As the Elbaph arc progresses in One Piece, Eiichiro Oda is gearing up for Luffy’s next growth which might not be as happening as fans hoped.

SUMMARY

Ever since One Piece started, one unique trait that Luffy has shown always is putting his trust in the right people.
His intuition has allowed him to place in trust in the right character which is why he has never been betrayed.
However, it looks like he might experience his first betrayal in the Elbaph arc.

Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, has seen tremendous growth ever since the series started. From unlocking the strongest Haki abilities to awakening his Devil Fruit, Luffy has probably had the most growth in One Piece. He has reached the top of his strength in just two years since his journey started.

Luffy | Credit: Toei Animation

However, even after increasing his power level, Luffy’s strength is not nearly enough to take down the World Government and liberate the One Piece world. This is a responsibility that lies on his shoulders as he is the reincarnation of Sun God Nika and Joy Boy. But it looks like this time Luffy won’t experience any physical growth.

He has most probably reached his prime in terms of Haki and Devil Fruit, but he still needs to see character development to move forward in One Piece. And this time it might happen through an emotional trauma that he will experience because of a betrayal. This betrayal will come from none other than Loki, Luffy’s latest alleged ally in One Piece.

Luffy has never experienced betrayal in One Piece

While betrayal has been one of the plot developments of One Piece, it has never been experienced by the series’ protagonist. Luffy might be a goofy and carefree personality, but he is a better judge of character than anyone in the story. He always puts his trust in the right character no matter what the entire world thinks of them.

Being the protagonist, it’s his biggest and most unique ability, and Eiichiro Oda has made sure that he uses it in almost every One Piece arc. His instincts are so accurate that he has never experienced any betrayal. In fact, he has stood against the entire world for the people with whom he places his trust and has never gone back on his words.

From his crewmates to the people he chooses to liberate, everyone puts their trust in Luffy, and Luffy puts his trust in them, making for a uniform development within the narrative. Thus, there is rarely any scope for him to get betrayed or face the consequences of trusting the wrong person, despite being in the pirate world, which is known for disloyalty and treachery.

Luffy’s first betrayal may come from Elbaph

Although Luffy’s trusting nature and intuition are among his strongest abilities, Oda needs to test them at least once in One Piece. This will not only help him get a better understanding of the heinous world he is living in but also result in a moment of emotional growth that Luffy has not witnessed since the death of his dear brother Ace.

Loki in One Piece | Credit: Viz Media

While physical growth is important, Luffy’s character could become boring if he unlocks almost everything before the final saga. Thus, his character development this time needs to come from an emotional perspective. And this will most likely happen because of the promise he made with Loki, the accursed prince of Elbaph, who is known to betray his entire kingdom.

From killing his father to contemplating the desire to unleash hell on the One Piece world, Loki seems to be an evil character in all senses. Therefore, it won’t come as a surprise if he betrays Luffy for his own gain. However, it may cause a big change in Luffy’s personality as he may become more mature and careful for his next phase in One Piece.