One Piece Just Set the Perfect Stage for the Death of One of Its Legendary Characters
One Piece is currently diving deeper into the Elbaph arc, expanding its already thrilling narrative, and it may have just set the stage for the death of a legendary character. Eiichiro Oda’s manga has earned a reputation as one of the greatest action shonen series ever created. Yet, despite featuring countless high-stakes battles, the series has rarely featured the deaths of major characters. This is especially disappointing because One Piece has hundreds of characters, and meaningful deaths could raise the emotional stakes of the story even further.
Now that the Elbaph arc is building toward what could become the manga’s main confrontation, with Imu tormenting the land of Elbaph and even defeating Luffy, the story has reached a point where the deaths of major characters, including Luffy himself, seem possible. After overwhelming Luffy by revealing the secret of the 19 weapons in his arsenal and preparing to land another fatal blow, the latest chapter saw Scopper Gaban, the left-hand man of the Pirate King, intervene to save him. However, Gaban is already badly injured and clearly cannot withstand Imu’s strength for long. As a result, it seems likely that he will die, and One Piece should see this through for many reasons.
One Piece Manga Should See Through the Major Character Death It Has Set Up
Scopper Gaban has been one of the most interesting characters of the Elbaph arc, but his significance to the story goes far beyond simply emerging as someone helping the Straw Hats through this predicament. Gaban is one of the few characters in the series who actually knows what the One Piece is, having been a member of the Roger Pirates, where he was known as the left-hand man and the third most significant member of the crew. As such, his knowledge of the One Piece is as significant as Roger’s once was. At the same time, Gaban has also emerged as a mentor figure to the Straw Hats’ Monster Trio. He was the only one who knew how to hurt the God’s Knights and has even begun teaching the Straw Hats, including Sanji, who is already taking steps to learn what Gaban is teaching.
Gaban’s decision to step in at this critical moment to save Luffy and face Imu alone is therefore a major development, especially considering how badly injured he already is. This leaves him in a position that Imu is unlikely to ignore, given Gaban’s immense significance as one of the few people who knows the truth about the One Piece. His death, as one of the major characters who possesses that knowledge while spending his final moments teaching the crew of the future Pirate King, would carry powerful symbolism. It would also add an emotional layer to the ongoing thrilling narrative alongside the action.
His death could also reaffirm the authenticity of the One Piece treasure, much like Whitebeard once did by carrying forward the same meaning as Roger’s final words. In any case, the series should see this through, especially since it has yet to feature the death of a major present-day character rather than one in a flashback. This is particularly important given that the series has also brought back supposedly dead characters, such as Saul, making death feel less permanent. Scopper Gaban’s death would not only address the long-standing lack of major character deaths in One Piece, but it would also serve as a reminder that the series is now in its final saga, where the deaths of legendary and beloved characters like Gaban could happen at any moment as the story moves toward its long-awaited ending.
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