Because you’re getting a flashback within a flashback. A three-minute explanation? Yeah, right.
You know… Thanks to One Piece Live Action, I miss the simpler arcs of One Piece. Where arcs didn’t have the main duty of expositing world and character lore while constantly setting up the final war arc of the series.
Weird, right? I’m all about the One Piece lore, yet here I am complaining about it. But I don’t hate it, not at all! I just want more of the fun stuff that made me fall in love with One Piece too. The Straw Hats interacting with each other, the zany villains, the feeling of a grand adventure instead of constant melodrama p0rn. This is a different manga than what began.
Here we are at the flashback portion of the arc and I’m just going through the motions. Sure, I’m excited about the coming lore dumps, but then it’s back to Basic Bro Imu the Evil and his boring henchmen. The only thing interesting about Imu is the mystery boxes surrounding him. I need more than that for a character to interest me.
Worst part is Loki spent the morning tap dancing inside a barn.
I get it. I GET it. Luffy’s the main character; he has to save the day. But could all the other Straw Hats have their moment to shine?
No! Because we’re at the classic Luffy-Was-Absent/Disposed-But-Now-He’s-Back-To-Save-The-Day portion of Elbaph’s Arc. Well, it’s not all about Luffy. Can’t forget about Sanji and Zoro. One will fight Killingham and the other, Sommers.
Maybe.
There’s still Loki. No way is he not getting uncuffed at some point. Helping against Imu will probably be that reason. Not now, of course. No way will the Monster Trio think they’ll need Loki’s help. Things will have to get even MORE dire for that to happen. You know…like Luffy losing to Imu.
At least Chief Jarul will get a free gold watch and retirement party at IHOP.
Oh, don’t act so shocked! Luffy losing a round or two to a Big Bad’s nothing new. And since Imu will be the FINAL Biggie, there’s gonna be a lot of plot armor and/or teamwork getting Imu off Elbaph. Loki, Whoever/Whatever’s in Astral World, Brook helping to break Imu’s control of Gunko, etc. Heck, even when Team Luffy wins it’ll be a win against Imu possessing Gunko, not the character’s true body. It’s all building to the final war, kids.
What the heck was Rocks D. Xebec doing in Elbaph?!
I don’t think he was there on vacation. I wonder…is the reason Rocks was there the same reason the Celestial Dragons want the island? Or, maybe Big Mom’s Ponegliff was originally from Elbaph and Rocks was just there to read it? Hmm…maybe both!
There’s definitely something special about and/or on Elbaph related to the world’s history. That Elbaph flashback is gonna be insane, Y’All!
You want to wake up kids? Throw cold water in their face!
You’re welcome, Walrus School staff.
So, there’s no Holy Knight with the power of giving life to drawings like I thought last chapter. Just some thorny guy looking for love in all the wrong places. But, the thorns being invisible is an interesting concept. Color me intrigued.
Say? With all of St. Sommers twisted talks of love, you think he’s Jewelry Bonney’s biological father? He seems like the kid of guy who’d have sex slaves then throw them away when he’s tired of them in the most disturbing way. Like say…making a pregnant slave undergo inhumane experimentation. Yep. Put me down for that bearded bastard being Bonney’s blood daddy.
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.”
Operation Child Abduction’s in full effect. Gotta say, Sommers and Killingham having the power to bring drawings to life and put people to sleep wasn’t on my bingo card for powers they possess. Although, those are some pretty versatile abilities with excellent range. If used right, they could and are extremely deadly devil fruit powers.
Seriously, look at how freaking huge those monster drawings are! We’re in a land of giants and the people seems like ants compared to them. It’s nuts!
I was gonna complain about how the Holy Knights have a ship, then I realized Sommers most likely brought a ship drawing to life. See what I mean by how versatile they’re powers are? Gotta give props to Oda for giving all three Holy Knights extremely interesting powers.
Things kids fear? Then where’s the Homework Monster, the No WIFI Monster, and the Gluten Bread Monster?
Finally! Loki’s free to enact his glorious purpose!
Here we go! Loki Fight: Round One. It’s not like anyone else is gonna be this arc’s final antagonist. Well, Shamrock was, but he’s gone so it’s up to Loki wielding his weapon, Ragnir. Put my money on it being a hammer similar to Marvel’s Thor’s weapon, Mjolnir.
“Which way’s the bathroom?! I’ve been holding it for six years!”
So…uh…anyone know what The Harley is talking about?
Safe to say the Harley’s passages matches the mural. Let’s assume each area of mural under a Harley passage represents that particular message. If so, let’s try figuring out what’s going on based off of what we currently know about the One Piece world and its past.
The First World
Ok… Ah, the Mother Flame. Cities. …Maybe the world was advanced and that civilization discovered the Mother Flame. Things went downhill from there and somehow the planet was destroyed. Remember, we recently learned the One Piece world was destroyed twice. Once during the Void Century and the other, I presume, was way way WAY back in an advanced age.
If the Sun God is Nika, then the Earth God was Imu? Or, whoever had the Earth God powers during that time? And does all this earth talk symbolize the creation of the Red Line and it subsequent separation of the planet into four blues? Sure, let’s go with that.
The Second World
“The Forest God tamed demons” could mean during this low point in history, devil fruits somehow appeared in the world and were used to fight the demons? [Wait, wait, wait! Does that mean demons were unleashed because the ancient civilization dug too deep for the Mother Flame and awoke them? Like when the Dwarves in Lord of The Rings mined to deep and awoke the Balrog? Hmm…]
Those of the half-moon and moon dreamed? Hmm… Lunarians and…some other race of people, I guess. The sea god storming could mean devil fruit users gaining their water weakness. If so, it’s interesting something happened to give them that vulnerability rather than it always being there.
The World Tree also plays a role here but I’m not sure what that was. Unless… Were devil fruits born from it?! Devil fruits originated on Elbaph. A place where horned giants that could be mistaken for demons lived and has an area they call the Underworld… Fascinating!
Apocalyptic Graffiti. Usually you only see that in New Jersey.
We see flying arks in the mural similar to the one God Enel built (no doubt from ancient blueprints he found or stole somewhere). Did the Lunarians and others escape the demon infested planet in order to live peacefully on the moon? If so, are they still there? I don’t think it was ever confirmed if anyone was still alive up there except for the Space Pirates before Enel got there.
“Man killed the sun and became god” I take that as Team Imu (the united countries that founded the World Government) attacking the last remnant of the formerly vast ancient civilization (now only one island, Laugh Tale), flooding the planet, and taking over the world. Imu later moves into the Lunarians abandoned territory atop the Red Line and creates Marijoa. Basically, The Second World describes what happened during the Void Century.
So, Loki was a jerk since day one, huh? Who wanna bet he did all of those “pranks” as a way to toughen up the people of Elbaph? Don’t get me wrong, Loki’s absolutely an arc antagonistic but the Celestial Dragons will always be the worst of the worst in One Piece. I bet the Holy Knights want Loki to kill Luffy AKA Nika 2.0. Why else would they offer him a place at the inbred Celestial Dragon knights table?
Start the countdown for Shank’s flashback, Y’all. It’s gotta happen this arc with his (most likely) brother appearing on the island. I wonder will Shanks himself return to Elbaph and reunite with Luffy? Hmm…
Look. She was in a hurry, okay?! Not everyone has time to put on pants you know.
Everyone’s so happy. It’d be a shame if a couple baddies teleported down onto a magic pentagram circle to ruin it.
Let’s jump right into the last pages. Dark lightning/energy? A summoning circle we’ve seen only the Five Elders previously use? Someone looking like Shanks appears? It’s gotta be Saint Figarland Garling!
Makes since if the theory he’s Shank’s father is true. King Imu gives him the power to look younger and BLAM! He’s on Elbaph disguised as Shanks on the same island he knows the Straw Hat Crew escaped to. Now he can hunt down Lilith, destroy Ohara’s books (if he finds out they still exist), and geniuely be a pain in the butt to any and everyone on Elbaph. Perfect. I’m such a genius!
…Hm? What is it, fellow reader? Last page of One Piece 1121? No, I don’t reme—
Shanks’s twin brother, Spanks. He likes it rough.
Oh.
Well maybe I am over thinking things and it’s just Shanks’ brother.
At first I thought Prince Loki wasn’t a Sun God, just someone impersonating one. You know. Since Luffy is the Sun God. But! What if Luffy’s A sun god, not THE sun god? Luffy ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. It’s possible Loki’s family passed down another Human-Human devil fruit similar to Joy Boy’s version. Well, I doubt Loki’s a rubber man, but seeing as he’s in Elbaph’s “Underworld” with no sun, I bet he feeds on its power. Think Oda’s version of an evil Superman. The more solar energy Loki absorbs, the stronger he gets. A good theory, if I say so myself.
Shanks and Loki know each other, huh? Did Shanks have a hand in stopping Loki six years ago? Probably. No doubt it’s why the Red-Haired Pirates are allies with the giants of Elbaph since Warland sure as heck doesn’t need protection on a regular basis. Gotta say, I’m liking Luffy meeting the possible Big Bad of the arc early. Yep, I’m still not 100% sold on Loki being the final villain of the arc, but he’s still up there. Like a 90% chance it’s gonna be him. Anything other than that will be Oda fooling us all, which can happen.
Mammoth Base Opera Castle 