One Piece Just Gave Luffy the Perfect Advantage Against Blackbeard

As One Piece heads deeper into the Final Saga, it has become increasingly clear that Luffy will have to face Blackbeard at some point if not for the final Road Poneglyph then as revenge for Ace’s death. That said, even with the power of Gear Five at his side, it is hard to say whether Luffy and the Straw Hats will truly be able to defeat Blackbeard and his crew of powerful, devil fruit users.

Interestingly enough, however, One Piece‘s Elbaf Arc may have just presented Luffy with the perfect advantage over Blackbeard, with Loki shaping up to be the ultimate wild card to shift the tide in the Straw Hats’ favor. Chapter 1136 of One Piece sees Luffy, Zoro, and Nami set out to find the key that frees Loki from his chains. As per Luffy and Loki’s deal in Chapter 1131, Loki offered to eliminate any pirate crew of Luffy’s choosing in exchange for freeing him, and with the Straw Hat trio on their way to do just that, Loki may soon have to keep up with his end of the bargain, with Blackbeard being Luffy’s most likely choice. \

[Related: One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Introduces the Hero of the Giants]

One Piece Teases Loki Could End Up Being Luffy’s Ace Against Blackbeard

While Luffy’s motivations for freeing Loki are clearly to learn more about Shanks’ whereabouts, it is likely that Loki will offer much more for his precious freedom than such simple information. If so, with Law and Kid having been wiped out, the only rivals left in Luffy’s path to the final treasure are Shanks and Blackbeard. Luffy clearly harbors no antagonism towards Shanks but instead desperately wants to meet him again, making Blackbeard the only option should Luffy be forced to choose a pirate crew for Loki to eliminate as per their promise.

Although Loki is being painted as an antagonistic character with his reputation as the “accursed prince” it is important to note that Luffy still firmly believes that Loki is a good person, making such an alliance between them more than probable. Luffy’s instincts have never let him down before and despite hearing stories of Loki’s misdeeds as a child in the latest chapter, Luffy still staunchly believes in Loki’s character and trusts him to hold up his end of the deal.

Loki’s True Powers Are Yet to Be Revealed

The only question that remains is whether Loki is truly powerful enough to turn the tide against Blackbeard. So far, the Elbaf arc has revealed very little about Loki’s powers other than the fact that he supposedly possesses a legendary devil fruit passed down through Elbaf’s royal family.

For the most part, Loki’s reputation speaks for his strength, with Chapter 1136 revealing that Loki’s capture six years ago is the feat that earned Shanks a spot among the Emperors of the Sea. The latest chapter also sees the two Holy Knights at Elbaf attempting to convince Loki to join their ranks, which speaks volumes of his strength.

Safe to say, though Loki has yet to show what he is truly capable of, he will surely be an indispensable ally should Luffy truly end up freeing him and earning his loyalty. One Piece‘s Elbaf arc undoubtedly has much in store for Loki’s character and the upcoming chapters may very well completely shift perceptions of him in classic One Piece fashion.

One Piece is available to read from Manga Plus and Viz Media.