1 Year Later, One Piece Author Oda Reveals Elbaf’s Main Villain, And It’s Not Imu

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This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.

Watching the One Piece story unfold, I have to say the Elbaf arc has really taken everyone by surprise. It’s delivered a massive lore drop with that incredible mural depicting the history of Elbaf, but it’s also given us a fantastic flashback focusing on Loki. And within that flashback? We’re finally seeing the God Valley Incident, something fans have been anticipating for years! It’s been a real treat to watch everything come together.

Just before a recent memory sequence, the creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, revealed Imu as a major threat in the Elbaf arc, taking control of Gunko’s body. While Imu initially seemed like the main enemy, it’s now clear Luffy isn’t strong enough to fight them yet. Recent chapters suggest the true villain of Elbaf will be a corrupted version of Loki, specifically Domi Reversi’d Loki. After a year of preparation, this character now appears to be the arc’s final boss. A fight between Imu and Luffy right now would be too difficult for Luffy to win.

Oda Sets Up Loki To Be The Main Villain Of One Piece’s Elbaf Arc

Loki Could Be Domi Reversi’d By Imu

  • Luffy Vs Loki has already been set up
  • Luffy will match Shanks and beat Loki

For a long time, One Piece fans have believed Imu is the most powerful character in the series. However, the full scope of their abilities wasn’t revealed until the events at God Valley. There, Imu possessed Saint Saturn’s body and withstood attacks from six of the strongest pirates and marines ever: Rocks, Kaido, Big Mom, Whitebeard, Roger, and Garp – all at once. Even facing such a powerful onslaught, Imu quickly recovered and showed no real damage.

Luffy is powerful, but he’s no match for the combined strength of those six individuals, and facing Imu right now would likely result in a loss. It seems Oda is building towards Loki being the real villain in the Elbaf arc. Despite currently being an ally, Oda has a way to turn Loki against Luffy using Domi Reversi. This ability, Imu’s ultimate power, could transform Loki into a loyal servant, similar to how Rocks was controlled at God Valley.

The story has been building towards a fight between Loki and Luffy for a while now. Loki was initially presented as the villain of Elbaf, and Luffy declared he’d defeat him if he caused problems. Plus, we know Shanks has already beaten Loki, and it’s possible Luffy will do the same, perhaps by defeating a transformed version of Loki called Domi Reversi’d Loki.

Luffy Will Beat Loki, But Zoro And Sanji Will Be Equally Busy

Zoro and Sanji Will Fight Dorry and Brogy

As Luffy battles Loki, Zoro and Sanji will probably fight Dorry and Brogy, since they’ve already been hit by Domi Reversi. Other opponents like Sommers, Killingham, and Imu are also present.

With so many enemies appearing, Oda might have Imu fall back to Marijoa, which is already being attacked. This would pit Dorry and Brogy against Sanji and Zoro. However you look at it, the events on Elbaf are becoming increasingly thrilling, and fans are eager to see Luffy and his crew overcome these powerful opponents and reach a new level of strength.

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga will have a one-week break. Chapter 1166 is scheduled to be released on November 23, 2025, and will be available to read for free on Manga Plus.

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2025-11-10 15:34