a piece Currently at the climax of the Elbaf arc, where much of the focus is on the Straw Hat Pirates as they go into battle against Nerona Emu and her holy knights. The Elbaf Arc officially marks the prelude to the Great War, as stated a piece Chapter #1146. with the dawn of the end, a piece Creator Eiichiro Oda is preparing to complete the crew by adding the last member to the mix and making Luffy's group even stronger.
At this time, there are 3 primary candidates for the position of the last member of Luffy's crew, and Eiichiro Oda has given several reasons for each of them. Mainly, Eiichiro Oda already lined up Vivi to join the crew long ago, but along with her, there is also the cursed Prince Loki, and now, a new candidate in the form of Princess Shuri. Come the end of Elbaf, we will officially find out which of the three joins the team.
One Piece Chapter 216 and 1130 set up Luffy and Vivi's reunion
Vivi is one of the most important characters in the overarching story a piece And a character set up by Eiichiro Oda to officially join the Straw Hat Pirates a piece Chapter 216, officially released on January 28, 2002 in WSJ Issue #9. In this chapter, it was officially confirmed that Vivi wants to travel with the Straw Hat Pirates once again and when she does, Luffy and the crew do not hesitate to call her a crewmate once again. In the final saga of One Piece, things escalated significantly regarding Vivi. In Reverie, his father, King Cobra of Arabia, dies. With CP0 looking for her, Imu wants to buy Vivi for herself. She has nowhere safe to turn to, and currently, she's hiding out with Wapol and the Big News Morgans.
“I am going to stay here. But, if we meet again, will you still call me your ship-mate?” – Nefertari Vivi says she wants to rejoin Luffy in the future, One Piece Chapter #216
Vivi sends a message to Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece Chapter 1130, which was officially released on October 21, 2024, in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #47, setting up a reunion for the two and making a strong case for her being the last Straw Hat. However, it is unclear if Vivi will rejoin the Straw Hats before reaching Emu. The second option is possible, if not lighter, leaving the door open for other potential candidates to join the Straw Hat team.
One piece is officially introducing a 3000-year-old legendary Zoan
In Chapter 1138, the legendary Zoan Devil Fruit class is established to receive a new divine addition depicted in the Harley mural.
How the Elbaf arc lines up with Loki and Shuri as possible straw hats
Along with Princess Vivi, Eiichiro Oda has lined up other characters in Elbaf to join the crew, and one of them is Elbaf's cursed prince, Loki. Although initially set up as a villain with the ability to destroy the world a piece Chapter 1130, Loki has already formed a bond of friendship with Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates and is fighting alongside them to protect Elbaf. In fact, the monkey d. Luffy also asked Loki to join his team directly a piece Chapter 1152 was officially released on June 23, 2025 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #30.
“Loki, join my team, man! If he joins me, you can't complain if I free him, can you, Hazrudin?” – Luffy asks Loki to join the Straw Hats, One Piece Chapter #1152
That said, the only obstacle to Loki joining the team is that there will be no one left to save them if Elbaf leaves. Loki was also given this responsibility directly by his father, King Harald, before he died, and as such, he would have to abandon Elbaf to its fate if he wanted to join the Straw Hat Pirates. After all, if Luffy and crew succeed in defending Elbaf once and for all, then Loki will be free to follow his heart and join Luffy and crew.
Besides Loki, there is also Princess Shuri, who was recently set to become a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Shuri was a princess of the Asperia Kingdom, born as a human with a heavenly bloodline originating from the Manmire family, confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1186 in Shuisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump Issue #31 on June 28, 2026. Shuri was eventually captured by Nerona Emu and dragged to the Holy Land of Marizoa, where she was completely brainwashed and eventually made a Holy Knight.
In the Elbaf arc, Shuri is the main princess for Luffy and crew, and one way or another, they're going to save her. Once Shuri is freed from Nerona Emu's clutches, she will have nowhere to turn, as Asperia is officially destroyed, as confirmed by Brooke in One Piece Chapter #1183. With no one to turn to and the world government behind her, Shuri could potentially travel with the Straw Hat Pirates and Brooke. In fact, in a recent Asperia Kingdom flashback, Shuri even stated that she likes to travel together with Brook as a pirate in the sea in June 15, 2026 One Piece chapter #1185. Whether or not this happens depends on whether or not Luffy manages to save Elba from his cruel fate at his peak.
Shuri: I thought you wanted to be a pirate, Brooke?
Brooke: My responsibilities come first. Dreams are a secondary matter.
Shuri: Ah, well. So, when you go, I go with you.
Brooke: You can't!
Shuri: I can!
— A fragmented exchange from chapter #1185 showing Shuri wanting to become a pirate with Brooke.
Why can only 1 character join the Straw Hats permanently after Elbaf
Although there are three candidates for the position of the final Straw Hat, only one of them can actually go on to join the crew. This is because Eiichiro Oda has already lined up 10 underlings for Luffy to go against the other emperors. For example, the Blackbeard Pirates already have 10 Titanic Captains, and for the final confrontation of the Straw Hat Pirates against the Blackbeard Pirates, Luffy needs 10 powerful underlings to face the Titanic Captains. Similarly, Shanks also has 10 strong underlings who follow him into battle. Luffy is currently only nine, and only one can join the crew.
As such, this person could be any one of three, but the most likely of them all is Princess Vivi, with Shuri second in line. Loki, despite being the strongest of the group, needs to protect Elbaf, so he is least likely to join the team. With Elbaf already at its peak and heading towards its end, we will soon find out who will go on to join the Straw Hat Pirates. We absolutely cannot wait to see who Oda finally chooses as her choice for the Straw Hats.
All new One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
