One Piece's latest Elbaph lore reveal paints the Water 7 arc in a completely new light

When it comes to lore building, One Piece has mastered the art of it. Eiichiro Oda is now a renowned mangaka and is popular for his technique of storytelling, where he manages to weave intricate storylines over decades. His patience with slowly building up a plot so subtly that it’s barely noticed by fans, only to end up being part of a larger picture, has been paying off.

In the recent One Piece chapter, he has once again caused the fandom to stir up conversation, as this new detail suddenly reframes what we initially knew during the Water 7 arc.

During the 1154th chapter of the manga, we get the loss of the “Great Hammer Warband,” a guild of giant shipwrights based in Elbaf. This name is similar to Water 7’s famed Galley-La Company, and fans are claiming it to be too big of a coincidence to be chalked up as just an accidental reference.

One thing that separates One Piece from other series is that nothing is accidental. Every small piece of information has relevance and can be brought up anytime. That is why, with this new information, a possible ancestral link between Elbaf’s mighty shipbuilders and the Galley-La artisans led by Iceburg opens up a vast array of speculative connections.

This is important information because it was during Water 7 that we were introduced to one of the best artisans in the world of shipbuilding. The Galley-La Company was the crown jewel of this city, boasting craftsmen of extraordinary skill—so much so that the World Government tried to use its head, Iceburg, to secure the blueprints of Pluton.

But if we now consider that Elbaf once housed a legendary guild of giant shipbuilders, it’s not far-fetched to wonder whether the techniques and traditions of the Great Hammer Warband made their way to Water 7, giving rise to the Galley-La Company.

This theory sounds credible because the Galley-La Company not only had skilled people, but they were also revolutionary with their work. Iceburg and his team didn’t just maintain ships; they built the Thousand Sunny, a vessel designed with technology far beyond that of most pirates.

In the Water 7 arc, the World Government desperately sought the Pluton blueprints. Why? Because they were worried for their safety. If the ancient weapon were to be created, it would be a threat to them. So the World Government wanted to get the information to dominate and maintain its control.

Symbolism and Oda’s long game in One Piece

If this theory ends up being true, it would also affect Franky’s character arc. He was someone who was raised in Water 7, and he became the inheritor of a tradition that might be older than the city itself.

In choosing to burn the Pluton blueprints and build the Thousand Sunny, he didn't just build a ship; he possibly revived a lineage that dates back to the Great Hammer Warband—a bridge between Elbaf and Water 7.

With Chapter 1154’s Elbaf reveal in One Piece, we might now view it as the midpoint in a much larger narrative thread—one that explores the transmission of knowledge, the power of craftsmanship, and the sinister methods of those who wish to control the world.

Even the name “Great Hammer Warband” suggests a mythic, Norse-inspired structure—fitting, given Elbaf’s Viking aesthetic. Hammers are tools of creation just as much as they are weapons of destruction. The Warband built ships and fought wars.

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In conclusion, the Water 7 arc in One Piece is no longer just about Robin’s betrayal or Franky’s redemption. It might also be about the remnants of a lost culture, living quietly in a bustling city, waiting for the day when their true origin would be remembered. And now, thanks to Elbaf’s secrets, that day may have finally come.

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