The Elbaf arc of One Piece is officially underway and, despite only being 10 chapters in, it already promises to be one of the series’ best. The looks fans have gotten about the arc and everything that will happen in it have been brief but incredibly promising, since the land is filled with mystery and brand-new characters have shown up whose mere existence seems to challenge everyone’s preconceived notions about the power-scaling of the world.

However, as big and impressive as Elbaf is shaping up to be, there is just as much of a chance for the arc to fall flat if not handled correctly, which can be one of One Piece’s biggest disasters. While this is very unlikely to happen due to Oda’s masterful skills as a storyteller, there is one glaring possibility that could make this arc shallow, so let’s take a look at what this can be and why it would be so detrimental to Elbaf if it happens.

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A Huge Problem Elbaf Is Facing

A Look At One of Elbaf’s Biggest Challenges

Start of the Arc
One Piece, Chapter 1126, “Setting the Score”

Debut Date
September 16, 2024

Latest Chapter
One Piece, Chapter 1135, “Friends’ Cups”

Elbaf is perhaps the story arc that has had the most hype surrounding it out of every other in the entire One Piece story. This is because this island was foreshadowed in the Little Garden arc back in Chapter 116 for the first time, where the Giants, Dorry and Brogy, explained to the Straw Hats that this country was a land of war where only the bravest warriors lived. This fostered a desire in the hearts of Luffy and Usopp to visit this fabled island.

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Now, the biggest problem that this arc faces is one that has played out far too much in many of the previous arcs of the story, which has prompted many loyal fans to have a problem with it. This is the fact that, according to many, One Piece often falls back into being ‘the Luffy show’, which essentially means that it starts to focus way too much on Luffy in any given story arc at the cost of others who would seek to benefit from the limelight.

It’s not about if I can. I’m doing it because I want to.

There should be no confusion about the fact that Luffy is the main character and the one who has always been destined to find the One Piece to become the King of the Pirates. This much is certain. However, many feel that just because of his destiny as the reincarnation of Joyboy and the one to be the future Pirate King, Oda seems to put him at the center of almost every single arc, which takes away from the other heroes of the story.

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By doing this, the journeys of other characters don’t have as much weight to their arcs. Notable exceptions to this rule are Enies Lobby and Wholecake Island; arcs that have their central focus changed from Luffy to his supporting Straw Hats, namely Robin and Sanji respectively. These arcs are remembered as some of the best and most beloved throughout the whole fandom, particularly due to their shift in focus and the fact that the story revolved around other characters in a way that shows how they have become the people they are today.

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Due to this focus being on others and not only Luffy, who himself just seems to act as a means of defeating the final enemy, the arcs give depth to supporting characters, which serves the story as a whole. On the other hand, there are arcs like Wano, which was the perfect set-up to have a Zoro-centered story, seeing as how the land is the home of Samurai culture and sword fighting. However, despite Zoro getting some incredible moments, there was only a hint of his background and it didn’t really expand on his character too much.

The problem here isn’t Luffy getting the limelight against the main villain. Rather, it’s the fact that other characters are sometimes forgotten in the pursuit of Luffy getting the big moment, which many fear will happen in Elbaf, considering how visiting the island has been Usopp’s primary dream and motivation ever since he visited Little Garden. If he essentially becomes an afterthought if the arc places an even bigger emphasis on Luffy’s new form or power-up, then the arc’s overall impact would diminish significantly considering Usopp’s entire arc built up to this island so he could finally become a brave warrior of the sea.
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Is This A Fair Criticism To Make?

How True Are These Claims?

In all honesty, there is some merit to this criticism. However, it can also be considered to be unfair, since the side characters also tend to get great and important moments in just about every single arc as well, which are often defining moments that Luffy needs to eventually defeat the big bad. The point of frustration here for many fans is that the story is somewhat repetitive when Luffy gets to fight the main villain to defeat them every single time.
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While this is true and One Piece would certainly benefit from changing up the formula every now and then by having others do the same, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Luffy is taking up the spotlight. He is the main character of the franchise, so it only makes sense for him to benefit from such moments, though it isn’t a lot for fans to ask for the final battles of an arc to be different sometimes.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.