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One Piece’sElbaf arc keeps getting more intense with each passing chapter, and fans know that this story arc is going to get even better when Oda reveals bigger threats later down the line. Right now,Elbaf faces a big threatfrom none other than the Celestial Dragon fighters, also known as the Holy Knights or God’s Knights.
These Knights are incredibly powerful, and they are there with the goal of achieving total subjugation of Elbaf. Right now, three Holy Knights operate in the country, those being Saint Rimoshifu Killingham, Saint Shepherd Sommers, and Gunko. While the threat they pose is immense, especially since they’re using the children as hostages, fans now know that they’re not the ultimate antagonists of the Elbaf arc by any means and there are bigger challenges for the Straw Hats to face.
Why The Holy Knights Are Not The Real Elbaf Villains
For the longest time, fans assumed that the Holy Knights would be the main villains of the Elbaf arc. It certainly made sense to assume that, especiallywhen Shamrock Figarland was a part of the group. However, when Shamrock left Elbaf, things started falling apart immediately. The idea of the Holy Knights now being the main villains appeared flimsy, since they’d be up against the Giant Warrior Pirates, with co-captains having a 3.6 cumulative bounty, a Yonko crew in the Straw Hat Pirates, and another crew in the New Giant Warrior Pirates. To top it all off, Elbaf is home to a former Roger Pirate on the same level as Roger himself, Scopper Gaban.
Together, with your collective powers, you can turn this into a game! — Shamrock Figarland
Clearly, whatever forces the Holy Knights have aren’t going to be enough to oppose this massive force, which is why Oda separated the Monster Trio from the group in the Sun Realm.
Straw Hats and Giants Alliance Vs Holy Knights Is Inevitable
As seen inOne Piecechapter 1144, Oda is now setting up the battle groups, and things are definitely looking exciting. As things stand, Oda has set up the Giant Warrior Pirates in combat against the Holy Knights and their beasts. They were also joined by Scopper Gaban in One Piece chapter 1144, and of course, Collun helped the Straw Hat Pirates join the battlefield as well. Clearly, a major fight is about to erupt here.
Let us fight too. Human-sized enemies should be dealt with by us. You can take care of the bigger things. — Jinbe
Gaban, by himself, is quite powerful,and so are Dorry and Brogy. The Straw Hats aren’t the strongest but they should be enough to provide support, and overall, fans could see a war being fought and won in the Sun Realm very soon. This war will most definitely not include the Monster Trio, which means that the real battles for those three will happen later down the line.
Oda Is Yet To Reveal The Biggest Threats In The Arc
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji Will Face A Bigger Threat
Undoubtedly, fans already know that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji will have the biggest battles of all to fight in the Elbaf arc ofOne Piece. But right now, they don’t seem to be involved in the battles at all, which is rather weird. Usually, these three lead from the front. The fact that they don’t only mean that Oda has bigger battles for them in store.
The Holy Knights have more than a match ahead of them,especially with Scopper Gaban joining the battle. They will fight it out and likely be forced to retreat. Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji will stay in the Underworld, where a clash with Loki now seems impossible following his injuries.
Clearly, Oda is implyingthat the Holy Knightsin the Sun World aren’t the main villains. Either the Holy Knights return with more backing, such as Shamrock, or there could be an even bigger threat for the Straw Hat Pirates to face sooner rather than later in the Elbaf arc, once the battle against the Holy Knights finally wraps up. All fans need to do is wait patiently and hope for Oda to reveal who the bigger enemies of this arc are going to be.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1144, is set to be June 26, 2025.
