasing the main players, catalysts, and how it would affect future events in the series.
Shakky is revealed to be the grand prize of the native hunting competition held on the island, spurring Rocks and the Roger Pirates into action to rescue her. Rock's real motive for the attack lies in the World Government announcing the capture of Davey Clan members for the first time in 800 years, with his father, grandmother, wife and son all caught in the middle.
Dragon's backstory is finally revealed to readers, revealing that he was a Marine stationed on the island during the incident. Questioning the morality of the native hunting competition, Dragon rebels and tries to save Shanks and Shamrock on behalf of their dying mother, while tranquilizing a World Noble when he is about to shoot a young Kuma. Although we know that Shanks can escape the World Noble's clutches, Dragon ends up being injured by Satchel's Maffey and is unable to save Shamrock.
Sensing that the situation is getting worse, Imu shows up on the island with Saturn, much to the surprise of Garp, Roger and Rocks. It is also revealed that Kaido stole the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, from Big Mom, who planned to give it to Katakuri.
There's certainly still more to learn about the event, but the last few chapters have been an absolute gold mine of information covering one of the most consequential events in One Piece history.
One Piece
- 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 Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko 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)
