Over the years, One Piece has introduced many a tragic character. In fact, the series has become almost infamous for sneaking in the most heartbreaking origin stories when fans expect it the least. The most recent example of this was Kuma, whose tragic past is currently being brought to life in One Piece’s anime. All that said, the Elbaf Arc now has its own tragic star, and it’s unexpectedly the so-called “Accursed Prince” Loki, who could finally be on the path to redemption.
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Chapter 1153 of One Piece finally dives into Loki’s origins, revealing that Harald was forced to marry Loki’s mother, Estrid, after pressure from the Giants to marry someone of pure Ancient Giant blood. The chapter then goes on to reveal that Loki was born with serpentine eyes, horrifying Estrid, who proceeded to throw Loki into the Underworld, calling him cursed and a monster. As Estrid prepares to return to her village in Elbaf, Loki can be seen crying while trying to crawl up Jewel Tree Adam, painting a strikingly tragic picture of the antagonizing character Loki has been set up as so far.
One Piece Is Setting Loki up for a Classic Redemption
While One Piece has had its fair share of horrible parents, such as Vinsmoke Judge, Loki’s mother, Estrid, might just take the cake as the most despicable. The latest chapter sees Estrid immediately reject Loki, initially demanding that those who witnessed the birth tell Harald it was a stillbirth before settling on completely keeping his birth a secret from everyone. As if the sight of little Loki reaching out for his mother but having no one take his hands wasn’t heartbreaking enough already, the chapter ends with the striking image of Loki trying to claw his way out of the Underworld, simultaneously clawing his way into fans’ hearts.
Of course, considering fans have previously seen King Harald address Loki and Hajrudin together in a brief flashback, Loki’s birth wasn’t a secret for much longer, especially since Estrid passed away not too soon after. That said, easily the most interesting part of the chapter is the revelation of a prophecy that Harald would be slain by his own son, with the chapter implying that this prophecy is why any future misfortune that came Elbaf’s way would be attributed to Loki being cursed.
Despite the prophecy, however, as fans already saw in Chapter 1152, King Harald had been impaled by his guards when Loki and Jarul arrived at Aurust Castle, implying Loki was innocent of his biggest crime and had simply taken the blame. If so, it is possible that every other rumor fans have heard about Loki and his misdeeds so far has been false as well, wrongfully painting him as the “Accursed Prince” of Elbaf.
While his origins would completely justify him becoming a villain, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Loki isn’t as evil as he initially seemed. Luffy also instinctively seems to know this, trusting Loki enough to ask him to join the Straw Hats. Nonetheless, it seems like One Piece is pulling off yet another classic redemption, and by the end of the Elbaf Arc, Loki might just end up being another fan-favorite character.
One Piece is available to read on Manga Plus and Viz Media.
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Image courtesy of Netflix
