After God Valley, One Piece officially sets up the Esperia incident

One Piece Chapter 1183 was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #23 and introduced us to Esperia Kingdom for the very first time. This is a legendary kingdom that existed in the world of One Piece 70 years ago, and it has some very intriguing ties to God Valley, which was fully fleshed out by Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, in One Piece Volume 114 from Chapters 1160 to 1166, during the Elbaph Arc.

The God Valley Incident was one of the most anticipated reveals among fans, and now, shortly after its conclusion, Eiichiro Oda has officially created an even more catastrophic incident in the world of One Piececalled The Esperia incident, which took place 70 years ago.

The God Valley Incident was officially formed during Chapters 1160-1166 of the Elbaph Arc

The God Valley Incident is one of the most exciting and chaotic events ever recorded in the history of the One Piece world. This event was first teased by Eiichiro Oda in chapter 957 of One Piecewhich came out in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 44 on September 19, 2019. Through the character of Sengoku, Eiichiro Oda explained to us all what the God Valley Incident was about. The first mention of Rocks D. Xebec came in this chapter, and it was here that he was defeated by Garp, who was teaming up with the future Pirate King, Roger. At the time, this was all we knew about the God Valley Incident, but the Elbaph arc of the story fully fleshed out this event from chapter 1160 to 1166.

You will not find any map of the island called God Valley! In fact, God Valley itself disappeared without a trace. — Sengoku, One Piece Chapter #957

The foundation of the God Valley Incident was laid about two years before it even began, as Garling Figarland was sent to God Valley as a scout. There he made a special discovery of the Davy Clan and reported it back to none other than Nerona Imu. This eventually resulted in the Native Hunting Competition being held on this island, and with it came the God Valley Incident. The God Valley incident saw the people of this island being hunted by the Heavenly Dragons for sport, which was a harrowing sight for all of us fans to witness. More than that, this incident also showed the total destruction of the Davy clan, leaving Blackbeard behind as the sole survivor, which was confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1166, which was released on November 24, 2025, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 52.

So you lost? I'm sorry. It's our fault you had to face that thing even though you weren't ready yet. — Eris, One Piece Chapter 1164

At the center of the God Valley Incident were the Rocks Pirates, whose leader, Rocks D. Xebec, came to the island to save his family. While he managed to save both his wife and child, Rock fell victim to Imu's trap and was successfully Domi Reversed by him. Then Rocks himself slaughtered members of his own family before he was eventually taken down by Garp and Roger's cooperation in chapter 1166. The strength of Garp and Roger clashing against that of a Domi Reversed Rocks was such that the entire island ended up sinking to the bottom of the sea, never to be heard of again.

One Piece Chapter 1183 marks the beginning of the Esperia Kingdom Flashback

The God Valley Incident was truly incredibly chaotic all around and saw the erasure of a kingdom from the face of the blue planet. However, it was not the only country that was wiped out. In One Piece Chapter 1183, which was officially released on May 24, 2026, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, officially revealed the Esperia incident to all of us. Esperia was Brook's hometown from West Blue, which thrived as the island of instrument makers and music lovers about 70 years ago in the world of One Piece.

“If it's really her, then she must be 77 years old by now. At the time, she was the princess of my homeland. And I lost contact with her when she traveled to the holy land of Marijoa.” — Brook, One Piece Chapter 1183

Back then, Esperia was ruled by King Reuven and his wife, Queen Candelle, who was known to be an extremely powerful fighter and leader of the battle convoy in the land. Meanwhile, Brook was the leader of the Raider Squad and one of the two strongest in the country.

The Esperia incident was quite tragic, and although all the details of it have not been revealed by the author to us yet, the results have already been made clear. According to Brook in Chapter 1173, which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #11 on February 9, 2026, he could never forget what she did to the man he owed everything to. The Holy Knights also had a particular involvement in the Esperia Realm, given that Brook already had knowledge of them.

I never wanted to think about you, for the rest of my life! Not the daddy killing princess!! The life you stole belonged to the man I owed everything to! — Brook to Shuri, One Piece Chapter #1173

What exactly happened to Queen Candelle is still unknown, but chances are she was either killed or was actually a member of the Holy Knights who had infiltrated the country for some specific reason. Finally, in One Piece Chapter 1183, Brook officially confirmed to us that this realm no longer exists and that it was completely destroyed, just like the God Valleywhich ties the two incidents very closely together, especially since both are from West Blue.

Eiichiro Oda finally reveals the events of the Esperia incident that separated Brook and Shuri

The Kingdom of Esperia was first mentioned in One Piece Chapter 1183, but the events surrounding this island were set up in the Elbaph arc over a year ago. The Esperia incident will be incredibly exciting to explore going forward, as it will not only reveal Brook and Shuri's full past, but also explain the importance of Candelle and Reuven in Brook's life. More than that, it will also introduce and explain more bits and pieces by giving further exposure to the character of Nerona Imu as well as the Holy Knights, both of whom are confirmed to have been deeply involved in this incident by the author himself.

Most importantly, what we want to see is how the Esperia incident took place and how it was completely destroyed by the Imu, and for what reason. All these questions will slowly be answered as the Esperia incident approaches One Piece. For now, the author of One Piece remains focused on chapter 1184, which will be released on May 31, 2026, before the manga officially goes on another hiatus.

All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.