Loki's connection to Shanks explained

This article contains spoilers from the Elbaf Arc of One Piece.

Key recommendations

• Loki killed his father, ate a devil fruit, and was imprisoned, but he was somehow connected to Shanks six years ago.
• Shanks visited Loki in Elbaf, possibly aiding in his imprisonment, which coincided with Shanks becoming a Yonko.
• The past connection between Shanks and Loki would have influenced Shanks' rise to become one of the Four Sea Kings.

The cursed prince of Elbaf, Loki is a person in the spotlight in One piece. Having recently been introduced in chapter 1130 of the story, it only made sense that Loki would be more involved in the plot with each passing chapter. With a massive return to Elbaf in One piece chapter 1131, once Oda came out of his 3-week hiatus, it was only natural for the series to focus more on the Cursed Prince of Elbaf and further progress his encounter with Luffy.

At the same time, the story also decided to dive right into other interesting parts about the Cursed Prince, and this time it was also revealed that he is somehow connected to none other than the Emperor of the red hair, Shanks. Shanks is a character that fans have been waiting to see in the story for years and have only gotten to see a few glimpses since. However, with the start of Elbaf, this will now slowly change. After all, Elbaf will definitely be the arc where Shanks gets the most attention, and fans might even see his reunion with Luffy. Furthermore, the recent developments that suggest Shanks is connected to Loki will also add to both characters and make the story richer than ever.

Loki's devil fruit consumption and imprisonment

Loki killed his father and was chained to the underworld

Loki is quite easily one of the most ferocious individuals in the One piece world. Fans were first introduced to Loki in the Whole Cake Island Arc. However, very little was known about him at the time, and certainly not enough to make something of his personality. If anything, Loki was seen as a giant with a pretty big heart and that's because he fell in love with Lola and even gave her flowers. Of course, this was a huge gesture on Loki's part, and it just goes to show that despite everything, Loki is an individual capable of falling in love. He is different from the malevolent entities fans have seen so far in the story.

He killed his own father and ate the devil fruit! – Giants

All of this mattered little anyway, as Lola took to the sea alone and rejected Loki's advances. Immediately after, the marriage pact between the Big Mom Pirates and the Giant Warrior Pirates essentially collapsed, and while Big Mom tried to save it by sending off Chiffon to marry Loki, her plan didn't work. The relationship between the Giants and the Big Mom Pirates soured further and has remained the same ever since. Meanwhile, fans haven't been able to see or hear anything about Loki since then. But in the Elbaf arc, it was inevitable that Loki would be raised. Fans weren't expecting Loki to appear as soon as Elbaf started, but it was definitely a welcome surprise.

Right after Loki's introduction, fans learned about the brutalities he committed, such as killing his father, King Elbaf, King Harald. He did all of this to consume a legendary Devil Fruit that was passed down through the royal line in Elbaf. It is not known if this Devil Fruit was eaten by each successor or if it was just kept. It is likely that it was simply kept and preserved for a special person to come in the future. Loki thought he was most likely someone special and decided to consume him. After he successfully consumed the Devil Fruit and gained his powers, all of Elbaf turned against him. Unfortunately for them, Loki was already too powerful at this point and it took the entire country's effort to subdue him. Loki could not be killed and was instead chained to the country's underworld. Loki has been bound to the Adam Treasure Tree since then with chains of the Great Prismstone, essentially meaning he cannot break free without outside help.

Shanks and Loki's Past Connection in One Piece Chapter 1131

Shanks visited Loki 6 years ago

In One piece chapter 1131, Loki clearly indicates that he met Shanks. Those guarding Loki suggested that Shanks came to the underworld of Elbaf 6 years ago. It is not known at what point Loki was captured and by whom. However, fans were told that it happened sometime, 6 years ago. It's entirely possible that the one who helped imprison them was none other than the red-haired Shanks. Some fans may remember that 6 years ago, Dorry and Brogy were definitely not on Elbaf, meaning their power would have been limited. Even Elder Giant Jarul was far too weak to take part in the battle. That means Elbaf was left with not many strong warriors, and that's why the country might have struggled to lock Loki up. But, this is where Shanks could have intervened. If Shanks was in Elbaf 6 years ago, then it's entirely possible that he helped imprison Loki by fighting him alone.

I have been chained here for 6 years now. – Loki

It's also possible that Loki was imprisoned before Shanks came to the island, but was seen trying to escape once, which led to Shanks somehow subduing him. Loki clearly has a history with Shanks, as he said himself in the previous chapter of One piece.

Of course, it will take some time for Loki to be released and for fans to understand what their connection really is. At least Loki doesn't seem too fond of Shanks, which means they might have had some kind of rivalry. If we have to connect the dots here, the only conclusion is that Shanks prevented Loki from escaping, and this made him famous as a hero in Elbaf while also taking the land under his protection.

Shanks' rise to Yonko could be linked to Loki

Shanks could have become a Yonko because of Loki

It's quite interesting that Oda revealed that Shanks came to the Elbaf underworld 6 years ago. For those who don't remember, the time Shanks became emperor was also 6 years ago. This essentially means that Shanks became a Yonko around the same time he met Loki, and it's also possible that these two things have something to do with each other. It should also be remembered that the World Government had a special bounty of 2.6 billion berries on Loki's head during this time.

This bounty certainly hasn't been updated since then as Loki has been kept under strict surveillance and hasn't moved a muscle. This basically means that Shanks fought Loki 6 years ago, and maybe it's news of this event, in addition to Shanks claiming Elbaf as his territory, which eventually made him one of the four emperors of the sea

One Piece can be read through Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next One Piece chapter, One Piece 1131, is set for November 10, 2024.