Loki Was on Hard Mode Since Birth!
One Piece Chapter 1153 Review/Recap
Ever since the Straw Hats arrived in Elbaph, we’ve been hearing things nonstop about Loki. His own people consider him a menace and a disgrace to their country. His half-brother has spent years thinking that he killed their dad. Yet despite everything that’s been said of him, we don’t know anything about the real Loki or his past. As this chapter dives into the life of Harald and his son, we learn that no one seemed to love Loki from the moment he was born. Not even his own mother.
Recap
Born with the blood of the Ancient Giants and growing up with Dorry and Brogy as best friends, Harald was built different. His massive body, royal status, and monstrous strength, even by Giant standards, turned him into an arrogant, violent man. No one, not even his own people, could get him to listen to him. However, all that changed when he “rescued” a Giant woman named Ida from a circus. And SHE SLAPPED HIM FOR IT!
Ida was never being held captive. She was working at the circus as thanks for the kingdom rescuing her out at sea. And she proceeded to tell him off for thinking he was better than everyone else because he was lucky enough to be born the way he was and giving Giants a bad name!
Thanks to Ida giving him a reality check, Harald started to change his ways. He rebuilt and apologized to that kingdom he tore up and stopped looking down on other people, and instead started reaching out to them to show how friendly the Giants could be. And eventually, 81 years ago, Harald and Ida had their son, Hadrujin! However, the elders refused to recognize their marriage. Instead, they arranged for him to marry a woman named Estrid, who they deemed worthy of being his Queen. Then, 63 years ago, Estrid gave birth to Loki. But as soon as she saw his eyes…
Estrid was so freaked out, she threw Loki into the Underworld to die, saying that he would one day kill his father before falling ill. Yet Loki would crawl his way up the tree to the Sunland. From then on, every bad thing that happened in Elbaph was chalked up to the Curse of Loki.
Review
Before I get into my very strong feelings about the birth of Loki, there are a few things that I think need addressing.
Firstly, we have Ida, the mother of Hadrujin and Harald’s true wife and love. I’m not sure if its intentional, but it seems like the nicer a person is, the more conventionally attractive they appear, especially when they’re royalty. Yet Ida is an interesting subversion of this. She’s plainer-looking than the beautiful Estrid, yet as we see through her actions, her soul is beautiful. She was the first person to scold Harald for his bullying ways, and the look on his face was priceless. He genuinely didn’t realize how much of a jerk he was being, and his face screams “What did I do wrong?” It’s hilarious! She’s a good woman.
Loki’s Mom was a B****
In contrast, though, we have Estrid. I’m just going to say what most of the fandom is probably thinking: she’s a b****. She already rubbed me the wrong way by calling Ida “that eastern woman” and Hadrujin a bastard, but her remodeling Harald’s castle due to feng shui made it worse. The final nail in the coffin, though, was how she tried to kill her own son!
Admittedly, Loki’s eyes are creepy and off-putting at first, but once you get past that, they look cool! Regardless of what he may or may not end up doing, leaving him to die is just cruel. No wonder he grows up like he does. Plenty of people would act like that if their own mother didn’t love them!
Also, I would like to remind everyone that the only reason Loki was born was because the elders of Elbaph insisted Harald marry Estrid. They wanted a Prince with the blood of Ancient Giants, and they got one. In other words, this is all their fault! Like God punishing them for their backwards ways.
It’s sad that we have to wait another two weeks to see what happens next, but knowing Oda, he’ll come back with another fire chapter. If people didn’t feel sorry for Loki already, then they should now.
I Give “The Birth of Loki” a 4/5
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King Harald Had an Interesting Past
One Piece Chapter 1152 Review/Recap
Ever since we met Loki, we’ve been hearing about the crimes he’s committed against Elbaph. The one that led to his imprisonment, though, was apparently killing his father, the beloved King Harald. However, many fans suspected that there was more to the story than what the Giants knew. Many even went so far as to theorize that Harald was, in fact, an agent of Imu and the World Government. Not only does this chapter prove that we were right, but that there’s even more to the story than we realized. Harald was a complicated figure!
Recap
Now that they’re aware of the danger Elbaph is in, the Monster Trio and New Giant Warrior Pirates prepare to return to the Sunland. As they do, Gaban confirms that the only way to injure the God’s Knights is to use Conqueror’s Haki, even confirming that Zoro also has it. However, saying that he wants to help them, Hadrujin still refuses to let Loki go. He doesn’t trust his brother. And when Luffy asks Loki to join the Straw Hats to get around this, the giant refuses. As Hardujin reiterates Loki’s crimes, though, Gaban asks him to release his brother, saying that they may not have the whole story. Reluctantly, Hardrujin and Luffy tell the others to head out. They’re going to let Loki tell his side of the story. Loki, though, doesn’t want to remember that awful day.
Fourteen years ago, Loki and Jarul were summoned to Ouest Castle to meet with King Harald. Loki was in the middle of complaining about how his Dad’s policies had led to their children becoming soft when they felt an ominous Haki from the throne room. Elsewhere, Gaban is spending time with a visiting Shanks, saying how he wants to speak with Harald about something. Unbeknownst to them, at this moment, Loki and Jarul enter the throne room to find Harald being skewered by his guards. A horrifying massacre that we dont see unfolds before the clock gets turned back another ninety-four years, when the Giant Pirates ran wild on the seas. At this time, Harald, King at only forty-five (fifteen in human years), also ran wild, acting like a scumbag!
Review
This might be the most significant chapter of the Elbaph arc yet, and for good reason. In the span of a single chapter, Oda confirmed that several of the theories fans had come up with were right. The God’s Knights’ ultimate weakness is Conqueror’s Haki, as many suspected it was. And with three Knights, that’s one for Luffy, Zoro, and Loki. The jury is still out on Sanji, though. More importantly, this chapter not only confirmed that Loki didn’t kill his father, but that Harald was working for the World Government in some capacity. Could that be why his guards apparently killed him? Did they see it as an act of betrayal? Furthermore, the final page of the chapter revealed that Harald acted much like Loki when he was his son’s age. So how could Harald turn from a scumbag into a benevolent king, and why was he killed?
I actually have a theory that I’ve come up with based on everything we’ve learned throughout the arc. And it has to do with the power of the giants and their legendary Devil Fruit.
Did Imu steal the Gum-Gum Fruit from Harald?
We know that Shanks stole the Gum-Gum Fruit from a CP9 ship years ago, but we dont know how CP9 got their hands on it. There’s a fan theory saying that the Gum-Gum Fruit was the legendary treasure of Elbaph that Loki was accused of stealing. If that is true, then that would explain why Harald was made to do the World Government’s bidding. Not only did they want the power of the giants, they also wanted the Gum-Gum Fruit. Rather than let his people be used as weapons and to keep their treasure out of Imu’s hands altogether, Harald sought to ensure the giants would be a non-factor in the final war. It was his way of ensuring they couldn’t be used to hurt anyone else.
Furthermore, Shanks mentioned speaking to Harald at Mariejois about something. Something that they could only safely talk about in Elbaph. Is it possible Shanks planned to ask Harald for the fruit?
If all of this is true, then that would explain why Harald was killed. Imu must have used Domi Reversi on him or his guards to ensure they died. And when Loki stumbled upon the scene, he might have done the same to him to force him to steal the fruit for Imu. Loki gets framed for everything, Imu gets the fruit of their hated enemy, and Elbaph will be theirs one day.
It’s Crazy, but it could Happen!
It sounds unbelievable, but this is One Piece. We’ve seen crazier things happen before. The fact of the matter is that there is more to the story about Harald than we thought. I’m not sure if my theory will remain accurate, but I’m looking forward to discovering the truth. The flashbacks in One Piece are some of the best parts of the story, helping to flesh out the story on a greater level.
Also, leave it to Zoro not to realize he had Conqueror’s Haki!
I Give “An Awful Day” a 4/5
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Putting the “Pop” in Pop Culture!
