How Loki Became Known as 'The Cursed Prince'

Summary

• Chapter 1136 of One Piece reveals Loki's dark background and paints him as a ruthless character from a young age.

• The prophecy that Loki is evil may have shaped everyone's view of him, leading to prejudice and isolation.

• Loki's refusal to save his friend from death in chapter 1136 reinforces the theory that he is an evil character in One Piece.

Chapter 1136 of One Piece already considered by many to be among the most important in the entire franchise. Not only does this chapter provide a greater insight into the workings of Elbaf and how everything works there, but it also contains some earth-shattering revelations about the nature of the Void Century and the Sun God Nika that are largely different from what fans had previously believed about them.

In the same vein, One Piece's the latest revelations about Loki are also equally interesting. Ever since his first appearance in the arc, fans have wondered about his true loyalties, with many convinced that he's just misunderstood and is actually a good guy. However, his recently revealed backstory in chapter 1136 seems to go against this idea, so let's take a closer look and speculate on what kind of person Loki really is.

How Loki Became the Cursed Prince

A problem child

Loki was first teased many years ago during the Thriller Bark arc, where it was revealed that Big Mom had arranged a marriage between him and Lola. So fans were always very curious about what this mythical figure actually looked like and speculated about how powerful he could be, and this hype was more than delivered in Chapter 1130 when he made his debut.

Unbeknownst to fans before this, Loki was considered incredibly evil and destructive by the people of Elbaf, who gave him the name “the Cursed Prince”. However, even after this revelation, many fans were adamant about giving Loki the benefit of the doubt, saying that he was not truly evil and was just misunderstood, and even came up with theories saying that he committed every horrible act that he was known to do for having committed out of a need to protect everyone else on Elbaf.

No man chooses to be chained. And I am no exception in this regard. I'd rather be free.

However, chapter 1136 of the manga reveals much of his backstory, suggesting that may not be the case. Loki's birth was already shrouded in misfortune as there was a grim prophecy foretelling Loki's evil nature, saying that his father, King Harald, would meet his end at the hands of his own son. To make matters worse, right after he was born, the horse of Elbaf's royal family, the Lucky Horse, died inexplicably, leading everyone to believe that Loki's malevolent presence had finished him off.

The rumor surrounding the child would only get worse, as a year after the death of the royal horse, Loki's mother would also die. Being a giant as well as the son of the king of Elbaf meant that Loki was born with incredible natural strength, which he used to torment the other giants of the land, even advancing into Elbaf's terrifying realm of death and essentially claiming the place of his own.

The Realm of the Dead is a terrifying and barren land filled with gigantic wild animals that are extremely hostile to intruders, meaning that this area is shunned even by the giants of Elbaf. Despite this, Loki went there and made the place his personal playground, taming many of the deadly beasts that called this place his home and killing those who did not abide by his new rule. After raising an army of these creatures, he proceeded to let them all loose on the upper levels of Elbaf, causing pandemonium for the inhabitants of the island.

Moreover, all this was done already at the age of 10. As he grew up, he became bolder and much more powerful, as he routinely set fire to much of the land, endangering many lives in the process. Worst of all was the fact that he had the authority of a prince, so he used his power to get away with almost anything he wanted with very little, if any, consequences. In the end, the prophecy came true when Loki proceeded to murder his father in cold blood.

I will swallow all my rage and use it to fuel me as I reduce this world to rubble!

Sometime after this, Loki set out to sea with the power of the legendary Devil Fruit that had belonged to Elbaf's royal line for generations. However, this escapade would not last long as he was captured by Shanks and sent back to Elbaf to be held prisoner at the foot of the Adam Tree, held in place by giant chains believed to be made of Seastone. Many speculate that this was the event that elevated Shanks to become an Emperor of the Sea.

This is why Loki is still considered the Cursed Prince and is still looked down upon with disgust. His ruthless personality is something that still exists to this day, which can be seen in his encounter with the Knights of the Gods at the end of chapter 1136. When Gunko was about to choke the life out of the giant wolf, who Loki considers a friend and someone he truly cares about didn't want to die, he faced a choice.

When his friend is dying, 'Shanks' Twin' gives him an ultimatum, saying that if Loki joins the Knights of the Gods, they will release the wolf. However, Loki says that he will not be brought down to their level to be forced to join them and that he accepts the sacrifice of the wolf's life. This just shows that Loki is incredibly ruthless and lends credence to the many theories that he is actually the evil man that the giants say he is.

What does the future hold for him?

Is Loki evil or is there more to him?

While Chapter 1136 certainly paints Loki in a much more evil light than fans originally thought, many still believe there is more to the character. The most common school of thought in this regard says that the prophecy that Loki would turn evil was something that shaped everyone else's opinions before the man was even born, leading everyone to treat him with a lot of prejudice. Although King Harald was a great man revered for his kindness, he would have bought into the prophecy too much after seeing the horse and his wife die.

This would have led to the giants ostracizing Loki to the point where he had a genuine disdain for them, perhaps even going to the realm of the dead to seek companionship as he couldn't find it anywhere else. If this really turns out to be the case, then it would give a reason why Loki turned out the way he did, and while it doesn't justify his actions, it does give a bit of a reason as to what his motives likely go for. the future.

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