Oda may have dropped Elbaph's biggest red herring yet in One Piece chapter 1130

Modified Nov 03, 2024 11:46 GMT

Oda may have dropped Elbaph's biggest red herring yet in One Piece chapter 1130 (Image via Toei Animation)

With the introduction of Loki in One Piece chapter 1130 seemingly painting him as the Elbaph Arc’s antagonist, fans are unsure of what to expect from the series’ immediate future. Many are even in disbelief that Loki is the true villain of the Elbaph Arc, pointing to the fact that mangaka Eiichiro Oda has a penchant for misleading fans.

Likewise, there’s a chance that Prince Loki’s introduction in One Piece chapter 1130 is the biggest red herring in the admittedly young Elbaph Arc thus far. However, there are some key clues that point to this being the case, with Luffy’s initial reaction to and reception of Loki’s words serving as key evidence.

One Piece chapter 1130 may be heavily misleading fans via Loki’s dialogue

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In One Piece chapter 1130, fans see Prince Loki introduce himself to Luffy as “the Sun God who brings the world to an end.” However, this is prefaced by commentary on Loki, which paints him as a detestable and despicable villain capable of even patricide. He’s also portrayed as a nearly indomitable force, with his restraint allegedly only being a result of all Elbaphian warriors joining forces.

Clearly, the series is going out of its way to guide fans’ perception of Loki into a very specific frame. However, one glaring issue is that Luffy didn’t show any explicit signs that he felt Loki to be evil. Even when he first senses Loki and splits off from the others, he uses neutral language to describe the situation. Given Luffy’s skill with Observation Haki, he’d certainly be able to detect ill intent with ease.

This suggests that while Loki’s goal may truly be to destroy the world as he claims in One Piece chapter 1130, it may not be out of malicious intent. This in turn suggests that this goal is something born of a destiny or duty Loki feels he has to see through. Further supporting this is the fact that Elbaph, like Wano, is a country unaffiliated with the World Government.

Loki's introduction in One Piece chapter 1130 may eventually explain Madam Shyarly's prediction for Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

As Elbaph’s crown prince, Loki may have discovered something in their own, unaltered records or tales of the Void Century, which sent him down this path. Further supporting this is the fact that the Sun God is a key figure in Elbaphian lore and history as far as fans know. Chapter 1130 doubles down on this by seeing Loki call himself the Sun God as he discusses his goal of destroying the world.

Coincidentally, the true Sun God Luffy has also been prophesied as destroying Fishman Island by Madam Shyarly, the fortune teller. It’s likely that these two are connected, touching on the same prophecy of the Sun God destroying the world. While Shyarly only discovered the prophecy by nature of meeting Luffy, Elbaph’s Giants likely know of it through lore passed down in their culture.

This would explain why Loki specifically links his being the Sun God with his intent of destroying the world, while also partially answering the question of why Luffy would destroy Fishman Island. Taking it a step further, it’s possible that the Royal Family of Elbaph’s legendary Devil Fruit is the true Gum-Gum Fruit. If this is the case, then Loki may assume that he truly is the Sun God based on his being able to fight with a rubbery body via the Fruit’s powers.

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This would also suggest that some information differentiating the Sun God has been lost to time since a rubbery body would be the only qualifier Elbaph has for distinguishing the Sun God. In turn, it’s also possible that the reason why the Sun God must destroy the world was also lost. Coincidentally, the predominant theory on Fishman Island’s destruction is that Luffy will do so to create the All Blue and destroy Mariejois.

With this, One Piece chapter 1130’s red herring is clear; Luffy doesn’t sense any ill intent from Loki because the prince believes he’s doing the right thing. However, fans view him as an antagonist because he lacks key information on why he must destroy the world. This results in him coming off as evil to readers, when in reality he’s simply misguided and lacking key information on why the world must be destroyed.

Final thoughts

Regardless of his exact role, Loki will be a major part of One Piece's Elbaph Arc (Image via Toei Animation)

While speculative, there’s certainly key evidence that suggests the above to be the case when it comes to Prince Loki’s character. Although he’s still detestable for committing patricide, his goal of destroying the world may not be as inherently evil as his other actions. However, this is still speculative and won’t be confirmed until the manga’s return on Monday, November 11, 2024, at the earliest.