Elbaf Might Not Be The Next Arc And Here's Why

Highlights

After the Egghead Island arc, Elbaf may not be the immediate next arc in One Piece as originally thought by fans.
The arrival of the Five Elders on Egghead poses a threat to Luffy and the possibility of the Straw Hats splitting up.
Luffy could face the World Government alone, leading to a potential mini-arc where he needs to be rescued by the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

One Piece is currently in the Egghead Island arc and fans are eagerly waiting for the story to proceed even further in the Final Saga, and head towards the next big arc, which has been set up by Oda brilliantly, Elbaf. Before the final saga began, fans expected the first arc to be short and slow, as was expected coming off the back of one of the most intense and longest arcs in the entire story.

One Piece: What The Arrival Of The Gorosei On Egghead Means For The Straw Hats

The rest of the Gorosei are summoned by Saturn in order to defeat Luffy in One Piece.

None of the fans expected Egghead to be as robust as it turned out to be when it first began. However, Oda certainly surpassed all expectations with this arc and went beyond, delivering an incredible story. At the same time, while the Egghead Island arc was going on, quite a lot of the fans already knew that Elbaf was going to be next. This was reaffirmed by Oda himself on multiple occasions in the Egghead arc, however, while that certainly was the case, it could easily have been a red herring. Given how things are shaping up on Egghead, it is entirely possible for this arc to actually not happen immediately after Egghead. Oda might, after all, have some other plans for the fans.

Elbaf As The Next One Piece Arc

Elbaf island in ne piece is the home of giants

During the Egghead Island arc, Oda himself gave the fans the idea that the Elbaf arc was going to be after Egghead. While most of the fans knew that at some point, the Straw Hat Pirates would have to visit Elbaf, they didn’t know that it was going to be immediately after Egghead. However, when the Marines surrounded the island of Egghead, Vegapunk and Nami engaged in a conversation about the next destination pointed at by the Logpose. Clearly, this destination turned out to be Elbaf. Luffy and Usopp even started celebrating, knowing that they would be headed to this interesting island next and revisiting old friends.

Furthermore, the idea of Elbaf being immediately after Egghead was further reinforced by the fact that the Giant Pirates, who are currently on Egghead. They came to take Luffy back with them, and, in their own words, they will most likely do so, without fail. However, curiously enough, in Oda’s own message at the end of the year on Jump Festa, he made it quite clear that he had not yet decided on what path the Straw Hats would be taking after Egghead. Oda certainly confirmed that Egghead would wrap up in 2024 and that the next arc would begin, however, he did mention having an alternate path prepared, just in case he changed his mind. It appears that that could very well be the case, given the current situation on the future island, with the arrival of the five elders.

How The End Of Egghead Changes The Course For the Straw Hats

saturn summons five elders one piece 1109

Currently, the Egghead Island arc is near its very end, and that goes without saying. Fans have seen quite a lot of interesting drama take place on this island, and now, the intensity of it is clearly added to it. For those who do not remember, Dr Vegapunk appears to be almost dead. In fact, he doesn’t seem to have any pulse at the moment, which means that he very likely is dead. However, Vegapunk has a message that he wants to broadcast to the entire world. In his own words, this message is going to be pertaining to the truth of the entire world. Clearly, Vegapunk is going to dive deep into the true face of the World Government, potentially even reveal secrets about Imu and Nika. This is going to be a groundbreaking announcement, and, clearly, the World Government cannot let this information come out in the open.

luffy vs the five elders on egghead one piece

One Piece: Luffy Vs All Five Elders, Explained

Luffy takes on the Five Elders in One Piece’s next chapter.

To that end, the Government has now decided to go all out, and send out the strongest of the warrior gods to start this message. In One Piece chapter 1109, Luffy was seen fighting against Saturn and Kizaru, and while he did get rid of Kizaru, four more powerful threats popped up. These threats were not just any threats, but the Five Elders of the One Piece world. Now, all Five Elders have assembled on Egghead, and no matter which way fans look at it, Luffy cannot take them all on by himself.

Will The Straw Hats Split Up On Egghead?

nami straw hat escape plan one piece 1105

One very real possibility that fans might have to consider here on Egghead is for the Straw Hat Pirates to split up. This is a strategy that Oda has employed on many occasions, and it could very well happen here as well. For one, it must be remembered that quite a big chunk of the Straw Hat Pirates and the allies still need to evacuate from Egghead. It must also be remembered that Luffy is the one holding back the Government forces alone at this point in time, and he’s doing so because he wants everyone else to escape. Clearly, the implication here is that Luffy intends to hold them off for as long as possible, even if it means that he ends up staying behind himself. At the same time, Dorry and Brogy, and his Giant Pirates, who have now assembled on Egghead, will potentially join them in this endeavor, backing him up in the fight against the Five Elders and the Marines.

It is entirely possible that Luffy will pave the way for the Straw Hat Pirates to escape to Elbaf, while he holds back the Marines by himself. If that were to happen, then Luffy would most likely be up against the Government all by himself, and this could go either way. Either the Iron Giant could help rescue Luffy and the Giants and give them an opportunity to escape after the Straw Hat Pirates, or, Luffy could very well be defeated here. In this case, a mini-arc where Luffy could have to be rescued would pop up. In fact, this would tie in very well with the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, all of which have the Vivre Card of Luffy. If his card starts burning up, they will all start to follow it and try to rescue Luffy. Taking into consideration the current situation on Egghead, this is a very big possibility, and one that Oda could very well put into effect as Egghead starts to wrap up.

Simply put, Elbaf might not be the next arc following Egghead, and it might actually be an arc on Luffy, who gave everyone the chance to escape from Egghead. Now, he would need rescuing from the grasp of the World Government before they execute him. This time, however, the World Government could be faced up with the entire Straw Hat Grand Fleet, along with many of the allies of the Straw Hat Pirates and this fight will certainly be one of the most intense that fans have ever seen in the entirety of One Piece. After Luffy is rescued, then, potentially, the Straw Hat Pirates can go back to Elbaf, as Oda wanted initially.

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 the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1110, is set to be March 17, 2024.