This article contains spoilers from the Elbaf arc of One Piece.
One Piece is currently in the Elbaf arc, which marks the beginning of the most exciting battles of the Final Saga. It is in this part of the story that Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates first cross paths with the forces of Imu and the World Government, which makes it an exhilarating phase in Oda's story.
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At the same time, fans know very well that the strongest of characters are finally making their moves all across the seas, which is something they have been waiting years to properly see. Naturally, given that this is the climax of One Piece that Oda wanted to illustrate ever since he began writing the story, the strongest characters are finally making their presence known. More recently, Oda even showed the appearance of a legendary individual whose strength goes on to surpass that of Yonko Monkey D. Luffy, and this character is none other than the Accursed Prince of Elbaf, Loki.
Luffy Became One Of The Yonko After The Wano Arc of One Piece
- Luffy Awakened His Devil Fruit In Wano
- He Gained Advanced Haki Vs Kaido
As far as the strongest characters in the world of One Piece go, fans almost always come to the Yonko. The Yonko are the four most powerful pirates in the world, ruling the New World like kings. Their influence is such that not even the World Government dares to touch them directly, unless they have absolutely no other choice. The Yonko crews are composed of powerful pirates, led by characters so strong that they can pose a direct threat to the Government itself. Their strength goes far beyond that of their pirate crews, as the Yonko tend to have large alliances and affiliations that make them a force to be reckoned with.
Over the years, fans have seen quite a lot of powerful Yonko, and while some have fallen, others have risen to take this position. One of the latest inclusions to the ranks of the Yonko was the protagonist of the series, Monkey D. Luffy. After the events of the Wano arc, both Kaido and Big Mom were removed from their Yonko position, and instead, Luffy was made an Emperor, along with Buggy. Quite clearly, Luffy was deserving of the title of Yonko, especially after he managed to awaken his Devil Fruit, and gained all three types of Advanced Haki.
It was no surprise to see Luffy become a fearsome fighter who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other Emperors of the One Piece world. That said, the Yonko aren't necessarily the strongest characters in all of One Piece. For instance, fans know very well that Imu's powers are far greater than those of any Yonko. Similarly, there are other individuals whose powers can go beyond the level of the Yonko, and it seems that Loki is one of them.
Of course, Loki was beaten by Shanks six years ago, but when compared to an average Yonko, Loki definitely seems to be stronger, and his powers appear to be far greater than those of Luffy at the moment.
Loki Has Surpassed Luffy In Terms of Power Already
- Loki is above the level of Rocks D. Xebec
- Loki singlehandedly overwhelmed Harald 14 years ago
Fans have seen Luffy fight and grow in battles for many years, and thanks to that, it is quite easy for them to see what Luffy's limits are at the moment. Luffy tapped into the power of Gear 5 in Wano and he also managed to awaken Advanced Conqueror's Haki. All these things combined made Luffy a fearsome fighter, but he still struggled in the battle against Kaido. Later down the line in Egghead, Luffy fought against Kizaru, and while he was utterly dominant in the fight despite not going all out, it was clear that Luffy was not at the pinnacle of his powers. Quite dearly, Luffy still has room to grow, and the likes of Shanks and Blackbeard should still be much stronger than him.
I consider myself the strongest alive in the Lands. This is the Warland, Elbaf's Kingdom of Violence. The most powerful nation in the world which once lived and breathed warfare. And I'm the Sun God who brings the world to an end, Loki! — Loki introducing himself in the Elbaf Arc.
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As such, given Luffy's level, comparing him to Loki is quite easy. In the Elbaf flashback, fans got to see a proper glimpse of Loki's power, and it is safe to say that he has left Luffy in the dust completely. Loki was so strong that he was able to kill King Harald despite him being immortal. So far, he's the only person in One Piece to be able to kill someone immortal and put strain on even someone like Imu. Given all these major details, fans can say for sure that Loki is stronger than Luffy at this particular point in time.
Loki Had A Brief Stint As A Pirate
Some fans might argue that Loki isn't even a pirate in the first place, but that is actually not true at all. 14 years ago, King Harald died in Elbaf, and fans know that shortly after, Loki decided to set sail to the seas. Loki took a skeleton crew with him and it was made up of the guards who were loyal to King Harald. In his quest for revenge, Loki acted as a pirate and caused great chaos on the seas. He remained active on the seas for many years, and that is why he received a very high bounty of 2.6 billion berries at one particular point. In fact, his bounty was even termed "special." Given that Loki acted like a rogue on the seas, he was most certainly considered a pirate by the World Government as well, regardless of what fans think of him.
Luffy Needs A Big Power Up To Match Loki
- Luffy will master his Haki in Elbaf
- Loki and Luffy should be close in power come the end of the arc
Coming back to Luffy and his power compared to Loki, the fans know very well that, at the moment, a battle between them wouldn't even be close. Despite Luffy being a Yonko, Loki is levels above him, given that he was able to beat someone stronger than even Rocks D. Xebec. For Luffy to reach that level, he needs to master his Haki properly as well as get rid of the time limit he has on Gear 5. Once Luffy manages to do all these things, he will be strong enough to fight Loki in battle.
Quite clearly, Luffy needs a massive power-up before he gets to the level of the likes of Shanks, Loki, and the others. That is precisely what the Elbaf arc is for. For now, fans simply need to sit back and watch Luffy grow as he fights against Imu and the Demon Army that has been unleashed on the Warland, Elbaf. This arc is certainly going to be significant for Luffy, both in terms of his character growth as well as his power-ups.
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 1171 is January 18, 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.