This article contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1173.
One Piece fans were eagerly waiting for the Elbaf arc to pick up the pace following the return to the current timeline, now that the Elbaf flashback has wrapped up. Last week's chapter served to refresh the fans' memories regarding what's happening in Elbaf right now. One Piece 1173 was much better in that regard, as it focused on the Straw Hat Pirates’ escape from Gunko's shackles, and also on the huge mystery unfolding around Gunko and Brook’s secret past. This chapter also served quite a bit of exciting action with Zoro. Out of all the major reveals, these are the biggest that stood out in the chapter.
7 Zoro’s Plan To Attack Dorry And Brogy Unfolds
At the end of One Piece chapter 1172, Oda left off with a major cliffhanger. Roronoa Zoro, the mighty swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, stated that he had a plan to deal with the Domi Reversi Giants. While waiting for the new chapter, fans were curious to see what his plan could entail.
Now, in One Piece chapter 1173, this plan has kicked into motion. As expected Zoro's plan isn't too complicated. His plan was to jump over the heads of the Giants so he wouldn't get caught in between two, and avoid Domi Reversi completely. He also managed to bait Domi, Reversi’d Dorry, and Brogy to attack each other, and indeed it worked. With that, Dorry and Brogy were tricked into slashing each other in an attack similar to what was witnessed in Little Garden. They sustained some damage, but they’re nowhere near done yet. Nevertheless, Zoro's initiative was definitely a smart one.
6 Gunko’s True Name Is Revealed To Be Princess Shuri
Since the beginning of the Elbaf arc of One Piece, one character has especially stood out as incredibly mysterious, and that's Gunko. Gunko first arrived in Elbaf with Shamrock Figarland, and immediately, fans could tell that she was special.
Gunko's strength is unmatched, but the mystery surrounding her character only grew once she was taken over by Imu. Imu eventually took control of Gunko, and since then, they have been wreaking havoc on Elbaf. In One Piece Chapter 1173, Brook went on to reveal that Gunko Manmeyer is not this individual's real name. Instead, Gunko's true identity is that of Princess Shuri, and fans can't wait for her past to unfold in this arc. She comes from the South Blue from a big Kingdom where Brook served the leader of a battle convoy.
5 Gunko and Brook’s Connection
For a while now, fans have known that Brook and Gunko, now Princess Shuri, share some kind of connection. Fans got multiple hints of this connection before the beginning of the God Valley flashback of Elbaf. Even after being brainwashed, it was revealed that Gunko was a major fan of Soul King, and Oda also showed a few panels hinting at her flashback where she was raised by Brook. Now, Oda has revealed even more information through the latest chapter, One Piece 1173.
Not only did Brook reveal that Gunko’s real name is Shuri, but he also revealed that she is the daughter of an unnamed King who used to be Brook’s benefactor. In other words, decades ago, Brook used to work under Gunko’s father. What’s shocking, however, is that Brook reveals Gunko is a father slayer. This means that Gunko killed her father for a mysterious reason, someone Brook was deeply indebted to. There is still much more to uncover.
4 The Straw Hats Are Freed
Previously in Elbaf, Gunko showed her superior power by defeating and capturing many of the Straw Hat members, notably Jinbe, Usopp, and Nami. Fans were wondering for a while how the Straw Hat Pirates could be freed, or if they would remain chained up for the rest of the arc. After all, Gunko had complete control over them with her arrows, and only she could free them.
In One Piece 1173, due to Gunko regaining consciousness for a tiny bit, the Straw Hat Pirates were finally freed. The Straw Hats are now finally able to join in on the battle, and Oda will surely allow them to take part in some heavy action.
It must be noted, however, that while everyone captured by Gunko has been freed, the same can’t be said about Nico Robin, who has not yet been released from Sommer’s thorns. Robin should be freed in the next couple of chapters when someone takes down Sommers.
3 Gerd, Road, and Goldberg’s Powers Are Unleashed
The Elbaf Giants are, for the most part, incredibly powerful warriors. While fans have already seen the strength of the Giant Pirates Co-captains, Dorry and Brogy, the New Giant Pirates didn't get as much attention. Now, they have also showcased some of their power in One Piece 1173.
Among the New Giant Pirates, fans recognize a few powerful members, those being Gerd, Road, and Goldberg. These three combined their immense power in One Piece chapter 1173 and unleashed a powerful attack against the Nika MMA. The attack they unleashed was reminiscent of Dorry and Brogy’s Hakoku Sovereignty, used on Little Garden. This attack is definitely powerful, and fans can't wait to see more of the New Giant Pirates this arc.
2 The Ship For The Kidnapped Children Is Destroyed
Fans of One Piece would remember that one of the major plot points of the Elbaf arc is the Holy Knights kidnapping 10 giant children. These children were being taken towards a ship, which would then ferry them to Marijoa. But, now, that plan has been destroyed by none other than a member of the Holy Knights, Saint Sommers.
With Gerd, Road, and Goldberg's attack being unleashed on Nika MMA, the latter went flying. The Nika MMA was then sent towards Sommers, who tried to stop it, but accidentally made it land on the ship reserved for the children. With that, Sommers has ruined his own group's plan yet again. With that, he has once again shown himself to be the least competent of the Holy Knights in One Piece.
1 No Break After One Piece 1173
It's no secret that over the last couple of months, One Piece has been experiencing more frequent breaks. The reasons for these breaks varied. Some were due to the holiday seasons that unfolded between December and January, and others were due to Eiichiro Oda needing some rest. Naturally, fans are always worried about break weeks following at the end of each chapter.
Thankfully, One Piece Chapter 1174 will be released on schedule, meaning there isn't going to be any break next week. In that sense, fans can expect One Piece 1174 to drop next Sunday, February 15, 2026. The story of Elbaf is going to continue without any interruptions, which is definitely exciting, especially given the exciting stage in the story.
- 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)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
