With the beginning of the Elbaf Arc, fans are witnessing new developments in the story of One Piece.

For one, an incredibly important character called Loki was recently reintroduced in the series, this time, making his proper debut. Loki was first mentioned to the fans in the Whole Cake Island arc, but at the time, the fans only got to see his silhouette, and heard about his relationship with Lola, as well as how it came to an end and how Big Mom’s relationship with the Giants was soured even further.

Now, Loki has properly been introduced in the story in the Elbaf Arc, and from here onwards, he’s going to play a massive role moving forward, especially given the fact that he is called the Sun God who will destroy the world. It will be incredibly exciting for fans to see how his relationship with Luffy develops, and contrary to popular belief, these two could actually go on to become allies of sorts.

Understanding the Relationship That Loki and Luffy Share

Loki is portrayed to be a villain

Loki and Luffy are off to a friendly start

The very first thing that fans need to address in regards to Luffy and Loki is their relationship. Of course, these two characters have only just met, which means that their relationship, whatever it is, is still in the phase of being developed by Oda. There are things that fans don’t know, and a lot of it will be clearer in the upcoming few chapters of the story. But, based on the two chapters that fans have seen with these two characters interacting, it is clear that they are, at the very least, not incredibly hostile towards each other. At the same time, Oda is not building Loki up to be a majestic villain in One Piece. For instance, when Blackbeard was introduced in the story, Luffy’s reaction to him was clearly one where he felt he needed to be aware.

I am the Sun God who will destroy the world! – Loki

He even sensed that the Blackbeard was already with his crew on Mocktown, as did Zoro. Luffy is a very perceptive individual. He picks up things faster than most people do, and he understands how to read the situation the best. Luffy clearly does know that Loki possesses tremendous strength. In fact, Luffy’s body tingled upon sensing Loki’s power, even though he was being restrained by sea prism chains. Yet, when Luffy interacted with Loki, he was clearly open to conversing with him and hearing his story.

Luffy’s only moment of rage came when Loki tried to insult Shanks, and this was done on purpose because he wanted to see if they were connected or not. Clearly, Luffy and Loki have already developed a relationship here that stands in between friendship and hostility. They can’t be considered to be friends, at least not now, and they certainly cannot be considered to be enemies either, given that they are likely to work together.

Based on this framework, it can be stated that the relationship is already developing in a direction away from being enemies to actually being acquaintances. However, they are not going to get to know each other like Luffy knows his other friends. Luffy’s relationship with Loki is not going to be like the one he shares with his other friends, such as Vivi, Momo, and others. This relationship is different. Luffy is aware of the threat that Loki poses but isn’t necessarily against aiding Loki if he gets something in return.

Why Loki and Luffy Could Potentially Team Up

Loki and Luffy Will Fight Against A Bigger Threat In Elbaf

Luffy and Loki could most likely team up in the future of the Elbaf arc. For one, the basis for these two characters to engage has already been set up by Oda. Loki recently suggested Luffy free him from his shackles and in return, he will tell him the secret about Shanks visiting him in Elbaf. This is already basis for these two characters to interact further and find out more secrets about each other. Once that happens, Loki will most likely be freed and these two might even end up fighting against one another.

Free me, and I’ll destroy any pirate crew of your choosing. – Loki

Naturally, in this particular scenario, Loki and Luffy will be on opposing ends and rivals. This could especially be an antagonizing relationship if Loki finds out that Luffy is the Sun God, which is something that he claims he is. However, despite that, their end relationship is not likely going to be that of enemies. Loki is not written as a true end-of-the-arc enemy, and there will have to be someone else who takes that role. That doesn’t mean Loki and Luffy can’t fight, and it certainly doesn’t mean that they will end up being on opposing ends at all times.

Loki’s nature is wild. He is likely unpredictable as well, and even if he engages Luffy in combat, he might later be convinced to team up with him, especially if Elbaf faces a bigger threat, and this is potentially where Loki’s character could be defined properly and he could go on to actually go from being a wild beast to one who actually goes on to protect Elbaf instead of destroying it.

What Threat Will Elbaf Face?

Imu Could Be Aiming To Destroy Elbaf

Naturally, fans might be wondering as to what this threat could be that could force Loki to team up with Luffy. There could only be one threat that could force these individuals to team up, and that is the threat of the World Government. Specifically, the World Government knows that Luffy, whom they recognize as Sun God Nika, is in Elbaf. Furthermore, fans also know that the World Government has access to more Mother Flame, which they secured from Egghead. Using Mother Flame, the Ancient Weapon Uranus can be powered up once again, and given that this time they know where Luffy is, they could essentially go on to strike the entirety of Elbaf down. This would mean that Elbaf would be burnt down and this could eliminate entire races and thousands of lives in the blink of an eye.

Such a catastrophe cannot be allowed to pass. This is why the main villain in this arc could be the World Government, and it would be up to Luffy and others to stop this. Clearly, the strongest individuals in Elbaf are Luffy and Loki at this point in time, which means that these two will be at the forefront of things and could potentially team up against this calamity.

With that, Loki’s role will further be defined, and he will eventually want to become a protector of Elbaf and might even gain the respect of people once again. His case is somewhat similar to Oden’s, but the only difference is that Loki is a bit more cruel. But, Oda has previously had worse characters team up with Luffy, such as Crocodile, and even give him them a proper redemption, despite having done heinous acts. The worst thing that Loki has done is kill King Harald, but fans do not even know what this person was like, and as such, the basis for these two characters to form an alliance still stands.