As the finale of One Piece draws near, the stage has been set for an epic battle. Luffy and the Straw Hats have already reached Elbaf, the home of the giants, and it could be the place where the biggest war in the history of One Piece is held. But the fate of one character, Shanks, is still unclear.
In a war as big as the upcoming one, death is inevitable, and fans fear that Shanks will be the one to bid adieu. His death might even give Eiichiro Oda the perfect chance to test Luffy’s mettle.
Elbaf Might Soon Become the Battlefield for the Biggest War in One Piece
The Straw Hats have reached Elbaf, and before they can completely enjoy the giants’ hospitality, half of the crew have already disappeared or been kidnapped. The tension that has been building up is about to erupt, and it is palpable. The Straw Hats already have a positive relationship with the giants at Elbaf, which could be threatening to the World Government.
Even a single giant is enough to turn the tide in a war, and a whole legion of giants is too big of a threat for the World Government to ignore. Since their loyalty lies with Luffy, the World Government is bound to take offense and launch an attack at the most unexpected moment to take everyone by surprise. Imu already has weapons of mass destruction at his disposal, and he will not contemplate before using them.
Lilith has escaped with knowledge of Vegapunk’s genius, and she also knows how to recover the other satellites. In the latest chapters, Imu killed Saturn for his failure at Egghead Island, and the revival of the Vegapunk satellites is a huge threat to his power. Another crucial character, Jaguar D. Saul, is alive and well at Elbaf, and his knowledge of Ohara, as well as his connection to Nico Robin, makes him an unsavory factor.
All in all, Elbaf has now become a center of threats for the World Government, and Imu is bound to make a move sooner rather than later.
Shanks’ Fate Might be Sealed During or After the Elbaf Arc
The Marineford War is the biggest battle in the history of One Piece so far. It was fought because of Ace’s impending death, and it ended with the loss of Luffy’s big brother. This shaped the events of the rest of the story. With the onset of the upcoming war, which will be even bigger and more destructive than Marineford, another character might be in imminent danger.
The character in question is Shanks, who has always been a well-wisher of Luffy. Since the beginning of One Piece, Shanks has been supportive of Luffy and has helped him out in crucial situations. However, the recent chapters show him pledging to go after the titular treasure, One Piece. He is also pursuing Blackbeard and is bound to have a major battle with Teach. He also sunk the pirate ship of Bartholomew after testing his loyalty towards Luffy. But all of his actions are too ambiguous to know if he is going to support Luffy or backstab him.
Nonetheless, Shanks is a central character in the story, and many theories claim that his crew was created without any Devil Fruit users just to aid Luffy when the time comes. He is just as important to Luffy as Ace was, and his death will spur Luffy on a revenge spree. It is the perfect opportunity for Eichiro Oda to bring out the monster inside Luffy and give him a power upgrade.
One Piece manga is available to read on Viz media, and the anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
