One Piece's Anime Fans Aren't Ready For The Biggest Lore Dump Of All Time

1 day ago 20

Robin from one piece with the harley in the background

Published Jun 23, 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.

Warning: Contains manga spoilers for Chapter #1138 of One Piece.After the absolute whirlwind of revelations that was the Egghead Arc, it seemed like One Piece would not have any more big lore drops in store, at least for a while. However, the Elbaph Arc is proving to be anything but a relaxing adventure. Right from the get-go, the Straw Hats were separated by Road, and now the Holy Knights have descended on Elbaph as well, further complicating things.

The previous episode of One Piece already dropped one major surprise with the introduction of Shamrock, Shanks' twin brother. That said, this is only the beginning of the big revelations to come. In fact, the series' biggest lore dump yet is coming in the very next episode, and fans aren't nearly prepared enough.

One Piece's Anime Is Gearing Up For Its Biggest Reveal in Decades

As seen in the preview, Episode #1168 of One Piece, titled "Ancient History - The Harley Passed Down by Elbaph," will finally be introducing the mysterious Harley texts of Elbaph as well as the ancient mural on Jewel Tree Adam. The upcoming episode is set to adapt Chapter #1138 of the manga, which sees Ripley lead Franky to a mural presumably from the Void Century that was drawn by children on the Jewel Tree Adam at the center of Elbaph.

One Piece Is Officially Too Dark For Shonen Jump

Eiichiro Oda continues to explore One Piece's darkest corner's in a flashback that's begun to further explore the Celestial Dragon's darkest deeds.

At the same time, the episode will also see Saul show Robin the Harley, an ancient text telling of the history of One Piece's world itself, divided into three distinct eras dubbed the First, Second, and Third Worlds. The Harley and the mural presumably go hand-in-hand to tell the secret history of One Piece's world, including the Void Century, and may even foretell the future and what's to come in One Piece's final saga.

Even with later revelations in the Elbaph Arc such as the Xebec and God Valley flashback and Imu's true appearance, the Harley remains the arc's biggest lore dump, if not one of One Piece's biggest reveals in decades. The revelation famously sent the entire fandom into a frenzy when Chapter #1138 initially dropped, especially given the sheer volume of easter eggs and intricate details stashed in the mural. What's more is, even over a whole year later, fans are nowhere near deciphering the truth.

One Piece's Harley Texts Explained: Everything We Think We Know So Far

The official translation for the Harley text

Although revealed at the same time, fans have yet to come to a consensus regarding which part of the Jewel Tree Adam mural corresponds to which of the three worlds mentioned in the Harley. As such, there has yet to be a completely satisfying fan interpretation of the two. One popular interpretation is that the First World refers to the era wherein the Sun God Nika first emerged. Humanity likely discovered the power source that Vegapunk's Mother Flame was attempting to duplicate. The Red Line is also implied to have been created during this time, with whatever disasters that accompanied it destroying the technologically advanced civilization that existed during the First World.

The Second World is commonly assumed to be referring to the Void Century. The Forest God created the devil fruits, the new Sun God, Joyboy, and his faction warred against the allied twenty kingdoms, but was defeated, thus giving rise to the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. As Vegapunk stated, the warfare during this time also raised sea levels by 200 meters, submerging much of One Piece's planet.

The Ultimate · Straw Hat Challenge Set Sail for Trivia “I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”

⚕CrewNakama!

🌊SeasEast Blue

🍋Devil FruitsGomu Gomu!

☠VillainsFear the sea

🏆DreamsOne Piece!

SET SAIL →

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.

REVEAL MY SCORE →

Voyage Complete Your Pirate Record

⚕

/ 8

Are you King of the Pirates — or lost at sea?

↻ SET SAIL AGAIN

Lastly, the Third World is presumed to refer to the present or future, alluding to Luffy's battle against Imu and the World Government. Many of the figures backing Sun God Nika in this part of the mural are easily recognizable, including an Ancient Giant like Loki, a giant robot like Emet, Shirahoshi, the Tontatta, the Mink tribe, the Samurai of Wano, and many more. With the mural set to appear in the anime soon, spotting these easter eggs will surely be even easier, and hopefully One Piece's manga will also shed light on the Harley and the mural soon enough.

One Piece

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