One Piece: Elbaf Arc’s Main Villain Isn’t Who You Think (Here’s Why)

As soon as the One Piece manga commences its highly-anticipated Elbaf Arc, the series introduces Prince Loki of the fabled kingdom. Despite being one of the strongest giants, Loki is far from the brave and honorable warrior he should be. He is the former fiance of Big Mom’s daughter, Lola. A few years before the current events, Loki proposes a marriage, which miserably falls off. Unfortunately, Big Mom’s relationship with the Giants hits rock bottom after her daughter runs away. Despite the sisters ‘ uncanny resemblance, the prince even refuses to marry Chiffon, Lola’s twin sister.

Six years ago, he was sentenced to crucifixion in a forest for the crime of killing his father, King Herald. He did that to acquire the power of a legendary devil fruit, or so they say. The giants claim Loki is the “Cursed Prince,” someone who has only ever committed evil deeds. As the “Shame of Elbaf,” his list of crimes exceeds anyone in the kingdom. Killing his father is the final straw, which forces the giants to take extreme measures. However, things aren’t that simple, and Loki’s meeting with Luffy in One Piece proves there’s more to it than meets the eye. Loki is yet another mysterious character whose backstory will answer a lot of questions about him.

Loki’s First Introduction in One Piece Doesn’t Hint at Him Being Evil

Although he officially debuts in Chapter 1130, Loki was first mentioned in Chapter 858. He falls in love with Lola at first sight and appears to have genuine feelings for her as he doesn’t mind allying with Big Mom, an enemy of his race. Big Mom grew up in Elbaf, but the series has yet to reveal the reason behind her rocky relationship with the giants.

Lola’s marriage with Loki would’ve been a perfect opportunity to forget past differences. However, the bride-to-be runs away and becomes a pirate, hoping to find true love someday. This worsens Big Mom’s relationship with the Giants, but the series never delved deeper into Loki’s feelings.

When Loki meets the young Yonko in Chapter 1130, he introduces himself as the Sun God. In Elbaf, Nika, or the Sun God, holds cultural and historical significance. The Giants revere Nika as a god, a symbol of freedom. It’s unprecedented that someone who grew up knowing Nika’s importance will use their god’s name for committing unspeakable crimes.

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Luffy’s Trust Proves Why Loki Isn’t the Main Villain of One Piece’s Elbaf Arc

Luffy’s meeting with Loki isn’t what someone would expect between the protagonist and the arc’s main antagonist. During their brief meeting, Luffy gets comfortable enough to sleep on top of the giant. Despite the Prince’s arrogant personality, the two seem to get along quite well. While Loki does annoy the young pirate by taunting Shanks, it doesn’t create a serious rift between them. The prince even tries to make a deal by telling Luffy about Shanks in exchange for his freedom.

However, in Chapter 1132, Luffy makes a clumsy attempt at lying to Gerd for Loki’s sake. Loki doesn’t want anyone to know about their meeting, so Luffy complies. Luffy has a straightforward and honest personality. He says what he wants to without thinking about the consequences. Of course, he’s also a terrible liar and wouldn’t go through the trouble of crafting a lie unless it’s necessary.

But for some reason, he puts himself in an awkward situation for the infamous prince. Over the years, Luffy has established himself as an excellent judge of character. He has an innate ability to sense a person’s nature and intentions. Hence, Luffy’s trust and lack of hostility towards Loki are reasons to believe that the latter isn’t evil.

Loki Doesn’t Pose a Serious Threat to Luffy

While Loki does have extraordinary skills and the power of a legendary devil fruit, he still doesn’t pose a serious threat to the Yonko. Six years ago, before he got the power of a devil fruit, the World Government issued a special bounty of 2.6 billion berries on his head. However, Luffy’s Gear 5 ability makes him a force to be reckoned with. He is as powerful as he can imagine himself to be. He can overpower the world’s strongest creature, Kaido. Luffy can manipulate his body and his surroundings to overwhelm his enemy.

He is completely free in his Gear 5 form, which means even someone powerful like Loki can’t do much damage to him. In the Egghead Incident Arc, Luffy went toe to toe with Gorosei, some of the most powerful characters in One Piece. As such, any new villain must prove himself to be a challenge against the young Yonko.

One Piece is currently in the second arc of the Final Saga. Hence, the challenges the Straw Hats will face are nothing compared to what they have been through. Having the main villain of an arc lose easily doesn’t add much thrill to the story. Loki is still a fairly new character in One Piece, and it’s clear that Eiichiro Oda has major plans for the notorious prince.