This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
One Piece is currently in the Elbaf arc, and fans know that this particular arc is crucial in the Final Saga as it serves as the gateway of the Great War that is to erupt in the coming years. Right now, it can be said that fans are already about halfway through the Elbaf arc, and it is only going to get more exciting as the story moves forward.
Eiichiro Oda Sets Up The Death Of The Strongest Character In The World In One Piece
The strongest character's death is already set in stone in One Piece.
With each chapter in this arc, fans get newer revelations related to the lore of the One Piece world, and shocking developments surrounding characters such as Imu. At the same time, Oda is also introducing a powerful class of overpowered characters, with some of them quite clearly even stronger than the Pirate King himself. Oda himself established Roger to be one of the most elite fighters in the world of One Piece, the likes of which can only be matched by a handful of others. Now, however, Oda has introduced a character so strong that he even goes on to surpass Roger in overall power. This character is none other than King Harald of Elbaf.
Gol D. Roger Became The Strongest By The End Of His Journey
- Roger canonically got stronger after God Valley
- Roger’s peak came around 25-30 years ago in One Piece
Gol D. Roger is quite easily one of the most powerful individuals to have lived in the world of One Piece. In fact, it can also be said that, after Joy Boy, he was most certainly the strongest individual. Roger became the Pirate King around 26 years ago in the world of One Piece, and by this point, he had already reached his peak as a pirate.
Wealth, fame, power, Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates, attained this and everything else the world had to offer. — Narrator
Years before that, Roger was only a rookie, and another powerful individual who went by the name of Rocks D. Xebec was on the seas. Fans know that Xebec was quite powerful and, at one point, even stronger than Roger. On God Valley, 38 years ago, Roger and Garp collaborated to defeat Rocks. Later down the line, Oda canonically states that all individuals who were present on God Valley went on to grow even stronger, and in the coming decade, Roger established himself as the ruler of the era.
Roger was so strong that even Whitebeard, the man with the power to destroy the world, was only his equal. Quite clearly, Roger became the strongest of his time, and it was only after his death that Whitebeard came to be known as the World's Strongest Man. For any individual to be even close to Roger in terms of strength is an incredible feat, and yet there is one character that has pulled this off recently in the flashback, and that is none other than King Harald of Elbaf.
King Harald Was Even Stronger Than The Pirate King
- Harald Surpassed Rocks D. Xebec with Imu's power
- Imu and Five Elders confirm that Harald became a weapon of mass destruction
To put it simply, King Harald was always incredibly powerful. When fans saw him rampaging across the seas 109 years ago, it was quite clear that he was a monster, but in the years to come, his strength grew even further.
Oda equated Harald's strength to that of Rocks D. Xebec. These two were friends and rivals, and fought many battles with one another, most of which ended in a stalemate. Their first clash was such that all signs of life were erased in a 5 km radius. That goes to show how incredibly powerful these two were.
However, while they were largely equal up until the point where Rocks died, the fact is that Harald went on to surpass him in terms of power after receiving the Deep Sea Covenant from Imu. He received even greater physical strength, regeneration, and immortality. On the other hand, Harald lost his free will and would then become a puppet of Imu to control whenever they willed it. Fourteen years ago, in Elbaf, specifically in the Aurust Castle, King Harald went berserk under the command of Imu, and at this point, he was far stronger than the Pirate King.
Imu Confirmed Harald Should've Been Unbeatable
The confirmation of Harald being even stronger than the Pirate King comes directly from two characters, and one of them is Imu. The sovereign of the world clearly stated in One Piece chapter 1171 that Harald was a monster beyond human levels at this point. He was already as strong as Rocks, but on top of that, he received the covenant from Imu, which granted him superhuman strength, regeneration, and immortality.
Is there really something lurking in Elbaf that can beat Harald? Such power should not have been stoppable! — Imu
On top of that, Harald had the blood of the ancient giants, and that made him even more special. Harald was a tool of destruction, and Imu was shocked to know that someone who could stop this calamity existed in the world.
One Piece: Oda Might Just Have Confirmed Loki As The Final Straw Hat
Who the final Straw Hat has already been decided by Oda, and it's Loki in One Piece.
The second confirmation comes from Scopper Gaban, the left arm of Roger. Gaban himself fought against King Harald and injured him multiple times. Even with Supreme King Haki, which is supposed to slow down regeneration when one delivers enough blows and is even capable of incapacitating the immortals, Gaban and Shanks were not able to stop Harald. According to Gaban, if Harald left Aurust Castle that day 14 years ago, he would have gone on to destroy the entire world, and that is a big statement from the left arm of the Pirate King himself.
I saw an image of the world ending had Harald left the castle today. — Scopper Gaban
No matter which individual fans look at, be it Rocks, Roger, or Whitebeard, no character possessed this much power, and the one who eventually went on to stop him was none other than Loki.
Loki's Devil Fruit Helped Defeat King Harald
- Loki wields Elbaf’s legendary Devil Fruit
- Its powers could even harm Imu
At the end of the day, it was Loki's Devil Fruit that helped take down Harald. Shanks and Gaban could not stop him or defeat him in combat, and it was quite clear that even Loki couldn't stop him without his Devil Fruit. It was only after Loki ate this legendary Devil Fruit that he gained a select mythical power that allowed him to defeat Harald.
Quite clearly, Loki is one of the most powerful characters in the entire world of One Piece, and that goes without saying. It will be interesting to see what Oda does with him later down the line and what his true powers are.
Loki's Powers Remain Shrouded In Mystery
For now, Loki's Devil Fruit ability is shrouded in mystery. All fans know about his Devil Fruit that it is some sort of mythical Zoan type of fruit, and that with its powers, Loki can fly as well as manifest sharp claws. The most likely answer to Loki's Devil Fruit ability is the Nidhogg dragon from Norse Mythology. Whether that truly is his power or not remains to be seen.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to lay claim to the grand treasure known as the One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1172 is February 1, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps. Doing so will ensure that fans always support the author.