One Piece’s Elbaf Arc is well and truly underway and fans absolutely cannot wait to see what it delivers in regards to the Strawhats’s adventure in the country of Giants. But, as fans know, the Straw Hat Pirates are not going to be the only active players in the Elbaf arc and there are other powerful individuals at play here as well. More specifically, Oda has already made it clear that the Final Saga of One Piece will not focus just on the Straw Hat Pirates but will take fans all over the world, with exciting side characters being under the spotlight as well.

One individual that fans know for sure will be involved in Elbaf Arc in the grand scheme of things is the red-haired Emperor, Shanks. This Arc is going to be absolutely massive for Shanks and fans absolutely cannot wait to see what it has in store for him.

Elbaf And The Connection to Shanks

The Elbaf Arc Is Going To Feature Shanks Heavily
Shanks Is The Protector Of The Country

The reason why Elbaf is going to be focusing on Shanks is quite simple. For one, this arc is in the Final Saga and Oda has already confirmed to the fans that this part of the series will focus on Shanks in great depth. In fact, long ago, Oda stated that when the series starts focusing on Shanks more, fans can assume that One Piece is in the final saga. Of course, this means that Shanks is going to be a major player here, and his involvement in Egghead was only an appetizer for them. Fans already got to see Shanks play a major role in Egghead, although on the sidelines, but, Elbaf is going to elevate that to the next level.

I can’t let anyone harm my friends or this country. – Shanks

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The biggest reason why Shanks will be featured heavily here is because fans know that Elbaf is a country under his protection. As such, he is going to be involved in this arc in some way or form, which Oda will soon reveal to the fans. Similarly, more recently in the Elbaf Arc, it was revealed that Shanks had visited Loki as well, and that he holds a certain connection with him. His importance here is only growing, and it is highly likely that Shanks and Luffy are going to meet each other soon.

Among the many things that indicate Shanks to be an important player in the Elbaf Arc, fans know that Oda intends to focus on the stories of all the current Four Emperors, and of course, Shanks is one of them. It is going to be very exciting to see what Elbaf has in store for him, and how Oda intends to elaborate upon his story here, revealing great bits of information that fans have always wanted to know and what it means for the overarching story of One Piece.
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Shanks Vs Luffy Could Happen In Elbaf

Shanks Vs Luffy Is Closer Than Ever Before

Naturally, fans might be wondering as to what Oda could reveal pertaining to the character of Shanks in this part of the story. For one, Shanks could very well return to Elbaf and when that happens, he could reunite with Luffy. Luffy and Shanks’s reunion was set up in the story at the very beginning, and it is time for these two characters to come face to face. Shanks refused to see Luffy during the Paramount War, and this was because seeing Luffy at the time would be breaking their promise, because he wasn’t a great pirate at the time. Fast forward to now, Luffy has defeated Kaido and has become an Emperor of the Sea. He is a Great Pirate and is on the same level as Shanks himself.

Return this hat to me when you become a Great Pirate. – Shanks

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He’s ready to meet Shanks and, at the same time, fight him in an attempt to showcase his overall superiority. This is reason enough for Shanks and Luffy to meet once again and fans absolutely cannot wait to see that happen. Shanks’s connection to Elbaf makes it the perfect place for these two characters to come face to face, and then battle it out to see who is the superior fighter.

Luffy could very well end up returning the Straw Hat to Shanks here, and that would certainly make for a very intriguing plot point.

While Luffy vs Shanks is one of the most important elements of the story and part of what makes Elbaf as intriguing as it is, fans know that there is more to this arc than just these two fighting. Loki is also connected to Shanks somehow, and it remains to be seen what these two characters have talked about in the past. This is a very exciting element that fans absolutely cannot wait to get more context on, and hopefully, things will be clear in the upcoming few chapters.

Furthermore, fans also want to know more about Shanks’s family in general, and it is the perfect time for Oda to reveal more details about the Figarland Family, as well as those connected to Shanks.

Why The Figarland Could Be Connected To Elbaf

Shanks And The Other Figarlands Could Make An Appearance Soon

Shanks is inevitably going to be a major player in the Elbaf arc, and it is highly likely that fans will find out a great deal of information about him, from his true motives behind obtaining the Gomu Gomu no Mi, all the way to his secret family. In fact, Shanks’s connection to the Figarland Family is going to be important here as well, and the fact that Oda specifically highlighted this family in this particular arc is proof of that. For instance, St Garling Figarland, one of the strongest characters in the series, was recently shown to have risen to the position of Five Elders in the Elbaf arc. Even though he might not be directly present on Elbaf, he could take decisions that have massive repercussions for this country. This is something that fans absolutely cannot wait to see.
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Similarly, there is a swordsman whose silhouette looks just like Shanks that Oda introduced towards the end of Egghead. This character was important enough for Oda to include him in one of the most important pages in the entire series, and that just means he is going to be massive moving forward.

The God’s Knights too might have an individual connected to Shanks, and, once again, the silhouette of this character looks just like the red-haired Emperor. It has already been clarified by Oda that Shanks has siblings, and fans absolutely cannot wait to see how they are connected to Elbaf and what Oda intends to do with this plotline moving forward.

One thing that fans can be absolutely certain about is that the secrets of the Figarland Family are going to be fully explored in the Elbaf arc, with Oda likely revealing everything from the origin of Shanks, to his relationship with his siblings and how Saint Garling ties into it all.
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