Chapters · Final Saga › Elbaf

Chapter 1172: The Elbaph I Dreamed Of

Arc: Elbaf · Saga: Final Saga · Released:

Summary

The situation on Elbaf is laid bare: a trio of human Holy Knights is running rampant over the Giant Pirates and “Mr. Ya,” their mission to kidnap ten giant children, hold them hostage, and coerce Elbaf’s warriors into becoming World-Government battle-slaves bound for the Holy Land. Three linked powers make the children unsavable — Sommers’s steel-hard thorn-vines (which bind and hide them), Gunko’s arrow-driven “Domi Reversi” (which marches the children helplessly and has driven Dorry, Brogy and the whole Giant Pirates crew mad), and Killingham’s nightmare-monsters that manifest the children’s worst fears. The maddened captains march to “Kill Jarul!!!”; the school and Owl Library burn. From the Western Village, Chief Jarul seizes a broadcast snail and tells all of Elbaf the truth he hid for fourteen years: King Harald dreamed of bringing Elbaf into the World Government so the giants might coexist with the world, but was betrayed and denied — and when he refused to bend the knee to “the demon,” Jarul witnessed a demon slaughter Harald. Loki, condemned all these years as the king-slayer, is INNOCENT; he bore the nation’s rage and took to the sea. The same three demons have now returned. Jarul refuses to yield — “The Elbaph I dreamed of doesn’t bow to anyone!!” — and declares Elbaf an enemy of the World Government as the giants rally. In the final beat the rescue team catches up to the hostage line and a bespectacled giant declares, “I’ve got a plan.”

New reveals

• The Holy-Knight trio’s objective (p.2–3): abduct ten giant children, use them as hostages to coerce Elbaf’s warriors into becoming battle-slaves, and take the children to the Holy Land (Mary Geoise).
• Only three humans have overwhelmed both the Giant Pirates and “Mr. Ya” (p.3) by combining three powers (p.16: “thorns, reversi and illusions”).
• Sommers = Thorn-Thorn Fruit thorn-man (p.4): spiky vines “hard as steel” wrapped around the children so they cannot be picked up (they’d gore each other “like hedgehogs”); he can also render them invisible.
• Gunko = the arrow-woman: wherever her arrows point, targets are helpless to resist (p.3). Her power is named “Domi Reversi” (p.10) — it marches the hostage children and has driven Dorry, Brogy and the entire Giant Pirates crew mad, sending them to “Kill Jarul!!!”
• Killingham = the third member manifests the children’s greatest fears as real nightmare-monsters (p.4–8) to block any rescue; the monsters downed the Giant Pirates’ ship (p.7).
• Chief Jarul broadcasts Elbaf’s true history nationwide (p.12, snail “CLIK!”): King Harald wished to bring Elbaf into the World Government so the giants “might coexist with the rest of the world,” but was betrayed and denied his wish.
• 14 years ago (p.12–13): Harald refused to hand Elbaf over to “the demon” or become the warfaring nation the demon wanted; Jarul witnessed a demon slaughter Harald — Harald “fought, and he died.”
• PRINCE LOKI IS INNOCENT (p.13–14): the belief that Loki killed the king is false. Jarul “held his silence” for 14 years to keep the people from rising in vengeance; Loki bore the rage of the nation upon his back and took to the sea.
• The same three demons have returned to take over Elbaf, again requiring the giants’ “massive power” (p.14).
• Jarul declares defiance and names Elbaf an enemy of the World Government (p.15–16); “The Elbaph I dreamed of doesn’t bow to anyone!!”
• Jarul lore (p.16): “Three centuries ago, he was the strongest man on this sea!!”
• The Harley’s prophecy is invoked (p.15): “if the world is destined to be split in two…”

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters shown/active: Jarul (broadcasting), Sommers, Gunko (winged, delivering the WG ultimatum), Killingham (nightmare-monsters), Dorry & Brogy (maddened), Kashii (situation report), Rodo, Ripley (leads a rescue group), Hajrudin, Gerd, Goldberg, Stansen, Scopper Gaban (on the “current location” map), Nami (group near the library), Zoro, Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper (on map), Saul (on map).
• Characters referenced: King Harald (slain 14 yrs ago), Prince Loki (cleared of the regicide), Bjorn (a hostage child; Rodo’s brother), Brook (“got some idea and ran off”), “Mr. Ya” (unclear referent — a giant force the trio overwhelmed; not shown), “the Great Erik” (invoked at a nightmare-monster, p.7).
• Groups / fruits / lore: Giant Warrior Pirates, New Giant Pirates, Holy Knights, Celestial Dragons, Thorn-Thorn Fruit, Arrow-Arrow Fruit (“Domi Reversi”), The Harley, Elbaf’s Three Worlds (the “Sun World,” p.5), Aurust Castle, Western Village, Owl Library, Walrus School.

Notable panels

• p.1 — Title spread. Reader-request cover illustration: “Swans helping themselves to Bon Clay’s makeup,” by Pizzamaru (one-off, not a serialized cover story).
• p.2 — The trio’s plan spelled out over a caged-lift descent: kidnap ten giant children as hostages.
• p.4 — Diagram of the three powers: thorn-bound children, arrow-controlled marching, fear-monster manifestation.
• p.6–7 — Wide spread: Killingham’s nightmare-monsters (a great winged beast) down the Giant Pirates’ ship as the maddened crew fights back.
• p.10 — On-page tactical map: “Current Location” (Gaban, Rodo, Stansen, Hajrudin, Gerd, Goldberg, Zolo, Sanji, Chopper), the burning School & Library, Saul, “Branch Route 8”; arrows show the children’s hostage-route.
• p.12 — Broadcast snail “CLIK!”; Jarul: “Hear me, Elbaph!!”
• p.13 — “I witnessed a demon slaughter Harald… He fought… and he died!!!” — the regicide reveal.
• p.14 — Gunko winged in silhouette (“three demons have come back”) beside a fear-monster; the WG ultimatum.
• p.16 — Jarul: “…an enemy to the World Government!!!”; “Three centuries ago, he was the strongest man on this sea!!”
• p.17 — Rally spread; final panel: a bespectacled giant (likely Rodo) — “I’ve got a plan.”

Open questions raised

• WHO is the “demon” that actually killed King Harald 14 years ago — a specific Holy Knight? a Figarland? (feeds Shanks Figarland Connection)
• Now cleared at home, what happens when Loki learns Elbaf knows the truth — and how does his “took to the sea” exile square with his present imprisonment in the Underworld?
• What is “Mr. Ya” — a giant, a warrior band, or a fortification the trio overran?
• How does the Harley’s “world split in two” prophecy connect Elbaf’s WG-defiance to the Void Century?
• What is the bespectacled giant’s plan to undo Sommers’s thorns / Gunko’s arrows and free the children?