Luffy's role in One Piece's final war arc may mirror Ace's in Marineford

One Piece final saga is in full play, giving the fandom a final stretch before Monkey D Luffy reaches the final treasure to potentially become the King of Pirates. Currently, on Elbaph Island, there is no telling what the future might hold for the Straw Hat Pirates. However, given how the post-timeskip mirrors the pre-timeskip, we might know what could happen to the Straw Hat Pirates, specifically Luffy.

With the current position of Elbaph Island in the series chronology, Luffy might get captured by the World Government, just like Ace during the Impel Down Arc. To save him, the Straw Hat Pirates might separate their pathways to gather all the allies they made during their journey. Ultimately, the series might end with a grand battle between the World Government and the Straw Hat Pirates for the custody of Luffy.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the manga series and expresses the author's opinion.

One Piece: Exploring the fate of Monkey D Luffy in the final saga

Luffy and Buggy as seen in One Piece's Impel Down Arc (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece has showcased numerous times the parallels between the pre- and post-timeskip, as seen from the recent arcs. However, given the series' chronological order, these parallels might be coincidences, and the fandom might be overlooking the true parallels that become obvious when comparing each respective arc from the pre-timeskip to its adjacent one from the post-timeskip.

One such comparison would be between the Impel Down Arc and the Elbaph Arc. The latter arc has other important given how it has been on the bucket list of the Straw Hat Pirates since they visited Little Garden in the pre-timeskip. However, the arc's parallel to the Impel Down Arc might be the turning point of the series' final saga.

During the Impel Down Arc, Luffy pushed his hardest to save his brother from the bottom level of Impel Down, the most dangerous prison on the Grand Line. As he crossed different levels of this prison, Luffy gathered allies like Bonchan, Jinbe, and many other prisoners, forming an army that would later raid Marineford to save Ace before the Marine Corps' big dogs.

Nami as seen in the Elbaph Arc (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha)

Paralleling this arc, Elbaph could work similarly, but this time, the liberator, Luffy, might get captured by the World Government. As of One Piece chapter 1145, the Holy Knights might have a showdown with the Straw Hat Pirates as Gunko appeared before Nami's group. So, Luffy might sacrifice himself to his crewmates, getting captured by the Holy Knights.

He would then be taken back to Marineford for his execution, and this could be where the Straw Hat Pirates might fulfil Luffy's role, which he did during the Impel Down Arc. As per their roles, the Straw Hat Pirates might divide into groups and travel to different parts of the Grand Line to gather allies to save Monkey D Luffy.

The Straw Hat Pirate crew as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Franky and Zoro might go to Wano Kingdom, with the former trying to retrieve the true Pluton Ancient Weapon and Zoro forging his skills with the samurai. Jinbe might go to Fisherman Island and gather the Fisherman Pirates for a favor to save Luffy. Chopper might go to Zou and lead his army of Minks towards the Marineford Arc.

Nami might travel to her old roots, Weaheria, too, and improve the abilities of her climatact. Lastly, Robin, Brook, and Sanji might travel the Grand Line in search of the Final Road Poneglyph, formerly present on Fisherman Island, and could stumble upon the whereabouts of Uranus, the final Ancient Weapon. Ultimately, all of them would march towards Marineford to save their captain, just like how Luffy did with his brother Ace.

Final Thoughts

It might be too far-fetched to call Elbaph Arc the parallel of the entire Marineford Saga, given how the events lead to a similar condition. However, the Final Saga's second arc might turn out to be the true turning point, given how Eiichiro Oda has hyped the arc since the early days of One Piece.

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About the author

Umer is an anime and manga expert at Sportskeeda with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Biotechnology. He chose to deviate from his original career path due to his love for anime, and wishes to encourage more people to experience the genre through his work. He has previously worked at niche anime-centered media website Anime Senpai for around 1.5 years.

Umer believes in cross-checking facts with official sources and strives to produce well-rounded articles through thorough research. He is a fan of anime series like 'Made in Abyss,' 'One Piece,' and 'Clannad,' and also loves indulging in manga including 'Monster,' 'Yotsubato!,' and any series by Junji Ito. He admires 'One Piece' author Eiichiro Oda and is inspired by how he intricately weaves a narrative and seamlessly connects loose links.

Apart from immersing himself in a wide array of anime and manga, Umer also collects physical copies of manga series to support his favorite authors. When he's not working, he enjoys reading classic literature and watching soccer.

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Edited by Bharath S