The Straw Hats haven’t been in Elbaf for long, but the fight has already begun as the Holy Knights catch the Giants off guard. The Holy Knights were first mentioned in One Piece Chapter 1054 when Akainu and the Gorosei discussed the aftermath of the chaotic Reverie Arc. Akainu mentions that the Holy Knights intervened after the attempted murder of Saint Charlos and the accusation that Saint Mjosgard let the attacker escape. While this chapter barely tells us anything about the Holy Knights, they were again mentioned in Chapter 1083 when Sabo reunited with the Revolutionary Army and reported everything to Dragon and Ivankov. Dragon mentions that the real war against the World Government will begin when the Holy Knights are immobilized.
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This further hypes up the antagonistic group as we learn just how dangerous they are to the Revolutionary Army. Garling’s introduction in Chapter 1086 gives us a glimpse at their social standing as the man executes another Celestial Dragon. The Holy Knights were already established as a powerful group of fighters, but now we are finally learning more about them in the Elbaf Arc. They are the main villains of this arc as we meet four new members. The battle in Elbaf will be intense, and the crew will face their biggest challenge yet. While we can’t say for certain which Holy Knight will fight the crew members, it seems Eiichiro Oda already has plans for Sanji.
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One Piece’s Sommers Will Be a Worthy Opponent for Sanji
Saint Sommers of the Shepherd family is from the same bloodline as Saint Ju Peter. He is introduced in Chapter 1140 when he is summoned to Elbaf without his knowledge. In Chapter 1143, he explains his twisted philosophy of love. He believes that every love has its thorns and that love is the passion to reach out and squeeze someone tight. Even though the thorns hurt them, he believes there’s real “emotion” in killing. For someone as powerful as Sommers, nothing excites him more than “death by love.”
Sommers has the power of a Thorn-Thorn Fruit, which grants him the ability to grow thorns around himself, other people, and basically anything he sees. If someone tries to touch a person ensnared by Sommers’ thorns, they will be injured as well. It’s worse when the thorns hovering around the target are seemingly invisible, making it easier for others to fall into Sommers’s trap. It also obscures the true nature of his devil fruit. Sommers’s idea of love and causing pain to others based on their emotional bonds heavily contrasts with Sanji, who represents the themes of love and kindness in One Piece.
Sommers’s powers are quite tricky and will prove to be quite challenging for Sanji, who is more of a straightforward fighter. Sanji’s Haki and exoskeleton are powerful, but there’s no guarantee how powerful Sommers is in terms of close combat. However, Sanji does have an advantage with his fire abilities, which can potentially burn Sommers’s vines. The pirate also has one of the best Observation Haki in the series, so he may be able to figure out where the vines are located.
Sanji and His Theme of Love in One Piece
When it comes to representing the themes of love in One Piece, no one does it better than Sanji. His portrayal as the kindest character and his unwavering chivalry heavily contrasts that of Sommers. Sanji’s devotion to women is seen as representing a romanticized version of love, while his unwavering loyalty and care for Luffy and the others embody the kind of love centered on friendship and brotherhood. Rather than fighting based on their strength, it will be exciting to see a clash of ideals as they both have completely different outlooks on love. Sanji’s selflessness and willingness to sacrifice himself for those he holds dear is another one of the aspects that’s different from Sommers.
Compared to Sanji, the villain’s love appears to be possessive and punishing. The stronger feelings someone has towards Sommers’ targets, the more pain they will be in. That said, so far, it’s only an assumption that the two will fight, but who knows what Oda has in store for us. With so many Holy Knights invading the island, the crew will be forced to fight some powerful enemies. As usual, we can expect at least Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji to have amazing one-on-one fights with the villains, where each of these pirates pushes past their limits and becomes stronger than ever.
