One Piece proves who its true Monster Trio is once again in Elbaf arc's first chapter

Modified Sep 18, 2024 03:43 GMT

One Piece proves who its true Monster Trio is once again in Elbaf arc's first chapter (Image via Toei Animation)

With the reveal of the latest One Piece spoilers for the upcoming chapter 1127 earlier today, fans got some key information regarding Nami and co’s disappearances. The biggest highlight of this information is that the group is indeed on Elbaf Island, seemingly signaling the official start of the Elbaf arc with chapter 1127 as a result.

Understandably, One Piece fans were incredibly excited to hear this, with the Elbaf arc being one of the most anticipated in the series’ entire history. While there are a number of reasons why this is the case, what’s important is that Elbaf is an arc that will likely be important to the series’ final saga.

The island may even be the last where the Straw Hats stop before reaching Lodestar Island and, after it, Laugh Tale.

Likewise, it’s expected that the Elbaf arc will hammer home some key themes and plot points from the overarching One Piece story as a setup for this final stretch of the series. In this way, mangaka Eiichiro Oda may be commenting that the true “Monster Trio” members of the Straw Hat Pirates are Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, via a key event in spoilers.

One Piece’s latest spoilers prove the Monster Trio is still made up of original 3 members, as series nears end

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In the latest One Piece spoilers, Nami, Usopp, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji find themselves in a massive castle built out of Lego pieces, which is located somewhere in Elbaf. As she runs from enormous insects chasing her, Usopp is seen trying to fend off a giant cat, but being sent flying with a single powerful swipe instead.

The cat then transforms into a giant lion and charges at Nami and Usopp, who’ve formally reunited by this point. Thankfully, at this moment, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji arrive, taking down the foe with a coordinated combination attack, according to the latest spoilers.

Considering that Oda deliberately split the crew up in a specific way, many are asserting that this is the mangaka’s way of driving home that the three are still the true Monster Trio.

While originally a fandom term, it’s widely accepted as canonical by fans that the Straw Hat Pirates are split into three groups. This first came about prior to Jinbe joining, and thus resulted in the Monster Trio of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, the Weakling Trio of Nami, Usopp, and Chopper, and the Weird Trio of Robin, Franky, and Brook.

Points in the series also see the crew split off into these trios occasionally, such as the Weakling Trio in the Thriller Bark arc.

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Likewise, One Piece fans are arguing that this is not only Oda acknowledging the Monster Trio term yet again, but emphasizing that Sanji has not been replaced in it by Jinbe. Many argued this after the Wano arc’s events, which saw Jinbe’s bounty supersede Sanji’s. However, bounties alone are not necessarily indicative of strength.

Supporting this interpretation further is that the crew’s strongest fighters in this foursome were not split up evenly, but with Jinbe being separated from the other three. This was almost certainly a deliberate choice by Oda, both for narrative purposes and to further drive home that the Monster Trio’s ranks remain unchanged.

Should the Elbaf arc continue giving Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji moments to shine as a team, this is almost certainly likely to be the case.