#elbaf theories

[zibus]

Since it seems that Egghead is coming to a close soon(ish?), I've been thinking about what themes from the arc might be able to clue us in to what's coming for Elbaf (and perhaps the rest of the Final Saga). Oda often uses a short arc to set up not just the plot, but also themes for the saga to come. My favorite example is Long Ring Long Land planting the seeds of "what if we lost a crew member" before Water 7 and Ennnies Lobby.

In addition, all of the post-timeskip arcs have had important parallel themes and often plot payoffs to pre-skip arcs. Fishman Island -> East Blue (specifically Arlong Park). Dressrossa -> Alabasta(warlord takeover) & Skypia(Noland & being forgotten). Whole Cake -> Water 7/Ennies Lobby. Wano -> Thriller Bark is the weakest, but all of the ideas of night and Luffy bringing the dawn is super prevalent, Moria is the first person to give us details about Kaido, and we meet Rayuma's zombie.

So following that parallel, the Final Saga parallels Summit War, which, duh. But still, maybe we can pull some information and thoughts other than that there will be a war at the end of it.

Looking at Egghead, there's a big theme of hidden identities. There's some of this with Kuma, but of course its most prevalent with the Vegapunks. Each of the satellites can be thought of as a "mask" of Vegapunk's, and Vegapunk himself is revealed to be an ally when we probably expected him to be antagonistic. There are traitors on both sides with Stussy and York.

This idea of identity is also closely tied to loyalty. Vegapunk's disloyalty to the World Government vs. Kizaru. Stussy vs. York. Kuma's (and the Pacifistas') loyalty towards Bonney. Off the island itself, you get Aikanu vs. Garp and their loyalties, as well as the idea of Sword as a special force within the Navy.

Looking at Marineford, we get a lot about sacrifice with Whitebeard, Oars, and Ace. This is tied to the pacing of the torch from the old era to the new, with Blackbeard sweeping in to claim the top spot from Whitebeard. We also get a ton about family, especially found family and Luffy's family with Garp and Ace (and Sabo). And, of course, there's the war.

So how might these themes and ideas play out in Elbaf?

Well with the themes of identities, we've been told the current prince of the Elbaf giants is named Loki, obviously named after the god of trickery and lies from Norse myth which the Elbaf giants are heavily inspired by. The only other thing we know about Prince Loki is that he fell in love with Charlotte Lola but she turned him down. The presence of Loki, combined with the theme of hidden identities tells me all is not as it seems on Elbaf. When we arrive, someone or someones are not going to be who they say they are. Most likely there will be something related to Loki himself, but there's another possibility.

This idea is not original to me, but besides Loki, who's the most iconic Norse god? Thor, the god of lightning. And which character we haven't seen in a while has the powers of lightning? Enel. We know he's coming back after his cover story on the moon. Perhaps rather than seeing his return, Enel will already be on Elbaf with an assumed identity, ready to wreck havoc once again.

But there are other very important characters on Elbaf, and the most significant one is, of course, Shanks. Assuming Oda doesn't go out of his way to save the reunion for Laughtale, its hard to see how Luffy and Shanks don't meet on Elbaf. Luffy has finally reached Shanks level by becoming a fellow Emperor, and so its time to return the straw hat as promised.

On the level of hidden identities, I don't subscribe to the evil!Shanks theories, but I definitely think we will learn a lot about him. I think Shanks definitely needs to become a much more complex and morally nuanced character. If Shanks is a Celestial Dragon by blood as many suspect, I think that would be a great stepping stone.

On the level of families, Shanks is Luffy's truest father figure, so much so that Luffy has barely given his biological father two thoughts. Given what we've learned about Vegapunk's connection to the Revolutionary Army, and that Saul has almost certainly taken the remnants of Ohara's research to Elbaf, my harebrained prediction is that Dragon and co will arrive on Elbaf as well. If Bonney & Kuma travel with the Strawhats and Nika for a while, that would give the RA even more reason to visit. My prediction is we get some juicy parallels between and completely new understandings of Luffy's two fathers, as well as continued development of the found family themes present throughout the entire story so far.

On the level of sacrifice, I'm really torn. Shanks has already sacrificed so much for Luffy. Having him make a full sacrifice either in Elbaf or soon after seems not exactly Oda's style. On the other hand, Shanks is the last original Emperor. If we're truly going to usher in a new era, can Shanks be there at the top? We've been preparing for a Blackbeard v. Shanks rematch since at least Marineford. Having that promise fulfilled here would be extra poetic. And having Teach take down Luffy's mentor would make him Luffy's greatest enemy in a way no other villain has been. Even if it's not Shanks, I'm convinced there will need a big sacrifice to finally pave the way for Luffy's new era of freedom.

There's so much more that could be said about all the story threads coming to a head at Elbaf. Obviously Usopp's storyline is coming to a head. He will definitely become a brave warrior of the sea, and perhaps supplant Prince Loki to finally become God Usopp. He will definitely lead an army of 80,000. Big Mom will probably return, or at the very least we will learn how she gained Mother Caramel's devil fruit powers - which will probably tell us how Blackbeard and co do it as well. Robin will find the final Road Poneglyph and probably the first big clues of the Void Century/Will of D. from the Ohara research. The Strawhat Grand Fleet will arrive, if not at Elbaf specifically definitely soon after - just as Whitebeard's allies came to Marineford.

(Oooo! just had a thought. Will the Strawhat fleet arrive from the sky instead of beneath the ocean? That would be heckin rad.)

But this post is already absurdly long. Hope you enjoyed my rambles, and we'll see how much about Elbaf I get right!

#one piece #one piece spoilers #one piece theories #long post #loooooong and rambly post #egghead #elbaf #final saga

[epicfirestormer]

I don't usually post about newly released chapters for One Piece, but oh my god

#HE'S BACK #THEY'RE BACK #MY BELOVEDS ARE BACK #I GENUINELY SHOUTED WHEN I SAW KILLER #THEY'RE HERE NOW AND THEY'RE GOING TO WANO #IM SO EXCITED NOW #pls pls pls #let my three-eyed killer theory be true #I wonder what's their connection to saul is #cause it's gotta be him #who else has burn scars that we know of? and just so happen to be in Elbaf? #are we getting. kid and killer lore?? finally?? #i'll take whatever breadcrumbs of content I can get about my boys #Elbaf arc is looking to be so completely hyped for me #It's def gonna be usopp focused and it'll also include kid and killer stuff? man I'm sold #the fire burns #one piece #the fire crackles with joy #low quality shitpost #low quality memes #one piece spoilers #op 1071 #spoilers #one piece killer #killer one piece #eustass kid #massacre soldier killer

[epraim1992]

Shield of Elbaf

I think Guernica is plotting against the World Government.

I think his eyes are a visual cue of his duplicity. I think they are meant to represent Go pieces. CP-0 plays both side while reaping he benefits.

I think it was foreshadowed by Sakazuki who accused Cipher Pol of going over the Gorosei's head.

Guernica undermined the Gorosei in regards to Nika. He had a role in Luffy awakening bringing Joy Boy back into the world. Which I think might have more meaning.

He took the picture of Luffy in Gear 5 which became his bounty poster picture.

He has said some questionable things. He told Lucci that the World Government were no better than pirates.

He told X Drake he envied him for following his own sense of justice.

I think Guernica's betrayal will have a big impact because he was handling the governments illicit weapons deal that the navy were seemingly in the dark about.

Their last deal was apparently enough weapons for a war which is ominous.

I subscribe to the theory that some of the Sheep's House orphans became mask CP0 members.

I went back to see if any of the kids might match Guernica when I noticed this giant kid that went with Gerd to meet Big Mom. We never see his face and he disappears from the story.

When Shanks is in Elbaf we get a scene that is a call back to the first chapter with a giant child asking to join Shanks crew. And he has a helmet identical to the mystery giant child from Big Mom's past. I think Guernica was that giant child who passed down his helmet.

Giants celebrate the death and rebirth of Sun which makes Guernica's part in Luffy's awakening symbolic (if my theory is true).

Again I think his eyes reveal the truth he as one eye like Odin. Elbaf is inspired by Norse mythology the king of the giants in named Loki. As to how Guernica could be a giant I think it's because of a Devil Fruit. There is a non-canon Devil Fruit called the Mini Mini no Mi which decreases size that coincidentally were eaten by non-canon giants.

Speaking of giants it was revealed the New Giant Warrior Pirates are the ones who rescued Oharan books. Which apparently the navy did not see the value of.

They were led by Saul.

Who thought negatively about Elbaf giants. Doesn't really make sense does it.

Unless there was an inside man. I think Guernica was part of the survey crew on Ohara and covered up the books survival. I think he linked up Saul with his old comrades to rescue the books.

#one piece theory #one piece #elbaf #one piece guernica

[niishi]

imagine usopps obs haki being so good that he's been seein into the future since way b4 the straw hats and all his "lies" (that eventually come true) are just from his observation haki. but they came to him in like prophetic dreams, so he doesn't know it's anything more than like a dream/daydream (until later on) which also is kinda scary bc (assume the theory is real) then that would mean he's eventually gonna be the captain :0

#i like this theory #but if he eventually became captain #like i could see him being like ace or something and a division leader of a dif crew(the elbaf pirates)

[clodswithachanceofmeatballs]

Just an idea on the OP 1-10 Devil Fruit Theory

So there's a long-running theory that the Straw Hat's Devil Fruit powers make up the numbers for 1 - 10 (Go-mu = 5,6 | Hi-tp = 1,10 etc.) with only 2 & 9 missing. The common belief (if this theory is real) is the missing fruit is Kuma's Nikyu (2, 9). Without going into *too* recent spoilers and theories, there seems to more fuel for the idea of Kuma's fruit falling in the crew's hands, or Sunny getting an upgrade. I can't see the fruit being given to Sunny or any of the crew (I can give more context/answers in the comments/DM's as to avoid spoilers). What I CAN see is Usopp feeding the fruit to his Kura Kabuto slingshot. Paired with his Observation Haki, could hit any target, even if hidden or behind walls. He'd really be the ultimate Sniper King. Could transport cargo to the ship, crewmates to where they need to go, or even setup attacks. Closest example I can think of currently is Naruto & Sasuke doing the transformation fuma shuriken combo.

Just a fun idea I had, I'm not holding my breath on it as Oda is an absolute madman and could make absolutely anything happen. If the 1-10 theory ends up being true, I'm excited to see how Oda makes it happen.

#op #one piece #one piece theory #one piece thoughts #op theory #usopp #one piece usopp #captain usopp #god usopp #I just want Usopp to get more love especially since they're about to go to Elbaf

[dodgedriftdietrying]

I think they're setting up Aramaki as Usopp's rival/antag if Elbaf is in fact the next arc, which would be fucking awesome. But, I hope he can have Vegapunk/another truly intelligent villian as his final boss/opponent for the series, so he could really show his intelligence and not just his pop greens and strategy. Plus they could make a great point about smarts being stifled by bureaucracy and the Marine machine.

#op #one piece #usopp #god usopp #aramaki #vegapunk #elbaf #wano #theory #sins speaks #final saga #wtg

[ninjaboyjoel]

Enel, Elbaf, Urouge and Birka

An idea that came to me some time ago now that I believe has some weight to it is Enel's link to Urouge, Birka, and as I affectionately like to call it "Enelbaf".

Let's start with Urouge. Urouge is easily the member of the Worst Generation with the least development, we've seen a bit of him on Sabaody, we've seen a bit of him on Balloon Terminal and heard of his battle against Charlotte Cracker but that's pretty much it. He's a very mysterious character all things considered. So what do we know about to him? Well, let's start in a place you might not expect: his weapon.

-SBS 57, pg. 80

Now Oda has phrased this as a joke, but it could well have some impact on the story, what if his weapon truly is a large graphite rod, how could this play out? If you know the properties of graphite you might be able to guess where I’m going with this. 

Graphite is an excellent conductor of electricity, and a large conductive rod is often used in the real world... As a lightning rod. A lightning rod is designed to ensure that when lightning strikes, it hits the rod and is conducted into the ground instead of causing collateral damage such as electrocution or fires.

We know for a fact that Enel destroyed his homeland, Birka at the point of or sometime after receiving his Devil Fruit. We’re also aware that Urouge is indeed a Sky-Person though of which tribe it has not been made clear.

- The various body types of sky-people

When shown as a child, Urouge very much appeared to look like a Skypiean, sporting the wings and hairstyle that we see them sporting most often. However as an adult, his wings have shifted to look similar if not exactly like those of a Birkan (Like Enel’s priests, whatever happened to Enel’s wings I’m sure we’ll learn when he returns, lol). How (and if?) the Sky-People’s appearances change is something also unknown to us.

- Thanks to the OP Wiki for these images.

Now time for a little bit of speculation. How can all these elements tie together and link to a potential/hypothetical Elbaf Arc? Let’s start with Birka. Birka, in name at least, is based on the real-world Viking trading centre from CE. 750-975, in what is now modern-day Sweden and is in fact one of Sweden’s oldest towns. We know that Oda is a massive fan of Vikings, and was very careful to limit his Viking references in order to save them for things relating to Elbaf, ergo, in the One Piece world, all Viking imagery comes back to Elbaf. Then why would Oda pick a Viking location for one of the Sky Islands? We can’t know for certain, as we really don’t know about its geography or indeed where Birka even was/is located.

From what we’ve seen of Elbaf’s geography it seems to have a version of Yggdrasil. I can’t do anything but speculate here but, seeing as the Elbaf Giants are based on Vikings, we can assume that the level at which we see them live is the One Piece equivalent of Midgard, then wouldn’t it follow that perhaps, at the top of this tree might be a Sky Island? The equivalent of Asgard, perhaps this is Birka, I can’t say for certain but I think there is very much a possibility. This of course doesn’t account for Niflheim, the realm of giants in Norse Myth, but as others have said online, with two sets of giants, Ancient and the more humanoid, there is opportunity for both should Oda wish to go that route. 

So, I ultimately think that Elbaf would be the perfect place to give Urouge the spotlight, the perfect place to reintroduce Enel, if indeed they have a past together, this could be the perfect battleground, the victim of Enel’s destruction come to seek vengeance for his home. Urouge’s potential weapon would be the perfect counter to the false god that smote his home. Plus, wouldn’t a Sky Island over Elbaf be so cool!?

Now I meant to post this a long time ago, but I kind of forgot? If you read my update you’ll know I wanna post more frequently. I hope that this can be the start of this :)

#enel #one piece #one piece theory #urouge #elbaf

[megashadowdragon]

#ONEPIECE1066 has revealed that Jaguar D. Saul survived the Ohara Incident!

In the chapter, we catch a glimpse of Saul being visited by Vegapunk at his hiding place. A 2nd secret library, seemingly within the giant tree of Elbaf.

Just like the Tree of Knowledge in Ohara.

If Ohara's sacred tree was known as The Tree of Knowledge, then perhaps the sacred tree in Elbaf is known as The Tree of Understanding. Dragon did say that the Giants knew of the significance of preserving Ohara's research

If Saul is the man marked by flames then that means that Kid is going to end up hunting for him. How can Kid learn that Saul is the man he's looking for? Vegapunk said that no one would disclose his location. But of course, that probably means that someone will. Hajurdin.

In the Ohara flashback, we saw that Harjurdin & the New Giant Warrior Pirates were the ones who helped Saul saved the books that had been thrown in to the lake by the scholars of Ohara.

Hajurdin knows about Saul. So Kid will likely hunt down Hajrudin.

Shanks is already going after Bartolomeo for raiding his territory. If Kid also goes after Hajurdin then it may be cause for the members of the Grand Fleet to call for help.

This may be the beginning of the major event that was foreshadowed at the end of Dressrosa.

With Shanks attacking Bart & Kid having extracted the information he needs from defeating Hajrudin, all heads will turn toward one place. Elbaf.

Kid is on his way there & Shanks has realised what Kid is after.

The Straw Hats learn the Grand Fleet need help & Saul is in danger. Image Image Vegapunk himself is very invested in preserving this information hidden at Elbaf.

When the Straw Hats receive this distress signal from the Grand Fleet, he will likely urge them to go to Elbaf immediately.

They won't need to be told twice. Especially not Luffy, Robin & Usopp

They likely can't make it in time before Kid gets there, so they would have to send a warning ahead. In other words. They better call Saul.

Meanwhile Dragon will have motive to retaliate against Imu. This may be the beginning of the finale of the story.

The Straw Hats are going to Laughtale & Dragon is taking the fight to Imu.

But what will Blackbeard choose to do?

This is where Aokiji is likely to betray him in favour of protecting the Will of Ohara.

Blackbeard will likely defeat Aokiji & give chase to Luffy in pursuit of reaching Laugh Tale. This could be where the battle between Luffy & Blackbeard finally happens. Perhaps at the same time as Dragon confronts Imu.

#one piece theory #one piece #one piece 1066 #op 1066 #op theory #op theories #op theorys #one piece theories #one piece theorys #elbaf arc

[wrtfvgghh]

Devil Fruits:

What if the one piece has something to do with the moon? Like something from the moon ended up at the end of the grand line, and no one found out what it was (and those who did keep their mouth shut). Like it somehow ties together with the lost century, joy boy, and maybe sky island or Elbaf?

I also heard a theory that JoyBoy was from the past (which was futuristic) and maybe frequent space travel existed back then, until for some reason it stopped.

And I think maybe devil fruits have something to with this too, maybe not directly but say Devil fruits were the power of the moon or another planet and Haki is the power of earth, and that’s why the sea hates devil fruits and devil fruit users, because everything on earth was born from the sea so something foreign is unwelcomed. (And Haki also has the power to nullify devil fruit powers to some extent)

I know this sounds dumb but I think it’s worth putting out there

#one piece #one piece theory #monkey d luffy #gol d. roger #devil fruits #sky island #elbaf #joy boy

[hauntingblue]

Big mom backstory time?????

#reiju my queen listen to sanji and run #LETS GOOOOO FINALLY THE SCREAAAAAM #nami thank you but get away from those guys they are like the evil versions of sanji in that department #SHOOOT HER SHOOOT HER COME OOOON #her mother left her..... well.... #the thing about his brothers is that they won't even feel grateful right.... like maybe they think he is strong now and have respect for him #but like??? then they shouldn't have been mad when sanji beat yonji.... isnt that a feeling too? enough to get back at him #or is it just logic.... idk #talking tag #watching one piece #episode 835 #omg mother teresa???? si christianism is a thing in one piece or smth #i gotta be honest i do not care about linlin #omg harjudin #also hate the sound giants make when they walk. it sounds mechanic for some reason #loki born omg.... so he is WAY older than lola jesus #omg she destroyed elbaf..... well i get the giants now #episode 836 #a comment saying linlins mom did the same trick as otohime to give birth to shirahoshi lmao #🤓 well according to my theories..... #wtf does mother theresa have superpowers.... is that prometheus?¿? #omg jorul is right #hajroudin asking for death ahdjahsksk #the old man died..... jesus #but also so ducked to treat pudding like that after all this... well.... her own demise 🤷🏻‍♀️ #OH NVM MOTHER CARAMEL RUNS A LITTLE MONSTERS FACTORY FOR THE WORLD GOVERNMENT #OMG SHE IS A CHILD TRAFFICKER FOR THE WORLD GOVERNMENT real mother theresa moment ajdhaksjak odaaaaaaaaaaa #*one piece screenwriters when they dont want to think about another scene*: sake no binks singalong!!! #croquembouche appearance!!! and omg.... did she..... did she eat them all??? bc mother caramel wanted to sell her and the children..... umm #episode 837

[zoroclut]

Random Chapter 1110 Rant/Ramble

Bro why am I seeing people say Sanji is bullying Zoro 😭

Sanji isn’t a bully. Those two always been harsh with each other. They both hold each other to a high standard. I understand the concerned about Zoro’s insecurities about being a burden but Zoro wasn’t performing his best. Sanji is seeing Zoro do something very ooc. Sure Zoro is the type to pick unnecessary fights but to drag it out during a life or death situation? Sanji was rightfully pissed off. If the roles were reversed and Sanji was dragging out a fight Zoro would react the same way.

So I need yall to stop babying Zoro and turning this into a ZS bad. I am seeing takes that Zoro and Sanji despise each other and have 0 understand for each other. If you felt Sanji was harsh that’s fine but he wasn’t in the wrong. Plus it’s just fueling stupid discourse.

My take away is I’m going use this as fuel for Zosan angst. Neither of them had been acting right. If y’all thought burden was to cruel for Zoro you wouldn’t be able to handle the fact in Japan Sanji said it in a more arrogant tone. He sounded more like his brothers. Sanji’s germa plot point is still going on.

Also I saw a theory that Zoro is still injured from Wano but is hiding it. I believe in the more meta explanation that Oda had to sideline Zoro until the climax but that’s another cool parallel to Sabaody. I fuck with it and hope it the case.

I think what could happen is post Egghead Sanji confronts to tell Zoro off. He can tell something is off with Zoro but Zoro would just tell Sanji to fuck off. They would get into a serious fight and start Elbaf with tension. Maybe during Elbaf Sanji goes full Germa and Zoro fights him and talks/beat him out of it.

This way that promise during Wano of Zoro having to kill Sanji if he loses his mind can finally come full circle. Also I think having a genuine Zoro vs Sanji fight would be heat.

#one piece #ronoroa zoro #sanji vinsmoke #sanzo #zosan #I know I said people but it’s ZL fans that hate ZS that are pushing this

[afishmushy]

Luffy = sun god, Law = moon god?

Some long-ass Analysis of this Theory! Enjoy !!

Warning: op manga spoilers ahead

first thing first,

Let us break down Law's name again. I found on Twitter, a translated tweet from a Japanese fan explaining that Law's taboo name isn't actually 'Water' but 'War Tale'.

The word used is ワーテル which is pronounced as "wāteru" and has no direct translation in English or any Language, unlike "水" (mizu) in Japanese. they point out that the same 'word manipulation' that happened to 'Laugh Tale' is applied here.

'war tale' according to Law is a taboo name, and his family for generations has...?

Let's take a minute and look at the Nefertiti family, for example, their duty was to protect the Ponegliffs all these years, also, The Kozuki Family's duty was to write the History on those Ponegliffs. ( there's actually a theory of them having a secret D as well)

Then, what is Law's Family rule? I am guessing something relating to inheriting or maintaining the records of the war that happened in the void century -The Story of War/ War tale- or some sacred wisdom or piece of Information. maybe Law had heard of the name Imu from his parents just like Copra did and that is why they keep their names secret - from Imu, which shockingly, knew Liliy for 800 years, and just now did Imu realize she is a D. So it runs in families?

Let me go back to why I think Law is related to the moon god despite the popular belief that Blackbeard is, in fact, the moon god.

here is Oda's statement for their flower:

Luffy=Sunflower

Law=Queen of the Night

So, these D boys are:

Luffy is the sun, Law is the moon, and Blackbeard is the eclipse and not the moon.

(Credit: @moustawott, on Tumbler)

Let's ponder Egyptian mythology for a sec, The god of the moon, Thoth, he is known for several things that sort of matches Law's actions and Characteristics:

( please notice the blue feather im dying)

Thoth helped the sun god ''Ra'' by providing him with magical spells to overcome obstacles during his nightly journey through the underworld( Luffy+ Law = Marineford).

2. He was depicted holding a writing palette and a reed pen, symbolizing his role as the divine record-keeper and lawgiver(war tale- Law's Family duty).

3. Thoth was also associated with medicine and healing. He was believed to possess knowledge of magical spells and remedies that could cure ailments and protect against diseases ( basically Law).

4. He was responsible for recording the verdict of the heart-weighing ceremony that determined if the person was able to continue on to the Afterlife (final operation theme).

5. in the eye of Hours, the sun is a symbol of good luck& the moon is a symbol of healing powers.

The moon is not the enemy of the sun, they co-exist, the moon is an ally that comes before the dawn. As Law broke the gear of the world in Punk Hazard, and announced the beginning of the new Area, a.k.a beginning of the Dawn.

Maybe Law isn't the moon god himself but he acts like a moon knight at least, since Luffy got to the new world, Law was at his side, as his guide from the darkness to the new dawn ( a bit romantic lol? not my intention really) and what drove Law to save Luffy at the Marineford was his instinct to protect the sun.

Another point is, Law's chest and back tattoos are clearly devoted to Cora, but his arms and hands show a wheel and sun-shaped circles, plus, his jolly roger, which I know is a rip off of doffy to piss him off BUT

when putting those next to each other, makes you wonder, right?

what made me come up with those biased, wild, and crazy ideas is this:

this cross is within a circle, the Solar Symbol cross. ( pointed out by @DawnDuskJapan on youtube, check it out)

the cross representing the rays of the sun and the circle representing the sun itself. It symbolizes life, vitality, and the power of the sun.

The ancient Shandians worshiped a Sun God, and The giants of Elbaf worship a Sun God as well, so maybe, The white city also worshiped the sun god? which Law subconsciously, added those features to his jolly Roger and tattoos.

Let's not forget, Both Law's and Luffy's devil fruits were what the WG wanted THE most.

in the end, I am ok with anyone calling me a nuthead.

#onepiecec1085 #trafalgar law #one piece #monkey d. luffy #will of d #sun god nika #onepiece theory #moon god #one piece imu #trafalgardwaterlaw #not a ship post but if you want to

[purplehairedwonder]

Chapter 1081: Heartbroken

Me, reading this chapter:

Okay, let’s start with the stuff on Hachinosu:

Garp and his ship land in the wake of the giant explosion at the end of last chapter. He’s worried he’s losing his touch while everyone else looks on in horror at the thought that this is what losing a step looks like. (Just saying, Akainu should be sending Sengoku flowers and chocolates for saving his life at Marineford when he stopped Garp from attacking.)

Moreover, thankfully we don’t have to wait for Garp and Coby to reunite.

But there is a complication: turns out Kuzan is actually on Hachinosu after all (which leaves Lafitte and Catarina Devon to potentially be on the ship heading to Egghead). I am genuinely surprised by this; I felt fairly certain Kuzan would be at Egghead with all the Ohara references. But now I’m wondering if Kuzan will cross paths with the Straw Hats at Elbaf... which is also where Saul is. That would be something.

(Also, I still want to know where Smoker is.)

Kuzan announces his presence by freezing Hibari. 

So, this could be a coincidence, but there’s also a potential for something more dramatic here. There are theories floating around that Hibari is Akainu’s daughter, so Kuzan freezing her here could be a sort of revenge against the man who cost him the position of Fleet Admiral and his leg.

We also get a flashback to Kuzan joining the Blackbeard Pirates:

NGL, it’s pretty sus that Kuzan and Blackbeard just happened to end up at the same place. I don’t feel like this stops the speculation that Kuzan is undercover, especially considering some of the things he says:

Back at Ohara, he says

Later, when he saves Smoker from Doflamingo on Punk Hazard, he tells Smoker

(Side note, this is very much like what Law tells Smoker about why he became a Warlord--seeing things at a different angle.)

Kuzan, despite being with Blackbeard at this point, is calling himself independent. And he says,

Which brings us to what he says on Hachinosu:

He’s acting according to his own wishes, not the World Government’s and not Blackbeard’s. After all, consider what Blackbeard says when he recruits Kuzan:

Kuzan clearly has his own agenda here--one he’s had in mind and has been inspired by for a long time, only now he feels free to act on it--and if he has to fight Garp to keep up his place in their midst until his goals are achieved, he will do so. 

(I just want to take a moment to note that we have yet another contrast between Blackbeard and Luffy; Luffy’s crew is full of his friends who fight for one another and want to help each other achieve their dreams. Blackbeard’s crew is entirely transactional.)

The way he phrases the need to make sure Coby isn’t rescued is also telling:

The optics would be bad for his mission if Coby got out in his watch, and that’s the only concern. He’s not a true believer here; he’s doing what is necessary for whatever his mission is.

So, Kuzan is an immovable object and Garp is an unstoppable force. They collide.

AND NOW TO THE PART OF THE CHAPTER THAT WILL BE LIVING RENT FREE IN MY BRAIN FOR THE REST OF FOREVER.

Oh no.

WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY.

This panel... hit me like a physical blow. Law’s been on the Tang since he was 16. I’m emotional about it.

Law whumps so pretty, sorry not sorry. (Add this to the file with him on the Heart Throne in Dressrosa and being tortured in Wano.) Bepo is... really adorable? And I love that the two of them are together here? Bepo’s with his captain, and I cry. This was also a brutal fight since it was Blackbeard and three Titanic commanders vs. the Hearts.

And another Rocky Port mention:

So, this confirms that Law got his hundred hearts at Rocky Port, and they’re all still on Hachinosu.

Meanwhile, Bepo (in another adorable panel) eats a new rumble ball from Chopper. (Can we talk about Chopper making this for Bepo? Chopper, bb, I love you so much.)

Law, stop being so pretty while you’re bloodied up.

Blackbeard knows about the Perennial Youth Operation, which is not surprising since he’s been hunting down Devil Fruits and Law’s is known as the Ultimate Devil Fruit. It’s interesting, too, that when Blackbeard ambushes Law, he says it’s for Law’s poneglyphs, but when Law is defeated, he talks about his Devil Fruit instead.

(Speaking of Law’s poneglyphs, did Blackbeard get them? With the Tang sinking and the captain and navigator escaping... wouldn’t it be ironic if he ambushed Law for his poneglyphs only to forget to take them in his victory.)

AND CHOPPER’S GIFT LETS BEPO GO SULONG WITHOUT THE FULL MOON. HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPE.

This bear, who is constantly apologizing for silly things, TAKES ON BLACKBEARD AND HIS TITANIC CAPTAINS to protect Law. I love their friendship so much.

Bepo takes Law and escapes in the sea. (Fun fact, polar bears can swim about 6 mph/10 kmh, and the longest known distance a polar bear has swum is 220 miles/354 km. So, Bepo is capable of getting Law to safety.)

Also, Law is leaving his hat and Kikoku behind -- two of his most visible signifiers. This... this hurts.

I am genuinely heartbroken by this moment. We know how much Law cares for his crew; he sent them to Zou to protect them from Doflamingo, and he gave himself up to be tortured in Wano to rescue Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin. He takes his role protecting his people very seriously, so he begs Bepo to turn around even though he’s in no shape to do anything. He just won’t abandon them (reminds me of him refusing to abandon Luffy if he were to die in Dressrosa).

But Bepo tells Law to trust in the Hearts. They’re tough and they’re survivors. This makes me think the Hearts will survive and regroup offscreen while Law and Bepo get away. (I can’t help but think, though, about the Hearts scattered on Winner Island and in the water and how Blackbeard is involved in the slave trade. Could you imagine the rage if Blackbeard sold the Hearts into slavery and Law had to rescue them? Or, if Blackbeard brings the survivors back as prisoners and lets the pirates with missing hearts at them... Yikes.)

Despite being conscious, Law must be in really bad shape for Bepo to be worried about him dying here. (I get that going underwater is safer against threats like Van Augur here, but Law is a badly-wounded Devil Fruit eater... he’s not going to be able to stay under very long, Bepo, heh.)

I want to examine, for a second, the way the defeat of the Hearts is framed versus the defeat of the Kid Pirates (versus the defeat of the Straw Hats in Sabaody).

“Winner Island, New World. On this day, the Heart Pirates, led by Trafalgar Law, were soundly defeated.”

“On this day, in the New World by Elbaf, the Kid Pirate crew, led by Eustass ‘Captain’ Kid, a man worth 3 billion, was completely eradicated.”

“Grove 12, Sabaody Archipelago, the Grand Line. That day, the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Captain Monkey D. Luffy, were eradicated.”

It’s quite noticeable how much more dramatically both the Kid Pirates’ and the Straw Hats’ defeats were described. For one thing, the descriptions of the Kid Pirates’ and Straw Hats’ defeats are more flowery. 

Plus, the use of the word “eradicated,” which sounds permanent. Obviously, the Straw Hats weren’t permanently broken up, but they are separated for two years. It’s a dramatic defeat. We don’t know what happened to the Kid Pirates, but it didn’t look good, as both Kid and Killer, who can’t swim, were thrown into the water. On the other hand, the Hearts are described as being “defeated” while Law and Bepo escape.

So, what comes next? On the one hand, it would make a lot of sense for Bepo to get Law to safety and then call the Straw Hats. This could be a great excuse to get Law back onto the Sunny for the duration, especially since his goal to learn about the Will of D. is aligned with Luffy’s without competing with his. Plus, you know Luffy wouldn’t hesitate to help Law.

On the other hand, if we think about where Law is in conjunction to the other two captains...

He’s closer to Elbaf than Egghead. It would not shock me if we start to see all these plotlines (Straw Hats, Kuzan, Law) converge on Elbaf.

Ugh, this chapter has completely wrecked me.

#One Piece 1081 #One Piece chapter 1081 #One Piece 1081 spoilers #One Piece spoilers #Trafalgar Law #Best boi Bepo #Blackbeard #Kuzan #Garp #One Piece #Chapter write-up

[hapifangurl]

this spread is very interesting. a clear nod for elbaf and maybe we can find some clues for future arc.

thanks to @kathitah for this colored spread.

we are now nearing the end of the egghead arc in the manga. brogy and dory already appeared to lead them to elbaf the last island before raftel. and probably the last road ponegliff will be there. also, the much awaited reunion of jaguar d saul and nico robin.

i know oda most of the time put clues on his cover spreads and chapters for future arcs and maybe this spread will tell us something.

notice that zoro's face is serious but it looks somber/sad. among the boys in this spread, he is the only one who is not looking happy here. his head down like he is contemplating with a frown.

I've been thinking for a while now that oda is saving zoro to have a major conflict with their captain/luffy.

their fight during whiskey peak when luffy thought zoro killed everyone without a reason (not knowing it was a setup, and the people were BW agents) was not a major clash between them. it was done for comedic purposes and there was no emotional conflict involved.

we are already done with usopp and sanji. they got their very emotional and major clash with luffy.

1st Usopp duel during water 7/enies lobby arc: the heartbreaking decision for going merry. usopp fight with luffy. usopp left the crew.

2nd Sanji duel during the zou/whole cake island arc: sanji left the crew due to his family's background and big mom threat. sanji's fight with luffy and luffy not fighting him back. still believing sanji would return to them.

the key factor why these 2 duels were so heartbreaking is due to the emotional conflict that the characters were going through.

zoro is seen as the most loyal to luffy. never betrayed him and will follow luffy to the end. and if luffy orders zoro to kill anyone, he will do it without a doubt. he is the vice captain, second in command not even once he questions luffy's action.

in one episode post-enies lobby when luffy is happy to know usopp wants to rejoin the crew, we saw a glimpse of zoro "angered" towards luffy almost confrontational. he acted as a serious vice captain/second-in-command and reminds everyone they are pirates they have a code to follow.

luffy should act as a captain and let usopp admit his mistake and say sorry before letting him back to the crew. zoro even threatens to leave the team if they accept usopp easily as if nothing happened.

just putting my tinfoil hat on.

so many things going on now in op due to gorosei, the void century reveal etc... but i have a feeling that there'll be a plot in the future that will put zoro and luffy's bond to the test. a serious conflict between them. they will get their major emotional fight. a duel like with sanji and usopp.

i dont think zoro will betray luffy but my theory is that there will be a plot that zoro will not agree to luffy's decision/action that will lead to a duel. im debating if their conflict will have zoro temporarily leave the crew just like what happened to usopp and sanji. of course that conflict will be resolved after many chapters and zoro will return to the crew.

i thought wano will be a perfect setup for zoro and luffy to have a major clash (cos you know land of samurai, zoro's lineage etc) but wano has too many moving pieces and storyline to cover so my speculation that during elbaf arc zoro and luffy will have a duel.

elbaf is very fitting if you think about it the land of the giants. land of warriors. oda is a writer and he plotted things ahead of time so luffy versus zoro on elbaf is not a far fetch theory.

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

#zoro #roronoa zoro #pirate hunter zoro #zoro versus luffy #one piece speculation #one piece theory

[melonteee]

My opinion on power levels and power scaling is that Oda clearly cares about them to some extent (though not as much as story, comedy, drama, tragedy, etc).

Like, Wano's a great example, he wrote 3 power-ups for Luffy (Ryuo training, Supreme King Haki infusement, and Gear 5), 2 power-ups for Zoro (Enma and King of Hell, plus he brought back Asura), 3 power-ups for Sanji (Raid Suit, Germa Exoskeleton, and Ifrit Jambe), and other power-ups for the other Straw Hats (Zeus becoming a Clima-Tact Homie, Chopper's Monster Point lasting 10 times longer, Demonio Fleur).

A lot of time and story structure went into writing those power-ups to justify the Straw Hats beating the Animal Kingdom Pirates.

So I care about power levels and power scaling, but I try to keep myself restrained. I try to only care about power scaling as much as Oda himself does, and not sweat the small stuff.

And I think power-ups being important for the story can be a good thing, and they can be written in interesting ways that set up future story beats. Like the underlying power level narrative of the Nami and Usopp vs Ulti and Page One fight is "Nami cannot beat Ulti without Zeus and Usopp cannot beat Page One, period." He tried, but couldn't. And I think that was intentional on Oda's part to set up Usopp's need for a power-up in the future (my theory is that Usopp will get Mjolnir in Elbaf).

My opinion on it is he only cares about them from a plot narrative. He will literally make someone lose if it means pushing character and pushing narrative. And tbh One Piece doesn't have 'powerscaling' in that sense, it literally just has rules to the world and powers.

Like, whoever will win is who the plot will call to win. Usopp probably shouldn't have beaten a lot of people, but he did. Because it's simply not the power that matters, it's the character and story. He makes characters win in stupid ways because he's writing a story, not a boxing match haha

#ask #melonask

[swampstew]

Crack Theory Time ~ Killer's laugh

Cooking with @yamat0 ~~

Ignore if you don't want unhinged rantings from this lil witch and her friend

Based on this thread where we fantasize about the Kid Pirates relevancy to Saul, the Straw Hats, and insecurity.

The guy with the weird laugh who taught Robin to laugh and to have faith she'd one day have the best of friends having some connection with the guys (Kid Pirates) who refuse to laugh and refuse to be friends with anyone? GIMME <in response to side by side panels of the man with burn scar scene and the mysterious giant scholar on Elbaf>

Killer learning to love his laugh and be friends with Robin -> And this is how Kid learns to open up and be vulnerable around other...like minded individuals.

If they weren't rivals I feel like Luffy and Kid would be really good friends.

#raven's rantings #unhinged #stonedwitchhours #eustass kid #massacre soldier killer #kid pirates #headcanons #theories that keep me tethered to hell that is reality #eustasscaptainkid #bud clues #star crossed friends