One Piece reveals the identity of Elbaf's fake Sun God

The latest One Piece chapters saw the Straw Hat Pirates beginning their adventure on Elbaf, the fabled homeland of the Giant Race. After exploring the surroundings, Luffy and the others were shocked to find themselves trapped inside a diorama-style world.

A local warned the Straw Hats not to enter the temple ruled by a certain “Sun God” and watched by several rabid guardians. This only piqued Luffy and Zoro’s interest. As the group reached the temple, Luffy and Zoro defeated the monstrous creatures guarding the place, the giant serpent Hilmungandr and the giant raven Muginn.

Coincidentally, the alleged Sun God entered the temple at the same time. Furious by what he saw, he swore vengeance on the Straw Hat Pirates. Notably, the Sun God was wearing an animal skull on his head, which concealed his face. This led fans to speculate about the character’s true identity.

The speculations seemed to arise as he was introduced in the series under the same name as “Sun God” Nika. Nika was a legendary figure from the past who, by sheer coincidence, seems to be well known on Elbaf.

Thankfully, One Piece chapter 1129 solved the mystery. According to the chapter’s spoilers, Elbaf’s so-called Sun God is actually Road, a former friend of Straw Hat Grand Fleet member Hajrudin.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1129.

One Piece chapter 1129 exposes a Straw Hat Grand Fleet defector as Elbaf’s mysterious Sun God

The identity revealed in One Piece chapter 1129’s first spoilers

This chapter revealed the identity of Elbaf's alleged Sun God (Image via Shueisha)

One Piece chapter 1129’s official release is scheduled for October 14, 2024. The installment will be available on Shueisha’s MANGA Plus app and website. According to the first confirmed spoilers, the chapter will continue to focus on the Straw Hat crew’s adventure on Elbaf while shedding light on the true identity of the mysterious Sun God who has targeted them.

The spoilers mention that Sun God attempted to trap the Straw Hats in an iron net, but Zoro and Sanji easily crushed it. As revealed in One Piece chapter 1129, the Sun God is not a new character but someone who has already appeared in the series. Granted, given his rather minor role and screen time, only the most observant readers will remember him.

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A short flashback featured in the installment reveals that the fake Sun God is Road, an Elbaf-born Giant. A former comrade of Hajrudin within the New Giant Warrior Pirates, Road decided to leave the crew when his friend and captain decided to join the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

On their journey to Elbaf, the Straw Hat Pirates sailed through a sleeping mist area, which caused them to fall unconscious. Road took advantage of this incident to send Muginn – the giant crow Zoro defeated in One Piece chapter 1128 – to capture their ship. He later put them in a giant room surrounded by mirror-like walls, keeping them trapped as his pets until they freed themselves.

As per the spoilers, Road is going to pay for his actions. The leaks mention that the new chapter concludes with Nami striking Road with a powerful thunderbolt launched by Zeus, while Luffy uses Gear 4 to smash through the walls of his temple.

Road, the fake Sun God of Elbaf

The genius foreshadowing of Road's future role (Image via Shueisha)

To date, not much is known about Road’s character. He was born in Elbaf 63 years before the present One Piece narration. It must be noted that his birth took place on a very special day, as he was born at the same time as Loki, the Prince of Elbaf.

Over time, Road befriended some Giants from his generation, including Hajrudin, Gerd, Stansen, and Goldberg. Twenty-two years before the present narration, Road and the others traveled to Ohara, where they did something vital to preserve the precious research of the island’s scholars.

Under the lead of Jaguar D. Saul, they salvaged what was left of Ohara’s books and transported them to Elbaf. Without Road, Hajrudin, and the other Giants, the true history that the Ohara scholars uncovered and the World Government tried to hide would have been concealed forever.

Aiming to retrace the footsteps of Dorry and Brogy’s Giant Warrior Pirates, Hajrudin gathered his childhood friends to establish the New Giant Warrior Pirates. Road joined the crew as its navigator. Eventually, Hajrudin’s group became a part of Buggy’s Delivery, an organization specialized in sending mercenaries to assist those who paid for their services.

Road is a former member of the New Giant Warrior Pirates (Image via Toei Animation)

After befriending the Straw Hat Pirates – especially Usopp – during the Dressrosa Arc, Hajrudin decided to pledge his loyalty to Monkey D. Luffy. Therefore, the New Giant Warrior Pirates left Buggy’s organization and joined the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. As explained in One Piece chapter 1129, Road strongly disagreed with Hajrudin’s choice.

Disappointed by his friend, Road left the crew to assume the identity of Elbaf’s Sun God. Interestingly, it can be said that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda had already hinted at this development. Looking at the Sun God’s appearance, it’s possible that this individual wore the same high-heeled boots and fur-lined pants as Road. They also shared the same slender, skinny body, a type of physique that is not common among Giants.

Oda’s ingenious foreshadowing becomes truly astonishing when considering that Road was depicted on the cover of chapter 898. The installment was titled 'I will return,' which now makes perfect sense as Road’s character did indeed return to Elbaf to become the land’s Sun God.

Road was a friend of Hajrudin (Image via Toei Animation)

It remains unclear why Road targeted the Straw Hat Pirates. Perhaps, he despises them as they indirectly caused him to break up with his friend Hajrudin. Nevertheless, Road doesn’t stand a chance of causing trouble for the Straw Hats. His overall power should be comparable to that of Hajrudin, who was dramatically weaker than Dressrosa Arc Luffy.

So, there’s no way that Road can pose any real threat now. He should be far weaker than Sanji, let alone Zoro, not to mention Luffy. In fact, One Piece chapter 1129 shows Road being overwhelmed by Nami, meaning that Jinbe and Franky are guaranteed to beat him as well.

While Road is clearly too weak to be a credible antagonist for the Elbaf Arc, it remains interesting to explore the motives for his actions. Based on the fact that Road named himself after the “Sun God,” he probably admires Nika.

Most likely, One Piece is setting up for Road to change his mind about the Straw Hats. There is a chance that he may befriend them after realizing that Luffy holds Nika's very fabled powers. This may also set up Road’s reconciliation with Hajrudin, leading to the New Giant Warrior Pirates teaming up with Dorry and Brogy to assist the Straw Hats against the real villains of the arc.