This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
Summary
- Holy Knights are weaker than Luffy
- None of the Holy Knights have the presence of a main villain
- Oda may reveal Imu's powers in Elbaf
One Piece is currently in the Elbaf arc, and while the arc has been spectacular so far, there are elements that still confuse the fans. The biggest of them all is the fact that fans still don't know who the main villain of Elbaf is after about 8 months of action.
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Of course, the Holy Knights are in Elbaf right now, and some might mistakenly assume that they're the main villains, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The Holy Knights are only pawns and not strong enough to be the main villains of Elbaf. The main villain of this arc might just be Imu themself.
Why The Holy Knights Are A Red Herring
- The Holy Knights Are Weaker Than Luffy
- No Holy Knights Has The Presence Of A Main Villain
When it comes to the main villains of One Piece, Oda always makes sure that they live up to the hype. Before that, in fact, Oda ensures that he sets them up in a way where fans know that they're worthy of the hype in the first place. Be it Crocodile, Doflamingo, Kaido, or the Admirals from the Marines, this is something that Oda has always done. However, with the Elbaf arc, this has been absent so far. Of course, when Shamrock first came to Elbaf, fans did feel that he had a commanding presence and could've served as the main antagonist. However, he went back to Marijoa soon, and now, Elbaf has 3 of his underlings operating in the land of Giants. Clearly, they're not good enough to be the main villains, even though they make excellent minor antagonists.
Elbaf will bow down to the World Government, no matter what! — Shamrock
More importantly, none of the current Holy Knights are strong enough to fight against Luffy. Luffy is a Yonko, and more than that, he's Nika himself. There is a reason why Oda sent Luffy to the Underworld of Elbaf while the Holy Knights attacked. This isn't his battle and most certainly won't be. This once again indicates that Elbaf is missing its main villain and that someone will come to surprise the fans soon enough in this arc.
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Oda Will Bring Imu To Elbaf
Imu Is The Only Threat Oda Could Show
First and foremost, there needs to be a proper analysis as to who the main villain could be. Right now, Elbaf is under attack from the Government. This automatically means that one of the Government men will be the main villain. Secondly, there is no way to come to Elbaf other than the Abyss. The Abyss can only be used by the Holy Knights and the Elders. Since Shamrock went back already, it can clearly be said that the Holy Knights are not the main villains. There could be made a case for an Elder to come to Elbaf, but someone even higher might show up — the creator of the Abyss, Imu.
What light do you want to be erased next, Imu Sama? — Five Elders
While it would be a shock, Oda often loves to do that. One Piece’s Elbaf arc might very well see Imu step in themself and join the battle. Of course, it is too early for Imu to be beaten, which is why they won't lose. Imu might give a big setback to the Straw Hat Pirates and Elbaf, and that's something fans would be excited about as well. All Imu needs to do is use the Abyss and unleash their terror.
One Piece Chapter 1149 will be out in a week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on May 11. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1149 is May 25, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou









Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV