One Piece Reveals the Holy Knights’ True Goal

Ever since the Holy Knights’ arrival on Elbaf, it has been painfully clear that the only thing awaiting the land of the Giants is utter destruction. One Piece’s anime even gave fans a good look at Elbaf long before the Straw Hats could make landfall on the island, during the fight between Kid and Shanks, and its serene beauty only added to fans’ suspicions that Elbaf could soon turn into a battlefield. The latest chapters of One Piece have since proven these suspicions were completely right, with the Holy Knights’ arrival unleashing complete chaos on Elbaf, and fans now even know the Holy Knights’ true goal.

Chapter 1147 of One Piece reveals that the Holy Knights still have not set aside their initial goal of assimilating Elbaf into the World Government. The chapter reveals that the reason the Holy Knights kidnapped the Giant children was to use them as hostages and thus force the Giants into swearing allegiance to the World Government. Not only that, but St. Sommers also demands that the Giants burn down the Walrus School and the Owl Library, threatening to kill the children off one by one if the Giants do not comply. As implied by Gunko and Sommers in the previous chapter, this is so that the Giants will be on the World Government’s side in the inevitable final war.

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One Piece Reveals the Holy Knights’ True Plan for Elbaf

When Shamrock and Gunko first arrived on Elbaf, they did reveal their intentions to bring Elbaf under the World Government’s rule. That said, until most recently, fans did not know why. After Loki refused to join the Holy Knights, Shamrock switched tactics, summoning St. Sommers and St. Killingham to the scene, though it was unclear what their purpose was for kidnapping the Giant children, with the common assumption being that perhaps the World Government planned to kidnap them, take them to the Holy Land, and enslave them. However, it seems the Holy Knights never strayed from their initial goal, and their plan involving the children was far more insidious than anyone could have imagined.

In fact, the latest chapters even expand on why the World Government so desperately wanted to bring Elbaf and the Giants under their control. As Gunko stated in Chapter 1146, a vast war that will engulf the entire world of One Piece is on the horizon, likely the same war prophesied in the Harley and the Elbaf mural, and according to Gunko, the Giants and which side they fight for will have a profound impact on the outcome of this war. In the same chapter, St. Sommers also expressed his frustration at the fact that the Giants were supposed to be the World Government’s mercenaries, though in the latest chapter, he is far more direct with his words, describing the World Government’s ultimate goal as turning the Giants into their “slaves in battle.”

For now, through his message broadcast to the entirety of Elbaf, St. Sommers has placed the responsibility of making a decision on Jarul, the hero of the Giants. While Gaban and Robin have stepped into action, it is unclear whether Jarul and Elbaf will be able to avoid the Holy Knights’ ultimatum. Either way, One Piece’s Elbaf Arc just raised the stakes impossibly high, and the upcoming chapters are sure to be a wild ride.

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