One Piece Hypes the Debut of Its Next Straw Hat Candidate

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Luffy as seen on Elbaph with Loki in the background

Published Apr 27, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

Merlyn De Souza is a freelance writer and anime enthusiast based in Goa, India, with a Bachelor's in English Literature. When she isn't writing, she can be found exploring various realms of entertainment, including, but not limited to, K-dramas, novels, and even the occasional manhwa. She also enjoys all things creative, like sewing and makeup.

With the jailbreak from the block kingdom, One Piece's Elbaph Arc has finally truly taken off. The vast home of the Giants awaits the Straw Hats, eager to be explored, as do a host of faces both new and familiar. And, excitingly enough, one of these upcoming debuts also belongs to a potential future crew member.

One Piece has been fueling speculation about a new Straw Hat arc after arc, be it Yamato back on Wano, or Bonney during Egghead, and the same also holds true for Elbaph. Surprisingly enough, the prime candidate this time around is none other than Prince Loki, who, in the anime, has only been mentioned in passing during the Whole Cake Island Arc so far. But, after all these years of being just a mysterious silhouette, Loki is finally making his debut, and it's coming sooner than fans think.

Loki Makes His Debut In One Piece's Upcoming Episode

As seen in the preview for the upcoming episode, Loki, the mysterious prince of Elbaph, will be making his debut in One Piece's anime in Episode #1160, releasing next week as per the release schedule. The preview sees Luffy running off by himself after supposedly hearing a roar, and thus venturing into the Underworld, one of the three realms that make up the island of Elbaph.

The new eyecatcher for One Piece's Elbaph arc

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Episode #1160 is titled, "An Encounter on a Snowfield - Loki, the Accursed Prince," and while Loki does not make an appearance in the preview itself, the actual episode will surely give fans the full reveal. The episode is set to adapt Chapter #1130 of the manga, which will likely see Luffy come across Loki in the Underworld, and the latter introducing himself.

Loki's reveal is sure to come as quite a surprise, especially to anime-only fans, as his actual design is worlds apart from the silhouette initially teased back on Whole Cake Island. That said, interesting as his design may be, it also raises doubts about whether he will truly end up joining the Straw Hats or not.

Warning: Minor manga spoilers for One Piece below!

Will Loki Truly Join the Straw Hats?

One Piece's Straw Hats in Egghead Island

Given how many times Eiichiro Oda has teased a new addition to the Straw Hats, it isn't out of the ordinary for many to be skeptical about Loki joining the crew. Granted, Luffy has acknowledged Loki as a "good person" by his own, oddly instinctual moral code, and the big Elbaph flashback has also gone a long way in redeeming Loki. Luffy has also outright asked Loki to join the crew. However, things are still up in the air, and for multiple reasons.

For one, Loki possessing Ancient Giant blood and his sheer size make it logistically impossible for him to join the crew as he quite simply wouldn't fit on the Thousand Sunny. Episode #1160 is sure to put into perspective just how massive Loki is, especially in comparison to Luffy. Secondly, even though Luffy has asked him to join, this isn't the be-all end-all, as proved by Yamato, who did not end up joining the Straw Hats in the end despite Luffy's invitation.

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⚕CrewNakama!

🌊SeasEast Blue

🍋Devil FruitsGomu Gomu!

☠VillainsFear the sea

🏆DreamsOne Piece!

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Monkey D. Luffy accidentally ate a Devil Fruit as a child, giving him rubber-like abilities. What is the name of that fruit?

AFlame-Flame Fruit BChop-Chop Fruit CGum-Gum Fruit DSmoke-Smoke Fruit

✓ Correct! The Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu Gomu no Mi) turned Luffy’s body into rubber. He ate it from Shanks’ treasure chest as a kid, gaining stretchy powers but losing the ability to swim forever.

✗ Overboard! The answer is the Gum-Gum Fruit. The Chop-Chop Fruit belongs to Buggy, the Flame-Flame Fruit to Ace, and the Smoke-Smoke Fruit to Captain Smoker — but Luffy’s rubber powers come from the Gomu Gomu no Mi.

Luffy’s iconic straw hat was given to him as a child by a famous pirate who inspired his dream. Who gave Luffy the hat?

AGold Roger BMonkey D. Garp CDracule Mihawk DRed-Haired Shanks

✓ Correct! Red-Haired Shanks entrusted his straw hat to young Luffy in Foosha Village, telling him to return it when he becomes a great pirate. That promise drives Luffy’s entire journey.

✗ Overboard! The answer is Red-Haired Shanks. While Gold Roger originally wore the hat, it was Shanks who passed it down to Luffy after saving his life from a Sea King — a defining moment in the series.

Before joining the Straw Hats, Sanji works as a sous chef at a floating restaurant on the ocean. What is the name of this restaurant?

AThe Galley-La BThe Baratie CThe Sea Rat DMakino’s Tavern

✓ Correct! The Baratie is the ocean-going restaurant run by Chef Zeff, Sanji’s mentor. In the live-action series, it’s one of the most stunning sets — a fully realized ship-restaurant on the open sea.

✗ Overboard! The answer is The Baratie. Run by the legendary pirate-turned-chef “Red Leg” Zeff, this floating restaurant is where Luffy recruits Sanji as the Straw Hats’ cook.

Roronoa Zoro is famous for his unique sword-fighting technique. How many swords does he wield in his signature style?

AOne BTwo CThree DFour

✓ Correct! Zoro uses Three-Sword Style (Santoryu), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk.

✗ Overboard! The answer is three. Zoro’s iconic Three-Sword Style places one blade in each hand and a third clenched between his teeth — a fighting technique unique to him in the One Piece world.

Each Straw Hat crew member has a personal dream. What is Nami’s ultimate goal that drives her journey?

ATo find the One Piece treasure BTo become the greatest navigator CTo draw a complete map of the world DTo defeat every pirate on the Grand Line

✓ Correct! Nami’s dream is to draw a map of the entire world. Her cartography skills and navigation talent make her indispensable to the crew, and her passion for mapmaking was nurtured by her adoptive mother Bell-mère.

✗ Overboard! The answer is to draw a complete map of the world. Nami is a gifted cartographer whose dream goes beyond just sailing — she wants to chart every sea and island so no one is ever lost again.

A powerful Marine Vice Admiral is revealed to have a surprising family connection to Luffy. Who is this high-ranking Marine?

ACaptain Smoker BAdmiral Akainu CCaptain Morgan DVice Admiral Garp

✓ Correct! Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather. Known as “Garp the Fist,” he’s a Marine hero who wanted Luffy to become a Marine — not a pirate. Their family dynamic is a major subplot in the live-action series.

✗ Overboard! The answer is Vice Admiral Garp. Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather and one of the most legendary Marines alive. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, their bond runs deep.

Usopp is recruited into the Straw Hat crew after the pirates help defend his home village from Captain Kuro’s Black Cat Pirates. What is the name of Usopp’s village?

AFoosha Village BShells Town CSyrup Village DCoco Village

✓ Correct! Syrup Village is Usopp’s peaceful hometown where he was known for telling tall tales. It’s also where Kaya lives, and where the crew acquires the Going Merry from her estate.

✗ Overboard! The answer is Syrup Village. Foosha Village is Luffy’s hometown, Shells Town is where Zoro was held captive, and Coco Village (Cocoyasi) is Nami’s home — but Usopp hails from Syrup Village.

The Netflix live-action adaptation was praised for its casting. Which actor plays Monkey D. Luffy?

AMackenyu BTaz Skylar CIñaki Godoy DJacob Romero Gibson

✓ Correct! Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy won fans over with his infectious energy and earnest portrayal of Luffy. Mackenyu plays Zoro, Taz Skylar is Sanji, and Jacob Romero Gibson plays Usopp.

✗ Overboard! The answer is Iñaki Godoy. The young Mexican actor perfectly captured Luffy’s boundless enthusiasm. The other actors all play Straw Hat crew members — but Luffy is all Iñaki.

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Lastly, even if One Piece does find a way to shrink Loki or get him onto the Sunny by whatever means, his aspirations to be like Rocks, as well as his duty to Elbaph as their prince, could both hold him back from joining the crew, at least right away. That said, between Loki, Bonney, Yamato, and Vivi, Loki would most certainly be the strongest addition to the crew, and the Elbaph Arc will eventually prove exactly why.

Release Date October 20, 1999

Network Fuji TV

Directors Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Writers Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda