Summary
Out of all the arcs inOne Piece, none has been as hyped and looked forward to as Elbaf. This was teased back when the series was still in its infancy, when the Straw Hats met Dorry and Brogy in Little Garden and heard tales of this mythical land of the Giants, becoming integral to the story arcs of Usopp and Luffy in particular. Because of this, fans knew that once they reached the island, the events of the arc would be special.
So far, Elbaf has met this hype in droves, showing some of the most important and powerful players in all ofOne Piece. Chief among these is Loki,the mysterious Accursed Princeof the country who may just be one of the franchise’s most powerful characters. Not only does he have an incredible Devil Fruit, but his Haki is likely among the most formidable, so let’s see why this may be the case.
Story Arc
Elbaf
Out of all the characters in theOne Piecestory, perhaps none have had as memorable of an introduction to the story as the Accursed Prince of Elbaf; Loki. His legend had been built up for quite some time, but the silhouettes and teases that had been shown of him before didn’t do him justice since histowering stature and impeccable designwere far better than anything fans could have expected.
While everything about him just oozes power and malice, the most striking thing about him are the bandages that cover his eyes, which sell his aura even more. However, many believe that this is more than just a cool design choice on Oda’s part and may just hint at perhaps the most overpowered ability in his entire arsenal, which is likely an unparalleled degree of Observation Haki which may be greater than any that has ever been seen before inOne Piece.
I am the Sun God who will bring about the end of the world!
In the current setting of the series,Shanks and Scopper Gabanhave shown the greatest Observation Haki feats out of anyone. The former showed his proficiency with the power when he confronted Kid, seeing a whopping ten seconds into the future to determine the threat that his enemy posed to his entire fleet. While this was the greatest Observation Haki feat for some time, it was arguably overshadowed by Scopper on Elbaf, where he proved to be the only one on the entire island who was able to detect the Gods' Knight’s abnormal Haki.
A popular fan theory regarding Loki’s Observation Haki states that the reason he covers his eyes is that he has been plagued with prophetic visions that allow him to see many years into the future, which could be indicative of perhaps the greatest version of the power we have ever seen. This checks out as well, since previously introduced characters have shown the ability to use Observation Haki to an unprecedented degree since birth without having to train it.
A notable example of this is Aisa from Skypiea, who was seemingly born with an exceptionally powerful Mantra that allowed her to sense things from entire islands away, showing that this level can be achieved from birth. Another example could possibly beShyarly from Fishman Island, who has the ability to see the future, which many fans have likened to a particularly advanced application of Future Sight, since it checks out with that as well.
If such an ability to see years into the future makes sense for Loki as well, it could explain a lot of facets of his character arc. Since his introduction, it’s been implied that he had been accursed and had gone mad because of it, which may have happened due to seeing visions of the destruction of the world since he was a child. Knowing that he covered his eyes since he was young seems to imply this as well, which could explain his need to become the version of Nika who brought about the end of the world.
How Likely Is This Theory To Be True For Loki?
The Possibility Of His Power
Although unconfirmed, it seems that Oda has subtly hinted at this fact, which could show that Loki’s Observation Haki would be the greatest in the entire story if true, even greater than what has been shown by Shanks and Scopper.Although it’s too early to definitively saythat this is the truth of the matter, it would be the perfect explanation as to why Loki turned out the way he did, since these visions of the end of the world plagued him from his early years, causing him to cover his eyes to hold them back to a degree.
Moreover, through the examples of Aisa and perhaps Shyarly, it can be seen that Observation Haki is unique in the sense that it can exist within some people since birth, and variations in its potency may vary in them as well. Through this, it’s highly likely that Loki was born with this power but was entirely unable to control it, prompting his inevitable descent into villainy.
