Loki, the One Who Will End the World

One Piece Chapter 1130 Review/Recap

It’s taken twenty-four years and an endless amount of teasing, but the Straw Hats are finally in Elbaph, the home of the Giants! And yes, Elbaph is the official Romanization of the name, so it shall be referred to as such from here on out. We already had some inkling of how massive the Giant homeland would be, but our first real look at the country shows us how mind-bogglingly massive it is. However, as with most of the islands the Straw Hats visit, there’s something, or someone, causing trouble. And if you know your Norse mythology, read Marvel comics or played the God of War games, you’ll know how serious this could be. The name of the potential antagonist for the Elbaph Arc? Loki.

Recap

Back on the Giant Warriors ship, Franky and the other Straw Hats tell their friends they’re calling off the search for Luffy’s group. They’re out of food and water and have found no sign of the Sunny. They’re all certain that their crewmates are alive, though, and will make it to Elbaph on their own. After setting sail again, they receive news about the Egghead Incident. The WEJ blamed the whole thing on the Straw Hats, Dorry, and Brogy, including Vegapunk’s apparent death. Now the Giant Pirate Captains bounties have gone up to 1.8 billion!

As surprised as they are, though, they’re happy that Luffy is on equal footing with Shanks, even remarking that Hadrujin, one of their princes, joined them. He would’ve come, but most of the warriors had to stay behind because trouble is brewing. The other Prince of the Giants, Loki, had killed his father to gain a legendary Devil Fruit and then tried to escape. Thus, the Giants had to capture him and crucify him, calling him the shame of Elbaph and the Cursed Prince.

Luffy Ends up Meeting Loki

Back in Elbaph, Luffy’s group has made it outside, and are amazed at how massive Elbaph is. After hiding from Rodo’s crew members due to their orders to catch intruders, the group tries to cross a massive rope bridge. However, Luffy senses a powerful presence that he’s been following since they awoke. So he jumps off the bridge and down into the forest below. That brings him to a Giant chained against an utterly massive tree. Luffy introduces himself as the future Pirate King, while the Giant reveals himself to be Loki, saying he’s the Sun God and the one who bring the end of the world.

Also, we get this double-page spread revealing Elbaph in full for the first time!

Review

HOLEY MOLEY, ELBAPH IS MASSIVE! AND THAT TREE MIGHT BE EVEN BIGGER!!

I think most fans understood that Elbaph was going to be a massive place since it was the homeland of the giants. However, Oda blew me out of the water with just how big he made it. The Giants, one of the largest races in the world, are dwarfed by their island home and that massive tree. From the perspective of a normal-sized person like Luffy and the others, Elbaph might as well be the size of a continent.

For added perspective, remember that the islands we’ve seen are the mountaintops of the ancient continents that were submerged beneath the ocean during the Void Century. And Elbaph still manages to be this massive. Imagine how big the world tree, Yggdrasil, would be if most of the world weren’t underwater. Utterly mind-boggling! Oda didn’t disappoint when it came to introducing us to Elbaph!

Loki Seems to be Very Dangerous

Awe-inspiring locations aside, the thing that concerns me most about this chapter is the reveal of Loki. If you’ve seen the Marvel movies, then you know that Loki is the Norse God of Mischief. He’s not always depicted as evil, with some versions of him even being good people. However, he’s often shown to be very cunning and dangerous. It sounds like Oda stayed true to the source material. In Norse mythology, the other Gods of Asgard had to imprison him when he became too much, only for him to be freed at the time of Ragnarok, AKA the end of the world. If Loki thinks that that is what being the sun god means, then the world is in trouble if he were to escape.

This chapter hammered home how little we still know about the Sun God, Nika or what it means for Luffy. Is Luffy supposed to be a savior or a great destroyer? Maybe both! We don’t know!

The Mark on Luffy isn’t a Mistake or Chance

There’s also something else that Robin pointed out: the X on Luffy’s arm in the photo of his Gear Fifth form. Was that mark always there and we never saw it, or is it something new? Either way, Oda doesn’t add stuff on a whim. He makes sure everything is connected, so it’s going to come up in the future.

This was a really great chapter, and it made the wait for Elbaph worth it. Sadly, Oda is going on a two-week break to do research and help with the second season of the Live-Action One Piece. Knowing him, though, he’s got something good planned when he returns! I’m looking forward to learning more about Loki the giant.

I should also note that the day I’m posting this also marks the 25th anniversary of the One Piece anime. Although it’s on break until April, it’s still amazing to see how far it’s come in that time—and we’ve still got a long way to go!

I Give “The Accursed Prince” a 4.5/5

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