Chopper, not Usopp, may be the star Straw Hat of One Piece's Elbaph arc
One Piece chapter 1132 was released on December 2, 2024, featuring the reunion of the Straw Hat Pirates on Elbaph Island. The chapter revealed significant lore about the Island of the Giants. However, it ended with a strange quote from Louis Arnont that no one should linger on Elbaph Island for too long. So, what could this danger be that the philosopher was talking about?
It could be related to the island's surroundings, which might have a deadly toxin that affects humans but not giants. This could lead to the Straw Hat Pirates facing similar issues as Nami did in Little Garden. Moreover, it might allow Chopper to take the spotlight, even though fans think Usopp might be the highlight of this arc (given his dream).
Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series and has the author's opinion.
One Piece: Exploring the role of Chopper in Elbaph arc
One Piece chapter 1132 commenced with Luffy being retrieved by two giants after he agreed to a deal with Loki (presumably to free the Elbaph Prince in exchange for defeating a pirate crew). He was then reunited with the East Blue crew, who met the rest of the pirates entering Elbaph on a rainbow.
The protagonist crew's reunion was accompanied by narration from Loius Arnot in the background. The narration was about how no one should stay at Elbaph Island for too long, hinting that there might be complications to the Straw Hat Pirates' prolonged stay at the island of the giants. Could this be related to a specific disease? Let's explore this aspect by revisiting the previous arc that featured giants.
During the Little Garden arc, the Straw Hat Pirates met Dory and Brogy for the first time, and Nami was administered with the 'Five-day Sickness,' caused by a bug named Keschaus. After being bitten, she was rushed to a nearby island with some civilization, and that was Drum Island.
Unfortunately, the ground-level people couldn't do much, so Luffy took his comrades to Dr. Kureha, who lived at the top of a mountain. After Nami woke up, the doctor revealed that she might have died if Nami had arrived late. She also revealed that the bug that bit her went extinct centuries ago. This might be what would form the basis of Louis Arnot's warning.
Given that Nami was bitten on Little Garden Island, there might be a connection to the giants. This could represent one of two calamities endangering the Straw Hat Pirates' lives on Elbaph Island. However, the bigger calamity might be the toxic air of Elbaph, hinted at by Loki's human friends who were wearing masks.
These hints suggest that Chopper may play a major role in saving the Straw Hat Pirates from these calamities, just like he did with Nami during the Drum Island arc. This way, he might steal the spotlight from Usopp, who is speculated to achieve his peak during this arc.
Analysis and Final Thoughts
During the One Piece Strong World anime film, Nami got a disease from a plant on Shiki's flying islands. This might work as a direct parallel to what happened on Drum Island and might also see this theory becoming a reality on Elbaph Island. So, given the clues from the series, this theory has a high chance of becoming true.
Related Links
- One Piece Chapter 1132 highlights
- One Piece chapter 1132 confirms manga's early December release
- The "Silhouette Piece" controversy brings deeper One Piece fandom issues to light