One Piece: Eiichiro Oda Officially Confirms The Alternate Sun God Nika Instead Of Luffy

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This article contains spoilers for One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.

The Elbaf arc of *One Piece* has been fantastic, and Eiichiro Oda is currently delivering some of the best storytelling of his career. The story is now focused on the Loki flashback, which many fans believe is the greatest flashback arc in the series so far.

Oda is gradually sharing the backstories of Loki, Harald, and the other warriors from Elbaf. At the same time, we’re learning more about Rocks D. Xebec and his pirate crew. Interestingly, the concept of Nika has also come up, and Oda has strongly hinted that if Rocks had succeeded, Nika would be a very different figure today.

Luffy Ate The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika

  • His Devil Fruit Awakened In Wano
  • Luffy Is The Sun God Nika

Nika, the Sun God, is a famous figure in the *One Piece* world, revered by many. Officially introduced in chapter 1044, the Five Elders identified Nika as the “Warrior of Liberation.” Legend says Nika appears whenever people are enslaved or suffering, bringing laughter and happiness wherever they go. Nika has a rubbery body and fights with incredible freedom. Their powers defy reason – anything Nika imagines can become reality, making them the most uniquely powerful being in the world.

He’s the Warrior of Liberation, the Sun God, Nika! — The Five Elders on Luffy

As many fans know, Luffy ate the Nika Devil Fruit early in the story. Later, during the Wano Country Arc, he awakened its power, becoming the Sun God Nika and allowing him to defeat Kaido. While Luffy is definitively Nika, chapter 1156 of *One Piece* revealed that Harald had the potential to become Nika instead.

Harald Could’ve Been Nika Instead Of Luffy

Rocks Wanted Harald To Eat The Nika Fruit

One Piece chapter 1156 revealed the scope of Rocks D. Xebec’s ambition: to conquer the entire world. A key part of his plan involved acquiring two powerful Devil Fruits, one of which came from the island of Elbaf – a place deeply connected to the legend of Nika, the Sun God. Loki, after consuming this Elbaf Devil Fruit, came to believe he *was* Nika. This suggests that the Devil Fruit Rocks was seeking was, in fact, the very same one connected to the Nika legend.

Rocks wanted Harald to gain the powers of a specific Devil Fruit, intending for Harald to consume it, with Rocks desiring two particular Devil Fruits in total – believing this would lead Harald to become Nika.

Rocks believes this Devil Fruit is significant, as is another one. He intended for Harald to consume this fruit to unleash its full power, and it’s likely he wanted to eat the other fruit himself.

Rocks’s Plan Failed In The Long Run

As many fans are aware, Rocks’s ambitious plan ultimately failed. Harald was never able to consume the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Rocks died in God Valley 38 years ago, and that marked the end of his crew’s efforts.

I’m looking forward to *One Piece* Chapter 1162, which is scheduled to come out this week! Like always, it will be released on Sunday in Japan around midnight JST on Monday. But for most of us around the world, it looks like we’ll be able to read it on October 12, 2025. That’s the official release date, and thankfully, it’s available to read for free on Manga Plus.

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2025-10-08 16:09